Melissa Manchester announced her independence from Arista Records when she signed to MCA Records after nearly a decade with Clive Davis' famous label. At Arista, Manchester had established herself as one of the finest singer-songwriters of her era (or any other!) as well as a first-class pop interpreter. At MCA, she reinvented herself further by jumping headfirst into the world of dance-oriented synthpop, Hi-NRG, and new wave. 1985's Mathematics bore the period's hallmark of multiple big-name
Knowing The Way: Omnivore Revisits Fastball's Breakthrough
Despite the lyrics to their biggest hit song referring to never growing old, time marches on for everything. And so it is that Fastball's sophomore album All The Pain Money Can Buy is marking its 20th anniversary this year. To celebrate the occasion, Omnivore Recordings is releasing an expanded edition of the album on November 9. Formed in Austin, Texas in 1995, Fastball consists of Tony Scalzo (vocals, bass, keyboards, guitars), Mike Zuniga (vocals, guitars) and Joey Shuffield (drums,
Cool Summer: Six Bananarama Albums Expanded On London Label
She's got it...yeah, baby, she's got it! The first six albums by the beloved girl group Bananarama have recently been reissued in expanded editions from London Music Stream Limited. These albums - Deep Sea Skiving (1983), Bananarama (1984), True Confessions (1986), Wow! (1987), Pop Life (1991), and Please Yourself (1993) - represent the first decade of the band, spanning 1983-1993 and including such hits as "Shy Boy," "Cruel Summer," "More Than Physical," "I Heard a Rumour," and of course,
They Don't Come Better: Real Gone Announces Four Tops Singles and Joe Simon Pop Hits Compilations For October
With summer winding down, we now start to look to the fall and what's coming up in that season. Real Gone has recently announced a couple of 2-CD compilations in the R&B/Soul genre due on October 5. The first is The Complete ABC/Dunhill Singles from the Four Tops. The vocal quartet of Levi Stubbs, Abdul "Duke" Fakir, Renaldo "Obie" Benson and Lawrence Payton needs little introduction as they were the Motown stalwarts who gave us such classics as "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey
One Love to Give: Cherry Red, Doctor Bird Expand Phyllis Dillon's Pop-Rocksteady Classic
Cherry Red's Doctor Bird imprint is shining the spotlight on arguably the most significant female artist of the rocksteady genre, Phyllis Dillon. Her story is a special one; she only released one full album during her recording career, but that album - 1972's One Life to Live - laid the groundwork for the reputation which she enjoyed until her untimely death in 2004. Doctor Bird's reissue, due on September 7, expands the original 12-song album to 28 tracks, making for a deep retrospective of
Gimme Some Truth: John Lennon's "Imagine" Gets "Ultimate" Treatment in October
John Lennon's second solo studio album, and arguably his most beloved, is returning from Apple and Capitol in a lavish new 4CD/2BD box set. On October 5, the Imagine: Ultimate Collection will hit stores, celebrating the classic 1971 album which introduced the world to "Imagine," "Jealous Guy," and "Gimme Some Truth" as well as the blistering "How Do You Sleep" and rollicking "Oh, Yoko!" In addition to the box set and digital options, a 2CD Deluxe Edition, 1CD remaster, and 2LP black vinyl
Review: Michael Nesmith and The First National Band Redux, "Live at The Troubadour"
Michael Nesmith always traveled to the beat of a different drum. While serving as one-fourth of The Monkees, Nesmith was expanding his musical horizons beyond the group's infectious Brill Building pop stylings. "I wanted beautiful music wherever I could find it," he writes in the liner notes to his new release on 7a Records. "But if I wanted to sing it myself and write it myself, I had to have an understanding of what that music was, and how to get to it. So, the first place I looked was in
Lost In a Lost World: Cherry Red Reissues, Expands Hudson-Ford with Rupert Holmes Productions, Roger James
Cherry Red has recently unearthed another pair of seventies pop gems on their Esoteric and RPM imprints, respectively, from Hudson-Ford and Roger James. Both titles will hit stores this Friday, August 24. Daylight was the 1977 CBS Records debut of Hudson-Ford, a.k.a. Richard Hudson (guitar/vocals/sitar) and John Ford (vocals/bass/guitar), formerly of The Strawbs. Their fourth album as a duo, Daylight was produced at the label's behest by Robin Geoffrey Cable, a Trident Studios engineer who
Freak Out! Vintage-Style CHIC Mixes Shine On New Dimitri From Paris Set
