"The Pearl Sessions" by JANIS JOPLIN including the January 1971 Album "Pearl" on Columbia Records (April 2012 UK Sony/Legacy 2CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Your Love Brings Life To Me…"

Most Janis Joplin fans will already own the 2CD Legacy Edition of "Pearl" issued in June 2005 - so what's different on this new April 2012 double?

That 2005 Legacy 2CD Reissue had 8 previously unreleased recordings spread across its 29 tracks – three alternate takes from the album sessions on Disc 1 - "Move Over", "My Baby" and "Pearl" - with 5 new live tracks on Disc 2 recorded in Canada in July 1970 on the Festival Express Tour – "Summertime", "That's Rock'n'Roll", "Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)", "Piece Of My Heart" and "Cry Baby". I mention all of the above because although the three studio outtakes reappear on Disc 2 of this new 2012 edition - none of the live stuff does – so you may not want to throw that 2005 2CD baby out of your bathwater just yet. Here are the finite details for the new issue…

Released 16 April 2012 in the UK (17 April in the USA) - "The Pearl Sessions" by JANIS JOPLIN on Sony/Columbia/Legacy 88697842242 (Barcode 886978422422) is a 2CD set and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (58:32 minutes):

1. Move Over [Janis Joplin song]

2. Cry Baby [Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Barns song - Garnet Mimms cover]

3. A Woman Left Lonely [Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham cover]

4. Half Moon [John and Joanna Hall cover]

5. Buried Alive In The Blues [Nick Gravenites song]

6. My Baby [Jerry Ragovoy and Mort Shuman song - Garnett Mimms cover] [Side 2]

7. Me And Bobby McGhee [Kris Kristofferson cover]

8. Mercedes Benz [Janis Joplin/Michael McClure song]

9. Trust Me [Bobby Womack cover]

10. Get It While You Can [Jerry Ragovoy and Mort Shuman song – Howard Tate cover]

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Pearl" – released January 1971 in the USA on Columbia PC 30322 and in the UK on CBS S 64188."Pearl" was the nickname given Janis by her backing group the FULT TILT BOOGIE BAND. Produced by PAUL A. ROTHCHILD (famous for his work with The Doors) - it was also her last studio album and released posthumously after her tragic death from a heroin overdose on 4 October 1970 aged only 27. The vast majority of the LP had been recorded (prior to her passing) throughout September 1970 with "Mercedes Benz" done on the 1st of October. It reached number 1 on the USA album charts and number 20 in the UK.

BONUS TRACKS:

Tracks 11 and 12 are "Me And Bobby McGee" and "Half Moon" the MONO SINGLE MASTERS – the A & B-side of Columbia 4-45314 released January 1971 in the USA (reached number 1) and on CBS S 7019 in the UK. The A-side is a Kris Kristofferson/Fred Foster song first covered by the country singer Roger Miller in 1969 on Smash Records

Track 13 is "Cry Baby" the MONO SINGLE MASTER – it was released as the A-side of Columbia 4-45379 in May 1971 in the USA ("Mercedes Benz" was the flip). It was also released in the UK on CBS S 7217  

Tracks 14 and 15 are "Get It While You Can" and "Move Over" the MONO SINGLE MASTERS – the A & B-side of Columbia 4-45433 released September 1971 in the USA (no UK version)

Track 16 is "A Woman Left Lonely" the MONO SINGLE MASTER – it was mixed into mono for single release, but withdrawn

Disc 2 – The Pearl Sessions & More… (75:17 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 18 consist of five "Overheard In The Studio" segments put between 13 album outakes (Tracks 2, 4, 6, 7, 8 10, 12, 14 and 16 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED)

Track 19 is a live cover version of the Etta James Chess Records classic "Tell Mama" – it was recorded 26 July 1970 in Toronto and first released on the "Farewell Song" compilation in 1982

Track 20 is a cover of the John and Johanna Hall song "Half Moon" – it was recorded live 3 August 1970 on US TV program "The Dick Cavett Show"

The 3-way foldout card sleeve looks nice 'until' you actually try to get either CD out of their respective flaps without ripping the cardboard on the way out or scuffing the discs putting them back in again. I'd suggest you proceed with care – or better still - keep them in a plastic CD envelope to avoid damaging either disc.

