Who’s that guy holding the guitar with the Buddy Holly glasses? Why, it’s Buddy Britten! Geoffrey David Glover-Wright reinvented himself in the fashion of Buddy Holly after taking in a March 1958 concert, recalling his hero leaping about the stage “like a lunatic” and playing an “extraordinary” guitar. And so Glover-Wright, a.k.a. Britten, joined the ranks of early British rock and rollers. His short but exciting career from Merseybeat to psychedelia has recently been chronicled by RPM, an
It Ain't Hard to Tell: Nas' "Illmatic" Celebrated for Its 20th Anniversary
In recent years, Long Island City at the westernmost edge of the New York City borough of Queens has become a hotbed of arts-related activities. But before gentrification hit Long Island City, the neighborhood was already hosting an artistic renaissance in the form of rap. One of the most acclaimed rappers to come out of the scene is Nas, or Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones. Born in 1973, the son of jazz trumpeter Olu Dara made his album debut with 1994’s Columbia Records release Illmatic. Now,
Review: Michael Bloomfield, "From His Head to His Heart to His Hands"
“I think we’ve exploited you enough. I just want you to know I’m signing you!” With those words, spoken by John Hammond Sr. and heard on the first disc of Legacy Recordings’ new 3-CD/1-DVD box set From His Head to His Heart to His Hands, Michael Bloomfield became a Columbia Records recording artist. Though he died in 1981 at the age of 37, the blues guitarist extraordinaire left behind a substantial body of work in a variety of musical settings. Perhaps he never fulfilled the entirety of his
Cherry Red Turns Up the Heat with Any Trouble's "Complete Stiff Recordings"
When the band Any Trouble made its debut on Stiff Records in 1979 with the single “Yesterday’s Love” b/w “Nice Girls,” the label had already survived the defection of co-founder Jake Riviera and, with him, artists including Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. Any Trouble was one of the headliners of the 1980 “Son of Stiff” tour, alongside Ten Pole Tudor, Dirty Looks, Joe “King” Carrasco and The Crowns, and The Equators, and made their LP debut that year with Where Are All the Nice Girls? Produced by
Release Round-Up: Week of February 4
Burt Bacharach, Together? — Original Soundtrack Recording / Toomorrow: From the Harry Saltzman-Don Kirshner Film “Toomorrow” — Original Soundtrack Recording / The Mamas and the Papas, A Gathering of Flowers / Brotherhood, The Complete Recordings / Smith, A Group Called Smith/Minus-Plus / Troyka, Troyka / Jim Reeves, A Beautiful Life — Songs of Inspiration / The Grateful Dead, Dick’s Picks Vol. 20 — Capital Centre, Landover, MD 9/25/76 — Onondaga County War Memorial, Syracuse, NY 9/28/76 (Real
Sweeter Than Wine: "This Magic Moment" Compiles Brill Building Nuggets
Today, 1619 Broadway in the heart of New York City’s theatre district doesn’t particularly stand out. Despite the building’s ornate façade, 1619 appears to be just another office building on a busy thoroughfare populated with every kind of attention-grabbing signage. But this building – along with its neighbor to the north, 1650 Broadway – is as much a part of rock and roll history as Sun Studios or Abbey Road. 1650 is the one and only Brill Building, incubator to some of the finest songs in
Good Morning, Captain: Slint's "Spiderland" Gets Super Deluxe Treatment
Spiderland, the second and final full-length album by Louisville, Kentucky post-rockers Slint, is getting expanded in a big way this spring with a multi-disc box set. Considered to be one of the best records of its subgenre, brimming with shifting dynamics and intense, narrative lyrics (rumors circulated that the brief, tense sessions that birthed the record sent at least one of the band's members into a psychiatric hospital for a stay), Spiderland was nonetheless ignored by many upon first
I Can Read Your Mind: The Alan Parsons Project's "Complete Albums" Box Arrives In March
On March 31, The Alan Parsons Project’s many tales of mystery and imagination will come to life anew on Arista Records and Legacy Recordings’ 11-CD box set The Alan Parsons Project - The Complete Albums Collection. This new set marks the first time that the Project’s complete discography has been assembled in one place, from 1976’s Tales of Mystery and Imagination to 1987's Gaudi. Sweetening the pot will be the first-ever release of the APP’s fifth album The Sicilian Defence. The Complete
Say Hello, Hello: UMe Pays Lavish Tribute to Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
It's an odd irony that Elton John began his seventh and most ambitious studio album with a piece he imagined would play in the event of his death. The singer-songwriter-pianist was one of the most alive rockers on the planet at that point; with a dazzlingly theatrical stage presence, a cracking live band and an increasing string of successes (his most recent album at that point, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, was released at the top of 1973 and was both his second No. 1 album in the
You're Gonna Hear From Her: Dory Previn's Debut Album Reissued on CD
When songwriter Dory Previn died in 2012, The Los Angeles Times noted one of the contradictions inherent in her life and art: “Although she was an Oscar-nominated songwriter, Dory Previn was better known for ballads that spoke to wounded souls.” Truth to tell, even her early film music was often believably personal, intense, and filled with emotion. It’s no wonder that vocalists including Judy Garland, Dionne Warwick, Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Bobby Darin, Barbra Streisand, Matt Monro,
It's About That Time: Complete Concerts On "Miles at the Fillmore" Box Set Chronicle Davis' Rock Revolution
Between June 17 and 20, 1970, the fresh musical possibilities of a new decade were on vivid display in New York City’s East Village when the bill at the Fillmore East was shared by two titanic talents on the Columbia Records roster – Miles Davis and Laura Nyro. Though the pairing might seem an incongruous one, both Davis and Nyro shared an affinity for pushing the envelope and synthesizing various genres into a singular style of music that was easily identifiable as their own. Davis’ stand as
Review: The Beatles, "The U.S. Albums"
I. Meet the Beatles! Did The Beatles save rock and roll? If John, Paul, George and Ringo didn’t save the still-young form, they certainly gifted it with a reinvigorating, exhilarating jolt of musical euphoria the likes of which hadn’t been seen before – and hasn’t been duplicated since. The scene was early 1964. Buddy Holly was long gone, and the big hits had dried up – at the moment, at least – for Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. Elvis had served his time in the Army, threatening
Status Quo Deliver Expanded "Piledriver" in March
To commemorate the forthcoming live dates from Status Quo's "Frantic Four" reunion, the British boogie-rockers' first release for Vertigo Records, Piledriver, is getting reissued and expanded in March. The classic lineup of Status Quo - guitarist/vocalists Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt, bassist Alan Lancaster and drummer John Coghlan had existed in one shape or another since 1967, five years after schoolmates Rossi and Lancaster decided to start a band. Their first three albums, which included
Kritzerland Heads Into The Arena With "Demetrius and the Gladiators"
Twentieth Century Fox’s 1953 Biblical epic The Robe boldly trumpeted on its posters, “The First Motion Picture in CinemaScope – The Modern Miracle You See Without Glasses!” So confident was Fox about the success of The Robe and indeed, the widescreen CinemaScope format, that the studio began production on a sequel (or “continuation,” as it was dubbed) before the first film had even reached theatres. Screenwriter Philip Dunne, producer Frank Ross, art directors George W. Davis and Lyle Wheeler,
Release Round-Up: Week of January 28
Uncle Tupelo, No Depression: Legacy Edition (Legacy) After at least two teasers in the form of Record Store Day releases, one of the most beloved alt-country albums is greatly expanded as a double-disc set with a host of rare and unreleased demos. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Tony Bennett, The Classics (RPM/Columbia/Legacy) One of the most beloved singers of the 20th century is the subject of a new career-spanning compilation, available in single and double-disc iterations. 1CD: Amazon U.S. /
Review: Tower of Power, "Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow - Live on the Air and In the Studio"
What is hip? Based on the evidence of Tower of Power’s Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow - Live on the Air and in the Studio (RGM-0208), the Bay Area band certainly qualifies. Real Gone Music’s crackling first-time release of a 1974 concert recorded for radio is a potent reminder of why Tower of Power’s rip-roaring horns have enlivened a host of recordings from artists as diverse as Elton John, Grateful Dead, Poison, Neil Diamond, Santana, and Aerosmith. Tower of Power scored its
Hello Hooray: Audio Fidelity Preps SACDs for Alice Cooper, Peter, Paul and Mary, Yes' Jon Anderson and Heart
This February, the Audio Fidelity label continues to grow its collection of stereo hybrid SACDs with four new releases that touch upon classic rock, progressive rock, and vintage folk. Jon Anderson's debut solo album Olias Of Sunhillow was released in the summer of 1976 and climbed the charts to the U.S. Top 50 as well as to an even more impressive No. 8 in Anderson’s U.K. home. The Yes frontman and multi-instrumentalist utilized a variety of synthesizers, tape loops, unexpected instruments
