Ron and Russell Mael have always open to musical influences. Over the course of their four-decade career as Sparks, the art-pop legends have traversed genres and influenced generations. The L.A.-based Mael brothers formed their first group, Halfnelson, in 1970 and eventually landed a deal with Bearsville Records. At Bearsville, Todd Rundgren produced their self-titled debut album. Three years later, the band had rechristened themselves Sparks and caught the attention of the music press and a
It's A Good Thing: Cherry Red Collects The Complete Plastic Penny with Future Elton John Drummer Nigel Olsson
Nowadays, drummer extraordinaire Nigel Olsson can be found behind the kit for Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, supporting the same superstar artist with whom he's been associated for nearly fifty years. Before his association with Elton, however, Nigel was plying his trade as one-fifth of Plastic Penny, a group which briefly straddled the worlds of pop, R&B, and underground psychedelia. The band also boasted future members of UFO, Cochise, and The Troggs. Cherry Red's
Release Round-Up: Week of March 29
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up. Here's what's due for March 29! John Coltrane, Coltrane '58: The Prestige Recordings [5 CD] (Craft Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The year 1958 was a breakout one for saxophone legend John Coltrane. It marked the year when Coltrane--already well-established as a talented sideman--began to make a name for himself as a solo musician and developed his signature "sheets of sound" style while exploring many other routes. To
Revolutionary Songs: Cherry Red Reissues David Bowie Curio, "Just a Gigolo"
David Bowie followed up his otherworldly performance in 1976's The Man Who Fell to Earth with a decidedly more grounded role, that of Paul Ambrosius von Przygodski, a Prussian officer-turned-gigolo, in the 1978 film Just a Gigolo. Unlike The Man Who Fell to Earth, Bowie did contribute to the soundtrack of director David Hemmings' movie; now, that soundtrack has finally come to CD in expanded form from Cherry Red Records. The West German comedy-drama's story began in 1918. The picture
Motown Did It First: Japan's Motown 60 Campaign Reissues Supremes, Temptations, Four Tops, Gladys, Martha, Brenda, and More
Motown Did It First! That's the campaign slogan for Universal Japan's ongoing program celebrating the venerable label's 60th anniversary. And indeed, the influence of Motown - still the most successful African-American-founded record label of all time - can't be underestimated when considering the current music scene. A number of physical releases have already been released in Japan to mark the anniversary, most of which are available as affordable imports and include titles not commonly
In Memoriam: Scott Walker (1943-2019) - Back Tracks: Part II (1975-2018)
"Imagine Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen," The Guardian once wrote of the amazing journey of Scott Walker. The pop idol turned crooner turned shocking avant-garde auteur died this week at age 76, but not before leaving behind one of the most fascinating catalogues of the rock era. An American and child actor on Broadway who found his success in England as one third of The Walker Brothers, Scott could have been content reliving his glory days of "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine
In Memoriam: Scott Walker (1943-2019) - Back Tracks: Part I (1967-1974)
"Imagine Andy Williams reinventing himself as Stockhausen," The Guardian once wrote of the amazing journey of Scott Walker. The pop idol turned crooner turned shocking avant-garde auteur died this week at age 76, but not before leaving behind one of the most fascinating catalogues of the rock era. An American and child actor on Broadway who found his success in England as one third of The Walker Brothers, Scott could have been content reliving his glory days of "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine
Review: Kate Bush, "Remastered in Vinyl" Boxes 3 and 4, CD Box 2
When Kate Bush returned to music in 2005 after a 12-year absence, about all that could be expected was the unexpected...and the sonic auteur, naturally, delivered. Her 21st century work and assorted ephemera has been collected by Parlophone as one box of remastered CDs and two box sets of remastered vinyl LPs. Aerial opens Parlophone's CD Box 2, and Remastered in Vinyl Box 3. The record was conceived as two halves, one on each disc. The first, A Sea of Honey, is a collection of
Release Round-Up: Week of March 22
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up. Here's what's on the way today, March 22! Aretha Franklin, Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings (Rhino/Atlantic Catalog Group) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings presents Aretha Franklin's iconic concerts at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles during January 1972 in full. Both the Thursday night and Friday night sets are accounted for, spread across four 180-gram LPs. For
Take No Prisoners: Megadeth Celebrates 35 Years With "Warheads On Foreheads"
Metal titans Megadeth will ring in their 35th anniversary this year, and they're letting fans in on the celebration with a new, 35-song career retrospective called Warheads On Foreheads. Due on March 22 from Capitol/UMe, the anthology includes tracks from their entire studio career, from their debut, Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good, to their 2017 Grammy winner, Dystopia. It will be availble in a 3-CD configuration; digital download and streaming; a standard, black vinyl 4-LP
Take It On The Run: HNE Compiles REO Speedwagon's Hit Era On Extras-Laden Box Set
Last October, Cherry Red/Hear No Evil released the 8-CD The Early Years 1971-1977, chronicling REO Speedwagon's beginning on Epic Records. And now they're back with the follow-up set: The Classic Years 1978-1990, containing the group's seven remaining Epic albums and a bonus live disc across 9 CDs, highlighting the period when REO Speedwagon became a household name. The first album in the box, 1978's You Can Tune A Piano, But You Can't Tuna Fish, found REO Speedwagon at a time of change.
