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Diary Of A Teenage Girl Soundtrack (Album of the Day)
Set in 1976 San Francisco, the new indie film DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL centers on 15-year-old Minnie Goetze (Bel Powley), an aspiring cartoonist just beginning to explore her sexuality – with her mother's boyfriend, among others. Poignant, funny and honest, this coming-of-age tale respects its audience's intelligence, and so does its music. Between a pair of new songs by Nate Heller - “Dreamsong,” featuring Dirty Projectors' Amber Coffman, and “Run To The Mountain” - this soundtrack is packed with classics that transcend age and gender. From well-known hitmakers (Heart, T-Rex, Mott The Hoople) to artists farther off the beaten path (Dwight Twilley Band, Nico, The Stooges), the DIARY OF A TEENAGE GIRL SOUNDTRACK will appeal both to unusually astute teenagers and to adults who remember the thrill of discovering their favorite music.
Ray Charles (aka Hallelujah I Love Her So) (Album of the Day)
Love (w/Bonus Tracks) (Album of the Day)
Led by quixotic singer-songwriter Arthur Lee, Love was the first rock act signed to Elektra Records, and helped set the scene for the groovy Sunset Strip sounds of the mid-1960s. The quintet's eponymous debut offers a heady mix of garage and folk-rock; such fiery originals as “Can't Explain” and “My Flash On You” are perfectly balanced by moody ballads like “A Message To Pretty” and “Signed D.C.” The latter song can be heard in an alternate version, along with non-LP B-side “No. Fourteen,” on the bonus track version of this seminal set. It's more than just a perfect time capsule of its era – with its mind-expanding spirit, LOVE is what the world needs now.
Live On The Sunset Strip (Album of the Day)
With his finger on such hot-button issues as race, sex and religion, Richard Pryor was among the most controversial comedians of the 20th century – and one of the funniest. A string of hit albums, TV and movie appearances propelled him into the stratosphere, though in June, 1980, he nearly flamed out in a freebase cocaine binge. In typical fashion, Pryor mined the incident for comedy gold on LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP, along with personal (and sometimes profane) takes on such topics as “Women” “Prison” and “Africa,” as well as a visit from recurring character Mudbone. The collection and its companion film were drawn from comeback performances at the Hollywood Palladium and the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, California, and show Richard Pryor to be a stand-up without peer. The famed funnyman was born on this day in 1940, and we salute him with the Grammy-winning LIVE ON THE SUNSET STRIP.
The Studio Album Collection 1994-1998 (Album of the Day)
Founded in New York City in 1992, Soul Coughing carved out a niche in that decade's alternative rock scene with a distinctive mix of hip-hop, experimental sounds and what frontman Mike Doughty once described as “deep slacker jazz.” Hard to label but even harder to resist (“Circles,” “Down To This” and “Super Bon Bon” all charmed Modern Rock listeners back in the day), the quartet released three long-players for Slash/Warner Bros. before breaking up in 2000. RUBY VROOM, IRRESISTIBLE BLISS, and EL OSO are all now available on THE STUDIO ALBUM COLLECTION 1994-1998, which shows Soul Coughing to have been masters of surreal lyrics, off-beat samples and cool instrumentation.
The Great Southern Trendkill (20th Anniversary Edition) (Album of the Day)
Two years after Pantera topped the chart with FAR BEYOND DRIVEN, Philip Anselmo, Rex Brown, Dimebag Darrell, and Vinnie Paul returned in 1996 with the dark, unrelenting and highly personal THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL. Featuring the singles “Drag The Waters,” “Suicide Note Pt. 1” and fan favorite “Floods” (a power ballad that includes one of Dimebag's best-ever guitar solos), the collection reached #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, and went on to become Pantera's fourth consecutive platinum release. Rhino's new 2-CD 20th anniversary edition includes the original THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL remastered, plus a dozen previously unreleased mixes, instrumentals, and live recordings - every album track is represented with an unreleased version. It's the ultimate way to experience one of the most intense and hardest-hitting albums Pantera ever recorded.
Sail Away (Album of the Day)
Randy Newman's debut album featured orchestral arrangements, 12 SONGS a rock band setting, and a live follow-up was just the singer-songwriter and his piano. “Then came SAIL AWAY, in which I combined the three elements that made the earlier albums such failures,” joked Newman of his third studio collection. While not a commercial hit on release (it's been a consistent seller in years since), the 1972 Reprise release drew reams of critical praise, and justifiably so. From the opening title track to closing “God's Song (That's Why I Love Mankind).” this is among the darkest, funniest and most insightful set of songs ever recorded. SAIL AWAY was named one of the 500 greatest albums of all time by Rolling Stone, and we'll give the sardonic masterpiece another spin today in honor of Randy Newman's birthday.
Back To Back (Live In Paris) (Album of the Day)
If today one travels to festivals like Coachella or Glastonbury to see multi-act concerts, in decades past those shows came to the fans in the form of package tours. In 1967, preeminent Southern soul label Stax/Volt sent some of its top artists to Europe for a series of concerts, including the one immortalized on BACK TO BACK (LIVE IN PARIS). Cut at that city's Olympic Theatre, the album presents sets by Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the Mar-Keys, both crack instrumental outfits renowned as backing bands for R&B royalty as well as hitmakers in their own right (“Green Onions,” “Hip Hug-Her” - both heard here). The 10 songs on BACK TO BACK brim with fiery performances, starting with the insistent grooves of M.G.'s bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, who was born on this day in 1941.
Big Joe Is Here (Album of the Day)
Born in 1911 in Kansas City, Missouri, Joseph Vernon Turner Jr. started singing in his teens, and his booming voice helped shape blues, swing and rock 'n' roll across the decades. While performing in New York in 1951, Big Joe Turner was recruited by the then-new Atlantic Records label, for which he cut a string of R&B hits. The 1959 collection BIG JOE IS HERE gathers some of these popular singles (“The Chill Is On,” “Don't You Cry,” “Rock A While”), but the bulk of these 10 tracks emphasize the K.C. jazz of his youth. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer passed away 31 years ago; while his powerful presence is much missed behind the microphone, these passionate sides ensure BIG JOE IS HERE whenever you hit the play button.