Esoteric Recordings, the progressive rock arm of Cherry Red, has built a reputation for excellent reissues of prog classics, some once-overlooked and others legendary favorites. Among those landmark recordings that have received the Esoteric treatment is Renaissance's Live at Carnegie Hall. The 1976 release became one of the defining live albums of the decade and has recently been newly remastered and expanded to a 3-CD set as part of the label's ongoing Renaissance reissue series. Live at
Review: Bobby Rush Proves He's At the Top of His Game With "Sitting On Top of the Blues"
Legendary bluesman Bobby Rush is back with a new album, Sitting on Top of the Blues, which is released today on CD and LP through Rush's own Deep Rush label. At 86 years old, the Louisiana-born guitar slinger and singer has traveled from the Chitlin' circuit to the world's stages since 1951. He's released music on indie labels across the nation, recorded for Gamble & Huff, and has performed alongside a who's-who of funk, soul, and blues luminaries. You've probably heard some of his classics
Run Back to Mama: Ace's "Horn Rock" Anthology Features Chase, Blood Sweat and Tears, Delaney and Bonnie, More
The new collection on Ace Records' BGP imprint packs a mighty punch. That's because it's dedicated to Horn Rock (with the equally-important subtitle And Funky Guitar Grooves), that boldest and brassiest of rock subgenres. The phrase "horn rock" immediately brings to mind the sound popularized by Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears (only one of which is represented here) but the added colors afforded by horns were applied to recordings in the baroque-rock, art-rock, psych-rock, and jazz-rock
Beyond and Before: Cherry Red's Avant-Pop and Art-Rock Collection Features Yes, Bowie, Zombies, Procol Harum, Mick Ronson
Cherry Red's Grapefruit imprint has continued its series of clamshell box sets exploring a particular period or genre in rock history with a new set dedicated to one of the U.K.'s most fertile periods. The 3-CD Lullabies for Catatonics: A Journey Through the British Avant-Pop/Art Rock Scene 1967-74 offers 49 nuggets at the intersection of pop and rock, psychedelia and pastoral folk, prog and glam, famous and unknown. Following up previous volumes like I'm a Freak Baby, Dust on the Nettles, and
Review: Davy Jones, "Live in Japan"
Everyone's familiar with the initial wave of Monkeemania that swept America in the 1960s, not to mention the second wave spurred on by MTV's reruns of The Monkees' classic sitcom in the 1980s. But 7a Records - that tireless label dedicated to all things Monkee - has trained a well-deserved spotlight upon a lesser-known chapter of the Monkees phenomenon. The time was 1981 and the place was Japan. The late Davy Jones seized upon the popularity of a Kodak commercial there featuring "Daydream
Here Comes the Sun: Beatles' "Abbey Road" Turns 50 with Multi-Format Reissues
Once there was a way to get back home... It was fifty years ago today that The Beatles were photographed on the zebra crossing outside EMI's Abbey Road studios. Soon, it would become the most identifiable of all crosswalks as it graced the cover of the album named after that storied location: Abbey Road. When it was released on September 26, 1969 in the U.K., Abbey Road shot straight to No. 1 and eventually became the fourth best-selling album of the decade there. Upon its U.S. release one
Got Me Wanting You: Real Gone Announces Vinyl Issues of "Burlesque" and "The Departed" Soundtracks, "The Definitive Archies" Compilation
Our friends at Real Gone Music have some sweet news to share. The label continues its color vinyl soundtrack reissue series with Cher and Christina Aguilera's Burlesque pressed on hot pink and the soundtrack to Martin Scorsese's The Departed on green wax. Fans of sixties pop will delight in the upcoming opaque blue vinyl celebration of The Archies. All the titles will be pressed in limited quantities and are set to arrive on September 13. In 2010, two of the biggest divas in music joined
Try and Get My Soul Free: Full Sets from Woodstock Festival Emerge on Digital and Streaming Services
For fans of Woodstock, Friday was a big day. For the physical media-minded, the giant 38-CD/1-Blu-ray box began shipping out, and Craft's standalone Creedence Clearwater Revival Live At Woodstock album was released. Those who may have been unable to purchase the big set have reason to rejoice as several individual acts' sets from Woodstock have begun to pop up on digital download and streaming services. Last week saw the release of Woodstock recordings from Tim Hardin; Melanie; Mountain;
Release Round-Up: Week of August 2
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Davy Jones, Live in Japan (7a Records) 2CD/DVD Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Keymail Records (U.K.) / Deep Discount (U.S.) 3LP Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Keymail Records (U.K.)/ Deep Discount (U.S.) 7a Records releases a Davy Jones treasure trove on Live in Japan, available in both 2CD/DVD and 3LP formats. The 2CD/DVD set presents both of Jones' officially released (and long-unavailable)
Gee, But It's Good to Be Here: Stage Door Releases "Lost Broadway 1956-57"
For the second volume in its Lost Broadway series of 2-CD sets, the U.K.'s Stage Door Records label has turned its attention to the years 1956 and 1957. Musical hits during the 1956-1957 and 1957-1958 seasons included Bells Are Ringing, Li'l Abner, West Side Story, and The Music Man, but Stage Door's attention doesn't lie with those smashes but rather with the largely-forgotten, but certainly worthy, shows that haven't received nearly as much love over the years. Like the first volume (which
In Memoriam: Harold Prince (1928-2019)
Thank you, Harold Prince. On Wednesday, the legendary producer-director - a transformative figure on Broadway whose work has reverberated into every other corner of the entertainment world -passed away at the age of 91. Thank you, Hal, for the creepily alluring Emcee bidding us "Willkommen" to the cabaret; for the fiddler, forever up on that roof; for the ghosts haunting the Weissman Theatre for the final time; for the chandelier crashing to the floor of the Paris Opera House; for the
Young and Innocent Days: The Kinks Prep "Arthur" 50th Anniversary Box Set
50 years ago, The Kinks released Arthur Or The Decline And Fall Of The British Empire, a concept album which continued in the quintessentially British vein of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society but carved out its own musical identity. Building on the success of last year's Village Green box set, BMG has just announced a similarly expansive - make that Kink-size - set for Arthur, loaded with previously unreleased tracks and mixes and incorporating "the great lost Dave Davies
Review: Ernie Kovacs, "The Ernie Kovacs Album: Centennial Edition"
Some 57 years after his tragic death in an automobile accident at the age of 42, Ernie Kovacs remains one of America's most influential comedians. The pride of Trenton, New Jersey, Kovacs pioneered an experimental, largely improvised, zany style of comedy on television, the ripple effect of which has been felt on programs from Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In through Saturday Night Live. While far too much of Kovacs' oeuvre hasn't survived, a remarkable amount has, thanks to the herculean efforts
When Will You Be Mine: Ace Releases Dion's First Two Columbia Albums on CD
Dion DiMucci was just 20 years old but already a chart veteran when he went solo at the dawn of the 1960s. Enduring hits like "I Wonder Why" and "A Teenager in Love" had been recorded with his friends The Belmonts, but when Carlo Mastrangelo, Angelo D'Aleo, and Fred Milano wanted to emphasize doo-wop harmonies and Dion wanted to rock and roll, Dion and the Belmonts split. How would the Italian kid from the Bronx follow that amazing first act? The answer was "Runaround Sue," the chart-topping
Review: Isaac Hayes, "Shaft: Deluxe Edition"
When the latest sequel/reboot of Shaft hit screens this past June, one essential element was missing: the music of Isaac Hayes. While the late composer-artist's seminal "Theme from Shaft" was referenced in Christopher Lennertz's score, Hayes' commanding voice was nowhere to be found - some said to the detriment of the film. While the new Shaft underperformed in theatres, it had at least one happy byproduct as Craft Recordings revisited the classic original 1971 film soundtrack with a new
Get Your Hands On It: La-La-Land Celebrates 500th Release with "Planet of the Apes" Box Set
La-La Land Records has just announced its landmark 500th film score project. In association with 20th Century Fox, Fox Music and Varèse Sarabande, the label is releasing at the end of this month a 5-CD box set of the scores to the original five Planet of the Apes films featuring music by Jerry Goldsmith, Leonard Rosenman, and Tom Scott. Planet of the Apes first hit cinemas in February 1968, based upon a book by French author Pierre Boulle. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, the movie
If You Like Piña Coladas: "NOW" Series Celebrates Yacht Rock on New Volume
Shimmering guitars, breezy horns, smooth keyboards, and crisp vocals on well-crafted songs with catchy choruses: all of those qualities might have once described "soft rock" or "adult-oriented rock," but more recently the genre has experienced a resurgence as "yacht rock." Though the term was originally intended in a pejorative way, it's come to be accepted by many of the progenitors of the genre including Michael McDonald and John Oates. There's an entire book on the yacht rock phenomenon, a
Seeds and Stems: Cherry Red Collects Rarities from Iain Matthews on "Orphans and Outcasts"
Few artists of the rock generation can boast as diverse a C.V. as Iain (sometimes Ian) Matthews. The Fairport Convention founder went on to front Matthews' Southern Comfort and Plainsong as well as record under his own name in the pop, folk, country, and rock idioms, often blending those styles together. In his first decade alone, Matthews recorded for the Deram, Polydor, Island, Uni, Vertigo, Elektra, and CBS/Columbia labels - and at virtually every label, material was left behind. Between
Real Gone's Back With The Strangeloves on Vinyl, Janie Fricke on CD
Real Gone Music continues to mine the vaults for overlooked classics and will present two exciting titles on August 9: a color vinyl reissue of The Strangeloves' I Want Candy (presented in mono and back on vinyl for the first time in three decades), and a new compilation of '80s country songstress Janie Fricke's best-sellers entitled It Ain't Easy: The Complete Hits (1979-1988). Originally released on Bert Berns' Bang label in 1965, The Strangeloves' I Want Candy wasn't what it seemed.
