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SONG OF THE DAY - "Bad Day" (Album of the Day)
“My granddad used to say to me, 'There's better people who are worse off than you,' and I always remember that,” noted singer-songwriter Daniel Powter of his “Bad Day.” “It's a song about trying to make people feel better.” The global smash certainly struck a chord, topping the Billboard singles chart, earning triple-platinum sales status and becoming European radio's most played song of 2005. The centerpiece of Powter's self-titled album, the track was inspired by his struggles to succeed as a musician (“Bad Day” was rejected by labels for two years before Warner Bros. signed the performer), which shows what can happen when you don't let adversity stop you. We'll make it our Song of the Day in the hopes that your Friday the 13th isn't a “Bad Day.”
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Album of the Day)
Some thirty years after its first big screen adaptation, Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY got darker and weirder in the hands of director Tim Burton, star Johnny Depp and composer Danny Elfman. The fresh approach is audible on the 2005 film's soundtrack, which mixes orchestral themes with vocal tracks as distinctive as the movie's characters - “Augustus Gloop” recalls a Bollywood musical, while “Veruca Salt” channels 1960s sunshine pop (Elfman sings all the songs, his voice modulated to sound different on each). By turns zany, mysterious and joyful, the CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK is Danny Elfman at his best, and we'll give the collection another spin now to celebrate his birthday.
Arise (Expanded Edition) (Album of the Day)
Sepultura hit its stride in 1991 when the Brazilian quartet released its acclaimed fourth record, ARISE. Recorded in Florida with producer Scott Burns, the album has been certified platinum based on worldwide sales and includes indispensable thrash/death metal tracks like “Under Siege (Regnum Irae)” and “Dead Embryonic Cells.” Now available from Rhino, the Expanded Edition of this raucous classic features a newly remastered version of the original album along with 28 bonus tracks. The previously unreleased material includes an industrial remix of “Dead Embryonic Cells,” a cover of Motorhead’s “Orgasmatron,” basic tracks for “Murder,” “Altered State” and more. ARISE: EXPANDED EDITION also features the CD debut of eight concert recordings originally released on the band’s first home video, Under Siege (Live In Barcelona).
Space Ritual (Album of the Day)
Hawkwind had earned a reputation as one of the hardest-gigging bands in Britain by the time they played the December 1972 concerts heard on SPACE RITUAL. These performances were elaborate rock operas, and though you can't see the light show, dancers or Barney Bubbles-designed sets on this double album, the music is spectacular on its own. Drawn largely from previous studio collection DOREMI FASOL LATIDO, the songs tell a sci-fi tale of Starfarers traveling to Earth – a delightfully harebrained concept that, in the hands of the group's classic lineup (including a pre-Motorhead Lemmy on bass), inspired some thunderously heavy progressive rock. “Orgone Accumulator,” “Space Is Deep” and “Sonic Attack” have lost none of their mind-warping power, and SPACE RITUAL will take you on an audio trip across the cosmos.
Fountains of Wayne (Album of the Day)
Named after a Wayne, NJ, lawn ornament store, Fountains of Wayne carried the power-pop torch higher than almost any other band of the 1990s. Built around the talents of singer-songwriters Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger, the group signed to Atlantic Records and their eponymous debut followed in 1996. Its dozen originals offer sly looks at modern life buoyed by hook-filled alt-rock arrangements; singles “Radiation Vibe” and “Sink to the Bottom” qualify as highlights, but you'll find yourself singing along to “Sick Day,” “Leave The Biker” and others just as enthusiastically. While its kid superhero cover image was used by another band right around the time of release, it's entirely appropriate for this exhilarating album – FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE will rescue you from musical doldrums.
Paradise And Lunch (Album of the Day)
Truly a musician's musician, guitarist Ry Cooder has been a bridge connecting contemporary audiences to a dizzying variety of traditional musics for almost half a century. His ongoing career includes a string of acclaimed albums for Reprise, of which PARADISE AND LUNCH was his fourth - and one of his best. Produced by Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker, the 1974 collection touches on blues, gospel, jazz and folk, with Ry applying his distinctive stamp to such highlights as “Jesus on the Mainline,” “Tattler” and “Ditty Wah Ditty,” which features Earl “Fatha” Hines on piano. Though there are other stellar instrumentalists (including saxophonist Plas Johnson and drummer Jim Keltner) supporting the headliner's faultless fretwork, Cooder's down-home vocals are just as important to the set's soulful appeal, and PARADISE AND LUNCH is heaven for roots rock fans.
The Cars (Album of the Day)
A well-oiled hitmaking machine if ever there was one, The Cars worked their way up through Boston clubs but kept their ears open to music on rock's fringes. With one foot in the mainstream and one in new wave, the quintet (frontman Ric Ocasek, guitarist Elliot Easton, keyboardist Greg Hawkes, bassist Ben Orr and drummer Dave Robinson) delivered such high-powered singles as “Just What I Needed,” “My Best Friend's Girl” and “Good Times Roll,” driving their eponymous 1978 album to multi-platinum status. One of the all-time great debuts, THE CARS sounds just as exciting 40 years after its release, and we'll take it out for another spin now in honor of #nationalcarsday.
Ritual De Lo Habitual (Album of the Day)
No less an authority than Alice Cooper declared Jane’s Addiction's RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL “their peak album, where they really went out on a limb,” and it's tough to argue with the rock legend on this point. The second and final studio set from the L.A. quartet's original incarnation spans alt-rock ragers (“Stop”), mainstream rock hits (“Been Caught Stealing”) and haunting ballads (“Classic Girl”) as well as progressive epics (“Then She Did”). Frontman Perry Farrell and axeman Dave Navarro play every song as if it might be their last, and today we'll cue up the double-platinum RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL to celebrate the guitarist's birthday.
SONG OF THE DAY - World In Motion (Album of the Day)
“This should be the last straw for Joy Division fans,” said New Order singer Bernard Sumner of “World In Motion,” the band's improbable 1990 hit. It's hard to imagine anything further from the quartet's post-punk roots than this football anthem, written to support England's team in its World Cup bid, but the song's success underlines New Order's skill and versatility. Co-written with comedian Keith Allen, the track frames an anti-hooligan message (and a rap by athlete John Barnes) with buoyant alternative rock based on a BBC theme penned by the band's Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert. “World In Motion” became New Order's sole U.K. No.1 single, and as the FIFA World Cup kicks off again, it's our song of the day.
The Shape of Jazz to Come (Album of the Day)
THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME may have seemed a bold title for Ornette Coleman's Atlantic Records debut, but the music on the 1959 collection absolutely justifies it. With an emphasis on melody and improvisation over chords and harmony (Coleman called his approach “harmolodic”), these six originals introduce the standard “Lonely Woman,” and offer the quartet – which includes future stars Don Cherry on cornet and Charlie Haden on bass - plenty of room to strut their instrumental stuff. A cornerstone of the free jazz movement, the album was initially controversial, but its landmark status is now unquestioned, and it has been named to both the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. Ornette Coleman passed away on this day in 2015 and we'll remember the pioneering performer with THE SHAPE OF JAZZ TO COME.