Another Round of “ICON” Track Lists (UPDATED 4/4)

UPDATE 4/4: We now have confirmation on the track lists for each set!

Original post: Next week, another batch of ICON compilations will be released by Universal Music Group. This is particularly interesting, considering that all of the track lists for these upcoming sets have yet to be revealed.

Indeed, pre-order links on Amazon and other sites don’t even have all of these track lists, or cover art, finalized. (This is doubly ironic considering another batch of ICON titles is slate for May, and pre-order links are starting to crop up.) Fortunately, we’ve managed to pull together all but one of the sets (the two-disc compilation track list for The Who remains elusive) into one post for your perusal. It’s a mostly classic rock-oriented batch (The Who, Eric Clapton, Joe Cocker, Cat Stevens) with some new and old soul/blues acts (Quincy Jones, B.B. King, Avant), modern rock (Sublime) and a few smaller names (Nonpoint, Local H) thrown in for good measure. The set by the metal band Nonpoint features some previously unreleased material, which must be one of the first such instances on the usually barebones ICON sets.

Each title comes out April 5. The remaining track lists will be plugged in when they’re confirmed; the rest are after the jump!

Ventura Highway, Revisited: America Offers Re-Recorded “Hits”

Buyer, beware! Eagle-eyed music browsers may have noticed a new title from America, the 1970s hitmakers behind such soft rock radio perennials as “Sister Golden Hair,” “Ventura Highway,” “I Need You,” and of course, the deathless “A Horse with No Name.” America Records released Hits: 40th Anniversary Edition last week, and buyers could be forgiven for thinking it was another repackage of History: America’s Greatest Hits. Seven of the twelve tracks on each compilation are identical. It would be hard to top Rhino Records’ stellar America releases of the past (including a box set, 2000’s Highway: 30 Years of America, and 2001’s The Complete Greatest Hits) but we here at Second Disc HQ wouldn’t mind a 40th anniversary celebration for the often underrated band. That said, the new Hits, carrying on the band’s tradition of albums starting with the letter “H,” isn’t that retrospective celebration. It’s, in fact, a collection of re-recorded songs that hew closely to the original arrangements but otherwise lack the magic. This type of late-career project is nothing new, especially to oldies artists and groups struggling to make a living sometimes without even a single original member. Neil Sedaka, Paul Anka, Squeeze, Chicago and even Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra are a few of the higher-profile artists to have made similar re-recordings, often for licensing purposes or to sell at concert appearances.

The trio consisting of Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek, three sons of U.S. Air Force officers stationed in the U.K., scored a big impression with 1972’s self-titled debut which spent five weeks atop the U.S. album chart. (The album was actually a reissue itself; the 1971 edition was withdrawn when “A Horse with No Name” became a hit. When it was added to the LP, both album and band took off!) America was most clearly influenced by the rich harmonies and acoustic guitar sound of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, with some listeners even mistaking “Horse with No Name” for a Young song (to Neil’s chagrin?). Besides Bunnell’s cryptic equine paean, he offered the haunting “Sandman” while Beckley showed off his timeless melodic sensibility with “I Need You.” If follow-up Hat Trick didn’t repeat its predecessor’s success, the band’s finest and most cohesive album, Homecoming, certainly did. Bunnell’s evocative “Ventura Highway” was another smash single while Peek’s “Don’t Cross the River” and Beckley’s “To Each His Own” were equally mesmerizing. America’s journey continues after the jump! 

Giving Them The Best That He Got: Warwick, LaBelle, Bailey Featured on Skip Scarborough Anthology

Skip Scarborough (1944-2003) may not have ever gained the name-brand recognition of some of his songwriting peers. But the man born Clarence Alexander Scarborough penned some of the most instantly recognizable classics in the soul music pantheon. Anita Baker’s “Giving You the Best That I Got,” The Friends of Distinction’s “Love or Let Me Be Lonely” and Earth Wind & Fire’s “Can’t Hide Love” are just three of Scarborough’s most memorable compositions. The latter went on to be recorded by Dionne Warwick, Nancy Wilson, Carmen McRae and Patti LaBelle, among others. Until now, though, Scarborough has never been the subject of a career anthology. Expansion Records on April 26 will release The Skip Scarborough Songbook, bringing together 18 soul classics including rare gems and familiar favorites.

