Since making her major label debut in 2010 with Seasons of My Soul, the artist known as Rumer (real name: Sarah Joyce) has made the case that elegantly-crafted adult pop can still be viable in the 21st century. Influenced by Burt Bacharach, Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Stephen Bishop, Jimmy Webb and Paul Williams, Rumer is possessed of a honeyed voice that's most frequently been compared to Karen Carpenter on her three studio albums - Seasons, 2012's Boys Don't Cry (a collection of
Creole Moon: Edsel Heads to "N'awlinz" With Dr. John Reissues
With a new pair of reissues, Demon Music Group’s Edsel label is the in the right place, for the label has turned its attention to the catalogue of one of the funkiest men alive: Mac Rebennack, a.k.a. Dr. John, the Night Tripper. An A&R man, arranger, producer, artist, and session musician since the early days of New Orleans rock and roll, the good doctor came into his own as a solo headliner with 1968’s Gris-Gris. Since that psychedelic exploration of N’awlins-style R&B, Dr. John has
Review: Ron Nagle, "Bad Rice"
Rare is the "cult album" that actually lives up to its mystique. But rare is Ron Nagle's Bad Rice. This artifact from the Mystery Trend leader and acclaimed ceramic sculptor, originally released on Warner Bros. Records circa 1970, has recently been given new life by Omnivore Recordings in a deluxe 2-CD edition that's an early candidate for Reissue of the Year. One part David Ackles, one part Randy Newman and the rest pure Nagle, Bad Rice likely wasn't helped all those decades ago by its
Liquid Spirit: Raising A Coffee Cup to Starbucks' Final CD "Blue Note Blend"
On April 1, 1995, Starbucks launched its line of CDs with Blue Note Blend, a selection of thirteen tracks from the catalogue of the venerable jazz label and its sister labels. Available as a standalone release or bundled with a pound of Starbucks’ same-named coffee, the album was an unqualified success, selling over 75,000 copies and spawning sequel volumes. Twenty years later, the coffee house is returning to its roots for a new edition of Blue Note Blend which features many of the same
Reviews: Two From Real Gone - John Hall and Ray Kennedy
It’s telling that John Hall’s Wikipedia page identifies him as “John Hall (New York politician).” For despite a career that saw him found Orleans, pen such instantly identifiable pop hits as “Dance with Me” and “Still the One,” and organize the 1979 No Nukes concerts alongside such heavy hitters as Jackson Browne, Graham Nash and Bonnie Raitt, Hall may be best known today as a member of the House of Representatives for New York between 2007 and 2011 and as a longtime environmental activist. Real
Coming Back For You: Ronnie James Dio's "Elf" Returns
Who’s that gleefully malevolent-looking elf? Why, it’s none other than the late Ronnie James Dio, legendary frontman of Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Heaven and Hell and of course, Dio. Between 1972 and 1975, Dio (under his real name of Ronald Padavona) led the band Elf for three albums. The first of those LPs, the eponymous Elf, has just been reissued by Cherry Red’s Hear No Evil imprint in a newly-remastered edition. Singer/bassist Dio founded Elf in 1967 as The Electric Elves, alongside
Hey Joe! Rare Early Jimi Hendrix Recordings Collected By Legacy, Experience Hendrix
With Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings having previously reissued Jimi Hendrix’s core catalogue as well as more unexpected offerings like The Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge, where to go next? The answer is back to the very beginning – which, as always, is a very good place to start. You Can’t Use My Name: Curtis Knight & The Squires (Featuring Jimi Hendrix) The RSVP/PPX Sessions is the first in a series of releases intended to place the legendary guitarist’s pre-fame recordings in the
Hang On Sloopy! "The Bert Berns Story Volume 3" Features Van Morrison, Lulu, Drifters
Here comes the night…again! Even if you don’t know the name of Bert Berns, chances are you know the songs he wrote (“Twist and Shout,” “I Want Candy,” “Hang On, Sloopy,” “Piece of My Heart”), produced (“Under the Boardwalk,” “Baby I’m Yours,” “Brown-Eyed Girl,” “Here Comes the Night”) and oversaw as head of Bang Records (“Cherry, Cherry,” “Solitary Man” and the rest of Neil Diamond’s earliest recordings). Though Berns died in the final days of 1967 at just 38 years of age, a year hasn’t gone by
Real Gone Has "Rhapsodies" In April From Dusty Springfield, Rick Wakeman, Jesse Winchester and More
