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Tormato (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
Released 40 years ago, TORMATO was the final album of the 1970s from U.K. prog rock greats Yes. Recorded in London following an exhaustive tour behind comeback set GOING FOR THE ONE, the sessions strained the group - vocalist Jon Anderson and keyboardist Rick Wakeman would depart soon afterward - but resulted in some wonderful music. Housed in a distinctive Hipgnosis-designed cover, the platinum-selling collection features immaculate performances (with several new instruments broadening the quintet's sound) and such strong songs as “Release, Release,” “Onward” and popular single “Don't Kill the Whale.” The Deluxe Edition of TORMATO adds 10 bonus tracks, all but a couple of them non-LP originals.
Houdini (Album of the Day)
The Melvins had been playing for years before the word “grunge” came into fashion to describe the intense, sludgy alternative rock they helped pioneer, so it's only fair that when Nirvana hit, the band got offered a major label deal. Released 25 years ago today, HOUDINI, the first Melvins album for Atlantic and fifth overall, was partially produced by longtime fan Kurt Cobain, who also contributes a bit of guitar to “Sky Pup.” These dozen originals (plus a version of Kiss' “Going Blind”) are loud, heavy and lumbering, and the massive riffs and weird twists of “Honey Bucket,” “Lizzy” and “Hooch” are still overpowering. Featuring iconic Frank Kozik cover art, HOUDINI is the Melvins' most successful album to date, and an ideal introduction to the work of King Buzzo and company.
SONG OF THE DAY: "Orinoco Flow" (Album of the Day)
Enya grew up with musical siblings and was briefly a member of her family's group Clannad before becoming a solo star with “Orinoco Flow,” released in the U.K. 30 years ago today. Recorded at Orinoco Studios in London, the enchanting song was part of the Irish performer's breakthrough album, WATERMARK, but almost wasn't issued as a single. “There was no middle eight, and 'Sail away' was after every line - it drove me crazy, but there was something there that could be worked on,” noted Enya's A&R rep Rob Dickens (who is name-checked in the lyrics), and fortunately the track's quality carried the day. "Orinoco Flow" topped the British chart and earned two Grammy nominations, and it's our Song of the Day.
Blood Sugar Sex Magik (Album of the Day)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers' 1991 Warner Bros. debut BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK proved to be the commercial breakthrough for the L.A. funk-rock quartet. Producer Rick Rubin put the band up in his mansion studio, and they emerged with a collection that was as accessible as it was powerful, selling more than 7 million copies in the U.S. alone. The sex (“Suck My Kiss,” “Sir Psycho Sexy”) is a bit easier to find than blood or sugar here, but there's magic all over – and not just on singles like “Under The Bridge” or “Give It Away.” Flea's bass playing on “Funky Monks” or John Frusciante's guitar solo on “My Lovely Man” (a tribute to late Chili Pepper Hillel Slovak) are almost supernatural. Today is Flea's birthday, and we'll wish him a happy one with BLOOD SUGAR SEX MAGIK.
Ocean Rain (Album of the Day)
“We wanted to make something conceptual with lush orchestration; not Mantovani, something with a twist. It's all pretty dark.” So said Echo & The Bunnymen guitarist Will Sergeant of the band's fourth studio collection, OCEAN RAIN. The 1984 Sire album is a bit of a departure from its post-punk/neo-psych predecessors; largely dispensing with synthesizers, the 35-piece accompaniment lures the Liverpool quartet into dramatic and melodic new territory. Highlights include “Silver” “Seven Seas” and Top Ten U.K. hit “The Killing Moon,” but this is the kind of darkly romantic work best experienced as a whole. Featuring a strong set of songs and impassioned performances, the moody and majestic OCEAN RAIN is cited by many fans as the group's high-water mark.
Giving You the Best That I Got (Album of the Day)
Released 30 years ago today, GIVING YOU THE BEST THAT I GOT solidified Anita Baker's status as one of the classiest and most successful artists in contemporary R&B. RAPTURE producer Michael J. Powell returned for this fine follow-up, providing appropriately lush settings for the singer's soul-pop balladry. Among the many highlights of the 1988 Elektra collection are “Just Because,” the Latin jazz-tinged “Good Enough,” “Good Love” and the Top 10 hit title track (the latter two songs are also co-written by Baker). The set was a success by any measure, topping the Billboard chart, earning three Grammys and selling more than three million copies. An ideal showcase for the songstress, GIVING YOU THE BEST THAT I GOT is one of the best Anita Baker albums you can get.
Keep on Rockin' (Album of the Day)
KEEP ON ROCKIN' was the fourth album from country-rock hitmakers Confederate Railroad, and its music lives up to its title. The 1998 collection was also the band's last for Atlantic Records, and it's a fiery finale, with such tracks as “Cowboy Cadillac,” the comedic “The Big One” and a cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's “Simple Man” among the standouts. The Atlanta sextet sing and play their hearts out here, and are joined by several friends, including Steve Earle and Charlie Daniels on “Good Ol' Boy (Gettin' Tough).” As KEEP ON ROCKIN' celebrates its 20th anniversary, we'll tip our hat to the still-active Confederate Railroad.
Storefront Hitchcock (Album of the Day)
Released 20 years ago, STOREFRONT HITCHCOCK put Robyn Hitchcock in the fine company of Talking Heads and Neil Young as the subject of a Jonathan Demme concert film. The movie features the eccentric British singer-songwriter performing in a New York City store window (hence the title) to the delight of passersby, and the accompanying soundtrack is as weird and wonderful as you'd imagine. The songs include Hitchcock gems old and new (“Let's Go Thundering” and “Where Do You Go When You Die” are only available here) along with a cover of “The Wind Cries Mary,” with plenty of the surreal introductory monologues beloved by fans. The “unplugged” arrangements here showcase Robyn's deft guitar playing as well as his wit, making STOREFRONT HITCHCOCK one to ask for at your local record store.
SONG OF THE DAY - "If You Leave Me Now" (Album of the Day)
“If You Leave Me Now” stands as one of Chicago's most iconic recordings, but the Peter Cetera ballad wasn't initially seen as a sure-fire hit. “When Peter wrote this song, we gave it our all, even though we thought it wasn't anything special. Shows how little we knew," recalled the band's Robert Lamm. Written around the same time as CHICAGO VII's haunting “Wishing You Were Here,” the gentle love song was a bit of a departure for the group, which may have contributed to its success - it really stood out on radio playlists then jammed with disco, and topped the U.S. chart on this day in 1976. The platinum-certified “If You Leave Me Now” also became Chicago's first Grammy winner (for Best Pop Vocal Performance), and it's our Song of the Day.
THE ATLANTIC SINGLES COLLECTION 1967-1970 (Album of the Day)
When Aretha Franklin joined Atlantic Records in 1967, it was the beginning of an unprecedented run that would ultimately cement her place as one of the most influential singers of all time. Within the space of just three years, her name was almost never out of U.S Pop and R&B Top 20, garnering nine gold singles, three gold albums and three Grammy Awards. THE ATLANTIC SINGLES COLLECTION 1967-1970 spotlights this historic period in her career with 34 singles in chronological order. The new 2-disc set is stacked with many of Franklin's best-known songs, including such #1 R&B hits as "Respect" (also a Pop #1), "Baby I Love You," "Chain Of Fools" and "Think." Several of the songs on THE ATLANTIC SINGLES COLLECTION are covers that underscore Franklin's exceptional skill as an interpreter; among the highlights are titanic versions of Sam Cooke's "You Send Me," The Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and Dionne Warwick's "I Say A Little Prayer."