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The Fantastic Jazz Harp Of Dorothy Ashby (Album of the Day)
It's rare to see “jazz” and “harp” mentioned together, but Dorothy Ashby made a career out of combining the two; the Detroit-born musician cut nearly a dozen albums of her own, including one for Atlantic, THE FANTASTIC JAZZ HARP OF DOROTHY ASHBY. Issued three years after Down Beat critics and readers polls placed her among the best jazz performers, the 1965 collection features four original compositions and a varied selection of covers ranging from Duke Ellington and Bricusse-Newley songs to such traditional fare as “House of the Rising Sun.” Supported by a strong rhythm section (including percussionist Willie Bobo) and occasional horns, Ashby's nimble fingers weave improvisational technique and classical tonality together on this fine set, which was co-produced by Arif Mardin. Give THE FANTASTIC JAZZ HARP OF DOROTHY ASHBY a listen – it truly is fantastic.
Blues for Allah (Album of the Day)
BLUES FOR ALLAH was made at a time when the Grateful Dead were more focused on recording than concerts, and it really shows. The 1975 collection, the third on the band's own label, was cut at Bob Weir's home studio and features the group (with a returning Mickey Hart) moving further toward jazz, world and experimental sounds. Including such favorites as “The Music Never Stopped,” “Franklin's Tower” and “King Solomon's Marbles,” the set was a hit, nearly reaching Billboard's Top 10, and an expanded and remastered version of the album adds six outtakes from the sessions as bonus tracks. From the Phillip Garris cover art to the music within, BLUES FOR ALLAH is a class act all around, and we'll give it another spin in honor of Jerry Garcia's birthday.
Candy Apple Grey (Album of the Day)
Emerging from Minnesota's hardcore punk scene in the early 1980s, Hüsker Dü had a string of critically acclaimed independent releases behind them when they signed to Warner Bros. for CANDY APPLE GREY. With significantly improved production, the album highlights the broadening of the trio's sound begun on FLIP YOUR WIG. “I was always writing with an ear to melody,” recalled guitarist Bob Mould, and his “I Don't Know For Sure” and “Too Far Down” reflect that; Grant Hart's songs (“Don't Want to Know If You Are Lonely,” “Sorry Somehow”) may be even catchier. The collection even made the Billboard Top 200, though its intense energy and idiosyncratic lyrics set it apart from almost anything else on the chart in 1986. The debt that bands like Nirvana or Green Day owe to Hüsker Dü is plain to hear on CANDY APPLE GREY, and any alternative rock fan would do well to give it a listen.
Ladies Of The Canyon (Album of the Day)
Joni Mitchell's third album, LADIES OF THE CANYON, shows her rapid musical advance; the self-produced set's sophisticated arrangements add piano, clarinet, saxophone and multi-tracked vocals to the singer-songwriter's sonic palette. The dozen originals include some of Mitchell's most popular compositions, among them “Big Yellow Taxi,” “Woodstock” and “The Circle Game” - songs that may be better known from covers (by Janet Jackson, CSNY and Tom Rush, respectively), but Joni's versions are just as memorable. Now hitting the half-century mark, LADIES OF THE CANYON was neither Mitchell's biggest seller or most famous album – but it may be the hidden gem in one of rock's most rewarding catalogs.
Louder Than Hell (Album of the Day)
Sam Kinison had been following in his father's footsteps as a Pentecostal preacher up to his mid-20s when he saw the light and turned to stand-up comedy. There's plenty of fire and brimstone in his debut album, LOUDER THAN HELL, directed at marriage (“Relationships”), religion (“Jesus,” “Devil”), current affairs (“World Hunger”) and much more. Including material from Kinison's breakthrough HBO specials, the 1986 Warner Bros. collection is a brilliant mix of the hilarious and the profane (its “explicit lyrics” label is well-deserved) punctuated by the high-volume tirades that made Sam legendary. We all need a good laugh these days, so on this April Fool's Day, let's give LOUDER THAN HELL another spin.
Vanishing Point (Album of the Day)
If the dialogue snippets in SCREAMADELICA didn't tip you off to Primal Scream's love of cult cinema, VANISHING POINT will; the 1997 Reprise set draws its title from a 1971 existential road movie and propulsive lead single “Kowalski” takes its name from the lead character. “It's always been a favourite of the band; we love the air of paranoia and speed-freak righteousness,” said frontman Bobby Gillespie of the film, and this alternative soundtrack replaces the original's hippie music with funky grooves, Stonesy swagger, dub and electronica. The collection marks the debut of ex-Stone Rose Mani on bass (former Sex Pistol Glen Matlock also turns up on a track), and just missed the #1 spot on the U.K. album chart. A strong return to form for the Scottish band, VANISHING POINT races headlong toward the horizons of dance-rock.
Woman's Gotta Have It (Expanded) (Album of the Day)
With a name that skewers the stereotype of British Asians as shopkeepers, Cornershop has been making music that defies categorization since 1991; sophomore album WOMAN'S GOTTA HAVE IT is a distinctive fusion of Bollywood, noise-pop, dance, hip-hop and more. Frontman Tjinder Singh proves a gifted songwriter here, lacing social commentary through these originals while peppering them with hooks drawn from around the world – lead single “6am Jullandar Shere” is sung in Punjabi and “My Dancing Days Are Done” in French, while the droning guitars of “Looking For A Way In” are straight out of the New York underground. The Expanded Version of the 1995 set adds “Rehoused” and four alternate mixes. Cornershop would garner acclaim a couple years later when “Brimful of Asha” topped the U.K. singles chart, but WOMAN'S GOTTA HAVE IT shows the Leicester band had already found its distinctive voice.
On Tour With Eric Clapton (Album of the Day)
For their 1969 tour of England, Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett had some of rock's finest players in their backup band; the duo's “friends” included Dave Mason, Leon Russell and Rita Coolidge – not to mention Eric Clapton and George Harrison. While the Beatle guitarist (nicknamed “L'Angelo Misterioso” for these concerts) doesn't appear on the album, ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON features some amazing solos from the titular axeman, who would soon recruit Bobby Whitlock, Carl Radle and Jim Gordon to play on the LAYLA album; Harrison likewise drew sidemen from the Delaney & Bonnie tour for his ALL THINGS MUST PASS. A sublime blend of blue-eyed soul, country and gospel, ON TOUR WITH ERIC CLAPTON has now reached the half-century mark, and easily measures up to its famous parentage.
Close to the Edge (Album of the Day)
Consisting of three epic recordings - “Siberian Khatru,” “And You and I” and the side-long title suite - CLOSE TO THE EDGE is among Yes' finest albums and a milestone of progressive rock. The 1972 collection was also the most demanding the U.K. quintet had yet recorded; drummer Bill Bruford came up with the title to describe where it had pushed the band, and he left the group shortly after the set's release. But the exhausting work paid off with some absolutely dazzling music and a Top 5 hit on both sides of the Atlantic (it would eventually be certified platinum by the R.I.A.A.). We'll give CLOSE TO THE EDGE another spin now to wish guitarist Steve Howe a happy birthday.
Candlebox (Album of the Day)
If ever a band was in the right place at the right time, it was Candlebox; formed in 1990 in Seattle, the quartet rose with the city's grunge scene and was signed to Madonna's Maverick Records. CANDLEBOX became the label's first big success, eventually selling more than 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. Singles “Far Behind,” “You” and “Cover Me” all reached Billboard's Mainstream Rock Top 10, but every one of these 11 originals is pretty solid, with an intense but accessible attack led by singer Kevin Martin. The frontman was born on this day in 1969, and we'll wish him a happy birthday with what may be his band's finest hour, CANDLEBOX.