There have been many reissues released in the U.K. this year, that have not been released in the States. 2 CD deluxe editions of such classics albums as 1991's now legendary debut by The La's, classic albums from Free, Elton John and Emerson Lake & Palmer, all containing new remastering, and a bevy of bonus tracks.
There was a long lost, live concert by Thin Lizzy from 1975 that finally got an audio upgrade, as well as a proper
release of Fotheringay's excellent second LP. I am just scratching the surface, mostly with releases that interested me. Below, is what interested me the most.TAKE ME TO THE RIVER: A SOUTHERN STORY STORY 1961-1977
Kent Records in the U.K. has outdone themselves with this beautiful, compact, 3 CD set that will keep you soaked in southern soul, and never take you for granted. If you're looking for "Soul Man" and "Respect," and you shouldn't be, this collection is not for you. But don't let that scare you away. There's plenty here that you will recognize. But nestled among such gems as Otis' "These Arms Of Mine" and Aretha's "Do Right Woman," are no less than 50 absolutely essential tracks that somehow have been living under the radar of casual soul collectors for years. Spread out thematically over three CDs--"YOU DON'T MISS YOUR WATER," "THE RAINBOW ROAD," AND "THE RIVER"--you get solid representation of such artists as Denise LaSalle, James Carr, Bill Brandon, Big John Hamilton, Z.Z. Hill, Ann Peebles....~rest~... Doris Duke, Geater Davis, Laura Lee, Al Green, Eddie Hinton...~rest~.... The package has a beautiful hardback book that will fit perfectly on your shelf. Smart on all levels. Look at this track list.
DISC ONE
THE MOVE ANTHOLOGY 1966-1972
The Move are one of my favorite bands of all time, but that shouldn't stop you from believing everything I have to say about this amazing set...or what it says on the box itself. "Over 4 years in the making! 62 career-spanning tracks on one superbly remastered, 4 CD box set! Classic hit singles, b sides, choice album cuts, a wealth of previously unreleased material including never-before-heard songs, demos, alternate mixes, and live recordings." It's all true. The remastering is mind-blowing! From the early pop singles, through the psychedelic middle years, right on up to the hard-rocking end, Roy Wood's genius, Jeff Lynne's stability, and Carl Wayne's heart melting vocals made The Move like no other. Full track list HERE.
PAUL WELLER AT THE BBC
"22 Dreams," the killer 2008 release from Paul Weller, has ignited a sleeping fire in me. His live performance at th
e Nokia Theatre (NYC) in September was one of the best shows of the year. (Even bumped into some old friends, who have since disappeared. Was it something I said?) Always loved The Jam. Always liked Style Council. Always felt disappointed in Weller's solo career. There have been moments of brilliance, but it took the brilliance of "22 Dreams," which plays like a biographical soundtrack, to kick my ass into gear, and start savoring his better-than-I remembered solo output. So this 4 CD set found me at the right time. 74 tracks, all digitally remastered, all Weller, all the time. There is plenty of unreleased material, live versions of classic tracks, and live concert tracks spanning the years 1991-1996. This is a wonderful collection that I bought a month or so ago, but in all fairness, will see a US date next week.
SPARKS- EXOTIC CREATURES OF THE DEEP1974's "Kimono My House" is not only an essential glam-rock record, it is one of the most original and essential releases of the seventies. It is also completely off the wall, but not in a "these guys scare me" kind of way. More like, "I really get it, but I don't want to admit it" kind of way. 34 years later and the Mael Brothers have not lost their flair for the grandiose. "Exotic Creatures Of The Deep," is the third release in the last 6 years, that finds Russell and Ron Mael at the top of their game. I must point out that this CD has since been released in the U.S., but I was excited enough to spend the extra bucks on day one.
THE KINKS- PICTURE BOOK
At press time, no copy of this set was available to me. Quite frankly, so what. It speaks for itself.
Here is the full track listing, which includes "Too Much On My Mind," currently the greatest song EVAH from the best Kinks album EVAH! Currently.