The 24-page booklet has liner notes by HOLLY GEORGE-WARREN that discuss the forming of her backing band FULL TILT and the myriad of great writers used for the songs on the album (of the ten tracks only "Move Over" and "Mercedes Benz" are her own compositions). The text is peppered with new photos of Janis and her band live on stage, a snap of her laughing with Kris Kristofferson, reproductions of trade adverts and master tape boxes - and a great outtake of the iconic front cover artwork where she's reclining on her favorite chez lounge. There's also a very affectionate and witty interview at the end (before the discography details) with the late Paul Rothchild. Conducted by Laura Joplin (her younger sister) it has Rothchild recalling the powerhouse presence of the woman and her in-the-flesh effect on a lethargic concert crowd (very funny, very Janis). It's all very nicely done and a properly great read too. 

Celebrated engineers and tape transfer experts BOB IRWIN and VIC ANESINI have done the production and mastering - and although the album is notoriously hissy in places – the sound here is the best I've ever heard it. The power on the Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham ballad "A Woman Left Alone" is incredible – really bringing to the fore Ken Pearson's Organ work complimenting her blistering vocals. The mono single mixes in particular are very clean too.

Album highlights for me include the John and Johanna Hall song "Half Moon" (lyrics above) where her band funks it out as she loses herself in the positivity of the words (John Hall later formed Orleans and had a Number 5 hit with "Still The One" in the summer of 1976). Another tune I love which now sounds fabulous is the Side 1 finisher "Buried Alive In The Blues". It was meant to have vocals laid down over the backing track - but of course it never happened because of her loss. Having said that - in a strange kind of way both the song and the album benefited from this unintentional instrumental because it funked things up considerably and highlighted the full power of her awesome backing band FULL TILT. Ken Pearson's Organ, John Tilt's Guitar and Richard Bell's Piano all shine so much on this belter. Then there's Bobby Womack playing acoustic guitar on his own "Trust Me" - a lovely piece on here (what a shame they didn't duet together). But the album belongs to her huge voice and loveable personality which is beautifully realised on the witty "Mercedes Benz" – an Acapella ditty "…of social and political import…" which brings a smile to my face even now - a full 40 years after the event…

But the big draw here for collectors will be Disc 2 - which features previously undocumented tapes found only recently which offer us fantastic alternate versions of album cuts like the Howard Tate cover "Get It While You Can" and Takes 6, 13 and 17 of her own "Move Over". There's an alternate version of "My Baby" where the band sounds just 'so' soulful – a song especially written for her by legendary songwriters Jerry Ragovoy and Mort Shuman. Better still is that five of these alternate gems are preceded by 'overheard in the studio' segments that include band and producer chatter, in-jokes and general goofing around in the studio as the tapes roll. Track 15 is probably the best of them - a false start for "Get It While You Can" is stopped because she deems the version too 'sleepy' and her voice too 'ragged' (it sounds magical to me). Later there’s even jokes – Janis' love interest in the 'nerd' President Nixon! It’s all so intimate and fans will love it.  

To sum up then – a blinding remaster of a great album – and a second CD to make fans weak at the knees. What a heartbreak that she isn’t around to enjoy it. In fact there's a photograph on Page 19 of the booklet that shows one of the WEHR equipment carrying cases where large words are stencilled on its side - JANIS JOPLIN – FRAGILE. It turned out to be sadly true.

Oft imitated but never bettered – Janis is sorely missed. Well at least this wonderful 2CD reissue does her and her band's legacy proud. Well done to all involved and recommended big time... 

"Tattoo" by RORY GALLAGHER (January 2012 Sony/Capo/Legacy CD Reissue In Card Digipak - Andy Pearce and Matt Wortham Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...The Joint Is Jumping All Around Me…" 

Under the supervision of Donal Gallagher (his older brother and former tour manager) - Irish guitar hero RORY GALLAGHER had his LP back-catalogue first reissued onto CD between 1998 and 2000. Each of those RCA/Capo releases came in jewel cases and had previously unreleased bonus tracks. The campaign culminated with a tremendous outtakes compilation in 2003 called "Wheels Within Wheels".

