“The Complete Studio Recordings” by THE DOORS (1999 Rhino 7CD Box Set of 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:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"…Love Me Two Times…"

Back when Rhino were amongst the best reissue labels in the world (with access to unlimited primo material) – they regularly produced fabulous Box Sets like “The Complete Studio Recordings” by THE DOORS. Let’s get riding that storm of details…because there’s a lot to get through…

USA released November 1999 - "The Complete Studio Recordings" by THE DOORS on Rhino 62434-2 (Barcode 075596243421) comes in a 5½ x 5½-inch CUBE BOX with a flip-ribboned-lid (the artwork is a collage of Elektra records album sleeves). Inside are 8 slots – one for the sumptuous booklet and 7 albums in oversized 5½” card repro sleeves (one of which is a Rarities set). The STEREO mixes have been used for all six Studio albums (catalogue numbers and release dates provided below are American) and it breaks down as follows:

1. "The Doors", debut album released January 1967 on Elektra EKL 4007 (Mono) and EKS-74007 (Stereo), 44:30 minutes

1. Break On Through (To The Other Side)

2. Soul Kitchen

3. The Crystal Ship

4. Twentieth Century Fox

5. Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)

6. Light My Fire

7. Back Door Man [Side 2]

8. I Looked At You

9. End Of The Night

10. Take It As It Comes

11. The End

2. "Strange Days", 2nd LP released September 1967 on Elektra EKL-4014 (Mono) and EKS-74014 (Stereo), 35:17 minutes

1. Strange Days

2. You’re Lost Little Girl

3. Love Me Two Times

4. Unhappy Girl

5. Horse Latitudes

6. Moonlight Drive

7. People Are Strange [Side 2]

8. My Eyes Have Seen You

9. I Can’t See Your Face In My Mind

10. When The Music’s Over

3. "Waiting For The Sun", 3rd LP released September 1968 on Elektra EKL-4024 (Mono) and EKS-74024 (Stereo), 33:05 minutes

1. Hello, I Love You

2. Love Street

3. Not To Touch The Earth

4. Summer’s Almost Gone

5. Wintertime Love

6. The Unknown Soldier

7. Spanish Caravan [Side 2]

8. My Wild Love

9. We Could Be So Good Together

10. Yes, The River Knows

11. Five To One

4. "The Soft Parade", 4th LP released July 1969 on Elektra EKS-75005 (Stereo), 33:54 minutes

1. Tell All The People

2. Touch Me

3. Shaman’s Blues

4. Do It

5. Easy Ride

6. Wild Child [Side 2]

7. Runnin’ Blue

8. Wishful Sinful

9. The Soft Parade

5. "Morrison Hotel/Hard Rock Cafe", 5th LP released February 1970 on Elektra EKS 75007 (Stereo), 37:24 minutes

