VIA PRESS RELEASE | Since its inception in the late 1960s, Yes has consistently pushed the boundaries of rock music, carving a path into new and uncharted sonic landscapes. Rhino is introducing a new collection that is the first to feature rare single versions of the band’s biggest hits on vinyl.

Yessingles will be available on October 6 on 140-gram black vinyl and a special splatter-vinyl version at local retailers for $24.98. Pre-order both HERE. The Promo Radio Edit version of “And You And I (Part One)” is available digitally today. This version has never been available digitally until now.

The collection boasts new artwork created exclusively for the album and features 12 songs that have resonated with generations of devoted fans. Yessingles moves chronologically through the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s career, starting in 1971 with the group’s first Top 40 hit, “Your Move,” and ending in 1984 with smash, “Leave It.”

In between, Yessingles touches on the band’s different eras, ranging from intricate prog-rock tapestries like “Starship Trooper” and “America” to the unforgettable soundscape of its chart-topping sensation, “Owner Of A Lonely Heart.”

With a discography spanning over five decades, Yes’ influence on rock remains immeasurable, and Yessingles reaffirms the band’s status as the most enduring, ambitious, and virtuosic progressive band in history.

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So what if it’s a nickname? When people refer to you by the name Vinyl, there’s a reason why. Of course, it also happens to rhyme with this week’s guest’s legal nam—which is Lionel—and you’ll find out the origin of this nomenclature by just staying tuned in.

Lionel (Vinyl) Williams is a California based musician who has created an impressive body of psychedelic work, and he has just released his seventh album, Aeterna. Like his other albums, this one explores the inner (or, maybe outer) reaches of his auditorily psychedelic vision which stretches quite far, and that shouldn’t be surprising, because he’s got some excellent familial genes to rely on: his parents were both musicians and his grandfather also happens to be John Williams. Yes, that John Williams.

So, join me and Vinyl as we talk about musical subgenres, the influence he’s received from his musical family, how he approaches the recording process, and his lifelong trip of musical exploration and experimentation.

Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.

An intriguing concept gone terribly sideways, this. Revisiting one of the most adventurous—and sinister—LPs of its time may have seemed like a grand idea to former Public Image Limited bassist Jah Wobble, whose loping, off-kilter playing lent 1979’s Metal Box much of its malevolent charm. The problem is he leaches all of the dread from the original on his 2021 remake, Metal Box – Rebuilt in Dub.

Without John Lydon—whose vocals added pure demented menace to the proceedings—what have we got? A bass pumped up on steroids. Lots of improvisation—much of it bad, because borderline pleasant—that totally dissipates the relentlessly bad vibe of a drone that characterizes the original. And, ultimately, an album that totally fails to put one’s nerves on edge. Metal Box – Rebuilt in Dub isn’t a reimagining of Metal Box, it’s a betrayal of the very spirit of Metal Box, and why anyone would listen to this perverse act of urban gentrification more than once is beyond me.

Wobble—who’s long been one of the most prolific players on the music scene, delving into a dog’s breakfast of genres and collaborating with seemingly everyone, including Can’s Holger Czukay, Ginger Baker, The Edge, and Pharoah Sanders—plays bass, keyboards, and programmed drums. He also takes on John Lydon’s vocal duties, which is unfortunate—I can only describe his generally stilted singing as posh Edwardian wooden. (Wobble’s desultory John Lydon imitation could be the reason some of the originals have been transformed into instrumentals.) John Klein, who plays Keith Levene in the proceedings, sometimes comes through in the nerve-fraying department, but generally comes up short. And several of the original’s best songs have gone inexplicably MIA–particularly “Death Disco” and “Radio 4.”

Opener “Albatross” exemplifies everything that is wrong—and not quite right enough—about Metal Box – Rebuilt in Dub. Gone are Lydon’s vocals and Wobble’s accelerated heartbeat bass. In their place we get a pummeling—Wobble powers through the song hard rock fashion. What it lacks in subtlety and character it makes up for with relentless aggression. What’s missing, and it may as well be everything, is the Public Image Limited version’s sinister alienation, and that clammy-hand-inducing feel that characterizes much of Metal Box. No disquiet here—it’s all power and glory, and there was nothing glorious about Metal Box.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | CHVRCHES have announced the release of the 10 Year Anniversary Special Edition of their acclaimed debut album The Bones Of What You Believe, due October 13th via Glassnote Records. The Special Edition is available in 1xLP clear vinyl, 2xLP black vinyl with die cut sleeve, 2xCD, and Digital formats.