This latest version of "Tattoo" (his 4th studio album for Polydor) is one of six 'new' remasters released to coincide with the 40th Anniversary of his Solo career (list below). So what's different? In a nutshell - cheaper price, upgraded packaging and 2011 mastering (and proper track placing too). Here are the finite details...

UK and Europe released 16 January 2012 in the UK (31 Jan 2012 in the USA) - "Tattoo" by RORY GALLAGHER on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88691917462 (Barcode 886919174624) comes in a card digipak rather than a jewel case.

1. Tattoo’d Lady

2. Cradle Rock

3. 20:20 Vision

4. They Don’t Make Them Like You Anymore

6. Sleep On A Clothes-Line

7. Who’s That Coming [Side 2]

8. A Million Miles Away

9. Admit It

The original vinyl album was released November 1973 in the UK on Polydor Super 2383 230 and Polydor PD 5539 in the USA (it charted at number 32 in England and number 187 in the States).

BONUS TRACK ANOMOLIES:

The two bonus tracks that first appeared on the 2000 CD reissue ("Tucson, Arizona" and "Just A Little Bit") have been reduced to one for this 2012 version - "Tucson, Arizona". Just to be a bit more confusing - those two bonuses and a 'third' track on the 2000 edition of "Irish Tour" are all tied-in and need some explanation.

"Tucson, Arizona" is a genuine album-sessions outtake from the period so it warranted its placing on the original "Tattoo" CD - as it does here. "Just A Little Bit", however, was the last track on Side 4 of the original "Irish Tour '74" double album. Released in July 1974 the classic 2LP set consisted of 3 sides Live and two loose 'Studio Jams' on Side 4 - one of which was the near eight-minute "Just A Little Bit" - a blistering cover of a 1959 Roscoe Gordon R'n'B number on Vee Jay. It should of course have been on the last track on the "Irish Tour" CD - but on that 2000 reissue fans were baffled to see it replaced with a new thing called "Maritime". Big mistake. Named after a bar in Belfast that both Rory and Van Morrison played in - "Maritime" turned out to be a mere snippet - a useless 33-second instrumental that was gone as fast as it was forgettable. Why it was put on there is anyone's guess. For this series of reissues - Donal Gallagher has had the right songs put on the right issues and the correct artwork reinstated (for “Irish Tour ‘74”). If you actually want the "Maritime" outtake - you will need to keep your old 2000 issue of "Irish Tour".

So what of the bonus track we do have - misspelled on the 2000 CD artwork as "Tuscon..." instead of "Tucson..." - that rather obvious spelling error hasn't been corrected for the new issue (a little sloppy really). "Tucson, Arizona" is a Link Wray cover version that first appeared on Link's lesser-seen "Be What You Want To" album from July 1974 on Polydor. Gallagher's take is more like whimsical Ronnie Lane and Slim Chance circa 1974 - and is so un-Rory-like. But as a bonus it's an interesting addition and shows another side to his musical interests that he didn't often get the chance to express on his official releases. And as I say "Just A Little Bit" is now back where it belongs - as the last track on the "Irish Tour '74" CD (the 2012 issue that is).

The gatefold card sleeve repros the colour artwork of the original vinyl album (front and rear) while the booklet is again 8 pages and features the same Donal Gallagher liner notes that were on the 2000 issue. There's a collage of photos of Rory taken by MICHAEL PUTLAND and RICHARD UPPER - but little that is new. It has to be said the card digipak is nice to look at and retailing at less than six quid (and even less online) - it's a cheap way of acquiring the music - as opposed to a now rare original album.

The initial 2000 CD was 'remixed and remastered' by Tony Arnold at Courthouse Facilities in Dorset - these are 'untampered' versions remastered by ANDY PEARCE and MATT WORTHAM at Wired Masters in the UK in November 2011 (51:00 minutes total playing time). Andy and Matt have been involved in and received praise for remasters of Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Frankie Miller, Wishbone Ash and The Kinks (many of which I've reviewed). For these reissues the original 1/4 master tapes have been returned to - therefore giving the fans the album Rory himself would have approved rather than the slightly 'altered' preceding version. The new sound quality is superb - very clean and ballsy - and not as trebled up as the initial release.

