Daryl Hall and John Oates' 1997 album Marigold Sky marked the duo's first album away from the major label machine. Following tenures on Atlantic, RCA, and Arista, the phenomenally successful pair aligned with BMG-distributed Push Records for their first "indie" release. Seven years had passed since the release of their final Arista album, Change of Season, and the passage of time was reflected on the cover. The reflective image adorning Marigold Sky was a far cry from the bolder, more
Open My Eyes: Ace Celebrates Todd Rundgren and Gus Dudgeon in Label's Producers Series
In recent weeks, Ace Records has made two new additions to its ongoing Producers Series, and both titles spotlight the versatility of the respective talents, Todd Rundgren and Gus Dudgeon. The Studio Wizardry of Todd Rundgren is, in many senses, an update of Rhino's 1992 compilation An Elpee's Worth of Productions. Like that set, it paints a portrait of the singer-songwriter largely in service of others' songs, though a handful of his own compositions appear, too. Ace's collection spans
Take This Heart: Anthony Phillips Collects Solo Rarities, Genesis Demos, Musical Scores on "Archive Collection" Box Set
Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint has had a long relationship with composer and founding Genesis lead guitarist Anthony Phillips encompassing reissues of various solo albums as well as his Private Parts and Pieces compilation series. Earlier this year, Esoteric turned its attention to another collection drawn from Phillips' prodigious vaults: the 5-CD box set Archive Collection Volume 1 & Volume 2. Phillips' Archive Collection had its antecedent in Private Parts and Pieces (which
Harmony Constant: 7a Records Reissues, Expands Michael Nesmith's "And The Hits Just Keep On Comin'" For Its 50th Anniversary
"I realized early on that Red was the magic carpet," the late Michael Nesmith observed to this author in 2020 of his longtime collaborator Orville "Red" Rhodes. "I began to realize this guy is on another level...He's playing music up at the highest jazz levels, but he's playing all by himself. I thought it was some of the most inspired and celestial pedal steel guitar music -which was like an impossibility, but it really was." Perhaps no release better epitomizes the intuitive, almost
Iconoclassic's B.T. Express Reissue to Keep Disco Fans "Satisfied"
B.T. Express is rolling into the station! On May 27, 2022, Iconoclassic Records will board the train to the intersection of R&B, soul, funk, and disco with a definitive reissue of the band's 1974 debut Do It ('Til You're Satisfied). Despite the fact that the album scored mightily on the Billboard charts, reaching No. 1 R&B and the top five of the Pop survey, it's long lacked a proper CD reissue with the original artwork, proper sequence, and full-length audio. That all changes with
Sail On Solar Winds: Cherry Red, Esoteric Reissue Lancaster and Lumley's "Marscape" Featuring Phil Collins
Late last year, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings arm reissued the rock-meets-classical interpretation of Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf conceived by Jack Lancaster (Blodwyn Pig) and Robin Lumley (Brand X). Now, on March 25, Esoteric will turn its attention to the next album from the pair of Lancaster and Lumley. The 1976 concept album Marscape was inspired by the landing on Mars of NASA's Viking Explorer 2 in September of that year Though the success of Peter and the Wolf directly
I Saw the Light: BMG Collects Hank Williams' Radio Gospel Performances on "I'm Gonna Sing"
I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin/Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night/Praise the Lord, I saw the light... Though Hank Williams is often remembered today as much for his hellraising ways as for his venerable songbook - a remarkable one that crossed genre lines via such stone-cold standards as "Hey, Good Lookin'," "Cold, Cold Heart," "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," and "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You") - he was brought up in the church and its music stayed with
They Came, They Danced: Legacy Releases Fourth Season Soundtrack to "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
The fourth season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is now underway, with two episodes arriving each Friday on Amazon Prime Video for four weeks. The series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino (Gilmore Girls, Bunheads) chronicles the colorful life of Midge "Mrs." Maisel (portrayed by Emmy Award winner Rachel Brosnahan) as she carves out a career in New York in the rough-and-tumble world of stand-up comedy; the current season finds her in 1960, working at a seedy burlesque house and navigating the
Vinyl Me, Please Releases Lavish "Story of Philadelphia International Records" Anthology
The legacy of Philadelphia International Records is as mighty as the famous three men most associated with the label: co-founders and songwriter-producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and songwriter-producer-conductor-arranger Thom Bell. The three men didn't do it alone, though; the PIR story involves the dozens of talented artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, and arrangers who passed through the doors of engineer Joe Tarsia's Sigma Sound Studios on North 12th Street in Philadelphia,
UPDATE - Glory of Love: Cherry Pop's Expansive Peter Cetera Box Arrives
UPDATED 3/1/22: As one of the seven members of Chicago as featured on their 1969 debut album Chicago Transit Authority, bassist-singer Peter Cetera's soaring tenor became an integral component of the band's sound on such hits as "25 or 6 to 4," "Feelin' Stronger Every Day," "Just You 'n' Me," and "(I've Been) Searching So Long." When his own composition "If You Leave Me Now" became Chicago's first-ever No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 - not to mention in international territories such as Canada,
Isn't It Romantic? Stage Door Collects Rarities from Broadway and West End Star Sally Ann Howes
Over the course of an extraordinary seven-decade career, Sally Ann Howes exemplified entertainment royalty. Born in London into a showbiz family, she starred on stage, screen, and television, sang in front of three U.S. Presidents, originated roles on Broadway and in the West End, appeared on the cover of Life, and earned a Tony Award nomination. Now, just months after her passing on December 19, 2021 at the age of 91, Stage Door Records is celebrating the legacy of this Truly Scrumptious
Sheena Easton's "A Private Heaven" Struts in Cherry Pop's New Expanded Edition
Cherry Red's Cherry Pop arm began a new association with Sheena Easton with the 2021 release of The Definitive Singles 1980-1987. The 3-CD, 51-song collection brought together the Scottish singer's A-sides including both 7- and 12-inch singles during that period. This Friday, February 25, the label (once again in tandem with the owner of Easton's EMI discography, RT Industries) will release another generous set: a 2-CD expanded edition of Easton's fifth studio album, 1984's A Private Heaven.
Live Long and Prosper: La-La Land Revisits "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" In New Director's Cut Edition
Later this year, the Paramount+ streaming service will premiere a new 4K Director's Edition of 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The first big-screen voyage of the Starship Enterprise, director Robert Wise's film was first recut as a Director's Edition for the 2001 DVD, but the new version promises to be an upgrade in every way as it utilizes the HDR process for improved color and image. With the film itself getting such a makeover, it's only appropriate that the soundtrack is, too.
It's About That Time: Cherry Red, Esoteric Expand Jazz-Rock Debut by Affinity
The band known as Affinity only released one album but the 1970 release on Philips' Vertigo imprint has long been a favorite of crate-diggers for Linda Hoyle's distinctively powerful voice, Lynton Naiff's Hammond B3, Mike Jopp's guitar, Mo Foster's bass, and Grant Serpell's drums and percussion. The quintet came together in an era where jazz-rock thrived, stretching out their songs and adding brass and string accents for an extra punch. Late last year, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint
John Barry's Soundtrack to "Zulu" Gets Expanded Presentation from Quartet
John Barry's score to director Cy Endfield's 1964 film Zulu has been released on CD numerous times in the past, but Quartet Records can stake claim to the definitive version. The label's new mono/stereo expanded edition, released late in 2021, makes a vivid case for the album's significance in Barry's oeuvre. With only four years of film scoring behind him - including 1963's From Russia with Love, his first full score for the James Bond series of movies - Barry had already evinced a
Review: The Replacements, "Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash: Deluxe Edition"
Everything about The Replacements' debut was fast and furious. Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, first released in 1981 on the Twin/Tone label, introduced eighteen rip-roaring nuggets primarily from the pen of Paul Westerberg. More than half were under two minutes long, and only two cracked the three-minute mark. While the lyrics were filled with aggression and the spirit of youthful rebellion, they weren't devoid of self-aware humor. And though the sound was primal, abrasive, and
The First Cuts Are The Deepest: Cherry Red Collects Mike Hurst's "Recordings, Productions, and Songs" on 4-CD Set
As a songwriter, producer, singer, and musician, Mike Hurst has earned his place in the pop pantheon. A member of The Springfields alongside Dusty Springfield and her brother Tom, Hurst later formed a band with Jimmy Page (The Methods) and produced hits for Cat Stevens, P.P. Arnold, Manfred Mann, The Spencer Davis Group, Fancy, Showaddywaddy, and others. Late in 2021, Cherry Red's Strawberry imprint celebrated Hurst's musical legacy with a 4-CD collection, In My Time: Recordings, Productions,
Love Is Here to Stay: Craft Reissues, Remasters Natalie Cole's "Unforgettable...with Love" for 30th Anniversary
Natalie Cole lost her father, Nat "King" Cole, when she was just fifteen years of age. But a little more than a quarter-century after his untimely passing, Natalie paid the ultimate tribute to Nat when her studio album Unforgettable...With Love celebrated his rich oeuvre. Anchored by a virtual duet with him of his classic "Unforgettable," the album was Natalie's first to embrace her legacy. The 1991 LP and duet went on to earn a collective seven Grammy Awards, reach No. 1 on the Billboard
Wicked As It Seems: Keith Richards Reissues "Main Offender" for 30th Anniversary
BMG is continuing its ongoing reissue series from Keith Richards' solo catalogue on March 18 with a 30th anniversary edition of the Rolling Stone's 1992 LP Main Offender. The reissue follows BMG's similar expansions of Richards' solo debut Talk Is Cheap and the X-Pensive Winos' concert album Live at the Hollywood Palladium, and will be available in the following formats: 2CD/3LP Super Deluxe Edition; 2CD Mediabook; 1CD Standard Edition; 1LP Black or Limited Edition Red Vinyl;
Keeping the Faith: Billy Joel's "Japanese Singles Collection" Arrives on 2 CDs and 1 DVD
Last weekend, Billy Joel played his first concert of 2022 at Hollywood, Florida's Hard Rock Hotel and Casino; he's scheduled to resume his long-running residency at New York City's Madison Square Garden on February 12 after a brief postponement due to the Omicron variant. The piano man is celebrating his 50th year as a solo artist with a variety of projects including the recent release of The Vinyl Collection Vol. 1 which reissued albums from his first decade. Over in Japan, the end of 2021
Review: Frank Zappa, "200 Motels: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 50th Anniversary Edition"
Frank Zappa called 200 Motels "a surrealistic documentary." Leonard Maltin described it as a "visual, aural assault disguised as a movie; completely berserk, freeform film...some of it ingenious, some funny, but not enough to maintain [an] entire film." Roger Ebert compared the surreal musical to the work of experimental composer Harry Partch before observing that it "assaults the mind with everything on hand...a full wall of sight-and-sound input." Zappa never wrote and directed another
Sit Down and Float: Cherry Red, Strawberry Collect Arrival's "Complete Recordings"
"They reached out and touched me as no other group has ever done," Dusty Springfield proclaimed in the original liner notes to the debut LP from Liverpool group Arrival. "They sing with joy, sadness, and wit, and as you listen, they'll reach out and touch you." Arrival touched U.K. listeners to the tune of two hit singles in 1970: a cover of Terry Reid's "Friends" (No. 8) and an original song entitled "I Will Survive" (No. 16). But that was it for Arrival's chart successes, and their two LPs
Sacred Songs: New Anthology Highights the Solo Side of Daryl Hall
Daryl Hall would have every reason to rest on his laurels when not writing, recording, or touring with John Oates in the most successful pop-rock duo of all time. But the Pennsylvania native has always pursued other outlets for his outpouring of creativity. He's collaborated with artists from Robert Fripp to Diana Ross, released five acclaimed solo studio albums between 1980's Sacred Songs and 2011's Laughing Down Crying, and launched the hugely popular Live from Daryl's House series, in which
Heartaches By The Number: Morello Reissues Four 1960s Waylon Jennings Albums on Two CDs
When Waylon Jennings passed away in 2002, he was rightfully hailed as one of country music's first true "Outlaws" alongside such artists and fellow Highwaymen as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. But Jennings paid his dues on the Nashville scene before "crossing over" to superstardom with such landmark records as Dreaming My Dreams (1975), Are You Ready for the Country (1976), Ol' Waylon (1977), and I've Always Been Crazy (1978). Cherry Red's country-focused Morello label has
Ballad of the Garment Trade: Stage Door Expands Streisand Debut "I Can Get It For You Wholesale"
Today, Harold Rome and Jerome Weidman's 1962 Broadway musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale is best-remembered as the debut of Barbra Streisand. The then-teenaged star portrayed secretary Yetta Tessye Marmelstein, best known as "Miss Marmelstein," and stopped the show nightly with the song of that name. "The evening's find is Barbra Streisand," wrote Howard Taubman in The New York Times, "a girl with an oafish expression, a loud, irascible voice, and an arpeggiated laugh. Miss Streisand is a
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