VIA PRESS RELEASE | Few albums have defined an era and redefined a generation of pop music quite like Faith, George Michael’s groundbreaking 1987 debut solo album. Nearly four decades later, its influence continues to resonate across music, fashion, and culture, an enduring testament to the artistry, courage, and creative vision of one of the world’s most beloved and successful performers.

To celebrate its continued impact and influence, George Michael Entertainment and Sony Music have announced that on 20th February 2026, multiple limited-edition Faith vinyl variants will be available on Red + Black Marble vinyl, Picture Disc as well as 1LP and 2LP black vinyl plus audio Blu-Ray. More than a decade since Faith has been available to purchase in vinyl anywhere in the world, today’s announcement marks an exciting new era for any avid vinyl collector and George Michael fan. Pre-order here.

Written, arranged, produced, and performed almost entirely by George Michael, Faith marked the emergence of a new type of pop icon, an artist capable of blending soul, R&B, and rock into a sleek, emotionally charged, and deeply personal sound.

The album catapulted the then 24-year-old artist to global superstardom, outselling Michael Jackson, Madonna, and Prince, and earning him a GRAMMY® Award for Album of the Year, three American Music Awards, and a record-breaking run of four US No. 1 singles, including “Faith,” “Father Figure,” “One More Try,” and “Monkey.” All of which makes George the only British male solo artist ever to achieve four US number-one singles from a single album on the Billboard Hot 100, a record that remains unmatched.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Yoshiko Sai reissue program with the release of Mikkou, the Japanese singer-songwriter’s 2nd album released in 1976 on Black Records.

The album, produced by ace arranger Isamu Haruna, keeps the same formula as Mangekyou with Yoshiko Sai’s beautiful songs and dreamy vocals over cool funky arrangements, this time featuring legendary guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka. This is the first time Mikkou is widely available outside of Japan, with remastered audio, original artwork, and a 4 page insert including new liner notes by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha who interviewed Yoshiko Sai for this special occasion.

Yoshiko Sai holds a singular place in Japanese music history. Since her 1975 debut Mangekyou, the Japanese singer-songwriter has captivated listeners with her ethereal voice, poetic lyrics, and enigmatic presence, earning a devoted cult following that endures decades later.

Building on the highly acclaimed reissue of her debut Mangekyou, Wewantsounds is pleased to present Mikkou, Sai’s second album, originally released in 1976 on Black Records. Produced by Isamu Haruna and featuring some of Japan’s finest session musicians, including the cult guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, the record showcases Sai’s signature blend of poetic songwriting and ethereal vocals, carried by subtly funky arrangements. Yet Mikkou represents a bold broadening of her artistic palette, drawing inspiration from the Silk Road and the rich cultural heritage of her native Nara.

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Remembering Dickey Betts in advance of his birthdate tomorrow.
—Ed.

When it comes to your bad karma and shitty luck, The Allman Brothers Band is a tough act to follow. And no, I’m not just talking about the tragedy that was Allman and Woman. I’m talking about the motorcycle accidents that claimed the lives of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley; rampant infighting and supernatural drug use; and a big-time cocaine distribution bust that led Gregg Allman to testify against his road manager in order to save his own ass. But despite the deaths, the duplicity, and even Cher and Man, The Allmans remain the most influential Southern blues-rock band of all time, and next to Lynyrd Skynyrd, the best damn band to hail from south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

But here’s the thing about the Allmans; I can honestly say I never much cared for them until Duane Allman took that fatal spill on his motorcycle. Because Duane, God bless his totally rad facial hair, was a blues player, and the fact is I despise the blues. As The Simpsons’ Bleeding Gums Murphy immortally said, “The blues isn’t about feeling better. It’s about making other people feel WORSE.” Don’t get me wrong; I can handle them if they’ve been radically tweaked, freaked, warped, or twisted. But Duane, a traditionalist, played ‘em old school, making me the dick at the party who ran out screaming every time somebody put on “Statesboro Blues” or, even worse, “Stormy Monday.” As for “Whipping Post,” it’s way up there on my Shit Parade alongside “Midnight Rambler,” “People Have the Power,” and the entire recorded output of The Clash.

