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Stay Hungry [Deluxe 25th Anniversary] (Album of the Day)
Monday, July 13, 2015
STAY HUNGRY was an appropriate title for Twisted Sister's breakthrough album; the band had spent nearly a decade clawing its way up from the clubs of New York and New Jersey. The quintet's insistent glam metal was ready for its close-up by the time of the collection's 1984 release – and so was frontman Dee Snider, whose garish make-up and flamboyant costumes were perfect for the then-new MTV. None of that would have mattered if the set's nine originals didn't rock ferociously, but they sure did, with “The Price” and hit singles “I Wanna Rock” and “We're Not Gonna Take It” among the highlights. Rhino's 25th anniversary Deluxe Edition of this '80s metal touchstone includes a bonus disc with 15 unreleased demos and outtakes plus the new recording “30.” Twisted Sister bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza turns 60 today, and to celebrate the birthday, we'll turn STAY HUNGRY up to 11.
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The Very Beast Of Dio (Album of the Day)
Friday, July 10, 2015
Ronnie James Dio had fronted Elf, Rainbow and Black Sabbath before going solo in 1983 and securing his status as one of hard rock's most distinctive voices. Over the next decade, the performer cut half a dozen studio sets and the live INTERMISSIONS for Warner/Reprise Records, and highlights from these are gathered on Rhino's 2000 collection THE VERY BEAST OF DIO. “Holy Diver,” “The Last In Line,” “Dream Evil” and “Lock Up The Wolves” are among the 16 dark and brilliantly crafted metal masterpieces here – these are the songs that put this man atop a silver mountain. Ronnie James Dio was born on this day in 1942, and we'll celebrate the birthday with another spin of the gold-certified THE VERY BEAST OF DIO.
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Icky Thump (Album of the Day)
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Alternative rock's great White hope in the new millennium was a Detroit duo who bashed out raucous anthems that drew inspiration from vintage blues as well as '60s garage. Guitarist/vocalist Jack White and drummer Meg White – collectively known as The White Stripes - covered a lot of ground stylistically, and while their final album, 2007's ICKY THUMP, is in some ways a return to the raw attack of their debut, there are also plenty of surprises. The 13 songs here include Scottish folk influences (“Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn”), a Patti Page cover (“Conquest”) and some trippy Moog work (the title track) as well as hook-filled guitar rock (“You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)”). Somehow it all works; the set debuted at #2 on the Billboard chart, and racked up two Grammy Awards. Jack White turns 40 today, and we'll celebrate the birthday with The White Stripes' superb swan song, ICKY THUMP!
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City To City (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Scottish singer-songwriter Gerry Rafferty tasted success as part of The Humblebums in the late 1960s, and in Stealers Wheel (“Stuck In The Middle With You”) a couple of years later, but it was CITY TO CITY that truly put him on the musical map – the album displaced SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER for the No.1 slot on the U.S. chart on this day in 1978. The collection's most famous song, “Baker Street,” is a bittersweet look at the music industry's star-making machinery (with an unforgettable sax solo by Raphael Ravenscroft), but from follow-up hit “Right Down the Line” to other originals like “Whatever's Written In My Heart” and “Home And Dry,” the set shines from start to finish with outstanding pop craftsmanship. Surely Gerry Rafferty's finest hour, CITY TO CITY is well worth another visit.
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In Through The Out Door (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
On this day in 1980, the original lineup of Led Zeppelin played its final concert. The set list mixed familiar hits with “All My Love” and “Hot Dog” from the band's most recent collection, IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR – which would likely be seen as a transitional album if the quartet had ever made it to the studio for a follow-up. Its seven songs show the group adding Latin and country touches to their powerful blues-based rock, and John Paul Jones' synthesizers are as prominent here as Jimmy Page's riffing guitars. While the group was exploring new directions, they never abandoned their core strengths - even the rough mixes included on the Deluxe Edition of the 1979 album (to be released later this month) crackle with characteristic assurance and riveting performances. If one can't help but to wonder where Led Zeppelin would have gone next, IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR is nonetheless a highly satisfying swan song for the legendary band.
