Rumors, Rumors, Rumors, Rumors

[mikenycLI]

Bits and pieces of information picked up on other music forums...


----the Fleetwood Mac "Tusk" reissue is being planned as
a double CD, with some, possible, b-sides and rarities.

----a "Deluxe Edition" of "The Velvet Underground", 3rd
album. Remastering and many tracks from the "Another View"
and "VU", and mixes of the album itself.

----remasters of the New York Dolls' two, official, maybe, with some
bonus tracks.

-----a Generation X album, "Live In Sheffield", from the vaults.

-----Ian Dury CD reissues, a la the Costello reissues,
the album + singles on one CD. The reissue program includes a live
show from the period of the album (and in some cases demos and more studio tracks) on the second disc.

-----the Buckingham Nicks album is really happening...supposedly !!!



Good news about the Ian Dury reissues...all I have is the Japanese mini-lps, and a bootleg or two from this artist ! About time !!!!


Mike

[Xenu]

I want those Beau Brummels "expanded" Triangle/etc. sets to happen.

Mark Volman told me that the F&E album was gonna be reissued impendingly. I'm still waiting.

Alec Palao told me that the "After the Zombies" set is on its way. Yes! Sometime, at least. I was worried they had dropped that one.

I also want the Beckies album. On disc. Sundazed'll have to listen eventually.

[mikenycLI]

For the completists, also released, in the UK, courtesy of Cherry Red/Rev Ola label, are the Capitol/Tower recordings of Them.

No more bootlegs of these releases !!! Now, if only SOMEONE, would release that Walker Bros. "Live in Japan" cd, officially !

Here's the advert and link...

Them
Now And Them
CRREV29




There can't be anyone out there who has never heard of 1960's Belfast legends and hitmakers, Them. From the Maritime to Van Morrison's mainstream rock fame, it's a pretty well known tale....but like most things Irish, there are always a couple of.....left turns....which are well worth a look....one of those is the Kim Fowley sponsored Belfast Gypsies, with half the original Them....the other half took on Belfast powerhouse vocalist and old mate Kenny McDowell, and headed back to the scene of the happiest dates on their bizarre U.S. tour…

California....where with the aid of producer Ray Ruff they signed to Capitol susiduary Tower, home of The Standells and The Chocolate Watchband, as a full on Psychedelic Punk band.....Shadows Of Knight?....Pah! We'll show 'em how it's done!....two, overlooked classic albums resulted, of which this was the First....together with the attendant single mixes, a picture of a forgotten period for a world-famous band..Them. This album has never before been released on CD and comes complete with the rare single mixes, all from original masters. The sleeve notes contain the full story of Them in California making this a must for Psych Punk fans, Van Morrison completists, and all fans of Them!

Witchdoctor / What’s The Matter Baby / Truth Machine / Square Room / You’re Just What I Was / Looking For Today / Dirty Ol Man (At The Age Of Sixteen) / Nobody Loves You When You’re Down And Out 9/ Walking In The Queen’s Garden / I’m Happier To Love You / Come To Me / Square Room (7” Version) / But It’s Alright (7” Version) / Walking In The Queen’s Garden (7” Version) / I’m Happier To Love You (7” Version)

http://www.cherryred.co.uk/revola/artis ... rrev29.htm

[mikenycLI]

Regarding the Velvet Underground...this just in from a great fan page...

According to Record Collector UK magazine (June 2003 issue, No 286, read p. 18), a 2-CD remastered and expanded version of The Velvet Underground's Live at Max's Kansas City is due to emerge from Rhino/Warners during July. This release is not yet confirmed on Rhino Records website.

Same page mentions the release of the third, eponymous Velvet Underground set. However Universal sources recently said (see news item below) that the release of a Deluxe 2CD edition of The Velvet Underground third album was on hold.

http://members.aol.com/olandem/news.html

[mikenycLI]

A genuine "lost in the release shuffle" set is the new Generation X, 3cd set on Chyrsalis-Capitol.

It's an entire unreleased, officially, album titled "Sweet Revenge"...which was supposed to be their official, third album, a live cd, "Live in Osaka", Japan, 1978, and a cd of singles, and rarities.

I just purchased it, and looking forward to sitting down this weekend and checking it out !!!!


Mike

[mikenycLI]

An interesting preview, courtesy of Reuters/Billboard...

