Cherry Red's Robinsongs imprint is turning up the Cool Heat with a new 2-CD, 25-track collection celebrating The Best of CTI Records and featuring many of the classic jazz label's most renowned artists including instrumentalists George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, and Stanley Turrentine, and vocalists Nina Simone, Patti Austin, and Esther Phillips. Chances are, if you think of a jazz artist, it wouldn't take many degrees of separation to reach Creed Taylor. The esteemed producer
'Cause This Is Thriller Night: Michael Jackson's "Scream" Arrives In October
On Monday evening, an animated teaser featuring black cats, a spider web, and other spooky imagery arrived on Michael Jackson's official social media platforms, teasing the release of a project entitled Scream. Today, the details have been confirmed for this new 14-track collection. Scream, bringing together some of the late King of Pop's darkest songs, will arrive from Epic and Legacy on September 29, giving listeners a month-plus to savor it in the build-up to one of Jackson's favorite
Oh, Honey: Big Break Celebrates 40 Years of Delegation with Two New Releases
Over the course of just four albums released between 1977 and 1982, Delegation established a reputation and a following that continues to this very day based on the group's sleek brand of soulful, dance-infused R&B. The trio, still active today as led by founding member Ricky Bailey, has long been a mainstay of Cherry Red's Big Break Records label. That association which has recently culminated in a pair of potent releases: the definitive, double-disc anthology In Love's Time: The
Can't Hold the Feeling Back: Brenda Holloway's Lost Motown Sessions Arrive On "Spellbound"
A new anthology from Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint is bound to leave listeners so very happy. Why? It's a 2-CD, 33-track collection of (mostly) unheard music from one of Motown's most underrated stars, the incandescent Brenda Holloway. While Brenda may be best known for co-writing "You've Made Me So Very Happy," there was much more to the artist, and Spellbound: Rare and Unreleased Motown Gems makes that abundantly clear. Many of the tracks on this collection
Release Round-Up: Week of August 25
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Alex Chilton, A Man Called Destruction: Expanded Edition (Omnivore) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada In 1995, the late Big Star and Box Tops frontman Alex Chilton returned to Memphis' Ardent Studios, the site of his classic work with Big Star, to record A Man Called Destruction. Blending original songs with a host of eclectic covers from the likes of Chris Kenner ("Sick and
Hot Fun: Cherry Red's Robinsongs Collects Stanley Clarke's Epic Years
Bassist Stanley Clarke has long been one of jazz's leading lights. The Philadelphia-born musician and composer's career, which flourishes to the present day, has recently been anthologized by Cherry Red's Robinsongs label. The Definitive Collection concentrates on the period of 1975-1990 during which time he was recording for the Nemperor and Epic labels as a solo artist. Philadelphia-born Clarke first rose to prominence showcasing his bass wizardry as part of Chick Corea's fusion jazz
Soul Man: Isaac Hayes Box Set Coming Next Month
Having just announced a John Lee Hooker box set, Craft Recordings shows no sign of slowdown, yesterday announcing The Sprit Of Memphis (1962-1976) a 4CD box set devoted to the legendary Isaac Hayes. It's impossible to think about the Stax Records sound--or soul music in the '60s and '70s, really--without considering Isaac Hayes. He helped shape the soul-pop sound of Memphis as a writer and producer, involved with smash hits and immortal cuts like "Hold On! I'm A Comin'," "B-A-B-Y" (a recent
SoulMusic Spotlight Part One: New Anthologies Arrive For Esther Phillips, Levert, and Mtume
Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records label has added another quintet of releases to its rapidly-growing Anthology series, and this batch is among the most eclectic yet, blurring the lines of jazz, pop, and R&B with Esther Phillips, Levert, Tom Browne, Kashif, and Mtume. As the premier vocalist on CTI Records' Kudu imprint, Esther Phillips (1935-1984) played a key role in producer Creed Taylor's "Cool Revolution" at CTI. A gifted vocalist, Phillips nonetheless struggled with personal demons
I Want Action: Playback Collects Lost Soul Recordings of Jeanette Jones
