How does it feel, to be on your own, with no direction home, like a complete unknown, like a rolling stone? Chances are it feels much like the milieu of Bob Dylan’s newest studio album, Shadows in the Night. The characters that emerge from these Shadows have all pulled up stools at the last chance saloon, a room filled with strangers and lost souls, where idylls of romance vanish into the air as quickly as the omnipresent wisps of cigarette smoke. Regrets, they’ve had a few. The songs on
Release Round-Up: Week of February 3
Tony Joe White: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (2-CD Set) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / George Jones & Tammy Wynette: Songs of Inspiration (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / Bobby Lance: First Peace/Rollin’ Man (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) / Jerry Williams: Gone (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / Various Artists: Apollo Saturday Night/Saturday Night at the Uptown (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / John Hall: Power (Expanded Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / Ray Kennedy: Ray Kennedy (Expanded
More Fun In Space: Omnivore Reissues, Expands Two From Roger Taylor
On the heels of 2014’s career-spanning box set The Lot and the single-disc anthology The Best, Omnivore Recordings continues to unfold the solo story of Queen’s Roger Taylor with two reissues due on March 24. On that date, the label will unveil expanded editions of Taylor’s first two solo albums, 1981’s Fun in Space and 1984’s Strange Frontier. Fun in Space found Taylor truly striking out on his own, as all of the sounds heard on the record were performed and played by him save “approximately
You Should Be Dancing! Bee Gees' "1974-1979" Box Set Arrives in March
The legacy of The Bee Gees is stayin’ alive with the March 24 release of a new box set celebrating the group at its commercial peak. Bee Gees: 1974-1979 follows in the footsteps and basic format of 2014’s The Warner Bros. Years: 1987-1991, housing within a compact clamshell box four original studio albums plus a bonus disc of B-sides and single releases. 1974-1979 box begins with 1974’s Mr. Natural and continues with Main Course (1975), Children of the World (1976) and Spirits Having Flown
In Memoriam: Rod McKuen (1933-2015) - A Second Disc Encore Review
On January 29, 2015, we lost a true American original with the passing of Rod McKuen, 81. Poet, composer, lyricist, singer, author, artist; there were few mountains that McKuen didn't climb to great success. An Oscar and Pulitzer nominee, and a Grammy winner, McKuen also was among the earliest to champion the works of Jacques Brel, and was a longtime advocate for gay rights. "It doesn't matter who you love, or how you love, but that you love," McKuen once said. In his own recordings and
They're Gonna Step On You Again: Esoteric Reissues Bakerloo, Gasoline Band, John Kongos
Esoteric Recordings closed out 2014 with a trio of typically eclectic, and yes, esoteric rock releases deserving of a spotlight – including a pair of albums produced by Gus Dudgeon and a lost horn-rock LP in the tradition of Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears! Before joining Colosseum and replacing Peter Frampton in Humble Pie, Dave “Clem” Clempson was a member of the blues-rock trio Bakerloo. Though Bakerloo only released one album, its members – Clempson, Terry Poole and Keith Baker – went
Children Of The (Vinyl) Revolution: The Who, T Rex Turn To Vinyl For Upcoming Box Sets, Reissues
The 50th anniversary celebration of The Who is rolling on. The band kicked off its golden festivities with the Fall 2014 release of The Who Hits 50, a compilation available in various formats, and with the announcement of a tour of the same name. Now, the band has confirmed a number of vinyl releases to arrive this spring. On March 24, all eleven of The Who's albums will be reissued in remastered editions pressed on 180-gram vinyl, joined by a 2-LP edition of The Who Hits 50 collection
Unchained Melodies: Ace Collects "The London American Label 1965" with The Righteous Brothers, Burt Bacharach, The Vogues, More
With the recently-released tenth volume of its year-by-year chronicle, Ace’s The London American Label series revisits 1965. Though America was swept up in the sounds of the British Invasion, Great Britain was still interested in the music from the United States – as evidenced by the 27 selections here drawn from 72 singles. That said, the tide was turning; London American issued 109 singles in 1964 and 177 in 1963. Hit-wise, though, the London American label yielded 11 chart records in 1965
Star-Spangled Rodeo: Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" Turns 40, Gets Expanded Edition
