Shimmering guitars, breezy horns, smooth keyboards, and crisp vocals on well-crafted songs with catchy choruses: all of those qualities might have once described "soft rock" or "adult-oriented rock," but more recently the genre has experienced a resurgence as "yacht rock." Though the term was originally intended in a pejorative way, it's come to be accepted by many of the progenitors of the genre including Michael McDonald and John Oates. There's an entire book on the yacht rock phenomenon, a
Seeds and Stems: Cherry Red Collects Rarities from Iain Matthews on “Orphans and Outcasts”
Few artists of the rock generation can boast as diverse a C.V. as Iain (sometimes Ian) Matthews. The Fairport Convention founder went on to front Matthews' Southern Comfort and Plainsong as well as record under his own name in the pop, folk, country, and rock idioms, often blending those styles together. In his first decade alone, Matthews recorded for the Deram, Polydor, Island, Uni, Vertigo, Elektra, and CBS/Columbia labels - and at virtually every label, material was left behind. Between
A Good Beginning: Sigur Ros Revisits “Agaetis byrjun” With Deluxe Reissue
Twenty years ago, Icelandic electronic act Sigur Rós released Ágætis Byrjun (meaning "A Good Beginning"). And so it proved to be, as critics everywhere praised the album. One of the songs, "Svefn-g-englar," made it onto the Vanilla Sky soundtrack in 2001, and Q Magazine even went as far as to deem it "the last great album of the 20th century." On July 5, the band revisited the album with an expanded, 4-CD deluxe edition that brings together a remastered version of the album, demos, newly
Release Round-Up: Week of July 5
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Jackson Browne, Running on Empty [Remaster] (Asylum/Rhino) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Jackson Browne's legendary, seven-times-platinum 1977 album - featuring such classics as "Running On Empty" and "The Load-Out / Stay" - returns to CD, vinyl, and digital formats from Asylum/Rhino, featuring a fresh remaster by Gavin Lurssen of Lurssen Mastering on CD/digital. The vinyl
Life of Work: Iggy Pop’s “Zombie Birdhouse” Reissued on CD and LP
A long-lost classic album from Iggy Pop has arrived today on CD and LP from Caroline International: Zombie Birdhouse. The album was Pop's sixth studio record and saw him combining Afrobeat influences, droning electronics, and free-association. The album was originally produced by Chris Stein of Blondie and released on Animal Records. Since then, the bizarre and compelling album has only been reissued twice. In 1991 it was remastered and expanded with an alternate version of "Pain and Suffering"
Release Round-Up: Week of June 28
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Motown: The Complete No. 1s (Motown/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) For its 60th anniversary year, UMe has begun reminding fans that "Motown Did It First"; now, Motown is revisiting an essential box set that was originally released in celebration of its 50th anniversary a decade ago. Motown: The Complete No. 1s features more than 200 international chart-toppers, plus a handful of bonus masters that went to No.
