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I've Been Doin' Some Thinkin' (Album of the Day)
Fifty years ago today, Mose Allison entered Annex Recording Studios in Hollywood to begin work on I'VE BEEN DOIN' SOME THINKIN', the singer-songwriter's sixth album for Atlantic Records. Mose was one of the greatest lyricists in jazz history; when he started thinking, you were wise to start listening, and his sly wit sparkles on such originals as “Just Like Livin',” “Your Molecular Structure” and the wickedly barbed ballad “Everybody Cryin' Mercy” (there's also a sharp cover of “You Are My Sunshine” among these dozen tracks). Bassist Red Mitchell and drummer Bill Goodwin supply rhythm here, and Allison attacks the keyboard with particular gusto on the 1968 collection. This is cool jazz with some fire to it, and I'VE BEEN DOIN' SOME THINKIN' ranks with the performer's best.
THE MONKEES 50 (Album of the Day)
The Monkees have amassed a dozen Top 40 hits - including a trio of tunes that soared to #1 - and sales of their LPs were more phenomenal still, with 16 million albums and 7.5 million singles sold in a mere 2 1/2 years. In celebration of the band's golden anniversary two years ago, Rhino released THE MONKEES 50, a three-CD set packed with 50 unforgettable songs from the band’s historic career. Along with classic chart-toppers “Last Train To Clarksville,” “I’m A Believer” and “Daydream Believer,” and such Top 40 singles as “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” and “Valleri,” the collection delves even deeper into the band’s rich catalog to include fan favorites like “She,” “Mary, Mary” and “Papa Gene’s Blues.” The group returned during the MTV era (receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on this day in 1989) and THE MONKEES 50 also features comeback tracks "That Was Then, This Is Now" and "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere" as well as songs from their latest album, GOOD TIMES!
Over the Years... (Album of the Day)
Two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Graham Nash burst onto the scene during the British Invasion with The Hollies before he formed the legendary supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash in 1968 with David Crosby and Stephen Stills. Towering above virtually everything that Nash has accomplished in his long and multi-faceted career, there stands the litany of songs that he has written and introduced to the soundtrack of the past half-century. Painstakingly curated by Nash and longtime associate Joel Bernstein, the new anthology OVER THE YEARS... looks back at some of his best-known recordings and features more than a dozen unreleased demos and mixes. Among the classics heard in both familiar versions and demo form on this 2-CD set are “Marrakesh Express,” “Teach Your Children,” “Our House” and “Just A Song Before I Go.”
SONG OF THE DAY - "Everywhere" (Album of the Day)
With their biggest album since RUMOURS spinning off four Top 20 hits, Fleetwood Mac truly was “Everywhere” in 1987. One of several TANGO IN THE NIGHT tracks written and sung by Christine McVie (and one of the band's first CD singles), the song features a buoyant melody and declaration of love that remain utterly irresistible. It topped Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, but don't assume that means it's just easy listening fare - Vampire Weekend, Hot Chip and Paramore have all performed this one. Christine McVie turns 75 today, and we'll wish her a happy birthday with our Song of the Day, “Everywhere.”
SONG OF THE DAY - "Bad Day" (Album of the Day)
“My granddad used to say to me, 'There's better people who are worse off than you,' and I always remember that,” noted singer-songwriter Daniel Powter of his “Bad Day.” “It's a song about trying to make people feel better.” The global smash certainly struck a chord, topping the Billboard singles chart, earning triple-platinum sales status and becoming European radio's most played song of 2005. The centerpiece of Powter's self-titled album, the track was inspired by his struggles to succeed as a musician (“Bad Day” was rejected by labels for two years before Warner Bros. signed the performer), which shows what can happen when you don't let adversity stop you. We'll make it our Song of the Day in the hopes that your Friday the 13th isn't a “Bad Day.”
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Album of the Day)
Some thirty years after its first big screen adaptation, Roald Dahl's CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY got darker and weirder in the hands of director Tim Burton, star Johnny Depp and composer Danny Elfman. The fresh approach is audible on the 2005 film's soundtrack, which mixes orchestral themes with vocal tracks as distinctive as the movie's characters - “Augustus Gloop” recalls a Bollywood musical, while “Veruca Salt” channels 1960s sunshine pop (Elfman sings all the songs, his voice modulated to sound different on each). By turns zany, mysterious and joyful, the CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK is Danny Elfman at his best, and we'll give the collection another spin now to celebrate his birthday.
Arise (Expanded Edition) (Album of the Day)
Sepultura hit its stride in 1991 when the Brazilian quartet released its acclaimed fourth record, ARISE. Recorded in Florida with producer Scott Burns, the album has been certified platinum based on worldwide sales and includes indispensable thrash/death metal tracks like “Under Siege (Regnum Irae)” and “Dead Embryonic Cells.” Now available from Rhino, the Expanded Edition of this raucous classic features a newly remastered version of the original album along with 28 bonus tracks. The previously unreleased material includes an industrial remix of “Dead Embryonic Cells,” a cover of Motorhead’s “Orgasmatron,” basic tracks for “Murder,” “Altered State” and more. ARISE: EXPANDED EDITION also features the CD debut of eight concert recordings originally released on the band’s first home video, Under Siege (Live In Barcelona).
Space Ritual (Album of the Day)
Hawkwind had earned a reputation as one of the hardest-gigging bands in Britain by the time they played the December 1972 concerts heard on SPACE RITUAL. These performances were elaborate rock operas, and though you can't see the light show, dancers or Barney Bubbles-designed sets on this double album, the music is spectacular on its own. Drawn largely from previous studio collection DOREMI FASOL LATIDO, the songs tell a sci-fi tale of Starfarers traveling to Earth – a delightfully harebrained concept that, in the hands of the group's classic lineup (including a pre-Motorhead Lemmy on bass), inspired some thunderously heavy progressive rock. “Orgone Accumulator,” “Space Is Deep” and “Sonic Attack” have lost none of their mind-warping power, and SPACE RITUAL will take you on an audio trip across the cosmos.
Fountains of Wayne (Album of the Day)
Named after a Wayne, NJ, lawn ornament store, Fountains of Wayne carried the power-pop torch higher than almost any other band of the 1990s. Built around the talents of singer-songwriters Chris Collingwood and Adam Schlesinger, the group signed to Atlantic Records and their eponymous debut followed in 1996. Its dozen originals offer sly looks at modern life buoyed by hook-filled alt-rock arrangements; singles “Radiation Vibe” and “Sink to the Bottom” qualify as highlights, but you'll find yourself singing along to “Sick Day,” “Leave The Biker” and others just as enthusiastically. While its kid superhero cover image was used by another band right around the time of release, it's entirely appropriate for this exhilarating album – FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE will rescue you from musical doldrums.
Paradise And Lunch (Album of the Day)
Truly a musician's musician, guitarist Ry Cooder has been a bridge connecting contemporary audiences to a dizzying variety of traditional musics for almost half a century. His ongoing career includes a string of acclaimed albums for Reprise, of which PARADISE AND LUNCH was his fourth - and one of his best. Produced by Russ Titelman and Lenny Waronker, the 1974 collection touches on blues, gospel, jazz and folk, with Ry applying his distinctive stamp to such highlights as “Jesus on the Mainline,” “Tattler” and “Ditty Wah Ditty,” which features Earl “Fatha” Hines on piano. Though there are other stellar instrumentalists (including saxophonist Plas Johnson and drummer Jim Keltner) supporting the headliner's faultless fretwork, Cooder's down-home vocals are just as important to the set's soulful appeal, and PARADISE AND LUNCH is heaven for roots rock fans.