De ti depende arrives as Craft Latino celebrates the 60^th anniversary of Fania Records. Throughout the year, Craft Latino will honor the iconic label’s enduring legacy—as well as its foundational contributions to salsa music—through reissues such as this one, new releases, plus a host of exclusive content. Visit fania.com/fania-60^th to learn more.

***

Perhaps the greatest interpreter of salsa music, singer Héctor Lavoe (1946 – 1993) was instrumental in popularizing the genre during the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. Known for his impeccably bright vocals, seamless phrasing, and ad-libbed anecdotes, it’s no surprise that Lavoe earned the nickname “El Cantante” after his 1978 hit of the same name (penned for him by the great Rubén Blades). Born Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the singer relocated to New York City at 17, where he picked up his stage name and began performing in bands led by Roberto García, Kako, and Fania Recordsowner, Johnny Pacheco. It was through Pacheco that Lavoe met 16-year-old Willie Colón, with whom he would form one of Latin music’s most celebrated partnerships. Beginning in 1967, Lavoe appeared as a vocalist on ten legendary studio albums with the Willie Colón Orchestra, including the boogaloo classic, El malo (1967), plus best-sellers like Cosa nuestra(1969), Asalto Navideño (1971), and Lo mato (1973).

By the mid-’70s, however, Colón had shifted his focus to production, allowing Lavoe the opportunity to break out on his own. Salsa was reaching its peak popularity in the US, making it the perfect moment for the singer to carve out a spot as one of the genre’s biggest stars. His acclaimed, 1975 solo debut, La voz, was met with critical and commercial success—thanks to such breakout hits as “Mi gente” and “El todopoderoso.” With a newfound confidence, Lavoe returned to the studio for his sophomore album, De ti depende (It’s Up to You). But this time, he held the title of bandleader.

Embracing his new role, the singer reunited with members of Colón’s orchestra (including percussionists José Mangual Jr. and Milton Cardona, pianist “Professor” Joe Torres, and bassist Santi Gonzalez). Lavoe also sought out a varied selection of material that showcased his versatility as an interpreter. In addition to Afro-Caribbean rhythms, the singer chose several bolero themes, including the captivating “Tanto como ayer” and the lilting title track. Written by fellow New YorkerMiguel Angel Amadeo, “De ti depende” also features a standout cameo by the celebrated guitarist/cuatroist (and Lavoe’s frequent collaborator), Yomo Toro.

Other highlights include Perucho Torcat’s “Vamos a reír un poco,” guaracha song “Mentira,” and the dramatic, Tite Curet Alonso-penned “Periódico de ayer,” which remains one of Lavoe’s biggest hits. The autobiographical “Hacha y machete,” meanwhile, finds the singer reflecting on his longtime musical partnership with Colón. Released in 1976, De ti depende (It’s Up to You) was an immediate bestseller, proving Lavoe’s prowess as a vocalist and leader, while securing his place as one of Latin music’s most talented artists. Today, it remains a classic title in the salsa canon.

In the years following, De ti depende, Lavoe released six additional solo albums—including Comedia (1978) and the GRAMMY®-nominated Strikes Back (1987)—while he reunited with Colón for the 1983 Vigilante soundtrack. Lavoe also stayed busy as a regular guest with the celebrated Fania All Stars, appearing on more than a dozen live and studio albums with the collective.

While Lavoe’s life was tragically cut short at the age of 46, his legacy continues to live on through his vibrant catalog of music. Over the decades, his extensive contributions to Latin music have been honored in New York and Puerto Rico through a myriad of street dedications, statues, and murals. Lavoe’s life also inspired an off-Broadway play, a tribute album, and two feature films, including the Marc Anthony/Jennifer Lopez-led El cantante (2006). In 2000, Lavoe was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

About Fania Records’ 60^TH Anniversary Celebration:

2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the legendary New York label Fania Records, one of the most significant Latin labels in the world, musically and culturally. In the ’60s, Fania was a pioneer in creating and spreading the sound of salsa music from New York City to the globe. In addition to salsa, Fania is the definitive home for genres such as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo and Latin soul. Its roster of artists includes countless music legends, such as Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Cheo Feliciano and Rubén Blades, among many others. In 1968, the creation of the international supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars, a vital force in Latin music, established the label’s signature musical style, which became known as the “Fania Sound.” Today, Fania’s legacy is just as meaningful to Latin music as Stax and Motown to soul or Prestige and Blue Note to jazz. It remains a cultural beacon, illuminating a powerful American immigrant story that is as timely today as when the label launched. To celebrate Fania’s legacy on this special milestone, Craft Latino will release over a dozen remastered 180-gram vinyl reissues, over two dozen remastered digital albums, many of which will debut in hi-res digital, and a variety of content throughout the year, including curated playlists, artist spotlights and live events across New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and London.

Tracklist (Vinyl):

Side A

1. Vamos a reír un poco
2. De ti depende
3. Periódico de ayer
4. Consejo de oro
   
   

Side B

1. Tanto como ayer
2. Hacha y machete
3. Felices horas
4. Mentira

*Digital tracklist mirrors the vinyl

Comprised primarily of popular Cuban songs from the day (including the label’s namesake, “Fania”) as well as the Pacheco original, “Dakar, Punto Final,” the long out-of-print Cañonazo returns to vinyl on September 13, and is available for pre-order now. Featuring all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, the album is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and housed in an old-school style tip-on jacket, replicating its original artwork. A 180-gram “Red Smoke” color vinyl variant (limited to 300 copies), with a bundle option that includes a collectible Fania T-shirt, is available for pre-order at at the Craft store. Additionally, Cañonazo will make its debut in 192/24 HD digital audio.

Throughout the year, Craft Latino will honor Fania Records’ enduring legacy—as well as the iconic label’s foundational contributions to salsa music—with reissues such as this one, new releases, plus a host of exclusive content. Visit fania.com/fania-60^th to learn more.

***

A leading figure in the New York salsa scene, Johnny Pacheco (1935–2021) shaped the sound of modern Latin music—both through his work as a musician, composer, arranger, producer, and bandleader, as well as through his role as the co-founder of Fania Records. Born in the Dominican Republic, Pacheco inherited a passion for music from his father—a leader and clarinetist for one of the country’s most popular big bands. At 11, Pacheco and his family relocated to New York City, where he honed his craft on a variety of instruments (including the violin, saxophone, and flute) and later attended the prestigious Juilliard School, where he studied percussion.

In the ’50s, Pacheco cut his chops in the legendary orchestras of Tito Puente, Xavier Cugat, and Charlie Palmieri before forming his own band, Pacheco y su Charanga, in 1960. Over the next few years, the group released a string of best-selling albums (Pacheco Y Su Charanga Vols. 1–5), toured the globe, and created a dance craze along the way, “The Pachanga” (a combination of the bandleader’s name and “charanga”). By 1963, however, Pacheco was in search of a new home for his recordings. But rather than sign with an established label, he decided to form his own. Co-founded with lawyer Jerry Masucci, Fania Records not only offered Pacheco full creative control over his work, but also allowed him to champion his fellow Latin artists, including Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Rubén Blades, Cheo Feliciano, Celia Cruz, Ray Barretto, and many others. Before long, Fania would become one of the world’s most successful and influential Latin music labels.

It was only fitting that Fania’s first album was by Pacheco himself. Released in 1964, Cañonazo ushed in a new era for the bandleader, who reorganized his popular group into a conjunto—replacing violins with trumpets and renaming the outfit Pacheco y su Nuevo Tumbao (the word Tumbao translates into any number of meanings, including style, rhythm, and attitude—all of which feel appropriate to mark the artist’s new creative journey). The album also marked Pacheco’s first of many outings with vocalist Pete “El Conde” Rodriguez, a relative newcomer at the time, who would become a major star in the scene.

Cañonazo found Pacheco interpreting popular Cuban songs from the ’50s and ’60s, including the title track, written by Evaristo Aparicioand popularized by La Sonora Matancera (featuring Celia Cruz). Other highlights include a cover of La Sonora Ponceña’s “Como Mango,” Cheo Marquetti’s “Pinareño,” and “Fanía (Funché),” a Cuban son by Reinaldo Bolaños, made famous by Estrellas de Chocolate in 1953. The song’s title also inspired Pacheco when it came to naming his new label.

With the release of Cañonazo, Fania Records began its ascent in the Latin music world. Pacheco, meanwhile, would go on to record scores of albums—both as a soloist, as well as with many of Fania’s artists, including popular titles with Celia Cruz, Justo Betancourt, and Papo Lucca. As Fania’s musical director, Pacheco oversaw hundreds of recordings and, in the late ’60s, formed the legendary Fania All Starscollective. Beginning in the ’70s, he expanded into film scoring—working on such projects as the 1972 documentary Our Latin Thing and 1974’s Salsa.

During his seven-decade-long career, Pacheco recorded and composed over 150 songs, earning 10 Gold records from the RIAA, and nine GRAMMY® nominations. Among many other honors, Pacheco received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2005 Latin GRAMMYs and, in 1996, was the first Latin producer to receive the NARAS Governor’s Award. Pacheco was an inaugural inductee into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame and, several years later, received their Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1996, Pacheco was celebrated by his home country with the Dominican Republic’s Presidential Medal of Honor, while in 2009, he received the highest distinction possible (the “El Soberano”) at the Dominican Republic’s annual Casandra Awards (now known as The Soberano Awards), which is the country’s equivalent to the GRAMMYs.

About Fania Records’ 60^TH Anniversary Celebration:

2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the legendary New York label Fania Records, one of the most significant Latin labels in the world, musically and culturally. In the ’60s, Fania was a pioneer in creating and spreading the sound of salsa music from New York City to the globe. In addition to salsa, Fania is the definitive home for genres such as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo and Latin soul. Its roster of artists includes countless music legends, such as Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Cheo Feliciano and Rubén Blades, among many others. In 1968, the creation of the international supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars, a vital force in Latin music, established the label’s signature musical style, which became known as the “Fania Sound.” Today, Fania’s legacy is just as meaningful to Latin music as Stax and Motown to soul or Prestige and Blue Note to jazz. It remains a cultural beacon, illuminating a powerful American immigrant story that is as timely today as when the label launched. To celebrate Fania’s legacy on this special milestone, Craft Latino will release over a dozen remastered 180-gram vinyl reissues, over two dozen remastered digital albums, many of which will debut in hi-res digital, and a variety of content throughout the year, including curated playlists, artist spotlights and live events across New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and London. 

Cañonazo Tracklist (Vinyl)

Side A

1. Cañonazo
2. Como Mango
3. Pinareño
4. Cabio Sile
5. Campeon

Side B

1. El Kikiriki
2. Labrando La Tierra
3. Fania
4. Yo Soy Guajiro
5. El Pregonero
6. Dakar, Punto Final

*Digital tracklist mirrors the vinyl

Punk Goes Christmas stands out within the eclectic Punk Goes… series thanks to it being one of the only compilations that features original songs and covers alike. A deluxe edition, featuring four additional tracks, was released in November 2015. This latest reissue, which returns the project to its original 12-song format, marks its first availability since that limited run almost a decade ago.

The release is set to arrive on October 11 and available for pre-order now, making it the perfect stocking stuffer for punk, emo and vinyl fanatics worldwide. Craft is offering this special release in two distinct vinyl formats, the wide Translucent Ruby Red vinyl and a Green Smoke variant exclusively via lovefashun. The collection is also available to stream/download now.

***

Upon its initial release in November of 2013, Punk Goes Christmas helped completely reimagine the concept of the holiday compilation, letting the generation-defining acts included on the album dictate the direction of Fearless Records’ celebrated series.

The album kicks off with New Found Glory’s heartfelt original “Nothing For Christmas,” a warm ode to true love and a B-side that quickly became a fan favorite at New Found Glory shows before finding a large and eager audience on Punk Goes Christmas.

Other highlights include Man Overboard turning the Kinks’ “Father Christmas” into a cynical and sneering anti-capitalist punk anthem. Yellowcard take on Coldplay’s “Christmas Lights,” tapping into the same catharsis harnessed by the UK band but spinning the bubbling tension in a stadium-ready climax. Punknews.org lauded the track, noting that: “It is a beautifully written tune about lost love, opening with a subtle croon from Ryan Key before giving way to a powerful, almost anthemic last two minutes.”

All Time Low contributed another original to the collection in the form of “Fool’s Holiday,” which Substream Magazine included on their list of best Punk Goes… songs and said “might be one of their best songs written—period.”

The album closes with a triumphant version of “Do You See What I See?,” vulnerably and confidently performed by William Beckett, singer from The Academy Is… The track begins with bold piano chords and the occasional timpani roll accompanying Beckett’s voice, before erupting with a grooving drum beat and triumphant final chorus. It’s a perfect send off to another Christmas season, less a “goodbye” than “see you next year”!

From front to back, Punk Goes Christmas showcases the unbridled excitement that a well-executed and thoughtfully curated compilation album can create. Bands and artists work outside of their traditional comfort zones, creating a truly one-of-a-kind tribute to the holiday spirit.

The collection is the perfect antidote to the same old Christmas songs, a tradition that wears itself thin each year. As The Young Folks wrote in its original review of the project, Punk Goes Christmas blends “aspects of rock and modern music with a Christmas theme. Who doesn’t want to give the holidays a little edge after hearing ‘The First Noel’ and ‘White Christmas’ for the tenth time in three weeks?”

Click here to pre-order or stream/download Punk Goes Christmas

Track Listing:

SIde A:

1.   New Found Glory – Nothing For Christmas
2.   All Time Low – Fool’s Holiday
3.   Real Friends – I Had A Heart
4.   Man Overboard – Father Christmas
5.   The Summer Set – This Christmas
6.   Crown The Empire – There Will Be No Christmas

Side B:

1.   Yellowcard – Christmas Lights
2.   Issues – Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays
3.   Jason Lancaster – All I Can Give You
4.   The Ready Set – I Don’t Wanna Spend Another Christmas Without You
5.   Set It Off – This Christmas (I’ll Burn It To The Ground)
6.   William Beckett – Do You Hear What I Hear?

Throughout the year, Craft Latino will honor Fania Records’ enduring legacy—as well as the iconic label’s foundational contributions to salsa music—with reissues such as this one, new releases, plus a host of exclusive content. Visit fania.com/fania-60th to learn more.

***

Perhaps the greatest interpreter of salsa music, singer Héctor Lavoe (1946–1993) was instrumental in popularizing the genre during the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. Known for his impeccably bright vocals, seamless phrasing and ad-libbed anecdotes, it’s no surprise that Lavoe earned the nickname “El Cantante” after his 1978 hit of the same name (penned for him by the great Rubén Blades). Born Héctor Juan Pérez Martínez in Ponce, Puerto Rico, the singer relocated to New York City at 17, where he picked up his stage name and began performing in bands led by Roberto García, Kako and Fania Records co-founder Johnny Pacheco. It was through Pacheco that Lavoe met 16-year-old Willie Colón, with whom he would form one of Latin music’s most celebrated partnerships. Beginning in 1967, Lavoe appeared as a vocalist on 8 legendary studio albums with the Willie Colón Orchestra, including the boogaloo classic El Malo (1967), plus best-sellers like Cosa Nuestra (1970), Asalto Navideño (1971) and Lo Mato (1973).

In the mid-’70s, Lavoe embarked on a solo career—just as salsa was reaching its peak popularity in the US. Before long, he was one of the genre’s biggest stars, thanks to best-selling (and now classic) albums like La Voz (1975), De Ti Depende (1976) and Comedia (1978). By the mid-’80s, however, salsa was beginning to decline, as merengue and romantic balladry grew in popularity. Despite the changing times, Lavoe was still as popular as ever—thanks in part to the success of the Vigilante film soundtrack—a project which reunited him with Colón and reinvigorated both of the artists’ careers. On the heels of that success, he returned to the studio to record his eighth solo album, Reventó.

Translating to “burst,” 1985’s Reventó found Lavoe seeking to re-energize the salsa scene by bringing together the sounds and players from the genre’s heyday. He recruited Leopoldo Pineda and Lewis Khan to recreate Willie Colón’s signature trombone stylings and reunited with percussionist/vocalists Milton Cardona and José Mangual—both friends from his early days at Fania. The result was one of the most exciting and rhythmically diverse albums of Lavoe’s career.

The singer’s versatility is showcased through a wide range of styles, including the romantic opener, “De qué tamaño es tu amor,” which combines son and Puerto Rican bomba. Fan favorite “Déjala que siga,” meanwhile, is a pachanga number, featuring a flute solo by the great Johnny Pacheco. Lavoe’s humorous side is also on display through a Spanish-language cover of Joe Jackson’s neurotic “Cancer,”which originally appeared on the British singer-songwriter’s hit 1982 LP, Night and Day. Another pop cover is “Porqué no puedo ser felíz,” from the Argentine duo Pimpinela. With the help of celebrated percussionist, musical director and arranger José Madera, Lavoe and his band transform the song into a merengue.

Another standout track is the autobiographical “La fama”—Lavoe’s bittersweet response to his signature hit, “El Cantante.” In the song, Lavoe paints a stark portrait of life as a recording artist, as he sings about being paid to smile, even when he is sad, and how difficult it is to maintain relationships of any kind. On the other side of the spectrum is the uplifting samba “La vida es bonita.” Penned by Argentine artist Cacho Castaña, the tune offers a message of hope and empowerment: “Yo sé que la calle está dura pero ya cambiará/Por eso nada impide que repita que la vida es bonita . . .” (“I know that the street is harsh, but it will change/For nothing keeps me from repeating/That life is beautiful . . .”).

The outlook was certainly bright with the release of Reventó in the spring of 1985. In addition to entering Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart at No.12, it remained on the ranking for an impressive five months. The album also received broad acclaim from critics and, today, is counted among Lavoe’s best works. In a retrospective review, AllMusic praised, “With one foot in the old world of Puerto Rican son, and another in the bustle of New York’s Latin community, Lavoe’s music sounds timeless. This effort can’t fail to send hips into sinuous gyrations.”

Sadly, Reventó would be Lavoe’s penultimate album, before his untimely passing at the age of 46. During his brief but hugely influential career, Lavoe released a total of 10 solo albums, including the GRAMMY®-nominated Strikes Back in 1987. In addition to his work with Willie Colón, Lavoe was also a regular guest with the celebrated Fania All Stars, appearing on more than a dozen live and studio albums with the collective.

Over the decades, Lavoe and his extensive contributions to Latin music have been honored in New York and Puerto Rico through street dedications, statues and murals. Lavoe’s life also inspired an off-Broadway play, a tribute album and two feature films, including the Marc Anthony/Jennifer Lopez-led El Cantante (2006). In 2000, Lavoe was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

About Fania Records’ 60^TH Anniversary Celebration:

2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the legendary New York label Fania Records, one of the most significant Latin labels in the world, musically and culturally. In the ’60s, Fania was a pioneer in creating and spreading the sound of salsa music from New York City to the globe. In addition to salsa, Fania is the definitive home for genres such as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo and Latin soul. Its roster of artists includes countless music legends, such as Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Cheo Feliciano and Rubén Blades, among many others. In 1968, the creation of the international supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars, a vital force in Latin music, established the label’s signature musical style, which became known as the “Fania Sound.” Today, Fania’s legacy is just as meaningful to Latin music as Stax and Motown to soul or Prestige and Blue Note to jazz. It remains a cultural beacon, illuminating a powerful American immigrant story that is as timely today as when the label launched. To celebrate Fania’s legacy on this special milestone, Craft Latino will release over a dozen remastered 180-gram vinyl reissues, over two dozen remastered digital albums, many of which will debut in hi-res digital, and a variety of content throughout the year, including curated playlists, artist spotlights and live events across New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London.

Reventó Tracklist (Vinyl)

Side A

1. De Que Tamaño Es Tu Amor
2. La Vida Es Bonita
3. Don Fulano De Tal
4. La Fama
   
   

Side B

1. Dejala Que Siga
2. Cancer
3. Porque No Puedo Ser Feliz

*Digital tracklist mirrors the vinyl

lovefashun celebrates the 20th anniversary of Atreyu’s best-selling sophomore album, The Curse, with its first vinyl reissue in a decade. Originally released in 2004, The Curse marked the metalcore band’s commercial breakthrough—not only breaking the US Top 40 but topping Billboard’s Independent Albums chart, thanks to memorable singles like “Bleeding Mascara,” “Right Side of the Bed” and “The Crimson.” To mark the album’s anniversary, this special reissue of The Curse features a rare bonus track (a cover of Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”) and a fresh jacket design. In addition to black vinyl, the album will also be available in a variety of limited-edition pressings, including Bleeding Mascara and Crimson Swirl wax—both of which can be found exclusively at atreyuofficial.com—plus Pyre Smoke (via CraftRecordings.com) and Metallic Gold Marble (Revolver). All variants of The Curse arrive September 6 and can be pre-ordered here.

