Livia WBR

Get ready with @Outasight backstage in the final minutes before...

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 17:01:06 -0700

Get ready with @Outasight backstage in the final minutes before his concert for The Walk on @TheWarnerSound

America is the eponymous debut album released by America in...

Sun, 17 Jun 2012 17:01:02 -0700

America is the eponymous debut album released by America in 1971. The album was initially released without “A Horse With No Name,” which had not yet been recorded. When “Horse” became a worldwide hit in early 1972, the album was re-released with that track.

The album went to number 1 on the Billboard album chart in the US and stayed there for 5 weeks. It produced two hit singles, “A Horse With No Name” spent three weeks at number 1 on the Billboard singles chart in 1972 (it peaked at number 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart), and “I Need You” hit number 9 on the Billboard singles chart and number 7 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

Several other songs received radio airplay on FM stations playing album tracks, including “Sandman” (long rumored in the US Navy to be about the VQ-2 air squadron formerly based in Rota, Spain) and “Three Roses”. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA for sales in excess of 1 million units in the US.

FROM ALLMUSIC: Lengthy instrumental introductions (“Donkey Jaw”), middle improvisatory interludes (“Here”), and closings (“Clarice”) are frequently encountered. Most of these selections boast highly unusual and inventive chord progressions that work well without drawing undue attention to themselves. Lyrics are sometimes trite (“I need you/Like the flower needs the rain”) or obscure (“He flies the sky/Like an eagle in the eye/Of a hurricane that’s abandoned”), but the music more than makes up for any verse problems; only the odd “Pigeon Song” seems an unsalvageable misstep.

Sound quality here has a covered, intimate feel that lends a ghostly aura to this release. Chart hits from this album include the spectrally loping “A Horse with No Name,” the squarishly tuneful “I Need You,” and the nervously dour “Sandman.” Other highlights include the buoyantly charming “Three Roses,” the yearningly lovely “Rainy Day,” and the quietly ringing “Clarice.” In spite of its flaws, this platter is very highly recommended.

From the Cradle is a blues cover album by Eric Clapton. Released...

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:01:02 -0700

From the Cradle is a blues cover album by Eric Clapton. Released on 13 September 1994 on Reprise Records, the album was Eric Clapton’s long awaited follow-up to his massively-successful live album, Unplugged.

Per the liner notes, “This is a live recording with no overdubs or edits except for dobro overdub on ‘How Long Blues’ and drum overdub on ‘Motherless Child’.”

From the Cradle has received a wide-range of reviews by critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic feels that the album is almost perfect and that the only thing bad about the album is Clapton’s singing, which merely imitates the original recordings and sometimes can’t pull it off.

Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly felt that the recordings were “flawless” but were rather boring, especially when compared to the exitement of Cream’s live version of “Spoonful”.

The Music Box’s John Metzger felt that Clapton’s appearance on Saturday Night Live to promote the album was more powerful than From the Cradle and that the album had nothing that hadn’t been done before on it.

Robert Christgau compared Eric Clapton’s work on the album to Son Seals and Otis Rush, saying that Clapton played better than the former, but sang worse than the later and felt that “Motherless Child” and “Blues Before Sunrise” were stand-out tracks on the album

Ben Folds and Regina Spektor “You Don’t Know...

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 17:01:43 -0700

Ben Folds and Regina Spektor “You Don’t Know Me”

the coming battle for the device

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:01:42 -0700

the coming battle for the device:

patriciahandschiegel:

Apple has done a lot of amazing things as a company. But it isn’t the devices that Apple has made that has made Apple amazing. In part, but not entirely. Devices are the kinds of things anybody can make really, and lots do. Even with Apple angling out competition with its sleek, easy usability and…

The Undercard: Now Playing: Kimbra

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:58:28 -0700

The Undercard: Now Playing: Kimbra:

theundercard:

The New Zealand soul singer is best known for her appearance on Gotye’s smash hit “Somebody That I Used To Know”, but with the U.S. release of her debut album Vows, she will have no problem carving out her own niche and fan base. If you are someone who has become a fan of Adele but…

rollingstone: #LionelRichie joined #KennyRogers on stage...

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 10:14:01 -0700

rollingstone:

#LionelRichie joined #KennyRogers on stage yesterday at #Bonnaroo! To see more of our Bonnaroo photos, head to RollingStone.com. (Taken with Instagram)

The new video from @Shawn_Colvin for “All Fall...

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 17:01:53 -0700

The new video from @Shawn_Colvin for “All Fall Down,” from the album All Fall Down.

allthingseurope: Etretat, France (by GregÔry)

Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:59:25 -0700

allthingseurope:

Etretat, France (by GregÔry)

Rumours is the eleventh studio album by Fleetwood Mac. Largely...

Sun, 10 Jun 2012 16:54:49 -0700

Rumours is the eleventh studio album by Fleetwood Mac. Largely recorded in California during 1976, it was produced by the band with Ken Caillat and Richard Dashut and was released on 4 February 1977 on Warner Bros. Records.

