Johnny Mathis kicked off the 1970s with a series of albums that found the Voice of Romance reinventing the day's chart hits in inimitably lush fashion. Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records are continuing the journey through the legendary singer's 1970s catalogue with two remastered Expanded Editions due on June 8! First up is an expanded two-for-one compact disc release of the classic studio albums Close to You and Love Story. Johnny teamed with longtime producer Jack Gold and top
Review: Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, "Motel Shot" [Expanded Edition]
The story of Delaney and Bonnie is by now a famous one. The husband-and-wife team of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett got their first recording contract in the soulful environs of Stax Records in 1969. The pair then briefly moved to Elektra (and were offered and accepted a contract at The Beatles' Apple Records before their prior association with Elektra negated it) before arriving at Atco in 1970 for their longest sustained recording contract. Though Delaney and Bonnie never achieved much in the
Music of the Night: Andrew Lloyd Webber Celebrates His 70th Birthday with a New Box Set
Since September 25, 1979, there hasn't been a day when an Andrew Lloyd Webber melody hasn't been heard on Broadway. That was the opening night of Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita. Before it ended its run in June 1983, Lloyd Webber's musical Cats had opened, launching a record-breaking run through September 2000. But on January 26, 1988, the show opened which would eclipse them all: Phantom of the Opera. It today celebrates 30 years (marked with a special gala earlier this week) and is
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Various Artists, "Stax Country"
We're continuing to look at the 60th anniversary releases from legendary R&B powerhouse label Stax Records with a single-CD or LP collection that just might make a perfect stocking stuffer! Stax Country (CR 00009), from Craft Recordings, takes a fresh look at some of the other, non-R&B music emanating from the corridors of Stax's studios on East McLemore Avenue - in particular some "Sweet Country Music." That's the title of the twangy ditty recorded in 1975 by Becki Bluefield which
Holiday Gift Guide Review: "The Stax Vinyl 7s Box"
When it comes to Stax Records' 60th anniversary celebration, why should CDs have all the fun? The vinyl release of The Stax Vinyl 7s Box from Concord and UMC (STX 00252) brings fourteen rare tracks from across the Stax family of labels to seven 45 RPM singles, all emblazoned with the familiar yellow, finger-snapping logo. Compiler Richard Searling's raison d'etre is a simple one, as he sets forth in the liner notes: "I've selected the content based on my experience of featuring these songs in
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Johnny Mathis, "The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection"
I. Wonderful, Wonderful "A new sound in popular music," heralded the back cover of Johnny Mathis' 1956 debut album. That self-titled release on Columbia Records introduced a voice that's now instantly familiar: expressive, rich, creamy, seductive, and tender, with a clarion, controlled vibrato that set it apart from any other tone in the golden age of American song. As Columbia's George Avakian realized, Mathis' natural instrument was perfect for jazz - capable of navigating the form's
Far Beyond The Pale Horizon: Roxy Music Expand Debut Album for 45th Anniversary in 2018
While Roxy Music essentially broke up at the start of this decade - having performed on and off since 1972 - guitarist Phil Manzanera promised a box set covering the band's first album back in 2014. Now, it's one of the latest reissue announcements in a rapidly-filling 2018 release schedule. UMC will release a 3CD/1DVD version of the British art-rockers' debut on February 2. In addition to the original album (presented as mastered by Bob Ludwig in 1999), two discs of unreleased material will
Unchained Melodies: Van Morrison Blends Standards with Originals on New "Versatile"
Less than three months after the release of his 37th studio album, the rhythm-and-blues-based Roll with the Punches, the one and only Van Morrison is back with No. 38. On December 1, Legacy Recordings will issue Versatile - certainly an apt title for the man since his earliest days fronting Them to his immersions in jazz, soul, rock, blues, pop, and beyond. Roll with the Punches featured five original compositions from the prolific singer-songwriter alongside blues classics by artists such
Review: Bob Dylan, "Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 / 1979-1981"
