For guitarist Dennis Coffey, music was no mere day job. While plying his trade each day as a member of the Funk Brothers, laying down funky licks on some of Detroit’s finest records, Coffey was spending his evenings at Morey Baker’s Showplace Lounge as one-third of organist Lyman Woodard’s instrumental trio. With Woodard and drummer Melvin Davis, Coffey treated patrons to sizzling renditions of the day’s hits as well as original songs. One of the trio’s 1968 sets was issued last year on Resonance Records as Hot Coffey in the D; now,…
Piece of His Heart: “Bang: The Bert Berns Story” Arrives On DVD
During his all-too-short lifetime, Bert Berns never received the kind of fame afforded many of his contemporaries on the New York music scene such as Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, or Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Yet, across the pond, young men like Paul McCartney and Keith Richards were taking notice whenever they saw the Berns imprimatur on one of their favorite 45s. McCartney and Richards are just two of the luminaries who lined up to salute the songwriter-producer-entrepreneur, who died in 1967 at 38 years old,…
Review: “Fab Gear: The British Beat Explosion and Its Aftershocks 1963-1967”
“Yesterday’s Gone”: the song by folk-pop duo Chad and Jeremy opens the first of the six discs comprising Cherry Red and RPM’s new box set Fab Gear: The British Beat Explosion and Its Aftershocks 1963-1967. It’s a most appropriate opener, as yesterday really was gone for an entire generation of artists swiftly rendered obsolete by the emergence of The Beatles. As the box eloquently explains, the Fab Four “in name, song, band structure, image, defined this new Beat music…Until 1967, when The Beatles reinvented pop again with Sgt. Pepper’s, Beat music –…
Review: Bear Family’s “Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War”
If there was any doubt that history could be engaging as well as informative, such doubt would be dispelled by a listen to Bear Family’s new release, the 4-CD box set Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War. Make no mistake, the handsomely slipcased collection is as imposing and heavy as a textbook, as its four discs are housed within a lavish, 160-page hardcover tome. But this immersive journey can’t help but thrill in its scope and execution. It follows previous Bear Family releases such as Next Stop Is Vietnam:…
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Need a Little Summer: Jeff Larson, Jeffrey Foskett Team for “‘Elua Aloha”
With summer just a little over a week away, two purveyors of musical sunshine have teamed up for their first collaborative album – and it delivers on its implied promise of sun, surf, and tropical breezes. Singer-songwriter Jeff Larson has joined with his longtime collaborator, Jeffrey Foskett of The Beach Boys, for ‘Elua Aloha, an upbeat and inviting celebration of the California sound in all its many colors. Larson has written all but two of the songs on this New Surf release, and produced or co-produced nearly every track, while both artists…
Daydream Believing: 7a Records Celebrates Davy Jones with New Single “Rainbows”
Though it’s been over six years since his untimely passing at the age of 66, the music of Davy Jones still endures. 7a Records, the U.K.-based label devoted to all things Monkees-related, has just delivered another treat for longtime fans of the band and its charismatic, perennially boyish singer with the mop top. “Rainbows” b/w “You Don’t Have to Be a Country Boy to Sing a Country Song” is a limited edition (500 units) 7-inch, 45 RPM single pressed on red vinyl. Both sides of the single are perfectly matched for their…
Run Out Groove Round-Up: Dr. John’s “Funknology” and Marshall Crenshaw’s Live “Thank You”
Today, we’re looking at two of Run Out Groove’s most recent releases! Now is also the time to order the label’s next release: Vagabonds: Expanded Edition, from Gary Louris of The Jayhawks! Pre-orders close on June 7, so don’t miss out, and don’t forget to vote on ROG’s next release. Will it be Luna’s Lunafied, Fred Neil’s Bleecker & MacDougal, or Billy Byrd’s Lonesome Country Songs? Vote now! It’s not called Funknology for nothing! Run Out Groove’s recent release from Dr. John, Professor Bizarre’s Funknology (RGV-020) is a hearty helping of gris-gris…
Review: Love, “Forever Changes: 50th Anniversary Edition”
Forever Changes, the third album from the Los Angeles band Love, arrived on Elektra Records in November 1967 – the same month as The Moody Blues’ Days of Future Passed, Cream’s Disraeli Gears, The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour, Jefferson Airplane’s After Bathing at Baxter’s, The Hollies’ Butterfly, and The Monkees’ Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones. Psychedelia was in the air, not to mention creativity and experimentation in music at an all-time high that is still largely unrivaled. Forever Changes emerged from this artistically fertile era in the mind of Love’s mercurial leader…
Baby, They’ve Got It! Ace Raids Motown Vaults for “More Motown Girls”
