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Invasion of Your Privacy (Album of the Day)
L.A. glam metal greats Ratt returned to record stores a year after their smash debut with 1985's INVASION OF YOUR PRIVACY. Producer Beau Hill is back behind the boards, adding radio/MTV-friendly polish to 10 originals including opener “You're in Love,” “Between the Eyes” and Top 40 hit “Lay It Down.” Driving and catchy with an appealing touch of sleaze, this music is an ideal showcase for Stephen Pearcy's commanding vocals and the twin-axe attack of Robbin Crosby and Warren DeMartini (whose solos here qualify him for guitar god status). INVASION OF YOUR PRIVACY was a double-platinum success, and the Atlantic collection is truly a ball for headbangers.
World Clique (Album of the Day)
Vocalist Lady Miss Kier joined forces with Russian-born DJ Dmitry and Japanese techno specialist Towa Tei in 1988 to form one of dance music's most colorful trios, Deee-Lite. The New York-based group were also among the style's most successful; their Elektra debut, WORLD CLIQUE, climbed charts on both sides of the Atlantic and was soon an R.I.A.A.-certified gold album. Singles “Power of Love,” “Good Beat” and “E.S.P.” kept feet moving in clubs around the globe, and “Groove Is in the Heart” reached the U.S. Top 10 and earned a slew of MTV Award nominations. A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and Bootsy Collins both guest on that crossover smash, and James Brown band mainstays Maceo Parker: and Fred Wesley appear elsewhere on the collection. Smart, fun and funky, WORLD CLIQUE just celebrated its 30th anniversary, and remains a guaranteed party starter.
Sparks (Album of the Day)
Rock's favorite pair of oddballs, Sparks was formed in the late 1960s by brothers Ron and Russell Mael, on keyboards and vocals, respectively. The duo started out as Halfnelson, and it was under that moniker that they entered the studio with producer Todd Rundgren to cut their eponymous debut for Bearsville. The 1971 album failed to connect in the marketplace until the boys changed their name to Sparks, signed with Warner Bros. and reissued the set a year later – at which point SPARKS earned a minor regional hit (in Alabama, of all places) with “Wonder Girl.” Guitarist Earle Mankey, his bassist brother Jim and drummer Harley Feinstein fill out the sound on these 11 originals, and the band is as tight as it is quirky. The clever lyrics, falsetto singing and willingness to mash-up pop genres that would make the Maels cult heroes are in full bloom on SPARKS.
The Case Of The Three Sided Dream In Audio Color (Album of the Day)
Dreams inspired Ronald Theodore Kirk to change his name to Rahsaan Roland Kirk, and their influence can be heard on the legendary jazzman's THE CASE OF THE THREE-SIDED DREAM IN AUDIO COLOR. The cover of the Atlantic collection was surreal enough, its intertwined horns reflecting Kirk's penchant for playing two saxophones at once. The music on the double album (which included one side with hidden spoken tracks) is just as visionary, with such originals as “Freaks for the Festival” and “Echoes of Primitive Ohio and Chili Dogs” interspersed with standards like “Bye Bye Blackbird” and tape loops. If it sounds trippy, it is – but the set is also anchored by potent grooves laid down by Rahsaan and a top-flight soul-jazz band including guitarist Cornell Dupree, keyboardist Richard Tee and drummer Steve Gadd. Now celebrating its 45th anniversary, THE CASE OF THE THREE-SIDED DREAM is an album that adventurous listeners shouldn't sleep on.
GP (Album of the Day)
After pioneering country rock with The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons perfected the form on GP. Though the singer-songwriter's 1973 Reprise Records solo debut includes some covers (George Jones' “That's All It Took” among them) the album leans heavily on such outstanding originals as “She” and “The New Soft Shoe.” Great as the material is, it's the performances that really put this set over the top; Gram's vocals never sounded better, and he's surrounded by such stellar instrumentalists as guitarist James Burton, fiddler Byron Berline and co-producer Ric Grech on bass. In a class by herself is Emmylou Harris, whose harmonizing here helped launch her illustrious career. Parsons was born on this day in 1946, and we'll salute the cosmic American musician with another spin of GP.
