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Storms Of Life (Album of the Day)
After most of the major labels in Nashville had turned him down for being “too country,” Randy Travis signed to Warner Bros. and released STORMS OF LIFE. With a rich baritone closer to Lefty Frizzell than the pop crossover sounds then favored in Music City, Travis did stand apart, and that might have been the secret of his success – the 1986 collection went multi-platinum and can now be seen as a watershed moment in country's rise to commercial prominence. Its ten songs include a terrific mix of material including a pair of Travis originals and no less than four Top 10 Country singles: “On The Other Hand,” “1982,” “Diggin' Up Bones” and “No Place Like Home.” Randy Travis received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on this day in 2004, an honor that the superb STORMS OF LIFE alone would justify.
CORE (25TH ANNIVERSARY) (Album of the Day)
Stone Temple Pilots (guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, drummer Eric Kretz and vocalist Scott Weiland) roared on to the scene 25 years ago today with their raucous debut CORE. A breakout success, the album peaked at #3 on the Billboard charts, dominated radio waves with hits like “Sex Type Thing” and “Wicked Garden,” and has been certified 8x Platinum by the RIAA. The band also took home the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance for their smash single “Plush.” The new Deluxe Edition of the grunge-era classic features a newly remastered version of CORE and a bonus disc of B-sides and nine previously unreleased demos drawn from the quartet's original Atlantic sessions and recordings made between 1987 and 1990 when the band was known as Mighty Joe Young.
Gorilla (Album of the Day)
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band was led by Vivian Stanshall and Neil Innes, and if the latter name is familiar from The Rutles, you'll know what's in store – absurd humor and spot-on re-creations of bygone styles. The British group's debut takes loving aim at music hall, jazz, doo wop (“Death Cab for Cutie,” from which the alt-rock band drew their name), psychedelia and more, scoring direct hits with a mix of originals and well-chosen oldies. The Bonzos had some famous fans (The Beatles put them in their Magical Mystery Tour film, and Eric Clapton guests on ukulele here), and this charming album shows why. GORILLA was released 50 years ago, and if you haven't caught it yet, don't wait any longer!
Tomorrow (Album of the Day)
An outgrowth of beat group The In Crowd, Tomorrow was one of the bands that helped define British psychedelia in the 1960s. The group's sole, self-titled album for Parlophone is among the best of the era, well-produced (with Beatles engineer Geoff Emerick helping work the boards) and bursting with adventurous arrangements and highly melodic material. Standouts among the ten originals include “Real Life Permanent Dream,” “Revolution” and the oft-anthologized “My White Bicycle.” Guitarist Steve Howe would go on to Yes (and drummer John “Twink” Alder to The Pretty Things), and the superb instrumental work here makes his future fame seem inevitable. Recorded many months before its February 1968 release, TOMORROW offers a snapshot of the Summer of Love that remains exciting today.
Sparks (Album of the Day)
Rock's favorite pair of oddballs, Sparks was formed in the late 1960s by brothers Ron and Russell Mael, on keyboards and vocals, respectively. The duo started out as Halfnelson, and it was under that moniker that they entered the studio with producer Todd Rundgren to cut their eponymous debut for Bearsville. The 1971 album failed to connect in the marketplace until the boys changed their name to Sparks, signed with Warner Bros. and reissued the set a year later – at which point SPARKS earned a minor regional hit (in Alabama, of all places) with “Wonder Girl.” Guitarist Earle Mankey, his bassist brother Jim and drummer Harley Feinstein fill out the sound on these 11 originals, and the band is as tight as it is quirky. The clever lyrics, falsetto singing and willingness to mash-up pop genres that would make the Maels cult heroes are in full bloom on SPARKS, and we'll give the set another spin now to wish Russell a happy birthday!
A.M. (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
After his former group Uncle Tupelo broke up, singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy took the bulk of the band—most notably bassist John Stirratt and drummer Ken Coomer—and quickly recorded Wilco’s 1995 debut, A.M. The collection includes several fan favorites like “Casino Queen” and the funny-sad ode to drunk driving and unrequited love, “Passenger Side.” The new Deluxe Edition of the album offers up eight unreleased bonus tracks that feature an early version of “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” and “When You Find Trouble,” which is the last studio recording made by Uncle Tupelo. Wilco continues to make excellent records and play shows that stir the soul, and it all started here on A.M.
Being There (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
With its sophomore effort, the double album BEING THERE, Wilco maintained the gravitas of roots music it established on its debut without being hemmed in by it, creating a 21st century version of folk music that mixes happy-go-lucky rockers (“Monday”) and ballads (“Red-Eyed And Blue”), with two signature songs from the Wilco canon – “Misunderstood” and “Sunken Treasure.” The new 5-CD Deluxe Edition of the 1996 collection builds on the original with 15 bonus tracks released for the first time, including alternate versions of tracks “I Got You” and “Say You Miss Me,” as well as Wilco’s 20-song performance at the Troubadour from November 12, 1996, and four songs the band played on radio station KCRW the next day. BEING THERE has been cited by both Rolling Stone and Pitchfork as one of the 100 best albums of the 1990s, and this is the definitive look at the seminal album.
Anything Goes (Mono) (Album of the Day)
Previously known as The Tikis, Harper's Bizarre was one of the leading exponents of “sunshine pop” during the latter half of the 1960s. Following a hit cover of Simon & Garfunkel's “The 59th Street Bridge Song,” the quintet carved out a niche at Warner Bros. Records with several breezy albums of richly layered harmony vocals and beautiful arrangements. The group's second album, 1967's ANYTHING GOES, features 14 songs split between vintage standards like the Cole Porter title track and new material from the likes of Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks and band members Dick Scoppettone & Ted Templeman (yep, the future hit producer). ANYTHING GOES celebrates its 50th anniversary this month, but its distinctive mix of pre-rock and pre-singer-songwriter material gives it an ageless appeal.
Elite Hotel (Expanded & Remastered) (Album of the Day)
Emmylou Harris' talent was evident when she was singing in the shadow of Gram Parsons, and grew undeniable as her solo career progressed. Her second album, ELITE HOTEL, was released this month in 1975, and shows that Emmylou has a great ear as well as a great voice; the songs here offer an engaging mix of Parsons' cosmic Americana, pop-rock (a wonderful take on The Beatles “Here, There And Everywhere”) and country standards from decades past (“Sweet Dreams” and “Together Again,” both No.1 Country singles). Harris and producer Brian Ahern assembled a pretty hot band for these sessions, including James Burton, Byron Berline and former Eagle Bernie Leadon – not to mention Rodney Crowell and Jo-El Sonnier, who appear on the two bonus tracks of the Expanded & Remastered Edition of ELITE HOTEL.
Back For The Attack (Album of the Day)
Dokken's meteoric rise through the 1980s L.A. glam metal scene reached its apogee with BACK FOR THE ATTACK. The 1987 Elektra album shows the quartet blazing through 13 melodic headbangers including “Kiss Of Death,” “Burning Like A Flame” and “Dream Warriors” (the latter immortalized in an installment of the Nightmare On Elm Street film franchise). Anchored by a tight rhythm section, namesake frontman Don Dokken and guitarist George Lynch both soar to new heights, and fans responded, driving the album to #13 on the Billboard chart and platinum sales certification. The final studio set before Dokken's 1989 split, the ambitious and enjoyable BACK FOR THE ATTACK remains a fan favorite.