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Donde Jugaran Los Ninos (Album of the Day)
With 40 million albums sold worldwide, Mana are among the biggest Latin American bands ever, and DONDE JUGARAN LOS NINOS was instrumental to their success. With the Mexican group touring relentlessly in support, the collection became the best-selling Spanish-language rock album of all time. “Vivir Sin Aire,” “Oye Mi Amor” and “De Pies a Cabeza” illustrate the appealing variety here, and you don't need to be fluent in Spanish to understand the passion of these performances. Mana's big breakthrough, DONDE JUGARAN LOS NINOS was released 25 years ago today in the U.S. (with a couple of bonus remixes), and it's still among the greatest rock albums from south of the border.
Eagles Live (Album of the Day)
For the final album on their Elektra/Asylum contract, Eagles delivered their first concert recording, EAGLES LIVE. Drawn from several shows including 1976 L.A. Forum gigs with former member Randy Meisner, the 1980 double L.P. leans most heavily on meticulously recreated (and partially overdubbed) versions of favorites from HOTEL CALIFORNIA and THE LONG RUN. Beyond greatest-hits territory, there are also a couple of Joe Walsh solo songs and “Seven Bridges Road,” a showcase of the band's immaculate harmonies that became a Top 40 single - the album as a whole was a Top 10, multi-platinum smash. Though Eagles eventually reunited, this was for many years the last word from the legendary group, and we'll cue it up now to wish singer-songwriter-drummer Don Henley a happy birthday.
The Complete Warner Albums: 1970-1976 (Album of the Day)
Between 1970 and 1976, James Taylor released six albums with Warner Bros. Records that became the foundation for his unparalleled career that includes five Grammy Awards, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Now available, THE COMPLETE WARNER BROS. ALBUMS: 1970-1976 introduces newly remastered versions of those classic collections overseen by Taylor's longtime manager-producer Peter Asher. The 6-disc set is filled with such iconic and beloved songs as “Sweet Baby James,” “Fire And Rain,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” “Shower The People” and James' #1 version of Carole King’s “You’ve Got A Friend.” Rhino.com will offer exclusive bundles that pair both the CD and LP versions of the set with a 12” x 12” lithograph of a classic Taylor photo from 1970; the first 350 LP pre-orders come with a signed version.
Homemade Ice-Cream (Album of the Day)
Born in Louisiana on this day in 1943, Tony Joe White came to prominence at the end of the 1960s with “Polk Salad Annie” and such artists as Elvis Presley and Brook Benton covering his work. A singer, songwriter and guitarist of the first order, Tony Joe's own performing career brought him to Warner Bros., and HOMEMADE ICE CREAM was his third and final studio album for the label. The 1973 collection, co-producer by Atlantic Records' Tom Dowd, brought acoustic textures to White's soulful Southern-fried rock. Cut with a small backing group, the 11 originals here have a wonderful back porch intimacy, and such songs as “Saturday Night In Oak Grove, Louisiana,” single “Backwoods Preacher Man” and “Did Somebody Make a Fool out of You” go down as easy as the set's titular treat. In honor of the Swamp Fox's birthday, we're serving up HOMEMADE ICE-CREAM.
One in a Million You (Album of the Day)
Larry Graham's credentials as a purveyor of funk are pretty solid; he manned the bass for Sly and the Family Stone during their heyday before founding his own group, Graham Central Station. But the performer had a third act as a balladeer, and on this day in 1980 began a tour in support of his solo debut, ONE IN A MILLION YOU. The title track was a Top 10 crossover smash, and much of the album followed suit – romantic R&B like “When We Get Married” that was as smooth and sharp as Graham's dapper cover photo. But the set also includes up-tempo movers like “I Just Can't Stop Dancing” that will get your feet out on the floor. With tips of the hat to classic soul and funk scattered across these 10 tracks, ONE IN A MILLION YOU is Larry Graham at his very best.
