Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia’s Keystone Companions vinyl box set

A little-known and, in my humble opinion, underappreciated part of the late, great Jerry Garcia’s milieu is the great music the guitarist recorded with Bay Area keyboardist Merl Saunders. Although Garcia’s musical credentials are well-established, those of his long-time friend Merl are less familiar to a general audience. A talented musician conversant in several genres, including rock, jazz, and world music, Saunders first met and began playing with Garcia in 1970 and, with his Merl Saunders and Friends band, performed with artists as diverse as Mike Bloomfield, Vassar Clements, and David Grisman. An in-demand session player, Saunders – who passed away in 2008 – recorded with folks like Bonnie Raitt, Taj Mahal, Betty Davis and, yes, the Grateful Dead.

For better than five years during the early ‘70s, Saunders took part in a weekly jam session at various San Francisco venues with Garcia, bassist John Kahn, and drummer Bill Vitt. Two nights at the Keystone in July 1973 were recorded and released that year as Live at Keystone, a double-album that is frequently overlooked by all but the hardest core Jerry/Dead fans. The album was subsequently reissued on CD in 1988 as two separate discs with bonus tracks, and later a pair of CDs titled Keystone Encores were released featuring even more material from the two nights. The whole kit ‘n’ caboodle was reissued in 2012 as a four-CD set called Keystone Companions: The Complete 1973 Fantasy Recordings which included all the material from the four extant CDs along with seven previously-unreleased tracks, all presented in the order they were performed in concert.

On October 28th, 2016 Fantasy Records, a division of Concord Bicycle Music, will release Keystone Companions as a deluxe, six-album vinyl box set – two-dozen tracks total pressed onto magnificent black 180-gram vinyl. Re-mastered from the original tapes and presented in the order the songs were originally performed on July 10th and 11th, 1973 at the Keystone club in Berkeley, the performances were originally recorded by Grateful Dead associates Betty Cantor-Jackson and Rex Jackson, with the four musicians are credited as the album’s producers. The set includes a gorgeous accompanying booklet with never-before-seen photos and updated liner notes by Grateful Dead expert David Gans as well as a collectible poster.

With these performances, Saunders, Garcia, and the gang delve into a delightfully wide-ranging set list that spans blues, jazz, rockabilly, Motown, and even reggae with a cover of Jimmy Cliff’s classic “The Harder They Come.” Keystone Companions includes original material like “Merl’s Tune” and “Keepers” as well as classic R&B tunes like “I Second That Emotion” and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and vintage blues gems from Lightnin’ Hopkins (“Someday Baby”), Blind Lemon Jefferson (“One Kind Favor”), and Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup (“That’s All Right, Mama”). The band even re-imagines a pair of Bob Dylan tunes with inspired covers of “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry” and “Positively 4th Street.”

There’s some overlap in the songs from one night to another, but because of the band’s improvisational abilities, they’re not cookie-cutter performances. More than just another high-priced collectible, Keystone Companions offers enough great music to demand your attention.

Buy the vinyl box set from Amazon.com: Merl Saunders & Jerry Garcia's Keystone Companions

Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective vinyl box set

Back in 2013, Rounder Records released the critically-acclaimed Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective, a seven-CD box set documenting nearly the entire career of the late, legendary blues-rock guitarist. Compiled by Duane’s daughter Galadrielle Allman with producer Bill Levenson, Skydog offered up classic Allman Brothers tracks alongside the guitarist’s earliest recordings with brother Gregg in bands like the Escorts, the Allman Joys, and Hour Glass. The set also featured some of Allman’s brilliant session work with artists like Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Boz Scaggs, and Delaney & Bonnie as well as a live jam session with the Grateful Dead and rare single releases.

On October 28th, 2016 Rounder Records will release Skydog as a limited-edition box set comprised of 129 tracks spread across fourteen shiny black 180gr vinyl LPs. Each of the set’s 1,000 individually-numbered copies includes all the music from the CD version, as well as a 56-page booklet that features rare photos and essays by Galadrielle Allman and music journalist Scott Schinder. New to this release are several unpublished photos of Allman which will be featured on each LP sleeve.

In a departure from normal distribution, Rounder Records has hooked up with PledgeMusic, an online direct-to-fan platform, to make the box set available. Fans can pre-order the Skydog vinyl box directly from PledgeMusic and select from three bundles with exclusive goodies. What do you get for your hard-earned coin? The ‘Standard Bundle’ ($499) includes the Skydog vinyl box set, custom-printed shipping carton, an eight-panel postcard set, and a B&W photo. The ‘Deluxe Bundle’ ($580) gets all of that plus an embossed leather turntable slipmat, a lithograph poster, and a signed and numbered copy of Galadrielle’s Please Be With Me: A Song For My Father, Duane Allman. The ‘Super Deluxe Bundle’ ($700) includes all of the aforementioned goodies and features one of 50 limited-edition, numbered LPs in a custom-printed Skydog shipping carton with a correspondingly-numbered copy of Allman’s book.

“The Skydog retrospective tells my father Duane Allman’s life story in the fierce and melodic voice of his guitar,” says daughter Galadrielle in a press release for the new vinyl box set. “From his earliest high school strivings to the stunning virtuosity he finally achieved, it is all here. Being part of this project has deepened my understanding of who my father was, and he was remarkable. I hope it will do the same for all who listen. This collection deserves to be heard on vinyl, still the warmest and richest format there is. I'm so proud it was possible.” Grab your copy of the Skydog box set on vinyl from the PledgeMusic website.

