"The Complete Atlantic Recordings" by BETTYE SWANN (January 2014 US Real Gone Music/Rhino CD Compilation of Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Wanting To Hold You…"

Relative newcomer label REAL GONE MUSIC (out of the States) have been impressing of late with their clever selections for reissue CDs - and this Bettye Swann overhaul (in conjunction with Rhino and Soul Music) is part of their ongoing series of Atlantic Records retrospectives. And what an out-and-out winner it is. You get great Seventies Soul music from a lesser-heard voice, updated and best ever remasters, five previously unreleased tracks and quality liner notes. There's even a duet with one of the giants - Sam Dees. I have to say I'm more than impressed.

The tracks are presented in recording date order on this CD - so it can be confusing working out what's what. In order to break it down into more manageable chunks - I'm provided a track list and a Discography beneath that. Here are the intricate details...

US released January 2014 - "The Complete Atlantic Recordings" by BETTYE SWANN on Real Gone Music/Rhino Custom Products/Soul Music Records RGM-0213 OPCD-8817 (Barcode 848064002130) pans out as follows (77:36 minutes):

1. Victim Of A Foolish Heart

2. Cold Day (In Hell)

3. I'd Rather Go Blind

4. Today I Started Loving You Again

5. Yours Until Tomorrow

6. I'm Not That Easy To Lose

7. Till I Get It Right

8. The Boy Next Door

9. Kiss My Love Goodbye

10. Time To Say Goodbye

11. When The Game Is Played On You

12. All The Way In Or All The Way Out

13. Doing For The One I Love

14. I Feel The Feeling

15. Either You Love Me Or You Leave Me

16. This Old Heart of Mine

17. Suspicious Minds

18. I Want Sunday Back Again

19. The Jealous Kind

20. Heading In The Right Direction

21. Be Strong Enough To Hold On

22. Storybook Children (with SAM DEES)

23. Just As Sure (with SAM DEES)

NOTES:

Track 6 first appeared in 2006 on the CD compilation "Atlantic Unearthed: Soul Sisters" credited as "I Ain't That Easy To Lose"

Tracks 14 to 17 and 19 are Previously Unreleased - recorded in Nashville in 1975

Track 18 "I Want Sunday Back Again" first appeared in 2005 on the UK Warners CD compilation "You Better Believe It! Vol.2"

Track 20 "Heading In The Right Direction" is miscredited in the booklet and rear inlay as "Heading In The Wrong Direction"]

USA and UK SINGLES:

Her eight 45s were issued in the USA and UK as follows - [9] = Track Number etc

1. Victim Of A Foolish Heart [1] b/w Cold Day (In Hell) [2]

May 1972, US 7" single on Atlantic 45-2869

June 1972, UK 7" single on Atlantic K 10174

2. Today I Started Loving You Again [4] b/w I'd Rather Go Blind [3]

December 1972, US 7" single on Atlantic 45-2921

February 1973, UK 7" single on Atlantic K 10273

3. Till I Get It Right [7] b/w Yours Until Tomorrow [5]

August 1973, US 7" single on Atlantic 45-2950

4. The Boy Next Door [8] b/w Kiss My Love Goodbye [9]

May 1974, US 7" single on Atlantic 45-3019

5. Time To Say Goodbye [10] b/w When The Game Is Played On You [11]

August 1974, USA 7" single Atlantic 45-3211

6. All The Way In Or All The Way Out [12] b/w Doing For The I Love [13]

May 1975, USA 7" single Atlantic 45-3262

June 1975, UK 7" single on Atlantic K 10622

[Notes: in the UK the A&B-sides were reversed and "Doing" is miscredited in the booklet and on the inlay as "Doin'"]

7. Storybook Children [22] b/w Just As Sure [23]

February 1976, US 7" single on Big Tree Records BT-16054 [credited to SAM DEES and BETTYE SWANN]

March 1976, UK 7" single on Atlantic K 10719

8. Heading In The Right Direction [20] b/w Be Strong Enough To Hold On [21]

February 1976, US 7" single on Atlantic 45-3352

October 1976, UK 7" single on Atlantic K 10851

Produced by DAVID NATHAN - the well-appointed 16-page booklet pictures lots of those Atlantic 45s (and the lone Big Tree Records entry with Sam Dees) - has detailed liner notes from noted writer and Mojo contributor CHARLES WARING and gives us recording details/writer credits. ALAN WILSON has carried out the digital remasters from original tapes (he's worked with BGO, Edsel and Cherry Red) and the audio quality is fabulous throughout - amazing clarity. It's hardly surprising when you read the credits - Bettye had quality Seventies productions from Rick Hall's Fame Studios (tracks 1 to 7) with the rest being split between The Young Professionals in Philadelphia and Brad Shapiro in Nashville. Song after song is full of presence and warmth - bolstered by musicians able to get with the groove. Couple this with her wonderful vocals and the result is pretty remarkable...