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No Jacket Required (Album of the Day)
Monday, July 6, 2015
Hard though it is to imagine Phil Collins being denied entrance to a restaurant for improper attire, it actually did happen, and inspired the title of NO JACKET REQUIRED. With his third solo album, the performer joined a very exclusive club as one of the 1980s' most successful hitmakers; the collection spun off four Top Ten singles: “One More Night,” “Don't Lose My Number,” “Take Me Home” and “Sussudio,” which topped the U.S. chart on this day in 1985. The remaining tracks are equally distinctive, mixing upbeat horn and drum-driven songs with more thoughtful and atmospheric material to striking effect, and making the set's Album of the Year Grammy entirely justified. If you have any interest in mainstream pop of the last 30 years, the Diamond-certified NO JACKET REQUIRED is required listening.
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BOX SELECTION (THEIR 8 RAK ALBUMS 1974-1983) (Album of the Day)
Friday, July 3, 2015
London soul band Hot Chocolate came together in 1968 and soon began recording for producer Mickie Most's RAK label. Most's Midas touch brought the group a steady stream of hits in England until 1975's “You Sexy Thing” put them in charts all over the world. The massive success of that oft-revived disco classic tends to obscure the rest of Hot Chocolate's catalog, something BOX SELECTION (THEIR 8 RAK ALBUMS 1974-1983) aims to rectify. This affordable set gathers all the studio albums recorded during the band's original incarnation, and every 1 is a winner. The 72 remastered tracks here include such U.K. Top Tens as “Emma,” “Put Your Love In Me,” and “So You Win Again,” which topped the British singles chart on this day in 1977. Highly polished productions, hook-filled songs and the charisma of frontman Errol Brown make Hot Chocolate quite addictive, and one taste of BOX SELECTION will keep you coming back for more.
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Tracy Chapman (Album of the Day)
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Tracy Chapman was attending Tufts University and playing local coffeehouses when a fellow student passed one of the singer-songwriter's demos to his father, a music publisher. Chapman's sound – intimate and infused with social conviction – was out of step with the synth-pop and hair metal then on the radio, but that turned out to be its strength, as audiences had grown thirsty for meaning in their music. Spurred by a strong performance at Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, TRACY CHAPMAN topped the U.K. album chart on this day in 1988 and soon followed suit in America, going on to sell nearly 20 million copies worldwide and win three Grammys. With tasteful acoustic accompaniment, Tracy's vision and voice ring clear on 11 originals including “Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution,” “Baby Can I Hold You” and Top Ten single “Fast Car.” A touchstone album of the 1980s, whose simplicity and sincerity ensures it will always sound fresh.
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ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Husband and wife team Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett caught the ear of George Harrison with their second album; the Beatle subsequently recommended them to his friend Eric Clapton, then looking for an opening act for a Blind Faith tour. “For me, going on [with Blind Faith] after Delaney and Bonnie was really, really tough, because I thought they were miles better than us,” Clapton later recalled, and the legendary guitarist began sitting in with the duo's band. Delaney & Bonnie & Friends' ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON captures the illustrious group – which included Dave Mason, Leon Russell and Rita Coolidge among the “friends” – on their final December 1969 U.K. tour date. A sublime blend of blue-eyed soul, country and gospel, the album showcases the Bramletts at their live best, and was the pair's most commercially successful album. Delaney was born on this day in 1939, and to mark the occasion, we'll give ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON another spin.
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Real People (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
By the time of REAL PEOPLE's 1980 release, Chic masterminds Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were among the most in-demand producers in the world as artists like Sister Sledge and Diana Ross sought out their services. But if others were hoping Rodgers and Edwards could make them dancefloor queens, the duo were looking beyond disco for their own group. While there's no shortage of grooves to get you moving and The Chic Strings make a welcome return, REAL PEOPLE fuses old-school soul, new wave, guitar-riff rock and funk to strike a tone that's more melancholy than celebratory. “Rebels Are We,” “Chip Off the Old Block” and the title song are just some of the distinctive tracks here, all of which serve as reminders that Chic included some truly brilliant instrumentalists. REAL PEOPLE turns 35 years old today, but its adventurous and insistent edge still feels contemporary.
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