Sunday 28 February 2010

“Original Album Series” by LITTLE FEAT. A Review of the 2010 5CD Mini Box Set on Rhino.





"…Give Me Missing Persons…They Say…What is It That You Need?...”


Aping the success of Sony’s similarly packaged 5CD box sets, WEA is releasing over FORTY x 5CD “Original Album Series” mini box sets of their own. Issued only in the UK and Europe, the artists featured stretch from rhythm ‘n’ blues icons of the 1950s (Ray Charles and Clyde McPhatter with The Drifters) all the way through to Metal And Indie bands of the 2000s (Dokken and Echo & The Bunnymen). For those interested, I’ve compiled a full listing of titles in the series in the ‘comment’ section attached to this review (some are superb, some are not).

Here’s the detail for the LITTLE FEAT 5CD issue - released Monday 1 March 2010 on Warner Brothers/Rhino 8122 79835 9, “Original Album Series” breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 is “Little Feat” their 11-track debut album released January 1971 in the USA on Warner Brothers WS 1890 and March 1972 in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46072 (33:30 minutes)

Disc 2 is “Sailin’ Shoes” their 11-track 2nd album released May 1972 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2600 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46156 (38:02 minutes)

Disc 3 is “Dixie Chicken” their 10-track 3rd album released February 1973 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2686 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46200 (36:48 minutes)

Disc 4 is “Feats Don’t Fail Me Now” their 8-track 4th album released September 1974 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2784 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56030 (34:30 minutes)

Disc 5 is “The Last Record Album” their 8-track 5th album released November 1975 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2884 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56156. This CD also includes the 9th, 10th and 11th bonus tracks that are on the Eighties CD issue hence the playing time of 39:39 minutes. The tracks are “Bonus Announcement”, “Don’t Bogart That Joint [Live] and “A Apolitical Blues [Live]”.

ARTWORK/PACKAGING:
The five single card sleeves reflect the ‘original’ front and rear US LP artwork (the gatefold of “Sailin’ Shoes” is unfortunately not reproduced). However, there is an odd addition to the way these card sleeves have been presented that seems to go right across the entire series. Each front sleeve is now ‘bordered’ with a colour – in this issue its brown for “Little Feat”, orange for “Sailin’ Shoes” (and so on) and the label on the CD then reflects that colour code. I mention this because Rhino are usually sticklers for detail and would in the past have used the original vinyl label designs like they did in the ‘Encore’ series (a green Warner Brothers label for “Dixie Chicken”, the Burbank Trees label for “The Last Record Album” and so on), but alas not here…

There’s no inserts or booklet either and the outer card box is disappointingly flimsy too (the Sony ones are chunky and glossy – they’re stronger). Worse, there appears to be no site to download track details from (as there is with the Sony issues). Having said all that, the card sleeves still look cool once out of the box and it’s nice to see the original artwork used (it makes a big difference on the Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding and Paul Butterfield rear sleeves – beautiful original album artwork). But that’s small compensation, because the really bad news is the opportunity missed in the sound department…

SOUND:
Some CD sites selling these sets seemed to have automatically ‘presumed’ that each is “digitally remastered”, but it categorically does not state that on the outer box or any of the card sleeves or discs – and rather too conveniently - neither website for Rhino USA or UK has any info on the series. But what’s not hard to discern is what your ears are telling you.

Like most fans I have the crappy Eighties CD issues just to have the music and these 2010 versions seem to be pretty much the same. To put this into a song context, when you compare the 2000 “Hotcakes” genuine remasters of say “Two Trains”, “Willin’”, “Roll Um Easy”, “Rock And Roll Doctor” and especially “Long Distance Love” (lyrics above), the sound quality is infinitely better on the Box Set versions – truly gorgeous stuff. The sound quality here is merely good at best (maybe better in some places), but it’s absolutely not the upgrade fans were hoping for on ‘all’ of the albums.

With Rhino announcing redundancies in their reissue departments (everything’s going away from hard copy to digital downloads) and the slightly slapdash feel of these boxes, you can’t help but field a depressing thought – this is a truly great reissue label just chucking stuff at the wall to sell it. A musical maverick going out with a whimper rather than a bang – flogging us what they ‘know’ is more of the same old crud just with a prettier lick of paint. Only a few years ago, Rhino could be relied upon to deliver us superlative reissues every time – with these and the rubbish “Flashback” series - not anymore it seems…

If the Rickie Lee Jones, Chaka Khan, Chris Rea and George Benson titles are the same, then I’ll not bother at all with any more in this series…and that’s just plain depressing.

