Content tagged ''
Ride The Lightning (Album of the Day)
With their second studio album, lightning struck for Metallica – released on this day in 1984, RIDE THE LIGHTNING would earn the band a label deal with Elektra and set them on the path to heavy metal stardom. Cut in Copenhagen, Denmark with co-producer Flemming Rasmussen, the collection 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 that 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. Despite these hurdles, RIDE THE LIGHTNING went on to become a thrash metal milestone.
Trane: The Atlantic Collection (Remastered) (Album of the Day)
An outside-the-box thinker with extraordinary talent, John Coltrane made boundary-shattering music that continues to impact and influence people around the world. The new anthology TRANE: THE ATLANTIC COLLECTION features recordings the saxophonist made for Atlantic Records between 1959 and 1961, a time when Coltrane was moving away from the life of a sideman and embracing the role of bandleader. These nine tracks include some of his finest work, such as the wise blues of "Equinox," a bright, swinging version of "My Shining Hour," the exuberant "Giant Steps" and the hit single "My Favorite Things." With the release of the recent Chasing Trane documentary, this is an ideal time to discover (or rediscover) John Coltrane, and TRANE: THE ATLANTIC COLLECTION is a superb encapsulation of the revolutionary music of the "heavyweight champion" of jazz.
Groovin' (Mono) (Album of the Day)
Released a half-century ago today, GROOVIN' shows The Young Rascals reaching musical maturity; it would be the final album the New York quartet released before dropping “Young” from their name. The 11 tracks on the Atlantic collection neatly bridge the gap between the garage and blue-eyed soul of their first recordings and the psychedelic and progressive sounds in the air in 1967. As adventurous as it was, the set was still packed with hits, including Top Ten singles “How Can I Be Sure,” “A Girl Like You” and the No.1 smash title track, which radiates feel-good summertime vibes as well as any record ever made. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, the Gold-certified GROOVIN' has just been reissued on vinyl in its original mono mix.
Amandla (Album of the Day)
Any list of the five greatest figures in jazz history needs to include Miles Davis, and the trumpeter's near half-century career came to a close with a string of albums for Warner Bros. The 1989 collection AMANDLA shows Miles' sense of the pop zeitgeist was as strong as ever; these 8 tracks are informed by hip-hop and world music as well as jazz. Always a magnet for talent, Davis is backed by such great players as saxophonist Kenny Garrett, keyboardist George Duke and multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller, who also serves as arranger. Highlights include “Big Time,” the title track and “Mr. Pastorius,” a tribute to the legendary bassist that features horn work reminiscent of Davis' Columbia-era classics. Inventive and consistently rewarding, AMANDLA is the sound of a true visionary at work.
In The Nick Of Time (Album of the Day)
After years as one of L.A.'s top session singers, Nicolette Larson scored a Top 10 hit with “Lotta Love,” and built on that success with her second album, IN THE NICK OF TIME. The 1979 Warner Bros. collection is a more polished affair than her debut, and applies Larson's appealing voice to a variety of material including the dancefloor-friendly "Dancin' Jones," the Latin-tinged "Rio De Janeiro Blue," a fine version of Karla Bonoff's "Isn't It Always Love" and a Top 40 duet with Michael McDonald, "Let Me Go, Love.” The Doobie Brother is not the only musical luminary heard in support; producer Ted Templeman also enlisted guest performances by Van Dyke Parks, guitarist Ronnie Montrose and a couple of Little Feat members. Nicolette's many friends paid tribute to the late singer in a star-studded concert 20 years ago today; we'll remember her now with IN THE NICK OF TIME.
Zebra (Album of the Day)
Formed in New Orleans in the mid-1970s, Zebra relocated to Long Island in pursuit of their dreams, and earned a contract with New York-based Atlantic Records. ZEBRA became one of the fastest-selling debuts in the label's history, and one listen shows why – it's first-class hard rock with strong Led Zeppelin influences. Produced by Jack Douglas, the 1983 collection is packed with great songs, all but a version of “Slow Down” penned by frontman Randy Jackson. “Tell Me What You Want” and “Who's Behind the Door?” were both radio hits and “Take Your Fingers From My Hair” would later be covered by Dream Theater. The trio's biggest commercial success, ZEBRA features catchy progressive metal sure to please headbangers of every stripe.
All The Lost Souls (Album of the Day)
James Blunt had his work cut out for him following up a smash debut, but ALL THE LOST SOULS shows the singer-songwriter to be up to the task. With producer Tom Rothrock back behind the boards, the 2007 collection features epic arrangements and another solid set of songs pairing thoughtful, emotionally direct lyrics with memorable melodies. Singles “1973,” “Same Mistake” and “Carry You Home” all proved popular with radio, and the album rose to No.1 in more than a dozen countries, including the performer's native England. James Blunt was born on this day in 1974, and we'll wish him a happy birthday with the gold-certified ALL THE LOST SOULS.
Meat Is Murder (Album of the Day)
For their second studio album, The Smiths took the production reigns themselves (with Stephen Street handling engineering duties) and came up with a collection that's even more musically diverse than the Manchester quartet's striking debut. As its title suggests, MEAT IS MURDER doesn't mince words when it comes to Morrissey's beliefs, though songs like “That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore” show his lyrics could be as keenly personal as political. And Johnny Marr's status as England's most revolutionary new guitarist was clear on the iconic “How Soon Is Now,” a single appended to the U.S. version of the album. On this day in 1985, MEAT IS MURDER became the only Smiths collection to top the U.K. chart during the band's lifetime, and it has since been cited by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Miss Rhythm (Album of the Day)
When people referred to Atlantic Records as “the house that Ruth built,” it was both a play on Yankee Stadium's nickname and a tribute to Ruth Brown, whose string of hits in the 1950s helped keep the fledgling New York-based label afloat. Brown's second album for the imprint, MISS RHYTHM, was compiled from some of those single A- and B-sides stretching back several years prior to the set's 1959 release. The dozen songs here cover a lot of ground, but with assists from instrumentalists including King Curtis and Mickey Baker, Ruth knocks them out of the park; “I Can See Everybody's Baby” and “This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'” both reached the R&B Top 10. Ruth Brown was born 90 years ago, and MISS RHYTHM captures the feisty spirit and exceptional vocal range that put her in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Boogie Motel (Album of the Day)
BOOGIE MOTEL was the final album of the 1970s from AOR hitmakers Foghat. The Bearsville collection features the radio-friendly sheen heard on the band's previous STONE BLUE applied to the U.K. quartet's trademark pedal-to-the-metal blues-rock. Highlights include power ballad “Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool)” and “Somebody's Been Sleepin' in My Bed,” the only one of these seven tracks not written or cowritten by Lonesome Dave Peverett. The frontman is in terrific voice here, and guitarist Rod Price serves up some tasty licks, making the set a fan favorite - for a good time, check into the gold-certified BOOGIE MOTEL.