Back in 2013, Ace Records launched its first collection of Motown Girls, spotlighting previously unreleased tracks from the legendary ladies of Motown Records. A second installment arrived in 2015, and now, we’re finally the recipient of a third volume in the series. The 24-song anthology Baby I’ve Got It! More Motown Girls boasts 16 previously unreleased tracks, with the remaining eight drawn from the Motown Unreleased compilations (all of which have been digital-only except for the one covering 1966). This exciting new collection kicks off with a true landmark: the very first…
Bewitching: Cherry Red Premieres 1968 Jazz-Soul Sessions from Joy Marshall and Gordon Beck Quartet
When New York-born, London-settled vocalist Joy Marshall died in November 1968, her obituaries unsurprisingly concentrated on the salacious aspects of her death, which in retrospect, seemed all but inevitable considering the fast lane in which she lived her life. But today, with decades having passed, one can more fairly evaluate Marshall’s career solely on her art. Based on the upcoming release due May 18 from Cherry Red’s Turtle imprint of When Sunny Gets Blue: Spring ’68 Sessions from The Gordon Beck Quartet featuring Marshall, she was a vocalist with which to be…
Review: Frank Sinatra, “Standing Room Only”
Throughout his lifetime, Frank Sinatra grew accustomed to his concerts being Standing Room Only. Now, that’s the title of a sensational new box set from UMe and Frank Sinatra Enterprises. This 3-CD book-style release under the Signature Sinatra banner follows the 2016 box World on a String(opens in new tab) as well as earlier celebrations of the artist’s live performances in New York, Vegas, and London(opens in new tab). Standing Room Only brings together three complete concerts, two of which have never been previously released and one of which has only seen…
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Review: Chicago, “VI Decades Live: This Is What We Do”
This year, Chicago announced a first in their touring history. The band would play their second album, Chicago (or Chicago II), in full, at each concert to mark the group’s ongoing 50th anniversary festivities. The celebration has continued via archival releases as well, and following last year’s stellar Quadio, Rhino Records has just issued VI Decades Live: This is What We Do, the first-ever box set of live recordings from the band’s storied history on four CDs and one DVD. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the first two CDs are worth the price of admission…
Review: Lou Johnson, “Sweet Southern Soul”
Brooklyn-born vocalist Lou Johnson was one of the most distinctive voices in 1960s soul. Hailing from a musically-inclined family, Johnson honed his vocal instrument in gospel choirs, in college, and with the group The Canjoes before signing to the Big Apple’s Big Top label in 1962. At Big Top, his voice made Burt Bacharach and Hal David take notice, and the on-the-rise songwriting and production team was soon presenting him with top-drawer material like “If I Never Get to Love You,” “Reach Out for Me,” “Kentucky Bluebird (Send a Message to Martha),”…
The Second Disc’s 2018 Record Store Day Must-Haves
Welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year’s Record Store Day event! Once you’re through reading, let us know what you’re most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent retailer! Our list features just a sampling of our favorites from our friends at Legacy Recordings, Varese Sarabande, Rhino Records, Real Gone Music, Demon Music Group, Walt Disney Records, Omnivore Recordings, and more! Joe’s kicking things off with five essential picks (in alphabetical order)! The Beau Brummels, Bradley’s Barn [Expanded Edition] (Run Out Groove) Before Abbey Road…
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RECORD STORE DAY PREVIEW! Minky Records Uncovers Early ’70s Latino Soul from God’s Children; Wrecking Crew Featured
“All God’s children got rhythm,” went a popular standard performed by Judy Garland, Stan Getz, and many others. In the case of the East L.A. group called God’s Children, that lyric certainly was true. Music is the Answer: The Complete Collection is the name of their first-ever long-playing release, available tomorrow from Minky Records on CD and this Saturday on limited edition brown vinyl for Record Store Day. This holy grail of Latino soul and Chicano rock presents their released sides plus a treasure trove of never-before-heard material. The mixed-gender, multi-racial unit…
Deep Purple Saxophone: Omnivore Collects Nino Tempo’s Atlantic Jazz
Nino Tempo is accurately described as a Purveyor of Balladry on Omnivore Recordings’ new compilation dedicated to his Atlantic recordings, but that’s just one facet of this all-too-underrated artist. Over a long career, Tempo has served as a writer, producer, arranger, singer, and (as on this set) musician. With his sister April Stevens, Tempo enchanted with the breezy “Deep Purple” and shimmering “You’ll Be Needing Me Baby,” and out-Righteous Brother’ed the Righteous Brothers on “All Strung Out.” A child actor and amateur hour winner, Tempo played with the illustrious “Wrecking Crew” on…
“Nigel Lived” Again: Intervention Brings Murray Head’s Rock Concept Album to CD and SACD
Few artists have bridged the worlds of rock and theatre as successfully as Murray Head. Singing the music of others, actor-singer Head scored two major hits on both sides of the Atlantic with 1973’s “Superstar” from Jesus Christ Superstar and 1984’s “One Night in Bangkok” from Chess. Far lesser known, however, is his discography as a singer-songwriter. Head imbued his own compositions with the same vibrant life as those famous songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, and it’s no surprise that much of his own solo…
