Tag Archives: Rolling Stone

Rufus: Ask Rufus

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On January 19, 1877, “ABC” label released “Ask Rufus”, the fifth Rufus studio album. It was recorded June – November 1976, at “Kendun Recorders” in Burbank, California, and was produced by Chaka Khan, Tony Maiden, David Wolinski, Kevin Murphy, Bobby Watson and André Fischer. In 2020, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album at number 499 in its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Chaka Khan – lead and backing vocals
  • Tony Maiden – guitar, backing vocals
  • Kevin Murphy – keyboards, backing vocals
  • David “Hawk” Wolinski – keyboards, backing vocals
  • Bobby Watson – bass, backing vocals
  • André Fischer – drums, backing vocals
  • Ronnie Wood – guitar
  • Milt Holland – percussion
  • Clare Fischer – string arrangements, conductor
  • Charles Garnett, Tony Maiden – horn arrangements
  • Gary Starr – engineer
  • Michael Schuman – engineer assistant
  • Brett Lopez – photography

Track listing:

  1. At Midnight (My Love Will Lift You Up) – Tony Maiden, Lalomie Washburn
  2. Close the Door – David Wolinski, Bobby Watson, Chaka Khan, André Fischer
  3. Slow Screw Against the Wall / A Flat Fry (Medley: Instrumental Interlude) – David Wolinski, Bobby Watson
  4. Earth Song – Tony Maiden, Traude Sapik, Chala Khan
  5. Everlasting Love – Kevin Murphy, David Wolinski, Dennis Belfield
  6. Hollywood – David Wolinski, André Fischer
  7. Magic in Your Eyes – Chaka Khan, Tony Maiden
  8. Better Days – Richard Holland, Chaka Khan
  9. Egyptian Song – David Wolinski, Chaka Khan

V.A.: A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records

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On November 22, 1963, “Philles” label released “A Christmas Gift for You from Philles Records”, an album of Christmas songs. It was recorded September – October 1963, at “Gold Star” in Hollywood, and was produced by Phil Spector. In 2003, the album was ranked at no. 142 on “Rolling Stone” magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, and in 2019, it was ranked the greatest “Christmas Album of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Darlen Love – performer (White Christmas, Marshmallow World, Winter Wonderland, Christmas, Baby Please Come Home)
  • The Ronettes – performer (Frosty the Snowman, Sleigh Ride, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus)
  • Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans – performer (The Bells of St. Mary’s, Here Comes Santa Claus)  
  • The Crystals – performer (Santa Claus is Coming to Town, Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, Parade of the Wooden Soldiers)
  • Phil Spector – performer (Silent Night)
  • Barney Kessel – guitar
  • Bill Pitman – guitar
  • Tommy Tedesco – guitar
  • Nino Tempo – guitar
  • Irv Rubins – guitar
  • Leon Russell – piano
  • Al De Lory – piano
  • Don Randi – piano
  • Ray Pohlman – bass
  • Jimmy Bond – bass
  • Hal Blaine – drums
  • Sonny Bono – percussion
  • Frank Capp – percussion
  • Jack Nitzsche – percussion, arrangements
  • Jay Migliori – saxophone
  • Steve Douglas – baritone saxophone
  • Roy Caton – trumpet
  • Lou Blackburn – horns
  • Johnny Vidor – strings
  • Larry Levine – engineer

Track listing:

  1. White Christmas – Irving Berlin
  2. Frosty the Snowman – Steve Nelson, Walter Rollins
  3. The bells of St. Mary’s – A. Emmet Adams, Douglas Furber
  4. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town – J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie
  5. Sleigh Ride – Leroy Anderson, Mitchell Parish
  6. Marshmallow World – Carl Sigman, Peter DeRose
  7. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus – Tommie Connor
  8. Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer – Johnny Marks
  9. Winter Wonderland – Felix Bernard, Dick Smith
  10. Parade of the Wooden Soldiers – Leon Jessel
  11. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home – Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector
  12. Here Comes Santa Claus – Gene Autry, Oakley Haldeman
  13. Silent Night – Josef Mohr, Franz X. Gruber

Etta James: At Last!

