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Carnival (Album of the Day)
Oxford quartet Ride's third studio album, CARNIVAL OF LIGHT, shares its name with a legendary unreleased Beatles song, and the 1994 collection is steeped in 1960s classic rock and psychedelia. There's a fine cover of The Creation's “How Does It Feel to Feel?” among the dozen tracks, Deep Purple organist Jon Lord guests on “Moonlight Medicine” and the closing “I Don't Know Where It Comes From” features a school choir that could've come from a Jimmy Miller-era Stones record. The John Leckie-produced set didn't fall easily into the band's former shoegaze camp or the then-ascendant Britpop scene, and 25 years on, that may be part of its appeal. Songwriters Mark Gardener and Andy Bell both contribute winners (as does drummer Loz Colbert with “Natural Grace”) and the harmonies and guitar work are also strong – you're sure to enjoy the ride on CARNIVAL OF LIGHT.
Crash! Boom! Bang! (Album of the Day)
When Per Gessle and Marie Fredriksson teamed up as Roxette in the late 1980s, Sweden's most popular musical duo was born. CRASH! BOOM! BANG! was the pair's fifth studio album, and as the title suggests, the 15 originals (mostly by Gessle) boast a tougher edge than their previous work. That said, there's still lots of variety on the 1994 collection, which ranges from the hard-rocking lead single “Sleeping in my Car” to the pop of “Fireworks” to the acoustic “The First Girl on the Moon” and the title ballad. The album made the Top 10 in nearly 20 countries around the world, but missed the chart in America, where it was issued as a stripped-down McDonalds promotional version whose sales went largely uncounted by Billboard. Don't let some marketer's mistake dissuade you from giving this a listen; on its 25th anniversary, CRASH! BOOM! BANG! still hits the spot.
This Perfect World (Album of the Day)
Kansas-born Freedy Johnston moved to New York in the mid-1980s and by the decade's end had earned a place on the Bar/None roster; after two fine collections on that label, he graduated to Elektra for 1995's THIS PERFECT WORLD. Nirvana producer and Garbage-man Butch Vig might seem an odd choice to helm a singer-songwriter's major-label debut, but the combination works, bringing an immediacy to these dozen introspective originals. The worlds of which Johnston sings here are hardly perfect – the characters peopling tracks like minor hit “Bad Reputation,” “Evie's Tears” and “Two Lovers Stop” contend with things like regret, sexual abuse and suicide – but the craftsmanship with which they're detailed is immaculate, leading Rolling Stone to name the performer “songwriter of the year.” As dark as its themes are, the music brims with strong melodies, and few who visit THIS PERFECT WORLD leave unimpressed.
Warning (Album of the Day)
Reportedly, singer-songwriter Billie Joe Armstrong spent time listening to BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME while prepping his band's sixth studio album, and just as that earlier record marked a major transition for Bob Dylan, so WARNING did for Green Day. The pop-punk approach for which the Bay Area trio was famous remained in spirit - there is a confident, anti-authoritarian feel to much of this - but the sound owed more to 1960s classic rock and folk in its adventurous instrumentation and arrangements. You can do that sort of thing when you've got songs as catchy as “Minority,” “Waiting” and the title track, all of which were Top 40 hits. What Allmusic called “the first great pure pop album of the new millennium” turns 20 tomorrow, and the gold-certified WARNING is a reminder that Green Day is at its best when challenging expectations.
Led Zeppelin III (Album of the Day)
Following the whirlwind success of the first two Led Zeppelin albums and near constant touring, guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant took to the now famous Bron-Yr-Aur cottage in Wales in 1970 to start the early composition of LED ZEPPELIN III. They later convened with drummer John Bonham and bassist John Paul Jones for rehearsals before entering London’s Olympic Studios to begin recording in May of that year. The collection that emerged – 50 years ago today – displays a greater emphasis on acoustic textures and a broader instrumental palette (Jones in particular helps in this regard) and includes such classic tracks as “Immigrant Song” and “Since I’ve Been Loving You.” Another triumph for the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, LED ZEPPELIN III soared to the top of charts worldwide upon release and has since been certified 6x platinum.