A decade ago, CHVRCHES—Lauren Mayberry, Martin Doherty, and Iain Cook—came out of nowhere to suddenly be everywhere. They piqued interest when posting their first song “Lies” online in May 2012, before swiftly following it in the autumn with the song that went on to become their calling card and signature. “The Mother We Share”—a euphoric, expertly-crafted piece of synthpop with a warm emotional center—captured the imagination of millions of listeners and saw the band step out from the shadows to put faces to the names. Both tracks, alongside later singles “Recover” and “Gun,” featured on The Bones of What You Believe, released in autumn 2013 to rapt reviews.

“It feels quite strange that Bones is almost a decade old,” says Lauren Mayberry. “In some ways, it’s like it just happened, but also like that era was a lifetime ago. We are very grateful to all the fans who gave that album a special place in their heart, and still show us so much kindness today.”

The album was produced by the band and recorded in Cook’s Alucard Studio in Glasgow, before being mixed by Rich Costey (Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine, Arctic Monkeys, Sigur Rós). The original album has been remastered for this Special Edition by Gavin Lurssen, who mastered the band’s most recent album Screen Violence. Alongside the original 12 tracks, there are four previously unheard songs and five live tracks, the latter recorded at Ancienne Belgique in 2013.

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Hailing from Atlanta, GA, Willie Heath Neal and Kira Annalise are The Waymores. Greener Pastures is their latest album, out on vinyl August 25 through Chicken Ranch Records. A bold but unstrained excursion into old-school county with plenty of honky-tonk flavor, the lean 10-song effort was produced by Shel Talmy. It’s an unlikely but fruitful matchup, as The Waymores’ grip on classic country song form is as firm as ever.

In my review of The Waymores’ The Stone Sessions, their second album released in April 2022, I likened the duo to the Ramones, and now here they come with a follow-up produced by the guy who helmed “Stretcher Case Baby” b/w “Sick of Being Sick” by The Damned. Of course, Shel Talmy is more famous for his work with The Kinks and The Who (though he also produced “Dandy” b/w “I Don’t Need Your Kind” by The Rockin’ Vickers), but he’d never lent his expertise to a country record, at least until Greener Pastures.

To be clear, The Waymores don’t sound like punk rock. That Ramones comparison has to do with a lack of frills and nonsense, or to put it another way, The Waymores’ country and the Ramones’ punk are comparable in spirit. As Neal and Annalise both sing (he also plays guitar), the more obvious similarities are to George Jones and Tammy Wynette and Johnny and June Carter Cash, though it’s a likeness that’s not overemphasized in the overall scheme of things.

Instead, they pepper Greener Pastures with a few choice covers, and straightaway with “Under Your Spell Again” a song Buck Owens co-wrote with pedal steel player Dusty Rhodes. As it unwinds, the superb vocal interplay is matched by the playing, which brandishes just a bit more kick than the music that influenced it.

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BOSTON, MA | George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic tore the roof off the MGM Music Hall at Fenway on August 17 as part of their “Just For The Funk Of It! Final Tour?!?.” Clinton’s larger than life presence and joyful performance filled the venue and delivered a fun and engaging experience that fans will cherish.

Recipients of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2019 and inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic have had their status cemented in history as musical pioneers and influencers. There is almost an infinitely deep catalog to pull from and enough songs to keep playing until sunrise. Clinton entered the stage with an aura of funk music, royalty donned in a rhinestone studded cap, shimmering gold pants, a flowing black lace coat, and a P-Funk shirt. Dr. Funkenstein’s giant smile never faded as he sang along with the crowd and drew every ounce of excitement out of them.

This set was highlighted with the tracks “One Nation Under a Groove,” “Flash Light,” and “Get Off Your Ass and Jam.” The crowd jolted with energy when the first few notes of “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)” and “Atomic Dog” rang out. The emotional peak of the night was Michael Hampton’s solo during “Maggot Brain” who put on a cosmically creepy mask to get into the spirit of the tune.

Lansdowne street was buzzing with excitement this night as there also was a country concert at Fenway Park and a show at the House of Blues, but George Clinton’s fans made it very obvious they were there to see the Prime Minister of Funk with their eclectic dress and loud energy. The venue was filled with fans wearing custom psychedelic outfits and shirts from tours in the ’80s, which connected this deep and proud fanbase.

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Remembering Keith Moon, born on this day in 1946. —Ed.

It was a thrillingly perverse idea, even by the standards of rock’s greatest lunatic, Who drummer Keith Moon, to gather a bunch of crack musicians in a studio and record a solo album on which he barely played drums and instead chose to handle lead vocals, although he was well aware he could hardly sing a note. The results, 1975’s Two Sides of the Moon, were lambasted far and wide. One critic called it the “most expensive karaoke album in history,” and Moonie’s take on The Beach Boys’ “Don’t Worry Baby” is said to have caused poor Brian Wilson to break down and cry. Only Robert Christgau, who viewed the LP as parody and called it a “travesty/ tour de force,” seemed to get the joke.

