Content tagged ''
Back to Bedlam (Album of the Day)
Friday, August 7, 2015
James Blunt was a promising British songwriter with a publishing deal when producer Linda Perry took him under her wing as a performer. With a distinctive falsetto and equally strong material, Blunt's BACK TO BEDLAM quickly became one of the best sellers in U.K. pop history. If heartfelt ballads like “Goodbye My Lover” and “You're Beautiful” (which topped the British singles chart on this day in 2005) dominate the proceedings, the singer-songwriter has more than just romance on his mind here; “No Bravery” deals with Blunt's service in Kosovo in 1999 as a member of the Royal Armed Forces. A striking debut that sold more than 11 million copies around the world, BACK TO BEDLAM weaves a wistful spell that continues to captivate listeners a decade later.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Bella Donna (Album of the Day)
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Even if the white-winged creature in Stevie Nicks' hand on the cover of BELLA DONNA isn't the dove mentioned in “Edge of Seventeen,” Fleetwood Mac’s resident enchantress sings like a bird throughout this set. Then at the pinnacle of the pop world, Stevie crafted a solo debut that was as hit-laden as a Mac album, with “Stop Draggin' My Heart Around” and “Leather and Lace” both reaching the Top Ten on the U.S. singles chart. Those two songs were duets with Tom Petty (who coproduced the album with Jimmy Iovine) and Don Henley, respectively, and other guest stars include members of Little Feat, the E Street Band and the M.G.’s. More than 30 years after the quadruple-platinum BELLA DONNA's release, its glitter has yet to fade.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
White Feathers (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
With their poofy dyed hair and goofy band name, it was tough to take Kajagoogoo seriously, and that was as it should be - the danceable synth-pop on the Leighton, U.K. quintet's debut WHITE FEATHERS was all about having a good time. The 1983 collection was helmed by Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes and that band's producer Colin Thurston, and its 10 originals include the New Wave classic “Too Shy.” But there's plenty more to love beyond that Top 10 U.S. hit here; songs like “Hang On Now,” “Ooh To Be Ah” and the title track are tuneful and hook-filled with a dash of jazz sprinkled in. The band's sound changed considerably with the departure of vocalist Limahl following this release, but WHITE FEATHERS is pure '80s (John Hughes plucked an instrumental off of it to open his film Sixteen Candles), and we'll give it another spin in honor of Kajagoogoo keyboardist Stuart Croxford Neale's birthday.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
This week in 1967, Pink Floyd released their debut, THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN. Cut at Abbey Road while The Beatles were recording SGT. PEPPER (and employing the Fabs' engineer Norman Smith as producer), the album stands as one of the cornerstones of British psychedelia. The collection is unique in the Floyd catalog for the dominating presence of lead guitarist/vocalist Syd Barrett, who wrote or cowrote all but one of the album's 11 songs. Though Barrett's copious consumption of LSD would soon lead to his departure from the band, here it fosters a hallucinatory listening experience, aided by the use of echo and other studio effects. Split between shorter pop-psych pieces (“Bike,” “Lucifer Sam”) and extended improvisations (such as concert staples “Astronomy Domine” and “Interstellar Overdrive”), THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN hailed the dawning of a new age and the arrival of one of rock's greatest groups.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Ride The Lightning (Album of the Day)
Monday, August 3, 2015
Lightning struck for Metallica with their second studio album - the 1984 collection earned the band a label deal with Elektra and set them on the path to heavy metal stardom. Cut in Copenhagen with producer Flemming Rasmussen, RIDE THE LIGHTNING was a major step forward from the quartet's debut; the arrangements display greater harmonic complexity, and James Hetfield's lyrics have broadened in scope to touch upon social issues including the terrors of modern war (“For Whom The Bell Tolls”) and capital punishment (the title track). Metallica's bold sonic experimentation was all the more impressive given the siege conditions of the album's recording; the band's gear had been stolen three weeks before they hit Denmark, and tour commitments gave them less than a month in the studio. In spite of this, RIDE THE LIGHTNING is a thrash metal masterpiece, and we'll give it another ride today in honor of Hetfield's birthday.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Monster (Album of the Day)
Friday, July 31, 2015