When the 87th Annual Academy Award nominations were announced on January 15, fans of legendary entertainer Glen Campbell no doubt rejoiced at his first-ever Academy Award nomination. Campbell and co-writer Julian Raymond received a Best Original Song nod for “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” the singer-songwriter’s touching farewell from the soundtrack of the documentary film I'll Be Me. It followed news of two Grammy nominations for the song. Campbell, of course, is in the midst of a valiant and very
Lalo Schifrin Casts a Spell On Two New Reissues From Tabu Label
It’s never been easy to pigeonhole Lalo Schifrin. The four-time Grammy-winning Argentinian composer created one of the most memorable television themes of all time with his “Mission: Impossible,” recorded jazz albums for labels including Verve and Creed Taylor’s CTI, worked with Count Basie, Cannonball Adderley and Sarah Vaughan, and scored innumerable films, racking up six Oscar nominations in the process. Now, Demon Music Group has reissued two lost gems of the Schifrin oeuvre, both originally
What's a Matter Baby: RPM Rounds Up Timi Yuro Rarities
The late Rosemary “Timi” Yuro, a.k.a. “the little girl with the big voice,” is still fondly remembered today by music aficionados for her full-throated rendition of “Hurt,” a No. 4 Pop/No. 2 Easy Listening hit in 1961. Signed at first to Liberty Records, Timi went on to record a number of other hits including Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “The Love of a Boy” (No. 44 Pop, 1962) and producer Clyde Otis and Joy Byers’ "What's a Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You?)” (No. 12 Pop, 1962). Through two
Release Round-Up: Week of January 27
Johnny Mathis, You Light Up My Life/Mathis Magic and The Best Days of My Life (Funky Town Grooves) You Light Up My Life/Mathis Magic: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. The Best Days of My Life: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Funky Town Grooves has not one, but two, releases from the legendary Johnny Mathis! You Light Up My Life (1978) joins the never-before-on-CD Mathis Magic (1979) on one disc, while FTG's The Best Days of My Life expands the 1979 album with five bonus tracks, two of which are
Soul Spotlight: Linda Jones, Barbara Lynn Get Complete Treatment from Real Gone, SoulMusic
Of all the great labels famous for soul and R&B, few could boast the pedigree of Atlantic Records. Atlantic’s commitment to quality soul music extended beyond just the famous names such as Aretha Franklin or Solomon Burke. An Atlantic label on an artist was a stamp of quality. SoulMusic Records and Real Gone Music have recently released collections from two underrated artists from the Atlantic family of labels. Linda Jones scored only one hit in her too-short 28 years: 1967’s
Harmless Readies Massive 10-Disc "Northern Soul Time Capsule"
Hot on the heels of the 2014 release of the film Northern Soul and its soundtrack, Demon Music Group’s Harmless Records imprint is celebrating the R&B subgenre with what’s likely its most exhaustive chronicle ever: the 8-CD/2-DVD box set The Odyssey: A Northern Soul Time Capsule. This massive set, due on February 16, has been co-compiled by Harmless’ chief and 1970s Northern Soul DJ Ian Dewhirst, and features diverse tracks from artists including The Spinners, Chuck Jackson, Gladys Knight
RPM Round-Up: Label Collects Mick Fleetwood's Early Days with Bo Street Runners Plus Mark Wirtz, Pelican
As three recent titles prove, Cherry Red’s RPM label leaves no stone unturned in its pursuit of rare pop music to issue on CD, living up to its credo “By Collectors – For Collectors.” Much like The Artwoods (also recently the subject of a compilation from RPM), The Bo Street Runners were among the exciting mod R&B revivalist bands that London had to offer in the mid-sixties. However, The Runners – like The Artwoods, The Action and so many others – never attained the top tier of commercial
Review: The Kinks, "Muswell Hillbillies: Legacy Edition"
Ted’s checking in today with a look at one of the finest reissues of the last quarter of 2014: the CD/DVD Legacy Edition of The Kinks’ Muswell Hillbillies! - JM For God’s sake…Wanna have a cuppa tea with The Kinks…?! It’s the dead of winter and what better way to warm up these days then to spend some quality time with Ray Davies and company’s take on Americana, glam rock, and a touch of vaudeville on their 1971 classic album, Muswell Hillbillies? Taking its name from The Kinks’ cosmopolitan
Something Good: Legacy Expands "The Sound of Music," Classic Soundtrack Also Comes to SACD and Vinyl
The hills are alive again! On March 10, Legacy Recordings will reissue RCA Victor’s chart-topping 1965 soundtrack to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s five-time Academy Award-winning The Sound of Music in a new 50th anniversary edition to coincide with the golden anniversary release on Blu-ray. Collectors will note that expanded CD reissues of the classic musical soundtrack starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are as inevitable as raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; editions have
Unbroken Chain: Rhino Celebrates 50 Years of Grateful Dead with New 2-CD Anthology
“What a long, strange trip it’s been,” asserted the Grateful Dead on 1970’s American Beauty. It’s doubtful that the band members could have imagined that the long, strange trip would still be continuing in 2015 – 45 years after “Truckin’” and 50 years after Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann first came together. 50th anniversary plans have recently been revealed including a documentary from director Amir Bar-Lev and executive producer Martin Scorsese and
Magnificent! Esoteric Revisits The Moody Blues' Debut With Lavish 2-CD Expanded Edition
Fifty years ago this coming July, Decca released the modestly-titled The Magnificent Moodies, the first long-player from Birmingham band The Moody Blues. It would prove to be the only album release for the original quintet, but the Moodies – including founding member Graeme Edge – are still going strong today. The group’s landmark 50th has recently been marked by Cherry Red’s Esoteric Recordings imprint with the reissue of The Magnificent Moodies in a deluxe, 2-CD mini-box set format. The
Midnight Special: Folkways Celebrates Lead Belly With New Box Set
Happy Birthday to Huddie Ledbetter, a.k.a. "Lead Belly," born today in 1888! How many songwriters could say that their songs have been recorded by The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Nirvana? Had he lived longer, Huddie William Ledbetter (1888-1949) could have. Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, endured a difficult life – including various stays in jail – to introduce or adapt to the Great American Songbook tunes that are still well-known today such as “The Midnight Special,” “Goodnight, Irene,”
Review: Jellyfish, "Bellybutton" and "Spilt Milk" Deluxe Editions
Omnivore Recordings has come out swinging in 2015! With the long-anticipated deluxe reissues of Jellyfish’s two studio albums finally here, the label has set a high bar for sheer pop ecstasy. While the band is often tagged as “power pop” – which is not altogether inaccurate – these two 2-CD sets make a strong case that Jellyfish was so much more. In his liner notes for this deluxe revival of 1990 debut Bellybutton (OVCD-5), author Ken Sharp points out that “everyone from Queen to Henry
Release Round-Up: Week of January 20
Jellyfish, Bellybutton and Spilt Milk (Omnivore) Bellybutton: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Spilt Milk: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Here are the deluxe editions that fans of the cult '90s pop revivalists have been waiting for! A total of 51 bonus tracks are spread across these freshly-remastered reissues of Jellyfish's two studio albums. Look for Joe's review later today! Universal Togetherness Band, Universal Togetherness Band (Numero Group) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) The Numero
Ella, Satchmo, Aretha, Miles and The Merm Featured On Starbucks' "Fascinating Gershwin"
When The Library of Congress established a Prize for Popular Song in 2007, one name was affixed to it: Gershwin. With no disrespect to Messrs. Berlin, Porter, Rodgers and company, George and Ira’s surname is synonymous with the gold standard in American popular song. The recipients of the award to date – Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Carole King and Billy Joel – have all followed in the Gershwins’ footsteps of marrying smart, sophisticated and incisive
Souvenirs: Raven Compiles Best of Foghat, Four Albums from John Prine
The Raven Records label closed out its 2014 with a pair of double-CD sets reliving the seventies – one, a retrospective of Foghat’s first decade, and another, a complete collection of John Prine’s first four albums. Foghat’s Drivin’ Wheels: Best of 1972-1982 brings together 32 tracks from the FM radio titans, spanning the period of 1972-1982 and culled from ten studio and live albums. The blues-rock band was founded in Manchester, England in 1971 by three Savoy Brown expatriates –
Taken By Love: Numero Rediscovers Universal Togetherness Band's Funky Sounds
Numero Group – the top purveyors of obscure yet irresistible pop, rock, soul and beyond – kicks off 2015 with a January 20 release from Chicago’s Universal Togetherness Band. The self-titled release (Numero No. 057) will arrive on CD and vinyl, and as a digital download. The label has explained the story behind frontman Andre Gibson’s Universal Togetherness Band. Between 1979 and 1982 – a time of sweeping change for R&B, with lush disco ceding to lithe, electronic sounds – the group
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