Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#577 in the series) is eponymous debut from Asia. Well let’s see what’s going to happen with this choice of albums. I think some people may not find it as “Cool” as I did. Not that I feel like I need to justify any entry, what’s cool to one person might not be cool to another, and that’s cool, but I’m going to write this regarding how I felt about this release in early 1982. Not how I felt about it or them down the road years later. That’s not what I do. When I first head of this new band Asia I was so excited. Emerson, Lake and Palmer was one...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#574 in the Series) is Genesis, Wind and Wuthering “..And There Were Still Four.” That could have been the title for Wind and Wuthering when you look back at it. I’m of course referring to the fact that this was indeed, the last album with four of the historic Genesis lineup members. We know that Peter Gabriel left the band at the end of the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway tour. The next year saw the release of the first post-Gabriel album, A Trick of the Tail. That great release was followed up with Wind and Wuthering.  Yes, like many of the band’s fans, we love the Gabriel era. My favorite will...

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#572 in the Series) is Transatlantic, Whirlwind My kids used to be amazed when I told them about how Yes put out a record with only three songs (Relayer), with each song lasting 10 minutes or more. They were more amazed when I told them about Tales From Topographic Oceans, a double album with only one song per side, they didn’t believe me. Well they are older now and interested in their own music, so they would probably yawn at the idea of a disc containing one 77 plus minute song, as this massive, colossal epic has. It is the 3rd offering from the supergroup of prog rock music all-stars. (Metal v....

  Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#550 in the Series is) Budgie, If I were Brittania I’d Waive the Rules. Budgie was a Welsh loud rock band that recorded most of their catalog in the 70’s.  I always liked them because their sound always had a  unique vibe to me.  A little metal here, a little blues rock there, a little prog-rock here, etc.  I always loved bands that you just can not pigeon hole. They had about six definitive albums. It was not the best reviewed, nor the best accepted, but for some reason I was always partial to Brittania. The main reason was one song, one that I always loved. (Whenever I had parties I used...

    Cool Album of the Day has learned that Peter Gabriel will be a guest on The Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday November 9th. 2011. It has not been announced if he will be musical guest or just sit in the chair and chat. He has recently been doing interviews on the chat shows in the UK.  He also performed “San Jacinto” along with his interview on the Jools Holland Show.  (See Below) I don’t see how he can bring that size the orchestration needed to do these songs justice into a smaller stage like the Letterman’s Ed Sullivan Theater.  He could opt to play a song piano track or perform something with Paul Shafer and...

We’ve known about these Pink Floyd Remaster/Reissues that are coming for some time now.  However, the story is getting a little clearer.  The first of those will be Dark Side of the Moon and the date is September 26th. Look for loads of additional content. It will be a 6 disc set. The next relaunch date will be November 7th.  It will feature a 5 disc set for Wish You Were Here. Look for The Wall in February 2012. Here’s the reason for today’s post.  Pink Floyd have released a teaser video for the first release. Check out what they have to say about Dark Side of the Moon. Bookmark on Delicious Digg this post Recommend on Facebook share...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#478 in the Series) is self-titled debut from Crack The Sky Rarely do I agree with anything in Rolling Stone magazine. Sorry, but that’s the fact, Jack. But, when they awarded Crack The Sky’s 1975 debut Album of the Year, they nailed it! Sadly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the album also was the least sold ever bearing that critical distinction. Ever since needle touched vinyl, various artists from every era and genre have somehow slipped through the cracks and into obscurity. Whether due to poor management, bad luck, or, perhaps, merely being ahead of their time, many bands never got their just due. CTS are one such band. I first heard CTS...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#456 in the Series and #44 in the Live, Saturday Night Series) is Peter Gabriel, Play’s Live Peter Gabriel, Plays Live… for me, this is a Desert Island Disc. And it’s not even close. Peter Gabriel’s first few solo albums after leaving Genesis are some of my favorite albums.  This was recorded on his 1982 tour.  He was on the road promoting his fourth album, the one that here in the States is called Security. It was released in a few different packages. The main release in 1983 was a double album.  The CD format of the album was also a double; however there was also a single CD version that was four...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#454 in the Series) is Be-Bop Deluxe, Sunburst Finish. Create a list of 1970’s guitar heroes. Hendrix, Clapton, Richards, Schenker, Gallagher, Ronson, Jones, etc… Be-Bop Deluxe’s Bill Nelson wouldn’t get much mention. He should. Be-Bop Deluxe was a band formed in England in 1972. Classification of Be-Bop is a difficult proposition. In 1972 Deep Purple, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and the Rolling Stones dominated much of the rock world. Perhaps the most logical comparison may be that Be-Bop Deluxe was a poppier version of Roxy Music. Nelson was definitely the straw that stirred the Be-Bop drink. While each member of the band contributes mightily to the sound, every song builds to a burst...

Today’s Cool Album of the Day (#421 in the Series and #39 in the Live, Saturday Night Series) is Yes, Yessongs Saturdays are of course the day we look at a live album. A few of those Saturday’s ago, when discussing The Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense, I mentioned that they picked the right time to record their live album.  I want to make that same point again, but this time even more so. Yes, picked the absolute point in their career to record Yessongs.  In fact, I’ll go one step further in claiming that this marked the ending point to their ‘Glory Days.’  The band would still go on and still create some wonderful music, but this marked...