Thursday, January 01, 2026

Top 40 for January 2026 Nils Lofgren, Two Lovers - Dolly Parton, Louise Cordet, Mary Wells with Smokey Robinson duet, The Toys, West Bruce and Laing / Dame Shirley Bassey

 Viglione has reviewed several of Bassey's albums, including And I Love You So and Nobody Does It Like Me.

    His reviews are cited as authoritative sources in discussions and fan blogs related to Dame Shirley Bassey's career and recordings.

    In one review, he praised a rendition as "totally wonderful", and in another context, found "much to praise retrospectively about the album". 


Viglione's work provides critical analysis and historical context for many of Bassey's recordings, particularly for the American market and audience.

1  Does Anybody Miss Me Review by Joe Viglione



With total authority and enthusiasm, Shirley Bassey takes the Les Reed/Johnny Worth song "Does Anybody Miss Me?" for her title track, opening this album with the consistency few artists give their audience recording after recording, performance after performance. She's decked out in a somewhat revealing angelic white on the front and back cover and her voice flies over the beautiful Dave Pell production and Artie Butler arrangements with perfection, reflecting the ease of the cover photos. Side one's closer, "I Only Miss Him," seems to add to the intrigue of the Les Reed title track, though it's not as tragic as Vicki Carr's "It Must Be Him"; in this artist's hands the melody becomes a pleasant up-tempo song about love that might come back. The array of songwriters is staggering: an early David Buskin composition, "Never, Never No," Rod McKuen/Henry Mancini's "We" from the Patty Duke film Me, Natalie, and a strong reading of Bacharach/David's "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" from Promises, Promises, including a verse not on Dionne Warwick's hit. Bassey's vocal command and presence simply amazes from LP to LP, and despite how short the songs and album content appear decades after release -- only two songs go over the three-minute mark -- the striking results do not shortchange the fan in the least. "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" is redefined by Bassey; the female perspective of Mel Carter's hit from four years earlier is a bit more coy in some parts, but still gets the message across. The uncredited and appropriate liner notes proclaim that Bassey is "Woman and child co-existing a mere light year above the footlights/tonight...every night." Does Anybody Miss Me? is yet another powerful recording from the diva's diva. https://www.allmusic.com/album/does-anybody-miss-me-mw0001131156

#2   “Love Will” Eliza Neals Official Art MUSIC VIDEO



Review by Joe Viglione

A powerful new song from Eliza Neals, solid drum work which propels the authoritative guitar and Eliza’s oozing, understanding vocals. “Love’s the antidote” she sings in the dark, commanding you to open up your eyes. The neon lights with the title flashing throughout the video helps love to brighten up your day. Terrific stuff. Eliza will be the second guest on the Rob Fraboni show taping end of month.

12:31 pm 1/9/26   https://youtu.be/izREQBLV7_U


https://joeviglione.substack.com/p/jovigtop40com-mick-taylor-jafa-hush

Does Anybody Miss Me Review by Joe Viglione

With total authority and enthusiasm, Shirley Bassey takes the Les Reed/Johnny Worth song "Does Anybody Miss Me?" for her title track, opening this album with the consistency few artists give their audience recording after recording, performance after performance. She's decked out in a somewhat revealing angelic white on the front and back cover and her voice flies over the beautiful Dave Pell production and Artie Butler arrangements with perfection, reflecting the ease of the cover photos. Side one's closer, "I Only Miss Him," seems to add to the intrigue of the Les Reed title track, though it's not as tragic as Vicki Carr's "It Must Be Him"; in this artist's hands the melody becomes a pleasant up-tempo song about…

(A friend writes on What's App): Wooow 👏👏👏 

4  Matheus made this with , Google Dec 21 2025. Photos of us Nov 7. Got over 100 spins on reéls so it goes to the head of the class https://youtu.be/knSI5n9EURQ Matheus made this with , Google Dec 21 2025. Photos of us Nov 7. Got over 100 spins on reéls so it goes to the head of the class https://substack.com/home/post/p-182248578




