The Smiths: The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (Warner Brothers/2017)

The Smiths haven’t really issued any really noteworthy product in many, many years. Johnny Marr remastered the four Smiths studio albums (and four compilation/live albums) in 2012. And The Sound Of The Smiths compilation in 2008. This year marks the first real year that The Smiths have a reissue campaign that will entice all Smiths fans alike.

Later this year the band will reissue The Queen Is Dead package that will include three CDs and one DVD. Earlier this Summer the title track was issued as a 12” and 7” single. And for Record Store Day The Boy With The Thorn In It's Side was released in a limited pressing of 12,000 copies. It's a teaser for the forthcoming box set. The A-Side is a “Demo Mix” of the well-known studio version. And isn't too different. The B-Side “Rubber Ring” is an “Early Drone Studios Version”, which was recorded at Drone Studios and very string-heavy.

Overall a very nice release. Cover star Albert Finney makes yet another appearance in the Smiths cannon. The truly noteworthy thing about this record is the political message that reads; “Trump Will Kill America”, which is etched in the runout groove of side A.

All in all, a wonderful release.

Here's the video review:

Special thanks to: Laurel.

Prince & The Revolution: Parade (Paisley Park Records/1986)

Parade is Prince And The Revolution's third and final album. It's also Prince's eight and also doubles as the soundtrack album to the motion picture Under The Cherry Moon. After the Revolution's dayglo psychedelic experimentation on the Around The World In A Day album, Prince took a step back in terms of excessive arrangements. Parade is Prince's minimalist funk album. The album went platinum in the US, was a top five album and made many critic lists' Album Of The Year. The album also spawned three great singles - the masterpiece “Kiss”, the lightly psychedelic pop of “Mountains” and the more r&b flavored “Anotherloverholenyohead”.

The album is unsuspectingly a heavy listen while simultaneously a light, minimal affair. The album starts with the triumvirate of “Christopher Tracy's Parade” (which was originally titled “Wendy's Parade” and is the name of Prince's character in Under The Cherry Moon as well as his pseudonym for “Manic Monday”), “New Position” (a sexy double entendre) and “I Wonder You” (a psychedelic offering with lead vocals by keyboardist Lisa Coleman). “Do U Lie?”, “Venus De Milo” the title track are all cut from a similar light jazzy pop cloth. “Sometimes It Snows In April” is arguably Prince's greatest ballad and given his untimely death being in April, it now carries and additional weight. The funky “Girls & Boys” was a UK-only single and reached #11 there.

The album, as well as Prince's entire Warner Brothers discography is more than overdue for a proper remastering and reissuing. And if that ever happens, the outtake “An Honest Man” and the B-Sides “Love or Money” and “Alexa de Paris” are begging to be included in said reissue. Parade is an unsuspectingly pleasant, welcome and understated addition to his wonderful catalog. Although Parade ended up being de facto final album by The Revolution, they did record one more. Dream Factory was a double album and eventually morphed into the brilliant 1987 Prince solo album Sign O The Times.

Parade is a highly recommended album.   

Here's The Video Review:

Gang Of Four: Songs Of The Free (Warner Brothers/1982)

Leeds' Gang Of Four released 1982's Songs Of The Free, their third album, on the heels of the excellent Another Day/Another Dollar EP. It is their first release with Sara Lee on bass, who took over after Dave Allen left the band to for Shriekback with Barry Andrews of XTC. She's a excellent replacement and is adept to playing nearly as deeply-funky as Allen did.

The album is successful in marrying the band's slashing post-punk to the funky new wave that was all-prevalent at the time. It was produced by Mike Howlett of Gong (who also produced OMD, Tears For Fears and A Flock Of Seagulls). Songs Of The Free is really only weak when one holds it up against Entertainment!, Yellow and Solid Gold. All of which are on the perfect side. Songs Of The Free is jam packed with moody, nocturnal grooves and somnambulist funk. Songs like “History Of The World”, “Life! It's A Shame” and “I Will Be A Good Boy” are my idea of perfect background music that I'd love to hear in a bar or pub. “Muscle For Brains” has a great funky guitar line. “Call Me Up”, “We Live As We Dream, Alone” and “I Love A Man In A Uniform” are easily the most effective songs on the album.