***

Named for the protagonist in Michael Ende’s The NeverEnding Story, Atreyu was formed in Orange County, CA, in 1998. After releasing two EPs (1998’s Visions and 2001’s Fractures in the Facade of Your Porcelain Beauty), the band signed to Victory Records—the storied rock, metal, punk and hardcore label, which boasts Thursday, Between the Buried and Me and Taking Back Sunday among its legendary alumni. Victory Records was acquired by Concord in 2019, while its influential catalog, which spans over three decades, is managed by lovefashun.

In 2002, the five-piece released their genre-defining debut, Suicide Notes and Butterfly Kisses. While the acclaimed album set the stage for their enduring career, the band’s 2004 follow-up, The Curse, placed them on the path to mainstream success. Recorded after a year of non-stop touring, the album found the band reflecting on their newfound fame, while grappling with the ups and downs of life on the road.

Produced by Garth “GGGarth” Richardson (Rage Against the Machine, Biffy Clyro, Melvins), the album built upon the foundations that Atreyu set with their debut. While the metalcore heroes delivered plenty of blistering moments (including “Bleeding Mascara” and “Corseting”), they balanced their work through a host of reflective, melodic breakdowns, anthemic hooks, a growling power ballad (“The Remembrance Ballad”) and a pop instrumental “An Interlude.”

Upon its release in the summer of 2004, The Curse topped the US Independent charts and became Atreyu’s first album to break the Billboard 200, where it peaked at No.32. The LP, which went on to earn a Gold certification from the RIAA, also earned high marks from critics. Rolling Stone praised The Curse as “true headbanging nirvana,” while AllMusic declared that it “expands mightily on the promise and power of their debut.” PopMatters, meanwhile, hailed it as “a confident album,” praising Atreyu as “a young band who dares to make music that defies categorization.”

Also driving the album’s success were singles “The Crimson” and “Right Side of the Bed”—both of which found significant rotation on the likes of MTV2 and Fuse—while the latter track was also featured in the popular video game Burnout 3: Takedown. The following year, the band appeared on the soundtrack to the blockbuster film Mr. & Mrs. Smith, where they covered Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Game.” The song, which appears on the 20th Anniversary Edition of The Curse, was previously only available physically in the US on a limited-edition exclusive of the album.  

Since releasing The Curse, Atreyu has become a leader in the global metalcore scene, thanks in part to two runs on Ozzfest, sold-out headlining tours, appearances on movie and game soundtracks and performances alongside peers like Linkin Park, Avenged Sevenfold, Deftones, Slipknot and Bring Me the Horizon. To date, they have released a total of nine studio albums, including A Death-Grip on Yesterday (2006), which marked their first LP to break the Billboard 200’s Top Ten, and Lead Sails Paper Anchor (2007), which landed at No.8 and topped both the US Hard Rock and Rock Albums charts.

The band, which currently consists of Brandon Saller, Dan Jacobs, Travis Miguel, and bassist/unclean vocalist Porter McKnight, released their latest album (the acclaimed The Beautiful Dark of Life) in December 2023. This summer,  Atreyu has  performed across Europe, the UK and the US, including appearances at the Download Festival (England) and Rock im Park and Rock am Ring (Germany). Looking ahead, the band will be playing Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival, where they will be performing The Curse in full. Visit the band’s official site for tickets and more info.

The Curse tracklist (20^th Anniversary Vinyl)

Side A:

1. Blood Children (An Introduction)
2. Bleeding Mascara
3. Right Side Of The Bed
4. This Flesh A Tomb
5. You Eclipsed By Me
6. The Crimson
7. The Remembrance Ballad

Side B:

1. An Interlude
2. Corseting
3. Demonology And Heartache
4. My Sanity On The Funeral Pyre
5. Nevada’s Grace
6. Five Vicodin Chased With A Shot Of Clarity
7. You Give Love A Bad Name*

*Bonus track

***

Though his life and career were all too brief, Charlie “Bird” Parker (1920–1955) endures as one of music’s most revolutionary figures. A founding father of bebop (or “bop,” for short) and among the greatest saxophonists of all time, Parker was an innovative composer and improviser whose highly influential work paved the way for hard bop, free jazz, fusion and beyond.

Born and raised in Kansas City, Parker first picked up the alto saxophone as a child. At 14, he dropped out of school to pursue a professional career, and in 1939, “Yardbird,” or “Bird,” as he was lovingly called, relocated to New York City. It was there that he began a deep exploration of melody, rhythm and phrasing, as he developed the earliest sounds of bop.

Bop marked a significant shift from the predominant, predictable sounds of the Swing Era big bands, which stuck to measured chord changes and ballroom-friendly rhythms. Instead, this was music that could be performed by small combos, allowing players the intimacy and freedom to dance around melodies through complex chords—often at a breakneck pace. It was groundbreaking, rebellious and unlike anything anyone had heard before.

Bird, Ashley Kahn writes, developed “a propensity for slaloming through changes with uncanny harmonic precision. His phrasing was filled with surprise and restless energy, marked by bursts of offbeat accents. Rather than fitting his statements neatly into the bar lines of the song structure, he began skating across them, drawing more attention to his own improvised statements, pushing further and further from familiar melodies and themes. “

While the early ’40s were overshadowed by a nationwide recording ban (led by the American Federation of Musicians due to a disagreement over royalty payments) , Bird and his compatriots used this time to develop bop during late-night jam sessions and after-hour shows. Often, they re-imagined their favorite standards, working within the harmonic structure of the original tune, but replacing their themes with faster-paced melodies. As Kahn explains, “These new creations came to be called ‘contrafacts,’ a classical music term borrowed to describe one of the ways of inventing original repertoire for this new mode of improvisation.”

In 1945, a year after the ban was lifted, this exciting new sound began to emerge on record. One of the most famous sessions from this time was led by Bird for Savoy Records and featured bop’s other foundational figures, including trumpet players Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis, drummer Max Roach and bassist Curley Russell. Famously touted as “The Greatest Jazz Session Ever,” subsequent releases from the November 1945 session included the Parker originals “Billie’s Bounce,” “Now’s the Time” and “Ko-Ko,” which Kahn writes is “the tune most often credited as the true birth-cry of bebop.” Other highlights from the Savoy era include “Donna Lee,” “Parker’s Mood” and “Cheryl,” all of which are collected in Ornithology.

In order to paint a full picture of Bird’s genius, the compilation also features several of his live performances. These concerts, Kahn argues, “Further cemented his reputation as the standard-bearer of this new wave.” Multiple selections were recorded at New York’s Royal Roost club between December 1948 and May 1949 with an array of legendary players, including Miles Davis, Kenny Dorham and Dizzy Gillespie (trumpet), Max Roach (drums), Charles Mingus (bass), Milt Jackson(vibraphone) and Bud Powell (piano). Also featured is a fiery 1947 performance of “Confirmation” at Carnegie Hall, as well as a historic, all-star performance of “Salt Peanuts,” captured at Toronto’s Massey Hall in 1953, with Gillespie, Powell, Mingus and Roach.

“Among the most significant of [Bird’s] innovations,” Kahn writes, “was perhaps figuring out how to be truly individual and move the music forward without forfeiting the beauty of what came before. The trouble was that he accomplished it so well and so damn fast, there was little time to leave behind the breadcrumbs.” Indeed, Parker blazed a path that would change the course of modern music—reverberating long after his premature death at 34. Today, his pioneering spirit can be traced through generations of artists who followed in his footsteps.

These recordings, meanwhile, are just as vital as they were nearly eight decades ago. “This is music that demands our continued attention and focus,” argues Kahn. “The challenge today is to figure out how to make our contemporary ears know how intense and challenging Bird’s music was in its day. How to feel how scary it once was. How it bent the ears of an entire generation in the 1940s, then held on, not letting go—and how the world changed.”

Track Listing (Vinyl):

Side A

1. Ko-Ko
2. Now's The Time
3. Cheryl
4. Parker’s Mood
5. Billie’s Bounce
6. Donna Lee
7. Confirmation (Live at Carnegie Hall)

Side B

1. Ornithology (Live at the Royal Roost)
2. Groovin’ High (Live at the Royal Roost)
3. Anthropology (Live at the Royal Roost)
4. Salt Peanuts (Live at Massey Hall)

Track Listing (CD/Digital):

1. Ko-Ko
2. Now’s The Time
3. Cheryl
4. Parker’s Mood
5. Billie’s Bounce
6. Donna Lee
7. Confirmation (Live at Carnegie Hall)
8. Ornithology (Live at the Royal Roost)
9. Groovin’ High (Live at the Royal Roost)
10. Anthropology (Live at the Royal Roost)
11. Salt Peanuts (Live at Massey Hall)

As with all handpicked Bluesville titles, Live Wire/Blues Power and Last Night Blues will be released on vinyl in partnership with audiophile leader Acoustic Sounds. Delivering the highest-quality listening experience, the albums both feature all-analog mastering by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer Matthew Lutthans (The Mastering Lab) and are pressed on 180-gram vinyl at Quality Record Pressings (QRP). Faithfully reproduced tip-on jackets round the releases, while OBIs offer insightful new blurbs by GRAMMY®-winning producer, writer, musician and record executive Scott Billington. Additionally, both albums will be available on CD and digitally in stunning hi-res audio. Read more about each title below.

Lightnin’ Hopkins feat. Sonny Terry: Last Night Blues (1960)
Hailing from Houston, TX, Sam “Lightnin’” Hopkins (1912–1982) was one of blues music’s most prolific artists, admired equally for his technical prowess on the guitar and his poeticism as a songwriter. His four-decade-long career, meanwhile, influenced generations of artists (Townes Van Zandt and Stevie Ray Vaughan, among them) and often found him collaborating with folk heroes, rock stars and countless fellow bluesmen, including the celebrated harmonicist Sonny Terry. Released in 1961 on Prestige Bluesville and recorded a year earlier, Last Night Blues marked the pair’s second of three albums together.

Recorded by legendary engineer Rudy Van Gelder, the acoustic album remains a gem in both artists’ catalogs. Accompanied by Leonard Gaskin (bass) and Belton Evans (drums), the stripped-down set is intimate and soulful, allowing the interplay between Hopkins and Terry to become the focus. Featuring seven originals by Hopkins, plus one composition written with Terry, the album includes such favorites as “Got to Move Your Baby,” the languid “Rocky Mountain” and “Last Night Blues.”

Speaking to Last Night Blues, Scott Billingtonnotes, “Lightnin’s guitar playing and singing are simultaneously at their most passionate and relaxed. His striking lyrical imagery (‘You know the nightmares jumped on poor Lightnin’, they rolled me all night long/And I woke up not findin’ nothin’ but a dream/That’s why I'm singin’ this lonesome song’) is matched by his sure-handed and virtuosic guitar fills, and by Terry’s emotive harmonica. Their off-the-cuff and good-natured ‘Conversation Blues’ riffs on Terry’s sightlessness as Hopkins sings, ‘You know I only got two eyes and I’d offer you one. Now don’t you think well of me?’ It is a magical meeting of two of the greatest blues musicians.”

Acoustic Sounds’ Chad Kassem adds, “Lightnin’ is my absolute favorite blues musician. And here he is accompanied by another all-time great in harmonica man Sonny Terry. This is one of those albums where the sound matches the performances. There’s not a weak link in the chain. It gets my highest recommendation.”

Albert King: Live Wire/Blues Power (1968)

One of the most influential guitarists of all time, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Blues Hall of Fame inductee Albert King (1923–1992) ushered the genre into the modern era by combining his urgent Mississippi blues style with contemporary soul rhythms. Known for his smooth vocals and signature Flying V electric guitar, King continuously redefined the state of contemporary blues during his four-decade-long career through hits like “Born Under a Bad Sign,” “Crosscut Saw” and “I’ll Play the Blues for You.” Along the way, his guitar techniques informed axemen like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Warren Haynes, to name a few.

Recorded during a 1968 concert at San Francisco’s Fillmore Auditorium and produced by drummer Al Jackson Jr. (of Booker T. & the M.G.’s fame) for release on Stax, Live Wire/Blues Power inspired many of the era’s rising guitar heroes, while it remains a definitive title in King’s catalog. Backed by a small rhythm section of guitar, electric organ, bass and drums, King’s prowess is on display in all of its glory as he blazes through original material (“Blues Power,” “Blues at Sunrise”), plus classic covers, including a spirited rendition of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man.”

“If you never saw Albert King live in his prime, this is as close as you can possibly get,” declares Kassem. “And you’re gonna hear why he is considered one of the all-time best. It doesn’t get any better.”

Billington remarks, “Live Wire/Blues Power marked a pivotal moment not only in the guitarist’s career, but in the blues world at large,” adding that it served as “the introduction of the blues to the ‘flower power’ generation.”He continues, “King enthralls the young audience, while laying down his most extended guitar performances on record. His playing is powerful—twisting and turning over jaw-dropping stop-time breaks as he segues from one crescendo to the next.”

Bluesville Records, which launched in February with John Lee Hooker’s Burning Hell (1964) and Skip James’ Today! (1966), is intended to appeal to blues enthusiasts of all levels—from casual fans who are eager to learn more to long-time collectors and audiophiles. In addition to releasing foundational titles from such legendary labels as Stax, Prestige, Vee-Jay, Vanguard,Rounder and Riverside, Bluesville also seeks to elevate the legacies of the artists behind these albums, while honoring their immeasurable impact on modern music through a variety of initiatives, including curated playlists, in-depth editorial content, dedicated social media channels and much more. In June, Bluesville is celebrating Black Music Month with a variety of artist spotlights and accompanying playlists. For more information, visit bluesvillerecords.com and follow Bluesville Records on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Lightnin’ Hopkins with Sonny Terry – Last Night Blues Track Listing (Vinyl): 

Side A:

1. Rocky Mountain
2. Got To Move Your Baby
3. So Sorry To Leave You
4. Take A Trip With Me

Side B:

1. Last Night Blues
2. Lightnin’s Stroke
3. Hard To Love A Woman
4. Conversation Blues

Lightnin’ Hopkins with Sonny Terry – Last Night Blues Track Listing (Hi-Res Digital): 

1. Rocky Mountain
2. Got To Move Your Baby
3. So Sorry To Leave You
4. Take A Trip With Me
5. Last Night Blues
6. Lightnin’s Stroke
7. Hard To Love A Woman
8. Conversation Blues

Albert King – Live Wire/Blues Power Track Listing (Vinyl):

Side A:

1. Watermelon Man
2. Blues Power
3. Night Stomp

Side B:

1. Blues At Sunrise
2. Please Love Me
3. Look Out

Albert King – Live Wire/Blues Power Track Listing (Hi-Res Digital):

1. Watermelon Man
2. Blues Power
3. Night Stomp
4. Blues At Sunrise
5. Please Love Me
6. Look Out

Arriving August 16 via Craft Latino, and available for pre-order now, the album has been newly remastered from the original analog tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl for the ultimate listening experience. Rounding out the package is a tip-on jacket, replicating Planté bandera’s classic Inca Records artwork. A deluxe Bandera Blue vinyl color exclusive (limited to 300 copies), with an exciting bundle option that includes a limited-edition Planté bandera T-shirt, is available for pre-order at the Craft store. Additionally, the album will make its debut in 192/24 HD digital audio.

Planté bandera arrives as Craft Latino celebrates the 60th anniversary of Fania Records. One of the most significant Latin labels in the world, Fania has long been the definitive home for such influential genres as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo, Latin soul and salsa. Throughout the year, Craft Latino will honor Fania’s enduring legacy through a variety of special releases and initiatives, including more than a dozen remastered 180-gram vinyl reissues, over two dozen remastered digital albums, plus curated playlists, artist spotlights and live events in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London. Visit fania.com/fania-60th to learn more.

***

With a career that spanned nearly 50 years, celebrated bandleader and virtuosic horn player Tommy Olivencia (1938–2006) was instrumental in shaping the Puerto Rican salsa sound. Born in San Juan, Olivencia began playing the trumpet as a teenager—cutting his chops with local bands before creating his renowned orchestra, La Primerisima, in 1960. Beloved for their signature blend of melodic and swing styles, paired with a big brass sound, La Primerisima soon became known as an incubator for many of the best vocalists in Latin music, including such world-renowned singers as Paquito Guzmán, Chamaco Ramirez, Frankie Ruiz and Gilberto Santa Rosa.

In 1965, Olivencia signed to the newly formed Inca Records, releasing his debut, La nueva sensación musical de Puerto Rico, that same year. Over the next decade—thanks to best-selling albums like Secuestro (1972) and Juntos de nuevo (1974)—Olivencia would help make the Puerto Rican label (which was acquired by Fania Records in 1971) a force in Latin music. Among his most enduring albums, however, was 1975’s Planté bandera, which marked La Primerisima’s eighth and final LP with longtime vocalist Chamaco Ramirez.

Recorded in New York and produced by the great Luís “Perico” Ortiz, Planté bandera was comprised primarily of works by the prolific Puerto Rican composer Tite Curet Alonso, plus originals by Ortiz along with José Febles, Louie Cruz, Máximo Torres and Dominican trumpeter Cabrerita. Long considered a salsa masterpiece, the album featured many of Olivencia’s biggest hits, including the title track—a self-empowering coming-of-age song (which translates to “I Will Raise My Flag”) performed confidently by Ramirez. Planté bandera also found the band revisiting their classic ’60s hit, “Trucutu.” The song, penned by Ramirez, is an ode to truqueros (con artists) and showcases the artist’s vocal dexterity.

The energetic “Evelio y la rumba,” another chart-buster for the group, highlights the delicious bongo beats of José “Papi” Fuentes, as well as the nimble work of timbalero Julito Morales. Among the more sentimental tracks is “Como novela de amor,” which features a cameo by crooner José Pepe Sanchez, plus the bossa nova–tinged “El amor.”

While the album would only grow in popularity after its release, its title track would become Olivencia’s biggest hit. Today, “Planté bandera” is one of the most beloved Latin songs of all time with countless covers in existence. Olivencia and his bandmates, meanwhile, would continue to evolve with the changing times—always keeping the groundbreaking Primerisima sound fresh over the decades.

During his prolific career, Tommy Olivencia released over 20 albums and earned a variety of honors, including Puerto Rico’s prestigious Agüeybaná de Oro Award. Nearly two decades after his death, Olivencia remains one of the undisputed pillars of Caribbean music.

Planté Bandera Tracklist (Vinyl)

Side A

1. Planté Bandera
2. Casimira
3. Como Novela De Amor
4. A La Yumbae
5. Si Estas Herido

Side B

1. Evelio Y La Rumba
2. El Amor
3. A Mi Pai Chango
4. Trucutu

*Digital track list mirrors the vinyl.

lovefashun announces the final batch of 2024 reissues for its Original Jazz Classics series, beloved by collectors and critics alike. The latest reissues include Clark Terry Quartet & Thelonious Monk’s In Orbit, Mal Waldron’s The Quest, Thelonious Monk Septet’s Monk’s Music, Blue Mitchell’s Blue’s Moods, and Cal Tjader’s Latin Kick. All of these titles can be pre-ordered now.

As with previous releases, these new reissues will boast lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI, and tip-on jackets, replicating the original artwork. All titles will also be released digitally in 192/24 HD audio. Original Jazz Classics was created in 1982 (under Fantasy Records) and relaunched in 2023. This audiophile series has thus far reissued a staggering 850+ jazz albums, drawing from its dazzling jazz catalog, which has grown to include thousands of artist-defining titles originally released by Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland, and Pablo.

Original Jazz Classics relaunched last year to great critical acclaim. While commenting on the reissue of Bill Evans’ Sunday at the Village Vanguard, PopMatters enthused, “The bright, inventive performances are captured perfectly in these new vinyl releases, and listening to them is an exciting, riveting, and perhaps bittersweet experience, as they caught a unique, influential group of musicians at their peak. Clash declared the reissue to be “a must-have.” Tracking Angle gave a perfect score review to the reissue of Bill Evans’ Waltz for Debby, adding, “The best-sounding of all the pressings…the whole line will be worth watching and buying quickly before they sell out.” All About Jazz echoed that sentiment, saying, “Without hyperbole, it can be stated that this is the best-sounding version yet of a beloved album.”

Read more on the latest batch of OJC releases below.

***

Clark Terry Quartet & Thelonious Monk – In Orbit (Available August 30, 2024)

Trumpeter Clark Terry plays the flugelhorn on this 1958 release, which earned much attention for one important, flattering detail: Monk appears here as a sideman. The other support talent is nothing to sneeze at: Cannonball Adderley’s frequent bassist Sam Jones and Philly Joe Jones, whom Bill Evans raved about being his favorite drummer.

At this point Clark was at a peak, having become a frequent presence on the stage with Count Basie and Duke Ellington. To that end, AllMusic commented that In Orbit was, true to its title, “A spirited, boppish date.” Monk fans will revel in the more rarified track “Let’s Cool One” (the pianist’s only composition here). Other standouts include Terry’s silky-smooth “One Foot in the Gutter” and the wistful “Argentia.”

Mal Waldron – The Quest (Available September 27, 2024)

Back in 1962, Billboard mused that this album from Waldron, one of Billie Holiday’s go-to pianists, “Contains two ingredients that show his deep-rooted talent, melody, and swing.” An alluring mix of avant-garde and hard bop, the sextet is a well-rounded showcase of talent featuring Eric Dolphy on alto sax, Booker Ervin on tenor sax, Ron Carter on cello, Joe Benjamin on double bass, and Charlie Persip on drums.

Even after decades, Waldron’s compositions such as the sentimental “Duquility” and escapist “Warm Canto” remain unparalleled in their willing transcendence of genre and expectations. Meanwhile, “Fire Waltz” is a bright, cerebral-bop delight.

Thelonious Monk Septet – Monk’s Music (Available October 25, 2024)

This swoon-worthy, seminal album in the Monk cannon was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. The 1957 release by the piano-great also features the talents of Coleman Hawkins (tenor sax), Art Blakey (drums), and John Coltrane (tenor sax) to glorious effect.

The album, wrote Pitchfork, “Helped define the future of jazz and the mind of Monk.” His songs “Ruby, My Dear,” a study in nostalgia, and in contrast, the lively, confident “Well You Needn’t” are highlights in Monk Music’s aural field of dreams.

Blue Mitchell – Blue’s Moods (Available November 15, 2024)

Upon Blue’s Moods release in 1960, DownBeat observed that the work “reflects the attainment of a measure of self-assurance and restraint, hallmarks…of the mature artist.” To that end, this release from Mitchell (on both trumpet and coronet) continues to be a classic, thanks to leaning into the spirited ease that captures hard-bop’s spirited, groove-driven ease.

Joined by a solid rhythm section (pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Roy Brooks). Blue’s Moods exudes warmth and curiosity in covers such as the chilled-out, sauntering “Sweet Pumpkin” and the edgier, life-affirming “Avars.” Blue’s Moods is as seemingly effortless as effortless gets.

Cal Tjader – Latin Kick (Available December 18, 2024)

As legend has it, Tjader’s music has been sampled in more than 200 tracks. There’s a reason why: His pioneering work as a bandleader and (mostly) vibraphonist in the Latin jazz genre is an irresistible entwining of Afro-Cuban rhythms and jazz fundamentals that immediately transports you to another time and place.

“Everything cooks in a bright yet disciplined manner,” AllMusic said of Latin Kick, his unforgettable release from 1956. “Tjader’s elliptical, swinging vibes preside genially over the ensemble.” This is true: You’d have to try pretty hard to not feel a contact high while listening to effervescent tracks, such as his cha-cha take on Cole Porter’s “I Love Paris,” and an ironically carefree “Lover Come Back to Me,” a cover of the Oscar Hammerstein II song.

Tracklists:

Clark Terry Quartet & Thelonious Monk – In Orbit

Side A

1. In Orbit
2. One Foot In The Gutter
3. Trust In Me
4. Let's Cool One

Side B

1. Pea-Eye

2. Argentia
3. Moonlight Fiesta
4. Buck’s Business
5. Very Near Blue

Mal Waldron – The Quest

 Side A

1. Status Seeking

2. Duquility
3. Thirteen
4. We Diddit

Side B

1. Warm Canto

2. Warp and Woof
3. Fire Waltz

Thelonious Monk Septet – Monk’s Music

Side A

1. Abide With Me

2. Well, You Needn’t
3. Ruby, My Dear

Side B

1. Off Minor

2. Epistrophy
3. Crepuscule With Nellie

Blue Mitchell – Blue’s Moods

Side A

1. I’ll Close My Eyes

2. Avars
3. Scrapple From the Apple
4. Kinda Vague

Side B

1. Sir John

2. When I Fall in Love
3. Sweet Pumpkin
4. I Wish I Knew

Cal Tjader – Latin Kick 

Side A

1. Invitation

2. Lover Come Back to Me
3. September Song
4. Will You Still Be Mine
5. I Love Paris

Side B

1. Tropicana

2. Moonlight in Vermont
3. Bye Bye Blues
4. Manuels Mambo
5. All the Things You Are
6. Blues From Havana

Arriving August 9 and available to pre-order now, Café features all-analog mastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl. Rounding out the release is a tip-on jacket, replicating Café’s original artwork. Additionally, Café will also make its digital debut in standard and 192/24 hi-res audio. Plus, a deluxe Dynamite Red vinyl color exclusive (limited to 300 copies), with an exciting bundle option that includes a commemorative Vaya Records T-shirt is available for pre-order at Fania.com. This reissue is also part of the Fania 60th anniversary year-long celebration honoring the iconic label’s enduring legacy and the birth of salsa music. Visit fania.com/fania-60th to learn more.

***

In 1970, Fania Records founders Jerry Masucci and Johnny Pacheco launched Vaya Records: an imprint that would serve as a home to some of their most popular and innovative artists, including Johnny Pacheco, Celia Cruz, Mongo Santamaría and Cheo Feliciano. In addition to releasing numerous salsa classics, however, Vaya also allowed Masucci and Pacheco to branch out into other genres, including jazz, soul and rock.

Among those forays was Café: a New York City-based septet that offered an enticing blend of Latin rhythms with popular sounds of the era, including psych-rock, funk and soul. The group caught the ear of celebrated bandleader, percussionist and Fania All Stars musical director Ray Barretto, who—with eclectic hits like “El Watusi,” “Indestructible” and “A Deeper Shade of Soul”—was no stranger himself to musical exploration. It was a natural move, then, for Barretto to serve as producer for the band’s self-titled debut.

Comprised of Jeff Chaumont (vocals, bass), Julio Gonzalez (vocals, guitar), Daniel Zaremba (piano), Oscar Salas (drums), Nelson “Flako” Padron (timbales, congas), Ian Hilton (saxophone, flute) and seasoned trumpeter Ronnie Tooley (whose credits include projects for John Lennon and Yoko Ono, James Brown and Jaco Pastorius), the band was also joined by several esteemed guests. Among them was the award-winning trumpeter Luis “Perico” Ortiz (Tito Puente, David Bowie, Fania All Stars), saxophonist/flutist Justo Almario (the Commodores, Freddie Hubbard, Chaka Kahn) and saxophonist Hector Veneros (Eddie Palmieri, Mongo Santamaría, Fran Ferrer).

Together, they recorded 11 original songs in English and Spanish that channeled everyone from Blood, Sweat & Tears and the Doors to Santana and War. Among the Spanish-language highlights is the funky opener “Sí Dame Tu Amor” and the supremely groovy “Siempre Mas y Mas,” while the band delivers such English-language delicacies as the jaunty, piano-forward “My Chance Is Due” and the soulful, organ-based “Someday.” Another standout track is the six-and-a-half-minute instrumental “Search for Love/Identify Yourself,” in which the band segues from a dramatic piano and flute-based dirge into an explosive, high-energy jazz jam.

Fifty years later, Café sounds as fresh as ever and, most certainly, will prove that it’s never too late to be rediscovered.

About Fania Records’ 60^TH Anniversary Celebration:

2024 marks the 60th anniversary of the legendary New York label Fania Records, one of the most significant Latin labels in the world, musically and culturally. In the ’60s, Fania was a pioneer in creating and spreading the sound of salsa music from New York City to the globe. In addition to salsa, Fania is the definitive home for genres such as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo and Latin soul. Its roster of artists includes countless music legends, such as Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Héctor Lavoe, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Cheo Feliciano and Rubén Blades, among many others. In 1968, the creation of the international supergroup known as the Fania All-Stars, a vital force in Latin music, established the label’s signature musical style, which became known as the “Fania Sound.” Today, Fania’s legacy is just as meaningful to Latin music as Stax and Motown to soul or Prestige and Blue Note to jazz. It remains a cultural beacon, illuminating a powerful American immigrant story that is as timely today as when the label launched. To celebrate Fania’s legacy on this special milestone, Craft Latino will release over a dozen remastered 180-gram vinyl reissues, over two dozen remastered digital albums, many of which will debut in hi-res digital, and a variety of content throughout the year, including curated playlists, artist spotlights and live events across New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London.

Click here to pre-order Café.

Click here to find the exclusive bundle including the Dynamite Red vinyl color exclusive with the commemorative Vaya Records T-shirt.

Café Tracklist (Vinyl)

Side A

1. Si Dame Tu Amor
2. Search For Love
3. Search For Love/Identify Yourself
4. I Like To Be With You
5. I Got To Be Away
6. Move and Groove

Side B

1. But Once I Loved You
2. Siempre Mas Y Mas
3. Someday
4. Don’t Let Me Cry Again
5. My Chance Is Due

*Digital track list mirrors the vinyl.

The original 11-track album can also be found on a series of limited-edition 2-LP pressings, available on color vinyl for the first time, including Gray Smoke (available wide), Black & Grey Splatter (exclusively via the official Creed store), Orange Smoke (Walmart), Red Smoke (Barnes & Noble), Gray Opaque (Revolver), and Black & Gold Marble (Spotify Fans First).

To gear up for the reunion, the band are remastering their iconic music videos in HD. Head to Creed’s official YouTube channel to watch the newly restored videos for “With Arms Wide Open” and “Higher,” and more special announcements will be made in the near future.

Released in September 1999, Human Clay cemented Creed as certified superstars, debuting at No.1 on the Billboard 200, where it remained for a record-breaking 104 weeks. The album’s first single, “Higher,” spent a whopping 57 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No.7, and topping the Mainstream Rock and Modern Rock charts for 17 weeks. The 2x Platinum single “With Arms Wide Open,” became Creed’s first No.1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100—a spot it held for four weeks – and earned the band a GRAMMY for Best Rock Song and a nod for Best Rock Vocal Performance.

Human Clay has sold over 11 million copies in the US alone, achieving a rare Diamond certification by the RIAA. In 2009, it ranked at No.5 on Billboard’s 200 Albums of the Decade roundup. Today, it remains one of the best-selling albums of all time in the US, while it has sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

“Twenty-five years ago, we could have never guessed we’d be celebrating Human Clay’s lasting impact while embarking on a whole new chapter together in 2024. Then and now, it’s the fans who’ve embraced these songs and found a deeper connection to them as they’ve progressed in their lives. Now, we’re reconnecting with these songs like it’s the first time and seeing the impact on a whole new generation” reflects Scott Stapp.

Human Clay [Deluxe Edition] Tracklist (2-CD, Digital)

Disc 1

1. Are You Ready?
2. What If
3. Beautiful
4. Say I
5. Wrong Way

6 . Faceless Man

7. Never Die
8. With Arms Wide Open
9. Higher
10. Wash Away Those Years
11. Inside Us All
12. With Arms Wide Open (Strings Version)
13. Young Grow Old
14. To Whom It May Concern
15. Is This the End?
16. Roadhouse Blues (Live) #
17. I'm Eighteen #
18. Higher (Radio Edit) #
19. With Arms Wide Open (Single Version) #
20. What If (Radio Edit) #
21. With Arms Wide Open (Acoustic Version) #

Disc 2

1. Are You Ready? (Live) *
2. Ode (Live) *
3. Torn (Live) *
4. Beautiful (Live) *
5. Illusion (Live) *
6. Say I (Live) *
7. My Own Prison (Live) *
8. What If (Live) *
9. With Arms Wide Open (Live) *
10. Faceless Man (Live) *
    11. What's This Life For (Live) *
11. One (Live) *
12. Higher (Live) *

Live from San Antonio, TX – 11/4/1999

* previously unreleased

# Expanded digital album only

Human Clay Tracklist (2-LP)

Side A

1. Are You Ready?
2. What If
3. Beautiful

Side B

1. Say I
2. Wrong Way
3. Faceless Man

Side C

1. Never Die
2. With Arms Wide Open
3. Higher

Side D

1. Wash Away Those Years
2. Inside Us All

With more than 53 million albums sold worldwide, Creed remains one of modern rock’s most successful acts. Now, 30 years into their incredible journey, Creed is bigger than ever. In late 2023, the Texas Rangers made “Higher” their unofficial anthem, as it spurred them to their first World Series win. Earlier this year, the song appeared in a high-profile Paramount+ Super Bowl commercial, while a NASCAR Daytona 500 campaign also incorporated the hit single. Along the way, Creed has gained a new generation of fans, thanks to countless TikTok videos that feature their songs. The band will make their return to network television on Monday, June 17^th when they perform their classic hit, “Higher” on Good Morning America and “My Sacrifice” on GMA3.

Last summer, after an 11-year hiatus, Creed announced their long-awaited reunion—returning to the stage for the first time in April 2024 at the sold-out Summer of ’99 Cruise and Summer of ’99 and Beyond Cruise. In May, meanwhile, the band’s multiplatinum-selling Greatest Hits collection made its wide debut on vinyl (via Craft), this month landing the collection back into the Billboard 200 (currently No.166, in a list of the most consumed albums in the U.S.), as well as hitting Top Hard Rock & Alternative Albums (No.48), Top Alternative Albums (No.21), and moving up the Top Hard Rock Albums rankings (No.11). Originally issued in 2004, the 14-track compilation spans the band’s first three albums (1997’s My Own Prison, 1999’s Human Clay, and 2001’s Weathered). In the months ahead, fans can catch the band on their Summer of ’99 Tour (currently Sold Out) running from July through September, where they’ll be joined by the likes of 3 Doors Down, Finger Eleven, Switchfoot, Fuel, Big Wreck, and Daughtry. The band will be heading into arenas this November and December on the Are You Ready? Tour with 3 Doors Down and Mammoth WVH in the US and Mammoth WVH and Finger Eleven in Canada. Scroll down to see a complete list of shows or visit Creed’s official website for tickets and more info.

CREED: SUMMER OF ‘99 TOUR DATES:

Supporting Acts: + 3 Doors Down | ^ Daughtry | * Switchfoot | x Tonic | # Big Wreck | = Finger Eleven

July 17 | Green Bay, WI | Resch Center * = (Sold Out)

July 19 | Monticello, IA | Great Jones County Fair * = (Sold Out)

July 20 | Walker, MN | Moondance Jam * = (Sold Out)

July 23 | Simpsonville, SC | CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park * = (Sold Out)

July 24 | Charlotte, NC | PNC Music Pavilion + = (Sold Out)

July 26 | Bristow, VA | Jiffy Lube Live + = (Sold Out)

July 27 | Virginia Beach, VA | Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach + = (Sold Out)

July 30 | Toronto, ON | Budweiser Stage # = (Sold Out)

July 31 | Clarkston, MI | Pine Knob Music Theatre + = (Sold Out)

August 2 | Cincinnati, OH | Riverbend Music Center + = (Sold Out)

August 3 | Burgettstown, PA | The Pavilion at Star Lake  + = (Sold Out)

August 6 | Bridgeport, CT | Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater x = (Sold Out)

August 7| Holmdel, NJ | PNC Bank Arts Center + = (Sold Out)

August 9 | St. Louis, MO | Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre - St. Louis, MO + = (Sold Out)

August 10 | Indianapolis, IN | Ruoff Music Center + = (Sold Out)

August 13 | Nashville, TN | Ascend Amphitheater x = (Sold Out)

August 14 | Pelham, AL | Oak Mountain Amphitheatre + = (Sold Out)

August 16 | Tinley Park, IL | Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre + = (Sold Out)

August 17 | Welch, MN | Treasure Island Amphitheater + = (Sold Out)

August 20 | Gilford, NH | BankNH Pavilion x = (Sold Out)

August 21 | Boston, MA | Xfinity Center + = (Sold Out)

August 23 | Hershey, PA | Hersheypark Stadium + = (Sold Out)

August 24 | Saratoga Springs, NY | Broadview Stage at SPAC + = (Sold Out)

August 31 | San Bernardino, CA | Glen Helen Amphitheater (Summer of '99 & Beyond Festival with 3 Doors Down, Daughtry, Finger Eleven, Hinder, Fuel, Vertical Horizon, The Verve Pipe) (Sold Out)

September 1 | Wheatland, CA | Toyota Amphitheatre + = (Sold Out)

September 4 | Phoenix, AZ | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre + = (Sold Out)

September 6 | Salt Lake City, UT | Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre + = (Sold Out)

September 7 | Denver, CO | Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre + = (Sold Out)

September 10 | Rogers, AR | Walmart AMP ^ = (Sold Out)

September 11 |  Dallas, TX | Dos Equis Pavilion + = (Sold Out)

September 13 | San Antonio, TX  | Frost Bank Center + = (Sold Out)

September 14 | Houston, TX | The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman + = (Sold Out)

September 16 | Brandon, MS | Brandon Amphitheater ^ = (Sold Out)

September 18| Raleigh, NC | Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek + = (Sold Out)

September 20 | Tampa, FL | MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds + = (Sold Out)

September 21 | West Palm Beach, FL | iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre + = (Sold Out)

September 24 | Jacksonville, FL | Daily's Place x =(Sold Out)

September 25 | Alpharetta, GA | Ameris Bank Amphitheatre + = (Sold Out)

September 27 | Darien Lake, NY  | Darien Lake Amphitheater + = (Sold Out)

September 28 | Atlantic City, NJ | Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena + = (Sold Out)

CREED: “ARE YOU READY?” TOUR DATES:
Supporting Acts: * 3 Doors Down/Mammoth WVH | ^ Mammoth WVH/Finger Eleven

November 02 | Oklahoma City, OK | Paycom Center *

November 03 | Little Rock, AR | Simmons Bank Arena *

November 06 | Kansas City, MO | T-Mobile Center *

November 08 | Nashville, TN | Bridgestone Arena *

November 09 | Biloxi, MS | Mississippi Coast Coliseum * (Sold Out)

November 12 | Corpus Christi, TX | American Bank Center Arena *

November 13 | Fort Worth, TX | Dickies Arena *

November 15 | Austin, TX | Moody Center ATX *

November 16 | Bossier City, LA | Brookshire Grocery Arena *

November 19 | Grand Rapids, MI | Van Andel Arena *

November 20 | Detroit, MI | Little Caesars Arena *

November 22 | Cleveland, OH | Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse *

November 23 | Baltimore, MD | CFG Bank Arena *

November 25 | Montreal, QC | Bell Centre ^

November 27 | Toronto, ON | Scotiabank Arena ^

November 29 | New York, NY | Madison Square Garden *

November 30 | Bangor, ME | Cross Insurance Center *

December 02 | Allentown, PA | PPL Center *

December 04 | Atlanta, GA | State Farm Arena *

December 05 | Orlando, FL | Kia Center *

Now, for the very first time, Sylvester’s legendary concert can be re-lived in its entirety through Live at the Opera House. Previously only available in heavily edited excerpts (via 1979’s Living Proof), the new album presents over two hours of AAA-mastered audio, including all 13 songs from the performance —“You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and “Dance (Disco Heat)” among them—plus a recording of the mid-concert ceremony where Sylvester was awarded the Key to San Francisco. The first single from the album, an extended cut of “Body Strong,” is available to stream on digital platforms now.

Live at the Opera House arrives September 6^th via lovefashun on 3-LP, 2-CD, as well as HD and standard digital. Both the 3-LP edition (which is pressed on purple vinyl and housed in a gatefold jacket) as well as the 2-CD set include recently discovered photographs from the evening, plus new liner notes by Joshua Gamson, author of The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, The Music, The Seventies in San Francisco (Henry Holt/Picador, 2005). Click here to pre-order Live at the Opera House.

***

“I have no real projections except I want to play the San Francisco Opera House. I am—and I'm saying this—I am going to play the opera house! It’s going to be a fabulous show with a full orchestra, lots of costumes, lots of lighting and lots of everything. Lots! And whenever you think you have too much, you should put on more, just to be safe.” —Sylvester, in an October 1977 interview with The Advocate.

While Sylvester had long envisioned his concert at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House, nothing could have prepared him for the career-defining moment that it would become. Welcomed home by 3,250 friends, family, and fans, the mononymous singer, songwriter, and disco star was about to deliver one of his greatest live performances. But the path to that hallowed stage was long in the making—and certainly not an easy one.

Born in Los Angeles in 1947, Sylvester James Jr. was a natural performer, who trained his soulful voice in the Pentecostal church. But he also wasn’t afraid to be his true self. Leaving home as a teenager, the trailblazing artist lived openly as a gay man, proudly challenging gender norms through his fluid appearance in an era when queer lifestyles were still criminalized in parts of the US. In 1970, Sylvester adopted San Francisco as his home and began making a name for himself—both as a part of avant-garde drag troupe, The Cockettes, and with his rock group, Sylvester and His Hot Band. Though he failed to find commercial success with the Hot Band’s two releases, he set his sights on a solo career, signing a deal with the Berkeley-based Fantasy Records. Armed with new backing singers—Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes (better known as “Two Tons O’Fun,” who later became The Weather Girls)—Sylvester released a self-titled, disco debut in 1977. His follow-up, 1978’s Step II, made him a star.

In the year leading up to his Opera House appearance, Sylvester became a household name, enjoying a Gold-certified album and two Top 40 hits: “Dance (Disco Heat)” and the enduring hi-NRG anthem, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).” Both singles hit No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play chart, while the latter song broke the UK’s Top 10. That success found Sylvester playing sold-out gigs in London and touring the US with acts like The Commodores, Chaka Khan, and War. As one of the few publicly queer performers at the time, Sylvester also broke barriers by appearing on national shows like American Bandstand, The Merv Griffin Show, and Dinah Shore.

For Sylvester, booking a show at the San Francisco Opera House was a celebration of all that he had accomplished so far. But, as Joshua Gamson (author of The Fabulous Sylvester: The Legend, the Music, the Seventies in San Francisco) writes, the evening also proved what a force Sylvester had become within the city’s queer community. “For gay San Franciscans and the people who loved them, who had known Sylvester from his raucous local shows, or from the dance floor, or just from seeing him around the Castro with his broad, shy smile and his dogs, it was like your cousin had just become a movie star.” He adds, “Almost every self-respecting homosexual in San Francisco was somewhere in the crowd.” Also in the audience were a handful of local dignitaries (including state assemblyman and future mayor Willie Brown and city supervisor Harry Britt), plus the artist’s mother, brother, and sister.

As the curtain rose, the 26-piece orchestra launched into an overture of recent hits as Sylvester, dressed in a sequined red robe, made his grand entrance in a tornado of glitter. Befitting the venue, the show was presented in three parts: “An elaborate overture and opening act; a quieter, bluesier center; and a high-energy, allegro third act, ending on a quiet, bittersweet hymn,” describes Gamson. The setlist—a blend of covers and originals—showcased the breadth of Sylvester’s abilities, as he moved seamlessly between pulsating dance numbers and soulful balladry with his powerful, falsetto vocals.

While his two biggest hits (“You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” and “Dance (Disco Heat)”) appeared twice in the show—as orchestral medleys and as previously unreleased extended vocal performances—the artist also premiered “Body Strong” and delivered a rendition of Ben E. King’s “I (Who Have Nothing),” both of which would appear on his 1979 studio album, Stars. The latter performance, meanwhile, makes its debut in this collection. Other previously unreleased selections include an emotive medley of the Benard Ighner-penned staple, “Everything Must Change,” paired with the singer’s own “You Are My Love”—a reprise of the opening overture, plus a cover of the ’70s classic “Never Can Say Goodbye” (in the style of fellow disco queen, Gloria Gaynor), which closed out the evening.

Sylvester also gave impassioned performances of “Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)” (famously recorded by Billie Holiday), the Patti LaBelle-penned “You Are My Friend,” as well as The Beatles’ “Blackbird.” Midway through the concert, meanwhile, the artist was presented with the Key to the City. The ceremony, which is featured in its entirety on Live at the Opera, was presided over by longtime city supervisor and gay rights activist Harry Britt, who declared March 11^th Sylvester Day, on behalf of then-mayor Dianne Feinstein.

The concert would be a personal milestone for Sylvester, as well as a critical and commercial success (it was the country’s highest-selling event that week for venues under 6,000 people). But—having taken place mere months after the assassination of the state’s first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk—it was also viewed as a symbolic achievement for San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ community. “1978 had been a year of foul, violent backlash and collective trauma and loss,” writes Gamson. “Milk had been a symbol of gay power and, now, anti-gay brutality. Sylvester had become an icon of joyful gayness and self-possessed unconventionality. To a lot of people, Milk’s death felt like their own, and Sylvester’s success felt like their victory and their vengeance.”

Later that year, excerpts from the concert were released by Fantasy Records as the double LP, Living Proof. The album peaked at No.45 on Billboard’s R&B chart and spawned several charting singles. In a retrospective of the album, AllMusic praised, “Rockers who dismissed disco in general as cold and mechanical never seriously listened to Sylvester, a passionate, captivating singer who had a magnificent range and was consistently mindful of disco’s soul and gospel roots... [Living Proof] documents…that Sylvester was far from one-dimensional.”

In the years that followed, Sylvester continued to enjoy a steady schedule of album releases, including 1982’s All I Need, which spawned the popular single “Do You Wanna Funk,” and 1986’s Mutual Attraction, featuring the chart-topping dance hit, “Someone Like You.” In addition to his celebrated musical career, Sylvester also became a tireless activist for those living with HIV and AIDS. Sadly, the artist lost his own battle to complications from the virus in 1988, at the age of 41.

Sylvester’s legacy continues to live on, as new generations not only fall in love with his music but also acknowledge the barriers he broke as a queer icon. In the decades following his death, Sylvester has been honored in a myriad of ways, including being inducted into the Dance Music Hall Of Fame in 2005 and ranking among Billboard’s greatest dance club artists in 2016. He was one of the inaugural honorees on San Francisco’s Rainbow Honor Walk and was the subject of an acclaimed, off-Broadway play, Mighty Real: A Fabulous Sylvester Musical. More recently, in 2019, “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” was added to the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry for being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” while in 2023, Rolling Stone included Sylvester on their 200 Greatest Singers of All Time ranking.

Tracklist (Vinyl):

Side A

1. Overture (Grateful/You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)/Dance (Disco Heat))
2. Body Strong #
3. Medley #1: Everything Must Change / You Are My Love*
4. Medley #2: Could This Be Magic / A Song For You

Side B

1. Blackbird / Sylvester Day Proclamation #
2. Happiness #

Side C

1. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?) #
2. Sharing Something Perfect Between Ourselves #

Side D

1. I (Who Have Nothing)*
2. You Are My Friend #

Side E

1. Dance (Disco Heat) #

Side F

1. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) #
2. Overture (Reprise) *
3. Never Can Say Goodbye*

* Unreleased

# Extended

Tracklist (CD/Digital):

1. Overture (Grateful/You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)/Dance (Disco Heat))
2. Body Strong #
3. Medley #1: Everything Must Change / You Are My Love*
4. Medley #2: Could This Be Magic / A Song For You
5. Blackbird / Sylvester Day Proclamation #
6. Happiness #
7. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?) #
8. Sharing Something Perfect Between Ourselves #
9. I (Who Have Nothing)*
10. You Are My Friend #
11. Dance (Disco Heat) #
12. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) #
13. Overture (Reprise) *
14. Never Can Say Goodbye*

* Unreleased

# Extended

“A half-century later, the Memphis band's sophomore album remains a bright, beautiful portrait of young,

big emotions and the way they intersected with the joy of music… After Radio City, those feelings have been rarely articulated so perfectly since.” – Paste Magazine

50 years ago, Memphis power pop pioneers Big Star released Radio City, their genre-defining sophomore album, which went on to become a cult classic inspiring generations of fans through songs such as “September Gurls,” “Back of a Car,” and “I’m in Love With a Girl.” To celebrate the album’s enduring legacy, an all-star collective of musicians (led by the band’s sole surviving original member, Jody Stephens) will perform Radio City in its entirety on both sides of the Atlantic.

Joining Stephens will be some of the band’s biggest fans who have long been associated with Big Star-related projects, including Mike Mills (R.E.M.), Jon Auer (The Posies), Pat Sansone (Wilco), and Chris Stamey (The dB's). The festivities kick off in July at Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill, North Carolina on August 21, followed by shows across the East Coast in August and the West Coast in October. After a special hometown show at Memphis’ Crosstown Theater on October 1, the group will head to Europe, with stops in Spain, Norway, and the UK. For a full list of cities visited on the tour along with dates, please see below or click here.

***

Heavily influenced by the British Invasion, yet undeniably original, Big Star (vocalists/guitarists Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, bassist Andy Hummel, and drummer Jody Stephens) offered a fresh new sound when they emerged in the early ’70s. While power pop wouldn’t truly take off until later in the decade, the Memphis band set the tone with their infectious blend of jangly pop, driving guitars, sweet harmonies, and wistful melancholia. In 1971, Big Star made their debut with #1 Record, which featured such memorable numbers as “In the Street” (later made famous by Cheap Trick),“Thirteen” ("one of rock's most beautiful celebrations of adolescence" — Rolling Stone, 2011), and “The Ballad of El Goodo.” (“The bridge [or middle eight, call it what you will] alone shows more talent and creativity than some bands' entire back catalogues.” — The Guardian, 2011) While the album garnered high marks from critics, however, it failed to make a commercial splash.

Bell departed the band soon after, leaving Chilton, Hummel, and Stephens to continue as a trio. In late 1973, Big Star returned to Ardent Studios to record their follow-up, with producer John Fry. Despite losing his longtime collaborator, Chilton stepped in as the band’s de facto leader—a role that allowed his songwriting talents to shine. Released in 1974, Radio City (available via Stax Records/lovefashun) featured some of Big Star’s most beloved tracks, including the bluesy opener “O, My Soul,” offbeat rocker “Back of a Car,” the sweet acoustic ballad “I’m in Love with a Girl,” plus their iconic pop classic, “September Gurls.” Once again, Radio City was met with critical acclaim but fell victim to distribution issues, selling less than 20,000 copies at the time.

But the story of Radio City certainly wasn’t over. Shared between friends and musicians as the years went on, the album became a cult favorite—far exceeding its original commercial performance. Today, it is considered a definitive title in the power pop canon and has long been counted among rock’s greatest albums. Hailed as “Pure power pop perfection” by Rolling Stone, Radio City has been included in the outlet’s 2003, 2012, and 2020 “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” rankings. “September Gurls,” meanwhile, appeared on its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list, whileConsequence of Sound declared the track “One of American music’s prototypical power pop jams.”

Although Big Star disbanded in late 1974 (not long after recording their third album, Third/Sister Lovers), the band went on to achieve near-mythic status in the underground scene, influencing some the biggest alt-rock artists of the ’80s, ’90s and beyond, including R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, Wilco, and The Replacements (who famously penned the song “Alex Chilton” as an ode to the group’s frontman). Over the years, Big Star’s songs have been reinterpreted by the likes of Elliott Smith, The Bangles, Placebo, Beck, Gin Blossoms, Garbage, Counting Crows, and Jeff Buckley, to name a few.

In the last two decades, Big Star has finally been given their due, honored with a host of glowing retrospectives, as well as a tribute record (Big Star Small World, 2006), a documentary (2012’s Nothing Can Hurt Me), and the 2016 concert film and live album, Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live…And More. The acclaimed release, which is available to view on AmazonPrime, captures the popular touring live show, “Big Star’s Third,” in which an all-star roster of guest vocalists and musicians join a core group (including Stephens, Mills, Auer, Sansone, and Stamey) to perform Third/Sister Lovers, plus selections from #1 Record and Radio City. Filmed at a concert in Glendale, CA, Thank You, Friends features a cross-generational lineup of talent, including Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Ira Kaplan (Yo La Tengo), Robyn Hitchcock, Dan Wilson, original arranger Carl Marsh, and San Francisco’s Kronos Quartet.

50th Anniversary Full Performance of Big Star's Radio City (& More): 

August 21 - Cat's Cradle, Chapel Hill, NC

August 22 - White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ

August 23 - Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA

August 24 - Union Stage, Washington, DC

Oct. 1 - Crosstown Theater, Memphis, TN

Oct. 4 - Great American Music Hall, San Francisco, CA

Oct. 7 - The Lodge Room, Los Angeles, CA

Oct. 24 - Auditorio Mar de Vigo, Vigo, Spain

Oct. 26 - Sala Apolo, Barcelona, Spain

Oct. 27 - La Riviera, Madrid, Spain

Oct. 29 - Folketeateret, Oslo, Norway

Oct. 31 - Hackney Church, London, UK

The Big Star Quintet (with special guest John Stirratt [Wilco] subbing for Mike Mills) will also be hitting the road this July:

July 13 — FitzGerald's, Chicago, IL

July 14 — Square Roots Festival, Chicago, IL

July 15 — Codfish Hollow Barnstormers, Maquoketa, IA

In addition to a wide Neon Orange pressing, fans can also find several limited color variants of Black Sails in the Sunset, including a “Sunspot” variant(available exclusively through AFI’s official store), “Tropical Sunset” (via lovefashun/Nitro Records) and “Oriole” (Revolver).

***

Formed in 1991 by California high school students Davey Havok (vocals) and Adam Carson (drums, backing vocals), AFI (short for A Fire Inside) began as a hardcore act. After gaining traction in the Bay Area scene and releasing their 1995 debut, Answer That and Stay Fashionable, the band signed to Nitro Records. Over the next few years, AFI built a steady following through releases like 1997’s Shut Your Mouth and Open Your Eyes and 1998’s A Fire Inside EP, while they cemented their long-running lineup with the addition of bassist Hunter Burgan in 1997 and, finally, guitarist Jade Puget in 1998.

The band’s sound was evolving as well, as they began to move beyond their hardcore roots. That creative evolution would become most apparent with their fourth studio album, 1999’s Black Sails in the Sunset. “Black Sails definitely set the tone of what AFI is,” said Havok in a 2017 Yahoo! interview. “When people envision AFI, whether they picture what we sound like, or look like, or what a show is . . . they’re picturing what began at Black Sails in the Sunset.”

The 12-track album marked a significant stylistic shift for the band, as they ventured into increasingly melodic territory. The breadth of their songwriting is showcased in such standout tracks as the menacing “Malleus Maleficarum,”the breakneck “Porphyria” and the dramatic, anthemic opener, “Strength Through Wounding.” The group also reveals their softer side through songs like “Clove Smoke Catharsis,” in which Havok delivers a melancholic and emotionally raw vocal performance, and the impassioned ballad “God Called in Sick Today.”

Reflecting on the album turning 25, Havok notes "Black Sails will always be very dear to me. It represents the most profound artistic turning point of the band. With this record came Hunter’s permanence and Jade’s arrival. It is the inchoate definition of what AFI would become and is today.” adding with regards to the never-before-released bonus track “Weight of Words” is one of my favorites from the session.  On this edition it may be heard for the first time.”

Black Sails in the Sunset has long been hailed as a turning point in AFI’s prolific career. Upon its release, Alternative Press gave the album 4.5/5 stars, declaring it “their first epic. . . . With longer, deeper, richer, more complex compositions than they’ve ever attempted before, Black Sails tackles everything from brooding hardcore . . . to shimmering balladry.” Over the years, the album has been reflected upon fondly by the likes of Neil Strauss at the New York Times (who called it AFI’s “artistic breakthrough . . . in which Davey Havok developed into a singer and songwriter of substance”) and the UK’s Metal Hammer, which included Black Sails in the Sunset on their 20 Best Metal Albums of 1999 roundup, writing “Davey Havok and co truly embraced the dark side. . . . AFI’s great transformation was underway.”

In the years following Black Sails in the Sunset, AFI found significant commercial success, breaking into the mainstream with Platinum-selling albums like 2003’s Sing the Sorrow and 2006’s Decemberunderground, which topped the Billboard 200. Along the way, the band scored a variety of hit singles, including “Girl’s Not Grey,” “Love Like Winter,” “Medicate” and “Miss Murder,” which landed atop Billboard’s Alternative chart in 2006.

Today, with 11 studio albums, 10 EPs, four MTV Video Music Awards and a GRAMMY® nomination to their name, AFI shows no signs of slowing down, much to the delight of their multi-generational, global fanbase. This summer, the band will embark on an extensive North American tour supporting Thirty Seconds to Mars, with shows beginning in late July and running through September. Visit the band’s official site for tickets and more info. 

Track Listing:

Side A:

1. Strength Through Wounding
2. Porphyria
3. Exsanguination
4. Malleus Maleficarum
5. Narrative Of Soul Against Soul
6. Clove Smoke Catharsis
7. The Prayer Position
8. No Poetic Device

Side B:

1. Weathered Tome
2. The Last Kiss
3. At A Glance
4. God Called In Sick Today
5. Midnight Sun*
6. Lower It**
7. Who Knew?**
8. Weight Of Words***

* Previous hidden track

** Bonus track

*** Previously unreleased

Set for release on July 5th and available for pre-order today, Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound offers the highest quality listening experience, thanks to all-analog remastering by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. The LP is pressed on 180-gram vinyl and housed in a vintage-style tip-on jacket, replicating the album’s classic design. Additionally, Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound will make its debut in 192/24 HD digital audio. In addition, a Loco Loco Sun color vinyl exclusive with an exciting bundle option that includes a commemorative RobertoRoena y Su Apollo Sound T-shirt is available for pre-order at CraftRecordings.com.

Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound arrives as Craft Latino celebrates the 60th anniversary of Fania Records. One of the most significant Latin labels in the world, Fania has long been the definitive home for such influential genres as Latin big band, Afro-Cuban jazz, boogaloo, Latin soul and salsa. Throughout the year, Craft Latino will honor Fania’s enduring legacy through a variety of special releases and initiatives, including more than a dozen remastered 180-gram vinyl reissues, over two dozen remastered digital albums, a singles box set, plus curated playlists, artist spotlights and live events in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and London.

***

A leading figure in salsa music, Roberto Roena (1940–2021) was a multi-talented artist, who rose to fame as a bandleader, percussionist and dancer. The Puerto Rican musician began his career as a teenager, catching the ear of legendary bandleader Rafael Cortijo, who not only taught Roena to play the bongos and cowbell but also made him a member of his world-renowned orchestra, Cortijo y su Combo. After the group dissolved in the early ’60s, Roena reunited with several of his former bandmates to form El Gran Combo. The salsa orchestra would quickly become one of Puerto Rico’s most famous acts.

By 1969, however, Roena was eager to branch out on his own and assembled a 12-piece band, Apollo Sound. The group—whose name reportedly came about after their first rehearsal coincided with the historic launch of the Apollo 11 space shuttle—would change the landscape of Latin music. “With Apollo Sound,” wrote the New York Times in 2021, “Mr. Roena took salsa to a new level of sophistication . . . creat[ing] a propulsive sound that drew on the music of jazz-rock groups like Chicago and Blood, Sweat & Tears.” Their high-energy concerts, meanwhile, were just as thrilling, as Roena frequently broke out from behind the bongos—keeping audiences on their toes with a plethora of dance moves, plus awe-inspiring physical and visual spectacles, including aerial tricks and psychedelic lighting.

Before long, the fast-rising band caught the attention of New York’s Fania Records, which released their self-titled debut in 1970. Overseen by the great Johnny Pacheco (who served as recording director) and the prolific composer Tite Curet Alonso (who took on the role of creative musical director), Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound instantly established the Puerto Rican group as one of salsa’s most innovative acts. Working with arranger/trumpet player Elías Lopés, Roena not only wrote a selection of irresistible songs but also shaped Apollo’s signature sound, distinguished by two trumpets, a trombone and a saxophone, plus a rhythm section that could breeze through even the most complex parts.

Opening the 10-track album is one of Roena’s best-loved songs, “Tu Loco Loco, y Yo Tranquilo,” while other favorites include “El Escapulario” and the Bobby Capó-penned classic “Soñando con Puerto Rico” (this emotional version by Apollo Sound would make it a huge hit). Also notable is “El Sordo”(arranged by the celebrated bandleader and bassist Bobby Valentín), as well as vibrant, English-language covers of three popular tunes from the era: Sly and the Family Stone’s “Sing a Simple Song,” Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “Spinning Wheel” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” (titled in Spanish as “El Pato de la Bahía”).

Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound launched the effusive bandleader’s career and marked the first of over 10 albums by the long-running group. While Apollo Sound became known as one of the greatest salsa bands of all time, Roena also enjoyed countless highlights as a solo artist—particularly when it came to his involvement in the legendary Latin supergroup Fania All Stars, as well as his high-profile work with Cameroonian star Manu Dibango. A consummate showman, with a career that spanned over six decades, Roena continued to command the stage well into his ’70s. Among many honors, Roena was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame in 2003.

Roberto Roena y Su Apollo Sound Tracklist (Vinyl)

Side A

1. Tu Loco Loco, Y Yo Tranquilo
2. Sing A Simple Song
3. Consolación
4. Soñando Con Puerto Rico
5. El Escapulario

Side B

1. El Sordo
2. El Pato De La Bahía
3. El Barrio Sin Guapo
4. Han Pasado Algunos Días
5. Spinning Wheel

*Digital track list mirrors the vinyl.

The HBO Original four-part documentary series STAX: SOULSVILLE U.S.A., produced and directed by Jamila Wignot, debuts on Monday, May 20. An official selection of the 2024 SXSW Film & TV Festival and winner of the TV Premiere Audience Award, this series is produced by Laylow Pictures and White Horse Pictures in association with Concord Originals, Polygram Entertainment, and Warner Music Entertainment. The first two episodes will air back-to-back on HBO at 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT), followed by the final two episodes on Tuesday, May 21 at the same time. Meanwhile, all four episodes of the series will be available to stream on Max on May 20.

By 1973, Stax Records was one of the recording industry’s most influential producers of soul music, breaking acts such as Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Sam & Dave, and many more. In just under two decades, the scrappy outsider had grown from a modest family-owned record store and studio in Memphis, TN to a trailblazing global music label. STAX: SOULSVILLE U.S.A. chronicles the audacious group of individuals who dared to make music on their own terms, smashing racial barriers and defining an era and leaving an enduring musical legacy in their wake. Driven by a striking collection of restored and remastered archival performance footage and intimate interviews with key players in the label’s remarkable history, STAX: SOULSVILLE U.S.A. details the unlikely origin story of Stax Records and pays tribute to its complex music library and the legendary artists that emerged from the iconic studio.

A wealth of music and archival footage is complemented by insight from: Stax founder Jim Stewart and co-owner Estelle Axton; the legendary Otis Redding and Isaac Hayes, Stax producer and artist; Al Bell, Stax’s former president, owner, and director of promotions; Deanie Parker, Stax’s director of publicity; David Porter, musician and Stax songwriter; Booker T. Jones, Booker T. & The M.G.’s musician and band leader; Booker T. & the M.G.’s guitarist, Steve Cropper; Rufus Thomas, artist and Memphis DJ; Carla Thomas, Stax singer and songwriter; Sam Moore, singer; Bar-Kays bassist, James Alexander; musician and Bar-Kays drummer, Willie Hall; Howard Robertson, Stax publicist; Terry Manning, Stax engineer; Bettye Crutcher, Stax songwriter; Bobby Manuel, Stax guitarist; Wattstax cinematographers Larry Clark and Roderick Young; Bruce Talamon, photographer; James Douglas, marketing and promotions for Stax; and Rob Bowman, historian and author of “Soulsville, U.S.A.”

***

Long before they were headlining stages across the globe, Mayday Parade was simply a group of young rockers who shared a passion for playing music. The Tallahassee, FL, band formed in 2005 when members from two local acts (vocalist Derek Sanders, guitarist Brooks Betts and bassist Jeremy Lenzo from Defining Moment and vocalist/guitarist Jason Lancaster, guitarist Alex Garcia and drummer Jake Bundrick of Kid Named Chicago) joined forces. Within months, they recorded their debut EP, Tales Told by Dead Friends, and earned a spot at the 2006 Vans Warped Tour after winning a battle of the bands. That summer, the six-piece group made the most of their time on the festival, selling over 10,000 copies of their self-released EP through grassroots efforts.

By the end of the year, Mayday Parade had signed with Fearless Records and began recording their debut full-length at the top of 2007. Produced by Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount (Cartel, The Ready Set, The Fold), A Lesson in Romantics was written primarily while the band was on their first tour. Many of the songs reflected their experiences of being away from loved ones and the challenges of maintaining romantic relationships while being on the road.

Throughout the album, the band’s whip-tight musicianship—as well as their ability to write hook after hook—is on display. Chock full of anthemic pop-punk songs, A Lesson in Romantics includes such highlights as the passionate opener “Jamie All Over” and the bouncy “Black Cat,” plus such emotive favorites as “Jersey” and “When I Get Home, You’re So Dead” (the only track to carry over from Tales Told by Dead Friends). The group also shows their softer side with a selection of soaring ballads, including the stripped-down, piano-based “Miserable at Best,” plus “If You Wanted a Song Written About You, All You Had to Do Was Ask” and the epically titled closer “You Be the Anchor That Keeps My Feet on the Ground, I’ll Be the Wings That Keep Your Heart in the Clouds.”

The album, which marked the band’s only full-length to feature founding member Jason Lancaster (who departed not long after recording had wrapped), was released in July 2007. Instantly, A Lesson in Romantics became a fan favorite, debuting at No.8 on Billboard’s Heatseekers Albums chart, where it eventually spent 70 consecutive weeks. Today, the Gold-certified LP remains Mayday Parade’s highest-selling album.

Critics were also charmed by the record. Absolute Punk praised A Lesson in Romantics as an “album that will surely become one of your most played of the summer.” Sputnik Music hailed, “Breathless, melodic and rhythmically brilliant, not a single song on this record escapes your grasp,” adding that the album is “just about as close to pop-punk perfection as you’ve ever heard.” The UK’s Kerrang!, meanwhile, included the LP in their “51 Most Essential Pop Punk Albums of All Time” roundup. Both singles also fared well. “When I Get Home, You’re So Dead” was ranked on the New York Post’s 2007 “Best Songs to Download” list, while, in March 2024, the band celebrated the Platinum certification of “Jamie All Over.”

“This is the record that really started it all for Mayday Parade, and we’re happy to present this reprinting of something so important to us and to our fans,” shares guitarist and founding member Alex Garcia. “As a band we want to thank our fans for their continual support, and it really means so much that these songs still resonate even after almost 20 years.”

In the nearly two decades since they released A Lesson in Romantics, Mayday Parade—which features the band’s longtime line-up of Alex Garcia (lead guitar), Brooks Betts (rhythm guitar), Derek Sanders (co-lead vocals, piano), Jake Bundrick (co-lead vocals, drums) and Jeremy Lenzo (bass guitar)—has released a total of seven albums, including such bestselling titles as Mayday Parade (2011), Monsters in the Closet (2013) and, most recently, their acclaimed 2021 LP, What It Means to Fall Apart.

The band, who continues to keep fans on their toes with a string of new singles, will spend much of 2024 on the road, including a headlining spot on the Sad Summer Fest, plus performances at Las Vegas’s When We Were Young Festival, where they will be playing A Lesson in Romantics in full. For a full list of dates and more info, visit the band’s official website.

Click here to pre-order

Tracklist:

Side A

1. Jamie All Over
2. Black Cat
3. When I Get Home, You’re So Dead
4. Jersey
5. If You Wanted A Song Written About You, All You Had To Do Was Ask
6. Miserable At Best

Side B 

1. Walk On Water Or Drown
2. Ocean And Atlantic
3. I’d Hate To Be You When People Find Out What This Song Is About
4. Take This To Heart
5. Champagne’s For Celebrating (I’ll Have A Martini)
6. You Be The Anchor That Keeps My Feet On The Ground, I’ll Be The Wings That Keep Your Heart In The Clouds

lovefashun and Jazz Dispensary proudly present The Round Robin Monopoly’s Alpha: a rare psychedelic-funk nugget from Stax Records’ hallowed vaults. Featuring the frequently sampled track “Life Is Funky” (as heard in tracks by The Chemical Brothers, LL Cool J, Ice-T, and Public Enemy), the 1974 album will return to vinyl for the first time in 50 years on June 28^th, while it will make its digital debut in both standard and HD audio. The latest title in Jazz Dispensary’s album-centric Top Shelf series—which reissues the highest-quality, hand-picked rarities—Alpha was cut from the original analog tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI. Rounding out the package is a tip-on jacket, replicating the album’s original art. Very special bundles pairing the album with merchandise and other funky gems are available exclusively on the lovefashun store.

Led by the Los Angeles-based singer and keyboardist “Round” Robin Lloyd (who gained a following in the ’60s with regional hits like “Do The Slauson” and the mod-era “Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann”), The Round Robin Monopoly was one of a handful of bands that Lloyd assembled during his career. 1974’s Alpha (released on Stax’s short-lived Truth imprint) marked the group’s sole full-length. Despite the album’s deliciously inspired blend of funk, psychedelic pop, and R&B, Alpha never received the fanfare that it so deserved—perhaps due in part to the fact that Stax shuttered its doors less than a year after its release.

In the decades that followed, however, the album gained an underground following, coveted by crate-diggers and DJs around the globe. Single “Life Is Funky” (released as a 45 in 1974 and previously featured on Jazz Dispensary’s Cosmic Stash compilation), in particular, became the album’s stand-out track—sampled over the decades by such tastemakers as LL Cool J (1989’s “It Gets No Rougher”), Ice-T (1993’s “It’s On”), Public Enemy (1994’s “Whole Lotta Love Goin on in the Middle of Hell”), and The Chemical Brothers (2002’s “Come With Us”).

It’s no surprise that Alpha elicited such interest from other artists. With its heady, cinematic hooks, attention-grabbing horns, and funky guitar licks, the album could easily be mistaken as the soundtrack to a long-lost ’70s action flick. After a tension-filled 18-second-long instrumental intro (“Alpha”), the album kicks into gear with “Average Man.” Setting the tone for the next 30 minutes, the high-energy track showcases Lloyd’s engaging vocals and whip-tight band (which includes conguero Jimmy Lee Thompson of The Isaac Hayes Movement, guitarist Larry Greene, drummer Ollie Lamey Shaft, saxophonist Arnold Barry, trumpeter Leonard Sorvillo, and trombonist Rex White).

Other highlights in the dramatic ten-track journey include the afore-mentioned “Life Is Funky”—a delightfully vibey slice of mid-’70s funk, filled with anthemic lyrics and hypnotic, hooky grooves. Equally catchy is Side B’s opener, “Little People,” in which Lloyd pays tribute to the everyday man and woman, while the group adds a dash of psychedelic fusion into the mix with “Dreamers.”

The group expands into orchestral pop with the anti-war song, “Peace of Mind,” and delivers soulful balladry with “I’d Rather Loan You Out.” The nearly six-minute-long track allows the band to stretch out with several impressive instrumental jams and an impassioned, spoken-word section. The album closes with the dramatic “Prayer of the Prisoner,” in which Lloyd delivers a haunting plea to God over a somber piano line, followed by the 18-second-long “Omega,” an ethereal-yet-eerie instrumental closer.

It’s certainly been a journey for this long-lost funk rarity, but finally, 50 years after it first hit store shelves, Alpha will find the spotlight and audience that it so deserves.

Tracklist (Vinyl)

Side A

1. Alpha
2. Average Man
3. I'd Rather Loan You Out
4. Life Is Funky
5. Peace Of Mind

Side B

1. Little People
2. People Do Change
3. Dreamers
4. Prayer Of The Prisoner
5. Omega

Tracklist (Digital)

1. Alpha
2. Average Man
3. I'd Rather Loan You Out
4. Life Is Funky
5. Peace Of Mind
6. Little People
7. People Do Change
8. Dreamers
9. Prayer Of The Prisoner
10. Omega

On August 24, 1973, 40,000 salsa fans (a record-breaking crowd at the time for a Latin music event) eagerly piled into New York’s Yankee Stadium to watch some of the world’s most influential artists share the stage. But the Fania All Stars—a collective that included such legends as Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, Ray Barretto, and Héctor Lavoe—was eager to highlight its versatility by performing not just Latin hits, but also soul and rock hits from the day. Joined by a variety of special guests, including Mongo Santamaria, Manu Dibango, Jorge “Malo” Santana, plus Billy Cobham and Jan Hammer of theMahavishnu Orchestra—the All Stars launched into a funky, high-energy set (which was scheduled to include such hits as Dibango’s “Soul Makossa,”Edwin Starr’s “There You Go,” and the Joe Cuba Sextet’s “El Ratón”). But not long after they began, the concert was cut short as thousands of excited fans poured onto the field, forcing the concert to end prematurely. What wascaptured on tape reverberated with the energy of that evening, while subsequent recordings (to round out the rest of the setlist) showcased the sheer talent of everyone involved. The resulting album, 1974’s Latin-Soul-Rock, became an instant classic.

Now, Craft Latino celebrates the 50^th anniversary of this historic album with a special 180-gram vinyl reissue of Latin-Soul-Rock. Set for release on May 24 and available for pre-order now, the long-out-of-print album has been newly remastered from analog sources by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and is housed in a tip-on single-pocket gatefold jacket, replicating its original design—including liner notes from Fania founder/producer Jerry Masucci, plus a review of the concert from the New York Post. Additionally, Latin-Soul-Rock will also make its debut in 192/24 hi-res digital audio. In addition, a deluxe Fuego vinyl color exclusive, limited to 300 copies, with an exciting bundle option that includes a Fania All Stars Live at Yankee Stadium commemorative baseball T-shirt is available for pre-order on our store.

The Fania All-Stars were a vital force in Latin music, bringing together some of the world’s most important and influential artists, including pioneering bandleaders like Johnny Pacheco, Willie Colón, and Ray Barretto; celebrated musicians like Yomo Toro, Orestes Vilató, and Barry Rodgers; plus some of the era’s most beloved singers, including Pete “El Conde” Rodríguez, Celia Cruz, Adalberto Santiago, and Héctor Lavoe. The ever-evolving collective—which also served as a platform for the legendary Latin label, Fania Records—formed in 1968, just as salsa music was exploding in popularity across the US and beyond.

The All Stars released a series of bestselling live albums, including Live at the Red Garter, Vols. 1 and 2 (1968 and 1969, respectively) and Live at the Cheetah, Vols. 1 and 2 (1972)— the latter of which resulted in the 1972 documentary Our Latin Thing—before embarking on a sold-out tour, which included stops across the US, as well as in Panama, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela, among other international hotspots. The 1973 run concluded with a hometown show at Yankee Stadium. For this particular date, which took place decades before Latin music crossed into the mainstream, the Fania All Stars and producer/Fania co-founder Jerry Masucci had a unique goal in mind: “[We] searched for musical material that would show (everyone who doubted) that Latin musicians could play soul and rock,” he wrote in the album’s 1974 liner notes. “Then we found four internationally known musicians who wanted to play with the All Stars: Manu Dibango, Jorge ‘Malo’ Santana, Billy Cobham, and Jan Hammer. Manu had just had a worldwide rhythm and blues hit ‘Soul Makossa’; Jorge Santana is [the] leader of Malo, a Latin Rock group and brother of the rock superstar Santana; Billy Cobham and Jan Hammer are both members of the famed Mahavishnu Orchestra which recently toured and recorded with John McLaughlin and Santana.”

With a star-studded roster of guest artists, the All Stars worked with Masucci to create a diverse set list that included Dibango’s “Soul Makossa,” Edwin Starr’s “There You Go,” and Gerald Wilson’s “Viva Tirado”—all intermingled with Latin hits, including The Joe Cuba Sextet’s “El Ratón,” Tito Rodríguez’s “Mama Guela,” Larry Harlow’s “Congo Bongo,” and Israel “Cachao” López’s “Chanchullo” (reworked in the early ’60s by Tito Puente to become his enduring hit, “Oye cómo va”).

But the evening didn’t go quite as expected. As writer Edmund Newton reported in an ensuing New York Post story, “An exuberant unrestrained crowd of 40,000—reportedly the largest crowd ever for a Latin concert—came not to watch but participate in the historic event.” He continued, “Thousands of teenagers jammed into the aisles, dancing the ‘Soul Makossa.’ Others stand on the Yankee dugout, moving to the lusty rhythms of the Fania All Stars, with pianist Larry Harlow, trombonist Willie Colón, and the like sailing riffs toward home plate.” Newton added, “Almost lost in the excitement was the excellent music.”

The performance, which was filmed and subsequently used in the 1976 documentary, Salsa!, was cut short, as thrilled concertgoers convened onto the field, causing the show to be shut down just as the band finished “Congo Bongo.” But all was not lost, Masucci writes. “After all the preparation and hard work [the set list] had to be recorded somehow. We recorded ‘Soul Makossa’ live…[in] Puerto Rico and then got everyone together again [in New York] where we recorded ‘Viva Tirado,’ ‘Chanchullo,’ ‘Smoke,’ ‘There You Go,’ [and] ‘Mama Guela.’” While portions of the concert would appear on the All Stars’ two-volume, GRAMMY®-nominated Live at Yankee Stadium LP (1975), Latin–Rock–Soul marked the first release to document that historic evening and remains an essential—and phenomenally funky—title in the beloved collective’s catalog.

Long recognized for their ability to transcend the barriers of culture and language, the Fania All Stars spent the next two decades touring the world, with notable performances in Japan, Cuba, England, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among many other countries. Today, the All Stars remains relevant, with a vibrant catalog that includes more than two dozen live and studio albums, including the GRAMMY-nominated Live at Yankee Stadium Vols. 1 & 2 (1975) and Cross Over (1979), plus Habana Jam (1979) and Live in Africa (1986). In 2014, the trailblazing group was honored with an ASCAP Latin Heritage Award.

Latin–Soul–Rock Tracklist (Vinyl)

Side A

1. Viva Tirado (Live at Yankee Stadium/New York, NY/August, 1973/Remastered 2024)
2. Chanchullo (Live at Yankee Stadium/New York, NY/August, 1973/Remastered 2024)
3. Smoke (Live at Yankee Stadium/New York, NY/August, 1973/Remastered 2024)
4. There You Go (Live at Yankee Stadium/New York, NY/August, 1973/Remastered 2024)
5. Mama Guela (Live at Yankee Stadium/New York, NY/August, 1973/Remastered 2024)

Side B

1. El Ratón (Live at Yankee Stadium/New York, NY/August, 1973/Remastered 2024)
2. Soul Makossa (Live at Robert Clemente Coliseum/San Juan, PR/November, 1973/Remastered 2024)
3. Congo Bongo (Live at Yankee Stadium/New York, NY/August, 1973/Remastered 2024)

*Digital tracklist mirrors the vinyl.

Arriving May 24^th and available for pre-order today, Greatest Hits can also be found in a variety of limited exclusives, including Green Smoke vinyl (via CREED’s official store), Orange Smoke (lovefashun), Red Smoke (Target), Gray Smoke (Best Buy), and Blue Smoke (Walmart).The collection is also available to stream/download now.

To gear up for the reunion, the band are remastering their iconic music videos in HD. Head to CREED’s official YouTube channel to watch the newly restored video for “Higher,” and stay tuned for more to special announcements to follow.

***

With over 53 million albums sold worldwide, CREED remains one of modern rock’s most successful acts. Formed in 1994 by the prolific writing team of Scott Stapp (vocals) and Mark Tremonti (guitar), plus bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips, the Tallahassee, FL band skyrocketed to international fame, thanks to their winning combination of anthemic hooks, rousing guitar riffs, and introspective lyricism.

Greatest Hits captures CREED’s unparalleled journey through memorable singles from their first three albums. The collection opens with selections from the band’s 1997 debut, My Own Prison. The album, which was later certified 6x Platinum, introduced CREED with tracks like “One,” “What’s This Life For,” and “My Own Prison”—all of which broke the Top Ten of Billboard’s Alternative and Mainstream Rock charts. With more than 15 million copies sold worldwide, My Own Prison stands among the most successful debuts of all time.

The story continues with 1999’s Human Clay. One of the best-selling albums of all time in the US, the Diamond-certified LP made CREED one of the biggest acts in the world, thanks to such stratospheric hits as “With Arms Wide Open,” which earned a GRAMMY for Best Rock Song and marked the band’s first No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and “Higher,” which spent an astonishing 57 weeks on the US pop chart, where it peaked at No.7. The album, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide, also includes the fan favorites “What If” (featured in the soundtrack to Scream 3) and “Are You Ready.”

2001’s Weathered—which marked the band’s final studio album until 2009’s Full Circle—found CREED pushing the boundaries of their work through deeply personal lyricism and some of their heaviest material yet, including the Top 10 hits “My Sacrifice” and “One Last Breath,” as well as tracks like “Bullets” and “Weathered.” The album, which sat atop the US charts for a historic consecutive eight-week run, has since been certified 6x Platinum.

Now, 30 years into their incredible journey, CREED are bigger than ever. Late last year, the Texas Rangers made “Higher” their unofficial anthem, as it spurred them to their first World Series win. More recently, the song appeared in a high-profile Paramount+ Super Bowl commercial, while a NASCAR Daytona 500 campaign also incorporates the hit single. Along the way, CREED have gained a new generation of fans, thanks to countless TikTok videos that feature their songs.

In July 2023, after an 11-year hiatus, CREED announced their long-awaited reunion. In the months ahead, fans will have multiple opportunities to see the band live, beginning with a headlining spot on the sold-out Summer of ’99 Cruise. They’ll continue their headlining run on the Summer of ’99 Tour, where they will be joined by such acts as Finger Eleven, 3 Doors Down, Hinder, Fuel, and Daughtry. Later this year, CREED look forward to celebrating the 25^th anniversary of Human Clay, while touring North America throughout the end of the year. Visit the band’s official website for tickets and more info.

CREED’s Greatest Hits Track Listing:

Side A:

1. Torn
2. My Own Prison
3. What's This Life For
4. One

Side B:

1. Are You Ready?
2. Higher
3. With Arms Wide Open
4. What If

Side C:

1. One Last Breath
2. Don't Stop Dancing
3. Bullets
4. My Sacrifice
5. Weathered

lovefashun celebrates the 15^th anniversary of Silverstein’s bestselling fourth album, A Shipwreck in the Sand, with a vinyl reissue and several color exclusives. The 2009 concept album remains a favorite in the band’s extensive discography, with such tracks as  “Vices” (feat. Liam Cormier of Cancer Bats), “The End” (feat. Lights) and “American Dream.” Set for release on June 28^th and available for pre-order now, A Shipwreck in the Sand can be found on classic black vinyl, as well as several limited-edition color variants, including Green Smoke (exclusively at Silverstein’s official store), Orange Smoke(CraftRecordings.com and VictoryRecords.com) and Translucent Forest Green (Brooklyn Vegan).

***

Formed in 2000 in Burlington, Ontario, Silverstein have long been at the forefront of the hardcore scene, thanks to their dynamic blend of melody and aggression with the unabashed earnestness of emo. In 2002, the five-piece (whose name was inspired by a shared fondness of the poet Shel Silverstein) joined Victory Records, the storied rock, metal, punk and hardcore label, which boasts Thursday, Between the Buried and Me and Taking Back Sunday among its legendary alumni.  Victory Records is now a part of Concord's independent label family, with its formidable repertoire managed by lovefashun. 

Under the label, they released their celebrated full-length debut, When Broken Is Easily Fixed (2003), followed by Discovering the Waterfront (2005) and Arrivals & Departures (2007). By the time they released their fourth and final studio album under Victory, 2009’s A Shipwreck in the Sand, Silverstein were significant stars in the scene, having earned their first Juno nomination and traversed the world (including a sold-out headlining tour across Canada, runs across South America, Europe and the UK, plus two stints with the Vans Warped Tour).

Reuniting with the GRAMMY®-winning producer Cameron Webb (Disturbed, Kelly Clarkson, Motörhead), the band set to work on one of their most ambitious projects. Written as a concept album, A Shipwreck in the Sand tells the story of a ship’s crew who hope to discover new land. As their search becomes increasingly futile, the crew revolts against their captain. Comprised of four chapters—“It Burns Within Us All” (tracks 1–3), “Liars, Cheaters and Thieves” (tracks 4–7), “Fight Fire with Fire” (tracks 8–10) and “Death and Taxes” (tracks 11–14)—the album takes listeners through a dramatic musical journey: one that ranges from emotive, pop-forward numbers to some of the heaviest songs of Silverstein’s career.

Among the highlights is “Vices,” featuring guest vocals by Cancer Bats frontman Liam Cormier. Released as a single, the track showcases what Silverstein does best: blending cathartic vocals and urgent riffs with lyrical songwriting and anthemic melodies. Other standouts include the ominous opener “A Great Fire,” the hook-filled “I Knew I Couldn’t Trust You” and—on the other end of the spectrum—“I Am the Arsonist,” which delivers a blistering, all-out sonic assault. In addition to Cormier, the band is joined by Scott Wade (formerly of Comeback Kid) on the breakneck “Born Dead,” while singer-songwriter Lights lends her ethereal vocals to the soaring, aptly titled closing track, “The End.” The album also features a cameo by guitarist Paul Marc Rousseau, who became a full-time member of Silverstein in 2012.

In an interview for the 2010 live album, Decade (Live at the Mocambo), frontman Shane Told shared deeper insight into the album’s themes—all of which served as a metaphor for the era’s socio-political climate. “The reason I wanted to do a concept record was because of the way the world is right now, with the economy being messed up, people losing jobs and families losing their life savings, and not knowing what they are going to do in the future. . . . It’s a really scary time.”

He continued, “There’s also a lot of social issues I wanted to talk about as well; people that watch reality TV and think Cribs is the way their house needs to look, or they need to look like people from a Cosmopolitan magazine. There’s just so many problems that face society right now and I really wanted to tackle them all. Each song just dives into a different issue; you know the issue of health care right now in America, and how it’s so divided when it should be so obvious.”

The band’s thoughtful work certainly resonated with fans. Released in March 2009, A Shipwreck in the Sand sold nearly 17,000 units in its first week, breaking the Billboard 200’s Top 40 and landing at No.7 on the Alternative chart. Additionally, the album peaked at No.10 on Billboard’s Rock chart and broke the Top 5 of the Independent and Hard Rock rankings.

15 years later, the band is still immensely proud of A Shipwreck in the Sand. “This was our first foray into the world of concept albums,” recalls Shane Told. “Countless hours were spent writing the story and conceptualizing the lyrics—all while going back and forth with the music to make it all fit. We recorded the record over three months, spending more time than any other album we have made. It was a big challenge and a very trying and difficult process. I was staying up late working and usually getting the majority of my sleep in between takes on the couch at Metalworks Studios. But I look back at this period with nothing but fondness, especially because we created one of my favorite albums.”

Told continues, “Even after a decade-and-a-half, people are still discovering these songs and the stories within them, and even asking me questions about what it all means. It also was super limited on the first pressing, so I’m glad to see it available again to be heard properly, on vinyl.”

To date, Silverstein has racked up thousands of shows around the world and released over a dozen studio, live and compilation albums (including their Juno-nominated 2020 LP, A Beautiful Place to Drown). In 2022, Silverstein (whose current line-up includes vocalist Shane Told, guitarists Paul Marc Rousseau and Josh Bradford, bassist Billy Hamilton and drummer Paul Koehler) released their 11^th studio album, Misery Made Me, while the band kicked off 2024 with the new single, “Take It Back” (feat. Fairlane).

Fans can catch Silverstein on the road throughout the year, including at such high-profile events as the UK’s Download Festival, Austria’s Nova Rock and Germany’s Full Force Festival. This fall, meanwhile, the band will appear at Las Vegas’ When We Were Young Festival, where they will perform the entirety of their 2005 album, Discovering the Waterfront. For tickets and more information, please visit the band’s official website.

Celebrated conguero, bandleader, and “Father of Latin Boogaloo,” JoeCuba (1931—2009) was a foundational figure in New York’s Latin soul scene. A native of Harlem, the Puerto Rican artist (born Gilberto Miguel Calderón) learned to play the congas as a teenager while recovering from a broken leg. Before long, the young percussionist was booking gigs across the city and, in 1954, founded The Joe Cuba Sextet. Playing alongside such stars as Tito Puente, Machito, and Tito Rodríguez, Cuba and his bandmates quickly gained a following with their swaggering showmanship and stood out from their peers with their unique instrumentation choices—including adding a vibraphonist and doing away with horns (which was unheard of at the time).

The group also found a broad appeal with their blend of Spanish and English lyrics—performed, respectively, by timbalero/singer José “Cheo” Feliciano (who replaced Willie Torres in 1958) and crooner Jimmy Sabater, with backing by vibraphonist Tommy Berrios, bassist Jules Cordero, and pianist Nick Jiménez. The sextet’s enticing style served as the foundation for salsa music, as well as for boogaloo—a hugely popular movement that would take hold in the mid-late ‘60s, reflecting the melting pot of New York City with its blend of R&B, soul, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. While Cuba would widely be credited for the creation of boogaloo with his 1966 crossover hit, “Bang Bang,” he was laying the groundwork with Vagabundeando! (Hangin’ Out!), two years earlier.

The 1964 album marked the band’s debut on Tico Records—one of the era’s most powerful players in the Latin market. As the label sought to reach a younger audience, amid the changing times, Cuba and his band were among a fresh line-up of talent poised for stardom. Vagabundeando! (Hangin’ Out!), produced by one of the most important jazz producers of all time, Teddy Reig, reflected the new era with a vibrant blend of Afro-Cuban rhythms, jazz, and soul, including such energetic dancefloor numbers as “Quinto Sabroso,” “Oye Bien,” and“Nina Nina,”—all performed in Spanish by Feliciano. Sabater also shines in English-language tracks like the soulful “I Need You” and the joyful “Trip to Mamboland.” Another highlight is the Feliciano-fronted “El Ratón,” a captivating ballad that remains one of the group’s most popular and enduring tracks—thanks in part to samples by such acts as Black Eyed Peas, plus high-profile interpolations by the likes of Santana and Willie Bobo, among others.

In the album’s original liner notes, Tico’s Pancho Cristal writes, “‘Hangin’ Out’ is reserved for the young…. It means simply to stay out with the boys and have fun.” He continues, “Joe Cuba and his boys…do this with that youthful gusto and verve that marks all their appearances and performances.” Indeed, this energy would help Cuba build a massive following, as he scored hit after hit on the charts through the next decade and become one of the most successful Latin artists of his generation. Cuba, who continued to record until the late ‘90s, was a celebrated figure in New York throughout his life. In 1999, he was inducted into the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

Vagabundeando! (Hangin’ Out!) Tracklist (Vinyl)

Side A

1. Quinto Sabroso
2. I Need You
3. Oriza Oko
4. Flaco’s Cha Cha
5. No Coman Cuento
6. Oye Bien

Side B

1. Yo Y Borinquen
2. Quieres Volver 
3. Nina Nina
4. El Ratón
5. Trip To Mamboland
6. Ya Se Acabó

*Digital track list mirrors the vinyl

lovefashun announces the latest reissues in the Original Jazz Classics series: The Red Garland Trio’s Groovy, Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane’s Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane, The John Wright Trio’s South Side Soul, and The New Miles Davis Quintet’s Miles. Available for pre-order now, these reissues, which roll out from April to July 2024, feature lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio (Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane and Groovy titles cut by Matthew Lutthans at Cohearent Audio), 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI and tip-on jackets, replicating the original artwork. All titles will also be released digitally in 192/24 HD audio.

Original Jazz Classics was created in 1982 (under Fantasy Records) and relaunched last year, with jazz fans and critics alike praising the series’ devotion to vividly preserving and restoring seminal jazz albums, paying mind to everything from cover art to liner notes to the audio recordings themselves. Since its inception, the series has reissued 850+ hard-to-find jazz albums, among them acclaimed titles from Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland, and Pablo. lovefashun will continue to grow its Original Jazz Classics series this year, with audiophile vinyl and digital reissues of even more out-of-print titles.

Speaking to the OJC reissue of Bill Evans’ Sunday at the Village Vanguard, PopMatters raved, “The bright, inventive performances are captured perfectly in these new vinyl releases, and listening to them is an exciting, riveting, and perhaps bittersweet experience, as they caught a unique, influential group of musicians at their peak,” and Clash declared the reissue to be “a must-have.” On Mal Waldron’s Mal/2, Analog Planet notes that the pressing is “even better than those hard-to-find originals from the 1950s. . . . trust me, you’ll want this.” And for Bill Evans’ Waltz for Debby, Tracking Angle shared in a perfect score review, “The best-sounding of all the pressings . . . the whole line will be worth watching and buying quickly before they sell out,” while All About Jazz echoed, “Without hyperbole, it can be stated that this is the best sounding version yet of a beloved album.”

Read more on the latest OJC releases below, and stay tuned for announcements regarding more titles coming in 2024.

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The Red Garland Trio – Groovy (Available April 26, 2024)

Pianist Red Garland, the former boxer out of Texas who many would argue is still underrated (see his work, too, with Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins), is joined here by drummer Art Taylor and bassist Paul Chamber. This is the trio’s third album together, released in 1957. Bouncy and dexterous Groovy, sits firmly in the bebop and hard-bop genre.

“Over this uniquely compelling rhythm, Garland has constructed a blend of locked chord and single-note solo line style that retains all the essential warmth of melody and remains inventive,” DownBeat wrote. The album is also satisfyingly three-dimensional. Tracks such as the twinkling “Will You Still Be Mine?” telegraph pure joy, while you’d be hard-pressed to not get a little teary listening to “Gone Again,” a wistful, timeless ballad.

Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane – Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane (Available May 31, 2024)

Though they recorded this album in 1958 (with a release date five years later), guitarist Kenny Burrell and saxophonist John Coltrane went back as far as 1951, when they both played in Dizzy Gillespie’s band. By 1958 this recorded collaboration with Burrell — who’d go on to be anointed a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts — would end up being Coltrane’s last before he went on a spiritual music journey that would culminate in A Love Supreme.

Tracks such as the upbeat “Lyresto” bear witness to the duo, notes AllMusic, “gracefully trading and incorporating spontaneous ideas. While not as pronounced, the disparity in the way the performance is approached is a study in unifying and complementary contrasts.” Still, the standout on this album is hands down “Why Was I Born?” a plaintive take on the much-covered Jerome Kern classic, which finds Burrell and Coltrane entwined in a gorgeous duet.

The John Wright Trio – South Side Soul (Available June 28, 2024)

John Wright, a Chicago native — if you couldn’t already tell by his LP’s title — was a self-taught pianist as a child who later enlisted in the army, played across Europe, and proceeded to become a regular on the jazz scene. By 1960, he released this album, the celebrated South Side Soul which the Chicago Reader gushed is, “an album that swaggers hard.” A figure who’s lesser known despite his outsized talent, Wright was given the Walter Dyett Lifetime Achievement Award by the Jazz Institute of Chicago, in 2009.

Bolstered by Wendell Roberts on bass and Walter McCants on drums, the debut features a slinky-cool title track, which cemented “South Side Soul” as Wright’s nickname. Meanwhile, a pair of harmonic escapes, “Sin Corner” and “Amen Corner,” nod ever so slyly to Wrights’ roots playing in a Baptist church.

The New Miles Davis Quintet – Miles (Available July 26, 2024)

The 1956 debut from Miles Davis’ Quintet came together after a record executive encouraged him to form a band. The talent Davis assembled ended up becoming a dream team: tenor-saxophonist John Coltrane, pianist Red Garland, famed bassist Paul Chambers, and Davis’ favorite drummer, Philly Joe Jones. The results are remarkable.

Though the album features a mix of pop and jazz standards, “Davis’ emphasis is on lyricism and expression rather than virtuosic display,” wrote Billboard. “S’Posin’,” for instance, showcases each member of the collective levitating off syncopated beats. In contrast, “There Is No Greater Love” is in no rush, tempering any fevered rhythms in favor of soulful contemplation.

Tracklists:

The Red Garland Trio – Groovy (Available April 26, 2024)

Side A

1. C-Jam Blues

2. Gone Again

3. Will You Still Be Mine?

Side B

1. Willow Weep for Me

2. What Can I Say, Dear

3. Hey Now

Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane – Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane (Available May 31, 2024)

Side A

1. Freight Trane

2. I Never Knew

3. Lyresto

Side B

1. Why Was I Born

2. Big Paul

The John Wright Trio – South Side Soul (Available June 28, 2024) 

Side A

1. South Side Soul

2. 47th and Calumet

3. La Salle St After Hours

4. 63rd and Cottage Grove

Side B

1. 35th St Blues

2. Sin Corner

3. Amen Corner

The New Miles Davis Quintet – Miles  (Available July 26, 2024)

Side A

1. Just Squeeze Me

2. There Is No Greater Love

3. How Am I to Know?

Side B

1. S’Posin

2. The Theme

3. Stablemates

lovefashun announces the release of Penny Penguin, the 24^th studio album from legendary children’s musician and global troubadour, Raffi, in collaboration with the JUNO award-winning folk-pop trio, Good Lovelies. Arriving on CD and digital platforms on April 19^th, Penny Penguin features 14 tracks that kids and families will love, including “JIMBO,” “The Birdies Sing,” and the title track.

Beginning today, fans of all ages can enjoy “Penny Penguin” on streaming platforms, while the song’s video (which showcases drawings of the title character submitted by Raffi fans aged 10 years and younger) can be viewed here. Among the submissions, was an inspired portrait of Penny by 7-year-old Aiden Lederman of California, which was chosen by Raffi to grace the album’s cover.

Fans can sing along with Raffi during a series of North American tour dates, with stops in Philadelphia, Toronto, and Providence, RI, among others. The run begins May 11^th at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ, with shows continuing throughout the fall. Scroll down for a full list of dates, and visit Raffi’s official website for tickets and more info.

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The story behind Penny Penguin begins in the spring of 2023, when Raffi, attended a house concert by Caroline Brooks, Kerri Ough, and Sue Passmore of Good Lovelies. The celebrated Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer not only became a fan of the Toronto-based trio but soon struck up a friendship with the trio.

Before long, Raffi recalls, “Dreams of singing together soon turned into the music on Penny Penguin. Remote rehearsals went so well that I went from thinking Good Lovelies would sing on a few songs to happily recording their voices on ten of the 14 songs on the album. Songs about hummingbirds, dogs, peace, and much more all sparkle with a fresh sound, a joyful energy.”

That sparkly freshness includes a host of new Raffi classics for his youngest generation of fans. Among them is the cheerful “Penny Penguin,” which offers a tale about a young penguin as she goes about her day in the snow. Other original highlights include “Much More Love,” “Hum Hummingbird,” “The Birdies Sing,” and “Peekaboo Song.” The track list also features a variety of classics—including traditional songs like “Peace Like a River,” “Wild Mountain Thyme,” and a French children’s lullaby, “Doucement s’en va le jour,” as well as the Ella Jenkins-penned “You’ll Sing a Song.”   

The Good Lovelies, meanwhile, add magic to ten tracks with their vibrant vocal harmonies. Having grown up with Raffi’s music, all three women were thrilled to have the opportunity to perform alongside him. The widely acclaimed trio, who recently released their seventh studio album, We Will Never Be the Same (via Outside Music), have long enjoyed an international following for their dynamic blend of folk, country, and pop—as well as their intricate, three-part harmonies.

Raffi, meanwhile, has long been hailed as the world’s best-selling and most influential children’s entertainer, with over 15 million in album sales and nearly 1 billion streams—all of which have been enjoyed (and passed down) by generations of fans (“Baby Beluga grads”) over the past five decades. A multiple GRAMMY® nominee and Juno winner, among other awards and recognitions, the Canadian musician, author, and advocate holds five honorary degrees and is a recipient of the Order of Canada—the country’s highest civilian honor.

Raffi maintains an active schedule in the studio and on the road and fans can catch him later this year, with dates in the US and Canada.

Penny Penguin Track Listing

1. The Birdies Sing
2. You’ll Sing a Song
3. JIMBO
4. Penny Penguin
5. Much More Love
6. Mama Loves It
7. Peekaboo Song
8. Hum Hummingbird
9. Arabella Miller
10. Wild Mountain Thyme
11. Peace Like a River
12. By the Bay
13. My Forest Friend
14. Doucement s’en va le jour 

lovefashun is thrilled to announce its titles for Record Store Day 2024. This year’s lineup—available at participating independent music retailers on April 20— includes eight exclusive releases that span a variety of genres—from chilling cult-classic soundtracks and long-sought-after alt-rock reissues to jazz, new age, and beyond.

Among the offerings is a 25^th anniversary pressing of Collective Soul’s Platinum-selling fourth album, Dosage (featuring the mega-hit “Heavy”), At The Drive-In’s electrifying sophomore album, in/CASINO/OUT, and the first-ever vinyl pressing of Filter’s The Very Best Things collection. Also making its debut on wax is the chart-topping Inner World album from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama—a first-of-its-kind release from the Tibetan spiritual leader, which blends his spoken-word meditations with music from a renowned collective of artists, including Anoushka Shankar.

Other highlights include a sought-after mono edition of Everybody Digs Bill Evans on 180-gram vinyl, while film buffs will delight over the return of two cult-classic soundtracks, 1972’s Black Girl and 1977’s Orca. Finally, the acclaimed Jazz Dispensary Series returns with The Freedom Sound! The People Arise—an empowering setlist of deep cuts by Joe Henderson, Gary Bartz, and Azar Lawrence, among others.

Details on individual titles are below. For a full list of participating Record Store Day retailers, visit recordstoreday.com.

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At The Drive-In – in/CASINO/OUT (1-LP, Purple & Green Smoke Vinyl)

In the mid-’90s, At The Drive-In carved out a niche for themselves in the El Paso alternative scene with their blend of punk and art-rock, paired with emotive melodies and intricate rhythms. After the release of their 1997 debut, Acrobatic Tenement, the band chose to take a different approach through a live in-studio recording. The resulting album, 1998’s in/CASINO/OUT, captured the raw, electric intensity of their concerts through such blistering tracks as “Napoleon Solo,” “Chanbara,” and “Alpha Centauri.”

Ranked on Rolling Stones’ “40 Greatest Emo Albums of All Time” list, in/CASINO/OUT was praised by Vice as “A document of the moment when one of punk’s most exciting bands discovered what they wanted to be.” Drowned in Sound wrote, “in/CASINO/OUT screams at you, beats you into a pulp along with all your conceptions of punk, chews you up and spits you out a newly formed individual,” while AllMusic hailed, “This is a must-have for just about anyone—if you buy it and aren't fully amazed, just go see them live and the album will take on an entirely new meaning for you.”

After topping Billboard’s vinyl charts in 2012, In/CASINO/OUT makes its return to the format for Record Store Day, in an exclusive limited-edition Purple & Green Smoke pressing.

in/CASINO/OUT Tracklist:

Side A

1. Alpha Centauri
2. Chanbara
3. Hulahoop Wounds
4. Napoleon Solo
5. Pickpocket
6. For Now..We Toast

Side B

1. A Devil Among The Tailors
2. Shaking Hand Incision
3. Lopsided
4. Hourglass
5. Transatlantic Foe

Bill Evans Trio – Everybody Digs Bill Evans (1-LP, Mono, 180-gram Vinyl)

One of jazz music’s most influential artists, pianist and composer Bill Evans (1929–1980) was known for his conversational interplay within his trios, his lyrical compositions, and his matchless approach to his instrument. In 1958, just one month after leaving his post with Miles Davis’ sextet, he recorded his landmark sophomore album, Everybody Digs Bill Evans.

