WIWS Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

We Will Meet Again: Craft Recordings Reissues, Expands Bill Evans' "You Must Believe in Spring"

April 11, 2022 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Bill Evans You Must Believe in Spring

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

Last year, Craft Recordings delivered an impressive career-spanning salute to late pianist-composer Bill Evans.  The title of that box set, Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans, rings true today as the label has announced a remastered reissue of one of Evans' finest studio albums, the posthumous release You Must Believe in Spring.  It's due on June 3 in 180-gram vinyl, CD, hybrid stereo SACD (playable on all CD players), and digital formats.

Produced by Tommy LiPuma and Evans' longtime manager Helen Keane and engineered by Al Schmitt, You Must Believe in Spring has long been acclaimed as perhaps Evans' best-sounding album.  It was also his final studio recording with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Eliot Zigmund.  That iteration of the Bill Evans Trio had been playing together for three years (both live and in the studio) and had achieved an easy rapport in the conversational style so cherished by Evans.

Recorded on August 23-25, 1977 at Capitol Studios in Hollywood, You Must Believe in Spring displays the delicate introspection that characterizes the pianist's finest work.  Michel Legrand's sweepingly romantic title track was plucked from his score to Jacques Demy's The Young Girls of Rochefort.  The Trio also reinterpreted Johnny Mandel's "Suicide Is Painless," the melancholy theme to film and television's M*A*S*H.  Evans turned to the jazz songbook, too, surveying tunes from Jimmy Rowles, Gary McFarland, and Argentinean pianist Sergei Mihanovich.  He rounded out the LP with two originals.  "B Minor Waltz (For Ellaine)" - one of four waltzes on the album - was penned for his late companion Ellaine Shultz.  "We Will Meet Again (For Harry)" was dedicated to his late brother.  The latter composition would be revisited by Evans two years later as the title song of his final studio album.

The 180-gram vinyl release of You Must Believe in Spring boasts all-analog mastering, cut at 45 RPM from the original tapes by Kevin Gray at Cohearent Audio. Pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI Record Technology, Inc. (RTI), it's presented as a 2-LP set in a gatefold package, with new liner notes from music historian Marc Myers.

The CD, hybrid SACD, and high-resolution digital editions feature three bonus tracks, all of which were originally issued on Rhino's 2003 expanded edition.  Cole Porter's "All of You," Vincent Youmans, Billy Rose, and Edward Eliscu's "Without a Song," and Miles Davis' "Freddie Freeloader" were all recorded during the sessions but left out of the final running order; Evans likely omitted them because they didn't fit comfortably with the album's beautifully elegiac mood.  Evans had first recorded "All of You" in 1961, while "Without a Song" was new to his repertoire.  "Freddie Freeloader" was the only track on Davis' 1959 masterwork Kind of Blue on which Evans did not perform (Wynton Kelly played instead); he tackled it here on electric piano.

Audio for the CD, high resolution digital, and SACD versions has been transferred from the original master tapes using the Plangent Processes and newly remastered by Paul Blakemore. The SACD release is exclusive to the Craft Recordings store while other formats will be available at general retail.

One month after the conclusion of the studio sessions, Eddie Gomez departed the Trio after 11 years.  Zigmund, who joined the Trio in 1974, departed later that year.  But the three friends had a reunion in 1980 when Evans was performing with his new lineup.  In the press release, Zigmund remembers, "On a break, the three of us went to sit in Bill's Chevy Impala parked nearby. He wanted us to listen to a tape of the unreleased You Must Believe in Spring.  As we listened, I was transported back to the trio's conversational beauty. The music was special, and no one in the car said a word. Though Bill's face was expressionless while listening, we knew from his big parting smile that he was very happy with what he heard. That's the last time I saw Bill."  Bill Evans died in September at the age of 51.  Five months later, the LP was released on the Warner Bros. label.  Marc Myers writes that the pianist was proud of the work: "For Evans, perfection was an elusive target and a career-long obsession," writes Myers. "You Must Believe in Spring is a studio album [that] Evans felt hit the mark."

Look for Craft Recordings' reissues on June 3.  You'll find the track listings and pre-order links below.

Bill Evans, You Must Believe in Spring (Warner Bros. LP HS 3504, 1981 - reissued Craft Recordings, 2022)

2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
SACD: CraftRecordings.com

  1. B Minor Waltz (For Ellaine)
  2. You Must Believe in Spring
  3. Gary's Theme
  4. We Will Meet Again (For Harry)
  5. The Peacocks
  6. Sometime Ago
  7. Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide Is Painless)
  8. Without A Song (*)
  9. Freddie Freeloader (*)
  10. All Of You (*)

(*) CD/SACD/Digital Bonus Tracks, all first released on Warner Bros./Rhino CD R2 73719, 2003​

Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, SACD, Vinyl Genre: Jazz Tags: Bill Evans

Avatar photo

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.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

You Might Also Like

  • Prince and the Revolution Live 1Release Round-Up: Week of June 3
  • Neil Young Official Release 4Release Round-Up: Week of April 29
  • gold cd2The Year In Review: The 2021 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z - Part Two
  • Barbra Streisand Release Me 2Release Round-Up: Week of August 6

Comments

  1. Kerry says

    April 11, 2022 at 1:38 pm

    Finally someone has enough BRAINS to reissue a artist that is worthy of intelligence and true
    music ABILITIES of classy tunes

    Reply
  2. plasket says

    April 11, 2022 at 3:00 pm

    I wonder if Concord/Craft has the rights to all Bill's Warner stuff now.

    Reply
  3. Ben in Colorado says

    April 11, 2022 at 5:55 pm

    Whoever has the rights to his later career recordings , I wish they would re-issue the two live box sets that were available 10 years or so ago. They were excellent, and I sold my copies when I needed the cash, and I wish I could buy them again. They go for exorbitantly high prices now.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Crazy Horse All Roads Lead Home
    All Roads Lead Home
    Crazy Horse
    March 31, 2023
  • The Who With Orchestra Live at Wembley
    The Who with Orchestra Live at Wembley
    The Who
    March 31, 2023
  • The Birth of Bop
    The Birth of Bop: The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection
    Various Artists
    March 31, 2023
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,572 other subscribers

Popular

  • Rush Signals 40th
    Chemistry: Rush Revisits "Signals" For 40th Anniversary posted on March 22, 2023 | under News
  • Rick Springfield Springfield
    Call the Fire Brigade: Iconoclassic Premieres Rick Springfield's Lost 1974 Album "Springfield" in Expanded Edition posted on March 20, 2023 | under News
  • Elton John Honky Chateau Cover
    Release Round-Up: Week of March 24 posted on March 24, 2023 | under Release Round-Up

Comments

  • small faces here come the nice2
    Return To Itchycoo Park: Small Faces' "Here Come The Nice" Deluxe Box Set Arrives In January [UPDATED 12/3] 84 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 3, 2013 | under News
  • the beatles u s albums box2
    British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil "The U.S. Albums" Box Set in January 69 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 12, 2013 | under News
  • Rolling Stones in Mono
    Out of Their Heads: Stones Plan Mono Box Set 47 comments | by Mike Duquette | posted on August 10, 2016 | under News

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popblerd
  • Popdose
  • Record Racks
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Viva La Mainstream
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Resonance Records
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2023 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy