Followers
Thursday, December 29, 2022
Duran Duran among the lineup for Dick Clark's New Year's Eve with Ryan Seacrest
Pasadena Tournament of Roses® news: Fitz and The Tantrums to perform
Pasadena's Rose Bowl Marks 100 Years as a Venue: Notable Concerts
During the past century, the Rose Bowl has served as far more than a football stadium. It was used for the cycling competition in the 1932 Summer Olympics.
The Arroyo Seco site has also presented World Cup final games, “American Idol” auditions, fireworks shows, high school graduation ceremonies and concerts. Below is a look back at some notable Rose Bowl concerts from the earliest (we can find) to the most recent.
Aug. 7, 1965 – Presented by KFWB/980 AM, Herman’s Hermits headlined the afternoon concert, with the Turtles, Lovin’ Spoonful and Bobby Fuller Four also on the bill.
Sept. 15, 1968 – “An American Music Show” featured The Everly Brothers, Joan Baez, the Byrds, Wilson Pickett, Big Brother and the Holding Company, Junior Wells with Buddy Guy and the Mothers of Invention.
June 20, 1981 – Merle Haggard, Don Williams, Alabama, Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Rosanne Cash, Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band performed during “A Day in the Country,” the first concert devoted to country music at the Rose Bowl.
June 6, 1982 – More than 85,000 people turned up for “Peace Sunday: We Have a Dream,” an all-star concert to promote nuclear disarmament including Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Dan Fogelberg, Stevie Nicks, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Wonder, Timothy B. Schmit & Don Felder, Joan Baez and Gary U.S. Bonds.
June 18, 1988 – The last stop on Depeche Mode’s “Music for the Masses” world tour (pictured) was filmed by acclaimed director D.A. Pennebaker for the “101” documentary. OMD, Thomas Dolby and Wire were the openers. It’s still one of the most talked about concerts in alternative rock history.
April 16-17, 1994 – Pink Floyd was the first act to perform two consecutive nights at the venue to support “The Division Bell” on its final tour.
Oct. 25, 2009 – U2 drew the highest attendance for a single Rose Bowl concert (just over 97,000) on its 360° which was filmed for home video release.
Sept. 11-13, 2014 – One Direction becomes the first group to play three nights in a row. 5 Seconds of Summer opened.
May 14, 2016 – Beyonce is the first female headliner at the stadium.
A version of this list originally appeared in the 2023 edition of Rose Magazine, a SCNG publication, and online at various SCNG websites.
The Year in Review: Worthy Albums You Might Have Missed in 2022, including Daryl Hall, Def Leppard, Rufus Wainwright, The Knack, Tom Chaplin, Timothy B. Schmit, Will Hoge
With countless albums released over a 12-month period and more attention typically paid to the younger acts, it’s easy to miss good titles made by those who have been in the biz longer than 15 years. With that in mind, here are some studio, compilation and live efforts that deserve a second look.
Daryl Hall
Before After
(RCA/Epic/Sony Legacy)
Everyone knows Daryl Hall and John Oates, the most
successful duo in pop music history. But Hall’s diverse solo material hasn’t
always received its due props. Before After - his first solo
retrospective spanning 1980’s Sacred Songs through 2011’s Laughing Down
Crying - does a fine job at rectifying that. The 30 songs across two CDs
were compiled and sequenced non-chronologically by Hall. The liner notes include
a solo career recap, full credits and selected lyric spotlights. Hall notched eight
top 40 hits at Adult Contemporary radio and the bulk of them are included.
Some of the impressive crop of musicians Hall has worked
with on these tunes include Robert Fripp (producer of Sacred Songs), Eurythmics’
Dave Stewart (co-producer of Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine), The
Fixx’s Jamie West-Oram, Pretenders’ Robbie McIntosh, The Heartbreakers’ Steve Ferrone
and Deacon Blue’s Lorraine McIntosh.
Highlights include the ebullient “Dreamtime,” bright
blue-eyed soul of “Foolish Pride,” the smooth R&B in "Can’t Stop Dreaming,”
earworm “Talking to You,” a Bowie-esque (think “TVC-15”) “Sacred Songs” and atmospheric soul of “Right as Rain.”
Six of the eight performances off Live from Daryl’s House – Hall's 2007 web series that become a long-running cable TV show and is now a
concert venue, are worth the purchase price alone. Among these are a stunningly
spare cover of “Here Comes the Rain Again” alongside Stewart, “Can We Still Be
Friends” with Todd Rundgren, a laid-back version of Ruby & the Romantics’ “Our
Day Will Come” and the acoustic guitar-driven take on the Gladys Knight &
the Pips-popularized “Neither One of Us.”
Def Leppard
Diamond Star Halos
(UMe)
Taking its title from the T-Rex hit “Bang a Gong (Get it On),”
the first Def Lep album in 6 ½ years (and 12th overall) features 15
tracks that clock in just over an hour. While there are subtle Middle Eastern
touches and orchestration, Diamond Star Halos
shows the veteran British band hasn’t lost the knack for crafting infectious
rockers (“Kick,” “SOS Emergency,” “Gimme a Kiss That Rocks”). Alison Krauss, fresh
off her ‘21 collaborative album with Robert Plant, provides guest vocals on the
smoldering power ballad “This Guitar” and smooth “Lifeless.” She meshes well
with front man Joe Elliott, who wisely doesn’t overcompensate with his singing
on the track or the rest of the album. David Bowie pianist Mike
Garson also adds his magic to a pair of songs.
The Knack
Live at the House of Blues Hollywood 9/25/01
(Smile/Liberation Hall)
In 1979, The Knack had the biggest song of the year with “My Sharona,” a power pop classic. Over the following decades, the band would split and reform a few times. By 2001, they had put out two terrific studio albums (Zoom, Normal as the Next Guy) in three years.
