Search 'summer of love'
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.
Groovin' (Mono) (Album of the Day)
Released a half-century ago today, GROOVIN' shows The Young Rascals reaching musical maturity; it would be the final album the New York quartet released before dropping “Young” from their name. The 11 tracks on the Atlantic collection neatly bridge the gap between the garage and blue-eyed soul of their first recordings and the psychedelic and progressive sounds in the air in 1967. As adventurous as it was, the set was still packed with hits, including Top Ten singles “How Can I Be Sure,” “A Girl Like You” and the No.1 smash title track, which radiates feel-good summertime vibes as well as any record ever made. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love, the Gold-certified GROOVIN' has just been reissued on vinyl in its original mono mix.
Part One (Album of the Day)
Few groups had names as descriptive of their music as the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. If PART ONE's lysergic cover isn't a giveaway, the WCPAEB was at ground zero when psychedelia hit Los Angeles, and the sextet's February 1967 Reprise debut perfectly presages the Summer of Love. Folk-rock, garage and baroque pop sounds rub shoulders on these 11 tracks, which include covers of songs by L.A. scene favorites Van Dyke Parks, P.F. Sloan and the Mothers of Invention along with such strong originals as “Shifting Sands,” “Transparent Day” and “I Won't Hurt You” (recently tapped for the soundtrack to Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs). Strange and catchy at the same time, the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band's PART ONE captures the spirit of an era when anything seemed possible.
Waiting for the Sun (50th Anniversary Edition) (Album of the Day)
Released 50 years ago today, 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.” This summer, Rhino commemorates the golden anniversary of the album with 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.
Goodbye and Hello (Album of the Day)
Tim Buckley's second album represented a major step forward from the singer-songwriter's debut a year earlier. GOODBYE AND HELLO could only have been recorded during the Summer of Love, though the era leaves its stamp more on the set's visionary spirit than through any sonic conventions. Produced by Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman and Jerry Yester of the Lovin' Spoonful, the collection remains rooted in folk-rock, though the occasional use of Renaissance-era instrumentation adds to the psychedelic air – as does Buckley's remarkable multi-octave voice. The lyrics of these 10 songs (half of them co-written with poet Larry Beckett) are equally adventurous, and “Morning Glory,” “Once I Was” and the title track continue to dazzle 50 years on. As Tim Buckley changed game plans with every record, it's tough to pick a single best album, but GOODBYE AND HELLO is surely a contender.
Live From The Forum MMXVIII (Album of the Day)
The best-selling American band of the 1970s, and one of the top-selling acts of all time, the Eagles spent the majority of 2018 on an extensive North American tour that teamed Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit with Vince Gill and Deacon Frey. Earning rave reviews from fans and critics alike, the quintet arrived at the Forum in Los Angeles for three sold-out, critically-acclaimed concerts on September 12, 14 and 15. Now available, LIVE FROM THE FORUM MMXVIII captures definitive live performances of the group's most iconic hits (“Hotel California,” “Take It Easy,” “Life In The Fast Lane,” “Desperado”) and beloved album tracks (“Ol’ 55, “Those Shoes”), along with some of the individual members’ biggest solo smashes (Henley’s “Boys Of Summer,” Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way,” and Gill’s “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away”).
Made In America (Album of the Day)
Forty years ago this month, The Blues Brothers released MADE IN AMERICA, the third and final album by the duo of “Joliet” Jake Blues (John Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Dan Aykroyd). On the heels of their hit movie, The Blues Brothers' popularity was at an all-time high when they cut the concert collection at Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheater in the summer of 1980. Musical director Paul Shaffer leads a top-notch backing band including Booker T. & The M.G.'s guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn – who drive a terrific version of that group's “Green Onions.” Among the other highlights on the Atlantic set are the opening medley of “Soul Finger” and “Funky Broadway,” a sizzling “Riot in Cell Block No. 9” and Top 40 single “Who's Making Love?” If the two frontmen are best known as comedians, the passion and musical chops here are serious, and MADE IN AMERICA is an invigorating salute to American blues and R&B.