REISSUES : Cream of the '08 reissues includes Redding, Simone
Posted on Thursday, January 8, 2009
The first six albums by Creedence Clearwater Revival - (from left) Tom Fogerty, Doug Clifford, John Fogerty and Stu Cook - were reissued in 2008.
Gleaming atop the pile of albums reissued in 2008 are a long-overdue overhaul of Nat "King" Cole's studio work, savvy boxed sets that brought the careers of Nina Simone, Willie Nelson and Roy Orbison into perspective and the re-release of English jazz singer Norma Winstone's striking 1987 album Somewhere Called Home.
BEST FROM THE VAULTS
Creedence Clearwater Revival's first six albums - Creedence Clearwater Revival, Green River, Bayou Country, Willy and the Poor Boys, Cosmo's Factory and Pendulum (Fantasy, $11.98 each) - were re-released. Despite minimal bonus tracks, these albums, especially Creedence Clearwater Revival and Green River, crackle with a still-potent energy. The hits, especially "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Fortunate Son" and "Green River," still invite appreciation.
Nat "King" Cole, The Very Thought of You, Collectors' Choice, $15.99. The orchestra and arrangements of the great Gordon Jenkins were perfect for Cole's considerable vocal gifts to shine on this lush 1958 ballad session.
Norma Winstone, Somewhere Called Home, ECM, $10.98. This 1987 album was hailed as "one of the most original yet idyllic of vocal jazz recordings" by the All Music Guide. We'll second that one. Her 2008 album Distances was one of last year's best.
BEST EXPANDED ALBUMS
Willie Nelson, Stardust: 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition, Columbia/Legacy, two CDs, $24.98. The first CD is the original album of great American pop songs, produced by Booker T. Jones. The second gathers 16 standards from other Nelson albums to make this Stardust very satisfying. The set includes "Georgia on My Mind," "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)."
Otis Redding, Otis Blue/Otis Sings Soul, Rhino, two CDs, $24.99. The power, intensity and depth of Redding's singing still thrill, more than 40 years after his death. This special edition of the 1965 album is a two-CD package with alternate takes, six tunes recorded live at the Whisky a Go Go in 1966 and five tunes recorded live in Europe in 1967. This is Redding at his most raw and most emotional.
Love, Forever Changes, Rhino, two CDs, $24.99. This unsettling, haunting 1967 recording sounds a bit dated in its '60s Summer of Love themes, but the music's mix of acoustic guitars, strings, horns and orchestral arrangements is still intriguing. On the two CDs, the original album is presented, an alternate mix (without documentation) and 10 bonus tunes, four of which have not been previously released.
Dennis Wilson, Pacific Ocean Blue, Legacy, two CDs, $29.98. Underappreciated work by the Beach Boys drummer includes a remastered version of the album, previously unreleased tracks from those sessions and songs from the unfinished album Bambu.
BEST BOXED SETS
Nina Simone, To Be Free: The Nina Simone Story, RCA Legacy, three CDs and one DVD, $49.98. An adventurous, sometimes confrontational, highly creative singer and pianist, Simone's musical vision embraced jazz, soul, blues, rock and more. This wondrous collection includes "I Loves You Porgy," "Mississippi Goddam," "I Put a Spell on You" and a remarkable take on Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman." A 1970 documentary, Nina, is on the DVD.
Roy Orbison, The Soul of Rock and Roll, Monument/Legacy, four CDs, $59.98. The first comprehensive overview of Orbison's career is a well-deserved tribute to a remarkable singer who embodied pathos and, at times, paranoia with an operatic intensity.
Willie Nelson, One Hell of a Ride, Columbia/Legacy, four CDs, $49.98. Many of Nelson's phases and stages (to evoke the title of one of his great albums) have been compiled and reissued several times. But this exceptionally well-organized set offers an insightful overview of Nelson's long career.
Johnny Cash, Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, Columbia/ Legacy, two CDs and one DVD, $39.98. Cash's 1968 live album sent his career to new heights. These songs of prison, crime, despair, love and loneliness were enthusiastically received and, when released, Folsom Prison sold more than 6 million. More than 40 years later, it's still raw, raucous, vital and powerful. The DVD contains a 2008 documentary.
Various artists, Atlantic Vocal Groups, Rhino Handmade, four CDs, $79.98. This limited edition set has 82 songs of soaring harmonic ballads, doo-wop, soul and obscurities from 1951 through 1963 by the Clovers, Drifters, Coasters and more. Available at www.rhinohand made.com.
GREATEST HITS/BEST OF
The Browns, The Complete Hits, Collectors' Choice, $14.98. The Arkansas trio The Browns is an influential family trio overdue for induction in the Country Music Hall of Fame. This compilation gathers all 21 of their charting singles, including "The Three Bells," a No. 1 pop and country hit in 1959.
The Four Tops, The Definitive Collection, Motown, $13.99. There were many great singers at Motown Records in its '60s heyday, but few sang with the passion, emotional depth and raw abandon of Levi Stubbs, lead vocalist of the Four Tops. This compilation lives up to its name with 18 tracks, including "I Can't Help Myself" and "Reach Out I'll Be There." Stubbs died Oct. 17; Abdul "Duke" Fakir is the only original member still living.
Little Richard, The Very Best of Little Richard, Specialty, $11.98. This 25-song set has the hits - "Tutti Frutti," "Long Tall Sally," "Good Golly Miss Molly," "Jenny Jenny," "Lucille," "Rip It Up" - and more, all sung in tirelessly energetic fashion. Especially cool is a medley "Ain't That a Shame," "I Got a Woman" and "Tutti Frutti" from Paris' Olympia Theatre in Paris in 1964 and a rehearsal take on "Hound Dog."
George Jones, The Hits: Then 'Til Now, Time/Life, three CDs, $39.99. This excellent collection of hits is a retrospective that crosses record labels with some 60 songs over three CDs and will satisfy most fans.
And finally, four fine collections released by Shout Factory from the sterling Americana music label Hightone: Buddy Miller,
The Best of the Hightone Years
($15.98), a fine set of what country music really is all about; Dave Alvin, The Best of the Hightone Years ($15.98), is a great look at the ex-Blasters solo work; Tom Russell's Veteran's Day ($24.98) is a two-CD look at a most underrated singer-songwriter; and the Hot Club of Cowtown's Best of the Hot Club of Cowtown
($15.98) is a toe-tapping set of the fab swing band's best.
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ewidner@arkansasonline.com
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