The Return of the Living Dead back on vinyl for Halloween

The 1985 cult movie The Return of the Living Dead was a sort of ‘punk rock’ sequel to filmmaker George Romero’s classic horror film Night of the Living Dead. Loosely based on a novel by writer John Russo, who had co-written the screenplay for Night of the Living Dead, the quasi-sequel was written and directed by Dan O’Bannon, who added more period-appropriate gore as well as morbid “splatstick” humor to the original film’s formula. Made on a low budget of $4 million, The Return of the Living Dead grossed better than $14 million at the box office and spawned four sequels while becoming a classic of the horror genre while also launching the career of B-movie ‘Scream Queen’ Linnea Quigley.

The Return of the Living Dead is credited as the first horror film to feature zombies dining exclusively on brains rather than just lumbering along as cannibalistic flesh-eaters, a fine distinction to be sure, but one that has carried over into subsequent horror films as well as TV shows. Something else the movie was known for was its high-octane punk-rock soundtrack, one of the first movies to rely on the genre as its musical backdrop. On October 14, 2016 Real Gone Music will reissue The Return of the Living Dead soundtrack on vinyl in several limited-edition variations.       

Originally released by Enigma Records, the film’s soundtrack included songs by psychobilly legends the Cramps, U.K. punk trailblazers the Damned, and ‘60s cult rocker Roky Erickson as well as tracks from the Flesh Eaters, 45 Grave, Tall Boys, Jet Black Berries, 45 Grave, and T.S.O.L. Sadly, the label shoehorned in two ridiculous tracks by SSQ, an electronic dance band featuring singer Stacey Q that the powers-that-be at Enigma seemed to be enamored of at the time.

The Real Gone vinyl reissues feature the album’s original cover and label artwork and will be released in four variations: a grey “Brainsss” version, a black and red starburst version (an indie record store exclusive), an orange and green starburst version (available only from FYE/Transworld stores), all in editions of 720 copies, and a glow-in-the-dark version of 500 copies available only through the Real Gone Music website.

The Return of the Living Dead track list:

Side One
1. The Cramps – “Surfin’ Dead”
2. 45 Grave – “Partytime (Zombie Version)”
3. T.S.O.L. – “Nothing for You”
4. The Flesh Eaters – “Eyes Without A Face”
5. Roky Erickson – “Burn the Flames”

Side Two
1. The Damned – “Dead Beat Dance”
2. Tall Boys – “Take a Walk”
3. The Jet Black Berries – “Love Under Will”
4. SSQ – “Tonight (We’ll Make Love Until We Die)”
5. SSQ – “Trash’s Theme”

Rhino Records celebrates Rocktober with Vinyl Reissues!

Archival specialists Rhino Records has announced their first ever “Rocktober” celebration, the label planning on releasing limited-edition vinyl reissue of some classic – and some not-so-classic – rock ‘n’ roll albums throughout the month of October. The party kicks off on Tuesday, October 4th, 2016 with an über-cool slate of titles that includes Deep Purple’s Machine Head and Twisted Sister’s Stay Hungry.

The celebration continues throughout the month, each Tuesday bringing a brand new batch of vinyl goodies from the likes of the Stooges, the Small Faces, Iron Butterfly, ZZ Top, and the Flamin’ Groovies, among others. These audio flapjacks will only be available at participating brick and mortar record stores, so fluff up your sleeping bag and get ready to camp out overnight to buy the cheap thrills vinyl of your choice from the handy list below.

October 4th
• Deep Purple – Machine Head (clear vinyl, limited edition of 2500 copies, $21.98 list) *
• Foreigner – 4 (red colored vinyl, limited edition of 2400 copies, $19.98 list) *
• Jet – Get Born (180gr black vinyl, $21.98 list) +
• Twisted Sister – Stay Hungry (pink & black starburst colored vinyl w/band poster, limited edition of 2500 copies, $21.98 list) *

October 11th
• Iron Butterfly – Heavy (stereo version, 180gr black vinyl, $19.98 list)
• ZZ Top – Eliminator (red colored vinyl, $19.98 list)

October 18th
• Alice Cooper – Billion Dollar Babies (green, yellow & orange marble vinyl w/one billion dollar bill insert, limited edition of 3000 copies, $24.98 list) *
• Small Faces – First Step (orange vinyl, $19.98 list)
• The Stooges – The Stooges (gold & brown colored vinyl, $19.98 list)

October 25th
• Buckcherry – 15 (10th anniversary vinyl edition, $19.98 list) *
• Heaven & Hell – The Devil You Know (two-LP set on dark orange & gold colored vinyl w/band poster and etching on side four, limited edition of 2000 copies, $27.98 list) *
• T-Rex – T-Rex (remastered vinyl & CD release, $19.98 list each) +
• The Flamin’ Groovies – Groovies Greatest Grooves (two-LP vinyl set, $27.98 list)

* Only available in the U.S.
+ Only available in North America

Fat Possum Records celebrates 25th Anniversary

Launched in 1991 by blues fan Matthew Johnson, the Oxford, Mississippi-based Fat Possum Records quickly earned a name for itself by recording artists that had largely been overlooked by established blues imprints like Alligator and Blind Pig Records. Specializing in artists well-versed in the (then) obscure branch of the genre known as Mississippi Hill Country blues, Fat Possum gained respect and recognition with releases like Junior Kimbrough’s All Night Long and R.L. Burnside’s Bad Luck City, which were produced by respected musician and former New York Times music critic Robert Palmer.

It’s been a quarter-century since Johnson formed his ground-breaking label, and throughout the ensuing years Fat Possum has branched out, releasing acclaimed albums by bluesmen like Robert Belfour and T-Model Ford as well as rockers like the Black Keys and the Stooges. The underdog Southern label whose motto is “we’re trying our best” celebrates its Silver Anniversary in 2016 with an ambitious, year-long program that will feature the first-time-on-vinyl release of thirty phenomenal, ground-breaking blues recordings from the Fat Possum archives. Many of the titles will also be made available as digital downloads.

