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Coma Rage (Expanded Edition) (Album of the Day)
Since emerging in the mid-1980s, Viper has become one of the most important ambassadors of Brazilian hard rock, recording and touring through Europe, the U.S., Japan and South America. Cut shortly before the quartet's appearance at the 1994 “Monsters of Rock” festival in São Paulo, COMA RAGE was made in Los Angeles with producer Bill Metoyer (Slayer, Testament). “We were already influenced by heavy metal, but we also started to have contact and make friends with other punk, grunge and even hardcore bands,” says guitarist Felipe Machado of the group's fourth – and heaviest - studio set. Now available, an expanded and remastered version of COMA RAGE features previously unreleased bonus tracks including the album's pre-production demo and “País do Futuro,” Viper's first song in Portuguese.
Freedom of Choice (Album of the Day)
Do you want freedom of choice or from choice? Forty years after they posed that question in its title track, Devo's third studio album remains subversive and infernally catchy. The dozen originals on FREEDOM OF CHOICE are among the most accessible the Ohio spudboys ever wrote, including such favorites as “Girl U Want,” “Gates Of Steel” and hit single “Whip It.” Tonto's Expanding Head Band mastermind Robert Margouleff co-produced the 1980 Warner Bros. collection, elevating the synth-pop component of the quintet's sound. Devo vocalist and keyboardist Mark Mothersbaugh was born on this day in 1950, and we'll mark the occasion by donning red energy dome hats and giving FREEDOM OF CHOICE another spin.
Animal Boy (Album of the Day)
ANIMAL BOY was the Ramones' ninth studio album in ten years and with vocalist Joey and guitarist Johnny often at odds, bassist Dee Dee and drummer Ritchie stepped into the breach. The former is credited on the lion's share of the dozen tracks, most notably the anthem “Something to Believe In” (whose Live Aid parody video is worth seeking out), while raging opener “Somebody Put Something in My Drink” was penned by the percussionist. Perhaps the most famous song on the Sire set is “My Brain Is Hanging Upside Down (Bonzo Goes to Bitburg),” a jab at then-President Reagan and a rare instance of social commentary from the quartet. With producer Jean Beauvoir (of the Plasmatics) at the helm, the collection also ventures into new sonic territory including keyboards and synthesizers. Released 35 years ago today, ANIMAL BOY shows the Ramones remain untamed.
3614 Jackson Highway (Expanded Edition) (Album of the Day)
For Cher's first solo album on Atco Records, the label's powers-that-be sent her to a studio down South, a strategy that had produced spectacular results for Aretha Franklin and Dusty Springfield. 3614 JACKSON HIGHWAY - named after the address of Alabama's Muscle Shoals Sound, where the collection was made - is among the finest releases in the singer's career. With heavy hitters Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin producing and an ace studio band behind her (both on the cover and at the microphone), the set shows Cher in blue-eyed soul mode, and rarely has her voice sounded stronger than on such songs as “Cry Like a Baby,” “(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay” and “Lay, Baby, Lay,” one of three Dylan covers here. The Expanded Edition of 3614 JACKSON HIGHWAY adds a dozen tracks from sessions for a planned 1970 follow-up, and we'll give it a spin now to wish Cher a happy birthday.
Another Year (Album of the Day)
You wouldn't guess it from such chart-toppers as “You Make Me Feel Like Dancing,” but Leo Sayer started out specializing in musical character sketches a la Al Stewart. The British singer-songwriter's third album, ANOTHER YEAR, is filled with bedsitter images of drifters, dreamers and lovers on 10 originals penned by Sayer in collaboration with Supertramp alum Frank Farrell. The 1975 collection was produced by 1960s star Adam Faith and his former Roulettes cohort Russ Ballard, who frame such fine songs as “The Kid's Grown Up,” “Only Dreaming” and successful single “Moonlighting” with intimate, appealing arrangements. A Top 10 U.K. hit, ANOTHER YEAR is an album fans frequently cite as one of Leo Sayer's very best, and we'll give it another spin now to wish the performer a happy birthday.
The Reprise Studio Recordings (Album of the Day)
Any decent list of the 10 – or even 5 – greatest figures in jazz history will include Duke Ellington. Frank Sinatra understood this and signed the legendary composer, pianist and bandleader to his label in 1962; Ellington would only remain there for three years, but the brilliance of his output shines on THE REPRISE STUDIO RECORDINGS. The nine albums range from tributes to the big band era, interpretations of pop, rock and soundtrack hits of the day, symphonic and violin-based arrangements and world music (including the masterful AFRO-BOSSA set). Ellington was a magnet for talent, and Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges and Stephane Grappelli are among the stellar players soaring here. “The king of all – Sir Duke” passed away on this day in 1974, and we'll remember a genius beyond category with THE REPRISE STUDIO RECORDINGS.
Shine On (Deluxe) (Album of the Day)
Three years after a platinum debut catapulted them into the musical spotlight, Jet returned with SHINE ON. The 2006 Atlantic collection finds the Australian quartet a little older and a little wiser - lyrics address such topics as the price of sudden fame and, in the title track, the death of Nic & Chris Cester's father - while remaining “another joyfully old-fashioned rock 'n' roll album immersed in the classics,” as NME put it. With returning producer Dave Sardy behind the boards, the boys sound equally at ease with uptempo strutters (“Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is,” “Come on Come On”) and ballads (“Bring It On Back,” “Eleanor”). The Deluxe Edition of SHINE ON adds nine bonus tracks to the original album, including single B-sides and demos.
The Wild Heart (Deluxe) (Album of the Day)
As a member of Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks was already part of one of the world's most popular rock groups when she launched her solo career in 1981 with BELLA DONNA, a worldwide hit. Nicks proved that success was no fluke with her follow-up, THE WILD HEART, which peaked at #5 on the album chart and has been certified double platinum. The 1983 collection produced hits like “Stand Back,” “Nightbird” and “I Will Run To You,” which features Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. THE WILD HEART: DELUXE EDITION builds on the original album with tracks like an unreleased version of “All The Beautiful Worlds,” a session version of “Wild Heart” and “Garbo,” the B-side to “Stand Back” - and we'll give it a spin now to wish Stevie a happy birthday.
Electronic (Album of the Day)
Electronic resulted from the teaming of Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr in 1987. "We were two musicians who wanted to get away from the suffocating politics of the band,” noted Marr. “At the same time, it was OK for duos and DJs and non-groups to make records, and that really appealed to Bernard and me.” The pair's self-titled debut encompasses the experimental dance-pop of New Order, the full-bodied jangle of The Smiths and much more on such originals as “Get The Message,” “Feel Every Beat” and “Getting Away with It” (featuring guest vocals by Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant). Released 30 years ago today, ELECTRONIC was met with huge acclaim and stands up as one of the most important electronica albums of all time.
Deja Vu (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s DÉJÀ VU was the most-anticipated new album in America in 1970; a half-century later, it’s one of the most famous in rock history with legendary songs (including “Carry On” and “Teach Your Children”) that still resonate today. Rhino honors the intense creative journey that led to this musical milestone with a multi-disc collection that adds nearly two-and-a-half hours of bonus tracks including demos, outtakes and alternate takes – most of which are previously unreleased. DÉJÀ VU: 50TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION also features liner notes by writer/filmmaker Cameron Crowe, who says the original album “might just be the legendary band’s most accurate portrait of their fiery individualism.” Now in stores, the 4-CD/1-LP set is also available across 5 LPs of 180-gram vinyl exclusively at CSNY50.com and Rhino.com.