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/ Pop

Review: Elvis Presley, "Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis"

March 27, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Lord a-mighty, do you feel your temperature rising?  Okay, "Burning Love" isn't among the songs on the new 2-CD Legacy Edition of Elvis Presley's 1974 Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis, but there's nonetheless plenty to get the pulse pounding and the pelvis swiveling.  The original Memphis LP preserved The King's hometown show of March 20, 1974, and this reissue adds a live concert from two nights earlier in Richmond, Virginia plus five bonus tracks from an in-studio rehearsal session.  Memphis

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Elvis Presley

Review: Eric Carmen, "The Essential Eric Carmen"

March 25, 2014 By Joe Marchese 6 Comments

essential eric carmen

The first track on Legacy Recordings' new double-disc anthology The Essential Eric Carmen (Arista/Legacy 88883745522) is titled, appropriately enough, "Get the Message."  And the message relayed by its 30 nuggets comes through loud and clear: whether as power pop prince, classically-inspired MOR balladeer or nostalgic yet contemporary eighties rocker, Eric Carmen had the goods. Young lust never sounded as thrilling, as exuberant, or as pretty as it did in the hands of The Raspberries.  Over

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Eric Carmen, The Raspberries

Welcome Back: Edsel Reissues John Sebastian's Reprise Catalogue, Adds Previously Unreleased Live Concert DVD

March 7, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

john sebastian edsel1

Edsel is saying "welcome back" to John Sebastian with the recent release of a quartet of albums in one deluxe package: John B. Sebastian, The Four of Us, Tarzana Kid and Welcome Back.  Edsel has bundled these releases, representing the Lovin' Spoonful founder's complete Reprise studio recordings, with a live concert DVD making its very first appearance anywhere.  In Concert: John Sebastian Sings John Sebastian was broadcast by the BBC in October 1970, months following the release of John B.

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: John Sebastian, The Lovin' Spoonful

Brotherhood's "Complete Recordings" Show Another Side of Former Paul Revere and the Raiders Members

March 4, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Rock's back pages are littered with "creative differences."   Such differences split Paul Revere and the Raiders into two warring factions - Paul Revere and Mark Lindsay on one side; Phil "Fang" Volk, Mike "Smitty" Smith and Drake "The Kid" Levin on the other.  The Volk-Smith-Levin triumvirate bristled at the more pop direction that the onetime garage band had been taking, and were none too pleased with the studio musicians being enlisted to beef up the Raiders' recordings.  In early 1967, the

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Paul Revere and The Raiders

Hot Shots: Big Break Relights Dan Hartman's "Fire," Expands Sheryl Lee Ralph's Solo Debut

February 28, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

dan hartman relight my fire

Talk about fusion!  For "Hands Down," the opening cut of his 1979 album Relight My Fire, Dan Hartman enlisted rock and roll great Edgar Winter to weave his alto saxophone licks throughout the Latin-flavored disco track, and Stevie Wonder to provide his instantly recognizable harmonica.  Hartman wasn't just a dilettante, but a regular musical renaissance man.   A veteran of the Johnny Winter Band and the Edgar Winter Group, he wrote the latter's smash hit "Free Ride," and successfully completed

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Disco/Dance, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Dan Hartman, Loleatta Holloway, Sheryl Lee Ralph

Hank Williams, Jaco Pastorius Lead Off Omnivore's RSD Slate

February 24, 2014 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

hank omnivore rsd ep1

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUKPRPWCDHg] That change in the air pressure you're probably feeling around your favorite indie record store can only mean one thing: Record Store Day 2014 is coming your way. April 19 will see a host of beloved major and independent labels celebrating the good old resilient brick-and-mortar store with various titles sold exclusively at participating stores. And the beloved cratediggers at Omnivore Recordings have four exciting titles prepared for the big

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Country, Jazz, Pop, Rock Tags: Hank Williams, Jaco Pastorius, Old 97's, Record Store Day, Sam Phillips, Spain, Vinyl

