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Me, Myself, an Eye (Album of the Day)
Among jazz's all-time greats, Charles Mingus made seminal contributions to the music as a bassist, bandleader and composer. Released 40 years ago this month, ME MYSELF AN EYE was recorded near the end of Mingus' career, when the ravages of ALS left him unable to play. But his forceful personality was ever-present in the studio, bringing the best out of the big band assembled for these sessions, and his tapes and piano sketches provided the basis for Jack Walrath's arrangements. Opening the set is the side-long “Three Worlds Of Drums,” on which longtime Mingus band member Danny Richmond is joined by fellow drummers Steve Gadd and Joe Chambers. With guitar and electronic instrumentation in places, the Atlantic collection touches on fusion, and axeman Larry Coryell is another luminary heard on the superb ME MYSELF AN EYE.
Feel No Fret (Album of the Day)
A Scottish funk group might have seemed a novelty at the beginning of the 1970s, but by the time of FEEL NO FRET at the end of the decade, the Average White Band were a force to be reckoned with on dance floors. Produced by AWB themselves, the 1979 collection features an outstanding lineup of songs including “When Will You Be Mine,” “Atlantic Avenue” and “Too Late to Cry” (which includes Luther Vandross on backing vocals); joining those originals is a soulful cover of “Walk On By” that was a minor hit in both the U.S and England. With its varied tempos and moods, killer grooves and impassioned performances, the Average White Band's FEEL NO FRET is far above average.
Fool for the City (Remastered) (Album of the Day)
The blues and heavy metal had a baby at the end of the 1960s, and they called it boogie rock. Founded by singer/guitarist Lonesome Dave Peverett and drummer Roger Earl (both of U.K. blues revivalists Savoy Brown), Foghat knew how to boogie, and proved it on FOOL FOR THE CITY. The band's fifth album (and first platinum release) features a solid set of songs including the title track, the outstanding ballad “Take It Or Leave It” and their iconic hit single “Slow Ride” (heard here in its 8-minute full version). The 1975 collection remains among the most enjoyable from the golden age of Album Oriented Rock, and we'll crank up the volume on the remastered FOOL FOR THE CITY in honor of April Fool's Day.
Slide it In (Ultimate Edition) (Album of the Day)
Whitesnake scored its first platinum-selling album in 1984 with SLIDE IT IN, a release that has sold more than six million copies worldwide thanks to hard-rocking songs like "Love Ain't No Stranger," "Slow An' Easy" and the title track. The album turns 35 this year and in honor of the anniversary, a 6-CD/1-DVD version has just been released. The Ultimate Special Edition includes newly remastered versions of both the U.K. and U.S. mixes of the album plus unreleased live and studio recordings, music videos, concert footage and a new interview with Whitesnake founder and frontman David Coverdale. As the singer notes, "SLIDE IT IN was always meant to be a structured, more electric modern take on the classic blues-based hard rock that Whitesnake were famous for, but our new Hook City Hooligan, Mixer Extraordinaire Christopher Collier, has hand-tooled this classic record for the 21st century."
Summertime Dream (Album of the Day)
Still going strong after more than half a century in the business, Gordon Lightfoot is among Canada's greatest musical exports – he was inducted into the nation's Songwriter Hall of Fame on this day in 2003. SUMMERTIME DREAM captures the singer-songwriter at the peak of his popularity; the 1976 Reprise collection reached #12 on the U.S. album chart, and its success is easy to understand. There are plenty of outstanding originals here, such as “Race Among the Ruins,” “I'm Not Supposed to Care” and “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” a Top 10 hit whose timeless feel belies the fact that the real-life maritime disaster it's based on happened mere months earlier. Just as important as the top-notch material are the performances, and Lightfoot is in great voice throughout SUMMERTIME DREAM with a backing band (including gifted electric guitarist Terry Clements and pedal steel ace Pee Wee Charles) that sounds equally inspired.
Waiting For the Sun (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
The Doors' WAITING FOR THE SUN was the band's third platinum album in less than two years and the first to top the album chart. The collection has sold millions of copies around the globe and contributed to the Doors' legendary canon with classics like “The Unknown Soldier,” “Five To One” and the #1 smash “Hello, I Love You.” To commemorate the golden anniversary of the 1968 album, Rhino has just released a Deluxe Edition featuring a new version of the original stereo mix on both CD and 180-gram vinyl LP, remastered by longtime Doors engineer/mixer Bruce Botnick. The WAITING FOR THE SUN: 50th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION also includes a second CD of 14 completely unreleased tracks: nine recently discovered “rough mixes” from the album recording sessions and five live songs from a 1968 Copenhagen show.
Howard Tate (Album of the Day)
Howard Tate got his start singing gospel in a Philadelphia group that also included vocalist Garnet Mimms, who eventually introduced him to producer Jerry Ragovoy. That partnership resulted in three albums, the second of which is this fine 1972 self-titled set for Atlantic Records; if less well-known than his earlier work for Verve, the collection is an equally effective showcase of Tate's talents. Along with several songs by R&B hitmaker Ragovoy, the dozen tracks include a distinctive version of Bob Dylan's “Girl From the North Country” and a Curtis Mayfield-esque closing number, “The Bitter End,” penned by Howard himself. Top session players frame the alternately sweet and gritty vocals perfectly here, and any fan of funky '70s soul should check out HOWARD TATE.
Forever Young (Album of the Day)
Perhaps if Alphaville had originated in England they'd be as revered as Erasure or Pet Shop Boys among synth-pop fans; the music on FOREVER YOUNG certainly has comparable appeal. The debut album from the Berlin-based trio features electronic beats and infectious melodies galore, with frontwoman Marian Gold's soaring voice bringing these 10 emotion-laden originals home. Highlights include “Fallen Angel,” alternative radio favorite “Big in Japan” and the title track (which was released as a single on this day in 1984), but the set is consistently listenable throughout. A hit on the continent and arguably Alphaville's finest hour, FOREVER YOUNG will delight both newcomers curious about '80s dance-pop and those who remember the decade's synthetic sounds fondly.
Absolution (Album of the Day)
“I think that absolution is not necessarily a religious word,” noted Muse frontman Matt Bellamy of the title of their third studio set. “I think it's just suggesting that the act of making music is a way of understanding things.” By the sound of the 2003 album, the British trio was grappling with some heavy issues - the Iraq War, fears of societal collapse and more among them. Counterbalancing the intense lyrics are epic arrangements mixing art rock, progressive metal and orchestral flourishes on such highlights as “Stockholm Syndrome,” “Time Is Running Out,” “Butterflies and Hurricanes” and “Hysteria.” Listeners responded to the band's towering ambition; it topped the U.K. album chart and went gold in America, establishing Muse's fanbase stateside. Anyone who enjoys dark, dramatic music played with go-for-broke grandeur should seek ABSOLUTION.
SONG OF THE DAY - Coldplay - "Christmas Lights" (Album of the Day)
Released in 2010, “Christmas Lights” is Coldplay's contribution to the holiday canon. Co-produced by Brian Eno and recorded while Chris Martin and company were preparing their MYLO XYLOTO album, it's a stand-alone digital single that reached the Top 10 in several countries across Europe. The signs of the season are reflected through a broken love affair in this mid-tempo number, which retains its universality even as it name-checks several locales near and dear to the hearts of the U.K. quartet (who visited them in the song's memorable video, which plays as one continuous shot). Though of relatively recent vintage, “Christmas Lights” has the sound and feel of a holiday perennial, and it's our Song of the Day.