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Let's Get Small (Album of the Day)
“Well excuuuuse me!” Before he became a Hollywood movie star, Steve Martin was a white-suited, banjo-playing comedian with a fake arrow through his head – a chapter of his career perfectly captured on LET'S GET SMALL. The performer's 1977 debut album was recorded at The Boarding House club in San Francisco, and the crowd is clearly in his corner as Martin launches zingers at showbiz (“Vegas”), drugs (the title track), family relationships (“Mad at My Mother”) and more. Less dependent on social commentary than many other stand-ups of the day, the surreal humor here is still riotously funny, and the Warner Bros. collection was a Top 10, platinum-certified hit. LET'S GET SMALL was where it all began for Steve Martin, and we'll play the set again to wish the man a happy birthday.
We Have Come For Your Children (Album of the Day)
First-wave punk rockers Dead Boys burned bright but fast; the Cleveland quintet's final studio album, WE HAVE COME FOR YOUR CHILDREN, arrived in stores just a year after their debut. The 1979 Sire set was cut at Miami's Criteria Studios with producer Felix Pappalardi (of hard rock band Mountain), whose efforts to make the Boys mainstream-friendly never dampen their anarchic spirit. Just listen to Stiv Bators spit out lyrics over Cheetah Chrome's riffs on “Flame Thrower Love,” “Ain't It Fun” or “(I Don't Wanna Be No) Catholic Boy” and you'll know why the band was a favorite at CBGB. Joey and Dee Dee Ramone sing back-up on that last track, and Guns N' Roses later put their stamp of approval on the collection with a cover of “Ain't It Fun.” The underrated WE HAVE COME FOR YOUR CHILDREN is a must for anyone who likes their music young, loud and snotty.
Aretha Now (Album of the Day)
Any proclamation by the Queen of Soul should command your attention, but ARETHA NOW is particularly noteworthy. Cut at New York's Atlantic Studios with the venerable Jerry Wexler behind the boards, the 1968 collection includes a pair of iconic Top 10 singles: opener “Think” is an original while “I Say a Little Prayer” illustrates Aretha's ability to make any song her own (and it's not easy to steal the spotlight from Dionne Warwick). Outstanding performances of “See Saw” and “You Send Me” further that argument, and the album, which includes appearances from the likes of guitarist Bobby Womack, keyboardist Spooner Oldham and saxophonist King Curtis, was named one of the best of the 1960s by Pitchfork. Aretha Franklin passed away a year ago today, and while the Queen is gone, ARETHA NOW ensures her voice will sing forever.
YES: 50 Live (Album of the Day)
Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Yes celebrated their 50th anniversary over the last year with an extensive tour that included shows in Europe, North America and Japan. A new double live album recorded during that anniversary tour, YES 50 LIVE, features 13 concert versions of key songs that helped make Yes the most enduring, ambitious and virtuosic progressive band in rock history. The performances seamlessly weave together several eras from the group's past with songs from 10 different studio albums recorded between 1970 and 2011, and former members including Tony Kaye and Patrick Moraz joined the current line-up for a Philadelphia show featured here. For a limited time, Rhino.com will also have an exclusive colored vinyl pressing of YES 50 LIVE available while supplies last.
Vulgar Display of Power (Album of the Day)
For their follow-up to COWBOYS FROM HELL, Pantera set out to make the heaviest record of all time, and in VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER, the Texas quartet succeeded. The punch-in-the-face cover to the 1992 Atco album sets the tone for 11 hard-hitting originals, including “Mouth for War,” “Walk” “Hollow” and “This Love.” Phil Anselmo's deep, growling vocals sound like something out of The Exorcist (the album title is drawn from that movie), and “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott's pummeling riffs sound just as possessed. Abbott was born on this day in 1966, and we'll remember the late guitarist with the double-platinum VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER – arguably Pantera's finest hour, and certainly one of the 1990s' most influential metal albums.