The record peaked at the top of both the main United States Billboard chart and the United Kingdom Albums Chart. “Go Your Own Way”, “Don’t Stop”, “Dreams”, and “You Make Loving Fun” were released as singles. A Grammy Award winner, Rumours is Fleetwood Mac’s most successful release with sales of over 40 million copies worldwide.

The band wanted to expand on the commercial success of the 1975 record Fleetwood Mac, but struggled with relationship breakups before recording started. The Rumours studio sessions were marked by hedonistic behaviour and interpersonal strife between Fleetwood Mac members; these experiences informed the album’s lyrics.

Influenced by pop music, the record’s tracks were recorded using a combination of acoustic and electric instruments. The mixing process delayed the completion of Rumours, but was finished by the end of 1976. Following the album’s release in 1977, Fleetwood Mac undertook worldwide promotional tours.

Rumours garnered widespread critical acclaim. Praise centred on its production quality and harmonies, which frequently relied on the interplay among three vocalists. The record has inspired the work of musical acts in different genres. Often considered Fleetwood Mac’s best release, it has featured in several publications’ lists of the best albums of the 1970s and the best albums of all time. In 2004, Rumours was remastered and reissued with the addition of an extra track and a bonus CD of outtakes from the recording sessions.

If you have seen any of the NBC promos for the London 2012...

Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:30:38 -0700

If you have seen any of the NBC promos for the London 2012 Olympics you heard “Tonight We’re Making History” by @Echosmith!

Check out some music from our newest artists here! The cool...

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 15:31:00 -0700

Check out some music from our newest artists here! The cool thing is we will be updating this link every month!

Books from Sara

Tue, 05 Jun 2012 15:22:20 -0700

teganandsara:

SKQ Reads: Spring 2012! With a bonus suggestion for nerdy British TV/film! Now up at teganandsara.com

Big Boi & @TheophilusLondon ft. Tre Luce - “She Said OK”

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:28:34 -0700

Big Boi & @TheophilusLondon ft. Tre Luce - “She Said OK”

The State vs. Radric Davis is the second studio album by Gucci...

Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:29:18 -0700

The State vs. Radric Davis is the second studio album by Gucci Mane. It was released on December 8, 2009. The State vs. Radric Davis comes after a slew of independent releases, mixtapes, and features over the past few years. Productions from Polow da Don, Drumma Boy, Mannie Fresh, among others.

Featured artists includes, Usher, Plies, Lil Wayne, Cam’ron, Soulja Boy, Rick Ross, Bun B, OJ da Juiceman, Wooh da Kid, Waka Flocka Flame, and Nicki Minaj. The iTunes deluxe version will contain the EP, Wasted: The Prequel.

The album debuted at number ten on the US Billboard 200 selling 90,000 copies in its first week. The album was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. As of April 17, 2011, the album has sold an estimated 424,000 copies. With the success of The State vs. Radric Davis, Gucci Mane announced that his next two albums will be parts of a trilogy. The second, and third album will be called The Appeal: Georgia’s Most Wanted due for release September 28, 2010, and The State vs. Radric Davis: The Verdict, respectively.

Ancient Melodies of the Future is the fifth full-length album...

Sat, 02 Jun 2012 15:19:51 -0700

Ancient Melodies of the Future is the fifth full-length album released on WBR on July 10, 2001by Built to Spill. The core line-up of the band remained as it had for the previous two albums, with singer/guitarist Doug Martsch, bassist Brett Nelson, and drummer Scott Plouf.

The album was recorded at Bear Creek in Woodinville, Washington, with overdubs recorded at Avast! Recording Co. in Seattle, Washington, and Martsch’s studio, The Manhouse, in Boise, Idaho. Ancient Melodies was released on the Warner Bros. label in 2001 (see 2001 in music).

Gold On The Ceiling by @TheBlackKeys a Film by @HarmonyKorine

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:25:44 -0700

Gold On The Ceiling by @TheBlackKeys a Film by @HarmonyKorine

What We Saw From The Cheep Seats

Tue, 29 May 2012 15:29:36 -0700

What We Saw From The Cheep Seats:

Out today @respektor What We Saw … @rolling stone said Regina Spektor has become her generation’s Joni Mitchell – a singer-songwriter who nail-guns emotional truths between wisecracks. Her latest, even tighter and more flamboyant than 2009’s Far, may be her best.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by Red Hot Chili...

Sun, 27 May 2012 15:26:00 -0700

Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Rick Rubin, it was the band’s first record released on Warner Bros. Records. The musical styles of Blood Sugar Sex Magik differed notably from the techniques employed on the Chili Peppers’ preceding album, Mother’s Milk, and featured little use of heavy metal guitar riffs. The album’s subject matter incorporated sexual innuendos and references to drugs and death as well as themes of lust and exuberance.

Peaking at number three on the Billboard 200, the album has sold over 15 million copies worldwide and was the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ introduction into worldwide popularity and critical acclaim. Blood Sugar Sex Magik produced an array of hit singles including the hugely successful “Under the Bridge”, “Give It Away”, “Suck My Kiss”, “Breaking the Girl” and “If You Have to Ask”.

Blood Sugar Sex Magik was released the same day Nirvana released Nevermind and it is recognized as an influential and seminal component of the alternative rock explosion in the early 1990s.