"Tattoo" was also the 2nd album to feature the four-piece line-up that added Lou Martin's keyboards to Rory's overall sound. It was a big improvement over the slightly lacklustre "Blueprint" LP released earlier that same year - mostly because the songs were so much better - and in many cases - real growers. Among the 9 self-penned songs highlights included the rocking opener "Tattoo'd Lady", the acoustic strut of "20:20 Vision" and the much loved blues ambler "A Million Miles Away" (lyrics above) which is one of those rare outings that features him on Saxophone. I've also loved revisiting the boogie of "Sleep On A Clothes-Line" and "Admit It".

Like most Irishmen, I can't be rational about Rory Gallagher. I saw him and his band as a teenager live in Dublin in the early Seventies and the experience was mind-blowing. I then bought every album he ever put out after that and always looked forward to hearing where his flying fingers would take me next.

Rory was sadly lost to us in 1995 through liver failure - and it still hurts to think that this most unassuming and brilliant of guitar heroes is gone. "Tattoo" is a great way to remember him - and frankly the other 5 titles listed below are pretty much the same.

In 1975 he then signed to Chrysalis and released an absolute belter - "Against The Grain" - the first album in my opinion to unleash the awesome power he had on stage but in the studio. I'm hoping it's in the next vanguard of digipak CD reissues. And great googly moo - am I looking forward to that.

Rock on you beautiful axeman...

The Eleven Titles in the 2012 RORY GALLAGHER Remasters Series 

- CD Digipaks, Downloads and 'Music On Vinyl' LPs:

16 January 2012 CD DIGIPAK and DOWNLOAD:

1. "Rory Gallagher" (May 1971 debut) – released January 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88691917352 (Barcode 886919173529)

2. "Deuce" (November 1971 2nd studio LP) – released January 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88691917372 (Barcode 886919173727)

3. "Live! In Europe" (May 1972 1st Live LP) – released January 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88691917432 (Barcode 886919174328)

4. "Blueprint" (February 1973, 3rd studio album) – released January 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88691917452 (Barcode 886919174526)

5. "Tattoo" (November 1973, 4th studio album) – released January 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88691917462 (Barcode 886919174625)

6. "Irish Tour '74" (July 1974, 2nd Live Set, 2LPs onto 1CD) – released January 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88691917472 (Barcode 886919174724)

27 February 2012 VINYL:

1 to 6 above also released 27 February 2012 on Limited Edition 180-gram vinyl versions on the "Music On Vinyl" Label

24 September 2012 CD DIGIPAK and DOWNLOAD:

7. "Against The Grain" (October 1975, 5th studio album) – released September 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88725461492 (Barcode 887254614920)

8. "Calling Card" (August 1976, 6th studio album) – released September 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88725461472 (Barcode 887254614722)

9. "Photo-Finish" (October 1978, 7th studio album) – released September 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88725461462 (Barcode 887254614623)

10. "Top Priority" (September 1979, 8th studio album) – released September 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88725461452 (Barcode 88725461452)

11. "Jinx" (April 1982) – released September 2012 on Sony/Capo/Legacy 88725461432 (Barcode 887254614326)

22 October 2012 VINYL:

7 to 11 above also released 22 October 2012 on Limited Edition 180-gram vinyl versions on the "Music On Vinyl" Label

PPS: Most of the eleven above have been reissued since 2012 in standard jewel cases but have different catalogue numbers and barcodes. The jewel case version of "Deuce" for instance is Barcode 886919369625 and also has the restored artwork, picture CD and expanded booklet of the digipak 2012 issue. But if you want the 'digipak' repro artwork versions – be sure to use the Barcodes provided above when ordering... 

"Titanic in 3D". A Review Of The 1997 Movie – Now Relaunched Into Cinemas In 3D In 2012.

                                  
"...I'm Sorry I Didn't Build You A Better Ship Rose..."

*** THIS REVIEW IS FOR THE "TITANIC in 3D" MOVIE (The 3D Blu Ray Itself Is Released Mid 2012) ***

Holidaying in Ireland, I happened on the preview day of James Cameron's "Titanic in 3D" at the new Odeon Cinema in The Point Area of Dublin's refurbished docklands (or "The Quays" as they're known locally). We caught the first showing on 5 April 2012 - debuting on their all-bells-and-whistles "iSense Screen". "iSense" features razor sharp Real-3D imaging on a gigantic screen with state-of-the-art surround sound. So myself and the two kids popped along - donned the crazy specs - and started to watch. The sheer spectacle of what came next has prompted me to write this review...

I've seen about 10 films in 3D - some like "Despicable Me" have impressed and actually met the hype - the rest have either felt gimmicky or a downright hindrance - or worse a crass monetary exploitation. Even the new Aardman Animation feature film "The Pirates..." - which we'd seen some days earlier - is not great in 3D (although it's a top movie and thoroughly recommended).
But Cameron's complete reshaping of "Titanic" into a 3D realm is a different beast. It's incredible and at times I was genuinely gobsmacked. I saw the film on its original outing in 1997 (which was a cinematic experience to say the least) and I'd estimate that 65 to 75% of this version has been improved by the 3D process with the remaining portions varying between not changed at all or just slightly better - but definitely better.

So what's changed? Scenes that were somehow 'ordinary' before are now 'dimensional' - at times you feel you could reach out and actually touch them...

Examples - the front railings of the sunken liner at the bottom of the Atlantic at the beginning of the film, the unmanned sub that is filming it then making its way through the insides of the wreck - you now feel the machine and its cables - the space around it - the bubbling of the water - the barnacles and silt disturbed to the left and right. When the engine room ship-sized pistons kick into gear as the last boilers are lit - their size and power; the drinks glasses on the table at dinner as Bruce Ismay pompously tells of how he arrived at the ship's name - they have space around them and you feel you could almost lift them off the tablecloths. Even something as unassuming as Molly Brown's decorative hat as she talks to Jack (at a later dinner table setting) now reaches out of the screen into the aisles with extraordinary depth. Winslet's costumes are glorious too - her radiant eyes and lustrous hair. The feeling of sea air and wind on the ship's gangways when Rose and Jack walk and talk and discuss art is accentuated - more realistic.

But if I was to note just one scene that sums up how improved this version is - it would be the one where Rose tries to kill herself by jumping off the back of the ship. As she steps over the railings and the camera looks down at the cold wash below - suddenly the distance and the hugeness of the ship becomes 'real' - looking downward and with that added depth - you can 'feel' that fall...that freezing water below...

The sound is huge too - groaning steel - creaking wood - the water crashing out of the screen right into your face as it floods corridors...

There were occasions where 3D didn't work - where the effect was detrimental rather than an enhancement - the boarding of the great ship at Southampton was one scene where too much was going on in the crowd sequences for the 3D to catch up. Other offences would be that one character on screen would be razor-sharp image-wise (usually the one talking) - while those beside them or to the left of them - would be slightly blurred. But these were rare.

What you also forget is what an incredible movie "Titanic" is.
Like that other maverick filmmaker Ridley Scott ("Blade Runner", "Gladiator" and "The Kingdom Of Heaven") - James Cameron isn't afraid of spectacle - he embraces it. He brings it to the screen with bravado and a passion for ‘detail’ that few can match.
His new 3D rendering of "Titanic" is the same - it seems like he's worked everything to give you the viewer as much as possible – or at least more than you saw the last time. And when the actual sinking finally comes in the early hours of 15 April 1912 - the horror and heartbreak still has the power to make your heart race and bring a tear to the eye. Captain Smith holding the wheel as the ocean crashes through the glass into the bridge area, the ship's funnel that breaks loose and collapses on the bodies below, the propellers rising out of the water, bodies bouncing off the ship's steel structures as the huge hull rises up and they slide downwards to their death - the camera panning back as Rose emerges from the swell to an ocean of bodies flaying about in the agony of the icy Atlantic - the guilty faces on the lucky ones in the boats that got away - hearing their screams and cries for help - yet not going back for survivors - and knowing they should...

