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The Last Waltz (40th Anniversary) (Album of the Day)
On Thanksgiving Day 1976, The Band took the stage for the final time at the Winterland Theatre in San Francisco. For what was billed as The Last Waltz, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson were joined by an all-star group of music pioneers (including Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters and Neil Young). The evening was captured on film by director Martin Scorsese and on a classic live album. Rhino's 40th Anniversary Editions of THE LAST WALTZ include a remastered 2-CD version, and 4-CD/Blu-Ray and 6-LP deluxe packages with complete audio from the concert, including rehearsals and outtakes (such as "All Our Past Times" with Eric Clapton and "King Harvest (Has Surely Come)," a song that was not performed at the show). Rick Danko was born on this day in 1942 and we'll take one more trip around the dancefloor to remember the bassist with THE LAST WALTZ.
The Message (Album of the Day)
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first rap artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not because they were the first rappers, but because they were the first to successfully fuse the music to social commentary. The title track of THE MESSAGE, the group's 1982 debut album, was a stark tale of inner city desperation far removed from the party jams and MC boasts then dominating hip-hop. Of course the Sugar Hill collection has lighter moments, too, including such sample-rich tracks as “She's Fresh,” “It's Nasty” and the statement-of-purpose anthem “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel.” Grandmaster Flash was born Joseph Saddler on this day in 1958, and we'll give THE MESSAGE another spin to wish him a happy 60th birthday.
The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (Album of the Day)
Scotland's Incredible String Band combined traditional music of several cultures and brought that mixture into the hippie era, giving birth to freak folk. Among the ISB's many fans is Robert Plant, who once cited the group's THE HANGMAN'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER as a major influence on Led Zeppelin. The 1968 Elektra collection is ambitious and eclectic, applying a wide array of acoustic instruments (including sitar, oud, hammered dulcimer, pan pipe and harpsichord) to the frequently surreal lyrics of Robin Williamson and Mike Heron. These songs of minotaurs and amoebas are psychedelic in the broadest sense of the term, and make excellent use of multi-tracking and overdubbing, guided by the capable hand of producer Joe Boyd. A commercial success in its native U.K. as well as a Grammy nominee, THE HANGMAN'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER is considered the Incredible String Band's finest album, and it still works a strange magic on listeners.
Led Zeppelin (Album of the Day)
Born on this day in 1946, John Paul Jones was a respected British session musician and arranger when he was invited to join The New Yardbirds; after a few weeks on the road, the band changed their name to Led Zeppelin, and the rest was history. The quartet's debut album would be released in 1969 on Atlantic Records, and featured songs which had been perfected on that tour including “Dazed and Confused,” “Communication Breakdown” and “Babe I'm Gonna Leave You.” Recorded quickly with guitarist Jimmy Page supervising the production, LED ZEPPELIN was a commercial hit, reaching the Top Ten (and eventually going multi-platinum). The Deluxe Edition of the heavy metal landmark includes a bonus disc recorded live at the Olympia in Paris on October 10, 1969. Happy birthday, John Paul Jones – long may LED ZEPPELIN fly!
The Definitive Studio Album Collection (Album of the Day)
Otis Redding's music career took off in 1962 when he signed a contract with Stax Records in Memphis; with the legendary Stax house band Booker T. & the M.G.'s behind him, the singer would reign as one of soul music's greatest until his untimely 1967 death. The new Rhino boxed set THE DEFINITIVE STUDIO ALBUM COLLECTION gives The Big O a package worthy of his rich musical legacy. The vinyl collection brings together all seven of the iconic soul singer's studio albums, each in packaging that meticulously replicates the original, from 1964's PAIN IN MY HEART to 1968's THE DOCK OF THE BAY. The albums are packed with R&B hits: "Mr. Pitiful," "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "These Arms Of Mine," "Respect," "Try A Little Tenderness" and many more. Despite his short career, Redding recorded songs that helped define soul in the Sixties and beyond, and they're all here on THE DEFINITIVE STUDIO ALBUM COLLECTION.
