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YOUNG AMERICANS (Album of the Day)
While always artistically adventurous, David Bowie's reputation as a musical chameleon began with YOUNG AMERICANS, which marked a break with the glam rock style that had made him a star. With sessions beginning at Gamble & Huff stronghold Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, the collection is steeped in funk and blue-eyed soul (or as Bowie would call it, “plastic soul”), most evident in the title track. Producer Tony Visconti was back behind the boards, and when sessions continued in New York, a new collaborator had joined the Thin White Duke: John Lennon, who can be heard on a cover of “Across the Universe” and “Fame.” Released on this day in 1975, YOUNG AMERICANS was a milestone in David Bowie's career and would soon leave its mark on a legion of soulful U.K. bands including Spandau Ballet, Simply Red and ABC.
THE MESSAGE (Album of the Day)
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first rap artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – on this day in 2007 - not because they were the first rappers, but because they were the first to successfully fuse the music to social commentary. The title track of THE MESSAGE, the group's 1982 debut album, was a stark tale of inner city desperation far removed from the party jams and MC boasts then dominating hip-hop. Of course the Sugar Hill collection has lighter moments, too, including proto-electro single “Scorpio” and such sample-rich tracks as “She's Fresh” and “It's Nasty.” More than 40 years on, THE MESSAGE still demands to be heard.
FOREIGNER (Album of the Day)
With three Americans and three Englishmen in their line-up, Foreigner's name was appropriate everywhere on the globe, and the band's irresistible arena rock brought it immediate success around the world. The sextet's self-titled debut was a smash thanks to such tracks as “Headknocker,” “Long, Long Way From Home,” “Feels Like The First Time” and “Cold As Ice” - the latter two Top 10 U.S. singles. There's no denying the craftsmanship of these songs or the one-two punch of vocalist Lou Gramm and guitarist Mick Jones, and the Atlantic collection quickly went multi-Platinum. Released this month in 1977, FOREIGNER’s AOR anthems still feel as exciting as the first time they conquered the radio.
TRACY CHAPMAN (Album of the Day)
Tracy Chapman breathed new life into the singer-songwriter genre with her eponymous debut for Elektra Records. With spare production that places Chapman's strong voice front-and-center, the set recalls the sound of such early-'70s bards as James Taylor and Joni Mitchell as well as the political engagement of the early-'60s folk movement. While “Fast Car” was the album's biggest hit, all 11 songs are of a remarkably high quality, driving the album to multi-Platinum status and bringing Tracy three Grammy Awards. Today we’ll give the chart-topping TRACY CHAPMAN another listen in honor of International Women’s Day.
WHO LOVES YOU (Album of the Day)
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons had so many iconic singles in the 1960s that it's easy to forget they made great records in the 1970s as well. Case in point: WHO LOVES YOU, a Warner Bros./Curb collection that shows the Seasons successfully incorporating disco rhythms (and even a bit of synthesizer) into their classic harmony pop sound. Frankie Valli, whose solo career was then taking off, plays a reduced role here, but the other singers more than compensate, and the band's longtime producer-songwriter Bob Gaudio supplies some winners here including “Silver Star,” the Top 10 title track and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night),” which topped the Billboard chart on this day in 1976. WHO LOVES YOU was a key career milestone for the Jersey boys, and there’s still plenty to love about it.
LEARNING TO CRAWL (Album of the Day)
The loss of a lead guitarist and a bassist in less than a year would have destroyed many bands, but Pretenders bounced back from tragedy with LEARNING TO CRAWL. The 1984 Sire set includes a magnificent tribute to the late James Honeyman-Scott (“Back On The Chain Gang,” a Top 10 hit), but the rest of the ten tracks show the band looking forward rather than backward. With producer Chris Thomas returning to the helm, frontwoman Chrissie Hynde came up with some of her best songs, ranging from fiery rockers (“Middle of the Road,” “My City Was Gone”) to tender balladry (Christmastime classic “2000 Miles”). More than a triumph over adversity, the Platinum-certified LEARNING TO CRAWL stands among the very best Pretenders albums.
VIOLATOR (Album of the Day)
One of the hallmarks of a truly great group is its ability to build on successes; Depeche Mode had already sold out L.A.’s Rose Bowl on its Music For The Masses tour when it released VIOLATOR in 1990. The U.K. quartet’s seventh studio album, co-produced by the band and Flood, filled dance floors all around the world, and reached triple-Platinum status in the U.S. The collection plays to each members’ strengths, from Dave Gahan’s impassioned vocals to Alan Wilder’s inventive keyboard arrangements to one of Martin Gore’s best-ever sets of songs – including such memorable hit singles as “Policy Of Truth,” “Enjoy The Silence” and “Personal Jesus.” Coloring a sometimes bleak emotional landscape with indelible hooks and ambitious arrangements, VIOLATOR remains one of Depeche Mode’s very best.
NAKED (Album of the Day)
Released on this day in 1988, NAKED would be the final studio album from Talking Heads. Recording for the Sire collection began in Paris with co-producer Steve Lillywhite (and such musical guests as guitarist Johnny Marr and vocalist Kirsty MacColl) before being finished off at New York City’s Sigma Sound studio. Musically, the 11 originals recall the worldbeat jamming of REMAIN IN LIGHT more than the mainstream approach of the quartet’s two previous releases; lyrically, frontman David Byrne said that many of the songs were “about human beings stripped of their pretensions; stripped of their surface trappings,” which likely explains the set’s title. A Gold-certified, Top 20 success, NAKED is a superb swan song for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers.
VERITIES & BALDERDASH (Album of the Day)
On his fourth studio set, Harry Chapin served up an appealing mix of VERITIES & BALDERDASH. The nine originals on the 1974 Elektra album range from the romantic (“I Wanna Learn a Love Song”) to the topical (“What Made America Famous”) to the comedic ("30,000 Pounds of Bananas," inspired by an incident that happened in Scranton, PA, on this day in 1965). And it didn’t hurt that a No.1 hit – signature song “Cat's In The Cradle” – was part of the lineup. With producer Paul Leka at the helm, the collection benefits from polished, ambitious arrangements and the work of top studio musicians; all of Chapin's other albums feature his touring band. VERITIES & BALDERDASH would prove the most commercially successful release from the versatile singer-songwriter.
WHAMMY! (Album of the Day)
Following a brief detour into MESOPOTAMIA, The B-52's got their mojo back with WHAMMY! Recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas, the 1983 Warner Bros. set gets the party vibes going on nine hook-filled originals including the irresistible "Legal Tender," "Song For A Future Generation" and "Whammy Kiss.” The album finds the Athens quintet embracing synthesizers and drum machines, but doing so with a playful approach that never descends into New Wave cliché. The late Ricky Wilson was born on this day in 1953 and in his honor we’ll turn up the Top 30, Gold-certified WHAMMY.