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Two from the Vault (Album of the Day)
While there have been many Grateful Dead live collections, TWO FROM THE VAULT must surely rank among the best. The second complete show released from the band's vast archive documents an August 1968 performance at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium; though recorded on a multi-track machine, there were problems with the tapes that weren't solved until this 1992 double disc. It was worth the wait as the classic 6-piece line-up with keyboardist Pigpen is in terrific form touring in support of ANTHEM OF THE SUN (“That's It For The Other One”), teasing AOXOMOXOA (“St. Stephen”) and raiding their storehouse of folk and blues favorites (“Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl”). The playing is telepathic and the jams are epic – even if the last one is cut short when the cops pull the plug on the concert - you won't find a better representation of the early Dead's primal psychedelic power than TWO FROM THE VAULT.
I'm the One (Album of the Day)
Released 40 years ago this month, I'M THE ONE finds Roberta Flack waxing warm and wise about matters of the heart on nine fine songs. Though many of those were penned by co-producers William Eaton, Ralph MacDonald and William Salter (including singles “In the Name of Love” and the title track), the Atlantic collection's best-known song - Top 40 hit “Making Love,” featured in the film of the same name – was co-written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager. As usual, Flack is supported by a bevy of outstanding jazz and R&B instrumentalists like saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., guitarist Lee Ritenour and keyboardist Richard Tee, and the singer's tone and phrasing are immaculate. Though the set is among the performer's more underrated, when a talent the caliber of Roberta Flack says I'M THE ONE, you should listen.
Rio (Album of the Day)
“Rio,” recalled Duran Duran bassist John Taylor, “was shorthand for the truly foreign, the exotic, a cornucopia of earthly delights, a party that would never stop.” The British quintet's second album was originally marketed in America like their first, as a New Romantic release, but really took off after it was remixed as dance music (and promoted with some iconic videos). Housed in distinctive Patrick Nagel cover art, the nine songs include such favorites as “Save A Prayer,” the title track and the #3 hit “Hungry Like The Wolf.” A platinum album that defined new wave music for millions of listeners, RIO was released 40 years ago today, and the party still hasn't stopped.
101 (Album of the Day)
Depeche Mode wrapped up their MUSIC FOR THE MASSES tour with a triumphant concert at Pasadena's Rose Bowl in June 1988, and fortunately tapes (and filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker's cameras) were rolling to capture it all. The resulting double album, entitled 101 (this was the 101st performance of the tour), shows the U.K. synth-pop quartet to be as captivating on stage as in the studio, with terrific versions of such hits as “Blasphemous Rumors,” “A Question of Lust” and “Everything Counts.” The masses do their part for the music as well, as the 60,000-plus sold-out crowd cheers the band on, adding energy and emotion to every song. Depeche Mode's 101 will put you into the audience as one of the defining bands of the 1980s hits a career watershed, and we'll give it another spin to wish frontman Dave Gahan a happy 60th birthday.
The Origin of the Feces (Album of the Day)
Judging from the initial cover art for Type O Negative's THE ORIGIN OF THE FECES, this was a band that loved to push peoples' buttons. Though overdubbed crowd noise, banter from frontman Peter Steele and a song cut short by a bomb threat make it seem like a concert album, the Roadrunner collection was actually recorded at Brooklyn's Systems Two studio on Halloween 1992 (and was subtitled NOT LIVE AT BRIGHTON BEACH for those who missed the joke). P. T. Barnum may have been credited as a co-producer, but there are treats as well as tricks on this set, including striking goth metal takes on “Hey Joe” and “Paranoid” as well as stripped down versions of songs from the group's debut. Released 30 years ago today, THE ORIGIN OF THE FECES has the mix of intense music and dark humor that would result in a commercial breakthrough with Type O Negative's next album.
Sailin' Shoes (Album of the Day)
While Lowell George and his Little Feat cohorts had an acclaimed debut album under their belts, with SAILIN' SHOES the band reached another level – something obvious from the opening notes of “Easy To Slip,” which stands among the great lost singles of the 1970s. Produced by Ted Templeman, the 1972 Warner Bros. collection features some of George's best-loved songs, including “Cold, Cold, Cold,” “Tripe Faced Boogie,” “Teenage Nervous Breakdown” and truck-driving anthem “Willin'.” As seasoned L.A. music veterans, the foursome deliver performances that are pretty near immaculate and, more importantly, soulful; the roots-informed rock of these 11 tracks goes down mighty easy. If Neon Park's cover art isn't sufficient inspiration to kick up your heels, just give a listen to SAILIN' SHOES.
Sky Blue Sky (Album of the Day)
After a pair of somewhat experimental albums, Wilco moved a bit closer to its original sound with the musically and emotionally direct SKY BLUE SKY. “I got nervous about the technology on YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT. If you need a certain amp or pedal to make a song what it is, it isn't a song,” noted frontman Jeff Tweedy, and the dozen tracks on the 2007 Nonesuch set have the sturdy appeal of 1960s and 1970s classic rock without ever sounding derivative. A more collaborative writing process pays off on such highlights as “Impossible Germany,” “Walken” and “Hate It Here,” and new additions Nels Cline on guitar and Pat Sansone on keyboards elevate the instrumental work. With a Top 10 debut in Billboard, the Grammy-nominated SKY BLUE SKY showed that the sky remained the limit for Wilco.
Minutes to Midnight (Album of the Day)
“We were looking back at the things that we had done in the past,” noted Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda of MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT, “and we just needed to move on.” Coming four years after METEORA, the band's 2007 studio set shows a more mature side to the talented sextet - there's a little less rap than fans may be used to, and even a slow song or two (“Shadow Of The Day,” “The Little Things Give You Away”). That variety makes tracks like “What I've Done” and “Bleed It Out” hit even harder; Linkin Park and producer Rick Rubin dial the intensity up and down with a sure hand. It may sound different from its predecessors, but like them MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT was a smash, and topped the charts in 16 countries around the world including the U.S. and the U.K.
Three (Album of the Day)
A legendary composer, bandleader and bassist, Charles Mingus had many albums to his credit but few that featured the intimate setting of THREE. As its title suggests, there are just two others here – pianist Hampton Hawes and drummer Dannie Richmond – but it's the quality of the players, not the quantity, that counts. Recorded in New York City one July day in 1957, the Jubilee set is pretty down-to-earth by Mingus standards, hewing closely to melody and giving each instrumentalist space to make his mark. Along with fine versions of such familiar tunes as “Summertime” and “Laura,” there are a pair of Mingus originals (“Back Home Blues” and “Dizzy Moods”) and one penned by Hawes. THREE has just been reissued, and it's a worthy addition to any jazz collection.
New Traditionalists (Album of the Day)
If current events haven't made you a believer in Devo's theory of de-evolution, give a listen to NEW TRADITIONALISTS. The group's reaction to the rise of the right-wing helped inspire the title, but whether the plastic pompadours that the spudboys model on the cover of the 1981 collection are inspired by Kennedy or Reagan, it's clear they hold out little hope for modern society on these 10 originals. Skewering everything from the political process (“Enough Said”) to their newfound fame (“Through Being Cool”) to glib positivity (“Beautiful World,” a minor hit), these songs are among Devo's darkest and most direct, even when peppered with synth-pop hooks. We'll wish band co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh a happy birthday with another spin of NEW TRADITIONALISTS.