5)Nobody Does It Like Me Review by Joe Viglione

Dame Shirley Bassey

Nobody Does It Like Me is an appropriate album title for the queen diva, Shirley Bassey, this 1974 release being another in-the-pocket delight. Producer Martin Rushent, who would take the Human League to the top of the charts in 1982, is here in an engineering capacity and the sound is somewhat different from her '60s albums and even the double-live disc from the year before. M. Randall's "Leave a Little Room" starts things off, and the feel is more geared toward the '70s adult contemporary audiophile than the cabaret circuit. Sure, it's the same instrumentation and voice her fans adore, but the music is pulled back somewhat; "When You Smile" is ready for radio, the orchestration not in your face. "All That Love Went to Waste" from the motion picture A Touch of Class finds sweeping strings and dynamic horns playing off of Bassey's intuitive phrasings. Bernard Ighner composes and duets with Bassey on "Davey," the approach Melissa Manchester would take a few years later for her tune "Whenever I Call You Friend," which Kenny Loggins hit with. Even the song selection seems positioned to get the artist a piece of that 1970s radio play that Helen Reddy, Anne Murray, and Barry Manilow were so successful conquering. Paul Anka's "I'm Not Anyone" is a seemingly perfect vehicle for just that. But where the Anne Murrays and Helen Reddys weren't known for belting tunes out, the pop music radio did embrace back then was not the operatic style Jane Olivor and others were issuing. Bassey pulls back nicely on "Morning in Your Eyes," but it still has too much elegance for programmers to latch onto. "The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye" is traditional Bassey, subtle and overpowering all at once. The title track, "Nobody Does It Like Me," is from the Broadway musical Seesaw, and it breaks out of the soft rock of most of the album, delivering a snazzy number that, truly, few can do like Bassey: "I got a big loud mouth/I'm always talking much too free/If you go for tacky manners/Better stay away from me." The lower volume level is noticeable when "I'm Nothing Without You" follows that tour de force, its "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" strings and feel coming back to the mission of this record. And that mission is accomplished with the closing track. Just as Bassey recorded a superb version of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny," she re-interprets Stevie Wonder's song with the same flavor, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life." It oozes with classy adult pop majesty, understated vocals, and bubbling instrumentation. Totally wonderful. This rendition should have been a huge American radio hit and is the frosting on the cake.  https://www.allmusic.com/album/nobody-does-it-like-me-mw0000842289

Below a review of the album and some newspaper clips from 1974.

Review of the album

By Joe Viglione, All Music Guide     https://shirleybassey.wordpress.com/2023/05/10/

Nobody Does It Like Me is an appropriate album title for the queen diva, Shirley Bassey, this 1974 release being another in-the-pocket delight. Producer Martin Rushent, who would take the Human League to the top of the charts in 1982, is here in an engineering capacity and the sound is somewhat different from her ’60s albums and even the double-live disc from the year before. M. Randall’s “Leave a Little Room” starts things off, and the feel is more geared toward the ’70s adult contemporary audiophile than the cabaret circuit. Sure, it’s the same instrumentation and voice her fans adore, bu…

Viglione, Joe. "Allmusic review". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 25 June 2011.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/And_I_Love_You_So_(Shirley_Bassey_album)

6)And I Love You So Review by Joe Viglione



The out of print 1972 CD from Shirley Bassey, And I Love You So, gets two additional bonus tracks on its 2001 re-release, and the more Bassey in the world the better. Her over the top rendition of pianist Jack Dieval's "The Way of Love" keeps the gender intact, as did Kathy Kirby and Cher on their respective hit versions, of a woman singing a song of heartbreak to another woman, only Bassey puts her trademark style on it bringing it into another realm. Chris White includes two lengthy pages of liner notes in the informative eight-page booklet which includes four lovely photos of the queen diva. Perry Como's hit version of the title track, "And I Love You So," a composition from the pen of Don McLean, might've kept this album from getting more exposure, but it is essential Shirley Bassey which her fan base is well aware of. She makes "Bless the Beasts and the Children" exotic while the Tom Evans and Pete Ham timeless classic, "Without You," gets a sort of Eartha Kitt as "Catwoman" reading, Bassey borrowing a bit but never copying. Johnny Harris forgoes the neo-Phil Spector production of Harry Nilsson's hit version to arrange, produce and conduct a special blend to fit Bassey's vocal stylings. The two Noel Rogers produced outtakes from the album sessions. Like many of the artist's releases, this is a real treasure and a true work of art. [The U.K. version adds two bonus tracks: "If I Should Love Again" and "Let Me Be the One."]

 https://www.allmusic.com/album/and-i-love-you-so-mw0000740378

 

7)Live at Carnegie Hall Review by Joe Viglione



This double LP recorded May 11 and 12, 1973, and released that same year features a dozen violinists, four violas, four cellos, piano, bass, drums, guitar, percussion, and the amazing voice of the incomparable Shirley Bassey. Officially titled "Shirley Bassey Live at Carnegie Hall featuring Woody Herman and the Young Thundering Heard," Live at Carnegie Hall begins with her biggest American hit, "Goldfinger," and doesn't let up. Starting with a song that euphoric is impressive; few could lead off a concert with their signature tune and get away with it, but her voice is in amazing shape, and she sets the tone as this precious set of material is flawlessly reinvented. That's the Bassey treatment. She hits the audience with the hits. "Where Am I Going" and "Big Spender" from the musical production Sweet Charity, "For All We Know" from the motion picture Lovers and Other Strangers, and "Day by Day" from Godspell were melodies which reached the public consciousness thanks to other artists -- the Carpenters on "For All We Know," and the original cast for the Godspell hit. Bassey just overpowers each memory when she's got your ear and uses the spirit of each song to take flight. The accompaniment is superb, but never gets in the way of the diva. Dusty Springfield titled her orchestrated 1967 album Where Am I Going and Bassey takes the same tune and shifts it to her arena. "And I Love You So" had become an adult contemporary staple at the time, thanks to Perry Como's hit version this very same year, but she dispenses with the pop and injects pure soul into what was originally Don McLean's light folk tune. Add George Harrison's "Something" to the mix, and it makes for a very appealing set. Bassey's interpretations are clearly her own, with the originals or most famous versions finding themselves as great reference points. I Capricorn was one of her albums released before this live set and Never, Never, Never the studio album which would follow; both title tracks get riveting performances here, the album flowing seamlessly. Her on-stage chatter along with another 007 theme, "Diamonds Are Forever," help make Live at Carnegie Hall a sweeping tour de force. It's just a breathtaking live album from a timeless artist. https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-at-carnegie-hall-mw0000689262






