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Entries categorized as “Rediscovering Our Record Collections” 39 results
Josh Friedberg: Music Historian's Corner writesRediscovering Our Record Collections: “Lady Soul” by Aretha Franklin
Today's Rediscovering Our Record Collections entry takes another listen to Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin's 1968 masterpiece, Lady Soul. This album was Franklin's third for Atlantic Records and one of her most commercially and critically acclaimed releases, containing several hits. Franklin is the daughter of the famous preacher C. L. Franklin, and the gospel music she grew up hearing had a huge influence on her impassioned vocals. She first recorded gospel as a teenager before signing with Columbia Records and recording pop and jazz standards in the early and mid-1960s.
Kyle Whelliston writesThe First Album I Ever Stole: “Toto IV”
If you came of age in a certain time, between the death number one of the vinyl record and the shining pony magic of the digital compact disc, your first album probably came in a 3-by-4 inch plastic cassette. The music clung to a spool in the form of chromium dioxide shavings, and the recording was identified by way of the artist's name in bright red block letters. Once I had saved up eight dollars in allowance so I could buy The Go-Go's Beauty and the Beat from the Nice Price collection, my career as a music consumer was underway.
Much later, ten dollars earned from mowing lawns went towards Run-DMC's self-titled album, a purchase that my CHIRP colleague Micha Ward made as well. Both albums influenced my young adulthood greatly. But this isn't about either of those.
This is about the first album I ever stole.
Josh Friedberg: Music Historian's Corner writesRediscovering Our Record Collections: “Thriller” by Michael Jackson
Today's Rediscovering Our Record Collections examines my reaction over time to Michael Jackson's 1982 landmark, Thriller. By all accounts a milestone in the history of popular music, Thriller cemented Michael Jackson's status as a central figure in late-20th century popular culture, becoming the biggest-selling album of all time worldwide; hitting #1 on the album charts in six (!) continents; breaking the color line on MTV with its groundbreaking music videos; and enabling a gigantic crossover success for Jackson, uniting audiences of all racial and ethnic backgrounds for a common cause of celebration.
Josh Friedberg: Music Historian's Corner writesRediscovering Our Record Collections: “Blue” by Joni Mitchell
Today's "Rediscovering Our Record Collections" entry looks at Joni Mitchell's 1971 album Blue. Joni, often considered an icon of women in music and of introspective singer-songwriters, gained a million-selling album with Blue's confessional songs about love, loss, and travel with minimal musical accompaniment from the likes of James Taylor and Stephen Stills. Despite containing classics like "Big Yellow Taxi" and "The Circle Game," her previous work was considered a small step compared to Blue's powerful, moving lyrics and vocals.
Prior to releasing her first album in 1968, Joni was an art student whose songs were getting covered by the likes of folksingers Judy Collins and Tom Rush, but she quickly emerged as a formidable singer-songwriter and guitarist in her own right. Blue is often considered her greatest masterpiece, noted for its famously confessional and deeply personal lyrics, and yet it has also been called "universal" by a number of critics. I first heard Blue around 1999, and my initial reaction was one of some disappointment.
Josh Friedberg: Music Historian's Corner writesRediscovering Our Record Collections: “The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books”
Originally a "girl singer" leading drummer Chick Webb's big band in the 1930s, Jazz vocal giant Ella Fitzgerald transformed into the iconic "First Lady of Song" during the '50s and '60s, in large part because of her Song Book albums for Verve Records. Highlighting the work of individual songwriters and teams like Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and George and Ira Gershwin, these album helped build Fitzgerald's reputation in mainstream pop circles and solidified her legendary status in jazz as a joyful "musician's singer."