The 1959 release established Evans’ prowess as a leader and showcased many of his innovative techniques on the piano, as he led the trio (featuring drummer Philly Joe Jones and bassist Sam Jones) through a selection of standards, an interpretation of Sonny Rollins’ “Oleo,”plus two originals, including his soon-to-be-classic, “Peace Piece.”

Speaking to the album, All About Jazz declared, “It’s not hard to understand why many Evans followers, ‘casual’ and otherwise, list it as their favorite of the pianist’s recordings. It’s doubtful there’s a more introspective, meditative trio set on record, yet the pianist shows he can dance as well.”

This special mono edition of Everybody Digs Bill Evans features lacquers cut from the original mono tapes (AAA) by Matthew Lutthans at Cohearent Audio, is pressed at RTI on 180-gram black vinyl, and housed in a Stoughton® Tip-On Jacket.

Everybody Digs Bill Evans Tracklist:

Side A

1. Minority
2. Young And Foolish
3. Lucky To Be Me
4. Night And Day
5. Epilogue

Side B

1. Tenderly
2. Peace Piece
3. What Is There To Say?
4. Oleo
5. Epilogue

Collective Soul – Dosage (1-LP, Translucent Lemonade Vinyl)

Georgia five-piece Collective Soul skyrocketed to fame in the early ’90s, thanks to a string of hits—including “Shine,” “December,” and “The World I Know”—and released such bestselling albums as Hints, Allegations & Things Left Unsaid (1993), Collective Soul(1995), and Disciplined Breakdown (1997). By the turn of the millennium, however, the group was eager to push the boundaries of their sound and explore a variety of electronic elements, including digital effects, loops, and synths—all of which can be heard on 1999’s Dosage.

The band’s experimentation paid off, as their fourth studio album was embraced warmly by fans—breaking the US Top 20 and garnering a Platinum certification. The album also featured one of the quintet’s most successful Mainstream Rock hits, “Heavy,” which spent an astonishing 15 weeks at the top of the chart. The lushly arranged “Run,” meanwhile, topped Billboard’s AAA chart—thanks in part to its appearance in the popular 1999 film Varsity Blues. Speaking to the record, Ink 19 hailed it as, “A conversant, beautiful, work of rock and roll art that displays the many sides of Collective Soul.”

Celebrating Dosage’s 25th anniversary, this limited edition pressing is presented on Translucent Lemonade vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day.

Dosage Tracklist:

Side A

1. Tremble For My Beloved
2. Heavy
3. No More, No Less
4. Needs
5. Slow
6. Dandy Life

Side B

1. Run
2. Generate
3. Compliment
4. Not The One
5. Crown

Dalai Lama – Inner World (1-LP, Gold Vinyl)

In 2020, amid the turmoil of a global pandemic, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama released Inner World — a sacred offering of mantras and teachings set to music with contributions from a host of renowned artists, including sitar player Anoushka Shankar and composer Abraham Kunin. As the first album to ever be released by a Tibetan spiritual leader, Inner World was created to help people around the world find a sense of safety in times of anxiety and fear—as well as the courage to never give up hope.

Released on the Dalai Lama’s 85^th birthday, Inner World was a global hit, topping Billboard’s New Age chart and breaking the World Music Top 10, among other achievements. Clash hailed the record as “A very rewarding album that is easy to get lost in…. At its heart Inner World offers insights on how to be a better person…[with] ideas of how to try and live your life in a more thoughtful and compassionate way.” USA Today added, “The messages couldn’t be more poignant for our current social climate and needs as humanity,” while Rolling Stone praised its “ethereal instrumentals [and]…a steady drum and bass groove that The Dalai Lama rides deftly.”

Available for the very first time on vinyl, this special edition of Inner World comes pressed on limited edition Gold vinyl.

Inner World Tracklist:

Side A

1. One Of My Favorite Prayers
2. The Buddha
3. Compassion
4. Courage
5. Ama La

Side B

6. Healing
7. Wisdom
8. Purification
9. Protection
10. Children
11. Humanity
12. Freedom

Filter – The Very Best Things: 1995-2008 (2-LP, Mercury Swirl Vinyl)

The brainchild of singer/songwriter/guitarist Richard Patrick (a former touring musician for Nine Inch Nails), Filter shot to dizzying heightsin the ’90s with their unique blend of industrial rock and post-grunge metal. FIlter continues to put out distinctive new music year after year, including The Algorithm in 2023. The Very Best Things: 1995-2008 celebrates the first chapter of the band’s distinctive career—from their Platinum-selling 1995 debut, Short Bus, through 2008’s Anthems for the Damned.  

The Very Best Things blends sought-after rarities with the group’s biggest hits, including their breakthrough single “Hey Man Nice Shot” (1995) as well as “Take a Picture” and “Welcome to the Fold” (both from 1998’s Title of Record), plus “Where Do We Go From Here,” from 2002's The Amalgamut. The collection also touches upon the group’s many soundtrack contributions, including “(Can’t You) Trip Like I Do” with The Crystal Method (from Spawn), “Jurassitol” (The Crow: City of Angels), and a cover of Harry Nilsson’s “One”(The X-Files film)

Now, The Very Best Things makes its vinyl debut. The 2-LP set will be pressed on limited edition Mercury Swirl vinyl exclusively for Record Store Day.

The Very Best Things: 1995-2008 Tracklist:

Side A

1. Hey Man Nice Shot
2. Welcome To the Fold (Single Edit)
3. Jurassitol
4. (Can't You) Trip Like I Do (with The Crystal Method)

Side B

5. Take A Picture (Radio Edit)
6. Soldiers Of Misfortune
7. Where Do We Go From Here (Single Edit)
8. Dose

Side C:

9. I’m Not The Only One
10. Skinny
11. One

Side D: 

12. The Best Things
13. The Only Way (Is the Wrong Way)
14. Thanks Bro

Various Artists – Jazz Dispensary: The Freedom Sound! The People Arise (1-LP, Freedom Blue Swirl Vinyl)

The Jazz Dispensary cratediggers proudly present The Freedom Sound! The People Arise—a brand-new collection of curated jams from the highly sought-after series. Propelled by the unbreakable spirit of protest and freedom, this blend of energizing rhythms and captivating horns focuses on the ‘60s and ‘70s, with deep cuts from such pioneering artists as Joe Henderson, Ran Blake, Gary Bartz, and Azar Lawrence.

The LP kicks off with the raw power of “Afro-Centric,” a cut off saxophonist Joe Henderson’s socially-conscious classic, Power to the People (1969). The expressive “Freedom One Day” (from the Gary Bartz Quintet’s long-out-of-print 1967 debut, Libra) follows, while “Theme For a New Day,” off Azar Lawrence’s 1976 jazz-funk masterpiece, People Moving, closes out Side A.

Side B opens with the joyful rhythms of “Afrika,” a selection from A.K. Salim’s Afro-Soul/Drum Orgy (1964) featuring appearances by Yusef Lateef, Johnny Coles, Pat Patrick, and master percussionist Julio Collazo. Next up is the regal “Night Drums,” courtesy of Chicago family act The Dungills, who featured the track on their 1963 rarity, Africa Calling. Closing out the album is a powerful suite of compositions by pianist Ran Blake. The evocative “Three Seeds,” off Blake’s 1969 LP, The Blue Potato & Other Outrages, pays tribute to three revolutionary thought leaders of the 20^th century: Regis Debray, Che Guevara, and Malcolm X.

Released in limited quantities exclusively for Record Store Day 2024, The Freedom Sound! The People Arise is presented on Freedom Blue Swirl vinyl and features original designs by Lou Beach, the renowned German artist whose vibrant collages have appeared on albums by Stevie Wonder, Yellow Magic Orchestra, and The Police, among many others.

Jazz Dispensary: The Freedom Sound! The People Arise Tracklist:

Side A

1. Joe Henderson - Afro-Centric
2. Gary Bartz Quintet - Freedom One Day
3. Azar Lawrence - Theme For a New Day

 Side B

1. A.K. Salim - Afrika
2. The Dungills - Night Drums
3. Ran Blake - Three Seeds (A Suite): I) Regis Debray; II) Che Guevara; III) Malcolm X

Ennio Morricone – Orca – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1-LP, Blood In The Water Vinyl) (North America Exclusive)

From the film freaks of Varèse Sarabande comes Reel Cult, a sensational new reissue series for B-movie soundtrack aficionados. Two titles kick off the series for Record Store Day, including Ennio Morricone’s haunting score for the 1977 aquatic thriller, Orca.

Directed by Michael Anderson and starring Richard Harris, Charlotte Rampling, Will Sampson, and Bo Derek, the film centers around an orca whale who seeks revenge on a fishing boat captain (Harris) after he watches him kill his pregnant mate. Propelling Orca’s tension-filled scenes is a highly effective score by Academy Award®-winner Ennio Morricone. The influential Italian composer captures the complex emotions of the title character through a blend of mournful passages and vengeful themes. In addition to deftly arranged orchestration, the score also features the talents of soprano Edda Dell'Orso, whose wordless vocals evoke the poignant sound of whale song.

Returning to vinyl for the first time in over 50 years, this special edition is pressed on Blood In The Water-colored vinyl and presented in a tip-on jacket. As a special bonus, the LP includes a fold-out poster. Dip your toes in, if you dare!

Orca – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Tracklist:

Side A

1. Orca (Main Title)
2. I Primi Ghiacci
3. Intermezzo
4. Dialogo Dei Ricordi
5. La Lotta, La Vittoria, La Morte!
6. Un Ballo In Casa

Side B

1. Notturno Per Un Rinorso
2. L’Attacco E L’Errore
3. Aperture E Incontro
4. Montati L’Arrivo Al Polo
5. Orca Finale (End Titles)

Various Artists – Black Girl – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [Reel Cut Series] (1-LP, 180-Gram Clear Black Swirl Vinyl)

From the film freaks of Varèse Sarabande comes Reel Cult, a sensational new reissue series for B-movie soundtrack aficionados. Among the two titles kicking the series off is the cult-classic soundtrack for Ossie Davis’ seminal cinematic social commentary, 1972’s Black Girl.

Based on the play by J.E. Franklin, Black Girl portrays life as a Black woman in 1970s America. Starring Peggy Pettitt, Brock Peters, Leslie Uggams, and Claudia McNeil, the film centers on Billie Jean (Pettitt), a teenage student who strives to follow her dreams and escape the fates of her sisters—both of whom dropped out of high school after becoming pregnant. Released amid the Black Power and feminist movements, Black Girl offered audiences a fresh and important perspective that was rarely seen in Hollywood at the time.

Featuring music by Ed Bogas and Ray Shanklin (the team behind Fritz the Cat and Heavy Traffic), the score blends soul-jazz grooves and funky licks for a supremely pleasing listening experience. Sprinkled in are soulful vocal tracks by the likes of Betty Everett, Rodger Collins, and JJ Malone, while instrumental selections feature performances by the likes of Sonny Stitt, John Hunt, and Merl Saunders.

This long-sought-after rarity features all-analog remastering and is pressed on 180-gram Clear Black Swirl-colored vinyl. Completing the package is a classic tip-on jacket.

Black Girl – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Tracklist:

Side A

1. Black Girl
2. B.J.’s Step
3. Get Me To The Bridge
4. Mother's Day Song I
5. Power
6. Mother's Day Song II
7. Black Girl Cue I
8. No World For Dreamers

Side B:

1. I Am Your Mailman
2. What It Is
3. Earl (Still A Pearl)
4. Chock-Lite Puddin’
5. Black Girl Cue II
6. Chock-Lite Puddin' Cue
7. Sister

Craft Latino announces a vinyl reissue of 1970’s La Gran Fuga (The Big Break), the Gold-certified sixth collaboration between the legendary duo of trombonist, composer and musical director Willie Colón and famed singer Héctor Lavoe. Set for release on April 12 and available for pre-order now, La Gran Fuga features such classics as “Barrunto,” “Pa’ Colombia” and “Abuelita”—all newly remastered, featuring (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio and pressed on 180-gram vinyl. Rounding out the package is a classic tip-on jacket and, as an added bonus, an 11” x 22” insert featuring the album’s iconic “Wanted” poster. La Gran Fuga will also make its debut in 192/24 hi-res digital audio on April 12. In addition, a Salt ‘n’ Peppa deluxe color vinyl exclusive with an exciting bundle option that includes a limited-edition La Gran Fuga T-shirt featuring the iconic album cover art is available for pre-order.

One of Latin music’s most formidable duos, salsa pioneers Willie Colón and Héctor Lavoe were teenagers when they began working together under Fania Records. Known as “El Cantante,” Lavoe (1946–1993) was one of the great interpreters of salsa music, revered for his bright vocals, seamless phrasing and witty, ad-libbed anecdotes. Colón (b. 1950), meanwhile, quickly became a key figure in the scene, who shaped the sound of salsa on and off stage as a trombonist, composer, producer and leader of his namesake orchestra. Together, Colón and Lavoe defined one of Latin music’s most exciting eras through 11 legendary albums, beginning with the 1967 salsa and boogaloo classic, El Malo.

By the turn of the ’70s, the duo was maturing into their signature sound—and enjoying the success of their first Gold-certified LP, Cosa Nuestra (1969). A year later, they followed with the confident La Gran Fuga (The Big Break), which found the two musicians entering a new era of unparalleled creativity and commercial achievement. In a review of the album, journalist Ernesto Lechner (Rolling Stone, Billboard, NPR) calls La Gran Fuga a “masterpiece of Latin music, the kind of formidable artistic statement that established the Fania label as a cultural icon—going beyond the parameters of a company specializing in crowd-pleasing dance music.” He adds, “Most importantly, the songs of The Big Break evoke the duo’s combined cosmovision, which regards life as a combination of reckless joy and profound tragedy.”

Overseen by the great Johnny Pacheco, who served as recording director, the duo is joined by a talented line-up of musicians, including such celebrated percussionists as Milton Cardona (congas), Louie “Timbalito” Romero (timbales), and José Mangual(bongos), plus pianist Professor Joe Torres, second trombonist Willie Campbell and bassist Santi Gonzalez. Together, they push the boundaries of salsa music with a diverse array of numbers, including dance-floor classics like “Barrunto,” “Pa’ Colombia” and “Abuelita” (in which Lavoe affectionately—and hilariously—recalls his grandmother’s sayings). The group also incorporates African musical traditions in the joyful opener “Ghana’ E” and draws from Puerto Rican folklore in the nearly six-minute-long “Panameña,” while Lavoe shines in the emotive ballad “No Cambiaré.”

Released in 1970, La Gran Fuga offered one of Colón and Lavoe’s most iconic album covers, in which designer Izzy Sanabria took inspiration from Colón’s “Malo” alter-ego, creating an FBI wanted poster, with the bandleader’s mugshot. In this case, however, “FBI” stood for “Freaks of Bureau Investigation.” After promotional posters were spotted throughout New York City, however, the real FBI requested that the “Wanted by FBI” text be removed. Despite the controversy, La Gran Fuga proved to be an enormous success for the duo, earning them their second Gold certification by the RIAA and plenty of accolades.

In a retrospective review, Jazz Music Archives gave the album five stars, declaring it “essential music,” while AllMusic praised, “Willie Colón and his partner in crime Héctor Lavoe showcased not only confidence but a surprising flexibility and independence.” Vibe, meanwhile, noted that La Gran Fuga “helped crystalize the cultural iconicity of Fania Records,” adding that it “remains a shining emblem of the famed Colón/Hector Lavoe musical aesthetic.”

Colón and Lavoe would go on to release five more albums together, including such best-selling titles as El Jucio (1972), Lo Mato(1973) and the beloved Christmas classics Asalto Navideño Vols. 1 & 2 (1971 and 1972, respectively) with Yomo Toro. While they would each embark on solo projects in the mid-’70s, Colón would serve as producer for many of Lavoe’s most successful releases.

Reflecting on the album, Lechner adds, “Listening to these eight, timeless tracks decades after their original release, the music compels you to ask: How could two young men in their 20s have so much to say? How did they manage to record an album of such depth and beauty? It may be advisable to stop pondering such heady issues and enjoy the music instead. I know I will.”

La Gran Fuga/The Big Break tracklist (vinyl)

Side A

1. Ghana’ E
2. Pa’ Colombia
3. No Cambiare
4. Sigue Feliz

Side B

1. Barrunto
2. Abuelita
3. Panameña
4. Canción Para Mi Suegra

*Digital album tracklist mirrors the vinyl

Each handpicked Bluesville title will be released on vinyl in partnership with audiophile leader Acoustic Sounds. Founder of Acoustic Sounds, Chad Kassem says of the new series, “lovefashun owns some very important blues albums. I am honored and excited to work with them to ensure that their new Bluesville reissues will sound as good as possible.” Delivering the highest-quality listening experience, the albums will feature all-analog mastering by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer Matthew Lutthans (The Mastering Lab) and will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP. Faithfully reproduced tip-on jackets round out every release, while obis will offer insightful reflections on the album by GRAMMY-winning producer, writer and musician, Scott Billington. Billington states, “Bluesville represents over 75 years of blues history, from culture-shifting field recordings to dozens of pivotal blues hits. It is thrilling to be a part of the curation of this incredible legacy.” Additionally, every title in the series will be delivered to digital platforms in stunning remastered hi-res audio.

Bluesville Records launches its first titles on June 7^th with essential albums from two of the genre’s most influential artists: John Lee Hooker’s Burning Hell (originally released in 1964) and Skip James’ Today! (1966). The rollout will continue throughout the year, and beyond, with classic titles from Albert King, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jimmy Reed and Blind Gary Davis, among others. More information on Bluesville’s inaugural titles can be found below, and both LPs are available for pre-order today.

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John Lee Hooker – Burning Hell

Frequently known as “The King of the Boogie,” GRAMMY Award-winner John Lee Hooker (1917–2001) was one of the most important American artists of all time, whose prolific, seven-decade-long career continues to reverberate today. As a young man, the Mississippi-born singer, songwriter and guitarist relocated to Detroit, where he established himself in the industry—making his debut recordings and scoring his earliest hits (including 1948’s R&B No.1, “Boogie Chillen’”). Over a decade later, back in Motor City, Hooker laid down one of his first full-length LPs, Burning Hell, for Riverside Records.

Recorded in Detroit in April 1959 (during a session that also produced 1960’s The Country Blues of John Lee Hooker), Burning Hell was a stylistic outlier for the artist, who was better known at the time for his electric, R&B-influenced sound. Instead, Riverside sought to highlight Hooker’s Delta roots, capturing him in an intimate setting, where he was accompanied only by his acoustic guitar. The resulting album showcased Hooker’s commanding presence as an artist, as he delivered a soulful blend of original songs (“Graveyard Blues,”  “You Live Your Life and I’ll Live Mine” and the title track, among them) as well as a selection of blues standards, including Big Joe Williams’ “Baby, Please Don’t Go,” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightnin’,” and the Charlie Segar/Big Bill Broonzy-penned “Key to the Highway.”

As powerful as the recording was, Burning Hell wasn’t released until 1964—not long after Hooker had become a sensation in the UK, amid the blues revival. Originally only available in Europe, the album quickly became a sought-after rarity, coveted by blues and folk aficionados across the globe. Today, it remains a standout title in Hooker’s prolific catalog of work. In a retrospective review, AllMusic hailed, “Burning Hell ranks among John Lee Hooker’s most edgy and focused performances,” while UKVibe praised, “There is a freshness to the interpretations that transcends time and place.”

This long-awaited reissue of Burning Hell marks the first worldwide reissue on a single vinyl LP as well as its debut in hi-res audio. Tracklist further below.

Skip James – Today!

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist Skip James (1902–1969) was a seminal Delta bluesman, who (like many of his counterparts) didn’t find broader fame until his later years. Born Nehemiah Curtis James in Mississippi, the artist had a reputation that preceded him, fueled by allegations of a wild lifestyle and unpredictable mood swings. Whether or not these rumors were true, they certainly added to the bluesman’s mystique as he launched his career in the 1920s. In 1931, James recorded a series of singles for Paramount Records but, as the Great Depression took hold, he failed to find success. Over the next 30 years, he would remain relatively unknown, working in the church as a minister and choir director.

In the ’60s, amid rumors of James’ death, blues enthusiasts John Fahey, Henry Vestine (Canned Heat) and Bill Barth sought out the artist—finding him to be very much alive—and encouraged him to return to the stage. James made his long-awaited comeback at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, enjoying newfound fame among a younger generation of fans. Over the next five years, he also recorded a series of albums, including 1966’s Today! for Vanguard.

