Today’s Albums 701-800

The Icelandic Ólafur Arnalds latest album re:member is stunning. Arnalds uses two self-playing pianos, which are propelled by one central piano using custom-built Stratus technology. The result is subtle and elegant experimental music, where innovation meets classical.  olafurarnalds.com

The debut Siouxsie and the Banshees album The Scream is 40 years old today! Melody Maker described the LP as “strong, abrasive, visceral and constantly inventive.” One thing was certain Siouxsie and the Banshees were like no other back in 1978!

The Blue Öyster Cult are often considered a one hit wonder, after (Don’t Fear) The Reaper become a mainstay of soft rock radio stations. But their 4th LP, Agents of Fortune released 1976 offers much more than Reaper. BÖC’s previous LPs were harder and rockier, which saw Agents as ‘selling out’ to their loyal fan base.  blueoystercult.com

The Bronx (III) the third studio album by LA punk rock band The Bronx is 10 years old today! The influence of Led Zeppelin is evident through the relentless screaming of singer Matt Caughthran. A full throttle album keeps on accelerating through the gears.  thebronxxx.com

The 1978 debut X-Ray Spex LP Germ Free Adolescent is 40 years old today! Critic Robert Christgau referred to the songs as Poly Styrene’s “cheerfully moralistic nursery rhymes.” Includes the singles The Day the World Turned Dayglo, Identity and the title track. A punk classic!  x-rayspex.com

The debut Wu-Tang Clan album Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) is 25 years old today! Often cited as a landmark release in the era of East Coast Renaissance. Entertainment Weekly said of the LP “With its rumble jumble of drumbeats, peppered with occasional piano plunking, Enter has a raw, pass-the-mike flavor we haven’t heard since rap was pop’s best-kept secret.”  wutangclan.com

An obscure choice today Musiques Electroniques En France 1974-1984 – Vol. 1. I found this collection of intriguing weird and wonderful synth experiments hypnotic and alluring. Includes work from Heldon, Patrick Vian, Pascal Comelade and Victor Nubla. Nope, never heard of any of them.

The 1988 R.E.M. album Green is 30 years old today! Released a day later in the US to coincide with the 1988 presidential election. The LP gave the band increased global visibility. Includes the singles Orange Crush, Stand, Pop Song 89, and Get Up.  remhq.com

The mid-90’s were chaotic for the Welsh indie-rock act Manic Street Preachers, with the disappearance of guitarist Richey ‘Manic’ Edwards. Their 1st post-Richey album was the outstanding Everything Must Go. Riding the wave of Britpop, the album, which featured 5 songs penned by Richey, was a huge commercial and critical success with lush epic anthems.  manicstreetpreachers.com

The 1983 Mötley Crüe album Shout At The Devil is probably the band’s finest release. PopMatters called the album a “timeless L.A. metal classic.” Includes the singles Looks That Kill and Too Young to Fall in Love, as well as a cover of The Beatles Helter Skelter.  motley.com

The Arctic Monkeys debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not catapulting the band to stardom. On the release day alone, the LP sold more copies than the other Top 20 albums combined, and went on to become the fastest selling debut in UK chart history. Every song accounts the lives, observations and behaviour of the youth culture in North England nightclubs.  arcticmonkeys.com

The Jam 3rd album All Mod Cons is 40 years old today! An album that marked Paul Weller as a truly great songwriter. Includes English Rose, Billy Hunt, ‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street, Down in the Tube Station at Midnight and the Ray Davies penned David Watts. Classic!

Outlandos D’Amour the debut album by The Police is 40 years old today! Upon release the critics gave mixed reviews, but now seen as one of the finest debuts to come out of the ’70s punk/new wave movement. Includes the hit singles Roxanne, Can’t Stand Losing You and So Lonely.  thepolice.com

The Alabama native Adam Hood is best known for writing material for other artists. But Somewhere in Between is his 7th album, and perhaps his finest. Hood describes his music as “Southern songs.” The single She Don’t Love Me features Brent Cobb.  adamhood.com

The 1988 Dinosaur Jr. album Bug is 30 years old today! The album is a blend of sprawling noise and tender folk, and a fans favourite. Although J Mascis has said it is his least favourite DJ album. The opener Freak Scene is probably the highlight.  dinosaurjr.com

The Canadian alt-country singer Colter Wall is back with his new album Songs of the Plains. Colter is a young man with the voice of country past. His low-key voice husks wonderful tales of Saskatchewan cowboy folklore. I saw Colter live a while ago and will again…I tip my Stetson!  colterwall.com

The lead-guitarist Dave Davies of The Kinks has released an album of material written between 1971-1979 called Decade. Brother Ray, may have taken most of the plaudits with The Kinks, but these songs, unearthed by Dave’s sons, are worth the wait!  davedavies.com

The band name tells you all you need to know…The Sha La Das. The Daptone producer and musician Thomas Brenneck describes their sound as taking the whole vocabulary of doo wop harmony and reapply it to soul. It works, with the The Love In The Wind highlight Carnival.

The Afghan Whigs album 1965, released 1998, is 20 years old today! Recorded mostly at Daniel Lanois’ studio in New Orleans, the LP has been described as a gritty soul record. The highlights are Something Hot, Uptown Again and John the Baptist.  theafghanwhigs.com

The R.E.M. album Up is 20 years old today! Up was the band’s 1st album without original drummer Bill Berry, who was replaced by drum machines and session musicians. Always loved Parakeet, At My Most Beautiful and The Apologist. What’s your R.E.M. top 3 LPs?  remhq.com

The Jethro Tull album This Was is 50 years old today! Time to confess, I’ve never really listened to the Tull before…I think I was put off by the flute! What a mistake, what a gem. David Davies of Record Collector said “This Was only hints at the depth and majesty of the ensuing seven albums.” I have work to do…  jethrotull.com

The 1974 Neil Young album On The Beach was a shock to the system for fans following the commercially and critically successful Harvest. Crudely produced, described an album of despair and a commercial failure. And that’s what makes On The Beach a great! How do you rate?

The latest release from the prolific Kurt Vile Bottle It In is perhaps his finest, and longest (around 80 minutes) work to date. The Philadelphia-based singer-songwriter is a fan of John Price and clearly Neil Young which shows in his work. Each song takes the listener on a journey, with some needing a pack lunch for the ride!  kurtvile.com

The 3rd studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy is 25 years old today! The LP was her international breakthrough, with the songs described as ‘raw and honest’ and ‘tales of sin, lust, and love.’ A delightful album.  sarahmclachlan.com

I wasn’t familiar with Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire until hearing him on NPR’s New Release Friday. I was blown away by the snippet they played and immediately listened to the whole album, Origami Harvest. Like Kamasi Washington, Akinmusire creates compelling and adventurous journeys in jazz. One of my albums of the year…so far!  ambroseakinmusire.com

The Aerosmith live double-album A Little South Of Sanity is 20 years old today! Released to contractually complete their relationship with Geffen Records, the LP includes most of their hits recorded at various shows on the Get A Grip or Nine Lives World Tours.  aerosmith.com

The 2nd Pearl Jam album Vs. is 25 years old today! The difficult second album was well received, although Vedder later said, “The second record, that was the one I enjoyed making the least.” Includes the singles Go, Daughter, Animal and Dissident. Forgotten how good it was? You know what to do.  pearljam.com

The 4th Crowded House album Together Alone is 25 years old today! Recorded in New Zealand with producer Youth, the LP includes Distant Sun, Private Universe and Locked Out. I remember listening to Private Universe in the middle of the night lying on deck of an Indonesian ferry…ah the memories.  crowdedhouse.com

The 1988 Steve Earle album Copperhead Road is 30 years old today! Earle described the LP as a blend of heavy metal and bluegrass, and Rolling Stone as “power twang”, but undoubtedly it’s more rock and less country. How do you rate?  steveearle.com

The 3rd and final studio album by Jimi Hendrix Experience Electric Ladyland was released (in US) 50 years ago today! The double-album was produced by Jimi and most commercially successful release. Includes Voodoo Chile and the Dylan written All Along the Watchtower. One of the greatest LPs of all time?

The 1976 album Rastaman Vibration by Bob Marley and the Wailers was released after taking London by storm. Now Bob had the audience his lyrical focus changed, dealing with problematic governments, oppression and politics. Rastaman Vibration was the only Marley album to reach the top ten on the Billboard Chart.

The latest Lemon Twigs release Go To School is a concept album about a chimpanzee called Shane raised as a human boy and features guest appearance from Todd Rundgren…quite! The Long Island youngsters never cease to amaze me. There is much to love, and much to figure out!  thelemontwigs.com

The Byrds 1967 album Younger Than Yesterday was a commercial failure upon release, but years later continues to be critically acclaimed. Author Alan Bisbort described the LP as “an essential snapshot of an incense-scented, acid-drenched world in motion.” Essential listening.  thebyrds.com

The debut Chaka Khan album Chaka is 40 years old today! Chaka was her chance to show she could make it on her own, outside of Rufus. She held her own! Includes one of Khan’s signature tunes, the Ashford & Simpson written I’m Every Woman.  chakakhan.com

The 3rd Pet Shop Boys album Introspective is 30 years old today! The LP has a 12-inch style collection of tracks, just 6 in total with the shortest at 6:15. Includes Left to My Own Devices, Domino Dancing and Always on My Mind. PSB’s 2nd biggest seller.  petshopboys.co.uk

The U2 album Rattle and Hum is 30 years old today! The part live, part studio LP divided critics, some feeling the band became too pretentious, others ambitious. Includes Desire, Angel of Harlem and When Love Comes to Town with B.B.King. I like it!  u2.com

The DeVotchKa new album This Night Falls Forever is the first original material LP in 7-years. The indie-pop band haven’t been idle in that time, working on numerous film projects, which is evident in this very cinematic release.  devotchka.net

The Cheap Trick at Budokan album is 40 years old today! Recorded at the Budokan Arena in Tokyo, was first released in Japan, and became the band’s bestselling album. The UK 1st issue was on yellow vinyl, rare for an album. Includes the singles I Want You to Want Me and Ain’t That a Shame.  cheaptrick.com

The 1978 debut eponymous Dire Straits album is 40 years old today! An accomplished debut of bluesy rockers, which includes the hit breakthrough single Sultans of Swing. The AllMusic review perfectly summed it up saying “spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling.”

The debut eponymous Queens of the Stone Age album is 20 years old today! From the opening bars of the first track, Regular John, it was evident that QOTSTA had a compelling sound and would be a band to follow. A band I still follow…do you?  qotsa.com

The French 80’s style funk-mistress of pop, Christine and the Queens is back with a new album, Chris. Sung in English or French, it doesn’t matter her songs of polysexual desires are pop of the highest order. NME describe Chris a subversive pop masterpiece.  christineandthequeens.com

The 2nd album by the British dance band M People Elegant Slumming is 25 years old today! The LP won the 1994 UK Mercury Music Prize and was hugely popular. Includes the hit singles One Night in Heaven, Moving on Up, Don’t Look Any Further and Renaissance.  heathersmall-mpeople.com

When English electronic dance music duo Orbital release an album I listen. With just 2 full-length releases in 13-years, the new album Monsters Exist is a big deal (at least to me!) Includes a guest appearance from Prof. Brian Cox. Legends of their craft!  orbitalofficial.com

The eponymous 1968 Traffic LP is 50 years old this month! It was the last album recorded before their initial breakup in 1969. There is a clear divide between Dave Mason’s catchy folk-rock numbers and Steve Winwood’s captivating rock jams. Includes the hit Feelin’ Alright? In your list of classics?

The new album by the modfather Paul Weller True Meanings shows his acoustic side. Now 60, Weller has slowed down, favouring folk guitars and orchestral arrangements. Recorded in just 3-weeks the highlight is White Horses. If you liked English Rose you will like True Meanings.  paulweller.com

It’s been 4-years since American indie rock band Interpol released a new album. Marauder was worth the wait. Unshackled from their early success, Marauder is a mature album from a mature band. How do you guys rate it?  interpolnyc.com

The Mercury Rev album Deserter’s Songs is 20 years old today! I love this album. I remember seeing them perform many songs from the LP in a tent at the Reading Festival all those years ago. Spellbinding, mesmerising and so much more.  mercuryrev.com

The Beta Band The Three E.P.’s album was released 20 years old today! As the title suggests the LP includes the Champion Versions, The Patty Patty Sound and Los Amigos del Beta Bandidos EPs. Always loved Dry The Rain and She’s the One. Eclecticism at its best.

The Pet Shop Boys album Very is 25 years old today! Following a 3-year gap PSB released Very, in a dimply CD if my memory serves me correct, which was nicknamed their “coming-out” album. Very is viewed as one of their best, and includes the bizarre cover of the Village People’s Go West.  petshopboys.co.uk

The 1966 Simon & Garfunkel album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme was deemed the duo’s first masterpiece. The album includes classics such as Scarborough Fair/Canticle, Homeward Bound and The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin’ Groovy). Many of the themes are still relevant today.  simonandgarfunkel.com

It was common knowledge Prince had a vault of material, and following his death the contents was always likely to see the light of day. The first LP released is Piano and a Microphone 1983, the purple one alone at the keys playing with new and old tracks. Irresistible.  officialprincemusic.com

It’s 16 years since the tragic death of Alice In Chains singer and founding member Layne Staley. However, with William DuVall leading vocals they are back with a new album Rainier Fog…and it’s rather good. Have you listened? What do you think?  aliceinchains.com

The latest album by Queens based rapper Bas, Milky Way has a good time feeling and spectacular production. Half the cuts have collaborations, with artists such as A$AP Ferg and J. Cole. A rap album easy on the ears.

The Goo Goo Dolls album Dizzy Up The Girl is 20 years old today! The LP includes the band’s well known song Iris. I remember performing Iris on my 12-string at Sydney Airport to group of American cheerleaders following the Olympics in 2000. Happy days!  googoodolls.com

The final Nirvana studio album In Utero is 25 years old today! Following Nevermind was always going to be tough, but In Utero was a worthy tamer successor. Includes the classic tracks All Apologies, Heart-Shaped Box and Pennyroyal Tea.  nirvana.com

The Luther Vandross album Any Love is 30 years old today! The 1988 release was his 6th release in 7-years, which may explain the laid back nature of Any Love. The LP includes She Won’t Talk to Me and the Major Harris cover Love Won’t Let Me Wait.  luthervandross.com

The Enya album Watermark is 30 years old today! The LP was an unexpected success following the hit single Orinoco Flow. I remember this album was like Marmite back in the day, those that loved, and those that hated! I can see both sides!  enya.com

I’ve always loved the vintage soul sound of St. Paul and The Broken Bones. However, their new album, Young Sick Camellia, has a more modern groove. Having seen them live twice, and been blown away by Paul’s vocals, will be interested to hear the new LP live.  stpaulandthebrokenbones.com

The 2nd album from British R&B singer Beverley Knight Prodigal Sista is 20 years old today! The LP won ‘best album’ at the 1999 MOBO awards, beating The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. The singles Sista Sista, Make it Back and Greatest Day were released from the album.

The Talk Talk album Spirit of Eden is 30 years old today! The LP had mixed reviews from critics, feeling Spirit was pretentious and less accessible than previous releases. Incorporating classical, ambient and rock Spirit of Eden is an ethereal listening experience.

The 5th solo album by former Fleetwood Mac vocalist and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham Gift of Screws is 10 years old today! The album was many years in the making, with the opener Great Day an indicator of the LP’s quality. Sublime melodies, vocals and finger-picking!

The Counting Crows album August and Everything After is 25 years old today! A band with a long career, but a legacy based around one album? And what a debut album AAEA is! Includes some of their best known hits Round Here, Mr Jones and Rain King.  countingcrows.com

Brevity is key with the recent Tony Molina album Kill the Lights. Molina impressively compacts great melodies and classy song writing into each track. In places has been compared to The Byrds and George Harrison. I was left wanting more…so listened to it again!

The 2008 Metallica album Death Magnetic is 10 years old today! The 9th album by the heavy metal behemoths, was their first produced by Rick Rubin and arguably their best in many years (discuss…). Long tracks, complex compositions and epic rhythmic riffs. In your top 3?  metallica.com

The latest Death Cab for Cutie album Thank You for Today is full to the brim of lush melodies, and arguably their best work this decade. Michael Hann of the Guardian said “Nothing surprises, nothing jolts, but it’s so expertly judged, such a warm fug of melancholia.”  deathcabforcutie.com

The 1976 Stevie Wonder album Songs In The Key Of Life was seen as the culmination of his “classic period” of albums. The LP was Wonder’s bestselling, and most critically acclaimed. Includes the singles Sir Duke, Another Star, I Wish, As and Isn’t She Lovely. 105 minutes of classic Wonder!  steviewonder.net

I haven’t listened to The Coral in years, but for some reason felt compelled to give the latest album, Move Through The Dawn, a whirl…I’m glad I did. There have been comparisons to Jeff Lynne and ELO, but all in all, a very satisfying listen.  thecoral.co.uk

The Hole album Celebrity Skin is 20 years old today! The LP was Courtney Love’s band most commercially successful album, and includes the singles Celebrity Skin, Malibu and Awful. I lived with a guy who was obsessed with this band, so brought back good memories.

The Belle & Sebastian album The Boy With The Arab Strap is 20 years old today! The Scottish indie pop band’s 3rd LP featured their darkest cuts to date. Rolling Stone described the band at the time of “new kings of the kind of teen-innocence porn that makes indie-rock fans cry mama.”  belleandsebastian.com

The Paul Weller album Wild Wood is 25 years old today! I played the former Jam front man’s 2nd LP to death back in the day. Includes the wonderful singles Wild Wood, Sunflower and Hung Up. So good to listen again all these years on.  paulweller.com

The Siouxsie and the Banshees album Peepshow is 30 years old today! Siouxsie’s voice is superb, the orchestrations are imaginative, and don’t forget the amazing percussion. Includes the singles Peek-a-Boo and the incredible The Last Beat of My Heart. Among their best work.

The Slaves latest release Acts of Fear And Love shows the punk duo also have a tender side. Recorded in Brussels, the LP definitely is their most accomplished and varied to date. The standouts are Chokehold and Bugs.  youareallslaves.com

The Frank Sinatra album Frank Sinatra Sings For Only The Lonely is 60 years old this month! The collection of torch songs was apparently one of Sinatra’s favourites. The LP has a sullen feel, perhaps due to Sinatra’s divorce of Ava Gardner, and Nelson Riddle coming to terms with the deaths of his mother and daughter.  sinatra.com

The Miles Davis album Milestones is 60 years old today! The LP was one of his first expeditions into modalism jazz, and featured Cannonball Adderley on alto and John Coltrane on tenor saxophones. Jim Santella of All About Jazz said of Milestones “a seminal album that helped shape jazz history.”  milesdavis.com

The debut eponymous album from the indie-dance act Friendly Fires is 10 years old today! The album was short-listed for the Mercury Prize of 2009, and was mostly self-produced. The standout tracks for me are In The Hospital and Lovesick.  friendlyfires.co.uk

The Breeders album Last Splash is 25 years old today! The so called side-project of for Pixies bassist Kim Deal and Throwing Muses/Belly guitarist Tanya Donnelly quickly became a full-time gig, with the help of the lead single Cannonball. A trip down memory lane.  thebreedersmusic.com

Waylon Jennings had already released 21 albums before the 1975 LP Dreaming My Dreams. Jennings had artistic freedom, changed studios and moved into a new outlaw period. Of recording. The singles Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way and Dreaming My Dreams with You are the highlights.

The Future Sound Of London album Lifeforms, released in 1994, is seen as one of the best experimental techno of the 90’s. Along with Aphex Twin and The Orb, FSOL were focusing on the album experience, despite the release of Cascade and Lifeforms as singles. One of my favourites!  futuresoundoflondon.com

The 1986 Paul Simon LP Graceland is perhaps his solo highlight. Graceland brought world music to the mainstream, and estimated to have sold up to 16 million copies to date. Simon faced criticism because of the apartheid in South African, but proved music transcends. Historic.  paulsimon.com

The Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci album Gorky 5 is 20 years old today! The 5th album, shock horror, by the Welsh band continued the crazy almost psychedelic journey of pop indie music. A collection of playful melodies, hypnotic instrumentals and musically warped.

The 42nd and final B B King studio album One Kind Favor is 10 years old today! The Grammy award winning album ended “The King of the Blues” career on a high. There is no reliance on guest appearances, just great songs and production by T Bone Burnett.  bbking.com

The 4th studio album by the late American singer-songwriter Elliott Smith XO is 20 years old today! Smith had was a master of melody, and wrote powerful introspective lyrics. The LP spawned singles Waltz #2 (XO) and Baby Britain.

The Yardbirds 1966 album Roger the Engineer (or Yardbirds in the UK) is the band’s only LP with guitarist Jeff Beck on all tracks and contains all original material. The psychedelic affair was perhaps their last great work. How do you rate Roger?  theyardbirds.com

The first major album release by Jane’s Addiction Nothing’s Shocking is 30 years old today! I’m always blown away when I hear Perry Farrell’s vocals and Dave Navarro’s guitar on this LP. Includes the incredible single Jane Says. An alt-rock great!  janesaddiction.com

The 1966 Otis Redding album Complete & Unbelievable: The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul was his last solo studio album released before his death. The album includes versions of Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song), Try a Little Tenderness and Day Tripper. Recordings of a man at his peak!  otisredding.com

The guys at Vinyl Me Please made the Lafayette Afro Rock Band album Soul Makossa there classic album of the month in July. I had to have a listen. The American funk rock band released Soul Makossa in 1973, and has been heavily sampled by hip-hop acts.

The Slipknot album All Hope Is Gone is 10 years old today! The album apparently saw the Des Moines band move from nu metal to a more groove metal style. I must admit I’ve never really given the band much airtime, but enjoyed this listen. What else should I listen to?  slipknot1.com

The Walkmen album You & Me is 10 years old today! I’d heard the Arctic Monkeys have been compared to The Walkmen before, but this album really brought it home for me. The album has been described “intimate, intense and beautiful.” AM owe a lot to this band.

The Korn LP Follow The Leader is 20 years old today! The American nu metal band’s 3rd release is the their most commercially successful album. Jon Pareles from The New York Times said of lead vocalist Davis as “wrestling with self-hatred, violent impulses, parental execration, and a confused sexual identity.”

The debut eponymous album by American glam rock artist Jobriath gave the singer the nickname the ‘American Bowie’ and for obvious reasons. Highlights are I’maman and the closing track Blow Away. Grandiose and pretentious, absolutely, but I love it!

I have Twitter and Vinyl Me Please to thank for today’s LP. Pastor T.L Barrett The Youth For Christ Choir self-released Like A Ship (Without A Sail) in 1971. Contemporary gospel recorded in Chicago and a gem of a find. Discovering the undiscovered is a joy of music!

The 1991 Main Source album Breaking Atoms is seen as one of the prominent LPs from hip-hop’s ‘golden age.’ Smart lines, smart samples and smart production. The track Live at the Barbeque gave a debut to the rapper Nas. Very influential!

The Who’s 2nd album A Quick One, released late in 1966, is a quaint pop album with a hint of things to come. Includes some daft tracks such as Moon’s Cobwebs and Strange and Entwistle’s Boris the Spider. I also completely forgot there was a cover of Heatwave on the album! Fun stuff.  thewho.com

The debut album from the Welsh band Boy Azooga called 1, 2, Kung Fu! shows incredible song writing maturity. The brainchild of Davey Newington, highlights influences from what must be an impressive record collection. Obvious comparisons have been made with the Super Furry Animals, but make your own mind up.  boyazooga.co.uk

The Big Brother and the Holding Company album Cheap Thrills is 50 years old today! The last album featuring Janis Joplin, is perhaps their finest moment. Despite the overdubbed crowd noise Cheap Thrills is one of the great rock LPs, mostly due to Joplin’s incredible vocals. Agree?  bbhc.com

The 2nd CHIC album C’est Chic is 40 years old today! In the late 70’s Chic created their own sub-genre…cool disco. Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers helped create a timeless dance classic. Includes the classic tracks Le Freak and I Want Your Love. They don’t come much better…

I loved the early music of Australian artist Xavier Rudd when introduced by my Aussie friends. However, in recent years I’ve felt musically he lost his way. His latest LP Storm Boy is a return to form. The opener, Walk Away is incredibly uplifting! Fan of Xavier?  xavierrudd.com

The 3rd Cream album Wheels of Fire was released 50 years ago today! The LP became the world’s first platinum-selling double album. One disc was recorded in the studio, the other live. Rolling Stone described the album “the most representative slice of the Cream legacy.” Love White Room.

The debut album Straight Outta Compton by American hip hop group N.W.A. is 30 years old today! The LP is viewed as pioneering record of gangsta rap. The lyrics cover gang life, drugs, drive-by shootings and the cops. Includes the classic Fuck tha Police. In your hip-hop top 3?

The Cannonball Adderley Quintet in San Francisco, released in 1960, gave birth to the soul jazz genre. Recorded live at the The Jazz Workshop in San Fran, featured Adderley on alto sax, pianist Bobby Timmons, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Louis Hayes. Love the post-solo audience appreciation.  cannonball-adderley.com