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5150 (Album of the Day)
Born on this day in 1947, former Montrose frontman Sammy Hagar stepped up to the mic with Van Halen when David Lee Roth jumped to a solo career. The first studio set from the reconfigured foursome, 5150, would become Van Halen's first No.1 album and remains a highlight not just of Van Halen, Mark II, but of the band's entire career. The collection marks VH's first foray into balladry (“Love Walks In,” “Dreams”), though the guys rock as hard as ever on songs like “Best Of Both Worlds” and the Top Ten hit “Why Can't This Be Love.” The group's instrumental work, particularly Eddie's Van Halen's playing, is more sophisticated than ever on 5150, and we'll give the 6x platinum-certified set another spin in memory of the legendary guitarist.
Doo-Wops and Hooligans (Album of the Day)
Born Peter Gene Hernandez in Hawaii, Bruno Mars began performing at a young age but his career didn't really take off until he focused on songwriting and production, working on hits by Travie McCoy and B.o.B. Those skills paid off big time when Mars cut his own album, DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS, released 10 years ago this month. Spanning pop, R&B, reggae and rock, the Atlantic/Elektra collection spun off a string of successful singles, of which “Grenade,” “The Lazy Song” and “Just the Way You Are” were all Top 10 hits. The latter track brought Mars a Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Grammy (the album earned four additional nominations), and his inviting, easy-going style is this set's secret weapon. Certified 6x platinum, DOO-WOPS & HOOLIGANS made Mars one of music's brightest stars.
Paranoid (Super Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
After the success of Black Sabbath's self-titled debut in early 1970, Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward returned that fall with PARANOID. The record became the band's first album to top the U.K. charts and has sold more than 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. Today, songs like “War Pigs,” “Planet Caravan,” “Iron Man,” and of course, “Paranoid,” continue to inspire a new generation of musicians around the world. In honor of the 50th anniversary of the heavy metal classic, a new five-LP version has just been released. Along with the original and Quadraphonic mixes of the album, PARANOID: SUPER DELUXE EDITION includes the official vinyl debut of two storming 1970 live shows – a pre-release concert in Montreux, Switzerland and an oft-bootlegged performance done for Belgian television a few months later.
The Studio Albums 1978-1991 (Album of the Day)
Led by charismatic singer-songwriter, producer and instrumental virtuoso Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits emerged on the U.K. club and pub circuit and went on to defined the late '70s and early '80s with such monster hits as “Sultans Of Swing,” “Romeo And Juliet,” “Money For Nothing” and “Walk Of Life.” Now available as 6-CD, 8-LP and digital collections, DIRE STRAITS: THE STUDIO ALBUMS 1978-1991 includes all six of the band's studio sets. Featuring the group's self-titled 1978 debut, COMMUNIQUÉ, MAKING MOVIES (released 40 years ago today), LOVE OVER GOLD, global No.1 smash and double Grammy winner BROTHERS IN ARMS and final release ON EVERY STREET, THE STUDIO ALBUMS 1978-1991 displays Dire Straits' sophisticated guitar rock and literate, story-telling lyrics to perfection.
Pleased To Meet Me (Deluxe) (Album of the Day)
The Replacements' PLEASED TO MEET ME was recorded over three months at Ardent Studios in Memphis with legendary producer Jim Dickinson before it debuted in April 1987; the Sire collection steered the combustible Minneapolis combo from the brink of collapse and became one of the definitive albums of the band’s career. That process is chronicled in-depth on the new 3-CD/1-LP Deluxe Edition of the classic set - more than half of the music (29 of the 55 tracks) here has never been released, including demos, rough mixes and outtakes as well as original lead guitarist Bob Stinson’s last recordings with The Replacements from 1986. Several exclusive PLEASED TO MEET ME (DELUXE EDITION) bundles are available now at Rhino.com with a variety of limited edition items including a T-shirt, tote bag, iron-on patch, bumper sticker, placemat and a cassette featuring a previously unreleased interview with singer-songwriter Paul Westerberg recorded just before the release of the album.
Live From The Forum MMXVIII (Album of the Day)
The best-selling American band of the 1970s, and one of the top-selling acts of all time, the Eagles spent the majority of 2018 on an extensive North American tour that teamed Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit with Vince Gill and Deacon Frey. Earning rave reviews from fans and critics alike, the quintet arrived at the Forum in Los Angeles for three sold-out, critically-acclaimed concerts on September 12, 14 and 15. Now available, LIVE FROM THE FORUM MMXVIII captures definitive live performances of the group's most iconic hits (“Hotel California,” “Take It Easy,” “Life In The Fast Lane,” “Desperado”) and beloved album tracks (“Ol’ 55, “Those Shoes”), along with some of the individual members’ biggest solo smashes (Henley’s “Boys Of Summer,” Walsh’s “Rocky Mountain Way,” and Gill’s “Don’t Let Our Love Start Slippin’ Away”).
Under The Blade (1985 Remix) (Album of the Day)
Though comprised of street-toughened New Yorkers, Twisted Sister went to England in 1982 to record their debut album, UNDER THE BLADE. With UFO's Pete Way co-producing, the quintet fit perfectly into the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene, and the collection rocks ferociously from beginning to end. Drawing on material honed through years of club gigs, frontman Dee Snider delivers a bracing set of originals including “What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You),” “Destroyer” and the title track, and the band tears into them with focused fury. On the heels of Twisted Sister's commercial breakthrough, Atlantic Records issued a remixed version of UNDER THE BLADE in 1985 with extra track “I'll Never Grow Up, Now,” and we'll give the set a spin to wish guitarist Jay Jay French a happy birthday.
Ladykiller (Album of the Day)
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, aka CeeLo Green, may have caught the public's ear as half of Gnarls Barkley, but the Atlanta-born singer-songwriter's own work is just as irresistible. THE LADY KILLER was CeeLo's first solo set following worldwide smash “Crazy,” and the scores of songs he worked through over a three-year period underline the care that went into the 2010 Elektra collection. Lead single “Fuck You” was another international phenomenon, just missing the top of the Billboard chart and earning a Best Urban/Alternative Performance Grammy; follow-ups included double Grammy winner “Fool for You,” “Bright Lights Bigger City” and “I Want You (Hold Onto Love)." Boasting a conceptual structure like a film score, THE LADY KILLER is much more than the sum of its parts, and remains one of the decade's most compulsively listenable albums.
Black Celebration (Album of the Day)
BLACK CELEBRATION drew mixed reviews on its initial 1986 release; only in hindsight is it clear that it marked a turning point for Depeche Mode. While the British quartet continues to serve up melodic synth-pop, the lyrical themes have grown darker - note the album's title - and the performances more intense. The public was quicker to embrace the collection than critics, and the set was a U.K. Top 10 hit that many fans still cite as their favorite Depeche disc. Martin L. Gore penned all the songs, including such favorites as “A Question of Time,” “Stripped” and “A Question of Lust,” one of several tracks for which he also provides lead vocals. As this is Gore's birthday, we'll stage a BLACK CELEBRATION with another spin of the gold-certified album.
Stone Jam (Album of the Day)
STONE JAM features a stone idol on its cover, and few bands were more worthy of worship by R&B fans than Slave. Emerging from the rich Dayton music scene that also birthed the Ohio Players, the group knew how to bring the funk, which by the time of this 1980 Cotillion release had acquired a sophisticated polish. “Sizzlin' Hot” is an apt description of the instrumental work here, as Steve Arrington and Starleana Young share lead vocal duties on such smooth-grooved originals as “Feel My Love” and “Watching You” (which made some noise on the pop chart). STONE JAM would be the final album to feature founder Steve Washington, and the gold-certified set is an ideal introduction to both the tough and tender sides of Slave.