Among the fresh-to-vinyl reissues to be released by Fat Possum as part of its 25th anniversary celebration are Junior Kimbrough’s Meet Me In The City, which was originally released on CD a year after the bluesman’s death in 1998, and T-Model Ford’s outrageous LPs Pee Wee Get My Gun (1997) and Bad Man (2002), the latter produced by Memphis music legend Jim Dickinson. Other classic titles receiving the deluxe ‘hot wax’ treatment include Asie Payton’s Just Do Me Right (2002), Robert Belfour’s What’s Wrong With You (2000), and R.L. Burnside’s Unplugged, an anticipated collection of performances recorded in Europe in 1982, years before Fat Possum’s most beloved bluesman signed with the label.

Additionally, the Fat Possum-affiliated Big Legal Mess Records will be releasing ten album reissues on its own on vinyl and digitally, vintage bluesmen recorded by producer and music historian George Mitchell in the field between 1963 and 1982. Many of these albums have been unavailable since their original release, and among the titles are great records like R.L. Burnside’s Mississippi Hill Country Blues (1981) and Furry Lewis’s Good Morning Judge (1960s-era recordings from the Memphis bluesman). John Lee Hooker’s Alone, a solo live set recorded at Hunter College in New York in 1976 will be released as two single vinyl albums.

Fat Possum has long been known for the label’s inspired compilation discs, and collections like the label’s three volumes of Not The Same Old Blues Crap (from 1997, 2001, and 2004 and featuring Fat Possum artists and rockers like Hasil Adkins and Paul Westerberg’s Grandpaboy); 1998’s All Men Are Liars (with Bob Log III and the Neckbones); and its 2005 Junior Kimbrough tribute Sunday Nights (featuring the Black Keys, Iggy & the Stooges, and Mark Lanegan) will also be released on vinyl and digitally. We have the label’s release schedule for the rest of the year listed below, and you can join in the anniversary celebration at Fat Possum’s website.

Fat Possum Records 25th Anniversary Vinyl Releases:

April 8th: Furry Lewis - Good Morning Judge [LP/digital]
April 8th: Houston Stackhouse & Friends [LP/digital]
April 16th: Sunday Nights: The Songs of Junior Kimbrough [Record Store Day LP]
April 16th: Junior Kimbrough - I Gotta Try You Girl (Daft Punk edit) [Record Store Day LP]
May 6th: R.L. Burnside - Mississippi Hill Country Blues [LP]
May 20th: John Lee Hooker - Alone, Volume 1 [LP]
May 20th: John Lee Hooker - Alone, Volume 2 [LP]
May 27th: T-Model Ford - Pee Wee Get My Gun [LP]
May 27th: T-Model Ford - Bad Man [LP]
June 10th: Jim Bunkley & George Henry Bussey [LP/digital]
June 10th: Junior Kimbrough - Meet Me in the City [LP]
June 24th: R.L. Burnside - Unplugged [LP]
July 15th: Asie Payton - Just Do Me Right [LP]
July 15th: Robert Belfour - What's Wrong With You [LP]
July 22nd: All Men Are Liars compilation [LP/digital]
August 17th: Jimmy Lee Harris - I Wanna Ramble [LP/digital]
August 17th: Robert Cage - Can See What You're Doing [LP]
September 9th: Johnny Farmer - Wrong Doers Respect Me [LP]
October 7th: Dewey Corley & Walter Miller [LP/digital]
October 7th: Paul “Wine” Jones - Mule [LP]

Real Gone serves up Doug Sahm and Band on vinyl!

By the time he released his solo debut album in 1972, roots-rock pioneer Doug Sahm had already made a name for himself with his acclaimed 1960s-era band the Sir Douglas Quintet. Sahm could count legends like Bob Dylan among his fans, and roots ‘n’ blues artists like Dave Alvin, Steve Earle, and Delbert McClinton, among many others have cited Sahm’s influence on his own music. As such, when Sahm signed with Atlantic Records to record his debut album for the label, the studio was crowded with luminaries like Dylan, Dr. John, David Bromberg, and Flaco Jiménez along with his longtime bandmates Augie Meyers (keyboards) and Jack Barber (bass).

On February 5th, 2016 the good folks at Real Gone Music will reissue Doug Sahm and Band on glorious vinyl in a limited edition of 1,000 gold wax copies of this bona fide classic of American music. Produced by Atlantic’s Jerry Wexler and Arif Mardin, the album offers a dozen songs featuring Sahm’s visionary musical blend of rock ‘n’ roll, blues, country, and Tejano influences. Sahm only wrote three of the dozen songs on Doug Sahm and Band, but his choice in cover tunes is impeccable, and whether he’s singing Dylan (who contributed a new song, “Wallflower,” for the album), Willie Nelson (“Me and Paul”), T-Bone Walker (“Papa Aint’ Salty”), or country gems like Dave Kirby’s classic “(Is Anybody Going To) San Antone,” Sahm grabs each performance and makes it entirely his own.      

In spite of the talented guest musicians and the overall hype surrounding the album, Doug Sahm and Band would rise to only #125 on the Billboard magazine chart, representing the highest chart position in Sahm’s lengthy solo career (even higher than his band the Texas Tornadoes 1990s-era country hits). Although Sahm’s debut enjoyed lukewarm critical response upon release, it has since grown in critical estimation and is today considered a legit and influential Americana classic...and it sounds great on vinyl!

Maria Muldaur’s Debut LP Reissued On Vinyl

When it was originally released in 1973, singer Maria Muldaur eclectic self-titled debut album scored gold. On the basis of “Midnight at the Oasis” – a major league pop and rock radio hit – the album peaked at number three on the Billboard magazine album chart. It remains Muldaur’s best-known and, for some music fans, her only song, the singer too often unfairly considered a “one hit wonder.” 