Todd Rundgren's Utopia (Album of the Day)
Todd Rundgren is famed as a solo hitmaker and producer, but his tenure in bands The Nazz and Utopia is equally impressive. Largely drawn from musicians he'd played with on past albums (and including no less than three keyboardists), Todd Rundgen's Utopia was designed to scratch the man's progressive rock itch, and the group's eponymous debut emerged in 1974 on Bearsville. The opening “Utopia Theme” was recorded live at the Fox Theater in Atlanta, Georgia, and while the punchy “Freedom Fighters” recalls Rundgren's earlier output, both “Freak Parade” and “The Ikon” are ambitious epics – the latter passing the 30-minute mark. Featuring memorable melodies, arrangements ranging from symphonic to hard rock and terrific instrumental performances throughout (Todd's guitar work really shines), TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA is a paradise for prog fans.
Veni Vidi Vicious (Album of the Day)
They came, they saw, they conquered – Swedish quintet The Hives were the talk of the alternative rock world at the turn of the millennium - and with good reason, judging from VENI VIDI VICIOUS. Powered by such singles as “Main Offender,” “Die, All Right!,” “Supply and Demand” and signature song “Hate to Say I Told You So,” the band's second studio album was, in the group's words, “a velvet glove with brass knuckles, both brutal and sophisticated at the same time.” Frontman Howlin' Pelle Almqvist and company bring the live energy of their concerts to bear on these dozen tracks (all original bar an Impressions cover) to create a highly combustible blend of garage rock and punk. If you're searching for a new favorite band and don't know The Hives yet, give VENI VIDI VICIOUS a listen right away!
The Menace (Album of the Day)
Elastica's self-titled debut emerged at the peak of the Brit-pop era, but follow-up THE MENACE took five years to reach shops. If the delay was detrimental commercially, it allowed the band time to broaden its sound – while opening salvo “Mad Dog God Dam” packs the hook-filled punch of their earlier album, a good chunk of the Atlantic set focuses on moodier synth-centric songs (“Miami Nice”). Departed singer-guitarist Donna Matthews can be heard on two tracks, and the collection also includes a couple of cool guest appearances: Mark E. Smith of The Fall (adding post-punk cred to “How He Wrote Elastica Man”) and, under a pseudonym, Damon Albarn of Blur (on a cover of New Wave fave “Da Da Da”). More diverse and demanding than the group's first, THE MENACE rewards repeated listening and we'll give it another spin now to wish frontwoman Justine Frischmann a happy 50th birthday.
Mr. Bojangles (Album of the Day)
Born Ronald Clyde Crosby, singer-songwriter Jerry Jeff Walker adopted his stage name a couple of years before making his solo debut for Atco in 1968. MR. BOJANGLES features ten fine songs highlighted by the Dylan-esque “The Ballad Of The Hulk” and the original version of the title track, a profile of a down-on-his luck New Orleans tap dancer that was most famously covered by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. Reflective of years paying dues in folk clubs, Jerry Jeff 's appealing low-key approach is bolstered here by several talented session players including noted bluegrass picker David Bromberg. Simpler and more intimate than the troubadour's later progressive country work, the set remains a favorite with fans, and if you want to hear why, we'll ask MR. BOJANGLES to do the old soft shoe one more time...
B-Movie Matinee (Album of the Day)
By 1985, Chic founder Nile Rodgers had become one of the most in-demand producers in the business, but still found time for his own releases like B-MOVIE MATINEE. From its title and 3-D cover, the performer's second solo outing has a strong cinematic theme, reflected in such songs as the sci-fi-flavored “Plan 9” and “Stay Out Of The Light” (which includes snippets of dialogue from Raiders of the Lost Ark). The concept allows Rodgers the chance to branch out from the guitar-driven R&B that made him famous to inventive and catchy synthesizer sounds; standouts among these eight tracks include “State Your Mind” and “Let’s Go Out Tonight,” the latter a Hot 100 pop single featuring vocals by Chic's Alfa Anderson. Filled with lyrical wit and danceable grooves, B-MOVIE MATINEE is ripe for rediscovery, and we'll cue it up again to wish Nile Rodgers a happy birthday.