It's hard to describe the impact of Bettye Swann's voice - it's part Dionne Warwick - part Etta James - with a wobble in the vocal that gives each rendition a sort of aching. Swann could take a song like "Yours Until Tomorrow" (a Goffin-King hit for fellow label mate Dee Dee Warwick in 1965 and later for Gene Pitney in 1968) and imbibe it with a sort of croaky passion that elevated the tune into genuine Soul. The same applies to Pop like "Till I Get It Right" - and even when she went Funk and Disco in Nashville for stuff like her talking-take on "This Old Heart Of Mine" (a Previously Unreleased version of The Isley Brothers classic) - she manages to turn a cheesy arrangement into Soul gold. What Bettye Swann lacks in sheer lungpower (say Aretha Franklin) - she more than makes up for with delivery - that constant hurt in her tone imbibing her singing with real beauty (like say Mavis Staples).

Northern Soul fans have been digging the B-side "Kiss My Love Goodbye" since it turned on the WEA CD compilation "You Better Believe It!" in 2004. Another Philly-sounding Funkathon with strings is "When The Game Is Played On You" which WEA featured on the 2005 CD compilation "Crème De La Soul Vol. II - More Philly Soul Classics..." I also love her big and brassy version of the Etta James/Chicken Shack classic "I'd Rather Go Blind" that gives the hurter a sweeter edge (gorgeous remaster too - wow!). But even prettier is the Homer Banks/Carl Hampton song "Either You Love Me Or Leave Me" where her man keeps turning away - such a great smooching groove (lyrics from it title this review).

Bettye then morphs Country into Sweet Soul on her cover of Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again". She even goes Blaxploitation on the Shaft-like and uber funky "The Boy Next Door" (sounding not unlike Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead") - another winner with amazing production values courtesy of LeBaron Taylor, Phil Hurtt and Bunny Sigler (aka The Young Professionals). By the time we get to "Heading In The Right Direction" and it's flipside "Be Strong Enough To Hold On" - she's gone over to the sound taking the world and charts by storm - Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International. And again the remaster for both tunes is simply gorgeous...

Touching on Northern Soul dancers, swooning Philly, boogie Funk and even a bit of tortured Southern Soul heartbreak and infidelity - I cannot recommend this reissue enough. And in June 2013 at the tender age of 68 - Bettye Swann came out of retirement and performed for the first time in decades at a Cleethorpes Soul Weekender in the UK (it's pictured on the inlay beneath the see-through tray). She was greeted with a hero's welcome by British Soul nutters tearfully appreciating one of the unsung greats of Soul Music. Let's hope that's not the last we hear from lovely Bettye. In the meantime - we at least have this fab CD compilation to savour...

Similar 'Real Gone Music' titles to date are:

1. LINDA JONES - The Complete Atco-Loma-Warner Brothers Recordings

2. PATTI LaBELLE and THE BLUEBELLES - The Complete Atlantic Sides (2CDs)

3. BARBARA LEWIS - The Complete Atlantic Singles (2CDs)

4. BARBARA LYNN - The Complete Atlantic Recordings [REVIEWED]

5. JACKIE MOORE - The Complete Atlantic Recordings (Jan 2015)

6. BETTYE SWANN - The Complete Atlantic Recordings [REVIEWED]

7. THE SWEET INSPIRATIONS - The Complete Atlantic Singles (2CDs)

8. IRMA THOMAS - Full Time Woman: The Lost Cotillion Album

9. DEE DEE WARWICK - The Complete Atlantic Recordings (2CDs) [REVIEWED]

"Love For What It Is" by ANITA POINTER (2014 Big Break Records 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Temporarily Blue…"

The lead singer with one of the most successful Female Vocal Groups in R&B and Soul throughout the Seventies and Eighties (with multiple Grammy award wins on their walls) practically guaranteed ANITA POINTER a shot at Solo stardom – and yet in late 1987 her “Love For What It Is” album barely scraped up to 48 on the US Cash Box R&B charts - while its two singles did even less business. And yet those champions of Soul, Funk and Disco CD reissues Big Break Records of the UK (BBR) seem to think it’s a forgotten piece of Soul class – and on occasion – they’re probably right. Here are the big hair do details…

UK released October 2014 – "Love For What It Is" by ANITA POINTER on Big Break Records CDBBRX 0309 (Barcode 5013929060937) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster and breaks down as follows (77:49 minutes):

1. Overnight Success

2. Love Me Like You Do

3. The Pledge [duet with Philip Bailey]

4. You Don’t Scare Me

5. More Than A Memory

6. Have A Little Faith In Love

7. Love For What It Is

8. Beware Of What You Want

9. Temporarily Blue

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album “Love For What It Is” – released October 1987 in the USA on RCA Records 6419-1-R and RCA Records PD86419 in the UK and Europe

BONUS TRACKS:

10. Overnight Success (12” Dance Mix)

11. More Than A Memory (12” East Coast Mix)

12. Overnight Success (Single Mix)

13. More Than A Memory (12” West Coast Mix)

14. Overnight Success (Instrumental)

15. More Than A Memory (Instrumental)

You get one of those curve-corner jewel cases, a see-through tray that advertises BBR’s other Pointer Sister CD reissues beneath it, a 12-page inlay with excellent liner notes by Christian John Wikane (with memories from Anita) and best of all – a NICK ROBBINS and WAYNE A. DICKSON remaster that elevates everything to amazing clarity.