In 2010, Dimitri from Paris was invited to remix a number of tracks from the venerable CHIC catalogue for The CHIC Organization Box Set. Vol. 1: Savoir Faire. The Turkish-born, French music producer and DJ's remixed takes on classics like "I Want Your Love," "I Feel Your Love Comin' On," Sister Sledge's "Thinking of You" and "Lost in Music," and Norma Jean Wright's "Saturday" were all released as digital singles. Now, those remixes and more have just been collected on a new set available on 2
Anyone Who Had a Heart: Dionne Warwick Saluted on Public Television, New Rarities-Packed CDs, More
From the moment she burst onto the music scene in 1962 exhorting "Don't Make Me Over," Dionne Warwick has been a musical force with which to be reckoned. The legendary singer blended elegant pop and deeply-felt soul in a fashion which remains unrivaled today for its sophistication and polish; her signature songs like "Walk On By," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Alfie," and "I'll Never Love This Way Again" have all become cornerstones of the new American songbook. Dionne's remarkable life and
Release Round-Up: Week of August 17
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Neil Diamond, Hot August Night III (Capitol) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Neil Diamond's August 2012 concerts at Los Angeles' Greek Theater marking the 40th anniversary of the original Hot August Night are captured on this new live release which also follows 1987's Hot August Night II and 2009's Hot August Night/NYC (with
In Memoriam: Aretha Franklin (1942-2018)
The Queen has left the building. Aretha Franklin has died the age of 76, having forever transformed the landscape of American popular music. That she was indisputably The Queen of Soul was most recently made it clear when her December 6, 2015 performance at Washington, DC's Kennedy Center quickly went viral. Audiences around the world reveled as she performed Carole King, Gerry Goffin and Jerry Wexler's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" with a blazing emotional honesty that couldn't
Picture Book: The Kinks Expand "The Village Green Preservation Society" In Massive New Box Set
The Kinks are going back to the Village Green - and it's grown quite a bit in size! On October 26, the band's legendary fifth album, 1968's The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society, will arrive from BMG Rights Management in a massive new box set produced by Andrew Sandoval. The new box will boast 3 LPs, 5 CDs, 3 seven-inch singles and more, for a total of 174 tracks (3 previously unreleased songs, 55 previously unreleased versions). Considered the band's most
Go Insane: Lindsey Buckingham Announces Solo Anthology, New Tour
Fleetwood Mac shocked fans earlier this year by announcing the dismissal of longtime singer/songwriter/producer/guitarist Lindsey Buckingham just as a new tour had been confirmed. Now, Buckingham is back on his feet with a new collection and a tour of his own which will launch just days later than his old band's. Solo Anthology - The Best of Lindsey Buckingham, due October 5 from Rhino Records, will be available as a 3-disc set on CD and digitally and also as a single disc "highlights"
In The Mood For Dancing: The Nolans' Best Collected On New CD/DVD Anthology
The Nolans' effervescent signature hit proclaimed, "I'm in the Mood for Dancing"...and that's precisely how you'll feel after a listen to Hot Shot Records' new anthology dedicated to the Irish girl group. Chemistry: The Ultimate Collection tells the story of Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda, Bernadette, and Coleen, all of whom at various times served in the family group. This new set from the Cherry Red imprint features 21 Nolans classics on CD plus eight music videos on DVD, all from the period
Reviews: Gene Clark and The Rose Garden Return From Omnivore
Though he's been - and continues to be - the subject of numerous reissues and releases, Gene Clark still remains somewhat of an enigma. The founding member of The Byrds (1944-1991) only released six solo studio albums within his too-short lifetime, bolstering a discography also containing group and collaborative efforts. But he left behind what seems like scores of unreleased tracks, much of which has been mined in the years since his death. In 2013, the Omnivore label issued his demos for
Wap Bam Boogie: Cherry Pop Expands Matt Bianco's "Indigo" to 3 CDs
Cherry Pop has just continued its reissue series celebrating U.K. outfit Matt Bianco with a 3-CD deluxe edition of 1988's Indigo. This release follows similarly lavish expansions for the jazz/pop/dance/Latin band's debut Whose Side Are You On in 2016 and eponymous sophomore album in 2017. By the time of Indigo, Matt Bianco was down to just two members. Vocalist Basia and keyboardist Danny White had both left the group after the first album (the duo would collaborate on every Basia solo
