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DIAMOND DOGS (Album of the Day)
DIAMOND DOGS was David Bowie's third U.K. No.1 album and his first Top 10 hit in America. If George Orwell's estate had been more amenable, the set would have been a concept album based on 1984, and that book's dystopian outlook runs through many of these songs - most directly in “1984” and “Big Brother.” “In a way, it was a precursor to the punk thing,” Bowie later noted of the characters in “Diamond Dogs.” But the real unifier here is the swaggering rock of the title track and iconic single “Rebel Rebel”; the collection would be the last Bowie would make in his signature glam style. With frequent collaborator Tony Visconti returning to supply string arrangements, the Gold-certified DIAMOND DOGS is a striking summation of this phase of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's career, and we'll give it another spin on what would have been the performer's 77th birthday.
PHYSICAL GRAFFITI (Album of the Day)
Certified 16x Platinum in the U.S., the commercial success of Led Zeppelin's PHYSICAL GRAFFITI was equaled by its critical reception. Generally regarded as one of the greatest double albums of all time, the original 15 tracks represent a creative tour de force that explores the band’s dynamic musical range, from the driving rock of “Custard Pie” and acoustic arrangement of “Bron-Y-Aur Stomp” to the Eastern raga of “Kashmir” and funky groove of “Trampled Under Foot.” Built around new recordings cut at the band's Headley Grange stronghold, the set also includes unreleased tracks from Zep's three previous album sessions. Guitarist Jimmy Page produced the 1975 Swan Song collection, and we'll give PHYSICAL GRAFFITI another spin now to wish him a happy 80th birthday.
THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION (Album of the Day)
Madonna's status as one of the most successful female artists in history becomes immediately understandable with one listen to THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION. Her first greatest hits set, this 17-track compilation is a near-definitive look at the superstar's first flash of fame. The Material Girl dominated the radio with these songs, including such No.1 smashes as “Like A Virgin,” “Crazy For You,” “Papa Don't Preach” and “Justify My Love,” which topped the U.S. chart on this day in 1991. Smart, sexy and undeniably catchy, this endlessly listenable mix of ballads and dance-pop hits sold more than 30 million copies worldwide to become one of the best-selling solo artist compilations ever. THE IMMACULATE COLLECTION is an essential part of any collection of popular music.
YES (Album of the Day)
Yes had been together for about a year when their self-titled debut was released in 1969. The band's initial line-up featured Peter Banks on guitar and Tony Kaye on keyboards and its promise was clear on the Atlantic collection, an impressive mix of progressive rock, jazz and psychedelia. Along with such originals as “Sweetness” and “Looking Around,” the set includes knockout covers of The Beatles' “Every Little Thing” and The Byrds' “I See You,” and the quintet's vocal and instrumental virtuosity is on full display throughout. While the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers would scale even greater heights, this first longplayer remains rewarding; the great Lester Bangs called it “the kind of album that sometimes insinuates itself into your routine with a totally unexpected thrust of musical power.” This January, YES is part of Rhino's Start Your Ear Off Right campaign.
RUTH BROWN (Album of the Day)
When Atlantic Records was called “the house that Ruth built,” it was not in tribute to the Yankee home-run hitter but to Ruth Brown, whose success was instrumental in establishing the New York-based label. Born in Virginia on this day in 1928, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer scored such R&B chart-toppers as “Teardrops from My Eyes,” “5-10-15 Hours,” “Oh What a Dream” and the immortal “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean” - all of which can be heard on RUTH BROWN. The 1957 album gathers 14 single sides waxed by Brown over the preceding eight years, making it something of a greatest hits set. The performer's brassy and occasionally bawdy singing is complemented by the swingin' sounds of some of Atlantic's top instrumentalists (including pianist John Lewis and guitarist Mickey Baker), and the lively music of RUTH BROWN still delivers a knockout punch.