8)This Is My Life Review by Joe Viglione



Not to be confused with the 2000/2001 Music International best-of compilation which utilizes the same title and features that tune along with other Bassey favorites, this is the 12-song 1968 release from a day when all these performances by the authoritative singer were kept under the three-minute mark. The end melody of the Lesley Bricusse/Anthony Newley tune "The Joker" from the musical production of The Roar of the Greasepaint is right out of the "he loves gold" ending from "Goldfinger," and putting it next to Batman composer Neal Hefti's "I Must Know" is pretty clever -- from the Joker to Batman's Hefti co-write. "I Must Know" is a swinging bossa nova which Eydie Gorme could have dueted on nicely here, and the Sid Feller arrangements embellish Dave Pell's first-rate production, work which gives Bassey's fantastic voice a dynamic platform -- one that doesn't interfere with her passionate expression. "This Is My Life (La Vita)" is over the top, a performance which should have been huge on America's radios. That 1965's "Goldfinger" was her only chart hit in the states is more of a statement on how unfair Top 40 was (and has always been). Shirley Bassey is no one-hit wonder; her movie soundtracks took care of that and delivered her voice to millions when transistors refused to. Tony Hatch's Top 25 chart song for Petula Clark, "Who Am I," is covered so faithfully you'd think Hatch had produced this version, and the pop sounds are a nice change of pace from the show tune presentation of "Funny Girl." Putting the theme from that motion picture next to a driving version of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny" works as smoothly as "The Joker" next to "I Must Know" -- though she gives Hebb's classic the powerful hold-the-last-note move that made "Goldfinger" so much fun. When Bassey's not making a statement like "I Must Know" or "This Is My Life," there are questioning tunes -- "Where Is Tomorrow?" or "Who Am I?"; the expressionist may be singing material written by other people, but the way she spins them across her album is the real magic she couples with her voice and spirit. When Janis Joplin put her soul on the grooves of a record, she spoke in a language that went beyond the words. Shirley Bassey does that here on This Is My Life, an album that speaks on many levels. Let there be no doubt this is a great album from one of the greats.  https://www.allmusic.com/album/this-is-my-life-mw0000960051

_______________________________________

Joe Viglione is a writer and critic for AllMusic (AMG), known for providing detailed, often enthusiastic reviews of classic pop, rock, and soundtrack albums from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. 

Regarding his connection to Andy Williams in the AMG database:

Album Reviews: Viglione has reviewed Andy Williams' material for AMG, specifically citing Williams' sound as a benchmark for 1960s pop and middle-of-the-road (MOR) music, such as comparing the vocal style in Frankie Valli's "Eleanor Rigby" to Williams.

Contextualizing Hits: He often places Williams' hits, such as "Dear Heart" (1965), into the broader context of the 1960s music scene alongside artists like Gene McDaniels and The Cowsills.

Other Reviews: Viglione's work at AMG spans various artists, including reviews for Vic Damone, The G-Clefs, and discussions on 1960s pop production. 

Note: The search results also mention a "Roger Williams" in an AMG review by Joe Viglione regarding a #1 hit from 1955.



9)West Bruce and Laing 

https://whatfrankislisteningto.negstar.com/   

The album has a solid ending with “Pollution Woman”. About the song, critic Joe Viglione wrote that this was the direction the band should have taken for the entire album. He also suggests that keyboards might have stabilized the band. https://allmanbrothersband.com/community/general-chat-anything-goes/west-bruce-and-laing-love-is-worth-the-blues/ The inclusion of keys via Mountain’s Knight or Blind Faith’s Winwood would have been monumental in establishing a firmer ground upon which to develop the band’s sound. I might have to agree to some degree, though not entirely, because some of these songs are phenomenal as they are. However, I will agree with Viglione regarding the production of the album. There wasn’t as much “oomph” in the production to give it that heavy-ass Mountain sound with the jazzy basslines Bruce’s blues contained. It wasn’t all Johns’ fault, as the band did have a hand in production.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/240098362684435/posts/3617686741592230/

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10)HAPPY HEART ANDY WILLIAMS

https://youtu.be/1QySSV19St0

"Happy Heart" is a song written by James Last and Jackie Rae. Versions of the song by Petula Clark and Andy Williams charted simultaneously in 1969 and had their best showings on Billboard magazine's Easy Listening chart, where Clark peaked at number 12[1] and Williams spent two weeks at number 1.[2]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Heart



11)NO MATTER WHAT SIGN YOU ARE

SUPREMES

https://youtu.be/D_s5H8tQpAw


1,811 views Jul 14, 2023 #motown #soul #remix

Although released as a DR + The Supremes single, sadly, neither Mary or Cindy appeared on this. Co written by Berry Gordy it just failed to break into the top 30 in either the USA or the UK. Augmented with added drums and strings and extended. As always, I do these mixes for free (they are monetised by the copyright holder) so If you enjoyed this, or any other of my remixes or original songs, please kindly consider tipping me a coffee at https://kofi.com/futuro_sonic #soul #remix #motown


