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One More Light (Album of the Day)
Produced by the band's Brad Delson and Mike Shinoda, ONE MORE LIGHT marks a change from the aggressive approach of Linkin Park's first releases. “To some extent it is a very polished record,” noted Shinoda. “Stylistically we wanted to blend all of the sound and genres together in a way you can’t tell them apart.” That diversity allows pop and electronic elements to surface on these ten originals, a process aided by the band's renewed focus on songwriting and their work with such collaborators as Kiiara, Pusha T and vocal producer Andrew Bolooki. Featuring singles “Heavy,” “Talking to Myself” and the title track, the 2017 collection debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. The group's final album with singer Chester Bennington, the Gold-certified ONE MORE LIGHT reveals a lighter side of Linkin Park.
Electric Warrior (Album of the Day)
As Tyrannosaurus Rex, Marc Bolan and company had released several collections of hippie-folk before the title (and giant amp on the cover) of ELECTRIC WARRIOR announced that things were about to get loud. Packed with propulsive guitar riffs and all the punch that producer Tony Visconti could deliver, the album was one of the opening salvos of glam rock, and England quickly surrendered to its audacious mix of campy philosophizing and lascivious teenybopper boogie. The collection became T. Rex's most successful on the strength of such irresistible songs as “Jeepster” and “Get It On,” which topped the U.K. singles chart. Hailed by outlets including Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, ELECTRIC WARRIOR would stand tall as one of the decade's greatest - even if it didn't wear platform shoes.
Headquarters (Album of the Day)
With their first two albums, The Monkees had become one of the most successful bands in the world, but that wasn't enough. Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork wanted to flex their creative muscles, not just sing someone else's songs with (admittedly expert) session musicians playing behind them. HEADQUARTERS was the first step in that direction, and from the writing to the performances, the increased autonomy paid off handsomely. Half of the 14 tracks are group originals, including such distinctive tracks as “You Just May Be the One,” “For Pete's Sake” and “Randy Scouse Git," and most of the instrumentation is the work of the quartet. Released on this day in 1967, HEADQUARTERS turned out to be a commercial success as well as a musical one, topping the U.S. album chart.
SEVEN AND THE RAGGED TIGER (Album of the Day)
Arguably the definitive British New Wave group, Duran Duran had become superstars with RIO and the success of that album turned the quintet into tax exiles – for their follow-up, they made demos in Cannes, France, recorded tracks at George Martin’s studio in the Caribbean, and mixed the album in Sydney, Australia. Despite the globe-trotting that went into making it, SEVEN AND THE RAGGED TIGER is both focused and hook-filled, and Top 10 singles “Union of the Snake,” “New Moon on Monday” and “The Reflex” drove the collection to double-Platinum status in the U.S. This final longplayer from the original lineup (until 2004's ASTRONAUT) brought the first era of the durable U.K. band to a glorious close, and we'll give SEVEN AND THE RAGGED TIGER another spin to wish keyboardist Nick Rhodes a happy birthday.
FLOOD (Album of the Day)
One of the most inventive acts to hit the college radio airwaves of the 1980s, They Might Be Giants sprang from the fevered imaginations of John Flansburgh and John Linnell. The duo had already built a cult following with their quirky pop songs (and a telephone service that played them for listeners) when 1990's FLOOD brought them mainstream attention. TMBG's major label debut, the album went Gold on the strength of singles/MTV videos “Birdhouse In Your Soul” and “Istanbul (Not Constantinople),” though you're sure to get a kick out of “Particle Man,” “Letterbox,” “Minimum Wage” and others, too. They Might Be Giants' breakthrough still stands tall, and we'll give FLOOD another spin now to wish Linnell a happy birthday.
THE BEST OF CARLY SIMON (Album of the Day)
A childhood stutter initially turned Carly Simon to music (as she recalled, “I did the natural thing, which is to write songs, because I could sing without stammering”), a path that's led to millions of record sales worldwide. Signing with the Elektra label in 1970, she caught the crest of the singer-songwriter movement, scoring Top 10 singles including “That's The Way I've Always Heard It Should Be,” the chart-topping “You're So Vain” and her duet with then-husband James Taylor, “Mockingbird.” These and such familiar hits as “Anticipation” and “Haven't Got Time For The Pain” grace the triple-Platinum THE BEST OF CARLY SIMON, an alluring 10-song snapshot of the first five years of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's career.
PURPLE (Album of the Day)
On a roll after their debut, Stone Temple Pilots scaled even greater heights with follow-up PURPLE, released on this day in 1994. Though the San Diego band emerged just as grunge was on the rise, their sound proves broader here, combining the intense heaviness with a little psychedelia and a lot of accessibility. Allmusic called STP “the best straight-ahead rock singles outfit of their time,” and it's hard to argue with that when “Interstate Love Song,” “Big Empty” and “Vasoline” are among these 11 gracious melodies. PURPLE debuted at number one on the Billboard chart and quickly went multi-Platinum, and its music easily justifies that commercial success.
NO WAY OUT (2014 Remaster) (Album of the Day)
Sean “Puff Daddy” Combs was already one of rap's most prominent producers and the force behind Bad Boy Records when he released his solo debut, NO WAY OUT. The album took a significant turn during its recording when close friend the Notorious B.I.G. was killed, and raw emotions over the loss course through the collection. The star-studded set (which features appearances from Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes and Faith Evans) spun off five hit singles including “It's All About the Benjamins,” “Can't Nobody Hold Me Down” and “I'll Be Missing You,” which was the #1 song in America on this day in 1997. The multi-Platinum NO WAY OUT won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, and it remains a hip-hop classic.
ON THE WATERS (Album of the Day)
For Bread's second album, the original trio of David Gates, James Griffin and Rob Royer added a fourth member, drummer Mike Botts. ON THE WATERS proved to be the group's commercial breakthrough, reaching #12 on the album chart – thanks largely to “Make It With You,” which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 this month in 1970 and eventually reached No. 1. That track isn't entirely representative of the set; on the whole, these dozen songs rock harder and boast more lyrical bite than you would expect given the mellow sound of Bread's sole chart-topper. But ON THE WATERS is consistent throughout in its superb singing and attention to melody, which are two reasons that the entire album still “makes it.”
THE LAST WALTZ (Album of the Day)
Previously “The Band” behind Bob Dylan in the mid-1960s, Rick Danko, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Robbie Robertson began recording on their own in a roots-rock style that might now be called Americana (though most members hailed from Canada). After more than a decade together, the quintet decided to go out in style with a final concert at San Francisco's Winterland Ballroom, joined by the likes of Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison and Eric Clapton. The event was documented by director Martin Scorsese, and the accompanying soundtrack shows why The Band was among the most acclaimed groups in rock. Along with stirring live versions of “Up On Cripple Creek,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “The Shape I'm In” and signature songs from some of the guest stars, the triple-album closes with an elegiac suite recorded specifically for the occasion. We'll play THE LAST WALTZ again now to wish Robbie Robertson a happy 80th birthday.