A few weeks after the 9/11 tragedy, most people still weren’t in the mood to attend concerts. But The Knack – then including the founding trio of singer/guitarist Doug Fieger, lead guitarist Berton Averre and bassist Prescott Niles – soldiered on with a Sunset Strip gig. The result was an energetic sounding 70-minute, 18-song performance.
Previously
unreleased, Live at the House of Blues Hollywood 9/25/01 has great live sound and interesting behind-the-scenes liner notes by label president
Tony Valenziano, who introduced the group onstage that night. Highlights
include the jangly “Can I Borrow a Kiss,” fast-paced “Good Girls Don’t,” simmering
rocker “One Day at a Time,” “Harder on You,” a nearly 10-minute cover medley of
The Champs’ “Tequila” and The Doors’ “Break on Through,” an extended tribal “My
Sharona” and encore of The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville.”
Tom Chaplin
Midpoint
(BMG)
The third solo album by Keane front man Tom Chaplin is a sparse,
reflective effort filled with comforting songs. Several of them are piano-based
and spotlight his gorgeous aching voice like never before. Ethan Johns (Paul
McCartney, Kaiser Chiefs) produced, while the British singer co-wrote all 13
tracks, including two with Aqualung. Standouts include “Gonna Run,” with mild
orchestration, the airy “Blackhole,” a soaring “Panoramic Eyes” containing a lovely
circuitous piano melody and the appealingly upbeat “Gravitational,” which could’ve easily appeared on a past Keane release.
Timothy B. Schmit
Day by Day
(Benowen)
Day by Day, Timothy B. Schmit’s solid first solo
effort in six years, found the bassist/singer of Eagles and Poco fame recruit some
heavy hitting guests. The wonderful CSN-styled opener “Simple Man” features unmistakable
Lindsey Buckingham guitarwork and harmonies from Matt Jardine of the Beach Boys
and Brian Wilson touring bands. “The Next Rainbow” is a sinewy rocker
punctuated by brass. A winsome “Heartbeat” evokes Schmit’s signature Eagles hit “I Can’t Tell You Why.”
The accordion accented “Grinding Stone” is a tribute to
Native Americans with John McFee (Doobie Brothers) on fiddle and John Fogerty
and Jackson Browne adding supple chorus backing vocals. An appealing “Taste
Like Candy,” about life not always being perfect, has soulful female vocals, orchestration,
swelling organ courtesy of Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers)
and bluesy Kenny Wayne Shepherd guitar snatches. Legendary drummer Jim Keltner
contributes to the old school rock of “Conflicted.”
Rufus Wainwright
Rufus Does Judy at Capitol Studios
(BMG)
Back in 2006, Rufus Wainwright deftly performed a pair of tribute concerts to Judy Garland with a full orchestra at Carnegie Hall to much acclaim and then put out a live album culled from them.
A decade and a half later, Wainwright entered Hollywood’s
famous Capitol Studios to do pared-down jazzy arrangements of a dozen songs
that were a mainstay in Garland’s show repertoire. Rufus Does Judy was
initially presented as a virtual livestream concert event as Wainwright sang for
an audience of one: Renée Zellweger, who won a Best Actress Oscar for her Garland
portrayal in 2019’s Judy. Here, Kristin Chenoweth turns up to duet on a counterpoint
medley of “Happy Days are Here Again/Get Happy.” Other splendid renditions include
Great American Songbook standards like “Come Rain or Come Shine,” “Puttin’ on
The Ritz” and “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.”
Wings on My Shoes
(Edlo/Soundly)
Nashville journeyman Hoge has recorded solo and with bands since
2001. But the past decade has seen his profile increase through songwriting. Eli
Young Band topped the country chart in 2012 with his co-write “Even if it
Breaks Your Heart.” Lady A, Wanda Jackson, the Wild Feathers, Chayce Beckham,
and Brendan Benson have all recorded his tunes in recent years. Sheryl Crow guested
on Hoge’s 2017 album Anchors. Wings on My Shoes, one of the best indie Americana
albums of ’22, is chock full of affecting songs about relationships, spirituality,
death and more. Fans of Rhett Miller, Steve Earle and Jack Ingram should find something
to savor on Wings.
Shiva Burlesque
Mercury Blues
(Independent Project)
Before Grant Lee Buffalo arrived in the early 1990s to enchant college and alt-rock radio listeners with such songs as “Mockingbirds,” “Fuzzy” and “Honey Don’t Think,” its three members spent time in the hazy, jarring alternative band Shiva Burlesque.
Sophomore album Mercury Blues bears touchstones of
fellow California groups Concrete Blonde and Camper Van Beethoven as well as
Echo and the Bunnymen. Grant-Lee Phillips handles lead vocals on the haunting “Cherry
Orchard,” but the bulk of the singing is handled by Jeffrey Clark. Featuring prodigious
use of cello, standouts include the Lou Reed-styled “Sparrow Song,” wiry rocker
“Sick Friend” and the insistent, moody “Chrome Halo,” where Clark and Phillips
trade off.
The new remastered 2CD version has fresh artwork, archival
photos, detailed liner notes by Rolling Stone’s David Fricke and a handcrafted
design package on CD and vinyl. Disc 2, titled Skullduggery, includes 10
previously unreleased demos. Purchase physical and digital through independentprojectrecords.com.
This article originally appeared at rockcellarmagazine.com.
Thursday, December 22, 2022
Music book new: 'Pink Floyd and the Dark Side of the Moon: 50 Years'
Music book news: 'Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance' out now
2023 Pasadena Rose Parade news: Tanya Tucker to perform
Saturday, December 17, 2022
The Year in Review: Best Albums of 2022
Here are my picks for Best Albums of 2022...
1. The London Suede, "Autofiction"
2. Tears for Fears, "The Tipping Point"
3. The Fixx, "Every Five Seconds"
4. St. Lucia, "Utopia"
5. Regrettes, "Further Joy"
6. Foals, "Life is Yours"
7. The 1975, "Being Funny in a Foreign Language"
8. Best Coast, "Always Tomorrow"
9. Elvis Costello, "The Boy Named If"
10. Willie Nile, "The Day the Earth Stood Still"
11. Pixies, "Doggerel"
12. First Aid Kit, "Palomino"
13. Band of Horses, "Things Are Great"
14. Wombats, "Fix Yourself, Not the World"
15. Hoodoo Gurus, "Chariot of the Gods"
16. Wallows, "Tell Me That It's Over"
17. Orville Peck, "Bronco"
18. Placebo, "Never Let Me Go"
19. Spoon, "Lucifer on the Sofa"
20. Blossoms, "Ribbon Around the Bomb"
London Suede (#1) photo by Dean Chalkley
Pixies (#11) photo by Tom Oxley
Friday, December 16, 2022
The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie joint tour next fall
10 – New Haven, CT – Westville Music Bowl
12 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall
13 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall
14 – Washington, DC – Merriweather Post Pavilion
17 – Detroit, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheater
20 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
21 – Philadelphia, PA – The Mann Center
24 – Minneapolis, MN – Armory
26 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
27 – Denver, CO – Mission Ballroom
4 – Las Vegas, NV – The Chelsea Ballroom at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
7 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
10 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre – UC Berkeley
13 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl
Adam Lambert tackles a variety of covers on 'High Drama' in February
02 Chandelier
03 Ordinary World
04 Getting Older
05 I Can't Stand the Rain
06 West Coast
07 Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
08 Sex on Fire
09 My Attic
10 I'm a Man
11 Mad About The Boy
Cody Johnson update
During 2022, Cody received first-ever honors with two CMT Music Awards, two CMA Music Awards, was named one of CMT Artists of the Year, and was the most nominated country artist at the American Music Awards.
2 Honky Tonk Hardwood Floors
3 With You I Am
4 Wild as You
5 Ride With Me
6 Dance Her Home
7 Diamond in My Pocket (Intro)
8 Diamond in My Pocket
9 God Bless the Boy (Cori's Song)
10 Half a Song
11 Stronger
12 Me and My Kind
13 Longer Than She Did
2 Nothin' on You
3 Son of a Ramblin' Man
4 Let's Build a Fire
5 Human (Intro)
6 Human
7 'Til You Can't
8 Long Haired Country Boy (Intro)
9 Long Haired Country Boy
10 The Rockin' CUB Solos
11 On My Way to You (Intro)
12 On My Way to You
13 Dear Rodeo (Intro)
14 Dear Rodeo
1/27 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena
1/28 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena SOLD OUT
2/16 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
2/18 Knoxville, TN Thompson Boling Arena SOLD OUT
2/25 Austin, TX Moody Center SOLD OUT
3/3 Ft. Wayne, IN Allen County War Memorial
3/4 Youngstown, OH Covelli Centre SOLD OUT
3/11 Arlington, TX American Rodeo at the American Western Weekend, Half Time performance
3/24 Dayton, OH Wright St. University Nutter Center
3/25 Champaign, IL State Farm Center
4/14 Prescott Valley, AZ Findlay Toyota Center SOLD OUT
4/15 Florence, AZ Country Thunder AZ
5/18 Syracuse, NY The Onecenter
5/19 Lowell, MA Tsongas Center
5/20 Bridgeport, CT Total Mortgage Arena
5/26 Lewisburg, WV State Fair of WV
5/27 Fairfax, VA EagleBank Arena
5/28 Norfolk, VA Scope Arena Patriotic Festival
6/15 Moline, IL Vibrant Arena
6/16 Winsted, MN Winstock Country Music Festival
6/23 North Platte, NE Nebraskaland Days
6/24 Mack, CO Country Jam
7/15 Topeka, KS Country Stampede
7/20 Twin Lakes, WI Country Thunder
7/21 St. Louis, MO Chaifetz Arena
7/22 Cullman, AL Rock The South
7/28 Toole, UT Country Fan Fest
8/5 Sweet Home, OR Oregon Jamboree
10/20 Kissimmee, FL Country Thunder
'A Postcard from California' solo album from the Beach Boys' Al Jardine available on CD
“‘Don’t Fight the Sea’ started a long time ago with a Canadian friend of mine, Terry Jacks, who was kind enough to allow me to rewrite his song for a solo album that Mike Love and I were planning around an ecology theme. I asked Matt Jardine to help me with the lyrics. I always envisioned it to be the quintessential environmental song, a big statement, but I could never get all the guys together to finish it. I started with Carl, Bruce (Johnston) and myself on backgrounds, then years later Brian put on his falsetto, and just recently Mike recorded his baritone signature line. To top it all off, I added Matt and friend Scott Mathews to the track, to give additional vocal support to the core group; all this over a period of thirty-plus years. I guess persistence pays off!”
"Don't Fight The Sea" (also released as a 7” single on white vinyl on Record Store Day 2011 to help raise funds for Japan disaster relief) is just one of the many highlights of the album that also includes inspired versions of Beach Boys’ classics “Help Me, Rhonda” and “A California Saga” and a heartfelt rendition of The Mamas & The Papas’ biggest hit, “California Dreamin’,” a duet with one-time Beach Boy Glen Campbell who famously filled in for Brian Wilson on tour in the mid-‘60s. Campbell also lent his incredible voice to the album’s opener title track that chronicles Jardine’s trip with his parents from the Midwest to California.
“Help Me, Rhonda” gets quite a blues makeover as Jardine shares vocals with Steve Miller on the Brian Wilson-penned track that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 for the Beach Boys in 1965 on the strength of Jardine’s unforgettable lead vocal. Adding to the blues feel is harmonica by the late virtuoso Norton Buffalo. Jardine’s reworking of “A California Saga,” his song from the Beach Boys’ 1973 album, Holland, features Neil Young on co-lead vocals with Jardine and backing vocals by David Crosby and Stephen Stills along with Adam and Matt Jardine. Young also sings on “Campfire Scene” which follows Alec Baldwin’s spoken word narration of a Stephen John Kalinich poem on “Tidepool Interlude” that leads into “A California Saga.”
A Postcard from California also includes “Sloop John B (A Pirate’s Tale)” which was originally released alongside Jardine’s award-winning children’s book of the same name.
For more info on the album, please visit http://www.aljardine.com
1. A Postcard from California
2. California Feelin'
3. Looking Down The Coast
4. Don't Fight The Sea
5. Tidepool Interlude
6. Campfire Scene
7. A California Saga
8. Help Me Rhonda
9. San Simeon
10. Drivin'
11. Honkin' Down The Highway
12. California Dreamin'
13. And I Always Will
Special Bonus Tracks
14. Waves Of Love
15. Sloop John B (A Pirate's Tale)
A Flock Of Seagulls' classic '82 debut to get deluxe CD reissue and vinyl in February
‘I Ran’, while not a big hit in their home country, was a #9 smash on the Billboard Hot 100, and like the album, hit #1 in Australia, the track has continued to find new audiences through its use as an 80s classic in games such as Grand Theft Auto. The album also features the singles ‘Telecommunication’ and ‘Space Age Love Song’ as well as ‘D.N.A.’, which earned the band a Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1983.
CD 1 – Original Album Remastered
Messages
I Ran
Space Age Love Song
You Can Run
Telecommunication
Standing In The Doorway
Don't Ask Me
D.N.A.
Tokyo
Man Made
Tanglimara
Intro
Pick Me Up
Windows
(It's Not Me) Talking
Modern Love Is Automatic (Single Edit)
I Ran (Single Edit)
Space Age Love Song (Single Edit)
(It's Not Me) Talking (Remix)
(It's Not Me) Talking (Instrumental)
I Ran (12" Mix)John Peel SessionMessages From The Rings Of Saturn
(It's Not Me) Talking
I Ran
Committed
Messages From The Rings Of Saturn
I Ran
TanglimaraKid Jensen Session D.N.A.
I Ran
Space Age Love Song
Standing In The DoorwayJanice Long Session Man Made
I Ran
Telecommunication
You Can RunParis Theatre, London ConcertModern Love Is Automatic
Standing In The Doorway
Telecommunication
Man Made
I Ran
(It's Not Me) Talking
Natalie Merchant news
Merchant will embark upon a US tour this spring, going into the fall (schedule below); European dates will be announced shortly. Keep Your Courage is available to preorder here.
Merchant writes in her album’s liner notes, “The songs contained within this album were written and recorded during the global pandemic that began in the winter of 2019 and is in its fifth wave as I write, in the autumn of 2022. It has been, and continues to be, a period of great flux and fear on every level: global, national, communal, familial, personal. But this is not an album about the coronavirus or the chaos it caused. For the most part, this is an album about the human heart.” She continues, “The word ‘courage’ has its root in the Latin word for heart, cor, and we see it over and over in many languages: le coeur, il cuore, o coraĂ§Ă£o, el corazĂ³n. This is a song cycle that maps the journey of a courageous heart.”
Merchant has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including Billy Bragg, Gavin Bryars, David Byrne, The Chieftains, Cowboy Junkies, Philip Glass, Kronos Quartet, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Mavis Staples, REM, and Wilco. She served on the New York State Council on the Arts from 2007–2011 at the appointment of Governor Elliot Spitzer and was recently appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center by New York State Senator and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Saturday—April 15—Poughkeepsie, NY—Bardavon, 1869 Opera House
Tuesday—April 18—Pittsburgh, PA—Byham Theater
Wednesday—April 19—Charlottesville, VA—The Paramount Theater
Friday—April 21—Philadelphia, PA—Kimmel Cultural Campus
Saturday—April 22—Hershey, PA—The Hershey Theatre
Monday—April 24—Greenville, SC—Peace Center Concert Hall*
Wednesday—April 26—Clearwater, FL—Ruth Eckerd Hall
Thursday—April 27—Fort Lauderdale, FL—Au—Rene Theater - Broward
Center for the Performing Arts**
Friday—April 28—St. Augustine, FL—The Saint Augustine Amphitheatre
Sunday—April 30—Atlanta, GA—Atlanta Symphony Hall**
Tuesday—May 9—Portland, ME—Merrill Auditorium
Wednesday—May 10—Boston, MA—Emerson Colonial Theatre
Saturday—May 13—Cleveland, OH—Keybank State Theatre
Sunday—May 14—Cincinnati, OH—Taft Theatre
Tuesday—May 16—Carmel, IN—The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts
Wednesday—May 17—Ann Arbor, MI—Michigan Theater
Friday—May 19—Chicago, IL—Chicago Theatre
Saturday—May 20—Milwaukee, WI—The Pabst Theater
Friday–Saturday—June 2–3—New York, NY—Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts — Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center**
Wednesday—June 28—Providence, RI—Veterans Memorial Auditorium**
Friday–Saturday—June 30–July 1—Washington, DC—John F. Kennedy
Center for The Performing Arts**
Saturday—July 8—Chautauqua, NY—Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater* **
Wednesday—September 20—Spokane, WA—Martin Woldson Theatre at The Fox
Friday—September 22—Seattle, WA—Venue TBA*
Saturday—September 23—Portland, OR—Keller Auditorium
Tuesday—September 26—San Francisco, CA—The Masonic
Wednesday—September 27—Saratoga, CA—The Mountain Winery*
Friday—September 29—San Diego, CA—Humphrey’s
Date TBA—Los Angeles, CA—Venue TBA
*On-sale timing TBA
**With symphony orchestra
1. Big Girls
2. Come on, Aphrodite
3. Sister Tilly
4. Narcissus
5. Hunting the Wren
6. Guardian Angel
7. Eye of the Storm
8. Tower of Babel
9. Song of Himself
10. The Feast of Saint Valentine
11. Spring and Fall: To a Young Child (from 2010’s Leave Your Sleep)
12. Butterfly (from 2017’s Butterfly)
13. Giving up Everything (from 2014’s Natalie Merchant)
14. Frozen Charlotte (from 2017’s Butterfly; original version on 1998’s Ophelia)
Out now: Two new Little River Band retrospectives; catalog reissued
Curated over many years with members of the original Little River Band and remastered for 2022, these projects have detailed liner notes about the history of the band and photos.
2) Curiosity (Killed The Cat) (3:40)
3) I'll Always Call Your Name (4:48)
4) Emma (3:29)
5) Everyday Of My Life (3:52)
6) Help Is On Its Way (4:09)
7) Witchery (2:54)
8) Home On Monday (3:57)
9) Happy Anniversary (4:08)
10) Shut Down, Turn Off (3:54)
11) Reminiscing (4:16)
12) Lady (4:58)
13) Lonesome Loser (4:00)
14) Cool Change (5:15)
15) It's Not A Wonder (3:58)
16) I'm Coming Home (3:45)
17) The Night Owls (5:20)
18) Take It Easy On Me (3:47)
19) Man On Your Mind (4:18)
20) Down On The Border (2:59)
21) The Other Guy (2:49)
22) We Two (4:32)
23) You're Driving Me Out Of My Mind (5:15)
24) Playing To Win (3:01)
25) Forever Blue (5:09)
2) Days On The Road (5:23)
3) Broke Again (3:28)
4) Seine City (3:47)
5) Another Runway (6:32)
6) Raelene, Raelene (4:32)
7) Fall From Paradise (5:06)
8) Light Of Day (8:04)
9) By My Side (4:28)
10) Hard Life (Prelude) (2:46)
11) Hard Life (4:50)
12) Middle Man (4:29)
13) Mistress Of Mine (5:16)
14) Just Say That You Love Me (4:02)
15) Don't Let The Needle Win (3:39)
16) Mr. Socialite (5:26)
17) Sleepless Nights (5:17)
18) Easy Money (4:01)
19) I Know It (3:22)
20) Love Letters (3:08)
21) Blind Eyes (5:02)
22) No Reins On Me (4:41)
23) How Many Nights? (4:38)
24) When The War Is Over (5:13)
25) Face In The Crowd (4:48)
26) Full Circle (1:58)
Thursday, December 15, 2022
Last minute Music Related Holiday Gift Guide Part 2 feat. David Bowie, Rolling Stones, Guns 'N Roses, the Beach Boys, ABBA, Human League, Robbie Williams, Sparks
If you’re still looking for something to buy the music enthusiast on your holiday gift list (or simply expand your own collection), below is a roundup of noteworthy physical 2022 box sets and classic reissues. Some can be purchased at Amazon, Walmart or Target with expedited shipping, but will likely arrive after the holidays.
David BowieUnlike 1970’s frequently hard rocking The Man Who
Sold the World, these songs were written on piano as opposed to guitar,
giving them more of a pop/rock feel. Bowie’s new record label RCA did little to
promote Hunky Dory and its single “Changes” because they figured he would
be adopting a new persona soon. Sure enough, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy
Stardust and the Spiders from Mars arrived seven months later.
Once the latter album became successful on the heels
of Bowie’s first UK top 10 single “Starman,” people realized that Hunky Dory
was actually a great batch of songs, and it became a hit retroactively. The
same thing happened with The Man Who Sold the World. Mick Ronson, Woody
Woodmansey, Trevor Bolder and future Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman all played on
Hunky Dory, which is among Bowie’s best regarded works.
Divine Symmetry contains
48 previously unreleased tracks or demos from the era, plus co-producer Ken
Scott’s new alternative mixes of the album.
The five discs (each with a different Hunky Dory
session pose sleeve) slide into pockets amid the stellar 100-page hardback book.
It comprises a 1971 Bowie timeline, several rare or unseen images including Brian
Ward’s “pharoah” photo sessions and Bowie at the piano in Haddon Hall (England),
various pull quotes from the musician, handwritten lyrics (“Oh! You Pretty
Things”), single and studio box images, cover session outtakes, production
notes from Scott (who reiterates his famous quote that the vocals are all basically
first takes), period articles from NME and LA music monthly Phonograph Record
and other memorabilia.
Bowie’s friends Geoff MacCormack and George Underwood,
singer Dana Gillespie, guitarist Mark Pritchett, concert promoter David Stopps,
publisher Bob Grace and photographer Louanne Richards provide some interesting recollections.
Besides the main remastered album which sounds crisper
than ever in hi-res stereo on Blu-ray, there is a June 1971 David Bowie and
Friends performance (in both mono and stereo) before a live studio audience during
BBC Radio in Concert.
DJ John Peel describes what is happening on each of
the songs. Onstage, Bowie prefaces a solo acoustic “Kooks” by explaining he’d
been inspired by a Neil Young album and the birth of his new baby son in
writing it.
BBC Radio Session and Live, includes the seven-song “Sounds
of the ‘70s” appearance with DJ Bob Harris. But the real highlight (despite
wavering quality at one point) is the Live Friars, Aylesbury concert from
September 1971.
Bowie starts by warning that he doesn’t play many gigs
and then does two covers by American comedian Biff Rose. He prefaces a spirited
take on early hit “Space Oddity” by admitting, “We get this over with as soon
as possible.” Halfway through, the rest of the band joins Bowie and guitarist
Ronson for a vigorous “Oh! You Pretty Things,” “Changes,” covers by Chuck Berry
and the Velvet Undergound (“Round and Round,” “Waiting for The Man”) and more.
Elsewhere, the box set has alternative mixes, singles
and versions and a reproduction booklet of Bowie’s journal with lyrics,
proposed album running orders, doodles, tour expense figures, song chord
changes, etc.
Also available: Brilliant Adventure 1992-2001, the next installments in a series which combines all of Bowie’s studio output from that period along with rarities; Toy Box is devoted to the 2000 sessions for the shelved album Toy, where Bowie revisited tunes he’s originally recorded from 1964-71.
Robbie WilliamsLife Thru a Lens
(UMe/Island Records)
Robbie Williams’ solo album after leaving the British boy band sensation Take That was one of 1997’s best debuts. It is available as an impressively expanded release to mark its 25th anniversary.
Spawning five UK top 20 singles – including the
international hit ballad “Angels” – Life Thru a Lens reached No. 1 on
the UK chart and eventually sold more than 2 million copies in that territory. Most
of the songs were co-written by Williams and Chambers (then primarily known for
his work with World Party; he also co-produced).
The 4CD 63-track box set includes bonus tracks, B-sides,
previously unreleased demos, rehearsal recordings, rare remixes, and Williams’
non-album debut single cover of George Michael’s “Freedom” (UK No. 2, August
1996). It is featured in both the exciting single edit and an instrumental
dance remix.
Even more enticing for longtime fans is the first
audio release of a full concert recorded at London’s Forum in June 1998
(originally released as “Live in Your Living Room” on VHS tape but
never reissued). Williams provides humorous introductions at every turn and is
in fine vocal form. He takes a fan request to perform The La’s “There She Goes,”
nearly gets drowned out by fans singing along to “Angels” and he does an odd encore
of his No. 1 hit with Take That, “Back for Good,” with a heavy metal-tinged
chorus.
(On a personal note: the original versions
of the last two songs still make this writer stop in his tracks when they randomly
pop up somewhere in public.)
The square lift off singles box contains the original
12 songs spread over seven 7-inch vinyl singles, plus hidden CD track “Hello,
Sir” and bonus seventh single “Freedom” with “Average B-Side” (the first time
the song has actually been a B-Side as it was previously a CD bonus track).
Each single is in an individual picture sleeve and the
labels have different photos. The accompanying eight-page color booklet contains
song lyrics, Andy Earl photos and credits. The main album is also available in 1LP
clear vinyl and digital download formats.
In addition to the solid Life Thru a Lens album,
the 4CD slide out box set highlights are plentiful: All the rocking, funky
versions of “Freedom,” the sinewy, organ-drenched “Better Days,” a cover of
XTC’s “Making Plans for Nigel” with searing electric guitar, a nice acoustic guitar
take on David Bowie’s “Kooks,” the nearly Nirvana-esque “Teenage Millionaire,” a
piano ballad cover of Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” (predating his
own major foray into standards), the exciting full-length “Let Me Entertain
You,” a suitably sublime turn on Pet Shop Boys’ “I Wouldn’t Normally Do This
Kind of Thing” and a fun 1998 golden oldies duet with Tom Jones from the London
Forum as heard in the “The Full Monty” film soundtrack: “Come Up and See Me
(Make Me Smile)/Leave Your Hat On/Land of A Thousand Dances.” All four CDs are trifolds,
and the booklet has the original 7-inch picture sleeve images.
The Human League
The Virgin Years
(UMe/Virgin)
One of the more influential electronic-based pop acts to emerge from England during the late Seventies, The Human League achieved moderate success at home with its first two albums.
But the third time proved to be the charm when Dare was released in October 1981. Lead singer Phil Oakley was joined in the studio by then-new vocalists Susan Sulley and Joanne Catherall, and they created memorable (and somewhat unusual) harmonies together. Meanwhile, producer Martin Rushent and the rest of the band crafted arresting synthpop sounds.
“Don’t You Want Me” reached the pole position on both
sides of the Atlantic and became a signature song not only for The Human
League, but the decade in music. The group landed three more top 15 UK hits off
Dare: “Love Action (I Believe in Love),” “Open Your Heart” and “The
Sound of the Crowd.” Dare is still a new wave classic.
The Virgin Years, a special limited edition colored
vinyl box set chosen by the band, collects the four Human League albums from 1981-90
in addition to the Fascination! EP. All the box set LPs are packaged in
tip-on sleeves, housed in a sturdy large box and pressed on turquoise, lime,
yellow, red and clear vinyl. They have the original artwork. All have lyrics
except Fascination! and all are gatefolds except Romantic? and Fascination!
The six-track Fascination! collection from 1983
contained more career-defining hits in the effervescent "(Keep Feeling)
Fascination" and "Mirror Man," which evoked Motown girl
groups from the 1960s.
For 1984’s Hysteria, produced by Hugh Padgham
(The Police) and Chris Thomas (Roxy Music), The Human League added more organic
instrumentation into their trademark sound. The plaintive ballad “Louise,” a
nice “Life on Your Own” and the compelling, politically minded “The Lebanon”
all reached the UK top 20.
Two years later, Crash – produced and partially
co-written by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, Morris Day & The
Time) – saw the Human League delve into more of an R&B/New Jack Swing direction.
It yielded “Human,” the band’s second US chart topper and the lovely “Love is
All That Matters” is another standout.
Romantic?
emerged in 1990. The ladies’ vocals took more prominence, especially on glorious
main track “Heart Like a Wheel,” a top 40 hit in England and America. “Let’s
Get Together Again” is a second highlight. Definitely a must-buy for new wave
vinyl lovers.
ABBA
The Vinyl Album Box Set
(Polar/UMe)
Thanks to the “Mamma Mia!” Broadway and national
touring stage productions and two popular feature films released over the past
20+ years, the enduring music of ABBA has never strayed far from popular
culture. It is also omnipresent at parties, wedding receptions, feature film
soundtracks, television shows and elsewhere.
After Voyage, the first new ABBA album since
1981, arrived in November ‘21 to international success (and a Grammy
nomination), focus on the most successful pop group ever to emerge from Sweden
only intensified.
Now, new fans who have recently rediscovered the back
catalog can get The Vinyl Album Box Set or The CD Album Box Set. They
round up all nine ABBA studio albums (including Voyage) for the first
time, in addition to a bonus tracks disc featuring the singles “Fernando,” “Gimme!
Gimme! Gimme!” and various B-sides. The LPs are pressed on 180-gram vinyl. An
accompanying glossy 40-page booklet contains album credits and career-spanning photos.
The CD set comes in a slide out holder with mini cardboard cover replicas. All
except Voyage are imprinted with the Polar Records logo.
The multiple major hit singles across the collection
include “Waterloo,” “SOS,” “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Money Money Money,”
“Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “The Name of the Game,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Chiquitita,”
“Does Your Mother Know,” “The Winner Takes it All,” “Super Trouper” and others from
the 1970s-‘80s – plus the recent top 20 UK/Sweden hits “I Still Have Faith in
You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down.” More than a few are probably embedded in your
brain.
All told, these albums show why the music and voices
of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad left
an indelible imprint on pop music.
The Rolling Stones
Live At The El Mocambo
(UMe/Polydor)
There are a ton of live albums in the Stones catalog.
Many are memorable for one reason or another, but Live at The El
Mocambo is really special. This is the first official appearance of
two infamous secret concerts at the 300-capacity Toronto club in March 1977. A
local radio contest gave away tickets to see Canadian rock band April Wine,
supported on the marquee by an unknown band called “The Cockroaches.” April
Wine ended up being the opening act.
Available on double CD and 4LP black vinyl, they
include the full set from the March 5 show and three bonus tracks from the
March 4 gig. Previously, four of the performances were featured on the Love
You Live album in September 1977 that had tracks from The Stones’ 1975-76
tours. The full El Mocambo set was never heard before.
The stellar sound here was newly mixed by Bob
Clearmountain. The CD edition is packaged in a pink/blue/yellow trifold with a nifty
perforated tongue logo cover (you can change the color by flipping over the
booklet). UK music journalist Paul Sexton wrote the interesting liner notes
that detail what led up to the secret shows and how they progressed with
archival quotes he did with members of the band and others.
Blues covers by Muddy Waters (“Mannish Boy“), Bo
Diddley (“Crackin' Up“), Willie Dixon (“Little Red Rooster“) and Big Maceo
(“Worried Life Blues“) are part of the sets, which marked the live debut of
“Worried About You,“ later to arise on 1981's Tattoo You.
Among the highlights: the searing slide guitar work on
“All Down the Line,” Billy Preston’s backing vocals and Ian Stewart’s piano
solo on “Hand of Fate,” Mick Jagger’s sarcastic quip (the first of many) before
the guys’ bluesy take on Bobby Troup’s “Route 66,” the lovely keyboards and Jagger’s
falsetto on “Fool to Cry,” the guitar interplay between Keith Richards and
Ronnie Wood amid “Dance Little Sister,” a slinky “Tumblin’ Dice,” as Jagger ad
libs a lyric, “Let's Spend The Night Together“ as the crowd gets boisterous,
the slightly revamped “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)” a breakneck
“Rip This Joint” and totally rousing “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
Sparks
21st Century Collection
(BMG)
Sparks have never gone away, but following a triumphant
appearance at Coachella 2013, a newfound appreciation for the influential
alt-pop sibling duo slowly gained momentum. Then the focus got even brighter. A
Steady Drip, Drip, Drip arrived in 2020 and was another solid entry in a career
that dates back to the 1970s. Last year, Edgar Wright’s acclaimed documentary The
Sparks Brothers made the film festival circuit, arrived at cinemas and
eventually home video. Ron and Russell Mael also wrote the story and music for
the award-winning movie musical Annette starring Adam Driver and Marion
Cotillard.
Here in America, the LA natives are best known for “Cool
Places,” the 1983 duet with Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s. But in England, they
scored a half dozen Top 20 hits including “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the
Both of Us,” “Amateur Hour” and “Beat the Clock.”
Earlier this year, five Sparks catalog albums – some
out of print for years and sought after by collectors - were released
individually as CD and LP deluxe reissues for the 21st Century
Collection. They include Balls (2000), Lil’ Beethoven (2002),
Hello Young Lovers with guest Steven McDonald of Redd Kross on
additional bass (2006), Exotic Creatures of The Deep and its humorous
“Lighten Up, Morrissey” (2008) and The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman (2009).
The more recent Hippopotamus (2017) and A Steady Drip,
Drip, Drip round out the collection.
Among the mostly previously unreleased bonus material featured on all titles except Seduction: A Tony Visconti-produced version of “The Angels” on Balls, Ron’s liner notes on the 20-page booklet to Seduction and “We Are the Clash” on Hello.
The Beach Boys
Sail on Sailor – 1972
(Capitol/UMe)
Although the Beach Boys project Carl and the
Passions - So Tough was met with a lukewarm reception on the music
charts upon release in 1972 and the members later dismissed it as a lesser work
among the catalog, it has since become a cult favorite among fans and prominent
musicians such as Elton John and Saint Etienne. The Beach Boys even performed
the album’s single “Marcella” and “All This is That” on its 50th
anniversary reunion tour in 2012 with Brian Wilson.
Carl and the Passions - So Tough marked
the debut of new Beach Boys members Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar and originally
came packaged as a twofer with a Pet Sounds reissue.
Holland - the first album
without Bruce Johnston since 1965 - emerged in early ’73 after the band’s
expensive relocation to a barn studio in the Netherlands. More successful than Passions,
the Chaplin-sung single “Sail on Sailor” was a modest hit and later became a
staple at FM classic rock stations.
Sail on Sailor – 1972, part
of a Beach Boys archival series to mark its 60th
anniversary, combines the freshly remastered albums Carl and the Passions -
So Tough and Holland. The 6CD Super Deluxe Edition includes the
“Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairytale)” EP from Holland and a
thoroughly enjoyable unreleased live concert recorded at Carnegie Hall on
Thanksgiving 1972 - the first full Beach Boys concert from the period
with the original setlist to be released.
The box set sports 105 tracks (80 previously
unreleased). There are alternate versions, alternate mixes, outtakes, isolated
backing tracks and a cappella versions. So Tough and Holland were
also mixed in Dolby Atmos.
Everything is packaged in a 12.5” x 10” hardback book.
The CD set has a 48-page booklet with liner notes by Howie Edelson, production
notes by Mark Linett, new and old interviews with The Beach Boys,
rare photos, images of recording studio artifacts, producers’ notes,
promotional memorabilia and more. Various other formats are also available.
Standout tracks include the smooth harmonies of “All
This is That” (more pronounced on an amazing a capella mix), “Marcella,” the
jaunty “Sail on Sailor” and the “California Saga Suite.” All a capella tracks
are fascinating.
The New York City concert sounds sharp thanks to a
then-new 16-track remote recording system. Alongside a backing group including
the pair who’d later break out on their own as The Captain and Tennille, the
band perform a 26-song set.
Among the highlights are Carl Wilson’s supple vocals
on “Darlin,” “Heroes and Villains,” “Don’t Worry Baby” (again with Carl’s
gorgeous falsetto; they hadn’t played it in years), a revamped “Help Me,
Rhonda” with boogie woogie piano work, the extended “Do it Again,” a rocking
“Fun Fun Fun,” and a ramshackle encore of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
Guns N’ Roses
Use Your Illusion I & II
(UMe/Geffen)
Four years after the major success of its 1987 debut
album Appetite for Destruction, Guns N’ Roses released two true studio
follow ups simultaneously. Use Your Illusion I & II debuted in the
top two slots on the Billboard 200, sold more than half a million copies each during
Week 1 and have moved more than five million units since then.
The band expanded its hard rock sound and even the
length of some tunes, which broached the 10-minute mark. Across both releases are
the top 10 hits “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain,” plus popular album rock radio
faves “Yesterdays,” “Civil War” and “You Could Be Mine” as well as covers of
Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Live and Let Die” and Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on
Heaven’s Door.”
Nearly 100 tracks - 63 previously unreleased - make up
the Super Deluxe Use Your Illusion I & II box set. It is available as
a Super Deluxe 7CD/Blu-ray, a Super Deluxe 12LP/Blu-ray, 2CD Deluxe Editions,
standard 1CD and 2LP versions of the main albums separately.
In all formats, Use Your Illusion I and II have
been fully remastered for the first time from high-resolution 96kHz 24-bit
transfers from the original stereo 1/2-inch analog masters. All versions can be
purchased as digital downloads.
The box set features an anamorphic illusion picturing each
of the two covers at different angles. The 12LP box is pressed on 180-gram
heavyweight audiophile black vinyl with six premium tip-on gatefold jackets.
Both Super Deluxe Editions also include the complete live audio recording Live
In New York, taped at the Ritz Theatre on May 16, 1991, with sound newly mixed
from original multi-track tapes.
Live In Las Vegas 1992 has been newly mixed from the
original multi-track tapes. The bonus disc is a Blu-ray video of the complete concert
film, newly transferred from 35mm prints to 4K UHD and presented in 1080p 24fps
HD, in its entirety, along with audio mixed in Dolby Atmos, Dolby True HD 5.1
surround, and PCM 48kHz 24-bit stereo. The Blu-ray menu features the new live
music video “You Could Be Mine.” This is the first release of any complete
audio and video concerts from the Use Your Illusion-era GN’R.
The box sets are housed with a 100-page hardcover book
with unreleased photos, memorabilia and archival documents, Conspiracy Inc.
replica fan club folder with membership card, four Conspiracy Inc. 1991/1992
Use Your Illusion era replica fan club newsletters, 10 lithos that reveal 1 of
2 unique images when inserted into the supplied red & blue reveal sleeves,
seven band 8”x10” photo prints, four Use Your Illusion tour replica cloth
sticky backstage passes, a Ritz Theatre 5/16/1991 replica concert ticket (with
the original misprinted date of 5/15/1991) and a brand new 24”x36” band poster.
The limited edition 4LP set comes in a premium tip-on
gatefold jacket with a 12″x12″ insert and feature both original studio albums
fully remastered for the first time. Use Your Illusion I includes the debut of
“November Rain (2022 Version)” with a first-ever real 50-piece orchestra
conducted and arranged by Christopher Lennertz.
Both albums are housed in an exclusive foil-art
slipcase showcasing both Use Your Illusion I & II covers. The LPs are all pressed
on different colored vinyl, Exclusive to this set is a zoetrope turntable mat
that when combined with a strobing light effect animates the mat’s artwork
while spinning on a turntable.