“I Love A Man In A Uniform” was a new-wave dance hit peaking at #27 on Billboard's Club Play Singles chart and became a staple of Alternative radio. The album itself is usually held up as Gang Of Fours last initial creative hurrah. Although it produced a handful of decent tracks, 1983's Hard was indeed a fairly soft affair. I've always considered Songs Of The Free part of a logical conclusion to the trilogy of Entertainment! and Solid Gold.

Recommended. Indeed.  

Van Dyke Parks: Song Cycle (Rhino Records/2013)

Van Dyke Parks is something of an enigma who has worn many hats in his long career. He has worked with The Beach Boys on their legendary Smile album and co-wrote "Sail On Sailor". He did the arrangements on Disney's The Jungle Book. He was the head of  Warner Brother's audio/video department in the 1970's. He was taught by Aaron Copland and sang for Albert Einstein in German as a child. He's recorded with The Byrds in the late 60's. He gave Buffalo Springfield it's name. He was a child actor and appeared in several films and television shows, including a neighbor of Ralph & Alice on The Honeymooners.

He's also released a few solo albums. The most notable of these was his debut album, Song Cycle. Song Cycle was originally released on Warner Brothers in 1968, and was recorded with a budget of $35,000 dollars making it the most expensive album at the time of its' release. It is an assemblage of various styles of American music. Ranging from old-timey American Ragtime and showtunes, traditional bluegrass, orchestrated suites all in an esoteric, psychedelic late 60's baroque pop art context. It's simultaneously backwards-looking and progressive. The songs are somewhat seamless and flow better than most albums of this sort IMHO. For starters, there are never any discernible lulls that seem to plague a good majority of so-called experimental pop music. Something is always taking place, and it's that very thing about it - which is wonderful - that may be off-putting some. I love Van Dyke Parks and love the album too.

This release was a limited edition 180-gram mono-pressing of 2,500 copies celebrating it's 45th anniversary. It was released by Rhino on Record Store Day of 2013 and it's basically a flawless release.

Here's the video review:

T.Rex: T.Rextasy: The Best Of T.Rex 1970-1973 (Warner Bros. Records/1985)

T.Rex were one of the United Kingdom's all-time most popular bands. After the Beatles' break up in 1970, the band was virtually the next full-blown musical pop culture phenomenon. The band also ushered in, what became known as Glam Rock. Formed in 1967 and led by the flamboyant Marc Bolan, the band was originally known as Tyrannosaurus Rex and were a psychedelic acoustic-based duo with lyrics inspired by the Lord Of The Rings amongst other things. Eventually producer Tony Visconti tired of writing the full band on the studio track sheets and began simply writing “T.Rex”. Marc Bolan eventually came to prefer this as simultaneously the band began simplifying their arrangements to include electric guitar, bongos and a rhythm section.

It was with this format and the line-up of Marc Bolan on guitar and vocals, Mickey Finn on bongos and percussion, Steve Currie on bass and Bill Legend on drums that the band found commercial and critical success. From 1970 until 1973 the band had a string of hit singles: (i.e. “Ride A White Swan” (UK #2), “Hot Love” (UK #1), “Get It On” (UK #1), “Jeepster” (UK #2), “Telegram Sam” (UK #1), “Metal Guru” (UK #1), “Children Of The Revolution” (UK #2), “Solid Gold Easy Action” (UK #2), “20^th Century Boy” (UK #3), “The Groover” (UK #4), “Truck On (Tyke)” (UK #12), “Teenage Dream” (UK #13)). They influenced a generation of punk rockers in the UK and US and initially a slew of imitators in The Sweet, Slade, Mud and Gary Glitter. They even substantially influenced Bolan's friend & peer David Bowie and pushed him to greater success than he initially had.

Commercial success in the United States remained largely elusive for Marc Bolan and T.Rex. While “Get It On” (renamed “Bang A Gong (Get It On)” in the US to avoid confusion with another song at the time by a band called Chase) hit number 10 on the Billboard Charts. They also had a few other charting hits (Telegram Sam” at #67, “Hot Love” at #72 and “Ride A White Swan” at #76) as well as a turntable hit in “Jeepster” their success was comparatively minor.

T. Rextacy: The Best Of T.Rex 1970-1973 is largely successful in every way. The only thing that I'd change is I'd drop their cover of “Summertime Blues” in place of “Children Of The Revolution” and the reprise of “The Children Of Rarn” in favor of “Cadillac” and you have yourself a perfect 1970-73 retrospective. If allotted more vinyl It'd also be nice to have“Truck On (Tyke)” and “Teenage Dream” on there as well.

Very most highly recommended. 

Here's the video review: