News

Not long after the release of Joni Mitchell’s Quadio box set – making her the third artist to have an entire Quadio box dedicated to her, after Chicago and The Doobie Brothers – Rhino has just announced the fourth round of Blu-ray titles in the four-channel surround format  Donny Hathaway’s Extension Of A Man, Hot Tuna’s Burgers, Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly, and Seals & Crofts’ Summer Breeze are all available now, as newly remastered from the original four-channel quadraphonic master tapes.  Every title contains the four-channel mix as well as the original stereo mix at high-resolution 192/24.  These titles are available individually as well as in a bundle directly from Rhino.com and select other Warner Music Group online storefronts.

The late Donny Hathaway‘s fourth and final studio album of his lifetime, Extension of a Man, released in 1973, welcomed a host of friends and collaborators including bass great Stanley Clarke (Return to Forever), drummer Fred White (brother of Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White), guitarist Cornell Dupree, flautist Hubert Laws, The Sweet Inspirations, and other luminaries of the ’70s jazz and R&B scenes.  In addition to a host of original compositions including “Someday We’ll All Be Free,” co-written with Edward Howard, the album featured eclectic covers penned by Al Kooper (“I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”), Leon Ware (“I Know It’s You”), and Danny O’Keefe (“Magdalena”).  It reached No. 18 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 69 on the Billboard 200.

Hot Tuna‘s 1972 release Burgers, was the third album (and first studio set) from Jefferson Airplane’s guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady.  Melding folk and blues styles largely removed from the Airplane’s sound, Burgers included six Kaukonen originals and covers of Blind Boy Fuller, Julius Daniel, and the Rev. Gary Davis.  The core duo was joined by another Airplane member, violinist Papa John Creach, and drummer Sammy Piazza; David Crosby guested on the vocals of “Highway Song.”  With electric and acoustic songs, and vocal tracks as well as instrumentals, Burgers solidified the notion of Hot Tuna as far more than just an Airplane side project.

The fourth solo album from Donny Hathaway’s sometimes-singing partner Roberta Flack, 1973’s Killing Me Softly, remains the chanteuse’s most successful album.  The double-platinum LP went to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 2 on the R&B survey as well as charting internationally.  It was anchored, of course, by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel’s Grammy-winning title track; it also featured compositions from Janis Ian (“Jesse”), Gene McDaniels (“River”), and Leonard Cohen (“Suzanne”), among others.  Like Hathaway, Flack was accompanied by a Who’s Who of contemporary soul-jazz, including guitarist Eric Gale, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Grady Tate, and percussionist Ralph MacDonald, who co-wrote “No Tears (In the End).”  The illustrious likes of Eumir Deodato, Pee Wee Ellis, William Eaton, and Don Sebesky all contributed arrangements, and Killing Me Softly was dedicated to multi-instrumentalist Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

The Texas-born duo of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts recorded their first joint album in 1969, helmed by 5th Dimension arranger Bob Alcivar.  John Simon produced their second LP, and a third set under the auspices of Louie Shelton marked their major-label debut.  But it wasn’t until album number four, 1972’s Summer Breeze, that Seals & Crofts came into their own.  Named for the haunting yet breezy ballad that went into the U.S. top ten, Summer Breeze also spun off the hit single “Hummingbird,” a top 20 success.  The two guitarists were joined on the LP by session veterans Larry Knechtel on piano, Jim Gordon on drums, and The Electric Flag’s Harvey Brooks on bass.  Though Seals & Crofts went on to have more hits including “Diamond Girl,” “We May Never Pass This Away Again,” and “Get Closer,” Summer Breeze remains their most successful studio set, going double-platinum.

All four Quadio titles are available now directly from Rhino.com!

Donny Hathaway, Extension of a Man (Atco QD 7029, 1973 – reissued Atco/Rhino, 2024)

1. “I Love the Lord; He Heard My Cry (Parts I & II)”
2. “Someday We’ll All Be Free”
3. “Flying Easy”
4. “Valdez in the Country”
5. “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know”
6. “Come Little Children”
7. “Love, Love, Love”
8. “The Slums”
9. “Magdalena”
10. “I Know It’s You”

Hot Tuna, Burgers (Grunt PQFT-1004, 1972 – reissued Grunt/Rhino, 2024)

1. “True Religion”
2. “Highway Song”
3. “99 Year Blues”
4. “Sea Child”
5. “Keep On Truckin'”
6. “Water Song”
7. “Ode for Billy Dean”
8. “Let Us Get Together Right Down Here”
9. “Sunny Day Strut”

Roberta Flack, Killing Me Softly (Atlantic QD 7271, 1973 – reissued Atlantic/Rhino, 2024)

1. “Killing Me Softly with His Song”
2. “Jesse”
3. “No Tears (In the End)”
4. “I’m the Girl”
5. “River”
6. “Conversation Love”
7. “When You Smile”
8. “Suzanne”

Seals & Crofts, Summer Breeze (Warner Bros. BS4 2629, 1974 – reissued Warner/Rhino, 2024)

1. “Hummingbird”
2. “Funny Little Man”
3. “Say”
4. “Summer Breeze”
5. “East of Ginger Trees”
6. “Fiddle in the Sky”
7. “The Boy Down the Road”
8. “The Euphrates”
9. “Advance Guards”
10. “Yellow Dirt”