Sure, now The Funk Brothers, Motown Records' legendary in-house band, are notable names to pop and soul aficionados, thanks in large part to 2002's Standing in the Shadows of Motown documentary and its Grammy-winning soundtrack. But for nearly the entire golden age of the Detroit label, the group was kept away from the spotlight. Hip-o Select's newest title collects, for the first time on CD, the sole exception to that rule. In 1965, Motown quietly released That Motown Sound, an album credited
Review: Carole King, "The Carole King Collection: Simple Things, Welcome Home, Touch the Sky, and Pearls"
Carole King was ready for a fresh start in 1977. She had recently split from manager/producer Lou Adler’s Ode Records, the label with which she had signed back in 1968 as the lead singer of The City. It was, of course, at Ode where King triumphed with Tapestry, and over the years introduced a parade of memorable songs like “It’s Too Late,” “So Far Away,” You’ve Got a Friend,” “Sweet Seasons,” “Been to Canaan” and “Jazzman.” Yet the four albums recorded by King at Capitol between 1977 and 1980
Review: Tony Bennett, "Isn't It Romantic?"
Isn’t it romantic? The titular phrase from a song by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart could apply to much of Tony Bennett’s musical career, now in roughly its 65th year. It’s also the title of a new compilation aimed at the casual Bennett fan from Concord Music Group. Isn’t It Romantic? (CRE-33463-02) repackages 15 prime cuts from the singer’s work at his own short-lived Improv label, with a smattering of tracks from a Fantasy Records LP thrown in for good measure. Though Bennett’s artistic
From Motown to the Bay Area! The Apollas' "Absolutely Right!" and Eddie Holland's "It Moves Me: The Complete Recordings 1958-1964" Available Now
Are you thinking you should take a chance on Ace Records’ supremely soulful duo of releases from The Apollas and Eddie Holland? If so…you’re absolutely right! For The Apollas’ Absolutely Right: The Complete Tiger, Loma and Warner Bros. Recordings (Kent CDKEND 365, 2012) and Holland’s It Moves Me: The Complete Recordings 1958-1964 (Ace CDTOP2 1331, 2012) both belong on the shelf of any serious fan of classic soul and R&B. If you haven’t heard of The Apollas, you’re forgiven. This Bay Area
Groovy Kind of Reissue: Bear Family Expands Early Mindbenders Album
By the time Eric, Rick, Wayne, Bob was released by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders in 1965, the band was essentially a defunct unit. Wayne Fontana (the former Glyn Geoffrey Ellis) had dreamed of solo stardom from the start, and he wasn’t shy about those aspirations. Eric Stewart, later of Hotlegs and 10cc, recalled in 1994 that Fontana “just walked off stage [during an October 1965 show] one night. I remember he said, ‘It’s all yours.’ And we actually carried on and did the regular show
Double-O Vision: Burt Bacharach's "Casino Royale" Expanded and Remastered...Again!
Seven James Bonds at Casino Royale/They came to save the world and win the gal at Casino Royale! Six of them went to a heavenly spot, the seventh one is going to a place where it’s terribly hot… Hal David’s lyric captures just a small fraction of the insanity of Charles K. Feldman’s 1967 Casino Royale, the big-budget comic extravaganza that was “too much…for one James Bond!” And so, David Niven as James Bond was joined by 007s of all shapes and sizes (and genders!), and even by his nephew,
And Here's To You, Art Garfunkel: "The Singer" Anthology Coming From Legacy
UPDATE (2/21): A representative from Legacy has confirmed that this title is currently "on hold." Stay tuned for more information as it develops. When the singer’s gone, let the song go on… How lucky we are that Arthur Garfunkel is still very much with us. Jimmy Webb wrote those words for the unlikely rock star, a former architecture student endowed with a purity of tone and the ability to pierce the heart. Garfunkel, of course, was the yin to Paul Simon’s yang, the Tom to his Jerry. And so,
Review: Judy Garland, "The Historic Concert Remastered"
The applause started even before Mort Lindsey lifted his baton to conduct the Overture. By the time Judy Garland took the stage at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961 for "When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)," it didn't seem too far-fetched that the whole world was smiling, even beyond the corner of New York's 57th Street and 7th Avenue. Such was the power of Judy Garland. Only the greatest of live albums, in any genre, can translate the grip of a performer on his audience. Judy at
Elvis Costello is Stealing Our Job (UPDATED 2/17)