Me, I agree with Christgau. The album may be a mess but it’s a lovable mess, the tenderly depraved results of what happens when a record label gives a maniac carte blanche to corral a colorful assortment of fellow waste products and set them loose in a studio. The sessions were so chaotic that nobody seems to know for sure who participated. Was David Bowie there, or was he not? Your guess is as good as mine. Ronnie Wood? Ditto. The musicians who were there for sure included Ringo Starr, Flo and Eddie, Joe Walsh, Bobby Keys, Spencer Davis, Ricky Nelson, Dick Dale, Jay “Thunder Island” Ferguson, Harry “Lost Weekend” Nilsson, Jesse Ed Davis, and two of the best female backup singer on the planet, Clydie King and Sherlie Matthews.

To call the album, as one critic did, “fascinatingly bad,” is close to the mark, but to add that “Even taken as kitsch, it sucked,” is off base. I like Two Sides of the Moon, and not just for its colossal shortcomings. I cannot listen to it without getting the impression that everyone involved was having a good time, and those good vibes are communicable. The LP is a lark, and an expression of Keith Moon’s utter refusal to take anything seriously, but at the same time I’ll be damned if he doesn’t give it his honest best. And if there’s one thing truly surprising about this album it’s that Moonie, while hardly Roger Daltrey, is not as terrible a vocalist as the critics would have you think he is. His voice is thin, but if he couldn’t sing like Daltrey, so what? He was undoubtedly arse-faced the whole time, and in the topsy-turvy world of Keith Moon “fascinatingly bad” was a compliment.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Sony Picture Classics and Trafalgar Releasing have announced worldwide theatrical distribution plans for Carlos, a feature-length documentary film about legendary guitarist and global icon, Carlos Santana, directed by Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rudy Valdez.

Celebrating the life of one of music’s greatest icons, 10-time Grammy-winning global sensation, Santana, this special documentary will launch in theaters with a three-day premiere event, Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere. On Saturday, September 23, Sunday, September 24, and Wednesday, September 27 only, screenings include the Carlos documentary plus exclusive introductory content featuring Santana and two-time Emmy-winning director Valdez (The Sentence, We Are: The Brooklyn Saints). Following the Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere screenings, Carlos’ general theatrical release begins September 29.

Premiering earlier this year at the Tribeca Festival, Carlos combines new interviews with Santana and his family; extraordinary, never-before-seen archival footage, including home videos recorded by Santana himself; concert footage; behind-the-scenes moments; interviews with music industry luminaries and collaborators, such as Clive Davis, Rob Thomas and more.

Tickets for Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere go on sale beginning Thursday, August 24 at www.carlosfilm.com. Carlos: The Santana Journey Global Premiere is presented in select cinemas worldwide by Trafalgar Releasing and Sony Pictures Classics. Visit the event website for the most up-to-date information about ticketing and participating theaters globally.

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Windy City denizens The Chi-Lites are amongst the very finest vocal groups in the soul music field. A Lonely Man is their best album, pressed on vinyl for the first time in half a century by ORG Music and available August 25 as part of that label’s Brunswick Records reissue series. Offering richness of voice, dynamic instrumentation, and vibrant production (remastered here from the original tapes), the LP is essentially flawless. Of ORG’s recent Brunswick editions (which includes Jackie Wilson and The Lost Generation), A Lonely Man is the cream of the crop.

The Chi-Lites started out way back in 1959, but they weren’t called the Chi-Lites back then. Originally named the Chanteurs, in ’64 they swapped out handles first to the Hi-Lites and then altered that moniker in tribute to their home city shortly thereafter. Although debuting on 45 (as the Hi-Lites) in ’64 (not counting a ’59 single by the Chanteurs), the group didn’t hit the R&B charts until ’69 with “Give It Away,” the track that titled their first album.

In a weird move, Brunswick recycled six tracks from Give It Away for their second album, 1970’s I Like Your Lovin’ (Do You Like Mine?), which resulted in the LP stumbling commercially (the title track was a hit single). The course was righted for their third album, ’71’s (For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People, which featured their smash single “Have You Seen Her” (No. 1 R&B and No. 3 Billboard Pop).

Vocalists Marshall Thompson, Richard “Squirrel” Lester, Creadel “Red” Jones, and producer, arranger and lead vocalist Eugene Record were entering their peak period, with A Lonely Man the full realization of their talents. The record is smooth and slick but counterbalanced with substantive verve and as led by Record’s artistry, an admirable level of ambition.

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