Never-before-heard music by Wes Montgomery isn't easy to come by. Montgomery - an influence to George Benson, Jimi Hendrix, Pat Metheny and every great guitar man in between - didn't enter a recording studio until 25 years of age, didn't record as a leader until another ten years had elapsed, and was dead ten years after that, felled by a heart attack at age 45. His body of work can neatly be divided into three distinct periods at different labels: Riverside (1959-1964), Verve (1964-1966) and
The Ides of March Celebrate 50 Years with "Last Band Standing" Box Set
"Beware the ides of March," goes the famous admonition. Thankfully, Jim Peterik, Larry Millas, Bob Bergland and Mike Borch didn't heed the warning. Formed in Berwyn, Illinois in 1965 as the Shon-Dels, The Ides of March are still going strong 50 years later with their brassy blend of good-time rock and roll, R&B, pop and soul epitomized on the 1970 hit single "Vehicle." These rock and roll survivors and local legends around the Chicago scene have recently assembled a definitive box set
Review: Drivin' N' Cryin', "Best of Songs"
In a career spanning almost thirty years on both independent and major labels, Drivin' N' Cryin' has refused to be pigeonholed. The band, formed by Kevin (or Kevn) Kinney in 1985 has happily leaped from genre to genre, drawing on hard rock, country, pop, punk and other influences. Between June 2012 and January 2014, the band - now consisting of Kinney, founding member Tim Nielsen, Sadler Vaden and Dave V. Johnson - recorded a series of four EPs from which a tight, all-killer, no-filler
RPM Hitches a Ride with Vanity Fare On New 2-CD Complete Anthology
With "Hitchin' a Ride" and "Early in the Morning," Vanity Fare assured its immortality to AM radio connoisseurs. The two 1969 hits are still in rotation on oldies radio today, but they're just two of the nearly 50 songs cut by the British band over the ten year period of 1966 to 1976. Cherry Red's RPM label has recently put those two famous tunes in context with Vanity Fare's I Live for the Sun: Complete Recordings 1966-76. This 2-CD anthology collects the band's output for the Page One, DJM,
Review: The Pretenders CD/DVD Reissue Series
Chrissie Hynde, Pete Farndon, James Honeyman Scott and Martin Chambers may have taken the name of The Pretenders, but anybody paying attention soon realized that there was nothing "pretend" about this band - not its brash amalgam of British and American styles (Hynde was a U.S. émigré; the other three were Brits), not its unabashedly punk approach to a classic rock sound, not its effortless, cool swagger. 1979's Pretenders launched the band on a journey that continues to this day. It's been a
Review: Frank Sinatra, "Ultimate Sinatra"
On August 31, 1939, Frank Sinatra stepped into a New York recording studio as vocalist of Harry James' orchestra for a two-song session. The second song recorded, Arthur Altman and Jack Lawrence's "All or Nothing at All," captured a philosophy that the 23-year old "boy singer" would hold closely. "All or nothing at all/Half a love never appealed to me," he asserted. "If it's love there is no in-between..." Indeed, Frank Sinatra's life was one of triumphant highs and shattering lows - no
"Boz Scaggs" Returns In Deluxe 2-CD Edition
After appearing on the first two albums by The Steve Miller Band, singer-songwriter-guitarist William Royce "Boz" Scaggs sensed that it was time to strike out on his own once more. In 1968, he inked a deal with Atlantic Records to record his second solo album; his first, 1965's Boz, was a Swedish release that to this day hasn't seen a reissue. So Scaggs and his co-producers Marlin Greene and Jann Wenner (yes, that Jann Wenner) headed down to Muscle Shoals' Alabama's most famous address, 3614
Wouldn't It Be Loverly? Two Julie Andrews Classics Return to CD
By anyone's estimation, Julie Andrews was one of Columbia Records' leading lights by 1962. Her Tony-nominated performances onstage in My Fair Lady and Camelot had both led to chart-topping, record-breaking original cast recordings on the Columbia label; in fact, it was under the leadership of president Goddard Lieberson that the record label underwrote the original Broadway production cost of My Fair Lady - an investment that, needless to say, paid off many times over! So it was unsurprising
Review: "Beale Street Saturday Night"
Beale Street in downtown Memphis, Tennessee runs approximately 1.8 miles from the Mississippi River to East Street. Created in 1841 and originally named Beale Avenue, it was immortalized in 1916 by composer, musician and bandleader W.C. Handy in his "Beale Street Blues." By the middle of the century, Louis Armstrong, B.B. King, Albert King, Muddy Waters and more had all played Beale Street, recognized as one of the nation's foremost cradles of the blues. But by the mid-1960s, the legendary
The Legend of Paul Revere: Now Sounds Reissues, Expands The Raiders' "Revolution!"
