Black Friday Gold – Record Store Day Gems: Elvis & Woody; Aretha & Joni; John Lee & Tony Joe; Pylon & Wilco

Record Store Day is upon us again and something inspired me to round up the titles that tapped my imagination. It was quite the rabbit hole to jump into. There is a so much good stuff to mention. But let’s start with a couple of legends.

Is there a bigger rock legend than Elvis Presley? Legacy is releasing for the first time on vinyl, Elvis Presley’s American Sound Sessions 1969, which has rare and unreleased outtakes from the King’s historic 1969 sessions at American Sound Studios with producer Chips Moman (including takes of “In the Ghetto,” “Suspicious Minds,” and ““True Love Travels On A Gravel Road.”

Getting reissued for the first time in 50 years is the classic Chuck Berry Live In London (Elemental Music), which contains 10 tracks recorded live in London in 1965 and another four from a 1964 Chicago session. Justin Time Records is putting out John Lee Hooker’s Black Night Is Falling Live at The Rising Sun Celebrity Jazz Club (Collector’s Edition) is a 1977 recording that includes  a previously unreleased 17-minute jam of “Rock Steady”

Also from 1977 is the late, great Leon Redbone live recording Strings And Jokes, Live in Bremen 1977 (Made In Germany), and Live In Japan, a Runaways concert album that was released in several countries but not America. From 1978 comes Sid Lives! (Jungle Records), containing 39 Vicious tracks recorded at among his handful of final shows (Sept. 28 & 30, 1978); notable too is that Sid Vicious’ backing band included New York Dolls‘ late rhythm section of Arthur Kane and Jerry Nolan

Real Gone Music is releasing the rare Tony Joe White live album That On The Road Look Live, previously available only as a limited edition Rhino Handmade CD. Originally recorded in 1971, it contains a 10+ minute version of Tony Joe’s signature tune, “Polk Salad Annie.” Ian and Sylvia’s Lost Tapes (Stoney Plain Records) shares recently discovered recordings done before a live studio audience and the 2 LP collection features their signature tune, “Four Strong Winds,” as well as renditions of “Crying Time,” “Starting All Over Again,” “and “Silver Threads and Golden Needles.” Jerry Garcia Band’s GarciaLive Volume One: March 1st, 1980 Capitol Theatre – the first-ever LP release of the first installment in the Garcialive Series – is a 5-CD set of their March 3, 1980 Capitol Theatre show.

Garcia co-founded New Riders of the Purple Sage but he was back with the Dead by the time the New Riders played New York City’s Academy of Music on Nov. 23, 1972. Omnivore Recordings is releasing this concert for the first time commercially as a Thanksgiving In New York City. The 3-LP RSD release comes out nearly 47 years to the day from when the show happened. More country-fried live jams can be enjoyed with Marshall Tucker Band’s New Year’s In New Orleans: Roll Up ’78 And Light Up ’79. Southern rock titan’s New Year’s Eve party was presented as a radio simulcast then and now makes its LP & CD debut on Ramblin’ Records.

Omnivore also has a new Woody Guthrie 10” EP I Don’t Like The Way This World’s A-Treatin’ Me with Side A holding Guthrie’s demo of this 1952 tune along with a version featuring Wilco’s accompaniment. The B Side has two versions of Guthrie’s “Beech Haven Ain’t My Home” (aka “Old Man Trump”) – one featuring Ani DiFranco and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), and another by Jonny Irion’s band U.S. Elevator (Irion is the husband and musical partner of Woody’s granddaughter Sarah Lee Guthrie).

Omnivore also has a new Alex Chilton EP, My Rival. This 5-track (although there are only 4 songs) set, including “My Rival,” which was later re-done for Like Flies On Sherbert. Oh, by the way, these 1975 sessions were helmed by Chris Bell, Chilton’s Big Star co-star, and represents their final collaboration together. Chilton shows up too on the odd pairing of William Shatner and The Cramps on the 12” vinyl Garbageman (Demented Punk). It features three versions of Shatner doing the Cramps’ “Garbageman (including two previously unreleased renditions) also with the Cramps version (which was produced by Chilton) and the Cramps’ “Human Fly.”

Yep Roc has a trio of cool one-off singles. The label is saluting the 40^th anniversary of Nick Lowe’s “Cruel To Be Kind” with a green 7” that has the Lowe & Wilco 2012 live version on the B-side. The latest selection in their Squeeze cover series, Swindles, finds Todd Rundgren covering “Bang Bang” from the band’s self-titled debut. Lenny Kaye meanwhile, teams up with the Fleshtones for a 7” that has two versions of the ‘Tones’ tune “Lost on Xandu.”

Christmas can seem like the bigger holiday than Thanksgiving over Thanksgiving weekend, so not surprisingly there are plenty of RSD Xmas releases. The Monkees’ Christmas Party Plus (Rhino) contains two 7″ singles on color vinyl (one red and the other, of course, green), housed in a gatefold sleeve. One single is “Unwrap You At Christmas (Radio Mix)”/ “Unwrap You At Christmas” – Andy Partridge (featured vocal by Holly Partridge) and the other is “Riu Chiu (Original TV Version)”/ “Christmas Is My Time Of Year (1976 Mix).” Peter Holsapple Combo’s 7” single Christmas Must Be Tonight (Omnivore) presents a cover of The Band’s “Christmas Must Be Tonight” and the Holsapple original “Felt Like Summer (Looked Like Christmas).” JD McPherson has a new 7” of two Christmas songs – “Red Bows For A Blue Girl” / “Holly, Carol, Candy and Joy” – the former is a new original and the latter is a B-Side from his 2018 New West holiday album Socks. The Regrettes has a holiday-ish single of their song “Holiday-ish” that features Dylan Minnette (the B-side is the demo version).

Sundazed Records is putting out Merry Christmas From King Records (on red vinyl); this 1959 album showcases the Cincinnati label’s eclectic roster, and marks its first-ever reissue. Squirrel Nut Zippers’ eclectic 1998 holiday album, Christmas Caravan, is being reissued (and the band is doing their holiday tour again as well).

Sony Legacy’s Merry Christmas and Happy New Year is a Jimi Hendrix 12” picture disc featuring 1969 recordings of a holiday medley of “Little Drummer Boy,” “Silent Night” and “Auld Lang Syne,” along with “Three Little Bears,” a playful 1968 Electric Ladyland outtake. It’ll come on a picture disc with album artwork on one side and a photo of Jimi dressed as Santa Claus on the other. Velvert Turner has been acknowledged as a Hendrix protégé, and you can hear that on the Velvert Turner Group’s long-out-of-print 1972 self-titled debut that ORG has a Record Store Day release. More Hendrix (although not RSD) news is a limited edition Hendrix live collection, Songs For Groovy Children that presents all four of the sets he performed New Year’s Eve 1969 and New Year’s Day 1970 at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East with his new band (Billy Cox on bass and Electric Flag cofounder Buddy Miles on drums).

A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the classic Christmas TV specials, and Record Store Day has a pretty special Charlie Brown Christmas release – a “Blind Box” 3” single, which could be one of four Vince Guaraldi Trio recordings: “Christmastime is Here,” “Linus and Lucy,” “Skating,” or “Hark, The Herald Angels Sing.” Cartoon music fans should also note that the 1995 Saturday Morning Cartoon’s Greatest Hits compilation is a RSD double album release. The set includes such covers as The Ramones doing “Spider-Man,” Matthew Sweet singing “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?,” and Liz Phair collaborating with Material Issue on “The Tra La La Song (One Banana, Two Banana).”

The soundtrack for Robert Rodriguez’s breakout film, Desperado is debuting on vinyl (Real Gone Music). The 2-CD set features tracks by Los Lobos, Dire Straits, Link Wray, Carlos Santana, and the Latin Playboys (a Lobos side project). New West Records is debuting a vinyl version of Richard Thompson’s The Cold Blue – Original Motion Picture Score, a 19-track soundtrack Thompson wrote and arrange for the acclaimed filmmaker Erik Nelson’s documentary that is based off of footage of actual WWII Air Force missions that the legendary Hollywood director William Wyler shot in 1943 for his film The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress.

Modern Harmonic salutes the 20^th anniversary of  More Oar – A Tribute To The Skip Spence Album, with its first-ever vinyl version. Participants include Robert Plant, Tom Waits, Beck, Robyn Hitchcock, and Jay Farrar & The Sir Omaha Quintet. Especially for this release is a “skeletal recording” of “Little Hands” by The Flaming Lips that was originally intended as a collaboration with Plant. Verve is putting out the star-studded Joni 75 A Joni Mitchell Birthday Celebration on LP. Emmylou Harris, Norah Jones, Chaka Khan, Diana Krall, Kris Kristofferson, and James Taylor are a few of the performers.

Soul fans should seek out Atlantic Records’ Aretha Franklin: The Atlantic Singles Collection 1968 (a box set of her four singles from that year – which includes “Think”) and UMe’s James Brown – Live at Home: The After Show (spotlighting the after-show set from the 1969 live recording that was used for Live at Home With His Bad Self). UMe’s Motown Rare & Unreleased is a 12 song LP on special color vinyl and all tracks on vinyl for the first time. There are songs by Motown stars like Diana Ross & the Supremes, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, and the previously unreleased Jackson 5 song, “Let’s Have A Party.”

The term “music legend” has a couple meanings when it comes to Robert Johnson – there is his legendary talent and the mysterious legends surrounding his life. The bluesman only recorded a few tunes and Traffic Entertainment has put two of them – “Sweet Home Chicago” and “Walkin’ Blues” – on a 78 RPM microgroove record done up in a lovely reproduction of the Vocalion sleeve (and there are detailed liner notes). Blind Willie Johnson preceded Robert in the blues music scene. In the late twenties, he was one of the top gospel-blues artists. Traffic is giving Blind Willie the same RSD treatment with a 78 RPM microgroove record (this one wrapped in a Columbia sleeve) featuring two 1927 recordings: “Dark Was The Night, Cold Was The Ground” and “It’s Nobody’s Fault But Mine.” Taste the blues guitar magic of Freddie King on The Mojo! King Rarities & Obscurities (Modern Harmonic) that showcases 14 originally unissued alternate takes and rarities (all making their first-ever appearance on LP) that he recorded for King Records (no relation).

Speaking of rarities, BMG is putting out some archival Hank Williams. The 1940 Recordings is a 7” featuring homemade recordings of “Freight Train Blues,” “New San Antonio Rose,” ” St. Louis Blues” and “Greenback Dollar.” Country fans should also note that Third Man’s Sweet Dreams: The Complete Decca Masters 1960-1963, a sweet set of all of Patsy Cline’s Decca Studio masters and more – and it’ll be available on pink, purple and yellow pastel vinyl. The songwriter behind Cline’s hit, “Crazy,” a young man named Willie Nelson has a RSD single a-sided by a Ride Me Back Home out-take “Sometimes Even I Can Get Too High” and b-sided by his Merle Haggard collab. “It’s All Going To Pot” (I smell a theme here).

A trio of outré 1969 works are being recognized on Record Store Day. With Illuminations, folkie Buffy Sainte-Marie went electronic by using an early synthesizer to record what has been called the first totally quadraphonic electronic vocal album. Craft Recordings is putting it out on 180-gram opaque yellow vinyl. Dr. John’s sophomore effort, Babylon, is a wild affair that Mac Rebennack himself described as sounding “as if Hieronymus Bosch had cut an album.” Get On Down has done a repeated splatter-colored design to celebrate the album being back on vinyl after 40 year out of print. In celebration of the 50^th anniversary of Frank Zappa’s solo outing Hot Rats, UMe has done a 10” picture disc single of Zappa’s fabled “Peaches En Regalia” paired with “Little Umbrella”; each side has separate mixes of the songs.

Fellow rock iconoclast Lou Reed is saluted by Rhino with the first-ever vinyl release of Reed’s 2003’s album, The Raven, an Edgar Allen Poe-based concept album whose guest vocalists included Laurie Anderson, David Bowie, Steve Buscemi and Willem Dafoe. Two of the more avant-garde American “New Wave” bands of the late 70s are represented at Record Store Day. Athens, Georgia’s Pylon will salute the 40^th anniversary of their ground-shaking first single “Cool”/“Dub” that New West Records will have as a limited edition, translucent red single. In the early 1980s, Warner Brothers’ Music Show was a project that supplied radio stations with exclusive recordings of a band. Rhino’s 16-track Devo Live album was recorded at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater in 1980 and was part of the Music Show series but now gets a full public release.

