Three Santana Remasters Coming from Friday Music

Carlos Santana won the adulation of a new generation with the pop crossover album Supernatural in 1999 – then promptly lost it by making a bunch of increasingly flabby and self-indulgent records. Friday Music takes us to a simpler time – the early 1980s – with three forthcoming Santana remasters.

The Swing of Delight (1980), Zebop! (1981) and Shangó are being remastered and reissued on January 25. (Friday Music lists them as 30th anniversary editions, which is of course only technically true for Zebop!) Though Santana’s commercial prominence was not as strong at this point in his career, he was reaching an artistic peak; The Swing of Delight, released as a solo LP under the guitarist’s own name (with his then-spiritually adopted first name Devadip), was one of the guitarist’s many ventures away from rock and into jazz and fusion. The other two albums were more rock-oriented, and spawned minor hits in “Winning” and “Hold On.”

You can order them (along with two other Santana reissues from the label – 1979’s Marathon and the LP-only Love Devotion Surrender (1972) with Mahavishnu John McLaughlin) here and read the track lists after the jump.

Devadip Carlos Santana, The Swing of Delight: 30th Anniversary Edition (Originally released as CBS C2 36590, 1980 – reissued Friday Music, 2011)

1. Swapan Tari
2. Love Theme from “Spartacus”
3. Phuler Matan
4. Song for My Brother
5. Jharna Kala
6. Gardenia
7. La Llave
8. Golden Hours
9. Shere Khan, the Tiger

Santana, Zebop! 30th Anniversary Edition (Originally released as Columbia FC 37158, 1981 – reissued Friday Music, 2011)

1. Changes
2. E Papa Ré
3. Primera Invasion
4. Searchin’
5. Over and Over
6. Winning
7. Tales of Kilimanjaro
8. The Sensitive Kind
9. American Gypsy
10. I Love You Much Too Much
11. Brightest Star
12. Hannibal

Santana, Shangó: 30th Anniversary Edition (Originally released as CBS 85914, 1982 – reissued Friday Music, 2011)

1. The Nile
2. Hold On
3. Night Hunting Time
4. Nowhere to Run
5. Nueva York
6. Oxun (Oshun)
7. Body Surfing
8. What Does It Take (to Win Your Love)
9. Let Me Inside
10. Warrior
11. Shangó

Cherry Red Preps Joe Cocker Reissue, Kiki Dee Compilation

Some more goodies are coming out of the Universal vaults from the Cherry Red label group.

The T-Bird label is reissuing Joe Cocker’s Sheffield Steel from 1982. Like most Joe Cocker records, the iconic singer lays down great versions of rock and soul covers (written by luminaries including Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb and Steve Winwood). Unlike most Joe Cocker records, Sheffield Steel is heavy on reggae, with instrumental contribution from Sly and Robbie and guest vocals from Jimmy Cliff and Robert Palmer. The album was previously reissued by Island in 2002 with two 12″ remixes and a pair of unreleased outtakes; that presentation is replicated here.

More intriguing for collectors is I’m Kiki Dee: The Fontana Years 1963-1968 on the RPM label. A jam-packed disc, it includes all of Dee’s single, EP and LP sides from the years long before hitting it big with “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” her duet with Elton John, in 1976. It’s not complete – Dee recorded several tunes in other languages – but it is rather thorough, even including three incredibly rare BBC performances and new liner notes featuring contributions from Kiki and musical collaborator Les Reed.

Both sets are coming out in the U.K. on January 24. Pre-order them here and here and hit the jump for track lists.

Hot Chocolate Discography Warming Up from EMI

EMI must believe in miracles, because they’ve prepped a set that combines all of the studio albums by pop group Hot Chocolate.

The Brixton-based band, fronted by Jamaican singer Errol Brown, first gained prominence for one single on The Beatles’ Apple label, a reggae-fied cover of “Give Peace a Chance.” (That song, credited to “The Hot Chocolate Band,” was resurrected on last year’s Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records compilation.) Several Top 10 hits followed – in fact, the band had at least one U.K. hit for 14 years straight, between 1970 and 1984 – but the most enduring would have to be British chart-topper “So You Win Again” and “You Sexy Thing,” the upbeat disco hit that remains their best-known song here in the U.S.

The Cherry Red offshoot label 7Ts expanded the band’s first four albums – Cicero Park (1974), Hot Chocolate (1975), Man to Man (1976) and Every 1’s a Winner (1978) – in 2009 with non-LP tracks and mixes (none of which appear here). But Box Selection: Their 8 RAK Albums 1974-1983, presents all the studio albums newly remastered across four discs. Notable, then are the widespread CD release of the latter four albums, which included hits like “No Doubt About It” (a U.K. No. 2) but some interesting covers on the actual albums (1980’s Class has versions of The Police’s “Walking on the Moon” and “Green Shirt” by Elvis Costello and The Attractions!)

This set will be released January 31 in the U.K.; pre-order it here and check out the track list after the jump.

Bon Voyage, Gordon: Anderson Departs Collectors’ Choice Music

In a move that could be acutely felt by reissue enthusiasts, Gordon Anderson has stepped down from his post as Senior Vice President and General Manager of Collectors’ Choice Music, the label and mail order catalogue responsible for many of our favorite reissues. Collectors’ Choice recently launched the expansive Tartare line and the new Bing Crosby Archive Collection, reactivated the Cameo Parkway label, and released diverse fare from artists ranging from Perry Como to Jefferson Airplane.

While his blog has not been updated since July 2010, Anderson explains his decision in the January 2011 edition of the Collectors’ Choice catalogue: “Well, folks, the song is over for me here at Collectors’ Choice Music. After 17 years, I have decided that the time has come for me to move on, and yes, I have cried a few tears over it. But there’s a big difference between what happened to my beloved WCOL-FM [a Columbus, Ohio radio station] and what is going to happen to my beloved Collectors’ Choice Music when I am gone — the next deejay is going to be playing the same songs. In fact, Joe Van Horn, the man who is going to take my place, was the person responsible for merchandising the Collectors’ Choice Music website for most of the years we have been in business. So I am leaving you in the best hands possible, and I know for a fact that Joe is going to do a bang-up job bringing you the hard-to-find, wonderfully eclectic mix of music that has been our trademark for so long.”

Anderson continues, “As for me, well, I’m not sure what lies ahead, but I will no doubt turn up somewhere in this crazy music industry. And just like I did all those years in the drivers’ seat of CCM, I’ll keep steering my craft towards music that’s authentic and fresh. Searching for a note, you might say. Pure and easy.”

What does Anderson’s departure mean for Collectors’ Choice Music?  Hit the jump for some background!

…And We’re Back

With plenty of people back at their jobs today, The Second Disc HQ is back online, ready for another year of continuous catalogue coverage! We’re expecting some great titles in the not-too-distant future, plus a lot of surprises, too. I know I’m excited, and I’m sure many of you are too.

Today’s going to be a bit of a catch-up day – a lot of stuff has been announced in the past week or two, mainly across the pond, and we’re going to get through most of it today. But first, we’re going to start off with some short takes. There have been a few titles announced with only basic information so far, that don’t quite yet merit an expansive post with track lists or catalogue information. We’ll burn off through these to start the day off right after the jump.