Review: Dionne Warwick On Edsel Records

February 20, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

presenting dionne edsel

Dionne Warwick's third album bore the title Make Way for Dionne Warwick.  But truth to tell, by the time of its release in September 1964, America had already made way for the New Jersey-born singer.  She had climbed the charts with the immortal likes of "Don't Make Me Over," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Walk on By" and "Reach Out for Me," the latter two of which were included on that LP.  Of course, all of those singles were written and produced by the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, who

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick

Forever Dusty: Four New Releases Celebrate Springfield's Musical Legacy

February 20, 2014 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

dusty early years1

Dusty Springfield’s ebullient first solo single, 1963’s “I Only Want to Be with You,” announced just how far the former Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien had come from her pop-folk trio The Springfields and the likes of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles.”  The thunderous production and joyous vocals augured for a significant new talent, and the song was selected as one of the very first ever to be played on the BBC’s Top of the Pops.  And indeed, Dusty Springfield remained at the top of

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Dusty Springfield, The Springfields

Edsel is Still Mad About Belinda Carlisle with New Anthologies

February 14, 2014 By Mike Duquette 4 Comments

belinda anthology front

After a series of great expanded CD/DVD reissues, Edsel will release not one but two career-spanning anthologies dedicated to former Go-Go's frontwoman/pop icon Belinda Carlisle. The Anthology collects three CDs and two DVDs worth of hits and rare content from the singer, whose late '80s run of singles included such impressive pop gems as "Mad About You," "Heaven is a Place on Earth," "I Get Weak," "Circle in the Sand" and "Leave a Light On." While Carlisle has been relatively quiet since

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Pop Tags: Belinda Carlisle, The Go-Go's

ABBA Celebrate 40 Years of "Waterloo" with New Reissue

February 13, 2014 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

waterloo 401

It may seem trite and ridiculous to Americans, but across the pond there is one competition that's bigger than any Idol or X-Factor event in the music world: the Eurovision Song Contest. For nearly 60 years, dozens of countries in the European Broadcasting Union send a song and a performer to the live event, and a winner is selected by votes. Despite the immense popularity of the contest, it's interesting how few winners achieve true global superstardom. Sandie Shaw won with her signature

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Vinyl Genre: Pop Tags: ABBA

Review: Blood, Sweat and Tears, "The Complete Columbia Singles"

February 12, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

blood sweat and tears singles

Blood, Sweat and Tears has much in common with Rodney Dangerfield - they get no respect. Though the band founded by Al Kooper, Steve Katz, Bobby Colomby, Jim Fielder, Dick Halligan, Randy Brecker and Jerry Weiss produced some of the most enduring pop singles of the late 1960s and early 1970s, the group has long lingered in the shadows of rock's back pages.  Eclipsed in fame by Columbia Records labelmates Chicago, plagued by a series of acrimonious departures from the ranks, and pilloried for

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Blood Sweat and Tears

Cherry Pop Revives Hazell Dean's Rare Burt Bacharach LP, Weather Girls' Second Album

January 23, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

hazell dean bacharach

The sound of Hazell Dean has long been associated with the sound of Hi-NRG, the dance-pop genre in which she scored hits like "Searchin' (I Gotta Find a Man)," "Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)" and "Who's Leaving Who."  But thanks to Cherry Pop, fans can discover another side of Hazell Dean on The Sound of Bacharach and David.  This ultra-rare promotional LP, originally issued in 1981, was commercially released for the first time on CD this week in the U.K.; it hits U.S. stores next

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Burt Bacharach, Hazell Dean, The Weather Girls

Here Where There Is Love: Edsel Repackages Sixteen Dionne Warwick Albums In Four Sets

January 2, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

dionne windows edsel1

Following last year’s series of 23 expanded reissues of Dionne Warwick’s Scepter and Warner Bros. catalogue from WEA Japan, the U.K.’s Edsel label is revisiting 16 of those very albums on four new, multi-CD sets.  Each one of Edsel’s sets will contain four original stereo albums in chronological sequence, with two of the new titles adding singles and retaining bonus tracks originally introduced on Rhino Handmade’s expanded reissues.  The titles, due in stores on January 13, are as

