"CADILLAC WALK - The Mink DeVille Collection" by MINK De VILLE [featuring Willy DeVille] (2001 EMI CD Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This review is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

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"…She’s My Inspiration Dressed In Red…She’s Spinning All My Friends Heads…"

This unassuming and slightly forgotten September 2001 CD compilation is a superb little number - and for two of the best reasons - track choices and sound.

"Cadillac Walk - The Mink DeVille Collection" by MINK DeVILLE on EMI/Capitol 5350162 (Barcode 724353501624) gives us 22 songs taken from Willy DeVille's first three albums for Capitol Records credited as the band MINK DeVILLE - all of which feature truly fantastic 24-Bit Remastering by EVREN GOKNAR. There have been reissues of this stuff before but never sounding this good...it breaks down as follows (70:22 minutes):

1. Spanish Stroll

2. Mixed Up Shook Up Girl

3. She’s So Tough

4. Cadillac Walk

5. Gunslinger

6. Venus Of Avenue D

7. Little Girl

Tracks 1 to 7 are from their debut album "Mink DeVille" [aka "Cabretta"] issued in the US in June 1977 on Capitol ST-11631 and June 1977 in the UK on Capitol E-ST 11631 (7 of its 10 songs are here - produced by JACK NITZSCHE)

8. ‘A' Train Lady

9. Guardian Angel

10. Confidence To Kill

11. Soul Twist

12. Desperate Days

13. I Broke That Promise

14. Just Your Friends

Tracks 8 to 15 are from their second album "Return To Magenta" issued April 1978 in the USA on Capitol ST-11780 and July 1978 in the UK on Capitol E-ST 11780 (7 of its 10 songs are here - also produced by JACK NITZSCHE)

16. This Must Be The Night

17. Savoir Faire

18. Mazurka

19. Turn You Every Way But Loose

20. Bad Boy

21. Just To Walk That Little Girl Home

22. That World Outside

Tracks 16 to 22 are from their third album "Le Chat Bleu" issued in the UK in March 1980 on Capitol E-ST 25390 and in the USA in September 1980 on Capitol ST-11955. Their 3rd album was co-produced by DeVille with legendary saxophonist STEVE DOUGLAS.

NOTE: Both albums in the UK album and USA sported 10 cuts - but the US version had a different track run to the UK variant on Side 2 only. The US version replaced the UK “Mazurka” track with "Turn You Every Way But Loose" – both of these songs are on this compilation (Tracks 18 and 19). This CD therefore offers 7 remastered tracks out of a total of 11 across the UK and US variants.

The 8-page booklet has detailed and very affectionate liner notes by BEN EDMONDS while the inlay beneath the see-through CD tray pictures single and album sleeves from all over the world - a nice touch. While the wonderful "Spanish Stroll" is a great opener, it's not until you reach "The Immortals" singing their doo-wop back up vocals on "Mixed Up Shook Up Girl" that you really start to hear how good the sound quality is - this is a beautifully remastered disc. The cover of John "Moon" Martin's "Cadillac Walk" is punchy as hell too, while the big slide intro for "Venus Of Avenue D" sounds so muscular - a cool street hustle beat that is so Lou Reed it's brilliant (lyrics above).

His 3rd album benefited enormously from a like-minded soul when DeVille co-wrote many of its songs with the legendary DOC POMUS - "Just To Walk That Little Girl Home" and the almost Spector feel to "You Just Keep Me Holding On" are lovely (Steve Douglas who worked with Spector in the Sixties probably made sure of that huge sound).  Another little gem is "Bad Boy" - a typically cool cover; it was a hit for a Rhythm 'n' Blues Vocal Group called THE JIVE BOMBERS in 1957 on Savoy; it was subsequently used on the soundtrack to the 1983 movie "Breathless". 

Niggles - it's a damn shame that Cabretta's Side 2 opener "Can't Do Without It" which also features The Immortals isn't on here - and another gem "Steady Drivin' Man" from "Return To Magenta" is missing too, but it's good for UK buyers to have "Turn You Every Way But Loose" which was exclusive to the original US LP (see above). Ok - so eight tracks across the 3 albums are missing and when you check the seventy minute playing time, a couple more could have been thrown in easily - but dirt cheap online - "Cadillac Walk" is still stunning value for (peanuts) money.