1. Roadhouse Blues [Side 1 is called “Hard Rock Café”]

2. Waiting For The Sun

3. You Make Me Real

4. Peace Frog

5. Blue Sunday

6. Ship Of Fools

7. Land Ho! [Side 2 is called “Morrison Hotel”]

8. The Spy

9. Queen Of The Highway

10. Indian Summer

11. Maggie M’Gill

6. "L.A. Woman", 6th LP released April 1971 on Elektra EKS-75011, 48:51 minutes

1. The Changeling

2. Love Her Madly

3. Been Down So Long

4. Cars Hiss By My Window

5. L.A. Woman

6. L’America [Side 2]

7. Hyacinth House

8. Crawling King Snake

9. The WASP (Texas Radio And The Big Beat)

10. Riders On The Storm

7. "Essential Rarities" – The Best Of The ’97 Box Set, 73:26 minutes

1. Hello To The Cities (Live on the Ed Sullivan Show, 967 and at Cobo Hall, Detroit, 1970)

2. Break On Through (Live at the Isle Of Wight Festival, England, 1970)

3. Roadhouse Blues (Recorded live at Madison Square Garden, New York, 1970)

4. Hyacinth House (Demo Recorded at Bobby Krieger’s Home Studio, 1969)

5. Who Scared Who (Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1969)

6. Whiskey, Mystics And Men (Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1970)

7. I Will Never Be Untrue (Recorded live at the Aquarius Theater, Hollywood, 1970)

8. Moonlight Drive (Demo Recorded at World Pacific Studios, 1965)

9. Queen Of The Highway (Alternative Version Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1969)

10. Someday Soon (Live at Seattle Center, Seattle, 1970)

11. Hello, I Love You (Demo Recorded at World Pacific Studios, 1965)

12. Orange County Suite (Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1970)

13. The Soft Parade (Live On PBS Television, New York, 1970)

14. The End (Recorded live at Madison Square Garden, New York, 1970)

15. BONUS TRACK: Woman Is A Devil (Recorded at Elektra Studios, 1969)

This box set hits you on two fronts – and in my book – the two that matter – sound and presentation. Housed in individual slots  - the attention to detail on the Repro Card sleeves is superb. The CDs for 1 to 3 have Brown Elektra Records labels, 4 and 5 have Red and 6 is the Butterfly variant as per the 1967 to 1971 vinyl albums. “Strange Days”, “The Soft Parade” and “Morrison Hotel” have their Inner Bags repro’d with “The Doors” and “Waiting For The Sun” all with Elektra Records Label Bags (and gatefolds where applicable). And of course there’s the beautiful die-cut sleeve of “L.A. Woman” with its plastic and inner yellow bag (very tasty indeed). The Essentials Disc also sports a gatefold card sleeve. The properly chunky and beautifully laid-out booklet is over 60-pages long with essays on each album (time-lined), lyrics to all at the rear and a plethora of period photos and memorabilia peppering the text throughout (liner notes by DAVE DiMARTINO). It’s a fabulous read. But all of this is nothing to the AUDIO…

Remastered from the original analogue 2-track master tapes to 96K/24-bit digital by BRUCE BOTNIK and BERNIE GRUNDMAN at Bernie Grundman Studios in California in August 1999 – the sound quality is mind-blowingly good (Botnik was the original engineer). Sure there’s been other remasters since and even fatter boxes – but for me – the audio detail presented here has never been surpassed. The only obvious shame is the absence of the rare MONO mixes on 1 to 3 – especially on the stunning debut where the differences are acute (many fans prefer the MONO). But in my book that doesn’t take away from the superlative warmth and presence these remasters have.

The hits are all here – “Light My Fire”, “The End”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Hello, I Love You”, “People Are Strange”, “Touch Me”, “Love Her Madly” and of course the amazing “Riders on The Storm”. But the beauty of this box is that it allows you to dig out those LP nuggets that don’t get enough airing – stuff like “Back Door Man”, “Spanish Caravan”, “Shaman’s Blues”, “Peace Frog”, “Roadhouse Blues” and  “Cars Hiss By My Window”. And amongst the goodies on “Essentials” are superb outtakes like a menacing “Whiskey, Mystics And Men”, a hurting “Orange County Suite” and the live Bluesy take on “I Will Never Be Untrue”.

Despite being deleted pretty quickly – it was one of those Box Sets you saw cropping up all of the time. But whilst common once – in 2015 it’s not so much any more - with some dealers trying to procure over £200 for a sealed copy. You can still nail it for under £50 in certain places.

"...I live uptown…I live downtown…I live all around…" - Morrison sang on “The Changeling” and I suppose in fifty years time we’ll still be trying to figure out what he and his fab band were actually on about (in a good way). 

Start your love affair with THE DOORS here while you can still afford to…

"Reason To Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings" by ROD STEWART (2003 Mercury 3CD Set - Suha Gur Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…I Wouldn't Change A Thing…"

I’ve been meaning to heap praise on this “Chronicles” tin of Scots Shortbread for years – so here are the tartan scarves, champagne buckets and caviar pillow stains…

USA/UK released November 2002 (reissued January 2005) – "Reason To Believe: The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings" by ROD STEWART on Mercury/Universal/Chronicles 440 063 422-2 (Barcode 044006342221) is a 3CD set and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (79:19 minutes):

1. Street Fighting Man

2. Man Of Constant Sorrow

3. Blind Prayer

4. Handbags And Gladrags

5. An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down

6. I Wouldn't Ever Change A Thing

7. Cindy's Lament

8. Dirty Old Town

Tracks 1 to 8 are his debut LP "An Old Raincoat Won’t Let You Down" – released February 1970 on Vertigo VO 4 in the UK. It was called "The Rod Stewart Album" in the USA and its September 1969 release on Mercury SR-61237 featuring different artwork to the UK issue (same tracks). As this is effectively an American release – the booklet doesn’t picture the lovely 'photograph' gatefold of the UK artwork.

9. Gasoline Alley

10. It's All Over Now

11. Only A Hobo

12. My Way Of Giving

13. Country Comforts

14. Cut Across Shorty

15. Lady Day

16. Jo's Lament

17. You're My Girl (I Don’t Want To Discuss It)

Tracks 9 to 17 are his 2nd solo LP "Gasoline Alley" – released May 1970 in the USA on Mercury SR-61264 and September 1970 in the UK on Vertigo 6360 500.

Track 18 is "It's All Over Now" – issued as a 7” single edit in the UK on Vertigo 6086 002 in September 1970 (the album track "Jo's Lament" was its B-side).

Disc 2 (77:08 minutes):

1. Every Picture Tells A Story

2. Seems Like A Long Time

3. That’s All Right / Amazing Grace

4. Tomorrow Is A Long Time

5. Maggie May

6. Mandolin Wind

7. (I Know) I'm Losing You

8. (Find A) Reason To Believe

Tracks 1 to 8 are his 3rd album "Every Picture Tells A Story" – released July 1971 in the UK on Mercury 6338 063 and May 1971 in the USA on Mercury SRM-1 609

9. True Blue

10. Lost Paraguayos

11. Mama You’ve Been On My Mind

12. Italian Girls

13. Angel

14. Interludings

15. You Wear It Well

16. I'd Rather Go Blind

17. Twistin' The Night Away

Tracks 9 to 17 are his 4th album "Never A Dull Moment" – released July 1972 in the UK on Mercury 6499 153 and Mercury SRM-1 10646 in the USA

Tracks 18 is "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out Of Me)" is the non-album B-side to "Angel" – a UK 7” single issued in November 1972 on Mercury 6052 198

Disc 3 (70:47 minutes):

1. Pinball Wizard - a cover of The Who track from "Tommy" – it was featured on the June 1973 compilation LP "Sing It Again Rod"

2. Oh! No Not My Baby

3. Jodie – Tracks 2 and 3 were non-album and the A&B sides of a 7" single in both the USA and UK in September 1973

4. Sweet Little Rock ‘n Roller

5. Lochinvar

6. Farewell

7. Sailor

8. Bring It On Home To Me / You Send Me

9. Let Me Be Your Car

10. (You Make Me feel Like) A Natural Woman

11. Dixie Trot

12. Hard Road

13. I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face (Instrumental)

14. Girl From The North Country

15. Mine For Me

Tracks 4 to 15 are his 5th album "Smiler" – released September 1974 in the UK on Mercury 9101 001 and Mercury SRM-1 1017 in the USA

16. Missed You

17. You Put Something Better Inside Me

18. Crying Laughing Loving Lying

19. Every Time We Say Goodbye

20. So Tired – Tracks 16 to 20 all 'Previously Unreleased in the USA' session outtakes first released on the 1995 2CD retrospective set "Handbags & Gladrags"

The 24-page booklet is housed in a three-way foldout card digipak with each flap featuring live photos (pictures beneath the see-through plastic trays also). AMY LINDEN provides the liner notes and there’s discography info on each track and overall recording credits. But the big news is the SUHA GUR remasters which are fantastic – full of presence and life and that raunchy feel Stewart got at the time.

Lyrically and musically – there is so much richness here. Armed with a God-given set of tonsils and a way with observation and melody - song after song smacks you over the head with greatness and smart choices. And all of it with that fantastic band of his - Ronnie Wood, Martin Quittenton, Ronnie Lane, Mick Waller and Ian McLagan- dripping British Rock’n’Roll swagger that seemed to come so easily to them.

But while “Picture” and “Moment” are 5-star Rod Stewart classics with nuggets like the gorgeous “Mandolin Wind” and the raucous “Los Paraguayos” – it’s the first two on Vertigo and the massively underrated “Smiler” that I keep returning to when I play this massive CD haul. We get the superb keyboard contribution of Keith Emerson on “I Wouldn’t Ever Change A Thing” (before ELP) and Stewart's beautifully sensitive cover of “Only A Hobo” – a Dylan outtake from “The Times Are A-Changin’” sessions. And there’s that stunning mixture of rockers versus ballads – the thread runs right through from his fab take on Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Rock ‘n’ Roller” in 1974 backtracking to his own “Lady Day” in 1970.

Amongst the previously unreleased “Missed You” is a gem - but you can see why his take on Labi Siffre’s classic “Crying Laughing Loving Lying” stayed in the can (it just doesn’t suit him). Better is his version of an old Stealers Wheel tune “You Put Something Better Inside Me” (written by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan). And “So Tired” (an outtake from the “Smiler” sessions) is very good too.

To sum up - five whole albums, rare single sides and a batch of previously unreleased for under nine-quid is a bit of a no-brainer really. “Reason To Believe” is a rare instance of quality and quantity combined - and of all of it wrapped up in that top-quality remastered sound…

"...Combed my hair in a thousand ways…but I come out looking the same…" - Rod sings on "Every Picture Tells A Story". 

