Animated video premieres ahead of 7-CD box set 'Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection' available November 13th

Craft Recordings is pleased to release a new lyric video for The Staple Singers’ soulful 1971 anthem “Respect Yourself.” The captivating visualizer pairs archival photos from the Civil Rights Movement with contemporary images from the Black Lives Matter protests — because now as then, this song’s message of self-respect, tolerance and empowerment provides a compass for navigating times of political tumult and upheaval.

“Respect Yourself,” which originally appeared on the Staple Singers’ 1972 album Be Altitude: Respect Yourself, resonated with listeners and became the group’s biggest hit to date—landing at No. 2 on the Billboard Soul chart and No. 12 on the Hot 100. The eerily prophetic tune—which even included the lyric “Keep talkin’ bout the president, won’t stop air pollution/Put your hand on your mouth when you cough, that’ll help the solution”—was a perfect fit for the Staple Singers, who were formidable voices in the Civil Rights Movement and often incorporated politically charged messages of racial equality into their songs. Featuring members of the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and Memphis Horns, the song was penned by Luther Ingram and Mack Rice, and produced by Stax Records executive Al Bell.

GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement winners and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, the Staple Singers stand tall as one of the most important gospel and soul acts in history. Helmed by patriarch Roebuck “Pops” Staples, the Chicago group began performing in the late ’40s as a family gospel outfit, featuring Cleotha, Pervis (later replaced by sister Yvonne) and Mavis—who, at just seven years old, became the breakout star with her deep, soulful vocals.

By the ’60s, the Staple Singers were a sought-after act in the folk and counterculture scenes, and significant voices in the Civil Rights Movement. But when they signed to Stax in 1968, they became mainstream stars—thanks in part to a fruitful creative partnership with executive Al Bell. At Stax, they scored their first of many hit singles, released multiple bestselling albums and offered a memorable performance at the 1972 Wattstax Festival.

While Stax closed its doors in 1975, the Staple Singers continued to tour and record well until the ’80s, and Mavis Staples continued to have success as a solo artist. Since 2004, Staples has released nearly 10 studio and live albums, including You Are Not Alone (2010), Livin’ on a High Note (2016) and We Get By (2019). Embraced by a new generation of fans, the Kennedy Center Honoree has collaborated with the likes of Jeff Tweedy, Arcade Fire, Hozier and the Gorillaz; graced the stages of Glastonbury, Bonnaroo and Outside Lands; and was the subject of a documentary (2016’s Mavis!).

The new lyric video comes ahead of a comprehensive 7-CD box set celebrating the Staple Singers and their legendary output at Stax Records. Spanning 1968–1974, Come Go With Me: The Stax Collection is available November 13th and includes many of the Staples’ most iconic recordings, including “I’ll Take You There,” “If You’re Ready (Come Go With Me),” “Long Walk to D.C.,” and, of course, “Respect Yourself.” - CREDITS: American Blues Scene

There are box sets and then there are BOX SETS. John Mayall’s ‘The First Generation’ set sits firmly in the latter category, being substantial both in the artifacts contained within and the superb music it encompasses. This boxed set will be limited to 5,000 copies worldwide and is released on January 29, 2021 on the Madfish label through Snapper Music.

Pre-order links here and here. It is the first time a set of this size has been released documenting John Mayall’s early years and not only does it have all the albums from his much-lauded formative career, but it also has unreleased tracks aplenty. Featuring Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, Harvey Mandel, Blue Mitchell, Jon Mark, and many more superlative musicians, this mammoth package contains 35 CDs in all, plus a beautiful hardback book and much more.

Not for nothing did John Mayall earn the moniker ‘Godfather of the British Blues’. For a short but compelling time in the ‘60s and ‘70s he recognized raw talent when he saw it, he took it in, he nurtured it, and everyone thrived and benefitted as the result. Many of the best musicians of the period passed through the hallowed ranks of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, and all are on show here in a stunning set crammed with musical highlights. Put together with John Mayall’s full co-operation, the full list of contents is as follows:

35 discs (Including 3 CD Singles & 8 unreleased discs) – newly remastered versions of the original Decca & Polydor albums

Music from 7 unreleased gigs (including Windsor 1967, Gothenburg 1968, Berlin 1969, San Francisco 1970)

28 unreleased BBC tracks featuring Eric Clapton, Peter Green, and Mick Taylor Individually signed photograph, Hardback book including many rare photos & memorabilia & full gig listing for the period, Separate book including two years of fan club letters & correspondence, Two Replica Posters – Ten Years Are Gone and tour poster from 1968, Replica press pack for John Mayall Plays John Mayall.

