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PHYSICAL GRAFFITI (Album of the Day)
Certified 16x Platinum in the U.S., the commercial success of Led Zeppelin's PHYSICAL GRAFFITI was equaled by its critical reception. Generally regarded as one of the greatest double albums of all time, the original 15 tracks represent a creative tour de force that explores the band’s dynamic musical range, from the driving rock of “Custard Pie” and acoustic arrangement of “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” to the Eastern raga of “Kashmir” and funky groove of “Trampled Under Foot.” Built around new recordings cut at the band's Headley Grange stronghold, the set also includes unreleased tracks from Zep's three previous album sessions. Guitarist Jimmy Page produced the 1975 Swan Song collection, and we'll give PHYSICAL GRAFFITI another spin now to wish him a happy 80th birthday.
THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION (Album of the Day)
Madonna's status as one of the most successful female artists in history becomes immediately understandable with one listen to THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION. Her first greatest hits set, this 17-track compilation is a near-definitive look at the superstar's first flash of fame. The Material Girl dominated the radio with these songs, including such No.1 smashes as “Like A Virgin,” “Crazy For You,” “Papa Don't Preach” and “Justify My Love,” which topped the U.S. chart on this day in 1991. Smart, sexy and undeniably catchy, this endlessly listenable mix of ballads and dance-pop hits sold more than 30 million copies worldwide to become one of the best-selling solo artist compilations ever. THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION is an essential part of any collection of popular music.
YES (Album of the Day)
Yes had been together for about a year when their self-titled debut was released in 1969. The band's initial line-up featured Peter Banks on guitar and Tony Kaye on keyboards and its promise was clear on the Atlantic collection, an impressive mix of progressive rock, jazz and psychedelia. Along with such originals as “Sweetness” and “Looking Around,” the set includes knockout covers of The Beatles' “Every Little Thing” and The Byrds' “I See You,” and the quintet's vocal and instrumental virtuosity is on full display throughout. While the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers would scale even greater heights, this first longplayer remains rewarding; the great Lester Bangs called it “the kind of album that sometimes insinuates itself into your routine with a totally unexpected thrust of musical power.” This January, YES is part of Rhino's Start Your Ear Off Right campaign.
RUTH BROWN (Album of the Day)
When Atlantic Records was called “the house that Ruth built,” it was not in tribute to the Yankee home-run hitter but to Ruth Brown, whose success was instrumental in establishing the New York-based label. Born in Virginia on this day in 1928, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer scored such R&B chart-toppers as “Teardrops from My Eyes,” “5-10-15 Hours,” “Oh What a Dream” and the immortal “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean” - all of which can be heard on RUTH BROWN. The 1957 album gathers 14 single sides waxed by Brown over the preceding eight years, making it something of a greatest hits set. The performer's brassy and occasionally bawdy singing is complemented by the swingin' sounds of some of Atlantic's top instrumentalists (including pianist John Lewis and guitarist Mickey Baker), and the lively music of RUTH BROWN still delivers a knockout punch.
LICK MY DECALS OFF, BABY (Album of the Day)
Born Don Van Vliet on this day in 1941, Captain Beefheart was one of music's most gifted eccentrics, serving up a surreal blend of rock, blues and jazz with guttural force and instrumental precision. It's a tough sound to label, and to judge from the title of LICK MY DECALS OFF, BABY, the Captain wouldn't have it any other way. The 1970 follow-up to TROUT MASK REPLICA is less fragmentary and more accessible (if sometimes darker) than its revered predecessor, but Beefheart's playful humor is ever present (the 15 originals include such songs as “I Wanna Find a Woman That'll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have to Go”). Championed by the likes of Lester Bangs and John Peel, LICK MY DECALS OFF, BABY was also a personal favorite of Beefheart's, so we'll cue it up again in honor of the man's birthday.
A NIGHT ON THE TOWN (Album of the Day)
Rod Stewart began releasing his own albums while still fronting the Faces but by the time of A NIGHT ON THE TOWN his focus was squarely on his solo career. With seasoned record men Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin behind the boards and talent like Joe Walsh, the Tower Of Power horn section and most of Booker T.'s MG's joining him in the studio, Rod couldn't miss and the 1976 album reached Platinum sales status. The primarily original “slow” side has the best-known songs – such as No.1 single “Tonight’s The Night” - but the “fast” side is equally strong, with a rocked-up version of the country standard “The Wild Side Of Life” and a confident take on the U.K. beat classic “Pretty Flamingo” in the lineup. This is Rod Stewart's birthday, and wherever he is, we hope he is having A NIGHT ON THE TOWN...
TERRAPIN STATION (Album of the Day)
After releases on their own label, Grateful Dead signed with then-new Arista Records to release TERRAPIN STATION in 1977. Company president Clive Davis wanted something commercial and to that end enlisted Keith Olsen – formerly of The Music Machine and more recently Fleetwood Mac's producer – to work with the band. The orchestral and choral touches he added may have been unusual for the Dead, but top-notch material was not, and the collection includes such future concert staples as “Estimated Prophet,” the side-long title suite and an outstanding take on Rev. Gary Davis' “Samson and Delilah.” Following a two-year hiatus from touring, the set was a success, bringing the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers a Gold record. We'll make a stop at TERRAPIN STATION as part of Rhino's Start Your Ear Off Right campaign this month.
YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS (Album of the Day)
The Flaming Lips built upon the success of THE SOFT BULLETIN with their first album of the new millennium, YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS. Even if it did later inspire a stage musical, the band deny that the 2002 Warner Bros. collection is concept album, preferring to describe it as “storytelling acid rock.” But that phrase only hints at the emotional resonance and inventive arrangements here; tracks like lead single “Do You Realize??,” “Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell” and Grammy-winning instrumental “Approaching Pavonis Mons by Balloon (Utopia Planitia)” rank with the Oklahoma alternative rockers' finest. The Gold-certified YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS was a hit with critics as well as the public, appearing on best-of-the-decade lists from such outlets as Rolling Stone and Uncut.
LIVE AT MAX’S KANSAS CITY (Album of the Day)
Years before anyone had ever heard of CBGB, Max's was THE place in New York City to mingle with Manhattan scenesters and see cutting-edge rock acts. Near the top of the latter list was The Velvet Underground, whose final show with leader Lou Reed (until a brief '90s reunion) is documented on LIVE AT MAX'S KANSAS CITY. The quartet mixed such older favorites as “I'll Be Your Mirror,” “Femme Fatale” and “I'm Waiting For The Man” with new songs like “Sweet Jane” and “New Age” from their soon-to-be-released LOADED, with plenty of venue atmosphere heard throughout (like an audience conversation where Jim Carroll hits someone up for pills). An essential chapter in the VU story, LIVE AT MAX'S KANSAS CITY is part of Rhino's Start Your Ear Off Right campaign in January.
THE LONG RUN (Album of the Day)
Eagles closed out the decade they had so dominated with THE LONG RUN, the final studio album of the band's original incarnation (they would reunite when “hell froze over” in 1994). Three years after HOTEL CALIFORNIA, Eagles had checked out – but not quite left – the sense of discontent that marked that earlier smash. There's a dark and more urban edge to songs like “King Of Hollywood,” “Those Shoes” and closing track “The Sad Café,” though the 1979 album also includes a trio of Top Ten singles to keep the mood from getting too dour: “Heartache Tonight,” “I Can't Tell You Why” and the title track. The chart-topping THE LONG RUN wound up going 7-times Platinum to bring phase one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers' career to a graceful close.