Collectors’ New Choice: Gordon Anderson Launches New Label

Eagle-eyed crate diggers might have noticed a major disappearing act of late. 

Collectors’ Choice Music, long renowned for its diverse and eclectic line-up of releases by artists ranging from Bing Crosby to Jefferson Airplane, has quietly been allowing its label’s releases to go out-of-print.  In fact, many of those titles are already commanding high prices on the second-hand market.  (The beginning of the end of the Collectors’ Choice label can be read here.)  Though the company’s famed catalogue continues for the time being, offering music from various labels around the world, the label has been dormant for all of 2011 after a tumultuous 2010 which saw titles from artists like Petula Clark, Joanie Sommers and Connie Stevens announced and then withdrawn with little word from the label.  But there’s a silver lining. 

Gordon Anderson, the much-loved former Senior Vice President and General Manager of Collectors’ Choice Music, has recently announced a new venture that should be of more than passing interest to readers of The Second Disc.

It’s called Real Gone Music, and you can find the details after the jump!

Anderson’s LinkedIn page now offers this tantalizing tidbit: “I and my partner, Gabby Castellana, are launching a record label under the name of Real Gone Music. We will be licensing repertoire from major and independent labels, artist estates and other sources for release on CD, vinyl and digital formats.”  Castellana founded roots-rock, rockabilly and punk specialist label Hepcat, which was sold to Collectors’ Choice back in 2005.  Somewhat ironically, Castellana just departed his post as VP/GM of Super D, the entertainment wholesaler who purchased Collector’s Choice last year.  Reportedly the Super D sale is what led to the demise of the Collectors’ Choice label.  (Super D’s press release announcing Castellana’s departure and the appointment of his successor, Charles “Pip” Smith, notes that the company “boasts a rich and diverse label and studio roster including ToneTree, American Beat, Collectors’ Choice Music, Bandai Entertainment, Blackheart Records, Distribution 13, Light in the Attic, and Wounded Bird.”)  Both Anderson and Castellana will bring a wealth of experience with reissued music to their new venture.

If Real Gone Music continues in the tradition of Collectors’ Choice, affording deluxe treatment to the catalogues of artists as different as Perry Como, B.J. Thomas, Bobby Darin, The 5^th Dimension, Dionne Warwick, Glen Campbell and Badfinger, collectors should, indeed, be in luck.  That label was an important source of music from heritage artists in the vocal and jazz genres while also delving into pop, soul and rock. Over at the Steve Hoffman Music Forums, remastering engineer Hoffman weighed in on Anderson’s announcement: “Gordon is in it for the music, totally. A refreshing change from the usual deal. Hopefully Ed O[sborne] and I can contribute lots of yummy projects.”  Producer Osborne continued the “back to mono” movement with a number of fantastic mono singles collections from Collectors’ Choice by artists including Jan and Dean, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Gary Lewis and the Playboys and Jay and the Americans.

One casualty of the Collectors’ Choice label collapse was the acclaimed Bing Crosby Archive Collection, which has already offered two compilations, With All My Heart and Shall We Dance? in digital-only form.  In the final months before the sale to Super D, Collectors’ Choice had also teamed with Warner Music Group for a disc-on-demand line under the Tartare imprint, and a new line of archival concert releases including a series of releases from Jefferson Airplane.

What would you like to see from Anderson and Castellana’s new Real Gone venture?  Sound off below!