Spins
Spins: Beastie Boys • Hello Nasty 25th anniversary 4xLP box
Beastie Boys Hello Nasty 25th anniversary 4xLP box (UMe) By 1998, Beastie Boys ruled radio and MTV thanks to a steady stream of brash and catchy singles, beginning with 1986 noise-fest “Fight for Your Right” from the trio’s debut and continuing with tracks including “Hey Ladies,” “So What’cha Want,” and “Sabotage” from ensuing albums. After […]
Spins • The Rolling Stones • Hackney Diamonds – Live Edition
The Rolling Stones Hackney Diamonds Live Edition (Polydor/Interscope/Geffen/A&M) It isn’t the backhanded compliment it sounds like to say that Hackney Diamonds is a better album than many Stones fans might have anticipated. Giving away the ending: This is strong work that earns its spot on many 2023 year-end lists, and it’s not unfair […]
Spins: The Vince Guaraldi Quintet • A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: Original Soundtrack Recording
The Vince Guaraldi Quintet A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving: Original Soundtrack Recording (LMFP) Following 1965’s A Charlie Brown Christmas and 1966’s It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, 1973 saw the arrival of the third Peanuts holiday special with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Fifty years after first airing, the cartoon’s complete soundtrack is released as a vinyl […]
Spins: Tom Waits • Island ’83-’93 LP reissues
Tom Waits Island ’83-’93 LP reissues (Island/UMe) Ten years into his recording career, Tom Waits began a significant stretch of work and creative reboot that continued for another decade and helped cement his reputation as a singularly unclassifiable and consistently engaging artist. This key middle-period run of Waits’ eighth through twelfth albums for Island Records […]
Spins: The Empty Pockets • Gotta Find The Moon
The Empty Pockets Gotta Find The Moon (Self) Chicagoland-based, roots-rock quartet The Empty Pockets just released their latest studio effort Gotta Find The Moon. The follow-up to their 2022 Billboard #1 (blues album chart) Outside Spectrum. Members Josh Solomon (Guitar), Erika Brett (Keyboards), Nate Bellon (Bass), and Adam Balasco (drums) recorded the 14 tracks at the […]
Spins: Bob Dylan • Shadow Kingdom • Appearing at Cadillac Theatre • Chicago
Bob Dylan Shadow Kingdom (Columbia/Legacy) The pandemic lockdown finally brought Bob Dylan’s Never Ending Tour to a halt in 2020 after 31 years on the road. A few short months before resuming band travel in late 2021, the Bard gathered a stripped-down ensemble of trusted players for a streamed concert in July as a […]
Spins: Repentance • The Process of Human Demise
Repentance The Process of Human Demise (Nobel Demon) Local metal journeyman Shaun Glass (Sindrome, Soil, The Bloodline, Dirge Within, Broken Hope) has been an integral and crucial part of the Chicago metal scene for decades. With his “new” band Repentance, Glass has been highly prolific since its 2018 formation by releasing an EP and two […]
Spins: Pete Townshend • Empty Glass (Vinyl Remaster)
The Who’s acclaimed, Rock Hall-of-Fame guitarist’s heralded second album (including breakout AOR single “Rough Boys”) gets a vinyl remaster.
Plus: Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane’s “Rough Mix”
Spins: Cowboys in the Campfire • Wronger
Tommy Stinson’s Cowboys in the Campfire Wronger (Cobraside) The longstanding friendship and musical partnership between Philly guitar-slinger Chip Roberts and Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson (also a veteran of Bash & Pop, Perfect, Guns N’ Roses, and Soul Asylum) has yielded the pair’s debut album as Cowboys in the Campfire. Stinson in particular, has roots in […]
Anniversary Albums: Tears for Fears • The Hurting
Tears for Fears The Hurting (40th anniversary Abbey Road remaster LP) (Mercury/UMC) For a band with its staying power and following, Tears for Fears’ catalog is brief. By all reports, it isn’t a lack of work ethic that suppressed productivity – it’s the internal quality control exercised by principals Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith. The […]
Spins: Flaming Lips: The EPs
The Flaming Lips Hypnotist vinyl EP Fight Test vinyl EP Ego Tripping at the Gates of Hell vinyl EP (Warner Records) Released in conjunction with the Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots 20th-anniversary campaign, these three EPs add to the picture of The Flaming Lips’ surging power during a period of peak creativity while simultaneously edging […]
Spins: Paramore • This Is Why
Paramore This Is Why (Atlantic) After a nearly 6 year hiatus, Paramore is back with a vengeance, and their new album This Is Why is proof that time apart makes the musical heart grow fonder. Joining its neo-pop predecessor After Laughter in solidifying Paramore’s golden trio — Zac Farro on drums, Taylor York on guitar, and the […]
Spins: Crosby, Stills & Nash Debut Album Reissue Box
Crosby, Stills & Nash Crosby, Stills & Nash LP reissue box (Mobile Fidelity/Rhino) As this pristine LP reissue of 1969’s debut release by Crosby, Stills & Nash goes to press, news has just arrived of the passing of David Crosby on January 18, 2023, at the age of 81. Crosby’s notable career spanned nearly 60 years, […]
Spins: Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs • External Combustion
Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs External Combustion (BMG) Mike Campbell wrote piles of great rock ‘n’ roll and jangle-pop songs during a 40-year career as lead guitarist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (and Mudcrutch), but waited until the untimely 2017 loss of his co-captain before releasing his own album. Campbell even sublimated his […]
Spins: Robbie Williams • I’ve Been Expecting You
Robbie Williams I’ve Been Expecting You LP reissue (Island/UMC) Transcending boy band roots and released at the height of Britpop, erstwhile Take That vocalist Robbie Williams’ I’ve Been Expecting You has aged considerably well. Although Williams never quite became the household name in North America that many expected, the singer made a strong showing while […]
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