They Might Be Giants have mined a subversive pop sensibility over the years. They are reissuing their 1987 Don’t Let’s Start EP on striking neon green vinyl to toast its 33 1/3 anniversary (or something like that). Their breakout hit is backed by “We’re the Replacements,” “When It Rains It Snows” and “The Famous Polka.” TMBG’s John Linnell’s first and only solo album is 1999’s conceptual opus State Songs, which spotlights 16 different states on its 16 tracks. Craft Recording honors its 20^th anniversary by premiering it on vinyl.

I could go on as I am sure I have overlooked some terrific titles, but I have long over-stayed my welcome – as well as spent more time on this that I had anticipated. Happy Thanksgiving

Lost Souls: Basho to Baker Edition

The world is full of strange stories, and the music scene is no exception. Pardon me if I skip over providing some examples – I’m sure everyone has their favorite tales. Let me skip more directly to a couple upcoming projects that shine the light on a couple musicians who could qualify as “lost souls.”

On Oct. 25, Light in the Attic Records is releasing a pair of albums from the singer/songwriter Jim Sullivan, who made two minor label albums (one in 1969; the other in 1972) before mysteriously vanishing in 1975. LitA, which re-issued Sullivan’s debut album, even did a short doc on Sullivan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsIouGN0Wr8) that looks into his life and disappearance in the New Mexico. And did I say that his debut album was entitled U.F.O.? Anyway, LitA is now putting out a deluxe version of Sullivan’s self-titled sophomore effort, a 1972 album that came out on Hugh Hefner’s short-lived Playboy label. They also are issuing If The Evening Were Dawn, a previously unreleased solo acoustic studio session (circa 1969) that features over a half dozen previously unheard compositions written by him.

Robbie Basho’s name is slightly better known – particularly if you are into the ‘70s so-called “primitive American guitar” movement (where John Faheyand Leo Kottkewere among the prominent players). Like Sullivan, Basho had a rather mysterious death as he died in 1986 due to a fatal fluke accident during a chiropractic session. The guitarist, who released albums on Takoma, Vanguards and Windham Hill labels, is the subject of the documentary Voice of the Eagle: The Enigma of Robbie Basho that features appearances by Pete Townshend, Henry Kaiser and Country Joe McDonald. Directed by Liam Barker, the film has been making the festival circuit in recent years and now MVD Entertainment will put out Dec. 13 on Blu-ray/DVD.

In February 2020, MVD will present a 50^th anniversary Blu-ray and HD Digital “Ultimate Edition” of The Point! The Point! was an elaborate concept album by the eccentric Harry Nilsson that later became an animated ABC movie-of-the-week in 1971. It is rather amazing to think that this psychedelic-dosed, Seussian film was a network movie-of-the-week. But that’s the early 70s for you! This edition features a 2K HD scan from a rare 16mm print as well as being packed with extras – some vintage and some new (including an interview with voice-over cast member Mike Lookinland (yes, Bobby Brady!). Plus, Nilsson’s pal, a chap named Ringo Starr, provides the narration. 

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The Chet Baker revival was kick-started by the 1988 documentary Let’s Get Lost, which revealed the highly talented jazz musician who squandered so much of his talent. Craft Records has compiled a new vinyl boxset, The Legendary Riverside Albums, that contains Baker’s four albums – (Chet Baker Sings) It Could Happen To You, Chet Baker In New York, Chet and Chet Baker Plays The Best Of Lerner And Loewe – that he made with the legendary jazz label along with a bonus disc of choice outtakes and alternates from Baker’s Riverside sessions. The recordings reveal an interesting musical summit between Baker’s west coast “cool jazz” style with east coast players who had a harder bopping sound. The sessions capture Baker before his drug use really overtook him in the early 60s.  

I won’t end this on some philosophical note that deftly ties all these artists together. The point (reference intended) is really just shine the spotlight a bit on these cult musicians whose followings (whether big or small) don’t match their talents.  I will leave you all instead with the trailer for The Point.

