Tuesday Tidbits, Classic Rock Edition: News from The Rolling Stones, The Who and Del Shannon

Starbucks’ latest Opus Collection CD release is tying in with the recent release of Who frontman Pete Townshend’s memoir Who I Am. The Who: Opus Collection offers 15 tracks from the legendary band and as per the usual for this series of releases, combines both familiar songs and tracks which might be unfamiliar to the casual fan. Opus Collection begins with “I’m the Face,” from the band’s very first single released under the name of The High Numbers in 1964, and concludes with “Who Are You,” the anthem and CSI theme from 1978’s album of the same name. Though classics like “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” “The Kids are Alright” and “Pinball Wizard” have been overlooked, the set does include perennials like “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Baba O’Riley.” (Oddly, one-third of Opus Collection consists of tracks from 1971’s Who’s Next.) As is typical for Starbucks’ releases, the packaging is deluxe. The 20-page booklet features a six-page essay from Steven Stolder and detailed track-by-track liner notes, as well. If you’re looking for a little mod action with that pumpkin spice latte, Opus Collection is in Starbucks locations now. It can be ordered here.

From the 1961 release of his first-ever single “Runaway,” a chart-topper on both sides of the Atlantic, to his tragic death by his own hand in 1990, Del Shannon was rock-and-roll royalty. He’s now receiving an exhaustive career anthology via Music Club Deluxe’s The Essential Collection 1961-1991. This budget-priced 52-track collection offers just about every highlight from Shannon’s singular career. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee followed up “Runaway,” with its memorably eerie Musitron organ part, with another Top 10 hit “Hats Off to Larry.” “Little Town Flirt” did almost as well, and Shannon continued his winning streak when he became the first American artist to record a Beatles song with his 1963 cover of “From Me to You.” More hits followed: revivals of “Do You Wanna Dance” and “Handy Man,” and “Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow the Sun).” As the sixties progressed, Shannon experimented with psychedelic productions, but his alcoholism slowed his productivity in the 1970s. Still, he found time to work with younger artists for whom he had been an influence, including Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty, Dave Edmunds and the Smithereens. The final track on The Essential Collection, “Walk Away,” was a posthumously-released collaboration with Petty and Lynne. Michael Heatley’s liner notes round out the package chronicling the career of a truly underrated singer and songwriter. The melancholy underneath the surface eventually got the better of Del Shannon, but he left behind a memorable body of work both haunting and joyous. You can order The Essential Collection here.

After the jump: details on The Rolling Stones’ latest Archives release plus track listings for all three titles!

The Rolling Stones are still determined to prove that they’re the biggest rock-and-roll band in the world for their 50th anniversary. The band has a full slate of projects in the pipeline: multi-format retrospective GRRR!, documentaries Charlie is My Darling and Crossfire Hurricane and attendant BD/DVD/CD releases, and sold-out shows in London and Newark, New Jersey. In the midst of all this, the Stones have also released the latest addition to their online-only Stones Archive restoring “bootleg” concert performances. The 15-track Light the Fuse: Toronto Live 2005 was recorded at that city’s Phoenix Club on August 10, 2005 when the band was preparing for their A Bigger Bang world tour. In front of a small club crowd of roughly 1,000, the Stones tried out songs from A Bigger Bang such as “Rough Justice” and “Oh No, Not You Again,” revisited old favorites like “19th Nervous Breakdown,” “Brown Sugar” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” and performed covers from Otis Redding (“Mr. Pitiful”), The Temptations (band perennial “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”) and Bob Marley (“Get Up Stand Up”). Both MP3 and FLAC formats are available worldwide with the exception of the United States, where only MP3 is offered by the Archive’s exclusive licensee, Google Music. That said, the price is right at under $5.00 for the entire concert. Downloads are available for buyers outside the U.S. at the Stones Archive and in the U.S. at Android Market/Google Music.

Del Shannon, The Essential Collection 1961-1991 (Music Club Deluxe MCDLX 176. 2012)

CD 1

1. Runaway (London HLX 9317, 1961)
2. Hats Off to Larry (London HLX 9402, 1961)
3. Hey Little Girl (London HLX 9515, 1961)
4. So Long Baby (London HLX 9452, 1961)
5. He Doesn’t Care (Runaway with Del Shannon, London HAX 2402, 1961)
6. Wide Wide World (Runaway with Del Shannon, London HAX 2402, 1961)
7. His Latest Flame (Runaway with Del Shannon, London HAX 2402, 1961)
8. Ginny in the Mirror (Big Top U.S. 45-3098, 1962)
9. I Won’t Be There (Big Top U.S. 45-3098, 1962)
10. Cry Myself to Sleep (London HLX 9587, 1962)
11. The Swiss Maid (London HLX 9609, 1962)
12. Little Town Flirt (London HLX 9653, 1962)
13. Two Kinds of Teardrops (London HLX 9710, 1963)
14. Kelly (London HLX 9710, 1963)
15. From Me to You (Big Top U.S. 45-3152, 1963)
16. Two Silhouettes (London HLX 9761, 1963)
17. Sue’s Gotta Be Mine (London HLU 9800, 1963)
18. That’s the Way Love Is (London HLU 9858, 1964)
19. Mary Jane (Stateside SS 269, 1964)
20. Handy Man (Stateside SS 317, 1964)
21. Do You Wanna Dance (Stateside SS 349, 1964)
22. Keep Searchin’ (We’ll Follow the Sun) (Stateside SS 368, 1964)
23. I Go to Pieces (1,661 Sides of Del Shannon, Stateside SL 10140, 1965)
24. Why Don’t You Tell Him (1,661 Sides of Del Shannon, Stateside SL 10140, 1965)
25. Needles and Pins (1,661 Sides of Del Shannon, Stateside SL 10140, 1965)
26. Rag Doll (Stateside 805. 1964/1,661 Sides of Del Shannon, Stateside SL 10140, 1965)

CD 2

1. Stranger in Town (Stateside SS 395, 1965)
2. Break Up (Stateside SS 430, 1965)
3. Move It on Over (Stateside SS 452, 1965)
4. I Can’t Believe My Ears (Stateside SS 494, 1965)
5. The Big Hurt (Liberty LIB 55866, 1966)
6. For a Little While (Liberty LIB 55889, 1966)
7. Show Me (Liberty LIB 55894, 1966)
8. Under My Thumb (Liberty LIB 55904, 1966)
9. The Letter (Liberty LIB 20376, 1967)
10. She (Liberty LIB 55939, 1967)
11. Led Along (Liberty LIB 55961/Home and Away, EMI Zonophone 3748532, 1967)
12. Mind Over Matter (Liberty LIB 10277/Home and Away, EMI Zonophone 3748532, 1967)
13. Cut and Come Again (Home and Away, EMI Zonophone 3748532, 1967)
14. Runaway ’67 (Liberty LIB 15020/Home and Away, EMI Zonophone 3748532, 1967)
15. Thinkin’ It Over (Liberty LIB 15061/The Further Adventures of Charles Westover, EMI, 1968)
16. Gemini (Liberty LIB 15079/The Further Adventures of Charles Westover, EMI, 1968)
17. Raindrops (LIB 56070, 1968)
18. Sister Isabelle (Stateside SS 8040, 1969)
19. What’s-a Matter Baby (United Artists UP 35460, 1972)
20. And the Music Plays On (United Artists UP 35740, 1972)
21. Sea of Love (Network 47951, 1981)
22. To Love Someone (Network 48006, 1981)
23. Cheap Love (Demon 1017, 1981)
24. Life Without You (Line-Instant 69074, 1981)
25. Callin’ Out My Name (Silvertone 45103, 1991)
26. Walk Away (Silvertone ORE 24, 1991)

Discographical information for London and Stateside releases pertains to first U.K. issues.

The Rolling Stones, Light the Fuse: Toronto Live 2005 (Digital-only, 2012)

1. Rough Justice
2. Live with Me
3. 19th Nervous Breakdown
4. She’s So Cold
5. Dead Flowers
6. Back of My Hand
7. Ain’t Too Proud to Beg
8. Band Intros
9. Infamy
10. Oh No, Not You Again
11. Get Up, Stand Up
12. Mr. Pitiful
13. Brown Sugar
14. Tumbling Dice
15. Jumpin’ Jack Flash

The Who, Opus Collection (Starbucks Entertainment, 2012)

1. I’m the Face – The High Numbers
2. Happy Jack
3. Substitute
4. I Can’t Explain
5. Our Love Was
6. I Can See for Miles
7. Magic Bus
8. We’re Not Gonna Take It
9. Getting in Tune
10. Baba O’Riley
11. Bargain
12. Won’t Get Fooled Again
13. Behind Blue Eyes
14. Squeeze Box
15. Who Are You

Track 1 from 1964 single, reissued on Odds and Sods, 1974
Track 2 from 1966 single
Track 3 from 1966 single, reissued on Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy, 1971
Track 4 from 1965 single, reissued on Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy, 1971
Tracks 5 & 6 from The Who Sell Out, 1967
Track 7 from Magic Bus: The Who on Tour, 1968
Track 8 from Tommy, 1969
Tracks 9-13 from Who’s Next, 1971
Track 14 from Who by Numbers, 1975
Track 15 from Who Are You, 1978