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Michigan-born, Texas-raised John David Souther was one of the first artists signed to David Geffen and Elliot Roberts' groundbreaking Asylum label in 1971.  His two albums for Asylum, John David Souther (1972) and Black Rose (1976), established the singer-songwriter's distinctive voice on such now-classic songs as "Faithless Love," "How Long," and "Simple Man, Simple Dream."  In 1979, Souther moved over to the Columbia label where he scored a chart-topping hit with the title track of You're Only Lonely.  On July 26, Omnivore will reissue this beloved LP in its first-ever expanded and remastered edition, following the label's past, acclaimed reissues of Souther's two Asylum albums and 1984 Warner Bros. LP Home by Dawn.

For You're Only Lonely, Souther assembled a musical A-team including Waddy Wachtel on guitar, Don Grolnick on piano, Kenny Edwards on bass, and Rick Marotta on drums, with Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar also contributing on guitar, David Sanborn on alto saxophone, and Dan Dugmore on guitar and steel.  Wachtel, Jorge Calderon, and Phil Everly all sang harmony vocals, along with Edwards, Peter Asher, Hayden Gregg, Jackson Browne, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey.  That wasn't all: John Sebastian, Don Felder, Bread's Mike Botts, Tom Scott, Jai Winding, and Little Feat's Fred Tackett all played on the album, too.

JD brought along a set of songs that reflected the diversity of his musical influences and also touched on his own musical history.  Listeners picked up the Roy Orbison inspiration in the shimmering title song, a top ten Pop smash and AC chart-topper which also crossed over to the Billboard Country chart.  The moving rumination on "White Rhythm and Blues" (featuring Phil Everly on harmony) had been introduced in 1978 by Linda Ronstadt while the tender, melancholy "The Last in Love" (penned by Souther and Frey) was first sung by Nicolette Larson on her debut record.  The team of JD and Glenn also wrote the album's raucous romp "'Til the Bars Burn Down."  JD took the opportunity to revisit another pair of tunes.  "The Moon Just Turned Blue" was his first song to be recorded by another group, in this case, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.  "Trouble in Paradise" was a highlight of The Souther-Furay-Hillman Band's second album, but the You're Only Lonely version hewed closer to the songwriter's original vision for the song.  The moving "Songs of Love" had been demoed for Black Rose but made its first appearance on You're Only Lonely, accented by Fred Tackett's acoustic guitar.  The Tex Mex-flavored "If You Don't Want My Love" boasted appearances by Don Felder, Jai Winding, and Mike Botts.

Omnivore's CD reissue, produced by Souther and Omnivore's Cheryl Pawelski, adds two previously unreleased bonus tracks, the outtake "Ever Faithful Woman" (with a killer Kortchmar solo) and a demo of "Bad News Travels Fast," the final version of which would appear on Home by Dawn.  The audio has been exquisitely remastered by Jordan McLeod at Osiris Studio.  The 16-page booklet, with stellar design from Greg Allen, features rare and previously unseen photos of Souther plus memorabilia images.  TSD's own Joe Marchese has written the liner notes, based on a new interview with JD Souther.  Additionally, a vinyl version of the original album sequence (with original artwork only) will be released on the same day.

With its blend of rock-and-roll, blues, country, pop, jazz, and beyond, You're Only Lonely remains a timeless yet fresh collection of songs - alternately rollicking and thoughtful, wistful and romantic - from one of America's finest singer-songwriters and a star-studded group of pals.  Souther explained his philosophy in the liner notes: "We always said our motto was 'we're building to last.' We really spent a lot of time on the songs. The other motto was, 'no filler.' You don't make a single and then put a bunch of filler on an album. You make an album and hope you have a single."  You're Only Lonely epitomizes that motto.  Look for it on CD and LP at the links below on July 26 from Omnivore Recordings!  (Amazon U.S. and Canada links are not yet active but should be live soon!)  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

JD Souther, You're Only Lonely (Columbia JC 36093, 1979 - reissued Omnivore OV-552, 2024)

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

1. You're Only Lonely
2. If You Don't Want My Love
3. The Last in Love
4. White Rhythm and Blues
5. 'Til the Bars Burn Down
6. The Moon Just Turned Blue
7. Songs of Love
8. Fifteen Bucks
9. Trouble in Paradise
10. Ever Faithful Woman (previously unreleased)
11. Bad News Travels Fast (Alternate Take) (previously unreleased)