The bottom line? One man’s tragedy is another man’s blessing, and Duane’s untimely demise had the ironic effect of transforming The Allman Brothers Band into a group whose music I actually like. 1972’s Eat a Peach had a few great songs, such as “Blue Sky” and “Melissa,” that took the band in a non-blues direction, but it also included the infamous “Mountain Jam”—really, did the world really need a song so long it took up two sides of a double LP? It took the advent of guitarist/vocalist Dickey Betts as the Allman’s de facto leader to produce 1973’s Brothers and Sisters, which emphasized a unique hybrid of country rock over the blues, and threw in some good-times boogie for good measure.

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The estimable Western Vinyl label of Austin, TX has just released the very necessary compilation Passages: Artists in Solidarity with Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers, which benefits American Gateways and Casa Marianella, two Texas-based nonprofits dedicated to ensuring safe passage and living conditions for those in need of it. Along with the 17 artists contributing these selections, all the labor and costs related to the production, design, and manufacturing of this set were donated or fundraised separately so that all of the proceeds go to these organizations. The LP and digital are available now.

Due to the urgency of the cause that has motivated this compilation into existence, the lineup of musicians is unsurprisingly diverse, but with a tangible level of cohesiveness, as the contributors are generally part of the contemporary indie and experimental scenes. Alan Sparhawk opens the set with the gripping intensity of “No More Darkness,” utilizing just an acoustic guitar and a booming vocal.

Mexican/Colombian multihyphenate St. Panther (Daniela Bojorges-Giraldo) is next, flowing forth with a blend of art-pop and hip-hop in the vibrant “Everybody Is.” Daniel Lopatin follows with “Country,” a track whose prettiness gets expertly hassled with bursts and layers of twistedness.

Benjamin Booker, who reemerged early in 2025 with the album Lower, contributes “A Place for Us,” which is folk-bluesy with just a hint of gospel in the equation. After that is Lambchop with “Afterburner,” another cut featuring just vocals and guitar (contrasting with the sound of recent Lambchop). And then there is Quin Kirchner’s too-brief serving of ambient drift “Home,” which takes its title from the words spoken in the track by TX-based Eritrean artist Tekle Mezghebe.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Acclaimed filmmaker Tom Ropelewski unveils Jill Sobule: She’s Gonna Sing! You’re Gonna Listen! (working title), an intimate musical documentary that offers a rare, behind-the-scenes look at the late Jill Sobule, the “singer-songwriter’s singer-songwriter,” human rights activist, LGBTQ folk/pop icon, and groundbreaking artist best known for hits “I Kissed A Girl” and “Supermodel.”

What began as a collaboration to spotlight her next artistic era, Ropelewski and Sobule spent the last several years filming. From New York rehearsals for her one-woman-with-a-band autobiographical show, F*CK 7th GRADE, to the Nashville recording of its cast album, to candid tour footage across the US, they captured the wit, tenderness, political bite, and musical fearlessness that made Sobule, in the words of The New York Times, “among the stellar New York singer-songwriters of the last decade.”

While actively involved in the production, Sobule died unexpectedly in May 2025. The film has now become a vivid, joyful, and definitive portrait, a film Ropelewski says is “not a memorial, but a vital and intimate portrait of a once-in-a-generation artist whose voice only grows larger.”

The documentary also features friends and music collaborators, including Richard Barone (The Bongos), Nini Camps (Antigone Rising), comedian/actor Margaret Cho, John Doe (X), Kristin Ellis-Henderson (Antigone Rising), jazz guitarist Bill Frisell, Matt Groening (Creator of The Simpsons), Kay Hanley (Letters To Cleo), Michelle Lewis (singer/songwriter/composer, SONA co-founder), author David Hajdu, comedian/ host Stephanie Miller, and Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine).

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Mel, the second East River Pipe album released by Merge Records, will be reissued on vinyl on January 16, 2026, as the label’s first entry in the Secretly Society Record Club.

Going beyond bringing a long out-of-print classic back to wax, the reissue features new liner notes by Barbara Powers and represents the first time Mel has been available in full on any physical format, as “Spotlight,” exclusive to Merge’s 1996 LP and CD, is joined here by “The Way They Murdered Me” and “Miracleland,” which were exclusive to the Shinkansen CD issued outside of North America. Two versions of Mel—a white vinyl edition exclusive to the Secretly Society, and a black vinyl pressing exclusive to Merge Records—are now available for pre-order.

Mel’s inclusion in the Secretly Society series was championed by Secretly Group co-founder Ben Swanson, who had this to say about the album: “In 1996, we were just about ready to put our first two records on Secretly Canadian—Songs: Ohia’s One Pronunciation of Glory and June Panic’s Glory Hole—North Dakota’s answer to the ’90s 4-track revolution. I was only a few weeks into starting my first radio show at WIUS (now WIUX) in the old house (RIP) on IU’s campus. Dozens of CDs that were coming thru the mail slot every day by all my favorite labels—Ajax, Drag City and, of course, Merge—when East River Pipe’s Mel arrived. It was a revelation.