Different Mix https://youtu.be/hguvdkQgj98?list=RDhguvdkQgj98


By now, at recording sessions, it was virtually all Diana with backing vocals supplied by in-house trio The Andantes. Sad thing is, no-one outside of Motown knew (or cared!) because, unquestionably, it’s Ross’s voice that originally made The Supremes SUPREME. I always loved this song. Great production here - pushing Ross just that bit further front in the mix and taking the tempo down a tad gives the song a whole new slant. Another winner from Steve/FuturoSonic. So what’s next? 🤔 I’d LOVE to hear a revitalised version of NATHAN JONES. Jean Terrell’s lead took The Supremes to another stratosphere… Keep up the great work breathing new life into magic Motown million sellers. Always look forward to your new releases. ❤

REFLECTIONS, THE SUPREMES, BONUS TRACK

Oprah Winfrey, Diana Ross, Mary Wilson On The Supremes -

_________________________________________



12 TWO LOVERS

MARY WELLS

https://youtu.be/oa4MqpN-A2k Mary Wells - Two Lovers

"Two Lovers" is a single released in 1962 by Mary Wells on the Motown record label. The song was the third consecutive hit to be both written and produced by Smokey Robinson of the Miracles and recorded by Mary Wells,[3] the two previous charters being "The One Who Really Loves You" and "You Beat Me to the Punch." The song's cleverly devised lyrics at first appear to be about a girl singing to one lover who is "sweet and kind" and a second who treats her bad and makes her sad; eventually, the girl reveals that the two lovers are actually the same person. The song became Wells's most successful release to date, reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and #7 on the Billboard pop chart. Its success would be eclipsed two years later by the singer's most successful release, "My Guy."[4]

Cash Box said that "Two Lovers" is "in the soft beat cha cha groove of her recent smasheroo, 'You Beat Me to the Punch'" and said that Wells sings "against an attention-getting ork-choral backdrop, that she has a 'Two Lovers' problem in her split-personality guy."[5]     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Lovers_(Mary_Wells_song)



Louise Cordet 2 Lovers

https://youtu.be/R8KacQepWV0


Excellent photo. Thanks to WJIB for playing the great Mary Wells, her many hits should find airtime. I've written about her "2 Lovers" which WJIB plays https://joeviglione.substack.com/p/two-lovers-dolly-parton-louise-cordet Dolly Parton's version is amazing.

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13  The 100th Inning   https://substack.com/home/post/p-183967060


https://substack.com/home/post/p-183967060


14   https://substack.com/home/post/p-183925504



Our 5oth Year doing Promotion! Joe Viglione Media / Varulven Ventures LLC 1976-2026
Bobby Doyle, Aart Knyff and Greg Walsh, artists of over 40 years with us, give quotes  https://substack.com/home/post/p-183925504

15  Happy Heart, first version instrumental Nick DeCaro

https://youtu.be/digq3_90VYE?list=PLzzKyvqXP-gUw3NQezFTkeMT-OrrzXok8



The first recording of "Happy Heart" to reach the charts in Billboard magazine was an instrumental version by record producer Nick DeCaro that debuted on the Easy Listening chart in the March 15, 1969, issue and got as high as number 22 over the course of seven weeks.[3] DeCaro had recently produced the albums Born FreeLove, Andy, and Honey for Williams, who recorded "Happy Heart" on March 8 of that year.[4] Williams also performed the song for Clark's NBC television special Portrait of Petula that would air on April 7.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Heart



16)Joe Viglione on Wikipedia, Petula Clark Happy Heart

https://youtu.be/u0KsVmuKSJE

Clark's recording appeared on her Portrait of Petula album, and in reviewing the LP for Allmusic, Joe Viglione wrote, "She does take the tempo of Andy Williams's 'Happy Heart' down a bit."[8]



17) 

From YouTube, stereo mix of Lover's Concerto
https://youtu.be/Um4_21_Ytm4
96,750 views Dec 26, 2024
This is one of the most beloved pop songs of the 1960s. No true stereo mix was ever released or known to have been made by the original producers. The technology of separating voices and instruments within a Mono mix has progressed to a point where, with some further effort, I could put together a True Stereo mix that sounds contemporary. The video starts with a short intro by Petula Clark, which I also turned into stereo. I hope you enjoy this unique new version and will like and comment as well. Thanks!

18)Nils Lofgren  "Ain't The Truth Enough" from  Mountains

https://youtu.be/3VjKCe12VVc?list=PLkuivVXN1s9-Gp1T1-zjksPI-VKMuQOzY

44,240 views Aug 24, 2023 #ringostarr #Americana #OfficialMusicVideo

“Ain't The Truth Enough” Nils Lofgren - Vocals, Lap Steel, Guitar, Organ Cindy Mizelle - Vocals Kevin McCormick - Bass Ringo - Drums, Vocals From the full length album by Nils Lofgren, "Mountains"


