Remembering Doug Sahm, born on this day in 1941. —Ed.

Hank Williams’ very last performance in this life was at the Skyline Club in Austin, Texas in December 1953. On stage with him was an unusual figure; the 11-year-old Douglas Wayne Sahm, a prodigy who had made his radio debut at the age of five. Come 1965, Sahm became the front man of The Sir Douglas Quintet, whose “She’s About a Mover” is nothing less than one of the greatest songs ever. (Yeah, that’s right.) Now jump forward to 1973 and Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records, who produced Sahm’s debut solo LP, Doug Sahm and Band.

That “band” was misleading; the folks in that studio were nothing less than a supergroup, and had no intention of hitting the road together. Bob Dylan, Dr. John, David Bromberg, and the Tejano Mexican accordionist Flaco Jiménez were all involved, as was famed saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman and ex-Sir Douglas Quintet keyboardist Augie Meyers, who produced that great organ sound on “She’s About a Mover.”

It could have turned into a self-indulgent fiasco, as so many sessions crowded with big names do, but instead it was an instant classic—energetic, ecstatic, and in general the kind of LP guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Its mix of Tex-Mex, blues, and rock’n’roll means it’s all over the place, but the band put their magic touch on whatever genre they turned their heads to. Sahm wrote only 3 of the LP’s 12 songs—other contributors included Dylan, Willie Nelson, and T-Bone Walker, amongst others—but he managed to make them his own.

This is one of those LPs that, if you don’t own it, when you die and go to Heaven the good Lord is going to ask you why. He’s going to say, “’Wallflower’ was the best Dylan tune since The Basement Tapes, and you missed it. Doug and Bob kick ass on the hillbilly vocals, and David Bromberg plays one hot dobro. This one’s a better vocal collaboration than Dylan and Johnny Cash, although I give them kudos for being drunk off their asses when they recorded it.”

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Interscope-Capitol Records announces Nat King Cole’s timeless holiday classic, The Christmas Song, as the next release in the label’s acclaimed Definitive Sound Series (DSS), a premium audiophile series presenting iconic albums from the label’s respective catalogs using the state-of-the-art One Step manufacturing process.

First released in 1962, Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song album stands as one of the most iconic holiday recordings of all time. Built around his timeless rendition of “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire),” the record blends traditional carols with newer holiday standards with a warmth and sophistication that has become synonymous with the season. This special edition features two songs not on the original album, “O Come All Ye Faithful” and “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”

Sourced from the original three-track master tapes, the album was pressed at Record Technology, Inc., and mastered by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. The LP, 180g high-definition vinyl ($99.98), arrives on November 21, just in time for the holiday season.

Designed for collectors and audiophiles, the Definitive Sound Series features numbered, limited-edition runs of 3,000 copies per title. Featuring the original album artwork, each 180g high-definition vinyl album is packaged in tip-on gatefold jacket, crafted to the highest archival standards, housed in a custom-designed Definitive Sound Series slipcase that showcases the album art, track listing, and the One Step process details. Each copy comes with a certificate of authenticity, giving the owner a guarantee of mastering, plating, and pressing details.

Read More »

The impact of the African-American gospel tradition on soul and rock ‘n’ roll is long-established. Craft Recordings’ Jesus Rocked the Jukebox: Small Group Black Gospel (1951-1965) spreads the evidence across six vinyl sides as they provide an expansive overview of the undiluted spiritual spark. Mingling well-known artists who made the jump into pop territory (Sam Cooke, Lou Rawls, The Staple Singers) with giants in the gospel field (The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Swan Silvertones, The Harmonizing Four), the results are an unmitigated joy. 

The give and take between the sacred and the secular was long and productive across the 20th century, and for the details, this set’s notes by Robert M. Marovich do an outstanding job. But really, the beauty of Jesus Rocked the Jukebox is that all one needs to do is listen; the elements of the crossover to soul and rock and of course to the pop charts, is abundant here, and frequently from artists who themselves made the thematic transition.

