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Cosmic Thing (Album of the Day)
Athens, Georgia's resident musical oddballs The B-52s had earned a strong alternative rock following by serving up cultural kitsch with loving winks, but the loss of founding guitarist Ricky Wilson in 1985 was a serious blow. The group came back swinging with COSMIC THING, and the Reprise collection became their most successful yet, soaring into the Billboard Top 10 on its way to quadruple-Platinum sales. Produced by Nile Rodgers and Don Was, the set includes such standout tracks as “Channel Z,” “Deadbeat Club” and a pair of Top 10 singles: “Roam” and irresistible signature song “Love Shack.” Released on this day in 1989, COSMIC THING remains a surefire way to get a party into high gear (and if you don't already have a copy, is well worth your “jukebox money”)!
The Exciting Wilson Pickett (Album of the Day)
Wilson Pickett's debut album for Atlantic announced the arrival of a major soul star, but his follow-up, THE EXCITING WILSON PICKETT, might be even better. Recorded in Memphis and Muscle Shoals (with such greats as guitarist Steve Cropper and pianist Spooner Oldham among the backing instrumentalists), the collection reflected the Wicked One's stage act at the time, balancing sizzling covers with original songs. The dozen tracks include four classic hits - “Land of 1000 Dances,” “In The Midnight Hour,” “634-5789” and “Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won't Do)” - but even the deeper cuts here are amazing. THE EXCITING WILSON PICKETT is the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer at his most electrifying, and we'll cue it up now in honor of Black Music Month.
Gold (Album of the Day)
In the 1960s, Jefferson Airplane helped the Summer of Love take off and in the 1980s, Starship was building cities on rock and roll; during the decade in-between, Jefferson Starship was going GOLD. The 1979 best-of by that name collects the cream from studio sets DRAGON FLY, RED OCTOPUS, SPITFIRE and EARTH (along with a song that appeared in the Star Wars Holiday Special). “Miracles,” “With Your Love” “Count On Me” and “Runaway” were all Top 40 hits, and the remaining eight tracks also put the talents of Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, Marty Balin and company to fine use. Appropriately enough, GOLD was certified Gold, and the compilation is a terrific survey of Jefferson Starship in peak flight.
The Last Waltz (Album of the Day)
Previously “The Band” behind Bob Dylan in the mid-1960s, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson began recording on their own in a roots-rock style that might now be called Americana (though most members hailed from Canada). After more than a decade together, the quintet decided to go out in style with a final concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, joined by the likes of Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison and Eric Clapton. The event was documented by director Martin Scorsese, and the accompanying soundtrack shows why The Band was among the most acclaimed groups in rock. Along with stirring live versions of “Up On Cripple Creek,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “The Shape I'm In” and signature songs from some of the guest stars, the triple-album closes with an elegiac suite recorded specifically for the occasion. We'll play THE LAST WALTZ again now to wish Robbie Robertson a happy birthday.
Briefcase Full of Blues (Album of the Day)
As legend would have it, “Joliet” Jake and Elwood Blues grew up in a Rock Island, Illinois orphanage, where they learned R&B music from a janitor. In reality, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd cooked up The Blues Brothers for a Saturday Night Live sketch and things grew from there, resulting in the 1978 debut BRIEFCASE FULL OF BLUES. The Atlantic collection was recorded live at Los Angeles’ Universal Amphitheatre with a backing band that included SNL’s Paul Shaffer, saxophonist Tom Scott and Booker T. & The M.G.’s mainstays Steve Cropper and Donald “Duck” Dunn. Powered by energetic performances and a pair of Top 40 singles (“Soul Man” and “Rubber Biscuit”), the album topped the Billboard chart and eventually went double-Platinum. To celebrate Aykroyd’s 70th birthday, we’ll open up the BRIEFCASE FULL OF BLUES.
Then Play On (Album of the Day)
Fleetwood Mac is one of rock’s most storied and successful bands, having endured numerous line-up changes and sold millions of albums worldwide. Originally part of the British blues boom, the Mac was among the most popular groups in that style by the time THEN PLAY ON was released in 1969. The collection’s powerful mix of blues and rock features standout tracks like “Rattlesnake Shake,” “Searching For Madge” and “Coming Your Way” (digital versions of the album also include popular single “Oh Well”). The quintet's stellar third studio album was the first with guitarist-songwriter Danny Kirwan and would be the last with founding axeman Peter Green. There are also a couple of notables on piano here – uncredited future Mac member Christine Perfect and co-founder Jeremy Spencer, who was born on this day in 1948.
Superfly (OST) (Album of the Day)
Few people had their finger on the pulse of Black America like Curtis Mayfield, whose soulful voice as co-founder of The Impressions in the 1960s would also illuminate social issues during his solo career in the 1970s. Mayfield's third studio set was actually the soundtrack to the 1972 film SUPERFLY, and if the movie glorifies pushers and hustlers, the nine originals here make the toll they exact on the ghetto devastatingly clear. Bleak as the subject matter sometimes gets, the album includes a pair of Top 10 singles (“Freddie's Dead” and the title track) and was a Gold-certified hit. We'll give the vastly influential SUPERFLY another spin to close out Black Music Month.
Echo and the Bunnymen (Album of the Day)
In the aftermath of their acclaimed OCEAN RAIN, Echo & The Bunnymen spent a year on hiatus before returning with their eponymous 1987 album, and the time off served them well. The collection features leaner arrangements than its string-laden predecessor, and the hooks stand out sharper than ever on such songs as “Bedbugs and Ballyhoo,” “The Game” and the classic “Lips Like Sugar.” A Top 10 hit in the band's native U.K. (and their most successful release in the U.S.), this would prove the final studio album from the core quartet of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant, bassist Les Pattinson and drummer Pete de Freitas. Released 35 years ago today, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN is among the most accessible albums from the post-punk greats.
Images and Words (Album of the Day)
Few bands fused prog rock and heavy metal more brilliantly than Dream Theater, and IMAGES AND WORDS may just be their masterpiece. The Boston band's first album for Atco was also their first with James LaBrie at the microphone, and his wide-ranging tenor meshes perfectly with the Berklee-trained instrumentalists playing behind him. From MTV favorite “Pull Me Under” to epics like “Metropolis - Part I: 'The Miracle and the Sleeper'” and “Learning to Live,” these songs are intricate and ambitious but never get bogged down in complexity. Released 30 years ago today, the Gold-certified IMAGES AND WORDS remains Dream Theater's most commercially successful set, and a true progressive metal landmark.
Supa Dupa Fly (Album of the Day)
Childhood friends from Virginia, Melissa Arnette “Missy” Elliott and Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley were a musical team that crafted hits for artists including Aaliyah and Total before collaborating on Elliott's solo debut, SUPA DUPA FLY. Landing at #3 on the Billboard album chart, the Elektra collection frames Missy's singing and occasionally surreal raps with futuristic arrangements that draw as much from electronica as from rap. Propelled by such singles as “Sock It 2 Me” (featuring Da Brat), “Hit Em wit da Hee” (featuring Lil' Kim) and “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly),” the set went Platinum and earned a pair of Grammy nominations. Named one of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, SUPA DUPA FLY was released 25 years ago today and its influence on hip-hop and R&B remains strong.