More than fifty years have passed since John Phillips so vividly encapsulated the California myth with The Mamas and the Papas' "California Dreamin'," but the Golden State continues to inspire artists with its promise of eternally sunny days. The strains of "California music" are as varied as the state's regions, from surf to punk to psychedelia to country to metal. Despite changing times and changing tastes, however, richly melodic pop-rock has never gone out of fashion in California. Two
When A Girl's In Love: Ace Goes "Where The Girls Are"
Nine volumes in, and Ace's Where the Girls Are series is still turning up hidden-gems from the girl group era! As is often the case with this series, the names behind-the-scenes are often more familiar than those headlining the record. Where the Girls Are Volume 9 , released earlier this year, features 25 more tracks from America in the 1960s - the golden age of girl groups and "girl pop" - in their original mono versions. Future Philly soul architect Leon Huff penned The Sweet Three's
Review: "The Monkees: The Complete Series"
2016 marks the 50th anniversary of The Monkees, yes - but it also marks the same milestone for The Monkees. Whether on the original NBC broadcasts, twenty years later on MTV or since then on home video, fans have fallen in love with The Monkees. The television sitcom launched Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith as household names (and faces!) and inspired some of the finest pop music to arrive from any group in the 1960s. Rhino first released The Monkees as
Now, Voyager: Big Break Collects Dexter Wansel's "Philadelphia International Records Anthology"
Are you ready to blast off? With the August 5 release of Dexter Wansel's Stargazer: The Philadelphia International Records Anthology 1976-1980, Big Break Records is headed for the stars. Wansel was one of the brightest lights of PIR's "Mk. II" period, releasing four criminally underrated LPs on the label. His work as an artist, songwriter, arranger and producer pushed the envelope of Philly soul, bringing in elements of jazz fusion and even progressive rock. Stargazer brings together all of
Review: Rhonda Ross, "In Case You Didn't Know"
In Case You Didn't Know: Rhonda Ross has dropped a new release. The album of that title showcases the singer-songwriter on a set of fourteen potent, original tracks. Ross, a gifted vocalist with an expressive instrument, has written or co-written every song on the album, and though the CD's exclusive retailer CD Baby categorizes the record as "Jazz Fusion" - calling to mind the liquid soundscapes of Return to Forever or Weather Report - that term only tells part of the artist's story. The
Above and Beyond: Varese Brings Papa John Phillips, Wynn Stewart to Vinyl
For his first solo album - and lone solo LP released during his lifetime - John Phillips was careful not to repeat himself. With The Mamas and the Papas in the rearview mirror at that moment in time, Papa John reinvented himself as John, The Wolfking of L.A. and surrounded himself with the day's top musicians to craft a beguiling, mellow portrait of Los Angeles circa 1970. Varese Vintage expanded this one-of-a-kind record on CD in 2006, and has recently issued it on a new 180-gram vinyl
Review: Everclear's First Two Capitol Releases on Audiophile LP from Intervention
Joining its sonically and visually beautiful releases from the likes of Stealers Wheel and Joe Jackson, Intervention Records has recently released deluxe 180-gram audiophile pressings of Everclear's first two proper Capitol albums: Sparkle and Fade (1995) and So Much for the Afterglow (1997). These are the two albums that first put the trio of Art Alexakis (guitar and vocals), Greg Eklund (drums) and Craig Montoya (bass guitar) on the map and made Everclear a major part of the alternative
It's All Happening: "Charlie Faye and The Fayettes" Captures The Girl Group Sound
Summer is at last here, and leave it to New York native and Austin music mainstay Charlie Faye to have provided us with one of the first must-have, window-down soundtracks for the season! In shaping Charlie Faye and The Fayettes, her tribute to the girl-group sound, the singer-songwriter has clearly done her homework. This brisk and breezily enjoyable listen places Faye's voice up front over sweet, honeyed group harmonies on eleven, new hook-filled tunes. Faye wrote or co-wrote every
Review: Chicago, "Quadio"
Surround yourself with Chicago! With the recent release of Rhino's immense - and immensely enjoyable - new box set Quadio, it's possible to enjoy the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-honored band's classic 1969-1976 albums with added dimension: that of 4.0-channel quadraphonic sound. The nine Blu-ray Audio discs on Quadio (playable on all Blu-ray players) present every one of Chicago's studio albums from Chicago Transit Authority through Chicago X, plus IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits, in remastered
