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Look Sharp! (Album of the Day)
Marie Fredriksson and Per Gessle – aka Roxette – had seen some success in their native Sweden, but it wasn't until an American foreign exchange student brought a copy of their second album back home to Minneapolis and gave it to a local radio station that the pop duo really took off. That 1988 collection, LOOK SHARP!, included three U.S. Top Ten singles: “Dangerous,” “Listen To Your Heart” and “The Look” (which was the #1 song in America this week in 1989) and the deeper album cuts were nothing to sneeze at either. LOOK SHARP! went platinum in America, with many other gold and platinum certifications around the globe, racking up more than 9 million sales worldwide. Upbeat and fun, the music of Roxette is an irresistible combination of punchy dance pop and beautiful balladry, and this breakthrough album will give you a good look at it.
Eve (Album of the Day)
When guitar hero Shinki Chen recruited Golden Cups bassist Masayoshi “Glue” Kabe and drummer Joey “Speed” Smith (later to return to his native Philippines and join the Juan de la Cruz Band), one of Japan's greatest power trios was born. Signed to Atlantic Records by producer Ikuzo Orita, the supergroup unleashed EVE in 1971 before splintering. If the band name wasn't a tip-off, titles like “Mr. Walking Drugstore Man” and “Stoned Out of My Mind” reflect the sonic overdose here, with English-language vocals driven by piledriver rhythms and insistent fuzz and wah-wah riffs. For years a big ticket collectors item, EVE returns this month as a limited edition colored vinyl pressing for Record Store Day.
On Golden Smog (Album of the Day)
Some of the greatest Minneapolis musicians of the late 1980s would pass through Golden Smog, though you might not know it by reading the credits; for contractual reasons, Soul Asylum vocalist Dave Pirner, Jayhawks guitarist Gary Louris, Replacements drummer Chris Mars and others all appear under pseudonyms on the band's 1992 debut EP. With a name drawn from a Flintstones episode and a penchant for all-covers set-lists, the loose-knit group began as talented friends just having a good time, and that spirit pervades ON GOLDEN SMOG, whose five songs include alt-rock and alt-country takes on Bad Company (“Shooting Star”), The Rolling Stones (“Back Street Girl”), Thin Lizzy (“Cowboy Song”) and more. For Record Store Day 2022, this rousing collection will be available on vinyl as a limited edition 12” with an etching on the B-side.
Sunshine on Leith (Album of the Day)
The Proclaimers are identical twins Craig and Charlie Reid, and the brothers' hometown in Scotland inspired the name of their second album, SUNSHINE ON LEITH. Sunny vibes pervade most of these 13 songs, whose stripped-down pub rock is enlivened by Scottish folk influences. The track that shines brightest is surely “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” which, some five years after the album's 1988 release, became a No.3 U.S. hit thanks to its inclusion in the Benny & Joon soundtrack. But there's plenty more to enjoy beyond that well-known single, with fine originals like “I’m On My Way,” “Oh Jean” and the title track joined by a pair of appealing covers (Steve Earle’s “My Old Friend The Blues” and Roger Miller's “King Of The Road”). SUNSHINE ON LEITH returns as a 140-gram marbled vinyl 2-LP set this Record Store Day, and it remains invigorating from beginning to end.
Live at Brixton Academy (Album of the Day)
Bearing the Japanese name for Godzilla, French group Gojira have become a force to reckon with in the hard rock world. Also issued as LES ENFANTS SAUVAGES, LIVE AT BRIXTON ACADEMY was recorded at the prestigious London venue as the quartet was beginning to attract international acclaim. With technical skills honed through hundreds of gigs, Gojira's sound had evolved beyond their death metal roots by the time of this March 2013 concert, and their environmentally conscious lyrics (“Toxic Garbage Island,” “Flying Whales”) were just as sophisticated. Another song played during the show - “The Heaviest Matter of the Universe” - offers an apt description of LIVE AT BRIXTON ACADEMY, which will be released on vinyl this month as a 2-LP set for Record Store Day.
