From the first seconds of the opening "Life Is a Carnival," it was clear that Cahoots was no ordinary album by The Band. The quintet's first three albums had established them as major proponents of the rootsy genre that would later be called "Americana." But now, the sound blasting from the speakers was one of sheer funk: simultaneously dark and joyful, aggressive yet inviting. In what might have been considered a heretical move by some, the group was bolstered by three saxophones, two
Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: Belinda Carlisle, "Live Your Life Be Free: 30th Anniversary Edition"
Following a well-received Go-Go's reunion in 1990, Belinda Carlisle returned to the studio to record her fourth studio album, Live Your Life Be Free. Likely the jaunt with her old bandmates inspired her, as the 1991 LP returned the singer to the sixties-inspired, girl-group milieu. Although Live Your Life failed to chart in the U.S., it hit the top ten in the U.K. and yielded four charting singles including the brisk and lusty "Do You Feel Like I Feel" which remains Carlisle's final U.S. hit
Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Doors, "L.A. Woman: 50th Anniversary Edition"
"Well, I've been down so goddamn long that it looks like up to me..." Jim Morrison knew of what he spoke. When The Doors entered Sunset Sound in November 1970 to record what would become their sixth studio album, L.A. Woman, the quartet was ready for a reboot. In September, Morrison had been convicted on profanity and indecent exposure charges related to a March 1969 concert in Miami. With an appeal in place, he was free on bail. But some radio stations had banned The Doors, and even concert
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Elvis Presley, "Back in Nashville"
When Elvis Presley entered RCA's famed Nashville Studio B in June 1970, expectations were high. His last major recording sessions - not counting those for the Universal film Change of Habit - had taken place at Memphis' American Sound Studio with producer Chips Moman, resulting in the acclaimed From Elvis in Memphis LP. Could he follow up that career triumph? Many would argue that he did. Rather than strictly repeat the formula, he and producer Felton Jarvis crafted the concept album Elvis
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Jimmie Vaughan, "The Jimmie Vaughan Story"
Blues guitarist par excellence Jimmie Vaughan turned 70 earlier this year, and The Last Music Company wasn't about to let the milestone go unnoticed. The label has released the appropriately-titled box set The Jimmie Vaughan Story, boasting 5 CDs and over six hours of music chronicling Vaughan's career up to the present day. The collection is available in two formats: a large-scale box which adds a 12-inch LP of Jimmie's 2001 album Do You Get the Blues?, two 45 RPM vinyl singles, a catalogue
In Memoriam: Michael Nesmith (1942-2021)
Less than one month ago, on November 14, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz brought their final tour as The Monkees to a close on the stage of Los Angeles' Greek Theater. The show opened with Nesmith's "Good Clean Fun," released in 1969 on The Monkees Present. The wistful reflection builds to a sweetly triumphant proclamation which the duo delivered with relish: Well, the plane is finally down/And the engines stopped their sound And I look in the crowd and there you stand And the gap that
In Full Bloom: The Syn's "Flowerman" Collects Recordings of Chris Squire, Peter Banks' Pre-Yes Band
If The Syn is known today at all, it's because the band provided one of the starting points for Yes: Syn members Chris Squire and Peter Banks were two-fifths of the original 1968 Yes line-up. Now, Cherry Red's Grapefruit imprint is setting out to give The Syn its due with a new compilation. Flowerman: Rare Blooms from The Syn 1965-69 features all four of the band's single sides originally released in 1967 by Deram Records plus previously unreleased tracks and rarities. The Syn evolved from
Runnin' Wild: Run Out Groove Announces Expanded "Super Fly" as Next Release; Voting Open Now for Labelle, Randy Newman, and More
As a writer, producer, and artist - both solo and with The Impressions - Curtis Mayfield (1942-1999) was one of the foremost exponents of Chicago soul. He penned such favorites as Jan Bradley's "Mama Didn't Lie" and Major Lance's "The Monkey Time," not to mention a string of Impressions classics including "It's All Right" and "Gypsy Woman." Mayfield's deep social conscience manifested itself in such influential anthems as "Keep on Pushing" and "People Get Ready" which established him as a
