Thursday, December 29, 2022

Duran Duran among the lineup for Dick Clark's New Year's Eve with Ryan Seacrest

The performers who will be will be hitting the stage New Year’s Eve in Times Square will be Duran Duran (pictured), New Edition, BTS member j-hope, and Jax.

Duran Duran, is fresh off an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They will play hits like “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “The Reflex” and “Rio.”

The band's recent music film A Hollywood High is streaming on Veeps through Jan. 2 (read more about it elsewhere on this blog). Its latest album Future Past (Complete Edition) is out now as a red/green 2LP set featuring all 15 tracks plus the cover of David Bowie's "Five Years" from the online Bowie tribute. The gatefold package has a silver/gray image of the cover and two 12x12 art booklets.

Meanwhile, back in Times Square, New Edition will celebrate their 40th anniversary, performing “Rub You The Right Way,” “My Prerogative,” “Poison,” “If It Isn’t Love,” and “Cool It Now.” J-hope, South Korean songwriter and member of BTS, will play a medley of his “= (Equal Sign),” “Chicken Noodle Soup” and the band’s “Butter.” And Tik-Tok star Jax will sing pop hits “Victoria’s Secret” and “90s Kids.”

The return to Puerto Rico for the Spanish language countdown with Puerto Rican actress and singer Roselyn Sanchez as co-host. Puerto Rican singer and rapper Farruko will ring in the New Year as the headliner, taking the stage to perform a medley of his hits. The new year’s celebration in Puerto Rico will again take place on the grounds of the Puerto Rico Convention Center at DISTRITO T-Mobile. The countdown will be the first and will occur at 11 p.m. EST/12:00 a.m. AST.

Ryan Seacrest, who serves as an executive producer for the annual television event will be hosting Rockin’ Eve from Times Square and will be joined by Liza Koszhy and Jessie James Decker, who are returning as Powerball co-hosts.

Billy Porter will be back in New Orleans for the Central Time Zone countdown.

For the first time, the special is expanding to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, where Ciara will MC the party and perform. Joining her will be Fellow K-Pop acts TOMORROW x TOGETHER, Fitz and The Tantrums, Maddie & Tae, Shaggy, Ben Platt, Aly & AJ, Halle Bailey, Bailey Zimmerman and Lauren Spencer Smith with performances from Disneyland Resort.

Nearby in Los Angeles, DJ D-Nice will co-host at the L.A. Party as Wiz Khalifa, FINNEAS, Armani White, Betty Who, Dove Cameron and Nicky Youre performing.

Duran Duran photo by Kelly A. Swift.

Pasadena Tournament of Roses® news: Fitz and The Tantrums to perform

The Pasadena Tournament of Roses® announced that it will kick off the 134th Rose Parade® presented by Honda on 
Monday, January 2, 2023, with a performance by Fitz and The Tantrums. The Opening Spectacular will be featured aboard Honda’s inspirational float, “Forever Determined.”

Fitz and The Tantrums is a Los Angeles pop band best known for the hits "Handclap," "I Just Wanna Shine" and "The Walker." In Pasadena, it will do the new song “Let Yourself Free,” the title track from its new album of the same name with youth singers and the Rose Parade Youth Dance Group.

The Youth Group includes kids ranging in age from 8-13. This marks the 13th time that Honda has led all floats as Presenting Sponsor of the Rose Parade. Country singer Tanya Tucker, will close the parade as previously announced.

Photo courtesy: Pasadena Tournament of Roses®

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: RenĂ©e 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.”

Will Hoge

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'

Read about one of the best-selling albums ever on the 50th anniversary of its release with a new slipcased edition due 
February 14 through Motorbooks/Quarto Group.

Veteran rock critic Martin Popoff exploring each of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon tracks and their themes of madness, anxiety, and alienation.

