The year was 1929. At the age of six, Rose Marie Mazzetta headlined a Warner Bros. Vitaphone short film entitled Baby Rose Marie: The Child Wonder. The star was already a showbiz veteran, having begun performing at the age of three; at five, she was offered a seven-year contract by the NBC radio network. Though Rose Marie would soon drop the "Baby," she would remain a wonder as, simply, "Rose Marie" for the entirety of her extraordinary career which ultimately spanned ten decades until her
Do the Stanley: Cherry Red, Esoteric Launch Stackridge Reissue Series
Stackridge may be best-remembered today for the band's third album, 1974's The Man in the Bowler Hat. Produced by Sir George Martin, it remains their highest-charting LP. But Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings is aiming to bring all of the Stackridge discography to light with a new reissue campaign. Both 1971's self-titled debut and 1972's Friendliness are available now, with the band's next three albums all scheduled for reissue later this month and in September. Wrapped in a Hipgnosis
Learn to Work the Saxophone: Steely Dan's "Aja" Returns to Vinyl, SACD in September
UMe's Steely Dan reissue campaign - which has so far yielded remastered standard and audiophile vinyl and hybrid stereo SACD reissues of the band's first three albums Can't Buy a Thrill, Countdown to Ecstasy, and Pretzel Logic - has announced an unexpected detour. On September 29, the series will jump ahead to the sixth Dan album and arguably Donald Fagen and Walter Becker's crowning achievement: 1977's Aja. (No fear: Katy Lied and The Royal Scam will show up later.) Aja sounded - and sounds
Not Like We Love Our Freedom: Joni Mitchell's Third "Archives" Revisits 1972-1975 Period
"The sound of this thing was like, 'We're breaking some new ground here.'" Earlier this year, musician-arranger-bandleader Tom Scott of the L.A. Express reminisced to the U.K.'s MOJO magazine about working with Joni Mitchell on her 1972 album For the Roses. Indeed, Scott realized early on that the merging of folk and jazz sensibilities was about to take the singer-songwriter's music to the next level. Mitchell's creatively groundbreaking 1972-1975 albums - For the Roses, Court and Spark (1974),
A1 on the Jukebox: 7a Reissues Dave Edmunds and Rockpile's "Tracks on Wax 4" and "Repeat When Necessary"
Throughout a career spanning six decades, Dave Edmunds never strayed far from the primal power of genuine rock-and-roll. After stints in various bands - most notably, Love Sculpture - the Welsh singer-guitarist struck out on his own and scored a U.K. Christmas chart-topper in 1970 with a cover of Dave Bartholomew's "I Hear You Knocking." In January 1972, he released his first solo album: Rockpile. Its title would figure prominently in Edmunds' future as he co-founded a band of that name with
Cherry Red's El Label Celebrates Burt Bacharach, Leonard Bernstein on New Box Sets
In recent months, Cherry Red's El imprint has turned its attention to a pair of legendary American composers. Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) and Burt Bacharach (1928-2023) were born just a decade apart, though Bacharach lived more than three decades longer than Bernstein. Neither man was born in New York City, but both created much of their remarkable work there. Both were proud Jewish Americans, and both wrote for the musical theatre. An American in New York: Leonard Bernstein - The City
Call Me Up in Dreamland: Rhino Hi-Fi Series Continues with Van Morrison, Jaco Pastorius
Rhino recently launched its Rhino High Fidelity series of audiophile-quality vinyl titles. Now, the label has announced the next two titles in that line: Van Morrison's His Band and the Street Choir and the late Jaco Pastorius' Word of Mouth. Both albums' lacquers have been cut by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180-gram vinyl by Optimal; the releases are limited and numbered to 5,000 units sold exclusively at Rhino.com in the U.S. and in select stores overseas. Van Morrison's third album for
Review: Elvis Presley, "Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite: 50th Anniversary Edition"
When Elvis Presley said Aloha from Hawaii 50 years ago, the whole world was watching - or close to it. The King, fashionably late, stepped onstage at Honolulu's International Center (capacity at the time: roughly 6,000) at 1:00 a.m. on January 14, 1973 for a scheduled 12:30 a.m. concert. Satellites were beaming the program to a reported audience of over one billion. Another fanciful claim by Colonel Parker? Perhaps. But Aloha was a technological achievement. It was the most expensive
In Memoriam: Robbie Robertson (1943-2023)
