Hair (original Soundtrack Recording)

SIMONE is her own woman: a singer, songwriter & performer whose ability to transcend genres echoes the tradition of her mother, musical icon Nina Simone.
A highly-praised live performer whose impressive resume includes starring roles on Broadway in such acclaimed musicals as Rent and Aida, Simone has developed an exciting and diverse repertoire of pop, soul, jazz, rock and funk, expressed in shows she’s done throughout the world. “Touring with Simone on Simone has been a dream come true as I’ve traveled around the world and graced stages that are legends unto themselves…

Once Appetite for Destruction finally became a hit in 1988, Guns N' Roses bought some time by delivering the half-old/half-new LP G N' R Lies as a follow-up. Constructed as a double EP, with the "indie" debut Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide coming first and four new acoustic-based songs following on the second side, G N' R Lies is where the band metamorphosed from genuine threat to joke. Neither recorded live nor released by an indie label, Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide is competent bar band boogie, without the energy or danger of Appetite for Destruction. The new songs are considerably more problematic. "Patience" is Guns N' Roses at their prettiest and their sappiest, the most direct song they recorded to date. Its emotional directness makes the misogyny of "Used to Love Her (But I Had to Kill Her)" and the pitiful slanders of "One in a Million" sound genuine…

This self-titled album was Elton John's second and breakthrough release in America. Mr. John and Bernie Taupin had been collaborating for a few years, but they really started to gel as a team on this release. The album has almost a baroque sound to it with alot of strings, harpsicords and airy syntheseisers. Of course everyone knows the megahit "Your Song", but the album contains others that would become Elton John classics. "Sixty Years On" is a stirring lament about growing old, "The Greatest Discovery" is a sweet ode to the birth of a brother, while "The King Must Die" ends the album in dark epic fashion. "I Need You To Turn To" & "First Episode At Hienton" carry on in the somber-like tone. The album is dominated by, but not regulated to classical stylings…

America celebrates its half-centennial with '50th Anniversary: Golden Hits'. Fans embraced the group for simply being themselves: three gifted singer-songwriters with a love of soaring melodies, close harmonies, and honest expression. In the collection's liner notes, Bunnell says: 'There wasn't any contrivance in what we did'. Beckley adds: 'We didn't start out with some grand plan - it just turned into a soundtrack for so many people's lives. That's something that I treat with great respect'. This collection brings the core of America's recorded legacy together with choice rarities like an early studio recording of 'Ventura Highway', a live performance of 'Riverside', and an unreleased demo for the #1 hit 'Sister Golden Hair'. All of the band's Top 10 singles are included here: 'Horse With No Name', 'Ventura Highway', 'Tin Man', 'Lonely People', and more.

By 1972, Elton John was already a rising star in America, although most casual listeners still identified him as part of the singer/songwriter explosion, thanks to the success of "Your Song" and "Levon." Honky Château changed all that, beginning with the success of "Honky Cat," a rousing New Orleans-ish R&B powerhouse that kicks off this terrific collection of songs. This was the album that first revealed John as a pure-pop craftsman, and he's all over the musical map on this set, moving from country-ish rock to blues-based rockers…

It seems as if Elton John was still settling on a discernable style on 1985's ICE ON FIRE. He brought in Gus Dudgeon, the architect of such elaborate, wide-screen productions as GOODBYE YELLOWBRICK ROAD, and his touch can be felt in the lush synthesized sound that dominates this record. Even the song credits, full of Simmons drums, synth-guitar, and Yamaha TX81C, attest to the slick production values…

Elton John has always liked having it both ways. He's flamboyant and vain, yet empathetic and sincere. He sits at his piano playing sentimental melodies, but the words come not from inside his soul but from friend Bernie Taupin. For Captain Fantastic, he and Taupin wrote a concept album which sketches their career together. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight" is easily the strongest song outside of the concept. The addition of several songs "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" featuring John Lennon, "Philadelphia Freedom," and "One Day at a Time" blow the concept but up the entertainment value considerably. ~ Rob O'Connor