Crooked Piece of Time (Album of the Day)
John Prine, who passed away in April, was one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of his generation and recipient of the 2020 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Known for his raspy voice and equally admired for his unique songwriting ability, Prine spent nearly five decades creating witty and sincere country-folk music that drew from his Midwestern American roots and incorporated sounds from rockabilly, R&B and rock 'n' roll. Rhino remembers the man that Rolling Stone once called “The Mark Twain of American songwriting” with CROOKED PIECE OF TIME: THE ATLANTIC & ASYLUM ALBUMS (1971-1980). Just released, the newly remastered seven-CD boxed set includes the first seven studio albums of his career in mini-LP replica sleeves along with poster inserts and a 20-page booklet with liner notes by acclaimed music writer David Fricke.
Winelight (Album of the Day)
The warm tones of smooth jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. were rarely more intoxicating than on 1980's WINELIGHT. Cut in New York City with co-producer Ralph MacDonald (who also provides percussion), the album frames Washington's mellifluous horn work with accompaniment from such musical talents as keyboardist Richard Tee, drummer Steve Gadd – and singer Bill Withers on “Just The Two Of Us.” The album's sole vocal track, that No.2 hit single makes an unexpected appearance at the end of the new BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM (and has since been trending on TikTok). The song, and the wonderfully melodic instrumentals surrounding it, lifted WINELIGHT into the Top 10 on the pop, jazz and soul album charts, and the Grammy-winning collection stands as one of Washington's very best.
Reinventing the Steel (20th Anniversary Edition) (Album of the Day)
Philip Anselmo, Dimebag Darrell, Rex Brown and Vinnie Paul had already earned a #1 album and several Grammy nominations by the time Pantera began recording REINVENTING THE STEEL. Released in 2000 at the peak of nu-metal’s popularity, the set’s back-to-basics approach flew in the face of the trend and served as a potent reminder of the enduring power of primal metal. A celebration of the skull-rattling sound the quartet had cultivated through the years, the collection features such highlights as “We’ll Grind That Axe For A Long Time,” “Goddamn Electric” and “I’ll Cast A Shadow.” Certified gold and embraced by fans and critics alike, the album would unexpectedly become the band’s last. Now available, the 3-CD REINVENTING THE STEEL: 20th ANNIVERSARY EDITION pairs a newly remastered version of the original with a disc of rarities and a new mix by producer Terry Date, who was behind the console for the band’s previous four landmark albums.
LaVern (Album of the Day)
Born Delores Evans in Chicago, LaVern Baker had a voice that elevated every song it touched, be it blues, jazz, gospel, R&B or rock 'n' roll. After signing with Atlantic Records, she released her debut album in 1956 and though the label's longplayers of the era were often just collections of singles, LAVERN is a more cohesive affair. While opener “Lots And Lots Of Love” is a Baker original and “Of Course I Do” was penned by proto-rocker Chuck Willis, romantic ballads and standards such as “Harbor Lights” carry the day here. Producers Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler brought in top-flight instrumentalists behind the performer, who wrings every drop of emotion from these dozen songs. As the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer was born on this day in 1929, we'll give another listen now to LAVERN.
Zuma (Album of the Day)
Neil Young's batting average in the 1970s was extraordinarily high, and ZUMA is another home run. Named after the California beach where Neil resided, the 1975 Reprise collection largely ditches the despair running through his preceding “ditch trilogy,” and the 9 originals include such tender songs as “Lookin' for a Love” and even a CSNY track, “Through My Sails.” Cut with a reconfigured Crazy Horse, the album has plenty of raw energy and some of Young's best-ever guitar solos, most notably on “Danger Bird” and historical epic “Cortez the Killer.” It's an ideal showcase of the intensity, versatility and heart that put Neil Young in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and we'll give the gold-certified ZUMA another spin now to wish the man a happy 75th birthday.