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From Lulu, With Love: Edsel Preps New Box Set "Decade: 1967-1976" For Singing Superstar

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Lulu (real name: Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie) burst onto the scene in 1964 with her earthy, throaty rendition of The Isley Brothers' "Shout!"  The fifteen-year old parlayed that memorable U.K. top ten hit into an international career that remains vibrant and active to this very day.  Lulu remained on Decca Records, the home of "Shout!," for a two-year stint, departing the label in late 1966 to sign with producer Mickie Most for EMI's Columbia Records arm (not to be confused with the CBS-affiliated U.S. label).  Over the next, career-defining decade (which saw her move from Columbia to the Atco and Chelsea labels) Lulu recorded her signature song, appeared in a popular film, and championed songs by Elton John, Neil Diamond, Randy Newman, and of course, The Bee Gees.  Now, that remarkable period is being comprehensively collected on a new, 5-CD media book-style box set from Demon Music Group's Edsel imprint.  Decade: 1967-1976, due on November 16, brings together virtually all of Lulu's recordings for Columbia, Atco, and Chelsea, plus a generous helping of rarities and a handful of new-to-CD tracks.

The first two discs are built around the artist's two Columbia albums: Love Loves to Love Lulu (1967) and Lulu's Album (1968).  The first LP kicked off with "To Sir, With Love," the chart-topping Mark London/Don Black tune from the movie of the same name that earned Lulu the U.S.' biggest hit of 1967.  The album also included her U.K. top ten rendition of Neil Diamond's "The Boat That I Row," and sublime covers of The Beatles ("Day Tripper") and The Bee Gees ("To Love Somebody").  Lulu's Album cast its net wider, encompassing tracks by Burt Bacharach and Hal David ("A House is Not a Home"), Bob Dylan ("The Mighty Quinn"), and The Spencer Davis Group ("Gimme Some Lovin'') while still making room for another Bee Gees cut, "I Started a Joke."  These two discs have been bolstered by all of the non-LP singles from the period plus all six of Lulu's songs related to 1969's Eurovision Song Contest for which she represented Great Britain.  Peter Moorhouse and Alan Warne's "Boom Bang-a-Bang" was the song she sang at the festival, chosen by viewers of her BBC1 series and on a TV special from a total of six songs.  All six songs are here, including Elton John and Bernie Taupin's "I Can't Go On Living Without You," as well as French, German, Italian, and Spanish versions of "Boom Bang-a-Bang."  (The song won in a four-way tie with the entries from Spain, The Netherlands, and France.)  1969 was another landmark year for the artist, for it's when she married Maurice Gibb of The Bee Gees.

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The third and fourth discs chronicle Lulu's journey to the United States and Atco Records.  Producers Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd, and Arif Mardin brought out the singer's innate R&B sensibility on two well-received albums, New Routes and Melody Fair (both from 1970) in which she was backed by the cream of the crop including Duane Allman and the seasoned session veterans at Muscle Shoals and Miami's Criteria Studios.  All of the bonus material included on the 2007 Rhino release The Atco Sessions is reprised here, including the never-released third album and various singles and alternate versions.  Additionally, Edsel has included Lulu's four German-language singles helmed by future disco pioneer Giorgio Moroder for Atlantic's German division.  These are all new to CD.

The fifth and final CD echoes Edsel's 2017 two-fer comprising both of Lulu's albums for Wes Farrell's Chelsea Records. At Chelsea, she released two albums: 1973's Lulu and 1976's Heaven and Earth and the Sky.  These diverse albums filled with pop, rock, and soul included songs and productions by talents ranging from John Barry (the Bond theme "The Man with the Golden Gun") to David Bowie ("The Man Who Sold the World," "Watch That Man") including Alan O'Day ("Easy Evil"), Willie Nelson ("Funny How Time Slips Away"), Tony Macaulay ("Make Believe World"), and numerous other A-listers.

Decade: 1967-1976 boasts new liner notes by Alan Robinson as part of the lavishly illustrated hardcover media book.  It will be joined by the release on red vinyl of The Best of 1967-1975, a single-LP distillation of the box set.  This 14-song set actually arrives two weeks earlier, on November 2.  You'll find pre-order links for both titles and full track listings below!

Lulu, Decade: 1967-1976 (Edsel, 2018) (Amazon U.S. TBD / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)

CD 1

LOVE LOVES TO LOVE LULU(Columbia LP SCX 6201, 1967)

  1. To Sir With Love
  2. Morning Dew
  3. You And I
  4. Rattler
  5. Day Tripper
  6. Love Loves To Love Love
  7. To Love Somebody
  8. The Boat That I Row
  9. Let's Pretend
  10. Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me
  11. Best Of Both Worlds

SINGLES As and Bs

  1. Dreary Days And Nights (Columbia single DB 8169, 1967)
  2. You And I [mono single version] (Columbia single DB 8295, 1967)
  3. Me, The Peaceful Heart (Columbia single DB 8358, 1968)
  4. Lookout (Columbia single DB 8358, 1968)
  5. Boy (Columbia single DB 8425, 1968)
  6. Sad Memories (Columbia single DB 8425, 1968)
  7. I'm A Tiger (Columbia single DB 8500, 1968)
  8. Without Him (Columbia single DB 8500, 1968)
  9. This Time (Bistro) [from the film Hot Millions] (Epic single 5-10403, 1968)
  10. I Keep Forgettin' (included on To Sir with Love: The Complete Mickie Most Recordings, EMI 7243 5 60369 2 5, 2005)

CD 2

LULU'S ALBUM (Columbia LP SCX 6365, 1969)

  1. Show Me
  2. The Mighty Quinn
  3. My Ain Folk
  4. Where Did You Come From
  5. Gimme Some Lovin'
  6. I Started A Joke
  7. Why Did I Choose You?
  8. The Boy Next Door
  9. A House Is Not A Home
  10. Cry Like A Baby

THE EUROVISION SONGS

  1. Are You Ready For Love (Columbia (Portugal) EP SLEM 2344, 1969)
  2. March! (Columbia single DB 8550, 1969)
  3. Come September (from Lulu's Album, Columbia LP SCX 6365, 1969)
  4. I Can't Go On Living Without You (included on Columbia (Israel) EPOC 40090, 1969)
  5. Boom Bang-A-Bang (Columbia single DB 8550, 1969)
  6. Bet Yer (Columbia (Portugal) EP SLEM 2344, 1969)

THE EUROPEAN VERSIONS

  1. Boom Bang-A-Bang [French version] (included on To Sir with Love: The Complete Mickie Most Recordings, EMI 7243 5 60369 2 5, 2005)
  2. Boom Bang-A-Bang [Italian version] (included on To Sir with Love: The Complete Mickie Most Recordings, EMI 7243 5 60369 2 5, 2005)
  3. Boom Bang-A-Bang [German version] (Columbia (Germany) single 1C 006-04 074, 1969) (*)
  4. Boom Bang-A-Bang [Spanish version] (La Voz De Su Amo single VSL 122, 1969) (*)

CD 3

NEW ROUTES (Atco LP SD 33-310, 1970)

  1. Marley Purt Drive
  2. In The Morning
  3. People In Love
  4. After All (I Live My Life)
  5. Feelin' Alright
  6. Dirty Old Man
  7. Oh Me Oh My (I'm A Fool For You Baby)
  8. Is That You Love
  9. Mr. Bojangles
  10. Where's Eddie
  11. Sweep Around Your Own Back Door

MELODY FAIR (Atco LP 33-330, 1970)

  1. Good Day Sunshine
  2. After The Feeling Is Gone
  3. I Don't Care Anymore
  4. (Don't Go) Please Stay
  5. Melody Fair
  6. Take Good Care Of Yourself
  7. Vine Street
  8. Move To My Rhythm
  9. To The Other Woman (I'm The Other Woman)
  10. Hum A Song (From Your Heart)
  11. Sweet Memories
  12. Saved

CD 4

THE ATCO RECORDINGS: THE UNRELEASED THIRD ALBUM (first released on The Atco Sessions, Rhino 8122 79948-8, 2007)

  1. Bury Me Down By The River
  2. Got To Believe In Love
  3. Jokers Wild
  4. Come Down In Time
  5. Back Home
  6. Things Are Getting Better
  7. Love Song
  8. Goodbye My Love, Goodbye

SINGLES As and Bs

  1. Everybody's Got To Clap (Atco single 45-6819, 1971)
  2. It Takes A Real Man (To Bring Out The Woman In Me) (Atco single 45-6885, 1972)
  3. You Ain't Wrong You Just Ain't Right (Atco single 45-6885, 1972)
  4. Even If I Could Change (Atlantic (U.K.) single K 10185, 1972)

BONUS TRACKS first released on The Atco Sessions, Rhino 8122 79948-8, 2007)

  1. Hum A Song (From Your Heart) [Session Version]
  2. I Don't Care Anymore [Early Mix]
  3. Got To Believe In Love [Early Version]
  4. Povera Me (Oh Me Oh My) [Italian version]

THE GERMAN SINGLES

  1. Warum Tust Du Mir Weh? (Why Do You Hurt Me?) (Atlantic (Germany) single 10.013, 1971) (*)
  2. Traurig, Aber Wahr (Sad But True) (Atlantic (Germany) single 10.013, 1971) (*)
  3. Ich Brauche Deine Liebe (I Need Your Love) (Atlantic (Germany) single 10.083, 1971) (*)
  4. Wach' Ich Oder Traum' Ich (Wake Me Or Dream Me) (Atlantic (Germany) single 10.083, 1971) (*)

CD 5

LULU (Chelsea LP BCL1-0144, 1973)

  1. Make Believe World
  2. Groovin'
  3. Easy Evil
  4. I Wish
  5. A Boy Like You
  6. Hold On To What You've Got
  7. Could It Be Forever?
  8. Funny How Time Slips Away
  9. Do Right Woman, Do Right Man
  10. Help Me Help You

HEAVEN AND EARTH AND THE STARS (Chelsea  LP CHL 518, 1976)

  1. Heaven And Earth And The Stars
  2. Boy Meets Girl
  3. Mama's Little Corner Of The World
  4. The Man With The Golden Gun [Main Title]
  5. Baby I Don't Care
  6. Take Your Mama For A Ride [Pt. 1]
  7. Honey You Can't Take It Back
  8. The Man Who Sold The World
  9. Watch That Man
  10. Old Fashioned Girl
  11. Take Your Mama For A Ride [Pt. 2]

(*) previously unreleased on CD

Lulu, The Best Of: 1967-1976 Red Vinyl (Edsel, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)

  1. To Sir With Love
  2. The Boat That I Row
  3. Let's Pretend
  4. Love Loves to Love Love
  5. Me, the Peaceful Heart
  6. Boy
  7. I'm a Tiger
  8. Boom Bang-a-bang
  9. Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)
  10. Everybody's Got to Clap
  11. The Man With the Golden Gun
  12. The Man Who Sold the World
  13. Watch That Man
  14. Take Your Mama for a Ride
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Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

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Comments

  1. Thank You, again! I've ordered the deluxe box set. Your insightful article is tremendously helpful. Much appreciated!

    Reply

  2. I never expected Lulu to get a boxset because she recorded for so many labels, so this is a nice surprise.

    Some of the programming choices are odd. They shouldn't have removed "Come September" from the Lulu's Album tracklist, for instance. "You and I" appears twice on the first CD - it wouldn't have hurt to repeat that configuration on CD2 with "Come September", especially as the other Eurovision tracks are mono.

    It would have been nice to include the tracks Lulu recorded in a studio and lipsynced to in music videos filmed on location for the Dave Cash Radio Show (which was actually a TV show) in 1972. These include tunes she never otherwise recorded ("Resurrection Shuffle", "Eli's Comin'"), alongside her definitive take of "Oh Me Oh My" (that features a more commanding, playful vocal and a cold ending not present on the Atlantic original). Perhaps rarities like these will be gathered on a single CD similar to the recent Dionne Warwick release on Real Gone. It's strange how Lulu's never received a BBC Sessions CD, at the very least. I believe Demon is a subsidiary of BBC Worldwide, so maybe that will happen.

    Reply

  3. Incidentally, "Let's Pretend" charted at #11 in the UK, not "To Sir With Love", which was tucked away on the B-side. Lulu begged for the track to be repromoted as an A-side in the UK in the wake of its US success but her plea fell on deaf ears.

    Reply

  5. Anyone snag the limited edition with signed print? There's a flood of box sets this year but I really want this one.

    Reply

    • I've got it! Lulu, signed with quality silver ink. The photograph, on fine paper stock, is in full color, and it's a respectable size, too. Great box set, wonderful music!

      Reply

  6. Lulu's incredible sensual and heartbreaking version of Come Down in Time is amazing. I canthearitenough. A missed FM hit, at the time.

    Reply

  7. It amazes me! This incredible vocalist who has recorded wide variety sensational songs. Enough songs that could easily double the number of songs in this box set. What bothers me is when I say that LULU is my favorite singer. Many times I get the response, who? Then when I say, you know the one who sang, To Sir With Love. Oh, yeah! What ever happened to her. If they heard her other achievements, they would be impressed. I just do not understand why her name hasn't continued to be recognized as one of our greatest singers. Now with this box set I get to listen to LULU performances that are new to me. I wish they would have included the Rocket and ALFA recordings of the early 80's. Hopefully they will soon come out on CD.

    Reply

  8. Lulu's second chapter covering the years post "To Sir With Love" (1967) where she explores soul music and bluesy R&B with great results - this Edsel collection (like all Edsel releases) leaves no B-side remastered - it's all here and deserves to be in every LULU collection!

    Reply

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