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On November 15, 1960, “Argo” label released “At Last!”, the debut Etta James studio album. It was recorded January – October 1960, and was produced by Phil Chess and Leonard Chess. Magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked “At Last!” at number 191 on its list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Etta James – vocals
  • Harvey Fuqua – vocals
  • Riley Hampton – arrangements, conductor
  • Don Bronstein – cover
  • Don Kamerer – liner notes

Track listing:

  1. Anything to Say You’re Mine – Sonny Thompson
  2. My Dearest Darling – Edwin “Eddie Bo” Bocage, Paul Gayten
  3. Trust in Me – Milton Ager, Jean Schwartz, Ned Wever
  4. A Sunday Kind of Love – Louis Prima, Barbara Belle, Anita Leonard, Stan Rhodes
  5. Tough Mary – Etta James, Joe Josea
  6. I Just Want to Make Love to You – Willie Dixon
  7. At Last – Mack Gordon, Harry Warren
  8. All I Could Do Was Cry – Billy Davis, Gwen Fuqua, Berry Gordy
  9. Stormy Weather – Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler
  10. Girl of My Dreams – Charles “Sunny” Clapp

Tina Turner

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On May 24, 2023, Anna Mae Bullock aka Tina Turner died aged 83. She was singer, author, dancer and actress, referred to as the “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, began her career with Ike Turner’s Kings of Rhythm in 1957. In 1958, under the name Little Ann, she released her first record, “Boxtop”. In 1960, she debuted as Tina Turner with the duet single “A Fool in Love”. The duo Ike & Tina Turner became “one of the most formidable live acts in history”. In the 1980s, Turner made a great comeback, and in the decades that followed she sold over 100 million records worldwide, and became one of  the best-selling recording artists of all time. She won twelve “Grammy Awards”, three “Grammy Hall of Fame” awards and a “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award”. Magazine “Rolling Stone” ranked her among the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time”. She was twice inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, with Ike Turner in 1991 and as a solo artist in 2021. In 2005, she was recipient of the “Kennedy Center Honors” and “Women of the Year” award. As leader Tina Turner released nine albums.

Scorpions: Blackout

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On March 29, 1982, “Harvest” label released “Blackout”, the eighth Scorpions studio album. It was recorded November 1981 – January 1982, at “Villa San Pecaire” in Saint Jacques, France, “Dierks Studios” in Stommeln, Germany, and was produced by Dieter Dierks. In 2017, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “Blackout” and number 73, on its list of “The 100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time”. The album was certified Platinum in US by the “RIAA”.

Personnel:

  • Klaus Meine – lead vocals
  • Rudolf Schenker – rhythm guitars, 6 & 12-string acoustic guitars, lead guitars, backing vocals
  • Matthias Jabs – lead guitars, rhythm guitars, 12-string acoustic guitars, backing vocals
  • Francis Buchholz – bass, backing vocals
  • Herman Rarebell – drums, backing vocals
  • Don Dokken – backing vocals
  • Dieter Dierks – engineer
  • Gerd Rautenbach – mixing
  • Bob Ludwig, Howie Weinberg – mastering 

Track listing:

All music by Rudolf Schenker, all lyrics as noted.

  1. Blackout – lyrics by Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell, Sonja Kittelsen
  2. Can’t Live Without You – lyrics by Klaus Meine
  3. No One Like You – lyrics by Klaus Meine
  4. You Give Me All I Need – lyrics by Herman Rarebell
  5. Now – lyrics by Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell
  6. Dynamite – lyrics by Klaus Meine, Herman Rarebell
  7. Arizona – lyrics by Herman Rarebell
  8. China White – lyrics by Klaus Meine
  9. When the Smoke Is Going Down – lyrics by Klaus Meine

David Crosby

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On January 19, 2023, David Van Cortlandt Crosby died aged 81. He was musician (guitar), singer and songwriter, regarded as one of the most influential artists who helped shape the sound of Sixties rock music. Crosby was founding member of The Byrds, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and CPR, and was member of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Crosby performed and recorded with Buffalo Springfield, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Dave Mason, Rick Roberts, Art Garfunkel, Carole King, Becca Stevens, Michelle Willis, Gary Wright, Elton John, J. D. Souther, Paul Kantner, Grace Slick, Michael League, Chris Thile, Hot Tuna, Phil Collins, Lucinda Williams, Indigo Girls, David Gilmour and John Mayer. Crosby was inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame” twice: once as member of The Byrds and again as member of Crosby, Stills and Nash. Five albums to which he contributed are included in Rolling Stone’s magazine list of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In 2019 documentary “David Crosby: Remember My Name” was produced by Cameron Crowe. As leader Crosby released eight albums.  

