Vinyl Edition - The Kinks, Allman Brothers, The Cranberries, Rory Gallagher, more

This is a newly remastered version of the third album from The Cranberries; it is an especially dear keepsake since lead singer Dolores O'Riordan passed away in 2018. While the Irish band may be best known in the United States for their big hit "Zombie," (not on this album), they also scored a #1 hit on the Modern Rock chart in the U.S. with this album's "Salvation," a horn-enhanced track suitable for a fast dance. Other standouts include the R.E.M.-recalling "Free to Decide," the manic "I Just Shot John Lennon," the traditional-sounding "Will You Remember?" and a great take on the frenetic Lindsey Buckingham-penned Fleetwood Mac smash "Go Your Own Way." Also appended are three bonus tracks of demos recorded in Paris: "When You're Gone," "I Just Shot John Lennon" and "Free to Decide." Many consider To the Faithful Departed to be the best effort from The Cranberries. The band here was O'Riordan on vocals, guitar, keys and mandolin, Noel Hogan on guitars and mandolin, Mike Hogan on bass and Fergal Lawler on drums. This 2-LP set is packaged in a gatefold jacket and features newly-written liner notes from Eoin Devereux on the inner sleeves.

Rory Gallagher - All Around Man: Live in London

Here's a real treasure for fans of the late Irish blues rock singer and guitarist Rory Gallagher as every one of the 23 live tracks here are previously-unreleased. Many if not most of the tracks here will be familiar to Gallagher fans though as they include some of his most beloved cuts, beginning with the self-penned John Lee Hooker-like "Continental Op" where he rocks out on slide guitar and continuing early in the show with originals like the shuffling "Heaven's Gate" and the Chuck Berry-like rave up "Kid Gloves." And while Rory shines on the stuff he wrote, he also pays homage to many of the blues masters here with cuts like Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don't Start Me Talkin'" where band member Mark Feltham rips it up on harmonica, Leadbelly's "Out on the Western Plains" where he does some phenomenal picking on acoustic guitar (and some tricky vocal work) and other classics by Muddy Waters, Junior Wells, Bo Carter and the legendary Robert Johnson. Other originals performed include "Moonchild," "Mean Disposition," "The Loop," "Tattoo'd Lady" and the detour through Louisiana that is "King of Zydeco" where keys man Geraint Watkins adds accordion flourishes. The show ends hot with a take on Little Richard's "Keep a Knockin'" followed by a really rocking version of the traditional "Bullfrog Blues" and Carter's steamy boogie "All Around Man." Gallagher already has legions of fans but that fan base can expand greatly if, for example, Joe Bonamassa's fans jump on board; they'll be very happy if they do. Presented on 3-LPs pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged in a gatefold sleeve with included booklet with liner notes.

Gram Parsons and the Fallen Angels - The Last Roundup: Live from the Bijou Cafe in Philadelphia, 3/16/73.

For fans of the much-beloved Gram Parsons it is almost unbelievable to think that he left us 50-years ago. A one-time member of the Byrds and the co-founder of the Flying Burrito Brothers, Parsons called his take on country rock/Americana "Cosmic American Music" and that stands as a good descriptor for his music and that of many artists of today who followed. There's an interesting story as to how this release came about and why it took so long. Neil Flanz, the pedal steel player for the Fallen Angels, obtained a copy of the show taken from the soundboard recording and held onto it for 40-years. Then a deal was made with Amoeba Records to release the show but the label lost the tape when they moved locations and didn't find it for a decade. All of this, and the fact that the show featured Emmylou Harris, at the time "undiscovered," makes this music especially dear. The show begins with a bluegrass instrumental, the Earl Scruggs chestnut "Flint Hill Special" before moving into the classic country of "We'll Sweep Out the Ashes," a cover from his GP album, and a take on his co-write with Chris Hillman from the first Flying Burrito Brothers album The Gilded Palace of Sin, "My Uncle." Parsons introduces the weepy Byrds cut "Drug Store Truck Drivin' Man" with the quip, "This song actually made some money." Other included favorites include "Streets of Baltimore," "Love Hurts," "Sin City," "Jambalaya," "Six Days on the Road," "The New Soft Shoe" and a closing medley with "Hang on Sloopy," "Baby What You Want Me to Do," "Boney Moronie," "Forty Days" and "Almost Grown." A nice keepsake for Parsons fans, this live recording also features Jock Bartley of Firefall on lead guitar. This 2-LP set is packaged in a gatefold sleeve and includes a very nice insert, a small poster featuring a close up head shot of Gram.

John Lee Hooker - ...and seven nights

The blues fans on your holiday gift list will absolutely love this release from revered guitarist and singer John Lee Hooker, who wrote all of the album's 11 songs. This material was recorded in 1964 in London with a band called the Groundhogs backing him up. While Hooker is known for blues that boogies, this set is mostly far more sedate, retaining the Hooker aura in a slower mode as John Lee moans the blues on the self-explanatory "Bad Luck and Trouble" and on the similarly sad "Waterfront" where he portrays a man looking for his woman. A happier mood inhabits the upbeat "No One Pleases Me But You" where hot guitar riffs accentuate the good time; the album's Side One wraps up with "It's Raining Here," which is set to a jaunty walking rhythm, the relaxed observation that is "It's a Crazy Mixed Up World" and another "my baby's gone" song, the title track "Seven Days and Seven Nights." Side Two begins with "Mai Lee," a cut that many will hear a little Chuck Berry in, followed by "I'm Losin' You" which is again self-explanatory, the "you're so fine but you're too young" sentiment of "Little Girl Go Back to School," the slow and simmering "Little Dreamer" and closing track "Don't Be Messin' With My Bread" where Hooker issues a warning to a free spending girlfriend. Featuring the great vocals and guitar work you would expect, this title is reissued on 180-gram vinyl for the first time ever.

The Three O'Clock - Sixteen Tambourines

Prince was a fan of this Los Angeles quartet that was one of the leading lights on what was at the time known as the Paisley Underground scene. Lead singer Michael Quercio sang in a voice that could easily be confused as that of a female and that's one of the reasons that the band's music could be mistaken for the Bangles, that and the fact that they had a real knack for sugary sweet power pop, exemplified here by tracks like the gem "Jet Fighter." Bands like R.E.M. can also be referenced in cuts like "And So We Run" while the psych pop leanings of "A Day in Erotica" a Nuggets-worthy cut, shows exactly why Quercio came up with the Paisley Underground moniker to describe the band's music. Other standout tracks include a psych rock version of Bee Gees cut "In My Own Time," the funk pop of "When Lightning Strikes" and the album's sublime closing cut "Seeing is Believing." Totally fun throughout, this album is pressed on clear green vinyl and includes an insert with lyrics.

Share this article