Legacy Recordings has announced plans to deepen the legend of Luther Vandross with the first-ever expanded reissue of two long-unavailable albums recorded mononymously as Luther in the mid-'70s.

Luther (1976) and This Close to You (1977) were originally issued by the Cotillion label but near impossible to find after Vandross finally found solo success in the 1980s, as he bought the rights to both releases back. With 2024 poised to be a big rediscovery year for the late icon - the documentary Luther: Never Too Much recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival - both albums will be issued on vinyl, CD and digital, the latter two formats graced with four unreleased instrumentals and outtakes between each release. Luther will be available April 19, while This Close to You streets June 7; both titles and related merch are available at Vandross' official store.

Luther, as an artist, was actually more than Vandross himself: it was a quintet featuring Vandross, Anthony Hinton and Diane Sumler (both from the group Shades of Jade), Theresa V. Reed and Christine Wiltshire (of disco outfits Class Action and Phreek). It was Vandross' songcraft on full display, though: Luther included "Everybody Rejoice" - heard the year before in the Broadway musical The Wiz - and single "Funky Music (is a Part of Me)," which had been reworked the year before as "Fascination" on David Bowie's Young Americans. (Vandross sang backing vocals for Bowie on that record and its subsequent tour, and would make similar contributions for an array of diverse artists before hitting it big as a solo artist, including CHIC, Ringo Starr, Cat Stevens, Bette Midler and others.) Another single, "The 2nd Time Around," was later re-recorded by Vandross on his 1988 album Any Love.

Vandross also produced both albums, recruiting Motown legend Paul Riser for arrangements and featuring his high school friend Nat Adderley, Jr. on keyboards for both records. Adderley, whose father and brother Julian "Cannonball" were both jazz horn greats, would contribute to nearly every one of Luther's solo albums up to his final bow, 2003's Dance with My Father. Taken together, these albums - predating not only 1981 solo debut Never Too Much but even 1980's chart-topping club favorite "The Glow of Love," which he sung for the disco group Change - mark the first major chapter in an incredible pop/R&B career, finally available for all to hear.

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Luther (Expanded Edition) (Primary Wave/Legacy, 2024)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

1. Funky Music (is a Part of Me)
2. The 2nd Time Around
3. I'll Get Along Fine
4. Everybody Rejoice
5. Emotion Eyes
6. This Strange Feeling
7. It's Good for the Soul (Parts I and II)
8. The 2nd Time Around (Instrumental)

Tracks 1-7 released as Cotillion SD-9907, 1976
Track 8 previously unreleased

This Close to You (Expanded Edition) (Primary Wave/Legacy, 2024)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

1. This is for Real
2. A Lover's Change
3. Don't Take the Time
4. Jealousy is in Me
5. This Close to You
6. Don't Wanna Be a Fool
7. Come Back to Love
8. Follow My Love
9. Can't Get Enough Good Loving
10. Come Back to Love (Instrumental)
11. Don't Wanna Be a Fool (Instrumental)

Tracks 1-8 released as Cotillion SD-9916, 1977
Tracks 9-11 previously unreleased