Noir Désir: 666.667 Club

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On December 17, 1996, “Barclay” label released “666.667 Club”, the fifth Noir Désir studio album. It was recorded in 1996, and was produced by Ted Niceley, Bertrand Cantat, Serge Teyssot-Gay, Jean-Paul Roy and Denis Barthe. French edition of “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “666.667 Club” at number 12 on its list of the “Greatest 100 French Albums of all Time”. The album was certified 2 x Platium in France by “SNEP”.

Personnel:

  • Bertrand Cantat – vocals, guitars, harmonica, percussion
  • Serge Teyssot-Gay – guitars, organ
  • Jean-Paul Roy – bass
  • Denis Barthe – drums, percussion, backing vocals
  • Frédéric Vidalenc – bass
  • Akosh Szelevényi – saxophone, kalimba, oboe, bass clarinet, Tibetan bells
  • Lajkó Félix – violin
  • Alain Perrier, Les Elèves De L’Ecole Nationale De Musique Et De Danse Des Landes, Patrice Labèque, Thierry Duvigneau – backing vocals

Track listing:

All tracks by Bertrand Cantat, Serge Teyssot-Gay, Jean-Paul Roy and Denis Barthe, except where noted.

  1. 666.667 Club
  2. Fin de siècle
  3. Un jour en France
  4. À ton étoile
  5. Ernestine
  6. Comme elle vient
  7. Prayer for a Wanker
  8. Les persiennes
  9. L’homme pressé
  10. Lazy
  11. A la longue
  12. Septembre, en attendant – lyrics by Bertrand Cantat, music by Frédéric Vidalenc
  13. Song for JLP (bonus track, not listed in album cover)

Jerry Lee Lewis

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On October 28, 2022, Jerry Lee Lewis died aged 87. He was musician (piano), singer and songwriter, nicknamed “the Killer”, He was a pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, described as “Rock and roll’s first great wild man and one of the most influential pianists of the 20th century. Lewis won four “Grammy Awards”, including a “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award” and two “Grammy Hall of Fame Awards”. He was inducted into the “Rock and Roll Hall of Fame”, the “Rockabilly Hall of Fame”, “Memphis Music Hall of Fame” and “Country Music Hall of Fame”. In 2003, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked his box set “All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology”, at number 242 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, in 2004, the same magazine ranked him at number 24 of its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. A movie about his life, “Great Balls of Fire”, was released in 1989, starring Dennis Quaid. As leader, Lewis released 40 studio and 8 live albums.

Malcolm Cecil

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On March 28, 2021, Malcolm Cecil died aged 84. He was musician (bass, double bass, synthesizer), in the late 1950s founded The Jazz Corners, performed and recorded with Dick Morrisey, Ronnie Scott, Tony Crombie, Gil Scott Heron, The Isley Brothers, Jim Hall, Bill Augustine, and was member of the band Blues Incorporated. With Robert Margouleff he formed the duo TONTO’s Expanding Head Band, based on combination of synthesizers, described by magazine “Rolling Stone” as revolutionary. As leader, Cecil released one album.

Elliot Smith: Either/Or

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On February 25, 1997, “Kill Rock Stars” label released “Either/Or”, the third Elliot Smith studio album. It was recorded in 1996, and was produced by Elliot Smith, Tom Rothrock and Rob Schnapf. In 2013, “NME” magazine ranked Either/Or at number 149 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”, and in 2020, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked the album at number 216 on its list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Personnel:

  • Elliott Smith – vocals, all instruments, mixing
  • Larry Crane – recording
  • Joanna Bolme – mixing, back cover photography
  • Rob Schnapf – mixing
  • Tom Rothrock – mixing
  • Don C. Tyler – mastering
  • Neil Gust – sleeve layout
  • Debbie Pastor – front cover photography

Track listing

All tracks by Elliott Smith.

  1. Speed Trials
  2. Alameda
  3. Ballad of Big Nothing
  4. Between the Bars
  5. Pictures of Me
  6. No Name No.5
  7. Rose Parade
  8. Punch and Judy
  9. Angeles
  10. Cupid’s Trick
  11. 2.45 AM
  12. Say Yes