I. Gotta Serve Somebody Bob Dylan wasn't mincing words. On the first track of the first album of what would later be referred to as his "gospel years," the artist laid his message out with striking simplicity. "It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord," Dylan admonished, "but you're gonna have to serve somebody." Suddenly, the same singer-songwriter who opined that "the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind" had found the answer - and His name was Jesus Christ. Between 1979 and
Jumping Off The Sun: Esoteric Reissues, Expands Prog Classics From Quintessence, Colosseum
Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint has continued its look back at underrated artists of the progressive rock era with a recent trio of reissues from Quintessence and Colosseum. Formed in the Notting Hill area of London by Australians Ron "Raja Ram" Rothfield (flute) and Phil "Shiva Shankar" Jones (keyboards/vocals) with four of their mates, Quintessence took its inspirations from a variety of sources including The Band, Dr. John, Grateful Dead, and most noticeably, the sound of Eastern
Before Love Went Out of Style: Cherry Red Reissues Dudley Moore's "Today"
Long before he got caught between the moon and New York City, engaged in Foul Play, or counted to 10, Dudley Moore was a well-known renaissance man: a talented comedian, writer, actor, composer, and classically-trained jazz musician. Cherry Red's El imprint has recently reissued Moore's 1972 trio album, Today, featuring his interpretations of original songs and favorites by Henry Mancini, Burt Bacharach, and the team of Harry Warren and Mack Gordon. Today, originally released on Atlantic
Just In Time: Judy Garland's Last Concert Coming In 2018 In High-Definition Audio
The High Definition Tape Transfers label is turning its attention to the legendary Judy Garland for a release scheduled for 2018. Garland's final concert, from Copenhagen, Denmark's Falkoner Centret on March 25, 1969 (less than three months before her untimely death on June 22, 1969) will be released in a number of digital formats as well as on physical DVD-Audio discs. See below for the complete press release announcing this landmark title, which features the first-time commercial release of
Your Songs: Elton John Plans New "Diamonds" Collection
Five decades ago, an aspiring singer/songwriter named Reginald Dwight, frontman for a band named Bluesology, answered an ad in the New Musical Express placed by an A&R man for Liberty Records. At the ensuing meeting, Dwight was given a stack of lyrics written by someone who'd answered the same ad: an up and coming lyricist named Bernie Taupin. Dwight wrote a melody to Taupin's lyrics, placed the ensuing song in the post--and thus started a partnership that continues to this day, with scores
Smiling Faces: Ace Brings Three Motown Classics From Undisputed Truth to CD
Had you crossed The 5th Dimension with Sly and the Family and Stone, the result might well have sounded like The Undisputed Truth. Assembled in 1971 by Motown veteran and "psychedelic soul" pioneer Norman Whitfield, The Undisputed Truth (a.k.a. Joe Harris, Billy Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce Evans) scored a hit off their first LP with the hauntingly ominous "Smiling Faces Sometimes." Enduring personnel changes, the group went on to record six LPs in all for Motown's Gordy imprint before moving
Morning Glory: Edsel Collects Live Tim Buckley On 4-CD Box
Edsel has recently brought three posthumously-released live albums from troubadour Tim Buckley together in one compact box set. Buzzin' Fly: Live Anthology 1968-1973 contains, on four CDs, the complete albums Dream Letter - Live in London 1968 (1990), Live at the Troubadour 1969 (1994) and Honeyman: Recorded Live 1973 (1995). Taken together, these three live sets feature eight songs not otherwise recorded by Buckley. Dream Letter, captured at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall on July 10, 1968
Everybody Sing! JSP Records Collects Four Discs of Judy Garland's "Classic Duets" on New Box Set
Throughout her illustrious, if tragically curtailed, career, Judy Garland raised her voice in song with some of the greatest artists of all time, including Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Fred Astaire, Al Jolson, Gene Kelly, Kay Thompson, and many more. Last Friday, August 4, a new 4-CD set arrived from the U.K.'s JSP Records celebrating Garland's greatest vocal collaborations with these performers and many others. Judy Garland: Classic Duets features 109 tracks over 4 CDs, including 15 tracks
DeShannon, Ronstadt, Baez, Nyro Featured on "Milk of the Tree: Anthology of Female Folk and Singer-Songwriters"
The new anthology Milk of the Tree, from Cherry Red's Grapefruit label, sets forth its mission statement clearly in its subtitle: An Anthology of Female Vocal Folk and Singer-Songwriters 1966-1973. Still, how to anthologize such a broad and powerful group of artists during one of the most creatively fertile periods in popular music history? Grapefruit does a fine job in distilling the essence of the period - and charting the growth of artists from a pure pop framework to one in which they
Party, Party: Big Break Reissues, Expands "The Best of Eruption"
Following last year's expanded reissues of the group's first two albums, Big Break Records has returned to the catalogue of Eruption with another title from the soulful disco group. The Best of Eruption was originally released on the Hansa label in 1981, but BBR's new iteration has happily upped the track listing from 14 to 19 selections to provide a fuller overview of Eruption's positively volcanic legacy in disco, pop, soul, funk, and R&B. Founded in the United Kingdom in 1969 by
Get Happy! Judy Garland's "Soundtracks" Offers 48 Classic Songs On Two CDs
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley once again, as Mint Audio Records has today announced its newest release - a 2-CD collection celebrating the soundtrack performances of the legendary Judy Garland. Soundtracks features 48 original Garland recordings recorded between 1929 and 1961, including four outtakes. These include many of her most beloved cinematic songs, as well as some surprises, including: "(Dear Mr. Gable) You Made Me Love You" (The Broadway Melody of 1938) "Zing! Went The
Give Your Propers: New Aretha Franklin Project Combines Classics with New Orchestral Backing
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Aretha Franklin's arrival at Atlantic Records in 1967 after departing Columbia Records. Her twelve year-tenure there would produce some of the most iconic soul and R&B recordings of all time. To celebrate this anniversary, Rhino Records is taking a cue from the Elvis Presley playbook and combining her classic vocals with new orchestral backing tracks. A Brand New Me: Aretha Franklin with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will hit stores on November
Omnivore Revives "Rosebud" From Henske, Yester, Doerge On New Expanded Edition
Last year, the Omnivore label began its retelling of the story of Judy Henske and Jerry Yester with the hotly-anticipated, first authorized reissue of the then-married duo's 1969 cult favorite album Farewell Aldebaran. Now, the Henske/Yester tale continues with another lavishly expanded CD reissue: this time, of 1971's Rosebud. The album was so named for the band itself, featuring Henske on vocals, Yester on vocals, bass, and banjo, her future husband Craig Doerge on vocals, keyboards, and
Stardust Memories: Sepia Reissues Two From Billy Daniels
Following recent releases from such pop vocal legends as Margaret Whiting and Bing Crosby, Sepia Recordings has turned its attention to the late Billy Daniels (1915-1988). The pioneering singer most remembered for his smash hit recording of "That Old Black Magic" graduated from the big band circuit to share a stage with Charlie Parker and Nat "King" Cole, appear on Broadway alongside Pearl Bailey and Sammy Davis, Jr., and shatter records in nightclubs in New York and Las Vegas. Though Daniels
King of the Mountain: Midnight Oil Detail "Tank" Box Sets
Sony Music Australia is cooking with gas when it comes to the legacy of Midnight Oil. The Australian rock heroes are about to celebrated with not one, not two, but three box sets: The Vinyl Collection (containing all vinyl LPs and EPs), The Full Tank (all CDs and music videos), and The Overflow Tank (over 14 hours of rare and previously unissued material on 4 CDs and 8 DVDs). These massive sets are due in Australasia on May 12 and May 26 in Europe. The U.S. and Canadian release will happen on
Let The Good Times Roll: Edsel Releases Final Box Set From Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
Edsel has continued its ongoing Bill Wyman Recording Archive series with a fourth and final volume dedicated to the classic Rolling Stones bassist's Rhythm Kings. The Kings of Rhythm Volume Four: Race with the Devil is a 3-DVD/1-CD set preserving live performances from Wyman's spirited band of Rhythm Kings as recorded between 1999 and 2004. Two of these concerts are previously unreleased. With the Rhythm Kings, Wyman tapped into his own blues and rock-and-roll roots and proved the endurance
Something Special: Cherry Red Collects Lloyd Webber, Rice-Produced Psych-Rockers Tales of Justine
To collectors of rare psychedelia, Tales of Justine is known for one lone single on the HMV label. The band's lone platter of "Albert" b/w "Monday Morning" came and went in October 1967. Its lead singer, David Daltrey (thought to be a distant cousin of The Who's Roger) went on to sing the title role on the original concept album of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - no surprise, as Lloyd Webber orchestrated and Rice produced the band's
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