Disc 1:
01 Brian Matthew Introduces the Kinks
02 You Really Got Me
03 I'm a Hog for You Baby
04 I Believed You
05 Long Tall Sally
06 I Don't Need You Anymore
07 Stop Your Sobbing
08 I Gotta Move
09 Don't Ever Let Me Go
10 All Day and All of the Night
11 Tired of Waiting for You
12 Come on Now (outtake with two false starts)
13 There Is a New World Opening for Me (Kassner publishing demo)
14 Everybody's Gonna Be Happy
15 Who'll Be the Next in Line
16 Time Will Tell
17 Set Me Free
18 I Need You
19 See My Friend
20 Wait Till the Summer Comes Along
21 I Go to Sleep
22 A Little Bit of Sunlight (Kassner publishing demo)
23 This I Know (demo)
24 A Well Respected Man
25 This Strange Effect (With Brian Matthew speaking over intro)
26 Milk Cow Blues
27 Ring the Bells
28 I'm on an Island
29 Till the End of the Day
30 Where Have All the Good Times Gone
31 All Night Stand (Demo)
32 And I Will Love You
33 Sittin' on My Sofa
Disc 2:
01 Dedicated Follower of Fashion (alternate stereo take)
02 She's Got Everything
03 Mr. Reporter (Ray vocal)
04 Sunny Afternoon
05 I'm Not Like Everybody Else
06 This Is Where I Belong
07 Rosie Won't You Please Come Home
08 Too Much on My Mind
09 Session Man
10 End of the Season
11 Dead End Street (first version)
12 Village Green
13 Two Sisters
14 David Watts
15 Mr. Pleasant
16 Waterloo Sunset (mono mix)
17 Death of a Clown
18 Lavender Hill
19 Good Luck Charm
20 Autumn Almanac
21 Susannah's Still Alive
22 Animal Farm
23 Rosemary Rose
24 Berkeley Mews
25 Lincoln County
26 Picture Book
27 Days
28 Misty Water
Disc 3:
01 Love Me Till the Sun Shines (Top Gear session with Brian Matthew intro and outro)
02 The Village Green Preservation Society
03 Big Sky
04 King Kong
05 Drivin'
06 Some Mother's Son
07 Victoria
08 Shangri-La
09 Arthur
10 Got to Be Free
11 Lola (mono single version)
12 Get Back in the Line
13 The Moneygoround
14 Strangers
15 Apeman
16 God's Children
17 The Way Love Used to Be
18 Moments
19 Muswell Hillbilly
20 Oklahoma USA
21 Twentieth Century Man
22 Here Come the People in Grey
Disc 4:
01 Skin and Bone
02 Alcohol Live
03 Celluloid Heroes
04 Sitting in My Hotel
05 Supersonic Rocket Ship
06 You Don't Know My Name
07 One of the Survivors
08 Sitting in the Midday Sun
09 Sweet Lady Genevieve
10 Daylight
11 Mirror of Love
12 Artificial Man
13 Preservation (U.S. single)
14 Slum Kids (live)
15 Holiday Romance
16 Face in the Crowd
17 No More Looking Back
18 Sleepwalker
19 The Poseur
Disc 5:
01 Sleepless Night
02 Father Christmas
03 Misfits
04 A Rock 'N Roll Fantasy
05 Little Bit of Emotion
06 Attitude
07 Hidden Quality
08 A Gallon of Gas
09 Catch Me Now I'm Falling
10 Nuclear Love (demo)
11 Duke (demo)
12 Maybe I Love You (demo)
13 Stolen Away Your Heart (demo)
14 Low Budget (live)
15 Better Things
16 Destroyer
17 Yo-Yo
18 Art Lover
19 Long Distance
Disc 6:
01 Heart of Gold
02 Come Dancing (demo remix)
03 State of Confusion
04 Do It Again
05 Living on a Thin Line
06 Summer's Gone
07 How Are You?
08 The Road (live)
09 The Million-Pound-Semi-Detached
10 Down All the Days (To 1992)
11 The Informer
12 Phobia
13 Only a Dream
14 Drift Away
15 Scattered
16 Do You Remember Walter? (live)
17 To the Bone (demo)
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