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You don’t have to wait for the midnight hour – Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, is ready now to announce its latest release!  We’re thrilled to welcome to our label one of the true legends of rhythm and blues, The “Wicked” Wilson Pickett, with the world premiere CD release of Mr. Magic Man: The Complete RCA Studio Recordings.  This new 2-CD set is due in stores on September 4.

Between 1964 and 1972, Pickett established himself as one of the greatest soul men of all time with a string of incendiary pop and R&B smashes like “In the Midnight Hour,” “Land of 1,000 Dances,” “Mustang Sally” and “Funky Broadway.”    But the Wicked Pickett’s scorching career didn’t stop when he left Atlantic Records.  Beginning with 1973’s Mr. Magic Man, Pickett recorded four soulful studio albums and one live set for RCA Records, where, in an extremely productive two years, he notched his final Hot 100 hits as well as a string of R&B chart successes.

Mr. Magic Man: The Complete RCA Studio Recordings brings all four of Pickett’s RCA studio platters to CD for the very first time: Mr. Magic Man (1973), Miz Lena’s Boy (1973), Pickett in the Pocket (1974) and Join Me and Let’s Be Free (1975).  Presented with four rare, never-on-CD bonus single versions, this release paints a full portrait of this exciting era in which Pickett continued to record passionate soul and funk in a classic vein.  For these sessions, Pickett teamed with producers including Atlantic Records veterans Brad Shapiro and Dave Crawford, as well as Yusuf Rahman, and recorded at renowned venues including Muscle Shoals Sound, RCA’s Nashville studios, and Philadelphia’s Sigma Sound Studios.

The collection takes its title from the hit single written by the team of Bobby Eli (“Sideshow,” “Love Won’t Let Me Wait”) and Carl Fisher of The Vibrations which captured Pickett in a smooth Philly groove thanks to Eli and the legendary members of MFSB.  Vic Anesini at Sony’s Battery Studios has freshly remastered this first-of-its-kind collection, while I’ve penned the new liner notes. Mr. Magic Man: The Complete RCA Studio Recordings adds up to 42 tracks and 148 minutes of wicked good–and wickedly rare–soul from the iconic voice of Wilson Pickett.

You can pre-order this set, due September 4 from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music, at the links below!

Wilson Pickett, Mr. Magic Man: The Complete RCA Studio Recordings (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music, 2015) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

CD 1

1. Magic Man (3:20)
2. Only I Can Sing This Song (3:08)
3. Love Is Beautiful (2:49)
4. I Sho’ Love You (4:14)
5. Baby Man (3:40)
6. Sin Was the Blame (3:58)
7. What It Is (3:33)
8. If You Need Me (3:44)
9. I Can’t Let My True Love Slip Away (3:25)
10. I Keep Walking Straight Ahead (3:08)
11. Take a Closer Look at the Woman You’re With (2:52)
12. Memphis, Tennessee (3:50)
13. Soft Soul Boogie Woogie (2:37)
14. Help Me Make It Through the Night (3:00)
15. Never My Love (4:26)
16. You Lay’d It On Me (3:16)
17. Is Your Love Life Better (3:15)
18. Two Women and a Wife (2:45)
19. Why Don’t You Make Up Your Mind (2:45)
20. Take The Pollution Out of Your Throat (2:45)
21. Take A Closer Look at the Woman You’re With (Promo Mono Version) (2:52)
22. Soft Soul Boogie Woogie (Promo Mono Version) (2:37)

CD 2

1. Iron It Out (3:00)
2. Isn’t That So (3:12)
3. Take A Look (3:25)
4. I Was Too Nice (3:45)
5. Don’t Pass Me By (2:55)
6. What Good Is a Lie (2:37)
7. Young Boy Blues (3:19)
8. Take Your Pleasure Where You Can Find It (2:34)
9. You’re the One (6:38)
10. Join Me & Let’s Be Free (4:17)
11. Let’s Make Love Right (2:56)
12. I’ve Got a Good Friend (4:41)
13. Smokin’ In the United Nations (3:40)
14. Gone (3:17)
15. Good Things (4:46)
16. Higher Consciousness (3:02)
17. Bailin’ Hay on a Rainy Day (3:26)
18. Mighty Mouth (3:25)
19. Isn’t That So (Promo Mono Version) (3:12)
20. Take Your Pleasure Where You Can Find It (Promo Mono Version) (2:34)

CD 1, Tracks 1-10 from Mr. Magic Man, RCA Victor LP LSP-4858, 1973
CD 1, Tracks 11-20 from Miz Lena’s Boy, RCA Victor LP APL1-0312, 1973
CD 1, Track 21 from RCA Victor single DJH0-0049 (APB0-0049), 1973
CD 1, Track 22 from RCA Victor single DJH0-0174 (APB0-0174), 1973
CD 2, Tracks 1-9 from Pickett in the Pocket, RCA Victor LP APL1-0495, 1974
CD 2, Tracks 10-18 from Join Me and Let’s Be Free, RCA Victor LP APL1-0856, 1975
CD 2, Track 19 from RCA Victor single JH-10067 (PB-10067), 1974
CD 2, Track 20 from RCA Victor single DJH0-0309 (APB0-0309), 1975