Before Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell created The Sound of Philadelphia, Jerry Ross created the sound of Philadelphia. The Philly-born producer-songwriter-entrepreneur penned hits for Diana Ross and the Supremes and The Temptations and produced chart-toppers by Bobby Hebb and Shocking Blue, but only now has his remarkable legacy in pop, rock-and-roll and soul been celebrated on disc. Ace has recently issued Some Kinda Magic: The Songs of Jerry Ross, a 24-track compendium of Ross'
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Beach Boys, Becoming The Beach Boys: The Complete Hite and Dorinda Morgan Sessions (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This 2-CD set, a tie-in with Jim Murphy's recent book Becoming The Beach Boys 1961-1963, chronicles the earliest years of America's Band. Featuring 62 tracks (over 40 previously unreleased), Omnivore's CD is released in conjunction with The Beach Boys' Brother Records, and features all of the extant
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Wilson Pickett, Land of 1000 Dances: The Complete Atlantic Singles Vol. 1 (Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Real Gone Music has the first release in a three-volume collection chronicling Wilson Pickett's tenure at Atlantic Records. The Wicked Pickett released a total of 66 single sides at the label and The Complete Atlantic Singles Vol. 1 collects the first 22 of these in their original mono single mixes. You'll find some
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dusty Springfield rightfully regained her reputation as one of the best British soul singers of her generation, with the help of some famous collaborators. The fruits of that labor, 1990's Reputation, is being expanded by Cherry Red Records this summer. While Dusty had dominated part of the '60s with a unique brand of soul-pop on tracks like "I Only Want to Be with You," "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" and the Burt Bacharach-Hal David-penned "Wishin' and
With summer nearly upon us, we're all beginning to make plans for the next few months. Real Gone is doing the same, having just revealed what its releases are going to be for middle of summer in August! The first item on the list is the first of an eventual three-volume collection chronicling Wilson Pickett's tenure at Atlantic Records. Pickett released a total of 66 single sides at the label and The Complete Atlantic Singles Vol. 1 collects the first 22 of these. When Pickett moved to
Was 1966 the greatest year ever in popular music? The case could certainly be made for its significance - and Jon Savage has done just that in his new book 1966: The Year the Decade Exploded. Savage's book looks at the events and culture of the year in twelve essays, each one built around one 45 RPM record. Naturally, such a book deserves a soundtrack, and Ace Records has seen to it that it receives one with the companion volume of the same name. Jon Savage's 1966: The Year the Decade
Welcome to another New Release Friday, and today's Release Round-Up! Dusty Springfield, Come for a Dream: The U.K. Sessions 1970-1971 (Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Earlier this year, Real Gone released Faithful - a collection of Dusty Springfield's complete sessions with producer-songwriter Jeff Barry, compiled for the first time as originally envisioned on one disc. Now, the label has turned its attention to Dusty's 1970-1971 London sessions intended for the album See All
Are you ready to take a magic carpet ride with Real Gone Music this August? The label's slate for the month offers an array of rock, soul and pop heavy hitters including a number of CD debuts. Two complete singles collections arrive, both on two CDs: one from John Kay and Steppenwolf (The Complete ABC/Dunhill Singles Collection), and another from the late, great Ben E. King (The Complete Atco/Atlantic Singles Volume 1). Then, the label is offering up two rare soundtracks from bona fide rock
Dusty Springfield, Faithful (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Faithful assembles for the first time on one CD all of the masters produced by Jeff Barry ("Chapel of Love," "Leader of the Pack," "Sugar, Sugar") for Dusty Springfield in 1971. From his home base at New York's Century Sound, Barry produced thirteen songs for Dusty - twelve intended for album release and one for a non-LP single. Four songs were released on two 45s, but when Dusty departed Atlantic Records, the
One surefire cure for the winter blues is to think ahead to the warmer climates awaiting us in spring. And Real Gone Music is seeing to it that April 2015 will shower not only with rain but with a full slate of new releases! This batch includes a sprawling set from Yes’ Rick Wakeman produced the great Tony Visconti, two more visits down memory lane with Grateful Dead, plus some rare music from underrated singer/songwriters Craig Fuller and Eric Kaz, and Jesse Winchester. And that’s not
Dusty Springfield’s ebullient first solo single, 1963’s “I Only Want to Be with You,” announced just how far the former Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O’Brien had come from her pop-folk trio The Springfields and the likes of “Silver Threads and Golden Needles.” The thunderous production and joyous vocals augured for a significant new talent, and the song was selected as one of the very first ever to be played on the BBC’s Top of the Pops. And indeed, Dusty Springfield remained at the top of
When I Am Shelby Lynne appeared on the Mercury label in 2000, its eponymous singer finally hit on an approach that synthesized her varied influences (country, soul, R&B, rock-and-roll) into a relevant and contemporary whole. Lynne picked up the Best New Artist Grammy, despite having released her first album in 1989, and the album’s title indicated that, finally, the artist knew who she was, and was ready to share her music with the world. Fast-forward eight years, and a number of albums
UPDATE 10/6: We're just a few short weeks away from the release of Goin' Back: The Definitive Dusty Springfield, a super deluxe box set by any standards. With its four CDs, three DVDs and two hardback books, Goin' Back may be the ultimate holiday gift for the Dusty diehard. Of its 92 audio tracks, 22 are previously unreleased, 10 are making their U.K. debut and five are appearing for the very first time on CD. Of its 98 video performances, a full 32 are premiering on DVD. But if Goin' Back
At last, the remaining piece of the Dusty Springfield puzzle hits CD. On May 23, Cherry Red label RPM will reissue the complete recordings of The Lana Sisters, the late-fifties girl group formed by Ris Chantelle, Lynne Abrams and Mary Catherine O'Brien, later to find fame as soul queen Dusty Springfield. Between 1958 and 1960, The Lana Sisters released seven singles on the U.K.'s Fontana label, all of which are included on RPM's Chantelly Lace: Complete Singles Plus Bonus Tracks. Despite