Cash, Robbins, Jones, Arnold Feature On Ace's "More Country Hits"
Ace Records has recently continued its Golden Age of American Popular Music Series with another volume dedicated to the sounds of country-and-western. More Country Hits follows The Country Hits, released in 2008, and like that volume, presents a collection of country classics that crossed over to the pop side on the Billboard Hot 100. Many familiar names from the first collection show up here, too, including Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash, Faron Young, Ray Price, George Jones, Skeeter Davis, Marty
Too Hot! Big Break Collects Heatwave On "Always and Forever"
Heatwave was a band like no other. American vocalists Johnnie Wilder Jr. and his brother Keith Wilder joined with British singer-songwriter-keyboardist Rod Temperton, Swiss bassist Mario Mantese, Czechoslovak drummer Ernest "Bilbo" Berger, and Jamaican guitarist Eric Johns to form this truly international cadre of first-class R&B purveyors. Thanks to a string of hits including "Boogie Nights," "Always and Forever" and "The Groove Line," the seductive grooves of Heatwave ruled both the
It's Her Party: Ace Reissues Lesley Gore's "Boys, Boys, Boys"
The teenaged Lesley Gore sure knew about boys. Among the titles in her era-defining catalogue include "Wonder Boy," "Yeh, Yeh, Yeh (That Boy of Mine)," "Boys," "Sometimes I Wish I Were a Boy," and, of course, "That's the Way Boys Are." The latter opened the teen queen's 1964 album Boys, Boys, Boys - a loose concept album of a sort dedicated to the precocious, talented singer's most-visited theme of young love. The late artist's third LP, it's recently been reissued by Ace Records in a
Review: The Beach Boys, "Pet Sounds 50"
50 years have passed since the original release of The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds, yet it still stands alone in the rock canon. The talents of Brian Wilson, Tony Asher, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Bruce Johnston coalesced in one unforgettable place and time to create music's most exquisite realization of both the exultant joy and beautiful melancholy of adolescence. It took until the compact disc era for Pet Sounds to be fully appreciated; the album wasn't certified
Moving On: Esoteric Expands The Move's "Something Else" and "Looking On"
Esoteric Recordings has recently continued its series of Move reissues with expanded editions of the band's 1968 EP Something Else from The Move, and its 1970 studio album Looking On. Something Else began life as a 5-track mono EP culled from performances at London's Marquee Club on February 27 and May 5, 1968. Between those two gigs, bassist Chris "Ace" Kefford had departed the group's roster, leaving it a four-piece consisting of Carl Wayne on vocals, Roy Wood on guitar/vocals, Trevor
People of the World, Rise: BBR Reissues "The Trammps III" and Gaynor's "Glorious"
Today, we're looking at two recent releases on Cherry Red's Big Break Records label from two legends of disco (and so much more): The Trammps and Gloria Gaynor! "Where were you when the lights went out in New York City?" asked The Trammps in song on the opening track of 1977's Trammps III. (The answer? Everyone was making love, naturally!) The urgent, atypically topical track by Allan Felder, Ron Tyson and arranger-producer Norman Harris is just one highlight on this underrated album,
Review: The Kinks, "Everybody's in Show-Biz: Legacy Edition"
When Kinks bio-musical Sunny Afternoon took home the 2015 Olivier Award for Best Musical, it must surely have been a sweet moment for composer-lyricist and band frontman Ray Davies, whose concept albums and rock operas have long bore the hallmarks of strong theatrical storytelling. (He's also written a handful of musicals over the years.) By the time of 1972's Everybody's In Show-Biz, Davies was already pushing the envelope of his quintessentially British sound, incorporating rootsy American
My Oh My What A Groove: Ace Collects Unreleased Motown on "One Track Mind"
The first volume of Ace/Kent's series dedicated to the male artists of Motown was entitled Satisfaction Guaranteed - but that title would be equally apt for the recent release One Track Mind: More Motown Guys, a second disc of rarities from the Sound of Young America. With 16 previously unissued cuts among this collection's 24 tracks, it proves that the treasures of the Motown vault are far from exhausted. This is also one volume sure to keep your foot tapping and your body moving, with each
Review: The Monkees, "Good Times!"
