Diamonds are forever. And Neil is no exception. Almost 50 years ago, the singer-songwriter captured a Hot August Night at Los Angeles' Greek Theatre in front of a sold-out crowd. That electrifying 1972 double-platinum double album, in turn, inspired four sequels released between 1977 and 2018. Now, in September 2020, the Greek Theatre is dark as a result of COVID-19. But Capitol and UMe have just released those four sequel albums as newly-remastered 2-LP vinyl sets. Standard black vinyl
Review: Joe Jackson, "Body and Soul" [Hybrid SACD]
Joe Jackson was never much of a conformist. The singer-songwriter followed up his first two albums (which dovetailed with the new wave movement and also reflected a punk spirit) with two stylistic departures before embracing classic songcraft on 1982's watershed Night and Day. Basking in the success of the album and its singles "Steppin' Out" and "Breaking Us in Two," Jackson turned to film scoring with Mike's Murder, but most of his score was discarded in favor of one by John Barry. Where
This Is Soul: Ace Collects "The Soul of The Memphis Boys" with Elvis, Dusty, Box Tops, More
We've already filled you in on Ace's recent anthology collecting works by Philly soul maestro Thom Bell; now we're looking to the American South with another release! Way back in 2012, Ace Records collected the multifaceted sounds of Chips Moman and Don Crews' American Studios on Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios. The 24-song tribute collection featured such visitors to Memphis as Dusty Springfield, Wilson Pickett, B.J. Thomas, and Solomon Burke as well as Elvis Presley, one of the
Review: Joel McNeely, 'Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire'
For the 42 years Star Wars has been a pop cultural force, musical oddities have followed in the wake of its starship engines. Sure, legendary composer John Williams put an interstellar jazz number in the middle of his almost operatic score to the original 1977 film, but that didn't predict a chart-topping disco song, or Christmas albums, or quirky EDM, or various other ephemera in the ensuing decades. When Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire was released in 1996, amid a major comeback for that
Cruisin' for Love: Cherry Red, RPM Collect The Complete Kursaal Flyers on "Little Does She Know"
The Kursaal Flyers - founded in Southend-on-Sea, some 40 miles or 64 kilometers east of central London and so named for the town's famous building which once housed part of a famous amusement park - made their biggest splash with the 1976 single "Little Does She Know," produced by Mike Batt in thunderous Phil Spector style. Cherry Red's RPM Records has recently chronicled the full Kursaal Flyers story as one of the imprint's final projects. Little Does She Know: The Complete Recordings has
Nobody Else: Cherry Red Revisits Nick Kamen Discography on "The Complete Collection"
"Wow, he's got a great face!" That was Madonna's first reaction to then-model, future pop star Nick Kamen. She recollected, "I never knew he could sing. And the next thing I know, Seymour Stein calls me up and says, 'would you be interested in writing a song for his album?' So he sent me a tape and the Levi's commercial and a demo video that he had done, and I said, 'Wow, this guy's got everything.'" Now, fans of Kamen can have everything, too, as Cherry Red has just released The Complete
Review: Paul McCartney, "Archive Collection: Flaming Pie" 2-CD and 5-CD/2-DVD Box Set Editions
Today sees the release of the latest in Paul McCartney's acclaimed Archive Collection series, Flaming Pie. Originally released in 1997, the album marked something of a comeback for McCartney, who was inspired by the spontaneous, more immediate recording techniques of The Beatles. Many heralded it as a sort of return to form upon its release, and now fans can judge for themselves with this illuminating deep dive into the Macca vaults. Like previous Archive Collection entries, Flaming Pie is
Happy Together: Demon Reissues Three Turtles Collections on Vinyl
Three years after the U.K.'s Demon Records released The Turtles' The Albums Collection - a six-LP vinyl set presenting the band's complete studio album discography - the label has added three more vinyl titles to their Turtles library: the period anthologies Golden Hits (1967) and More Golden Hits (1970) plus the 2017 compilation The Turtles '66. All three reflect the changing sound of the eternal group which both epitomized AM pop and gently sent it up. Golden Hits arrived at the midpoint
Review: Donna Summer, "A Hot Summer Night"
"This isn't just my show...this is your show!" Donna Summer exclaimed during "MacArthur Park," the opening song of her August 6, 1983 concert at Costa Mesa, California's Pacific Amphitheatre. Now, that memorable concert dubbed A Hot Summer Night truly can be yours, as Driven by the Music and Crimson Productions have debuted it on CD and DVD as well as on a separate vinyl release. A Hot Summer Night, part of Summer's Hard for the Money tour, was filmed in the wake of the She Works Hard for
Review: Micky Dolenz, "Live in Japan" [CD/DVD Edition]
Even today, the name Kodak is synonymous with photography. But in 1980 Japan, Kodak was synonymous with The Monkees. The venerable company had scored a popular commercial there with the group's recording of "Daydream Believer," leading to a fresh wave of Monkeemania. Word spread, and soon, Davy Jones and Peter Tork were touring the country as solo acts. Micky Dolenz was third to arrive, having comfortably reestablished himself as not only a stage star but a theatrical and television
Cherry Red, SoulMusic Release 'Anything You Want,' Three-Disc David Sanborn Salute
Whether you've heard his albums or not, chances are you've heard the music of David Sanborn. The alto saxophone great has played on classic records by Steely Dan, Paul Simon, Elton John, Billy Joel, James Taylor, David Bowie, and dozens of others. Now, Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint has delivered a comprehensive survey of Sanborn's 20+ years for the Warner family of labels. Anything You Want: The Warner-Reprise-Elektra Years 1975-1996 draws on 17 of his albums as a leader and showcases
Pick Up The Pieces: Edsel Releases Multi-Disc Average White Band Anthology
In selecting a name, the Average White Band certainly was modest. Over a career spanning nearly 50 years, the Scottish band recorded thirteen studio albums and seven live sets; charted nine hits in the U.K. and U.S. and a further 15 songs on the U.S. R&B survey; scored a million-seller with "Pick Up the Pieces;" and had so many songs sampled that the group was ranked the fifteenth most sampled artist in history as of around a decade ago. The AWB is still active today under the auspices of
Review: Whitney Houston, "Whitney Houston: 35th Anniversary Edition"
Whitney Houston wasn't yet 22 years old when Arista Records released her self-titled debut album on Valentine's Day, 1985. Overseen by executive producer Clive Davis, Whitney Houston anticipated every style the singer would explore in her subsequent discography. 35 years later, nearly every song is a recognized classic and a cornerstone of the late singer's career. Vinyl Me, Please, in association with Legacy Recordings and Arista, has just revisited Whitney Houston in a beautiful new 2-LP box
With Every Beat of My Heart: Cherry Pop Reissues, Expands Laura Branigan's "Self Control"
Laura Branigan became an overnight sensation with the release of 1982's "Gloria." Her throbbing adaptation of Umberto Tozzi's Italian hit not only reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (held from the top spot by Lionel Richie's "Truly") but spent 36 weeks on the chart, establishing a new record for a solo female artist. A dance party anthem for a post-disco age, "Gloria" helped propel the singer's debut album, Branigan, to top 40 status and a Gold sales certification. It set the stage for
Review: The Iron City Houserockers, "Have a Good Time But...Get Out Alive!" [40th Anniversary Edition]
With apologies to John Lennon, Joe Grushecky is a working-class hero. A special education teacher by day and musician by night, Grushecky has worked for decades in inner-city Pittsburgh to help children battling severe developmental, emotional, and physical disabilities. Determination, grit, and authenticity have long been among his trademarks as an artist. Now, Cleveland International Records has reissued his sophomore album, recorded with his band The Iron City Houserockers, in a 2-CD or 2-LP
Dreamsville: Andy Williams' "Cadence Albums" Box Available Now from Edsel
Though born in the small town of Wall Lake, Iowa, Howard Andrew Williams always had his sight on the stars. From a young age, he sang with his older brothers Bob, Don, and Dick - first in church, then on local radio. While their father was a railroad worker, he encouraged his sons' showbiz dreams as they "graduated" on the airwaves from Des Moines to Chicago to Cincinnati. It wasn't long before word reached Hollywood of the brothers' potential, and upon moving there in 1943, they were rewarded
Review: Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, "Orange Crate Art: 25th Anniversary Edition"
Orange crate art was a place to start/Orange crate art was a world apart... Van Dyke Parks - composer, lyricist, arranger, producer, and all-around iconoclast - found inspiration in those familiar fruit crates painted with lovely, bucolic images of the fantasyland known as California. Having crafted a relaxed, loping melody, he was determined to set lyrics to it. The story goes that the first word he thought of was "orange." While it isn't easy to rhyme, it does stir at least four of the