DeVille then signed to Atlantic and produced two more albums "Coup De Grace" (1981) and "Where Angels Fear To Tread" (1983). Thereafter releases were sporadic but often brilliant - "Miracle" in 1988 with MARK KNOPFLER jumps to mind - it's long been a unspoken masterpiece in my mind and a hi-fi wet dream - while "Loup Garou" from 1996 saw him return to his more romantic troubadour persona but with honesty about his fatal drug-taking - I play both to this day and love them to bits (see review for "Miracle").

Aged only 56 - Willy De Ville sadly died of Pancreatic Cancer in August 2009 - another one of my heroes from the vinyl-days gone. I only have to hear "Hey Johnny! They lookin' for you man..." in "Spanish Stroll" and I'm beaming. This superb CD is a great way to remember him by… 

"Miracle" by WILLY DeVILLE. A Review Of His Forgotten 1987 Album Now Reissued By Raven Onto CD With Bonus Tracks.

Picture above left is the original UK LP sleeve - the picture above right is the sleeve art for the Raven Label re-issue CD

Willy DeVille's "Miracle" was released in 1987 in the UK on Polydor across 3 formats. 

The LP was Polydor POLH 39, the cassette 833 669-4 and the CD 833 669-2. 

It was produced by MARK KNOPFLER of DIRE STRAITS and featured his distinctive and beautiful guitar work across all 10 of its tracks. There's superlative contributions also from JEFF PORCARO of TOTO on drums, CHET ATKINS on guitar gracing the gorgeous "Heart & Soul" and backing vocals provided by the lovely Margo Buchanan and Vikki Brown on 4 of the 10 tracks. All tracks are written by DeVille except "Could You Would You", which is a Van Morrison cover off the 2nd Them album from 1966, "Them Again". The song "Spanish Jack" is a co-write with Knopfler.

The album was a Full Digital Recording carrying the then desirable DDD code on the back of the sleeve - and was of course an audiophile's dream. Beautifully produced by Knopfler and played sweetly by all, the album gave vent to DeVille's New Orleans street romanticism - a style and a way about him that has captured his fans since his stunning "Cabretta" debut on Capitol in 1977.

"Miracle" received good reviews at the time, and with a heavy-hitter like Knopfler on board, it should have garnished better sales and exposure, but for some reason it failed to break into the top 50 here in the UK. It's worth mentioning that it officially spurned 2 singles here in the UK, which had 3 formats each (7”/12” and CD Single). The 1st was "Miracle" (CD single Polydor POCD 891) 1. Miracle. 2 I Call Your Name 3. Could You Would You. You'll no doubt notice that "I Call Your Name" is a NON-ALBUM track and is an absolute sweetie. A real shame Raven didn't use it as a bonus track here where it would have matched the release. 

The 2nd single was "Assassin Of Love" (CD single Polydor POCD 904) 

1. Assassin Of Love Extended Version. 2. Spanish Jack. 3. Spanish Stroll (Live) 4. Desperate Days (Live). The extended version of "Assassin" was a 12" mix and typical of so many Eighties Extended Version travesties - instead of improving the song - it utterly ruined the stunning slinky menace of the tightly edited album version. The two live tracks fared better though and are previously unreleased (I’m fairly sure they’re unavailable anywhere else). 

"Storybook Love" was also featured in "The Princess Bride" movie from 1987 and was Oscar nominated - there was a CD single of it here in the UK but it contained nothing new or unreleased. All 3 CD singles came in card sleeves and are very hard to find today.

The 4 bonus tracks provided on the Raven 1994 re-issue are:

11. "Heat Of The Moment" 12. "Pullin' My String" 13. "It's So Easy" 14. 1987 Willy DeVille Interview. 

Tracks 11-13 are from the 1980 soundtrack "Cruising" and are rare - unavailable anywhere else except here to my knowledge. 

The front artwork on the Raven re-issue is also different – not nearly as good as the album original as you can see above. 

Having A/B’d the sound – there’s no difference between the Raven issue and the original Polydor DDD release – no re-mastering has been done, but then again, there’s no need to – the sound is sweet and full.

"Miracle" used to go for money on vinyl or CD because of the quality of the production (quite apart from the fact that at least half of the tunes are great!). I think it may been the awful opener "(Due To) Gun Control" that put people off - "I Call Your Name" would have been far more appropriate and announced properly the albums overall romantic feel. The Knopfler guitar work and slinky almost soulful feel to "I Call Your Name" could easily have been on any Dire Straits album of the period.

"Miracle" is something of a lost classic from the 80's and I recommend this album to both DeVille and Dire Straits fans alike – a lovely meeting of like-minds producing great music that stands up to its 20th Anniversary in 2007. Ripe for rediscovery I reckon.