Elton, Orbison, Plant, Mellencamp, Allman Salute “The Producer” On New T Bone Burnett Comp

T Bone Burnett epitomizes cool.  The former Joseph Henry Burnett, with his omnipresent sunglasses, is so cool, in fact, that he makes the name “T Bone” sound hip!  He’s the producer as rock star, an artist whom superstars and fresh-faced talents alike seek out for a shot in the arm.  He’s also the man who made bluegrass trendy.  And lest his cool credentials be in doubt, the man toured with Bob Dylan on the Rolling Thunder Revue!  Raised in Texas, by way of Missouri, Burnett relocated to Southern California as the seventies began, fronted a couple of bands and gained major notice in 1980 with Truth Decay, an album bearing little relation to anybody else’s music at the dawn of that decade.  It was during the 1980s that the musical revivalist began making significant inroads as a producer for other artists, eventually amassing a resume dotted with names like Roy Orbison and Elton John, John Mellencamp and Robert Plant.  And oh yeah, he picked up an Oscar, too.  The career of T Bone Burnett, producer, is the subject of a most unique new compilation from Starbucks Entertainment, available now at the ubiquitous coffee shops.  The simply-titled T Bone Burnett: The Producer collects fifteen of his finest productions as well as a booklet with track-by-track notes by Burnett recalling the stories behind the songs.

Journalist Bill Flanagan has suggested that Burnett is “the conscience of the music industry,” if such a thing is possible, opting instead that he’s “a one-man counterculture.”  The story of the one-man counterculture began in Texas where he was running a studio at an early age.  (He even cut a number of pop songs with future Broadway star Betty Buckley there!)  Always a man of mystery, he appeared on a 1968 album by a group with a name that could only have come out of that era: Whistler, Chaucer, Detroit and Greenhill.  Which was T Bone?  Productions for another group, The Case Hardy Boys, followed, as eventually did another album, The B-52 Band and the Fabulous Skylarks.   Burnett began frequenting the clubs of New York’s hallowed Bleecker Street, where he reportedly met Bob Dylan.  Whatever the circumstances, it wasn’t long before Burnett was appearing alongside Mick Ronson and Bobby Neuwirth on the Rolling Thunder Revue.  He then formed The Alpha Band at the behest of Arista’s Clive Davis, though the charts were hardly bothered by the band’s albums.   It was on 1980’s solo Truth Decay (ironically not produced by its singer and songwriter but by Reggie Fisher that Burnett’s “voice” became evident via its collection of what Rolling Stone termed “mystic Christian blues.”  The songs were inspired by Sun Studios, and old blues and folk records, and despite the title, arguably had more truth in them than much of the synthesized popular music storming the charts.  Burnett was on his way.  Hit the jump to join T Bone in 1987!

Queen Break Free, Go Deep on Third Wave of Reissues (UPDATED)

UPDATE: One unreleased track has been added to the reissue of The Miracle; in addition, the iTunes video content – much of it previously released – has been added to the post.

Original Post: The U.K. is rushin’ headlong into the last batch of Queen reissues (available September 5 everywhere but the U.S.), and now there are track lists for each bonus EP, included with these reissues of The Works (1984), A Kind of Magic (1986), The Miracle (1989), Innuendo (1991) and the posthumous Made in Heaven (1995), finished after Freddie Mercury’s passing.

Unsurprisingly, as Queen became increasingly focused on pop singles at this time, much of the bonus material derives from various remixes and non-LP B-sides released at the time. However, there are some unreleased tracks in the mix, including a live cut from the band’s stint at Rock in Rio in 1985, a few demos from the A Kind of Magic and Innuendo eras and even a few unreleased remixes. A Kind of Magic has the most bonus cuts, with seven.

However, the bonus material is far from complete; several vinyl remixes abound which would have been nice to include with each album. (Fans have long stated that each reissue could have been expanded by a full disc instead of an EP. This may be no truer than in this final batch.)

A track list for the next Deep Cuts compilation has been released, too, drawing most heavily from the band’s final two albums. Everything can be read after the jump.

Release Round-Up: Week of August 2

Arcade Fire, Scenes from the Suburbs (Merge)

Last year’s Grammy winner for Album of the Year is newly expanded with two unreleased tracks and a bonus DVD documentary. (Official site)

Various Artists, Mightier Than the Sword: The Ronnie James Dio Story (Sanctuary U.K.)

This new double-disc set, in honor of the late, beloved metal singer, is the first to compile just about every band Dio ever sang for – Elf, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven and Hell. (Official site)

Archers of Loaf, Icky Mettle: Deluxe Edition (Merge)

The North Carolina ’90s college-rock stalwart’s debut album is newly remastered and expanded with a bonus disc of rare single and EP material. (Official site)

The Gap Band, The Gap Band 8: Expanded Edition / The Isley Brothers, Between the Sheets: Expanded Edition / Johnny Nash, I Can See Clearly Now: Expanded Edition / The Joneses, The Joneses: Expanded Edition / Keith Barrow, Keith Barrow: Expanded Edition / The Nite-Liters, A-Nal-Y-Sis: Expanded Edition (Big Break)

More expanded reissues from Cherry Red’s main soul provider! (Big Break)

Kippington Lodge, Shy Boy: The Complete Recordings 1967-1969 (RPM)

An early ’60s pop turn from a band that included Nick Lowe and Brinsley Schwarz among its ranks. This set includes ten single A- and B-sides with some rare and unreleased material. (RPM)