Audio Fidelity has reached overdrive.  Bachman-Turner Overdrive, that is.  On October 18, the audiophile specialist label will release on 24K Gold CD the third album by BTO, 1974’s Not Fragile.  It will be joined by Audio Fidelity’s third reissue from the Phil Collins catalogue, 1982’s Hello, I Must Be Going!, the singer’s second solo album.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive arose from the ashes of the band Brave Belt, formed by Randy Bachman and Chad Allan, bandmates in The Guess Who.  When Allan departed after Brave Belt’s 1971 debut album, C.F. “Fred” Turner stepped in for lead vocal duty on Brave Belt II the following year.  Brave Belt III was in the works when it was decided to release the LP under a new name reportedly inspired by a trucking magazine, Overdrive.  But the new moniker better reflected the heavier direction the music created by Turner and the Bachman brothers (Randy, Robbie and Tim) was taking: Bachman-Turner Overdrive.  Not Fragile furthered the heavy sound of BTO’s first two platters, with beefy dual guitar solos by Randy Bachman and Blair Thornton (who had replaced Tim in the band) prominent on a number of tracks.  It became the first and only BTO album to hit the No. 1 spot in the U.S., powered by the strength of the single “You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet,” penned and sung by Randy, which also hit No. 1.  “Roll On Down the Highway,” written by Turner and Bachman with the former on lead vocal, was another successful song to receive heavy FM airplay at the time of the album’s release.  Not Fragile remains a cornerstone in the BTO catalogue as well as of the heavy and arena rock genres.  Kevin Gray has remastered Not Fragile for the new edition.

Phil Collins is waiting for you after the jump!

On the softer side is Phil Collins’ 1982 pop confection Hello, I Must Be Going!, named after a Harry Ruby/Bert Kalmar song introduced by none other than The Marx Brothers!  Collins’ DIY ethos was very much in force for his second solo effort.  He played drums and percussion, as well as singing all of the vocals and playing all of the keyboards on the LP.  He was joined by Daryl Stuerner on guitar, John Giblin and Mo Foster on bass guitar, plus a complement of brass players.  Although the diverse album has flashes of tough rock, Collins was becoming comfortable enough as a solo artist to interject the sounds of his beloved soul and R&B, and he went so far as to pay homage to the Motor City with the album’s cover of The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.”  Despite the strength of his original compositions, “You Can’t Hurry Love” became his first Top 10 hit in America.  “I Don’t Care Anymore” also charted, creeping into the Top 40 at No. 39.  The album even featured a strong jazz instrumental, “The West Side,” but a commercial breakthrough was just around the corner for Collins with his very next album.  No fewer than four of the tracks off 1985’s No Jacket Required (already available as a 24K Gold CD from Audio Fidelity) became Top 10 singles!  Steve Hoffman has remastered the album.

Both Not Fragile and Hello, I Must Be Going! will be available on October 18.  You’ll find pre-order links below, along with the track listings for both compact discs.

Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Not Fragile (Mercury SRM 1-1004, 1974 – reissued Audio Fidelity AFZ 126, 2011)

1. Not Fragile
2. Rock Is My Life, and This is My Song
3. Roll On Down the Highway
4. You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet
5. Freewheelin’
6. Sledgehammer
7. Blue Moanin’
8. Second Hand
9. Givin’ It All Away

Phil Collins, Hello, I Must Be Going! (Atlantic 80035-1, 1982 – reissued Audio Fidelity AFZ 129, 2011)

1. I Don’t Care Anymore
2. I Cannot Believe It’s True
3. Like China
4. Do You Know, Do You Care?
5. You Can’t Hurry Love
6. It Don’t Matter to Me
7. Thru These Walls
8. Don’t Let Him Steal Your Heart Away
9. The West Side
10. Why Can’t It Wait ‘Til Morning