Mark Knopfler released his first full-length solo album in 1996. Golden Heart began a new chapter for the singer-songwriter-guitarist who had already carved out two distinct paths as leader of Dire Straits and as a film score composer. The 2021 box set The Studio Albums 1996-2007 collected Knopfler's first five studio albums, from Golden Heart […]
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On her 2016 album Full Circle, Loretta Lynn openly pondered, "Who's gonna miss me when I'm gone?" Today, upon the pioneering singer-songwriter's death at the age of 90, that answer was abundantly clear. Tributes poured in from Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, and LeAnn Rimes, as well as from The […]
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The cover of The Damned's 1982 studio album Strawberries featured a pig with a strawberry on its head. Lead singer Dave Vanian once revealed that the title was inspired by fans' reaction to the band's new music: "We were playing a lot of new material and we had an audience that didn't want to hear […]
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The words I have to say may well be simple, but they're true/Until you give your love, there's nothing more that we can do... Those lyrics from Lesley Duncan's "Love Song" opened Peggy Lee's 40th original album and her final one for Capitol Records, the label with whom she had been associated since 1944. (She […]
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The word "exotica" typically conjures up breezy, mid-20th century imagery of tikis, palm trees, and tropical drinks. Indeed, many musicians were all too happy to contribute to the genre named after Martin Denny's 1957 album, the title of which was coined by Liberty Records executive Si Waronker. Denny's musical island fantasies indeed proved transporting for […]
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This fall, Omnivore will be revisiting the back pages of two California artists with whom the label has become associated: Dean Torrence and Buck Owens. Back in 2017, Omnivore issued Filet of Soul Redux: The Rejected Master Recordings from Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, the innovative surf-rock duo and Beach Boys pals who transformed the […]
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Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available in stores today! George Michael, Older: Deluxe Edition (Legacy) 5CD/3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada George Michael's third solo album - and the one he believed to be his finest - returns from Legacy Recordings in a new 5CD/3LP […]
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Though he might be best known for the irresistible score to A Charlie Brown Christmas - the music of which is coming back in a big way this holiday season, jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi was first known for an unusual crossover jazz hit, the instrumental "Cast Your Fate to the Wind." The album that featured […]
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As more of Prince's recorded catalogue consolidates under a deal with Sony Music's Legacy Recordings, a big question is when a new career-spanning compilation will eventually hit the market. While fans might keep waiting, Legacy will issue two classic collections for the first time on vinyl: the two volumes that made up The Hits in […]
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England's pop exports are some of the biggest the world has ever known - and in the '90s, none were bigger than the Spice Girls. This fall, UMC will reissue Spiceworld, the group's second album and the one where they were metaphorically on top of the world, in a variety of formats with rare and […]
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