Short Takes: Digital Updates on Billy Joel, Black Sabbath and More
When not releasing intriguing physical products, sometimes labels like to do neat things to spice up their digital offerings, making complete discographies available or taking advantage of Apple's "Mastered for iTunes" initiative. Here's a few notable digital-oriented stories we've caught wind of in recent days! He's a living legend, a multiplatinum bestseller, a Kennedy Center honoree and - in 2014 - the first musical franchise at New York's Madison Square Garden. This week, Legacy
Cherry Pop Revives Hazell Dean's Rare Burt Bacharach LP, Weather Girls' Second Album
The sound of Hazell Dean has long been associated with the sound of Hi-NRG, the dance-pop genre in which she scored hits like "Searchin' (I Gotta Find a Man)," "Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go)" and "Who's Leaving Who." But thanks to Cherry Pop, fans can discover another side of Hazell Dean on The Sound of Bacharach and David. This ultra-rare promotional LP, originally issued in 1981, was commercially released for the first time on CD this week in the U.K.; it hits U.S. stores next
Def Leppard Work It Out with Expanded Edition of "Slang"
Def Leppard went in a bold new direction for the release of their sixth album Slang in 1996. Now, nearly 20 years later, they're dusting it off as a long-promised deluxe edition. Slang came at the end of a very successful period for the British rockers. Over the past decade, the band and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange created a host of arena-shaking, MTV-ready pop/rock albums, including Pyromania (1983), Hysteria (1987) and Adrenalize (1992) (the latter produced by the band and Mike Shipley
Wanna Have Fun: Cyndi Lauper's "She's So Unusual" Revisited for 30th Anniversary
She’s So Unusual! On October 14, 1983, the world discovered that of Cyndi Lauper, catapulting the artist’s debut album to Top 5 status. The native New Yorker picked up two Grammy Awards for She’s So Unusual, and over the years has remained in the limelight as a recording star, club favorite, Broadway composer, fashion icon and LGBT rights activist. On April 1, Legacy Recordings will celebrate the 30th anniversary of Lauper’s first album with a reissue available in 1-CD, 2-CD and 1-LP
It's a "Solid Gold" March From Real Gone with Grass Roots, David Ruffin, Marilyn McCoo, and More
We all know that March comes in like a lion, so it's altogether appropriate, then, that Real Gone Music comes into March with a roar! The label's March 4 slate of eight titles emphasizes classic soul, with detours to vintage pop and country. And as Mardi Gras 2014 falls on that very date, the sound of New Orleans is celebrated with a few very special releases, too. From New Orleans, Real Gone presents titles from three bona fide Big Easy legends: Dr. John, Professor Longhair and Irma Thomas.
Silversun Pickups to Release "Singles Collection" on CD, Vinyl Box
If you'll pardon the lyrical callback, Silversun Pickups fans have been waiting for this moment all their lives: the release of the band's first greatest hits collection in February. Hailing from the Silverlake region of Los Angeles, the Silversun Pickups have one of the more unusual mainstream rock backgrounds of the past decade, thanks to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences nominating them for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2009 - even though their first album, Carnavas
Love Came Down Again: The Blue Nile's Third Album Expanded in March
A pleasant surprise for fans of The Blue Nile today: following the expansion of the band's first two albums in 2012, Virgin/UMC will expand The Blue Nile's third LP, 1996's Peace At Last, in March with a disc of unreleased material. Having released their last album, Hats, in 1989, the eclectic trio of Paul Buchanan (vocals/guitar/synthesizers), Robert Bell (bass) and Paul Joseph Moore (synthesizers) were finding themselves as in-demand musicians, despite the modest commercial reception of the
Play A Song For Me: Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert Is Expanded On CD and DVD/BD
Since its opening on February 11, 1968, Madison Square Garden at Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station has hosted some of the most memorable events in music history, from The Concert For Bangla Desh in 1971 to The Concert for New York City in 2001. For sheer star wattage, one of the most notable of MSG’s many special events was the 1992 evening remembered simply as “Bobfest.” It was a night for friends, contemporaries and younger artists to pay tribute to an American great for whom a first-name
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 217
- 218
- 219
- 220
- 221
- …
- 315
- Next Page »