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The Kindling Collection (Album of the Day)
An alumnus of both The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gene Parsons couldn't have had a more confusing name. He's no relation to Gram, yet to judge from KINDLING, the album he made between stints in those legendary groups, his ear for country-rock is just as strong as his more famous predecessor. The 1973 Warner Bros. collection, produced by Russ Titelman, is a tour de force for Parsons, who penned most of the material (including such ace tracks as “Monument” and “I Must Be a Tree”), sings, and plays percussion and numerous stringed instruments beautifully. He's joined by several stellar guests, including Little Feat keyboardist Bill Payne, ex-Byrd bandmate Clarence White on guitar and the tenor vocals of Ralph Stanley, raising the bluegrass quotient of this set even more. If you love roots or Americana sounds, you owe KINDLING a listen, and we'll give it another spin to wish Parsons a happy 75th birthday.
Bread (Album of the Day)
David Gates, Jimmy Griffin and Robb Royer joined forces as Bread to become one of the most appealing soft rock acts of the 1970s. The Los Angeles-based trio's eponymous debut saw the three multi-instrumentalists joined by a pair of session drummers (one of them being Jim Gordon), and though it only reached #127 on the chart, the Elektra collection was a clear indicator of great things to come. Gates' “Dismal Day” made a fine single and his “It Don't Matter To Me” would later become a Top 10 smash, while the Griffin-Royer partnership contributed such fine songs as “Could I” and “Friends and Lovers.” The strong material is complemented with inventive arrangements that can sound surprisingly tough to listeners who only know the band's hit ballads. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this month, BREAD is a terrific album any way you slice it.
The Best of (Album of the Day)
Morrissey surpassed the commercial success of his former band The Smiths after the singer-lyricist launched a solo career in 1988. Over the next 10 years, “Moz” released six studio albums and a string of hit singles before going on a brief recording hiatus, and his most memorable work as a solo artist up to that point was collected on THE BEST OF MORRISSEY in 2001. That classic compilation has just received its first-ever vinyl release as a 2-LP set featuring tracks from each of the performer's solo albums and several single sides. Among the many highlights are “Everyday Is Like Sunday,” “Hairdresser On Fire,” “”Sing Your Life” and “The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get.” Along with a standard pressing, THE BEST OF MORRISSEY is available on clear vinyl exclusively from Rhino.com (limited to 500 copies).
In Person at the Whiskey A Go Go (Album of the Day)
A little over a year before his breakthrough performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, Otis Redding was stunning audiences on the Sunset Strip. IN PERSON AT THE WHISKY A GO GO was drawn from three April 1966 shows at the legendary nightclub, and captures the King of Soul in peak form with his regular touring band. These 10 tracks include some of the most iconic songs in Redding's repertoire - “I Can't Turn You Loose,” “Pain in My Heart,” “Mr. Pitiful” and “Respect” among them – and the singer wrings every drop of emotion from them (the intimate setting also highlights Otis' rapport with the audience; any jaded L.A. hipster who entered the club that evening surely walked out a believer). Redding was born on this day in 1941, and in his honor, we'll cue up the titanic IN PERSON AT THE WHISKY A GO GO.
Good Old Boys (Album of the Day)
Released 45 years ago today, Randy Newman's GOOD OLD BOYS validated all the praise that critics had heaped on the singer-songwriter since his debut. If the wicked insight of songs like “Rednecks” was familiar to longtime fans, the ambitious mix of history (“Louisiana 1927”) and contemporary commentary (“Mr. President (Have Pity On The Working Man)”) kicked things up a notch, as did some of the most masterful arrangements and orchestrations of Newman's career. Produced by Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman, the Reprise collection also includes guest turns by guitarist Ry Cooder and most of the Eagles. GOOD OLD BOYS was Randy Newman's first Top 40 success, and later earned a place on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
Blues Ballads (Album of the Day)
Chicago-born LaVern Baker helped bridge the gap between R&B and rock 'n' roll in the mid-1950s with such hits as “Jim Dandy,” but the vocalist always had a soft spot for the blues. She followed up a collection of Bessie Smith covers with BLUES BALLADS in 1959, and the Atlantic album would have made the Empress proud as well. Highlights include “I Waited Too Long,” “St. Louis Blues” and “I Cried a Tear” - the latter a Top 10 single recorded on this day in 1958. All 12 songs here receive sizzling performances from the singer, and if you want to hear the raw intensity that earned LaVern Baker a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, give a listen to BLUES BALLADS.
Zapp V (Album of the Day)
Ohio was a hotbed of funk in the '70s and '80s, and Zapp was one of Dayton's great contributions to the music. Built around the four Troutman brothers, the group signed to Warner Bros., releasing a string of albums for the label that concluded with ZAPP V, released 30 years ago this week. Also known as ZAPP VIBE, the collection was produced by frontman Roger Troutman, who had by then seen some solo success and whose trademark talk box is all over this set – most obviously on “I Play the Talk Box.” Other electro-funk favorites here include “Ain't the Thing to Do,” “Been This Way Before” and a cover of “Ooh Baby Baby” that gives the Smokey Robinson classic a whole new groove. The band's final studio album before Roger's untimely death, ZAPP V still provides plenty of bounce to the ounce.
Chicago Transit Authority (50th Anniversary Remix) (Album of the Day)
Chicago's debut album, CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY (self-titled at the time), was a groundbreaking double-LP that showcased the band's imaginative writing, proficient musicality and genre-blending mix of rock, jazz, funk and pop. The 1969 collection includes several of the group's most-enduring hits: "Beginnings," "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" and "Questions 67 and 68." The set topped the album chart (it remained on the chart for an amazing three-year run), was certified double platinum and earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. In celebration of the album's 50th anniversary, Chicago worked with mixing engineer Tim Jessup to remix the entire album; CHICAGO TRANSIT AUTHORITY (50th ANNIVERSARY REMIX) is now available on CD, 180-gram vinyl and in a limited, numbered edition on gold vinyl available exclusively through Rhino.com.
Open Mind (Album of the Day)
For his technique alone Jean-Luc Ponty would be acclaimed as one of the greatest violinists in jazz history, but his recordings reveal additional dimensions to his talent. Released 35 years ago this month, OPEN MIND is a perfect example; the self-produced set presents the man's virtuoso string work with adventurous electric backing including some hypnotic synthesizer arrangements. Though guitarist George Benson and keyboardist Chick Corea appear on a couple of tracks, Ponty himself is responsible for most of what you hear, playing several instruments and programming rhythm tracks. For all the electronics involved, the feel is warm, upbeat and melodic across these six originals from the titular opener to the closing “Intuition.” Fusion fans with an OPEN MIND will find this 1984 Atlantic collection irresistible.
California (Album of the Day)
Bay-area group Mr. Bungle took eclecticism to new heights, mixing a dizzying variety of styles on their records, and CALIFORNIA is no exception. The Warner Bros. collection includes more vintage popular musics in its mix of styles, and a stronger emphasis on melody, harmony and orchestration, making this perhaps the band's most accessible release. Which doesn't mean you'll hear “Sweet Charity,” “The Air-Conditioned Nightmare” or “Pink Cigarette” on the radio any time soon - Mike Patton and company have an experimental streak a mile wide. The weird and wonderful CALIFORNIA proved to be Mr. Bungle's final studio album; released 20 years ago this month, it's still way ahead of its time.