Trouble No More: Allman Brothers Band Classics Reissued in Color Vinyl Variants
In celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the pioneering band's founding, five of The Allman Brothers Band's most beloved albums will be reissued on vinyl in special color variants. The albums will be released on July 19 through UMC/Mercury. The first album receiving the color vinyl treatment is The Allman Brothers Band, the group's debut that was originally released in November 1969. With such fan favorites as "Dreams" and "Whipping Post," the album introduced audiences to their unique
A Second Disc Encore! July 4 Special Reissue Theory: "1776: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
Happy 4th of July! Welcome to an encore installment of Reissue Theory, where we take a look back at notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. In 1969, a Broadway musical about a most unlikely subject became the toast of New York. Three years later, a movie mogul in the twilight of his years shepherded it to the big screen, and while the film has lived on, its soundtrack album has all but disappeared. This Reissue Theory, pulled from The Second Disc archives, imagines a
Review: Various Artists, "Motown: The Complete No. 1s"
Smokey Robinson's mama famously told the young singer-songwriter that he'd better shop around, but happily, those looking for the definitive chronicle of Smokey and Diana and Mary and Flo and Martha and Marvin and Stevie and co. need shop around no more. To mark the label's 60th anniversary, Motown: The Complete No. 1s is back in print in a slightly-expanded edition, and this 11-CD box set is, simply, one-stop shopping. Impressively housed within a sturdy replica of 2648 West Grand Boulevard
So Many Roads: Cherry Red, Esoteric Collect Climax Blues Band's Early Albums on New Box Set
The Climax Chicago Blues Band didn't begin life in America's Windy City, but rather in Stafford, England. Colin Cooper, Peter Haycock, Arthur Wood, Derek Holt, Richard Jones, and George Newsome bonded over their love of Chicago-style blues, and in 1969, the group released its first album on the Parlophone label. The self-titled LP featured classic blues from Sonny Boy Williamson, Big Bill Broonzy, and Big Joe Turner but also made room for Lee Hazlewood country-folk (The Shacklefords' "A
Review: Glen Campbell, "The Legacy [1961-2017]"
Glen Campbell's career-spanning box set is modestly titled The Legacy, fitting for the unlikely superstar from Delight, Arkansas. While The Legend might have been equally appropriate, Campbell's legacy is, truly, unlike any other. Throughout an extraordinary seven-decade career encompassing 21 Top 40 Pop hits, 27 Top 10 Country singles, six Top 20 Pop albums, and nine No. 1 Country albums in the United States alone, the artist regularly transcended genre with his honeyed vocals and virtuosic
Beginnings: Rhino Remixes "Chicago Transit Authority" For 50th Anniversary
On April 28, 1969, Chicago Transit Authority arrived in record stores, introducing the group that would become the world's most influential horn-rock band and one of the most successful bands of all time. The seven-man ensemble of Robert Lamm, Peter Cetera, Terry Kath, Danny Seraphine, Lee Loughnane, James Pankow, and Walter Parazaider, along with producer James William Guercio, offered something for everyone in their sprawling, stunning double-LP debut: big, hook-filled pop singles ("Does
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