Even a diehard R&B connoisseur could be forgiven for not recognizing the name of Jeanette Jones. She only had one solo single to her name: 1969's "The Thought of You" b/w "Darling I'm Standing by You," released on the small Golden Soul label out of San Francisco. But in the 21st century, the musical archaeologists at Ace Records began issuing lost masters from this lost singer, building up a small but powerfully vivid catalog from the mystery-shrouded vocalist. Now, in association with
Is He Groovin' You? Big Break Collects Harvey Mason's Funky Arista Years
Harvey Mason may be best known for his session credits on countless classic records by artists from Carole King to Quincy Jones. But the drummer/percussionist has also led a solo career since 1975, most often fusing his jazz sensibility with R&B textures. His first stint as a solo artist came at Clive Davis' Arista Records, where he recorded five well-received, self-produced albums between 1975 and 1981. Big Break's recent anthology Sho Nuff Groovin' You: The Arista Records Anthology
Release Round-Up: Week of August 4
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Legacy Collection: Robin Hood (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.) Disney's Legacy Collection returns with a first-ever complete soundtrack release for the 1973 animated classic Robin Hood. Disc 1 of this 2-CD set includes the original songs and score from the film (28 tracks overall), penned by writers including Roger Miller, George Bruns, Floyd Huddleston, and Johnny Mercer. Disc 2 spotlights 13 tracks of
Hard-Hitting "Sweet Sweetback" Returns To Vinyl For Stax 60th Campaign
Upon its release in 1971, there was nothing quite like Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. The low- budget, independently-made film - written, directed, edited, composed by and starring Melvin Van Peebles, and rated X "by an all-white jury" as its tagline proclaimed, ushered in the blaxploitation genre in shocking and often graphic fashion. Prior to the film's release, the multi-hyphenate Van Peebles realized that the best way to spread the word about his groundbreaking work was via music. And
Review: Santana and The Isley Brothers, "Power of Peace"
In 1965, Hal David first made the observation, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love...it's the only thing that there's just too little of." Over fifty-two years later, there's still just too little love, and it's a situation which Carlos Santana has aimed to remedy. The guitar hero was inspired by seeing the velvet-voiced Ron Isley, longtime lead singer of The Isley Brothers, performing with Burt Bacharach in a 2004 television special promoting their collaborative album Here I Am.
Review: Arthur Alexander, "Arthur Alexander [Expanded Edition]"
If the influence of Arthur Alexander on rock-and-roll is ever in doubt, one need only look at the list of artists who have recorded his songs - a list that includes The Beatles and The Rolling Stones just for starters. Though the R&B singer-songwriter ("You Better Move On," "Anna (Go to Him)") never became a household name in the vein of Otis or Sam or The Wicked Pickett, he nonetheless left behind a treasure trove of varied recordings. Now, the Alabama native's 1972 self-titled Warner
Release Round-Up: Week of July 28
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Presley, A Boy From Tupelo - The Complete 1953-55 Recordings (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.) A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete Recordings 1953-1955 journeys back to the birth of rock-and-roll to feature, on three CDs and digitally, every known Elvis Presley Sun Records master and outtake. In addition, the collection also contains Elvis' four earliest, privately-pressed sides, and vintage radio and concert
Give Your Propers: New Aretha Franklin Project Combines Classics with New Orchestral Backing
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Aretha Franklin's arrival at Atlantic Records in 1967 after departing Columbia Records. Her twelve year-tenure there would produce some of the most iconic soul and R&B recordings of all time. To celebrate this anniversary, Rhino Records is taking a cue from the Elvis Presley playbook and combining her classic vocals with new orchestral backing tracks. A Brand New Me: Aretha Franklin with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will hit stores on November
Tickle Me: Edsel Reissues The Alan Price Set's Decca Recordings, Featuring Early Randy Newman Songs
Alan Price's early accomplishments with The Animals would have been enough to ensure the keyboardist-composer-arranger's place in the rock and roll pantheon, but happily, Price's solo work has endured just as strongly over the years. Price publicly announced his departure from the group on May 5, 1965, and just a few months later in September, he introduced his new band, The Alan Price Set. Edsel has recently restored the early recordings of The Alan Price Set into print on a 3-CD
