ROCK MUSIC
Delivers Rock Music. This month we're highlighting some of our best offers and
classic gems for your summer listening pleasure. We hope you'll enjoy these
selections while entertaining, traveling, or just lounging in the sun.
CAN'T-MISS CLASSICS
"Live at Leeds"
The Who
The original 1970 vinyl pressing of this title was hailed as a landmark live
recording, such was the power of the Who's high-volume, high-energy act. But
this 1995 CD reissue actually improves upon the original, fleshing out the
performance with additional tracks that further illustrate the impact of the
foursome at their peak.
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"Mystery Girl"
Roy Orbison
Easily one of the best comeback efforts ever engineered by one of the pioneers
of rock & roll, "Mystery Girl" benefits from strong material (customized for
Orbison by Elvis Costello and Bono, among others) and savvy production. But
mostly it's carried along by the not-long-for-this-world singer's otherworldly
vocals. Truly an astonishing coda to a wondrous career.
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"The Velvet Underground & Nico"
Velvet Underground
The reverberations are still being felt from the Velvet Underground's 1967
debut. This touchstone of alternative rock didn't exactly inspire a mad dash on
record racks when it first appeared, but the likes of "I'm Waiting for the Man,"
"All Tomorrow's Parties," and "Femme Fatale" provided a blueprint for
alternative rockers from the '70s up 'til today.
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COOL COST-CUTTING COLLECTIONS
"Singles Going Steady"
Buzzcocks
One of the all-time great punk anthologies, "Singles Going Steady" is one-half
A-sides and one-half B-sides. But the Buzzcocks were such a clever, tuneful
quartet that their secondary selections rank among the best punk productions of
the '70s heyday of punk.
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"The Finest"
Fine Young Cannibals
Sadly short-lived, the Cannibals produced some great, danceable modern rock in
the late '80s, notably the huge hit "She Drives Me Crazy." This 14-track best-of
offers all the hits plus a couple of previously unreleased tunes.
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"Best of Kansas"
Kansas
Prog, thy name is Kansas. Given to intertwining philosophical lyrics and complex
chord arrangements into a sound that was idiosyncratic yet surprisingly popular,
Kansas scored repeatedly in their '70s heyday. This greatest hits package serves
up nothing but Kansas wheat, no chaff, with the likes of "Carry On, Wayward Son"
and "Dust in the Wind."
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BURIED TREASURE
"The Impossible Bird"
Nick Lowe
Nick Lowe peaked commercially in the late '70s, when he scored with his one big
single ("Cruel to be Kind") and earned attention as the producer of Elvis
Costello and other new wave leading lights. But this out-of-the-blue 1994
comeback album may well be his artistic apex. Deftly mixing roots rock with Nat
King Cole-like pop ballads, Lowe scores with an outing that's truly inspired.
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"Live"
David Johansen Group
Before he mutated into debonair crooner Buster Poindexter but after he helped
write an early chapter in the history of punk rock as frontman of the New York
Dolls, David Johansen was a rocker of the first order. This 18-song live set
captures Johansen and his hardscrabble band mixing early solo favorites, Dolls
classics, and some deftly selected covers before a partisan crowd.
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"Cardiff Rose"
Roger McGuinn
Fresh from a stint with Bob Dylan's fabled Rolling Thunder Revue, Roger McGuinn
gathered his considerable skills and put together what many consider his best
post-Byrds release. The nine-song set is elevated by a cover of a rare Dylan
song ("Up to Me") and some of the strongest originals of McGuinn's solo career.
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You'll find more great music, articles, and interviews in
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