I wish I could say that the album is a forgotten masterpiece – it isn’t. But as ever – there’s those great moments and songs that warrant a re-listen. Stuff like “You Don’t Scare Me” and “Have A Little Faith In Me” are afflicted with that awful Eighties Drum sound and cluttering brass jabs that keep the tunes busy but lack anything like a soul. Better is the obvious singles “Overnight Success” and “More Than A Memory” – the sort of tunes George Benson would polish of on “20/20”. And the ballad “Temporarily Blue” and “Love Me Like You Do” are the kind of songs you’d hear at the end of a movie as the credit roles on some tropical island where the couple are walking off into the sunset. Actually more interesting from a collector’s point of view is the “Instrumental” mixes of “Overnight Success” and “More Than A Memory” – some cool funk moments.

It’s not genius by any stretch of the imagination – but if you’re a fan – the presentation and the superb audio quality are going to be the biog draws…

PS: Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remasters I’ve reviewed:

1. Send It – ASHFORD & SIMPSON (1977)

2. Is It Still Good To Ya – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1978)

3. Stay Free – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1979)

4. Central Heating – HEATWAVE (1977)

5. Hot Property - HEATWAVE (1979)

6. Candles - HEATWAVE (1980)

7. Turnin' On - HIGH INERGY (1977)

8. Harvest For The World - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1976)

9. Go For Your Guns - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1977)

10. In The Heart – KOOL & THE GANG (1983)

11. I Hope We Get To Love On Time - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (1976)

12. I Miss You [known as "Harold Melvin The Blue Notes" in the UK] - HAROLD MELVIN and THE BLUE NOTES (1972)

13. Black & Blue - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1973)

14. Love Is The Message - MFSB (1973)

15. Universal Love – MFSB (1975)

16. All The Faces Of... - BUDDY MILES (1974)

17. For The First Time – STEPHANIE MILLS (1975)

18. I Can See Clearly Now - JOHNNY NASH (1972)

19. In Philadelphia - O'JAYS (1969)

20. Back Stabbers - O'JAYS (1972)

21. Ship Ahoy - O'JAYS (1973)

22. Down To Love Town – THE ORIGINALS (1977)

23. Ebony Woman - BILLY PAUL (1970 and 1973)

24. 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul - BILLY PAUL (1972)

25. War Of The Gods - BILLY PAUL (1973)

26. Platinum Hook – PLATINUM HOOK (1978)

27. Love For What It Is - ANITA POINTER (of The Pointer Sisters) (1987)

28. Live: Stompin’ At The Savoy – RUFUS and CHAKA KHAN (1983)

29. Summernights – SILVER CONVENTION (1977)

30. Smoked Sugar - SMOKED SUGAR (1975)

31. Spinners – SPINNERS (1973)

32. Soul Master – EDWIN STARR (1968)

33. Involved - EDWIN STARR (1971)

34. Switch - SWITCH (1978)

35. Watercolors – THE WATERS (1980)

36. Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS (1971)

37. Heartbeats – YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (1983)

"Stoneground/Stoneground 3" by STONEGROUND (2017 Beat Goes On Reissue - 2LPs onto 2CDs - Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Looking For You..." 

California's STONEGROUND - a San Francisco 10-piece hippy ensemble fronted by ex Beau Brummel's guitarist Sal Valentino and no less than six other lead singers four of whom were ladies (see list below) - released three albums on Warner Brothers in rapid succession in the early Seventies and thereafter commercially disappeared into unfair obscurity and local legend (their live shows were a cause celeb of the day).

At times Stoneground comes on like a more rocking version of Leon Russell and his Shelter People (Valentino's voice is similar) with traces of Little Feat Rock-Funk, first album Ry Cooder and because of the raspy ladies - early Fanny. Their sound and style is a mash up of Sixties R&B, Gospel, Sunshine Pop and CSNY influences – with a trace of The Doors thrown in for good measure. Sounds good doesn't it - they were.

Their wonderful debut "Stoneground" hit the shops in April 1971 on Warner Brothers WS 1895 - the half-live/half-studio 2LP-set "Family Album" followed in December 1971 on Warner Brothers 2ZS 1956 - ending their initial tenure on the label with December 1972's "Stoneground 3" on Warner Brothers BS 2645. Those of us who have trawled secondhand record stores down through the decades will have seen their tan-label original vinyl LPs in their droves - cheap as chips and easily attainable. Pretty much an American-only phenomenon - none of their rather excellent albums ever bothered the charts on either side of the pond (their debut received a UK release but the following two didn’t) - and in hindsight that was a bit of a mistake on the part of a Joe Public seriously spoilt for choice in 1971 and 1972. Which brings us to this stunning-sounding 2017 reissue...

Beat Goes On of the UK put out their second platter "Family Album" in November 2016 on BGOCD 1263 (Barcode 5017261212634) as a 2CD set (see separate review). This new February 2017 2CD Reissue gathers up albums Number 1 and 3 and offers them up in a truly fabulous new remaster. There is a ton of detail to wade through - so once more unto the sand dunes and rainy day details...

UK released February 2017 - "Stoneground/Stoneground 3" by STONEGROUND on Beat Goes On BGOCD 1270 (Barcode 5017261212702) offers 2LPs Newly Remastered onto 2CDs and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 "Stoneground" (37:24 minutes):

1. Looking For You [Lead Vocals, Sal Valentino]

2. Great Change Since I've Been Born [Lead Vocals, Lynne Hughes]

3. Rainy Day In June [Lead Vocals, Sal Valentino]

4. Added Attraction (Come And See Me) [Lead Vocals, Deirdre La Porte]

5. Dreaming Man [Lead Vocals, Tim Barnes]

6. Stroke Stand [Lead Vocals, Sal Valentino] - Side 2

7. Bad News [Lead Vocals, Lydia Phillips]

8. Don't Waste My Time [Lead Vocals, Luther Bildt]

9. Colonel Chicken Fry [Lead Vocals, Sal Valentino]

10. Brand New Start [Lead Vocals, Annie Simpson]

Tracks 1 to 10 are their debut album "Stoneground" - released April 1971 in the USA on Warner Brothers WS 1895 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 46087. Tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, and 9 are Sal Valentino originals – Track 2 is a Reverend Gary Davis cover - Track 3 is a Ray Davies song, a Kinks cover - Track 7 is a JD Loudermilk song, a Leadbelly cover - Track 8 is a John Mayall cover and Track 10 is a Jackie De Shannon cover (a Tom Donahue and John Blakely song).

For the debut STONEGROUND was:

SAL VALENTINO - Lead Vocals, Electric & Acoustic Guitars and Percussion

LYNNE HUGHES – Lead Vocals

DEIRDRE LA PORTE – Lead Vocals

ANNIE SIMPSON – Lead Vocals

LYDIA PHILLIPS – Lead Vocals

TIM BARNES - Lead Guitar, Bottleneck, Lead and Backing Vocals

LUTHER BILDT – Guitar, Lead and Backing Vocals

JOHN BLAKELEY – Rhythm Guitar and Bass Guitar

PETE SEARS – Bass Guitar and Keyboards

MICHAEL MAU – Drums

Guest:

RON NAGEL – Keyboards and Percussion

Disc 2 "Stoneground 3" (43:14 minutes):

1. Dancin'

2. On My Own

3. You Better Come Through

4. Ajax

5. Down To The Bottom

6. From A Sad Man Into A Deep Blue Sea

7. From Me - Side 2

8. Lovin' Fallin'

9. Butterfly

10. Gettin' Over You

11. Heads Up

12. Everybody's Happy

Tracks 1 to 12 are their 3rd and final album for Warner Brothers - "Stoneground 3" - released December 1972 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2645. Tracks 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 11 are Sal Valentino originals - Track 2 is by Lynne Hughes - Track 3 by Tim Barnes - Track 4 by Deirdre La Porte - Track 9 by Cory Lerios - Track 10 by Annie Sampson and Track 12 by Cory Lerios and David Jenkins.

For the third album STONEGROUND was:

SAL VALENTINO - Lead Vocals, Electric & Acoustic Guitars and Percussion

LYNNE HUGHES – Lead Vocals

DEIRDRE LA PORTE – Lead Vocals

ANNIE SIMPSON – Lead Vocals

LYDIA MORENO – Lead Vocals

TIM BARNES - Lead Guitar, Lead and Backing Vocals

JOHN BLAKELEY – Rhythm Guitar and Bass Guitar

TERENCE V. CLEMENTS – Horns

CORY LERIOS – Keyboards and Vocals

DAVID McCULLOUGH – Bass

STEVE PRICE – Drums

The card slipcase that now comes as standard with all BGO releases adds the whole shebang a classy feel - while the 14-page booklet uses new JOHN TOBLER liner notes to unravel the huge ensemble’s tangled history (three members of the group would go on to be in Pablo Cruise and finally achieve chart success). The liner notes for the original debut are here as are the lyrics to "Stoneground 3" along with some black and white live shots of the band and a tasty centre-page photo that has the group pushed to 11 members. Tobler describes their roots in the 'Medicine Ball Caravan' show that crossed America in 1970 and eventually became a movie in 1971 (several members of the band featured in it). The arrival of a songwriter like Sal Valentino (ex Beau Brummels) changed everything for Stoneground and got them the WB contract (Tobler discusses the BB's a lot) and we learn that Lydia Moreno and Annie Simpson had been in the cast of the hugely popular Rock Musical "Hair".