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Axis: Bold as Love, the second album from the Jimi Hendrix Experience (Jimi Hendrix, Noel Redding, and Mitch Mitchell), released in December 1967, is the middle child of the trilogy of albums that introduced guitarist Jimi Hendrix to the world.

While the explosion of the group’s debut album, Are Your Experienced?, released in May of 1967, signaled the birth of a guitar star and the double album Electric Ladyland, released in October of 1968, was the sprawling finale of the height of Hendrix in the studio in the ’60s, Axis: Bold as Love, despite the many great songs and tracks it contains, often receives much less attention than the other two albums. Track Records issued all of the albums from the Jimi Hendrix Experience in the UK and Reprise in the US.

The album was recorded quickly at Olympic Studios in London, following the extraordinary success of Are You Experienced?, and was released just seven months after that album. Hendrix often complained that the album was rushed, but a listen to it reveals a musician burning with inspiration as a songwriter, guitarist, and studio innovator.

The album features some of Hendrix’s most beloved songs, including “Little Wing,” which Hendrix has said was either about a girl in Greenwich Village he knew or was inspired by his time performing at the Monterey Pop Festival in May 1967. The iconic song was a centerpiece track on Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, the one and only album from Derek and the Dominos, released in 1970. Another classic, “Spanish Castles,” was inspired by a ballroom of that name just outside Hendrix’s native Seattle.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Louder Than You Think: A Lo-Fi History of Gary Young & Pavement, the original motion picture soundtrack from the 2023 SXSW-winning documentary film, has been confirmed for release via digital outlets, Special Edition CD, and black and colored vinyl editions for Friday January 30, 2026 on Independent Project Records.

Proudly resistant to genres and conventions, the Louder Than You Think soundtrack tells the story of Gary Young, a true original in life and behind the drum kit, who, when he was approaching the ripe old age of 40, joined twenty-somethings Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg (Spiral Stairs) to become the original drummer, as well as producer, for soon-to-be indie royalty Pavement.

More than just a soundtrack, the release features rare and never-before-heard tracks from the underappreciated Stockton music scene of the ‘80s and ‘90s, as seen through the lens of the LSD and alcohol-fueled hippie who helped define the sound of all things lo-fi, indie rock, and slacker in between headstands, including bands like Fall of Christianity (the Stockton rebels that struck a chord with a teenage Spiral Stairs), CRLLL, The Authorities, Gary Young’s Hospital, and Hot Spit Dancers. The album also includes tracks scored for the film from Edward W. Dahl (Jodorowsky’s Dune) and Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, Cate Le Bon).

“Louder Than You Think is the story of original Pavement drummer Gary Young,” said Pavement’s Scott Kannberg. “This soundtrack captures the spirit and warped vision that could only come from Gary and the ‘underbelly of California,’ Stockton!”

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Tangerine Records, the long-defunct label established by Ray Charles shortly after his departure from Atlantic Records, has reemerged with a few vinyl reissues of Charles’ albums from the 1960s and ’70s. They are Come Live with Me, Love Country Style, Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul, and No One Does It Like…Ray Charles, all pressed on, you guessed it, tangerine colored vinyl. All four are available now. We give them proper consideration below.

It feels right to tackle Tangerine Records’ recent reissues in reverse order of release. No One Does It Like… Ray Charles, which hit stores on November 21, rounds up mid-’60s non-album singles and stray tracks into an enjoyably cohesive whole and with considerable depth through Charles’ natural stylistic range. There’s a wide variety across the dozen tracks, from large band swingers to the smaller group “Worried Life Blues” to selections that lean toward Latin and country.

The proceedings hang together in part due to the relatively tight time frame, the overall sharpness of the bands, and the sass of the Raelettes, plus Charles in strong voice, hitting the keys with panache. There are a few lesser tracks, such as the Middle of the Road-ish closer “My Heart Cries for You,” but there is a preponderance of soul throughout, and the set rolls like it was cut as an actual album.

Love Country Style was released on October 24 and moves us ahead to 1970. As per the title, Charles undertakes a return engagement with the country genre, which proved an extremely fruitful endeavor both commercially and artistically through his two iconic Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music volumes.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Mercury Studios proudly announces Purpose: Celebrating 30 Years of the Classic Albums Seal I and Seal II, a celebratory concert film from four-time Grammy Award-winning British soul icon Seal out February 13.

