Talk about fusion! For "Hands Down," the opening cut of his 1979 album Relight My Fire, Dan Hartman enlisted rock and roll great Edgar Winter to weave his alto saxophone licks throughout the Latin-flavored disco track, and Stevie Wonder to provide his instantly recognizable harmonica. Hartman wasn't just a dilettante, but a regular musical renaissance man. A veteran of the Johnny Winter Band and the Edgar Winter Group, he wrote the latter's smash hit "Free Ride," and successfully completed
Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen Issues "High Hopes" Outtakes For RSD, MusiCares Tribute Hits DVD and BD
When Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this January, the iconic artist earned his eleventh chart-topping album. That was enough to make him the No. 3 all-time champ in that department, just behind The Beatles (19) and Jay-Z (13). The eclectic recordings used to assemble High Hopes divided many of Springsteen’s devotees, as did the contributions of Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. But par for the course with any Bruce-related release, the songs heard
I'll Have Popcorn With That: Eclectic New Compilation Offers Jerry Butler, Eartha Kitt, Johnny Nash, Frankie Laine
What is Popcorn music?Bob Stanley of the band St. Etienne and the new Croydon Municipal label wants to tell you. “Popcorn is a genre after the fact, built by curation rather than creation,” the author of Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop (soon to be retitled The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyonce for its upcoming U.S. edition) writes in the liner notes to his new release Sweet ‘n’ Salty Popcorn. “Its narrative was formed by Belgians in the seventies from records made in the
Gainsbourg's Women: Ace Collects "Vamps et Vampire: The Songs of Serge Gainsbourg"
When considering Serge Gainsbourg (1928-1991), it’s often impossible to separate the provocateur’s art from his outré behavior. The French songwriter, poet, actor and director was described by one journalist as “David Bowie, Mick Jagger and John Lennon rolled into one smoke cloud of controversy,” but it’s hard to imagine any of those rock icons at their most outrageous ever releasing anything like Gainsbourg’s duet with Jane Birkin, “Je t’aime...moi non plus.” The song’s odd amalgam of steamy,
Hank Williams, Jaco Pastorius Lead Off Omnivore's RSD Slate
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUKPRPWCDHg] That change in the air pressure you're probably feeling around your favorite indie record store can only mean one thing: Record Store Day 2014 is coming your way. April 19 will see a host of beloved major and independent labels celebrating the good old resilient brick-and-mortar store with various titles sold exclusively at participating stores. And the beloved cratediggers at Omnivore Recordings have four exciting titles prepared for the big
Review: Dionne Warwick On Edsel Records
Dionne Warwick's third album bore the title Make Way for Dionne Warwick. But truth to tell, by the time of its release in September 1964, America had already made way for the New Jersey-born singer. She had climbed the charts with the immortal likes of "Don't Make Me Over," "Anyone Who Had a Heart," "Walk on By" and "Reach Out for Me," the latter two of which were included on that LP. Of course, all of those singles were written and produced by the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, who
Rock Candy Supplies the Love with New Toto Remasters
For years, Rock Candy Records has been doing great work with high-quality remasters of great album-oriented rock records. This year, they will take on one of the undisputed kings of that subgenre, with three reissues from Toto due on March 24. Formed by a talented collection of session players, Toto - David Paich on keyboards, schoolmate Jeff Porcaro on drums, younger brother Steve adding his keyboard prowess, guitarist Steve Lukather, bassist David Hungate and lead singer Bobby Kimball - did a
Forever Dusty: Four New Releases Celebrate Springfield's Musical Legacy
Dusty Springfield’s ebullient first solo single, 1963’s “I Only Want to Be with You,” announced just how far the former Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien had come from her pop-folk trio The Springfields and the likes of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles.” The thunderous production and joyous vocals augured for a significant new talent, and the song was selected as one of the very first ever to be played on the BBC’s Top of the Pops. And indeed, Dusty Springfield remained at the top of
BBR Has "The Force" With Latest Kool and the Gang Remasters