But the big news here is a truly gorgeous High Definition 2CD Remaster by tape supremo ANDREW THOMPSON – the Audio Engineer BGO has been using for decades. These CDs have been out before on Collectables – but the Audio here is way better. I’ve never heard the first LP sound so beautiful – all those great vocalists and funky guitar breaks. Let's get to the music...

Their April 1971 debut album "Stoneground" opens with a winner - the very languid Doors-sounding "Looking For You" - a cool little sucker if ever there was one. Lynne Hughes makes her considerable set if pipes known on the cover version of a Rev. Gary Davis Blues number called "Great Change Since I've Been Born". A member of a short-lived Bay Area group called 'Tongue & Groove' - she clearly identifies with the holy-roller lyrics "...songs I used to sing...I won't sing no more..." In fact the splitting of male and female voices as leads on each track works - but I would also imagine that it also made their sound and style hard to nail down (a PR problem no doubt). Valentino does a very Soulful Leon Russell take on the Kinks 'Face To Face' album track "Rainy Day In June" - the ladies giving it some great backing vocals I think Ray Davies would approve of. Deirdre La Porte gives it some Janis Ian meets Melanie Lead Vocals on "Added Attraction..." while Sal duets with her on some lines. "Dreaming Man" is pretty builder of a ballad that has an ever-present hiss in the background at the beginning - but thankfully gets drowned out by guitars and keyboards. Other album highlights include a clever slide-Blues take on Leadbelly's "Bad News" that feels amazingly modern in its instrument arrangement and a storming cover of John Mayall's "Don't Waste My Time" from his 1969 LP set "Empty Rooms" - a song Sal Valentino clearly has the hits for. Can’t say I dig "Colonel Chicken Fry" while the final cut "Brand New Start" is a hurter sung with real pain by Annie Simpson – a song you can’t help feel Bonnie Raitt should pay attention to as a potential monster cover.

Produced by Sal Valentino - the 3rd album saw the band ditch all cover versions and opt for 12 originals. Kitted out with a staggeringly unoriginal album name and artwork taboot – Funk-Rock seemed to be the order of the day. And again it's a mixture of the good and the ordinary - "Dancin'" opening proceedings strongly only to be followed by the neither-here-nor-there "On My Own". Barnes offers "You Better Come Through" again trying hard in a Delaney & Bonnie way to be great but never quite getting there. "Ajax" is beautifully produced - like Maria Muldaur meets Allen Toussaint. Valentino's "Down In The Bottom" feels like Robert Palmer circa "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley" - a slick little Funk-Rock groove that hooks in and doesn't let go. He ends Side 1 with the excellent "From A Sad Man Into A Deep Blue Sea" - the remaster shining like never before as shimmering Dobro notes flick and clang in your speakers (what a stunning transfer). Other highlights include the cool Clapton-like slides of "From Me" and the Eagles/Little Feat feel to "Heads Up".

Piano player Pete Sears who played on their debut would later feature in Hot Tuna and Jefferson Starship and along with Ian McLagan became a member of the house band that played on Rod Stewart's mighty trio of classic albums - "Gasoline Alley", "Every Picture Tells A Story" and "Never A Dull Moment". Cory Lerios, Steve Price and David Jenkins would form Pablo Cruise and sign to A&M Records for major chart success in the Seventies. Stoneground went on make more albums that no one remembers - even returning to Warner Brothers in 1978 for the "Hearts Of Stone" LP in 1978. There's a website to the band that tells you bugger all info about them...

Neither album is a masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination - but those forgotten nuggets in-between the lesser stuff will have Seventies Rock fans turning heads in shock and pleasant surprise. Probably victims of too many faces, too many voices and too many forces trying to get noticed - Stoneground ended having the general buying public not noticing them at all. But as I re-listen to the Little Feat-ish Funk Rock of "Looking For You" or "Heads Up" or the stunning whiteboy Blues of "From A Sad Man Into A Deep Blue Sea" - and in this truly great Audio - I'm thinking some of us missed a trick here.

Stoneground are worth a punt - and this superb-sounding twofer CD set is a great place to start your lines in the sand...

PS: the Barcode 5017261212702 on this 2017 BGO 2CD Reissue seems to be wrongly linked to a 2009 single disc reissue by Collectables for just the first album. So check with your supplier on what issue you're buying until Amazon and Beat Goes On sort out this error/anomaly...

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"Free Live!" by FREE (September 2016 Island/Universal CD Reissue [No Bonus Tracks] - Andy Pearce/Matt Wortham Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Get Where I Belong..."

