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Coming Up: "You Showed Me - The Songs Of Gene Clark" From Ace Records

Out April 1. Available for pre-order now from Amazon or Import CDs.

Details:

Gene Clark was one of the last century’s most gifted songwriters. These eclectic interpretations of songs drawn from his time with the Byrds through to his solo masterpiece “No Other” provide the irrefutable proof.
Quite incredibly, it’s only in more recent years that Gene has risen above cult status to be hailed as one of the last century’s greatest voices, charismatic performers and supernaturally talented songwriters. That could easily be down to the complex mass of paradoxes and human weaknesses that battled inside him. As Byrds biographer Johnny Rogan put it, “For every celebrated moment of his musical life, there were comparable moments of opportunities lost and projects abandoned or unrealised.”

From his earliest composing attempts, there was always more to Gene’s songs than his contemporaries’: deceptively complex arrangements, unusual melodic turns and subtly woven twists carrying a secret, deeper resonance that reached its cosmic apogee on 1974’s “No Other”. He blazed trails for folk-rock, psychedelic/baroque pop and was first to pioneer alternative country and Americana. That he was also a masterful songwriter is why we’re here today, celebrating just some of these masterclasses in translating universal emotions or extraordinary observations into living, breathing music: like early champion Dylan, timeless flights asking to be boarded by other artists.
As with our recent collections spotlighting the songs of Leon Russell and Lou Reed, this latest release in our Songwriters series is compiled by Mick Patrick and packaged with a bumper booklet featuring copious notes by Kris Needs.

Track list:

You Showed Me - Echo in the Canyon
With Jakob Dylan & Cat Power
Feel a Whole Lot Better - Juice Newton
I Knew I'd Want You - Thin White Rope
She Don't Care About Time - Flamin' Groovies
Eight Miles High - Roxy Music
Till Today - the Rose Garden
Echoes - Starry Eyed & Laughing
Elevator Operator - Velvet Crush
I Found You - the Thyme
So You Say You Lost Your Baby -
Death in Vegas Featuring Paul Weller
Tried So Hard - the Flying Burrito Bros
In the Plan - New Grass Revival
Train Leaves Here This Morning - Kai Clark
He Darked the Sun - Linda Ronstadt
Kansas City Southern - Pure Prairie League
Polly - Iain Matthews
Why Not Your Baby - the Mother Hips
Full Circle - Byrds
Silver Raven - the Baird Sisters
Some Misunderstanding - Soulsavers Featuring Mark Lanegan
Strength of Strings - This Mortal Coil

Watch Pete Townshend on Granada Television, March 28, 1972

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Coming Up: John Barry "The More Things Change - Film, TV & Studio Work 1968-1973"

Out April 1 from Ace Records. Available for pre-order now from Amazon or Import CDs.

Details:

In the late 1960s and early 70s, John Barry was at his creative peak, writing both his greatest Bond music for On Her Majesty's Secret Service and the score for the Oscar-winning Midnight Cowboy within a few months of each other.

As one decade melted into the next, Barry would provide a host of haunting, highly atmospheric scores: The Appointment, Deadfall, Mary Queen Of Scots, Follow Follow, with possibly his finest ever saved for Nicolas Roeg's masterpiece Walkabout.

He also found time to write the deathless theme for TV series The Persuaders.

"The More Things Change" collects Barry's finest work from this period, including the majority of 1970's classic "Ready When You Are, J. B. " album, released on CD for the very first time.

In addition, it collects loose ends from the period (including selections from 1968's lost Richard Lester classic Petulia), then follows Barry into the early 70s.

It has been compiled by music writer and John Barry superfan Bob Stanley, with extensive sleeve notes and a gorgeous selection of ephemera. 2022 will also see the publication of "Music By John Barry", a 500-page book covering his greatest scores, and a season of Barry-scored films at London's BFI Southbank.

Track list:

Midnight Cowboy
We Have All the Time in the World
Theme from 'Romance for
Guitar and Orchestra'
Who Will Buy My Yesterdays
Fun City
The Lion in Winter
On Her Majesty's Secret Service
Theme from 'The Appointment'
Try
The More Things Change
Afternoon
A Little Old-Fashioned Nostalgia
Theme from 'The Persuaders'
Main Title - Petulia
Theme from 'Walkabout'
Follow Follow
Diamonds Are Forever (Single Version)
Highway 101
The Adventurer
This Way Mary
The Children
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland Suite

New on Video: "The Wonderful World of Brothers Grimm" Deluxe Edition

Order now from Amazon.

Details:

The story behind the brothers who created beloved fairy tales come to life, with reenactments of three of their stories.

The film tells the story of the brothers' long struggle for recognition and the sacrifices they and their families made to achieve their goals.

Between dreamer Wilhelm (Laurence Harvey) and practical Jacob (Karl Boehm), some marvelous fairy tales develop.

In "The Dancing Princess," a princess (Yvette Mimieux) falls in love with a charming woodsman (Russ Tamblyn). In "The Cobbler and the Elves," a Christmas miracle of dedicated labor helps the cobbler out when he most needs it. And in the last story, a fire-breathing dragon threatens the kingdom until a lowly servant (Buddy Hackett) saves the day.

Shot on location in West Germany, the innovative production features Puppetoons, a technique developed by Oscar-winning special effects expert George Pal. Meticulously restored from its original Cinerama negatives, this fanciful delight is a treat for audiences of all ages.....and this Deluxe Two Disc Edition gives the viewer the opportunity to watch the film either in a traditional letterbox format, or in the Smilebox format which attempts to re-create the immersive Cinerama experience with a simulated curve to the screen. Both versions bring together the three original Cinerama panels with virtually no trace of the lines that joined them together when originally projected in theaters back in 1962.