Woodstock Flashbacks

Now that the plug has been pulled once and for all (hopefully) for Woodstock 50, attention can be turned just to celebrate the magic and mythology of the original “Aquarian Exposition.” And not surprising, there is a big lineup of new Woodstock products to experience.

If you want to really indulge those three days of peace & music, then you might want to get your hands on Rhino’s massive Woodstock: Back To The Garden – The Definitive 50^th Anniversary Archive. Consisting of 38 discs, this 432-track, 36+ hour compilation contains nearly every artist performance, along with announcements, stage banter and other material. I could go on and talk about the 267 previously unreleased audio tracks, the Blu-ray of the documentary film and other cool extras, but this limited-edition version is already sold out.

However, Rhino happily has assembled three smaller versions: the 10-CD collection, a 5-LP edition and a compact 3-disc set. The 10-CD holds 162 tracks, and is first Woodstock collection to include live recordings of every Woodstock performer. The 5-LP and 3-CD versions both have 42 tracks, featuring such acts as Santana, Creedence Clearwater Revival, the Who, Jefferson Airplane, Joan Baez, the Band, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

There are also several releases that focus on specific acts’ Woodstock sets. Craft Recordings has put out Live At Woodstock offerings for both Baez and CCR. Baez’s stirring 15-track set comes from the concert’s first day (well, it was actually 1 am Saturday) and it brought some calm to Woodstock’s rather chaotic start.

CCR’s 12-song set is significant for several reasons. It not only captures in the midst of the band’s prime and includes 10+ minute jams of “Susie Q” and “Keep On Chooglin’,” but also because the group didn’t like their performance and declined to be on the first live album and the documentary. Happily, they’ve changed their minds but it is a smokin’ performance.

Real Gone Music will be releasing the Jefferson Airplane’s entire 2-hour Sunday-at-sunrise set on a limited edition “New Dawn” blue vinyl 3-LP set. They out-do CCR by doing an epic 21-minute version of “Wooden Ships.” The Airplane also weren’t part of the Woodstock documentary but that was only because the filming was subpar, not the band’s performances.

Speaking of documentaries, there is a new Woodstock documentary that can be said to be about “everything but the music.” While there is music in Creating Woodstock: This Is How I It Really Happened, the documentary focuses its attention on the people behind the scenes who organized, constructed and ran the concert. This is obviously a labor of love for musician/filmmaker Mick Richards, who actually attended Woodstock as a teen. Over the course of nearly 30 years, Richards interviewed the four founders of Woodstock Ventures (John Roberts, Joel Rosenman, Michael Lang, and Artie Kornfeld) along with many key production folks. While perhaps not the definitive, big socio-political Woodstock documentary, it is a highly interesting, very heartfelt movie for both the filmmaker and the participants, and give you a real sense of what it was like there (and gives you a clearer picture why it couldn’t be replicated today. One of the many entertaining anecdotes involves a Health Inspector and his wayward daughter offers a funny glimpse of the concert producers’ sit-of-their-pants operations, and also provides a clearer picture of how the original Woodstock vibe couldn’t be replicated today.

Photo by Henry Diltz

 

Something To Talk About: “Don’t Tell A Soul” Resurrected

Part of what made The Replacements famous – at least on their cult hero level – was their infamous mischievousness (perhaps to put it kindly) behavior. Around the time they were finishing up their Warner Brothers album, Don’t Tell A Soul, they took off with a whole bunch of tapes of their Paisley Park recording sessions.

Never happy with Soul’s “official” sound, the band has excavated these old tapes and had them mixed by Soul’s producer Matt Wallace the way that they wanted to have them sound. The result is Dead Man’s Pop. This 4-CD set, which Rhino will release on September 27, contains this remixed, reimagined album (Don’t Tell A Soul Redux), coupled with a disc containing previously unheard tracks (We Know The Night: Rare & Unreleased), and two CDs featuring a full concert from 1989 (The Complete Inconcerated Live).

The 20 tracks on We Know The Night: Rare & Unreleased include nine previously unreleased demos from the aborted June 1988 Soul sessions that Paul Westerberg, Slim Dunlap, Tommy Stinson and Chris Mars did with producer Tony Berg at Bearsville Studios. There also are some rare and/or unreleased demos, outtakes, alternative mixes and alternative outtakes, but this disc’s highlights are the five tracks (four songs) that the Replacements recorded with Tom Waits (insert “Can’t Hardly Waits” joke here).

