Of Mamas, Papas, Raiders and Soundtracks: Real Gone’s February Slate Revealed

The announcement of Real Gone Music’s release schedule for February 2014 would be cause for celebration any day of the week. But this particular day is special, as you’re about to find out.

In addition to an ironclad lineup that includes A Gathering of Flowers, the long out-of-print 1970 collection from The Mamas & The Papas; The Complete Recordings by Brotherhood, an unfairly obscure psych-rock band comprised of Phil Volk, Drake Levin and Mike “Smitty” Smith of Paul Revere & The Raiders that cut three LPs for RCA; a twofer by Smith (A Band Called Smith/Minus-Plus), the L.A. soul band which had a Top 5 hit in a cover of “Baby, It’s You” (arranged by Del Shannon, who discovered the band) and a pair of 1976 Grateful Dead shows for the 20th volume of Dick’s Picks,  two intriguing, long out-of-print film soundtracks make their domestic CD debuts: Together? – a Burt Bacharach-led pop feast featuring lyrics from Paul Anka and vocals from Jackie DeShannon and Michael McDonald – and Toomorrow, a 1970 sci-fi movie musical assembled by Harry Saltzman and Don Kirshner with vocals from a very unknown Australian actor-chanteuse named Olivia Newton-John.

And what makes those two soundtrack releases so exciting? The Second Disc is extremely proud to report that our own Joe Marchese is writing the liner notes to these releases! Joe’s insight that served readers so well on a previous post about the Together? soundtrack will now guide fans through the first ever Stateside releases of this and Toomorrow. We’ve rarely been more thrilled for you to read some Second Disc-style work without even needing to open your laptop!

All titles are set for a February 4 release. For the full release schedule, which also includes releases by Canadian trio Troyka and country-gospel crooner Jim Reeves, hit the jump!

Ace Label Tunes In “Radio Gold” and Heads to the “Hall of Fame”

Ace Records has another pair of aces (Aces?) up its sleeve with two recent releases, both of which continue ongoing series for the label.  The sixth installment of the long-running Radio Gold series turns the spotlight on those American records which were Bigger in Britain, as it’s subtitled, while the second volume of Hall of Fame takes in 24 rarities (20 previously unreleased) from deep in the heart of Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

The 24 tracks chosen for Radio Gold: Special Bigger in Britain Edition all hail from the pre-Beatles era (1956-1963) of rock and roll and feature some of that period’s biggest names: Buddy Holly, Del Shannon, Bobby Darin, Bill Haley and His Comets, Roy Orbison, and Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers.  It might come as a surprise that Roy Orbison’s beautiful “Blue Bayou” bested its No. 29 placement with a No. 3 showing in Britain, or that Haley’s rather unknown “Rockin’ Through the Rye” (No. 78) also hit that same lofty perch.  Del Shannon’s “Two Kinds of Teardrops” was an intentional sound-alike to his “Little Town Flirt,” but whereas it stalled at No. 50 in the U.S., Shannon’s constant U.K. touring saw it rise to No. 5 there.  (As for “Flirt,” the No. 12 U.S. hit was No. 4 in the U.K.!)

Compiler Tony Rounce hasn’t limited himself to rock-and-roll chestnuts, though.  You’ll find country artists represented, including Conway Twitty (“Mona Lisa”) and Jim Reeves (“Welcome to My World,” later popularized by Elvis Presley) and crooner Perry Como (the rock-ish “Love Makes the World Go Round (Yeah Yeah)”).  Even more surprising than Perry is an appearance by the Velvet Fog, Mel Torme.  His breezy 1956 live recording of Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s 1926 standard “Mountain Greenery” didn’t make waves in the U.S., but accomplished an impressive No. 4 showing on the British chart. Rounce helpfully points out in his detailed track-by-track notes that Mel’s recording was the very first live recording to make a major dent on the U.K. survey.