For Muldaur, though, that debut album was the culmination of a lifetime of work. The New York native was a veteran of the Greenwich Village folk scene, had studied bluegrass fiddle with the legendary Doc Watson, was a member of the Even Dozen Jug Band with John Sebastian and David Grisman, and sang in the Jim Kweskin Jug Band with Geoff Muldaur, her future husband and recording partner (the duo recording a pair of albums together).

When Muldaur launched her solo career in the early 1970s, she called upon talented friends like Ry Cooder, Dr. John, Bettye LaVette, Klaus Voorman, and Amos Garrett, who played guitar on the hit “Midnight at the Oasis.” The album’s mix of rock, pop, blues, country, and bluegrass was ambitious even by the standards of the era, and it features songs penned by some of the hottest talents at the time, including Dan Hicks, Wendy Waldman, and Kate McGarrigle. The album has held up phenomenally well due to Muldaur’s gorgeous vocals and the musicianship provided by her friends.

Maria Muldaur, the album, has been reissued on glorious 200 gram vinyl by Exhibit Records, with the colorful original album artwork presented in a sturdy, old-school tip-on gatefold jacket. The label is earning a reputation for releasing high-quality vinyl LPs across a diverse range of musical styles, from Muldaur and Johnny Cash to the Dillards and Trini Lopez. After the success of her self-titled debut, Muldaur would release a handful of acclaimed major label albums through the rest of the 1970s while experiencing diminished commercial returns.

Although she’d never again match the commercial heights of her debut album, Muldaur continues to perform and record, returning to her musical roots and finding a home in the blues world. Since 1980, Muldaur has released better than three dozen albums of blues, rock, and folk music, including a tribute to the legendary Memphis Minnie released in 2012. It all started with the self-titled Maria Muldaur, though, and it’s good to have the album back on vinyl once again.   

Side One:
1.  Any Old Time
2.  Midnight at the Oasis
3.  My Tennessee Mountain Home
4.  I Never Did Sing You a Love Song
5.  The Work Song

Side Two:
1.  Don't You Make Me High (Don't You Feel My Leg)
2.  Walkin' One and Only
3.  Long Hard Climb
4.  Three Dollar Bill
5.  Vaudeville Man
6.  Mad Mad Me

Johnny Cash’s Orange Blossom Special Back On Vinyl!

Country and Americana music legend Johnny Cash was already a superstar when he released his 21st album, Orange Blossom Special, in 1965. Recording with producer Don Law and backed by the Tennessee Two – guitarist Luther Perkins and bassist Marshall Grant – Cash knocked out a dozen inspired performances. Guest appearances by Nashville greats like saxophonist Boots Randolph, pianist Floyd Cramer, guitarist Norman Blake, and harmonica wizard Charlie McCoy helped flesh out the album’s sound.

The importance of Orange Blossom Special in the evolution of Cash’s career is often understated. The previous year’s Bitter Tears: Ballads of the American Indian, featuring songs written by Cash and Peter La Farge, solidified the singer’s status as an activist and supporter of Native American rights and signaled a populist turn by the popular country star. With Orange Blossom Special, Cash began turning to songwriters outside of the Nashville machine, including three songs by Bob Dylan on the album – “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright,” and “Mama, You’ve Been On My Mind,” which had yet to be recorded by Dylan. By mixing traditional country, folk-rock, and modern country, as represented by Harlan Howard’s “The Wall,” Cash’s expanded stylistic palette would become a major influence in the creation of Americana music.    

Exhibit Records has reissued Cash’s Orange Blossom Special on lovely 200 gram vinyl as a special, numbered limited edition album. Remastered from the original master recordings, and presented in an old-school gatefold jacket with liner notes, historical information, and rare photos, the “Box Car Series” version of Orange Blossom Special includes a tiny replica of the actual railroad boxcar that appears on the album cover, foil-stamped with a unique edition number. Exhibit Records is earning a reputation for releasing high-quality vinyl LPs across a diverse range of musical styles, from Cash and Maria Muldaur to the Dillards and Trini Lopez. Find out more on the Exhibit Records website.

Side One:
1.  Orange Blossom Special  
2.  The Long Black Veil  
3.  It Ain't Me Babe  
4.  The Wall 
5.  Don't Think Twice, It's Alright 
6.  You Wild Colorado  

Side Two:
1.  Mama, You've Been On My Mind  
2.  When It's Springtime In Alaska (It's Forty Below)  
3.  All Of God's Children Ain't Free  
4.  Danny Boy  
5.  Wildwood Flower  
6.  Amen  

Procol Harum Is "Back On Black" This June!

The good folks at Back On Black and Let Them Eat Vinyl have been reissuing classic slabs o’ rock ‘n’ roll history on glorious, inky-black vinyl records in the U.S. and Canada for nearly five years now. Each LP release is stamped onto heavyweight vinyl for the best sound quality possible, and many titles are available in a variety of colors with the rabid collector in mind.

On June 16th, 2015 Let Them Eat Vinyl will reissue a large chunk of Procol Harum’s catalog on vinyl for the first time in nearly a quarter-century. Among the Procol Harum titles receiving the deluxe vinyl treatment are 1971’s classic Broken Barricades, 1973’s Grand Hotel, the following year’s Exotic Birds and Fruit, Procol’s Ninth (1975), and Something Magic (1977). The band’s 2003 reunion album The Well’s On Fire will be released on vinyl for the first time, as will Procol’s commercial breakthrough, 1972’s Live In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and the 2004 archive release Live At The Union Chapel.

Of these vinyl reissues, Broken Barricades remains my personal favorite. The band’s fifth album and its last to feature guitarist Robin Trower, it features the classic Procol Harum line-up of singer/pianist Gary Brooker, keyboardist/bassist Chris Copping, drummer B.J. Wilson, and lyricist Keith Reid. It was Live In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, which spawned the Top 20 hit single “Conquistador,” which would become the band’s highest-charting (#5 U.S.) and best-selling album.