The songwriter/producer/arranger had a diverse CV boasting two No. 1 R&B hits: L.T.D.’s “Love Ballad” and Con Funk Shun’s “Ffun.” He was equally at home with vocalists as well as groups; in the latter category he produced Earth Wind and Fire, Blue Magic, the Emotions and the Los Angeles quintet Creative Source, managed by The 5th Dimension’s Ron Townson. Scarborough notably wrote, produced and played on LPs by the late jazz/soul diva Phyllis Hyman, and another diva to benefit from his production expertise was Patti LaBelle. Scarborough supplied LaBelle with “It’s Alright with Me” from 1979’s Music is My Way of Life, but his biggest hit was Anita Baker’s “Giving You the Best That I Got,” from the 1988 three-million selling LP of the same name. The single topped the R&B charts and went Top 3 pop, and also won Scarborough a Grammy Award. Despite success with funk, disco and soul, Scarborough never stayed too far away from those artists with jazz leanings; he collaborated with Nancy Wilson through the 1990s on LPs such as Nancy Now!, Lady with a Song, and If I Had My Way.

Artists represented on Expansion’s new set include Earth Wind & Fire, the group’s Philip Bailey, Dionne Warwick, Syreeta, Freda Payne, Jerry Butler and Thelma Houston, Patti LaBelle and Phyllis Hyman.

Hit the jump for the complete track listing with discographical information and a pre-order link!

Release Round-Up: Week of March 29

Derek and The Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs: 40th Anniversary Edition (Polydor/UMe)

Unbeknownst to us at Second Disc HQ, a lot of weird stuff has been going on with this deluxe edition. It seems that, for whatever reason, the 2-CD edition of this set is retailing only at Best Buy until April 26, at which point it’ll be released more widely. No extra material seems to be present, just a lengthy lead time in terms of exclusivity. Weird, man. And of course there’s that super-deluxe box set, too. (Amazon: Deluxe Edition, Box Set)

Pearl Jam, Vs. / Vitalogy: Expanded Editions (Epic/Legacy)

The Seattle rock legends expand their second and third albums with bonus tracks. A box set collects those three albums with an (almost-complete), widely-sought after live show. A bigger box adds an insane amount of stuff on vinyl, cassette (cassette? cassette!) and more. (Official site)

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Let Love In / Murder Ballads / The Boatman’s Call / No More Shall We Part: Deluxe Editions (Mute)

Another batch of CD/DVD editions from the British singer/songwriter. B-sides, videos and surround mixes abound. (Official site)

The Contours, Dance with The Contours (Ace/Kent)

Do you love it? An unreleased album by one of Motown’s earliest chartbusters! (Ace)

Pete Yorn, Musicforthemorningafter: 10th Anniversary Edition (Columbia/Legacy)

A two-disc deluxe edition of Yorn’s seminal debut, featuring unreleased studio and live material. (Amazon)

Billy Squier, Essential Billy Squier (EMI/Capitol)

A new hits disc from Mr. Stroke himself. (Amazon)

Teddy Pendergrass, Live in ’82 (Shout! Factory)

It’s a love T.K.O.! The late, great soul singer is immortalized in concert on DVD – one of his last before an injury altered his career. (Shout! Factory)

Florence + The Machine, Between Two Lungs (Universal Republic)

An expanded import of the band’s impressive debut Lungs comes to American shores. (Official site)

Various Artists, Mad Men: A Musical Companion (1960-1965) (Hip-O/UMe)

Though the critically-acclaimed show has an uncertain future, fans can use this compilation, featuring classics of the period, to pass the time. (Amazon)

Various Artists, The Music Never Stopped: Music from the Motion Picture (Rhino)

Rhino temporarily comes out of hiding for this film soundtrack, featuring several unreleased Grateful Dead live tracks. (Amazon)