The Smell of Incense Fills Your Room: Craft Recordings Announces New Psychedelic Rarities Collection, "Poppies"
Following their announcement of a Record Store Day color-vinyl edition of the title, Craft Recordings have unveiled further details about their new compilation of hard-to-find gems from the psychedelic era, entitled Poppies: Assorted Finery from the First Psychedelic Age. In addition to the orange-vinyl RSD version, which will be in independent shops on April 13, Poppies will also be released on CD and on digital download platforms on April 19. The 13-track collection - the first in a series
Bring Your Friends: Run Out Groove To Issue Unreleased Secret Machines Concert "Live at the Garage"
Run Out Groove Vinyl has recently announced the release of Live at the Garage, a previously unissued concert recording by alt-rockers Secret Machines. The 2-LP set captures the Dallas three-piece of Brandon Curtis (vocals, bass and keys), Benjamin Curtis (guitar and vocals), and Josh Garza (drums) as they performed a 70-minute, 12-song show at The Garage in Highbury, North London on January 18, 2006. Secret Machines' blend of progressive rock and Krautrock influences caught the attention of
Review: Nat "King" Cole, "Ultimate Nat King Cole"
Yesterday, March 17, 2019, would have been Nat "King" Cole's 100th birthday. While the man born Nathaniel Adams Coles only lived to the age of 45, he more than earned his royal moniker over his three decades of performing. He paved the way for African-American artists as the first black man to host a nationwide television variety show, and quietly but devotedly crusaded for civil rights. At the time of his death, at the height of Beatlemania, he was selling some seven million records a
Right from the Start, I Gave You My Heart: Edsel Collects Kiki Dee's Complete Rocket Years
When Kiki Dee was signed in 1973 to Elton John's Rocket Records label, the 26-year old was already a veteran of the music business as an in-demand background singer and a solo artist for Fontana and Motown. The former Pauline Matthews of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England had proven herself a versatile vocalist at both of those labels, but at Rocket would finally take flight as a top-tier blue-eyed soul singer with so much more to offer than just the duet part in "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." The
Take Me To The Pilot: Elton, Lennon, Queen Among Universal's Record Store Day 2019 Offerings
Record Store Day 2019 is just under five weeks away. In anticipation of the April 13th celebration of vinyl, The Second Disc presents a round-up of Universal Music Group's RSD selections! The Charlatans, Us and Us Only - LP, clear vinyl - 1,000 copies Originally released in 1999, Us and Us Only was the British alt-rock group's sixth album. It will be reissued for the first time ever for Record Store Day, pressed on limited-edition transparent vinyl. Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker With
In Memoriam: Hal Blaine (1929-2019)
You may not know the name, but you know the sound. The sound of Hal Blaine was one of jubilance, energy, drama, power, ferocity, and swagger, ever deployed solely in service of the song. Upon his death yesterday at the age of 90, Brian Wilson deemed him "the greatest drummer ever." Few could argue with that description, as Blaine was Los Angeles' first-call drummer during perhaps the greatest period of pop invention in the latter half of the twentieth century. From 1966 to 1971, Blaine
Love Is Here to Stay: Resonance Premieres Unheard Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery on CD and Vinyl
This April, Resonance Records returns to the vault for new archival releases on vinyl and CD from two titans of jazz: pianist Bill Evans and guitarist Wes Montgomery. Evans in England is due on limited edition 2-LP vinyl on Record Store Day, Saturday, April 13, with 2-CD and digital versions arriving one week later on April 19. The album transports listeners back to 1969, when the introspective Evans (1929-1980) was joined in his familiar trio setting by bassist Eddie Gomez and guitarist
