The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

/ News

In Case You Missed Them: EMI Budget Boxes from Robin Trower, Kevin Ayers

By Leave a Comment

In the past few months, EMI has released or announced more of their budget box sets which collect swaths of complete albums and rare tracks over multiple, low-frills discs. In particular, today we spotlight two such sets from two virtuosic British musicians.

In February, the label released Farther On Up the Road: The Chrysalis Years 1977-1983 by Robin Trower. The London-born Procol Harum guitarist cut a steady amount of solid blues-based albums after leaving the "Whiter Shade of Pale" band in 1971, eventually paring his sound down to a power trio with vocalist/bassist James Dewar and drummer Reg Isidore. Bill Lordan would replace Isidore behind the drum kit starting with 1975's For Earth Below; this trio is largely what's heard on Farther On Up the Road, except for two of the final albums of Trower's Chrysalis tenure.

On 1981's B.L.T., he was joined by legendary Cream bassist Jack Bruce (the trio's last initials make up the quirky album title); Bruce played on subsequent disc Truce, released later that year, with Isidore rejoining the group on drums. This set features every album from In City Dreams (1977) to Back It Up (1983), along with two non-LP B-sides.

Meanwhile, EMI will release in April a bigger, if slightly more frustrating, such set for Kevin Ayers, noted psychedelic musician and a founder of Soft Machine, a noted band in the genre. Ayers amicably left the shapeshifting band in 1968 (toward the end of his time in Soft Machine, he played with a then-unknown guitarist named Andy Summers, later the axe-man for The Police) and focused on an eclectic solo career. His time as one of the first artists on the Harvest label (a distinction shared in part with Pink Floyd) saw a great many collaborators in his musical life, including Syd Barrett and Mike Oldfield.

While The Harvest Years 1969-1974 includes Ayers' first five solo records (including The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories, which was released by Island, not Harvest), it does not include every bonus track featured on expanded editions of these albums released by EMI in the mid-2000s. Many are included, however - all non-LP single sides and several rounds of BBC sessions (previously released on a non-EMI U.K. compilation in 2005) make up the bonus material.

The Trower box is available now; the Ayers box will be released April 26 in the U.K. and a week later as an import in the States. Both can be previewed after the jump.

Robin Trower, Farther On Up the Road: The Chrysalis Years 1977-1983 (EMI 301 3862 (U.K.), 2012)

Disc 1: In City Dreams and Caravan to Midnight

  1. Somebody Calling
  2. Sweet Wine of Love
  3. Bluebird
  4. Falling Star
  5. Farther On Up the Road
  6. Smile
  7. Little Girl
  8. Love’s Gonna Bring You Round
  9. In City Dreams
  10. Bluebird (7″ Edit)
  11. My Love (Burning Love)
  12. Caravan to Midnight
  13. I’m Out to Get You
  14. Lost in Love
  15. Fool
  16. It’s for You
  17. Birthday Boy
  18. King of the Dance
  19. Sail On

Disc 2: Victims of the Fury and B.L.T.

  1. Jack and Jill
  2. Roads to Freedom
  3. Victims of the Fury
  4. The Ring
  5. Only Time
  6. Into the Flame
  7. The Shout
  8. Mad House
  9. Ready for the Taking
  10. Fly Low
  11. One in a Million
  12. Into Money
  13. What It Is
  14. Won’t Let You Down
  15. No Island Lost
  16. It’s Too Late
  17. Life on Earth
  18. Once the Bird Has Flown
  19. Carmen
  20. Feel the Heat
  21. End Game

Disc 3: Truce and Back It Up

  1. Gonna Shut You Down
  2. Gone Too Far
  3. Thin Ice
  4. Last Train to the Stars
  5. Take Good Care of Yourself
  6. Fall in Love
  7. Fat Gut
  8. Shadows Touching
  9. Little Boy Lost
  10. Back It Up
  11. River
  12. Black to Red
  13. Benny Dancer
  14. Time is Short
  15. Islands
  16. None But the Brave
  17. Captain Midnight
  18. Settling the Score

Disc 1, Tracks 1-9 released as In City Dreams (Chrysalis CHR-1148, 1977)
Disc 1, Track 10 released as Chrysalis single B-side CHS-2206, 1977
Disc 1, Tracks 11-19 released as Caravan to Midnight (Chrysalis CHR-1189, 1978)
Disc 2, Tracks 1-10 released as Victims of the Fury (Chrysalis CHR-1215, 1980)
Disc 2, Track 11 released as Chrysalis single B-side CHS-2402, 1980)
Disc 2, Tracks 12-21 released as B.L.T. (Chrysalis CHR-1324, 1981)
Disc 3, Tracks 1-9 released as Truce (Chrysalis CHR-1352, 1981)
Disc 3, Tracks 10-18 released as Back It Up (Chrysalis FV-41420, 1983)

Kevin Ayers, The Harvest Years 1969-1974 (EMI 956 9052 (U.K.), 2012)

Disc 1

  1. Joy of a Toy Continued
  2. Town Feeling
  3. The Clarietta Rag
  4. Girl on a Swing
  5. Song for Insane Times
  6. Stop This Train (Again Doing It)
  7. Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her)
  8. The Lady Rachel
  9. Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong
  10. All This Crazy Gift of Time
  11. Singing a Song in the Morning
  12. Clarence in Wonderland (Top Gear Session - 2/10/1970)
  13. Stop This Train (Top Gear Session - 2/10/1970)
  14. Why Are We Sleeping (Top Gear Session - 2/10/1970)
  15. You Say You Like My Hat (Top Gear Session - 2/10/1970)

Disc 2

  1. May I?
  2. Rheinhardt and Geraldine/Colores Para Dolores
  3. Lunatics Lament
  4. Pisser Dans Un Violon
  5. The Oyster and the Flying Fish
  6. Underwater
  7. Clarence in Wonderland
  8. Red Green and You Blue
  9. Shooting At the Moon
  10. Butterfly Dance
  11. Puis Je?
  12. Gemini Child (Alan Black Session - 5/20/1970)
  13. Lady Rachel (Alan Black Session - 5/20/1970)
  14. Shooting At the Moon (Alan Black Session - 5/20/1970)
  15. Derby Day (BBC Top Gear Session - 6/9/1970)
  16. Interview (BBC Top Gear Session - 6/9/1970)
  17. We Did It Again/Murder in the Air (BBC Top Gear Session - 6/9/1970)

Disc 3

  1. There is Loving/Among Us/There Is Loving
  2. Margaret
  3. Oh My
  4. Song from the Bottom of a Well
  5. Whatevershebringswesing
  6. Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes
  7. Champagne Cowboy Blues
  8. Lullaby
  9. Stars
  10. Fake Mexican Tourist Blues
  11. Lunatic's Lament (Bob Harris Session - 5/17/1972)
  12. Oyster and the Flying Fish (Bob Harris Session - 5/17/1972)
  13. Butterfly Dance (Bob Harris Session - 5/17/1972)
  14. Whatevershebringswesing (Bob Harris Session - 5/17/1972)
  15. Falling in Love Again (Bob Harris Session - 5/17/1972)
  16. Queen Thing (Bob Harris Session - 5/17/1972)

Disc 4

  1. Don't Let It Get You Down
  2. Shouting in a Bucket Blues
  3. When Your Parents Go to Sleep
  4. Interview
  5. Internotional Anthem
  6. Decadence
  7. Oh! Wot a Dream
  8. Hymn
  9. Beware of the Dog
  10. Connie on a Rubber Band
  11. Caribbean Moon
  12. Take Me to Tahiti
  13. Interview (BBC Bob Harris Session - 4/11/1973)
  14. Oh! Wot a Dream (BBC Bob Harris Session - 4/11/1973)
  15. Shouting in a Bucket Blues (BBC Bob Harris Session - 4/11/1973)

Disc 5

  1. Day by Day
  2. See You Later
  3. Didn't Feel Lonely 'til I Thought of You
  4. Everybody's Sometime and Some People's All the Time Blues
  5. It Begins With a Blessing/Once I Awakened/But It Ends With a Curse
  6. Ballbearing Blues
  7. The Confessions of Doctor Dream: Irreversible Neural Damage
  8. The Confessions of Doctor Dream: Invitation
  9. The Confessions of Doctor Dream: The One Chance Dance
  10. The Confessions of Doctor Dream: Doctor Dream Theme
  11. Two Goes Into Four
  12. The Up Song
  13. After the Show
  14. Thank You Very Much
  15. Another Whimsical Song (John Peel Session - 7/30/1974)
  16. The Lady Rachel (John Peel Session - 7/30/1974)
  17. Stop This Train (John Peel Session - 7/30/1974)
  18. Didn't Feel Lonely 'til I Thought of You (John Peel Session - 7/30/1974)

Disc 1, Tracks 1-10 released as Joy of a Toy (Harvest SHVL 763, 1969)
Disc 1, Track 11 released as Harvest single A-side HAR 5011, 1969
Disc 1, Tracks 12-15; Disc 2, Tracks 12-17; Disc 3, Tracks 11-16; Disc 4, Tracks 13-15 and Disc 5, Tracks 15-18 released on The BBC Sessions 1970-1976 (Hux Records 076 (U.K.), 2005)
Disc 2, Tracks 1-9 released as Shooting At the Moon (Harvest SHSP 4075, 1970)
Disc 2, Tracks 10-11 released as Harvest single HAR 5027, 1970
Disc 3, Tracks 1-8 released as Whatevershebringswesing (Harvest SHVL 800, 1972)
Disc 3, Track 9 released as Harvest single B-side HAR 5042, 1971
Disc 3, Track 10 from Odd Ditties (Harvest SHSM 2005, 1976)
Disc 4, Tracks 1-9 released as Bananamour (Harvest SHVL 807, 1973)
Disc 4, Track 10 released as Harvest single B-side HAR 5064, 1972
Disc 4, Tracks 11-12 released as Harvest single HAR 5071, 1973
Disc 5, Tracks 1-11 released as The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories (Island Island ILPS 9263, 1974)
Disc 5, Track 12 released as Island single A-side WIP 6194, 1974
Disc 5, Tracks 13-14 released as Island single WIP 6201, 1974

Avatar photo

Mike Duquette

Mike Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he was a teenager. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, holding positions at Legacy Recordings and Rhino Records and contributing to Allmusic, Discogs, City Pages, Ultimate Classic Rock and Mondo Records, for whom he penned liner notes for his favorite piece of music: John Williams' Oscar-winning score to 'E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with his wife, a cat named Ravioli, twin daughters and a large yet tasteful collection of music.

Connect With Mike:

You Might Also Like

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy