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Ray Charles in Person (Album of the Day)
On this day in 2002, Ray Charles received an honorary degree from Albany State University in his Georgia hometown, adding to such laurels as Kennedy Center and Grammy Lifetime Achievement awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These accolades followed decades of groundbreaking R&B music, but what would it have been like to see the Genius of Soul at the beginning of his storied career? RAY CHARLES IN PERSON gives us some idea - the Atlantic album features live recordings of Ray in his late-'50s prime. All but one of the tracks was recorded by a radio dj at a WAOK-sponsored show in Atlanta, GA in May, 1959; “Yes, Indeed” hails from 1958's Newport Jazz Festival. With a hot band (including sax greats Hank Crawford and David Newman) and the Raelets behind him, Brother Ray sizzles on such songs as “What’d I Say,” “Drown In My Own Tears” and “Tell The Truth.” Soul never got more incendiary than RAY CHARLES IN PERSON.
Total Life Forever (Album of the Day)
Oxford indie rock favorites Foals described TOTAL LIFE FOREVER as “like the dream of an eagle dying,” which captures both the collection's broad sonic vistas and occasionally heavy themes. Recorded in Gothenburg, Sweden, the group's second studio set trades in some of the post-punk edges of their debut for atmospheric, emotionally resonant songs like “Blue Blood,” “Spanish Sahara” and the title track. Frontman Yannis Philippakis' interest in future studies crops up in a few places here, but even when you don't feel like parsing the lyrics, there's an ocean of beautiful guitar playing to float on. A Top Ten U.K. hit and shortlisted for the country's prestigious Mercury Prize, TOTAL LIFE FOREVER was released 10 years ago this weekend and remains as ambitious and alluring as its name suggests.
How Do You Like It? [Mono And Stereo Version] (Album of the Day)
Sharing a manager and a producer with The Beatles, Gerry And The Pacemakers were perhaps the Fabs' greatest rivals during the Merseybeat era, and their 1963 debut, HOW DO YOU LIKE IT?, shows why. The quartet's playing is tight and energetic on a mix of covers including rock and R&B chestnuts like “Maybelline” and “A Shot of Rhythm and Blues,” and Gerry Marsden's tenor is appealing throughout. There are also some fine ballads in the line-up, chief among them “You'll Never Walk Alone,” which became the Pacemakers' third No.1 single in a row in their native U.K. (the song has come to prominence again in recent days as a fundraiser for England's National Health Service). The EMI 100th Anniversary remaster of HOW DO YOU LIKE IT? includes both the stereo and mono mixes of the album, and the excitement of the British Invasion comes through loud and clear on each.
Sea Of Cowards (Album of the Day)
When Jack White lost his voice at a Raconteurs show and Kills singer Alison Mosshart filled in, The Dead Weather was born. With fellow Raconteur Jack Lawrence on bass and Queens of the Stone Age axeman Dean Fertita, the quartet qualifies as an supergroup, though SEA OF COWARDS is far more unified than most all-star sets. A year on from their debut, the band's combination of classic rock power and primal blues dread is even more impressive, with some fine keyboard work sprinkled in among the raging guitars and a surer vocal balance between White and Mosshart. Featuring such standouts as “Die by the Drop,” “Blue Blood Blues” and “Hustle and Cuss,” the collection debuted at #5 on the Billboard chart and drew critical acclaim to match its commercial success. SEA OF COWARDS was released ten years ago today, and its bone-rattling intensity remains undiminished.
See (Album of the Day)
Originally known as The Young Rascals, this New York-area quartet grew from the AM hits of their garage rock 'n' soul phase to produce some of the most adventurous music on early FM radio. With touches of psychedelia, country, gospel and jazz (not to mention its Magritte cover art), SEE combines the ambition of predecessor FREEDOM SUITE with a back-to-basics feel. As varied as the underrated 1969 collection is, such songs as “Carry Me Back” “Hold On” and the title track draw on the concise, energetic approach that launched the band to stardom and eventually into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. While keyboardist Felix Cavaliere penned the bulk of the album's songs, the singing and playing are cohesive and committed throughout, ensuring that SEE remains a must-hear.