One surefire cure for the winter blues is to think ahead to the warmer climates awaiting us in spring. And Real Gone Music is seeing to it that April 2015 will shower not only with rain but with a full slate of new releases! This batch includes a sprawling set from Yes’ Rick Wakeman produced the great Tony Visconti, two more visits down memory lane with Grateful Dead, plus some rare music from underrated singer/songwriters Craig Fuller and Eric Kaz, and Jesse Winchester. And that’s not
In Memoriam: Lesley Gore (1946-2015)
I last saw Lesley Gore on October 4, 2010. Lesley was one of a starry assemblage of artists paying tribute to Marvin Hamlisch at New York’s Symphony Space. Though I seem to recall her making a comment about the song not being part of her current repertoire, she gamely performed her 1965 hit “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” for her friend Marvin, its composer. If you closed your eyes, you were back in time to a more innocent era – whether you had actually been there or not – and filled with the
The Last Ride: Rhino Reissues Ride Anthology "OX4"
On March 31, Rhino is taking a Ride with the shoegaze band of the same name. That’s the date the label will reissue Ride’s OX4, a 2001 best-of anthology, to coincide with the reunited group’s upcoming tour. Though the Oxford band released just four studio albums and a number of EPs between 1990 and 1996, its small discography has proven an influential one. Friends and art school students Mark Gardener and Andy Bell (guitar/vocals), along with Laurence "Loz" Colbert (drums) and Steve Queralt
Grapefruit Collects Rare Psych-Pop From Pre-Deep Purple Episode Six, More on "Shapes and Shadows"
Musical renaissance man Les Reed is responsible for some of the most beloved pop tunes of all time – “It’s Not Unusual,” “There’s a Kind of Hush,” and “The Last Waltz” among them. His songs have been recorded by Tom Jones, Elvis Presley, Shirley Bassey, Petula Clark and Bing Crosby. Less well known is that Reed also founded a record label. His Chapter One Records was formed in 1968 and lasted until 1973, releasing music by a diverse collection of artists including Episode Six (a proving
Listen, People: Bear Family Compiles Herman's Hermits Anthology, Premieres Stereo Mixes
Bear Family Records is into something good! On March 27, the reissue specialists will unveil The Best of Herman’s Hermits: The 50th Anniversary Anthology, a two-CD, 66-song collection including all of the band’s classic hit records plus demos, B-sides, rarities and a 140-page (!) booklet. For this set which totals almost three hours of music, a whopping 56 tracks are promised to appear for the very first time in true stereo mixes. Herman’s Hermits burst onto the pop scene with their 1964
Wish Upon a Star: Walt Disney Records' Legacy Collection Revisits "Pinocchio"
Just last month, Walt Disney Records celebrated the 75th anniversary of Fantasia by releasing a new addition to the label’s Legacy Collection with a 4-CD reissue of the original soundtrack to that film. However, Fantasia is not the only Disney classic to turn 75 this year. 1940 was a pretty good year for the animation studio, as the classic Pinocchio also saw release during those twelve months. On February 10, 2015 (almost to the day the film premiered three-quarters of a century ago:
Make Me Smile: Mobile Fidelity Brings "Chicago Transit Authority," "Chicago II" To SACD
Does anybody really know what time it is? Happily, it’s time for Mobile Fidelity to continue its series of limited edition hybrid stereo SACDs for the Chicago catalogue. MoFi has previously issued 1973’s Chicago VI on SACD and 1984’s Chicago 17 on 24k Gold CD, but now the label has turned back the clock to the very beginning. And when the very beginning is the one-two punch of 1969’s Chicago Transit Authority and 1970’s Chicago II on SACD, it’s a very good place to start, indeed. Long
Reviews: Two From Omnivore - Ian Matthews, "Stealin' Home" and TV Eyes, "TV Eyes"
In Part One of our Omnivore round-up, we looked at recent releases from Big Star and Roger Taylor. Today, we're turning the spotlight on Ian Matthews and the trio of Roger Manning, Jason Falkner and Brian Reitzell, a.k.a. TV Eyes! “This album was very much a conscious attempt at something a little more AOR, without deserting my roots.” So writes Ian (or, as he’s sometimes known on record, Iain) Matthews in his introduction to Omnivore Recordings’ splendid 2014 reissue of his 1978 album
A Time In Her Life: Ace Reissues Sarah Vaughan's Soul-Jazz Classic
By 1971, the expansion of the Great American Songbook was well underway. It became clear to many that the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Jimmy Webb, Joni Mitchell, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Bob Dylan and their contemporaries were more than just a flash in the pan. The most prescient observers could have realized – and some did – that these songs would one day be sung in programs alongside those of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, Irving