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols (Album of the Day)
Forty years ago today – after four canceled dates – the Sex Pistols made their U.S. concert debut; the citizens of Atlanta, Georgia never knew what hit 'em. The pioneering punk quartet were touring behind their sole studio album, NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS, HERE'S THE SEX PISTOLS, a blistering broadside that had debuted at No.1 on the U.K. charts despite being banned by many major British retailers. With such explosive anthems as “Anarchy In The U.K.,” “God Save The Queen,” “Pretty Vacant” and “Holidays in The Sun” among its dozen songs, the album has a snotty power that cannot be denied. Named by the likes of NME, Rolling Stone and Time as one of the 100 greatest albums ever made, NEVER MIND THE BOLLOCKS, HERE'S THE SEX PISTOLS has endured long after the band imploded at the end of that 1978 tour.
The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (Album of the Day)
In a career filled with peaks, THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS is likely David Bowie's Mt. Everest. The performer's fifth studio album featured irresistible glam rock anthems in a conceptual framework combining sexual ambiguity, science fiction and rock star autobiography. As a songwriter, Bowie was firing on all cylinders here – “Starman,” “Hang On to Yourself,” “Suffragette City” and the title track were instant classics – and Mick Ronson's punchy riffs made it clear he was a guitar hero to be reckoned with. The 1972 collection hit the U.K. Top 10 and has been a staple of critics' “greatest albums of all-time” lists ever since. David Bowie was born on this day in 1947, and we'll mark the occasion with another spin of the landmark THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS.
New York Rock and Soul Revue: Live At the Beacon (Album of the Day)
The New York Rock and Soul Revue is such a nondescript name that you could be forgiven for flipping right past this album – but look carefully at its credits. Organized by Donald Fagen, the one-off concert LIVE AT THE BEACON features performances by Boz Scaggs, Phoebe Snow, Michael McDonald, Charles Brown and Eddie Brigati of The Rascals, among others. Cut on March 1 and 2, 1991, at the famed Manhattan venue, this set includes some outstanding covers (“Knock On Wood,” “Lonely Teardrops”) along with some of these artists' greatest hits (Fagen and one-time Steely Dan member Michael McDonald team on “Pretzel Logic,” for instance). The backing band is hot, the recording is pristine and everyone sounds like they're having a blast on LIVE AT THE BEACON, which is finally available again on vinyl as part of Rhino's “Start Your Ear Off Right” campaign.
Vagabond Heart (Album of the Day)
Sixteen albums into his solo career, Rod Stewart sounds like he's getting his second wind on VAGABOND HEART. The 1991 Warner Bros. collection pairs one of rock's all-time greatest voices with a raft of top producers (Bernard Edwards, Trevor Horn, Richard Perry, Lenny Waronker) and some of the most consistently strong material the singer-songwriter has had in years. The 13 tracks include a sizzling duet with Tina Turner, ”It Takes Two,” as well as three Top 10 singles: “Rhythm of My Heart,” “Downtown Train” and “The Motown Song,” which features The Temptations on backing vocals. Rod Stewart was born on this day in 1945, and we'll wish him a happy birthday with the platinum-selling VAGABOND HEART.
Heart To Heart (Album of the Day)
David Sanborn's half-century-and-counting career encompasses high-profile recording sessions for a dizzying variety of artists as well as a string of successful albums on his own. HEART TO HEART, the alto saxophonist's fourth solo album, is an excellent representation of Sanborn's skills as a player and a bandleader. Produced by John Simon, the 1978 Warner Bros. collection features a beefed-up rhythm section and a diverse set of songs that jazz, pop and rock listeners will all find appealing. Of course the sax playing is immaculate, but there's some wonderful guitar work here, too, courtesy of David Spinozza and Hugh McCracken (the great arranger Gil Evans lends a hand as well, on “Short Visit”). HEART TO HEART was released 40 years ago today, and its passion and lyricism remain undimmed.