Are you ready to blast off? With the August 5 release of Dexter Wansel's Stargazer: The Philadelphia International Records Anthology 1976-1980, Big Break Records is headed for the stars. Wansel was one of the brightest lights of PIR's "Mk. II" period, releasing four criminally underrated LPs on the label. His work as an artist, songwriter, arranger and producer pushed the envelope of Philly soul, bringing in elements of jazz fusion and even progressive rock. Stargazer brings together all of
Release Round-Up: Week of July 29
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Archies, Sugar, Sugar: The Complete Albums Collection (Cleopatra) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) At long last! The complete albums of The Archies are being assembled in one 5-CD box set by Cleopatra Records. You'll find The Archies, Everything's Archie, Jingle Jangle, Sunshine and This Is Love each in a mini-LP replica sleeve, along with a booklet containing new liner notes. Bubblegum never tasted so good as in these top-notch
Towering Twosome: Robinsongs Reissues Jazz-Disco Classics From Lalo Schifrin, Brick
In a career now in its seventh decade, there's little that Lalo Schifrin hasn't accomplished. The four-time Grammy-winning Argentinean composer-arranger-conductor created one of the most memorable television themes of all time with his "Mission: Impossible," worked with Count Basie, Cannonball Adderley and Sarah Vaughan, scored innumerable films (racking up six Oscar nominations in the process) and released a variety of solo albums for labels including Verve, Tabu and CTI. Two of his LPs for
Review: Rhonda Ross, "In Case You Didn't Know"
In Case You Didn't Know: Rhonda Ross has dropped a new release. The album of that title showcases the singer-songwriter on a set of fourteen potent, original tracks. Ross, a gifted vocalist with an expressive instrument, has written or co-written every song on the album, and though the CD's exclusive retailer CD Baby categorizes the record as "Jazz Fusion" - calling to mind the liquid soundscapes of Return to Forever or Weather Report - that term only tells part of the artist's story. The
Let's Go Out Tonight: David Bowie's "Who Can I Be Now" Box Set Arrives In September
Hot on the heels of last Friday's announcement that the next David Bowie box would include the unreleased album The Gouster, the details of what will be in the box have been released from Parolphone. Coming on September 23 in CD, vinyl and digital download editions, David Bowie - Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) will contain the following albums: Diamond Dogs (Remastered) 1-CD David Live (Original Mix) (Remastered) 2-CD David Live (2005 Mix) (Remastered) 2-CD The Gouster (Previously
Can You Hear Me: Upcoming David Bowie Box To Premiere Unreleased Album "The Gouster"
What is The Gouster? Parlophone Records has the answer with the upcoming release of the second in the series of David Bowie's complete albums box sets, Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976). The label promises a full announcement next week of the set which will follow last year's Five Years (1969-1973), but in the meantime, a special addition to the box has been confirmed: the unreleased album The Gouster, an embryonic version of 1975's "plastic soul" classic Young Americans which found Bowie
They Say It's Wonderful: Real Gone September Slate Includes Robert Goulet, Porter Wagoner and The Meters
Even though summer has just begun, Real Gone Music is already looking toward the end of the season with its September releases. As per the label's norm, the artists represented span a wide range of styles and genres. We've already told you about the Second Disc Records/Real Gone release of The Isley Brothers' lost Groove With You...Live! album. Joe has also written the liner notes for another of Real Gone's September offerings: Robert Goulet's 2-CD The Definitive Collection. Joe put
BREAKING! Isley Brothers' "Groove with You...Live!" Coming From Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music