The band had a hard time following up their live disc’s overwhelming success, however – although Grand Hotel rose to #21 on the chart, it included no hit singles, and Exotic Birds and Fruit struggled to hit #86 on the chart at the time of its release. Procol’s Ninth fared somewhat better, yielding a minor U.K. hit in “Pandora’s Box,” but after the poor showing of Something Magic, the band broke up. Although best known for their chart-topping 1967 classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” all of these 1970s-era Procol Harum albums have their charms. Now, a new generation of fans can rediscover this great music the way that the Reverend first heard it – on vinyl!

Buy the vinyl from Amazon.com:

Broken Barricades

Live In Concert With The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra

Grand Hotel

Exotic Birds & Fruit

Procol's Ninth

Something Magic

Thin Lizzy vinyl from Light In The Attic Records

Light In The Attic Records has announced that it will be reissuing two early Thin Lizzy albums –Shades of A Blue Orphanage and Vagabonds of the Western World – on vinyl in March.

Thin Lizzy’s sophomore effort, Shades of A Blue Orphanage was originally released in 1972, the album representing somewhat of a letdown after the band’s encouraging debut from the previous year. The band at the time was a trio with singer/bassist Phil Lynott, guitarist Eric Bell, and drummer Brian Downey. They had yet to develop their trademark, devastating twin-guitar sound, instead delivering an inconsistent blend of bluesy hard rock and psychedelic pop.

Although All Music Guide writer Eduardo Rivadavia considered Shades “disappointing,” noted critic Martin Popoff, author of three books on the band, calls it “grand and intimate at once.” Vagabonds of the Western World was released in late 1973; a non-album, hard-rocking single release of the traditional Irish song “Whiskey In The Jar” scored the band an unlikely Top Ten U.K. hit, affording them more time and resources to record their third album.

Still, the trio is obviously still searching for its unique sound with Vagabonds, which evinces a similar musical mix as its predecessor. Citing the album’s “style-searching waywardness,” Popoff states that Vagabonds “continues with a forging of the band’s sound under a variety of stylistic auspices.” Rivadavia is more generous in his perspective on the album, saying that it is “brimming with attitude and dangerous swagger,” concluding that the album’s improved production helped create the band’s “first sonically satisfying album.”

Eric Bell left the band after Vagabonds of the Western World, to be replaced by two guitarists – Scott Gorham and Brian Robertston – who would eventually create the signature Thin Lizzy sound. The band also left the clueless Decca Records, which had no idea how to record or market a hard-rock band, for Vertigo, a more progressive imprint that would allow Lizzy time to develop an artistic voice that culminated in 1976’s breakthrough album, Jailbreak.

Both Shades of A Blue Orphanage and Vagabonds of the Western World offer valuable insight into the band’s creative evolution, and both are entertaining when separated from pre-conceived expectations created by Lizzy’s better-known late-career recordings. Both albums are worthy of a place in your collection, the LITA reissues featuring deluxe gatefold jackets, 180-gram vinyl, in-depth liner notes, and rare archive photos.

Pre-orders of both albums (as well as the label’s previous vinyl reissue of Thin Lizzy’s self-titled debut album) are available on the Light In The Attic website as individual LPs and as two or three-album bundles to save some of your hard-earned coin.

Foghat & J. Geils Band Top Real Gone Music’s March Slate

The esteemed archive label Real Gone Music is getting in on the vinyl craze with two rockin’ reissues of gems from the 1970s – Foghat’s 1977 album Live and the J. Geils Band’s 1973 album Bloodshot, both albums scheduled to be released on March 3, 2015.

Foghat had been on a roll during the mid-1970s, enjoying a trio of Top 40 charting albums: 1974’s Energized, 1975’s Fool For The City (their biggest, at #23), and 1976’s Night Shift (#36), all of which spawned hit singles to fuel their chart positions. Foghat was one of the most popular of the decade’s arena-rock bands, offering ticket-buyers a lot of value for their dollar with a high-octane, high-energy blend of rock, blues, and boogie. Thus, it was only natural, given the overwhelming commercial success of live rock ‘n’ roll LPs during this era (see Peter Frampton, Kiss, Bob Seger, et al), that Foghat’s record label, Bearsville, would release a live disc on the band, 1977’s imaginatively-named Live.

What the album lacked in creative titling it more than made up for with righteous rock ‘n’ roll jams, Live featuring on-stage versions of fan favorites like “Slow Ride” (which rode the charts to #20), “Fool For The City,” and “I Just Want To Make Love To You,” which served to push the album to #11 on the charts. There were but six songs on Live, the album running roughly 38 minutes, but guitarists “Lonesome” Dave Peverett and Rod Price, bassist Craig MacGregor, and drummer Roger Earl made the most of the time, delivering a red-hot set that has withstood the test of time. Real Gone is bringing the legendary set back to hot wax with a 180gr vinyl reissue with limited-edition package that reproduces the original die-cut jacket and four-color inner sleeve.

The third studio album from Boston’s J. Geils Band temporarily lifted the band into the upper reaches of the rock ‘n’ roll stratosphere. Bloodshot, originally released in 1973, would rise to #10 on the charts on the strength of the album’s Top 30 single, “Give It To Me.” The band had already developed a reputation as scorching live performers, the Geils crew’s dynamic live set only partially captured on wax by the previous year’s “Live” Full House LP. Bloodshot offered up nine hard-charging tracks, a combo of bluesy rock, R&B, and soul that, along with the aforementioned hit, would feature great songs like “Southside Shuffle” and “(Ain’t Nothing But A) House Party.” This 180gr vinyl reissue has been pressed on gorgeous red wax with vintage Atlantic Records labels; both the Foghat and J. Geils Band LP reissues were re-mastered and the lacquer cut by Peter Black.