All photography, paintings and art direction for Blood Sugar Sex Magik were credited to filmmaker Gus Van Sant. The cover of the album features the four band members’ faces positioned around a rose. The lyrics are printed in white lettering across a black background, hand written by Kiedis. The booklet also contains a collage of photos assembled to showcase the band members’ various tattoos, which feature faces of Native American tribal leaders, animals and sea creatures, as well as various symbols and phrases. Photographs of each band member alone, and two photographs of the band as a whole are also included.

Singles released to coincide with the album share little with Blood Sugar’s artwork. The cover of “Give It Away” was a painting of a Chinese infant, surrounded by fish, vegetables, fruits and sushi; “Under the Bridge” is a photograph of a bridge in the city of Los Angeles; “Suck My Kiss” had a black and white photograph of the band, with Kiedis and Flea holding a large fish; and “Breaking the Girl” featured a painting of a human being covered in magma.

Spin magazine charted the album at number 58 on their “Top 90 Albums of the 90s”

The record was placed in slapnpop Magazine “101 Essential Guitar Albums”

included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die

Blood Sugar Sex Magik also ranked number 310 on Rolling Stone’s the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” and number 14 on the “100 Best Albums of the Nineties”.

Twenty years later, many of the songs remain constant staples in the band’s setlists. “Give it Away” and Under the Bridge” have been performed at almost every show making them two of the band’s most performed songs. On the band’s 2006 Stadium Arcadium tour, the band decided to give the two hits a break. This decision was often met with mixed reaction from the audience due to the two songs’ popularity. To date, “Mellowship Slinky in B Major”, “The Righteous & the Wicked” have never been performed live while “Apache Rose Peacock”, and “The Greeting Song” have been partially performed. “Naked in the Rain” has only been performed once in 1990 prior to the album’s recording.

The Nightfly is the first solo album by Steely Dan co-founder...

Sat, 26 May 2012 15:30:42 -0700

The Nightfly is the first solo album by Steely Dan co-founder Donald Fagen, released in October 29th 1982. It was one of the first fully digital recordings of popular music. Although The Nightfly includes a number of production staff and musicians who had played on Steely Dan records, it is notably Fagen’s first release without longtime collaborator Walter Becker.

Unlike the majority of Fagen’s work before this point, The Nightfly is almost blatantly autobiographical. Many of the songs relate to the cautiously optimistic mood of his suburban childhood in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and include such lyrical topics as late night jazz deejays, bomb shelters, and tropical vacations.

The Nightfly was certified Platinum in both the US and UK, and produced two popular hits with “I.G.Y. (What a Beautiful World)” and “New Frontier”. It also received several 1983 Grammy Award nominations. This relatively low-key but long-lived popularity led the Wall Street Journal in 2007 to dub the album, “one of pop music’s sneakiest masterpieces.”

Personnel

Donald Fagen - organ, synthesizer, synth-harmonica, keyboards, electric piano, vocals, background vocals

Dave Bargeron - trombone, euphonium, horn, background vocalsMichael Brecker - tenor saxophone

Randy Brecker - trumpet, flugelhorn

Larry Carlton - guitar

Ronnie Cuber - horn, baritone saxophone

Rick Derringer - guitar

Frank “Harmonica Frank” Floyd - background vocals

James Gadson - drums

Ed Greene - drums

Gordon Grody - vocals, background vocals

Anthony Jackson - bass

Steve Jordan - drums

Steve Khan - acoustic guitar

Abraham Laboriel - bass

Daniel Lazerus - background vocals

Will Lee - bass

Hugh McCracken - guitar, harmonica

Leslie Miller - background vocals

Marcus Miller - bass

Rob Mounsey - synthesizer, horn, keyboards

Roger Nichols - percussion, special effects

Michael Omartian - piano, keyboards, electric piano

Dean Parks - guitar

Greg Phillinganes - synthesizer, piano, keyboards, electric piano, clavinet, synthesizer bass

Jeff Porcaro - drums

Chuck Rainey - bass

Zachary Sanders -background vocals

Valerie Simpson - background vocals

David Tofani - horn, alto saxophone

Starz Vanderlocket - percussion, background vocals

Paul Shaffer - organ

Production

Producer: Gary Katz

Engineers: Daniel Lazerus, Roger Nichols, Elliot Scheiner

Assistant engineers: Robin Lane, Mike Morongell, Cheryl Smith, Wayne Yurgelun

Mixing: Elliot Scheiner

Mastering: Bob Ludwig

Digital editing assistant: Mike Morongell, Wayne Yurgelun

Project assistant: Ginger Dettman, Steve Pokorny, Steve Woolard

Tracking: Elliot Scheiner

Authoring: David Dieckmann, George Lydecker

Sequencing: Roger Nichols

Overdub engineer: Daniel Lazerus

Horn arrangements: Donald Fagen, Rob Mounsey

Arranger: Donald Fagen

Design: Greg Allen

Art direction: Greg Allen, George Delmerico

Liner notes: Donald Fagen

Editorial supervision: Cory Frye

Photography: James Hamilton

Screen design: Andrew Thomas