T. Rex's 'Warrior' a Winning Remix

Sun June 15, 2003 08:22 AM ET

By Christopher Walsh

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The medley of sounds and styles that makes up T. Rex's 1971 opus "Electric Warrior" will be heard -- finally! -- in the full glory of surround sound.

Original producer Tony Visconti's recent surround remix of "Electric Warrior," due for September release on DVD-Audio in the U.S. and Super Audio CD in Europe, lays bare both the greatness of the album's 11 tracks and the benefits of high-resolution, multichannel audio.

Sitting in the middle of a 5.1-channel speaker array, the core musicians and overdubbed string and horn players are practically in the room, generating an extraordinary concoction of primal rock; trippy, early-glam attitude; and Visconti's classical-inspired arrangements.

Analog masters were baked in London and delivered to Looking Glass Studios in New York on an AIT tape, which Visconti and engineer Hector Castillo downloaded to Pro Tools for the remix. With the exception of two songs for which original multitrack masters could not be found, Visconti reveals, the remix process was not complicated.

"It was all 16-track tape, and on a lot of, we didn't even use 16 tracks," he recalls. "For instance, 'Jeepster' is a 12-track recording, and I think there's another one that is an 11-track recording. The hardest thing is remembering what I put those through 30 years ago -- what compressors, what kind of delays, all that. We listened to the stereo versions very, very carefully, because if we didn't copy it exactly, it sounded really bad."

Fortunately, Visconti adds, Looking Glass Studios is equipped with a variety of vintage processing equipment, including 10 channels of Neve preamplifiers, a Fairchild compressor/limiter, Universal Audio 1176s, and Pultec equalizers.

"The only thing we made a concession to," Visconti notes, "was when we had slapback echo. In those days, we used to have a tape machine spinning at all times; nowadays, we use digital delay." Classically trained, Visconti's string arrangements complement the four-piece rock 'n' roll of T. Rex. Presented in surround sound, the string and horn tracks gain greater prominence, allowing a more engrossing blend of sounds and styles.

"Besides the traditional string section, which was a full complement of violins, violas, and cellos, on some tracks we had two cellos and a bassoon," Visconti says. "That is a very lovely sound, and you can hear it much better in surround."

As with his 5.1-channel remix of David Bowie's "Heathen," Visconti's surround mix of "Electric Warrior" is big, utilizing all speakers fully. Additionally, low-frequency signals -- bass guitar and bass drum -- are fed to all five speakers as well as to the subwoofer.

"I've heard some 5.1 mixes that are amazingly thin and puny, because everyone puts everything in the front speakers and only the reverb in the back," he observes. "I think it's a great injustice to the system.

"The band was mainly featured in front with guitars wrapped around the sides, kind of in a semi-circle," he continues. "I used the center channel exclusively for the voice, then bled the voice a little bit into the left and right speakers. I had the reverbs coming from all speakers, but certain ones -- for instance, if it was the vocal reverb -- would be going to the rear speakers.

"I kept the strings in the back speakers, creating a semi-circle with the string section in the rear speakers, and their reverb would be thrown to the front. We placed saxophones on the sides -- I would pan them and make a kind of center between the front right and the rear right, and the rear left and the front left."

"Electric Warrior" was recorded more than 30 years ago at four now-defunct studios -- Media Sound in New York, Wally Heider's in Los Angeles, and Trident and Advision in London -- but the surround remix brings the sounds of its era very close.

"That was the idea," Visconti says. "Not to make it sound like it was recorded today, to make a spacious recording of yesterday."

Reuters/Billboard

http://asia.reuters.com/newsArticle.jht ... ID=2930662

[mikenycLI]

Courtesy of Music Tap...

On July 8, Rhino is set to release the 3CD Box for The Spinners called The Chrome Collection. This set represents the first time that The Spinners have received the Box Set treatment (gasp) but this is making up for this sin of omission. The set features over 4 hours of remastered material and includes bonuses of unreleased tracks. This set will also feature pre-Atlantic Records cuts and tribute cover pieces by Costello, Bowie, Warwick, and others. Of course, there is a specially prepared booklet.

While we're on the subject of Box Sets, Rhino is also putting the finishing touches on a Chicago set that will be 5CDs PLUS a DVD. This Box will span their entire career, some 35 years, and will contain over 100 songs, 3 1/2 hours of remastered music. There is a huge booklet with highly detailed credits for all the songs and photos galore. Additionally, there will be unreleased tracks, some of them hailing from the sessions for Stone of Sisyphus. The discs are sequenced chronologically. This set is expected to hit the shelves on July 15. Keep churnin' them out, Rhino. Now, let's do a righteous Foghat Box next.

Don't forget that Chicago II is being released on June 24 as a DVD-Audio.

On July 15, Rhino (busy people, ain't they?) will be issuing a 2CD 'best of' for WAR. This collection features all of their big hits remastered and representing their career with over 30 songs.



On July 22, Rhino releases a Cream DVD, Strange Brew, and a Yardbirds DVD, The YardBirds. Both discs run around 60 minutes each and will retail for $14.99. These DVDs should please completists and hardcore fans.

http://www.musictap.net/

[mikenycLI]

According to Music Tap, about the Chicago "The Box" box set...

"Chicago's 5CD The Box gets moved back to July 22. And while I'm here, allow me to explain the statements made about this set and the fact that it spans the entire career. The set does not cover every song they have released nor is the set a reproduction of their entire output. However, the set does contain over 100 songs. It's a very cool set. If you're a Chicago fan, this will be a nice addition. I have several of the remastered CDs from Rhino (and I will review these soon) and I can tell you that they sound great."

Putting out a 5cd box, that's not a complete career retrospective, may mean we are getting LOTS of rarities for a change !


As to the Yes, expanded editions...

"several titles of the anticipated Expanded and Remastered Series are put on a small hold. Just how long the hold will be for is not known at this time. The affected titles are: Tormato, Drama, Big Generator, 90125"

"Seals and Crofts' The Best Of Seals and Crofts got bumped to TBS land."

[mikenycLI]

From Music Tap...

Marvin Gaye - I Want You - Motown - 2CD

This set features the entire original album in remastered form. Also included are bonus tracks and unreleased single mixes along with an entire alternate mix of the album. The alternate mix features different vocals, unedited masters and session outtakes, all newly mixed for this collection. The singles mixes on disc one are "I Want You" (vocal and instrumental) and "Strange Love (Feel All Of My Love Inside)" - instrumental. The entirety of disc two is unreleased material. This disc is expected on July 29.

Joe Jackson - Night and Day - A&M - 2CD

This set features the entire original album remastered at 96k/24bit along with 6 previously unreleased demos from the session. Additionally, all five vocal tracks from the Mike's Murder soundtrack are included. Finally, there are 5 live tracks from the Night and Day tour of 1982/83.

Donna Summer - Bad Girls - Mercury/Casablanca - 2CD

This 1979 double album hit is remastered and has some unreleased bonuses including the unreleased demo of "Bad Girls" and a long version of "On The Radio" that had appeared in the movie, Foxes. Additionally, the second disc features all of the 12" dance club singles of her hits off of this album.

And finally, Elvis Costello will be issuing a new one on September 23. The title is yet to be determined but he is on the schedule. More on this release as it becomes available.

http://www.musictap.net/

[Rspaight]

In case anyone cares, the live tracks on the "Night And Day" Deluxe Edition are taken from the "Live 1980-86" album.

Ryan

[mikenycLI]

Joe is a real hoot !

Here's a self-penned rant on his website, that was published in the New York Times.....

Want to Smoke? Go to Hamburg
By JOE JACKSON

The New York Times
May 16, 2003

LYON, France -- I never thought I'd say this, but I'm thinking of leaving New York for a city that's free and tolerant and treats me like an adult. Berlin, maybe, or Barcelona, or even London, the city I left nearly 20 years ago.

I came to live in New York to be a musician and a bohemian, but the last time my band played in the city, in April, there were no fewer than five "No Smoking" signs in our dressing room. Two weeks later in Hamburg, Germany, our dressing room had five ashtrays. You can guess where we felt more welcome.

New York used to have an edge -- that sense that something thrilling can happen at any moment and that anyone, not just rich people and tourists, can be a part of it. Now even the bohemians are turning sanctimonious. Singers I know, who got through 20 years of smoky gigs, have become overnight converts to the total smoking ban in New York (though they don't complain about the smoke when they're in Europe). Can't we just be grown up? Besides, a bit of haze in the air makes the lights look better.

