For the Record
July Record Store Spotlight of the Month - Foreigner - Foreigner 4 (Ltd. Ed. red-colored vinyl)
4 (Foreigner album), also known as Foreigner 4, is the fourth studio album by British-American rock band Foreigner, released in 1981 on Atlantic Records. Several singles from the album were hits, including "Urgent", "Waiting for a Girl Like You" and "Juke Box Hero". - The album was originally titled Silent Partners and later was changed to 4. The album marked the completion of the band's shift to hard rock, begun in Head Games. Both Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood had left before the recording of 4. As a result, all of the songs on the album are compositions by Mick Jones and/or Lou Gramm. McDonald and Greenwood had played saxophone and keyboards, respectively, and so several session musicians were needed to replace their contributions, among them Junior Walker, who played the saxophone solo in the bridge of "Urgent", and a young Thomas Dolby, who would later have a successful solo career.
July Discover Records of the Month - lovelytheband / Greta Van Fleet
Limited white vinyl LP pressing. 2018 EP. Lovelytheband is an indie pop band that formed in 2016 in the city of Los Angeles, California. The band started with Mitchy Collins and long-time collaborator and music producer Christian Medice. The band is led by Collins, former Oh Honey member, guitarist Jordan Greenwald, and drummer Sam Price. Band members Collins, Greenwald, and Price met and formed on a drunken night at a nightclub in West Hollywood. The band started making music and released their hit single "Broken" exclusively with Billboard in April of 2017.
July's Alternative Record of the Month - The Record Company - All of This Life (Ltd. Ed. blue marble-colored vinyl)
The band continues with their signature gritty, rock 'n' roll, blues sound on All Of This Life, their second studio album on Concord Records. This album incorporates the band's organic style, but provides a richer, full expanded sound using Boulevard Recording Studio and mixes by Mark Needham (The Revivalists, Blue October, Newsboys, Fleetwood Mac, The Killers, Imagine Dragons, etc...). This album is comprised of stories about moving through difficult times in life. The Record Company is an American power trio rock band formed in Los Angeles. Their music is influenced by blues musicians like John Lee Hooker,[1] early punkbands like The Stooges, and rock bands like The Rolling Stones.
July's Rock Record of the Month - Wings - Wings Greatest (Ltd. Ed. blue-colored vinyl)
Wings Greatest is a 1978 compilation album by Wings and their eighth album as well as Paul McCartney's tenth since leaving the Beatles. It is notable as being the first official retrospective release from McCartney's post-Beatles career. The album was compiled after McCartney's decision to leave EMI's American label, Capitol, for a six-year stay with Columbia (United States and Canada only), though he remained with EMI worldwide during his US sabbatical from Capitol. Four of the twelve tracks make their album debut with this compilation: "Another Day", "Junior's Farm", "Hi, Hi, Hi" and "Mull of Kintyre". "Live and Let Die" had previously appeared on the soundtrack album of the same name but did not appear on any previous McCartney albums.
July's Singer Songwriter Record of the Month - Vance Joy - Nation Of Two
Vinyl LP pressing including digital download. 2018 release, the second studio album by Australian singer/songwriter Vance Joy. Says Vance: "Nation of Two describes a perfectly self-contained couple; their world beginning and ending at the bed they share, the car they ride in, or any other place where they're together... The idea that their love for each other gives them their bearings; a point of reference that makes sense of life." James Keogh, otherwise known as Vance Joy, is a folk/pop artist from Melbourne, Australia. Vance Joy's love of music was inspired by his mother's aptitude at literature and his father's fondness of singing. His parents' vast, eclectic record collection only served to heighten his partiality to it.
June's Classic Rock Record of the Month - Best of Kansas (Ltd. Ed. 180g Audiophile, RED Vinyl, Gatefold Jacket)
You won't see many Greatest Hits at B.T.R.C. because we are all album people. Normally, we prefer to offer all the original albums with the individual songs presented the way the artist originally intended. That being said, we are very excited to offer The Best of Kansas as our Classic Rock Record of the Month for June. Originally released in 1984, this is the first compilation album from Kansas. It features amazing hit songs from the band's first ten years. The album also boasts one new track - "Perfect Lover", a song that was dropped on all the CD versions starting in 1999. The pressing we're shipping has it back in place and represents the original 1984 release. So, beyond the fact that the album looks amazing on red vinyl, it also has the original track listing that makes it a must-have for any Kansas fan.
June's Jazz, Soul, & Blues Record of the Month - Leon Bridges - Good Thing (180g)
Fort Worth, Texas native Leon Bridges has been making a name for himself since early 2015, when he burst onto the scene with his retro soul sound. After a chance encounter with psych-rockers Austin Jenkins and Joshua Block of the band White Denim, Bridges began tracking with the two on what would become his first demos. Recorded on vintage equipment, the songs even had the feel of classic r&b and soul. They uploaded the songs onto Soundcloud, and within the year Columbia Records signed the up-and-coming Bridges. His debut album, Coming Home, sold 42,000 units its first week, appearing at #6 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Not a bad way to start your career, folks. Released on Columbia Records in June of 2015, Coming Home was nominated for a Grammy in the Best R&B Album category and has since been RIAA-certified Gold.
June's Alternative Record of the Month - Father John Misty - God's Favorite Customer (180g)
Father John Misty is J. Tillman. J. Tillman is Father John Misty. Father John Misty was created as the alter ego for Tillman in 2012 with the release of Fear Fun. He had just left the band Fleet Foxes and created the stage name which has now accumulated four albums with the 2018 release of God's Favorite Customer. Last year, Tillman released the highly sardonic album Pure Comedy to high critical praise. NME had the album at #4 on their Albums of the Year list. Rolling Stone had it at #19, Uncut at #13, and Uproxx at number 5 on their comparable lists. Even the Blind Tiger Record Club had it on our Best Vinyl of 2017 list for Singer Songwriter. As good as the record was, it was at times "preachy" and as good as the album sounds, the commentary can be off-putting.