None were bigger than Sam Cooke. Unlike Ray Charles, who built his career on honing a blend of blues, R&B, jazz, and gospel into a cornerstone of soul, prior to a foray into pop, Cooke was well-known as a member of the already long-running Soul Stirrers. Indeed, the quartet’s greatest success essentially spanned Cooke’s tenure, with the a cappella “Jesus Gave Me Water” an early hit (from 1951, exactly) and one that was clearly influential on doo wop’s explosion later in the decade.

From the following year, “Just Another Day” begins with the vocalist’s immediately identifiable style, blending it with rich harmonizing and simple but driving rhythmic accompaniment that as Marovich explains, was often the design of record labels, in this comp’s case Specialty and Vee-Jay, in hopes of shifting more units. Naturally, this addition is important to gospel’s impact on secular music, particularly R&B and rock. Here, it intensifies the Stirrers’ considerably more emphatic “Come and Go to that Land” and the splendid “Sinner Run to Jesus” (from ’57, a year before Cooke left the group).

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Varèse Sarabande announces the release of the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack for Roofman, featuring music by composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist Christopher Bear (Grizzly Bear) with contributions from GRAMMY®-winning multi-instrumentalist Jon Natchez (The War on Drugs).

Available now across digital platforms in both standard and HD audio, the soundtrack will also be released on vinyl and CD February 20 and is available now for pre-order. Each physical edition includes liner notes by Bear and the film’s director, Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine, The Place Beyond the Pines). The biographical crime-comedy film, which stars Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, and Peter Dinklage, opened to broad acclaim on October 10th, and is currently playing in theaters globally.

Roofman tells the unbelievable true story of Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a struggling Army veteran who robbed dozens of fast-food restaurants across the country—sneaking in through holes he cut in their roofs and waiting for unsuspecting employees to arrive the next morning.

Known to authorities as “Roofman,” Manchester was no ordinary criminal: he avoided violence, showed compassion toward his victims, and even made sure they had coats before locking them in walk-in freezers. Eventually captured and sentenced to 45 years in prison, Manchester’s story took an even stranger turn when he escaped—spending six months hiding inside a Charlotte, NC, Toys “R” Us, where he created a secret double life and fell in love with a single mother (Kirsten Dunst).

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | “Fear of Flying was such a transformative moment in my life and career. At 19 and 20, I was learning how to use my voice as both a woman and a songwriter. Revisiting this album 25 years later feels like coming full circle—it’s a reminder of the risks I took, the independence I fought for, and the supporters who’ve been with me on this journey.” —Mya

Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, philanthropist, actress, and pop culture icon Mya is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her era-defining second studio album, the Platinum RIAA-certified Fear of Flying, home to such chart-topping singles as “The Best of Me,” “Case of the Ex (Whatcha Gonna Do),’” and “Free.”

Available now via Interscope Records/UMe, the Fear of Flying 25th Anniversary reissue features a 2 LP set pressed on standard black vinyl for the first time since its original release on April 25, 2000. The album is also available in immersive Dolby Atmos® sound on supported streaming services for the first time.

The updated R&B/pop collection features an exclusive insert signed by Mya, a vintage T-shirt, and two bonus tracks, “No Tears On My Pillow” and “For The First Time.” This exclusive bundle is available through Complex for a limited two-week window ending on November 14, 2025.

Arriving two years after Mya’s critically acclaimed self-titled debut, Fear of Flying signaled a major step forward for the then-20-year-old artist, who had broken through in the late ‘90s with her first single “It’s All About Me” (a duet with Sisqó)—a Top 5 Billboard Hot 100 hit. She also impressed tastemakers with high-profile collaborations, including Blackstreet’s “Take Me There” from Rugrats: The Movie, Silkk The Shocker’s “Movin’ On,” and Pras Michel’s Grammy-nominated “Ghetto Supastar,” which featured Ol’ Dirty Bastard.

Read More »

Jethro Tull is one of those groups that often get slotted into the classic rock or prog genre, but in fact, it once offered so much more. While the British group’s 1971 fourth album, Aqualung, is regarded as a ’70s rock classic, the band released a run of excellent records from its beginning in 1968 through 1977.

Though albums like War Child and Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die! were iconic Tull albums, they may be, in retrospect, the weak links in that marvelous run from ‘68 to ‘77. A reissue of Minstrel in the Gallery, which came out between those two releases, shows what Tull was capable of long after Aqualung and before the group’s creative peak ended.