Storyteller, songwriter, guitarist, musicologist, singer: throughout a career spanning the 1950s through the present day, Jaime Royal "Robbie" Robertson wore many hats. The Toronto-born musician joined his first band in 1956 and attracted the attention of Ronnie "The Hawk" Hawkins in 1959. Hawkins liked what he heard, and recorded two of the teenaged Robertson's songs in 1959. Before long, he was playing in Hawkins' band alongside fellow Canadians Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson,
Winter Wonderland: Craft Reissues "A Dave Brubeck Christmas"
It's that time of year again, when news turns to all things Christmas! Craft Recordings has recently announced a new reissue of a beloved yuletide album. 1996's A Dave Brubeck Christmas was the great pianist-composer's only full-length holiday offering; on September 22, it will return to print as a 2-LP set at 45 RPM pressed on 180-gram vinyl, with lacquers cut by Ryan Smith. Brubeck (1920-2012) joined the Telarc label in 1993 and recorded prolifically for the label through 2006 in various
Cherry Red Round-Up: SoulMusic Celebrates Randy Crawford, Grapefruit Collects The Complete First Class
In today's Cherry Red Round-Up: titles from the SoulMusic, Grapefruit, and Cherry Pop labels! Throughout a recording career spanning, roughly, 1972-2008, Randy Crawford refused to be pigeonholed. Gifted with a versatile, expressive voice, Randy straddled the worlds of jazz and soul while dipping her toes into funk, pop, dance, and rock; her collaborators include George Benson, Al Jarreau, Steve Hackett, Rick Springfield, David Sanborn, and Joe Sample and The Crusaders. SoulMusic Records
Down South Jukin': Lynyrd Skynyrd Celebrates "Fyfty" Years on New Box Set
If you looked up "southern rock" in the music dictionary, there's a good chance you might find a photo of Lynyrd Skynyrd next to the definition. The Jacksonville, Florida band first came together as My Backyard in 1964; five years later, lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarists Gary Rossington and Allen Collins, bassist Larry Junstrom, and drummer Bob Burns took on the unusual, now-familiar moniker. Skynyrd didn't release their first album until 1973 by which time bassist Leon Wilkeson had come
Do It Right: Edsel Reissues, Expands Kiki Dee's "I've Got the Music in Me"
Edsel has long been championing the recordings of Kiki Dee, including two definitive box sets chronicling The Fontana and Motown Years and The Rocket Years. It's the latter chapter to which the label has recently returned on a reissue of the British singer's second album, I've Got the Music in Me. Originally released on Elton John's Rocket Records in 1974, the LP yielded a top twenty pop hit on both sides of the Atlantic. What sets this 2-CD expanded edition apart is both the content - it
Review: Frank Zappa, "Funky Nothingness"
Frank Zappa's 1969 LP Hot Rats remains among the late composer-bandleader's most accessible albums. Blending bluesy electric rock with jazz, it makes a fine introduction to his sometimes-daunting discography. But those looking for more might not have known exactly where to start. Certain elements of the Hot Rats sound would crop up in the maestro's future discography, but a proper sequel was never released. It's only been recently revealed, however, that one was recorded...more or less.
Frampton@50 Update: Remastered SACDs Out Now, Vinyl Shipping Tomorrow
"Take me away," Peter Frampton repeatedly implores on the title track of his 1972 solo debut Wind of Change. Indeed, change was in the air. He'd recently departed Humble Pie but stayed at A&M Records to launch his own career. Departing from the band's boogieing ways, Frampton's debut was filled with acoustic-based, melodic tunes plus a handful of muscular rock offerings to prove that the artist hadn't lost his way. Those shimmering acoustic guitars are among the elements that gain
Any Major Dude Will Tell You: Steely Dan's "Pretzel Logic" Set for Reissue
The Steely Dan reissue campaign rolls on with the July 28 reissue of the band's third album, 1974's Pretzel Logic. The release follows the recent reissues of both Can't Buy a Thrill and Countdown to Ecstasy; like those titles, it will be remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog masters and reissued on standard 180-gram black vinyl, Ultra High-Quality (UHQR) premium vinyl cut at 45 RPM, and hybrid stereo SACD (playable on all CD players). Donald Fagen has overseen the audio for
You Got Me Rocking: The Rolling Stones' "40 Licks" Premieres on Vinyl, Comes to Digital and Dolby Atmos
The Rolling Stones' 2002 collection Forty Licks - celebrating 40 years of The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band with 40 songs - was notable as their first career-spanning collection, encompassing songs from both their Decca/London years (controlled, then as now, by ABKCO) and their own Rolling Stones Records period and beyond. Now, that seminal compilation, which also included four new recordings, is coming to digital platforms and premiering on vinyl. The first-time digital release, due