19)Only Ticket Out   Nils Lofgren from Mountain

5:15 in length and a great riff and melody, Nils Lofgren delivers

with a majestic plodding with intensity rock journey

https://youtu.be/wD4X9HPpzTc?list=PLkuivVXN1s9-Gp1T1-zjksPI-VKMuQOzY

  ℗ 2023 Cattle Track Road Records Released on: 2023-07-21 Music Publisher: CATTLE TRACK ROAD RECORDS Composer, Lyricist: Nils Lofgren

https://youtu.be/wD4X9HPpzTc?list=PLkuivVXN1s9-Gp1T1-zjksPI-VKMuQOzY

20) MICK TAYLOR, THE ROLLING STONES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-tow5PiCvw




21)  

Stranger in This Town Review by Joe Viglione



Mick Taylor's Stranger in This Town was recorded mostly in Sweden in the summer of 1989, except for "Little Red Rooster," recorded in Germany, and "You Gotta Move," the traditional blues number found on the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers, recorded in Philadelphia in December of 1989. This is a blues album, make no doubt about it, and it is one of Taylor's finest. Co-produced by the guitarist and Phil Colella, the performances feature former Jeff Beck sideman Max Middleton on keyboards, Shane Fontayne on guitar, Wilbur Bascomb on bass, and Eric Parker on drums. Only "You Gotta Move" has different musicians, Joel Diamond on keys and Beach Boy Blondie Chaplin on guitar. Keith Richard producer Rob Fraboni re-mixed the title track, as well as the almost six minute version of one of Taylor's favorite Stones tunes, "Jumpin' Jack Flash." It's the most rock & roll song here, Taylor's voice lending itself well to the song. Carol Bernson's photographs of the rock legend are something to behold; Taylor under a blue light performing with his shadow reflecting on the floor adorns the back of the CD, as well as the inside four-page booklet. The front cover has the journeyman with his guitar and a long, black coat, and there's an impressive black-and-white portrait inside the booklet. He performs Albert King's "I Wonder Why" and "Laundromat Blues," citing King in the liner notes as "a big influence, and a man who is wise and whom I respect and admire." He calls Jimi Hendrix a genius, genuine, and "the greatest guitar player who ever lived," and pays tribute to him with a superb version of "Red House," which is combined with James Oden's "Goin' Down Slow." The Santana feel that Taylor brought to "Can't You Hear Me Knocking" by the Stones lives again in his co-write "Goin' South," which, at ten minutes and 20 seconds, contains some of Taylor's finest guitar work on the record. Maze had a distribution deal with A&M in Canada when this was released in 1990, but the label didn't have the resources in this pre-Internet time to deliver such a beautiful album to a mass audience. If only Stranger in This Town was the album Mick Taylor released on Columbia when he first left the Rolling Stones. Were that the case, he would have had the opportunity to enjoy the popularity of a Buddy Guy or B.B. King, and the general public would have a better understanding of this superb and highly underrated artist. Musicians know, and all the evidence needed is on this disc.



Genre: Rock
Rate: 320 kbps CBR / 44100
Time: 00:59:42
Size: 136,59 MB

Review by Joe Viglione

Mick Taylor's Stranger in This Town was recorded mostly in Sweden in the summer of 1989, except for "Little Red Rooster," recorded in Germany, and "You Gotta Move," the traditional blues number found on the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers, recorded in Philadelphia in December of 1989. This is a blues album, make no doubt about it, and it is one of Taylor's finest.

Joe Viglione interviews Mick Taylor on Visual Radio

  https://www.taringa.net/+ilovemusic/mick-taylor-1990-stranger-in-this-town_pl4dp

Tracklist:

01 - Stranger In This Town 05:42

02 - I Wonder Why 08:40

03 - Laundromat Blues 05:57

04 - Red House - Goin' Down Slow 10:48

05 - Jumpin' Jack Flash 05:57

06 - Little Red Rooster 05:57

07 - Goin' South 10:21

08 - You Gotta Move 06:20


22)



Westworld, The Visitor, and Excalibur Make Their Global 4K UHD Premiers, and American Yakuza Arrives on Blu-ray

On February 10, the battle between Japanese gangsters and the Italian Mafia explodes as American Yakuza makes its North American debut on Blu-ray. The Limited Edition release includes a 2K restoration from the original camera negative by Toei Pictures, hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras.

After being released from prison, Nick Davis (Viggo Mortensen, The Lord of the Rings) takes a job in a warehouse. When mobsters attack the facility, Nick saves the life of one of his co-workers, Shuji Sawamoto (Ryo Ishibashi, The Grudge), who turns out to be a member of the Japanese crime family who owns the warehouse, earning Nick a major promotion. No longer driving a forklift, Nick now defends the organization against Mafia forces led by Dino Campanella (Michael Nouri, Yellowstone). Nick becomes even closer to his new Japanese family when he meets Sawamoto’s goddaughter Yuko (Anzu Lawson, Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back). Their growing relationship complicates matters, as Nick harbors a dangerous secret about where his true loyalties lie. This international crime thriller also features Robert Forster (Jackie Brown), Franklyn Ajaye (Car Wash), Yuji Okumoto (Cobra Kai), Nicky Katt (Dazed and Confused), John Fujioka (American Ninja), and James Taenaka (Showdown in Little Tokyo).

Special features include a High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation; the original lossless stereo audio; optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing; a brand new audio commentary with director Frank Cappello and actor Anzu Lawson; newly filmed interviews with director Frank Cappello and actor Ryo Ishibashi; an archival interview with actor Viggo Mortensen; the original trailer; image gallery; and a collectors’ booklet.

