To an entire generation of families, Peabo Bryson was the voice behind the end-credit versions of the beloved Disney animated themes “Beauty and the Beast” and “A Whole New World” from Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, respectively. But long before – and well after – he brought to life the melodies of Alan Menken and lyrics of Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, Bryson distinguished himself as one of the richest, smoothest, and most versatile voices in contemporary R&B. Yesterday evening, June 2, family announced his death at the age of 75…
Short Takes, Classic Rock Edition: Yes, Pink Floyd, Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa
This Friday, Pink Floyd celebrates the era of the 8-track with a new compilation entitled (what else?) 8-Tracks. The collection, available in the U.S. as a Target-exclusive CD as well as on vinyl and digitally, brings together eight (yup, eight!) tracks from the band’s seventies heyday including “Money,” “Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “Comfortably Numb.” Steven Wilson has edited the tracks in an exclusive sequence, utilizing sound effects from the songs’ original multitrack tapes to create a continuous listening experience unique to this title. Also…
It’s A New Orleans Thing: Craft Recordings Expands “The Allen Toussaint Songbook”
It’s been more than a decade since Allen Toussaint passed away at the age of 77 in November 2015. Yet the New Orleans native’s music and lyrics remain as powerful, funky, sweet, and moving as ever. In 2013, the singer-songwriter-producer-arranger-musician looked back on his extraordinary career with The Allen Toussaint Songbook, his first live album since 1975 (and that set remained on a shelf for nearly three decades before seeing release). Yet even that Grammy-nominated 25-song album couldn’t reflect the full breadth of Toussaint’s mighty discography. Now, Craft Recordings has revisited The…
In Memoriam: Sonny Rollins (1930-2026)
Farewell, Saxophone Colossus. On Monday, news spread of the death of Sonny Rollins at the age of 95. A Lifetime Achievement Grammy and National Medal of Arts recipient as well as a Kennedy Center Honoree, Rollins dedicated his life to his art: as a sideman, as a composer, as a leader. A New York native of Caribbean heritage, Walter Theodore Rollins was nicknamed “Sonny” by his grandmother, and the name stuck. He began taking piano lessons at the age of nine but switched a couple of years later to the saxophone: first…
Review: “Robin Trower Live! 50th Anniversary Edition”
Robin Trower’s 1974 album Bridge of Sighs sent the English guitarist and ex-Procol Harum member into the stratosphere on both sides of the Atlantic. His next four albums, including 1976’s fiery Robin Trower Live!, all followed Bridge up the charts to a Gold sales certification. Now, that landmark LP has returned from Chrysalis Records in a new 50th anniversary edition (on both CD and vinyl) which pairs the original album with a new remix of the complete concert in proper sequence. Having been with Procol Harum from just after the 1967 release…
The Weekend Stream Extra: A Second Disc Interview with David Beard, Author of “All Summer Long: Conversations with The Beach Boys From ‘Surfin” to ‘SMiLE'”
Sixty years ago today – May 16, 1966 – The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds on Capitol Records. Though the album wasn’t commercially successful upon its original release, it came to be regarded as a high watermark not just for The Beach Boys, but for American popular music itself. The Beach Boys have just celebrated 60 years of Pet Sounds (as well as its timeless songs including “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” and “Sloop John B”) with a Capitol Tower reunion of Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston; a…
Just A Little Lovin’: Rhino Hi-Fi Reissues Dusty Springfield, Cher, Joni Mitchell In New Audiophile Pressings
Rhino High Fidelity, the label’s series of deluxe audiophile reissues, has announced a new trio of titles available today from three legendary women of song: Joni Mitchell, Cher, and the late Dusty Springfield. Each album has been cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray, pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Optimal, and packaged in sturdy, numbered “tip-on” gatefold jackets with new liner notes. The releases are limited to 5,000 copies each and available today, exclusively through Rhino’s webstore. Joni Mitchell embraced pop on her sixth studio album, 1974’s Court and Spark,…
The Way I Always Heard It Should Be: Rhino’s Quadio Line Reissues Carly Simon, Randy Newman, Mongo Santamaria, Seals and Crofts
Earlier today, Rhino announced its newest batch of Quadio titles, re-presenting vintage quadraphonic surround mixes on Blu-ray Audio Discs. This time out, the label has turned its attention to four ‘70s classics from three artists returning to the series (Carly Simon, Randy Newman, Seals & Crofts) and one making his Quadio Blu-ray debut (Mongo Santamaria). All four titles, also containing high-resolution stereo mixes of the original album, are shipping now exclusively from Rhino.com. Carly Simon’s self-titled debut album arrived on Elektra Records in the spring of 1971, nestled in the label’s discography…
Flavour of the Old School: Cherry Red Reissues, Expands Beverley Knight’s Debut “The B-Funk”
This Friday, Cherry Red’s 90/9 imprint is bringing the funk…The B-Funk, to be precise, with a new 2CD deluxe reissue of Beverley Knight’s electrifying debut album. Originally released on Dome Records – which Cherry Red acquired last year – The B-Funk launched the career of the vocalist who went on to soar in not just music but television (mentoring on BBC One’s reality show Just the Two of Us), radio (Beverley’s Gospel Nights on Radio 2), and stage (The Bodyguard, Memphis, The Drifters Girl, Marie and Rosetta, and her Olivier Award-winning turn…