On the R&B front, there’s a track from Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers (“I’m Not a Juvenile Delinquent”).  Straight from the Brill Building, Bobby Vee offers Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “How Many Tears” (No. 63 U.S., No. 10 U.K., 1961).  Two famous television western themes are also included.  “The Ballad of Paladin” from Have Gun, Will Travel only made it to No. 33 at home, but across the pond, “Paladin” hit No. 10.  The occasionally overwrought pop star Frankie Laine specialized in musical tales of the Old West, and he brought his big pipes to Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington’s “Rawhide” from the program of the same name.  Its September 1958 release in America didn’t chart, but when “Rawhide” was issued in Britain in November 1959, it began an ascent to No. 6.

This entry in the Radio Gold series is accompanied by a thick 22-page booklet with plenty of label scans, photographs and sheet music covers.  Duncan Cowell has remastered all tracks.

Hit the jump for the full track listing and discography for Radio Gold, plus the details on Hall of Fame Volume 2!

Hats Off To Del: Shannon Singles Compiled By Ace Records

“Runaway,” “Little Town Flirt,” “Keep Searchin’ (I’ll Follow the Sun)”: the songs of Del Shannon have become an integral part of the American rock-and-roll tapestry.  They’re the lasting legacy of a restless, creative artist who survived the British Invasion and continued to make strong, relevant music right up until his suicide in 1990.  Ace Records has just offered a new 2-CD anthology that allows Shannon’s classic singles to be viewed through a new prism.  The Complete U.K. Singles and More (1961-1966) offers just what the title indicates: the As and Bs of every Del Shannon single issued in the U.K. during that period plus a couple of bonuses.  By the numbers, you’ll find 42 songs including nineteen singles.  Of those singles, fourteen went Top 40, and all but one eclipsed the respective U.S. chart placement.  The U.K. had a love affair with Del Shannon, and here’s the reason – well, 42 reasons – why.  All tracks were originally issued on the London and Stateside labels in the U.K.; London first issued Del’s singles but Stateside took over as of 1964’s “Mary Jane” b/w “Stains on My Letter.”

1961’s “Runaway,” a chart-topper on both sides of the Atlantic, naturally starts off this compilation for the man born Charles Westover in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1944. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee followed up “Runaway,” with its memorably eerie Musitron organ part, with another  to Top 10 hit “Hats Off to Larry.” With its overt similarities to “Runaway,” “Larry” went to No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 6 across the pond.  “Little Town Flirt” only made it to No. 12 in the U.S., but eclipsed “Larry” at No. 4 on the U.K. London label.  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.” His final American single for Big Top Records, it wasn’t released as a single in the U.K., but Ace has added it anyway!  Along the way to that Lennon and McCartney number, Shannon supplied many of his own songs (“Hey Little Girl,” “Cry Myself to Sleep,” “Two Kinds of Teardrops”) while still surveying tunes from Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman (“(Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame”), Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard (“The Answer to Everything”) and even Roger Miller (“The Swiss Maid”).

After the jump: more details on Del, plus a full track listing with discography and an order link!

Release Round-Up: Week of March 19

Duane Allman, Skydog: The Duane Allman Retrospective (Rounder)

A massive seven-disc box set celebrates the life and work of a guitar legend, gone far too soon.  Read Joe’s review here!   (Amazon U.S.)

Elvis Presley, Aloha from Hawaii via Satellite: Legacy Edition (RCA/Legacy)

The classic best-selling live album, taken from the famed TV special, is paired with a newly-remixed version of The Alternate Aloha (a rehearsal show recorded days earlier) and rare bonus performances.  You’ll find Joe’s review here.   (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Bing Crosby, Bing in Dixieland / Seasons: The Closing Chapter – Deluxe Edition / Return to Paradise Islands: Deluxe Edition / On the Sentimental Side / Bing on Broadway / El Señor Bing: Deluxe Edition / So Rare: Treasures from the Crosby Archives / Bing Sings The Great American Songbook / Bing Sings The Sinatra Songbook / A Southern Memoir: Deluxe Edition / Bing & Rosie: The Crosby-Clooney Radio Sessions (Bing Crosby Enterprises/UMe)

Originally released as part of The Bing Crosby Archive on Collector’s Choice a few years ago, these discs are reprinted by UMe for you to enjoy.

