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SWISS MOVEMENT (MONTREUX 30th ANNIVERSARY) (Album of the Day)
That improvisation is the lifeblood of jazz is borne out by SWISS MOVEMENT. Pianist Les McCann and tenor saxophonist Eddie Harris were paired for the first time on this 1969 concert appearance but sound like they’ve been playing together for years. Highlighted by signature song “Compared to What,” this legendary recording sold more than one million copies and helped put Montreux on the international festival map. SWISS MOVEMENT belongs in any serious jazz collection and the painstakingly remastered 30th Anniversary edition features a previously unreleased track ("Kaftan") from the same historic performance.
TRIO (Album of the Day)
Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and Linda Ronstadt had each established distinguished singing careers by the mid-1970s when they resolved to record together. The demands of separate careers (and three different record labels) delayed an album release for more than a decade, but TRIO was well worth the wait. Released this month in 1987, the Platinum-selling collection included four Country hits among its 11 tracks (a remake of The Teddy Bears' oldie “To Know Him Is To Love Him” being the most successful), and brought the trio a pair of Grammy Awards. With an outstanding mix of traditional and more recent songs and stellar instrumental support from the likes of Ry Cooder, David Lindley and Little Feat's Bill Payne, TRIO remains one of the most delightful pop/country confections ever created.
THE NAME OF THIS BAND IS TALKING HEADS (Album of the Day)
If you thought the recently re-released concert film Stop Making Sense was impressive, just give a listen to THE NAME OF THIS BAND IS TALKING HEADS. The 1982 live double album shows the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers on their way up with tracks spanning the preceding five years. The first half of this set, drawn from a 1977 radio broadcast and a 1979 Passaic, NJ gig, features the quartet on such early favorites as “Psycho Killer” and “Love Goes to Building on Fire.” The second half was recorded during the 1980 REMAIN IN LIGHT tour and sees the group joined by guest performers including Adrian Belew, Bernie Worrell and Nona Hendryx. THE NAME OF THIS BAND IS TALKING HEADS takes the alternative rock icons’ already exciting studio performances to a whole new level.
LIVE NASSAU COLISEUM ‘76 (Album of the Day)
David Bowie went through several stylistic ch-ch-changes over the course of his legendary career, and he was going through one of his most significant at the time of LIVE NASSAU COLISEUM ‘76. Previously included as part of the WHO CAN I BE NOW boxed set, this March 1976 Uniondale, NY show was recorded as the Thin White Duke was touring in support of STATION TO STATION. Several months later he would move to Berlin for his groundbreaking collaborations with Brian Eno, bringing several musicians heard here (most notably guitarist Carlos Alomar) with him. Along with songs from his latest album, the 2-CD LIVE NASSAU COLISEUM ‘76 includes energetic performances of such glam-era classics as “Life On Mars?,” “Suffragette City” and “Rebel Rebel.”
THE CAPTAIN AND ME (Album of the Day)
The arrival of singer Michael McDonald may have kicked The Doobie Brothers into commercial overdrive, but only a fool would believe that the band was just a blue-eyed soul act. Case in point: THE CAPTAIN AND ME, the NorCal quintet's third album for Warner Bros. Released this month in 1973, the Ted Templeman-produced set reached the Top 10 and eventually went double-Platinum, thanks to such singles as “Long Train Running” and “China Grove.” But the bench is pretty deep on this album; principle songwriters Tom Johnston and Patrick Simmons crafted an engaging mix of biker bar boogie and country-rock harmonizing on all 11 tracks. THE CAPTAIN AND ME stands among the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ very best.
GOLDEN HITS (Album of the Day)
Vocal group The Drifters was initially a rougher R&B outfit led by Clyde McPhatter, but when the group broke up in 1958, its manager recruited singer Ben E. King and a new band to take a more mainstream pop approach. Released in 1968, GOLDEN HITS gathers the best of the band's preceding decade with King and successors Rudy Lewis and Johnny Moore. The Drifters had their pick of radio-ready hits penned by top Brill Building songsmiths, including “This Magic Moment,” “Up On The Roof,” “On Broadway” and the No.1 smash “Save The Last Dance For Me” - all of which are included in the Atlantic collection. GOLDEN HITS remains a supremely listenable introduction to the work of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers.
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.” Released on this day in 1975, YOUNG AMERICANS was a milestone in David Bowie's career and would soon leave its mark on a legion of soulful U.K. bands including Spandau Ballet, Simply Red and ABC.
THE MESSAGE (Album of the Day)
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were the first rap artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – on this day in 2007 - not because they were the first rappers, but because they were the first to successfully fuse the music to social commentary. The title track of THE MESSAGE, the group's 1982 debut album, was a stark tale of inner city desperation far removed from the party jams and MC boasts then dominating hip-hop. Of course the Sugar Hill collection has lighter moments, too, including proto-electro single “Scorpio” and such sample-rich tracks as “She's Fresh” and “It's Nasty.” More than 40 years on, THE MESSAGE still demands to be heard.
FOREIGNER (Album of the Day)
With three Americans and three Englishmen in their line-up, Foreigner's name was appropriate everywhere on the globe, and the band's irresistible arena rock brought it immediate success around the world. The sextet's self-titled debut was a smash thanks to such tracks as “Headknocker,” “Long, Long Way From Home,” “Feels Like The First Time” and “Cold As Ice” - the latter two Top 10 U.S. singles. There's no denying the craftsmanship of these songs or the one-two punch of vocalist Lou Gramm and guitarist Mick Jones, and the Atlantic collection quickly went multi-Platinum. Released this month in 1977, FOREIGNER’s AOR anthems still feel as exciting as the first time they conquered the radio.
TRACY CHAPMAN (Album of the Day)
Tracy Chapman breathed new life into the singer-songwriter genre with her eponymous debut for Elektra Records. With spare production that places Chapman's strong voice front-and-center, the set recalls the sound of such early-'70s bards as James Taylor and Joni Mitchell as well as the political engagement of the early-'60s folk movement. While “Fast Car” was the album's biggest hit, all 11 songs are of a remarkably high quality, driving the album to multi-Platinum status and bringing Tracy three Grammy Awards. Today we’ll give the chart-topping TRACY CHAPMAN another listen in honor of International Women’s Day.