Short Spin: Foreigner -- S/T Mofi 180 Gram Vinyl

Mofi continues their foray into Seventies rock, with their reissue of the 1977 self-titled debut from British-American rockers, Foreigner.  Released at the peak of the disco craze, Foreigner offered an appealing alternative, with its mixture of straight-ahead rockers, such as Headknocker, radio-friendly mid-tempo numbers such as Cold As Ice and Feels Like The First Time, and a smattering of progressive and psychedelic influences--including an homage to the Who's Tommy, in the form of a coda to side one's closer, The Damage Is Done.  The album rose to #4 on the Billboard North American album charts, and went on to earn two top ten singles.

Bonus Feature: John Lennon and Yoko Ono -- Double Fantasy Stripped Down; Myvinylreview's Top Five -- October 18, 2010

This week, Myvinylreview presents a bonus feature in addition to the weekly Top Five.  To coincide with with John Lennon's 70th birthday, Capitol/EMI, in conjunction with Yoko Ono, has released Double Fantasy Stripped Down, a brand new re-mix of the Double Fantasy sessions. The re-mix was prepared by the original mixing engineer Jack Douglas, with the cooperation of Yoko Ono. Also included with Stripped Down, is a remastered version of the original album mix. Both have been mastered by the original mastering engineer, George Marino.

Chick Corea Trio: Live at Yoshi's Oakland -- October 11, 2010

Award winning pianist, Chick Corea, arrived at Yoshi's Oakland last night, for the first of a four-night stint with his trio. Accompanied by Christian McBride on bass and Brian Blade on drums, Corea took the stage at the intimate venue just after 8:00 p.m., and played a nearly eighty-minute set before a packed house that was eager to hear an acoustic set of Corea's special brand of jazz. 

Neil Young: Le Noise 180 Gram Vinyl

This summer, when I saw Neil Young on his Twisted Road solo tour, and he played eight new songs--six of which would make it onto his latest offering, I didn't realize that the ones he played on his electric guitar would ultimately prove the most compelling. I've always had a preference for the acoustic side of Neil Young, so when he interspersed these new unaccompanied electric guitar-based songs through his show, they seemed an interesting expression--but nothing I thought would have any real lasting impact.

Quick Jazz Pick: Joe Henderson -- Inner Urge (Music Matters 45 RPM 180 Gram Vinyl)

If you've already subscribed to the Music Matters 45 RPM Blue Note jazz series, then you're used to receiving two great Blue Note titles every month--featuring beautiful glossy covers and gatefold photos, excellent pressing quality, and superlative mastering and sound.  If you're not a subscriber and are trying to cherry-pick some of the titles, it can become quite difficult to keep up--and costly as well, if a title slips past you and goes out of print.  Myvinylreview's Quick Pick, will endeavor to bring some of these titles, as well as other outstanding reissues to your attention.  And while this feature won't include lengthy comparisons to original pressings or earlier reissues, you can be assured that an offering won't be included unless it is extraordinary with regard to both music and sound quality.