Watch the trailer for American Yakuza here: https://youtu.be/Ty8TW1lmyXY?si=58rFjNmxp-2KwlXy


On February 17, the star-studded intergalactic paranormal cult epic The Visitor makes its universal 4K UHD debut. Producer Ovidio G. Assonitis (Beyond The Door) conjures up a brilliantly bizarre battle between good and evil. The Limited Edition release features a brand new 4K restoration of the 109-min European version of the film from the original 35mm camera negative by Arrow Films, hours of special features, and newly commissioned extras. 

23)from ATOM SPLITTER

 




PHOTO: Sarai Kelley @photosbysarai
WATCH "THOROUGHBREDS" VIDEO
STREAM "THOROUGHBREDS"

POISON THE WELL ANNOUNCE NEW ALBUM PEACE IN PLACE — FIRST NEW ALBUM IN OVER 15 YEARS

ALBUM ARRIVES ON MARCH 20 VIA SHARPTONE

BAND SHARES VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE "THOROUGHBREDS" — WATCH

BAND APPEARS ON DIGITAL COVER OF REVOLVER


 POISON THE WELL released the definitive album The Opposite of December... A Season of Separation in December 1999 and it went on to become a benchmark of the genre that has inspired a generation of bands. The album was chosen as one of the "15 '90s Metalcore Albums That Still Resonate Today" by Brooklyn Vegan; as one of the "21 Best U.S. Metalcore Albums of All Time" by Kerrang!; as one of the "25 Best Metalcore Albums of All Time" by Loudwire; and as one of the "Top 60 Best Hard Rock Albums of All Time" by Revolver. Its influence is indisputable.

But the band is not content to rest on the laurels of its past achievements, as mighty as those achievements are.

Today, PTW announce the March 20 release of PEACE IN PLACE, their first album in 16 years.   It will arrive via SharpTone Records. Pre-order it here

They are also sharing the video for "THOROUGHBREDS."

Watch it here.

The song boasts all the hallmarks fans have come to know, love, and expect from Poison the Well — introspective lyrics, urgent riffing, massive breakdowns that cause tectonic plates to shift, and soaring melodies.

"Joining Poison the Well at 18 and chasing music shaped how I approach life," says singer Jeffrey Moreira. "Coming back 16 years later — unsure if I could still do what I once left behind — only reinforced how strong our bond is and how much this band has given me. I'm grateful to do this again with my friends, and to share a record made with honesty, intention, and connection at its core."

Regarding the new song "THOROUGHBREDS," he says, "Beasts of burden are hard to break—not because they're strong, but because they're stubborn. 'Thoroughbreds' is about realizing that some lifelong bonds don't fail early; they fail after you believed they were there to stay."

As for the album as a complete body of work, the singer shares. "Peace In Place is probably the most pissed record we've ever made. After stepping away from Poison the Well,  it felt like all the emotion from that time — frustration, heartache, disappointment — compressed into something heavy and unavoidable. But anger isn't what drives us. Connection is. Sometimes that connection starts in darker places, and having an outlet for those emotions is how we find our way forward. This record lives across that entire spectrum. It’s about turning something negative into something honest, putting it into the world, and realizing that even in anger, we’re still capable of moving forward, relating to each other, and finding some form of peace—if not happiness, then at least a place to stand."

PTW also collaborate with Frank Maddocks (Linking Park, Deftones) on the Peace In Place cover art.
 
POISON THE WELL ARE:
Jeffrey Moriera — Vocals 
Ryan Primack — Guitar
Vadim Taver — Guitar 
Christopher Hornbrook — Drums 
Noah Harmon — Bass
 
PEACE IN PLACE TRACK LISTING:
"Wax Mask"
"Primal Bloom"
"Thoroughbreds"
 "Everything Hurts"
"Weeping Tones"
"A Wake Of Vultures"
"Bad Bodies"
"Drifting Without End"
"Melted"
"Plague Them The Most"

ABOUT POISON THE WELL:
In the space of barely a breath, Poison the Well pacify fits of jarring brutality with moments of fragile beauty. Their unmistakable melodic hardcore gently dilutes the effects of trauma, betrayal, depression, and loss with hard-won wisdom and diligently earned self-acceptance. For as much force as they commit to the riffs and the breakdowns, there’s an equal amount of naked emotion encoded in their relatable hooks. At this point, they are unassumingly, yet undeniably embedded in the DNA of modern metal and hardcore. Poison The Well’s 1999 debut, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation has claimed spots on Brooklyn Vegan's 15 '90s Metalcore Albums That Still Resonate Today; KERRANG!'s 21 Best U.S. Metalcore Albums of All Time; Loudwire's 25 Best Metalcore Albums of All Time; and Revolver's 10 Most Influential Metalcore Albums of All Time. Stereogumput it best, "The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation influenced a whole generation of metalcore bands." Meanwhile, 2003's You Come Before You remains regarded among Metal Hammer's 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the 21st Century and Rock Sound's 250 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime. Despite going on hiatus following 2009's The Tropic Rot, the group's influence has only expanded over the years (as evidenced by over 100 million streams across their catalog). After touring in 2015 and 2021, they've commemorated milestone birthdays of both You Come Before You and The Opposite of December... with in-demand headline jaunts. Once again, the members felt an intense need to create as a unit. Rallying together, the guys channeled the spirit of their most celebrated material through a prism of new experience on their sixth full-length offering, Peace In Place.