Donovan, Mick Softley, More Featured On "The Eve Folk Recordings"
In 1965, Geoff Stephens and Peter Eden entered into an agreement with EMI’s Columbia label to capitalize on the folk boom Britain was then experiencing. The deal between Stephens and Eden and EMI was to produce four LPs. Though the fourth never materialized, the three albums released under the banner of The Eve Folk Recordings have been collected, along with bonus tracks, on RPM’s 2014 two-CD set of the same name. Stephens and Eden’s early managerial client, Donovan, is featured, along with
In Memoriam: Rod McKuen (1933-2015) - A Second Disc Encore Review
On January 29, 2015, we lost a true American original with the passing of Rod McKuen, 81. Poet, composer, lyricist, singer, author, artist; there were few mountains that McKuen didn't climb to great success. An Oscar and Pulitzer nominee, and a Grammy winner, McKuen also was among the earliest to champion the works of Jacques Brel, and was a longtime advocate for gay rights. "It doesn't matter who you love, or how you love, but that you love," McKuen once said. In his own recordings and
They're Gonna Step On You Again: Esoteric Reissues Bakerloo, Gasoline Band, John Kongos
Esoteric Recordings closed out 2014 with a trio of typically eclectic, and yes, esoteric rock releases deserving of a spotlight – including a pair of albums produced by Gus Dudgeon and a lost horn-rock LP in the tradition of Chicago and Blood, Sweat and Tears! Before joining Colosseum and replacing Peter Frampton in Humble Pie, Dave “Clem” Clempson was a member of the blues-rock trio Bakerloo. Though Bakerloo only released one album, its members – Clempson, Terry Poole and Keith Baker – went
Children Of The (Vinyl) Revolution: The Who, T Rex Turn To Vinyl For Upcoming Box Sets, Reissues
The 50th anniversary celebration of The Who is rolling on. The band kicked off its golden festivities with the Fall 2014 release of The Who Hits 50, a compilation available in various formats, and with the announcement of a tour of the same name. Now, the band has confirmed a number of vinyl releases to arrive this spring. On March 24, all eleven of The Who's albums will be reissued in remastered editions pressed on 180-gram vinyl, joined by a 2-LP edition of The Who Hits 50 collection
Unchained Melodies: Ace Collects "The London American Label 1965" with The Righteous Brothers, Burt Bacharach, The Vogues, More
With the recently-released tenth volume of its year-by-year chronicle, Ace’s The London American Label series revisits 1965. Though America was swept up in the sounds of the British Invasion, Great Britain was still interested in the music from the United States – as evidenced by the 27 selections here drawn from 72 singles. That said, the tide was turning; London American issued 109 singles in 1964 and 177 in 1963. Hit-wise, though, the London American label yielded 11 chart records in 1965
Star-Spangled Rodeo: Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy" Turns 40, Gets Expanded Edition
When the 87th Annual Academy Award nominations were announced on January 15, fans of legendary entertainer Glen Campbell no doubt rejoiced at his first-ever Academy Award nomination. Campbell and co-writer Julian Raymond received a Best Original Song nod for “I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” the singer-songwriter’s touching farewell from the soundtrack of the documentary film I'll Be Me. It followed news of two Grammy nominations for the song. Campbell, of course, is in the midst of a valiant and very
Soul Spotlight: Linda Jones, Barbara Lynn Get Complete Treatment from Real Gone, SoulMusic
Of all the great labels famous for soul and R&B, few could boast the pedigree of Atlantic Records. Atlantic’s commitment to quality soul music extended beyond just the famous names such as Aretha Franklin or Solomon Burke. An Atlantic label on an artist was a stamp of quality. SoulMusic Records and Real Gone Music have recently released collections from two underrated artists from the Atlantic family of labels. Linda Jones scored only one hit in her too-short 28 years: 1967’s
Harmless Readies Massive 10-Disc "Northern Soul Time Capsule"
Hot on the heels of the 2014 release of the film Northern Soul and its soundtrack, Demon Music Group’s Harmless Records imprint is celebrating the R&B subgenre with what’s likely its most exhaustive chronicle ever: the 8-CD/2-DVD box set The Odyssey: A Northern Soul Time Capsule. This massive set, due on February 16, has been co-compiled by Harmless’ chief and 1970s Northern Soul DJ Ian Dewhirst, and features diverse tracks from artists including The Spinners, Chuck Jackson, Gladys Knight
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