Credits: By Martine Ehrenclou – Rock & Blues Muse

David Coverdale hopes to reissue his 1993 LP with Jimmy Page to mark the project's 30th anniversary.

"We spoke a couple of weeks ago," the Whitesnake singer told eonmusic in a newly published interview. "In fact, I'm probably going to speak to him this weekend. I think we're probably going to be looking at an anniversary issue in '23."

Calling his stint with the Led Zeppelin guitarist "amazing," the frontman said a reissue package of Coverdale-Page would include "some nice surprises."

"Jimmy and I have been talking about it, and he's isolated out in the country, so we just have to make sure, because I'm not getting on a fucking plane, and I certainly don't expect him to!" he added. "We'll have the original album remastered, and we've got a bunch of songs we didn't release, and I videoed most of the writing and recording scenario, and all the way to the shows in Osaka and stuff, so, there's a shitload of content."

Coverdale also floated a particularly intriguing idea: releasing two new versions of the record, with each musician adding his own sonic touch. "One of the things I suggested to him [was], "Why don't you do a Jimmy Page mix on the record and I'll do a David Coverdale mix, and let the fans just get Jimmy's perspective and mine."

The vocalist also enthused about having a "great relationship" with Page. "The lawyers were furious," he said. "They thought they were going to make a bunch of money negotiating this and that, and Jimmy and I just met in New York, shook hands and said everything's 50/50. And we did that like [John] Lennon / [Paul] McCartney without the bitterness!"

Coverdale and Whitesnake recently announced the Nov. 6 release of Love Songs, the second installment in their "Red, White and Blues Trilogy." That project features remixed and remastered versions of 15 band and solo tracks issued between 1987 and 2011.

The singer told eonmusic that he wasn't apprehensive about updating his back catalog. "Not as nervous I think as others who think of these as religious relics, or ancient relics!" he said. "To me, they're blueprints for live shows, or that's how it was for me many years ago."

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/ - Ryan Reed

By the time Kiss' original lineup released their final single, the divisions that had been privately plaguing the band for years were plain for all to see.

The catchy pop-rock confection "Tomorrow" was one of the highlights of 1980's underrated Unmasked. But the upbeat, carefree sound of both the song and the album didn't match up with what the band was really going through.

"We were not functioning as a band," Paul Stanley noted in 2001's Kiss: Behind the Mask. "We wanted to create something for the fans that was cheery and fit the picture that they had of us, sometimes covering up people's shortcomings."

After playing on only one song on 1979's Dynasty, addiction battles and personality conflicts kept drummer Peter Criss from participating at all on Unmasked. He had already been publicly replaced by Eric Carr three months prior to the Nov. 1, 1980 release of "Tomorrow."

Lead guitarist Ace Frehley was fighting his own substance abuse issues and had grown increasingly unhappy with the band's move away from their original hard rock sound. With Criss gone, he also felt continually outvoted by bandmates Stanley and Gene Simmons.

There were also external problems. Although Dynasty's lead single "I Was Made for Lovin' You" was a worldwide smash, Kiss' once red-hot popularity with ticket buyers suddenly went missing on their 1979 tour. Due to a combination of overexposure and the displeasure many longtime fans felt over the group's new sound, they struggled to fill single shows in cities where they had previously sold out multiple nights.

Stanley says the original plan for "Tomorrow" was to give those old-school fans more of what they wanted. "It originally didn't quite sound like that," Stanley says of the song in Behind the Mask. "It was much harder and had a lot of guitar. [Producer] Vini Poncia's background was a little different than it originally was supposed to be. It was a guitar song. We wound up with all these keyboards. It just kind of got diffused, distilled, diluted."

https://ultimateclassicrock.com/kiss-tomorrow-song/ - Matthew Wilkening



Unmasked's lead single "Shandi" was a big hit in some parts of the world, particularly in Australia where Kiss briefly became the center of a wave of popularity akin to Beatlemania. But it was clear this was a mirage, an aftershock to the band's original wave of success.



Both "Tomorrow" and the album's other single, "Talk to Me," failed to make any kind of impact on the charts or with fans. Back home, the group's popularity had fallen so fast that they didn't even attempt to mount a North American tour in support of the album.



It was clear that Kiss needed to make a big change. Unfortunately, there was one more mistake to make before they could begin to get back on track.