Low-Life (Album of the Day)
After POWER, CORRUPTION AND LIES and “Blue Monday” propelled New Order to prominence, LOW LIFE took the quartet a step further in terms of accessibility. From the 1-2 punch of opening tracks “Love Vigilantes” and “The Perfect Kiss,” the 1985 collection neatly straddles the urgent rock of the band's Joy Division roots with the synth-driven dance grooves for which they'd become more closely identified. As catchy as the album is, it's also filled with strange beauty (the instrumental “Elegia”) and, thanks to Bernard Sumner's plaintive vocals and Peter Hook's melodic bass work, plenty of soul. Released 35 years ago today, LOW-LIFE encapsulates everything that's great about New Order and remains a high-water mark among fans.
True (Special Edition) (Album of the Day)
Spandau Ballet was originally part of England's New Romantic movement, but it wasn't until the group donned slick suits and reinvented themselves as blue-eyed soul crooners that they really hit their stride. Cut in the Bahamas, the quintet's third album added R&B and jazz influences to their trusty synth-pop and proved a commercial breakthrough. TRUE reached No.1 on the U.K. album chart on this day in 1983, powered by distinctive songs like “Communication,” “Gold” and the classic title track (which topped the U.K. singles chart and went Top 10 in America as well). The set's sleek production and tasteful arrangements practically drip with style, but there's passion here, too: when frontman Tony Hadley croons “this is the sound of my soul,” you believe him. The Special Edition of this '80s touchstone adds 14 bonus tracks, including instrumental, 12” and live versions of TRUE songs.
The Mike and Micky Show Live (Album of the Day)
Formed in Los Angeles for their eponymous television series, The Monkees delivered a singular mix of pop, rock, psychedelia, Broadway and country, selling some 16 million albums and 7.5 million singles during their original 1960s run. The band's appeal has continued to endure, and most recently surviving members Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz have toured the country, resulting in their first-ever concert album as a duo, THE MONKEES – THE MIKE & MICKY SHOW LIVE. Out now on CD and vinyl, the collection was recorded live in March 2019 and includes performances of all three of the band’s #1 hits (“Last Train To Clarksville,” “I’m A Believer” and “Daydream Believer”) along with many of Nesmith’s finest compositions and such Dolenz showcases as “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” With a pair of songs from 2016's GOOD TIMES album, THE MIKE & MICKY SHOW LIVE spans 50 years of musical magic.
The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back (Album of the Day)
Bob Newhart is best known as a TV sitcom star, but long before his self-titled series hit the airwaves, Newhart was a recording star. “The most celebrated new comedian since Attila” had scored a No.1 hit with his first comedy album and topped the U.S. chart again with its follow-up, THE BUTTON-DOWN MIND STRIKES BACK. Bob's deadpan takes on such topics as suicidal psychology, cheap airlines, monkeys on typewriters and retirement (which 60 years later he has yet to try) are models of comic timing. Recorded at San Francisco's hungry i club and Freddie's in Minneapolis, THE BUTTON-DOWN MIND STRIKES BACK earned a Best Comedy Performance-Spoken Word Grammy and will provide plenty of laughs for April Fools' Day.
THE BBC SESSIONS 1984 – 1986 (Album of the Day)
Founded in 1982 as “Pogue Mahone” in Kings Cross, London, The Pogues took inspiration from the likes of The Clash and The Sex Pistols as well as the band’s Irish heritage. Recorded relatively early in their career, THE BBC SESSIONS 1984 – 1986 showcases the distinctive Celtic-punk that was beginning to bring The Pogues international success. The collection draws from six separate live sessions including two from The John Peel Show (in April and December of 1984). Among the 23 tracks – 13 of which are previously unreleased apart from their initial airing – are such Shane MacGowan-penned favorites as “Streams of Whiskey,” “A Pair Of Brown Eyes” and “If I Should Fall from Grace with God.” THE BBC SESSIONS captures one of the 1980s' most exciting U.K. groups in all its ragged glory.