Rhino Record Store Day Black Friday Preview
Several special editions and colored vinyl highlight this year’s features
The day after Thanksgiving has become quite a holiday for vinyl fans: it’s the second of two holidays devoted to the resurging medium (the other, proper Record Store Day, happens in late April). This year, Rhino Records has sent us several albums to preview, and there’s some great things to dig into. We’re going to review these individually in more detail, but here’s a preview.
Fleetwood Mac – Live 1975
A double LP (on clear vinyl!) of Fleetwood Mac, just months after putting out their first album featuring Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. The recordings are exceptional, and highlights include Nicks’ “Landslide,” where no one claps (the song is too new), and an impassioned “I’m So Afraid” from Buckingham. Yet, the real treat is hearing the quintet before they became mega stars. The Buckingham/Nicks’ Mac does older material like “Hypnotized,” “Oh Well,” “The Green Manalishi,” and “Station Man.” This was definitely a transitional period, and is a really great time capsule to hear.
Curtis Mayfield – Curtis (Rhino Reserve Edition)
Mayfield’s first (and finest) solo album gets the primo treatment: Gatefold jacket, featuring that stunning cover photo, plus 180-gram vinyl. The album is lush with instrumentation, leading with the psychedelic funk of “If There’s a Hell Below We’re All Gonna Go.” The real gem is the lengthy, uplifting “Move On Up,” which lays down a groove that is just undeniable. How this wasn’t an enormous hit is beyond me. The rest of the album is mellower, but all a cohesive listen.
Phil Collins – 12”ears
A six-song collection of all the songs remixed for the No Jacket Required Album (1984). Honestly, comparing these remixes to the original album versions – I prefer the remixes. Collins was definitely going for dense pop, and some of it comes off sounding claustrophobic. The remixes give the songs chances to breathe a little, highlighting certain instruments that were buried in the original mixes. As hard as it might be to admit, Collins could lay down a funky groove when he set his mind to it.
INXS – Live From the Royal Albert Hall, London 1986
This concert originally appeared on the deluxe edition of Listen Like Thieves, which Giles Martin spearheaded last year, but this marks the first time the concert has been issued on vinyl.
A good-sounding recording from the BBC features Michael Hutchense and company, as their star was really beginning to rise. Standout tracks include “Kiss the Dirt,” “Do Wot You Do,” which came out on the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, and finds them working on that funk groove that they would soon perfect. “Original Sin” features a crowd sing a long, and “What You Need” is fantastic. The album is pressed on apple red colored vinyl.
Seals & Crofts – Greatest Hits
A collection of this soft rock duo’s best-known songs just got better – with the addition of two extra tracks, “Sweet Green Fields,” and “Get Closer,” both originally issued after the Greatest Hits album. One can forget just how intricate songs like “Hummingbird” and “Summer Breeze” really were. It’s a pleasant listen all the way through. Pressed on milky clear vinyl.
T-Bone Walker – T-Bone Blues
Our favorite album of this crop. A reissue of the 1959 classic album, which originally came out on Atlantic. It’s a fine showcase for Walker’s stinging, and inventive soloing. But, you also appreciate just how good a vocalist he was as well. The original LP was a compilation of several recording sessions of the late 50’s, and has come out in many different forms over the years. This new edition restores the original track sequence and adds an additional, 4-song EP of other songs recorded during this era (kudos for the recreation of the classic, Atlantic sleeve). The mono pressing is quiet and ultra clear, with warm low end as well. A guitar giant at the peak of his powers. —Tony Peters