Peter Skellern's 1972 hit "You're a Lady" introduced a new, original voice onto the pop scene. A No. 3 hit in his native England, the gentle ballad was covered by artists ranging from Davy Jones to Johnny Mathis. A second major hit came three years later with "Hold On to Love," and Skellern continued to make music on records, television, stages, and even churches for the rest of his life. The singer-songwriter sadly passed away in 2017 at the age of 69, but the U.K.'s Mint Audio label has
Run Back to Mama: Ace’s “Horn Rock” Anthology Features Chase, Blood Sweat and Tears, Delaney and Bonnie, More
The new collection on Ace Records' BGP imprint packs a mighty punch. That's because it's dedicated to Horn Rock (with the equally-important subtitle And Funky Guitar Grooves), that boldest and brassiest of rock subgenres. The phrase "horn rock" immediately brings to mind the sound popularized by Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears (only one of which is represented here) but the added colors afforded by horns were applied to recordings in the baroque-rock, art-rock, psych-rock, and jazz-rock
Review: Davy Jones, “Live in Japan”
Everyone's familiar with the initial wave of Monkeemania that swept America in the 1960s, not to mention the second wave spurred on by MTV's reruns of The Monkees' classic sitcom in the 1980s. But 7a Records - that tireless label dedicated to all things Monkee - has trained a well-deserved spotlight upon a lesser-known chapter of the Monkees phenomenon. The time was 1981 and the place was Japan. The late Davy Jones seized upon the popularity of a Kodak commercial there featuring "Daydream
When Will You Be Mine: Ace Releases Dion’s First Two Columbia Albums on CD
Dion DiMucci was just 20 years old but already a chart veteran when he went solo at the dawn of the 1960s. Enduring hits like "I Wonder Why" and "A Teenager in Love" had been recorded with his friends The Belmonts, but when Carlo Mastrangelo, Angelo D'Aleo, and Fred Milano wanted to emphasize doo-wop harmonies and Dion wanted to rock and roll, Dion and the Belmonts split. How would the Italian kid from the Bronx follow that amazing first act? The answer was "Runaround Sue," the chart-topping
Review: David Bowie, “The Mercury Demos”
David Bowie collectors with a taste for vinyl have had much for which to be grateful this year. Parlophone and Rhino recently unveiled the third in a series of vinyl box sets this year, The Mercury Demos. (The just-released fourth such box commemorated the fiftieth anniversary of "Space Oddity.") An LP rather than a collection of singles, The Mercury Demos officially premieres ten early, one-take recordings from the future superstar, recorded on a Revox reel-to-reel tape machine in Bowie's
Review: Cheryl Lynn, “Got To Be Real: The Columbia Anthology”
Last month, Cherry Red's SoulMusic imprint released an exciting new compilation of Cheryl Lynn classics. Got To Be Real: The Columbia Anthology brings together 31 of the powerhouse vocalist's most enduring tracks. The 2-CD set not only represents tracks from her classic Columbia albums Cheryl Lynn (1978), In Love (1979), In the Night (1981), Instant Love (1982), Preppie (1983) and It's Gonna Be Right (1985), but also features rare 12" remixes; dance versions; soundtrack selections; and duets
Review: Various Artists, “Motown: The Complete No. 1s”
Smokey Robinson's mama famously told the young singer-songwriter that he'd better shop around, but happily, those looking for the definitive chronicle of Smokey and Diana and Mary and Flo and Martha and Marvin and Stevie and co. need shop around no more. To mark the label's 60th anniversary, Motown: The Complete No. 1s is back in print in a slightly-expanded edition, and this 11-CD box set is, simply, one-stop shopping. Impressively housed within a sturdy replica of 2648 West Grand Boulevard
Review: Klaus Nomi, “Klaus Nomi” (Real Gone Vinyl Reissue)
With the new reissue of Klaus Nomi's self-titled debut album, Real Gone Music has presented another lost classic album on vinyl for the first time since its original release some three decades ago. It's one that is full of strangeness, starkness, and subtlety. Klaus Nomi stuns with a diverse repertoire, an over-the-top theatricality, but, more importantly, a dedication to craft that sometimes gets lost in the narrative. Yes, the NYC performance artist collaborated with David Bowie (as seen on
Review: Glen Campbell, “The Legacy [1961-2017]”
Glen Campbell's career-spanning box set is modestly titled The Legacy, fitting for the unlikely superstar from Delight, Arkansas. While The Legend might have been equally appropriate, Campbell's legacy is, truly, unlike any other. Throughout an extraordinary seven-decade career encompassing 21 Top 40 Pop hits, 27 Top 10 Country singles, six Top 20 Pop albums, and nine No. 1 Country albums in the United States alone, the artist regularly transcended genre with his honeyed vocals and virtuosic
Review: James Taylor, “One Man Band”
The One Man Band tour took James Taylor on the road for three years of unusually intimate performances, even by the standards of the guitar-wielding troubadour. In 2007, the tour culminated in a series of shows at Pittsfield, Massachusetts' small, 775-seat Colonial Theatre, a true homecoming for the famous Massachusetts native. Joined only by keyboardist Larry Goldings, Taylor treated audiences to a tour through his songbook that amounted to a master class in musical storytelling. The live
Review: Fiat Lux, “Hired History Plus: Expanded Edition”
Fiat Lux -- from the Latin for "let there be light" - were originally a synth-pop band that shone for a brief period in the '80s. Formed in 1982 and hailing from Wakefield in Yorkshire, England, they pioneered a unique sonic stamp, the influence of which is still felt today. Their pioneering blend was full of lush synthesizer textures, acoustic and electric keyboards, and studio effects - all anchored by Steve Wright's emotive vocals. Multi-instrumentalist David Crickmore provided guitar, bass,
Swinging Doors: Grateful Dead, Emmylou, Dolly, Dino, More Celebrate “The Merle Haggard Songbook”
Along with Buck Owens - with whom he shared a musical history and a wife - Merle Haggard (1937-2016) defined The Bakersfield Sound of country music: authentic, raw, rooted in honky-tonks. But unlike the Texas-born and Arizona-raised Owens, Haggard was actually born in Bakersfield and raised just across the river from that California town. "Hag," as he preferred to be known, rocketed to superstardom thanks to "Okie from Muskogee," his controversial 1969 song that was either a scathing
UPDATED: Different Drummer: Edsel Collects Michael Nesmith’s RCA and Pacific Arts Years on New Box Set
And the Hits Just Keep On Comin'. Michael Nesmith titled his 1972 RCA album ironically - when it "bubbled under" the Billboard 200 at No. 208, it actually bested its predecessor by three slots - but the LP did feature the once and future Monkee's rendition of one major favorite, "Different Drum." The 1965 tune became an enduring hit for the Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt in 1967, establishing Nesmith outside of The Monkees. Since 1968, he's released 16 studio albums. Recently, 12 of
Review: David Bowie, “Spying Through a Keyhole (Demos and Unreleased Songs)”
Can you hear me, Major Tom? In the late 1960s, David Bowie was an artist deeply hoping to be heard. A handful of singles and an album on Deram Records had failed to rocket him to the stars. But Bowie continued writing, recording, and shopping his songs around in hopes of the elusive next deal that would take him to the next level. As such, Bowie left a great many demo recordings behind. Due to current EU copyright laws, right holders have been required to release previously unissued
Step Inside Love: Cherry Red, SFE Expand Four More Cilla Black Albums in May
Cherry Red's Strike Force Entertainment imprint is continuing its series celebrating the life and legacy of Cilla Black with the May 10 arrival of another pair of remastered and expanded 2-CD, 2-album collections. First up is her debut album Cilla (1965) with In My Life (1974), the latter of which is making its premiere on CD in full; also released that day is Sher-oo! (1968) with another long-anticipated, new-to-CD title, Modern Priscilla (1978). All of the previously released digital bonus
Release Round-Up: The Second Disc’s 2019 Record Store Day Must-Haves
Looking for our usual Release Round-Up? Alas, there's not much new in the way of catalogue music this Friday (and we've already filled you in on Billy Paul and Leon Russell!), but for a very good reason: tomorrow sees releases a-plenty as part of Record Store Day! Without further ado, welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year's RSD event! Once you're through reading, let us know what you're most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent
Review: Kate Bush, “Remastered in Vinyl” Boxes 3 and 4, CD Box 2
When Kate Bush returned to music in 2005 after a 12-year absence, about all that could be expected was the unexpected...and the sonic auteur, naturally, delivered. Her 21st century work and assorted ephemera has been collected by Parlophone as one box of remastered CDs and two box sets of remastered vinyl LPs. Aerial opens Parlophone's CD Box 2, and Remastered in Vinyl Box 3. The record was conceived as two halves, one on each disc. The first, A Sea of Honey, is a collection of
Take It On The Run: HNE Compiles REO Speedwagon’s Hit Era On Extras-Laden Box Set
Last October, Cherry Red/Hear No Evil released the 8-CD The Early Years 1971-1977, chronicling REO Speedwagon's beginning on Epic Records. And now they're back with the follow-up set: The Classic Years 1978-1990, containing the group's seven remaining Epic albums and a bonus live disc across 9 CDs, highlighting the period when REO Speedwagon became a household name. The first album in the box, 1978's You Can Tune A Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish, found REO Speedwagon at a time of change.
