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SWIMMING (Album of the Day)
“You could have the world in the palm of your hands - You still might drop it” notes Mac Miller on SWIMMING, and the Pittsburgh rapper's break-up with Ariana Grande and his struggles with sobriety loom large here. Yet the 2018 set is hardly downbeat; Miller's resilience is inspiring, and a skilled team of producers including Jon Brion adds surprising flourishes to airy arrangements. Mac's singing and rapping were never better, and the baker's dozen tracks include Top 40 hit “Self Care,” “Small Worlds” and “What's the Use?” (which features guest vocals by Snoop Dogg and Thundercat). A Grammy nominee for Best Rap Album, the Platinum-certified SWIMMING would be the final collection from Mac Miller before his untimely death five years ago today.
PANORAMA (Album of the Day)
The five original members of The Cars - Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr (who was born on this day in 1947), Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes and David Robinson - recorded six studio albums together for Elektra Records and have sold more than 23 million albums in the U.S. alone. Released in the summer of 1980, PANORAMA became the band's third consecutive Platinum album and peaked at #3 on the Billboard chart. With producer Roy Thomas Baker behind the boards, the collection boasts a darker, more experimental tone than its predecessors and became a fan favorite thanks to an outstanding set of songs. Ocasek penned all 10 PANORAMA tracks (and splits vocal duties with Orr on them) including highlights "Up And Down," "Gimme Some Slack" and Top 40 hit "Touch And Go.”
TIME PASSAGES (Album of the Day)
After nearly a decade under his belt as a singer-songwriter, Al Stewart hit paydirt with “Year of the Cat” and his follow-up album, TIME PASSAGES, is equally strong. Alan Parsons returns as producer one last time and the 1978 collection features many of the same musicians as its predecessor (a couple of whom would soon turn up in Pink Floyd's orbit; the Hipgnosis cover art here furthers that connection). Stewart's knack for historical texture and telling detail elevates these nine originals, which include “Valentina Way,” epic single “Song on the Radio” and the Top 10 title track. Certified Platinum, TIME PASSAGES was another triumph for Al Stewart, and we'll play it again now to wish him a happy birthday.
PORNO FOR PYROS (Album of the Day)
Following the 1992 dissolution of Jane's Addiction, frontman Perry Farrell and drummer Stephen Perkins recruited guitarist Peter DiStefano and bassist Martyn LeNoble to carry on as Porno For Pyros. Expectations were high for the band's self-titled debut, and it doesn't disappoint; while the 1993 Warner Bros. set bears some similarity to Jane's Addiction (a couple of its songs were composed before that group's break-up), it stands proudly on its own. Though the songs remain concise, for the most part they trade riffs for more progressive textures, covering a lot of stylistic ground in the process. The subject matter is equally diverse – paired tracks “Cursed Female” and “Cursed Male” examine gender roles, Modern Rock chart-topper “Pets” has an extraterrestrial theme, and a couple tracks deal with the then-recent L.A. riots. To celebrate Stephen Perkins' birthday, we'll give PORNO FOR PYROS another spin today.
BACK IN THE USA (Album of the Day)
Some of the most exciting music made in America at the end of the 1960s came from Detroit, thanks to bands like The Stooges, The Alice Cooper Group … and The MC5. The “Motor City Five” had already kicked out the jams on a live album before heading into the studio with producer Jon Landau to see if they could capture their high-energy attack in a more controlled setting. The resulting album, BACK IN THE USA, answered that question with a resounding “yes.” Along with nods to rock's raucous past (like the Chuck Berry-penned title track) and the MC5's revolutionary roots (“The American Ruse”), the set provided a template for the punk rock to come with such driving songs as “Tonight” and “Shakin' Street.” MC5's Fred "Sonic" Smith was born on this day in 1948, and we'll fire up BACK IN THE USA to salute the guitarist.
DANGER DAYS: THE TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS (Album of the Day)
After witnessing the World Trade Center fall on this day in 2001, singer Gerard Way and drummer Matt Pelissier were inspired to start My Chemical Romance. The New Jersey band rose to fame with the dark and dramatic THE BLACK PARADE but wanted to try something new for its 2010 follow-up. DANGER DAYS: THE TRUE LIVES OF THE FABULOUS KILLJOYS is also a rock opera - about a post-apocalyptic gang battling an evil corporation - but with invigorating power pop and electronic influences that will surprise MCR fans. Co-produced by Rob Cavallo, the album topped both Billboard's Rock and Alternative charts driven by such singles as “The Only Hope for Me Is You” and “Planetary (Go!).” Allmusic hailed the Gold-certified DANGER DAYS as “crystallized fun, the purest rush My Chemical Romance has ever delivered.”
THE MONKEES (Album of the Day)
Inspired by the success of The Beatles and their film A Hard Day's Night, The Monkees' TV show premiered on NBC-TV on this day in 1966 and the results were magical. Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork were a barrel of fun onscreen, and the music – penned by some of the top songwriters in the business – stands with the most engaging pop-rock of the decade. Among the dozen songs on the band's self-titled debut are “I Wanna Be Free,” “Papa Gene's Blues” and the smash hit “Last Train To Clarksville.” Though the band was just beginning its storied run, the dozen songs on THE MONKEES show the foursome already firing on all cylinders and the quintuple-Platinum collection topped the Billboard chart for nearly three months.
Strange Little Girls (Album of the Day)
“I've always found it fascinating how men say things and women hear them,” noted Tori Amos and STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS is an exploration of that dichotomy. Featuring photos of Amos made up as different characters and accompanying text by author Neil Gaiman, the Atlantic collection is a concept album comprised of covers of songs written by men and reinterpreted from a woman's perspective. Recorded at the singer-songwriter's Cornwall studios, the self-produced set features stripped-down arrangements to maximize the stark power of these dozen tracks. Among the highlights are “97 Bonnie & Clyde” (originally by Eminem), an anti-violence themed “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” and the Best Female Rock Vocal Grammy-nominated title track. The album as a whole earned an Alternative Music Performance Grammy nomination and was a commercial success as well; released on this day in 2001, STRANGE LITTLE GIRLS debuted in the Billboard Top 10.
Risque (Album of the Day)
Chic peaked a little late to fully ride the disco wave, though their sophisticated dance music brought them a few Top 10 hits nonetheless. The last of these was “Good Times,” which topped the U.S. singles chart and would go on to become one of the most imitated and sampled tracks in history. It's the most famous song on RISQUE, the band's third album for Atlantic Records, but by no means the set's only highlight; from exuberant floor-fillers like "My Feet Keep Dancing" to heart-breaking ballads like “Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song),” the performances, songwriting and production never falter. The men in charge of the last two departments, Chic guitarist Nile Rodgers – who celebrates a birthday today - and bassist Bernard Edwards, were on a tear at the time (they were also crafting hits for Sister Sledge), and RISQUE may be their finest achievement.
Young Americans (Album of the Day)
While always artistically adventurous, David Bowie's reputation as a musical chameleon began with YOUNG AMERICANS, which marked a break with the glam rock style that had made him a star. With sessions beginning at Gamble & Huff stronghold Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, the collection is steeped in funk and blue-eyed soul (or as Bowie would call it, “plastic soul”), most evident in the title track. Producer Tony Visconti was back behind the boards, and when sessions continued in New York, a new collaborator had joined the Thin White Duke: John Lennon, who can be heard on a cover of “Across the Universe” and “Fame,” which was the #1 song in America on this day in 1975. A milestone in David Bowie's career, YOUNG AMERICANS would soon leave its mark on a legion of soulful U.K. bands including Spandau Ballet, Simply Red and ABC.