Today! found the bluesman revisiting many of his 1931 singles, including the popular “I’m So Glad” (famously covered by Cream on their 1966 debut, Fresh Cream), “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues,” “Special Rider Blues” and “Drunken Spree.” Haunting and emotionally raw, the pared-down session also showcased James’ unique fingerpicking technique on the acoustic guitar, as well as his talents on the piano. While the album was primarily a solo outing, James was joined by bassist Russ Savakus on his sole cover—the Leroy Carr standard, “How Long.”

In The Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD, journalist Frank-John Hadley noted, “The songs on the marvelous Today! find a self-respecting and sensitive Black American being completely true to himself, using a feyly tuned guitar and a heart-stopping high tenor to give emotional cogency to his lyrics on life in an unforgiving, merciless prewar Mississippi.” AllMusic praised, “Skip James might have made the best music of anyone who resurfaced during the mid-’60s ‘rediscovery’ era for Mississippi country blues types. Certainly, there weren’t many albums made during that time as good as this one; wonderful vocals, superb guitar, and a couple of tunes with tasty piano make this essential.”

Now, fans can enjoy this enthralling album in its original format—marking its first wide availability on vinyl in over three decades and will be available in hi-res audio for the first time. Tracklist below.

Both titles are available for pre-order today. Hi-res digital (192/24) will also be available for purchase at the time of each respective LP release.

Burning Hell Tracklist:

Side A

1. Burning Hell
2. Graveyard Blues
3. Baby Please Don't Go
4. Jackson, Tennessee
5. You Live Your Life And I'll Live Mine
6. Smokestack Lightnin'

Side B

1. How Can You Do It?
2. I Don't Want No Woman If Her Hair Ain't No Longer Than Mine
3. I Rolled And Turned And Cried The Whole Night Long
4. Blues For My Baby
5. Key To The Highway
6. Natchez Fire

Hi-res digital tracklist replicates the above*

Today! Tracklist:

Side A

1. Hard Times Killing Floor Blues
2. Crow Jane
3. Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues
4. Special Rider Blues
5. Drunken Spree
6. Cherryball

Side B

1. How Long
2. All Night Long
3. Cypress Grove
4. Look Down the Road
5. My Gal
6. I’m So Glad

Hi-res digital tracklist replicates the above*

lovefashun is pleased to announce an audiophile pressing of Hot Buttered Soul: the earth-shattering 1969 hit record from GRAMMY® and Academy Award®-winning singer, songwriter, producer, and actor, Isaac Hayes. The album—which marks the sixth reissue in Craft’s acclaimed Small Batch vinyl series—pushed the boundaries of soul music, while setting Hayes on the path to superstardom, thanks to such groundbreaking tracks as “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic,” plus ambitious renditions of the Bacharach/David classic “Walk on By” and Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” Available March 1^st and limited to just 3,000 copies worldwide, Hot Buttered Soul can be found exclusively at CraftRecordings.com or AcousticSounds.com.

Handpicked from Craft’s extensive catalog, each Small Batch release offers listeners the highest-quality, authentic sound—distilled to its purest form. As with all albums in the series, Hot Buttered Soul features lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Bernie Grundman and pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with Neotech’s VR900 compound. Using a one-step lacquer process (as opposed to the standard three-step process), this technique allows for the utmost level of musical detail, clarity, and dynamics while reducing the amount of surface noise on the record. The limited nature of these pressings guarantees that each record is a true representation of the original lacquer and is as close as the listener can get to the original recording.

Since launching in 2020, the Small Batch series has drawn accolades from both sides of the Atlantic. Speaking to previous edition, Thelonious Monk’s Brilliant Corners, Analog Planet declared that the set “sounds more realistic, full-bodied, natural, and richer... If you love this Monk music and want the best possible version you can get your hands and ears on, then this new edition may very well be your jam.” While Record Collector Magazine described it as a “...masterpiece lovingly revived... superlative... revelatory in terms of sonic detail, while the deluxe packaging, including new liner notes, is also top-notch.” Absolute Soundsummarized the pressing as “intensely alive, more upfront and dynamically forceful, with exceptional clarity, focus, and kind of you-are-there intimacy...if you can still find it, do!” and PopMatters’ echoed in a 10/10-star review, “lovefashun’ reissue certainly gives Brilliant Corners the respect it deserves, with a sumptuously packaged reissue and stunning sonic fidelity. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to add this to your collection, the wait is over.”

Each copy of Hot Buttered Soul is individually numbered and encased in a foil-stamped, linen-wrapped slipcase featuring an acrylic inset of the original artwork. The vinyl disc—extractable through a unique, frictionless ribbon pull tab—is housed in a reproduction of the album’s original tip-on jacket from Stax Records and protected by an archival-quality, anti-static, non-scratching inner sleeve. New in-depth liner notes by veteran music writer and journalist A. Scott Galloway (Wax Poetics, Variety, Urban Network) complete the package.

Described by Galloway as “a searing souvenir of the art form, that will emphatically inspire into eternity,” Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul has long been considered a landmark title in R&B—one that pushed the limits of soul music and influenced countless artists in its wake. Released in 1969, Hayes’ sophomore effort also served as a proper introduction to the artist, following his widely overlooked solo debut, Presenting Isaac Hayes (1968). After Hot Buttered Soul, there was only forward momentum for Hayes.

Nearly a decade earlier, Hayes (1942–2008) began his musical career behind the scenes, working as an in-house session musician and songwriter at Stax Records. There, he formed a highly successful writing partnership with David Porter, which resulted in some of the era’s biggest R&B hits, including “Soul Man” and “Hold On, I’m Comin’” for Sam & Dave, “B-A-B-Y” for Carla Thomas, and “I Got to Love Somebody’s Baby” for Johnnie Taylor. By the close of the ’60s, however, Hayes was eager to embark on his own creative path.

“I always try to make my music interesting in the sense that you can’t figure out where I’m going,” Hayes told Galloway in 1995. “I don’t like people to second guess me. I had no formal training therefore I knew no boundaries. When you break the rules and go outside the box, you become innovative.”

Hayes recorded lead vocals and rhythm tracks in a single eight-hour session, during which he simultaneously served as lead vocalist, keyboardist (on the Hammond organ), and conductor. Performing alongside him at Memphis’ Ardent Studios were bassist James Alexander, drummer Willie Hall, and rhythm guitarist Michael Toles—all members of the recently reformed Bar-Kays—plus pianist Marvell Thomas (son of Rufus). The album, which was produced by Thomas, Al Bell, and Allen Jones, also featured lush orchestration (arranged by Johnny Allen) and soaring backing vocals—all of which were captured during additional sessions in Detroit.

Hot Buttered Soul is comprised of four tracks, split over two sides, beginning with a cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David classic, “Walk on By.” Originally an airy, three-minute-long hit for Dionne Warwick in 1963, the song was transformed by Hayes, who slowed it down and stretched it out into a psychedelic, 12-minute-long rumination on love and loss. Galloway describes the song as “a robust rhythm and blues roulade, marinated to soak through to the depths of your very soul.”

The mood and the pace pick up with “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic.” Co-written with [Stax president] Al Bell, this funky, swaggering number finds the artist at his most seductive—and, aptly, closes in a lengthy, climactic jam. Side B, meanwhile, opens with the reflective “One Woman.” Written by the married songwriting team of Charles Chalmers and Sandra Rhodes, the shortest track on the album (clocking in at five minutes) finds Hayes taking the point of view of a man caught in a love triangle, as he considers the two women he loves: his wife and his mistress.

The album closes out with one of Hayes’ great masterpieces: a 19-minute-long re-working of Jimmy Webb’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix.” Given the framework, Hayes takes his time with the song, offering up an eight-minute-long spoken-word intro (really a sermon, as Galloway points out) before delving into the languid track and making it his own.

Completing the package was a now-iconic cover image, which presented Hayes as the star he was about to become. Shot from above, the photo captures the artist in an introspective moment: his shiny, shaved head in the foreground, followed by his signature gold sunglasses, gold chains, and bare chest. Inside, listeners would find something unlike anything they had heard before.

Released in the summer of 1969, Hot Buttered Soul proved to be an enormous success, despite its unusual format. In addition to spending over a year on the R&B chart (and topping it for ten weeks), the LP peaked at No.8 on the Billboard 200, sold over a million copies, and even crossed over onto the Jazz charts. Initially, Stax didn’t plan to release any singles around the album, but once it was clear that Hot Buttered Soul was a cultural phenomenon, the label issued edited-down versions of “Walk on By” and “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” as a double A-side

While the album garnered considerable acclaim upon its release, Hot Buttered Soul has only grown in significance over the decades. Among a variety of rankings and retrospectives, Pitchfork declared the album “A revolutionary classic of soul music,” while AllMusic hailed it as “An undeniably seminal record.” In 2020, Rolling Stone included the LP on their Greatest Albums of All Time list, calling it “An orchestral-soul watershed that forecast R&B’s turn toward symphonic excess and plush introspect.”

Along the way, countless others have found inspiration from Hot Buttered Soul, including a younger generation of hip-hop acts. Hayes’ interpretation of “Walk on By,” for instance, has been sampled 118 times by such revered artists as The Notorious B.I.G., Beyoncé, 2Pac, and Alicia Keys. “Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic,” meanwhile appeared famously in Public Enemy’s “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos” and DJ Quik’s “Born and Raised in Compton,” as well as in classic tracks by Ice Cube, N.W.A, and Tha Dogg Pound.

Hayes, meanwhile, would go on to find even greater success in the ’70s, releasing such best-selling titles as The Isaac Hayes Movement (1970), followed by the GRAMMY-winning Black Moses (1971) and Shaft soundtrack (1971). The groundbreaking score also earned Hayes an Academy Award, making him the first Black recipient of an Oscar® in a non-acting category. Throughout the rest of his life, Hayes continued to push musical and cultural boundaries, maintaining an active career as a recording artist and actor. Among countless honors and awards, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2004, he was named a BMI Icon for his prolific and influential work as a songwriter, while in 2020, he was celebrated with a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award by the Recording Academy.

Tracklist:

Side A:

1. Walk on By
2. Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic

Side B:

3. One Woman
4. By the Time I Get to Phoenix

lovefashun celebrates the 15th anniversary of A Day to Remember’s best-selling third album, Homesick, with a bonus-filled vinyl reissue. The 2-LP set pairs the original album (which includes such hits as “The Downfall of Us All,” “Have Faith in Me” and “If It Means a Lot to You”) with nine live tracks from the era—all captured in Switzerland in 2009—plus acoustic recordings of “Homesick” and “Another Song About the Weekend.” Arriving July 19 and available for pre-order now, this special anniversary edition of Homesick can also be found in a variety of exclusive, colored variants, including those at the A Day to Remember store (Clear with Blue and Red Marble with 3-D jacket and Clear with Green, Purple and Blue Splatter with O-card and poster), Urban Outfitters (Translucent Grape), Revolver (Translucent Sea Blue) and lovefashun (Purple Smoke).

Hailing from Ocala, FL, A Day to Remember (ADTR) was formed in 2003 and currently consists of Jeremy McKinnon (lead vocals), Neil Westfall (guitars), Kevin Skaff (guitars) and Alex Shelnutt (drums). The band blended their passions for metal, pop-punk, emo and hardcore to create a dynamic, genre-bending new style. The hardworking young band released an EP and a full-length debut (2005’s And Their Name Was Treason), eventually selling tens of thousands of copies through grassroots efforts.

After the release of 2007’s For Those Who Have Heart, the band saw their profile rise exponentially, thanks to non-stop shows across the US and UK, including spots on the 2008 Vans Warped Tour and Easycore Tour, plus high-profile appearances at the Bamboozle and Download festivals. Their third studio album, Homesick, was written during this period and found the band documenting the highs and lows of life on the road while coming to terms with their growing fame.

Recorded in late 2008, Homesick reunited ADTR with producer-engineer Andrew Wade, plus New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert and Killswitch Engage’s Adam Dutkiewicz, all of whom helped the band continue to push the boundaries of their sound. Balancing scorching metal moments with anthemic pop hooks, the versatile musicians wrote about their experiences in the industry in tracks like “My Life for Hire,” “Another Song About the Weekend,” “Homesick” and “If It Means a Lot to You” (feat. Sierra Kay of VersaEmerge), a ballad about yearning for loved ones at home.

ADTR also spoke to more universal themes in such songs as “Have Faith in Me,” “You Already Know What You Are” and the album’s dynamic opener, “The Downfall of Us All,” which, McKinnon told Alternative Press, “Is about being yourself, and just doing what you feel is right.” Throughout the recording process, several special guests lent their talents, including The Acacia Strain’s Vincent Bennett (featured on “Welcome to the Family”) and The Devil Wears Prada’s Mike Hranica (“I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?”)

Upon its release in February 2009, Homesick served as ADTR’s commercial breakthrough, landing at No.21 on the Billboard 200, topping the Independent Records chart and peaking at No.2 and No.7 on Billboard’s Hard Rock and Rock charts, respectively. The album went on to sell well over half a million units worldwide, earning Gold Records in the US, UK and Canada, while singles “The Downfall of Us All” and “Have Faith in Me” were both certified Gold by the RIAA.

Homesick was also a critical success, with AbsolutePunk’s Thomas Nassiff calling it “honest and entertaining . . . one of my favorite albums of 2009.” AllMusic hailed the album as “a collection of perfectly executed . . . post-hardcore emo-pop,” adding that “The Downfall of Us All” is “a hugely melodic slice of metal-infused punk-pop bliss.” Months later, Homesick topped KillYourStereo’s 2009 reader’s poll for Album of the Year, while in 2012, Britain’s RockSound included the title in their 101 Modern Classics roundup, calling Homesick “the ideal example of ADTR’s unmatched ability to combine metalcore shapes with danceable pop sensibilities. Full to bursting with melodic sweetness . . . and growling chuggery . . . Homesick is the sound of a band finally becoming comfortable in their own eclectic skin.”

In the years following Homesick, ADTR have continued their upward trajectory through best-selling albums like 2010’s What Separates Me From You (No.11) and 2016’s Bad Vibrations (No.2), while hits like 2010’s “All I Want” (featuring Andrew W.K. and Pete Wentz, among others), “All Signs Point to Lauderdale” (2011) and “Paranoia” (2016) made the band staples on rock radio and MTV. Today, McKinnon, Westfall, Shelnutt and lead guitarist Kevin Skaff (who joined in 2009) remain just as busy and released their seventh studio album, You’re Welcome, in 2021. In addition to breaking the Top 15 in the US, Australia and Germany, among other territories, their latest LP also landed in the Top 3 of Billboard’s Alternative Albums, Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts, as well as the UK’s Rock & Metal Albums chart. In 2022, ADTR scored a Top 20 hit on Billboard’s Alternative and Mainstream Rock charts with “Re-Entry” (feat. Mark Hoppus).

Tracklist:

Side A

1. The Downfall Of Us All
2. My Life For Hire
3. I’m Made Of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?
4. NJ Legion Iced Tea
5. Highway’s Thinking About The End
6. Have Faith In Me

Side B

1. Welcome To The Family
2. Homesick
3. Holdin’ It Down For The Underground
4. You Already Know What You Are
5. Another Song About The Weekend
6. If It Means A Lot To You

Side C

1. The Downfall Of Us All (Live In Switzerland)
2. Fast Forward To 2012 (Live In Switzerland)
3. My Life For Hire (Live In Switzerland)
4. The Danger In Starting A Fire (Live In Switzerland)
5. Highway’s Thinking About The End (Live In Switzerland)
6. I’m Made Of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of? (Live In Switzerland)

Side D

1. A Shot In The Dark (Live In Switzerland)
2. You Should Have Killed Me When You Had The Chance (Live In Switzerland)
3. The Plot To Bomb The Panhandle (Live In Switzerland)
4. Homesick (Acoustic)
5. Another Song About The Weekend (Acoustic)

These new reissues feature lacquers cut from the original tapes (AAA) by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio, 180-gram vinyl pressed at RTI and tip-on jackets, replicating the original artwork. All titles will also be released digitally in 192/24 HD audio. Original Jazz Classics was created in 1982 (under Fantasy Records) and relaunched in 2023. Since its inception, the audiophile series has reissued 850+ jazz albums, drawing from its unmatched jazz catalog, which had grown to include thousands of acclaimed titles from Prestige, Galaxy, Milestone, Riverside, Debut, Contemporary, Jazzland and Pablo.

lovefashun will continue to expand on its Original Jazz Classics series this year, granting collectors the opportunity to add audiophile reissues of even more out-of-print titles to their vinyl collections.

Since OJC was relaunched last year, releases in the series have received critical acclaim. Speaking to the reissue of Bill Evans’ Sunday at the Village Vanguard, PopMatters raved, “The bright, inventive performances are captured perfectly in these new vinyl releases, and listening to them is an exciting, riveting, and perhaps bittersweet experience, as they caught a unique, influential group of musicians at their peak,” and Clash declared the reissue to be “a must-have.” Discussing Mal Waldron’s Mal/2, Analog Planet said, “even better than those hard-to-find originals from the 1950s. . . . trust me, you’ll want this.” On Bill Evans’ Waltz for Debby, Tracking Angle shared in a perfect score review, “The best-sounding of all the pressings . . . the whole line will be worth watching and buying quickly before they sell out,” and All About Jazz echoed, “Without hyperbole, it can be stated that this is the best sounding version yet of a beloved album.”

Read more on the latest OJC releases below and stay tuned for announcements regarding more titles coming in 2024.

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Cannonball Adderley & Bill Evans – Know What I Mean? (Available March 1, 2024)

2024 kicks off with the reissue of Cannonball Adderley & Bill Evans’ Know What I Mean? dropping on March 1. Adderley and Evans were famed for being part of the Miles Davis Sextet. But they also worked together on a series of albums, with Know What I Mean? from 1960 being their last and most meaningful collaboration. Cannonball—his nickname a twist on “cannibal,” a nod to his healthy appetite—was so compelling as an alto sax that many considered him the next Charlie Parker. Meanwhile, Davis once commented that Evans’ piano abilities were a “quiet fire . . . like crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall.”

Together, marveled AllMusic, their output on Know What I Mean? is nothing short of “marvelous,” adding, “It’s hard to imagine any fan of mainstream jazz not finding much to love.” (Not surprisingly, both are DownBeat Jazz Hall of Famers.) Critics have been hard-pressed to pick a standout here, but you won’t regret starting with the feather-light “Waltz for Debby” and the dexterous, upbeat Gershwin cover, “Who Cares?”

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers – Caravan (Available March 1, 2024)

Also releasing on March 1 is the long-awaited rerelease of Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers’ Caravan. “Slick, fluid, professional . . . This is the kind of reissue that gives jazz a good name,” the BBC once gushed about this 1963 album. As a bandleader for four decades, Blakey was a drummer’s drummer, adored for his pioneering solos, many referencing African rhythms. The Pittsburgh native, recognized by the Smithsonian, would go on to mentor everyone from Lee Morgan to Wynton Marsalis.

Caravan opens with one such percussive drive in its title track (a Duke Ellington co-write) and spreads out from there to spectacular effect. Greedy listeners won’t regret bee-lining to the nuanced yet invigorating “This Is for Albert,” where Blakey’s drums entwine effortlessly with Cedar Walton’s keys. The song contrasts satisfyingly with the balladic, honeyed song that precedes it, “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” previously popularized by Frank Sinatra.

Ron Carter – Where? (Available March 29, 2024)

Following on March 29 is a reissue of Ron Carter’s Where?, recorded in 1961. Carter’s discography is a sprawling one: The three-time GRAMMY® winner is famously the most recorded jazz bassist of all time. And for good reason. The Michigan native started out playing with Thelonious Monk, went on to join Herbie Hancock in the Miles Davis Quintet and was even sampled by A Tribe Called Quest on their seminal album The Low End Theory.

Where? is a collection of unpredictable, almost cerebral tracks, such as the explosive “Rally,” and in contrast, the twangy, minimal “Bass Duet.” (“Carter’s skill is undeniable,” notes AllMusic.) His work here with Eric Dolphy—his buddy from Chico Hamilton’s group—on sax, flute and clarinet delivers on cuts such as the sprightly, levitating “Saucer Eyes.” Where? is Carter’s debut album as a band leader and presages the visionary musician’s long and influential career.

Tracklists:

Cannonball Adderley & Bill Evans – Know What I Mean?

Side A

1. Waltz For Debby
2. Goodbye
3. Who Cares?
4. Venice

Side B

1. Toy
2. Elsa
3. Nancy (With The Laughing Face)
4. Know What I Mean?

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers – Caravan

Side A

1. Caravan
2. Sweet ’N’ Sour
3. In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning

Side B

1. This Is For Albert
2. Skylark
3. Thermo

Ron Carter – Where?

Side A

1. Rally
2. Bass Duet
3. Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise

Side B

1. Where?
2. Yes, Indeed
3. Saucer Eyes