See The Bright Lights: Real Gone Offers Classic Live Concerts From Richard Thompson, Jefferson Airplane in August
Real Gone Music has announced the release of two classic live performances -- one a gig by the multi-faceted guitarist Richard Thompson, and the other the vinyl debut of Jefferson Airplane's Woodstock set. Richard Thompson is one of the great guitarists of his generation and an accomplished singer-songwriter who has remained vital for over fifty years, starting with his genre-bending work as part of Fairport Convention. Over the course of his solo career, Thompson released several
Release Round-Up: Week of June 21
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Prince, Originals (Warner/NPG) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Originals brings together 15 demos of songs Prince gave away to other artists including The Time, Sheila E., Kenny Rogers, Martika, Vanity 6, and The Bangles. Tidal will exclusively offered the album for high-resolution streaming on June 7, with the CD and wide digital release out today, and vinyl configurations to follow in July. A Target exclusive CD edition adds one
Review: Morphine, “Yes” (Run Out Groove Vinyl Reissue)
In recent years, Run Out Groove has garnered a stellar reputation for its vinyl reissues of rarities from the Warner Music Archive. The label has pressed up everything from lost soul music and jazz, to experimental rock, pop, and folk. Most of their reissues boast previously unreleased rarities or hard-to-find tracks. In the last few months, the label has delivered expanded versions of more recent albums that have long been out of print on vinyl. Morphine's Yes is one of those lost vinyl titles
Release Round-Up: Week of June 14
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Johnny Mathis, Killing Me Softly with Her Song/When Will I See You Again (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music continue celebrating Johnny Mathis' discography with two albums on one CD. 1973's Killing Me Softly with Her Song and 1975's When Will I See You Again both spotlight Mathis' silky interpretations of the day's greatest hits. Killing Me Softly with Her
Arrest This Man: Following Leak, Radiohead Make ‘OK Computer’ Sessions Available For Charity
This is what you get when you mess with them: Radiohead are making a trove of recently leaked session audio officially available. Last week, 18 hours of takes and tracks from the sessions to the band's 1997 landmark OK Computer (expanded and reissued with bonus material in 2017) leaked. Among the contents were alternate takes, mixes and live material, including versions of beloved tracks "Karma Police," "No Surprises," "Airbag" and "Exit Music (For a Film)" as well as lesser-known fan
Release Round-Up: Week of June 7
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up - a packed one, for sure! Bob Dylan, The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Just in advance of the June 12 debut of director Martin Scorsese's documentary Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, Columbia and Legacy unveil a new 14-CD box set that promises to be the ultimate chronicle of the initial leg of Dylan's legendary Rolling Thunder Revue from
Ace Explores Rock, Jazz Through the Lens of History with “Three Day Week” and “If You’re Not Part of the Solution”
Ace Records, as always, has delivered some of 2019's finest collections including Songwriter Series volumes dedicated to Eddie Hinton, Leonard Cohen and Merle Haggard, and celebrations of producer Mickie Most and musician Reggie Young. Today, we're taking a look at a pair of the label's other recent releases. Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs present Three Day Week: When the Lights Went Out 1972-1975 (Ace CDCHD 1542) is another sublimely curated compilation focusing on a particular period of
A Question of Time: Depeche Mode Continues 12″ Singles Series With “Black Celebration” and “Music For The Masses” Volumes Due May 31
Depeche Mode has continued its series of 12" single box sets today with two new collections: Black Celebration: The 12" Singles and Music For The Masses: The 12" Singles. Released in 1986 and 1987, respectively, the two albums saw Depeche Mode shifting directions into darker musical territory and reaching a wider audience than ever before. To supplement the albums, Depeche Mode also released several 12" singles that included rare mixes, extended versions, and exclusive live recordings of their
Release Round-Up: Week of May 31
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Hootie & The Blowfish, Cracked Rear View: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Atlantic/Rhino) 3-CD/DVD Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-CD Expanded: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Hootie and the Blowfish are revisiting their 21x platinum smash Cracked Rear View with a new 3-CD/DVD Deluxe Edition and 2-CD Expanded Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes a new
Review: “Pearl Harbor and the Explosions” from Blixa Sounds
Over the past year, the Blixa Sounds label has made a name for itself as the home to an eclectic line of reissues, from yacht rockers Stephen Bishop and Robbie Dupree to soul phenom Linda Clifford and psych-rock veterans Chris Darrow and Max Buda. Earlier last month, the label released its latest reissue - an expanded edition of Pearl Harbor and the Explosions' self-titled debut. The album was originally released in 1980 on Warner Bros. Records and introduced listeners to the infectious
