Content tagged ''
CHICAGO II: STEVEN WILSON REMIX (Album of the Day)
Released in 1970, Chicago’s second album brims with confidence and inspiration as it draws on everything from orchestral music to heavy rock. Principal composers James Pankow and Robert Lamm emerged further as the band's source of Top Ten hits for the group, including “Make Me Smile” and “Colour My World,” as well as “25 or 6 to 4,” which peaked at #4 on the singles chart and has become one of the group's signature songs. As popular as the record was (it reached #4 on the album chart), the mix has always left something to be desired – until now. On CHICAGO II: STEVEN WILSON REMIX, the British musician and producer took all the isolated elements from the recording sessions and rebuilt the mix from the drums up to create a new stereo version that adds clearness, punch and definition to one of Chicago's very best albums.
Songs For Beginners (Album of the Day)
SONGS FOR BEGINNERS may have been the title of Graham Nash’s solo debut, but he was hardly a novice; the singer-songwriter had a long string of hits for The Hollies and Crosby, Stills & Nash under his belt. The 1971 Atlantic collection features plenty of high-profile guests (David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, Dave Mason, and Rita Coolidge among them) lending support on 11 fine originals, including topical material like "Military Madness" and hit single “Chicago” and several songs inspired by his recently ended romance with Joni Mitchell. The Gold-certified SONGS FOR BEGINNERS remains one of Graham Nash’s best albums, and to celebrate his birthday we'll give it another spin today.
GIMME DANGER: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE (Album of the Day)
“It’s our love letter to possibly the greatest band in rock ‘n’ roll history,” notes director Jim Jarmusch of his critically acclaimed documentary about The Stooges, Gimme Danger. Rhino offers the perfect complement to the film with GIMME DANGER: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE, a new 14-track collection curated by Jarmusch and Stooges frontman Iggy Pop. With a focus on the group’s first three albums, the soundtrack mixes indelible studio recordings (“I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “1969”) with rare outtakes (“I Got A Right,” “I’m Sick Of You”) and also includes songs from fellow Detroit natives MC5 and pre-Stooges groups the Iguanas and Prime Movers Blues Band. The Stooges’ revolutionary sonic attack inspired legions of followers, and it comes through loud and clear on GIMME DANGER.
THE GRATEFUL DEAD: 50th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION (Album of the Day)
Grateful Dead were at the forefront of San Francisco rock; in fact, the Bay Area music scene was so nascent when the group cut their eponymous debut album that they had to travel to Los Angeles to find a suitable studio. The collection draws heavily from the vintage folk and blues songs that were staples of the group's concerts ("Viola Lee Blues," "Good Morning Little School Girl," "Beat It On Down The Line"), and Jerry Garcia and company were clearly enjoying themselves as they figured out how best to capture their epic live excursions on vinyl. The new THE GRATEFUL DEAD: 50th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION contains the original album, newly remastered from the original tapes, along with a bonus disc that features the complete unreleased concert from July 29th, 1966 and select cuts from July 30th, 1966 at the P.N.E. Garden Auditorium in British Columbia. The long, strange trip begins here...
Kick (Album of the Day)
Poet's Heart (Album of the Day)
A great talent taken far too soon, San Francisco singer-songwriter Kate Wolf issued half a dozen studio albums before her death from leukemia in 1986. The last of these, POET'S HEART, shows her at her best on nine originals including such beautiful songs as “In China Or A Woman's Heart (There Are Places No One Knows),” “Slender Thread” and the title track. These insightful tales of love and longing are framed by haunting, spare arrangements as Wolf's voice and guitar are joined by skilled string instrumentalists Nina Gerber (mandolin), Mike Auldridge (dobro) and Kim Robertson (harp). Kate Wolf was born on this day in 1942, and the exquisite POET'S HEART shows why she's worth remembering.
The Collection (Album of the Day)
Surely Pasadena, California's greatest contribution to hard rock, Van Halen has sold more than 80 million records since its 1978 Warner Bros. debut. VH has gone through several personnel changes over the years, but the original line-up – Eddie and Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony – remains the most beloved by fans. And that's what you get on THE COLLECTION, a virtual boxed set of the quartet's first six studio albums (VAN HALEN, VAN HALEN II, WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST, FAIR WARNING, DIVER DOWN and 1984) and the live TOKYO DOME IN CONCERT recorded in Japan in 2013. This is the music that put Van Halen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and we'll cue it up again today in honor of guitarist Eddie Van Halen's birthday.
Unknown Pleasures (Album of the Day)
Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School (Album of the Day)
On the heels of his biggest hit, Warren Zevon delivered BAD LUCK STREAK IN DANCING SCHOOL, an album whose ambition, freewheeling eccentricity and emotional power personify all that was great about the singer-songwriter. In its cover of “A Certain Girl,” the 1980 Elektra collection featured another successful single, but it's the originals here that really draw blood: the mournful “Empty-Handed Heart” (a duet with Linda Ronstadt), the hilarious “Gorilla, You're A Desperado” (with Don Henley and J.D. Souther lurking in the background) and “Jeannie Needs A Shooter” (co-written with Bruce Springsteen) among them. In honor of what would've been Warren Zevon's 70th birthday, we'll give the underrated BAD LUCK STREAK IN DANCING SCHOOL another spin.
You and Me Both (Album of the Day)
On the heels of his work with Depeche Mode, keyboardist Vince Clarke found an ideal musical match in vocalist Alison Moyet. Their distinctive blend of propulsive synth beats and R&B textures quickly conquered the dance clubs of their native England, where the 1982 debut album from Yaz went platinum. Its follow-up was YOU AND ME BOTH; recorded shortly before the duo broke up, the album's pop polish belies the emotional depths it reaches. With producer Eric Radcliffe returning and the writing duties split more evenly, the set is arguably more accessible than its hit predecessor and includes such poignant songs as “Nobody's Diary,” “Mr. Blue” and “Ode To Boy.” Any fan of synthpop is sure to enjoy YOU AND ME BOTH.