Review: Dr. John, "Ske-Dat-De-Dat: The Spirit of Satch" from The Last Music Company
What happens when you mix a bit of gris-gris with a touch of classic jazz? You get a party of an album such as Dr. John's Ske-Dat-Ske-Dat: The Spirit of Satch! The late Mac Rebennack, a.k.a. Dr. John, frequently drew on the classic sounds of New Orleans as he conjured his own musical voodoo. Most appropriately, his final studio album was a tribute to one of the most significant figures to ever emerge from the Crescent City. Louis Armstrong transformed the sounds of both jazz and popular music,
Go All the Way: Demon Reissues Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs' "Under the Covers," Compiles New "Best Of" Collection
"In the real world, Sid 'n Susie are Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - two navigators in the pop musical current, current tense vocally and as tunesmiths with prime craft of their own write. They've bagged the best of the '60s with uncanny insight. I know. I was there but can remember," asserted Van Dyke Parks in his introduction to 2006's Under the Covers Vol. 1. On that volume, Sid 'n Susie revisited some of their favorite songs of the 1960s, largely staying faithful to the original
People, Let's Freak Out: Cherry Red Reissues, Expands "Belfast Gypsies" from The Other Them
There are many peculiar stories in the annals of rock and roll, but surely one of the most peculiar is the tale of Them and The Other Them - and it's just been chronicled anew in Cherry Red/Grapefruit's release of Them: Belfast Gypsies. The Northern Irish band Them always had a fluid lineup; frontman Van Morrison wrote candidly in 2015 that "Them was intended as a vehicle, a way for me to sing and play the blues." The first line-up, featuring Eric Wrixon on keyboards, only ever recorded
Things I Didn't Know I Loved: Ghostlight Salutes Off-Broadway Icon on "The Liz Swados Project"
"I'm not a legitimate theatrical composer like Steve Sondheim, that sort of thing," insisted Elizabeth Swados to New York in 1980. "I'm not such a good musician, but I do have an excellent ear. People say I don't write melodic music. I was talking to a Broadway producer who told me I could learn to write melodies. But my orientation is different; I'm writing music that can't be dissociated from a theatrical piece, from the event itself." In fairness, one should note that the same affront - "he
Review: Jimi Hendrix, "Band of Gypsys [50th Anniversary Edition]"
During his all-too-brief career, Jimi Hendrix navigated an uncharted course, following his muse and his talents wherever they would take him. So much has been said about his guitar technique, his songwriting, and his lyrics. But as I lay listening to the 50th anniversary edition of Band of Gypsys, I realized that Hendrix was also a pioneer of that sometimes-maligned product, the concert recording. At the time of its release in March of 1970, live albums had something of a bad rap. Many were
Outlaw Man: Cherry Red, Morello Collect Four Albums from Singer-Songwriter David Blue
David Blue might be best-known for two things: writing "Outlaw Blues" on Eagles' Desperado album, and being a friend and occasional sidekick of Bob Dylan's. Yet he recorded seven albums (plus a major contribution to an eighth, the 1965 Elektra anthology Singer Songwriter Project) between 1965 and 1976 in addition to making appearances on stage and film before his untimely death in 1982. Cherry Red's Morello imprint has recently celebrated the late folk troubadour with a four-albums-on-two-CDs
Sing a Rainbow: Four More Cilla Black Albums Go Deluxe from Cherry Red, SFE
Cherry Red's Strike Force Entertainment (SFE) imprint has released another pair of two-for-one titles in its definitive reissue series dedicated to the late superstar Cilla Black. 1966's Cilla Sings a Rainbow, the best-selling album of her career, has been paired with 1973's Day by Day with Cilla, her final LP produced by Sir George Martin; the latter makes its first appearance on CD. It's been joined by 1970's Sweet Inspiration with 1971's Images. As with past volumes in this series, these
Book Review: "Along Comes The Association: Beyond Folk Rock and Three-Piece Suits" by Russ Giguere
"Well, I'm a comer and a goer in a six man band," went the lyrics to The Association's 1968 semi-autobiographical single "Six Man Band." Now, founding member Russ Giguere has reflected on his comings and goings in a new book that serves as both a personal memoir and a history of the band. Along Comes The Association: Beyond Folk Rock and Three-Piece Suits, written with Ashley Wren Collins, is a compelling look back at a colorful life in the group that gave the world such enduring hits as "Along
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