LICK MY DECALS OFF, BABY (Album of the Day)
Born Don Van Vliet on this day in 1941, Captain Beefheart was one of music's most gifted eccentrics, serving up a surreal blend of rock, blues and jazz with guttural force and instrumental precision. It's a tough sound to label, and to judge from the title of LICK MY DECALS OFF, BABY, the Captain wouldn't have it any other way. The 1970 follow-up to TROUT MASK REPLICA is less fragmentary and more accessible (if sometimes darker) than its revered predecessor, but Beefheart's playful humor is ever present (the 15 originals include such songs as “I Wanna Find a Woman That'll Hold My Big Toe Till I Have to Go”). Championed by the likes of Lester Bangs and John Peel, LICK MY DECALS OFF, BABY was also a personal favorite of Beefheart's, so we'll cue it up again in honor of the man's birthday.
A NIGHT ON THE TOWN (Album of the Day)
Rod Stewart began releasing his own albums while still fronting the Faces but by the time of A NIGHT ON THE TOWN his focus was squarely on his solo career. With seasoned record men Tom Dowd and Arif Mardin behind the boards and talent like Joe Walsh, the Tower Of Power horn section and most of Booker T.'s MG's joining him in the studio, Rod couldn't miss and the 1976 album reached Platinum sales status. The primarily original “slow” side has the best-known songs – such as No.1 single “Tonight’s The Night” - but the “fast” side is equally strong, with a rocked-up version of the country standard “The Wild Side Of Life” and a confident take on the U.K. beat classic “Pretty Flamingo” in the lineup. This is Rod Stewart's birthday, and wherever he is, we hope he is having A NIGHT ON THE TOWN...
THE WORLD IS A GHETTO (Album of the Day)
Inspired by an idea War’s Papa Dee Allen had for a stage play, THE WORLD IS A GHETTO took on deeper meaning as the band’s gigs in SoCal’s wealthier enclaves revealed problems existed there, too. While social awareness underpins such songs as the Gold-certified title track, it’s the septet’s outstanding musicianship that really grabs the attention, whether on signature single “The Cisco Kid” or epic suite “City, Country, City.” The set has been hailed by outlets including Rolling Stone, Allmusic and Pitchfork, which called the collection “a landmark album of ’70s funk, one that deserves to be remembered alongside the best work of the Meters, Parliament-Funkadelic, and Sly and the Family Stone.” Billboard’s best-selling album of 1973, THE WORLD IS A GHETTO is now available as a blu-ray audio disc in Rhino’s Quadio series.
CHANGE OF THE CENTURY (Album of the Day)
Ornette Coleman's second Atlantic album proves that the revolutionary sounds of THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME were no fluke. Cut in Hollywood under the watchful eye of producer Nesuhi Ertegun, 1960's CHANGE OF THE CENTURY features one of jazz's most celebrated foursomes performing at peak power: alto saxophonist Coleman, pocket trumpeter Don Cherry, bassist Charlie Haden and drummer Billy Higgins. As the quartet's bandleader put it in the liner notes, “each member goes his own way and still adds tellingly to the group endeavor” on seven Ornette originals including soon-to-be-standards “Ramblin'” and “Una Muy Bonita.” A free jazz landmark, CHANGE OF THE CENTURY is now part of Rhino’s High Fidelity series on 180-gram vinyl.
CHAKA (Album of the Day)
Chaka Khan had already tasted stardom as a member of Rufus when she launched her solo career in 1978 with CHAKA. The Warner Bros. set was produced by Arif Mardin, who marshaled a small army of supporting performers behind the vocalist, including George Benson, David Sanborn and much of the Average White Band. Khan positively soars on these ten tracks, which include radio favorite “Roll Me Through the Rushes” and R&B hits “Life Is a Dance” and “I'm Every Woman,” an Ashford & Simpson-penned classic that has become an anthem of pride transcending gender. Due for reissue in March, CHAKA is sure to please any fan of 1970s funk and soul.