UPDATE 2/17: Hey, remember this whole uproar? The CD, DVD and CD/DVD editions of this pseudo-nightmarish box can now be pre-ordered on their own, with a release date of April 3. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxardpBReQc] Original post (11/29/2011): Man, Elvis Costello is a pretty awesome guy. He's had a pretty good handle on his own already-solid back catalogue, giving it a good solid two run-throughs (unfortunately, two out of three, which still ain't bad, as they say). His revival
Goin' For High Coin: Harpers Bizarre's "Anything Goes" Returns in Expanded Mono Edition
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking! Now heaven knows, anything goes...Good authors, too, who once knew better words now only use four-letter words writing prose! Anything goes! When Cole Porter wrote "Anything Goes" in 1934, could he have had any idea that his commentary would prove just as relevant more than thirty years later, and indeed, even today? In 1967, three years after the esteemed songsmith's passing, the members of Harpers Bizarre unleashed
Cowboy in Sweden: Light in the Attic Preps Lee Hazlewood Retrospective, Plus Rare Stax Recordings of Wendy Rene Collected
Though he had many chapters in his career, there was only one Barton Lee Hazlewood. The man who famously taught Nancy Sinatra to “sing like a 16-year old who goes out with 45-year old truckers” also played a pivotal role in the career of Duane Eddy and produced hits by Dean Martin, Dino (Martin), Desi (Arnaz, Jr.) and Billy (Hinsche), and the Chairman of the Board himself. But Hazlewood continued to create works of both eccentricity and beauty long after he departed Reprise Records in the
Soundtrack Spotlight: Intrada Uncovers Trolls, La-La Land Goes Ape
It's one of those rare weeks when more than one soundtrack reissue label puts out titles within days of each other, so there are four new and expanded sets to enjoy. Intrada has released two scores on CD for the first time. The first, Gil Melle's score to 1980's Borderline, is noted for its blend of traditional orchestral arrangements and mixing along with free-form, jazz-based music that took advantage of the full field of stereo sound. The film, a fictionalized account of U.S. border guards
Aces High! "The London American Label: 1957," "Mod Jazz Forever" and "Smash Boom Bang: Feldman-Goldstein-Gotteher" Available Now
Smash! Boom! Bang! The ace compilation experts at, well, Ace Records are offering up plenty of Smash, Boom and Bang (both in impact and in label name!) for your buck with their diverse slate of February releases. You'll find top-drawer pop, rock and soul for connoisseurs and beginners alike among the label's latest. Perhaps the most unexpected is the new entry in the label's long-running Songwriters and Producers series. Smash Boom Bang! The Songs and Productions of
Our Memories of Elvis: Presley Classics Expanded by Follow That Dream Label in March
Following December’s release of expanded editions of Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas, Promised Land and Elvis is Back!, the limited-edition Follow That Dream label has announced another trio of vintage Presley titles due in March. The On Stage: February, 1970 album (previously twinned with In Person by RCA and Legacy) will be a 2-disc, 7-inch digipak set with a 12-page booklet. In addition to the original album sequence, it will present all of RCA's recordings from three of the
Review: Frank Sinatra, "The Concert Sinatra" (2012)
There have been countless recordings of Frank Sinatra…but only one Concert Sinatra. So named for its full concert orchestra (and not for a live performance), the 1963 album remains a career triumph. It’s perhaps the pinnacle of Sinatra’s long association with conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle, a vivid display of the singer’s gifts as a dramatic actor, and the ultimate valentine to the American theatrical songbook. Make no mistake, The Concert Sinatra is serious symphonic music, and it’s back
The Man in Black Meets the Man Upstairs: New Johnny Cash "Bootleg" Album Collects Gospel Material and Rarities
Underneath the darkness of The Man in Black, there was a great light. Despite trials that would likely have tested the faith of a lesser man, Johnny Cash’s belief in a higher power was unshakeable. And Cash formidably expressed those beliefs in song over the course of his long career. Like another American icon, Elvis Presley, Cash built up a body of gospel and spiritual music with such depth that it has easily stood the test of time alongside his more famous secular works. Johnny Cash
Touch the Sky: Four Classic Carole King Albums Reissued
When Carole King left Lou Adler’s Ode Records, the label that guided her in the transition from urban Brill Building queen to singer/songwriter/earth mother, it marked the end of an era. And how would the Tapestry weaver top the two distinct periods that had come before? King signed to Hollywood’s venerable Capitol Records label, and the title of her first LP for the label said it all: Simple Things. King’s final Ode LP, 1976’s Thoroughbred, had emphasized a return to nature in its cover