Discs 3-4 hold the group’s complete June 2, 1989 concert at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee done during the “Don’t Tell A Soul” tour. If you are one of the lucky few to have the ‘Mats’ 1989 promo-only Inconcerated Live EP, then you have a heard five of these live recordings. For everyone else, the show’s 29 performances (which have been freshly mixed by Brian Kehew) will be a new listening experience.

In fact, 58 of the 60 tracks here are being heard (at least in an authorized, public sense) for the first time. Additionally, this boxset comes with a 12 x 12 hardcover book – complete with rare photos – detailing the Replacements’ Don’t Tell A Soul-era history, which was written by Bob Mehr, the author of The New York Times bestseller Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements. Mehr also co-produced Dead Man’s Pop with Rhino’s Jason Jones.

If this isn’t enough – and it’s certainly is a true treasure trove – the first 500 fans who buy Dead Man’s Pop on Rhino.com will also receive a 14-track cassette (yes, very 1989) that compiles key tracks from the box set along with two additional unreleased tracks: the outtake “Asking Me Lies” and an instrumental of “I Won’t” (Bearsville Version). The cassette also features Don’t Tell A Soul’s original, unused cover art.

New Old Ramones Video: She’s The One

Today sees the release of the 40th anniversary editions of the Ramones‘ Road to Ruin album. Road to Ruin, the band’s fourth album (in just three years) contained the Ramones signature song, “I Wanna Be Sedated,” along with their cover version of “Needles and Pins.” Road to Ruin actually came out on Sept. 22, 1979, so it is pretty much coming out right on the real anniversary date.

To commemorate the occasion, Rhino has unveiled a previously unreleased video of the Ramones’ tune “She’s The One.”

The video apparently was found in a random film canister discovered during the work on putting together this reissue, and it is said to have shot at the same time of “Don’t Come Close” video.

Now the Road to Ruin reissue comes in two varieties. A straightforward, although newly remastered original 12 song album. The Deluxe Edition is a 4-CD package. There are two versions of the original album; the second one being original producer Ed Stasium’s newly stripped down, rawer mix of the album. The 20 unreleased recordings on Disc Three are highlighted by two unfinished outtakes: “I Walk Out” and “S.L.U.G.,” that Stasium completed for this boxset. The final disc is a recording of the Ramones’ 1979 New Year’s Eve concert (can we call it the “End of the Seventies” show?) at New York City’s Palladium. These 32 tracks also have not been released until now.

I was going to add the video for “Don’t Come Close” but it looking it up I came across a recording of Pete Yorn doing it in a rehearsal for a Johnny Ramone tribute concert, so I thought I’d include that.

 

the featured image is a photo by Chalkie Davies/Courtesy Rhino Records

Archives Alives: MC5, R.E.M., Stax, New West, Nick Lowe, Led Zep & New Fave: the Beths

Where you were 50 years ago today? Well, if you were alive that is. If you were at the Gladsaxe Teen Club (yes, in Gladsaxe, Denmark) then you saw the first show that John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant played together. They were known at the New Yardbirds then, but later became slightly better known at Led Zeppelin. Nicely timed with this historic anniversary, Atlantic/Swan Song has compiled a Zeppelin-sized boxset of classic concert film The Song Remains The Same. The shows were recorded in July of 1973 and the film came out in 1976. I believe in my hometown is played at the then-still single-screened Colony Theater. (Dan, can you remember? It was long ago and far away).

 

The super deluxe version includes remastered audio on two CDs and four 180-gram vinyl LPs; Two DVD set of the The Song Remains The Same featuring the full theatrical version of the film plus bonus content including four performance outtakes in the original film (“Celebration Day,” “Over The Hills And Far Away,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” and “The Ocean”); a 28-page book; A replica of the Japanese program from 1977 and a DVD of the entire album in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and PCM Stereo, plus photo gallery. The CD and LP versions also are available separately.