‘Round Midnight: Craft Plans ‘Miles ’56’ Box Commemorating Davis’ Banner Year
Following the previously released collections Miles ’54 and Miles ’55, Craft Recordings is continuing its survey of the early Miles Davis discography for a new installment. The sensibly-titled Miles ’56 is another archival dive into the Prestige Records catalogue as it chronicles a pivotal year in Davis’ musical history. It’s due on June 19 in 3CD, limited-edition 4LP, and digital formats (including hi-res audio) with all audio sourced from the original analog masters and restored using Plangent Processes. Davis’ First Great Quintet – including tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, bassist…
A Second Disc Interview: Talking “The Sherman Brothers Album” and “Richard and Me” with Kritzerland’s Bruce Kimmel
Writer, director, composer, lyricist, producer, and Kritzerland head honcho Bruce Kimmel had a long and beautiful friendship with Richard M. Sherman, one-half of the legendary Sherman Brothers songwriting team. Last year, Bruce unveiled Richard and Me, a new memoir chronicling their friendship. Now, he’s ready to unveil The Sherman Brothers Album as it was meant to be heard. Bruce produced the original sessions for the album 25 years ago but didn’t get the opportunity to see the album to fruition – leading to an unfortunately missed opportunity for fans of the duo…
Around and Around: Grateful Dead’s “Steal Your Face” Turns 50, Gets Remastered
Grateful Dead’s series of 50th anniversary reissues rolls on with today’s announcement of a remastered vinyl edition of the 1976 live album Steal Your Face. Featuring Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Bob Weir, Bill Kreutzmann, Keith Godchaux, and Donna Jean Godchaux, the double album was culled from the same October 1974 Winterland shows which yielded The Grateful Dead Movie – the expanded soundtrack of which was recently reissued on vinyl by Mondo as a 10LP box set. For this vinyl edition, Steal Your Face has been newly remastered by David Glasser and sourced…
This Is The Way: Edsel Chronicles “The Complete Ian Gillan Band Story”
After leaving Deep Purple in June 1973, lead singer Ian Gillan began to pursue other avenues for his creativity. He purchased a hotel, built motorcycle engines, and opened a recording studio. But the siren song of singing was too difficult to resist, and in 1975, he founded The Ian Gillan Band. Though ostensibly a jazz-rock outfit – with keyboards, but no brass or winds in the core lineup – Gillan didn’t ignore the rock part of the equation. Now, Edsel has collected the group’s recorded output on the comprehensive 7CD box Down…
You Bring the Summer: The Monkees’ ‘Good Times!’ Revisited for 10th Anniversary
Back in 2016, The Monkees celebrated their 50th anniversary with their first album of new material since 1996’s Justus. The appropriately-titled Good Times!, produced by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger, was a true return to form. As TSD noted in its original review, “The Monkees have just released their first new album in twenty years, and all is right with the world…Good Times makes no concession to the sound of modern pop. Rather, it’s most often the classic Monkees style refracted through a muscular, power-pop prism…Don’t hesitate. Listen to the band!” The…
Categories:
Formats:
Genres:
Review: The Beach Boys, “We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years” Part 2 – “Adult/Child”
Few long-running groups can claim one mythical “lost album.” But for decades, The Beach Boys were able to claim two. The first, of course, was SMiLE – the late Brian Wilson’s masterwork in the wake of Pet Sounds that pushed the envelope of popular music and conventional song structure. The second was a very different album from a very different Brian Wilson. It’s finally seen its first near-complete release from Capitol/UMe as part of The Beach Boys’ 3CD/3LP box set We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years which also chronicles the making…
Categories:
Formats:
Genres:
High Time: Grateful Dead’s “Workingman’s Dead” Returns in Blu-ray, Audiophile Vinyl, and Reel-to-Reel Editions
Last weekend, we filled you in on the new Play Dead app, featuring a treasure trove of Grateful Dead concert performances from over the years. Today, Rhino announced a trio of new editions celebrating the band’s 1970 album Workingman’s Dead: Rhino High Fidelity reissues on vinyl and reel-to-reel tape, and a Dolby Atmos mix overseen by drummer Mickey Hart. Frequently hailed as one of the Dead’s most accessible albums (along with its follow-up, American Beauty), Workingman’s Dead placed its focus on tighter songcraft in a country/folk-oriented vein that would later be described as…
We’re Havin’ a Freak Out! “Zappa ’66,” Due in May, Relaunches Vaulternative Records
Frank Zappa’s archival label Vaulternative Records was launched in 2002 by the late artist’s family to present a variety of fascinating odds and ends from his voluminous archive. Now, after a near-decade-long hiatus, Vaulternative is returning from Zappa Records and UMe to continue preserving the experimental side of the Zappa oeuvre. The newly-refreshed Vaulternative label launches on May 15 with Zappa ’66: Vol. 1 – Live at TTG Studios on one CD or two 180-gram LPs, or via digital download/streaming (including high-resolution audio) exclusively from Zappa.com, uDiscover Music, and Sound of Vinyl….