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick

The Beatles and The Beach Boys Beat The Boots On "The Big Beat 1963" and "Bootleg Recordings"

December 17, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

beatles bootleg recordings2

1963 was a landmark year for the favorite sons of Hawthorne, California.  During those twelve months, The Beach Boys released three Top 10 studio albums (Surfin’ USA, Surfer Girl and Little Deuce Coupe) and launched three Top 10 singles (“Surfin’ USA,” “Surfer Girl,” and “Be True to Your School”).  Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, the outgoing David Marks and returning Al Jardine were perfecting their harmony-laden brand of surf rock and setting the stage for the next step in

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Categories: News Formats: Digital Download Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, The Beatles

British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil "The U.S. Albums" Box Set in January

December 12, 2013 By Joe Marchese 69 Comments

the beatles u s albums box2

Get ready to revisit the original British Invasion: On January 21 in North America (and January 20 worldwide), The Beatles are coming to America with the release of The U.S. Albums, a 13-CD box commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Fabs’ arrival in New York City on February 7, 1964.  Two nights later, 74 million viewers watched the band make history on The Ed Sullivan Show, and Beatlemania was officially in full swing.  This new box set includes The Beatles’ U.S. albums from 1964’s Meet the

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: The Beatles

Now Sounds Tip-Toes Thru The Tulips With "God Bless Tiny Tim"

December 9, 2013 By Joe Marchese 15 Comments

god bless tiny tim1

Welcome to my dream, and how are you?  Will you be here long, or just passing through?  Brush off that stardust, where have you been?  Don’t tell me my rainbow was late getting in... When Herbert Buckingham “Tiny Tim” Khaury, 37, married Victoria May “Miss Vicki” Budinger, 17, on December 17, 1969 before Johnny Carson, Ed McMahon, The Rev. William Glenesk and a studio audience filled with 268 of the happy couple’s closest friends, roughly 40 million people were watching.  It was a high point

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Tiny TIm

Heavy "Drama": SoulMusic Slate Includes The Dramatics, Nancy Wilson, D.J. Rogers

November 19, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

dramatics joy ride2

As the old expression goes, all good things must come to an end.  And so Nancy Wilson's 37-album, 20-year tenure at Capitol Records ended in 1980 with the release of Take My Love.    At Capitol, Wilson had proved her mastery of Broadway, Hollywood, traditional vocal jazz, fusion jazz, pop and soul, and had collaborated with the likes of George Shearing, Cannonball Adderley, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, Thom Bell, and Oliver Nelson.  On her final Capitol LP, Wilson enlisted producers Larry Farrow

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: D.J. Rogers, Nancy Wilson, The Dramatics

Review: The Beatles, "On Air: Live at the BBC Volume Two"

November 11, 2013 By Joe Marchese 16 Comments

beatles on air2

Meet the Beatles...again. The new Apple/Capitol/Universal release On Air: Live at the BBC Volume Two sets the Wayback Machine at Destination: 1963 and 1964, when four Liverpool lads named John, Paul, George and Ringo ignited a British Invasion that continues to this very day.  All 63 tracks (both spoken-word introductions and songs) on this new 2-CD time capsule date back to those two years, when the Fabs recorded unique performances for such BBC programs as Saturday Club and Pop Go the

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Categories: Reviews Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: The Beatles

BBR Completes Pointer Sisters' Planet Catalogue with "Priority" and "Black and White" Remasters

November 7, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

pointer sisters priority2

Between 1978 and 1988, The Pointer Sisters recorded a stunning series of nine albums with producer Richard Perry (Barbra Streisand, Harry Nilsson), first for his Elektra-distributed Planet Records label, and then for RCA, to whom Perry eventually sold Planet.  During this period, June, Ruth and Anita finally were able to Break Out on the U.S. charts - to quote the title of the group's multi-platinum 1983 album which introduced four U.S. Top 10 hits.  Previously the Pointers had mastered jazz,

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: The Pointer Sisters

Review: Belinda Carlisle Deluxe Remasters From Edsel (1987-1993)

