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Ride The Lightning (Album of the Day)
Monday, August 3, 2015
Lightning struck for Metallica with their second studio album - the 1984 collection earned the band a label deal with Elektra and set them on the path to heavy metal stardom. Cut in Copenhagen with producer Flemming Rasmussen, RIDE THE LIGHTNING was a major step forward from the quartet's debut; the arrangements display greater harmonic complexity, and James Hetfield's lyrics have broadened in scope to touch upon social issues including the terrors of modern war (“For Whom The Bell Tolls”) and capital punishment (the title track). Metallica's bold sonic experimentation was all the more impressive given the siege conditions of the album's recording; the band's gear had been stolen three weeks before they hit Denmark, and tour commitments gave them less than a month in the studio. In spite of this, RIDE THE LIGHTNING is a thrash metal masterpiece, and we'll give it another ride today in honor of Hetfield's birthday.
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Monster (Album of the Day)
Friday, July 31, 2015
When the members of R.E.M. were planning their follow-up to AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE, drummer Bill Berry was adamant that the album should rock, and he got his wish in MONSTER. The 1994 Warner Bros. collection teems with grungy guitars, energy and experimentation, with lean and forceful arrangements well suited for the quartet's first tour in nearly six years. Michael Stipe's vocals are deliberately set back in the mix but break through the distortion often enough to reveal an ambivalence toward celebrity as a lyrical theme - “What's the Frequency, Kenneth?” was inspired by an attack on newscaster Dan Rather and “Let Me In” reflects on the death of Kurt Cobain. If the sound was aggressive, it was still accessible, with hit singles “Crush With Eyeliner,” “Strange Currencies” and “Bang And Blame” among the dozen tracks. MONSTER reached No.1 on the album chart, and we'll give it another spin today in honor of Berry's birthday.
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The Virgin Suicides (Deluxe Version - 15th Anniversary) (Album of the Day)
Thursday, July 30, 2015
As one might guess from their name, French electronic duo Air know how to generate atmosphere with their music - which makes them perfect for soundtracks. The group's first film score was for Sofia Coppola's debut feature, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, an enigmatic tale of repressed high school desires. Air's Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin watched VHS tapes of the film to draw inspiration, and for the eerie, synthetic and tempestuous end-credit song, “Playground Love,” the two called in their friend Thomas Mars from the band Phoenix to provide vocals. The cult favorite soundtrack sounds better than ever on the new 15th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, which includes a remastered version of the original album, a pair of studio outtakes and unreleased live performances recorded in January 2000 at Los Angeles' American Legion Hall and KCRW radio station.
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Snakes & Arrows (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
“It's big, it's bold, and I think it's some of the best work we've done in years. I'm really pleased with the quality of the songs, and there's lots of playing on it,” noted Rush vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee of his group's SNAKES & ARROWS on its 2007 release. The Canadian progressive trio's final album for Atlantic Records was shaped to a degree by the Internet; producer Nick Raskulinecz volunteered his services after seeing online posts about Rush's recording plans, and the 'net allowed California-based lyricist Neil Peart to collaborate more easily with his bandmates in Toronto. If this set benefits from forward-looking technology - it's among the most well-recorded of the band's career - it also recalls the richly layered textures of Rush's '70s classics. While songs like “Far Cry,” “Spindrift” and “The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)” are darker thematically than their early work, the three instrumentals here show the group's playing to be as brilliant as ever. Geddy Lee celebrates a birthday today, and we'll cue up SNAKES & ARROWS in his honor.
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40 Golden Greats (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Cliff Richard and the Shadows stood at the crossroads of popular music in the early 1960s; Richard was in some respects England's answer to Elvis, while his backing band (which had numerous hits in their own right) was an important precursor to The Beatles. Given that musical profile, dominance of the British charts was a foregone conclusion, and after Presley and the Fab Four, Cliff's the top-selling singles artist in U.K. chart history. The 1977 double album 40 GOLDEN GREATS puts that remarkable statistic into perspective, with early rockers like “Move It,” pop favorites like “Please Don't Tease” (which topped the British chart on this day in 1960) and 1976 comeback hit “Devil Woman” still irresistible. Tough as it is to summarize a career as long as that of the still-active Richard, the well-compiled 40 GOLDEN GREATS is the ideal place to start.