From This Moment On: Original Jazz Classics Series Rolls On with Bill Evans, Mal Waldron, Yusef Lateef
Following its relaunch with vintage titles from Miles Davis and the duo of Thelonious Monk and John Coltrane, Craft Recordings' Original Jazz Classics series will continue with upcoming releases from The Mal Waldron Sextet, The Bill Evans Trio, and Yusef Lateef. These titles began rolling out on June 30. Drawing on the vast catalogues of the Fantasy, Prestige, Milestone, Riverside, Contemporary, Pablo, Galaxy, Debut, and Jazzland labels, OJC reissues promise the highest standard in vinyl
In Memoriam: Tony Bennett (1926-2023)
The air was thick with anticipation at Radio City Music Hall. The date was August 3, 2021 and Tony Bennett was set to take the Great Stage with his friend and confidante Lady Gaga for the first of two farewell performances. It was his 95th birthday. A 6,000-strong crowd, mostly masked and uncomfortably shoulder-to-shoulder, jammed the theatre's lobby for a final chance to see one of the twentieth - and twenty-first - century's greatest voices live. The announced time on the ticket came and
I'm Digging You, Digging Me: 7a Reissues Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart's "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite"
When Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart made their long-playing debut as a recording duo with the 1967 release on A&M Records of Test Patterns, it was clear that the duo had the goods. They were singers, writers, producers, and musicians, and showcased all of those talents on the album. It was the culmination of a relatively short but prolific period of time that saw them - individually and collectively - behind some of the most enduring hits of that era or any other: "Last Train to Clarksville,"
Not Just Second Hand News: Fleetwood Mac to Release 'Rumours'-Era Live Show
Over the course of four legs between February 24, 1977 and August 30, 1978, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood traveled across North America, Europe, Oceania, and Japan touring Rumours. Fleetwood Mac released their seminal album on February 4 and would perform most of it on the road. Now, a full concert performance recorded on August 29, 1977 at The "Fabulous" Forum in Inglewood, California is coming to CD, vinyl and digital platforms. On September
Children of the Revolution: New "Produced by Tony Visconti" Box Features David Bowie, T. Rex, U2, Badfinger, More
In the course of a career spanning seven decades, Tony Visconti has produced seminal albums in the classic rock genre including high profile collaborations with David Bowie, T. Rex, Gentle Giant, Strawbs, and Badfinger. But Visconti's C.V. runs much deeper, from folk (Ralph McTell, Tom Paxton) to musical theatre (Elaine Paige) and everything in between (Sparks). On October 20, Edsel will release the first large-scale tribute to Visconti's enormous musical legacy. Produced by Tony Visconti has
Amazing Journey: New Mega-Box Chronicles The Who's Path from "Life House" to "Who's Next"
What's next? How about Who's Next? On September 15, The Who will revisit their seminal 1971 masterwork in a lavish 10CD/1BD box set as well as multiple smaller formats. The Who's Next/Life House box set, by the numbers, offers 155 tracks - 89 of which are previously unissued in any version and 57 of which are brand-new remixes. This finally offers a comprehensive look at Pete Townshend's ambitious, conceptual Life House (later known as Lifehouse) project, tracing it from its roots as a
Dancin' to Be Dancin': Cherry Red, Robinsongs Collect Skyy's "Salsoul Albums"
Solomon Roberts, Jr. (vocals/guitars/producer), Anibal Sierra (guitars/keyboards), Gerald Lebon (bass), Larry Greenberg (keyboards), Tommy McConnell (drums) and sisters Denise, Bonnie, and Delores Dunning (vocals) proclaimed "This Groove Is Bad" as the first track of their band Skyy's debut album in 1979. Indeed, the scorching slice of funk was so "bad" it was good, and Skyy embarked on a musical journey that would take them through seven albums on the Salsoul label plus further recordings for
The Right Thing to Do: Carly Simon Reflects On Her Early Career with Elektra's Jac Holzman on "These Are The Good Old Days"
Carly Simon's self-titled debut album arrived on Elektra Records in the spring of 1971, nestled in the label's discography between singer-songwriter Paul Siebel's Jack-Knife Gypsy and folk band Farquahr's eponymous LP. Carly wasn't quite a stranger to the music business, having recorded three albums for the Kapp and Columbia labels with her sister Lucy as The Simon Sisters, but her solo debut augured for a major talent. She was signed by the label's founder, Jac Holzman, beginning an association
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