Are you ready to groove with us? On September 2, "The Great Lost Isley Brothers Album" is coming to CD from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music! In 1980, Ronald, Rudolph, O'Kelly, Ernie and Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper were riding high with their singular, electrifying fusion of rock, funk and soul. After having transformed in 1973 from a three-man vocal group to a self-contained six-man band, The Isleys cranked out hit after hit. Original powerhouses like "That Lady," "Fight the
Release Round-Up: Week of July 15
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Little Richard, Mono Box: The Complete Specialty and Vee-Jay Albums (Concord/Specialty) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This new, 5-LP vinyl box set collects all of the studio albums that Little Richard recorded for both the Specialty and Vee-Jay labels between 1957 and 1965. The mono albums, each replicating the original label and jacket art, have been remastered from analog tapes. A 16-page booklet featuring new liner
I Love You, Yes I Do: Kent Collects The Independents' "Complete Wand Recordings"
Fans of silky-smooth, orchestral soul likely know of The Independents, the Chicago vocal group that launched the careers of producer-songwriters Chuck Jackson (not the R&B singer of "Any Day Now" fame) and Marvin Yancy. Before Jackson and Yancy went on to guide the career of Natalie Cole (whom Yancy also married) and numerous other headliners, they were part of The Independents. Ace Records' Kent imprint has recently reissued the entire Wand Records output - equal parts shimmering and
Cherish The Love: BBR Expands Kool and the Gang's "Emergency"
Over 45 years after their first release, Kool and the Gang remain synonymous with party music and delicious dancefloor grooves, from "Celebration" to "Ladies Night." Big Break Records has recognized the band's legacy with an ongoing series of reissues, of which the recent Emergency is the ninth. Originally released on De-Lite Records late in 1984, Emergency has been expanded by BBR into a deluxe, 2-CD set with a full complement of sixteen bonus tracks! Emergency continued Kool and the
Release Round-Up: Week of July 1
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! We've got the latest release from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music as well as plenty more that we know you won't want to miss! Eddy Arnold, Each Road I Take: The Lee Hazlewood and Chet Atkins Sessions 1970 (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Our newest release brings together two seminal, never-before-reissued albums by Eddy Arnold on one CD, both from 1970. Love and Guitars captured Arnold
Too Hot! Big Break Collects Heatwave On "Always and Forever"
Heatwave was a band like no other. American vocalists Johnnie Wilder Jr. and his brother Keith Wilder joined with British singer-songwriter-keyboardist Rod Temperton, Swiss bassist Mario Mantese, Czechoslovak drummer Ernest "Bilbo" Berger, and Jamaican guitarist Eric Johns to form this truly international cadre of first-class R&B purveyors. Thanks to a string of hits including "Boogie Nights," "Always and Forever" and "The Groove Line," the seductive grooves of Heatwave ruled both the
It's Her Life: Light in the Attic Releases Betty Davis' Mythic "Columbia Years" with Miles, Masekela and More
Light in the Attic's penchant for incredible finds continues with the release of landmark, unheard sessions by singer Betty Davis with a galaxy of music stars backing her up. The bulk of The Columbia Years 1968-1969 stems from a session the incomparable singer recorded at Columbia Records' 52nd Street Studios on May 14 and 20, 1969. Guiding the sessions as producers was Miles Davis, who'd married the former Betty Mabry a year before, along with his longtime collaborator Teo Macero. Her
Magic's in the Air: SoulMusic, Cherry Red Reissue Brook Benton, Esther Phillips Albums
Two late legends of soul - Brook Benton and Esther Phillips - have recently been feted on a pair of reissues from SoulMusic Records and Cherry Red. By the time Brook Benton signed with Atlantic Records' Cotillion imprint in 1968, he had already enjoyed an illustrious career at labels including OKeh, Epic, RCA, Mercury and Reprise. The move to Atlantic paid off when his recording of Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia" not only reached No. 1 but became a signature song for the vocalist.
