VIA PRESS RELEASE | UMe/Mercury and Anthem Records label groups continue the comprehensive Rush albums expanded reissue series with the arrival of new Super Deluxe Editions of the band’s 1984 release, Grace Under Pressure, an album that saw the trio shifting gears to construct eight technology-driven tracks that were forward driving compositions from their previous works.

Grace Under Pressure: Super Deluxe Edition will be available in five distinct configurations, including the (1) Super Deluxe Edition 4-CD + Blu-ray, (2) Super Deluxe Edition 5-LP + Blu-ray, (3) Super Deluxe Digital Edition, (4) Dolby Atmos Digital Edition, and (5) Grace Under Pressure Tour: Live in Toronto 1984 at video DSPs. They can all be pre-ordered here.

Grace Under Pressure, Rush’s tenth studio album, was originally released in April 1984, and it features some key sonic-template modifications resulting from the band’s decision to further evolve its sound by enlisting a new producer after a successful decade of working with Terry Brown behind the board.

The eight songs comprising Grace Under Pressure build from where September 1982’s Signals left off by fully embracing the tech and temper of the times while still remaining true to the band’s knack for blending progressive roots with radio-welcome song arrangements.

Grace Under Pressure was co-produced by Rush with Peter Henderson and engineered by Paul Northfield with assistance from Frank Opolko and Robert Di Giola. It was the fourth in a series of Rush recording sessions ultimately held at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec. Rush’s instinctive recording process at Le Studio had been DNA-infused during sessions held there for the aforementioned Signals, in addition to February 1981’s Moving Pictures and January 1980’s Permanent Waves.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | “Not just a brilliant lyricist…one of the most interesting writers of the Seventies.” —Rolling Stone

High Moon Records is proud to release David Forman’s Who You Been Talking To on CD and LP. Recorded for Arista Records in Los Angeles in 1977 but never released, Who You Been Talking To is a revelation—a lost masterpiece of blue-eyed soul and literary street poetry produced by the legendary Jack Nitzsche (Neil Young, Rolling Stones, Phil Spector) and featuring an all-star cast of L.A. session players including Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner, David Lindley, Fred Tackett, Tim Drummond, and Flaco Jimenez.

The album is accompanied by deluxe packaging with extensive liner notes by acclaimed journalist Joe Hagan, featuring exclusive interviews with David Forman, Aaron Neville, Jim Keltner, songwriting partner David Levine, and other collaborators. The package includes rare photographs by legendary downtown New York photographer Peter Hujar (whose other subjects included Susan Sontag, William Burroughs, and Candy Darling), along with never-before-seen memorabilia from Forman’s extraordinary life.

In 1976, Rolling Stone declared David Forman a songwriter on the same level as Bruce Springsteen, Warren Zevon, and Tom Waits, comparing his vocals to Curtis Mayfield and Smokey Robinson. His self-titled debut album for Arista Records, produced by Joel Dorn, was hailed as “an artistic success” before Forman seemingly vanished from the music world.

But Forman didn’t vanish—he recorded a second album.

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Remembering Lead Belly, born on this date in 1888. —Ed.

Of Lead Belly records, there are a ton, and the reasons why are simple. Foremost, this titan of American music possessed a deep reservoir of songs, but he was also something of a crossover artist, robust enough in style to appeal to subsequent generations of blues fanatics as diversity of subject matter and musical approach ensconced him as a godfather-cornerstone to the burgeoning mid-20th century folk movement. Smithsonian Folkways’ reissue of Easy Rider: Leadbelly Legacy Volume Four is a tidy encapsulation of the man’s aptitude for social commentary.

Born in January of 1888, Huddie William Ledbetter was a performing musician prior to the 1920s commercial boom for the blues, which party explains the breadth of his talent beyond the form. Like many early blues players, he’s just as aptly described as a songster (versatility allowing a player to become something of a one-man show in those days), and while an effective multi-instrumentalist, his excellence on the 12-string guitar was matched by the strength of his voice and an ability to consistently communicate the essence of his songs, many of which were handed down from oral tradition.

All of these attributes found Lead Belly fitting nicely into the early US folk scene, but it was probably his relationship to the pre-recording industry roots of folk tradition (he was an eight-year elder of Blind Lemon Jefferson) that sealed the deal. This places him historically in strong and varied company; think Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, and Lightnin’ Hopkins for starters, but with the crucial difference that Lead Belly wasn’t a subject of rediscovery after an earlier dalliance with commercial record makers.

