All That I Want: Bryan Adams Expands “Reckless” for 30th Anniversary

Hot on the heels of his new studio album Tracks of My Years – a deluxe edition of which, with additional material, is due on October 27, Canadian rocker Bryan Adams is revisiting his past in another way. Tracks of My Years features Adams’ recordings of classic songs from which he found inspiration as a songwriter; on November 24, he will release an expanded 2-CD/1-DVD/1-BD edition of his 1984 breakthrough album Reckless.

Produced by Adams and Bob Clearmountain and originally released on the A&M label on the artist’s 25th birthday, Reckless spawned five Top 15 singles in the U.S. – a feat previously only accomplished by Michael Jackson’s 1982 Thriller and Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A., also from 1984.  Bolstered by the success of those five tracks –  “Run to You”, “Somebody”, “Heaven”, “Summer of ’69”, “One Night Love Affair”, and “It’s Only Love” – Reckless peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart and became the first Canadian-recorded album to sell more than one million units in Canada.

The new box set features a remastered version of the original 10-track album, seven previously unissued bonus tracks, a 1985 BBC concert performance, director Steve Barron’s Reckless: The Movie and a Blu-ray audio disc with high-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround mixes, all housed in a DVD case-sized hardback book.  Typical of a package such as this, the 30th anniversary Reckless will also be available in other formats including a 2-CD Deluxe Edition, a remastered single disc version of just the original 10-song album, a 2-LP vinyl edition with the original album and selected bonus tracks, and as a stand-alone Blu-Ray Pure Audio release. The box set-exclusive book features never-before-seen photos, insights into the working relationship between Adams and co-writer Jim Vallance, an interview with engineer Bob Ludwig, and lyrics, notes and reproductions of other assorted memorabilia.

After the jump, we have more on Reckless including the complete track listing with discography and pre-order links!

Come See About Them: Ace Collects Rare, Unreleased Music of Motown’s Contours

Forty years ago, in February 1974, The Contours reappeared on the Tamla Motown label with the single “Baby Hit and Run,” the group’s first release in seven years. But it was far from a new recording; the backing track had been cut in 1965 for Ivy Jo Hunter.  At least three lead vocals were cut for The Contours: by Billy Gordon later that year, and then by Jerry Green and Dennis Edwards the following year.  The Edwards version was ultimately issued in 1974, with the Gordon version surfacing in 2002.  A recent 26-song CD from Ace’s Kent imprint, Just a Little Misunderstanding: Rare and Unissued Motown 1965-68, premieres the Green vocal as one of its 14 previously unreleased tracks from The Contours and Dennis Edwards.

Just a Little Misunderstanding serves as a companion volume to 2011’s Dance with the Contours, which kicked off Ace’s series of compilations drawn from the Classic Motown vaults.  That volume was built around the titular 1964 LP, originally unissued, and numerous other recordings circa 1963-1964.  This follow-up focuses on the latter period of the group’s too-short existence, and make no mistake – this is classic Motown, with the irresistible, distinctive beat of The Funk Brothers straight out of Hitsville, USA, with numerous familiar Motor City grooves such as “It’s Growing,” “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted,” “Ain’t That Peculiar,” “First I Look at the Purse,” “Come See About Me” and “I’ll Turn to Stone.”  (Motown never met a song it couldn’t try out on multiple artists!)

The original line-up of The Contours broke up in June 1964, with Berry Gordy deciding to keep Billy Gordon and guitarist Huey Davis on, and replacing the other group members with Council Gay, Jerry Green and Alvin English. English’s time in the group was short-lived, though, when Sylvester Potts rejoined The Contours just months into the new line-up’s existence. Just a Little Misunderstanding is not a complete collection for The Contours; the new group’s first single, “Can You Jerk Like Me,” is not here, but its follow-up “First I Look at the Purse” is, albeit in a different form than the released single.  The song, produced and co-written by Smokey Robinson, didn’t make the first cut with Motown’s famous Quality Control, and The Contours were dispatched to remake the song.  Ironically, per the comprehensive new liner notes by Keith Hughes, the second version impressed Quality Control even less, and the original was released in mid-1965.  Ace/Kent presents, for the first time, the re-recorded version of Smokey’s tune among its copious vault material.

The Contours endured numerous changes to come, all of which are documented on Just a Little Misunderstanding.  Billy Gordon – the most famous lead voice of The Contours, and the lead singer on “Do You Love Me,” immortalized in 1988’s Dirty Dancing – departed the group, sadly beginning a downward spiral that culminated in long stretches in prison.  Joe Stubbs, brother of The Four Tops’ Levi, was the first to replace Gordon, and seven of his tracks appear here.  Four are making their first appearance anywhere including Marvin Gaye and Clarence Paul’s “Need Your Lovin’ (Want You Back),” Ivy Jo Hunter’s “I Grow Deeper in Love Every Day,” and Holland-Dozier-Holland’s Supremes hit “Come See About Me.”  In Fall 1966, Stubbs migrated from The Contours to The Originals, with Motown assigning “Need Your Lovin’” and “Come See About Me” to The Originals; these are the original Contours recordings.

Don’t miss a thing!  Hit the jump for more!

Release Round-Up: Week of October 7

Stevie Nicks, 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault (Reprise)

2-LP Vinyl + Download Card: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Standard Edition CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

The Fleetwood Mac rock legend dips into her vault for a newly-recorded album of songs composed between 1969 and 1995.  The album features co-production by Dave Stewart and guitar great Waddy Wachtel, and is also available in a deluxe edition exclusive to Nicks’ website.

Various Artists, The Classic Christmas Albums (Legacy)

Legacy has a new batch of Classic Christmas Albums, and the Johnny Mathis and Frank Sinatra titles both feature previously unreleased and new-to-CD music unavailable anywhere else!  Click on the above link for full track listings and order links for all eight titles from artists also including Barbra Streisand, Perry Como, Il Divo and more!

Shelby Lynne, I Am Shelby Lynne: Deluxe 15th Anniversary Edition (Rounder) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Rounder has reissued the 1999 debut of country-pop troubadour Shelby Lynne on 2 discs, expanding the original album on CD with six previously unreleased bonus tracks and adding a DVD of Lynne’s 2000 concert recorded at Los Angeles’ House of Blues!

TV Eyes, TV Eyes (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

In 2006, Jason Falkner and Roger Joseph Manning, Jr., both of Jellyfish, joined with composer Brian Reitzell (Lost in Translation, Hannibal)  in TV Eyes.  The band’s debut album was only released in Japan, however…until now!  Omnivore’s reissue features the nine tracks from TV Eyes, plus 3 bonus tracks from the Japanese only EP Softcore—each of which is a song from TV Eyes, remixed by a member of the band. This set also includes the first CD appearance of “She’s A Study,” which was featured in the film Lost In Translation, and previously only available on a white label promo 12” single a decade ago.  TV Eyes is also available on double-vinyl with a download card, with the first pressing on translucent yellow vinyl!  Both the CD and LP formats boast photos and liner notes from Falkner.

Sleeping Beauty: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – The Legacy Collection (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Walt Disney Records’ deluxe Legacy Collection series continues for this release coinciding with today’s arrival of a Blu-ray reissue of Sleeping Beauty!  This new presentation on 2 CDs adds previously unissued demos and Lost Chords performances of those demos, as well as a couple of rare tracks previously available only on LP.

Batman: Exclusive Original Television Soundtrack Album (Mercury/UMe)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Holy Soundtracks, Batman!  In anticipation of next month’s long-awaited release of the campy, star-studded Batman television series of the 1960s on Blu-ray and DVD, Mercury has brought this groovy 1966 LP back into print on both CD and vinyl.  Originally released on 20th Century Records, this disc includes Neal Hefti’s iconic theme song and Nelson Riddle’s swingin’ orchestral score together with dialogue from Adam West, Burt Ward, Frank Gorshin, Burgess Meredith and George Sanders!

The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Paul Butterfield Blues Band / Peter, Paul and Mary, In the Wind (Audio Fidelity)

The Paul Butterfield Band: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Peter, Paul and Mary: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Audio Fidelity has two more classic albums on hybrid stereo SACD – the 1965 debut of Paul Butterfield’s searing blues-rock outfit and Peter, Paul and Mary’s chart-topping third album, from 1963!  Steve Hoffman remasters Peter, Paul and Mary, and Kevin Gray handles Butterfield!  These discs will play on all CD players, and will play in high-resolution on those equipped for SACD.

The Stylistics, Best of The Stylistics and More: 30th Anniversary Edition (Amherst) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. )

Amherst celebrates 30 years of The Stylistics’ first anthology by adding three new tracks to the original 10-song line-up.  New songs are “Because of You,” “My Heart” and “What Ever It Takes,” while the Philly soul classics still feature Thom Bell and Linda Creed classics like “You Are Everything,” “Betcha By Golly Wow,” “People Make the World Go Round” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New.”

The Monkees, The Monkees in Mono (Friday Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Are you a believer?  The Monkees’ first five mono LPs are boxed up in this new collection from Friday Music featuring 180-gram heavyweight vinyl reissues of The Monkees, More of the Monkees, Headquarters, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., and The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees.