Spins
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 […]
Spins • Yusuf/Cat Stevens On the Road to Findout: Greatest Hits
Yusuf/Cat Stevens On the Road to Findout: Greatest Hits (Island/Cat-O-Log) This 24-song 2xLP set introduces newcomers to the songcraft of Yusuf/Cat Stevens through an arc of recorded work spanning 56 years. The collection serves as musical accompaniment to the recent memoir Cat: On the Road to Findout, which serves as a firsthand account of the […]
Spins: Foreigner • 4 – Deluxe
Foreigner 4 Deluxe (Atlantic/Rhino) 1981’s 4 saw the peak refinement of the Foreigner formula by guitarist and principal composer Mick Jones, singer Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, and bassist Rick Wills. The album charted at #1 for 10 weeks with three singles that became major pop hits. “Urgent” reached an appropriate #4 position on […]
Spins: Supertramp – Crime of the Century • Crisis? What Crisis? – Half-speed LP Remaster
Supertramp Crime of the Century half-speed LP remaster Crisis? What Crisis? half-speed LP remaster (A&M/UMe) These two Supertramp albums arrive as the first pair of entries in a campaign of vinyl LP reissues restored via half-speed mastering at Abbey Road Studios. 1974’s Crime of the Century was the English group’s third album and the […]
Spins: Frank Zappa • Halloween ’78: Live at the Palladium, NY Super Deluxe
Frank Zappa Halloween ’78: Live at the Palladium, NY Super Deluxe (UMe/Zappa) Spooky! Scary! I am, of course, referring to the compositional skill and dazzling technical chops on display by Frank Zappa and his top-flight band on the Halloween night of 1978 in New York City. This is the fourth Super Deluxe costume box […]
Spins: Clifton Chenier/The Rolling Stones featuring Steve Riley
Clifton Chenier/The Rolling Stones featuring Steve Riley Zydeco Sont Pas Salés Valcour/Arhoolie/Smithsonian Folkways This 7” vinyl single is a six-minute getaway to the Big Easy by way of London and a tribute by some surprising acolytes of Creole and Cajun music. King of Zydeco Clifton Chenier’s original single occupies the A-side. “Zydeco et Pas Salés” […]
Spins: Robin Trower • For Earth Below 50th Anniversary Edition
Robin Trower For Earth Below 50th Anniversary Edition (Chrysalis) Following the 1974 landmark sophomore effort, Bridge of Sighs, Procol Harum veteran Robin Trower returned in 1975 to prove his staying power as a solo act with For Earth Below. The gold-selling album was the third under Trower’s name. Like its predecessor, For Earth Below is steeped in […]
CinemaScopes: UHF 35th Anniversary Edition
UHF 35th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory) Review by Jeff Elbel It’s been 35 years since we were introduced to the Twinkie-wiener sandwich, and fans everywhere were encouraged to grab life by the lips and yank. Shout! Factory invites us once again to “turn up the volume, and yank of the knob.” All of that yanking […]
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