If You Want to Sing Out: Cat Stevens' "Harold and Maude" Original Soundtrack Arrives in February
It took time for audiences to come around to Harold and Maude. The 1971 film, written by Colin Higgins (9 to 5, Foul Play) and directed by Hal Ashby (Shampoo, Being There), depicted the unlikely but ultimately powerful relationship between young, death-obsessed Harold (Bud Cort) and elderly, free-spirited Maude (Ruth Gordon). Its blend of dark comedy and ironic uplift initially underwhelmed most critics and moviegoers. Slowly but surely, however, it earned cult classic status. One of the
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Joni Mitchell, "Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971)"
Last evening in Washington, DC, Joni Mitchell joined the 44th class of Kennedy Center Honorees alongside Bette Midler, Berry Gordy, Lorne Michaels, and Justino Diaz. The singer-songwriter who has blurred the lines of folk, pop, rock, and jazz was celebrated by friends and admirers including Brandi Carlile, Herbie Hancock, Ellie Goulding, Norah Jones, Brittany Howard, Dan Levy, and Cameron Crowe. President Joe Biden, also in attendance, had earlier summed up the thoughts of many when he
Classical Goes Rock: Prog "Peter and the Wolf" Featuring Manfred Mann, Brian Eno, Phil Collins, Stephane Grappelli Returns to CD from Cherry Red, Esoteric
Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf in 1936 as "a symphonic fairy tale for children." As conceived, the narrator tells a story for children in which every character is musically "played" by a different instrument, i.e., the bird is a flute, the duck is an oboe, the cat is a clarinet, the grandfather is a bassoon, the Wolf is French horns, the hunters are woodwinds and trumpets, and Peter is string instruments. Prokofiev's composition earned the attention of Walt Disney
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Billy Joel, "The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1"
By his own account, Billy Joel stumbled into the singing part of the singer-songwriter equation. He explained of his 1971 debut Cold Spring Harbor, "I wrote this album not as a singer-songwriter, but as a songwriter. I was thinking of other people doing the material on this album. But the advice I got from people in the music business was, 'Well, if you want people to hear your songs, make an album. And then you go out on the road and you do shows and you promote your album. I thought,
In Memoriam: Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)
October 1999: It was a crisp fall afternoon when I first met Stephen Sondheim. Working on a production of his 1965 musical Do I Hear a Waltz? at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, I was asked to greet the great man at the train station and accompany him back to the theatre. "Mr. Sondheim!" I called as I extended my hand to the familiar figure heading my way. "I'm Joe from the theatre!" His look suddenly turned to one of concern, and his response took me aback: "Are you okay?" I paused,
Ace Records Round-Up: Spotlight on Petula Clark, Norman Whitfield, and "More Motown Girls"
The soundtrack of director Edgar Wright's recent film Last Night in Soho features two interpretations of Tony Hatch's classic pop hit "Downtown" performed by star Anya Taylor-Joy: one perky and uptempo, one haunting and downbeat. But the Soho soundtrack isn't the only way to hear "Downtown" as you likely haven't heard it before. The irresistible ode to that place where you can "forget all your troubles, forget all your cares" can be heard in Italian as sung by its originator, Petula Clark, as
Spirit of Salvation: Cherry Red, Esoteric Collect Spirit's Mercury Years on New 8-CD Box Set
Back in 2018, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings arm anthologized the early, seminal albums from Los Angeles rock band Spirit. The group spun off from The Red Roosters, a group which included Randy California (real name: Randy Wolfe) on guitars and vocals, Mark Andes on bass, and Jay Ferguson on vocals and percussion. When California's stepfather Ed Cassidy and John Locke joined on drums and keyboards, respectively, the members rechristened themselves Spirits Rebellious, and finally, Spirit.