Later this month, the Warner Bros. family is celebrating another 50^th anniversary – the recording of the landmark MC5 debut, Kick Out The Jams (okay, it was recorded in Oct. 1968, so the Sept. 21 release date will be a few weeks early. MC5 Total Assault: 50th Anniversary Collection will be a limited-edition boxed set that features all three of the band’s albums: Kick Out The Jams, Back In The USA, and High Time. The records will all be pressed on colored vinyl: Kick Out The Jams (red vinyl), Back In The USA (white vinyl) and High Time (blue vinyl). MC5 co-founder and guitarist Wayne Kramer, who just released his memoir The Hard Stuff: Dope, Crime, the MC5, and My Life of Impossibilities, is going out on tour leading MC50, an all-star band that includes Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil, Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty, and Zen Guerrilla frontman Marcus Durant (Pearl Jam’s Matt Cameron on drums and producer/bassist Don Was on bass at select dates).
Craft Recording is honoring the important year of 1968 by delivering Stax ’68: A Memphis Story, a 5-CD boxset filled with every single that was released that year by the fabled Stax Records company. The 120+ track collection contains every A- and B-sides, and featuring work by such soul greats as Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, William Bell, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, Sam & Dave, and Otis Redding.  The boxset, due on Sept. 21, also has a 56-page book, complete with in-depth liner notes by Andria Lisle, Robert Gordon, and Steve Greenberg.

On Oct. 19 Craft Recordings is turning the spotlight on R.E.M., specifically the band’s performances on the BBC. R.E.M. at the BBC is a massive, rarities-packed 8-CD/1-DVD box set covering over 20 years of R.E.M. on the Beeb. The recordings scan from a 1984 live broadcast from Nottingham’s Rock City to a 2004 invitation-only 2004 performance at London’s St James’s Church. The DVD couples the first US commercial release of the BBC R.E.M. documentary Accelerating Backwards along with UK TV appearance including the complete 1998 Later….With Jools Holland episode devoted to the group. There will also be more compact versions (a 2-CD and a 2-LP version) entitled The Best of R.E.M. too.

New West Records is celebrating its 20^th anniversary with an extremely cool retrospective featuring 60 songs evenly divided over 3 CDs. One disc holds songs selected by owner of New West Records, George Fontaine, Sr. One disc contains tunes voted on by fans, and the third disc is stocked with songs chosen by past and present New West artist. Kris Kristofferson to John Hiatt, Rickie Lee Jones to Nikki Lane; Rodney Crowell to Vic Chesnutt; Old 97’s to Drive-By Truckers; Ben Lee to Ben Folds; Jerry Lee Lewis to Jason Isbell, Steve Earle to Justin Townes Earle; Buddy Miller to Buddy & Julie Miller. The list is an all-star lineup of Americana music. I have a soft spot for the act opening up the collection (and a George Fontaine, Sr. selection) Todd Thibaud since he was one of the first (if not the first) musician I interviewed. The collection, which is due on Oct. 12, also will be available on 6 red vinyl albums.

Another artist I have a soft spot is Mr. Nick Lowe. When his solo debut came out in 1978, it was called the Jesus of Cool in the UK but Columbia Records re-titled it Pure Pop For Now People in the states. I had a button that proclaimed: “It’s Okay to Like Nick Lowe.” Guys I went to school with didn’t know if Nick Lowe was a politician or a punk rocker. They were wrong on both counts, I guess. Anyway, I bring up this great, great album not to remind myself that it came out 40 years ago, but to share that on Oct. 13 the fine folks at Yep Roc will be releasing Jesus Of Cool on cassette for Cassette Store Day. This limited addition will include the 11 tracks from the UK release plus the 3 songs that were just on the Pure Pop version (“They Call It Rock,” “Roller Show,” and a studio version of “Heart of the City.”

Ska fans should circle Sept 21 on their calendars because that is the date Studio One is reissuing the important 1964 compilation Ska Authentic. This will be the CD debut of the album that features music from The Maytals, Lee Perry, and Tommy McCook’s “Freedom Sounds.”  Bluegrass fans, meanwhile, need to remember Sept. 28 because that’s when Modern Harmonic will be releasing a treasury of Louvin Brothers material entitled Love And Wealth: The Lost Recordings. The 29 songs (and one warm, spoken audio letter) songwriting demos from the late 1950’s that have never been released before.

And it is not that I don’t like new music. Not by a long shot. There are many new and current bands that I can lavish praise on but I will just lavish praise on one right now. If you haven’t heard the New Zealand band The Beths, then you use yourself to check them out. I loved them from the first song I heard of them “Whatever,” and have loved every songs since. They just have a charming synthesis of 60s-ish power pop and late 80s college rock bolstered by crunchy guitars, some bashing drums, and the wonderful way front-woman Elizabeth Stokes balances an off-beat, slightly gawky sense of humor and honest emotions. Their debut album Future Me Hates Me is out now on Carpark, and they commence a big US tour at the end of September. Here is a link to “You Wouldn’t Like Me”

Concert For George Returns To Cinemas

February 25 would have been George Harrison’s 75^th birthday and in honor of this anniversary, the historic Concert For George will be available again in several different ways.

The actual film of this concert, which took place November 29, 2002 (one year after George Harrison’s passing), will be shown again on the big screen for one day only, although the date varies from theater to theater. For complete cinema information, visit http://www.concertforgeorge.com/theatrical-listings/

Now remastered in 5.1 Stereo Surround Sound, the wonderful documentary lets viewers revisit this tribute concert that features many of George’s “dearest friends” (to quote his son Dhani from the film), who also happen to be some of rock’s biggest stars. The lineup includes his Beatles brethren Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton (who organized the concert) and his fellow Traveling Wilburys, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.

Concert For George presents a mixture of concert performances, a bit of backstage activity, and reminiscences about George from the performers. There are times when you might prefer to hear the songs without interruptions; however, the comments do generally offer interesting personal insights or anecdotes, such as Petty revealing that he saw Harrison as the “idea man” in the Wilburys and Monty Python’s Terry Gilliam saying that Harrison felt Monty Python carried on the spirit of the Beatles since the Pythons started the year the Beatles ended.

Yes, the Monty Python guys were there too. Harrison not only was a fan of the comedy troupe but also financed Monty Python’s Life of Brian, jumping in at the last moment (reportedly mortgaging his house) when EMI Entertainment withdrew their financial support.

While it is fun to see the Pythons do a couple skits, the big highlights come in the renditions of the many great Harrison tunes, both Beatles and solo compositions. Clapton takes center-stage on songs like “I Want To You,” “If I Needed Someone,” and “Beware of Darkness,” along with serving up passionate guitar on “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (he played lead guitar, of course, on the Beatles original too). Ringo sings “Photograph” (which he co-wrote with George) and “Honey Don’t,” saluting Harrison’s admiration for Carl Perkins. Paul talks about George’s love of ukuleles before playing one on “Something.” Petty performs “Taxman” and then Lynne joins him for “Handle With Care.”

 

There also is a quite nice segment devoted to Ravi Shankar, who appears both in conversation and performance (which includes Ravi’s daughter, the esteemed musician Anoushka Shankar). “Isn’t It A Pity” gets covered by frequent Beatles sideman Billy Preston. American viewers might scratch their heads when an older gent named Joe Brown comes out to play “Here Comes The Sun,” but his place at the show is well-deserved. A long-time popular performer in Britain, Brown became friends with Harrison when he had the up-and-coming Beatles be his opening band in 1962. Harrison later was best man at Brown’s wedding in 2000. In fact, it is Brown, and not of the superstars in attendance, who closes the concert with a rendition of the old standard (and Harrison favorite) “I’ll See You In My Dreams.”

The documentary does not contain every performance from the concert, and even switches up the order some. For a complete Concert for George experience, you should  turn to the terrific new reissue of the Concert For George album, which Concord Music re-released on Feb. 23. It will come out in a range of versions: a 2-CD set, a 2-CD + 2-DVD, and 2-CD + 2-Blu-ray combo (the later format come with bonus material), as well as streaming platforms and, for the first time, on vinyl as a 4-LP box set. The 180-gram audiophile vinyl features a special, mandala-design etched on Side 8. And if none of these are satisfying, there is the 10-disc Deluxe Box Set (limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide) with the complete sound and film recordings from the concert (on 4 180-gram audiophile LPs, 2 CDs, 2 DVDs and 2 Blu-rays), a 12″x12″ hard-bound 60-page book, and even a cutting from the original hand-painted on-stage tapestry used as the backdrop at the 2002 concert!