Pack your bags, we'll leave tonight: U.K. label Rock Candy Records is releasing brand new remasters of four albums by the one and only Eddie Money.
The Brooklyn-born Edward Mahoney was a New York cop in the 1960s, but he ultimately decided to chase a more artistic muse. Working his way through the club circuit in California, he was signed to Columbia Records, where he enjoyed a healthy run of hit singles and albums. His self-titled debut featured the smash hits "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets to Paradise," propelling the disc within the U.S. Top 40 and double-platinum status. The following year's Life for the Taking featured another Top 40 hit in "Maybe I'm a Fool," and the album peaked even higher than its predecessor on the charts.
While the early '80s were a time of personal travails for Money, including struggles with addiction, he still racked up some sizable hits, including "Think I'm in Love," which topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts, and "Shakin'"; both singles were aided by videos on the fledgling MTV network. While Rock Candy's work stops with 1982's No Control, which spawned those two early-'80s hits, Money's greatest successes were still to come - 1986's Can't Hold Back procured a Top 5 hit in "Take Me Home Tonight," and follow-up Nothing to Lose (1988) had the Top 10 single "Walk on Water."
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJbBSIFN36k]
Rock Candy's spit and polish on these new reissues include new digital remasters for all titles, as well as expanded artwork and liner notes featuring rare photos and excerpts from new interviews with Money. There are no bonus tracks, however, so Money's entry in the Playlist series is still your destination to acquire the unique single version of "Two Tickets to Paradise" on CD.
All four titles are released in the U.K. this Monday, January 7, and should hit U.S. shores about two weeks later as import titles. Full track details and Amazon U.S. and U.K. order links lie below.
Eddie Money (originally released as Columbia PC 34909, 1977 - reissued Rock Candy Records 172 (U.K.), 2013)
- Two Tickets to Paradise
- You've Really Got a Hold on Me
- Wanna Be a Rock 'n' Roll Star
- Save a Little Room in Your Heart for Me
- So Good to Be in Love Again
- Baby Hold On
- Don't Worry
- Jealousys
- Got to Get Another Girl
- Gamblin' Man
Life for the Taking (originally released as Columbia PC 35598, 1978 - reissued Rock Candy Records 173 (U.K.), 2013)
- Life for the Taking
- Can't Keep a Good Man Down
- Nightmare
- Gimme Some Water
- Rock & Roll the Place
- Maybe I'm a Fool
- Love the Way You Love Me
- Maureen
- Nobody
- Call on Me
Playing for Keeps (originally released as Columbia FC 36514, 1980 - reissued Rock Candy Records 174 (U.K.), 2013)
- Trinidad
- Running Back
- The Wish
- Get a Move On
- When You Took My Heart
- Satin Angel
- Let's Be Lovers Again
- Nobody Knows
- Million Dollar Girl
No Control (originally released as Columbia FC 37960, 1982 - reissued Rock Candy Records 175 (U.K.), 2013)
- Shakin'
- Runnin' Away
- Think I'm in Love
- Hard Life
- No Control
- Take a Little Bit
- Keep My Motor Runnin'
- My Friends, My Friends
- Drivin' Me Crazy
- Passing by the Graveyard (Song for John B.)
- It Could Happen to You
Already have the originals - I wouldn't be interested.
The original Columbia discs have always sounded pretty good!
Who's been doing these recent remasters for Rock Candy? I have the Mother's Finest done by Jon Astley. There, I've said enough. 🙂
How is the Mother's Finest remaster? I am thinking of ordering that one next from Rock Candy.
The sound is hard on the ears – loud and harsh. However, the liner notes are stellar, as is Rock Candy's custom. I prefer to listen to the duller-sounding Wounded Bird reissue.
Eddie's Columbia discography has been in disarray for years and has never received a sonic upgrade, so this is great news. I also hope this is just the first batch of remasters, for the original LP version of the next album - 1985's "Where's The Party" - has NEVER been on CD. The old Columbia CD from the '80s utilizes the video mixes for several songs which pale in comparison to the vinyl versions, rendering it useless. And I know Rock Candy wouldn't pass up the chance to reissue Can't Hold Back because of "Take Me Home Tonight," so let's hope they'll license the rest of the catalog and complete the project.
Which songs?? I haven't listened to either my LP or CD in a long time.
Eric,
If your "Where's The Party" CD is useless I will happily take it off your hands!
Seriously, I am surprised that more deluxe versions of '80s albums don't seem to bother to collect the video mixes as they were the hit versions for many of us who watched MTV more than listening to the singles on the radio. It would seem to me to be as important to archive as the current trend of offering mono or stereo mixes of '60s releases. I am sure the record companies will jump on this bandwagon in a few more years.