Since 2000, Stars' music has cycled through many styles and sounds, from orchestral pop to hyperactive dance-floor numbers. But a clear vision has always remained at its core: The Montreal band writes about love that's been compromised or curdled or otherwise scuffed-up in the living of lives. An undercurrent of political outrage seeps to the fore every now and then, but the meat of Stars' music lies in the thorny interpersonal entanglements of lovers who strive — to forget, to remember, to engage and disengage.
Cardboard sleeve reissue from Kevin Ayers features remastering in 2014 and the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD players). The cover faithfully replicates the original UK LP artwork. Includes an obi featuring design of original Japanese limited edition's LP (subject to change). Comes with a description and lyrics. Part of eight-album Kevin Ayers cardboard sleeve reissue series features the albums, "Joy Of A Toy +5," "Shooting At The Moon +6," "Whatevershebrings Wesing +10," "Bananamour +7," "Odd Ditties +3," "Yes We Have No Mananas. So Get Your Mananas Today +9," "Rainbow Takeaway +7," and "That's What You Get Babe +4." Bonus tracks.
While Collectables Records often has been able to pair complementary albums in its series of discount-priced two-fer reissues of Doris Day's catalog, there are also stray LPs that don't sound like any of their siblings and so can only be teamed in mismatched combinations. Such a set of non-identical twins is found on this CD containing Love Him! and Show Time. Love Him!, which arrived after a lengthy break in Day's recording career in the winter of 1963-1964, found her working under the aegis of her 21-year-old son, Columbia Records producer Terry Melcher, who attempted to update and broaden his mother's musical approach, having her cut recent songs associated with Elvis Presley plus selections from the country and R&B charts…
Not long after Island had disposed of his contract, Kevin Ayers hooked up with Harvest once again, releasing the mainstream-sounding Yes We Have No Mañanas in 1976. Although Ayers' symbolic banana references find their way into the title (the banana being his outlet for representing silliness in such a serious world ), the ten tracks find him singing some rather conventional pop/rock. Both "Star" and "Mr. Cool" were released as singles, with some noticeable guitar work from Ollie Halsall adorning both. Ayers made a name for himself by incorporating a unique brand of genial eccentricity into his music - 1970s Joy of a Toy and 1973's Bananamour, for example, as "The Ballad of Mr. Snake" and "The Owl" are typical of Ayers' discounted vaudeville-like fair…
At the beginning of 2010, Medicine Show No. 1: Before the Verdict kicked off what was planned to be a monthly 12-volume series from the underground hip-hop producer. Volumes were themed, with reggae, Brazilian pop, jazz, marijuana dispensaries, and rapper Guilty Simpson all figuring into the mix. With only a few delays, the series wrapped up in 2012, with a "secret" No. 13 also seeing release that same year. The Brick collects it all with simple shrink-wrap and no bonuses to speak of, and while the revered Madlib draws the kinds of fans who would have pre-booked every release ahead of time, latecomers get an easy pickup and instant karma overflow when it comes to coolness. Dive in or keep out, but if you like edgy, dense hip-hop productions that billow out of the speakers like the best Indo smoke you've ever exhaled, best to dive in.
This is the way a Joan Armatrading best-of collection should be assembled in the first place. The numerous single-disc compilations never came close to being representative of her achievement as a recording artist. Culling 43 tracks over eight years and 11 albums is even better in many ways than issuing an Armatrading box set. All of the expected material from the early years is included on disc one, such as "Cool Blue Stole My Heart," "Travel So Far," "Dry Land," "Down to Zero," "Love and Affection," "Help Yourself," "Woncha Come on Home," "Show Some Emotion," "Willow," "Barefoot and Pregnant," "Bottom to the Top," "You Rope You Tie Me," "Your Letter," and many more, including "The Flight of the Wild Geese" from the soundtrack to the film. It covers Armatrading's prolific period from 1975-1979, where a lot of old hippies, now upwardly mobile professionals seeking mellow escapes from their relentless and often ruthless pursuit of "the good life," got off the bus and remained stuck, listening only to her early records along with those of the Jacksons, Eagles, and James Taylor.