Eric Clapton & Cream Vinyl Box Set Coming!

Here’s a fine present that any classic rock fan would salivate over finding underneath their tree come Christmas morning. On November 24, 2014 Universal Music will release Cream: 1966-1972, a seven-disc vinyl box set that includes all six of the legendary British blues-rock band’s four studio and two live albums pressed onto 180-gram heavyweight audiophile vinyl, with exact reproductions of each album’s original artwork, all of it gloriously packaged in a rigid slipcase box.

Formed in 1966 by guitarist Eric Clapton (fresh off stints with the Yardbirds and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers), bassist Jack Bruce (another Bluesbreakers alumni), and drummer Ginger Baker (via the Graham Bond Organization), Cream was one of the first “supergroups” on the British blues-rock scene. The erstwhile power trio revolutionized rock music by combining elements of blues, hard rock, and psychedelic rock, as well as elements of jazz in the creation of a unique and exciting new sound that, nearly fifty years later, still thrills listeners with its bold instrumentation and imaginative lyrics, frequently penned by poet Pete Brown.

Fresh Cream

Cream had a monster hit single right out of the box with the Jack Bruce/Pete Brown song “I Feel Free,” following it up with their 1967 debut album Fresh Cream a few months later. The album featured a number of original songs, covers of vintage blues gems like Skip James’ “I’m So Glad,” Muddy Waters’ “Rollin’ & Tumblin’,” and Willie Dixon’s “Spoonful,” which drove the album to number six on the U.K. charts and into the U.S. Top 40.

By the end of the year, Cream would release the band’s landmark Disraeli Gears album, its striking psychedelic Martin Sharp cover art masking a phenomenal set of songs, the album racing up to number four on the U.S. album chart on the strength of the hit single “Sunshine of Your Love.” The album offered up other classic rock tunes in “Strange Brew” and “Tales of Brave Ulysses” that further re-worked the blues idiom into a fresh, remarkable new sound.

Wheels of Fire

If Disraeli Gears was Cream’s creative apex, the band’s 1968 album Wheels of Fire would be their commercial peak. A whopping two-album set (a rarity at the time), Wheels of Fire sat at number one on the U.S. album chart for a month and hit number three on the U.K. chart, spawning hit singles in “White Room” (#6) and a live cover of Delta blues legend Robert Johnson’s “Crossroads” (#28), which has since become Clapton’s signature song. One disc of Wheels of Fire was comprised of new studio recordings (including covers of Albert King’s “Born Under A Bad Sign” and the Mississippi Sheiks’ “Sittin’ On Top Of The World”) while the other disc offered four extended live tracks from the Fillmore West in San Francisco. The LP moved a lot of flapjacks, too, certified Gold almost immediately upon its release.

Cream circa 1967

By the time of the release of Wheels of Fire, tensions in the band (particularly between Bruce and Baker), as well as the exhausting touring done by the band over the previous two years, led to an inevitable break up. The band performed a farewell tour in late 1968, concluding at the Royal Albert Hall in London in November before calling it quits. Not willing to give up a cash cow, however, the label coaxed the band back into the studio to record a few tracks, which resulted in Cream’s final studio album, Goodbye, released in March 1969. A mix of live and studio tracks, Goodbye shot up to number one in the U.K. and number two on the U.S. chart on the back of the hit single “Badge,” the song co-written by Clapton and George Harrison, who played rhythm guitar on the session under the name L’Angelo Misterioso.
  

Cream’s Legacy

Two posthumous Cream albums were released after the band’s break up, the first in 1970 (Live Cream), which included performances from the Fillmore West and Winterland in San Francisco circa 1968, along with one lone studio recording (“Lawdy Mama”). The second, Live Cream Volume 2, was released in 1972 and included more Winterland ’68 performances along with three 1968 performances from the Oakland Coliseum. Both live albums would chart in the Top 30 on both the U.S. and the U.K. charts. Since then, a steady stream of anthologies and compilation albums would be released to capitalize on the band’s legacy, including a ten-track Best of Cream in 1969 (with its vegetable cover art - I totally had this LP!) and the double-album set Heavy Cream in 1973, as well as a 2003 collection of the band’s BBC radio performances.

Eric Clapton, of course, has gone on to a lengthy and storied solo career, as well as recording landmark albums with supergroups Blind Faith and Derek and the Dominos. Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker have found less commercial success during the years, but are both still making fine music (Bruce’s critically-acclaimed 2014 album, Silver Rails, is brilliant). In 2006, Cream received a Grammy® Lifetime Achievement Award, and the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. The band’s 2005 reunion shows in London and New York City sold out in less than an hour, attracting fans from across the globe.  

Cream: 1966-1972 brings the band’s immense musical legacy full-circle, once again capturing on vinyl the magic and the band chemistry that mesmerized listeners in the 1960s for a new audience to discover.

Buy the LP box set on Amazon.com: Cream: 1966 - 1972 (LP box set)

The Turtles 45RPM Vinyl Singles Collection

Here’s one you may have overlooked among the glut of recent vinyl releases and reissues. Mark Volman and Howard Kaylan have released (through FloEdCo/Manifesto Records) The Turtles 45RPM Vinyl Singles Collection, a box set of eight super-groovy 7” vinyl singles that revisit some of the band’s biggest hits of the late 1960s. Vinyl collectors and ‘60s pop enthusiasts alike can experience a bunch of great songs in their original format – 7” singles!

Kaylan and Volman (a/k/a “Flo and Eddie”) were the frontmen of the Turtles, a chart-topping outfit that mixed the melodic vocal harmonies of the Beatles with the pop sensibilities of the Monkees and the folkish charm and psychedelic roots of bands like the Lovin’ Spoonful. The band included a number of talented musicians through the years, including bassist/producer Chip Douglas (who also produced several Monkees’ hits) and drummer John Barbata (Jefferson Starship). The band’s first single, a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe” would go Top Ten, jumping off a string of hits like “Happy Together” (#1), “She’d Rather Be With Me” (#3), and “Elenore” (#6), all of which are included in the box set.