Chapters cover: The state of Pink Floyd as of 1972, with special emphasis on deposed founder Syd Barrett; The recording sessions at famed Abbey Road Studios, including techniques used and the roles of personnel such as engineer Alan Parsons; Song-by-song studies of each album side, including analyses of lyrics and the guitars, drums, keyboards, and synthesizers employed by members David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright; The art and packaging created by design firm Hipgnosis and its founder Storm Thorgerson; The tours that supported the album and also introduced the songs before its March 1, 1973 release; The rock group’s trajectory post-Dark Side, including notable albums, tours, and the departure of Waters.

Popoff also goes on side journeys examining each band member, session players, prog rock, the Live at Pompeii concert and film, Waters’ singular writing technique, Dark Side collectibles, awards, and more. There’s also a brief discography and complete tour dates.

The hardcover, with a 10" × 10" slipcase, Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon is illustrated with performance and off-stage photography as well as rare memorabilia.

Music book news: 'Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance' out now

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of their debut 
single, “Take It Easy,” Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance, the second in three-part series detailing the group’s history, is out now via Time Passages Publishing.

The 501-page book covers the Eagles’ core history: eight albums released on the Asylum label from 1972 to 1980, with all the lineup changes along the way, from founding quartet Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon, and Randy Meisner to the addition of Don Felder, then Leadon’s and Meisner’s exits to their respective replacements by Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit.

Authors Rik Forgo and Steve Cafarelli pick up where book number one, Eagles: Before the Band, left off. They continue telling the stories behind the band’s evolution from a promising opening act to can't-miss stadium headliners who variously celebrated, vilified, and personified the fast-lane rock and roll lifestyle of the ’70s.

This second volume tracks how the band soared to the top of the singles charts with hits like “Take It Easy,” "Witchy Woman," "The Best of My Love," "One of These Nights," "Take It to the Limit," "Hotel California," and "The Long Run." The book details how the Eagles racked up gold and platinum sales of all eight of those albums.

Eagles: Up Ahead in the Distance provides a close-up view of the inspirations behind the songs and explores the artistry and the personalities that blended so harmoniously on record and in concert but could clash so vehemently off-stage.

It describes how the pressure to succeed and then top their previous achievements – along with an unrelenting drive for perfection in writing, recording, and performing – led not only to their international fame but also to their acrimonious breakup in 1980.

Artfully arranged, the new book features more than 120 iconic images by legendary rock photographers including David Alexander, Gary Burden, Henry Diltz, Aaron Rapoport, Ebet Roberts, Ethan Russell, Norman Seeff, Jim Shea, and Peter B. Sherman.

2023 Pasadena Rose Parade news: Tanya Tucker to perform

The Grand Finale of the 134th Rose Parade on Monday, January 2 will feature 
Tanya Tucker with a performance of her current single, “Ready as I’ll Never Be.” 

She’ll be arriving at The Mansion Entertainment Group float on a Black Friesian horse. She will then be joined by a local choir for the performance of the song, which was produced by Shooter Jennings. 

Included on her forthcoming album and in her new documentary film “The Return of Tanya Tucker – Featuring Brandi Carlile,” the song has garnered Oscar buzz for the 2023 Academy Awards®. Following this performance, Tucker will ride down the 5.5-mile parade route.

Performing for more than 50 years, Tanya had her first country hit, the classic “Delta Dawn,” at the age of 13 in 1972. Since then, she has had 23 Top 40 albums and 56 Top 40 singles, 10 of which reached the No. 1 spot on the Billboard country charts.

In December 2022, Tanya made her acting debut in a lead role in Paramount’s “A Nashville Country Christmas,” starring alongside Academy Award® winner Keith Carradine. In 2023, Tanya will release a new album with all-new music co-produced by Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings.

With its theme, “Turning the Corner,” the 2023 Rose Parade celebrates turning a corner. Whether that corner is actual—like the one at the famous turn, signaling the parade’s start, or figurative like the unlimited potential that each new year brings—we all enjoy the opportunity of a fresh start. 

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

The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie will embark on a 20th anniversary co-headline North American tour. The live run will see both groups performing their 2003 albums in full – The Postal Service’s RIAA Platinum-certified Give Up and Death Cab for Cutie’s RIAA Gold-certified breakthrough fourth studio LP Transatlanticism.

Benjamin Gibbard, the co-founder of both bands, will pull double duty throughout the tour, performing with The Postal Service – comprised of Gibbard, Jimmy Tamborello, and Jenny Lewis – as well as with Death Cab for Cutie (alongside Nick Harmer, Dave Depper, Zac Rae, and Jason McGerr).

“I know for a fact I will never have a year again like 2003. The Postal Service record came out, Transatlanticism came out. These two records will be on my tombstone, and I’m totally fine with that. I’ve never had a more creatively inspired year.” – Gibbard

The tour was announced in an exclusive trailer on the band’s socials (watch HERE).

The run will kick off next September and continue through mid-October. Tickets on sale now.

These shows will mark the first live performances from The Postal Service in over a decade, following 2013’s 10-year anniversary reunion tour for Give Up – an album which still stands today as Sub Pop’s second highest-selling album in the label’s history, second only to Nirvana’s Bleach. The reunion tour was captured for posterity on a live concert film, Everything Will Change, released in 2014 and subsequently on a live audio album released in 2020 to digital streaming platforms.

Tour dates: 

SEPTEMBER 2023
8 – Portland, ME – Cross Insurance Arena
9 – Kingston, RI – The Ryan Center
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

OCTOBER 2023
3 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre
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

Grammy-nominated singer Adam Lambert's new album, High Drama, is slated for 
Feb. 24 via BMG. Pre-order the album HERE. Instant grat Ordinary World is his take on the Duran Duran hit from the 1990s. Listen HERE, watch the accompanying video HERE and visualizer HERE

Executive produced by Lambert and Tommy English (Kacy Musgraves, Carly Rae Jepsen), Andrew Wells (Halsey, OneRepublic), George Moore and Mark Crew, High Drama includes Ann Peebles’ I Can’t Stand The Rain, Bonnie Tyler’s Holding Out For A Hero, Billie Eilish’s Getting Older and Lana Del Rey’s West Coast.

High Drama will be available for purchase on vinyl March 2023. Available now for pre-order HERE.

At the start of the 2022, Adam joined the judging panel for the new ITV (UK) Saturday night entertainment show Starstruck alongside Beverley Knight, Sheridan Smith, Jason Manford and host Olly Murs. The show was a huge success and Adam will be back on the panel in 2023. 2022 also saw Adam join Queen for a Sold-out European tour including ten shows at London’s The 02 Arena. Adam is currently working on writing his own musical, which will feature original songs and has a stellar line up of collaborators. High Drama marks Adam’s first release via BMG.

Track list:

01 Holding Out for a Hero
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

Two-time CMA Award and CMT Award winner Cody Johnson 
will begin a headlining tour on January 20. The current list of concerts are below which currently includes seven sold-out dates. For tickets and more information go to Codyjohnsonmusic.com.

On December 2, Cody released a new live album with his longtime touring band, Cody Johnson & The Rockin’ CJB Live. The album was recorded during back-to-back-to-back sold out shows this past summer. 

Get the album HERE.

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.

He increased his career music streams by one billion for the second consecutive year now boasting more than four billion career streams. Cody was recently awarded with Pandora’s Billionaire plaque signifying more than one billion streams on the internet radio and streaming service. He’s toured across the U.S. selling out more than 40 concerts this year and received additional RIAA certifications now totaling 14. 

Among the certifications is a double platinum honor for his multi-week #1 hit “’Til You Can’t” which was also the most listened to country Song of The Year on iHeart radio and most played song on Mediabase stations. “’Til You Can’t” is also Grammy nominated as Country Song of the Year.

Cody’s current radio single is “Human.” 

Live album Track listing:

PART ONE
1 COJO Nation (Intro)
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

PART TWO
1 I Don't Know a Thing About Love
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

Tour Dates:

1/20 Lafayette, LA Cajun Dome SOLD OUT
1/21 Southaven, MS Landers Center SOLD OUT
1/27 Columbia, SC Colonial Life Arena
1/28 Raleigh, NC PNC Arena SOLD OUT
2/16 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
2/17 Louisville, KY KFC Yum Center
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

Photo courtesy: Schmidt PR

'A Postcard from California' solo album from the Beach Boys' Al Jardine available on CD

Al Jardine’s debut solo album, A Postcard from California, is now available on CD once again via UMe. The album was recently reissued digitally for streaming and download, just ahead of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and legendary co-founder of The Beach Boys’ 80th birthday on September 3.

Originally released in 2010 on CD and again in 2012 with two bonus tracks, “Waves of Love” and “Sloop John B (A Pirate’s Tale),” the album hadn’t been available digitally for several years before making its streaming debut in September. The album quickly sold out when released on limited edition translucent blue vinyl for Record Store Day in 2018.

Purchase or stream A Postcard from California here:
AlJardine.lnk.to/APostcardfromCaliforniaPR

“I can’t believe it’s been twelve years since Postcard came out and I thank everyone involved in the production and creation of this album to help me get my songs out there,” says Al Jardine. “Brian’s advice to aspiring young songwriters has always been ‘finish your songs’ so I took it to heart and I hope everyone who has listened to A Postcard from California feels my excitement and enthusiasm for this great land and sea of ours and our need to protect it forever. Thank you for all your support over the years, it is greatly appreciated and I will continue to dedicate Postcard to all the pets we love and who love us back!”

Recorded at Jardine’s own Red Barn Studios in Big Sur, Calif., A Postcard from California touches upon California’s history, natural beauty and other environmental issues. The 15-song collection includes several songs that speak to the relationship of man and his environment. 

“Don’t Fight The Sea,” “Tidepool Interlude” and “A California Saga” are songs that reflect Jardine’s deep love for the California coastline and his concern for the ecological health of the planet, which more than a decade after its initial release resonates as strongly today as ever. Jardine has always embodied that concern for the environment, and the coastline and ocean in particular. Previously, on the Beach Boys’ Surf’s Up album, he and Mike Love wrote the song, “Don’t Go Near the Water.” The track “Lookin’ Down the Coast” is a tale of the discovery of California by the Spanish, as seen through the eyes of its natural inhabitants, the California condor, the whale, the otter and the bear.

Specially for this new CD and digital release, Jardine has included a previously unreleased, newly remastered and extended version of the bonus track “Waves of Love,” which features former Beach Boys bandmate Carl Wilson in one of his last recorded studio vocals ever.

A Postcard from California was largely penned by Jardine who enlisted a slew of his famous friends to help him bring this album to life, including Alec Baldwin, David Crosby, Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley of America, Flea, Glen Campbell, John Stamos, Neil Young, Richie Cannata, Stephen Stills, and Steve Miller.

The album also served as a reunion of sorts for The Beach Boys as it brought Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston, along with a lead vocal by Carl Wilson, together on the song “Don’t Fight The Sea” several years before the band would reunite for an album and tour in celebration of their 50th anniversary in 2012. Jardine’s sons, Adam and Matt Jardine, also sing on the album, which was co-produced by musicians Stevie Heger and Scott Slaughter.

“‘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

Track Listing:

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

Initially released in April 1982, the eponymous debut album by A Flock Of Seagulls was produced by Mike Howlett (Tears For Fears, OMD, Gang of Four) and Bill Nelson of Be-Bop Deluxe fame.

It found success across the world, hitting #10 in the US and #1 in Australia, propelled by the third single from the record, the New Wave classic ‘I Ran’.

‘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.

The 40th-anniversary 3CD deluxe and transparent orange vinyl is out on Feb. 17. It features a remastered version of the original album, b-sides, single versions, remixes, BBC Sessions for revered broadcasters such as John Peel and he band’s fellow Liverpudlian Janice Long and a BBC concert from The Paris Theatre, London, which was originally transmitted in January 1982. 

The set also features sleeve notes by esteemed writer John Earls, featuring a new interview with lead singer and founding band member Mike Score. The remastered album is also available as limited-edition transparent orange vinyl LP.

A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS 3-CD DELUXE VERSION

CD 1 – Original Album Remastered

Modern Love Is Automatic
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

CD 2 – B-sides, Singles, Remixes & BBC Session

Factory Music
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

CD 3 – BBC Sessions & Concert Richard Skinner Session

Don't Ask Me
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

Nonesuch Records will release Natalie Merchant’s Keep Your Courage, her ninth solo studio album and first of new material since 2014’s self-titled record, on April 14.

Produced by Merchant, it features two duets sung with vocalist Abena Koomson-Davis (Resistance Revival Chorus), contributions from the Celtic folk group LĂºnasa and Syrian virtuoso clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and horn arrangements by jazz trombonist Steve Davis.

There are orchestrations throughout by seven composers including: Gabriel Kahane, Stephen Barber, Colin Jacobson, and Megan Gould. Keep Your Courage comprises nine original songs by Merchant as well as an interpretation of “Hunting the Wren” by Ian Lynch of the Irish band Lankum. The vinyl LP edition of Keep Your Courage includes four bonus tracks from earlier albums, previously unreleased on vinyl.

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.”

Starting as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the pop music band 10,000 Maniacs, she contributed to one platinum, two double-platinum, and one triple-platinum record with the group: The Wishing Chair (1985), In My Tribe (1987), Blind Man's Zoo (1989), Hope Chest (1990), Our Time in Eden (1992), and 10,000 Maniacs MTV Unplugged (1993).

She left the group in 1994 and has subsequently released nine albums as a solo artist with combined sales of seven million copies: Tigerlily (1995), Ophelia (1998), Natalie Merchant Live (1999), Motherland (2001), The House Carpenter’s Daughter (2003), Leave Your Sleep (2010), Natalie Merchant (2014), Paradise Is There (2015), and Butterfly (2017).

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. 

More information about Merchant’s career and philanthropic work may be found here.

U.S. Tour Dates:

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

Track listing:

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

Bonus Content:

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

Little River Band, one of the biggest Australian pop/rock bands of the 1970s and '80s, has two new hits collections available now.

Ultimate Hits celebrates the group's chart-topping singles, including "Reminiscing," "Help Is On Its Way," "Lady," "Playing To Win," and more. It is available as a 3LP - 180-gram vinyl in full color sleeves, alongside 2CD and digital. 

Masterpieces covers songs not released as singles but are typically cited as fan favorites. It is released across 3LP 180 gram vinyl in full color sleeves, alongside 2CD and digital.

In addition to the hits collections, Little River Band’s studio albums from 1975 to 1986 have also been digitally reissued in remastered form since October. 

The catalog has often been included in film and TV, named checked in radio most played milestone charts and featured in playlists worldwide.

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. 

ULTIMATE HITS Tracklisting (2CD, 3LP and Digital):

1) It's A Long Way There (8:39)
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)

MASTERPIECES Tracklisting (2CD, 3LP and Digital):

1) My Lady And Me (5:16)
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 Bowie
Divine Symmetry: The Journey to Hunky Dory
(Rhino)

Geared toward diehard David Bowie enthusiasts, Divine Symmetry is a 4CD/1 Blu-ray collection that details the 12-month period leading up to the release of the British rock legend’s fourth studio album Hunky Dory in December 1971. It consists of the main album, home demos, live and studio recordings and BBC radio sessions.

Unlike 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 Williams

Life 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.