The Magic Islands: Aloha Got Soul, Vinyl Me, Please Celebrate Exotica Pioneer Arthur Lyman's "Island Vibes"
Even today, the name of Arthur Lyman is synonymous with exotica. The late vibraphonist and marimba player (1932-2002), born in Oahu, recorded dozens of albums bringing his tropical style to everything from Broadway to folk, jazz, and pop hits. Now, Hawaii's own Aloha Got Soul label has reissued Lyman's final studio album, 1980's Island Vibes, including in a limited, foil-stamped and numbered edition from the Vinyl Me, Please record club pressed on translucent purple with pink vinyl. Arthur
I Can Make Tonight Forever: Cherry Pop Collects Bonnie Tyler's "EastWest Years" on New Collection
Back in 2017, Cherry Red's Cherry Pop imprint compiled Bonnie Tyler's Remixes and Rarities, a 2-CD collection drawing on the singer's Columbia/CBS, Epic, RCA, and Hansa recordings originally released between 1979 and 1994. Now, Cherry Pop is picking up the Bonnie Tyler story with a new 3-CD set. The EastWest Years 1995-1998 brings together her two albums for the Warner imprint plus a disc of single versions, edits, and remixes. By the time she joined East West, the distinctively
My Heart Belongs: Stage Door Collects Rare Radio Performances from Mary Martin on New "On Air" Volume
Mary Martin (1913-1990) made her Broadway debut in the 1938 musical comedy Leave It to Me! While the show was from the future Kiss Me, Kate team of composer-lyricist Cole Porter and librettists Sam and Bella Spewack, its brand of political satire didn't age well; it closed after a respectable 291 performances on Broadway but has rarely been revived since. Yet Martin's performance has kept the show's legend alive, for it was in Leave It to Me! that the coquettish young talent introduced
More Beautiful Each Day: Cherry Red's Robinsongs Collects Three Albums from The Crusaders' Joe Sample
Houston, Texas-born keyboardist Joe Sample (1939-2014) would have earned his place in the music history books alone for his work as a sideman with such artists as Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye, and Minnie Riperton. But he also spent roughly thirty years as a founding member of soul-funk-jazz outfit The Jazz Crusaders (later, just The Crusaders) and enjoyed a solo career spanning two dozen albums in over 45 years. Now, Cherry Red's Robinsongs imprint has brought together three of those
Feel the Earth Move: Craft Recordings Reissues Carole King and James Taylor's "Live at the Troubadour"
Blossom, smile some sunshine down my way/Lately, I've been lonesome/Blossom, it's been much too long a day/Seems my dreams have frozen/Melt my cares away... - James Taylor, "Blossom" With the Summer of Love over, social and political tensions at a boil, and the specter of the Vietnam War still hovering, the tail end of the 1960s was filled with upheaval. Carole King recognized the national trauma and responded in the only way she knew how: by turning inward and sharing her emotions in
Review: The Beatles, "Let It Be" [Various Formats]
Everybody had a hard year/Everybody had a good time... The Beatles' twelfth and final studio LP may have been titled Let It Be, but that particular admonition has been all but ignored over the years. The album - recorded before, but released after, 1969's Abbey Road - was in some respects a step backward from the band's previous, experimental LPs as they sought a "back to basics" sound that didn't involve overdubs and studio wizardry. Ultimately, though, that approach was rejected. The
A Man For All Seasons: Cherry Red, Esoteric Reissue and Expand Al Stewart's "Time Passages"
1978's Time Passages concluded British singer-songwriter Al Stewart's trilogy of albums with producer-engineer Alan Parsons which began with 1975's Modern Times and continued with the following year's Year of the Cat. During this purple patch, Stewart earned his first hit singles in the United States, transitioning from folk troubadour at home to bona fide pop star abroad. And while Year of the Cat, the album, charted higher than Time Passages, the latter's title track was a bigger hit in the
I'll Take You Where the Music's Playing: Cherry Red Collects The Drifters' Sixties Heyday on New Box Set
Between 1954 and 1966, The Drifters notched 32 entries on the Billboard Hot 100, with a thirty-third "bubbling under." Five of those hits reached the top ten. The African-American vocal group's fortunes were even greater on the R&B chart where, of 30 entries between 1953 and 1974, 23 reached the top ten. Despite an ever-changing lineup, The Drifters remain a beloved cornerstone of American pop and soul. Now, Cherry Red's Strawberry Records imprint has chronicled one period of the group's
Lay Down My Old Guitar: Craft Recordings Preps Career-Spanning Box for Doc Watson
In a career spanning seven decades, North Carolina native Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (1923-2012) brought the sounds of Appalachia to the world at large. A towering figure in Americana, the guitarist was dedicated to the sounds of folk, blues, gospel, bluegrass, and country. Now, a comprehensive collection will salute his remarkable legacy. On December 3, Craft Recordings will release Life's Work: A Retrospective. The anthology features 101 key tracks from his discography including
All This and Heaven, Too: BMG Reissues "Nina Simone and Her Friends" Featuring Chris Connor and Carmen McRae
BMG is following up its reissue earlier this year of Nina Simone's 1959 Bethlehem Records debut Little Girl Blue with the label's follow-up, Nina Simone and Her Friends. Like the earlier title, this newly remastered edition will be available on CD, LP, and in both high-definition and standard digital/streaming versions. The LP will be a Record Store Day Essentials emerald green 180-gram pressing available at record stores everywhere. All formats will arrive in stores on December
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