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SEPTEMBER /
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 THE THIRD RAIL |
 MARTIN SCORCESE PRESENTS THE BLUES |
 THE BYRDS |
 LES PAUL TRIO |
 THE KORGIS |
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DAVID
BOWIE Aladdin Sane (Virgin / EMI)
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THE
THIRD RAIL
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VARIOUS
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THE
BYRDS
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LES
PAUL & HIS TRIO California Melodies (Collector's Choice)
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The
acclaimed follow up to Ziggy Stardust, the 1973 release of Aladdin
Sane provided the finishing touches for David Bowie’s ascent
to superstardom. If Ziggy Stardust was the screenplay of Bowie’s
rising rock persona, than Aladdin Sane was the movie soundtrack
of the net result. Bowie became a living proof of his own karma, debuting
here in the U.S. for the first time during the Fall of 1972 with a catalog
of written material second to few. In 2003, 30 years after the initial
arrival of Aladdin Sane on RCA Records on April 13, 1973, Capitol
/ EMI plunder the vaults to come up with a 30th Anniversary 2CD
Edition of Aladdin Sane. Disc one features a newly remastered
version of the original ten track album while disc two features an alternate
view complete with rare live and studio tracks, singles and b-sides
recorded during Bowie’s debut tour here starting back in mid September
1972. The extensive CD booklet features interviews with key members
of Bowie’s inner circle including Mick Rock and more. Another
Bowie-related title of interest on EMI is Ziggy Stardust And The
Spiders From Mars - The Motion Picture. The 30th Anniversary
of Bowie’s final ‘Spiders From Mars’ gig—with Mick
Ronson, Woody Woodmansey and Trevor Bolder—live
at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on July 3, 1973 was reissued by Virgin
/ EMI as both a 20 track 2 CD set and a 21 track DVD. The original Ziggy
movie was remastered in stereo and 5.1 surround sound by long time
Bowie cohort Tony Visconti. The new DVD still startles and is
now complete a unique alternate version of the movie featuring commentary
track from Visconti and original movie producer D.A. Pennebaker.
Featuring songs from each of Bowie’s early albums, except his first
World Of classic, Bowie got to live out his Ziggy persona
in this essential Bowie-related concert movie. The CD soundtrack of
the movie features extensive liner notes from Pennebaker, a poster of
the movie and a complete itinerary of the now historic Ziggy
tour which ran from January 29, 1972 till the final show on July 3,
1973. 
Okay,
this has only taken 35 years but it’s worth it. We’re talking
about the one and only album from the NYC-based pop group The Third
Rail, which was reissued on CD in 2003 over in the U.K. on the Rev-Ola
imprint. Back during the Summer of ‘67, The Third Rail burst
on the pop scene with their catchy as hell, neo-bubblegum hit “Run,
Run, Run” written by up and coming popsters Joey Levine and
Artie Resnick. During the Summer of Love—the same summer
that saw huge hits from The Beatles (“All You Need Is Love”)
and the debut single from Pink Floyd (“See Emily Play”)—that
Third Rail single stood out like a pink elephant in an crowded elevator.
Levine was barely out of high school when “Run, Run, Run”
hit the charts and although he went on to become one of main songwriters
at the upcoming Buddah Records bubblegum hit factory (he also wrote
“Yummy, Yummy, Yummy” for the Ohio Express) his recordings
with The Third Rail are well worth reexamining. Rev-Ola’s ID
Music pairs 18 tracks from the short-lived group, including two
versions of “Run, Run, Run” (stereo and mono single versions)
with a number of other quasi-psychedelic bubblegum delicacies. The liner
notes—featuring an interview with Levine—shines the spotlight
on an ephemeral yet extremely compelling moment from the dawn of FM
radio days. ID Music is available in the U.S. through the vast
CD/DVD catalog of Collector’s Choice Music. Other interesting
new CDs on Revola include their own U.K. reissue of an overlooked classic
by The Tokens entitled Intercourse. First
released in 1969, the album was a huge departure from the oldies favorites
who scored big with their dawn of the ‘60s hit “The Lion Sleeps
Tonight.” A bit of oldies-style vocal psychedelia from The Tokens,
the CD features the entire album with great liner notes. Also on Revola
is a Revola CD reissue of Six Star General, a 1973
release from Vinegar Joe. Unique R&B style pop discovered
by Chris Blackwell at Island, the group featured the unique vocal team
of Robert Palmer and Elkie Brooks. Thanks to Rev-Ola for
these unique CD reissues. 
In
the words of famed film director Martin Scorsese, “If you
already know the blues, then maybe these selections will give you a
reason to go back to it. And if you’ve never heard the blues, and
you’re coming across it for the first time, I can promise you this:
Your life is about to change for the better.” Scorsese’s 2003
film project, The Blues is actually a seven part PBS TV
series featuring blues documentaries from seven directors including
Scorsese, Clint Eastwood and Wim Wenders. To help usher in Scorsese’s
visionary 21st Century celebration of the blues the seven films have
been assembled together as a seven disc DVD collection (with seven separate
CD soundtracks) featuring footage from every major blues artist of the
20th Century Guitar in addition to performances from greats like Otis
Rush, Jeff Beck and singer Lucinda Williams. Taking part in Scorsese’s
panoramic blues series, Universal Music Enterprises and Sony
Music have also put together their own Martin Scorsese Presents
The Blues CD series featuring 12 individual artist CD releases from
blues-rock icons including The Allman Brothers Band (pictured
above), Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King (from
UMG) and Taj Mahal, Bessie Smith, Muddy Waters and
Stevie Ray Vaughan (from Sony) just to name a few. Each Martin
Scorsese Presents The Blues CD release on Sony and Universal collects
some the best blues-driven tracks from all the above artists, adding
in notes by Scorsese, photos and detailed liner notes. There’s
also a companion book entitled Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues:
A Musical Journey. The PBS series, the book and the vast array of
artists taking part in this underscores Scorsese’s large scale
vision of the blues as one of America’s great contributions to
music history. Or as Willie Dixon said, “The blues are the
roots; everything else is the fruits.” 
One
of the major Summer 2003 reissues on Columbia Legacy is a new
double CD Legacy Edition of from rock pioneers, The Byrds. Following
the progressive pop innovations of the 1967 recording / January ‘68
release of Notorious Byrd Brothers, Byrds’ founders
Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman joined forces with Gram
Parsons on Summer 1968’s Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
To say the least, Sweetheart Of The Rodeo was a major jolt to
the many fans who’d followed The Byrds from their “Mr. Tambourine
Man” days and who were still reeling from incredible grandeur of
the Notorious album. Out of The Byrds was the great David
Crosby and in was a relative newcomer, a shit-kicking cosmic cowboy
named Gram Parsons, who sort of came on the scene and defined
the genesis of country-rock influencing all sorts of bands, from the
Dead and the New Riders and beyond. Seemingly, in an instant, the psychedelic
‘60s were gone in a flash. Despite all the negative ramifications
at the time, Sweetheart turned out to become a major influence
for a host Country-rock bands to come. Produced by the late, great Gary
Usher, Sweetheart went on to define the Byrds’ sound
as they entered their final years as a band. Following the departure
of Parsons and Hillman’s for the Flying Burrito Brothers,
McGuinn would revamp the band with equally interesting, and often better,
results. In retrospect, of course nothing can compete with the Byrds’
classic mid ‘60s lineup and their first five albums. 35 years after
it’s initial release, Columbia Legacy have admirably rebuilt
Sweetheart Of The Rodeo, the Byrds’ sixth album, as a double
CD set packing it with fascinating rarities and well documented outtakes
from the sessions, including 14 previously unreleased Parsons-related
tracks along an excellent booklet topped off with eye-catching artwork.
Guitar
great Les Paul is a 20th Century American music renaissance man.
His incredibly influential guitar playing—coupled with his discovery
of multi-track recording and his innovations and design of the solid
body electric guitar—are a significant part of music history. Born
Lester William Polsfuss on June 9, 1916, Les was just 19 in 1936
when he made his first ‘hillbilly’ recordings on the Montgomery
Ward label as Rhubarb Red. In 1944, following his discharge from the
Army, Les formed Les Paul and His Trio with rhythm guitarist Cal
Gooden, Clint Nordquist (bass) and Tommy Todd (piano)
and began appearing and recording on a host of network variety shows,
including the CBS radio series called California Melodies, a
series that ran from 1932-1947. Collector’s Choice Music
has done a great service for fans of the guitar great, assembling 16
tracks recorded live by Les and his trio during the 1944 California
Melodies season. Featuring classic jazzy, bluesy pop songs from
the musical archives of mid-20th Century American music (“Begin
The Beguine”, “Oh, Lady Be Good”, “It Had To Be
You”), the CD also adds in four additional tracks Les and the trio
recorded for for other shows like Bing Crosby’s Kraft Music
Hall. A fabulous introduction to one of the most gifted guitarists
ever, the 20 track instrumental California Melodies CD comes
with three pages of invaluable liner notes and sounds simply amazing.
One
of the finest U.K. bands of the ‘70s, Stackridge was made
great by the songwriting genius of Andy Davis. Stackridge recorded
a number of now classic Beatles-style albums—including The Man
In The Bowler Hat, produced by Fab Four producer George Martin in
‘74—yet by the close of the ‘70s they broke up. At the
height of the post-punk New Wave movement, Davis and his Stackridge
bandmate James Warren formed The Korgis towards the end of the
‘70s and together they recorded several fine albums, the best of
which is recalled on Don’t Look Back - The Very Best Of The
Korgis. Signed to Sire Records early on, their 1979 debut
Lp featured pop classics such as “Young And Russian” and “Chinese
Girl” and while their most popular hit “Everybody’s Gotta
Learn Sometime" climbed the charts on both sides of the Atlantic,
they ceased by the early ‘90s. In 2003, Sanctuary sets the
record straight with a fine double CD set featuring most of the group’s
recorded output including music from their ‘93 comeback album,
The World’s For Everyone. Topped off by extensive liner
notes and photo memorabilia, the double CD set compiles 34 prime pop
relics from one of the most overlooked musical bands of the 20th Century.