Tag: MCA Records
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Bill Monroe, Bill Monroe & Friends, 1983 on MCA Records
Bill Monroe sometimes gets called the “Father of Bluegrass” – no doubt he’s a pretty foundational figure and his Blue Grass Boys may be the source of the genre’s name. This is a great collection of later Bill Monroe (he passed in 1996) doing duets with performers who admire him and his legacy. The guesting…
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Various Artists, The Best of Chess Blues, 1987 on Chess / MCA
Great 2xLP 80s compilation of the post-war blues that made Chess such a critical label, issued by MCA who acquired the rights to the Chess catalog in the mid-eighties. My copy—via Mel’s Record Shop in Amesbury MA—is a 1987 pressing by MCA Records’ plant in Gloversville, NY.
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Nat King Cole, From The Very Beginning, 1973 on MCA
Although this was released in 1973, the recordings collected were originally recorded between 1936 and 1941 and had been released earlier by Decca, credited to King Cole Trio and Eddie Cole’s Solid Swingers. The tracks credited to Eddie Cole’s Solid Swingers feature Eddie Cole (Nat’s older brother) on bass and Jimmy Adams on drums –…
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Steve Earle, Guitar Town, 1986 on MCA Records
Earle’s debut album from the mid-eighties – note the proud “Digital Recording” stamp on the cover (where now you’d see “All Analog” promoted). Topped the country charts, and the title single made #7 on the country singles charts. I think Earle’s really matured into a wonderful elder statesman of a certain kind of roots /…
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Steely Dan, Katy Lied, 1975 on ABC Records
Walter Becker and Donald Fagen on the fourth full length studio album from Steely Dan. This was the first album after the departure of Skunk Baxter and Jim Hodder and the shift into studio albums with session musicians. (One of the session musicians here is Michael MacDonald providing backing vocals.) Apparently Becker and Fagen were…