Anyone Who Had a Heart: Shelby Lynne's Dusty Springfield Tribute, Reissued
When I Am Shelby Lynne appeared on the Mercury label in 2000, its eponymous singer finally hit on an approach that synthesized her varied influences (country, soul, R&B, rock-and-roll) into a relevant and contemporary whole. Lynne picked up the Best New Artist Grammy, despite having released her first album in 1989, and the album’s title indicated that, finally, the artist knew who she was, and was ready to share her music with the world. Fast-forward eight years, and a number of albums
Gonna Take a Miracle: Deniece Williams Trio Coming From BBR and FTG
Let's hear it for Deniece Williams. By the time of her debut album in 1976, the resilient singer with the remarkable range had already recorded a Northern Soul favorite ("I'm Walking Away" on the small Lock Records label), performed with Minnie Riperton and Roberta Flack, and been a member of Stevie Wonder's versatile backing group Wonderlove. This is Niecy, on Columbia Records, was produced by Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire and Charles Stepney of Chess Records fame, and their
Always on Our Mind: Willie Nelson Returns to Sony in New Legacy Deal
To all the girls and boys who have loved the music of Willie Nelson before, there’s plenty of good news ahead. The red-headed stranger, 78, has signed a new deal with Sony’s Legacy Recordings division that encompasses both new albums (with a total of five promised) and archival releases. Nelson, one of the most prolific recording artists of any genre, has maintained a release schedule that would make many a younger man envious. In 2011 alone, Nelson released one studio album and one live
Review: Aretha Franklin, "Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of Aretha Franklin 1980-1998"
Aretha Franklin is serious about her royalty. Billed on her newly-activated Twitter account as "the undisputed Queen of Soul" (take that, Tina Turner!), Franklin doesn't take her title lightly. But for a brief period, the artist's credentials as reigning Queen of Pop were just as unimpeachable. When Aretha joined Arista Records in 1980, it was after five disappointing albums at Atlantic, none of which have ever seen the light of day on compact disc. On those LPs, producers as diverse as
Review: "Golden Gate Groove: The Sound of Philadelphia, Live in San Francisco 1973"
No love, no peace, no shoes on my feet…no home, just a shack where I sleep… In the fall of 1971, Philadelphia International Records launched its long-playing series with Billy Paul’s Going East, and the title opus in which the velvet-voiced crooner spins a slow-burning yarn of slavery. It was hardly Top 40 fare (Paul would have to wait till producers/songwriters/label entrepreneurs Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff gifted him “Me and Mrs. Jones” the following year) but signaled the dramatic
Thank You M.C. 1969: Michael Chapman's Folk-Rock Classic "Rainmaker" Arrives From Light in the Attic
When the distinct green Harvest Records logo is remembered today, it’s often for Pink Floyd or early Electric Light Orchestra. But the label, created to stake a claim in the burgeoning rock market, boasted a deep, diverse roster, all the better to compete with other “alternative” labels like Decca’s Deram or Philips’ Vertigo. One of the artists who found early success on Harvest was Michael Chapman, a former art and photography instructor. Chapman’s greatest achievement was arguably 1970’s
Chicago Reissues Return From Friday Music, "Hot Streets" Kicks Off Campaign
On 1971’s Chicago III, one of the band's passionate anthems went, “I just want to be free…” But it took until 1978 for the band to be truly free, and that year’s Hot Streets was an album of firsts. The freedom largely came as a result of the group having severed its ties with longtime producer/manager James William Guercio; hence, Hot Streets was Chicago’s first album in many years not recorded at Guercio’s famed Caribou Ranch. It was also the first to lack a number in its title and first to
Review: A Real Gone January - Bill Medley, Jody Miller and The Tymes
Among the first releases of 2012 from newbie label Real Gone Music is a two-on-one collection offering the compact disc debut of Bill Medley’s 100% and Soft and Soulful. But those titles are apt to describe the entire Real Gone line-up for January, as the young label has given 100% to make available a wide variety of music: soft and soulful, yes, but also jazzy, twangy, and folky. There’s something for everyone in this array of once-neglected titles. As 1968 began, The Righteous Brothers were
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