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I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVE YOU wasn't Aretha Franklin's first album (she'd previously recorded ten of them for Columbia Records), but it was the first she'd cut with a label and producer that truly “got” her, and that made all the difference. Powered by the iconic single “Respect” – which went to No.1 on the U.S. chart on this day in 1967 - the Jerry Wexler-produced Atlantic release is a master class in soul whose 11 lessons also include “Do Right Woman-Do Right Man,” “Baby, Baby, Baby” and the title song. Aretha's force-of-nature vocals, songwriting skills (she penned four of the 11 tracks here) and piano work shine throughout, justifying the set's frequent inclusion in “Greatest Albums of All Time” lists from the likes of Rolling Stone and Q magazines. With I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVE YOU, the Queen of Soul earns her crown!
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Live And Dangerous (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
On this day in 1978, Thin Lizzy released LIVE AND DANGEROUS, a double album cut on tour in Philadelphia, London and Toronto over the previous two years. While the “live” designation is debatable (some recordings were sweetened in the studio with producer Tony Visconti), the latter half of the album's title is right on the money. These storming performances show the Irish hard rockers at the very peak of their form on 17 originals including such Lizzy favorites as “Jailbreak,” “Cowboy Song,” “Dancing In The Moonlight (It's Caught Me In Its Spotlight)” and “The Boys Are Back In Town.” Raise those butane lighters and crank the volume up to 11 - LIVE AND DANGEROUS is a sweat-soaked celebration from start to finish, and one of the greatest concert albums of the 1970s.
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The Head On The Door (Deluxe) (Album of the Day)
Monday, June 1, 2015
THE HEAD ON THE DOOR was a pivotal album for U.K. alternative rockers The Cure, with some key lineup changes (the return of bassist Simon Gallup, the addition of guitarist/keyboardist Porl Thompson) and a crystallization of the band's signature sound. It was on this 1985 collection that Robert Smith and company perfected the mix of emotional desolation and pop accessibility that would make The Cure international stars; with such catchy singles as “Inbetween Days” and “Close to Me” and some of their most imaginative arrangements, the album was a hit across Europe, and broke into the Top 100 in the U.S., a first for the group. The Deluxe Edition of THE HEAD ON THE DOOR adds 18 bonus tracks - including home/studio demo or live versions of every song on the album - and is the perfect way to celebrate Gallup's 55th birthday today!
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The Ultimate Collection (Album of the Day)
Friday, May 29, 2015
George Benson has been performing for more than half a century, moving so easily between jazz, soul and pop that one is tempted to take the guitarist-vocalist for granted. That would be a mistake – while THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION has its share of ubiquitous hits (“This Masquerade,” “On Broadway,” “Give Me The Night,” “Turn Your Love Around,” all Top Ten singles), the new 2-CD set also features some of the most nuanced playing and singing you'll ever hear. With 36 career-spanning tracks including Grammy winners (the man's racked up 10 so far), instrumental, solo vocal and duet tour de forces, THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION may seem like “breezin'” to George Benson, but to listeners it's more like “dazzling.”
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The Ultimate Collection - When A Man Loves A Woman (Album of the Day)
Thursday, May 28, 2015
On this day in 1966, Percy Sledge scored a No.1 hit with “When A Man Loves A Woman,” the Alabama-born singer's debut single. After achieving musical immortality with his first release, the rest of Sledge's career is sometimes treated as a footnote, but one listen to the 16 tracks on THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION confirms the consistent high quality of his work. On covers of “Love Me Tender” and “The Dark End Of The Street,” Percy sings Elvis Presley and James Carr to a draw, and Top 40 songs “Take Time To Know Her,” “Warm And Tender Love” and “It Tears Me Up” show his country-tinged deep soul crossed musical boundaries effortlessly. The world lost a towering voice with the death last month of Percy Sledge, but the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's legacy is well served by THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION (and even better represented by Rhino Handmade's 4-CD ATLANTIC RECORDINGS boxed set).