SPECIAL FEATURES: New featurettes RESCUING A FANTASY CLASSIC (HD); THE EPIC ART OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM (HD); THE WONDERFUL CAREER OF GEORGE PAL (HD), and more, plus multiple trailers and audio pieces

Best New Comic Book Covers of the Week - March 30

In shops Wednesday.

Pop Artifacts: Batman Full-Color Transfer from 1944

Watch Led Zeppelin in Amsterdam, March 27, 1972

Watch Badfinger perform "Baby Blue," 1972

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Coming Up: "Dusty (Springfield) Sings Soul" from Ace Records

Out April 1. Available for pre-order now from Amazon, or Import CDs.

Details:

From the very start of her solo career, it was Dusty Springfield’s intention to make records in the style of the black American artists that she admired, both professionally and personally. She recorded her version of a soul song at her first solo session and was still recording soul songs on all of her albums, singles and EPs throughout the 60s and into the 70s.
“Dusty Sings Soul” is a long overdue and carefully curated collection of recordings from Dusty’s 60s singles and albums, designed to demonstrate that she was not only the UK’s finest female singer but also its finest soul singer of her era and, for many, of all time. There is no shortage of Dusty compilations out there, but this is the first one to exclusively concentrate on this particular side of this great artist’s work.

These are not ‘covers’, in that Dusty never directly covered any record until the original had run its course. Dusty simply recorded songs that she loved herself, and that she hoped her fans would love. Dusty was a big fan of many of the artists whose songs she recorded, and helped to raise their profile in the UK through her interpretations of their work.
For soul fans who love Dusty but who only want to hear her singing soul, rather than the show tunes and/or pop ballads that she was equally at home with, this will be every bit as essential as her “Dusty In Memphis” album and the records she made in Philadelphia at the very end of the 60s with Gamble & Huff.
The booklet is generously illustrated and copiously annotated.

Track list:

Can I Get A Witness
Long After Tonight Is All Over
Won't Be Long
Bring Him Back
All Cried Out
Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart
Do Re Mi
Welcome Home
Some Of Your Lovin'
That's How Heartaches Are Made
It Was Easier To Hurt Him
Ain't No Sun Since You've Been Gone
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
Every Ounce Of Strength
I Wanna Make You Happy
Nothing
Oh No Not My Baby
I Had A Talk With My Man
I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face
Every Day I Have To Cry
Love Power
Don't Let Me Lose This Dream
Am I The Same Girl
What's It Gonna Be

Watch Gladys Knight sing "Help Me Make It Through the Night," 1972

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Coming Up: John Coltrane "My Favorite Things" 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition from Rhino Records

Out May 20 and available for pre-order now from Amazon.

Details:

Released in March 1961, MY FAVORITE THINGS was the first album to feature John Coltrane playing soprano saxophone in addition to his regular tenor. His soprano takes the lead on two of the album’s four songs, including his unforgettable rendition of the title track, Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote for The Sound of Music musical.
An edited version of the 14-minute original was a radio hit that spring. The song’s success helped introduce Coltrane to a broader audience, while the album went on to inspire future generations of fans. In recognition of the album’s lasting artistic and historical significance, My Favorite Things was inducted into the Grammy(R) Hall of Fame in 1998 and certified gold in 2018.
Rhino will celebrate the 60th anniversary of My Favorite Things with Deluxe Editions on vinyl and CD. Each version features new stereo and mono mixes remastered from the original tapes. The mono mix, once believed lost, was rediscovered recently and is included here. MY FAVORITE THINGS: 60th ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION will be available on May 20 as a 180-gram double-LP set and as a double-CD set.
The LPs come packaged in a replica of the original record sleeve with a booklet that features rare photos, ephemera from the period, and new liner notes written by acclaimed music journalist/author Ben Ratliff.
In the notes, Ratliff offers his take on “My Favorite Things”: “For a record that so many people listened to, the LP version of ‘My Favorite Things’ travels impressively far; it demonstrably goes somewhere. It also remains ambivalent through its juxtaposition of E major and E minor. It spins you around; it gives you enough of the pleasant impression, sometimes, that you don’t know where you are or what song you’re in. It is a remarkable cross of extremism and tact.”
Coltrane was introduced to the soprano saxophone in late 1959 and soon after started playing it in addition to his regular tenor sax. His first recorded performances on the instrument are included on My Favorite Things. He recorded the music in October 1960 with the first version of the John Coltrane Quartet, which included McCoy Tyner (piano), Steve Davis (double bass), and Elvin Jones (drums). Shortly before the sessions began, Coltrane discussed the soprano sax with Down Beat magazine: “I’ve had to adopt a slightly different approach than the one I use for tenor, but it helps me get away—lets me take another look at improvisation. It’s like having another hand.”
A year after My Favorite Things came out, John Coltrane spoke to Jazz Hot magazine about the album. He said: “‘My Favorite Things’ is my favorite piece of everything we’ve recorded. I don’t think I’d like to redo it in any other way, although all the other records I’ve done could be improved by a few details. This waltz is fantastic: when you play it slowly, it has a ‘gospel’ aspect, which is not at all unpleasant; when you play it fast, it has certain other undeniable qualities. It’s very interesting to discover a terrain that renews itself according to the impulse that you give it; that’s the reason why we don’t always play this tune in the same tempo.”