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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.
Magma (Album of the Day)
Gojira was originally named Godzilla, and the French quartet remains a monster of progressive metal. The band had just begun recording MAGMA when Joe and Mario Duplantier's mother took ill; her death from cancer left its mark on the 2016 Roadrunner collection beginning with a title to reflect the emotions boiling inside. If complexity and technical skill defined much of Gojira's earlier work, the emphasis here is on shorter songs (“Silvera,” “The Cell”), cleaner vocals and stronger grooves, resulting in one of the group's most accessible albums. A Grammy nominated set that topped the Billboard Hard Rock Album chart, MAGMA was hailed by Metallica's Kirk Hammett as “an incredible piece of art,” and we'll cue it up now to bring March Metal Month to an earth-shaking conclusion.
Ritual de lo Habitual (Album of the Day)
No less an authority than Alice Cooper declared Jane’s Addiction's RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL “their peak album, where they really went out on a limb,” and it's tough to argue with the rock legend on this point. The second and final studio set from the L.A. quartet's original incarnation spans alt-rock ragers (“Stop”), mainstream rock hits (“Been Caught Stealing”) and haunting ballads (“Classic Girl”) as well as progressive epics (“Then She Did”). Frontman Perry Farrell and axeman Dave Navarro play every song as if it might be their last, and today we'll cue up the double-platinum RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL to wish Farrell a happy birthday.
Makin' Movies (Album of the Day)
By the time of MAKING MOVIES' 1980 release, it was clear that Dire Straits had few peers when it came to literate, roots-informed rock. Singer-songwriter-guitarist Mark Knopfler was always the British band's focal point – even more so with the departure of brother David on this third album - but the frontman really rose to the occasion here. With arrangements as ambitious as its cover art is minimal, the Warner Bros. set features seven cinematically rich originals including “Romeo and Juliet,” “Tunnel of Love” and “Solid Rock.” The collection was co-produced by Jimmy Iovine, who called on old friend (and E Street Band member) Roy Bittan to add his distinctive keyboard work to the mix. Both passionate and poetic, MAKING MOVIES was a hit with fans, reaching platinum certification, and remains among Dire Straits' very best.