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E-Book Available Now on AMAZON Sites
Part of the SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOK Series
30 Different Titles
LET'S GO CRAZY - 80ts Music On CD
Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
Classic Albums, Compilations, 45s
All In-Depth Reviews from the Discs Themselves
Over 1,650 e-Pages of Info
(No Cut and Paste Crap)
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"...From The Fire..."
Like so many guys of my age (I was 60
yesterday, 28 September 2018, the day of this release) - I was taken aback my
Tom Petty's untimely passing in October 2017 – it hurt me way more than I knew
how to deal with. After Prince and Bowie – he was another hero of my musical
life gone too soon. So I pre-ordered the 4CD 'Deluxe Edition' of "An
American Treasure" months back - and man - what a slam-dunk brill release
it is – a truly fitting tribute.
Compiled with the full co-operation of his
Heartbreaker band mates Guitarist Mike Campbell and Keyboard whizz Benmont
Tench, Producer and Mixer Ryan Ulyate and especially his family (wife Dana and
daughter Adria) – the Deluxe Edition of "An American Treasure" on
Reprise 9362-49055-6 (Barcode 093624905561) gives you four Discs covering the
1970s on Disc 1 (15 Tracks, 52:53 minutes), the 1980s on Disc 2 (18 Tracks, 63:42
minutes), the 1990s on Disc 3 (14 Tracks, 56:45 minutes) and the 2000s onwards
on Disc 4 (16 Tracks, 72:11 minutes).
There are 63 cuts in total (60 songs with 1
Radio Spot and 2 Spoken Intros) – and of the 60 they are broken down into 41
Previously Unreleased versions (outtakes, alternates and live renditions), 16
Album Cuts, 1 Non-Album UK 7" single B-side and 1 vinyl-only LP song from
the "Kiss My Amps 2" compilation making its CD debut here. Ace
Engineer CHRIS BELLMAN (at Bernie Grundman Mastering) has beautifully mastered
this release. I can't emphasise enough the gorgeous audio quality on this
release - it's astonishingly good. Sure there's the occasional audio lapse when
recordings come from Stadiums and Arenas (usually included for performance and
personal reasons) - but those are few and far between. Even familiar and
previously well-mastered songs like the Seventies material is given an aural
makeover here - lifted up into something stunning (check out the 'extended'
version of "When The Time Comes" without the fade out or "You're
Gonna Get It" with the Strings brought forward in the mix so you can hear
their clever "Purple Rain" type additions to the end of the song).
In fact Campbell states over and over again
that he wants fans to 'come into the songs' through these versions and even
though you could argue that 16 album cuts you already own (most of whom don't
need remastering) is excessive when we could have had more unreleased from what
we're being told is a huge unheard archive – the 16 are included for deeply
personal reasons as each liner note explains. Speaking of what album cuts are
up for grabs – the team have gone deep into his catalogue to highlight what
they clearly feel are overlooked nuggets - "The Wild One, Forever"
from the self-titled debut, "No Second Thoughts" from the 2nd album
"You're Gonna Get It", "Alright For Now" from 1989’s
"Full Moon Fever" which often ended live shows on a shared
band/audience high note and "You And Me" from 2002's "The Last
DJ" - the final musical moment he and his wife shared before he passed
(all of which are beautifully rendered by Bellman's masterful transfers).
And as for the unreleased stuff - how gems like
"Surrender" (kept off the first album), "Keeping Me Alive"
(a Southern Accents outtake) or even the Rockabilly fun of "Lonesome
Dave" (from the "Greatest Hits" sessions) were left off albums
or the flipsides of singles is a mystery. You also notice how the band so
complimented his tunes like the Tench's keyboard part to "Deliver Me"
and Campbell's guitar solos and acoustic playing on unplugged live sets - often
transforming Rock songs that are ingrained in your memories into a new
Americana version that touches and even equals the more flashy original.
There is also the added bonus of Stevie Nicks
on the Demo Version of "The Apartment Song", the album cut "You Can Change
Your Mind" and a live version of "Insider" - whilst Byrds
founder and frontman Roger McGuinn adds his dulcet tones to an early take of
"King Of The Hill". Hell even Lakers player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets
his June 1981 moment of fame as he introduces the band at The Forum, Inglewood
in California and promptly sparks off an ovation that apparently took 10
minutes to quell. If I had a complaint it would be that the quality somehow
strangely dips on the 90s Disc and its disappointing that there isn't more
insider-recordings from his 80ts masterpiece "Full Moon Fever" – but
these are minor quibbles.
Reading the BUD SCOPPA liner notes and hearing
Campbell and friends literally get choked up as their reminiscences of the
songs and their circumstances come to mind is both moving and just a little
heart-breaking. In short - this one is personal - and the love felt for TP and
his songwriting craft is very real.
I miss him, his band and their music. "An
American Treasure" is beautiful and then some - and surely the Deluxe
Edition 4CD variant will be up for a 2018 'Reissue of the Year' gong. Way to go
friends and family...job done and more than a nod to his life and musical legacy...
PS: the Deluxe Edition book packaging is
superbly laid out too and classy with a capitol C. Released Friday, 28
September 2018, there is also a 26-Track cheaper 2CD truncated version on
Reprise 572284-2 (Barcode 093624905547) and a 6LP vinyl set available in late
November 2018...