You say you want a Revolution!? Now Sounds is ready to take you on a ride suitable for midnight or any time with its new Deluxe Expanded Mono Edition of Paul Revere and the Raiders' Revolution! (CRNOW 53). Originally released in August 1967, during the Summer of Love, the album blended pop, rock and R&B, West Coast-style, proving just how far the little band from Boise, Idaho had come. Revolution! followed The Spirit of '67, which had actually been released in late
Review: Perry Como, "Live on Tour"
"I was a barber. Since then, I've been a singer. That's it." So reflected Perry Como on an astounding career in which the onetime haircutter from Canonsburg, Pennsylvania sold more than 100 million records, charted 131 singles in the United States, fourteen No. 1s, and seventeen Gold records - including the very first single to receive that certification, 1958's "Catch a Falling Star." He hosted more than 1,000 television programs, earned five Emmys, a Grammy, and a Kennedy Center Honor.
Review: Six By Booker T. and the MG's
"Soul Dressing," "Jelly Bread," "Red Beans and Rice," "My Sweet Potato," "One Mint Julep," and of course, "Green Onions" and "Mo' Onions" - Edsel has served up a veritable feast with its recent reissues of the complete 1962-1968 recordings of Booker T. and the MG's [sic] originally issued on the Stax label during its affiliation with Atlantic Records. The new reissues pair two albums per package: Green Onions and Soul Dressing plus bonus tracks on one CD; And Now and In the Christmas Spirit
Review: Todd Rundgren, "Global"
Almost two years ago to the day, Todd Rundgren released his 24th studio album, State. The prolific singer-songwriter-producer hasn’t been resting on his laurels in the period since State. He’s maintained a busy touring schedule both solo and with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, and has contributed to numerous studio projects this year including the progressive collaboration Runddans with Hans-Peter Lindstrøm and Emil Nikolaisen, and Starr’s Postcards from Paradise (on which he co-wrote
Review: Dion, "Recorded Live at the Bitter End August 1971"
Armed with nothing but his guitar and his familiar, reassuring voice, Dion DiMucci took the stage at the Bitter End, in New York’s Greenwich Village, in August 1971. The rock and roll survivor had successfully made the transition from teenaged doo-wopper to folk-rock troubadour, moving from independent Laurie Records to New York major Columbia and back again to Laurie, briefly reuniting with his old group The Belmonts at ABC, too. Then, in 1969, Dion made the shift to the West Coast-based
Review: Glen Campbell, "Rhinestone Cowboy: 40th Anniversary Edition"
On April 22, Glen Campbell will turn 79 years old. The past years haven’t been easy for the artist; his ongoing battle with Alzheimer’s was boldly chronicled in the acclaimed 2014 documentary I’ll Be Me for which he earned an Academy Award nomination. Though the disease has reportedly robbed Campbell of his ability to communicate verbally, it’s understood that he still finds solace and comfort in the music of his guitar. It’s a small but important reward for Campbell considering the joy he’s
Review: Bee Gees, "1974-1979"
For many veteran artists, disco was simply a mountain that couldn’t be climbed….not that they didn’t try. The Beach Boys, Grateful Dead, Elton John and so many others – even Frank Sinatra! – flirted with the genre only to find that that those sultry disco grooves weren’t as easy to emulate as they may have appeared to be. Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb not only climbed the mountain, but conquered it. The brothers had already amassed a back catalogue of some of the richest, most melodic and
Rosemary Clooney, Jim Reeves Rarities Arrive From Mint Audio
Newly-launched label Mint Audio recently made a splash with Operation Santa Claus: Live from Hong Kong 1962, a previously unreleased concert from vocal great Matt Monro. The label’s two other premiere releases salute two other titans of song – Rosemary Clooney and Jim Reeves. Rare and Unreleased features 30 radio performances from Maysville, Kentucky’s favorite daughter, Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002). Most are from the period of 1955-1961, with the earliest tracks dating to a few years
Dance to the Music! Sly and the Family Stone Vinyl Box Arrives