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Tonight, I'm Yours (Expanded) (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Ever with his ear to the musical ground, Rod Stewart shifted from the disco moves of his late-'70s hits to add a touch of synth-pop to his sound for 1981's TONIGHT I'M YOURS. The ten tracks include three well-chosen covers including Dylan's “Just Like a Woman” and Ace's “How Long?,” but it's the originals here that really shine. “Young Turks,” “Tora, Tora, Tora (Out With The Boys)” and the title track, all successful singles, show Stewart's pen to be as distinctive as his voice (the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement songwriting award he won on this day in 1999 further confirms this). The new wave-tinged arrangements fit the performer like a glove, though old school session pros (guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, fiddler Byron Berline and drummer Carmine Appice, among others) help out as well. The Expanded Edition of the platinum-selling TONIGHT, I'M YOURS adds six rare rehearsal and live recordings as bonus tracks to Rod's best album of the 1980s.
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The Complete Studio Albums: 1981-1990 (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
The Replacements were among the most acclaimed bands of the 1980s for good reason; originally a Minneapolis hardcore outfit, the quartet retained its anarchic spirit even as frontman Paul Westerberg grew into one of the decade's finest songwriters. In their initial incarnation, the quartet released an E.P. and seven full albums for the Twin Tone and Warner Bros. labels, and they're all here in their original form in the new THE COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS: 1981-1990 boxed set. There are alt-rock gems scattered throughout each of these sets, three of which – LET IT BE, TIM and PLEASED TO MEET ME – are acknowledged masterpieces. The success of the 'Mats' reunion tour this year is testament to the vitality of the music on THE COMPLETE STUDIO ALBUMS.
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Little Earthquakes (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Monday, May 25, 2015
Singer-songwriters were no longer in vogue and women in rock were still considered a novelty in 1990 when Tori Amos approached Atlantic Records with demos for her debut; the intrigued-but-cautious label sent her to England to woodshed the material. Whether or not that was necessary, it seems to have worked – when LITTLE EARTHQUAKES was released in 1992 in the U.K., it hit #14 on the chart before earning a stateside release that garnered reams of critical praise. Intensely personal, piano-led songs like “Me And A Gun,” “Silent All These Years” and “Crucify” connected with an audience in a way few could have predicted, and their cumulative effect remains stunning. One of Amos' very best albums, LITTLE EARTHQUAKES has just been reissued with a bonus disc of 18 B-sides, live tracks and other rarities.
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Adventure (Album of the Day)
Friday, May 22, 2015
A year after their debut floored critics, Television returned with ADVENTURE. Like the New York quartet's previous album, the 1978 Elektra collection brims with fine songs from the pen of singer-guitarist Tom Verlaine and mesmerizing dual lead playing from him and fellow axeman Richard Lloyd. What distinguishes ADVENTURE is a more refined sound due partly to a new producer (John Jansen) and partly to the group's more seasoned vocal and instrumental work. Propulsive rockers like “Glory" and “Ain't That Nothin'” make Television sound poised for mainstream radio … until a few theremin licks (“The Fire”) and some eerie orchestration (“The Dream's Dream”) remind you that this band would never play it safe. A superbly crafted exploration of the group's unique fusion of jazz, progressive and alternative rock, ADVENTURE brings the original incarnation of Television to a satisfying conclusion.
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Isn't Anything (Album of the Day)
Thursday, May 21, 2015
The oversaturated colors on the cover of My Bloody Valentine's debut album, ISN'T ANYTHING, hint at the Irish band's approach to guitar feedback – there's no such thing as too much. Which isn't to say MBV's music relies on volume; these dozen songs are more entrancing than deafening, thanks both to Bilinda Butcher's languorous vocals and songwriter-guitarist Kevin Shield's effects-laden fretwork. “Feed Me With Your Kiss,” “Lose My Breath” and “No More Sorry” wrap dreamy melodies in noise, helping inspire a scene that would soon be known as “shoegaze.” If follow-up LOVELESS gets most of the love in the alternative rock press, ISN'T ANYTHING is a striking and original work in its own right, and an excellent way to salute Shields, who was born on this day in 1963.
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