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Human [Expanded Edition] (Album of the Day)
Rod Stewart started the new millennium on a new label, Atlantic, with his nineteenth studio album, HUMAN. Fittingly, the 2001 collection shows the performer trying on new styles, in this case contemporary R&B and dance music. Working with a team of producers, Stewart sourced 11 fine songs including “Run Back Into Your Arms,” the Adult Contemporary charting “I Can't Deny It” and "Don't Come Around Here." The last of these features Helicopter Girl as a duet partner; elsewhere Rod recruits guitarists Slash, Mark Knopfler and Jesse Johnson to lend their talents to the cause. The Expanded Edition of HUMAN adds five bonus tracks including a version of Prince's “Peach”; we'll give the album a spin now to wish Rod Stewart a happy birthday.
Misguided Roses (Album of the Day)
Charleston-born singer-songwriter-guitarist Edwin McCain came up through the South Carolina rock scene on the heels of Hootie and the Blowfish, eventually joining that band on Atlantic Records in 1995. McCain's take on soulful rock was a little more muscular but no less appealing than Hootie's, as demonstrated by the success of MISGUIDED ROSES two years later. Co-produced by alternative hitmaker Matt Serletic (Matchbox Twenty, Collective Soul), the collection reflects the performer's growing confidence as a vocalist and writer – except for a James Taylor cover, all the dozen songs here are original. Among the highlights are “Holy City” (one of two tracks featuring guest Michael McDonald) and “I'll Be,” a Top 10 hit that popped up in soundtracks for years afterward, and MISGUIDED ROSES remains a fan favorite for good reason.
Live At The Aquarius Theatre: The First Performance (Album of the Day)
On July 21, 1969 The Doors played two concerts to packed audiences at the Aquarius Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The shows were recorded but only one song from the opening set saw release on ABSOLUTELY LIVE; fans had to wait more than three decades to hear the whole thing on LIVE AT THE AQUARIUS – THE FIRST PERFORMANCE. In the aftermath of the notorious Miami bust, Jim Morrison and company tread cautiously at first but that doesn't last long - after such early favorites as “Break On Through (To the Other Side)” and “Soul Kitchen,” the group launches into powerhouse versions of then-new songs including “Build Me A Woman.” With plenty of encouragement from the hometown crowd, LIVE AT THE AQUARIUS captures the legendary band on a great night, and we'll bring it back for an encore to wish Doors guitarist Robby Krieger a happy birthday.
Southern Nights (Album of the Day)
Born on this day in 1938, Allen Toussaint was one of the guiding lights of New Orleans music; as an arranger, producer or songwriter, he helped craft hits for Lee Dorsey, LaBelle, the Pointer Sisters and many others. But Toussaint also cut several albums of his own, and SOUTHERN NIGHTS is among his very best. The 1975 Reprise collection paints portraits of Louisiana life linked with interstitial instrumentals, giving the set a concept album feel, and trippy production touches bring out the surreal magic of the swamp. An ace backing band (including members of funk greats the Meters) really delivers the goods on such gems as the title track and “What Do You Want the Girl to Do?” - later covered by Glen Campbell and Boz Scaggs, respectively. Allen Toussaint's name may not be as famous as theirs, but the magnificent SOUTHERN NIGHTS ensures him a place in the '70s R&B pantheon.
Bags & Trane (Album of the Day)
As vibraphonist for the Modern Jazz Quartet, Milt Jackson represented a more traditional approach to jazz than did John Coltrane at the beginning of the 1960s – the latter's “sheets of sound” approach placed the tenor saxophonist closer to the avant-garde. Yet somehow the pair's Atlantic album BAGS & TRANE was a match made in heaven. Recorded 60 years ago today, this outstanding collaboration was produced by Nesuhi Ertegun and engineered by Tom Dowd; its five tracks were supplemented by three bonus cuts in the digital era. MJQ drummer Connie Kay, bassist Paul Chambers and pianist Hank Jones provide remarkably sympathetic support on BAGS & TRANE, and the playing on such tracks as “Stairway To The Stars” is among the most evocative of Coltrane's career.
Electronic (Album of the Day)
British indie supergroup Electronic combined the talents of New Order singer Bernard Sumner and Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr, a partnership that produced three albums, of which 1991's self-titled debut is a particular delight. The Warner Bros. collection strikes a neat balance between danceable synth-pop and guitar-driven alternative rock, and the spirit of musical adventure in the air in late-'80s Manchester can be heard throughout this set. Highlights include U.K. Top 10 hit “Get the Message,” “Feel Every Beat” and “Getting Away with It,” one of two tracks featuring Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant on guest vocals. Much more than just a side project, ELECTRONIC drew rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic and sold more than a million copies worldwide.
Soul '69 (Album of the Day)
The consistent quality of SOUL '69 offers further evidence that Aretha Franklin could do no wrong in a recording studio as the 1960s drew to a close. Produced by Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler, the Atlantic collection may be all covers, but Franklin's impassioned vocal and piano work gets inside these 12 songs and makes each of them her own. The eclectic mix of material - from “Gentle on My Mind” and “Elusive Butterfly” to “Tracks of My Tears” and “Today I Sing the Blues” - ranges far beyond standard issue soul, and so do the arrangements, which lean toward jazz thanks to the presence of such top players as Joe Zawinul, David Newman and Kenny Burrell. Released 50 years ago today, SOUL '69 showcases a genius beyond category.
Skid Row (Album of the Day)
Though they came of age at the height of the glam metal era, Skid Row took a much grittier approach to the music, and that made all the difference. From Sebastian Bach's take-no-prisoners vocals to the dual guitar attack of Scotti Hill and Dave Sabo, the New Jersey quintet's self-titled 1989 debut features plenty of bite while remaining radio-friendly. The Atlantic collection's "Youth Gone Wild" cracked the Top 100, setting the stage for power ballads “18 and Life” and “I Remember You” to reach the Top 10. Because the band had honed its songs on the road for a year before hitting the studio, there are several other great originals here beyond the three MTV Headbanger's Ball favorites, and SKID ROW deservedly went multi-Platinum.
The Great Hits Of Ray Charles Recorded On 8-Track Stereo (Album of the Day)
If you think the term “8-track” means a bulky cartridge used in car audio systems in the 1970s, you're only half right; years before it became a consumer product, it was a studio technology. When THE GREAT HITS OF RAY CHARLES RECORDED ON 8-TRACK STEREO was originally released in 1964, that technology was state-of-the-art, and even if digital recording has advanced considerably in the intervening half-century, the Atlantic collection still sounds mighty fine. Among the 13 favorites here are “What'd I Say,” “I'm Movin' On,” “(Night Time Is) The Right Time” and “I Had A Dream.” We'll celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with the Genius of Soul on THE GREAT HITS OF RAY CHARLES.
The Swing (Album of the Day)
With their fourth album, THE SWING, INXS took a further step toward international success. Lead single “Original Sin” was cut in New York with producer Nile Rodgers and guest vocalist Daryl Hall, the first time the sextet had recorded outside their native Australia. That song, “I Send a Message” and “Burn for You” were all Top 10 hits down under, and the collection topped the Aussie album chart. If the 1984 set only made it to #52 in the U.S., the band's mix of new wave, rock and dance had finally gelled. “I think it's still one of my favorite albums because it's very diverse and a lot of the tracks are danceable,” said INXS guitarist Kirk Pengilly years later. The group's frontman, Michael Hutchence, was born on this day in 1960, and we'll mark the occasion by giving THE SWING another spin.