A little more than a week ago, on March 15, Sly Stone turned 72. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and multi-hyphenate artist has survived more than his share of ups and downs. But for a staggering period of nearly 50 years, Sly's work as composer, singer, producer and musician has continued to take listeners higher with his groundbreaking blend of funk, rhythm and blues, soul, rock, psychedelia, jazz and pop. Epic Records and Legacy Recordings have recently reissued the first five albums from Sly
Love Is Everywhere: Anita Harris' Trip to "Jumbleland" Is Revisited By Cherry Red Label
Trivia: Which British songbird, in 1965, introduced “London Life,” Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s ode to Swingin’ London? Hint: It’s not Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark or Cilla Black! The answer is Anita Harris, an actress and singer who, for a short period, seemed to poised to share the charts with those illustrious names. Harris charted a quartet of hits in the U.K. in 1967-1968, most notably Tom Springfield’s “Just Loving You” (No. 6) and “The Anniversary Waltz” (No. 21). Ultimately, her
Margaret Whiting and George Shearing's "Lost Jazz Sessions" Found
With her straightforward, emotionally honest and vocally pristine style, it's no wonder why Margaret Whiting became one of the foremost interpreters of the body of work known today as The Great American Songbook. One of the earliest signings to Johnny Mercer's fledgling Capitol label, Whiting scored approximately 50 chart hits in the 1940s and 1950s, popularized now-standard songs including "My Funny Valentine," "It Might as Well Be Spring," "Moonlight in Vermont" and "Baby, It's Cold Outside,"
Still Into Something Good: Ace Collects More From Carole King and Gerry Goffin
The songs of Carole King and Gerry Goffin have been enjoying a rather spectacular renaissance on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to the success of King’s biographical Broadway and West End musical Beautiful. Happily, Ace Records has returned to the duo’s catalogue for a fourth anthology. Hung on You: More from the Goffin and King Songbook follows three previous excursions: Goffin & King: A Gerry Goffin and Carole King Song Collection 1961-1967 (2007), Honey and Wine: Another Gerry Goffin
Don't Go Breaking Her Heart: Kiki Dee's Rocket Albums Expanded and Reissued By Edsel
When Kiki Dee was signed in 1973 to Elton John's Rocket Records label, the 26-year old was already a veteran of the music business as an in-demand background singer and a solo artist for Fontana and Motown. The former Pauline Matthews of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England had proven herself a versatile vocalist at both of those labels, but at Rocket would finally take flight as a top-tier blue-eyed soul singer with so much more to offer than just the duet part in "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."
Review: "The Sound of Music: 50th Anniversary Edition"
In the days when The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Peter and Gordon, The Zombies, The Animals and The Kinks were vying for chart supremacy, there was another British Invasion going on. And it was virtually a single-handed one. The invader in question was a winsome soprano named Julie Andrews, who was a perfect nanny not once but twice on the silver screen. Andrews’ performance as Mary Poppins saw her headlining the No. 1 album in the United States in March 1965 (emerging triumphant over Beatles
Review: George Jones and Tammy Wynette, "Songs of Inspiration"
When George Jones met Tammy Wynette, sparks flew. So, apparently, did dishes, utensils and glasses, when Jones interceded in an argument between the younger country starlet and her then-husband. It wasn’t long before Jones and Wynette were married, and dubbed “Mr. and Mrs. Country Music” by their adoring public. While maintaining separate recording careers, they also scored hits as a duo, joining the ranks of other famous country pairs – both married and platonic – like Porter and Dolly, Conway
Portrait of His Love: New Mint Audio Records Label Launches With Unreleased Matt Monro Concert
We’ve written often here in the past about the splendid restoration work of Richard Moore on projects for vocalist Matt Monro and composer Roy Budd, among others. Now, we’re happy to spread the word that Moore has launched a new label. U.K.-based Mint Audio Records has kicked off with three releases (and counting!) from a trio of bona fide music legends: Rosemary Clooney, Jim Reeves, and Matt Monro. All three of these titles premiere never-before-released music, and we’ll be taking an in-depth
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