Content tagged ''
Sunshine on Leith (Album of the Day)
The Proclaimers are identical twins Craig and Charlie Reid, and the brothers' hometown in Scotland inspired the name of their second album, SUNSHINE ON LEITH. Sunny vibes pervade most of these 13 songs, whose stripped-down pub rock is enlivened by Scottish folk influences. The track that shines brightest is surely “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” which, some five years after the album's 1988 release, became a No.3 U.S. hit thanks to its inclusion in the Benny & Joon soundtrack. But there's plenty more to enjoy beyond that well-known single, with fine originals like “I’m On My Way,” “Oh Jean” and the title track joined by a pair of appealing covers (Steve Earle’s “My Old Friend The Blues” and Roger Miller's “King Of The Road”). SUNSHINE ON LEITH returns as a 140-gram marbled vinyl 2-LP set this Record Store Day, and it remains invigorating from beginning to end.
Live at Brixton Academy (Album of the Day)
Bearing the Japanese name for Godzilla, French group Gojira have become a force to reckon with in the hard rock world. Also issued as LES ENFANTS SAUVAGES, LIVE AT BRIXTON ACADEMY was recorded at the prestigious London venue as the quartet was beginning to attract international acclaim. With technical skills honed through hundreds of gigs, Gojira's sound had evolved beyond their death metal roots by the time of this March 2013 concert, and their environmentally conscious lyrics (“Toxic Garbage Island,” “Flying Whales”) were just as sophisticated. Another song played during the show - “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe” - offers an apt description of LIVE AT BRIXTON ACADEMY, which will be released on vinyl this month as a 2-LP set for Record Store Day.
Oh No! It's Devo (Album of the Day)
“There are many people out there who, when they hear we're around again or have one more album coming out, that is their reaction,” noted Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh of the title to the band's fifth album, OH NO! IT'S DEVO. Roy Thomas Baker (The Cars, Queen) produced the 1982 Warner Bros. collection, adding a little mainstream polish and a stronger emphasis on synthesizers. “Peek-a-Boo!” and “That's Good” showed that the spud boys could still rattle off infernally catchy singles, but listen carefully and you'll also pick up on the subversive satire running through the set (which includes songs drawn from writings by an obsessed fan as well as would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr.). Fittingly for a band with visual panache, the underrated OH NO! IT'S DEVO will be reissued as a picture disc for Record Store Day.
Tubular Bells II (Album of the Day)
Mike Oldfield had a worldwide smash with his 1973 debut after its title track was excerpted in horror blockbuster The Exorcist; 14 albums later, the multi-instrumentalist finally released a sequel, TUBULAR BELLS II. Moving from longtime label Virgin to Warner Music, Oldfield relocated from England to Los Angeles to record the 1992 collection with Trevor Horn, and he has credited the producer with providing a greater emphasis on rhythm. While the resemblance to its landmark predecessor is clear, the set is distinguished by strong world music influences and shorter songs (“Sentinel,” “Tattoo” and “The Bell” were singles) and became a chart-topping, double-platinum hit in the U.K. TUBULAR BELLS II will be released on blue marbled vinyl for Record Store Day.
Pornography (Album of the Day)
If you hear The Cure on the radio these days, it's probably a poppier song from one of their (quite wonderful) singles compilations. But survey the fans and they're more likely to point to PORNOGRAPHY as the British band's high-water mark. The 1982 set finds frontman Robert Smith at his most despairing (after a year of grinding tour dates, the group was on the verge of splintering), and tracks like “The Hanging Garden” and “One Hundred Years” practically drip with gloom. “We wanted to make the ultimate, intense album,” noted drummer Lol Tolhurst, and the collection resonated with enough listeners to put it into the U.K. Top 10. PORNOGRAPHY plumbs some very dark depths, and this milestone of goth rock returns as a picture disc for Record Store Day.
Complete Captured Live (Album of the Day)
Joining Bob Marley and Bunny Livingston as an original member of The Wailers, Peter Tosh helped give birth to reggae in the 1960s and continued to blaze musical trails as a solo artist in the decade that followed. Guided by his Rastafarian faith and an unwavering commitment to social justice, Tosh issued a string of fiery studio sets – and one concert collection – before his untimely death in 1987. COMPLETE CAPTURED LIVE was recorded during a Southern California tour stop and shows the legendary performer in top form on such favorites as “Not Gonna Give It Up,” “Mama Africa” and “Get Up, Stand Up.” This Record Store Day, the double album will be available as a limited edition pressing on colored marble vinyl.
Bella Donna (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Legendary Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks joined producer Jimmy Iovine to begin recording her solo debut, BELLA DONNA, following the release of the Mac's TUSK and its subsequent tour. Nicks' 1981 collection was quickly certified platinum thanks to classics like “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty), “Edge Of Seventeen” and “Leather And Lace” (with Don Henley). Along with Heartbreakers and Eagles, the album features guest turns from Donald “Duck” Dunn of Booker T. & The MGs and Roy Bittan of the E Street Band - though Stevie's distinctive voice and persona are never upstaged. In 2016, Rhino combed through the vaults to uncover unreleased versions of songs, soundtrack rarities and a 1981 concert, and BELLA DONNA (DELUXE EDITION) will be available on Record Store Day in a limited edition double vinyl pressing.
Resident Alien (Album of the Day)
Though the members of Spacehog all hailed from Leeds, the group only formed after they'd each moved to Manhattan, a situation that likely inspired the title of their debut, RESIDENT ALIEN. The 1995 Sire/Elektra collection also reflects the quartet's British roots in its neo-glam sound; press materials form the day describe the boys as “the band who fell to earth.” Cut at Bearsville in New York, these 13 originals (plus the hidden track that was de rigueur for mid-'90s alternative rockers) have a live immediacy that lets frontman Royston Langdon and guitar hero Richard Steel strut their stuff like spiders from Mars on such standout tracks as “Never Coming Down,” “Cruel to Be Kind” and Top 40 single “In the Meantime.” The Gold-certified RESIDENT ALIEN is Spacehog's most successful album and still delivers a kick.
Too Tough to Die (Album of the Day)
The title of the eighth Ramones album, TOO TOUGH TO DIE, spoke both to the band's steely determination and the 1984 collection's grittier sound, a return to the quartet's punk roots. “We knew we needed to get back to the kind of harder material we'd become known for,” said guitarist Johnny Ramone, and the presence of producers Tommy Ramone and Ed Stasium, who'd helmed the classic ROAD TO RUIN, worked wonders in this regard. While closer in spirit to hardcore or metal than the pop of the previous couple of Ramones albums, these 13 songs don't skimp on hooks; “Howling at the Moon (Sha-La-La),” “Wart Hog” and the title track are as catchy as ever. Richie Ramone makes his debut behind the drums on TOO TOUGH TO DIE, and the acclaimed Sire set is a strong return to form by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.
C'est Chic (Album of the Day)
Forty-five years ago, Studio 54 opened its doors and the nightclub would quickly become one of New York's hottest – and most exclusive. Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were famously turned away one New Year's Eve and channeled their anger into a song; “Le Freak” was originally built around an expletive, but with more radio-friendly lyrics went to the top of the U.S. chart. It's one of two Top 10 hits (the other being “I Want Your Love”) on C'EST CHIC, the second studio album from the disco greats. Guitarist Rodgers and bassist Edwards handle songwriting and production chores here, but the heat from these grooves owes just as much to drummer Tony Thompson and the funky divas at the microphone, Alfa Anderson and Luci Martin. Named R&B Album of the Year by Billboard magazine upon its original release, the platinum-selling C'EST CHIC remains tres magnifique.