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Far Beyond Driven (Album of the Day)
Among the greatest metal bands of the 1990s, Pantera reinvented the genre with a series of dark, intense albums for Atco Records. Guitarist Dimebag Darrell, vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown and drummer Vinnie Paul were an unstoppable force on record and on tour, and their take-no-prisoners approach paid off when FAR BEYOND DRIVEN entered the U.S. album chart at No.1. The 1994 collection's muscular but nuanced production brings out the best in its dozen tracks, which include “I'm Broken,” “Strength Beyond Strength,” “Becoming” and an assured version of Black Sabbath's “Planet Caravan.” Coursing with grinding riffs and bone-crunching rhythms, the platinum-certified FAR BEYOND DRIVEN remains a heavy metal landmark.
Like A Prayer (Album of the Day)
Released this month in 1989, Madonna's final album of the decade remains one of the performer's very best. Dedicated to the singer's mother, "who taught me how to pray," LIKE A PRAYER is among the most personal and soul-searching she has ever recorded. All 11 songs were co-written and co-produced by Madonna in varied arrangements informed by classic rock and funk (Prince was one of her collaborators), and the collection spun off four Top 10 singles - “Like a Prayer,” “Express Yourself,” “Cherish" and “Keep It Together” - as well as some striking (and in the case of the title track, controversial) videos. The commercial success of the quadruple platinum No.1 album was matched by its critical acclaim; with the ambitious LIKE A PRAYER, Madonna's status as one of pop's greatest artists was undeniable.
Out of the Cellar (Album of the Day)
March metal madness continues with Ratt's OUT OF THE CELLAR; their Atlantic debut may have been the L.A. glam metal band's second album but it's the one that made the group worldwide stars. They also had a bit of help from MTV, which gave the “Round And Round” video (featuring a great cameo from Milton Berle) plenty of play in 1984. But the 10-song collection has much more to it than that #12 hit single; catchy choruses abound on such originals as “Wanted Man,” “Back For More” and “I'm Insane,” and Stephen Pearcy's raspy vocals coupled with lead guitarist Warren DeMartini's insistent licks make OUT OF THE CELLAR damn near irresistible. The triple-platinum smash is surely Ratt's finest hour, and one of the definitive albums from the days of spandex and big hair.
Song to a Seagull (Album of the Day)
Joni Mitchell's songs were already popular with the likes of Tom Rush and Judy Collins when David Crosby saw her potential as a performer and brought her to Reprise Records. Released on this day in 1968, Mitchell's Crosby-produced debut features relatively simple instrumentation, but the dense, sophisticated songwriting showed Joni was already looking beyond the folk idiom for inspiration (hints of classical composition can be heard here). The ten originals on SONG TO A SEAGULL are split conceptually into two sides: “I Came to the City,” which sketches such melancholy urban characters as “Nathan la Franeer,” and “Out of the City and Down to the Seaside,” whose odes to the freedom of nature soar beautifully. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's career would soon soar as well, and we'll give this underrated album another spin in honor of International Women's Month.
The Genius of Aretha Franklin (Album of the Day)
Born on this day in 1942, Aretha Franklin earned virtually every superlative you could think of, and a new Atlantic collection shows why. THE GENIUS OF ARETHA FRANKLIN distills the performer's decade on the label down to a single disc that - from 1967's “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)” to 1976's “Something He Can Feel” - is one stone-cold classic after another. Most of the 15 tracks were Top 10 hits, including such favorites as “Respect,” “Chain of Fools” and “Bridge Over Troubled Water” (a song tailor-made for Franklin's gospel-inspired delivery). If the new National Geographic miniseries has piqued your curiosity about the Queen of Soul, there's no better time than now to discover THE GENIUS OF ARETHA FRANKLIN.
Aqualung (Album of the Day)
Snot running down his nose, greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes – the title character of Jethro Tull's AQUALUNG might not have been very appealing, but the album itself proved quite popular. The band's fourth studio set was their most successful with more than 7 million copies sold worldwide, and it propelled the U.K. quintet to arena status and a longstanding place on FM radio playlists. The collection endures for good reason; this classic combination of British folk and progressive rock marks the point where frontman Ian Anderson found his voice as a songwriter (“Locomotive Breath,” “Cross-Eyed Mary” and more) and where Martin Barre mastered the art of the riff. As the iconic album turns 50 this month, we'll have a seat on the park bench with AQUALUNG!
Stay Hungry (Album of the Day)
STAY HUNGRY was an appropriate title for Twisted Sister's breakthrough album; the band had spent nearly a decade clawing its way up from the clubs of New York and New Jersey. The quintet's insistent glam metal was ready for its close-up by the time of the collection's 1984 release – and so was frontman Dee Snider, whose garish make-up and flamboyant costumes were perfect for the then-new MTV. None of that would have mattered if the set's nine originals didn't rock ferociously, but they sure did, with “The Price” and hit singles “I Wanna Rock” and “We're Not Gonna Take It” among the highlights. We'll bring March metal madness to a raucous conclusion by turning STAY HUNGRY up to 11.
Wounded Rhymes (Album of the Day)
Li Lykke Timotej Zachrisson was born in Sweden but spent time in Portugal, Morocco and India while growing up and the globe-trotting continued with her second album, WOUNDED RHYMES. The songs for the 2011 Atlantic collection were penned during a 6-month stay in Los Angeles, which the singer-songwriter found “such a mysterious place because there's so much evil in that city, but there's also so much light.” That duality can be heard on such dark-but-alluring originals as “Get Some,” “I Follow Rivers,” “Sadness Is a Blessing” and “Youth Knows No Pain.” Producer Björn Yttling (of Peter Bjorn and John) had also helmed Lykke Li's debut, but WOUNDED RHYMES surpasses that earlier set in almost every way and was cited as one of the year's best by such outlets as Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times and Spin.
Roots (Album of the Day)
Though it's often overshadowed by his classic soundtrack to the film Superfly, Curtis Mayfield's ROOTS is equally noteworthy. The 1971 studio album, the singer-songwriter's second after leaving pioneering soul group The Impressions, finds Mayfield pairing insightful and compassionate lyrics with music that is both sweet and funky. Produced by Curtis and originally issued on his own Curtom label, the collection reflects the issues of its day without feeling dated; such anthems as “We Got to Have Peace” and “Beautiful Brother of Mine” still strike a chord. A Top 10 R&B hit, ROOTS is one of the finest soul albums of the '70s, and is now available on neon orange vinyl.
There's No Place Like America Today (Album of the Day)
From its cover art to its incisive original songs, few records better illustrate the gulf between the promise of our country and its reality than Curtis Mayfield's THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE AMERICA TODAY. The self-produced 1975 set touches on gun violence, economic woes and the struggles of life in the city, but the litany of problems is balanced by resilience and beauty, particularly on singles “So In Love” and “Love to the People.” Mayfield's haunting voice and muscular guitar work are just as impressive as his lyrics, and the Curtom collection was named one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Britain's NME. Still as relevant as it was on initial release, THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE AMERICA TODAY is now available on turquoise blue vinyl for Black History Month.