LP COMING ON RSD/ORDER CD FROM AMAZON.COM
From the moment she stepped out of the background to sing the commanding leads on such classic songs as "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and "He's a Rebel," Darlene Love's voice has been recognized as one of the most powerful in rock and R&B. On Record Store Day, April 23, Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music will celebrate Love's extraordinary legacy of song with a new retrospective featuring fifteen of her most criminally overlooked recordings. The Many Sides of Love: The Complete Reprise Recordings Plus! is not only our very first Second Disc Records release for Record Store Day, but it's a long overdue celebration of the enduring artistry of Darlene Love. But that's not all. On May 6, we'll bring The Many Sides of Love to CD, as well.
The Many Sides of Love brings together - for the first time on long-playing vinyl and on one CD collection - all of the rare single sides recorded by Darlene for the label Frank Sinatra founded, Reprise Records, both as a solo artist and with The Blossoms (the most famous line-up of which featured Darlene, Fanita James, and Jean King). The collection also features the sides The Blossoms recorded (with Darlene on lead, of course) for guitarist Barney Kessel and as The Wildcats.
These soulful tunes are every bit as absorbing as Love's more famous recordings for Phil Spector, with songs from David Gates, Lee Hazlewood, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, and Van McCoy; productions by Hazlewood and Jack Nitzsche, and Jimmy Bowen; and arrangements by H.B. Barnum, Gene Page, Ernie Freeman, and Bill Justis. In other words, the cream of the crop came together for Love and The Blossoms' Reprise recordings, all of which have been newly remastered for this release by Mike Milchner at SonicVision.
But there's still that Plus! in the title. The Many Sides of Love additionally offers Darlene's volcanic rendition of Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Phil Spector's "River Deep, Mountain High" from her star turn in Broadway's Leader of the Pack (produced by Ellie and the legendary Bob Crewe) as well as two Andy Paley-written and produced cuts from the Dick Tracy soundtrack/companion album and Darlene's delightful duet with Bette Midler on the Spector-era classic "He's Sure the Boy I Love."
The vinyl release includes a four-page insert with rare photos as well as comprehensive liner notes by TSD's Joe Marchese, while the CD version offers an expanded 20-page booklet with additional photos and new tributes from Darlene's friends including Dionne Warwick, Jackie DeShannon, and Stevie Van Zandt. Both formats have been designed in the style of a period Reprise album by John Sellards; the LP version has been pressed onto teal vinyl by Gotta Groove Records. The RSD vinyl release of Darlene Love's The Many Sides of Love - The Complete Reprise Recordings Plus! is strictly limited to 3,500 copies and due on Saturday, April 23 from Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records. The CD release follows on May 6. You'll find pre-order links below for this tribute to one of America's all-time greatest vocalists.
Darlene Love, The Many Sides of Love: The Complete Reprise Recordings Plus! (Real Gone Music/Second Disc Records RGM-1375 (LP) / 1463 (CD), 2022) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
- TV Commercials - Barney Kessel (Reprise single R-20,152, 1963)
- What Are We Gonna Do In '64? - The Wildcats (Reprise single 0253, 1964)
- 3625 Groovy Street - The Wildcats (Reprise single 0253, 1964)
- That's When the Tears Start - The Blossoms (Reprise single 0436, 1966)
- Good, Good Lovin' - The Blossoms (Reprise single 0436, 1966)
- My Love, Come Home - The Blossoms (Reprise single 0475, 1966)
- Lover Boy - The Blossoms (Reprise single 0475, 1966)
- Let Your Love Shine on Me - The Blossoms (Reprise single 0522, 1966)
- Deep Into My Heart - The Blossoms (Reprise single 0522, 1966)
- Too Late to Say You're Sorry - Darlene Love (Reprise single 0534, 1966)
- If - Darlene Love (Reprise single 0534, 1966)
- River Deep, Mountain High - Darlene Love (Elektra single 7-69647, 1985)
- Mr. Fix It - Darlene Love (Sire U.K. single W 9535, 1990)
- He's Sure the Boy I Love - Bette Midler and Darlene Love (Warner Bros. LP 545542-2, 2014)
- Mr. Fix It (1930s Version) - Darlene Love (Sire LP 9 26236-2, 1990) (Bonus Track)
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I remember that a few of the Blossoms' Reprise recordings were included on a girl group collection some years ago, but it's great to have all of them in one place, along with the extra stuff. I should also mention that the pre-Philles recordings by the Blossoms were recently brought together on CD by Jasmine Records.
Very excited about this! I still have hope that one day I'll arrive at one of these sites & read headlines of newly discovered Darlene Love material, in plentitude, unvaulted for the very first time. But this will most certainly do until that happens--if & when. I have every Love comp that been released so far. Would do backflips if her Rhino live album & her self-produced album sold while she was doing cruise shows were cleaned up & reissued. Also, her '88 album as a "deluxe" issue? Awesome! "My Heart Is A Clock" was a b-side & I'm sure there may be a few number still in the can than were eventually released on the scant 33 minute album. So many labels involved, but still, a collection with all her soundtrack & compilation contributions would be sweet. Perhaps one day...