Release Round-Up: Week of August 10
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Presley, Where No One Stands Alone (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) RCA presents 14 of The King's seminal gospel and spiritually-themed recordings, all remixed with new orchestrations and new supporting vocals from artists who knew and worked with Elvis including Darlene Love, Cissy Houston, and Lisa Marie Presley plus members of The Stamps Quartet and The Imperials. Includes new versions of "Stand by Me," "You'll
Heart and Soul: Omnivore Readies "The Death of Rock: Peter Holsapple vs. Alex Chilton"
Two weeks ago, on July 27, Omnivore Recordings released Game Day from Peter Holsapple, the dB's co-founder and singer-songwriter's first album in 21 years. It was, of course, filled with all of the melodic hooks and incisive lyrical turns of phrase one would expect from the multi-faceted artist. Now, Omnivore has uncovered a much less expected piece of Holsapple's history - and one which converges with the label's ongoing efforts to restore and revisit the catalogue of Big Star's Alex
Time of the Season: Varese Collects The Zombies' "Greatest Hits"
It's the time of the season for The Zombies' Greatest Hits to arrive on CD from Varese Vintage. This new anthology, co-produced by Cary E. Mansfield and Andrew Sandoval and newly remastered for CD by Chas Ferry, premiered in 2017 on vinyl and makes for an ideal introductory overview to the short-lived but still-beloved band. The 16 tracks on Greatest Hits encompass the band's key singles as originally released between 1964 and 1969, most in their original mono single versions. Naturally,
Release Round-Up: Week of August 3
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Ben Folds, Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1996-2012 (Edsel) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The 13-CD box Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1996-2012 brings together nearly all of Folds' core studio albums together with a live album and various other odds and ends. It traces his career from the first Ben Five Folds record through his solo recordings to the Five's reunion album in 2012, for a total of 194 tracks! And yes - it's shaped
Just Can't Get Enough: Depeche Mode Initiate 12" Singles Box Set Series
Later this month, Depeche Mode will launch a series of box sets collecting the band's 12-inch singles. On August 31, the first two boxes, Speak & Spell and A Broken Frame, will be released. All audio in this series has been newly remastered from the original tapes and cut at Abbey Road Studios. The first box, Speak & Spell: The 12" Singles, collects all of the singles around the era of the British electronic band's 1981 debut Speak & Spell. It kicks off with a replica of the
Fill My Little World: Cherry Red Reissues The Feeling's "Twelve Stops and Home" In Deluxe Box
The Feeling burst onto the scene from Horsham, West Sussex, England in early 2006 when their single "Sewn" became a top ten hit in their native United Kingdom. Across the pond, the song was featured on television's Medium and One Tree Hill, and worldwide, it was heard as part of the soundtrack to the football (or soccer)-themed video game FIFA 07. The melodic rock piano ballad had both a current radio-friendly sheen and a retro vibe reminiscent of pop's halcyon days. It was included in June
Another Sleepy Dusty Delta Day: Bobbie Gentry's Complete Capitol Masters Collected On New Box Set
Why did Billie Joe McAllister jump off the Tallahatchie Bridge? It's almost as big a mystery as why Bobbie Gentry vanished from view after 1981. Happily, the enigmatic singer-songwriter left behind an enduring and diverse body of work which is now being celebrated on a comprehensive box set from Universal's U.K. arm. On September 21, the 8-CD collection The Girl from Chickasaw County: The Complete Capitol Masters will collect all seven of Gentry's 1967-1971 Capitol Records studio albums plus
Ride Like the Wind: "California Groove IV" Box Set Captures Sounds of Summer
Warner Music France is providing a breezy soundtrack for summer with the fourth installment of California Groove. Arriving seven years after Volume 3, this impressive 6-CD box set is a little bit country, a little bit-rock-and-roll - not to mention filled with pop, lounge, jazz, dance, R&B, soul, and beyond. It's too eclectic to be filed under "yacht rock," though many of that so-called genre's bright lights are here, including Christopher Cross and Steely Dan. What it is, however, is a
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