He was discovered, however. Like many others of his circumstance in Jim Crow USA, it was during a stay in prison, with Lead Belly first recorded in 1933-’34 by John and Alan Lomax while serving a term in Angola. These songs weren’t commercially released until the ’60s, but once he’d been given early release in ’34, the man took the ball of interest in his music and ran for a career-securing touchdown.

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That World’s Gone Wrong is Lucinda Williams’ 16th studio album is a striking fact to consider. This new record, an unapologetically topical undertaking, benefits from the enduring creative clarity of Williams and the potent energies of the band she’s assembled. It’s out January 23 through Highway 20 Records and Thirty Tigers.

Lucinda Williams hit the scene modestly but solidly with a pair of LPs for Folkways: Ramblin’ on My Mind, released in 1979, and Happy Woman Blues from the following year. The contents established her as one of the earliest examples of Americana, a sound (indeed a genre) she would continue to refine and help to define.

A self-titled third LP, issued in 1988 by Rough Trade, raised her profile a bit and included “Passionate Kisses,” which won Williams her first Grammy award through its cover by Mary Chapin Carpenter, a sizable hit in 1992. However, Williams remained somewhat underappreciated as a performer, at least until her two ensuing albums, Sweet Old World from 1992 and especially Car Wheels on a Gravel Road from 1988, brought record sales and tours to match the critical acclaim.

Williams has been building on that momentum ever since, but primarily through album sales, as her work maintains an edge that’s kept her from making too big a splash on the singles charts. This is notable when considering her ability as a songwriter and her continued vitality as a singer, even as her voice has matured. Disinterested in the safety of pigeonholing, Williams has collaborated with jazz saxophonist Charles Lloyd and UK punk survivors The Mekons.

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We’ve closed TVD’s HQ for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. While we’re away, why not fire up our Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores?

Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up, and we’ll see you back here tomorrow, 1/20.

VIA PRESS RELEASE | “I first saw Jimmy and the Coral Reefers in 1977 and then moved to Key West shortly thereafter. Having known many of the first Reefers for several years, I felt the band’s origin story needed to be preserved. Once we started the interviews, their collective sentiments about life in the ’70s, their time on the road, in the studio and their feelings about Jimmy, I knew we had captured lightning in a bottle. My goal in making the film was to help preserve the band’s origin story, capture the essence of that era and pay tribute to how Key West had permeated their souls.” —John H. Cunningham, Director

Occupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, a feature documentary that traces the origins and evolution of Jimmy Buffett’s original Coral Reefer Band during the 1970s and early 1980s, will premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 9th, with a second screening on February 13th. Narrated by Academy Award winner Jeff Bridges, the documentary features commentary from Kenny Chesney, Mac McAnally, songwriter Keith Sykes as well as many original Coral Reefer band members and touring crew.

The First Coral Reefers were a group of wildly talented, often unruly characters whose creative energy and personal chemistry helped define Buffett’s most iconic early work. Occupational Hazard is directed by John H. Cunningham, who has a deep and close connection to several members of the first Coral Reefers as well as to a lifelong affinity to Jimmy Buffett, as their paths crossed many times, beginning in the Florida Keys in the 1970s.

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Celebrating Jim Stafford on his 82nd birthday. —Ed.

The list of famous country novelty songs is a long one. There have been hundreds–probably thousands–of them. Just off the top of my head: Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue,” Loretta Lynn’s “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are Ugly,” Mark Chesnutt’s “Bubba Shot the Jukebox,” and my dad’s all-time favorite (he sang it all the time), Mac Davis’ “It’s Hard to Be Humble.” Any half-decent country fan could reel off dozens more.

But when it comes to country novelty tune artists, Jim Stafford could just be the king. I grew up listening to “Spiders & Snakes,” “Wildwood Weed,” and “I Got Stoned and I Missed It,” and while I’d never kissed a girl or smoked a joint in my life, I loved the obvious spirit of fun behind all of ‘em.

Stafford has released only three albums, and since 1990 he’s dedicated his energy to operating and performing at the Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson, Missouri (no vanity there, and by the way: should you find yourself in Branson, be sure to stop by Dolly Partons’ Stampede!). Don’t know if he’s plain lazy or doesn’t need the money, but Stafford hasn’t released an LP since 1993. (He has done some acting; he played the role of Buford in 1984’s immortal Bloodsucker from Outer Space.)

Jim Stafford spawned four Top 40 hits, and if there’s one word to describe the LP it’s versatility. You get some swamp rock, a faux-lounge number, a couple of good ole’ country numbers, a blues parody, a rockabilly pastiche, and a couple of songs that pack what can only be described as a hard rock punch. And that “variety” also extends to Stafford’s knack for creating personae; he’s a shapeshifter who is, by turn, a sly hayseed, an aging rockabilly fan, a very confused courter, a Louisiana oracle, and so on.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Jack White kicks off what promises to be another eventful new year with the official publication of Jack White Collected Lyrics and Selected Writing Volume 1, available now at Third Man physical storefronts, thirdmanbooks.com, and booksellers in the United States; UK publication follows on February 2.

Edited by Third Man Records co-founder Ben Blackwell, the landmark new anthology features never-before-published poems and writings by White, rare and exclusive photos, and new essays written especially for this book by Blackwell, award-winning, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-nominated poet Adrian Matejka, and award-winning, Detroit-based filmmaker and writer dream hampton. It also compiles lyrics from both White’s solo recordings thus far, as well as his acclaimed work with The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and other collaborations.

The publication of Jack White Collected Lyrics and Selected Writing Volume 1 follows what proved to be a milestone 2025 for White, including The White Stripes’ induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (streaming now on Disney+; a three-hour primetime special featuring highlights from the ceremony aired New Year’s Day on ABC and is available now on Hulu).

The event saw White accepting the honor with a poignant speech that included an original poem he’d written for Meg White, marking the occasion. November also saw White headline the Detroit Lions’ NFL Thanksgiving Halftime show at Detroit’s Ford Field with a special guest appearance by Eminem for a mashup of “Hello Operator” and “‘Till I Collapse,” before finishing with a searing “Seven Nation Army” for the hometown crowd. “Live at Ford Field,” a new EP capturing the historic performance in its entirety, is available now at all DSPs and streaming services.

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Nasty, brutish, and short—the ever chipper Thomas Hobbes could have been talking about New York City’s late Seventies/early eighties No Wave scene. He might have said “blessedly short,” because let’s face it, how much horrible noise (the phrase that Lester Bangs used to describe such short-lived No Wave bands like DNA, Mars, and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks) can anyone take?

No Wave was a scene that destroyed itself.

And luckily, the whole No Wave thing was largely (thanks to a military quarantine) confined to Downtown Manhattan, although I’ve heard scary rumors that outbreaks also occurred in Chicago (figures) and Japan (of course).

No Wave was all about making a dissonant, atonal racket, and some of it was produced by people who didn’t know how to play chords on their guitars, and what’s more, they thought chords sucked. Oh, and they liked to scream a lot. Much of it is funny, either on purpose or by accident, which is the only thing that attracts me to it. I like noise, but I like songs too, and good lyrics. No Wave was also (in most cases) about forming and breaking up in a real hurry, and not leaving much of a recorded legacy. The most important recording of the short-lived scene was the 1978 compilation No New York, “curated” by some producer named Brian Eno.

Deliberately primitive and defiantly nihilistic, No Wave was, but some of its bands were more listenable than others—James Chance and the Contortions weren’t exactly easy listening, but they played recognizable songs that fused free jazz and James Brown. And Glenn Branca’s Theoretical Girls don’t sound No Wave to me at all—sure, there’s a lot of dissonance and frayed nerves, but they played songs, cool songs with cool drones and lots of pounding drums. At times (listen to “Mom & Dad”), they sound like a wonderful fusion of garage rock and the early Talking Heads.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Grammy Award-winning guitarist Peter Frampton is celebrating the 50th anniversary of his iconic album Frampton Comes Alive! Upon its original release in 1976, Frampton Comes Alive! became a cultural phenomenon and remains one of the top-selling live albums of all time, with nearly 20 million copies sold worldwide.

As part of the celebration, Frampton will release a Vinylphyle edition of Frampton Comes Alive! on January 22 via A&M/UMe. One of the greatest rock albums of the 1970s can now be heard on vinyl again, presented as it was originally intended to sound. The limited Vinylphyle double LP pressing is sourced from the original 1975 Doug Sax 1/4″ production master, with lacquers cut by Joe Nino-Hernes, and pressed on 180g black vinyl at RTI. The package features a four-panel insert including a new interview with Frampton and Anthony Fantano of The Needle Drop; preorder HERE. In addition to the Vinylphyle release, the album is also available to experience in Dolby Atmos, following its 2024 immersive audio debut.

“I can’t believe it’s now been 50 years since Frampton Comes Alive! was released, but that record still feels like a living, breathing moment in my life,” says Frampton. “When we decided to do this Vinylphyle edition, it was important to me that it be done the right way. I personally asked that the audio be sourced from the original 1975 Doug Sax production master because I wanted it to sound exactly as we heard it back then. This album was born onstage, and hearing it presented this way on vinyl feels like bringing that energy back to life for longtime fans and new listeners alike.”

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