Though Elvis Presley rose through the ranks of Sun Records alongside artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins (his fellow members of the “Million Dollar Quartet,” if you will), Elvis and Jerry Lee differed from Johnny and Carl in that they primarily leaned upon the songs of others. Cash and Perkins predated the pop-rock singer/songwriter revolution of the next decade, and in fact, harkened back to an older tradition in country and blues of performing your own material. Yet by
Archives for April 24, 2012
Knock You Out! James Brown's "Gravity" to Be Expanded by BBR
It'd be wrong to say that the fine folks at Universal Music Enterprises are doing it to death when it comes to James Brown; there's been a solid two decades of box sets, compilations and reissues to enjoy, and that list is only going to get longer with the news that a Live at The Apollo box set is coming out later this year. But there is one brief, substantial period of the Godfather of Soul's career that's often not as focused on: a brief but bright pop crossover in the mid-'80s on Scotti
Edsel Adds Bob Mould Three-Fer to Sugar Reissue Slate
If the news of Edsel's expanded reissues of the Sugar discography wasn't enough to get your power-pop-loving heart aflutter, there's more Bob Mould from where that came from. The label is releasing, on the same day, a bonus-laden set that combines three of Mould's post-Sugar albums. When Sugar split up in 1995, Mould - known equally well as one-third of power-pop legends Hüsker Dü - got to work on his next musical project, a self-titled album on which he played all the instruments. A
Review: Carole King, "The Legendary Demos" and "Something Good from the Goffin and King Songbook"
Though there's no one formula for creating a great song, there's no denying the success of the method that flourished first in New York's Tin Pan Alley (28th Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue, for those wondering) and later a bit uptown in and around the Brill Building (1619 Broadway near 49th Street). A couple of blocks away at 1650 Broadway at 51st Street, during the halcyon days of the 1960s, you would have found the home of Aldon Music, and the team of Gerry Goffin and Carole King.
Release Round-Up: Week of April 24
Carole King, The Legendary Demos (Rockingale/Hear Music) Who wouldn't want to hear early recordings of some of the greatest pop songs ever recorded? I know I would. Davy Jones, The Bell Recordings 1971-1972 / The Monkees, Pool It! Deluxe Edition (Friday Music) The late Monkee's first post-band project released on CD and expanded with bonus tracks, as well as a CD/DVD of the band's penultimate 1987 album with two bonus tracks and the group's videography. T. Rex, Electric Warrior: Deluxe