Three stars out of five – at a pinch. Very, very disappointing…

Monday 22 February 2010

ORIGINAL ALBUM SERIES - 5CD BOX SETS by Rhino - A 2010 LIST





Rhino’s “ORIGINAL ALBUM SERIES”

Featuring albums from the vast WARNER ELEKTRA ATLANTIC (WEA) Catalogue Covering All Genres Of Music and all Decades (1950s to 2000s)

5CD MINI BOX SETS, REPRO SINGLE SLEEVE US LP ARTWORK

REMASTERS - It is not to be presumed that these are "REMASTERS" because sale sites state it so - they're not. I've acquired the LITTLE FEAT set and the 5CDs are the crappy Eighties versions simply repacked - which is crushingly disappointing.

Some artists like Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, The Pretenders, Ray Charles and Warren Zevon have already been remastered in the last few years, so their sets will include those. But when you get to Rickie Lee Jones, Chaka Khan, Chris Rea, Little Feat, Bread, Echo & The Bunnymen and George Benson (to name just a few), it looks like you're getting more of the same...

So even if TOM WAITS, LEON REDBONE, BONNIE RAITT, MICHAEL McDONALD, BIG JOE TURNER, MONTROSE and PRINCE turn up in the next lot, if they're not remastered, who cares...and worse, why should anyone buy them?

ORIGINAL ALBUM SERIES by Rhino – A List
(UK RELEASE: 1 March 2010)

1. AZTEC CAMERA
(High Land, Hard Rain/Knife/Stray/Dreamland/Frestonia)

2. GEORGE BENSON
(Breezin’/Weekend In L.A./Give Me The Night/Tenderly/Big Boss Band)

3. BOOTSY’S RUBBER BAND
(Stretchin’ Out In Bootsy’s Rubber Band/Ahh…The Name Is Bootsy, Baby!/Bootsy’s Player Of The Year/This Boot Is Made For Fonk-n/Ultra Wave)

4. BREAD
(Bread/On The Waters/Manna/Baby I’m-A Want You/Guitar Man)

5. THE PAUL BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND
(The Paul Butterfield Blues Band/East-West/The Resurrection Of Pigboy Crabshaw/In My Own Dream/Keep On Moving)

6. THE CARS
(The Cars/Candy-O/Panorama/Shake It Up/Heartbeat City)

7. HARRY CHAPIN
(Heads & Tales/On The Road To Kingdom Come/Short Stories/Sniper & Other Love Songs/Verities & Balderdash)

8. RAY CHARLES
(The Great Ray Charles/Ray Charles At Newport/The Genius Of Ray Charles/The Genius Sings The Blues/The Genius After Hours)

9. NATALIE COLE
(Everlasting/Good To Be Back/Unforgettable: With Love/Take A Look/Stardust)

10. JUDY COLLINS
(Fifth Album/In My Life/Wildflowers/Who Knows Where The Time Goes/Judith)

11. BOBBY DARIN
(Bobby Darin/Sings Ray Charles/That’s All/Things And Other Things/This Is Darin)

12. THE DETROIT SPINNERS
(Spinners/Mighty Love/New And Improved/Live/Pick Of The Litter)

13. DOKKEN
(Breaking The Chains/Tooth And Nail/Under Lock And Key/Back For The Attack/Beast From The East)

14. THE DRIFTERS [featuring CLYDE McPHATTER]
(Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters/Rockin’ & Driftin’/Save The Last Dance For Me/Under The Boardwalk/I’ll Take You Where The Music’s Playing)

15. DR. JOHN
(Gris-Gris/Babylon/The Sun, Moon & Herbs/Dr. John’s Gumbo/In The Right Place)

16. ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
(Crocodiles/Heaven Up Here/Porcupine/Ocean Rain/Echo & The Bunnymen)

17. DUKE ELINGTON
(Will Big Bands Ever Come Back?/Jazz Violin Session/Mary Poppins/Ellington ‘65/Ellington ’66)

18. FOGHAT
(Foghat/Energized/Fool For The City/Foghat Live/Tight Shoes)

19. FOREIGNER
(Foreigner/Double Vision/Head Games/4/Agent Provocateur)

20. ARETHA FRANKLIN
(I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You/Lady Soul/Aretha Now/Spirit In The Dark/Aretha Live At The Fillmore West)

21. THE J. GEILS BAND
(The J. Geils Band/The Morning After/”Live” Full House/Bloodshot/Ladies Invited)

22. DONNY HATHAWAY
(Everything Is Everything/Donny Hathaway/Live/Extension Of A Man/In Performance (Live))

23. THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN
(Psychocandy/Darklands/Automatic/Honey’s Dead/Stoned & Dethroned)

