The Year in Reissues, Part III: The Gold Bonus Disc Awards

Well, another New Year is in sight, the CD still isn’t dead (told you so!) and celebration is in the air at The Second Disc. Back on December 23, Mike shared The Year in Reissues both here and over with our pals at Popdose. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 bucks until you read these indispensable columns!

Are you back with me? Good. Now, I’d like to take this opportunity to take a fun look back at a few of my favorite things via Joe’s Gold Bonus Disc Awards! I’m awarding these to the reissues that have raised the bar over the past 12 months. You’ll notice a number of titles that have already been praised by Mike, as well as new entries, but overall, I’ve simply tried to recognize as many diverse, worthy releases as possible. It’s my sincere hope, though, that you’ll take a chance on a title previously unknown to you; all of the artists, producers, and labels mentioned here have kept great music alive in 2010.

Friends, as always, please share your thoughts and comments below. Without further ado, let’s celebrate 2010’s best of the best. Welcome to the Gold Bonus Disc Awards!

Which releases take home the gold?  Hit the jump to find out!

“Icon” Series Gets More Iconic

Universal is prepping another batch of Icon compilations for the first week of 2011. Now, we’ve been hard on this series before, but there’s actually a lot to like about these new sets.

While previous Icon sets have been bashed by The Second Disc for either shamelessly repackaging previous compilations or offering fewer CD-based rarities than, say, Legacy’s Playlist series (more on that tomorrow), this new batch of Icon sets collate artists who haven’t had much in the way of compilations yet (Vanessa Carlton), expand on previous sets (the hefty double-disc set for Sheryl Crow) and highlight lesser-known artists (country comedian Jerry Clower, a host of funk notables on Tabu Records, including Cherelle, Alexander O’Neal and The S.O.S. Band).

Those Tabu sets will offer some nice morsels for collectors, too: all of them offer up some hard-to-find remixes previously only found on vinyl singles. Now this is what we’re talking about! Hats off to the UMe staff and everyone who made sets like these possible (including Donald Cleveland, producer of titles for the Funkytown Grooves label, who worked on these three Tabu sets with producer Harry Weinger).

Each disc will be in stores on January 4, though it looks like Amazon will be offering up some of these for download before the year is out. (See their pages for details.) The track lists are, as always, below.

The Irresistible Tammi Terrell, Compiled

To the non-believers and newcomers, Tammi Terrell isn’t more than a footnote in the story of Motown. Her name sits beside Marvin Gaye’s on a few iconic singles – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “You’re All I Need to Get By” and “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” to name three – but that’s it, right?

Wrong, says Hip-o Select’s new Terrell anthology Come On and See Me: The Complete Solo Recordings. On her own, Terrell recorded just one full long-playing record for Motown, but it was released after several years of hard work on other labels; Terrell, as Tammy Montgomery, began her career in the record industry in 1961, releasing various singles for Scepter/Wand Records, Checker and James Brown’s Try Me label before signing to Motown and creating a powerhouse trilogy of duets albums with Marvin Gaye (United in 1967, You’re All I Need in 1968 and Easy in 1969).

Now, all of this material is compiled on one two-disc set, including solo tracks that Gaye later laid vocals on for the duet albums, rare outtakes and a previously unreleased live set. It’s a fitting tribute to one of the most underrated members of the Motown pantheon (and one who was taken from us at far too young an age – Terrell died at 24 in 1970 of a brain tumor).

The set can be purchased here (it looks like Select is also providing audio samples for this one), and the track list is after the jump.

Reel Music, Hip-o Select Raid the Motown Vaults

Just a few days’ away from its start, September is already looking to be a great month for Motown enthusiasts. For starters, an August 22 tweet from Hip-o Select’s Twitter feed revealed the latest project in Motown Select’s (busy) pipeline: Tammi Terrell’s Come On and See Me: The Complete Solo Collection. While largely remembered for her classic duets with Marvin Gaye, Terrell was no slouch as a solo artist, and this compilation should go a long way in reminding audiences of that fact. As Tammy Montgomery, she recorded singles with James Brown, and at Motown, the newly-christened Tammi Terrell scored with 1966’s “I Can’t Believe You Love Me” and the track that gives this set its title, “Come On and See Me.” The 2-CD set promises to contain unreleased tracks, and will boast a generous 50 tracks recorded between 1961 and 1969. Based on the timeframe, it is thought that it will include her sides for Scepter/Wand, Try Me and Checker in addition to the Motown tracks which comprise its core. While Terrell may have passed on in 1970 at the tragically young age of 24, Come On and See Me celebrates the rich musical legacy she left behind.

And speaking of unreleased Motown, Reel Music has once again hit the fabled vault for its September 14 release of an unissued album from 1970s gritty funk goddesses The Sisters Love (Gwen Berry, Jeanie Long, Lillie Fort and Vermettya Royster). Coming from a tenure at A&M, The Sisters Love were teamed with some of latter-day Motown’s brightest writers and producers, including Gloria Jones, Pam Sawyer, Willie Hutch, Paul Riser and Hal Davis. With Love was scheduled for release on the MoWest label but has remained in the can for nearly over 35 years. Reel Music’s release features all 10 tracks scheduled for that LP, plus five additional songs (two of which are previously unreleased). The three surviving members of The Sisters Love (Berry has passed away) all participated in Reel’s release.

Hit the jump for the track listing and discographical information for The Sisters Love’s With Love, which can be pre-ordered here.  The track listing for Tammi Terrell’s Come On and See Me has not yet been revealed, but we’re eagerly awaiting it!