Content tagged ''
Green Mind (With Bonus Tracks) (Album of the Day)
Friday, February 19, 2016
Dinosaur Jr. made their major label debut 25 years ago today with GREEN MIND. The Sire set also marked a significant change in the band line-up, being the first following Lou Barlow's departure, but singer-guitarist J. Mascis (with a little help from drummer Murph) is more than equal to the challenge. The opening one-two punch of “The Wagon” and “Puke + Cry” leaves no doubt that the ear for hooks and pre-grunge energy that made the band alt-rock heroes is as strong as ever, though this time out Mascis adds gentler textures (like the acoustic “Flying Cloud”) to his trademark “Neil Young turned up to 11” solos. GREEN MIND ranks among Dinosaur Jr.'s very best, and Rhino's expanded and remastered version includes three bonus tracks (one of them being a great Flying Burrito Brothers cover, of all things).
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
What'd I Say (Album of the Day)
Thursday, February 18, 2016
On this day in 1959, Ray Charles recorded "What'd I Say." Improvised at the end of a concert (it would end up closing most of Charles' shows for the remainder of his career), the song became the performer's mainstream breakthrough and first gold record. The album of the same name features nine more stirring selections including “Jumpin' In The Morning,” “Tell Me How Do You Feel” and “Rockhouse, Parts 1 & 2.” With redoubtable saxophonist David Newman among the backing band, Brother Ray is at the top of his game and clearly reveling in it – WHAT'D I SAY truly is the birth of soul.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Roots (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
When The Everly Brothers signed a $1 million contract with Warner Bros. Records on this day in 1960, the siblings were well-established hitmakers with a string of pop and rock classics for Cadence. But Don and Phil Everly grew up singing country songs on their father's radio programs, and paid tribute to the music of their youth on ROOTS. Released in 1968 (when bands like The Byrds were experimenting with country-rock), the collection includes songs made famous by such greats as Jimmie Rodgers, Merle Haggard and George Jones, as well as recordings of Phil and Don crooning country on a 1952 broadcast. ROOTS was The Everly Brothers’ final studio album for Warner Bros., and it remains one of the duo's finest releases.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Duran Duran (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Among the most successful and enduring U.K. new wave bands, Duran Duran had a flair for fashion, a keen visual sense, and to judge from their self-titled 1981 debut, plenty of substance to go along with the style. “Planet Earth,” “Careless Memories” and “Girls On Film” were irresistible singles, and the more experimental material dominating the second half of the album was as richly atmospheric as Roxy Music at their best. Initially released with different tracks on either side of the Atlantic, the Deluxe Edition of DURAN DURAN includes all the music from the original English and American pressings, along with demos, alternate versions and BBC recordings. To celebrate the birthday of Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, we'll give another spin to the album that started it all for the “Fab Five.”
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Feedback (Album of the Day)
Monday, February 15, 2016
Some thirty years and 17 studio albums into their career, Rush paid tribute to a few of the artists who helped inspire their long musical journey with FEEDBACK. The 2004 covers album shows the trio had pretty good taste as young listeners in the 1960s, with Buffalo Springfield, The Yardbirds and The Who each getting a couple of nods. Singer Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart have the chops to do justice to these classic songs, but never settle for familiar arrangements - “Mr. Soul,” “Seven And Seven Is,” “Crossroads” and the rest are reinvented for the 21st Century here. While the songs on the just-reissued FEEDBACK stand apart from the originals, the album also has a unique sound relative to the rest of the Rush catalog, and a spirit of fun sure to put a smile on listeners' faces.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Balance (Album of the Day)
Friday, February 12, 2016
On this day in 1995, Van Halen's BALANCE topped the U.S. album chart. From the chanting monks of the mystical opener “The Seventh Seal,” it was clear the foursome wanted to broaden their sonic palette, and they succeeded with an appealing balance of poppy singles (“Can't Stop Lovin' You”), bonehead party rock (“Amsterdam,”), instrumental workouts (“Strung Out”) and ballads (“Not Enough”). Well produced by Bruce Fairbairn – Eddie Van Halen's guitar sounds stronger and more distinct than it has in years – BALANCE is also a bit darker in tone. That may reflect tensions within the group; the triple-platinum collection would prove to be the final one with Sammy Hagar at the microphone. Whatever its backstory, the underrated BALANCE brings the second chapter of one of America's greatest hard rock bands to a graceful close.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Hybrid Theory (Album of the Day)
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Linkin Park had performed as HYBRID THEORY before using the name as the title for their debut, and the phrase is an apt description of the SoCal quintet's bracing mix of rap and metal. Over driving riffs and rhythms, Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda's tag-team vocals reflected a millennial anxiety that millions identified with, and the album became a huge hit, reaching Diamond sales status on the strength of singles “One Step Closer,” “Papercut,” “Crawling” (a Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy winner) and Top Ten “In the End.” In addition to his rapping and instrumental work, Shinoda helped create the cover art for HYBRID THEORY, and we'll give the set another look and listen in honor of his birthday.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Chapter Two (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
A strong follow-up to her stunning debut, Roberta Flack's CHAPTER TWO made it clear that she was an artist in it for the long haul. Flack takes songs as diverse as fiery opener “Reverend Lee,” Bob Dylan's “Just Like A Woman” and standards like “The Impossible Dream” and makes them her own with distinctive performances that draw deep from jazz, gospel and soul. With producer Joel Dorn back at the helm (and such arrangers as King Curtis and Donny Hathaway lending their talents), the 1970 Atlantic collection frames the performer's magnificent vocal and piano work beautifully. As this is Roberta Flack's birthday, we'll give CHAPTER TWO another spin and wish her many more chapters to come.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Face Value (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
Phil Collins had already tasted stardom in Genesis, but as a solo artist, he became a superstar. Initially released shortly after the performer's 30th birthday, FACE VALUE was propelled to international multi-Platinum status with the help of the smash hit “In The Air Tonight.” Other notable tracks on the album include the follow-up singles “I Missed Again” and “If Leaving Me Is Easy,” as well as “Behind The Lines,” which was written with the singer’s Genesis colleagues Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. Collins was going through a divorce as he was making the 1981 collection, and the combination of emotionally raw balladry and upbeat, R&B-tinged pop-rock remains striking. A new 35th anniversary Deluxe Edition of FACE VALUE adds a disc of live and demo recordings compiled by Phil himself.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
The Circle Game [Expanded & Remastered] (Album of the Day)
Monday, February 8, 2016
1960s folk boom veteran Tom Rush helped set the stage for the singer-songwriters of the following decade with THE CIRCLE GAME. The credits on the 1968 Elektra collection read like a “who's who” of performers still a couple of years away from stardom - there's a song by Jackson Browne, and two by James Taylor and Joni Mitchell (including the title number). Rush penned a pair himself, of which “No Regrets” would become an oft-covered standard, and he shaped the material into a concept album about the beginning and end of a romance. With such superb musicians as guitarist Bruce Langhorne and drummer Bernard Purdie lending support, this beautiful collection has long been considered a classic, and Rhino's Expanded and Remastered edition adds three bonus tracks to the original. Tom Rush celebrates a birthday today, and we'll wish him a happy one with his folk-rock masterpiece THE CIRCLE GAME.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE