Weekly
Spins • Roland Gift “Everybody Knows it’s Christmas” 7″ vinyl single
Roland Gift “Everybody Knows it’s Christmas” 7″ vinyl single (London) Just in time for the holidays comes the first Christmas single from Roland Gift. The singular voice heard on ’80s favorites by Fine Young Cannibals, including “She Drives Me Crazy,” “Good Thing,” and “Johnny Come Home,” remains unmistakably recognizable in this cheerful seasonal offering. The […]
Spins: Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats •. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats 10th anniversary expanded 2xLP
Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats Self-titled debut 10th anniversary expanded 2xLP (Stax) Following Nathaniel Rateliff’s restless career has been a rewarding journey. Clued-in fans from Rateliff’s earliest days have witnessed the Denver-based artist’s growth as a captivating songwriter and his transition from intimate folk to the technicolor variety of soulful R&B now featured […]
Gear: Gift Guide: D’Addario Tour-Grade String Change Kit
Gear: Gift Guide Tour-Grade String Change Kit (D’Addario) Here’s a practical, high-quality, and reasonably affordable gift for the musician or instrument tech in your life. D’Addario’s Tour-Grade String Change Kit offers a premium upgrade to three everyday tools. A tuning peg winder with smooth ball-bearing action speeds the process for bringing new strings to concert […]
Spins: Miles Davis Sketches of Spain • 65th Anniversary Ultradisc One-Step LP
Miles Davis Sketches of Spain 65th Anniversary Ultradisc One-Step LP (Mobile Fidelity) The potent partnership between iconoclastic jazz trumpeter/bandleader Miles Davis and arranger/conductor Gil Evans was proven on tracks like “Boplicity” and “Moon Dreams” from the 1957 compilation Birth of the Cool and albums including 1957’s Miles Ahead. The pair’s work reimagining Gershwin on 1959’s […]
Spins: Spinal Tap • The End Continues
Spinal Tap The End Continues (Interscope/Universal) Fictitious metal icons Spinal Tap transcend genre. Practically any band covered in Illinois Entertainer likely has a tale of a “Spinal Tap mishap,” and most readers of a specific age range can surely quote the 1984 mockumentary’s satirical script, whether they prefer Taylor Swift, Deltron 3030, or AC/DC. […]
Spins: Various Artists • Stax Revue: Live in ’65
Various Artists Stax Revue: Live in ’65 (Stax/Craft) Stax Revue: Live in ’65 expands the content of the 1991 CD Live at the 5/4 Ballroom, documenting the potent music and influential presence of Memphis soul & R&B label Stax Records in the mid-1960s. The eight artists on the original release were not only dynamite entertainers […]
Spins: Wings • Wings 3xLP Limited Edition
Wings Wings 3xLP Limited Edition (Capitol/MPL/UMe) At the time of writing this, Paul McCartney has just packed up and left Chicago following the two-night stand at United Center that concluded his Got Back tour of North America. There were certainly people at the final show who were pining for more than just the Beatles […]
Spins: The Autumn Defense • Here and Nowhere
The Autumn Defense Here and Nowhere (Yep Roc) Given the well-known regular gigs of Pat Sansone and John Stirratt as bandmates in Wilco, it’s understandable that their own band has always existed in the shadow of the more famous group. The Autumn Defense’s sonic identity is entirely distinct, though, and the pair have produced […]
Spins: Marty Willson-Piper • Archeological Dig, Vol. 1 • In Reflection LP reissue
Marty Willson-Piper Archeological Dig, Vol. 1 In Reflection LP reissue (Schoolkids) With Archeological Dig, Vol. 1, Marty Willson-Piper (MWP) reclaims his dispersed legacy of songs by reinventing bygone solo and Church tracks. The production aesthetic spotlights lush acoustic guitars and Olivia Elektra’s stirring violin accompaniment. MWP’s 12-string arpeggios twirl around Elektra’s bowed melody as the […]
Spins: Tom Petty • Wildflowers One-Step LP
Tom Petty Wildflowers One-Step LP (Because Sound Matters/Warner Bros.) This review focuses on the quality of a new prestige-format vinyl pressing of Wildflowers. For this writer’s retrospective assessment of the songs on the album, search illinoisentertainer.com for the feature-length November 1, 2020, review of Wildflowers & All the Rest. Wildflowers is a special album in […]
Spins: Brian Wilson: Live at the Roxy Theatre
Brian Wilson Live at the Roxy Theatre (Oglio) The world lost Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson in June, and this 3xLP box is a vivid reminder of what made him so beloved. Recorded on April 7 and 8, 2000, at the 500-capacity Roxy Theatre on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, the show finds Wilson revitalized […]
Spins: John Williams • Jaws: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
John Williams Jaws: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Geffen/UMe) You’re going to need a bigger record shelf. Composer and conductor John Williams’ famous two-note theme surfaces from these shallow grooves, reminding countless listeners of a certain age why they were scared to go to the beach as kids. The combination of Williams’ score […]
Spins: Carl Perkins • Dance Album of Carl Perkins LP reissue
Carl Perkins Dance Album of Carl Perkins LP reissue (Intervention) All one has to do is utter the words “one for the money,” and practically any fan of pop music history can fill in the rest. This collection of genre-defining rockabilly and formative rock ‘n’ roll classics was first released in 1958 and is […]
Spins: Foghat • Fool for the City Expanded 50th anniversary – 2xLP
Foghat Fool for the City expanded 50th anniversary 2xLP (Bearsville/Rhino) With an evolving lineup around founding drummer Roger Earl, English rock band Foghat has endured for more than 50 years. The group still stretches its creative muscles, and the band’s audience helped Foghat earn a #1 album on the Blues chart with Sonic Mojo in 2023. The […]
CinemaScopes: Peter Gabriel • Taking the Pulse
Peter Gabriel Taking the Pulse Blu-ray (Mercury Studios) This film documents a portion of one night from Peter Gabriel’s ambitious 2010 tour in support of his New Blood album. Although Gabriel isn’t touring new material here, he performs many of his most popular songs in new orchestral surroundings. Rather than the typical “rock band with […]
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