Oh No! It's Devo (Album of the Day)
“There are many people out there who, when they hear we're around again or have one more album coming out, that is their reaction,” noted Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh of the title to the band's fifth album, OH NO! IT'S DEVO. Roy Thomas Baker (The Cars, Queen) produced the 1982 Warner Bros. collection, adding a little mainstream polish and a stronger emphasis on synthesizers. “Peek-a-Boo!” and “That's Good” showed that the spud boys could still rattle off infernally catchy singles, but listen carefully and you'll also pick up on the subversive satire running through the set (which includes songs drawn from writings by an obsessed fan as well as would-be assassin John Hinckley, Jr.). Fittingly for a band with visual panache, the underrated OH NO! IT'S DEVO will be reissued as a picture disc for Record Store Day.
Tubular Bells II (Album of the Day)
Mike Oldfield had a worldwide smash with his 1973 debut after its title track was excerpted in horror blockbuster The Exorcist; 14 albums later, the multi-instrumentalist finally released a sequel, TUBULAR BELLS II. Moving from longtime label Virgin to Warner Music, Oldfield relocated from England to Los Angeles to record the 1992 collection with Trevor Horn, and he has credited the producer with providing a greater emphasis on rhythm. While the resemblance to its landmark predecessor is clear, the set is distinguished by strong world music influences and shorter songs (“Sentinel,” “Tattoo” and “The Bell” were singles) and became a chart-topping, double-platinum hit in the U.K. TUBULAR BELLS II will be released on blue marbled vinyl for Record Store Day.
Pornography (Album of the Day)
If you hear The Cure on the radio these days, it's probably a poppier song from one of their (quite wonderful) singles compilations. But survey the fans and they're more likely to point to PORNOGRAPHY as the British band's high-water mark. The 1982 set finds frontman Robert Smith at his most despairing (after a year of grinding tour dates, the group was on the verge of splintering), and tracks like “The Hanging Garden” and “One Hundred Years” practically drip with gloom. “We wanted to make the ultimate, intense album,” noted drummer Lol Tolhurst, and the collection resonated with enough listeners to put it into the U.K. Top 10. PORNOGRAPHY plumbs some very dark depths, and this milestone of goth rock returns as a picture disc for Record Store Day.
Complete Captured Live (Album of the Day)
Joining Bob Marley and Bunny Livingston as an original member of The Wailers, Peter Tosh helped give birth to reggae in the 1960s and continued to blaze musical trails as a solo artist in the decade that followed. Guided by his Rastafarian faith and an unwavering commitment to social justice, Tosh issued a string of fiery studio sets – and one concert collection – before his untimely death in 1987. COMPLETE CAPTURED LIVE was recorded during a Southern California tour stop and shows the legendary performer in top form on such favorites as “Not Gonna Give It Up,” “Mama Africa” and “Get Up, Stand Up.” This Record Store Day, the double album will be available as a limited edition pressing on colored marble vinyl.
Bella Donna (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Legendary Fleetwood Mac singer-songwriter Stevie Nicks joined producer Jimmy Iovine to begin recording her solo debut, BELLA DONNA, following the release of the Mac's TUSK and its subsequent tour. Nicks' 1981 collection was quickly certified platinum thanks to classics like “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” (with Tom Petty), “Edge Of Seventeen” and “Leather And Lace” (with Don Henley). Along with Heartbreakers and Eagles, the album features guest turns from Donald “Duck” Dunn of Booker T. & The MGs and Roy Bittan of the E Street Band - though Stevie's distinctive voice and persona are never upstaged. In 2016, Rhino combed through the vaults to uncover unreleased versions of songs, soundtrack rarities and a 1981 concert, and BELLA DONNA (DELUXE EDITION) will be available on Record Store Day in a limited edition double vinyl pressing.