The distance from 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard , or Graceland, to Stax Records' headquarters at 926 East McLemore Avenue is just a little over 5 miles. So when RCA Records came calling on the once and future King in mid-1973 to fulfill an obligation to record 24 songs (a 10-song album, four single sides, and a 10-song "religious album"), the studio founded by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton seemed to be the perfect locale. Recording at home in Memphis had always brought something special to
Archives for August 2013
Make Way For Dionne Warwick: 23 Scepter and Warner Bros. Albums To Be Remastered and Expanded [NOW WITH UPDATED TRACK LISTINGS]
UPDATE 8/6/13: WEA Japan's deluxe mini-LP editions of Dionne Warwick's Scepter and Warner catalogue have finally arrived, but many purchasers have been surprised to find numerous alterations in the albums' bonus material. Originally-listed bonus tracks have been added, dropped, and reshuffled between albums. By the numbers, there are 5 more bonus tracks than originally listed, but some songs are absent with others taking their place. Below, in BOLD, we'll let you know exactly what you'll
Release Round-Up: Week of August 6
Elvis Presley, Elvis At Stax (RCA/Legacy) Four decades after the King decamped to the famous Memphis studio to cut some country-fried soul sides, this triple-disc box set presents the fruits of those labors, greatly re-contextualized from the original albums that featured these sessions (1973's Raised on Rock/For Ol' Times Sake and 1974's Good Times). 3CD box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 1CD highlights: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 2LP highlights: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Gloria
Rhino Releases Rush Box Set, Remixed "Vapor Trails"
Last spring, the seemingly impossible happened: Canadian rock legends Rush were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neal Peart had long endured the snark and critical dismissal from the powers-that-be, proving themselves a solid prog rock outfit for the ages. It was the cherry on top of a delicious bounty of treats for fans in the past few years: deluxe editions of two of the band's most popular albums, Moving Pictures and 2112, box sets compiling the
Pablo Records' 40th Celebrated with Duke Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Dizzy Gillespie, More
Concord Music Group’s Original Jazz Classics line recently celebrated the 60th anniversary of Orrin Keepnews and Bill Grauer’s famed Riverside Records label with five reissues from Bill Evans, Chet Baker, Wes Montgomery, Thelonious Monk and Gerry Mulligan, and Cannonball Adderley and Milt Jackson. (Expect a full review of all five titles soon!) On September 17, the OJC series will turn its attention to the 40th anniversary of jazz impresario Norman Granz’s Pablo Records with the reissue of
Then She Appeared: XTC's "Nonsuch," Newly Remixed and Ready for October Release
As previously reported, Nonsuch, the twelfth album by XTC, is getting reissued this year with a new surround mix by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree and a host of audiovisual extras. Featuring production by early Elton John producer Gus Dudgeon and some of the best pastoral power-pop songwriting by band brain trust Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, including the U.S. Modern Rock chart-topper "The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead," "The Disappointed," "Wrapped in Grey" and many more, Nonsuch remains
Kick Out The Jams: Omnivore, Rhino Team for "CBGB" with The Police, Talking Heads, Television, MC5
Though CBGB closed its doors at 315 Bowery on October 15, 2006 following a concert by Patti Smith, the legendary New York club never truly disappeared. Though plans to open a new location in Las Vegas fell through - some might say, mercifully! - Hilly Krystal's famous club has survived in spirit. CBGB Radio launched in 2010, the CBGB Festival of music hit the Big Apple in 2012, and the original awning even migrated to Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This October, CBGB gets another
Tears for Fears' "The Hurting" Revisited As a Box Set
Looks like our Tears for Fears wishes have come true: the U.K. synthpop band's first album is getting greatly expanded as a deluxe edition and box set this year to mark its 30th anniversary. As we'd detailed around the anniversary of the album, there was certainly more than enough to go around for bonus material: many of the singles were different from what ended up on record, the typical non-LP B-sides and remixes, even a live show recorded on video. Happily, it looks like nearly all of that
SoulMusic Records Is "Born to Love" With Reissues from Peabo and Roberta, Nancy Wilson and Tavares
With its latest batch of reissues, including titles from Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack, Tavares, and Nancy Wilson, Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint can truly be said to cover a wide swath of the soulful spectrum. Duets have long been staples of great R&B. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, James Ingram and Patti Austin, and Otis Redding and Carla Thomas - just to name a few in the pantheon - all proved that "it takes two." (That title, in fact, gave
Final Thin Lizzy LPs Getting Expanded by Universal U.K.
After a healthy run of classic Thin Lizzy LPs getting expanded by Universal's U.K. arm, not to mention a box set of BBC sessions and rumors of an expansive, separate box of outtakes, there's still more product to release; this time, it's the conclusion of the aforementioned expanded album program with the re-release of the Irish band's final two studio albums, Renegade (1981) and Thunder and Lightning (1983). Renegade is not one of the band's most notable efforts - the increasing incongruity
Edsel Reissues Robert Palmer's Island Discography for Every Kinda People
One of the most truly odd omissions in catalogue history, the lack of expanded reissues for Robert Palmer's iconic Island Records catalogue will finally be rectified by Edsel in August. Palmer's nine albums for the Island label will be collected onto four two-disc sets, all remastered and featuring a large swath of bonus material. (The albums are grouped in twos, with the exception of a set collating Secrets (1979), Clues (1980) and Maybe It's Live (1982).) Taken together, they represent one
Wake Up, Maggie: Mercury Compiles Rod Stewart's Early "Rarities" On 2 CDs
Earlier this year, Rod Stewart released Time, marking the return of Stewart the songwriter. Time found the one-time Mod in reflective mode. Rolling Stone praised its “lighthearted warmth” while The Guardian noted its “wistful, nostalgic love songs [and] thoughtful divorce laments.” Clearly, Stewart had found some inspiration following a decade-long sojourn into the Great American Songbook, classic rock and soul tracks, and even holiday music. These “covers” collections left many critics cold