The Second Disc

Just a few days’ away from its start, September is already looking to be a great month for Motown enthusiasts. For starters, an August 22 tweet from Hip-o Select’s Twitter feed revealed the latest project in Motown Select’s (busy) pipeline: Tammi Terrell’s Come On and See Me: The Complete Solo Collection. While largely remembered for her classic duets with Marvin Gaye, Terrell was no slouch as a solo artist, and this compilation should go a long way in reminding audiences of that fact. As Tammy Montgomery, she recorded singles with James Brown, and at Motown, the newly-christened Tammi Terrell scored with 1966’s “I Can’t Believe You Love Me” and the track that gives this set its title, “Come On and See Me.” The 2-CD set promises to contain unreleased tracks, and will boast a generous 50 tracks recorded between 1961 and 1969. Based on the timeframe, it is thought that it will include her sides for Scepter/Wand, Try Me and Checker in addition to the Motown tracks which comprise its core. While Terrell may have passed on in 1970 at the tragically young age of 24, Come On and See Me celebrates the rich musical legacy she left behind.

And speaking of unreleased Motown, Reel Music has once again hit the fabled vault for its September 14 release of an unissued album from 1970s gritty funk goddesses The Sisters Love (Gwen Berry, Jeanie Long, Lillie Fort and Vermettya Royster). Coming from a tenure at A&M, The Sisters Love were teamed with some of latter-day Motown’s brightest writers and producers, including Gloria Jones, Pam Sawyer, Willie Hutch, Paul Riser and Hal Davis. With Love was scheduled for release on the MoWest label but has remained in the can for nearly over 35 years. Reel Music’s release features all 10 tracks scheduled for that LP, plus five additional songs (two of which are previously unreleased). The three surviving members of The Sisters Love (Berry has passed away) all participated in Reel’s release.

Hit the jump for the track listing and discographical information for The Sisters Love’s With Love, which can be pre-ordered here.  The track listing for Tammi Terrell’s Come On and See Me has not yet been revealed, but we’re eagerly awaiting it! Read the rest of this entry »

Folks, Bruce Springsteen doesn’t kid around when it comes to keeping promises. The specs are in for The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, and this monster box set due on November 16 is going to be a doozy, to put it mildly. Boasting three packed CDs and three DVDs or Blu-Rays, The Promise is a treasure chest for longtime Springsteen fans: 21 unreleased audio tracks on two CDs, four hours of concert footage (including 12 performances dating between 1976 and 1978, a whopping 26 tracks from Houston in 1978 and a complete 2009 New Jersey performance of Darkness in its entirety) and Thom Zimny’s full-length documentary about the making of the seminal 1978 LP. Oh yeah, and the remastered original album, too! This is all housed in a package containing an 80-page book designed after one of Springsteen’s notebooks. The notebook will reproduce alternate lyrics, song ideas, recording details and notes made by Springsteen, in addition to a new essay by Springsteen and rare photographs.

For fans not interested in the video content, The Promise will be available as a two-CD or four-LP set containing only the two discs’ worth of unreleased studio material. The press release and a sneak-peek stream is available on Springsteen’s own site, and fans can pre-order a package containing a T-shirt and poster here.

Hit the jump for the specs on the truly remarkable array of material being made available for the first time. It’s all coming to you on November 16 from Columbia/Legacy. Read the rest of this entry »