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AOXOMOXOA (Album of the Day)
Though AOXOMOXOA was the third Grateful Dead album, it represented several significant firsts for the Bay-area band. The group's first self-produced set, it would be their first recorded on 16-track tapes and the first whose lyrics were entirely penned by frequent collaborator Robert Hunter. It was also the first with cover art by the great Rick Griffin, who came up with the titular palindrome with Hunter. The 1969 collection introduced favorites like "St. Stephen" and "Mountains On The Moon," as well as "China Cat Sunflower," a song that would continue to remain in the band's repertoire (and one, “Rosemary,” which the band only performed live once - on this day in 1968). Murky, mysterious and majestic, AOXOMOXOA is a perfect time capsule that is still resplendent a half century after it first appeared.
L.A. Woman (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
By 1971, years of touring and battling controversy had left The Doors bloodied but unbowed, and by shaking things up a bit for their sixth studio set, the Los Angeles quartet came up with one of their most distinctive collections. L.A. WOMAN was cut at The Doors' workshop rather than at Sunset Sound, with former engineer Bruce Botnick stepping up to co-produce, and was for the most part recorded live. The band turned to the power of the blues for such songs as “Been Down So Long,” “Crawling King Snake” and the title track, though singles “Love Her Madly” and “Riders On The Storm” are equally compelling. The 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of L.A. WOMAN includes more than two hours of unreleased session outtakes, and we'll cue it up now in honor of Jim Morrison's birthday.
Adventure (Album of the Day)
A year after their debut floored critics, Television returned with ADVENTURE. Like the New York quartet's previous album, the 1978 Elektra collection brims with fine songs from the pen of singer-guitarist Tom Verlaine and mesmerizing dual lead playing from him and fellow axeman Richard Lloyd. What distinguishes ADVENTURE is a more refined sound due partly to a new producer (John Jansen) and partly to the group's more seasoned vocal and instrumental work. Propulsive rockers like “Glory" and “Ain't That Nothin'” make Television sound poised for mainstream radio … until a few theremin licks (“The Fire”) and some eerie orchestration (“The Dream's Dream”) remind you that this band would never play it safe. The superbly crafted ADVENTURE further explores the group's unique fusion of jazz, progressive and alternative rock, and we'll cue it up now to wish Verlaine a happy birthday.
But Seriously, Folks... (Album of the Day)
Joe Walsh started releasing solo albums shortly after his stint in The James Gang and just because he joined one of the world's most successful groups – Eagles – that didn't mean he would stop. His fourth studio set, BUT SERIOUSLY, FOLKS... arrived in stores between HOTEL CALIFORNIA and THE LONG RUN, and his Eagles bandmates and producer Bill Szymczyk all make appearances. Spirit keyboardist Jay Ferguson also lends his talents, but the 1978 Asylum collection is still Joe's all the way, his wry sense of humor and ace guitar licks energizing every song. If “At the Station,” “Over and Over” and #12 hit “Life's Been Good” got the most airplay, this is nonetheless an album designed as a cohesive whole, and every track on the Platinum-certified BUT SERIOUSLY, FOLKS... has something worthwhile to offer.
Make Way for Dionne Warwick (Album of the Day)
The three confident poses on the cover of MAKE WAY FOR DIONNE WARWICK show a performer ready for stardom, and this set put Dionne on the pop album chart for the first time. The 1964 Scepter collection (her third) was produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and the team supply all but three of the dozen songs here. “You'll Never Get to Heaven (If You Break My Heart),” “Reach Out for Me” and the iconic “Walk On By” were all successful singles for Warwick, and if her versions of “Wishin' and Hopin'” and “(They Long to Be) Close to You” are less famous than those by Dusty Springfield and The Carpenters, they're still beautifully sung and arranged. Today we'll give MAKE WAY FOR DIONNE WARWICK another spin to wish the legendary vocalist a happy birthday.
In-A-Gadda-Vida (Album of the Day)
Iron Butterfly's second album, IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA, featured five fine originals on the first side ranging from Summer-of-Love pop to proto-metal, but listeners really hit paydirt when they flipped the record over. Powered by Doug Ingle's hypnotic organ riff and ominous vocals (and one of the all-time great drum solos from Ron Bushy), the 17-minute title track is the ultimate in acid rock. This month in 1968, the collection was certified Gold; it would go on to sell more than 4 million copies and earn the first-ever R.I.A.A. Platinum sales certification. The gloriously excessive IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA is more than Iron Butterfly's magnum opus – it's a '60s touchstone.
In Concert (Album of the Day)
Released 55 years ago, Peter, Paul & Mary's IN CONCERT captures these leading lights of the 1960s folk boom at the peak of their powers. A Top 10 hit, the 1964 collection has its share of activist anthems, opening with Bob Dylan's then-new “The Times They Are A-Changin'” and closing with The Weavers classic “If I Had A Hammer.” But those songs are part of a broad mix of original and traditional material delivered with a surprising dose of humor and the matchless harmonies for which PP & M had become famous. The Warner Bros. double album spotlights both the group's commitment to social justice and their talents as consummate entertainers, making IN CONCERT perhaps an even better representation of the trio than their studio albums.
LifeLines (Album of the Day)
In The Wind (Album of the Day)
Album 1700 (Album of the Day)
For their seventh studio set, named ALBUM 1700 after its Warner Bros. catalog number, Peter, Paul and Mary took some cues from pop culture, starting with a Bonnie and Clyde-inspired cover pose. The music was also in keeping with 1967, featuring fuller folk-rock arrangements with backing musicians (including Paul Butterfield) and a Top Ten single, “I Dig Rock And Roll Music,” that name-checks several contemporary hitmakers. As on the group's earlier releases, magnificent harmonies take center stage, and there's an interesting take on Dylan (“Bob Dylan's Dream”), though the collection's most famous track spotlighted then unknown songwriter John Denver – whose “Leaving On A Jet Plane” would give PP&M their only No.1 hit. Of course the politically aware trio also included some social commentary on ALBUM 1700, making it a good one to spin on a local election day.