Unlike some of their peers at the time, the Turtles were real musicians and artists, and sometimes those singles that didn’t or barely charted were as interesting and entertaining as the hits. “Outside Chance,” for instance, was written by the late Warren Zevon, the song an obscure effort worthy of rediscovery, while “Love In The City,” a non-album track produced by Ray Davies of the Kinks, was an experiment in rock and psych-pop from the band’s final album, Turtle Soup. The band was only together for five short years, circa 1965-1970, but they released 20 singles during that half-decade (I’m not counting the post-break up 45s released by White Whale, the band’s label, that had little or nothing to do with the band), the best of which are included in the vinyl box.

After the demise of the Turtles, Kaylan and Volman would join Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention (along with bassist Jim Pons) as “the Phlorescent Leech & Eddie” as they were unable to use their real names due to contractual conflict with their former record label. The pair would add their harmony vocals behind Marc Bolan on the T. Rex albums Electric Warrior and The Slider as well as on Bruce Springsteen’s hit “Hungry Heart,” and enjoyed a brief career as Flo & Eddie, releasing a handful of albums between 1972 and 1981.

The pair legally regained the use of the Turtles name in 1983, as well as the band’s master recordings, and have since released several albums and toured frequently as the Turtles featuring Flo & Eddie. The Turtles’ legacy rests on these singles, however, songs that have influenced several generations of bands to follow. Autographed copies of The Turtles 45RPM Vinyl Singles Collection can be purchased on the Turtles website.

The Turtles 45RPM Vinyl Singles Collection full singles listing:

“It Ain’t Me Babe” (1965) b/w “You Don’t Have To Walk In The Rain” (1969)
“Let Me Be” (1965) b/w “Love in the City” (1969)
“You Baby” (1966)  b/w “You Know What I Mean” (1967)
“Happy Together” (1967) b/w “Grim Reaper of Love” (1965)
“She’d Rather Be With Me” (1967) b/w “Story of Rock and Roll” (1968)
“She’s My Girl” (1967) b/w “Can’t I Get To Know You Better” (1966)
“Elenore” (1968) b/w “Outside Chance” (1966) 
“You Showed Me” (1968) b/w “Sound Asleep” (1968)

Light In The Attic Rescues Sly’s Stone Flower

Sometimes we get a press release in the ol’ email inbox that makes digging through dozens of missives, spam from Nigerian princes, and pleas for publicity all worthwhile. Case in point – Light In The Attic Records’ news that they’re releasing I’m Just Like You: Sly’s Stone Flower 1969-70 on CD, digitally, and as a double-LP vinyl set.

So, you’re asking, what the heckaroonie is/are Sly’s Stone Flower? Well, here’s the back story, Bunkie, courtesy of the hard-working folks at Light In The Attic. By the close of 1969, Sly & the Family Stone were cruising along on the success of that year’s breakthrough Stand! album, which was itself fueled by the chart-topping single “Everyday People” as well as the band’s boisterous performance at the Woodstock Festival. Bandleader Sly Stone was already AWOL, however, at least mentally, his restless muse searching for other musical avenues to explore.

To this end, Stone and his manager David Kapralik launched Stone Flower Records. The label was distributed by Atlantic Records, and during its brief existence, released a handful of innovative and groundbreaking singles. The initial Stone Flower release was by Little Sister, a band fronted by Sly’s sister Vaetta Stewart, that resulted in a pair of Top 40 charting singles – “You’re The One” and “Somebody’s Watching You,” a cover of a song from Stand! The label didn’t experience nearly that level of success with its other releases, which including 45s from R&B singer Joe Hicks and a group called 6IX. For whatever reason, whether due to Stone’s waning interest, or because of flagging sales, Stone Flower folded in 1971.

The importance of Stone Flower Records is in what came afterwards. Although each of the label’s single releases was credited to the individual artist, they all featured material written, produced, and arranged by Sly Stone. It was on Little Sister’s singles that Stone first experimented with a drum machine for rhythms, and across all four 45s, Stone used the studio as a mad scientist would use a laboratory, experimenting with different sounds, electronic effects, and textures, shaping his signature funk and soul into new shapes. A lot of the ideas he perfected on Stone Flower’s releases would be used to create the classic There’s A Riot Goin’ On album in 1971.

Scheduled for September 30th, 2014 release on CD and digitally, I’m Just Like You: Sly’s Stone Flower 1969-70 collects those four original single releases as well as ten previously unreleased cuts from the label’s archives, eighteen songs in all, all re-mastered from the original tapes. The two-album vinyl set will be released on November 4th, but fans can pre-order the LP on limited edition lime green wax (while supplies last) through the Light In The Attic website. Very cool t-shirts and limited edition, hand-numbered 18”x24” prints are also available for order. Kudos to Light In The Attic for rescuing another treasure chest of long-lost music!

Buy the CD on Amazon.com: I' m Just Like You: Sly' s Stone Flower 1969-70

Rare Paramount Blues Record Found!

Photo courtesy John Tefteller/Blues Images

Kudos to record collector and music rarities dealer John Tefteller for his latest and greatest find yet – a rarer-than-rare 78rpm copy of Delta bluesman J.D. Short’s long-lost Paramount Records release “Tar Road Blues” b/w “Flagin’ It To Georgia.” Originally released in 1930 as Paramount #13091 (with the artists incorrectly labeled as “Jaydee Short”), this is the only known surviving copy of the record, which had been considered lost forever.

The ridiculously-rare slab o’ shellac popped up in Tennessee, where it was discovered shoved up into the back of an antique Victrola record player cabinet along with a bunch of other blues records from the same era. Tefteller bought the record from what he calls “a local picker,” and plans to include the two sides – unheard for decades – as part of the free CD that comes with his annual Blues Images calendar, a cool lil’ page-turner which features classic blues artwork from the 1920s that was originally used by the Wisconsin-based Paramount Records labels as advertisements for their records.
 
“The record is in decent shape with the only serious flaw being a small chip on the edge,” Tefteller states in a press release about his find. “It has seen its share of play on that old windup but still sounds great and it is an absolute two sided masterpiece.” Tefteller has been collecting rare and hard-to-find blues 78s for years and is responsible for discovering an impressive list of never-before-heard blues recordings by artists like Son House, Tommy Johnson, Skip James, Blind Blake, and many others.

J.D. Short is one of the lesser-known, but not lesser-talented Delta blues musicians, perhaps because of the extreme rarity of many of his recordings – few people in the modern era have ever heard him perform! Born in Port Gibson, Mississippi in 1902, Short recorded four double-sided 78s for Paramount Records in 1930, only one of which was previously known to exist, and only a single copy of it which sits…no surprise…in Tefteller’s collection. Short went on to record for the Vocalion label under the name of Jelly Jaw Short and would later release singles for the Delmark Records and Prestige/Bluesville labels before his death in 1962.

Tefteller is constantly on the prowl for rare, undiscovered pre-war blues recordings, and he made headlines last year when he bought a rare 78rpm record by Delta blues legend Tommy Johnson on eBay for a record price of $37,100. As he states in his press release, he’s hoping that publicity from his purchases will help fuel the discovery of more unfound records.

“I encourage everyone to get out there and find them,” he says. “There are still two more J.D. Short records on Paramount to find and, of course, there are still my most wanted items, the last two missing Willie Brown Paramount 78s.” If you love old-school pre-war blues – and who doesn’t? – check out Tefteller’s Blues Images website, where you can find copies of the calendar, cool posters, t-shirts and, if you want to hear some blues, there are samples of John's record collection you can listen to!

Bad Company Vinyl Reissues & Tour Dates

When I was a wee sprout of a rock ‘n’ roll fanatic, the British blues-rock outfit Free was one of my fave rave bands. As such, I couldn’t understand why they broke up when they broke up…back in those days, there was no Internet to provide gossip, lies, and innuendo, so Paul Kossoff’s drug problems and inter-band tensions weren’t widely-known knowledge…especially to snot-nosed teenage fans.

When former Free frontman Paul Rodgers and the band’s drummer Simon Kirke formed Bad Company with former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and former King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell, I begrudgingly gave their self-titled 1974 album a spin. Although Bad Company, the album, wasn’t Free, it was still pretty good, and I soon had another favorite band. Quite a few other young rockers must have shared my feelings, because Bad Company shot up to number one on the Billboard Top 200 album chart, eventually selling five million copies on the strength of hit singles like “Can’t Get Enough” (charted at #5) and “Movin’ On” (#19) as well as featuring tunes like “Ready For Love,” “Rock Steady,” and the atmospheric album title track.

On July 1st, 2014 Rhino Records will reissue Bad Company’s first two classic albums – Bad Company and Straight Shooter – on 180-gram vinyl with the complete original packaging. Like its predecessor, Straight Shooter rose up the album charts to the number three position, scoring hit singles with “Feel Like Making Love” (#10) and “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad” (#36) and the classic rock radio standard “Shooting Star.” Accompanying the vinyl reissues of their two classic albums, Bad Company will be touring the U.S. this summer with another legendary 1970s era band, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Sadly, Boz Burrell passed away in 2006, but the current Bad Company version includes original members Rodgers, Ralphs, and Kirke along with guitarist Howard Leese and bassist Todd Ronning (from Rodgers' solo band). Vinyl copies of both albums will be on sale at the band’s shows as well as available through fine record shops everywhere.

Bad Company/Lynryrd Skynyrd Summer Tour Dates

07/10/14 @ Waterfront, Bangor ME                           
07/12/14 @ Xfinity Center, Mansfield MA                      
07/13/14 @ Darien Lake Performing Arts Center, Darien NY                             
07/15/14 @ Walnut Creek Amphitheater, Raleigh NC                           
07/16/14 @ PNC Pavilion, Charlotte NC                        
07/18/14 @ Susquehanna Bank Center, Camden NJ                                 
07/19/14 @ Jiffy Lube Live, Bristow VA                           
07/22/14 @ Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls OH              
07/23/14 @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre, Tinley Park IL                      
07/25/14 @ DTE Energy Music Theatre, Clarkston MI                 

Iggy Pop’s Big 7” Box

Well, this is certainly a cool little collectible for the faithful…on May 27, 2014 Cleopatra Records will release Gimme Some Skin, a special Iggy Pop 7” box set in a limited-edition of 1,000. The set will include seven individual 7” vinyl records that feature exclusive new tracks along with classic Stooges songs circa 1972-73.

The 45rpm records come packaged with a color booklet with in-depth liner notes, a custom 7” record adaptor, and a collectible patch. Here’s the complete tracklist for this one-of-a-kind Iggy fan’s wet dream, which is currently selling for $47.99 on Amazon:

1. “I Can’t Explain” b/w “Lonely Boy”
2. “Cock In My Pocket” b/w “Tight Pants”
3. “I Got A Right” b/w “White Christmas (Guitar Stooge Mix)”
4. “Money (That’s What I Want)” b/w “Open Up and Bleed” (single edit)
5. “I Wanna Be Your Dog” (fast version) b/w “Johanna”
6. “Gimme Some Skin” b/w “I’m So Glad”
7. “Louie Louie” / “Scene of the Crime”

Get it from Amazon.com: Gimme Some Skin - The 7inch Collection