Minstrel in the Gallery, like most of the albums of the group’s first 10 years, particularly the first three, as well as Thick As a Brick, perfectly mixed rock, folk, jazz, prog, orchestral, and almost medieval and baroque music to come up with intelligent, richly drawn albums that defined the singular Tull sound. After the success of Aqualung, the group alternately aimed at the commercial rock marketplace with mixed creative results (the aforementioned heavier rock War Child and Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll: Too Young to Die!), or expanded their musical palette, which was focused on broadly conceptual works that leaned into their classical musical ideas, and balanced the classical structures with acoustic folk.

These various sides were always there, but beginning with their two 1972 releases, Thick As A Brick and the fulsome and well-conceived grab-bag collection of singles, outtakes, live and EP tracks, Living in the Past, and continuing with A Passion Play (1973) and then later with Minstrel in the Gallery (1975) and Songs from the Wood (1977), their music revealed a depth that transcended classic 70s rock and prog.

Read More »

Led as always by songwriter John Darnielle, The Mountain Goats remain a distinctive pleasure in a landscape plagued by homogeneity. Theirs is a steadfastly intelligent, ever-evolving body of work that’s impossible to confuse with anyone else, even as the sounds often surprise. Their latest breakthrough, Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan, out November 7 on LP, CD, cassette, and digital through Cadmean Dawn, moves into the territory of the stage musical and welcomes backing vocals by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

A full-blown stage musical might seem like a bit of a descriptive overstatement for a songwriter with numerous concept albums in his discography. This album’s predecessor, 2023’s Jenny from Thebes, has been categorized as a rock opera, and in fact, Darnielle has called it a “fake-musical.”

But as it plays, Through This Fire exudes legit stage musical qualities, and straightaway with “Overture,” an ornately scaled orchestrally arranged opener, courtesy of longtime Mountain Goat multi-instrumentalist Matt Douglas, that would certainly be appropriate for a theater production.

Naturally, and fairly, Through This Fire will be assessed as a considerable departure in terms of instrumental thrust, but that’s not really anything unusual for John Darnielle, a guy who began his musical journey as part of the lo-fi “movement” by strumming a guitar and singing into the microphone of a boombox.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | UMe, the centralized global catalog division of Universal Music Group, is proud to announce the launch of Vinylphyle, a new audiophile vinyl reissue series dedicated to presenting essential albums across multiple genres with uncompromising sound quality and packaging.

Billed as “A premium vinyl experience for people who love vinyl,” the series will debut on November 14 with four landmark titles: The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967), Bob Marley & The Wailers’ Exodus (1977), The Band’s Northern Lights–Southern Cross (1975), celebrating its 50th anniversary, and Nat King Cole’s The Christmas Song (1962). All albums will be available exclusively at uDiscover Music and via the artist’s official online stores where applicable. Following the launch, Vinylphyle will continue with two releases per month, spanning genres and eras to build a library of must-own records.

Each Vinylphyle release will feature all analog mastering from original sources by an elite group of today’s top vinyl cutting engineers. The LPs will be pressed at the world-class Southern California-based audiophile vinyl record pressing plant Record Technology, Inc. better known amongst vinyl lovers as RTI, on 180-gram black vinyl.

Similar in presentation and execution to Blue Note’s acclaimed Tone Poet series, the production and packaging seek to honor the stature of these recordings and will include tip-on wrapped gatefold jackets in satin matte finish, printed on clay-coated board, with archival poly sleeves and a four-panel insert featuring new liner notes by notable music journalists, personalities, and fans. Backed by RTI’s craftsmanship, these releases are produced at the highest levels and include extensive quality controls at every step of the process, from mastering to plating to pressing and printing, ensuring a superb final product.

Read More »

VIA PRESS RELEASE | There’s a tension that runs through the music of Los Angeles-based duo, Born Rivals, the kind that only exists between brothers. Born from years of creative friction, John & Paul Thornley channeled their differences into something undeniably their own. The sound is lush and deliberately crafted, channeling American heartland grit through a ’90s Britpop lens. Commanding drums anchor cascading guitars and intricately layered keyboards, while vocals turn from half-mumbled to soaring in a breath, punctuated by sibling harmonies that seem to argue and agree simultaneously.