When the members of R.E.M. were planning their follow-up to AUTOMATIC FOR THE PEOPLE, drummer Bill Berry was adamant that the album should rock, and he got his wish in MONSTER. The 1994 Warner Bros. collection teems with grungy guitars, energy and experimentation, with lean and forceful arrangements well suited for the quartet's first tour in nearly six years. Michael Stipe's vocals are deliberately set back in the mix but break through the distortion often enough to reveal an ambivalence toward celebrity as a lyrical theme - “What's the Frequency, Kenneth?” was inspired by an attack on newscaster Dan Rather and “Let Me In” reflects on the death of Kurt Cobain. If the sound was aggressive, it was still accessible, with hit singles “Crush With Eyeliner,” “Strange Currencies” and “Bang And Blame” among the dozen tracks. MONSTER reached No.1 on the album chart, and we'll give it another spin today in honor of Berry's birthday.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
The Virgin Suicides (Deluxe Version - 15th Anniversary) (Album of the Day)
Thursday, July 30, 2015
As one might guess from their name, French electronic duo Air know how to generate atmosphere with their music - which makes them perfect for soundtracks. The group's first film score was for Sofia Coppola's debut feature, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, an enigmatic tale of repressed high school desires. Air's Jean-Benoît Dunckel and Nicolas Godin watched VHS tapes of the film to draw inspiration, and for the eerie, synthetic and tempestuous end-credit song, “Playground Love,” the two called in their friend Thomas Mars from the band Phoenix to provide vocals. The cult favorite soundtrack sounds better than ever on the new 15th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, which includes a remastered version of the original album, a pair of studio outtakes and unreleased live performances recorded in January 2000 at Los Angeles' American Legion Hall and KCRW radio station.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Snakes & Arrows (Album of the Day)
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
“It's big, it's bold, and I think it's some of the best work we've done in years. I'm really pleased with the quality of the songs, and there's lots of playing on it,” noted Rush vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee of his group's SNAKES & ARROWS on its 2007 release. The Canadian progressive trio's final album for Atlantic Records was shaped to a degree by the Internet; producer Nick Raskulinecz volunteered his services after seeing online posts about Rush's recording plans, and the 'net allowed California-based lyricist Neil Peart to collaborate more easily with his bandmates in Toronto. If this set benefits from forward-looking technology - it's among the most well-recorded of the band's career - it also recalls the richly layered textures of Rush's '70s classics. While songs like “Far Cry,” “Spindrift” and “The Larger Bowl (A Pantoum)” are darker thematically than their early work, the three instrumentals here show the group's playing to be as brilliant as ever. Geddy Lee celebrates a birthday today, and we'll cue up SNAKES & ARROWS in his honor.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
40 Golden Greats (Album of the Day)
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Cliff Richard and the Shadows stood at the crossroads of popular music in the early 1960s; Richard was in some respects England's answer to Elvis, while his backing band (which had numerous hits in their own right) was an important precursor to The Beatles. Given that musical profile, dominance of the British charts was a foregone conclusion, and after Presley and the Fab Four, Cliff's the top-selling singles artist in U.K. chart history. The 1977 double album 40 GOLDEN GREATS puts that remarkable statistic into perspective, with early rockers like “Move It,” pop favorites like “Please Don't Tease” (which topped the British chart on this day in 1960) and 1976 comeback hit “Devil Woman” still irresistible. Tough as it is to summarize a career as long as that of the still-active Richard, the well-compiled 40 GOLDEN GREATS is the ideal place to start.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE
Doubt (Album of the Day)
Monday, July 27, 2015
Jesus Jones arrived on the U.K. music scene in the late 1980s, at an intersection point of alternative guitar rock and dance club techno; if less notorious than their Madchester comrades Happy Mondays, the Wiltshire quintet served up propulsive beats and brilliantly chosen samples that were equally irresistible. Jesus Jones' most famous album is DOUBT, thanks to such tracks as “Real, Real, Real” and fall-of-the-Berlin-Wall anthem “Right Here, Right Now,” which reached No. 2 on the U.S. singles chart on this day in 1991. But frontman Mike Edwards' dozen strong originals offer a lot beyond those familiar hits, from the punky “Trust Me” to the Modern Rock favorite “International Bright Young Thing” to the slightly psychedelic “Who Where Why.” Filled with hooks, energy and inventive spirit, DOUBT is unquestionably Jesus Jones' finest hour.
THIS IS THE SEARCH INDEX RESULT TEMPLATE