24. RICKIE LEE JONES
(Rickie Lee Jones/Pirates/Girl At Her Volcano/The Magazine/Naked Songs – Live And Acoustic)

25. CHAKA KHAN
(Chaka/Naughty/What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me/Chaka Khan/I Feel For You)

26. KIX
(Blow My Fuse/Cool Kids/Hot Wire/Kix/Midnite Dynamite)

27. LITTLE FEAT
(Little Feat/Sailin’ Shoes/Dixie Chicken/Feats Don’t Fail Me Now/The Last Record Album)

28. LOS LOBOS
(…And A Time To Dance/How Will The Wolf Survive?/By The Light Of The Moon/The Neighborhood/Kiko)

29. THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER
(The Manhattan Transfer/Mecca For Moderns/Vocalese/Swing/The Spirit Of St. Louis)

30. THE MONKEES
(The Monkees/More Of The Monkees/Headquarters/Pisces. Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd./The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees)

31. THE POGUES
(Red Roses For Me, Rum, Sodomy & The Lash, If I Should Fall From Grace With God/Peace And Love/Hell’s Ditch)

32. THE PRETENDERS
(The Pretenders/Pretenders II/Learning To Crawl/Get Close/Last Of The Independents)

33. CHRIS REA
(Water Sign/Shamrock Diaries/On The Beach/The Road To Hell/Espresso Logic)

34. OTIS REDDING
(Pain In My Heart/The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads/Otis Blue: Otis Redding Sings Soul/The Soul Album/Complete & Unbelievable – The Otis Redding Dictionary Of Soul)

35. LINDA RONSTADT
(Prisoner In Disguise/Simple Dreams/Living In The USA/Mad Love/Cry Like A Rainstorm – Howl Like The Wind)

36. TODD RUNDGREN
(Runt/Runt. The Ballad Of Todd Rundgren/Faithful/Hermit Of Mink Hollow/The Ever Popular Tortured Artist Effect)

37. THE SISTERS OF MERCY
(First And Last And Always/Floodland/Vision Thing/Some Girls Wander By Mistake/A Slight Case Of Overbombing)

38. SLAVE
(Slave/The Concept/The Hardness Of The World/Just A Touch Of Love/Show Time)

39. ROD STEWART
(Foolish Behaviour/Tonight I’m Yours/Camouflage/Every Beat Of My Heart/Vagabond Heart)

40. DIONNE WARWICK
(Presenting Dionne Warwick/Anyone Who Had A Heart/Make Way For Dionne Warwick/The Windows Of The World/Valley Of The Dolls)

41. WARREN ZEVON
(Warren Zevon/Excitable Boy/Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School/Stand In The Fire (Live)/The Envoy)

Sunday 7 February 2010

Labi Siffre UK DISCOGRAPHY – UK SINGLES and ALBUMS DISCOGRAPHY (1970 to 1979)



UK 7” SINGLES
1. Too Late b/w Make My Day
July 1970, Pye International 7N.25528
[Both tracks are on his 1970 vinyl debut album “Labi Siffre”, both are also on the "Labi Siffre" 2006 EMI CD Remaster]

2. Thank Your Lucky Star b/w When You Find You Need A Friend
February 1971, Pye International 7N.25542
[Initial copies came in a rare titled picture sleeve; this is the first of only two UK picture sleeves of the 1970’s (see 14); the A is on his 1971 2nd album "The Singer And The Song" (2006 EMI CD Remaster); the B-side is a non-album track - unfortunately it’s still unavailable on CD]

3. Get To The Country b/w A Feeling I Got
July 1971, Pye International 7N.25560
[Both tracks were non-album at the time of release; the A-side turns up as a bonus track on "The Singer And The Song" 2006 EMI CD reissue; the B-side is unfortunately still unavailable on CD]

4. It Must Be Love b/w To Find Love
November 1971, Pye International 7N.25572
[The A-side is from his 1972 3rd album "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" (2006 EMI CD Remaster); the non-album B-side is still unavailable on CD]

5. Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying b/w Why Did You Go, Why Did You Leave Me?
March 1972, Pye International 7N.25576
[The A-side is from his 1972 3rd album "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" (2006 EMI CD Remaster); the non-album B-side turns up a bonus track on the "Labi Siffre" 2006 CD Remaster]