Sometimes less is more - makes you concentrate on the core album and not the stuff around it.

Back in the day - as a 'live' act – FREE was a formidable beast to hear and see. And like Humble Pie, Deep Purple and Thin Lizzy - they could slaughter all in their path – chop 'em down with the back of their hands. And this stomping new 2016 Remaster of their iconic 1971 "Free Live!" set is a reminder of that devastating power – when a band hits its stride and knows it.

Yet I suspect like many out there in digital land - I haven't played this slice of Rock swagger in decades - and man oh man has that been a mistake. Seven tracks taped at gigs in Sunderland and Croydon in 1970 bolstered up by one new 1971 studio recording tagged on at the end called "Get Where I Belong". This new CD reissue of "Free Live!" is sending shivers anew down my already ancient spine and making me ask – why isn't it up there in the reverence stakes with the Pie's "Performance", the Purp's "Made In Japan" and Lizzy's "Live And Dangerous" - as it rightly should be. Time to rectify that wanton musical oversight of our part methinks. Can I have the shaped envelope sleeve please...

UK released 9 September 2016 - "Free Live!" by FREE on Island/Universal 473 187-6 (Barcode 602547318763) is a straightforward transfer of the 8-track 1971 single LP and plays out as follows (40:28 minutes):

1. All Right Now – Side 1

2. I'm A Mover

3. Be My Friend

4. Fire And Water

5. Ride On Pony - Side 2

6. Mr. Big

7. The Hunter

8. Get Where I Belong

Tracks 1 to 8 are their 5th album "Free Live!" - released June 1971 in the UK on Island ILPS 9160 and August 1971 in the USA on A&M Records SP 4306. Produced by FREE and ANDY JOHNS - it peaked at No. 4 in the UK and No. 89 in the USA. Tracks 1 and 7 recorded 1970 at The Locarno in Sunderland – Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 recorded 1970 at the Fairfield Halls in Croydon – Track 8 recorded at Island Studios in March 1971.

The 16-page booklet is nicely done. Even though it doesn't have any liner notes per say - the pictorial layout is sweet - a photo of the Basin Street Studios Master Tape for four songs at Sunderland - black and whites of the boys in the studio and in a cafe - the lyrics and a colour photo of the boys looking like they need to get to the barbers right soon. The original vinyl LP has an 'envelope sleeve' with a letter flap on the rear and a set of affixed band-photo stamps on the front sleeve - all of that is of course completely lost in the new booklet. But at under a fiver - it's a deal.

But the big news is a fresh Remaster by ANDY PEARCE and MATT WORTHAM that is fantastic. Playing through "Mr. Big" as you hear Kossoff doing all that wild soloing and Fraser racing up and down the frets - the effect is amazing - what a band leaping off your lips every few moments. Both of these Audio Engineers have done great work with the catalogues of Rory Gallagher, Wishbone Ash, Thin Lizzy, Spooky Tooth, ELP and Budgie. I seek out anything they do (they're currently working on Deep Purple's Seventies output).

The full album version of their anthemic hit "All Right Now" at 5:37 minutes or its more famous Single Edit at 4:16 minutes (a UK No. 2 hit in June and July of 1970) – either way the song is hard to beat. Yet as they step onto stage and say a gracious ‘Good Evening’ – the British four-piece proceeds to do just that – trump an Ace of Hearts with an Ace of Spades. Their live take on "All Right Now" is imbibed with sparkle and energy. The clarity that Pearce and Wortham have brought to this Remaster too is thrilling – that guitar – voice – clear as a bell Bass – and those Drums – they’re all in your living room – strutting around in tight trousers and leering at your daughter as she flicks through her Jackie. What also gets you about FREE is the economy – Vocals, Guitar, Bass and Drums – and naught else. You wouldn’t think Andy Fraser’s Bass could make such a difference yet it does. Paul Rodgers (like Robert Plant, Joe Cocker and Rod Stewart) has one of those stunning Rock voices that oozes Soulfulness too. He can take a quiet ballad like "Be My Friend" and make it so damn personal and full of feeling. Couple that with Kossoff’s stunning playing – the combo is lethal. I’ve always believed the truly great bands have this quality. Then on a dime they switch into the huge riffage of "Fire And Water". One of the "Highway" albums highlights was the brill "Ride On A Pony" - a tremendous little chugger that would have made a great 45 too. Both "Mr. Big" and the finisher "The Hunter" elicit whoops and hollers from a clearly enamoured audience. The wildly overlooked and truly excellent studio cut "Get Where I Belong" is a gem in my mind - the kind of album track that deserves better notoriety.

OK - you could argue that the wicked Bonus Tracks that were on the 2002 Peter Mew Remaster should be on here too (from the same gigs) - cool stuff like the rocking "Woman" and the hooky "Trouble On Double Time" (amongst others. And that perhaps if Island Records had issued it as a double-album originally - then "Free Live!" would naturally sit up on the pedestal of 'Classic' Rock live-doubles. But what we do get is so damn good and to the point - and I for one am loving it.

