Tag Archives: Varese Sarabande

Wanda Jackson: Let’s Have a Party – The Very Best of Wanda Jackson

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Capitol sides from the Queen of Rockabilly

With Wanda Jackson’s profile raised by her new Jack White-produced album, The Party Ain’t Over, Varese Sarabande offers up sixteen sides from her key years on Capitol. The set opens with 1956’s “I Gotta Know,” storms through rockabilly classics “Fujiyama Mama,” “Mean Mean Man,” “Rock Your Baby,” and “Let’s Have a Party,” adds incendiary takes on The Robins’ “Riot in Cell Block #9,” Little Richard’s “Rip it Up” and Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Goin’ On,” and fills out the picture with a few of Jackson’s country ballads, including two Top 10 hits, “Right or Wrong” and “In the Middle of a Heartache.” It’s a quick look at a catalog that is deeper on both sides – rockabilly and country – than could fit into sixteen tracks. More specific collections can be found in Ace’s Queen of Rockabilly and The Very Best of the Country Years, and Bear Family’s monumental Right or Wrong and Tears Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine. Fans might also want to pick up Capitol reissues of Jackson’s original albums, but for a quick introduction to her musical brilliance, this is a good bet. Tracks 1-7 and 9 are mono, the rest stereo. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

Wanda Jackson’s Home Page

Ed Bruce: In Jesus’ Eyes

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Original country, folk and gospel songs of faith

Singer-songwriter Ed Bruce’s career evolved from  songwriting (“The Man That Turned My Mama On,” “Restless,” “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” “Texas (When I Die)” for Crystal Gale, Waylon & Willie, and Tanya Tucker) to hit making in the mid-80s, but by the end of the decade he’d turned to acting. He released albums sporadically over the next decade, including the inspirational titles Changed in 2004 and Sing About Jesus in 2007. Varese’s new collection pulls together a dozen originals from that pair of self-released albums, offering testimony of rebirth and giving witness to the warmth of faith’s family. Bruce sings of Christian charity, makes the most of his resonant voice on the bluesy “Tougher Than Nails,” and works through feelings of loss on “I Know.” There’s folk, country, blues, two-steppers and gospel swing that will please everyone, and plenty of praise to please the faithful. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Ed Bruce’s Home Page

Jerry Lee Lewis: The Essential Sun Country Hits

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The Killer’s original country sides for Sun

Few remember that Jerry Lee Lewis’ first recording for Sun was a 1956 cover of Ray Price’s classic, “Crazy Arms.” Lewis’ country roots were largely overshadowed by the string of incendiary rock ‘n’ roll sides he recorded in the late 50s, and all but buried by the scandal that derailed his career in 1958. It wasn’t until the mid-60s, at Smash Records, that Lewis once again found sustained commercial success, but this time on the country chart as a balladeer. His renewed popularity led then-Sun owner Shelby Singleton to dig up earlier unreleased country sides, including three from Lewis’ last Sun session in 1963, and release them as singles. Varese’s fourteen-track collection pulls together three sides released at the time of Lewis’ tenure with Sun, eight sides first released by Singleton between 1969 and 1972, and three sides that went unreleased as singles, but have turned up on various compilations over the years. Tht titles include several top-10s, 20s and 40s, but more interestingly, it shows that Sun had tried Lewis out on the country chart with a 1958 cover of Charlie Rich’s “I’ll Make it All Up to You” and used “It Hurt Me So” as a B-side. Lewis’ success at Smash comes as no surprise once you’ve heard these tracks he waxed at Sun in the late 50s and early 60s. He’s a talented and nuanced country singer and honky-tonk pianist whose love of Jimmie Rodgers and Hank Williams is born out in covers of the former’s “Waiting for a Train” and the latter’s “I Could Never Be Ashamed of You.” What does remain surprising is how easily he dropped his outsized rock ‘n’ roll persona to sing these more intimate songs of woe.  To complete the picture of Lewis’ country career you’ll need to pick up a collection of his Smash hits, such as Killer Country, but the roots were clearly planted with these efforts at Sun. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Gene Autry: South of the Border – The Songs of Old Mexico

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The singing cowboy sings of Old Mexico

Varese continues to round-up the stray works of singing cowboy Gene Autry, giving grown-up buckaroos a convenient place to find ephemeral performances from film and radio. Their latest volume corrals twenty Mexico-themed tunes from Autry’s feature films and Melody Ranch radio show. Among the titles collected here are some of Autry’s most celebrated, including “Mexicali Rose,” and movie themes “South of the Border” and “Gaucho Serenade.” The material is mostly drawn from Autry’s prime in the 1940s, but reaches back to the late ‘30s for “Cielito Lindo” and “Come to the Fiesta” and to 1950 for “El Ranch Grande.” Digital mastering engineer Bob Fisher has sewn the disparate audio sources into a tremendously listenable program, and introductions by Autry and his radio announcer provide vintage frames for several tracks. The eight-page booklet includes new liner note by Western music historian O.J. Sikes and detailed information on each song’s source. This is a terrific companion to the numerous Western-themed Autry collections issued by Varese and others. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

Gene Autry’s Home Page

Shelly West: The Very Best Of

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ShellyWest_TheVeryBestOfSolo sides from mid-80s country hit maker

Shelly West, the daughter of country legend Dottie West, had a run of hits from the early to mid-80s, most notably in duet with David Frizzell, but also as a solo act. Her pairings with Frizzell are anthologized on the separate collection The Very Best of David Frizzell & Shelly West, leaving this set to present her solo sides. Included are nine singles running from 1983’s “Jose Cuervo” through 1985’s “Now There’s You.” Also included is the B-side “Sexy Side” and four album tracks; missing are her last two singles from 1986, “What Would You Do” and “Love Don’t Come Any Better Than This.” These are all original recordings from the Warner/Viva label, just as listeners will remember have heard them on radio in the 1980s.

West’s voice is powerful, but producer Snuff Garrett (who’d made his name with pop acts like Gary Lewis, Bobby Vee and Cher) vacillated between styled arrangements of steel guitar, fiddle and bent-note piano, and pop productions filled with studio-tuned drums and crystalline guitars. These sounds fit easily into early ‘80s country radio playlists that featured Barbara Mandrell, Ronnie Milsap, Anne Murray and others, but in retrospect they sound overly processed and polished. West bowed out of the music industry in 1986 just as the neo-traditionalists were stripping away much of Nashville’s crossover gloss, so we’ll never really know how her huskily powerful voice would have sounded without the studio-contrived production.

There are twangy tunes in “Jose Cuervo,” “Somebody Buy This Cowgirl a Beer,” “I’ll Dance the Two Step” and “Now There’s You,” but many of the collection’s country lyrics are undermined by heavy-handed crossover arrangements whose country instrumentation is little more than ornamentation. “Flight 309 to Tennessee” is marred by flecks of power guitar chords, tuned drums and by-the-numbers strings. West is more of a crooner than a roots singer, and combined with Garrett’s production, these singles are often more adult contemporary than country. Taken on the premise that these records didn’t intend to draw heavily on country music’s roots, fans of early ‘80s country will be happy to have these original sides available on CD. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

David Frizzell: The Very Best Of

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DavidFrizzell_TheVeryBestOfFrizzell’s original hit recordings from the early ‘80s

As the baby brother of honky-tonk legend Lefty Frizzell, the thirteen-year-younger David Frizzell found his stardom in a very different era of country music. Lefty broke in as a child performer in the ‘40s and became a country star as a hardcore honky-tonker in the 1950s. He continued to have hits through the ‘60s and early ‘70s, but passed away at the age of 47 in 1975. His brother David also began performing as a child, accompanying Lefty on the road in the 1950s and ‘60s, and signing his first record deal in 1970. But even with a few minor hits, major commercial success was still a decade and a couple of label changes away. In 1981 he topped the charts with “You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma,” a duet with Shelley West recorded for Capitol. Frizzell and West would have several more hits together, as anthologized on the companion disc, The Very Best of David Frizzell & Shelly West.

David Frizzell’s solo success came the next year with “I’m Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home.” His voice retained a bit of his older brother’s husk, but in his early forties, he was more of a pop balladeer than the rootsy country artist his brother had been. More importantly, Nashville in the early-80s was still mired in the crossover production gloss of the late-70s, and Frizzell’s records were no exception. There are a few honky-tonk piano riffs, some steel, twangy guitar and banjo, but there are also soft strings, smooth backing vocals and warm balladry. Frizzell summoned moments of his brothers earthiness, and on hits like “I’m Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home” and the tribute “Lefty” (the latter a duet with Merle Haggard) he quickly transcended Nashville’s by-the-books studio production.

Frizzell’s fans will be thrilled that Varese’s finally dug up the original hit recordings from the Warner/Viva label for CD release. Up to now you had to either hunt down original vinyl or make do with re-recordings. This fifteen track set collects all ten of Frizzell’s hits from 1981 (“Lefty”) through 1985 (“Country Music Love Affair”), and adds five additional period tracks: “Lone Star Lonesome,” “I Wish I Could Hurt That Way Again,” “She Wanted Me,” “We Won’t Be Hearing ‘Always Late’ Anymore,” and “Forever and Always.” The set comes with a four-panel insert that includes new liner notes by Lawrence Zwisohn, and features crisply remastered sound by Steve Massie. This is a long overdue collection for Frizzell’s many fans and a welcome period piece for those who enjoy Nashville’s soft sounds of the early-80s. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

David Frizzell’s Home Page

John Phillips: Pussycat

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Papa John’s third LP w/Jagger, Richards, Wood & Taylor

After the demise of the Mamas & Papas in 1968, and the recording of their contractual obligation album People Like Us in 1971, Papa John Phillips embarked on a commercially ill-fated solo career. His debut, 1969’s John, The Wolf King of L.A., found Phillips forgoing the careful orchestrations and perfectly arranged harmonies of his former group, replacing naïve summer-of-love visions with more jaundiced visions. Critically lauded, the album stirred little commercial interest. Unable to find a starring role as a solo artist, Phillips turned to film, penning soundtracks for Brewster McCloud and Myra Breckinridge. He returned to solo sessions in the early 1970s, augmenting his Wrecking Crew regulars with members of the Crusaders, Traffic, and Mothers of Invention, turning his sound urban and funky. The results, shelved at the time, were released in 2007 as Varese’s Jack of Diamonds.

Phillips wrote music for a Broadway show, but in-fighting with the producers sunk the artistic vision and bad reviews closed the play after a short run. With his drug issues intensifying, Phillips’ musical productivity dropped, taking only the occasional project, such as the soundtrack for The Man Who Fell to Earth. While in London working on the film, Phillips made the acquaintance of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, and with both Mick Taylor and Ron Wood helping out, cut six tracks for a prospective solo album. When drug use and Richards’ Canadian bust caused the London sessions to languish, Phillips returned to New York where the project resumed the following year. The music bounced from Stonesy rock and country to more highly produced pop, and with Phillips’ voice in good shape throughout, he showed more confidence in his singing than on either of his earlier solo projects.

Unfortunately, label disinterest and other Stones obligations once again sapped the project’s momentum. The results of both the London and New York sessions were left unissued at the time, and the original mid-70s master tape mixes went missing for three decades. Phillips revisited the project nearly fifteen years later, adding new overdubs, remixing the multitracks and changing the album’s running order. Issued shortly after his 2001 passing under the title Pay, Pack and Follow, the album received critical interest, but like his 1969 solo debut, found no commercial fortune. Two years later the original mid-70s mixes were found, and together with three session tracks and a pair of outtakes from The Man Who Fell to Earth are issued here for the first time. Producer Jeffrey Greenberg’s original mixes are more of their time than Phillips’ later re-workings, and the London tracks, in particular, fit well with the sound of the Stones’ work of the era.

The album opens with the slick production of “Wilderness of Love,” framing Phillips’ thin voice in liquid guitar, female backing vocals and a catchy, upbeat melody. There’s a similar slickness to “2001,” though its backing is more like the Stones’ Some Girls, with gentle country-blue guitars in the corners. The chipper backing vocals contrast to Phillips’ indifferent contemplation of a future in which everything may be different and humanity may have survived; it’s as if Prince’s century-ending party was stocked with ‘ludes. Phillips’ reserve is more wistful on the country-folk memory of home, “Oh Virginia,” but he sings from the gut with Jagger on backing vocals for the yowling blues-rock expose of his wild-child Mackenzie, “She’s Just 14.” Phillips imagines (or perhaps just enunciates) the inner thoughts of a strip bar patron in the showtune blues “Pussycat” and fantasizes being rescued from the dissipation of his Bel Air rock star mansion on “Sunset Boulevard.” He profiles a financier friend on “Mr. Blue,” and provides an early consideration of South African apartheid in “Zulu Warrior.” Both feature strong percussion from Traffic’s Reebop Kwaku Baah, the latter lanced with superb rhythm and solo guitar. The original album closes with a pair of songs that speak intimately about the discontent in his relationship and the craving to find something new.

Tracks 11-13 are session outtakes almost too vibrant to fit the original album. “Time Machine” starts as a country-tinged ballad before picking up a Who-like rhythm, and “Feather Your Nest” is a hook-filled Stones-styled jam with a bubblegum melody. Tracks 14 and 15 provide remnants from Phillips’ soundtrack to The Man Who Fell to Earth. “Liar, Liar” is a reggae tune on which Phillips subtle vocal is surrounded by horns, organ and drums, and “Hello Mary Lou” is a rootsy piano-and-guitar led instrumental. Phillips’ dalliance with the Stones was a two-way collaboration, with the guitars of Richards and Taylor providing grit to Phillips’ pop-oriented dreams, and the confidence of Richards and Jagger inciting lead vocals that really lead. This is another truly pleasant surprise from Phillips’ post-Mama & Papas musical life. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Listen to “Oh Virginia”