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And Now! (Album of the Day)
Both as backing band for some of the 1960s' biggest stars and as headliners in their own right, Booker T. & The M.G.'s represented the gold standard for instrumental soul. Their third studio album, AND NOW!, marked a new era for the Memphis group as original bassist Lewie Steinberg was replaced by Donald “Duck” Dunn on all 12 tracks. Along with such fine originals as minor R&B hit “My Sweet Potato,” the band leave their funky stamp on songs ranging from the traditional “Jericho” to show tune “Summertime” to 5 Royales/James Brown favorite “Think.” Stax Studio head Jim Stewart helmed the sessions for the 1966 collection, and he gives each player a chance to shine (Booker T. Jones' keyboards and Steve Cropper's guitar work are particularly impressive). We'll give the thoroughly enjoyable AND NOW! another spin to wish Jones a happy birthday.
The Very Best of The Manhattan Transfer (Album of the Day)
Kill 'Em All (Album of the Day)
On Golden Smog (Album of the Day)
Some of the greatest Minneapolis musicians of the late 1980s would pass through Golden Smog, though you might not know it by reading the credits; for contractual reasons, Soul Asylum vocalist Dave Pirner, Jayhawks guitarist Gary Louris, Replacements drummer Chris Mars and others all appear under pseudonyms on the band's 1992 debut EP. With a name drawn from a Flintstones episode and a penchant for all-covers set-lists, the loose-knit group began as talented friends just having a good time, and that spirit pervades ON GOLDEN SMOG, whose five songs include alt-rock and alt-country takes on Bad Company (“Shooting Star”), The Rolling Stones (“Back Street Girl”), Thin Lizzy (“Cowboy Song”) and more. For Record Store Day 2022, this rousing collection will be available on vinyl as a limited edition 12” with an etching on the B-side.
Vanishing Point (Album of the Day)
If the dialogue snippets in SCREAMADELICA didn't tip you off to Primal Scream's love of cult cinema, VANISHING POINT will; the 1997 Reprise set draws its title from a 1971 existential road movie and propulsive lead single “Kowalski” takes its name from the lead character. “It's always been a favourite of the band; we love the air of paranoia and speed-freak righteousness,” said frontman Bobby Gillespie of the film, and this alternative soundtrack replaces the original's hippie music with funky grooves, Stonesy swagger, dub and electronica. The collection marks the debut of ex-Stone Rose Mani on bass (former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock also turns up on a track), and just missed the #1 spot on the U.K. album chart. A strong return to form for the Scottish band, VANISHING POINT races headlong toward the horizons of dance-rock.
Every Turn of the World (Album of the Day)
Christopher Cross conquered the pop world with his self-titled 1979 debut, and third studio album EVERY TURN OF THE WORLD shows the singer-songwriter broadening his musical approach. The iconic cover flamingo has been replaced by a racing car, and while the Warner Bros. collection still features such trademark adult contemporary ballads as “Love Found A Home” and “Open Your Heart,” Cross definitely revs up the engine here. Lead single “Charm the Snake” and “Swing Street” are just a couple of the uptempo songs, and in addition to his sterling vocal work, Cross emerges as a terrific guitar player on these ten originals. Produced by Michael Omartian (who also contributes keyboards), EVERY TURN OF THE WORLD was released 35 years ago this month and is definitely ripe for rediscovery.
King For A Day (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Following the Grammy-nominated ANGEL DUST, Faith No More returned in 1995 with KING FOR A DAY...FOOL FOR A LIFETIME. Recorded at Bearsville Studios near Woodstock, New York, it was the first album following the departure of longtime guitarist Jim Martin, and the addition of replacement axeman Trey Spruance and producer Andy Wallace resulted in one of the group's most stylistically diverse collections. "We wrote and recorded some of our most radical, out there songs,” recalls keyboardist Roddy Bottum, “like 'Cuckoo For Caca' and 'Ugly In The Morning,' some of our mellowest like 'Take This Bottle,' 'Caralho Voador' and then some of our most high-drama, like 'Just A Man.'" The new Deluxe Edition of KING FOR A DAY...FOOL FOR A LIFETIME adds a second disc filled with related rarities including B-sides "Spanish Eyes" and "Absolute Zero," as well as the band's cover of the Bee Gee's "I Started A Joke."
Ain't Love Grand (Deluxe) (Album of the Day)
Released 32 years ago this month, AIN'T LOVE GRAND is as sarcastic a title as you're likely to find in the X discography - released just after singer-songwriters Exene and John Doe got divorced, the Elektra collection is filled with emotional turmoil. The set proved transitional in other ways, too, being the final studio album with original guitarist Billy Zoom. And after four albums produced by Ray Manzarek, the quartet brought '80s metal specialist Michael Wagener behind the boards for these sessions. For all the changes, the songwriting remains as brilliant as ever, with highlights including “What's Wrong With Me,” “My Goodness” and minor hit “Burning House Of Love” (which earned the group an appearance on TV's American Bandstand). The Deluxe Edition of AIN'T LOVE GRAND adds four bonus tracks, including demo and extended versions of album cuts and a cover of The Replacements' “I Will Dare.”
Kill Em All (Album of the Day)
When Metallica released KILL 'EM ALL, lead guitarist Dave Mustaine had just left to form his own band - hardly the ideal situation to launch a debut album. But replacement Kirk Hammett proved the final ingredient needed for the quartet to conquer the world. Tracks like "Whiplash" and "Seek And Destroy" showed that lead vocalist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich knew how to put songs together, and instro "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth" left little doubt that Cliff Burton was one of the best bassists around. One of the first true thrash metal sets, the collection went on to sell more than 3 million copies, and earned a place on Kerrang!'s list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Albums of All Time. Hetfield celebrates a birthday today and we'll cue up KILL 'EM ALL to wish him a happy one.