24)JAFA   Pretty Girls

Clocking in at 2:41, perfect for pop radio, Jafa's Pretty Girls is a tune that's happy/sad,  uptempo guitars bubbling under JAFA's vocals, "second chances/past romance" - the singer's various relationship thoughts align with the backing vocals, lending for repeated spins to help figure out where the protagonist is going.

JV review 2:55 pm 1/12/26

Hear on Soundcloud

https://soundcloud.com/thisisjafa?ref=clipboard&p=i&c=1&si=D95C6A559DD04A65803A242D7803350E&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

JAFA is #24 on this month's joevigtop40.com 24)JAFA Pretty Girls Clocking in at 2:41, perfect for pop radio, Jafa's Pretty Girls is a tune that's happy/sad, uptempo guitars bubbling under JAFA's vocals, "second chances/past romance" - the singer's various relationship thoughts align with the backing vocals, lending for repeated spins to help figure out where the protagonist is going. JV review 2:55 pm 1/12/26

25)Happy 83rd Birthday Willie Loco Alexander


https://www.facebook.com/willie.l.alexander

26)Goodbye, America”


New Single by Refestramus

Out January 2, 2026

Airport Incident After Festival Performance

Becomes Tipping Point for Politically-Charged New Release

Chicago-based progressive rock project Refestramus announces the release of its new single, “Goodbye, America,” arriving January 2, 2026. The song is an explicit political statement that confronts empire, sanctions, and moral blowback, drawing on mythology and lived experience to ask hard questions about power and accountability.

At the center of the song is Kashay Besmertny, a figure from Russian folklore whose “deathless” power comes from hiding his soul outside his own body. Derek uses him as a metaphor for empires that can no longer feel the human cost of their actions.

Refestramus returned to the United States from Heathrow Airport in November after performing at the UK progressive rock festival HRH Prog 15, where the band performed with acclaimed progressive musicians including David Jackson (of classic prog act Van der Graaf Generator) and Alex Hutchings from Steven Wilson’s touring band.

Following the performance, Refestramus founder Derek Ferguson was involved in a routine customer-service dispute at Heathrow that escalated when a comment about documenting the interaction online was recorded as “threatening.” No safety or security incident occurred, but the experience proved formative.

“What struck me wasn’t the inconvenience,” Ferguson says. “It was how quickly ordinary speech can now be reclassified as ‘threatening’ in environments shaped by preemptive harm-prevention frameworks that can unintentionally normalize intimidating behavior within authority structures. In combination with similar dynamics playing out elsewhere, you realize how easily systems meant to protect people end up allowing some people to exercise power over others.”

Ferguson adds that the moment resonated precisely because it echoed concerns closer to home, “not across borders.”

The band stresses that the incident itself is not the story, but rather a real-world illustration of the themes explored in “Goodbye, America,” which addresses the human cost of sanctions, displacement, and moral distance.

Lyrics include:
Mothers left out on the street,
Your sanctions left no food to eat.
America, the things you do —
I see now they’re coming back to you.

“Goodbye America” features Octarine Sky’s Jan Christiana (vocals, keyboards, guitars, and bass) and Dyanne Potter Voegtlin (keyboards and vocals), and bandleader/writer Derek Ferguson (drums).

“Goodbye, America” is the central movement of a longer ten-minute composition on the forthcoming album “Morri’s Rock Boutique” titled “Deathless,” which uses the Kashay myth to trace how unchecked power ultimately consumes even those who wield it.

“Goodbye, America” will be released as a standalone single on January 2, 2026. The album “Morri’s Rock Boutique” follows on March 20, 2026.  
“Deathless” will be available on streaming media on March 6.

Pre-Save Link  https://fanlink.tv/goodbyeAmerica

“Goodbye, America” lyrics

By Refestramus

So many people died, and what was it all for?

The parts they played in America's war.

Our lives are prisons – we will never be free,

And our cells are made with magic

that’s so strong you cannot see.

As if taken by Kashay Besmertny,

America you’ve gotten so hard to see.

It seems as if with every war,

You vanished just a little more.

Mothers left out on the street.

Your sanctions left no food to eat.

America, the things you do

I see now are coming back to you.

C 2026 Derek Ferguson/Refestramus Music Publishing (ASCAP), All Rights Reserved

About Refestramus:
Refestramus is a Chicago-based progressive rock project blending literate songwriting, political reflection, and classic prog influences. The band’s work explores power, memory, displacement, and moral responsibility in an increasingly rule-saturated world.