Forget all the expensive alternatives - this is the musical mirror you want to look in to…

“The Two Of Us" by YARBROUGH & PEOPLES - A Review Of Their R'n'B Number 1 Album From 1980 - Now Remastered & Expanded Onto CD By BIG BREAK RECORDS Of The UK In 2014

Here is a link to AMAZON UK to get this CD Remaster at a good price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KJHREAI

“…You’re My Song…” – The Two Of Us by YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (2014 BBR CD Remaster)

A monster album that rose to Number 1 on the USA R’n’B album charts – Cavin YARBROUGH and Alisa PEOPLES finally hit songwriting paydirt in late 1980 with their “The Two Of Us” album. And this typically superb BBR CD (of the UK) does that fondly remembered stepper proud. Here are the toe-tapping details…

UK released on an Expanded CD Remaster in July 2014 – Big Break Records CDBBRX0195 (Barcode 5013939049536) breaks down as follows (56:16 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album “The Two Of Us” – released October 1980 in the USA on Mercury Records SRM-1-3834

Tracks 10 to 13 are BONUSES – Third Degree (12” Disco Mix), Don’t Stop The Music (Single Version) and Third Degree (Single Version)

It comes in one of those new rounded jewel cases and the CD itself reflects the American Mercury Records label of the time. The 16-page booklet pictures US and UK 45’s and 12’s, promo photos of the soulful duo, discography info and hugely detailed liner notes by J MATTHEW COBB (of Hi Fi Magazine). But the big news as always is the stunning remaster by Big Break’s resident tape wizard WAYNE A. DICKSON – warm, clear, ballsy – another top job done. This thing sounds amazing.

It opens with the full album version of the smash “Don’t Stop The Music” which runs to nearly 8 minutes as opposed to the more manageable 7” edit at 4:11 minutes. The album’s other massive hit was “Third Degree” which is again featured here in an album version at just under 5-minutes - while the 7” single edit weighs in at 3:45 minutes (the Disco Mix is roughly the same length as the album version). “Crazy” has a fab slap-bass funkiness as does the CHIC cool of “Want You Back Again” (the B-side to “Third Degree”). I’ve always liked the irrepressible “You’re My Song” and it finishes on the upbeat almost poppy Soul of “I Believe I’m Falling In Love”.

It’s not genius by any means – but its good to hear those upbeat-Summer tracks again – and in such superb sound quality…

“H/Sign Of The Time” by BOB JAMES (2014 Robinsongs CD Reissue - 2LPs Remastered Onto 1CD) - A Review by Mark Barry…

This Review Along With 100s Of Others Is Available in my

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

SOUL, FUNK and JAZZ FUSION - Exception CD Remasters  

Just Click Below To Purchase for £3.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"...Dream Until Dawn..."

Robinsongs is a subsidiary label of Cherry Red Records who have picked up on the gaps in late Seventies and Eighties Jazz Fusion and Soul Funk albums. And this is a clever CD reissue....

UK released July 2014 – "H/Sign Of The Times" by BOB JAMES on Robinsongs CDMRED627 (Barcode 5013929162730) features two LPs on 1CD Remaster and plays out as follows (75:38 minutes):

1. Snowbird Fantasy

2. Shepherd's Song

3. Brighton By The Sea

4. The Walkman

5. Thoroughbred

6. Reunited

Tracks 1 to 6 are the album "H" - released 1980 in the USA on Tappan Zee JC 36422

7. Hypnotique

8. The Steamin' Feelin'

9. Enchanted Forest

10. Unicorn

11. Sign Of The Times

12. Love Power

Tracks 7 to 12 are the album "Sign Of The Times" - released 1981 in the USA on Tappan Zee FC 37495

The 12-page booklet gives us informative and detailed liner notes by LOIS WILSON (of the Mojo magazine) and ALAN WILSON at Western Star in Bristol has done the remaster. It's incredibly clean and has sweet muscular audio - reflecting the top quality production values at the time of recording and the great session men like Hiram Bullock, Steve Khan, Bruce Dunlap and Eric Gale all on Guitars, Liberty DeVito on Drums and of course James himself on all manner of keyboards.

Side One of "H" opens with the cheesy "Snowbird Fantasy" (complete with tweeting birdies) but things improve immeasurably with a one two of sweet and funky - the traditional air "Shepherd's Song" done in a moving and truly beautiful keyboard fashion (I'm always putting this instrumental on compilations that make for peaceful listening) followed by "Brighton By The Sea" (written by long time Saxophonist sidekick Grover Washington Jr) providing superb slow Jazz Funk. "The Walkman" is hardly memorable but a cover of the Peaches & Herbs 1979 smoocher "Reunited" ends the album on a Soulful fusion tip.

For me the best of the two albums here is the "Sign Of The Times" set - not least because three of its six Funky Fusion tracks are written by that Boogie genius ROD TEMPERTON of "Thriller" and HEATWAVE fame (his three are "Hypnotique", "The Steamin' Feelin'" and "Sign of The Times"). Bob James penned the other three with "Love Power" (lyrics above) impressing the most featuring Grover Washington Jr, Eric Gale and percussionist Airto. And I've loved the stepper groove and girly backing vocals of the title track "Sign Of The Times" - great stuff.

This is a rather cool little CD reissue of two forgotten BOB JAMES albums that deserve to be noticed again. It's not all genius of course but the goodies like the gorgeous "Shepherd's Song" are worth having...