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101 (Album of the Day)
Depeche Mode wrapped up their MUSIC FOR THE MASSES tour with a triumphant concert at Pasadena's Rose Bowl in June 1988, and fortunately tapes (and filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker's cameras) were rolling to capture it all. The resulting double album, entitled 101 (this was the 101st performance of the tour), shows the U.K. synth-pop quartet to be as captivating on stage as in the studio, with terrific versions of such hits as “Blasphemous Rumors,” “A Question of Lust” and “Everything Counts.” The masses do their part for the music as well, as the 60,000-plus sold-out crowd cheer the band on, adding energy and emotion to every song. Depeche Mode's 101 was released last month on 180-gram vinyl, and a spin on the turntable will put you into the audience as one of the defining bands of the 1980s hits a career watershed.
Sings Bessie Smith (Album of the Day)
Though one of the all-time great female blues singers, Bessie Smith had long vanished from the charts when LaVern Baker championed her music with a tribute album in 1958. Such hits as “Jim Dandy” had ensured Baker a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but SINGS BESSIE SMITH fits her like a glove. The Atlantic collection features a dozen songs popularized by the Empress of the Blues (“Gimme A Pigfoot,” “Empty Bed Blues,” “There'll Be A Hot Time In The Old Town Tonite” among them), though LaVern gives each her own charismatic vocal stamp, With hot jazz-influenced accompaniment by a band including trumpeter Buck Clayton, SINGS BESSIE SMITH is both a superb introduction to a blues legend and a brilliant calling card for LaVern Baker, who was born on this day in 1929.
Beast From The East (Album of the Day)
The Divine Miss M (Deluxe) (Album of the Day)
"I began being called The Divine Miss M around 1969, when I made my first appearance at the Continental Baths,” recalls Bette Midler of her early days in New York, and Rhino revisits the beginning of her incredible career with a deluxe version of her iconic debut. Co-produced by Barry Manilow, THE DIVINE MISS M was released in November 1972 and includes the Top 40 hits "Do You Want To Dance" and "Friends," as well as the Top 10 smash "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." The Atlantic collection reached the Top 10 on the album chart (helping earn Midler a Best New Artist.Grammy the following year) and was eventually certified platinum by the RIAA. The new reissue features a second disc with nine additional tracks, including single mixes and unreleased demo and alternate recordings.
The Cars (Album of the Day)
The Cars raced out of Boston in the late-1970s to become America's leading new wave band. With frontman Ric Ocasek's off-kilter vocals and an emphasis on tight, melodic songs, the band appealed to both classic rockers and fans of edgier fare. The quintet's eponymous debut was an instant classic; its opening tracks - “Good Times Roll,” “Just What I Needed” and “My Best Friend's Girl” - were each successful singles. But deeper album tracks like “You're All I've Got Tonight” and “Bye Bye Love” also reached heavy rotation on radio, driving the album to multi-platinum sales status. With its hook-filled songs, THE CARS is a musical landmark that remains compulsively listenable.
Thanks, Ric. Hope you enjoyed the ride as much as we did.
Clouds (Album of the Day)
With CLOUDS, Joni Mitchell realized the promise of her debut to deliver a near-masterpiece. By the time of the Reprise collection's 1969 release, the singer-songwriter's work was being popularized by such artists as Judy Collins and Fairport Convention, but Mitchell's versions of “Chelsea Morning,” “I Don't Know Where I Stand” and the classic “Both Sides Now” (from which the album draws its name) have an unadorned beauty that's as distinctive as their famous covers. Though Stephen Stills contributes some backing instrumentation, Mitchell's playing and singing command the spotlight, coloring these ten originals with unusual chords and phrasing while remaining accessible. A Best Folk Performance Grammy winner, CLOUDS stands among Joni Mitchell's very best, and we'll give it another spin today to celebrate her birthday.
Look Sharp! (Album of the Day)
THE SINGLES (Album of the Day)
So Far (Album of the Day)
After just two studio albums, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young had enough material for a best-of; the consistent high quality of SO FAR is testament to the remarkable talents of the group. Released to capitalize on the foursome's first stadium tour, the Atlantic collection features 11 tracks - five pf them Top 40 hits (“Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Ohio,” “Woodstock,” “Teach Your Children” and “Our House”), though virtually all of these songs have become staples of classic rock radio. Filled with inventive arrangements and peerless harmony singing, SO FAR reached No.1 on the U.S. album chart on this day in 1974, and has gone on to sell more than 6 million copies.
Holiday (Album of the Day)
America formed in London, so it's only fitting that after years of international success, the trio would return to the city to make their fourth studio album, HOLIDAY. Producer George Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick were behind the boards for the sessions, and a Bealtle-esque focus on melody and craftsmanship rings through these dozen tracks. “Tin Man” and “Lonely People” were both Top 10 hits stateside - the album as a whole reached #3 - but the Warner Bros. collection includes several others that are are equally strong (“Another Try,” “Old Man Took”). America's Dan Peek was born on this day in 1950, and we'll mark the occasion with one of his band's best albums, HOLIDAY.