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Doubt (Album of the Day)
Monday, July 27, 2015
Jesus Jones arrived on the U.K. music scene in the late 1980s, at an intersection point of alternative guitar rock and dance club techno; if less notorious than their Madchester comrades Happy Mondays, the Wiltshire quintet served up propulsive beats and brilliantly chosen samples that were equally irresistible. Jesus Jones' most famous album is DOUBT, thanks to such tracks as “Real, Real, Real” and fall-of-the-Berlin-Wall anthem “Right Here, Right Now,” which reached No. 2 on the U.S. singles chart on this day in 1991. But frontman Mike Edwards' dozen strong originals offer a lot beyond those familiar hits, from the punky “Trust Me” to the Modern Rock favorite “International Bright Young Thing” to the slightly psychedelic “Who Where Why.” Filled with hooks, energy and inventive spirit, DOUBT is unquestionably Jesus Jones' finest hour.
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The Real Thing (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Friday, July 24, 2015
Faith No More's combustible mixture of heavy metal, funk and alternative rock exploded in 1989 with the release of THE REAL THING. The band's third album - but the first to feature the powerhouse line-up of Mike Bordin (drums), Roddy Bottum (keyboards), Bill Gould (bass), Jim Martin (guitars), and Mike Patton (vocals) - peaked at #11 on the charts and was certified platinum. Singles “From Out Of Nowhere,” “Falling To Pieces” and the Top 10 hit “Epic” sounded like nobody else on MTV at the time, and the Deluxe Edition of THE REAL THING, which includes a bonus disc of remixes, B-sides and live recordings, displays the band's talent for pushing the musical envelope even more clearly.
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Saved By The Bell: The Collected Works of Robin Gibb 1968-1970 (Album of the Day)
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Robin Gibb is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one third of the Bee Gees, but there were some breaks in the trio's long career, and Robin made good use of that time, as can be heard on the new SAVED BY THE BELL: THE COLLECTED WORKS OF ROBIN GIBB 1968-1970. Lovingly assembled by producer Andrew Sandoval, the 3-volume set includes an expanded version of Gibb's solo debut ROBIN'S REIGN, the previously unreleased SING SLOWLY SISTERS album and a disc of demos, BBC recordings and other rarities. The melancholy and melodic music recalls the Bee Gees' pre-disco hits (and the lush arrangements of the band's ODESSA), with Robin's tremulous voice unmistakable throughout. If you're a fan of baroque pop, SAVED BY THE BELL is sure to ring your bell.
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Harlem Romance: The Love Collection (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Harlem-born Keith Sweat once worked as a brokerage assistant at the New York Stock Exchange, but he didn't strike it rich until he quit his day job to pursue his love of music. Among the leading lights of New Jack Swing, the performer's 1987 Elektra debut sold 3 million copies; his next four albums for the label cemented his reputation as a top R&B hitmaker – and a master of seductive slow jams. The 15 songs on HARLEM ROMANCE: THE LOVE COLLECTION mix smash singles including “Make It Last Forever” and the Top 10 “I’ll Give All My Love To You” with steamy album sides like “Come Into My Bedroom” as well as the Levert.Sweat.Gill favorite “My Body.” Keith Sweat celebrates a birthday today, and in his honor, we'll turn down the lights and turn up HARLEM ROMANCE.
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Photographs & Memories - His Greatest Hits (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
Jim Croce was a workingman's singer-songwriter, who loved to entertain audiences with humorous character sketches as well as introspective ballads. If he's less well-known than contemporaries James Taylor or Joni Mitchell, that's likely due to the brevity of Croce's career – he was killed in a plane crash in Louisiana less than two years after his commercial breakthrough. But to judge from the posthumous PHOTOGRAPHS & MEMORIES – HIS GREATEST HITS, his talents were second to none. The platinum-certified collection's 14 songs include all of Croce's Top 40 singles, including “You Don't Mess Around With Jim,” “Time In A Bottle” and “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown,” which topped the U.S. chart on this day in 1973. Warm, thoughtful and sure to bring a smile to your face, PHOTOGRAPHS & MEMORIES captures a gifted performer at his very best.
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