Anodyne (Album of the Day)
Son Volt's Jay Farrar and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy rose to fame as founders of pioneering alt-country group Uncle Tupelo, which had three independent releases to its name before signing to Sire for ANODYNE. Cut in Austin, TX, with three new members in tow (and Tex-Mex master Doug Sahm joining in on his “Give Back the Key to My Heart”), the set is a live-in-studio recording that fuses rock energy and ambition with roots music traditions. As the cover photo suggests, it's a feast of stringed instrumentation both acoustic and electric, and the inspired playing is matched by terrific originals split evenly between Farrar and Tweedy, with “Acuff-Rose,” “Chickamauga,” “The Long Cut” and “Slate” among the highlights. Despite a successful tour and a Billboard Heatseekers listing for ANODYNE, the band splintered soon after its release, but the 1993 masterpiece has only grown in stature since then.
N'Awlinz: Dis Dat or d'Udda (Album of the Day)
Mac Rebennack, aka Dr. John, was legendary as the Crescent City's greatest musical ambassador, and N'AWLINZ: DIS DAT OR D'UDDA pays further tribute to his hometown. Released 15 years ago this month, the album is a savory mixture of traditional favorites (“When The Saints Go Marching In,” “St. James Infirmary”) and originals (“Shango Tango,” “I'm Goin' Home”) served up with consummate craftsmanship and lots of love. While the Doctor is joined by some high-profile friends here (Randy Newman, Willie Nelson, B.B. King), the lesser-known names do even more to set the tone - players like Earl Palmer, Dave Bartholomew and Eddie Bo and arranger Wardell Quezergue, all of whom who practically bleed New Orleans. For his part, Mac's vocals and keyboard work are his most inspired in years, making N'AWLINZ: DIS DAT OR D'UDDA a late-career peak and the ideal way to remember the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer.
Heaven Up Here (Deluxe Version) (Album of the Day)
The overcast skies on the cover of HEAVEN UP HERE accurately reflect the gloomy post-punk of Echo & The Bunnymen's second album. Co-produced by Hugh Jones, the 1981 Sire set has a disconsolate vibe akin to Joy Division but leavened with what frontman Ian McCulloch termed a “spikey edge.” While such songs as “Over the Wall,” “A Promise” and the title track may be less familiar than later hits, they nonetheless helped make the collection a Top 10 success in the group's native U.K.; the album also reached the Billboard chart in the U.S., a first for the band. The Deluxe Edition of HEAVEN UP HERE adds a long version of “Broke My Neck” and four live recordings to the original, which was named by both Rolling Stone and NME as one of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
The Fantastic Jazz Harp Of Dorothy Ashby (Album of the Day)
It's rare to see “jazz” and “harp” mentioned together, but Dorothy Ashby made a career out of combining the two; the Detroit-born musician cut nearly a dozen albums of her own, including one for Atlantic, THE FANTASTIC JAZZ HARP OF DOROTHY ASHBY. Issued three years after Down Beat critics and readers polls placed her among the best jazz performers, the 1965 collection features four original compositions and a varied selection of covers ranging from Duke Ellington and Bricusse-Newley songs to such traditional fare as “House of the Rising Sun.” Supported by a strong rhythm section (including percussionist Willie Bobo) and occasional horns, Ashby's nimble fingers weave improvisational technique and classical tonality together on this fine set, which was co-produced by Arif Mardin. Give THE FANTASTIC JAZZ HARP OF DOROTHY ASHBY a listen – it truly is fantastic.
Blues for Allah (Album of the Day)
BLUES FOR ALLAH was made at a time when the Grateful Dead were more focused on recording than concerts, and it really shows. The 1975 collection, the third on the band's own label, was cut at Bob Weir's home studio and features the group (with a returning Mickey Hart) moving further toward jazz, world and experimental sounds. Including such favorites as “The Music Never Stopped,” “Franklin's Tower” and “King Solomon's Marbles,” the set was a hit, nearly reaching Billboard's Top 10, and an expanded and remastered version of the album adds six outtakes from the sessions as bonus tracks. From the Phillip Garris cover art to the music within, BLUES FOR ALLAH is a class act all around, and we'll give it another spin in honor of Jerry Garcia's birthday.