"...Help me find a way...to get where I belong..." - Rodgers sang on the studio cut "Get Where I Belong". No need lads - on the evidence of this superb 2016 Remaster - it's kind of obvious you were already there...

PS: FREE titles in the 9 Sept 2016 Island Remasters CD Reissue Series are:

1. Tons Of Sobs (March 1969 debut UK LP) - Island Remasters 473 181-5 (Barcode 602547318152)

2. Free (October 1969 UK LP) - Island Remasters 473 187-1 (Barcode 602547318718)

3. Fire And Water (June 1970 UK LP) - Island Remasters 473 187-4 (Barcode 602547318749)

4. Highway (December 1970 UK LP) - Island Remasters 473 181-9 (Barcode 602547318190)

5. Free Live! (June 1971 UK LP) - Island Remasters 473 187-6 (Barcode 602547318763)

6. Free At Last (June 1972 UK LP) - Island Remasters 473 183-9 (Barcode 602547318398)

7. Heartbreaker (January 1973 UK Final Studio LP) - Island Remasters 473 182-6 (Barcode 602547318268)

8. The Free Story (March 1974 UK 2LP Compilation) - Island Remasters 472 262-9 (Barcode 602547326294)

There is also a VINYL Box Set "FREE - The Vinyl Collection" on Universal/Island 473 187-9 released 9 September 2016 with seven LPs (Barcode 0602547318794)

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"Imagine" by JOHN LENNON and THE PLASTIC ONO BAND (October 2010 EMI/Apple 'Signature Collection' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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JOHN LENNON and THE PLASTIC ONO BAND - "Imagine" 

Featuring George Harrison, Nicky Hopkins, Klaus Voorman, Tom Evans and Joey Molland of Badfinger, King Curtis, Mike Pinder of The Moody Blues and Alan White of Yes

"...When You're Crippled Inside..."

Some albums come loaded with their own legend and in the case of John Lennon's extraordinarily patchy solo work - it's easy for fans and admirers alike to start throwing around 5-star appraisals at 1971's "Imagine".

His famous second solo LP and most commercially successful (No. 1 on both sides of the pond) - "Imagine" is a good John Lennon album. I didn't think it was amazing back then as a teenager and 46 years later it hasn't morphed across time into a latter day masterpiece either (none of his Seventies solo LPs are five-star load-outs to me). But man oh man when Lennon's songwriting talent hits that sweet spot - he could articulate affection with a tenderness that would disarm an atheist ("Oh My Love"). Liverpool's finest could be a genuinely adoring husband in "Oh Yoko!" - only to become a poisonous spoiled little retch riling against a former friend and musical journeyman in "How Do You Sleep?" – his famous vitriolic attack on Paul McCartney for perceived slights on his "Ram" album released earlier in the year (May 1971).

I suppose that's what makes "Imagine" something you keep coming back to despite its flaws. Lennon was the most captivating of the post Beatles - a man plagued with all manner of demons both mental and physical that came out in his music - hitting you with an embarrassing honesty that often felt like an open wound with a neon above it saying 'smack me and smack me hard'. "Imagine" was truthful – reflecting both him and Yoko and their place in the world in 1971. Personally tender one moment - politico ranter the next – constantly searching for a truth that always seemed elusive and out of his/their grasp. "Imagine" is a ramshackle thing really despite nowadays being perceived as a coherent whole. And frankly would we have it any other way...

Which brings me to this latest 2010 CD Remaster in its natty gatefold card sleeve. Here are the head-in-the-clouds reissue details...

UK released October 2010 - "Imagine" by JOHN LENNON and THE PLASTIC ONO BAND on EMI/Apple 5099990650222 (Barcode 5099990650222) is a straightforward CD Reissue and Remaster of the 1971 Apple Records album that plays out as follows (39:47 minutes):

1. Imagine

2. Crippled Inside

3. Jealous Guy

4. It's So Hard

5. I Don't Want To Be A Soldier

6. Give Me Some Truth [Side 2]

7. Oh My Love

8. How Do You Sleep?

9. How?

10. Oh Yoko!

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Imagine" - released 9 September 1971 in the USA on Apple Records SW 3379 and 8 October 1971 in the UK on Apple Records PAS 10004. Produced by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Phil Spector - it peaked at No. 1 in both countries.

This CD leaves out video and bonus tracks – so we don't get that self-indulgent and self-obsessed pair wandering around white rooms like they're all deep and in touch with greater forces than you or I. We're just left with the music as was presented – and a thoroughly excellent new remaster.

