We recently told you about Real Gone Music's April line-up.  Typically, the label only has one round of releases in a month, but in April, you'll getting more as the label just announced some more titles to come out later in the month following the April 7 releases from B.J. Thomas, David Allan Coe, Jack Kerouac, and others.  (Read all about those here!)

First up is a collection of rarities from one of the biggest bands of the 1970s and 1980s and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees: Cheap Trick.  The Epic Archives (1975-1979), due on April 28, brings together 18 odds and ends from the beginning of the band's career.  Consisting of Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson and Bun E. Carlos, Cheap Trick released their self-titled debut on Epic in 1977 and began an 11 year association with the label.  The period covered on this compilation includes their first four studio albums with songs such as "I Want You To Want Me," "Elo Kiddies" and "Surrender" and their first live album, the smash Cheap Trick at Budokan.  The band had some success in the U.S. and U.K. prior to that concert LP but were a big hit in Japan since nearly the beginning of their career.  The Budokan album propelled them to superstardom all over the world, hitting No. 4 in the U.S.  The first volume of The Epic Archives brings together demos, alternate versions of songs, outtakes and live tracks, including three from a later concert at Budokan.  Many of the tracks have been previously released on reissues over the years, but this is the first time they have been brought together.  This title was previously available as a digital download, but this new physical release adds a previously unreleased alternate version of "Lookout."  Track-by-track commentary has been provided by Bun E. Carlos, and the set has been produced by Timothy Smith and remastered by Vic Anesini.

Next is a compilation focusing on the girl group sound.  Ever since reissues have been coming out on CD, there have been compilations focusing on the pop stylings of female artists from the 1960s exemplified by such groups as The Chiffons, The Shirelles, The Marvelettes, The Shangri-Las, and many more.  One of the best overview of this genre of music was Rhino's 2005 4-disc box set One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found.  One of the producers of that set, Sheila Burgel, has put together other girl group compilations over the years and hosts the Sophisticated Boom Boom program on New York's radio station WFMU devoted to the genre.  She is now teaming with Real Gone for a set of girl group obscurities from the Sony archives - Honeybeat: Groovy 60s Girl Pop, due on April 21.  The 19 tracks on the CD come from nine different labels, and nearly a third have never been released on CD.  While some tracks come from known artists such as Little Eva, Skeeter Davis and even Nichelle Nichols (who had a brief music career during her time on Star Trek), most are definitely of the "hidden treasure" variety.  Burgel's notes feature interviews with many of the artists and the set has been co-produced with Sony's Rob Santos and remastered by Vic Anesini.  In addition to the CD release, 14 of the tracks are being put out on a 1,200 copy limited violet vinyl edition on the same day.

Finally, Real Gone is reissuing the debut album from singer-songwriter Marc Jonson.  Years, released on Vanguard in 1972, has never been reissued on CD and features a light psyche/folk baroque sound.  As a songwriter, Jonson has seen his songs covered by such artists as Robert Gordon, The Roches, Shawn Colvin, Steve Forbert, Suzanne Vega and The Smithereens.  He has performed on several Disney albums and released two more solo albums and, in 2015, a collections of songs written over the years with David Grahame.  This new reissue has been expanded with 4 bonus tracks and has been produced by Pat Thomas.  Steve Simels' liner notes feature a new interview with Jonson and the CD has been remastered by John Baldwin.  It will be release on April 21.

If you'd like to know any more, we've got Real Gone's press release below with some more information.  We've also got the full tracklistings for each album together with pre-order links if you'd like to give any of the titles a try.

LOS ANGELES - If a group's made up of two genuine rock star types, a Huntz Hall lookalike with a guitar fetish, and a guy who looks like an accountant, which one d'ya think would keep track of its recording archive? Don't worry, it's not a "trick" question--it is indeed the bespectacled Bun E. Carlos, the drummer for the original line-up of Cheap Trick, who has not only commented on every song (as faithfully transcribed by Ken Sharp) but provided much of the source material for this collection of rarities from the band's early days, 18 tracks that reconfirm that the singular blend of classic rock, power pop, and glam--and inspired visual style--wielded by this outfit from Rockford, Illinois places them among the first rank of American rock 'n' roll bands. First up on The Epic Archive Vol. 1 (1975-1979) are three 1975 demos (of "Come On, Come On," "Southern Girls," and "Taxman, Mr. Thief") they cut at Ardent Studios in 1975 prior to signing a record deal, followed by early, 1976-1977 studio takes (produced by Jack Douglas) of "You're All Talk" and "I Want You to Want Me," an outtake, "Lookout," from their debut record, and an alternate (and nasty) version of "I Dig Go-Go Girls." On deck are an instrumental version of "Oh Boy" (the B-side to "I Want You to Want Me") and live versions of "You're All Talk" and "Goodnight" from a 1977 stand at the Whiskey, and a pair of alternate takes from the Heaven Tonight album, "Stiff Competition" and "Surrender." Also inside are five rarities from the band's famed Japanese tours, including the single version of "Ain't That a Shame," the promo-only release "Lookout," and three tracks from the out-of-print Budokan II album, "Stiff Competition," "How Are You," and "On Top of the World." The "no strings" version of "Dream Police" rounds out the collection in fine style. Compiled by producer Tim Smith, remastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in New York, and featuring photos by Robert Alford, The Epic Archive Vol. 1 (1975-1979) takes its place as a key release in the august Cheap Trick discography.

Hey, '60s pop collectors...do you suppose there might be some killer rare tracks lurking inside the Sony archives? Yeah, that's what we thought, too...so we enlisted girl group expert extraordinaire Sheila Burgel (producer of the Grammy-nominated box set One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost & Found and the Japanese girl pop series Nippon Girls among other prodigious collecting feats) to go tape spelunking and see what she could come up with. And man, was THAT a good decision--cuz Sheila (and Sony Legacy producer Rob Santos) have emerged triumphantly from their journey into the deepest nooks and crannies of the Sony vaults with 19 fantastic girl pop finds that sound like they shoulda been, coulda been hits had anybody heard them the first time around! Just to give you an idea of how deep these tracks are, these 19 songs hail from no less than nine different labels (Columbia, Date, RCA Victor, Epic, Bell, OKeh, Sound Stage 7, Groove, and Amy); about a third of them have never been reissued anywhere (one, Dorothy Jones' "Talk That Sweet Talk," is previously unreleased), and the rest have only appeared on obscure imports, some of dubious origin. What's more, for her detailed liner notes, Sheila has whenever possible tracked down and interviewed the artist(s) in question, in some cases stirring up long dormant and emotionally charged memories of their days in the music business, with rare, never before seen photos lending color to their accounts. Remastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in New York, Honeybeat: Groovy 60s Girl Pop offers a treasure trove of rarities for the girl group collector, a seamless listen for a vintage pop fan, and a much-needed journey back to a more innocent time in the record business. SPECIAL NOTE FOR VINYL COLLECTORS: Sheila has also selected and sequenced 14 of the 19 tracks for a special 180-gram, violet vinyl gatefold edition limited to 1,200 copies!

The Vanguard Records label is known for some obscure gems, but Marc Jonson's  self-produced 1972 debut album Years, just might be the rarest--and the fairest--of them all! Not only has it never been reissued on vinyl or CD or even bootlegged, but this lost psych folk/baroque pop masterpiece marked quite a departure for a label known for its traditional folk, blues, and roots music. Comparisons have been made to Tim Buckley's Goodbye & Hello, Phil Ochs' Pleasures of the Harbor, Bill Fay's first album as well as other obscure Popsike legends such as Bobb Trimble, John Pantry, and David Stoughton...throw in a touch of the intimate vibe of Big Star and you'll have an idea of the coolness that awaits those who discover (or rediscover) this cult classic. As Jonson remarks in the liner notes, "I used left over harpsichords from classical sessions the night before. I hired string players and a string arranger. I even met a street player named Steven Gardner who played the recorder!" Produced for reissue by Pat Thomas, this expanded reissue of Years sports many rare vintage photos, a detailed interview with Marc Jonson by Steve Simels , an ace remastering job (from the original tapes) by John Baldwin , and four bonus tracks featuring plus a non-LP single and several 7 inch single mixes, all never before on CD!

Cheap Trick, The Epic Archive Vol. 1 (1975-1979) (Real Gone Music, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Come On, Come On (Ardent Studios Demo)
2. Southern Girls (Ardent Studios Demo)
3. Taxman, Mr. Thief (Ardent Studios Demo)
4. You're All Talk (Early Studio Version)
5. I Want You to Want Me (Early Studio Version)
6. Lookout (Studio Version)
7. I Dig Go-Go Girls (Outtake)
8. Oh Boy (Instrumental Version)
9. You're All Talk (Live at The Whiskey)
10. Goodnight (Live at The Whiskey)
11. Stiff Competition (Alternate Version)
12. Surrender (Alternate Version)
13. Ain't That a Shame (Live Single Edit)
14. Lookout (previously unreleased alternate version)
15. Dream Police (No Strings Version)
16. Stiff Competition (Live at Budokan)
17. How Are You (Live at Budokan)
18. Top of the World (Live at Budokan)

Various Artists, Honeybeat: Groovy 60s Girl Pop (Real Gone Music, 2017)

CD (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. I'm Gonna Destroy That Boy - The What Four
2. You're My Loving Baby - The Sweet Things
3. Don't Monkey with Me - The Lollipops
4. Sweet Hunk of Misery - Linda Carr
5. If You Can't Say Anything Nice - Gia Mateo
6. Baby You're Mine - Sandi Sheldon
7. I Can't Stay Mad at You - Skeeter Davis
8. I Don't Want No Mama's Boy - Erma Franklin
9. The Rider - The Pussycats
10. Gonna Make Him My Baby - April Young
11. No News - The Glories
12. Be Good to Your Baby - The Avons
13. Gee Dad - Andrea Carroll
14. I Wish I Had Known - Sandra Phillips
15. .I Just Don't Understand - Carmen Cole
16. .Stand by Me - Little Eva
17. Why Don't You Do Right? - Nichelle Nichols
18. Hangin' On to My Baby - Tracey Dey
19. Talk That Sweet Talk - Dorothy Jones

LP (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Side One

1. I'm Gonna Destroy That Boy - The What Four
2. You're My Loving Baby - The Sweet Things
3. Stand by Me - Little Eva
4. Don't Monkey with Me - The Lollipops
5. Sweet Hunk of Misery - Linda Carr
6. If You Can't Say Anything Nice - Gia Mateo
7. Baby You're Mine - Sandi Sheldon

Side Two

1. I Don't Want No Mama's Boy - Erma Franklin
2. No News - The Glories
3. Gonna Make Him My Baby - April Young
4. I Just Don't Understand - Carmen Cole
5. Why Don't You Do Right? - Nichelle Nichols
6. I Wish I Had Known - Sandra Phillips
7. Talk That Sweet Talk - Dorothy Jones

Marc Jonson, Years (Vanguard Records, 1972 - reissued Real Gone Music, 2017) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Rainy Dues
2. Mary
3. Mother Jane
4. Fly
5. A Long Song
6. Autopsy
7. The Return to Relief
8. Munich
9. The Tredmill
10. Coming to Boston (non-LP single)
11. Rainy Dues (single mix)
12. Mother Jane (single mix)
13. Fly (single mix)