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But Seriously, Folks... (Album of the Day)
Joe Walsh started releasing solo albums following his stint in The James Gang and just because he joined one of the world's most successful groups – Eagles – that didn't mean he would stop. His fourth studio set, BUT SERIOUSLY, FOLKS... arrived in stores between HOTEL CALIFORNIA and THE LONG RUN, and his Eagles bandmates and producer Bill Szymczyk all make guest appearances. Spirit keyboardist Jay Ferguson also lends his talents, but the 1978 Asylum collection is still Joe's all the way, his wry sense of humor and ace guitar licks energizing every song. If “At the Station,” “Over and Over” and #12 hit “Life's Been Good” got the most airplay, this is nonetheless an album designed as a cohesive whole, and every track has something worthwhile to offer. Today we wish Joe Walsh a happy 70th birthday with the platinum-certified BUT SERIOUSLY, FOLKS...
The Ultimate Bobby Darin (Album of the Day)
Bobby Darin was the ultimate entertainer: a singer-songwriter who could cut hits in an amazing variety of styles and later an award-winning film and TV actor. Bobby got his big break in 1958 with the teen rocker “Splish Splash,” the first of several Top Ten singles for Atco Records. The 17-track THE ULTIMATE BOBBY DARIN collection paints a comprehensive picture of the performer's output for the label, including “Beyond The Sea,” Darin-penned hits like “Early In The Morning” and “Dream Lover,” and signature song “Mack The Knife” (which topped the U.K. singles chart on this day in 1959). A solid survey of the classic recordings that put Bobby Darin in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Summer Breeze (Album of the Day)
Jim Seals and Dash Crofts each had decade-long music careers before teaming to become one of the most successful soft-rock duos of the 1970s. With the title track of their fourth album, SUMMER BREEZE, the pair had their first Top 10 single, and the song remains among their best known. But there's a lot more to love about the 1972 Warner Bros. set, which boasts another radio hit (“Hummingbird”), the lovely “East Of Ginger Trees” and the country-influenced “Fiddle In The Sky” among its ten originals. It's an ambitious collection, with philosophical lyrics reflecting the performers' Baha'i faith and orchestral arrangements by Marty Paich complementing the duo's bright harmony vocals. SUMMER BREEZE just might be Seals & Crofts' best studio album, and we'll give it another spin now to celebrate Jim Seals' birthday.
Rock It (Album of the Day)
Chuck Berry was part of the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame thanks to a string of classic singles for Chess in the 1950s, but his '70s output was pretty “goode” as well. Case in point: ROCK IT, cut for Atco in 1979. As you'd guess from the cover art, there's plenty of great guitar work here (along with some fine piano playing by Johnnie Johnson), but even more importantly, the man who practically invented rock 'n' roll songwriting has come up with several terrific originals. Highlights of the self-produced set include “California,” “Move It” and “Oh What A Thrill,” which was memorably covered by Rockpile a few years later. Until this year's posthumous CHUCK, ROCK IT was Berry's final studio album, and we'll give it another spin in honor of what would've been his 91st birthday.
Thunder In The East (Album of the Day)
Formed in Osaka, Loudness became the first Japanese heavy metal band to issue an album on a U.S. major label with 1985's THUNDER IN THE EAST. The Atco release was the quartet's fifth studio set, but their first in English and their first produced by Max Norman, who would helm two later releases by the group. Cut in Los Angeles' Sound City Studios, the ten originals are among the band's most accessible, with such highlights as “Heavy Chains,” power ballad “Never Change Your Mind” and MTV favorite “Crazy Nights” mixing strong melodies and epic riffs from guitar hero Akira Takasaki. THUNDER IN THE EAST was the first album by a Japanese group to reach the Top 100 in the U.S., and it remains a great one for headbangers whatever their national origin.
Go! (Album of the Day)
Named after a childhood pen pal of frontwoman Kay Hanley, Letters To Cleo was among the most appealing bands to emerge from Boston in the 1990s. Blending alternative rock and power pop hooks, the group cut three albums for Warner Bros. subsidiary Giant Records, the last of which was 1997's GO! With new drummer Tom Polce behind the kit (and The Cars' Greg Hawkes playing keyboards on a few tracks), the Peter Collins-produced collection has the feisty energy of the quintet's acclaimed debut, and such Hanley originals as “I Got Time,” “Veda Very Shining” and “Find You Dead” sound upbeat even when the lyrics aren't. As GO! celebrates its 20th anniversary, it's the perfect time to reopen Letters To Cleo.
Chrome Dreams II (Album of the Day)
When you've got 28 studio albums under your belt – as Neil Young did when he released CHROME DREAMS II ten years ago today – you've no doubt got a few leftover songs, and the Reprise collection kicks off with three great ones, most notably the 18-plus minute epic “Ordinary People.” And though Young is working here with longtime collaborators including guitarist Ben Keith, bassist Rick Rosas and Crazy Horse drummer Ralph Molina, this isn't just a journey through the past; the singer-songwriter also penned strong new material in a variety of styles ranging from country-folk (“Ever After”) to gospel (“Shining Light”) to electric rockers (the Grammy-nominated “No Hidden Path”). While its title references a legendary unreleased album from 1977, CHROME DREAMS II doesn't have a stylistic or thematic focus, and that's kind of the point; it's an album that revels in driving all over the map.
Simple Dreams (40th Anniversary Edition) (Album of the Day)
Linda Ronstadt released one of the most successful albums of her career in 1977 with the #1 Grammy-winning smash SIMPLE DREAMS. It was the singer's eighth studio album and would go on to sell more than three million copies in the U.S. alone. The set spawned two Top 10 hits thanks to Ronstadt's covers of Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy" and Roy Orbison's "Blue Bayou"; several additional tracks would emerge as fan favorites, like the singer's takes on Warren Zevon's "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and The Rolling Stones' "Tumbling Dice." In addition to remastered sound, the new 40th anniversary Expanded Edition of SIMPLE DREAMS also includes bonus live recordings of "It's So Easy," "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" and "Blue Bayou." All three are taken from a concert recording that originally aired on HBO in 1980 and are available here for the first time as standalone audio tracks.
Olias Of Sunhillow (Album of the Day)
As frontman of Yes during the band's 1970s heyday, Jon Anderson had one of the most famous voices in progressive rock, and it's put to excellent use on his solo debut, OLIAS OF SUNHILLOW. The 1976 Atlantic collection, painstakingly produced by the singer-songwriter over the better part of a year, is of a piece with classic Yes albums but features enough twists to remain distinct. There's lavish cover art (though by David Roe rather than Roger Dean), virtuoso instrumental work (almost all by Anderson himself) and a fantastical unifying concept (an alien race led to a new world by the title character). Yes members have released their share of solo sets over the years, and OLIAS OF SUNHILLOW ranks among the very best of them; we'll give it another spin now to celebrate Jon Anderson's birthday.
The Atco Albums Collection (Album of the Day)
Mac Rebennack had paid his dues as one of New Orleans' most respected session pianists before taking the name “Dr. John” in the mid-1960s and beginning his rise to solo stardom. The performer signed to the Atco label, initially adopting a flamboyant hoodoo man persona before emerging as the Crescent City's leading musical ambassador in the 1970s. THE ATCO ALBUMS COLLECTION charts the evolution of Dr. John on more than 60 tracks, including the studio albums GRIS-GRIS, BABYLON, REMEDIES, THE SUN, MOON & HERBS, DR. JOHN'S GUMBO, IN THE RIGHT PLACE and DESITIVELY BONNAROO in their entirety. From early sides like “I Walk On Guilded Splinters” to such hits as “Iko Iko,” “Right Place, Wrong Time” and “Such A Night,” THE ATCO ALBUMS are the reason Dr. John has a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.