Some Kind of a Summer: Real Gone Offers David Cassidy, Gary Lewis, Grateful Dead, Johnny Mathis In August

Real Gone Music is looking ahead to August, and it’s going to be one hot summer!  The label has just announced new titles from all around the pop/rock spectrum: Gary Lewis and the Playboys, David Cassidy, The Grateful Dead and Johnny Mathis!

Gary Lewis and the Playboys’ Complete Liberty Singles first arrived in 2009 from the late Collectors’ Choice Music label, with 45 tracks on 2 CDs.  This anthology definitely proved that there was much more to the group than just “This Diamond Ring,” presenting the A- and B-sides of every single they issued on the Liberty label.  Most of the group’s original mono mixes and B-sides hadn’t been available on CD at all until this set came along, making it a particular must-have for collectors and fans alike.  Discovered at Disneyland and signed to Liberty Records by ace producer Snuff Garrett, Gary Lewis and the Playboys had a smash right out of the gate with that Al Kooper/Bob Brass/Irwin Levine song.  The next six singles for the young California band all went Top Ten, with “Count Me In” and “Save Your Heart for Me” stopping just short of pole position, “She’s Just My Style” reaching No. 3 and “Everybody Loves a Clown” hitting No. 4.  Leon Russell was a prominent fixture as songwriter, arranger and musician on many of the Playboys’ best tracks, and the pure pop craftsmanship of these classics still impresses today.  Real Gone’s new edition brings this comprehensive collection back into print, and includes Ed Osborne’s annotation, drawing on interviews with producers Bones Howe and Snuff Garrett, drummers Hal Blaine and Jim Keltner, singer Ron Hicklin (who frequently doubled Lewis’ lead vocals) and Lewis himself.

After the jump: what’s coming from David Cassidy, The Grateful Dead and Johnny Mathis?  Plus: full track listings and pre-order links!

Be Their Guest: “Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives” Digital Album Offers Souvenir of New Exhibition

57 years ago today, on July 17, 1955, The Happiest Place on Earth became a reality when Disneyland opened its doors in Anaheim, California!  What better day to take a virtual trip to the Walt Disney Archives?

Touted as “the largest Disney archives exhibit in the world,” Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives officially opened on July 5 at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, California.  At over 12,000 square feet, the exhibition boasts 500+ artifacts from every area of the Walt Disney Company, from animation to theme parks to motion pictures and, of course, music.  Currently scheduled to run at the Reagan Library until April 30, 2013, the opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony of Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives was attended by Robert Iger, The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO, and Nancy Reagan, former First Lady.  The exhibition also celebrates the friendship between Walt Disney and Ronald Reagan; the then-actor and future President even served as one of the celebrity hosts of Disneyland’s opening day on July 17, 1955.  At the Library, you can expect to see original correspondence from Walt Disney, Mary Poppins’ dress, retired theme park vehicles, props, models and even Walt’s office.  Now, Disney’s D23 fan club, the sponsor of the Treasures, has teamed with Amazon.com to offer a digital album soundtrack to the archival showcase. A Musical Tour: Treasures of the Walt Disney Archives at the Reagan Library is available exclusively at the online retailer and offers 23 tracks from the Walt Disney Company’s considerable audio vault.

A Musical Tour offers highlights from each era of the company’s successes in non-chronological sequence.  It, appropriately enough, opens with “Turkey in the Straw” from 1928’s animated short subject, Steamboat Willie, which introduced the world to Disney’s cultural ambassador, Mickey Mouse.  It then takes in musical moments from a number of the studio’s pioneering motion pictures including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (the complete soundtrack to which was recently reissued by Walt Disney Records and Intrada) as well as modern classics like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Toy Story.  The Walt Disney Pictures story is even brought up to date with the inclusion of tracks from 2010’s Tron: Legacy and 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger.

Hit the jump for much more, including the full track listing and order link!

Release Round-Up: Week of July 17

America, Perspective/In Concert (BGO)

Two out-of-print albums from Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell circa 1984 and 1985 are now available as a two-for-one CD from the U.K.’s BGO label!  Read more here.

Donny Hathaway, Live + In Performance (Shout! Factory)

The Shout! Factory label combines two of the late soul man’s live albums (the first, from 1972, and the second, a posthumous set from 1980) in one package, newly remastered by Steve Hoffman.  Read more here.

Elton John vs. Pnau, Good Morning to the Night (Mercury/Casablanca)

Sir Elton opened up his vaults to Australian dance-pop duo Pnau, and the result is this club-ready collection of mash-ups!  Eight new songs have been created from Elton favorites as well as deep tracks.  Read more here.

MC Squared, Tantalizing Colours: The Reprise Recordings (Now Sounds)

Now Sounds unearths a long-lost album from a psychedelic band including session vets Randy Sterling and Jim Keltner, circa 1968!  The label describes the band as “sounding like a unique hybrid of The Mamas and the Papas and Jefferson Airplane,” which strikes us as about right!  Watch for Joe’s run-down soon.

Melba Moore, This Is It: Expanded Edition (Funky Town Grooves)

Melba Moore’s 1976 collaboration with producer Van McCoy is expanded with two bonus tracks!

Sam Phillips, Martinis & Bikinis (Omnivore Recordings)

Sam Phillips’ classic pop-inspired 1994 LP, produced by T Bone Burnett, arrives on CD and vinyl with four bonus tracks!  Keep an eye open for Joe’s review tomorrow.  Read more here!

Various Artists, Pete Waterman Presents the Hit Factory (Sony U.K.)

This affordably-priced box set rounds up eighties classics from Bananarama, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Rick Astley, Cliff Richard and Samantha Fox, among others from the famed PWL label!  Read more here.