Love Is The Message: Cherry Red Collects MFSB’s “Definitive Collection”
MFSB – a.k.a. Mother, Father, Sister, Brother (or a rather more off-color series of four words, depending on whom you ask) – remains one of the all-time great aggregations of studio musicians, right up there with The Funk Brothers, The Wrecking Crew, and The Nashville Cats. The legacy of the Philadelphia International group has just been celebrated by Cherry Red’s Robinsongs imprint on a new 2-CD, 32-track anthology entitled The Definitive Collection. The talented, versatile musicians at the core of the original MFSB, including guitarists Bobby Eli and Norman Harris, organist Lenny…
Sounds From Beyond: Cherry Red Collects Psych, Pop, Rock, and the 101 Strings (!) On New Box Set
I Said, She Said, Ah Cid: With this delightfully offbeat release, Cherry Red’s Grapefruit label has turned in one of the year’s most intriguing releases. Ah cid, or acid, is in the air on this trippy 3-CD jaunt through the vaults of Alshire Records, the California-based budget label best known for the long-running 101 Strings series. As the subtitle – The Exploito Psych World of Alshire Records 1967-1971 – indicates, this set is focused squarely on the brief period in which Al Sherman’s company turned its attention to courting the counterculture. While…
Like Someone in Love: Ace Collects Complete Charlie Rich at RCA
Charlie Rich (1932-1995) finally achieved superstardom when his laid-back readings of “Behind Closed Doors” and “The Most Beautiful Girl” ascended in 1973 to the top spot of the Billboard Country chart and crossed over to Pop – the latter to Number One on that chart, too. Although those songs kicked off a new chapter in the career of the man known by that point as the Silver Fox (for his mane of gray hair and wizened appearance), Rich’s repertoire could hardly be defined by their mellow sound. Ace has recently filled a…
Keep a Close Watch: Ace Salutes “The Orchestrations of Robert Kirby” with Nick Drake, Richard and Linda Thompson, Iain Matthews
The subject of a new collection from Ace Records isn’t exactly a household name. But if you didn’t know the name of Robert Kirby before, you certainly will after a listen to When the Day is Done: The Orchestrations of Robert Kirby. The titular orchestrator is best known for his lush adornment of Nick Drake’s records, conjuring up a pastoral England that couldn’t be more removed from the swingin’ era that preceded it. A brief track from Drake opens this collection before it cedes to an exploration of Kirby’s other work as…
Review: Isaac Hayes, “Hot Buttered Soul,” “Shaft” and “Black Moses” Reissues
As a songwriter, producer, arranger, and session pianist, Isaac Hayes was a key architect in creating the sound of Memphis-based Stax Records. But few could have foreseen his dramatic ascendance to superstardom – a rise that began with his 1969 solo album Hot Buttered Soul. Now, that seminal record has returned to vinyl along with 1971’s pair of Shaft and Black Moses from Craft Recordings. All three of these landmark LPs have been given the deluxe treatment in both packaging and sound. Hayes’ sophomore album, Hot Buttered Soul could be considered his…
Review: Chris Hillman, “The Asylum Years”
Chris Hillman is surely one of rock’s largely unsung heroes. A veteran of groups including The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Desert Rose Band, and supergroup The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band, Hillman last year released the acclaimed album Bidin’ My Time – only his seventh solo album. Produced by Tom Petty (one of the late superstar’s last projects) with one foot in the past and another in the present, the LP reaffirmed the artist’s deserved place in the pantheon. Now, Omnivore Recordings has turned the clock back for a reissue of Hillman’s very…
Review: Sonny Rollins, “Way Out West: Deluxe Edition”
The musical power of Sonny Rollins’ Way Out West may have been eclipsed by its most famous component – that famous William Claxton cover photo, depicting the nattily-attired saxophonist in a ten-gallon hat, with holster, gun belt, and yes, saxophone. All joking aside, the New York-born Rollins was way out west, having recorded the LP on his first trip to California. The cover was shot in the Mojave Desert, which could have stood in for the setting of any of the cowboy films he loved as child. The inclusion of two tunes…
Who, What, When, Where, Why: Rupert Holmes’ “Songs That Sound Like Movies” OUT TODAY from Cherry Red [UPDATED]
There are songs that sound like movies/There are themes that fill the screen/There are lines I say that sound as if they’re written/There are looks I wear the theatre should have seen… With those words, Rupert Holmes welcomed listeners into his singular musical world – one in which the only limits were those of the singer-songwriter’s boundless imagination. In other words, there were no limits to Holmes’ finely crafted, elaborately realized pop dramas. His 1974 Epic Records debut, Widescreen, was filled with those songs that sound like movies, and now it’s about…