Where All the Spirits Return: Neil Young's "Dead Man" Soundtrack Reissued on Vinyl and CD
Jim Jarmusch's 1995 film Dead Man was dubbed by the director as a "psychedelic western." With a cast including Johnny Depp, Billy Bob Thornton, Crispin Glover, and Iggy Pop, the surreal period piece is set in the bleak 19th-century Old West and follows an accountant named William Blake who's on the run after a murder. Blake encounters Nobody, a guide who believes Blake to be the famous poet. Underscoring the proceedings is a Neil Young soundtrack that's as vast as the film. Consisting of
Dreams Never End: New Order's "Movement" To Be Reissued In April, 12" Singles Arriving TODAY
New Order rose from the ashes of legendary post-punk group Joy Division and created a unique blend of punk, electronica, and new wave that made them one of the most celebrated groups of the '80s. Their debut album Movement arrived at a period of transition. Having elected to continue on after the death of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, the re-named New Order were in search of a new identity and a new sound. Most of the material that would make up Movement came from songwriting sessions in
A SECOND DISC EXCLUSIVE! Out Of My Hands, Still In My Heart: The Story of Pamela Polland's Lost Album
Pamela Polland may not have become a worldwide household name, but there was a point around the year 1973 where she was close to becoming one. In the prior decade, she had written songs performed by the illustrious likes of Vikki Carr, The Serendipity Singers, and Linda Ronstadt; performed in a blues duo with Ry Cooder; formed the psych-pop duo The Gentle Soul; appeared in the Leonard Bernstein-hosted Inside Pop documentary; and launched a solo career. In the years that followed, she hit the
Review: Omnivore's Twin/Tone-Era Soul Asylum Reissues of "Say What You Will...," "Made To Be Broken," and "While You Were Out"
For some listeners, Soul Asylum may be best known as the group that had a worldwide hit in 1993 with "Runaway Train." The band's major label breakthrough on Columbia Records, it was a Top 10 hit in 14 countries that went Gold in the U.S. and four other territories, brought their album Grave Dancers Union to multi-Platinum status, and garnered a Grammy for Best Rock Song in 1994. But there's more to the band than that. Their journey to that global acclaim, starting as rowdy punk band --
In the Pocket: Ace Salutes Mickie Most, Reggie Young on New Anthologies
The names of Mickie Most and Reggie Young might not be among the most familiar except to diehard music aficionados, but the songs that benefited from their respective golden touches certainly are among the most well-known ever. Ace Records has recently paid tribute to both of these late talents with a pair of deluxe anthologies. The Pop Genius of Mickie Most may be the most lavish single-disc package yet released by Ace, housed in a heavy slipcase also containing a squarebound 74-page
Omnivore's Record Store Day Lineup Features Woody Guthrie, Lone Justice, and More
And the hits just keep on comin'! Record Store Day is almost upon us - Saturday, April 13 - and Omnivore Recordings isn't going to miss out on all the fun. The label has just announced a quartet of titles set to reach your local independent record store. The label's four new vinyl titles include I Don't Like the Way This World's A-Treatin' Me, a four-song tribute to Woody Guthrie featuring a rare Guthrie demo plus Jeff Tweedy, Ryan Harvey with Ani DiFranco and Tom Morello, and U.S. Elevator;
Babe, It Ain't No Lie: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Celebrates Iconic Women in Folk With New Vinyl Reissues
The archivists and musical archaeologists at Smithsonian Folkways Recordings have been mining their mammoth catalogue of folk, world music, blues, jazz, frog sounds, educational recordings, early electronica, historical documentary, and so on to create new vinyl reissues of some of their shining gems. This week, in celebration of the start of Women's History Month, the label has put the spotlight on three releases by Folkways icons. There's legendary guitar picker Elizabeth Cotten, whose
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