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Thick as a Brick (Album of the Day)
Building on the success of AQUALUNG, Jethro Tull topped the U.S. chart this week in 1972 with fifth studio album THICK AS A BRICK, no mean feat for a set that consisted of a single epic split into two side-long parts. Representing frontman Ian Anderson's attempt to “come up with something that really is the mother of all concept albums,” the collection is a nod to the likes of Yes and ELP … with a wink at Monty Python thrown in for good measure. While the newspaper parody packaging and lyrics credited to a fictitious boy genius (“Gerald Bostock”) reflect the band's sense of humor, the musicianship - from Anderson's flute to Martin Barre's guitar and John Evan's keyboards - is definitely no joke, THICK AS A BRICK stands as one of the most complex, expertly executed recordings in progressive rock history.
True (Album of the Day)
Spandau Ballet was originally part of England's New Romantic movement, but it wasn't until the group donned suits and reinvented themselves as blue-eyed soul crooners that they really hit their stride. That moment came on their third album, TRUE, which the quintet cut in the Bahamas. Still within the synth-pop vein, but with R&B and jazz influences to the fore, the set's eight originals boast spare, classy arrangements that put the focus on hooks; “Gold” hit the Top 30 in America, and the title track made the Top 10. The set's sleek production practically drips with style but there's passion here, too: when Tony Hadley croons “this is the sound of my soul,” you believe him. This is the frontman's birthday, and we'll celebrate with another spin of Spandau Ballet's most successful album, TRUE.
Decade (Album of the Day)
DECADE brought the 1980s to a close for Duran Duran, and the greatest hits collection shows exactly what turned the U.K. group into MTV icons over the preceding years. Drawing from all six of their studio albums along with one or two noteworthy odds and ends, the EMI album includes 14 tracks – half of them Top 10 hits. “Hungry Like The Wolf,” “Is There Something I Should Know,” “The Reflex” and “Notorious” are but a few songs here that will be instantly familiar to anyone who listened to the radio in the '80s; presented chronologically, the set generally sticks to the most popular edit of each recording. Certified Platinum on both sides of the Atlantic, DECADE is a must for new wave fans, and we'll give it another spin now to wish Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes a happy 60th birthday.
Purple (Album of the Day)
On a roll after their debut, Stone Temple Pilots scaled even greater heights with follow-up PURPLE, released on this day in 1994. Though the San Diego band emerged just as grunge was on the rise, their sound proves broader here, combining the intense heaviness with a little psychedelia and a lot of accessibility. Allmusic called STP “the best straight-ahead rock singles outfit of their time,” and it's hard to argue with that when “Interstate Love Song,” “Big Empty” and “Vasoline” are among these 12 gracious melodies. PURPLE debuted at number one on the Billboard chart and quickly went multi-Platinum, and its music easily justifies that commercial success.
Made in Japan (Album of the Day)
Originally a progressive rock group with classical leanings, Deep Purple soon emerged as one of the greatest hard rock bands. The British quintet's early '70s lineup of Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice followed three storming studio sets with a landmark concert collection, MADE IN JAPAN. The double live album took the best songs from IN ROCK, FIREBALL and MACHINE HEAD and pushed them to the breaking point to become Deep Purple's breakthrough in the U.S., selling more than a million copies. Epic versions of such favorites as “Child in Time,” “Space Truckin'” and signature song “Smoke on the Water” are driven by terrific solos by Blackmore and Lord, and we'll celebrate the keyboardist's birthday by turning MADE IN JAPAN up to 11.
Humanz (Album of the Day)
Fortunately, the rumors of Gorillaz's demise after THE FALL proved false and they returned in 2017 with HUMANZ, one of the virtual band's most varied and vibrant sets yet. The group's Damon Albarn framed the collection in terms of emotional responses to political upheaval, but it feels less like a concept album than a celebratory mixtape thanks to the presence of several high-wattage guest stars. Grace Jones, De La Soul, Mavis Staples, Anthony Hamilton and even former Britpop rival Noel Gallagher lend a hand on these 14 originals, which lean heavily on R&B and hip-hop. Debuting just below the top spot on both the U.S. and U.K. album charts, the Grammy-nominated HUMANZ gets better with every listen.
Demanufacture (Album of the Day)
With their second studio release, DEMANUFACTURE, L.A. industrial metal greats Fear Factory had clearly hit paydirt. Released on this day in 1995, the Roadrunner collection unleashes rapid-fire drumming and heavy riffing with mechanical precision and plenty of volume (enough to disrupt Bon Jovi's recording session in the adjoining studio). Inspired by the film The Terminator, the album's concept follows a man struggling against the authority of machines, and frontman Burton C. Bell delivers the lyrics with “extreme-to-clean” singing that would influence legions of followers. Kerrang! called DEMANUFACTURE “a landmark of '90s metal that defied categorisation and remains a touchstone of the genre,” and we couldn't agree more.
Unknown Pleasures (Album of the Day)
Part of a long line of musical heroes from Manchester (along with such bands as The Hollies, The Smiths and Oasis), Joy Division formed following a Sex Pistols gig in that northern British city. Released on this day in 1979, debut album UNKNOWN PLEASURES has a starker, more atmospheric sound than the group's loud and aggressive concerts, thanks to the work of producer Martin Hannett and an outstanding set of songs. “She's Lost Control” and “Shadowplay” are bleak and claustrophobic but vibrant all the same, touched with a sense of late-‘60s experimentalism and played with an urgency that's timeless. From Peter Saville's distinctive radio-waves cover art to the last notes of “I Remember Nothing,” Joy Division's UNKNOWN PLEASURES delivers from start to finish, and is cited by such outlets as Q and NME as one of the greatest British albums of all time.
Hearts (Album of the Day)
Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek met in England in the late-1960s, and their wistful harmonies quickly reached American radio thanks to “A Horse With No Name,” which topped the U.S. singles chart. The trio relocated to California but managed to retain the services of British studio wizards George Martin and Geoff Emerick - who'd produced and engineered for The Beatles - for several albums, including HEARTS. Recorded in Sausalito (note the cover shot of the Golden Gate Bridge), America's fifth long-player features a dozen carefully crafted tracks, including the singles “Daisy Jane,” “Woman Tonight” and “Sister Golden Hair,” which was the #1 song in the country this week in 1975. Certified Gold by the RIAA, HEARTS is an album any soft rock fan will love.
The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (Album of the Day)
In a career filled with peaks, THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS is likely David Bowie's Mt. Everest. The performer's fifth studio album featured irresistible glam rock anthems in a conceptual framework combining sexual ambiguity, science fiction and rock star autobiography. As a songwriter, Bowie was firing on all cylinders here – “Starman,” “Hang On to Yourself,” “Suffragette City” and the title track were instant classics – and Mick Ronson's punchy riffs made it clear he was a guitar hero to be reckoned with. Released 50 years ago today, THE RISE AND FALL OF ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS hit the U.K. Top 10 and remains a staple of critics' “greatest albums of all-time” lists.