Content tagged ''
Europe '72 (Album of the Day)
Grateful Dead cut their fair share of great studio albums, but it was always said they did their finest work live, and the wealth of stellar concert sets the band produced over the years makes that hard to dispute. One of the best was EUROPE ‘72, a triple disc snapshot of the group's first tour of the continent; it would be the last release with founding keyboardist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and the first with Keith and Donna Godchaux on piano and vocals, respectively. Virtually all of the 22 dates on this Western European trek were recorded, so there were many outstanding performances from which to choose, of songs both old (“Truckin',” “Sugar Magnolia”) and new (“Jack Straw,” “Brown-Eyed Woman”). On the 50th anniversary of Pigpen's final show with the Dead, we'll cue up the double-Platinum EUROPE ‘72 one more time.
Double Vision (Album of the Day)
Though half the band was British (hence the name), America embraced Foreigner with open arms in the late 1970s. Founded by journeyman guitarist Mick Jones and powered by Lou Gramm's strong vocals, the group was an immediate smash, its debut going multi-platinum. Foreigner's follow-up was even more successful; DOUBLE VISION ruled the U.S. Top 10 for half a year thanks to the hit singles “Hot Blooded,” “Blue Morning, Blue Day” and the title track. While similar in ways to its predecessor, the collection has more of a hard rock feel and includes the group's only instrumental (“Tramontane”); with the departure of bassist Ed Gagliardi, the album would be the last from the original sextet. Released on this day in 1978, DOUBLE VISION remains an arena rock classic.
First Take (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Soul music's 1960s heyday had passed, jazz was creeping into the mainstream and singer-songwriters like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell had just hit their stride when Roberta Flack issued her debut. All of those influences can be heard on FIRST TAKE; opener “Compared To What” shows she can belt 'em out like Aretha, and though none of the eight selections are self-penned, choices like Leonard Cohen's “Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye” reflect her taste for intimate, confessional material. But the jazz influence may be the strongest, with noted producer Joel Dorn at the helm and master instrumentalists like bassist Ron Carter in the band. And it was jazz buff Clint Eastwood who turned the collection's “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” into a hit by putting it in his film Play Misty For Me. Including rare B-sides and 12 previously unreleased recordings, the 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of FIRST TAKE is a potent reminder of Roberta Flack's singular talents.
We Sing. We Dance. We Steal Things. (Album of the Day)
Singer-songwriter Jason Mraz cut his teeth on the same San Diego coffeehouse circuit as Jewel, and like her made a splash with his major label debut. Flash forward six years and Mraz had an even bigger hit with WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS – the 2008 Atlantic collection went triple Platinum. While the upbeat vibes and lilting grooves are irresistible throughout, credit for much of the success goes to a strong set of originals, including Top 10 hit “I'm Yours” and Grammy winners “Make It Mine” and “Lucky” (the latter a duet with Colbie Caillat). We'll wish Jason Mraz a happy 45th birthday with another spin of WE SING. WE DANCE. WE STEAL THINGS.
Back to the Bars (Album of the Day)
When the president of Bearsville Records asked Todd Rundgren for a live best-of collection, he delivered – and then some. BACK TO THE BARS includes such classics as “Hello It's Me,” “Couldn't I Just Tell You” and “I Saw the Light” but digs much deeper than the hits to capture the dizzying variety of Rundgren's solo releases. The 1978 album was drawn from shows at The Bottom Line in New York, The Roxy in L.A. and The Agora in Cleveland, and for a man thought of as a studio wizard, Todd proves a convincing concert performer. He's also sometimes thought of as a one-man show but here benefits from the support of bands Utopia and Hello People and such guests as Spencer Davis, Hall & Oates and Stevie Nicks. We'll wish Todd Rundgren a happy birthday by going BACK TO THE BARS.
Stampede (Album of the Day)
The Doobie Brothers have a long string of hit singles to their credit, but dig deeper into their 1970s output and you'll find their albums are pretty strong as well. By the time of STAMPEDE, the NorCal band had perfected an irresistible blend of rock, country and soul; barring the Motown cover “Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me),” the 1975 collection is all-original, and tracks like “Sweet Maxine” and “I Cheat the Hangman” show that the band's Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons knew how to write memorable songs. While a pretty rootsy release, there are also some ambitious string arrangements here (Curtis Mayfield provided one) and the performances by the band, and guests including Ry Cooder and Bill Payne, is sublime. This is the first Doobies set to feature Jeff "Skunk" Baxter as a full member – he contributes the instrumental “Précis” - and STAMPEDE charged to R.I.A.A. Gold certification.
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.