Big Break Records is determined to make sure that Everybody's Dancin' with its latest two reissues from the kings of Kool. The Cherry Red label dived into the Kool and the Gang catalogue in late 2013 with deluxe, expanded editions of all four of the band's epochal albums with arranger-producer Eumir Deodato: Ladies' Night (1979, Platinum), Celebrate! (1980, Platinum), Something Special (1981, Platinum) and As One (1982, Gold). Prior to that, BBR had already given similarly lavish treatment to
Too Much Heaven: Bee Gees' "Warner Bros. Years" Box Set Premieres Unreleased Tracks, Complete Concert
Following the release of 1981’s Living Eyes, The Bee Gees effectively called it a day. The band reportedly clashed during the making of the album, and its lack of chart success convinced Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb to pursue non-band projects for a time. Solo albums and soundtrack recordings arrived, and the Barry Gibb/Karl Richardson/Albhy Galuten team worked its magic on releases by Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers and Diana Ross (featuring numerous songs co-written by all three brothers, of
Starbucks Goes Hip and Jazzy On Venti Release Slate
If you’re looking for a little music to go with your grande toffee nut latte, Starbucks has recently unveiled a number of new audio offerings to kick off 2014. In addition to its annual Sweetheart disc – an anthology of new(ish) artists playing old(ish) love songs including, this year, songs by John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Harry Nilsson – the coffee giant has curated a selection of Music for Little Hipsters, sets dedicated to Women of Jazz and When Jazz Meets Guitar, and an Opus Collection volume
Edsel is Still Mad About Belinda Carlisle with New Anthologies
After a series of great expanded CD/DVD reissues, Edsel will release not one but two career-spanning anthologies dedicated to former Go-Go's frontwoman/pop icon Belinda Carlisle. The Anthology collects three CDs and two DVDs worth of hits and rare content from the singer, whose late '80s run of singles included such impressive pop gems as "Mad About You," "Heaven is a Place on Earth," "I Get Weak," "Circle in the Sand" and "Leave a Light On." While Carlisle has been relatively quiet since
Action, Action, Action! Real Gone's April Release Schedule Announced
Second Disc HQ may be surrounded by layers of detestable snow, but a new release schedule from Real Gone Music is as good as any sunshine! (Plus, these titles are due in April, by which everything will have melted...WE HOPE.) You've already read about two of the label's new April releases courtesy of Joe's post about Doris Day earlier today, but that's not all they're offering. A complete singles collection by Patti LaBelle and The Bluebells - featuring the three future members of LaBelle with
Ode to Bob: "Dylan's Gospel" Reissue Due in April, Features Merry Clayton, Gloria Jones, Edna Wright
Light in the Attic is getting ready to spread the Gospel of Bob. Dylan, that is. On April 1, the label returns Ode Records’ 1969 tribute Dylan’s Gospel to print with new CD and LP reissues. Credited to The Brothers and Sisters, Dylan’s Gospel featured the cream of the crop of Los Angeles’ session singers including Merry Clayton, Clydie King, Patrice Holloway, Edna Wright and Shirley Matthews on a variety of Dylan staples, sanctified-style. Producer Lou Adler formed Ode Records after selling
RPM Collects Complete Singles of Beatle Pal Buddy Britten
Who’s that guy holding the guitar with the Buddy Holly glasses? Why, it’s Buddy Britten! Geoffrey David Glover-Wright reinvented himself in the fashion of Buddy Holly after taking in a March 1958 concert, recalling his hero leaping about the stage “like a lunatic” and playing an “extraordinary” guitar. And so Glover-Wright, a.k.a. Britten, joined the ranks of early British rock and rollers. His short but exciting career from Merseybeat to psychedelia has recently been chronicled by RPM, an
Feeling Good: Rare Albums From Henry Mancini, Anthony Newley Arrive From Vocalion
The U.K.’s Vocalion label is dedicated to exploring the corners of music catalogue too often overlooked by other labels: dance bands, big bands, “personalities,” “easy, light and Latin,” soundtracks, and classical titles, per its website. A new batch of rare and new-to-CD titles (including “easy listening” releases from Peter Nero, Floyd Cramer, Paul Mauriat and George Melachrino) is highlighted by a two-fer containing two rare Henry Mancini LPs, and another two-fer drawn from Anthony Newley’s
Cherry Red Turns Up the Heat with Any Trouble's "Complete Stiff Recordings"
When the band Any Trouble made its debut on Stiff Records in 1979 with the single “Yesterday’s Love” b/w “Nice Girls,” the label had already survived the defection of co-founder Jake Riviera and, with him, artists including Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. Any Trouble was one of the headliners of the 1980 “Son of Stiff” tour, alongside Ten Pole Tudor, Dirty Looks, Joe “King” Carrasco and The Crowns, and The Equators, and made their LP debut that year with Where Are All the Nice Girls? Produced by
Sweeter Than Wine: "This Magic Moment" Compiles Brill Building Nuggets
Today, 1619 Broadway in the heart of New York City’s theatre district doesn’t particularly stand out. Despite the building’s ornate façade, 1619 appears to be just another office building on a busy thoroughfare populated with every kind of attention-grabbing signage. But this building – along with its neighbor to the north, 1650 Broadway – is as much a part of rock and roll history as Sun Studios or Abbey Road. 1650 is the one and only Brill Building, incubator to some of the finest songs in
Dance a Little Bit Closer with Charo and The Salsoul Orchestra, Loleatta Holloway
Cuchi-cuchi! Charo, or María del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, burst onto the cultural radar with her goofy, slightly suggestive catchphrase during the late-sixties run of the television phenomenon Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Once a frequent passenger on The Love Boat, the comedienne-bombshell still is a familiar face today on television (Dancing with the Stars, RuPaul’s Drag University) and onstage – on land and on sea, even on the good ship Disney Magic. In 1977, Charo
Say Hello, Hello: UMe Pays Lavish Tribute to Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
It's an odd irony that Elton John began his seventh and most ambitious studio album with a piece he imagined would play in the event of his death. The singer-songwriter-pianist was one of the most alive rockers on the planet at that point; with a dazzlingly theatrical stage presence, a cracking live band and an increasing string of successes (his most recent album at that point, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, was released at the top of 1973 and was both his second No. 1 album in the
You're Gonna Hear From Her: Dory Previn's Debut Album Reissued on CD
When songwriter Dory Previn died in 2012, The Los Angeles Times noted one of the contradictions inherent in her life and art: “Although she was an Oscar-nominated songwriter, Dory Previn was better known for ballads that spoke to wounded souls.” Truth to tell, even her early film music was often believably personal, intense, and filled with emotion. It’s no wonder that vocalists including Judy Garland, Dionne Warwick, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Bobby Darin, Barbra Streisand, Matt Monro,
In Memoriam: Pete Seeger (1919-2014)
American music has many diverse strains – from the blues of the Mississippi Delta to the jazz of 52nd Street, and everything in between. But it’s no exaggeration to state that Pete Seeger is American music. Though the singer-songwriter-activist died on January 27 at the age of 94, his song – a song filled with honesty, integrity, compassion, conscience and bold simplicity – will continue to be sung by every man, woman and child who picks up an instrument with the belief that music can make the
Kritzerland Heads Into The Arena With "Demetrius and the Gladiators"
Twentieth Century Fox’s 1953 Biblical epic The Robe boldly trumpeted on its posters, “The First Motion Picture in CinemaScope – The Modern Miracle You See Without Glasses!” So confident was Fox about the success of The Robe and indeed, the widescreen CinemaScope format, that the studio began production on a sequel (or “continuation,” as it was dubbed) before the first film had even reached theatres. Screenwriter Philip Dunne, producer Frank Ross, art directors George W. Davis and Lyle Wheeler,
Review: Tower of Power, "Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow - Live on the Air and In the Studio"
What is hip? Based on the evidence of Tower of Power’s Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow - Live on the Air and in the Studio (RGM-0208), the Bay Area band certainly qualifies. Real Gone Music’s crackling first-time release of a 1974 concert recorded for radio is a potent reminder of why Tower of Power’s rip-roaring horns have enlivened a host of recordings from artists as diverse as Elton John, Grateful Dead, Poison, Neil Diamond, Santana, and Aerosmith. Tower of Power scored its
New Box Set Explores The "Love, Poetry and Revolution" of '60s British Psychedelia
It's only appropriate that "a journey through the British psychedelic and underground scenes" would remain one of the best-kept secrets of late 2013. Love, Poetry and Revolution is the name of the recent box set from Grapefruit, the Cherry Red Group's dedicated U.K. psych imprint. (Grapefruit is also responsible for the new John's Children anthology featuring Marc Bolan.) Over nearly four hours, this 3-CD set surveys the fertile, creative period in the U.K. musical underground between 1966
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