Content tagged ''
Carly Simon (Album of the Day)
Carly Simon had cut a couple of albums with her sister Lucy before Elektra's Jac Holzman signed her to his label for this eponymous 1971 solo release. Jimi Hendrix producer Eddie Kramer may seem an odd choice to helm a singer-songwriter collection, but the combination works, with folk-rock and string arrangements framing Carly's voice beautifully. The material is also remarkably assured, offering nuanced looks at the ebb and flow of relationships highlighted by “That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be,” which became Simon's first Top 10 hit and helped earn the performer a Best New Artist Grammy. Intimate and insightful, it's easy to see why CARLY SIMON holds a special place in the hearts of fans.
The Ugly One With the Jewels and Other Stories (Album of the Day)
While she may be thought of as an avant-garde performance artist, Laurie Anderson also has a knack for narrative that comes to the fore on THE UGLY ONE WITH THE JEWELS AND OTHER STORIES. Released 25 years ago this month, Laurie's final album for Warner Bros. was recorded live in London during a presentation of her Stories from the Nerve Bible, and consists of 18 spoken-word vignettes, most with a touch of instrumental accompaniment. Occasionally autobiographical (the title is how she once heard herself described), these brief, beguiling tales of plane trips, Ouija boards, salesmen, stranglers and ambassadors are by turns humorous and haunting, and Anderson's distinctive delivery gives them an otherworldly air. If you're a fan of such off-beat storytellers as David Sedaris or Sarah Vowell, you'll treasure THE UGLY ONE WITH THE JEWELS.
New Traditionalists (Deluxe Remastered Edition) (Album of the Day)
If current events haven't made you a believer in Devo's theory of de-evolution, give a listen to NEW TRADITIONALISTS. Whether the plastic pompadours the spudboys model on the cover of the 1981 collection are inspired by Kennedy or Reagan, it's clear that the band holds out little hope for modern society on these 10 originals. Skewering everything from the political process (“Enough Said”) to their newfound fame (“Through Being Cool”) to glib optimism (“Beautiful World,” a minor hit), these songs are among Devo's darkest and most direct, even when peppered with synth-pop hooks. The Deluxe Remastered Edition of NEW TRADITIONALISTS adds six bonus cuts, including rare outtakes and a 1979 demo of album track “The Super Thing.”
Down the Road (Album of the Day)
Though Stephen Stills’ talents as a singer, guitarist and songwriter are plain to hear on his solo records, he thrives in a collaborative environment, so it’s little surprise that after CSNY dissolved, he formed another band – Manassas. The second and final album under that name, 1973’s DOWN THE ROAD was cut at Miami’s Criteria Sound Studios and Caribou Ranch in Colorado, and features tasty Stills-penned roots rockers like “Isn't It About Time” and the title track, along with “Lies” by Chris Hillman (who’d landed in Manassas between stints with The Byrds). “Manassas was such a terrific band. It really had some structure and reminded me of the Buffalo Springfield at its best,” Stills once recalled, so we’ll give the group’s DOWN THE ROAD another spin to wish the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer a happy 75th birthday.
Clouds Taste Metallic (Album of the Day)
“She Don't Use Jelly” may have put The Flaming Lips on the alternative music map, but CLOUDS TASTE METALLIC took Oklahoma's most fearless freaks into uncharted territory. The 1995 Warner Bros. collection serves as a bridge between the group's indie rock roots and the more ambitious studio experimentation of THE SOFT BULLETIN. As titles like “Psychiatric Explorations of the Fetus with Needles” or “This Here Giraffe” suggest, the lyrics are rather surreal, but frontman Wayne Coyne makes them sound personal and even joyful. The instrumental palette is over the top as well, though in the service of strong melodies, and featuring plenty of fine guitar work by Ronald Jones, who would leave the band the following year. The critical reputation of CLOUDS TASTE METALLIC has risen steadily since its release; we'll give one of The Flaming Lips' very best another spin to wish Coyne a happy birthday.