6. Watch Me b/w Here We Are
July 1972, Pye International 7N.25586
[Both tracks were non-album at the time of release; the A-side turns up ONLY on the 2006 EMI CD Remaster "The Best Of"; the B-side is a bonus track on the "Labi Siffre" 2006 CD Remaster]

7. Give Love b/w Last Night Tonight
January 1973, Pye International 7N.25602
[The A-side is a remix, original version is from his 1973 4th album "For The Children"; the non-album B-side turns up as a bonus track on the "Labi Siffre" 2006 EMI CD Remaster]

8. If You Have Faith b/w Oh Me Oh My Mr. City Goodbye
October 1973, Pye International 7N.25629
[The A-side is from his 1973 4th album "For The Children"; the non-album B-side turns up as a bonus track on the "Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying" 2006 CD Remaster]

9. Dreamer b/w Turn On Your Love
August 1974, EMI Records EMI 2204
[Both tracks are from the "Remember My Song" LP]

10. Another Year b/w Some Say
January 1975, EMI Records EMI 2260
[The A-side is from the "Remember My Song" LP; B-side is from "For The Children" LP]

11. Love-A-Love-A-Love-A-Love-A-Love b/w Goodbye To Love
October 1975, EMI Records EMI 2357
[The A-side is on the 1975 vinyl album "Happy"; the B-side is non-album; the A-side is available on "The Music Of" CD from 2001]

12. Staride To Nowhere b/w Sally Came To Stay
January 1976, EMI Records EMI 2394
[Both the A&B are featured on the vinyl album "Happy" (album versions), but the "Single Mix" of the A is on the EMI 2006 Remaster CD "The Best Of"; the B-side is available on "The Music Of" CD from 2001]

13. You’ve Got A Hold On Me b/w La-De-Da-De-Da (Lost Without Your Love)
October 1976, EMI Records EMI 2526
[The A-side is non-album and is available as a bonus track on the "Remember My Song" CD from 2006; the B-side is from the "Happy?" album and is available on "The Music Of" CD from 2001]

14. Do The Best You Can b/w Hot And Dirty In The City
January 1977, EMI Records EMI 2577
[The A-side was a single-only release and a contender for the Eurovision Song Contest of 1977; the non-album B-side turns up as a bonus track on the 2006 EMI CD Remaster of "Remember My Song"]

15. Solid Love b/w You Hurt Me
March 1978, EMI Records EMI 2750
[The A-side was a single-only release and a contender for the Eurovision Song Contest of 1978 and turns up as a bonus track on the 2006 EMI CD Remaster of "Remember My Song"; the B-side is from the 1975 vinyl album "Happy?" and is available on "The Music Of" CD from 2001]

16. One World Song b/w We Got Love
December 1979, EMI Records EMI 5023 (in Picture Sleeve, Eurovision Song contest entry)
[Credited to LABI and JACKIE; B-side co-written with BOB JAMES, both non-album; neither is available on CD]

UK ALBUMS:
1. "Labi Siffre", 1970, Pye International NSPL 28135
[Matt Single Sleeve, No Inserts]

Side 1:
1. Too Late
2. Words [a Bee Gees cover]
3. Something On My Mind
4. Maybe Tomorrow
5. You And I Should Be Together
6. I Don’t Know What’s Happened To The Kids Today
Side 2:
1. I Love You
2. Make My Day
3. A Little More Line
4. Maybe [a Nilsson cover]
5. River
6. Love Song For Someone
[Except where note, all songs by Labi Siffre]

2006 EMI CD Remaster (EMI 0946 356891 2 9) - Bonus Tracks:
13. Why Did You Go, Why Did You Leave Me? [Non-Album B-side – see UK Singles 5]
14. I Just Couldn’t Live Without Her [Previously Unreleased]
15. Last Night Tonight [Non-Album B-side – see UK Singles 7]
16. Maybe When We Dance [Previously Unreleased]
17. Ask Me To Stay [Previously Unreleased]
18. Here We Are [Non-Album B-side – see Singles 6]

2. “The Singer And The Song”, July 1971, Pye International NSPL 28147
[Laminated Gatefold Sleeve, No Inserts]

Side 1:
1. There’s Nothing In The World Like Love
2. You’re Lovely
3. A Number Of Words
4. Who Do You See
5. Not So Long Ago
6. The Shadow of Our Love
7. When I’m On My Own You Are On My Mind
Side 2:
1. Rocking Chair
2. Interlude
3. Thank Your Lucky Star
4. Talk About
5. Talkabout
6. Relax
7. Bless The Telephone
8. Summer Is Coming
9. Goodbye
[All songs by Labi Siffre]

2006 EMI CD Remaster (EMI 0946 356980 2 2) - Bonus Tracks:
16. Get To The Country [non-album single track – see UK SINGLES 3]
17. Till Nightime Comes Along [Previously Unreleased]
18. Fallin’ For You [Previously Unreleased]
19. Oh What A Day [Previously Unreleased]
20. Just A Face [Previously Unreleased]
21. Seasons Come, Seasons Go [Previously Unreleased]

3. “Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying”, October 1972, Pye International NSPL 28163
(The sleeve credits the title of the album 'without' commas - “Crying Laughing Loving Lying”, but the label credits the title 'with' commas “Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying” (the 7" single is also with commas)]
[Matt Gatefold Sleeve + Lyrics Insert]

Side 1:
1. Saved
2. Cannock Chase
3. Fool Me A Goodnight
4. It Must Be Love
5. Gimme Some More
6. Blue Lady
Side 2:
1. Love Oh Love Oh Love
2. Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying
3. Hotel Room Song
4. Till Forever
5. Come On Michael
[All songs by Labi Siffre]

2006 EMI CD Remaster (EMI 0946 356927 2 3) - Bonus Tracks:
13. You Make It Easy [Previously Unreleased]
14. Good Old Days [Previously Unreleased]
15. Pristine Verses [Previously Unreleased]
16. You’ll Let Me Know [Previously Unreleased]
17. Oh Me Oh My Mr. City Goodbye [Non-album B-side – see UK SINGLES 8]
18. For The Lovin’ [Previously Unreleased]

4. “For The Children”, 1973, Pye International NSPL 28182
[Matt Gatefold Sleeve + Lyrics Insert]
Side 1:
1. Somesay
2. Children Of Children
3. Entertainment Value
4. Odds And Ends
5. Prayer
Side 2:
1. Let’s Pretend
2. Someday
3. If You Have Faith
4. For The Children
5. Give Love
[All songs by Labi Siffre]

2006 EMI CD Remaster (EMI 0946 356887 2 6) - Bonus Tracks:
11. So What! [Previously Unreleased]

5. “The Best Of”, November 1974, EMI Records EMC 3056
Side 1:
1. Make My Day
2. Too Late
3. Watch Me
4. My Song
5. For The Children
6. It Must Be Love
7. Prayer
Side 2:
1. Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying
2. Nothing In The World Like Love
3. If You Have Faith
4. Somesay
5. Fool Me A Goodnight
6. (Just) A Little More Line
7. Give Love

6. “Remember My Song”, March 1975, EMI Records EMC 3065
[Matt Single Sleeve, No Inserts]
Side 1:
1. I Got The…
2. Another Year
3. Down
4. Old Time Song
5. The Vulture
Side 2:
1. Dreamer
2. Sadie And The Devil
3. Turn On Your Love
4. Remember My Song

2006 EMI CD Remaster (EMI 0946 356884 2 9) - Bonus Tracks:
10. You’ve Got A Hold On Me (Non-album A-side – see UK SINGLES 11)
11. Hot And Dirty In The City (Non-album B-side – see UK SINGLES 12)
12. Solid Love (Non-album A-side – see UK SINGLES 13)

7. "Happy", November 1975, EMI Records EMC 3098
[Laminate Single Sleeve, No Inserts]
Side 1:
1. Love-A-Love-A-Love-A-Love-A-Love
2. You Hurt Me
3. Doctor, Doctor
4. Second Time Around
5. Would You Dance?
Side 2:
1. Supaluvva
2. Staride To Nowhere
3. You’ve Done Something To My Heart
4. Sally Came To Stay
5. La-De-Da-De-Da (Lost Without Your Love)
[All songs by Labi Siffre]

[This album is available on CD but under another name - "The Music Of..." from 2001 (see separate review); the 7" single mix of "Staride To Nowhere" is on the 2006 EMI CD Remaster "The Best Of"]

8. “The Best Of” (March 2006 EMI CD Remaster Compilation)
1. Something Inside So Strong
2. It Must Be Love
3. Crying, Laughing, Loving, Lying
4. I Got The...
5. Vulture
6. Thank Your Lucky Star
7. A Little More Line
8. Another Year
9. My Song
10. Make My Day
11. Watch Me
12. Children Of Children
13. Sparrow In The Storm [from “The Last Songs”, Live Tracks Recorded in 1998 – finally released in 2006]
14. Dreamer
15. Staride To Nowhere (7” Single Version)
16. There's Nothing In The World Like Love
17. Why Isn't Love Enough [from “The Last Songs”, 2006]
18. If You Have Faith
19. Prayer