Rolling Stones
Some Girls Deluxe Edition
Rolling StonesUME
By David Chiu
Some Girls, the Stones’ 1978 album, ranks up there as being one of the band’s superlative efforts. At that point, the band was still soldiering on 16 years into their career–and rather then letting disco surpass them, the Stones incorporated that style into two of their most memorable songs from the record: “Miss You” and “Shattered”. Continue reading “CD Review: Rolling Stones”
Elvis Presley
Young Man with the Big Beat
RCA/Legacy
By David Chiu
Sometimes an artist’s career can be measured in the dominance he or she had in one year: Michael Jackson in 1983, Madonna in 1985 or Nirvana and Pearl Jam in 1992. But they can never measure up the phenomenal year that Elvis Presley had in 1956, which this new boxed set focuses on. Continue reading “CD Review: Elvis Presley”
The Beach Boys
The Smile Sessions
Capitol/EMI
By David Chiu
For Beach Boys fans, the Smile album has been well known and talked about as legend, but whose music was never issued or given the proper treatment for release. That was the case for 44 years until now with The Smile Sessions, which collects and arranges the innovative music that was abandoned from that era into one whole piece. Continue reading “CD Review: The Beach Boys”
R.E.M.
Part Lies Part Heart Part Truth Part Garbage 1982-2011
Warner Bros.
By David Chiu
Sadly, one of the greatest bands of the last 30 years has recently folded. But unlike other groups, R.E.M. did it on their own terms and on top. Continue reading “CD Review: R.E.M.”
Billy Joel
Piano Man (Legacy Edition)
Columbia/Legacy
By David Chiu
Piano Man, Billy Joel’s 1973 album, is best known for its two songs, the title track and “Captain Jack,” but it wasn’t a commercial seller compared to his subsequent hit releases. Continue reading “CD Review: Billy Joel”
U2
Achtung Baby: Deluxe Edition
Island/UME
By David Chiu
U2 did a 180 from the sound of The Joshua Tree in the form of Achtung Baby, released in 1991. It saw U2 embracing electronic textures, resulting in songs that had attitude and kick. Continue reading “CD Review: U2”
Jethro Tull
Aqualung: 40th Anniversary Special Edition
Chrysalis/EMI
By David Chiu
Aqualung, Jethro Tull’s fourth album from 1971, was the band’s breakthrough—certainly a departure from the blues feel of their first record This Was. This music from this unique record– featuring the unmistakable flute playing and singing of leader Ian Anderson–is certainly is indicative of the progressive rock era. Continue reading “CD Review: Jethro Tull”
Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here (Immersion Edition)
A Foot in the Door: The Best of Pink Floyd
Capitol/EMI
By David Chiu
Pink Floyd’s 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon is regarded as the band’s undisputed masterpiece, but the follow-up, Wish You Were Here (1975), is on an equal level or a close second in that distinction. Continue reading “CD Review: Pink Floyd”
Billy Joel
The Complete Albums Collection
Columbia/Legacy
By David Chiu
Exactly forty years ago, a young man from Long Island released his debut album. Cold Spring Harbor, which launched of the one of the most successful careers in pop music. Over the years, the songs of Billy Joel have become modern pop standards, covering a wide breadth of styles and genres but always maintaining a melodic sensibility that harkens the great composers from the classical through the and rock and roll periods. In celebration of his work in the last four decades comes this boxed set that contains all his 12 Columbia Records studio albums as well as the live Songs in the Attic, the classical work Fantasies and Delusions, and a collection of non-album songs. Each record is housed in vinyl replica packaging. It’s a well-deserved summation of an extraordinary body of work.
The Jayhawks
Mockingbird Time
Rounder
By David Chiu
This is the Jayhawks album that fans have been waiting for a while to happen—-a reunion that features both singers Gary Louris and Mark Olson for the first time since 1994’s Tomorrow the Green Grass. Continue reading “CD Review: The Jayhawks”
NewBeats 