Shot live at The Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas in 2024, this performance marks three decades since the release of Seal’s groundbreaking debut album, Seal, and its acclaimed follow-up, Seal II. Purpose: Celebrating 30 Years of the Classic Albums Seal I and Seal II will be available in multiple formats, including a 4K UHD+Blu-ray combo pack, along with a Blu-ray+CD combo and digital audio and video.

The 10-track performance boasts classic chart-topping anthems such as “Crazy,” “Future Love Paradise,” “Killer,” and “Kiss From a Rose,” as well as a few surprises. The concert also features Seal’s longtime producer, Grammy Award-winning producer, musician, and songwriter Trevor Horn (Yes, LeAnn Rimes, Belle and Sebastian), who joins his six-piece band as bassist and music director.

“He is this mentor that I’ve spent the last 34 years looking up to. He knows me as an artist better than anyone else,” Seal said. “Having him on tour caused me to bring a level of professionalism and discipline that I hadn’t had before.”

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | Interscope-Capitol Records today unveils the next installment in its acclaimed Definitive Sound Series (DSS), a premium audiophile limited edition of Beck’s Morning Phase, available December 12.

Widely regarded as one of Beck’s most acclaimed works, Morning Phase earned praise for its warm harmonies, expansive arrangements and cinematic scope. Produced by Beck, the album won three Grammy Awards: Album of the Year, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, and Best Rock Album.

Mastered by Levi Seitz at Black Belt Mastering from the original 96kHz/24-bit vinyl file created by the legendary Bob Ludwig, the AAA 180-gram high-definition vinyl LP ($99.98) was pressed at Record Technology, Inc., using the state-of-the-art One Step process, eliminating multiple stamper stages to delivering Beck’s sweeping compositions and layered production with heightened clarity and unmatched depth and clarity.

This edition marks the first DSS title presented in a heavyweight Tip On single-pocket gatefold jacket with the original photo insert, housed inside a uniquely designed slipcase. Limited to 3,000 hand-numbered copies, each DSS edition includes a certificate of authenticity detailing the mastering, plating, and pressing chain.

“The Definitive Sound Series represents the pinnacle of vinyl craftsmanship,” says Xavier Ramos, EVP D2C and eCommerce Strategy at Interscope/Capitol. “We’re proud to invest in these collectible pieces that reflect our respect for these iconic artists, their groundbreaking music, and the fans whose passion continues to keep these albums as relevant today as when they were first released.”

Celebrating Dennis Dunaway on his 79th birthday. —Ed.

Ten bonus points and a dead baby if you can tell me which album John Lydon called his favorite of all time. All time! That means he likes it more than KC and the Sunshine Band’s The Sound of Sunshine or the Eagles’ Hotel California even! Unimaginable! Well, if the dead babies reference didn’t tip you off, which it certainly should have, the former Johnny Rotten’s favorite rock album in the whole wide world, including the Sammy Johns record with “Chevy Van” on it, is Alice Cooper’s Killer.

1971’s Killer followed hard on the heels of that same year’s breakthrough LP for the band, Love It to Death. Which I prefer to Killer, but who cares? I’m not John Lydon. Anyway, Killer cemented the band’s reputation for writing songs of macabre weirdness, which they milked for all they were worth with a live show that included decapitations, gallows, giant snakes, the execution of Sacco and Vanzetti, 7,000 showgirls wearing glitter-encrusted Nazi jackboots and porcupine-spike bras, a full-scale reenactment of the crash of the Hindenburg, and an elderly Dr. Josef Mengele playing cowbell.

Okay, so I exaggerate. But the band’s gory and fantabulous live show delighted teens while deeply disturbing parents, who were convinced that Cooper’s magically morbid extravaganzas were going to instantaneously transform their kiddies into wild-eyed axe murderers. Which made the kids love it even more!

I’ve said before that the perfect LP would have combined the first three tracks of Love It to Death—in which guitarists Glen Buxton and Michael Bruce play like men possessed by the Devil—and the first two tracks and “Dead Babies” from Killer. But that’s not the way it went down, and I have to (resentfully) live with it. I suspect they had slave-like contractual obligations with their record label that obligated them to put out two albums in 1971, when they’d have been much better served by only releasing one. That was how things were often done back in the day, when record companies behaved much in the same way as antebellum southern plantation owners.

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