For more information:
https://refestramus.com
https://refestramus.bandcamp.com    

27)

28)Star Star  The Rolling Stones from Goat's Head Soup

Produced by Jimmy Miller  https://youtu.be/lP_TmSqwXps



https://joeviglione.substack.com/p/jovigtop40com-mick-taylor-jafa-hush

29)Hush Money Band   Steve McQueen

The Rolling Stones' "Star Star" immortalized Steve McQueen in song, in a way that got the song banned from radio, but a fan favorite on their album Goat's Head Soup.   A five minute and three second epic ballad,  "Steve McQueen", by Hush Money from their album "Go Back Home" is a powerful musical statement. The intensity of the band "step on the stage like Steve Queen....wild horses I got it tamed..." another Rolling Stone reference (Wild Horses from Sticky Fingers) the vibrations sustaining from your speakers can rock the room.  Just majestic and quite perfect.

https://youtu.be/LwovundrI8Q

Their website notes: Emerging from the foothills of the southern Appalachians, Hush Money is a diverse original band with a sound that is deeply rooted in vintage rock, blues, and outlaw country.

https://www.hushmoneyband.com/#about


30) Star Trek: FLINT: Requiem for Methuselah


Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 3: Requiem For Methuselah
Some excellent quotes on the mission of the Enterprise, I will write an article soon. https://www.treknobabble.net/2010/08/original-series-season-3-requiem-for.html

According to his son Tim Daly during an interview on CBS News Sunday Morning, James Daly came out to Tim as gay a decade after divorcing his wife Hope. His struggle to come to terms with his sexual orientation nearly put a rift between him and his family. As homosexuality was still considered a mental illness until the early 1970s, he and his wife tried and failed at "curing" him. After their divorce, Daly decided to limit his contact with his children out of fear that they would end up mentally ill themselves.[9] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Daly_(actor) 

31)Chariots of the Gods, BERLIN He was 90 Erich von Däniken, the Swiss author whose bestselling books about the extraterrestrial origins of ancient civilizations brought him fame among paranormal enthusiasts and scorn from the scientific community, has died. https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2026/jan/12/erich-von-daniken-dies-at-90/?news-world#:~:text=Swiss%20author%20claimed%20aliens%20helped%20to%20build%20pyramids&text=BERLIN%20%2D%2D%20Erich%20von%20D%C3%A4niken,He%20was%2090.


Von Däniken's representatives announced on his website on Sunday that he had died the previous day in a hospital in central Switzerland.

Von Däniken rose to prominence in 1968 with the publication of his first book "Chariots of the Gods," in which he claimed that the Mayans and ancient Egyptians were visited by alien astronauts and instructed in advanced technology that allowed them to build giant pyramids.



32)The Ghost Whisperer

The Ghost Whisperer Season 5 Episode 13 Recap: Living Nightmare



33)The Touch of You  


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWFcUrU6i7Y



34)Two Lovers   Dolly Parton



https://youtu.be/DSp1LI36cfo

https://youtu.be/DSp1LI36cfo

35  Don't Make Me Over   Louise Cordett

https://youtu.be/J8WIGpjaBtI




36)  The Nervous Eaters   Just Head


Early on, the band experienced problems holding on to a second guitarist, but Alan Hebditch, a childhood friend of Cataldo’s, became a regular fixture in early 1978. Along with DMZ and the Real Kids, they were considered among the scene’s “punkier” bands. Centered on Cataldo’s “great rock & roll voice” and “jangly guitar”, in the description of AllMusic’s Joe Viglione, they were the “Rolling Stones of Boston…hard-rocking, riff-blasting, tongue-in-cheek”. By 1978, they were one of the most popular acts in the city. Their second Rat single, the new wave–style “Just Head”, appeared in 1979.

____________________________________________

37)Carole Bayer Sager, one of my articles on RollingStone.com


38)Best of Both Worlds   LuLu


Joe V songs of the day Saturday Jan 10 2026 BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, LULU https://youtu.be/CRT2U-Xtebg

39)Blondie  Dreaming 





40  

Popularity of ‘Heated Rivalry’ Has Surprised Even TV Executives

The show, streaming on HBO Max, doesn’t have one of the biggest audiences, but viewership grew very quickly in just a few weeks.

Listen to this article 

By John Koblin
Jan. 10, 2026, 5:02 a.m. ET
The first season of “Heated Rivalry” on HBO Max may have ended two weeks ago, but that has done little to slow the show’s momentum. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/10/business/media/heated-rivalry-hbo-max-popularity.html?unlocked_article_code=1.DVA.GLK2.smKZOpZUnT2t&smid=url-share

On Wednesday afternoon, several dozen people, most of them quite young, gathered around the marquee for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in Midtown Manhattan, ready to shout their lungs out. The throng surprised NBC employees — a security guard likened the crowd to when Harry Styles stopped by “The Tonight Show” at the height of his popularity.

It was all to catch a glimpse of Hudson Williams, one of the stars of “Heated Rivalry,” who was in the building to appear on Mr. Fallon’s show that night.

“Heated Rivalry,” a steamy Canadian series about a pair of closeted gay hockey players, has become one of the television industry’s biggest surprises in recent memory. Not because it is a megahit like “Stranger Things” or “Bridgerton” or even “The White Lotus.” In fact, its viewership barely puts it among the top 15 streaming original series in the United States right now.

Top 40 for January 2026 Nils Lofgren, Two Lovers - Dolly Parton, Louise Cordet, Mary Wells with Smokey Robinson duet, The Toys, West Bruce and Laing / Dame Shirley Bassey

  Viglione has reviewed several of Bassey's albums, including And I Love You So and Nobody Does It Like Me.     His reviews are cited as...