The smoking ban is just one part of the strangulation of New York's night life -- a crackdown on everything from topless bars to noise -- which began under Rudolph Giuliani and has continued under Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Many of us preferred the old X-rated Times Square to the new "Disneyfied" version. Besides, shouldn't a great city be able to tolerate a red-light district?

Nightclubs and bars can't allow their patrons to dance unless they have an expensive, hard-to-obtain cabaret license; clubs are closed if even one customer is found using drugs; and rich condominium owners who move into neighborhoods made fashionable by trendy clubs go to court to complain about the noise.

But the smoking ban is the last straw, the thing that has me packing my bags in utter disgust. And the new state law that is going into effect in July is even more draconian. What exactly is the problem with separate, enclosed, ventilated smoking areas?

I like a couple of cigarettes or a cigar with a drink, and like many other people, I only smoke in bars or nightclubs. Now I can't go to any of my old haunts. Bartenders who were friends have turned into cops, forcing me outside to shiver in the cold and curse under my breath (the bar can also be fined if I make too much noise). I go back inside to find my drink gone, along with my place at the bar. It's no fun. Smokers are being demonized and victimized all out of proportion.

"Get over it," say the anti-smokers. "You're the minority." I thought a great city was a place where all kinds of minorities could thrive. "The smoking ban works in Los Angeles," they say. But Los Angeles has a very different culture, not to mention more space and a better climate for outdoor smoking. "Smoking kills," they say. As an occasional smoker with otherwise healthy habits, I'll take my chances. Health consciousness is important but so are pleasure and freedom of choice.

As for secondhand smoke, there is research that shows it's not nearly as dangerous as some, like Mayor Bloomberg, would have us believe. And common sense tells you that a bit of smoke now and again, just when you're in a bar, isn't going to kill you -- especially if you're in a separate nonsmoking section.

There are ways to keep everyone happy. Make high-tech clean-air ventilation units, which are used in many pubs in London, compulsory; they really do suck out most of the smoke from the air. Have separate smoking rooms. Have separate smoking establishments. Stop putting unreasonable restrictions on smoking outdoors; if traffic fumes, garbage trucks, panhandlers and who knows what else can't spoil a tough New Yorker's al fresco supper, surely we can handle a bit of cigarette smoke.

Let employees who smoke, or are prepared to sign some sort of waiver, work the smoking venues. Have smoke-free serving areas and let patrons carry their own drinks into smoking areas. Keep the ban but allow people to apply for exemptions or smoking licenses. Limit the number of licenses so that plenty of places remain smoke free.

See how reasonable (or desperate) we smokers are? We just want somewhere to enjoy a legal product in a sociable environment. This can be resolved in a spirit of tolerance, which is increasingly rare in this increasingly joyless city. Bar and club operators should unite and lobby for fairer laws. Meanwhile, London is looking pretty good. Or Paris, or Moscow. . . .


http://joejackson.com/newsfaqs.htm

[Rspaight]

I'm allergic to cigarette smoke, so I selfishly love smoking bans. (We're on the verge of passing one here in Lexington, and I'm thrilled. I'll finally be able to go out to eat without being a pain in the butt about being seated not only in the non-smoking section, but far enough away from the smoking section so my eyes don't water, my throat doesn't dry up, I don't cough, and my entire self doesn't reek.) Not to mention going to club shows is pretty unpleasant.

But what Joe says is entirely sensible. Why not allow establishments to be "smoking" restaurants, with waivers for the employees so they can't sue when they get lung cancer or whatever? No pretense to non-smoking areas or anything -- you go in there, you're going to breathe smoke. Make it clear through ads, signage, etc. that that's what you're going to get. I'd never go there, but it beats not going anywhere...

Ryan

[Patrick M]

Interestingly, I never attended a smoke-free concert until 2001. Until two weeks ago, every smoke-free show I went to had some connection to King Crimson. Here are the shows:

2001 King Crimson
2002 The Bears (twice)
2003 California Guitar Trio; Nickel Creek (twice)

Smokiest show in recent memory: Tesla @ Bogart's (2001).

[britre]

I also was impressed to find it smoke free at a Bears show. Apparently a request by the band. Very different

[Patrick M]

Ooooh, another Bears fan. They kick ass, don't they? Hey, if you have a copy of the first album on CD, pleeeeeeeeease make me a CDR! I have two copies, but they're both on vinyl, one autographed.