“The sound of this thing was like, ‘We’re breaking some new ground here.’” Earlier this year, musician-arranger-bandleader Tom Scott of the L.A. Express reminisced to the U.K.’s MOJO magazine about working with Joni Mitchell on her 1972 album For the Roses. Indeed, Scott realized early on that the merging of folk and jazz sensibilities was about to take the singer-songwriter’s music to the next level. Mitchell’s creatively groundbreaking 1972-1975 albums – For the Roses, Court and Spark (1974), the live Miles of Aisles (1974), and The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975) –…
For What It’s Worth: Omnivore, Iconic Premiere 1971 Stephen Stills Concert Featuring David Crosby
On June 30, 1971, Stephen Stills released his second solo album. The simply-titled Stephen Stills 2 peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Top LPs chart and yielded two singles (“Change Partners” and “Marianne”) which peaked just outside of the top 40 on the Hot 100. Stills set off on his first solo tour in support of the album and brought along The Memphis Horns, the brass section which had played on the LP. Today, Omnivore Recordings and Iconic Artists Group have announced the April 28 release of Live at Berkeley…
In Memoriam: David Crosby (1941-2023)
And it appears to be a long time, such a long, long, long, long time before the dawn… Few songs have captured the zeitgeist of the times as well as David Crosby’s “Long Time Gone.” First aired on Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s eponymous debut, the ballad expressed the malaise, the anger, the disappointment, and the turbulence of the late 1960s with thunderous bass, furious guitar, and cascading harmonies. “Speak out, you got to speak out against the madness/You got to speak your mind, if you dare,” Crosby implored. “But don’t try to…
Release Round-Up: Week of December 9
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM Cheap Trick, Live at The Whisky 1977 (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This 4CD set compiles a quartet of Cheap Trick’s complete, uncut shows recorded at the Whisky-a-Go-Go in Los Angeles in the summer of 1977. It’s limited to just 2,000 copies and chronicles when Robin Zander, guitarist/songwriter Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson and drummer Bun E. Carlos spontaneously booked some nights at the historic Sunset Strip nightclub. KROQ-FM DJ…
The Weekend Stream: September 3, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! From a Prince-ly duo of two queens to a Beach Boy gone solo and more, you’ll find some great picks for the holiday weekend. Wendy & Lisa, B-Sides / Instrumentals / Edits / Extended Versions (Virgin) B-Sides: iTunes U.K. / Amazon U.K. Extended: iTunes U.K. / Amazon U.K. An exciting treat for fans of Wendy & Lisa, the killer pop/rock guitar/keyboard duo…
The Weekend Stream: March 5, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to discover! This week’s got some choice soundtracks plus rock, hip-hop, country, and classic vocalists. Depeche Mode, Construction Time Again | The 12″ Singles (Warner/Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) Rhino continues its series of 12″ single releases from the Depeche Mode catalogue. This offering gathers up the extended mixes from the band’s third album, originally released in 1983. David Crosby, Oh Yes I Can (A&M/UMe) (iTunes…
Release Round-Up: Week of October 15
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! The Beatles, Let It Be: 50th Anniversary Edition [Various Formats] (Apple/Capitol/UMe) 5CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Beatles’ final album, Let It Be, arrives in deluxe editions to coincide with Peter Jackson’s multi-part documentary Get Back. The 5CD/BD edition includes Giles Martin and Sam Okell’s new remix of the album; two discs of rehearsals, jams, and outtakes; one disc of Glyn Johns’ first mix of the abortive Get Back album that became Let It Be;…
Music Is Love: Rhino Expands David Crosby’s Solo Debut “If I Could Only Remember My Name”
The phenomenal success of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young’s 1971 LP Déjà Vu came at a time when all four members of the supergroup were brimming with musical creativity. In the wake of its release, each released a solo album that’s since attained classic status. In February 1971 came David Crosby’s solo debut, If I Could Only Remember My Name. Crosby’s dreamy, impressionistic, darkly beautiful, and decidedly unconventional masterwork is now receiving a deluxe edition from Rhino due on October 15. This release follows the 2006 expanded edition which added the bonus…
Release Round-Up: Week of July 23
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Paul McCartney, III-Imagined (MPL/Capitol) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop CD with alternate art insert: Target 2-LP black vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop 2-LP red vinyl: Newbury Comics 2-LP gold vinyl: Your Local Record Store 2-LP splatter vinyl: Paul McCartney Online Store (limited to 3500 copies in the US) 2-LP “Spotify” green vinyl: Paul McCartney Online Store US / Paul McCartney Online Store UK / Music Vaultz 2-LP silver vinyl with alternate art insert: Target 2-LP blue vinyl: Barnes and Noble Paul McCartney is re-, um, III-imagining his 2020 album McCartney III. This new…
Review: Joni Mitchell, “The Reprise Albums (1968-1971)”
Joni Mitchell fiercely announced her independence with “I Had a King,” the haunting soliloquy which opens her 1968 debut album, Song to a Seagull. “I can’t go back there anymore,” she proclaimed. “You know my keys won’t fit the door/You know my thoughts don’t fit the man. They never can…they never can…” The song is bold, wise, and flecked with a graceful equanimity as the singer declares her freedom both from a husband who “lives in another time” and the societal constraints of the day. That freedom would be forcefully expressed on…
Back to the Garden: Rhino Expands Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Déjà Vu” In New Box Set
Crosby, Stills, and Nash’s eponymous debut was one of the most auspicious and omnipresent records of 1969, a remarkable and harmony-rich affair featuring such era-defining material as “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Marrakesh Express,” “Guinnevere,” “Wooden Ships,” “Long Time Gone,” and “Helplessly Hoping.” CSN blended folk, country, jazz, rock, and a dash of pop into an often-imitated but never-duplicated sound. In the U.S. alone, the album reached No. 6 on the Billboard Top LPs chart and the top 20 of the year’s best-selling records. Both “Marrakesh Express” and “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” reached…
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Joni Mitchell, ‘Love Has Many Faces’ [8-LP Box Set]
It’s coming on Christmas… and just in time for the holidays, Rhino has treated Joni Mitchell fans with a new, 8-LP box set, Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced. Previously released in a 4-CD configuration in 2014, this Joni Mitchell-curated collection finds the celebrated songwriter, singer, and visual artist exploring the many contexts and definitions of love. The result is a 53-song, four-act suite that craftily presents some of Joni’s best work in a compelling sequence, including 20 songs that are brand-new to vinyl. Love Has…
Feed Your Dreams: Rhino To Release Graham Nash Anthology in June Featuring Hits, A Dozen Unreleased Demos
In conjunction with a U.K. and European tour Graham Nash is launching in July (and the 50th anniversary of the formation of Crosby, Stills and Nash), Rhino has just announced a new anthology for the legendary artist in a variety of formats. On June 29, the 2-CD, 30 track Over The Years… will be available, as well as a downloadable and streaming version. Following two months later on August 31 will be a 15-track double-LP version of the compilation. The anthology has been put together by Nash and longtime associate Joel Bernstein…
Release Round-Up: Week of September 29
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! David Bowie, A New Career in a New Town (1977-1982) (Parlophone) 11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. 13LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. The third release in Parlophone’s series of chronological box sets dedicated to the music of David Bowie, A New Career in a New Town (1977-1982) closes the book on the legendary artist’s RCA career. It follows 2015’s Five Years (1969-1973) and 2016’s Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976), offering material from five major studio and live albums: Low (1977), “Heroes” (1977), Stage (1978), Lodger (1979) and Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps) (1980). Low, “Heroes” and Lodger are, of course, referred to as the “Berlin”…
Release Round-Up: Week of October 21
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up – one of the year’s biggest! Frank Sinatra, World on a String (Capitol/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K./ Amazon Canada) Featuring performances spanning 1953 to 1982, this new live collection boasts more than four hours’ worth of rare audio and video from the legendary Chairman of the Board – over 90 tracks on CD alone including such Sinatra favorites as “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “The Lady is a Tramp,” “Witchcraft” and “Bewitched” right up through “Strangers in…
Say “Aloha”: Fleetwood Mac, David Crosby, Beck Featured On New Cameron Crowe Soundtrack
Since making his big-screen debut as a writer with the 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, onetime teenaged Rolling Stone scribe Cameron Crowe has made music an integral part of his films – and we’re not just talking about Almost Famous! Every one of his movies as writer-director, from 1989’s Say Anything… to 2011’s We Bought a Zoo, has had its share of musical highlights. His next film, Aloha, should prove to be no exception. On May 26, Legacy Recordings and Madison Gate Records will issue Songs of Aloha, the Original…


















