Today, more than 25 years after their final performance together, The Staples Singers are synonymous with gospel and soul music of the highest order. Roebuck "Pops" Staples, daughters Cleotha, Mavis, and (sometimes) Yvonne, and son Pervis raised their voices in song to celebrate the Lord, but also to crusade for civil rights and share musical messages of power and positivity around the world. In the 1960s, the group transitioned from pure gospel and blues to soul and R&B, setting the stage
Message in the Music: Craft Recordings Celebrates Legacy of Stax’s Gospel Truth Records
Craft Recordings is celebrating the Gospel Truth with a new reissue campaign dedicated to that Stax Records imprint. Every week, the label drops a digital reissue of a Gospel Truth title culminating in the vinyl, CD, and digital release in September - Gospel Heritage Month - of a newly-curated singles collection. Various digital playlists and lyric videos will also be unveiled throughout the course of the series. Stax chief Al Bell launched Gospel Truth in 1972, working in close coordination
The Ties That Bind: Springsteen Releases 1981 New Jersey “River” Show to Benefit State Pandemic Relief Fund
Earlier today, Bruce Springsteen announced the release of the latest title in his live series, with all proceeds from the sale of the show going to the New Jersey Pandemic Relief Fund. The date was July 9, 1981. Springsteen and The E Street Band had just returned from Europe and headed home to New Jersey to christen the brand-new Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford. Today, the venue is a filming facility rather than a concert venue, but in summer '81, it was a major new addition to the
Release Round-Up: Week of May 1
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Benefit for Moogy Klingman (Purple Pyramid) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Cleopatra Records' Purple Pyramid imprint remembers Utopia's late keyboardist with Benefit for Moogy Klingman. This 4-CD/2-DVD set (originally slated for May 15 but apparently shipping today) includes the band's Highline Ballroom reunion set of January 29, 2011 (featuring Todd Rundgren, Moogy, Ralph Schuckett, John Siegler, Kevin
What a Wonderful World: Omnivore Reissues, Expands Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks’ “Orange Crate Art” on CD, LP
Brian Wilson found himself an artistic crossroads in 1995. His first solo album was seven years in the rearview mirror. He had begun rebuilding his life with new wife Melinda three years after being extricated from the "care" of disgraced doctor Eugene Landy. Now, it was time for a creative rebirth, too. It began in January with the release of Don Was' documentary film I Just Wasn't Made for These Times and its accompanying soundtrack. It continued later in the year when Wilson reunited with one
How Sweet: Cherry Red, Grapefruit Expand Albums from Shape of the Rain, Neil Innes
Today, we're looking at two new releases from Cherry Red's Grapefruit Records imprint from Shape of the Rain and Neil Innes! Keith Riley, Len Riley, Brian Wood, and Ian "Tag" Waggett came together under the very 1960s name of Shape of the Rain after having exhausted other monikers including The Gear and The Reaction. Under their new psychedelic handle, the group came to the attention of Joe Cocker's manager David McPhie. Initially, the foursome found it difficult to get club gigs precisely
BREAKING! Record Store Day “Drops” Replace June Date, Scheduled for August, September, and October
It's now been confirmed that Record Store Day is going to look a lot different this year. The June 20, 2020 date - itself a replacement for the original April 18 event - has been cancelled due to the ongoing store closures resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, the titles originally slated for Record Store Day will be divided up for three "Record Store Day Drops" currently planned to take place one Saturday per month in August, September, and October. These "properly distanced"
Unleash The (Star) Beast: #TSDTweet Returns With Goldsmith’s ‘Alien’ Soundtrack
After two weeks of live-tweeting albums by Prince and Huey Lewis and The News, our third lockdown-era #TSDTweet will go beyond the hits into the furthest reaches of space...where no one can hear you scream. That's right: join our Twitter account on May 1 at 5 p.m. EST for a live listen-along to Jerry Goldsmith's original soundtrack to Ridley Scott's sci-fi suspense classic Alien (1979). The original LP, issued by 20th Century Records and available digitally (so streamers can listen along
Wonderful! Wonderful! Crimson Collects “Gold” Volumes for Johnny Mathis, George Jones
The ongoing series of budget-priced 3-CD Gold compilations from Demon Music Group's Crimson Productions continues with a pair of releases from artists for whom "legendary" is no understatement: Johnny Mathis and the late George Jones. Curating a representative sampling of Johnny Mathis' singular career in under 50 tracks is no small task, and this set is indeed decades-spanning from his first commercially released single (1956's pairing of "Wonderful! Wonderful!" and "When Sunny Gets Blue")
Soundtrack Watch: Goldsmith Favorites, ‘Legends’ Uncovered, La-La Land Sale
Music reissues have been scarce over the last month or so, but our friends at various boutique soundtrack labels have worked hard to put out quality products before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Join us as we shine the spotlight on some of our recent favorites! Varese Sarabande has been working overtime, releasing three limited CD Club titles as well as a rarer, high-profile deluxe edition. In the latter case, it's a new deluxe edition of the soundtrack to 2014's Whiplash. The sophomore
Makes Me Feel Fine: “NOW That’s What I Call Yacht Rock 2” Sets Sail
It's time to break out the piña coladas. This Friday, the long-running NOW series will release its second volume of NOW That's What I Call Yacht Rock. This collection of classic songs in the "yacht rock" genre - think: seventies and early eighties soft rock with memorable melodies, sparkling productions, and plenty of saxophones - arrives on CD and in digital/streaming formats, with a 2-LP vinyl set arriving on July 3. With eighteen songs, NOW That's What I Call Yacht Rock 2 boasts return
So In Love: Stage Door Collects the Romantic Sounds of Broadway’s John Raitt on “Original Album Series” Set
Having celebrated the life of Alfred Drake in a 2-CD collection last year, Stage Door Records has turned its attention to another of Broadway's greatest leading men: the late John Raitt (1917-2005). John Raitt: Original Album Series brings together four full-length LPs from the legendary performer originally issued between 1955 and 1960, plus a host of bonus tracks. It's due at general retail on May 1 and is currently shipping directly from the label. A California native, Raitt made his
Today’s the Day: America’s “Heritage II” Collects Unreleased Demos, Alternates, More
If you think you know all of the exits off that mythical Ventura Highway, think again. Omnivore Recordings has just released a new collection straight from the America archives, and it's filled with unexpected treasures. Heritage II: Demos/Alternate Takes 1971-1976 follows up the first volume from 2017 and proves itself a more than worthy successor. This collection could well be subtitled The George Martin Years. While its two earliest tracks return to the period of the band's sophomore album,
Release Round-Up: Week of April 24
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! America, Heritage II: Demos/Alternate Takes 1971-1976 (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) "Today's the Day" when America continues its archival series of demos and alternates via Omnivore Recordings. Heritage II, out today on CD, features 13 previously unissued tracks from 1971-1976 including the epic "Jameroony," the track mix with background vocals only of the hit "Tin Man," Gerry Beckley's never-before-heard "Mandy," and
Rolling Stones Drop New Song, “Living in a Ghost Town,” Today
Fresh off their appearance on last weekend's One World: Together at Home telethon with an affecting version of their 1969 anthem "You Can't Always Get What You Want," The Rolling Stones surprised fans earlier today with a brand-new song appropriate to these isolated, sheltering-at-home times. Alternately bluesy, funky, and rocking, "Living in a Ghost Town" conjures the kind of imagery that any of us looking out a window onto an empty street can surely appreciate. The track was cut "well over
I’ll Plant My Own Tree: JSP Records Collects Judy Garland’s “Best of Lost Tracks 2”
Last year, JSP Records premiered its latest archival release celebrating the life and remarkable artistry of Judy Garland. Lost Tracks 2: 1936-1967 collected 50 rarities on two discs spanning the entirety of the late superstar's career, 40 of which were new to CD. Now, on June 26, JSP will release a single-disc "highlights" edition of that seminal set with 25 tracks, adding one previously unreleased bonus cut. The Best of Lost Tracks 2: 1936-1967 premieres on CD young Judy's rendition of
Happy Ending: Intervention Brings Joe Jackson’s “Body and Soul” to Hybrid SACD
Intervention Records' Joe Jackson reissue series has already seen high-quality vinyl pressings of such favorite albums as I'm the Man, Look Sharp!, Night and Day, and Summer in the City: Live in New York. Now, the label is turning its attention to another classic from the Jackson discography, his 1984 studio album Body and Soul. On or around June 5, the label will reissue Body and Soul as a stereo hybrid SACD, playable on all CD players. Following the breakthrough success of 1982's Night and
Walking in Rhythm: Robinsongs Collects Best of Donald Byrd and The Blackbyrds on “The Jazz Funk Collection”
Donald Byrd was well-versed in the art of reinvention. The trumpeter/bandleader began his career as a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers while still pursuing his master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music. Upon graduating from both institutions, Byrd played with John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk, and a host of jazz's finest leaders. By 1958, he was leading his own quintet. But in the years to come, the sound of music would shift radically. Byrd would change with it. His
Do You Like Huey Lewis and The News? Join Us For Another #TSDTweet This Friday!
A sincere thanks to our readers and friends who joined in to last Friday's live tweet of Prince and The Revolution's Around The World In a Day. It was a nice way to revisit a classic album, a fine memorial to one of our favorite artists, and a nice little show of community in some unusual times. So it's only natural that we'd do it again - and this time, we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of the striking slasher film American Psycho by giving a listen to one of the albums it gave a most
I’m Coming Out: Diana Ross’ “Supertonic: Mixes” Collects Chart-Topping Remixes
For the legendary Diana Ross, it's clear that there truly ain't no mountain high enough. The superstar made chart history earlier this year when "Love Hangover 2020" reached the top position on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart - making it her fourth consecutive No. 1 remix of a song that had previously been No. 1 on the Hot 100 in its original version. Now, that record-setting remix is coming to CD, clear vinyl LP, and digital formats along with Miss Ross' other three recent chart-toppers
Down to Junior’s Bar: Iron City Houserockers’ “Have a Good Time” featuring Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, Steven Van Zandt Turns 40, Gets Expanded Edition
Pittsburgh native Joe Grushecky burst onto the national music scene in 1979 as leader of the Iron City Houserockers. Their debut album on MCA Records, 1979's Love's So Tough, conjured an authentic blue-collar milieu and recalled a harder-edged E Street Band. The band upped their game with follow-up release Have a Good Time But Get Out Alive! in 1980. Now, that bar-band classic is returning to print in a newly expanded edition adding a second disc with 16 previously unreleased tracks including
Release Round-Up: Week of April 17
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, Carnegie Hall (Zappa Records/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Zappa Records and UMe repackage this 2011 website-exclusive 4-CD set in more compact 3-CD fashion for general release. Carnegie Hall chronicles Zappa and the Mothers of Invention's October 11, 1971 shows at the famed New York venue from the original mono tapes. This version drops the opening set by The Persuasions but
Lost in Music: Cherry Red Boxes Sister Sledge Classics on “Thinking of You”
While 1979's anthemic "We Are Family" broke Sister Sledge into the mainstream, Kathy Sledge and her older sisters Debbie, Joni, and Kim were hardly overnight sensations. They paid their dues, and had been recording for Atco Records since 1973 when all four members were still teenagers. Now, Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint has compiled all of the Sledges' recordings for Atco, its parent Atlantic, and sister imprint Cotillion into one tidy 6-CD box set. Thinking of You: The
Practice, Practice, Practice (Redux): Zappa Records Revisits 1971 Carnegie Hall Shows
Eddie, are you kidding? Is Zappa Records revisiting Frank Zappa's October 11, 1971 concerts at New York's Carnegie Hall? Yes, indeed. When Frank Zappa and his Mothers of Invention took the stage at that historic venue nearly fifty (!) years ago, the performances were recorded for possible future release on the artist's then-home of Warner Bros. Records. Back in 2011, Zappa Records issued a "warts and all" ticket to both complete shows performed on that date as a 4-CD box set simply
Paisley Park Is In Your Heart: Join Us For a #TSDTweet On ‘Around The World In a Day’
We're a little more than a month into COVID-19 lockdown here at TSD HQ, and we know things are still tough for everyone. (Things are tough for the music business, too, but they have more money than most of us! So this post is for you.) As Mike noted in his last missive to our awesome readers, one of the things getting us through the situation is sharing the gift of music with each other. Neil Finn's Fangradio has been a balm, and Steve Nieve's The Daily Improvisation recently remotely