Purple Western Skyline, their self-produced album arriving November 14, 2025 via Sheltering Sky Records—a label founded by John Thornley to maintain creative control— carries the marks of its unusual birth. Recording began in a Hollywood studio just before the lights went out in early 2020 and not long after, kids arrived. New life intervened with its own demands. What started as an attempt to control the process became an exercise in surrender.

While they worked largely alone, chasing a sound that belonged to them, certain collaborators proved essential: Cian Riordan (St. Vincent) and Andrew Lappin (Cassandra Jenkins) brought clarity to the mix, Michael Harris (Arctic Monkeys) and Justin Long (Grace Potter) lent engineering expertise, Sam KS (The War On Drugs) provided drums, and Lindsay Pitts Lazarus (GEMS) contributed the project’s first outside vocal, a duet that opened something new. The songs became what they needed to be, made in the margins of a changing life.

When it came time for the artwork, they used David Hockney’s “joiners” as inspiration. Hockney’s technique of bringing the viewer into the photo rather than capturing frozen moments resonated with them. Making the album followed a similar process: fragments stitched together, time layered over itself.

Read More »

Celebrating Chris Difford on his 71st birthday. —Ed.

From England’s green and pleasant land, an unprepossessing and pleasant band—Squeeze aren’t out to change your life, just to provide you with friendly and understated pop gems, domestic and romantic tableaux of the sort that won me over even when I was at the height of my Anglophobia.

The Village Voice’s Robert Christgau more or less summed up my sentiments when he wrote of Squeeze’s 1982 compilation Singles – 45’s and Under, “They’re so principled in their unpretension, so obsessed with the telling detail, that their lesser moments are passively minuscule—not unfine when you squint at them, but all too easy to overlook.”

People are always talking about Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook as if they’re the McCartney and Lennon of the early eighties, but back me against a wall and the only Squeeze songs I can name are “Tempted,” “Pulling Mussels from the Shell,” and “Black Coffee in Bed.” And I considered myself a fan. Not a huge fan, but I saw them live on a pier in New York City once. Pity I was three sheets to the wind and almost fell off the pier.

But just because I don’t remember most of the songs on Singles – 45’s and Under doesn’t mean they’re not worth hearing. There’s a real warmth to Squeeze’s music, even if Difford and Tilbrook are rather cool customers. They’re Apollonian formalists, and pure popcraft is their strong suit. I’m talking immaculately put-together songs with smart words about heartbreak and occasionally irresistible melodies.

Read More »

In late-’70s Minneapolis, guitarist Bob Mould, drummer Grant Hart, and bassist Greg Norton came together to form one of the great trios in rock music’s long history. Burning bright for most of the ensuing decade, Hüsker Dü exploded out of the hardcore scene with ferocious speed, only to incrementally increase the melody without turning down the amps. On November 7, Numero Group releases the 4LP live set 1985: The Miracle Year, which posits the smack-dab middle of the ’80s as the band’s peak in terms of productivity, execution, and songwriting acumen. Soaking up the 43 songs, it’s impossible to argue.

Consisting of a complete live set from the venue First Avenue in Minneapolis on January 30, 1985, spread across two LPs and then an additional batch of live songs from various locales during the same period sequenced onto two more LPs, 1985: The Miracle Year might appear to be an undertaking best suited for an intensely devoted listenership.

However, time spent with the collection establishes a gripping momentum that thrives on an extraordinary level of precision, the band dynamic taken to an extreme, and a ratcheting up of intensity that teeters on the brink of sheer mayhem. This is especially the case as the First Avenue set (dubbed the “Minnesota Miracle”) blazes forth, the trio in the throes of a particular, peculiar positive energy that can only really exist when a group endeavor explodes far beyond any reasonable expectations.

As part of the SST Records elite that changed rock music forever, alongside Minutemen, Meat Puppets, and Black Flag, Hüsker Dü succeeded through a defiant tenacity and a relentless desire to keep pushing the possibilities. These bands were never supposed to progress beyond a local phenomenon. It all gets a thorough examination in 1985: The Miracle Year’s booklet essay by Bob Mehr.

Read More »