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Earlier today, Rhino announced its newest batch of Quadio titles, re-presenting vintage quadraphonic surround mixes on Blu-ray Audio Discs.  This time out, the label has turned its attention to four ‘70s classics from three artists returning to the series (Carly Simon, Randy Newman, Seals & Crofts) and one making his Quadio Blu-ray debut (Mongo Santamaria).  All four titles, also containing high-resolution stereo mixes of the original album, are shipping now exclusively from Rhino.com.

Carly Simon’s self-titled debut album arrived on Elektra Records in the spring of 1971, nestled in the label’s discography between singer-songwriter Paul Siebel’s Jack-Knife Gypsy and folk band Farquahr’s eponymous LP. Carly wasn’t quite a stranger to the music business, having recorded three albums for the Kapp and Columbia labels with her sister Lucy as The Simon Sisters, but her solo debut augured for a major talent. She was signed by the label’s founder, Jac Holzman, beginning an association with Elektra that would endure for the entirety of the 1970s.   Carly Simon, produced by Eddie Kramer (Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker), introduced the singer-songwriter’s distinctive and personal voice on songs including the haunting “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be” (co-written with Jacob Brackman), the folk-rock-flavored “Alone,” country-tinged “One More Time.”  With “That’s the Way…,” Carly earned a Grammy nomination and her first top ten hit – no small accomplishment for what’s essentially an art song, beautifully crafted and intimately performed.  It takes on a new dimension in quadraphonic sound.

A bona fide masterwork from Randy Newman is next up.  The singer-songwriter’s third studio album, Sail Away (1972), remains one of his most musically rich sets. Produced by Lenny Waronker and Russ Titelman, Newman’s song cycle combined the orchestral pomp of his debut with the rawness of 12 Songs, but the songwriting was even more focused. The beautiful title song, sung from the perspective of a slave trader enticing humans to “sail away” to America, didn’t pull any punches as it juxtaposed its frightening narrative with melodic and orchestral splendor conducted by Newman’s uncle Emil.  Newman wasn’t pulling any punches.  “God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)” offered its bleak look at mere mortals in the grand scheme of things, coming from the mouth of a most cynical God. One of the best-loved songs in Newman’s canon, “Political Science,” also hails from Sail Away. This foreign policy admonishment to “drop the big one now” has unfortunately never seemed timelier.

Seals & Crofts’ 1973 Diamond Girl, produced by Louie Shelton, spun off its hit title song as a timeless summer anthem.  The loose, funky, and breezy “Diamond Girl” was joined on the LP by the lush ballad “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” which barely missed the U.S. top 20 but fared much better on the AC chart (not to mention scoring many high school graduations).  Seals and Crofts were joined on the album by England Dan and John Ford Coley – the hitmaking duo formed by Jim’s younger brother Dan Seals and his friend Coley – plus David Paich, Jeff Porcaro, Wilton Felder, John Guerin, Harvey Mason, Bobbye Hall, and engineer Dave Hassinger for this cornerstone of their discography.

The late Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria’s Mongo at Montreux (1971) is a high-energy set from the conga titan.  He brings his trademark Afro-Cuban rhythms to a remake of The Temptations’ psychedelic soul showstopper “Cloud Nine” and revisits his hit version of Herbie Hancock’s “Watermelon Man” in addition to reinterpreting the traditional ““Comé Candela.”  The set also includes his 1967 favorite “I Wanna Know” (composed by Hubert Laws) and the powerful “Conversation in Drums.”

You’ll find the track listings and pre-order links for all four Quadio titles below!

Carly Simon, Carly Simon (Elektra 8Q/ESTQ-4082, 1971 – reissued Elektra/Rhino, 2026)

1. “That’s The Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be”
2. “Alone”
3. “One More Time”
4. “The Best Thing”
5. “Just A Sinner”
6. “Dan, My Fling”
7. “Another Door”
8. “Reunions”
9. “Rolling Down The Hills”
10. “The Love’s Still Growing”

Mongo Santamaria, Mongo at Montreux (Atlantic ATLL 1593Q, 1971 – reissued Atlantic/Rhino, 2026)

1. “Comé Candela”
2. “Climax”
3. “Disappear”
4. “Marty’s Tune”
5. “Soleil”
6. “Conversation In Drums”
7. “I Wanna Know”
8. “Watermelon Man”
9. “Cloud Nine”
10. “Watermelon Man”

Randy Newman, Sail Away (Reprise RSTQ 2064 QF, 1972 – reissued Reprise/Rhino, 2026)

1. “Sail Away”
2. “Lonely At The Top”
3. “He Gives Us All His Love”
4. “Last Night I Had A Dream”
5. “Simon Smith And The Amazing Dancing Bear”
6. “Old Man”
7. “Political Science”
8. “Burn On”
9. “Memo To My Son”
10. “Dayton, Ohio – 1903”
11. “You Can Leave Your Hat On”
12. “God’s Song (That’s Why I Love Mankind)”

Seals & Crofts, Diamond Girl (Warner Bros. BS4 2699, 1973 – reissued Warner/Rhino, 2026)

1. “Diamond Girl”
2. “Ruby Jean And Billie Lee”
3. “Intone My Servant”
4. “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)”
5. “Nine Houses”
6. “Standin’ On A Mountain Top”
7. “It’s Gonna Come Down (On You)”
8. “Jessica”
9. “Dust On My Saddle”
10. “Wisdom”