Bing in Dixieland: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Seasons: The Closing Chapter: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Return to Paradise Islands: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
On the Sentimental Side: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Bing on Broadway: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
El Señor Bing: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
So Rare: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Bing Sings The Great American Songbook: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Bing Sings The Sinatra Songbook: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
A Southern Memoir: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Bing & Rosie: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Lee Hazlewood, Trouble is a Lonesome Town (Light in the Attic)

A mightily-expanded edition of Hazlewood’s solo debut LP features a load of non-LP material and unreleased gems!

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
LP: Amazon U.S.

Del Shannon, The Complete U.K. Singles (and More) 1961-1966 (Ace)

Shannon was perhaps even bigger in England than Stateside, so it’s nice to see Ace lovingly anthologize his single sides on two discs. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Miles Davis, Live at Montreux 1991 (Eagle Rock)

Miles’ last appearance at the famed jazz festival, with the help of Quincy Jones and the Gil Evans Orchestra.

DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Blu-Ray: Amazon U.S.

Nat “King” Cole, Welcome to the Club / Harry Belafonte, Calypso (Audio Fidelity)

The newest hybrid SACDs from Audio Fidelity.

Welcome to the Club: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Calypso: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Various Artists, ICON (UMe/Capitol)

Available at the link above, another batch of the painfully thin Universal (and now EMI) compilation line, featuring a lot of comps by artists nobody needs and one actually worthwhile one by Belinda Carlisle with a new track.

Del Shannon’s Shelved “Home and Away” Finds New Life on Remastered Reissue

Pair the Rolling Stones’ producer Andrew Loog Oldham with American rock-and-roll hero Del Shannon at the height of Swinging London, and what’s the result?  It was an album called Home and Away, but despite its lofty ambitions of being a British answer to Pet Sounds, the LP didn’t see release as scheduled in 1967.  It took more than a decade for Home and Away to surface, and it’s recently been reissued as a remastered CD from Now Sounds (CRNOW 40).

Though the new Home and Away is a most welcome release, the oft-quoted Pet Sounds analogy isn’t quite appropriate.  Though Home and Away and the Beach Boys’ classic are both orchestrated pop albums, Pet Sounds was an intensely personal vision both musically and lyrically – that of Brian Wilson and his chief lyrical collaborator, Tony Asher.  Home and Away was the work of numerous pop songwriting teams from Oldham’s Immediate Records stable.  Not that there’s anything shameful about an immaculately crafted collection of largely original pop songs, which is what Home and Away is; the high quality of these tracks, sung passionately by Shannon and arranged pristinely by Arthur Greenslade, will make you wah-wah-wah-wah-wonder why the album was initially shelved in the first place.

After the decision was made by Liberty Records to leave the LP in the can, tracks began to trickle out on singles and elsewhere, and Home and Away has been released numerous times prior to Now Sounds’ edition.  The complete sequence first surfaced on a 1978 compilation album, and reappeared in the CD era on anthologies including EMI’s The Liberty Years, before getting a proper album release in 2006 from the reactivated Zonophone imprint.  Now Sounds’ edition, though remastered and splendidly redesigned by reissue producer Steve Stanley, repeats the 16-track sequence of that Zonophone disc.

Love is in the air, but this isn’t a romantic album by any means.  Del Shannon crafted some of the most striking pop records of the early 1960s with grief and heartbreak foremost on his mind, and the tone of Home and Away is indeed, melancholy.  Though darkness took him to artistic heights, it eventually consumed him, and Shannon took his own life in 1990.  Here, the moody atmosphere is often quite beautiful, with harpsichord, French horns and flutes among the baroque accoutrements.  No, the material isn’t as strong as Pet Sounds, but isn’t that an unfair comparison for almost any album?

We dive in, after the jump!  Plus: the full track listing with discography, and an order link!

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!