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Hushed and Grim (Album of the Day)
Mastadon has been rattling walls and winning metal fans for more than 20 years, and their latest, HUSHED AND GRIM, stands with their very best. Released a few days before Halloween 2021, the Reprise double album sees the Atlanta quartet coming to terms with the death of longtime manager Nick John; for all their power, these songs are grounded in grief. With shades of heaviness drawn from prog, sludge and alternative styles, the set is rich and varied; “Teardrinker,” “Pushing the Tides” and “Sickle and Peace” were the singles, but you'll find many other favorites among its 15 tracks. Hailed by critics from Kerrang!, Rolling Stone and Revolver, HUSHED AND GRIM was also a solid seller, topping Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart.
Muscle of Love (Album of the Day)
“It's very basic rock and roll throughout,” noted Alice Cooper of MUSCLE OF LOVE. “I really wanted this one to have more guts to it. More balls.” To that end, Jack Richardson and Jack Douglas helmed the 1973 Warner Bros. set instead of previous producer Bob Ezrin (who didn't see eye to eye with guitarist Michael Bruce during rehearsals). While sexual themes are prominent (as in the title track), the collection also includes Coop classic “Teenage Lament '74” and a guest-star-studded “Man with the Golden Gun,” which had been intended as a theme for the James Bond film of the same name. Bruce was born on this day in 1948, and in his honor we'll flex the Top 10, gold-certified MUSCLE OF LOVE.
First Step (Album of the Day)
When frontman Steve Marriott left to form Humble Pie, his three Small Faces bandmates regrouped with Jeff Beck Group axeman Ron Wood and singer Rod Stewart. With the name shortened to Faces, the U.K. quintet made an auspicious debut this month in 1970 with FIRST STEP, a title that made sly reference to the beginner's guide to guitar that Wood holds in the cover photo. But there was nothing inexperienced about any of these musicians, and their chemistry and superb performances are evident on each of the 10 tracks. After an ace cover of Dylan's “Wicked Messenger” the material is all original, with songwriting duties spread fairly evenly among the members; with a pair of instrumentals and such fine tracks as “Around the Plynth” and “Three Button Hand Me Down,” it's a consistently enjoyable collection. Faces were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, and the journey that brought them there begins with FIRST STEP.
Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (Album of the Day)
My Chemical Romance's second album – and first for major label Reprise - THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE was a big leap forward from the New Jersey band's debut. Its cleaner production (by Howard Benson) and streamlined arrangements give the dark drama of these 13 originals maximum impact, and the 2004 set spawned three Modern Rock hits: “Helena,” “The Ghost of You” and emo anthem “I'm Not Okay (I Promise).” While the songs are tied together by the story of a dead gunfighter offered a deal by the Devil, frontman Gerard Way notes that “the record ended up being much more about loss and real life than anything.” My Chemical Romance broke up nine years ago today but have reunited and are headed out on tour; the triple-platinum THREE CHEERS FOR SWEET REVENGE is one reason we're glad they're back.
Talk on Corners (Album of the Day)
Among the most popular family acts in Irish history, The Corrs are sisters Andrea, Sharon and Caroline, and brother Jim Corr. The quartet began their rise to fame in the 1990s, thanks largely to their second album, TALK ON CORNERS. The recording was initiated in California, with producer David Foster shepherding The Corrs' harmony-rich blend of Celtic and pop/rock musics, but the project passed through a number of phases in its evolution. Released to modest success, the collection got a boost when the group worked up a version of Fleetwood Mac's “Dreams”; on this day in 1998, Mick Fleetwood joined the band for a St. Patrick's Day performance of the song. When the cover became a hit, it was added to the album along with club-friendly remixes of the set's “What Can I Do” and “So Young.” The re-released version topped the U.K. album chart, and TALK ON CORNERS remains among The Corrs' best
In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Album of the Day)
IN CASE YOU DIDN'T FEEL LIKE SHOWING UP offers Ministry fans who missed the industrial metal band's February 1990 show at Merrillville, Indiana's Holiday Star Theatre a second chance to hear one of the group's most powerful line-ups in concert. Joining leader Al Jourgensen here are Pigface's Chris Connelly, Skinny Puppy's Nivek Ogre and Killing Joke's Martin Atkins, and the resulting music is as dark and pummeling as you'd expect. With six songs drawn from classics THE LAND OF RAPE AND HONEY and THE MIND IS A TERRIBLE THING TO TASTE, the Sire collection wages sonic war from the opening notes of “The Missing” to an epic version of “Stigmata” and Jourgensen's vitriolic closing tirade. Named by Rock Hard magazine as one of the 500 Greatest Rock & Metal Albums of All Time, IN CASE YOU DIDN'T FEEL LIKE SHOWING UP remains one of the most extreme live albums ever.
Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses (Album of the Day)
Striking a perfect balance between the brutal and the beautiful, VOL. 3 THE SUBLIMINAL VERSES is an ideal introduction to Slipknot. The 2004 Roadrunner set was recorded with uber-producer Rick Rubin at his Laurel Canyon mansion, and though the sessions were initially a struggle, they paid off in a platinum-certified album that just missed topping the Billboard chart. Including such highlights as “Duality,” “Vermillion” and Best Metal Performance Grammy winner “Before I Forget,” these 14 originals prove that the Iowa band's intense approach can coexist with melody and traditional song structure. We'll crank up Slipknot's VOL. 3 THE SUBLIMINAL VERSES now in honor of March Metal Month.
Funky Divas (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
En Vogue's debut left little doubt that these four talented ladies were headed for stardom, and with follow-up album FUNKY DIVAS, they achieved it. Terry Ellis, Cindy Herron, Maxine Jones and Dawn Robinson take turns on lead vocals on these 13 songs and each delivers the goods, though the contributions of songwriters-producers Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster are equally important. With diverse arrangements and truly memorable material, the EastWest collection spun off a seemingly endless series of hit singles, including “My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It),” “Free Your Mind” and “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” - all three of which reached the Billboard Top 10. Now available, a digital Deluxe Edition of FUNKY DIVAS adds eight remixes to the triple-platinum original.
Bloody Kisses (Album of the Day)
Emerging from Brooklyn in the early 1990s, goth metal greats Type O Negative explored sex, death and satire on their seven studio sets, of which BLOODY KISSES was the third. Produced by frontman Peter Steele and keyboardist Josh Silver, the 1993 collection put the band in the big leagues, becoming Roadrunner Records' first platinum album. With a touch of melody and some subtle irony, Steele's writing is more assured than ever on such songs as scene anthem “Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All),” “Christian Woman” and the title track; a doom-lade cover of Seals & Crofts' “Summer Breeze” proves equally impressive. Drummer Sal Abruscato would leave after this release, and the final album from Type O Negative's original line-up offers BLOODY KISSES from the dark side of metal.
Dehumanizer (Album of the Day)
More than a decade after they'd played together on Black Sabbath's MOB RULES, vocalist Ronnie James Dio, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice rejoined guitarist Tony Iommi for DEHUMANIZER. “We wanted it to be real rock 'n' roll: real basic,” noted Dio of the 1992 Reprise collection. “We wanted to capture what we are live and that's really what I think we did.” While a few tracks include Geoff Nicholls on keyboards, overall this is among Sabbath's heaviest albums, with thundering riffs and rhythms driving attacks on blind faith in technology (“Computer God”), televangelists (“TV Crimes”), the afterlife (“After All (The Dead)”) and more. The underrated DEHUMANIZER brought the band back to the Top 40 in England and nearly did so in America, and still delivers the goods for any metal fan.