While the 16-page booklet is pretty to look at and tactile - it bears little resemblance to the Apple Records LP we all grew up with and loved. The track list wasn't on the rear sleeve and since when did "Give Me Some Truth" become 'Gimme Some Truth' or "I Don't Want To Be A Soldier" start to be called 'I Don't Wanna Be A Soldier Mama I Don't Wanna Die'. The stunning inner bag that came with 1971 vinyl LPs with the lyrics on one side and the musician credits on the other (both in circles) is not pictured - the lyrics now in the booklet followed by a more readable credits section. I get why that was done – both are now readable. But I still miss it not being here. Why couldn’t a repro version of that paper inner been used as a protective inner bag for the picture CD in the left part of the card digipak (a bit of imagination on the part of EMI would have lifted this flimsy thing out of the ordinary). The foldout black and white poster of John at a piano and the postcard of him holding a pig by the ears that came with original 1971 Apple pressings are built into the booklet and the gatefold card sleeve too. And although it doesn't actually say so anywhere on the packaging or disc as an official title – these 2010 CD reissues have become known as 'The Signature Collection' because of that signature design on the left side of the front card sleeve – signed by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

The new liner notes by PAUL DU NOYER give a potted history of the album including his ludicrous attack on McCartney's looks and songwriting gift in the vicious "How Do You Sleep?" Compared to the austere and bare bones debut solo LP in 1970 "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" – Noyer rightly concludes that "Imagine" did feel like George Harrison’s "All Things Must Pass" – the actual launch of a solo career and not the noodlings and experimentation that preceded it. There are lovely black and whites of John with Yoko, John with Phil Spector on the headphones in the studio and best of all is a witty snap of Lennon with George Harrison larking about with a Yoko Ono Grapefruit mug – his cheeky chappy working-class hero grin as evident as ever.

Overall - I find these card gatefold reissues and their glossy feel a string mix of the classy and nastily cheap – nice to look at – but oddly unsubstantial. I can’t help thinking die-hard fans will want the inevitable Japanese SHM-CD of "Imagine" with its Mini LP Repro Artwork using this 2010 remaster when it shows up (legendary reissues famed for their attention to fan-pleasing detail).

Meanwhile back here in cheapoville - the big news for us is the audio on "Imagine" - a notoriously lo-fi album now given the best transfer possible. PAUL HICKS, SEAN MAGEE and SIMON GIBSON – part of the team that handled the Apple Label catalogue and all the Stereo and Mono Remasters of the Beatles catalogue in 2009 – are once again at the master tapes helm. With Yoko Ono and Alan Rouse as Producer and Project Co-Ordinator – the boys have done the transfer deeds at Abbey Road Studios and the results are impressive. There’s a sudden power and clarity to all the tracks without ever being over-trebled or rammed on the loudness gauge – just subtle and present. If anything its made "Crippled Inside", "Jealous Guy" and "I Don’t Want To Be A Soldier" all the more eerie and spaced out on the Production front.

While Klaus Voorman (Bass) and Yes’ Alan White on Drums gently fill in the anthemic "Imagine" – it’s those ‘the world will live as one’ strings that now sound so sweet – tugging on your heart like never before - and those lyrics that make you cry. Lennon’s electric guitar opening to "Crippled Inside" is now even more otherworldly and I’m loving that superb Dobro solo from George Harrison - followed shortly after by Nicky Hopkins plinking away like a drunken sailor on the old Joanna in an East End pub at closing time. In a strange way – it took his loss and Bryan Ferry’s cover version in 1980 for me to really love "Jealous Guy". Jim Keltner on Drums, Klaus Voorman on Bass, Alan White providing Vibes – but its that Harmonium played by John Barham that leaps out of the new remastered mix.

I'd forgotten how cool "It's So Hard" is especially that brilliant string introduction - taking the song to places you hadn't expected. I've always found the near seven minutes of "I Don't Want To Be A Soldier" hard work - a jam that's trying to be something but never quite gets there. It has George Harrison on Guitar, Tom Evans and Joey Molland of Badfinger on Acoustic Guitars, Mike Pinder of The Moody Blues on Tambourine, Nicky Hopkins giving it some keyboard and even King Curtis on Saxophone. "Give Me The Truth" that opens Side 2 gives me the same creeps - a self-righteous rant without ever saying what it is he expects (George Harrison plays lead guitar). You're then clobbered with beauty - "Oh My Love" - as gorgeous a song as he's ever written. It's also beautifully produced - no gimmickry - just great music played sweetly and taped as such. It's a shame he vented in "How Do You Sleep?" because musically it’s good too. I always thought of "How?" as one of the album's truly brilliant moments – with its complimentary strings and simple piano-melody – it’s a beautiful song that would have elevated the "Let It Be" album into the stratosphere. And it ends on the jaunty "Oh Yoko" - Nicky Hopkins adding so much with his rolling piano while John impresses with those Mouth Organ flourishes.

"...My love will turn you on..." - John Lennon sang on "Oh Yoko". Despite its presentation flaws - I suspect this 2010 CD Remaster of the mighty "Imagine" LP will have you doing the same. R.I.P. you wonderful dreamer and thanks for all the imagining memories...