See Clearly Now: SoulMusic Anthologizes Johnny Nash, Labelle, Teena Marie, Angela Bofill
SoulMusic Records, in association with Cherry Red Group, has recently continued its Classic Artist Anthology Series with another round of titles from bona fide R&B legends including Labelle, Angela Bofill, Johnny Nash, and the late Teena Marie. Before reinventing themselves as purveyors of funky cosmic soul, Patti LaBelle, Sarah Dash, and Nona Hendryx had comprised three-fourths of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, alongside future Supreme Cindy Birdsong. In 1971, the streamlined trio
Release Round-Up: Week of July 21
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Ramones, Leave Home: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Sire/Rhino) 3CD/1LP box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. 1CD remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. A new 3CD/1LP edition of Ramones' 1977 sophomore album boasts the album in original and newly-remixed form, as well as a 33-track disc loaded with previously unreleased session material and a 1977 CBGBs concert recording! In addition to the above material on CD,
Those Dreamin' Eyes: D'Angelo's Debut to Be Expanded
A dip into the Second Disc Archives shows us one of our earliest Reissue Theory posts was a look at D'Angelo's 1995 debut Brown Sugar. A lot has changed since that post was written--not only here at The Second Disc, but with D'Angelo's career. At the tail end of 2015, the man born Michael Archer ended a 15-year silence with the release of Black Messiah, an emotionally charged old-school soul album that earned a rapturous response from critics. And with D'Angelo back in the spotlight, UMe has
Release Round-Up: Week of July 14
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Dusty Springfield, A Brand New Me: The Complete Philadelphia Sessions (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Dusty Springfield's 1970 A Brand New Me LP (her follow-up Atlantic effort to the landmark Dusty in Memphis) found Dusty traveling to Sigma Sound in Philadelphia to work with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, architects of the orchestrated soul known as "The Philadelphia Sound." Springfield would have a #3 AC
Ace Throws a Philly Soul "House Party" with The Delfonics, Len Barry, Jerry Butler, More
What is the sound of Philadelphia? As Kent Records' exciting compilation Nothing But a House Party: The Birth of The Philly Sound 1967-1971 readily admits, there were many such sounds - the sound of teen idols Fabian and Frankie Avalon; of "South Street" and "The Mashed Potato" and Cameo-Parkway Records; of the doo-wop of The Dreamlovers, and before that, of Italian-American singers like Mario Lanza and Al Martino. But the sound of Philadelphia referenced here is the one with capital letters -
Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: Ace Collects Shel Talmy Productions From The Who, David Bowie, More
An advertisement reprinted in Ace Records' splendid new collection Making Time: A Shel Talmy Production reads, "Artistes Shel Talmy Has Recorded: The Kinks, The Bachelors, The Who, Chad and Jeremy" and so on. Add to that list Manfred Mann, The Creation, The Fortunes, Trini Lopez, Lee Hazlewood, and a certain David Bowie, and you have an idea of the scope of this first-of-its-kind collection dedicated to the work of the producer-engineer-impresario. Though born in Chicago, Talmy made his name
Release Round-Up: Week of July 7
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up featuring our latest Second Disc Records title and much, much more! Laura Nyro, A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are proud to present, for the first time on CD, the ultra-rare, original mono mixes of Laura Nyro's first two albums: More Than a New Discovery (Verve Folkways, 1967) and Eli
Review: The Beach Boys, "1967: Sunshine Tomorrow" and "Wild Honey" (Stereo LP)
There's nothing quite nice as a kiss of wild honey... Carl Wilson - the angelic voice from on high of "God Only Knows" - unleashed his inner soul man with a fury on "Wild Honey," the title track of The Beach Boys' second album of 1967. The funky, Theremin-driven ode to a "girl with the sweetness of a honey bee" opened the LP which turned out to be one of the most singular in the band's storied catalogue. Its fusion of pulsating R&B and raw rock-and-roll, anchored by nine Brian
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