Cameron's version of the sad tale has heart too - through all that technical excellence it doesn't forget to show - and somehow respect - the human cost. There's the rage and helplessness of the third class passengers locked into steerage below while the 'quality' on the decks above get away - the band unselfishly playing "Nearer My God To Thee" as the ship goes down by the head, the priest praying with terrified passengers trying to give them strength, the elderly couple holding each other tightly on the bed as the sea floods their cabin - the Irish mum telling her two children of 'Tir na N'Og' - the mythical 'land of the young' as the inevitable closes in around her beloved...

Then of course there's the cast - Bill Paxton as the obsessed present-day treasure-seeker, Gloria Stuart as the elderly Rose recounting the tragedy to an enrapt crew, Jonathan Hyde as Bruce Ismay - the White Star Line egotist who ordered the number of lifeboats to be reduced from 48 to 16 (compliant with Board of Trade laws at the time) so as not to clutter up the promenade decks for the first-class passengers - and then once onboard practically ordering Captain Smith to open all engines to full speed ahead despite the danger (only to save himself in one of the last lifeboats - an act infamous now in history). Frances Fisher is Rose's social-climbing mum, Billy Zane as Rose's manipulative and jealous boor of a fiancé, David Warner as his dastardly man-servant, Bernard Hill as the overwhelmed and ill-fated Captain Smith, 'new money' Kathy Bates as the 'unsinkable' Molly Brown - all of them exemplary. Victor Garber adds huge gravitas too as the ship's architect Thomas Andrews - a decent man grappling with his thoughts as it all falls apart around him (his dialogue titles this review).

But the movie belongs to its two young leads - Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as Jack and Rose - a 17-year-old lady of art and means who falls in love with a 20-year old street-rat who paints to survive. While DiCaprio is good and couldn't go anywhere for a few years due to screaming girls (he was 22 at the time) - it's Winslet who impresses the most. She is sensational in the role - voluptuous, ballsy and humane. She also exudes an acting confidence that is staggering for a 21-year-old. In my book only Kiera Knightley gets this close to that kind of inner belief.

With regard to the forthcoming 3D BLU RAY (due mid 2012) - we don't know as yet what the extras are going to be (if any at all). But there is no doubt in my mind that for a format which has been trying the public's patience and pocket for some time now - Cameron may have given '3D' a huge boost with this rendering of his 1997 classic...

To sum up - even if you don't want to see this film again - and suffer through that dreadful Celine Dion schlock song at the end - think of James Cameron's "Titanic in 3D" as sheer cinematic spectacle. My kids are 18 and 14 - and given that their generation is so easily bored and their timespan for attention virtually nil - they didn't notice the three-hours-plus playing time go by. In fact my son announced at the end "…that was a great film Dad…really good." Praise indeed.

Recommended - and then some.

"I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" by GILBERT O'SULLIVAN. A Review Of His 3rd Album From 1973 Now Expanded And Remastered Onto CD By Salvo (UK) In 2012.

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"...Like An Old Friend..."

"I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" is the 3rd release in a full-on reissue campaign by Salvo Records of the UK for Irish singer-songwriter Raymond Gilbert O'Sullivan. His UK debut album "Himself" from 1971 was relaunched in November 2011 and his second LP "Back To Front" from 1972 in February 2012 (both are reviewed separately). With fantastic new sound, four bonus tracks, quality packaging and a none-too steep price - legions of his fans worldwide will be thrilled to see that his MAM Records catalogue is finally receiving a thorough going-over (and like the others - this release is artist-approved too). Here are the scrapping details...

UK released Monday 2 April 2012 (10 April 2012 in the USA) - "I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" by GILBERT O'SULLIVAN on Salvo SALVOXCD003 (Barcode 698458050328) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster and plays out as follows (44:34 minutes):

1. I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter

2. A Friend Of Mine

3. They've Only Themselves To Blame 

4. Who Knows, Perhaps Maybe 

5. Where Peaceful Waters Flow

6. Ooh Baby [Side 2]

7. I Have Never Loved You As Much As I Love You Today 

8. Not In A Million Years 

9. If You Love Me Like You Love Me

10. Get Down 

Tracks 1 to 10 are his third studio album "I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" - released September 1973 in the UK on Mam Records MAM-SS 505 and October 1973 on Mam Records MAM 7 in the USA. It peaked at 101 on the album charts in America - but reached Number 2 in England.

Track 11 is "A Very Extraordinary Sort Of Girl" - the non-album B-side of "Get Down" - a 7" single released March 1973 in the UK on Mam Records MAM 96 (it reached Number 1 on the UK singles chart and Number 7 in the USA). .

Track 12 is "Good Company" - the non-album B-side of "Ooh Baby" - the second single lifted off the album. "Ooh Baby" was issued September 1973 in the UK on Mam Records MAM 107 and charted at Number 18. "Good Company" is considered by fans to be one of Gilbert's best B-sides - and like Track 11 it's the first time this rare song has been made available for all markets since a rare Japanese CD compilation in 2004. It also features an electric guitar solo by BIG JIM SULLIVAN who played the beautiful acoustic guitar work on "Alone Again (Naturally)".

Tracks 13 and 14 are "Why, Oh Why, Oh Why" and "You Don't Have To Tell Me" - the A & B-sides of a non-album 7" single released November 1973 in the UK on Mam Records MAM 111 (it peaked at Number 6).

The original UK LP had a matt single sleeve with a lyric insert and a 6" inch black and white 'transfer' of the photo on the front cover (damp cloth and hot iron ahoy!). The transfer image has been reproduced for the CD label and there's a 'Gilbert O'Sullivan - A Singer And His Songs' logo sticker on the front of the card digipak which accompanies all of these expanded reissues. Like the other two releases in this series - the 20-page booklet is gorgeous. There's tastefully laid out lyrics to all the songs (including the bonuses), photos from his own archives, trade adverts, magazine covers, 7" picture sleeves from around the world and a detailed paragraph on each song with reminiscences from Gilbert on the album's creation. There's even a centre-spread photo of him sparring with no less than Mohammed Ali - both in boxer shorts! But the really big news for fans is the SOUND...

Remastered from original master tapes - the sound quality is a vast improvement on what went before (compilations and expensive Japanese imports). While "Himself" from 1971 is a little hissy in places - both "Back To Front" and this are incredibly clean with superlative clarity on all the instruments. You can now hear Laurie Holloway's piano thumping on "Get Down" rocking away like a goodun - while the bass and drums on the anthem-like "Where Peaceful Waters Flow" are incredibly clear (lyrics above). The funky keys starting "I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" are followed by the almost Phil Spector beginning of "A Friend Of Mine" - both suddenly sounding huge. The pretty "They've Only Themselves To Blame" has both strings and brass - and the keyboards on "Ooh Baby" - again both just leaping out of the speakers.

The extras are excellent as well and will finally allow fans to sequence single releases on CD for the first time.

He followed "I'm A Writer..." with "A Stranger In My Own Back Yard" in 1974 and the equally forgotten "Southpaw" in 1977 - but it seemed that even with "Writer's" success as an LP and a number 1 single in the UK - the writing was already on the wall for Gilbert by the end of 1973.

Still - I've thoroughly enjoyed re-hearing this album even if some of the lyrics and sentiments are considered soppy by today's standards. It's not all genius of course, but this is a lovely reissue - and Salvo is to be praised for handling it so well. Recommended...

PS: Salvo of the UK have also done his 1971 debut LP "Himself", his 2nd LP "Back To Front" from 1972, his 4th album "A Stranger In My Own Back Yard" from 1974, “Southpaw" from 1977 (his last LP on Mam Records) and beyond into the CBS years of the 80ts. All are 'Expanded' Edition CD Remasters with Bonus Tracks and Quality Repro Packaging (see detailed reviews for "Himself", "Back To Front" and “A Stranger In My Own Back Yard").