Categories:
Formats:
Genres:
In Memoriam: Dave Mason (1946-2026)
For seven decades, the music of Dave Mason has left us “feelin’ alright” (no question mark necessary). The singer, songwriter, guitarist, and Traffic co-founder weathered the changing musical tides well into the 21st century, playing his final concert on August 18, 2024 in Plainfield, Indiana as he celebrated the release of a memoir titled after one of his most famed songs, Only You Know and I Know. Mason’s death was announced yesterday, just weeks shy of what would have been his 80th birthday. Mason co-founded Traffic in Birmingham – about 30 miles…
Something Beautiful Remains: Tina Turner’s Penultimate Studio Album ‘Wildest Dreams’ Gets Deluxe Reissue
Tina Turner’s long-running series of expanded editions continues on June 26 from Parlophone with a new 30th anniversary 4CD/1Blu-ray edition of the late superstar’s 1996 album – and ninth solo studio release, overall – Wildest Dreams. The stylistically varied LP was helmed by a number of producers including Trevor Horn, Terry Britten, Nellee Hooper, and Pet Shop Boys and Chris Porter. Adorned with a warm cover photo of a beaming Turner, Wildest Dreams included collaborations with Sting and Antonio Banderas; the title track “Wildest Dreams” would later be re-recorded as a duet…
Categories:
Genres:
New York State of Mind: Billy Joel’s “The 100th: The Complete Concert” Comes to DVD, Blu-ray
On March 28, 2024, Billy Joel performed the 100th concert of his long-running residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Just months later, on July 25, Joel brought down the curtain on the ten-year residency with its 104th date (and the singer-songwriter’s 150th overall show at the venue). On May 29, Columbia and Legacy will bring that landmark 100th show, featuring special guest Sting, to DVD and Blu-ray. The 100th: Live at Madison Square Garden – The Complete Concert finds Joel in reflective yet rocking mode as he performs a string of…
We Gonna Rock: Rhino Brings Todd Rundgren, John Prine RSD Titles to CD
On Saturday, April 18, record buyers everywhere will descend upon independent shops to seek out a variety of limited-edition vinyl LPs on Record Store Day. Happily, Rhino is continuing its recent tradition of releasing a select number of its RSD titles in the CD format, as well. One day earlier, on April 17, the label will release the double-disc expansion of a-ha’s Analogue (read all about it here!) as well as Todd Rundgren’s Runt Live: The Necessary Cosmic Frenzy and John Prine’s BBC Sessions on CD. Runt Live: The Necessary Cosmic Frenzy…
Review: Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and The Mothers, “Bongo Fury: 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition”
The earliest known recordings of Frank Zappa and Don Van Vliet, a.k.a. Captain Beefheart, are one in the same. The pair’s “Lost in a Whirlpool,” recorded at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California circa 1958, is hardly auspicious but points the way towards the future musical activities of both men: Zappa, for its humorous lyrics (“about a person who was…skindiving in the San Diego sewer system, and talking about encountering brown, blind fish…It was kind of like the Cousteau expedition of its era,” per Zappa in 1989) and Beefheart, for its blues…
Categories:
Formats:
Genres:
Apogee: Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson Revisit “Under Wraps” and “Walk Into Light” on New Box Set
The latest in the long-running series of Jethro Tull hardcover book-style sets features not one, but two albums – including an Ian Anderson solo set. Under Wraps: The Unwrapped Edition, due May 15 from Chrysalis, explores both Tull’s Under Wraps (1984) and Anderson’s debut as a solo artist, Walk Into Light (1983), via the kind of comprehensive presentation that fans of the series have learned to expect. The impetus for bringing the albums together is their shared sound. Both albums deviated from the folk-rooted “classic rock” sound of the ‘70s to embrace…
Categories:
Formats:
Genres:
Happy Day: Book of Love’s Debut Turns 40, Receives New Vinyl Pressing from Rhino
Who wrote the Book of Love? On June 26, Rhino will revisit the debut from synth-pop pioneers Book of Love in a new 40th anniversary vinyl edition of their self-titled album which first hit stores on April 1, 1986. (No fooling!) The Philadelphia-formed, New York-based band – lead vocalist Susan Ottaviano and keyboardists/backing vocalists Ted Ottaviano (believe it or not, no relation!), Jade Lee, and Lauren Roselli (later Johnson) – shattered taboos with their frank songs about LGBTQ+ and outsider youths, set to throbbing electronic beats. Their debut LP, produced by Ivan…
‘I Want You,’ Too: Marvin Gaye’s Classic Gets Vinyl Reissues
When Marvin Gaye released his thirteenth studio album, I Want You, in March 1976, it had been roughly 2-1/2 years since his last solo studio album. Motown passed the time with various other Gaye releases: the Diana Ross duet set Diana and Marvin, a triple-LP Anthology, and a live album, but Gaye’s latest original work would be hotly anticipated. The label itself was at a crossroads; Four Tops and Martha Reeves had left the roster and The Jackson 5 were on the cusp of doing so. The sound of soul music was…