Cause I Sez So (Album of the Day)
American standard-bearers for glam rock and important precursors to punk rock, The New York Dolls reunited (at the personal request of longtime fan Morrissey) nearly three decades after their early-1970s heyday. Original Dolls David Johansen and Syl Sylvain still have all the sass and swagger of their prime on CAUSE I SEZ SO. Todd Rundgren had helmed the band's debut and returns in the same capacity for this 2009 Atco album, helping the quintet push its sonic envelope a bit beyond the Stonesy racket of yore. A reggae-tinged reworking of their '70s classic “Trash” may be the most striking example of this, but the beautiful pop melody of “Lonely So Long” and the propulsive R&B of “Nobody Got No Bizness” show the Dolls can wear any style and make it look great. We'll give CAUSE I SEZ SO another spin in memory of the band's drummer Jerry Nolan, who passed away on this day in 1992.
This Girl's In Love With You (Album of the Day)
Aretha Franklin had an uncanny ability to take virtually any song and make it her own, and her 1970 collection THIS GIRL'S IN LOVE WITH YOU displays that talent to fine effect. Along with her original “Call Me,” Franklin transforms material made famous by The Beatles (“Eleanor Rigby”), The Band (“The Weight,” featuring Duane Allman on slide guitar) and Dusty Springfield (“Son of a Preacher Man,” a song Aretha had originally turned down) with her distinctive delivery. Her dazzling vocal gymnastics may take center stage here, but the collection also shows off the Queen of Soul's skills as a pianist. Produced by Atlantic Records stalwarts Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin, THIS GIRL'S IN LOVE WITH YOU turns 50 years old today, and we're still in love with Aretha Franklin.
Flood (Album of the Day)
One of the most inventive acts to hit the college radio airwaves of the 1980s, They Might Be Giants sprang from the fevered imaginations of John Flansburgh and John Linnell. The duo had already built a cult following with their quirky pop songs (and a telephone service that played them for listeners) when 1990's FLOOD brought them mainstream attention. TMBG's major label debut, the album went gold on the strength of singles/MTV videos “Birdhouse In Your Soul” and “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” though you're sure to get a kick out of “Particle Man,” “Letterbox,” “Minimum Wage” and others, too. This week FLOOD celebrates its 30th anniversary, and all these years later, They Might Be Giants' breakthrough still stands tall.
The Best of (Album of the Day)
Landing in New York's Greenwich Village as the folk boom was beginning, Judy Collins signed to the music's standard bearer, Elektra Records, where she would remain for many years. THE VERY BEST OF JUDY COLLINS charts her growth on the label as an interpreter of both traditional and contemporary material, and as a composer herself. The crystalline vocals and tasteful arrangements on these 16 tracks helped introduce the world to songwriters Leonard Cohen (“Suzanne”), Sandy Denny (“Who Knows Where the Time Goes?”) and Joni Mitchell (a Top 10 version of “Both Sides Now”), and Judy's performances of “Send In the Clowns” and “Amazing Grace” are near-definitive. THE VERY BEST OF JUDY COLLINS captures the Grammy winner's talent for turning nearly any song into a thing of surpassing beauty.
Tooth And Nail (Album of the Day)
Dokken's debut was not a big commercial hit, and label Elektra was ready to give the quartet the heave-ho, but the band fought TOOTH AND NAIL for a second chance and made the most of it. The 1984 collection of that name has a more commercial glam metal sound than its predecessor, and as such originals as “Into the Fire,” “Just Got Lucky” and power ballad “Alone Again” (which reached the Billboard Hot 100) make clear, the songwriting had taken a leap forward. Frontman Don Dokken and axeman George Lynch clashed during the recording - to the point that they worked separate shifts in the studio – but that individual focus may be why the vocals and endlessly inventive guitar riffs are so strong. Dokken was a band on the rise, and the platinum-certified TOOTH AND NAIL showed them ready for their close-up.