Sign O' The Times (Super Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Overflowing with musical ideas and topical lyrics that sound just as relevant today as they did when they were initially released, Prince’s iconic SIGN O’ THE TIMES captured the artist in a period of complete reinvention. The final 16-track album included just some of the countless songs Prince recorded in the prolific period of 1985-1987, which saw the dissolution of his band The Revolution, the construction of his innovative recording complex, Paisley Park, and the creation (and ultimate abandonment) of the albums DREAM FACTORY, CAMILLE, and CRYSTAL BALL. The epochal double album has just been remastered for the very first time and is now available as a 3-CD Deluxe Edition including single mixes and edits of such SIGN O’ THE TIMES favorites as “If I Was Your Girlfriend,” “U Got The Look” and “Hot Thing.”
More Soul (Album of the Day)
Atlantic Records was famous for both jazz and R&B, and as you'd guess from the title of his debut for the label, Hank Crawford stood at the intersection of those styles. MORE SOUL was recorded 60 years ago today and finds the Memphis-born performer leading a septet that also included fellow saxophonists David "Fathead" Newman and Leroy "Hog" Cooper. Both of those musicians - along with bassist Edgar Willis, drummer Milton Turner and Crawford himself - were part of Ray Charles' band, and Brother Ray's influence can be heard in the gospel-tinged swing of these 7 instrumentals. Whether on such standards as “Misty” and “Angel Eyes” or the original “Four Five Six,” the playing is tight and Crawford's tone is sweet and substantive. If you prefer your jazz with MORE SOUL, this superb 1961 set is just what you need.
Smile (Album of the Day)
A collection of Ride's first two EPs rather than a proper studio album, SMILE nonetheless merits a place of honor in the band's catalog. The success of these early releases helped keep the group's U.K. label, Creation, afloat while earning the Oxford quartet a spot on Sire Records in America. The headlong rush of “Chelsea Girl,” with its bright melody and call to “take me for a ride,” could serve as a statement of purpose for the young band, and tracks like “Furthest Sense” and the majestic “Like a Daydream” underline the songwriting skills of singer-guitarists Mark Gardener and Andy Bell - these tracks are as catchy as shoegaze music ever got. While the critical praise that greeted NOWHERE the following year was well-deserved, anyone who'd heard SMILE already knew Ride was something special.
All the Right Reasons (15th Anniversary Edition) (Album of the Day)
Nickelback’s third consecutive #1 album, ALL THE RIGHT REASONS topped the charts in the band’s native Canada, the U.S., U.K., Germany, Australia and New Zealand. “We are so proud of the fact that this album connected with people the way it has,” says guitarist Ryan Peake of the 2005 collection, which has sold more than 19 million copies worldwide and is certified diamond by the RIAA. The record produced seven singles, including five Top 20 hits: “Photograph,” “Savin’ Me,” “Far Away,” “Rockstar” and “If Everyone Cared.” Now available, the two-CD ALL THE RIGHT REASONS: 15th ANNIVERSARY EXPANDED EDITION features a newly remastered version of the original album, a selection of B-sides and a 2006 live concert made in Sturgis, SD during the annual Sturgis Bike Rally.
Digging Deep Anthology (Album of the Day)
Robert Plant’s work draws from a lifetime of journeys exploring music from the Welsh borders to the Sahara and from Nashville to the misty mountains; since 2019, the singer-songwriter's Digging Deep with Robert Plant podcast has revisited his back catalog and told stories of inspiration, collaboration and intervention. Recently released to mark the podcast's third season, the career-spanning 2-CD set DIGGING DEEP gathers 30 extraordinary songs spanning four decades, including three previously unreleased new tracks. The collection showcases landmark recordings from each of the 8x Grammy winner’s 11 solo albums, including such highlights as the #1 rock hit “Hurting Kind” and the Grammy-nominated “Shine It All Around.” A truly remarkable lineup of musicians - including Jimmy Page, Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, Phil Collins, Nigel Kennedy and Richard Thompson - accompanies Plant throughout DIGGING DEEP.