More than 30 years ago, Dave Cameron walked through the halls of Clairemont High School in San Diego. He had a colorful collection of friends: a middle-class, business-oriented guy, his sexually naive sister, her sophisticated best friend, the jock and nerd duo that lusted after the girls and a colorful surfer dude. What none of them knew at the time was that Dave Cameron wasn't really a high school student. He was 22, and had already graduated high school seven years prior, at the age of 15. In
Review: Jackie DeShannon and Doris Troy, Anthologized by Ace
It may have been sheer coincidence that Ace dropped I'll Do Anything: The Doris Troy Anthology 1960-1996 and Jackie DeShannon's Come and Get Me: The Complete Liberty and Imperial Singles Volume 2 on the same day. But different though these two singers may be, their similarities are striking. Both were pioneering female songwriters, with Troy penning her biggest hit, "Just One Look," and DeShannon offering up the likes of "When You Walk in the Room" and "Put a Little Love in Your Heart." Both had
Legendary Lost Love LP to Be Unearthed in June
One of the more legendary lost albums of the 1970s - Love's Black Beauty - is getting its first legitimate release this summer. Love remains one of the great unsung bands of the 1960s. Known for its racially diverse lineup - black singer/songwriter/guitarist Arthur Lee is arguably the best-known member of the group - and the psych-folk-rock style of their critically acclaimed 1967 LPs Da Capo and Forever Changes, Love left a legacy that has outlived most of its members (including Lee, who died
Prince Comes Back 2 Vinyl
It's perhaps the second-best Prince news next to CD remasters: Prince's three albums of the 1980s are being repressed on vinyl. Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and the double-album 1999 (1982) are all being repressed on 180-gram vinyl. While they don't seem to (and likely will not) boast new remastering, it's particularly interesting to see Prince's Warner Bros. catalogue getting any kind of attention by Rhino - especially some of the earlier, bawdier works that the devout Jehovah's
A Song (or 16) for You: New Leon Russell Compilation Due in April
He's one of the all-time great rock and rollers of the early '70s, a session player turned superstar who finally earned his due with a new generation thanks to Elton John and a well-timed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction next month. Now, Capitol Records will release The Best of Leon Russell on April 5, to commemorate the pianist's legacy. This 16-track compilation will feature mostly hits and classic compositions from Leon's solo tenure on Shelter Records from 1970 to 1975 (including one
Back Tracks: Aerosmith, Part II - The Geffen Years and Beyond
Way back in January we did a Back Tracks feature on Aerosmith's Columbia discography, just as Steven Tyler was beginning to crazy it up on American Idol. However, since then Tyler has become a solid asset for Idol fans, and it wouldn't be surprising if the end of the show's current season didn't dovetail into some sort of Aerosmith resurgence. With that in mind, let's take a look from where we left the band in the last Back Tracks special. 1982's Rock in a Hard Place saw original guitarists
Joan Baez to Reissue "Play Me Backwards" With Additional Tracks
Joan Baez recently announced the reissue of her 1992 album Play Me Backwards as a nicely expanded set - but you'll have to pony up if you want it in the States. Play Me Backwards marked a lot of firsts for the folk singer: her first album in Nashville since Come from the Shadows (1972), her first of many collaborations with songwriters/producers Kenny Greenberg and Wally Wilson, her main collaborators for most of the 1990s and her first music video, for the track "Stones in the Road." The
New Compilation to Highlight Fania Records
Here's something a little bit different that came our way courtesy of MusicTAP: a compilation coming out later this month to highlight the early years of Fania Records. The New York-based label, founded by artist Johnny Pacheco and lawyer Jerry Masucci, was a pioneering force in the salsa genre, a perfect storm of traditional Latin rhythms fused with the modern sounds of rock and soul music. The label made stars out of Latin musicians like Pacheco, Bobby Valentin, Celia Cruz and Ruben Blades
Release Round-Up: Week of March 1
James Brown, The Singles Vol. 10 1975-1979 (Polydor/Hip-o Select) The Godfather of Soul's penultimate complete singles compilation from Select. One more to follow! (Hip-o Select) Carole King and James Taylor, Troubadours: The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter (Hear Music) A new documentary on the California singer/songwriter scene of the 1970s, coupled with a bonus disc of some of the best songs from that period. (Amazon) Various Artists, Icon (UMe) Budget compilations from artists across the
Reissue Theory: Philip Bailey, "Chinese Wall"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. Despite the presence of a hit single with a famous singer/songwriter/producer and a killer soul vocalist, Philip Bailey's hit sophomore record remains unexpanded on CD. What would such a project look like? This article is the only way you'll ever know-oh-ohh... What does it say about Philip Bailey that his biggest hit wasn't entirely his? It's not like Bailey only had
It's Official: Queen Will Rock Fans with U.S. Reissues
To finally clear up all the confusion, Hollywood Records issued a press release confirming that the upcoming reissues of the band's first five LPs - the ones we've covered at great length here - will be getting Stateside releases this spring. As with the U.K. versions coming from Island/UMe in March, these sets will be two discs each, pairing the original LPs with a bonus disc of rarities. (The track listings are identical worldwide.) The Deep Cuts compilation is not set for a U.S. release, but
Singles Sets from Sundazed to Feature Sam the Sham, Sir Douglas Quintet
When it comes to the recent
Michael Small's "Audrey Rose" Arrives on CD
Despite his acclaimed scores to films such as Klute, The Parallax View, Marathon Man and The China Syndrome, Michael Small (1939-2003) remains one of the most underrated names in the film score pantheon. Too few a number of Small’s works have been made available on CD, yet his singular voice enhanced a number of great films (and even some bad ones - Ed.). This is especially true during his 1970s peak in which he collaborated with directors as celebrated as Alan J. Pakula, Bryan Forbes, Sidney
Now Sounds Readies "The Collage" for Expanded CD Debut
When The Collage signed with Mercury Records' Smash division in 1968 (also the home of The Left Banke), the group was on the verge of a breakthrough. Consisting of Jerry Careaga, Ron Joelson, Donna Byrd and Jodie Cline, the two-man, two-woman Collage was in the mold of The Mamas and the Papas, but with two ace songwriters instead of one; Careaga and Joelson worked as a team. Their songs - described by Careaga as "beat-poetry lyrics to show-tune-style melodies" - grabbed the attention of industry
Another Morrissey Compilation is Coming
If you thought you already had the best of Morrissey on CD - even if you probably do - Moz is going to prove you wrong with The Very Best of Morrissey, a new CD/DVD compilation due in April. If our count is correct, this is Morrissey's seventh or eighth compilation, but it's good to see he's still active. The track list collects pretty much all the hits you'd expect from the HMV/Parlophone era of 1988 to 1995, including a few choice B-sides and single material (U.S. mixes of "Tomorrow" and "My
Release Round-Up: Week of February 22
Johnny Cash, Bootleg 2: From Memphis to Hollywood (Columbia/Legacy) Rarities from the Man in Black, including rare radio performances, demos and single sides. (Official site) Various Artists, Wall of Sound: The Very Best of Phil Spector / The Ronettes, Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes / The Crystals, Da Doo Ron Ron: The Very Best of The Crystals / Darlene Love, The Sound of Love: The Very Best of Darlene Love (Phil Spector Records/Legacy) Legacy finally gets things going with their
Presidents' Day Special Feature: Stan Freberg, "The United States of America"
Here's one for Watson: "This actor, comedian, voice artist, singer, songwriter and advertising guru coined the name 'Grammy' for the annual awards bestowed by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS)." The correct answer? "Who is Stan Freberg?" To list Freberg's credits in the fields of cinema, radio, television, animation and music would take up the entirety of this column, but readers unfamiliar with those accomplishments are advised to stop reading now, order a copy of
D.I.Y. Dylan: Bob's "Archive" Box Coming Soon
Maybe Bob Dylan really was a hobo. Despite his solid middle-class upbringing, it wasn't uncommon for fans to believe that Dylan really did ride the rails slinging a bag on a stick. Dylan, for a time, even encouraged this mythology of his own making. But if he wasn't a hobo in the literal sense, he undoubtedly was one, musically, if one defines a hobo as "one who wanders from place to place without a permanent home." Since his self-titled Columbia debut in 1962, Dylan has travelled the path from
Friday Feature: "Catch Me If You Can"
It's hard not to be skeptical over the fact that Catch Me If You Can, the amazing "true story of a real fake," is coming to Broadway. Modern musicals based on existing properties either hew too close to their original musical source material (if they were already rooted in song, like Footloose) or not close enough; consider Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, for instance. (Or don't!) The few songs this author's heard from the Catch Me musical score, sent on a promotional disc, are jaunty and fun
Big Break Delivers Big Slate of Soul Classics in March
Our friends at the U.K.-based Big Break label haven't given much thought lately to a break! A recently-announced slate of March releases bring the label's total catalogue to nearly 50 titles since its inception in 2009, and covers a wide and diverse swath of soulful artists. Some are returning to the label (The Pointer Sisters, Deniece Williams, Billy Ocean) and others are making their label debuts (Dennis Edwards, Ashford and Simpson, The Originals). Deniece Williams is recipient of her third
Reissue Theory: Madonna, "Like a Prayer"
By now, you've likely heard the 1,000th No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 - Lady Gaga's new single "Born This Way." The dance anthem has come under a bit of fire for critics thanks to its striking similarity to another dance-pop icon's hit, Madonna's "Express Yourself." The Madonna-Gaga comparisons have been wildly obvious from the start - Italian-American, dyed blonde singers with decent if not fantastic voices, a flair for the visual and a desire to control every aspect of their iconography
Release Round-Up: Week of February 15
Smokey Robinson, The Solo Albums Volume 4 (Motown/Hip-o Select) The Motown great's next two vintage studio albums (Love Breeze and Where There's Smoke) go back into print on one CD with a bonus B-side instrumental added on. (Hip-o Select) Teena Marie, ICON (Motown/UMe) The late, great Motown singer is canonized in Universal's budget compilation series. (Amazon) Phil Collins, No Jacket Required (Audio Fidelity) The Genesis frontman/drummer's biggest and best pop LP gets the 24K gold CD
Back Tracks: Buffalo Springfield Reunion Special
“Used to play in a rock ‘n roll band, but they broke up. We were young and we were wild, it ate us up,” lamented Neil Young in the song “Buffalo Springfield Again” from his 2000 album Silver and Gold. “I’d like to see those guys again, and give it a shot. Maybe now we can show the world what we’ve got. But I’d just like to play for the fun we had.” Some 11 years later, Young’s wish may be coming true. On February 10, Rolling Stone carried a headline for which fans had waited years: “Exclusive:
Beatles, Big Star Grab Grammys
A quick congratulation to start the morning for two notable box sets which took home Grammys last night. Robert Gordon won a Grammy for writing the liner notes to Rhino's Big Star box Keep an Eye on the Sky, while Best Historical Album went to The Beatles' The Original Studio Recordings; receiving that trophy were producer Jeff Jones and mastering engineers Paul Hicks, Sean Magee, Guy Massey, Sam Okell and Steve Rooke at Abbey Road.
Friday Feature: "Born Free"
Remembering his great friend John Barry upon the composer's recent death, lyricist Don Black regaled the press with stories of the "blunt-spoken Yorkshireman" with his divine gift of music. Black relished the tales of Barry's epic battle with Barbra Streisand which led to the mercurial composer's departure from Streisand's The Prince of Tides and his succinct rebuke to producer Harry Saltzman on the producer's criticism of his theme song for Diamonds Are Forever: "What the f--k do you know about
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