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Heaven and Hell (Album of the Day)
It's pretty risky when a group changes lead singers, but Ozzy Osbourne's departure for a solo career and the arrival of former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio marked a new beginning for Black Sabbath. When the first Dio-led Sabbath album, HEAVEN AND HELL, hit the streets on this day in 1980, it was clear the U.K. heavy metal quartet were firing on all cylinders. Featuring such superb songs as opener “Neon Knights,” “Die Young,” “Children Of The Sea” and the riff-driven title track, the collection became one of the band's most successful in America (and eventually went platinum). That nine albums into their career, Black Sabbath still had a stunner like HEAVEN AND HELL in them is one reason the group is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Notorious (Deluxe) (Album of the Day)
Coming three years after the U.K. band's last studio album, NOTORIOUS reflected several changes to Duran Duran; drummer Roger Taylor was out, and guitarist Andy Taylor was on his way out. The 1986 collection also signaled a new musical direction, with the group employing more muscular, R&B-derived grooves – a change facilitated by producer (and Chic co-founder) Nile Rodgers. For all that, it was business as usual in the sales department, with the set reaching #12 on the U.S. album chart on the strength of such singles as “Skin Trade,” “Meet El Presidente” and the smash hit title track. The 2-CD Deluxe Edition of NOTORIOUS adds several single versions and B-sides, remixes of album tracks and the live “Duran Goes Dutch” E.P.
Up In Smoke Motion Picture Soundtrack (40th Anniversary Edition) (Album of the Day)
In 1978, Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong made their big screen debut in UP IN SMOKE, playing wannabe musicians who unwittingly smuggle a van made of marijuana from Mexico to L.A. Inspired by their now-legendary routines of the early '70s, the film was a smash hit that established the pair as the reigning comedy duo of a new generation. Retaining surprising cultural relevance, the stoner comedy classic now celebrates its 40th anniversary, and Rhino has just reissued its soundtrack. The original album featured songs like “Earache My Eye” “Framed” and the title track along with high-larious dialogue from the movie; the 40th anniversary edition of UP IN SMOKE adds a new recording of the title song and a previously unreleased version from 1978 with an additional Spanish verse by Cheech.
Scratching The Door: The First Recording Of The Flaming Lips (Album of the Day)
Alternative-rock heroes The Flaming Lips have pushed the envelope for more than two decades with Grammy-winning music and ground-breaking concerts. Now Rhino and Warner Bros. Records celebrate Oklahoma's most famous freaks with SCRATCHING THE DOOR: THE FIRST RECORDINGS OF THE FLAMING LIPS, spotlighting the joyous weirdness the band recorded for Restless Records before signing with Warner Bros. in 1991. Along with cuts from the group's early studio albums, the 19 tracks include material from the band's first two cassette demos and first self-released E.P., as well as covers of The Who's "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere," Led Zeppelin's "Communication Breakdown" and the theme song from the 1960s Batman television series. Featuring tracks recorded by the group's original line-up (with Wayne Coyne's brother Mark on vocals), SCRATCHING THE DOOR shows The Flaming Lips as they first caught fire.
Meteora (Album of the Day)
Alternative metal band Linkin Park shot out of the gate in 2000 with HYBRID THEORY, which sold over 10 million copies. Following a remix album, the band's hybrid of hard rock and rap returned in full force three years after their debut with METEORA. Led by the intense interplay of vocalists Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, the album's 13 tightly wound tracks include such MTV and radio favorites as “Somewhere I Belong,” “Breaking The Habit” and “Numb,” all of which crossed over to pop chart success. Bennington was born on this day in 1976, and we'll remember the late singer and songwriter with the 7x platinum METEORA.
The Judy Collins Concert (Album of the Day)
With a crystalline voice and a keen ear for material, Judy Collins rose quickly in the 1960s folk scene, and THE JUDY COLLINS CONCERT marked a turning point in her career. Recorded at New York City's Town Hall on this day in 1964, the Elektra collection saw her graduate from folk clubs to a theater setting for the first time, and the singer made the most of it. Rather than rehashing tracks from her three preceding studio albums, Collins and her two accompanists focus on recent songs by such writers as Tom Paxton, Billy Edd Wheeler and Fred Neil. With stirring versions of “Medgar Evers Lullaby” and Dylan's “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” underlining civil rights struggles, THE JUDY COLLINS CONCERT is a snapshot of the era, though one whose grace and beauty remain timeless.
Viva Hate (Album of the Day)
Thirty years ago, Morrissey released his solo debut, VIVA HATE. Issued less than a year after The Smiths' studio swan song, the album bears some similarity to the Manchester quartet's shimmering music, with longtime engineer/producer Stephen Street at the helm (both Street and The Durutti Column's Vini Reilly helped fill the compositional and instrumental roles vacated by Johnny Marr). Featuring an outstanding set of songs, including “Suedehead,” “Hairdresser On Fire” and “Everyday Is Like Sunday,” the collection went to No.1 on the U.K. album chart. Morrissey remains one of alternative rock's most distinctive voices, and VIVA HATE remains one of his best.
Van Halen II (Album of the Day)
Treading similar ground as their debut but with even greater confidence, Van Halen's second album was released on this day in 1979. With producer Ted Templeman back behind the boards, the SoCal quartet serves up 10 hard rock anthems with deceptive ease, including “Beautiful Girls,” “Somebody Get Me a Doctor” and the irresistible “Dance the Night Away.” Eddie Van Halen's fretwork is dazzling throughout (in particular on acoustic instrumental “Spanish Fly”), and frontman David Lee Roth's humor and energy give the collection appeal far beyond headbangers. A Top 10 hit that eventually went 5x platinum, VAN HALEN II is a near-perfect party record.
How The West Was Won (Deluxe) (Album of the Day)
HOW THE WEST WAS WON highlights the best performances from Led Zeppelin's legendary concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena on June 25 and 27, 1972. Originally released in 2003, the celebrated live album was sequenced to replicate a single concert from beginning to end, and captures the band at the height of its formidable powers. Standouts include a 25-plus minute version of "Dazed And Confused" and a 21-minute medley based around "Whole Lotta Love." The performances also introduced songs from the quartet's HOUSES OF THE HOLY album, which would be released nine months after these shows. Now available, a 3-CD/4-LP/DVD Deluxe Edition of HOW THE WEST WAS WON features audio remastered by guitarist Jimmy Page along with a book filled with rare and previously unpublished photos.
Wonderland (Album of the Day)
After auspicious but brief stints with Depeche Mode and Yaz, keyboardist Vince Clarke teamed with singer Andy Bell to form Erasure, a partnership still ongoing today. The duo's distinctive 1986 debut, WONDERLAND, showcases their dance-friendly synth-pop at its poppiest, with bright vocals, rousing choruses and hooks to burn. Produced by Flood, the Sire set spun off such singles as "Heavenly Action,” "Who Needs Love (Like That)" and “Oh L'Amour”; the latter two songs would each reach the U.K. Top 20 years after their original release. Though they may have gone on to scale even greater heights, the gloriously upbeat WONDERLAND is a pretty wonderful beginning for Erasure.