Short Takes: Sade Compilation Coming, More Nirvana on Record Store Day, Star Trek Box Split Up, More Live Ella Forthcoming

• Epic/Legacy will release The Ultimate Collection by Sade on May 3. Intended to tease the band’s long-awaited summer tour, the set will feature tracks from all the band’s albums, from 1984’s Diamond Life to 2010’s Soldier of Love, and will feature three unreleased tracks, including a new remix of Solider track “The Moon and the Sky” featuring rapper Jay-Z. Those who pre-order the set through the band’s official site will get exclusive access to ticket pre-sales for recently-announced dates starting next week. (There’s also an Amazon pre-order listing, for those so inclined.)
• Chalk up another Nirvana release for Record Store Day: a vinyl reissue of the band’s 1992 EP Hormoaning. Initially only released in limited quantities in Australia and Japan to coincide with the band’s tour there, the disc features two original B-sides (“Aneurysm” and “Even in His Youth,” released on the “Smells Like Teen Spirit” singles) and three covers (Devo’s “Turnaround” and “Molly’s Lips” and “Son of a Gun,” both by The Vaselines) recorded for the BBC in 1990. (Those covers, along with alternate versions of the B-sides, appeared on the Incesticide compilation in the U.S. later that year.
• If you wanted to sample some of Film Score Monthly’s Star Trek: The Next Generation box set without buying the entire thing, here’s your chance: 12 of the 14 discs of Ron Jones’ music have been released for download on iTunes and Amazon. This Trek message board post features links to all the discs, provided by the set’s co-producer, Neil S. Bulk.
• A sweet tweet from our friends at Hip-o Select: “If you thought Ella In Hollywood was the last word on unreleased live greatness, hang on we found more: Ella in Japan, coming soon!”

Depeche Mode Go Backward, Forward on Remix Set

It’s always a killer prospect when a band still manages to go strong with over a dozen albums under their belt. Depeche Mode are one such ensemble, with 2009’s Sounds of the Universe proving that the band is as fresh as they ever were some three decades ago. Their newest project, however, sees them dipping into the vaults for an expansive remix set, and longtime fans of the band will have reason to be excited.

Remixes 2: 81-11, to be released in June, will cover the band’s catalogue in remix form, featuring both newly-commissioned mixes of tracks from all their albums and vintage remix tracks spanning from as far back as 1985. The set will be available as both a single-disc compilation and a massive three-CD (or six-vinyl) set brimming with all sorts of new material.

While some of the best modern remixers of the day are featured on the sets, including UNKLE, Stargate, Eric Prydz, Miike Snow and others, the really exciting part for hardcore Depeche Mode fans is the presence – at least on the deluxe version – of remixes by former Depeche Mode members Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder. This marks the first time that all five members have participated on a D.M. project. (Clarke left after the band’s first record in 1981 and was replaced by Wilder, who himself left in 1995, leaving Martin Gore, Dave Gahan and Andy Fletcher as a trio.)

The track listings for both the single-disc version and the full, three-disc version are both after the jump. (Thanks to Slicing Up Eyeballs for bringing this to our attention!)

Verve Throws a 50th Anniversary “Celebration” for Sergio Mendes

This year, Sergio Mendes celebrates his 50th year as a recording artist. The Brazilian musician is most closely identified with the romantic sounds of bossa nova, though his career has been an eclectic one. His latest recordings have embraced hip-hop sounds in collaboration with The Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, John Legend and India.Arie, while he did much to define the classic sound of A&M Records in the 1960s, a blend of bossa nova, jazz and soft pop (think: Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass, Chris Montez, and of course, Brasil ’66). In recognition of his half-century in music, Universal’s Verve arm will release Celebration: A Musical Journey on April 5. Over 39 tracks on two CDs, Celebration is a career-spanning look at the joyous and sensual music made by Mendes, primarily at A&M and Concord.

Despite his close identification with the cool-lounge sound of ’60s bossa nova, Mendes’ music has always embraced traditional Latin roots as well as jazz. His first recorded effort, 1961’s Dance Moderno, was a product of his work with Sexteto Bossa Rio. A protege of Antonio Carlos Jobim, the father of bossa nova, the talented pianist played with the likes of Cannonball Adderley and Herbie Mann. A move to the United States in 1964 led him to form Brasil ’65, under which name he recorded at both Capitol and Atlantic. (A 1966 Atlantic LP, The Swinger from Rio, teamed Mendes with his mentor Jobim.)

When Herb Alpert signed Mendes to his A&M label, few could have predicted the immense crossover success the artist would have. Brasil ’66 debuted on an eponymous LP in 1966 with Mendes joined by Lani Hall (later Alpert’s wife) and Janis Hansen on vocals, Bob Matthews on bass, Jose Soares on percussion and Joao Palma on drums, with John Pisano on guitar. Herb Alpert lent his personal touch as producer. This lineup was a veritable hit factory turning out singles like “Mas Que Nada” (No. 4 AC), “With a Little Help From My Friends” (No. 31 AC) and “Night and Day” (No. 8 AC) within a year. But 1968 marked the breakthrough of Brasil ’66. A cover of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “The Look of Love,” dramatically rearranged from Dusty Springfield’s Casino Royale original, soared to No. 4 pop and No. 2 AC. Mendes and his band even performed their swirling, groovy treatment on the Academy Awards! “The Look of Love” appeared on Brasil ’66’s third album Look Around, with some arrangements by Dave Grusin.

Then Mendes dramatically dismissed the group members other than lead singer Lani Hall. From the new lineup (still known as Brasil ’66) came “The Fool on the Hill” which topped AC and went No. 6 pop, and “Scarborough Fair” (No. 2 AC, No. 16 pop). Both tracks appeared on the LP Fool on the Hill, on which Mendes took over production duties from Alpert; Grusin returned as arranger and conductor. Mendes had hit on a winning formula, reinventing current pop songs in his bossa-influenced style. Karen Philipp joined as a vocalist, and Gracinha Leporace, who would become Mrs. Sergio Mendes, made her first appearance on a Mendes LP. (Mendes would produce the 1970 A&M debut of Bossa Rio, featuring Leporace on vocals. This album had a very similar feel to Brasil efforts, with covers of “Up, Up and Away,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” and Jobim’s “Wave.” It was happily reissued on CD by Rev-Ola.) 1969’s Crystal Illusions featured the group pushing the envelope on a lengthy, eight-minute title track, and saw pop/rock numbers like “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” alongside works by young Brazilian talents such as Milton Nascimiento.

Hit the jump for a brief overview of Mendes’ career from the 1970s to the present, as well as a track listing with complete discographical information for Celebration!