In the Pocket: Ace Salutes Mickie Most, Reggie Young on New Anthologies
The names of Mickie Most and Reggie Young might not be among the most familiar except to diehard music aficionados, but the songs that benefited from their respective golden touches certainly are among the most well-known ever. Ace Records has recently paid tribute to both of these late talents with a pair of deluxe anthologies. The Pop Genius of Mickie Most may be the most lavish single-disc package yet released by Ace, housed in a heavy slipcase also containing a squarebound 74-page
Spotlight On: The Zombies’ “In the Beginning” from Demon Music Group
On March 29, The Zombies will take the stage at Brooklyn's Barclays Center to celebrate their long overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The time has never been better to revisit the band's catalogue, a hugely influential one despite its small size. Rediscovering The Zombies has been made easier with the recent release of two deluxe 5-LP vinyl box sets. For the U.S., Varese Vintage has issued The Complete Studio Recordings, while in the group's native U.K., Demon Music Group
Spotlight On: The Zombies’ “Complete Studio Recordings” From Varese Vintage
On March 29, The Zombies will take the stage at Brooklyn's Barclays Center to celebrate their long overdue induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The time has never been better to revisit the band's catalogue, a hugely influential one despite its small size. Rediscovering The Zombies has been made easier with the recent release of two deluxe 5-LP vinyl box sets. For the U.S., Varese Vintage has issued The Complete Studio Recordings, while in the group's native U.K., Demon Music Group
I’ll Be Doggone: Ace Collects U.K. Motown Covers From The Hollies, Dusty, Cilla, and More
Ace Records has released a number of splendid Motown collections in recent years, but now the label is taking a different approach to the music of Hitsville, USA. As Motown celebrates its landmark 60th anniversary, On the Detroit Beat: Motor City Soul - U.K. Style 1963-1967 brings together 24 diverse British interpretations of Motown classics, making for a potent reminder that the Sound of Young America was, truly, international. Compiler Tony Rounce helpfully points out in his liner notes
Review: Elvis Presley, “The Best of The ’68 Comeback Special”
This coming Sunday at 9 PM, NBC will air the 2-hour Elvis All-Star Tribute featuring performances by Yolanda Adams, Kelsea Ballerini, Dierks Bentley, Alessia Cara, Mac Davis, John Fogerty, Josh Groban, Adam Lambert, John Legend, Little Big Town, Jennifer Lopez, Post Malone, Shawn Mendes, Pistol Annies, Darius Rucker, Ed Sheeran, Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban. These primarily present-day music stars will be commemorating Presley's famous 1968 television special which also aired
Spotlight On Nicole Croisille: “Il Était Une Fois…Nicole”
French singer and actress Nicole Croisille can be safely described as a national treasure in her homeland, but her fame has extended to international shores. One listen to her recordings, and it's easy to see why. She's perhaps most famous as the female voice of composer Francis Lai's irresistibly catchy "A Man and a Woman" ("Un homme et une femme") opposite Pierre Barouh from the 1966 film of the same name. (Croisille had a solo, translated as "Today It's You," on the soundtrack as well, and
Review: Kate Bush, “Remastered in Vinyl” Boxes 1 and 2
Late last year, Parlophone unveiled a series of lavish box sets on both CD and vinyl collecting the complete works (to date) of Kate Bush. The enigmatic singer-songwriter oversaw the remastering of these sets as well as their visual presentations; indeed, each album has been newly adorned with the logo of her own Fish People label. Today, we're taking a look at the first two vinyl box sets! The four LPs of Remastered in Vinyl 1 takes listeners from The Kick Inside (1978), housed in its
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