In The Midnight Hour: Real Gone August Slate Includes Wilson Pickett, The B-52's, Dusty Springfield, Diamond Rio, More
With summer nearly upon us, we're all beginning to make plans for the next few months. Real Gone is doing the same, having just revealed what its releases are going to be for middle of summer in August! The first item on the list is the first of an eventual three-volume collection chronicling Wilson Pickett's tenure at Atlantic Records. Pickett released a total of 66 single sides at the label and The Complete Atlantic Singles Vol. 1 collects the first 22 of these. When Pickett moved to
Release Round-Up: Week of June 17
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Chicago, Quadio (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. TBD / Amazon Canada) This week's biggest and most hotly-anticipated release, Chicago's Quadio, brings together nine albums from the legendary band in remastered high-resolution 192/24 DTS-HD Master Audio in both their original quadraphonic and stereo mixes on nine Blu-ray discs. This lavish celebration of the Windy City's favorite band is housed in a rigid two-piece box, with every album
Release Round-Up: Week of June 10
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, with some of the most high-profile releases yet for 2016! The Beach Boys, Pet Sounds 50 (Various Editions) (Capitol/UMe) 4-CD/1-BD Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-CD Deluxe Edition (CD 1 + highlights from 4-CD set): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Mono 180-Gram Vinyl Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Stereo 180-Gram Vinyl Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Beach
People of the World, Rise: BBR Reissues "The Trammps III" and Gaynor's "Glorious"
Today, we're looking at two recent releases on Cherry Red's Big Break Records label from two legends of disco (and so much more): The Trammps and Gloria Gaynor! "Where were you when the lights went out in New York City?" asked The Trammps in song on the opening track of 1977's Trammps III. (The answer? Everyone was making love, naturally!) The urgent, atypically topical track by Allan Felder, Ron Tyson and arranger-producer Norman Harris is just one highlight on this underrated album,
Tutti Frutti! Little Richard Is Back On New "Mono Box"
Here's Little Richard! Specialty Records is celebrating the career of the rock and roll pioneer with the July 15 release of Mono Box: The Complete Specialty and Vee-Jay Albums. This new, 5-LP vinyl box set collects all of the studio albums that Little Richard recorded for both the Specialty and Vee-Jay labels between 1957 and 1965. The mono albums, each replicating the original label and jacket art, have been remastered from analog tapes. A 16-page booklet featuring new liner notes by Bill
My Oh My What A Groove: Ace Collects Unreleased Motown on "One Track Mind"
The first volume of Ace/Kent's series dedicated to the male artists of Motown was entitled Satisfaction Guaranteed - but that title would be equally apt for the recent release One Track Mind: More Motown Guys, a second disc of rarities from the Sound of Young America. With 16 previously unissued cuts among this collection's 24 tracks, it proves that the treasures of the Motown vault are far from exhausted. This is also one volume sure to keep your foot tapping and your body moving, with each
La-La Means I Love You: The Delfonics, Survivor, Brook Benton and Sea Level Join Eddy Arnold On Real Gone's July Slate
Yesterday we told you about Second Disc Records' and Real Gone Music's July 1 release of Eddy Arnold's Chet Atkins and Lee Hazlewood albums from 1970 and now we've got the news of the rest of Real Gone's line-up for right before Independence Day. First up is a compilation featuring notes by our very own Joe Marchese: 40 Classic Soul Sides from The Delfonics. When Stan Watson introduced a group (including brothers William and Wilbert Hart and Randy Cain) he was managing to a young Thom Bell
BBR Is On "Fire" with Expanded Reissue of "Pointer Sisters' Greatest Hits"
One of the ten songs on The Pointer Sisters' Greatest Hits is "The Love Too Good to Last," one of four songs reprised from the trio's 1982 album Special Things. Happily, however, Ruth, June and Anita Pointer's special things certainly have lasted. Big Break Records has in recent years reissued the group's complete Planet Records/RCA discography from 1978's Energy through their label swansong, 1988's Serious Slammin', in remastered and expanded editions. Now, BBR is culminating its reissue
Let's Do It Again: Ace Collects Funk Brother Jack Ashford's "Just Productions"
Jack Ashford's story is about how a Philadelphia jazz man ended up in Detroit, playing on hundreds of the greatest R&B recordings ever made. The percussionist's unforgettable work with Motown's Funk Brothers has been oft-chronicled, but on a recent compilation, Ace Records' Kent imprint has turned its attention to Ashford's producing and songwriting work away from Hitsville, USA between the years of 1968 and 1977. Just Productions features 24 sizzling slices of ultra-rare Detroit soul
Feel That You're Feelin': Robinsongs Reissues Two Live Albums From Frankie Beverly's Maze
Cherry Red's Robinsongs imprint is continuing its series dedicated to the quiet-storm sound of Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly with a two-fer containing both 1981's Live in New Orleans and 1986's Live in Los Angeles. Maze began its life as Raw Soul, but a felicitous association with Marvin Gaye led to a change of name for the smooth-soul band to Maze as well as to a deal with Capitol Records. (As Raw Soul, the band's only previous major label releases were on the RCA-affiliated Gregar label
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- …
- 62
- Next Page »