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Atlantic Crossing (Deluxe Edition) (Album of the Day)
By the mid-1970s, Rod Stewart's ascent from lead singer of the Faces to solo performer was complete. By the time he'd cut his debut album for Warner Bros., Stewart was a star on both sides of the pond – released on this day in 1975, ATLANTIC CROSSING topped the U.K. chart and reached the U.S. Top Ten. It's easy to hear why; with producer Tom Dowd amplifying Stewart's soulful side, the set's ten tracks feature strong covers of “Sailing” and “I Don't Want To Talk About It” as well as rocking Rod originals like “Stone Cold Sober.” The Deluxe Edition of ATLANTIC CROSSING adds 15 bonus tracks, including alternate versions of almost every song on the album and several recordings cut with R&B legends Booker T. & The MG's.
The Fifth Avenue Band (Album of the Day)
The Fifth Avenue Band only made one album, but virtually anyone who's heard it wishes the Greenwich Village-based group had been more prolific. Produced by Zal Yanovsky and Jerry Yester of the Lovin' Spoonful, the 1969 Reprise collection has an irresistibly sunny vibe to it, though it's hardly sunshine pop; highlights including “Angel,” “Country Time Rhymes,” “Fast Freight” and “Nice Folks” range from folk to rock to jazz and beyond. With strong originals, tasteful arrangements and expert singing and playing throughout, THE FIFTH AVENUE BAND has broad appeal while never getting flashy - it's a true grower.
Waking and Dreaming (Album of the Day)
“Still The One” was virtually inescapable during the latter half of 1976; in addition to radio airplay, the Top 5 single saw heavy use in fall season promos on ABC-TV. Orleans' biggest hit is the centerpiece of WAKING AND DREAMING but the Chuck Plotkin-produced collection features many other highlights, love song “If I Don't Have You,” the gentle, harmony-filled “Sails” and closer “Spring Fever” among them. Featuring soft rock rooted in R&B, the set would prove the final Orleans album from lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter John Hall. And don't judge this one by its cover - WAKING AND DREAMING will fill your days and nights with beautifully tailored sounds.
SONG OF THE DAY - "Material Girl" (Album of the Day)
When Madonna heard a demo of “Material Girl,” she took a liking to the song because it was “ironic and provocative at the same time but also unlike me. I am not a materialistic person.” Yet few of her many Top 10 hits are as strongly identified with the career-driven artist, thanks partially to the accompanying video inspired by Marilyn Monroe's performance of “Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend.” With its synthesizer arrangement and robotic “living in a material world” verse, the track displays a strong New Wave influence, but producer Nile Rogers (and the Chic rhythm section) ensure that it remains dance-floor friendly. The lead-off track to her LIKE A VIRGIN album, “Material Girl” is among Madonna's most iconic recordings, and in honor of her birthday, it's our Song of the Day.
SONG OF THE DAY - "Whole Lotta Love" (Album of the Day)
Kicking off LED ZEPPELIN II in terrific fashion, "Whole Lotta Love" helped put the U.K. quartet at the forefront of heavy metal and became their first hit single. Jimmy Page came up with a signature guitar riff and, with the help of engineer Eddie Kramer, plenty of echo effects to give the recording its devastating power. The song's blues influence was undeniable (given its similarities to "You Need Love," Chess great Willie Dixon wound up with a co-writing credit), and in concert its spacey midsection was occasionally a launching pad for bits of R&B favorites. VH1, Rolling Stone and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame have all named "Whole Lotta Love" one of the greatest rock songs ever, and in honor of singer Robert Plant's 70th birthday, its our Song of the Day.
Purple Rain (Album of the Day)
Prince Rogers Nelson emerged at the end of the 1970s to become one of the most potent forces in popular music. Better known simply as Prince, the performer perfected his audacious mix of sexy funk, dance pop and guitar-driven rock on PURPLE RAIN. Recorded with his band the Revolution, the set serves as a soundtrack to the film of the same name but easily stands on its own, with such classic songs as “When Doves Cry,” “Let's Go Crazy,” “I Would Die 4 U” and the title track - and those are just the album's Top Ten singles! Released on this day in 1984, the chart-topping PURPLE RAIN earned Prince a pair of Grammy Awards and an Oscar, and has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.
SONG OF THE DAY - "Respect" (Album of the Day)
It took quite a singer to upstage Otis Redding, but Aretha Franklin managed to do it. Redding had written “Respect,” scoring a Top 40 single with it in 1965, but it was the Queen of Soul who transformed the song into an anthem two years later. Where the original was a plea from a tired working man, Aretha's version – with some subtle changes in lyrics and arrangement - was a demand for R-E-S-P-E-C-T, and became a rallying cry for both the civil rights and women's rights movements. Her iconic performance of “Respect” became a Billboard No.1 hit and has been named to both the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry; more recently it was given an orchestral setting on Franklin's A BRAND NEW ME album. In honor of African American Music Month, it's our Song Of The Day!
Mixed Up (Album of the Day)
With the DISINTEGRATION album and its accompanying world tour, The Cure finished the 1980s with a bang, and Robert Smith was determined to keep up the momentum. But there were some tensions within the group, so rather than return to the studio, the frontman curated an album of The Cure's rarer 12" mixes. MIXED UP evolved beyond a compilation of existing tracks when Smith realized that some of the newer remixes were superior to the older ones; “my revised ambition was to compile an album that was contemporary without being dated,” he explained. Two tracks on the album, “A Forest” and “The Walk,” were entirely re-recorded, and the band convened in June 1990 to record a new track, “Never Enough.” In keeping with that spirit, the 3-disc Deluxe Edition of MIXED UP includes a “Torn Down: Mixed Up Extras 2018” disc of 16 favorite songs that Smith himself remixed last year.
Ruth Brown (Album of the Day)
When Atlantic Records was called “the house that Ruth built,” it was not in tribute to the Yankee home-run hitter but to Ruth Brown, whose success was instrumental in establishing the New York-based label. The vocalist scored such R&B chart-toppers as “Teardrops from My Eyes,” “5-10-15 Hours,” “Oh What a Dream” and the immortal “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean” - all of which can be heard on RUTH BROWN. The 1957 album gathers 14 single sides waxed by Brown over the preceding eight years, making it something of a greatest hits set. The performer's brassy and occasionally bawdy singing is complemented by the swingin' sounds of some of Atlantic's top instrumentalists (including pianist John Lewis and guitarist Mickey Baker), and this music still delivers a knockout punch. Today we turn to Rock and Roll Hall of Famer RUTH BROWN to help us celebrate African American Music Month.
SONG OF THE DAY - "Ziggy Stardust" (Album of the Day)
A student of mime and a fan of such stage/film composers as Anthony Newley, David Bowie had a taste for the theatrical, and that was never more apparent than on ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS. The pinnacle of the ever-evolving performer's glam rock phase is a concept album about a messianic sci-fi rock star – a role Bowie played to the hilt in concert with flamboyant costumes and bright red hair. Though the persona would prove limiting and was retired (in typically dramatic fashion) at a tour-ending London performance 45 years ago, “Ziggy Stardust” has been cited by both Rolling Stone and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of rock's 500 greatest anthems, and it's our Song Of The Day.