October 25, 2013 By Joe Marchese 6 Comments

belinda carlisle real

As lead singer of California rock group The Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle conclusively proved that she, indeed, had the beat.  In her solo career, she applied her powerfully soaring pipes - one minute honeyed, the next smoky - to some of the most iconic pop songs of the era.  Edsel has recently repackaged Carlisle's second through fifth albums as truly deluxe, hardbound 2-CD/1-DVD editions, and they're a nostalgic trip back to the days when power ballads ruled the radio and one singer stood at the

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Belinda Carlisle, The Go-Go's

Back to Black: Legacy Unveils Record Store Day Black Friday Exclusives From Simon, Dylan, Davis, Nilsson, Hendrix & More

October 17, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

rsdproductshot

It's that time of year again!  Though Black Friday has taken a backseat in recent years to the once-unheard-of Thanksgiving Day sales, the folks at Record Store Day still hold the day after Thanksgiving in high esteem.  News has begun to trickle out about this year's RSD Back to Black Friday exclusives, and the team at Legacy has certainly put together a collection of special vinyl releases - and a handful of CDs, too - that look back to recent releases from the label and forward to future

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Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop, Rock Tags: Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Nas, Paul Simon, Record Store Day, Roy Orbison, Sly & The Family Stone, The Clash, Uncle Tupelo, Vinyl

Omnivore Re-Joins Jellyfish Fan Club with Unreleased Radio Performances

October 14, 2013 By Mike Duquette 4 Comments

radio jellyfish

Fans of eternally underrated power-pop outfit Jellyfish have had nothing but friends over at Omnivore Recordings. The label first released the band's two studio albums, Bellybutton and Spilt Milk, on vinyl. Then there was the unreleased Live At Bogart's and the Stack-a-Tracks compilation, which featured mostly-instrumental mixes of the two albums uncovered from the vaults. Now, Omnivore prepares Radio Jellyfish, a ten-track compilation of radio broadcasts recorded two decades ago. All but one

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Vinyl Genre: Pop, Rock Tags: Jellyfish

Review: Harry Nilsson, "Flash Harry"

September 27, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

harry nilsson flash harry

When Harry Nilsson's The RCA Albums Collection was finally unveiled earlier this year by Legacy Recordings, many finally stood up and took notice of the gifted singer-songwriter whose art deftly blended the high and the low, the angelic and the devilish, the euphoric and the melancholy.  That astounding box set included each one of Nilsson's albums for the RCA label - in other words, his entire solo discography save one album.  And now, that final missing link is finally here, on CD to join its

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Harry Nilsson

Varese Offers Up Fab Pair with George Martin's "Beatles to Bond" and Campbeltown Pipe Band's "Mull of Kintyre"

September 24, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

george martin beatles to bond

With the upcoming release of The Beatles’ On Air: Live at the BBC Volume Two, there’s Beatlemania in the air once again.  And the Varese Sarabande label’s Varese Vintage imprint is at the ready with two recent reissues bearing ties to the Fab Four: George Martin’s Beatles to Bond and Bach (1974) and The Campbeltown Pipe Band’s Mull of Kintyre (1978).  Both of these are rather unexpected titles and all the more welcome for it! Beatles to Bond and Bach, originally issued on the Polydor label,

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: George Martin, Paul McCartney, The Beatles

Short Takes, Christmas Edition: Glen Campbell, Judy Collins, Al Hirt Bring Holiday Cheer

September 23, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

glen campbell icon christmas1

At long last - Capitol Records has That Christmas Feeling.  Glen Campbell’s first Christmas album, from 1968, has long been absent from CD, but the label has rectified that with the new release of Campbell’s ICON Christmas.  Though retitled and with new artwork, ICON Christmas is, in fact, That Christmas Feeling as newly remastered by Mike Jones at Universal Mastering.  (The previous, now-hard-to-find CD issue, from the Netherlands, also presented the album with new art.)  Produced by Al De Lory

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Country, Folk, Pop Tags: Al Hirt, Glen Campbell, Judy Collins

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