It never should have worked. Since its formation in 1967, Fleetwood Mac had endured radical personnel changes, a stylistic shift from blues to rock, even a challenge from a "fake Mac" claiming to be the band in concert. When guitarist-songwriter-vocalist Bob Welch became the latest member to pass through the Fleetwood Mac revolving door, Mick Fleetwood and the husband and wife team of John and Christine McVie invited two young Californians to bolster the line-up. Lindsey Buckingham and his
Archives for 2013
"Romeo's Tune" and Beyond: Steve Forbert's First Two Albums Reissued and Expanded
Steve Forbert’s 1978 debut on Nat Weiss’ Nemperor label proclaimed the singer-songwriter Alive on Arrival and indeed, the artist made a strong impression with a set of personal, sometimes gentle, musical reflections on life and love. Forbert departed Mississippi for New York City in the mid-seventies when the city was hardly the family-friendly playground it is today, and managed to carve out a niche in the vibrant club scene of the day, playing famous venues like Gerde’s Folk City and even
Rock Your Socks: Tenacious D's Debut Celebrated with New Vinyl Reissue
The Fenix has rizen! This Sunday evening, Tenacious D – the comedy/rock duo of Jack Black and Kyle Gass – is up for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album. The Tenacious team's Rize of the Fenix is facing stand-up competition from such acts as Jim Gaffigan, Kathy Griffin, Lewis Black, Margaret Cho and Jimmy Fallon, the latter of whom also mixed comedy and rock to great effect on his nominated album. But Tenacious D is looking back as well as forward. On March 5, Epic Records and Legacy
The Fantastic Expedition of Gene Clark: Omnivore Unveils Previously Unheard Demos from Late Byrd
Though Gene Clark first made his mark as an original member of The Byrds, where he penned such classic folk-rock songs as "Feel a Whole Lot Better," he left behind as rich a legacy as a solo artist as he did with The Byrds. Clark's tenure as a Byrd wasn't a long one; though the group rose to prominence with its 1965 Columbia debut Mr. Tambourine Man, Clark left the band in early 1966 amid interpersonal strife and a dislike of touring. He re-emerged quickly on a 1967 Columbia set with The
Good Things: Edsel Expands Fine Young Cannibals Catalogue
Our friends at Slicing Up Eyeballs and Super Deluxe Edition have confirmed track lists for Edsel's upcoming reissues of both studio album by U.K. group Fine Young Cannibals. Along with General Public, Fine Young Cannibals were formed from the ashes of The (English) Beat, with guitarist Andy Cox and bassist David Steele joining forces with singer Roland Gift, whose soulful voice was one of several hundred the bandmates auditioned. A video of lead single "Johnny Come Home" on The Tube,
Alive and Kicking: New Simple Minds Compilation Announced
Scottish rock/New Wave band Simple Minds have been together in some form or another since 1977, and that near-35-year run of singles is about to be commemorated this spring with a new greatest hits set. Celebrate: The Greatest Hits+ will be available as a double or triple-disc set in March, and will feature, depending on which version you buy, up to 50 tracks from the group. The set spans the band's entire run, from their early years on Zoom/Arista at the tail end of the 1970s and beginning of
In The Groove: Patti Austin, George Duke, Ronnie Laws Reissues Coming From SoulMusic Label
SoulMusic Records, a division of the Cherry Red Group, is taking a soulful walk on the jazz side of town this month – or is that a jazzy walk on the soulful side of town? You can decide for yourself with the new reissue of titles from Patti Austin, George Duke and Ronnie Laws. All three albums are available now in U.K. and U.S. stores. With Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington as her godparents, it’s no surprise that Patti Austin found her calling in music. Yet despite having first recorded in
Intrada Premieres Three Rugged Scores on Two Discs
The latest haul from Intrada is three '60s and '70s scores for some tough-guy pictures, each from three different, classic composers and all making their debut on any format. First up, Elmer Bernstein scores Cahill: U.S. Marshal (1973). Bernstein obviously had some Western chops - The Magnificent Seven, anyone? - and he certainly had quite the opportunity to flex those muscles for this film. The title character, a black-hatted lawman pursuing a bank robber (George Kennedy) and his accomplices
To All The Fans He's Loved Before: Julio Iglesias Revisits His Legacy on New "Greatest Hits"
The artist born Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva practically defines “international superstar.” Iglesias, with roughly eighty albums under his belt since his 1969 debut, can boast over 300 million units sold worldwide, and has recorded in fourteen languages. On April 9, Legacy Recordings will recognize his extensive career with the first American release of 1 – Greatest Hits. Already certified multi-platinum in many Spanish-speaking territories, the 2-CD Greatest Hits differs from the typical
That Was "Laura": Classic Soundtrack Arrives on CD as Film Debuts on Blu-ray
Goodbye, Laura. Goodbye, my love… Director Otto Preminger’s 1944 film Laura remains one of the film noir dramas against which all others will be measured, the rare picture that transcended its troubled behind-the-scenes production to become an all-time classic. All the elements came together, from the cast (Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Prince, Judith Anderson) to the screenplay by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Elizabeth Reinhardt (based on Vera Caspary’s novel) to,
Release Round-Up: Week of February 5
Taj Mahal, The Complete Columbia Albums Collection (Columbia/Legacy) Fifteen discs of the blues legend's Columbia output, including last year's The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal compilation of unreleased material. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Townes Van Zandt, Sunshine Boy: The Unheard Studio Sessions and Demos 1971-1972 (Omnivore) A new two-disc set features entirely unreleased outtakes, alternates and demos from the Texan singer-songwriter's early-'70s career. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon
Watch That Man! David Bowie Celebrates 40 Years of "Aladdin Sane" with New Remaster
As the follow-up to The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, David Bowie’s 1973 album Aladdin Sane is sometimes overlooked. Yet the punningly-titled Aladdin Sane had racked up advance sales of 100,000 units by the day of its release (April 13, 1973), becoming Bowie’s very first U.K. Number One record and spawning two Top 3 singles there (“The Jean Genie” and “Drive-In Saturday”). Across the pond, Aladdin Sane was the artist’s very first U.S. Top 20 record. Once again
John Barry's "First Love" Receives World Premiere Release from La-La Land
Though John Barry crafted a lushly exquisite score for First Love in 1977 - the same year the film titan also lent his talent to The Deep and The White Buffalo - his name appeared nowhere in the credits to the romantic drama directed by Joan Darling. The director had enlisted Barry when she thought twice about the initial concept of using songs written by Cat Stevens and Paul Williams, but in the end, brief fragments of Barry's score remained, uncredited, alongside songs from Stevens and
Union Square Follows Up Kirsty MacColl Reissues with New Compilation
Having greatly expanded her solo catalogue last year, Union Square Music is releasing a new compilation devoted to the late Kirsty MacColl. Last year, USM released her debut full-length Desperate Character (1981) on CD for the first time, as well as new double-disc expansions of Kite (1989), Electric Landlady (1991) and Titanic Days (1993). This month will see a new single-disc career-spanning compilation that covers her entire discography. In spite of the eight-year gap between her first two
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Take a Giant Step with "Complete Columbia Albums" of Taj Mahal
The Complete Columbia Albums of Taj Mahal, by the numbers: 13 albums, 15 CDs, 170 tracks. This all adds up to a mighty legacy worthy of the man’s namesake! The former Henry Saint Clair Fredericks, Jr. made his name as a blues renaissance man at Columbia Records with a string of well-received albums released between 1968 and 1976, and the new Complete Albums box set due in stores tomorrow (February 5) collects them all under one roof for the first time, plus two archival compilations. Now 70
Might As Well Jump? Rhino Offers Roth-Era Van Halen Albums in One Box
If you're looking for a gift for a new (or maybe even an old) Van Halen fan, Rhino has you covered in March with the release of the band's first six albums in one package. The Studio Albums 1978-1984 is a no-frills package of VH's first great era, all the albums released with original vocalist David Lee Roth at the helm. Featuring the now-immortal six-string styles of Eddie Van Halen, the devastating rhythm section of bassist Michael Anthony and drummer Alex Van Halen and the clean production
Jewel to Issue First Hits Compilation Next Week
Rhino will release the first-ever compilation by country/pop singer-songwriter Jewel next Tuesday. Known for her unique voice and lyrical style and oft-repeated backstory - an Alaska-raised talent who famously honed her skills in West Coast coffeehouses, often while living out of her van - Jewel burst onto the scene with 1995's Pieces of You, which spun off three hit singles including the Grammy-nominated "Who Will Save Your Soul," "You Were Meant for Me" and "Foolish Games" (the latter two of
Review: The Miles Davis Quintet, "The Bootleg Series Volume 2: Live in Europe 1969"
“Directions in music by Miles Davis,” read the subtitle of the trumpeter’s late-1968 Columbia album Filles de Kilimanjaro. It was the first, but not the last, of his albums to bear those words. But listeners couldn’t have been expected to know which direction Davis would take with each album. Nefertiti, recorded in June-July 1967 but released in March 1968, turned out to be Davis’ last fully acoustic LP, with its follow-up Miles in the Sky (recorded January and May ’68 and released in
Amoeba Records Becomes Digital Archivist
Perhaps you've heard this story by now, but it's awesome even if you have: West Coast record chain Amoeba Music is digitizing their rarest and out-of-print stock to sell online. From Variety: Many of the LPs have been getting remastering upgrades from the original vinyl and shellac sources. Currently, there are only about 1,000 titles for sale, but Amoeba is adding 10 or 15 more every day. Some Vinyl Vaults artists are readily familiar, and in some cases Amoeba's source material emanates from
Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars: Él Collects Vintage Gilberto, Jobim, Bonfá on CD
Fewer images in music are more evocative than that of the tall and tan and young and lovely girl from Ipanema, walking like a samba and inspiring passersby to go, "Aaaah." Jazz musicians of every stripe and every instrument latched onto Brazil's bossa nova sound after it exploded to popularity in the wake of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Luis Bonfá, Vinicius de Moraes and João Gilberto's soundtrack to the 1959 film Black Orpheus. Though Black Orpheus was the breakthrough, it wasn't the birth of bossa
Short Takes, Classic Pop Edition: What's Coming From Willie Nelson, Bing Crosby, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett
Today’s Short Takes looks at a variety of upcoming releases with one thing in common: great vocalists in the tradition of the Great American Songbook! First up, let's take a look at an album of new recordings from a favorite reissue label. One genre has never been enough to contain the musical restlessness of Willie Nelson. The country legend and honky-tonk hero created his own standards with his early songs such as “Crazy” and “Funny How Time Slips Away” before paying tribute to the Great
Marianne Faithfull's "Broken English" Fixes Up Nice for Expanded Reissue
As reported in this morning's Release Round-Up, Marianne Faithfull's iconic Broken English is getting the deluxe treatment from Universal's U.K. catalogue arm. Upon initial release in 1979, Broken English was a major surprise for almost everyone involved and listening. Then in her early 30s at the time, Faithfull had lived enough for a handful of people, going from chart-dominating folk singer (debut hit "As Tears Go By" was written for her by Mick Jagger) to swinging London sex symbol (she
Review: Dick Jensen, "Dick Jensen" - A Lost Philadelphia Soul Classic
When Dick Jensen was signed to ABC’s Probe Records label in 1969, only one album title seemed appropriate: White Hot Soul. The Hawaiian-born entertainer’s stage moves earned him comparisons to James Brown and Jackie Wilson, while his voice recalled the booming sonorities of Tom Jones or Engelbert Humperdinck. Tucked away on Side Two of that Don Costa-produced LP, Jensen included The Soul Survivors’ “Expressway to Your Heart” as part of a medley. That 1967 Top 5 hit, of course, was written by
Big Break Serves Up Soul, Jazz and Funk from Carmen McRae, Billy Paul, Azteca and More
Timeless soul music knows no regional boundaries, at least based on the latest quintet of releases from Cherry Red's Big Break Records imprint. With this group of reissues, you'll travel to Philadelphia by way of Hawaii, Oakland, Harlem and Chicago. All of the titles previewed below are available now in the U.K. and next Tuesday, February 5, in the U.S.! Two new titles hail from the Philadelphia International Records catalogue. Perhaps most exciting is the first CD release outside of Japan
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