High Moon Records' new collection from Curt Boettcher and Friends, Looking for the Sun, takes its title from a 1968 Boettcher production for singer-songwriter Gordon Alexander. Given Boettcher's participation, one might expect the song to be a dreamy SoCal pop fantasia with richly layered harmonies. But instead it's a rather sparse, dark rumination with an acid coffeehouse feel. Alexander, in the song at least, doesn't find the sun, and arguably, neither did Curt Boettcher in his lifetime. But
Keep the Customer Satisfied: Ace Celebrates Paul Simon, Teddy Randazzo, Van McCoy On New Collections
Today, we're taking a look at three recent, stellar additions to Ace Records' long-running Songwriter Series! Teddy Randazzo (1935-2003) might have not attained the same "household name" status as some of his peers, but the prodigiously gifted composer-arranger-producer-artist nonetheless left behind a remarkable body of work in a career spanning over five decades. Ace's Yesterday Has Gone: The Songs of Teddy Randazzo is the first-ever anthology of his output, concentrating on the mid-1960s -
Start Choppin: Cherry Red Expands Dinosaur Jr.'s Major Label Discography
The major label works of alt-rock act Dinosaur Jr. have recently been revisited by Cherry Red in a series of expanded reissues. At the beginning of the 1990s, the Amherst, Massachusetts-based trio had issued three records across the prior decade, the latter two on the seminal SST label. 1988's Bug topped the U.K. independent albums chart, after lead single "Freak Scene" reached the Top 5 of the country's indie singles chart. But creative tensions led singer/guitarist J. Mascis to fire bassist
Review: Bob Dylan featuring Johnny Cash, "Travelin' Thru: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 (1967-1969)"
There's a delicious moment on the fifteenth volume of Bob Dylan's long-running Bootleg Series. The troubadour is in Columbia Records' Nashville Studio A, rehearsing a duet medley with Johnny Cash of his "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right" and Cash's "Understand Your Man." Once they stop playing, The Man in Black happily observes that "the phrasing comes out just right, 'cause we both stole it from the same song!" Indeed, Dylan and Cash shared substantial musical roots, with less than a decade
Rock and Soul Music: Real Gone Announces Reissues of Country Joe, Mamas and Papas, Klaus Nomi, Tony Joe White Titles
On December 6, Real Gone Music will release a quartet of reissues from a diverse lineup of country-rock, jam band, pop, and avant-garde luminaries. First up is a limited-edition, 2-LP issue of Country Joe and the Fish's Live! Fillmore West 1969 which not only featured the legendary Berkeley band (with replacement bassist Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane), but also their famous friends. Originally released on Vanguard in 1994, the raucous and ramshackle concert was recorded in January 1969
You Better Watch Yourself: Rarities From The Prime Movers Feature Iggy Pop On Drums and More
One of the unsung acts of the burgeoning '60s rock scene in the American Midwest, The Prime Movers Blues Band are finally getting their due with their first ever official release - a self-titled collection to be released in November. Founded by brothers Michael and Dan Erlewine in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1965, The Prime Movers became an unbelievable breeding ground for local talent. Michael's vocals and Dan's skillful guitar already made for a potent front end of the band, steeped in a deep
Gotta Groove: Craft's "Soul Explosion" Stax Celebration Continues With 5 New Reissues
This fall, Craft Recordings will continue its celebration of the rich and varied sounds of Stax Records with a further batch of reissues in the Soul Explosion series. The year-long campaign puts a spotlight on Stax's years as an independent label following their split from Atlantic fifty years ago. During that period, the label released a staggering 27 albums and 30 singles in just a handful of months. With a host of hits and best-selling albums from evergreen acts and new signers-on alike, Stax
It's Witchcraft - Cherry Red's Righteous Imprint Compiles 2-CD Set of Halloween Novelties
With Halloween less than a week away, we thought we'd take a look at a new compilation which was recently released from Cherry Red's Righteous Records imprint: the 2-CD Trick or Treat: Music To Scare Your Neighbours - Vintage 45s from Lux and Ivy's Haunted Basement. The Lux and Ivy in the title are the husband and wife mainstays of the punk/rockabilly group The Cramps, who debuted in the 1970s and were active until Lux's death in 2009. Aside from being punk innovators, the pair also
Release Round-Up: Week of October 25
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Kinks, Arthur, or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire [Various Formats] (BMG) 4CD/4-seven-inch single box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Kinks Official 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Kinks Official 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Kinks Official The Kinks' 1969 concept album continued in the quintessentially British vein of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation
Review: Ramones, "It's Alive: 40th Anniversary Edition"
Fast and furious - that was the modus operandi of Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee, and Tommy Ramone when they hit U.K. concert stages in December 1977 in the wake of the November release of their third studio album, Rocket to Russia. The New Year's Eve gig at London's Rainbow Theatre provided the basis of It's Alive, issued in April 1979, with 28 songs comfortably packed onto less than 54 minutes of vinyl. Now, that singular document of the Ramones' electrifying performance has been revisited by Sire and
Review: Cher, "3614 Jackson Highway" [Run Out Groove Edition]
Cher's album 3614 Jackson Highway arrived midway through 1969 as the singer and her partner Sonny Bono worked furiously to re-establish themselves in a changing musical landscape and escape from mounting debt. Their first child had been born in March, a Sonny and Cher single arrived in May and was quickly followed by a Cher solo 45, and her film Chastity hit theatres in June. Sonny and Cher hadn't had a major hit single since 1967's "The Beat Goes On" and the solo Cher hadn't had a chart entry
The Seventh Circle: Craft Releases Slate of '90s and '00s Rock Reissues on Vinyl
Craft Recordings' lineup this year has been a diverse one, spanning blues, jazz, oldies, salsa, and now, hard rock from the last two decades. Over the last few weeks, Craft has dished out vinyl reissues from the gothic metalcore outfit Motionless in White, alt-rock heroes Taking Back Sunday, and the grungey alt-metal group Creed. First up is a black vinyl edition of When Love Met Destruction, the 2009 sophomore EP from the Scranton-hailing industrial metal/goth-core rockers. The band had
Let the Wind Carry Me: Joni Mitchell's Stunning Volume of Handwritten Lyrics and Drawings Reviewed
Joni Mitchell doesn't look back. That's what fans have come to understand about the fearless songwriter, singer, poet, and visual artist. She's famously rejected reissue campaigns, career-spanning box sets, cash-in live albums, and hits collections. Over the years, though, she's begun to come around. She approved the DVD/Blu-ray of her 1970 appearance at the Isle of Wight and the LP reissue of the box set Love Has Many Faces, helped organize the Joni 75 tribute concerts, and recently gave the OK
Among The Believers: Steven Van Zandt Preps Vinyl/CD Box Set with Classic Albums, Unreleased Tracks
In the 1980s, after a successful run as a key member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band as well as a key architect of the rock-and-soul-infused "Jersey Shore sound," Steven Van Zandt struck out on his own. A new box set from UMe will showcase his solo evolution. The singer/songwriter/producer/guitarist's RockNRoll Rebel - The Early Work will collect five of Little Steven's solo works on colored vinyl - Men Without Women (1982), Voice Of America (1984), Freedom - No Compromise (1987),
Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Promises Gods and Monsters In October Release Slate
A defining classic of horror film and a late-period Spielberg-Williams collaboration are just two of La-La Land Records' recent archival soundtrack releases. The latest in the label's Universal Pictures Film Music Heritage Collection is rescued elements from a soundtrack that's more than 80 years old: Franz Waxman's score to The Bride Of Frankenstein. One of the first critically acclaimed blockbuster sequels, Bride continued the story of Universal's 1931 adaptation of the iconic Mary Shelley
Edge of the World: Run Out Groove Announces Sam Phillips' "Fan Dance" as Next Release, Voting Open for Next Month's Title
Run Out Groove has recently announced its latest limited-edition title. The winner of the last fan vote is singer-songwriter Sam Phillips' Fan Dance, her ninth studio album and first for Nonesuch Records. For its first worldwide release on vinyl, Fan Dance has been freshly remastered. It will be issued on 180-gram vinyl in a deluxe tip-on jacket with a booklet, and the lacquers will be cut at Sam Phillips Recording Studio (the other, Sun Records Sam Phillips, that is). It will be pressed and
Review: Lee Hazlewood, "400 Miles from L.A.: 1955-56"
400 Miles from L.A.: Phoenix, Arizona was the birthplace of Lee Hazlewood's professional career. The future writer of "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" was well-acquainted with the Greyhound bus between Phoenix and Los Angeles, making frequent trips in the hopes of selling his songs. Though he was a successful DJ in Phoenix, Hazlewood wanted more, and songwriting seemed to be his means of attaining it. Lee wrote his first songs, it's believed, in 1953; the following year, his first songs
True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter
Harry Connick, Jr. salutes a classic American composer with True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter. The new album, available on CD, LP, and digital platforms, has 13 Porter standards, all arranged, conducted, and sung by Connick (who, naturally, plays piano on them, too).
