What makes a cult hero most? Alex Chilton ascended to that lofty rank as the leader of Big Star, a band whose negligible commercial impact is only matched by its considerable influence over an entire generation of musicians. When Chilton’s Paul McCartney met Chris Bell’s John Lennon (or vice versa?), they formed a brief but […]
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Laissez les bons temps rouler! Each year, the good times do indeed roll in New Orleans, Louisiana, when the city throws the biggest Mardi Gras bash in the country. Though carnival season is celebrated around the world, the revelry in New Orleans surely has one of the richest legacies, and a major part of that […]
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Yesterday's announcement of the lineup for the three-day Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April was met with typical fanfare associated with major festival announcements. And why not? A veritable who's who of rising stars and legends across a wide swath of genres will be performing, including Radiohead, The Black Keys, Dr. Dre and […]
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Two long out-of-print greatest hits collections are back in print today thanks to the fine folks at Rhino Records. Iron Butterfly’s Evolution: The Best of Iron Butterfly arrived on the Atco label in 1971 and brought together 11 tracks from the hard rock pioneers’ first four albums. Andy Gibb’s 1991 Greatest Hits, originally on the […]
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A slow week, but enough substantial releases to make this our first Round-Up of 2012! Alex Chilton, Free Again: The 1970 Sessions (Omnivore Recordings) After The Box Tops, before Big Star, the late, great Chilton finds his voice as a writer. A review from Joe is forthcoming! Jellyfish, Bellybutton / Spilt Milk (Omnivore Recordings) Brand-new vinyl remasters of […]
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After a healthy and innovative year for film score reissues, Intrada starts off the new year with a bang - or better yet, a swift roundhouse kick: two heretofore-unreleased late-'80s action scores by the excellent Michael Kamen. The first one is a very familiar title to pop-culture junkies and cult-classic geeks: the score to Road […]
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What kind of year will 2012 be? If the first batch of releases, slated for January 30 release, from the Edsel label is any indication, there's plenty of rare and well-done music on the way! A three albums-on-two-CDs package collects the entirety of Todd Rundgren's Warner Bros. Records period. A Cappella/Nearly Human/2nd Wind continues Edsel's […]
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Has it really been over eight years since David Bowie released his final studio album to date, Reality? Bowie turned 65 yesterday, quietly enjoying what may be his retirement. But it doesn't seem like so long ago that the musician was still considered prolific; Reality came hot on the heels of 2002's Heathen. And Heathen […]
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With another month comes another slate of rare music on both CD and vinyl from one of the real up-and-comers in the reissue biz, Real Gone Music! The label’s February centerpieces just might be Rick Nelson’s The Complete Epic Recordings and Mark Lindsay’s The Complete Columbia Singles, but those two releases are being joined by […]
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In 1985, Scottish rockers Simple Minds burst onto the American music scene in a big way with "Don't You (Forget About Me)," the chart-topping theme to iconic teen drama The Breakfast Club. Before their brush with John Hughes-induced fame, though, the band released a batch of increasingly successful post-punk and New Wave records between 1979 […]
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