All the Kids on the Street: The Hollywood Stars’ Lost 1976 Album “Sound City” Hits Stores in August
The Hollywood Stars are back. During the 1970s, the glitter rockers toured with The Kinks and supported such artists as The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, Ramones, and even disco legend Sylvester - while future superstars like Journey, Van Halen, The Runaways, Quiet Riot, and The Knack all opened shows for the Stars. Yet their history on records has been a checkered one. Their 1974 debut album for Columbia Records remained shelved until 2013; a 1977 album on Arista came and went without the
UPDATED WITH ORDER LINKS: Let The Sunshine In: Rhino Celebrates Woodstock Era With “Summer of ’69” Vinyl Reissue Series, New Woodstock Compilations
On the heels of their announcement of the expansive Woodstock 50 campaign, Rhino has announced a new series celebrating The Summer of '69: Peace, Love, and Music. Beginning on July 9, the campaign will feature a three-week-long roll-out of limited-edition vinyl releases of classic recordings from the Woodstock era by the likes of Van Morrison; The Monkees; Grateful Dead; Crosby, Stills & Nash; and many more. These LPs will be available in participating brick-and-mortar stores only. Online
Paul Is Live: McCartney Premieres “Amoeba Gig,” Reissues Classic Live Sets on CD and LP
Paul McCartney is back on the road again! Last night, he kicked off the North American leg of his Freshen Up tour, with dates currently scheduled through July 13. This morning, the legendary artist announced a look back at his past live performances with four new titles: reissues of Wings Over America, Choba B CCCP, and Paul Is Live, plus the world premiere of the complete Amoeba Gig. All four albums will be released on July 12 from MPL/Capitol/UMe in digital formats, on CD, and on both black
Release Round-Up: Week of May 24
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! America, Classic Album Collection: The Capitol Years (Capitol/Caroline) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) All six of America's Capitol albums are collected in one newly remastered box set. Classic Album Collection: The Capitol Years presents newly remastered versions of 1979's Silent Letter, 1980's Alibi, 1982's View from the Ground, 1983's Your Move, 1984's Perspective, and 1985's In Concert in one deluxe, affordable package complete
Head and Heart: Rhino Celebrates 50 Years of America with New Box Set
Almost fifty years ago in London, Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and the late Dan Peek first joined their voices together in song - beginning a musical journey as the band America that continues to this day. In anticipation of America's golden anniversary in 2020, Rhino is getting the party started with a new multi-format anthology. America - 50th Anniversary: The Collection arrives from the label on July 12 in 3-CD, 1-CD, 2-LP, and digital versions. It's the first large-scale America
Swinging Doors: Grateful Dead, Emmylou, Dolly, Dino, More Celebrate “The Merle Haggard Songbook”
Along with Buck Owens - with whom he shared a musical history and a wife - Merle Haggard (1937-2016) defined The Bakersfield Sound of country music: authentic, raw, rooted in honky-tonks. But unlike the Texas-born and Arizona-raised Owens, Haggard was actually born in Bakersfield and raised just across the river from that California town. "Hag," as he preferred to be known, rocketed to superstardom thanks to "Okie from Muskogee," his controversial 1969 song that was either a scathing
Review: Gary Louris, “Vagabonds” (Run Out Groove Vinyl Reissue)
Gary Louris was already a hero of the folk-rock revival when he released his first solo effort, Vagabonds. He's been a member of The Jayhawks since the release of their debut in 1986. With a knack for tight harmonies, honest and often melancholic songwriting, and deft instrumental skills, Louris and The Jayhawks have been among the leaders of the alt-country movement ever since. Louris was also a member of the supergroup Golden Smog, whose Down The Old Mainstream we reviewed last year. Despite
Video Crime: David Bowie’s Tin Machine Premieres Live “Nine Track Compilation” Today
Thirty years ago to the day (May 22, 1989), Tin Machine released its first LP. While the band's charismatic frontman was pictured alongside his nattily-dressed bandmates Reeves Gabrels (guitar), Tony Sales (bass), and Hunt Sales (drums), the name of David Bowie was nowhere in sight on the album's front cover. For two albums and two live sets, Bowie remained committed to the concept of Tin Machine as a back-to-basics, largely democratic, hard rock outfit. To promote the debut, the band
Memory Lane: Esoteric Collects Baker Gurvitz Army Albums, Celebrates “Underground Sounds of 1968”
Today we're looking at a pair of recent releases from Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint featuring some heavy sounds! With a résumé including Cream, Blind Faith, Blues Incorporated, The Graham Bond Organisation, and Fela Kuti's group, Peter Edward "Ginger" Baker has long been recognized as one of rock's greatest - and most volatile - drummers. With a personality as outsize as his talent, Baker brought a powerful touch to all of his projects and various bands. Between 1974 and 1976,
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