Review: James Taylor, "The Warner Bros. Albums 1970-1976"
Over six years at Warner Bros. Records, James Taylor laid the groundwork for a career that is now in its sixth decade. The Massachusetts native's records were key exponents of the early Laurel Canyon sound, not to mention the entire confessional "singer-songwriter" movement that today is synonymous with the 1970s. The six albums he released at Warner Bros. were collected over the summer in one essential CD or vinyl LP box set, The Warner Bros. Albums 1970-1976, that's perfect for the impending
Review: Frank Sinatra, "My Way: 50th Anniversary Edition" and "Sings Alan and Marilyn Bergman"
The album was entitled My Way for the song by Paul Anka, Claude Francois, Gilles Thibault, and Jacques Revaux, but truth to tell, the moniker would have been fitting even without that famous anthem. For the ten songs on Frank Sinatra's 1969 Reprise LP were indisputably sung as only one man could: swing - his way, pop - his way, rhythm and blues - his way. Capitol Records, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, and UMe have reissued My Way in a 50th anniversary expanded edition celebrating both the song and
Peaches En Regalia: Frank Zappa's "Hot Rats" Turns 50, Gets Expanded to Six CDs
If an upcoming box set is any indication, Zappa Records is on fire - as Frank Zappa's 1969 solo album Hot Rats is about to get a lot hotter. On December 20, the label, in association with UMe, will issue The Hot Rats Sessions, a 6CD box set exploring that seminal album from every angle. The mostly-instrumental LP came on the heels of the breakup of the original Mothers of Invention, making it clear that Zappa was a force with which to be reckoned as a composer. Described by the artist as "a
Record Store Day Black Friday 2019's Best Of The Rest
The major labels aren't the only ones who'll be part of Record Store Day Black Friday this year. A number of impressive indies (and other major labels with notable catalog friendly material) have announced exciting additions to the RSDBF slate. What's more, we've got coverage of some exciting new music from artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Tank and the Bangas, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and Norah Jones! First up... Chuck Berry, Chuck Berry In London (Elemental) By 1965, the British
Release Round-Up: Week of October 11
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Steve Miller Band, Welcome to the Vault (Sailor/Capitol/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Welcome To The Vault is the first-ever Steve Miller Band rarities collection. The 3CD/DVD box set features 52 songs that span Miller's career, including 38 previously unreleased recordings and 5 never-before-heard songs. With demos, rehearsal takes, newly unearthed compositions, classic concert recordings, and more, Miller has dived into
Heaven Is: Belinda Carlisle's "Runaway Horses" Turns 30, Gets Deluxe Edition; "Gold" Anthology Also Released
Thirty years ago, Belinda Carlisle released her third LP. Runaway Horses came on the heels of two successful albums: her 1986 IRS Records debut, Belinda (featuring the hit "Mad About You"), and 1987's Heaven on Earth (boasting the smash "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" as well as "I Get Weak" and "Circle in the Sand"). Runaway Horses completed the hat trick for the Go-Go-gone-solo when it reached the top five in the United Kingdom. Now, the U.K.'s Demon Music Group has revisited the album in a
Earwig Music Unearths Trove of Chicago Blues and Soul on "Cadillac Baby's Bea & Baby Records: The Definitive Collection"
Chicago in the '50s was overflowing with skilled bluesmen, vocal groups, gospel singers, not to mention the mom-and-pop labels eager to make a hit off the artists. There are the now-famous labels - Chess, Delmark, and Vee-Jay among them. But the Windy City was so teeming with talent (and entrepreneurial hucksters trying to launch their own careers) that small, independent labels were plentiful. Earwig Music Company celebrates one such label in its ambitious new box set, Cadillac Baby's Bea
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- …
- 137
- Next Page »