Here they come...again! The Monkees have just released their first new album in twenty years, and all is right with the world. That much is evident from the opening track which gives the LP its title. "Good Times" was demoed by Harry Nilsson for The Monkees, never recorded by the group, and later released by Harry (and "The New Salvation Singers," natch) on Capitol's Tower imprint. Now, the late Nilsson's happily un-ironic, churning pop nugget gains new life as a duet with his
Fill Your Heart: Now Sounds Collects Tiny Tim's "Complete Singles (1966-1970)"
Now Sounds clearly can't resist another tip-toe thru the tulips. Following the 2013 reissue of Tiny Tim's debut God Bless Tiny Tim (1968) as an expanded mono edition, the Cherry Red imprint has recently returned to the catalogue of the late "Human Canary" for his Complete Singles Collection (1965-1970). Twenty years after Tiny Tim's passing at the age of 64, his music remains equally beguiling and bewildering. These tracks, culled from his recordings at Blue Cat, Reprise and Scepter, find
Circus Of Voices: JAY Records Remasters "Charlotte Sweet," Premieres "Tales of Tinseltown"
Charlotte Sweet is one of that increasingly rare breed: an original musical. And this "madcap musical," as it was billed, sure is original. Lyricist/librettist Michael Colby and composer Gerald Jay Markoe delivered the unexpected with their delightfully unusual show which premiered at New York's intimate Westside Arts Theatre on August 12, 1982 and ran for over 100 performances. JAY Records has recently brought the complete Original Cast Recording to 2 CDs for the first time; a previous CD
Hear The Grass Grow: Esoteric Expands Two From The Move
The Move has seen no shortage of reissues over the years, but collectors can now finally embrace the definitive editions of the Birmingham band's classic self-titled album and follow-up Shazam! from Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint. Esoteric has just reissued The Move in a 3-CD edition and Shazam! in a 2-CD expansion, both of which add copious previously unreleased material. ("Highlights" versions are also available.) These two titles kick off the Move campaign from Esoteric which
WIN! WIN! WIN! Sentimental Journey: Doris Day's "The Love Album" Returns From Varese
When Doris Day sings, the title of one of her signature songs most definitely applies: "It's Magic." The legendary vocalist, who celebrated her 92nd birthday on April 3, is the subject of a new reissue from Varese Vintage. The Love Album, recorded over three sessions in May and June 1967, was first issued in the mid-1990s and has seen a couple of previous iterations on CD. Varese's newly remastered edition adds stunning period photography and updated liner notes for the most compelling
Joe Jackson's "I'm the Man" Returns On Vinyl From Intervention Records
Joe Jackson appears on the cover of his 1979 sophomore album, I'm the Man, as a "spiv": a British term for a peculiar kind of petty criminal "always trying to sell you a watch or something like that, real cheap," in the artist's words. But Jackson didn't have to resort to any cheap come-ons to hawk I'm the Man, a solid follow-up to his impressive debut Look Sharp! which arrived just months after that seminal release. Despite the quick turnaround, I'm the Man hailed from the same inspired
The Many "Sides" Of Anthony Phillips: Esoteric Expands Genesis Guitarist's Albums in Stereo, Surround
Esoteric Recordings has continued its series of definitive reissues from Genesis members Anthony Phillips, Tony Banks and Steve Hackett with two new mini-box sets dedicated to Phillips' solo albums Wise After the Event (1978) and Sides (1979). These 3-CD/1-DVD-A releases follow Esoteric's 2015 box set expansion of his pastoral solo debut The Geese and the Ghost as well as the label's compendium of his Private Parts and Pieces volumes. Wise After the Event remains Phillips' only album on which
Mighty Mighty: Varese Compiles "The Best of The Impressions" - And YOU CAN WIN!
Of the many artists who define the distinctive sound of Chicago soul, few stand as tall as The Impressions. Varese Vintage has celebrated the legacy of the group with The Best of The Impressions: The Curtom Years. This new, 18-track anthology of earth-scorching R&B spans the period 1968-1976 and features 16 chart hits (including two chart-toppers) and two choice B-sides from Curtis Mayfield, Fred Cash, Sam Gooden, Leroy Hutson, Reginald Torian and Nate Evans. By the time Curtis Mayfield
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