NewsSaturday Deluxe / 6 August 2016
With Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin announcements last week, this week was always going to struggle to ‘beat’ that, but there has been some noteworthy activity in the world of box sets and reissues. Read more below with news on Robert Palmer, George Michael, a Sam Brown exclusive, and view great photos of Robert Plant live on stage last night!
Universal Netherlands have put together a Robert Palmer three-CD set that really looks rather promising, and most unusually includes Island Years, EMI as well as some pre-solo work (Alan Bown and Vinegar Joe). It got me sweating, because I actually compiled a Robert Palmer three-CD set for Universal not that long ago but mine was limited to the Island Years so isn’t really as broad as what’s coming out of The Netherlands. However, I did try to include some relative rarities, so we’ll have to wait and see if a) it ever comes out and b) if it does, whether the finished product resembles what I put together! Licensing issues, tape availability, budget constraints can all lead to ‘problematic’ tracks being dropped, in favour of something else.
Talking of projects I’ve been involved in, I’m currently putting together a Sam Brown ‘A&M Years’ box set for Caroline International which will hopefully come out in September/October.
I’ve been working with Sam, who has kindly dug out some old cassette demos, so there’s going to be plenty of rarities and unreleased material for fans to enjoy, including Sam’s original 4-track demo of Your Love Is All and a fantastic band demo of Henry (a song criminally left off the vinyl version of Sam’s second album, April Moon). I’m starting a mailing list specifically for this Sam Brown package, so if you want to be first to hear about content, track listings and signed exclusives etc., then you know what to do. As always, your data isn’t shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
George Michael has taken the unusual step of asking his fans to supply Wham! and solo photos and video footage, although we don’t know why. I speculated that a documentary of some sort seemed fairly likely, and if you read the comments, at least one person confirms that that does appear to be the case. A TV (BBC 4) documentary would make sense, but it would be a bit unusual to commercially release a documentary as a stand alone product. Normally, these things are packaged into a reissue, or retrospective. Whatever the plans are, we know that things move slowly in the world of George Michael (he’s produced just one studio album since 1996’s Older) so holding your breath is not advised.
Robert Plant (& The Sensational Space shifters) live on stage last night as he headlined Wilderness Fest in Cornbury Park, Oxfordshire. More photos (courtesy of Raph PH) below.
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April Moon is a fantastic album and I’m looking forward to the reissue. I’ve tried to sign up to the mailing list a couple of times to no avail – would be great if I could be added. Thanks!
Sorry you had trouble. I’ll add you!
Paul, please if you can include “Tune with no name (parts I & II) Such beautiful instrumentals. And how about the gloriously insane “Tea”
I’m very excited about the Sam Brown box too! Not to be confused with her album of the same name. :-)
Her back..sorry, b-sides were so impressive, and showed her to be far more than just a shallow pop singer. Her work had depth if you looked under the covers (and her covers were good!).
She was quirky, imaginative and honest in her work..culminating in the sublime 43 Minutes; a personal tragedy spawned this masterpiece and I’d love to some day hear anything extra from those sessions.
She was a powerhouse singer – I’ve seldom heard anything more impressive than ‘Stay With Me Baby’ on Jools Holland’s show. Wowzers.
Anyway..sorry, I’m ranting on, but suffice to say I’m pure dead excited! Please try to include a DVD..videos like ‘Mindworks’ need to be appreciated again. Good luck with your compilation Paul.
Thanks Andrew. Looking forward to telling everyone more about this soon!
Thrilled to hear on FB from Sam about the A&M Years box set a couple of weeks ago, and even better to find out now that it’s in such safe hands with Paul Sinclair! “Stop!” and “April Moon” were superb albums, and “Stop!” in particular is in dire need of a remaster. It will be a treat to get hold of the b-sides and rarities from this period, and to see Sam’s back catalogue treated with the care and attention it deserves. Roll on October & looking forward to further news on here Paul (and via the email subscription).
Colin Vearnacombe and Sam Brown. Fly Up To The Moon. Simply one of the best duets or single of all time. Absolutely Beautiful.
Wow! Robert Palmer was a good looking guy when he was younger. It’s sad what he did to himself with smoking, drinking, and drugs. I always wonder why his hair was not longer back then BUT I guess not everyone had long or even shaggy hair in the 1970’s, eh?
Given that Sam Brown’s A&M career spanned all of two albums, it will be interesting to see how such a retrospective can be spun out to a four disc set similar to the one done for Paul Young a couple of years back (if that is indeed the template).
For my part, I put together my own ‘deluxe’ versions of her albums (all the b-sides, remixes, single edits) a while back, so it will be interesting to see if this set turns up any rare essentials (which is not usually the case with demo recordings).
George Michael released a studio album in 2004, “Patience”.
Yes, that’s his one studio album (of original songs) since 1996’s Older.
Sam Brown did an utterly fantastic duet with our sadly missed Colin Vearnacombe/Black called Fly Up To The Moon…utterly gorgeous
This is great news Paul about the Sam Brown box set and perfect timing as I have been buying the early cd singles to get some of the more rarer B-sides. Please can we have some of these especially anything that wasn’t released in the UK, like Once in you life and as one…
I have just seen Sam Brown performing “Horse to Water”. They should have put it on the album. It’s fantastic !!!
Check out Sam Brown on the George Harrison tribute concert performing Horse to Water. Of all the big names on the stage that night, nothing comes even close to beating that performance.
Yes, seen that. Amazing. And they still didn’t put it on the album!!
Here’s the link for others : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R7nQj-SUTc
Which would probably have annoyed George [were it not for the obvious fact that he couldn’t still be with us and the concert have occurred], given his friendship with both Sam and her father Joe [Sam of course got the co-vocal honour on the 2000 reworking of ‘My Sweet Lord’]. Hoping the box has a DVD, Sam made some excellent videos to accompany her singles.
That was awesome, same show where Prince comes in and shows everyone how While My Guitar should be soloed ;)
Great!
Sam Brown did a great duet with Fish called ‘Just Good Friends’, worth looking out.
There needs to be a new line-up of Zeppelin and start touring. Then in a few years they can recored and release a brand new studio l.p.! QUEEN almost seem to have this going on with QUEEN Extravaganza! KISS intend to do it too!
But Queen died as soon as Freddie left this world for the next……..
Sam Brown….. God I used to fancy her!
Count me in for the Sam Brown box set. If it’s like the Paul Young one, it’s gotta be mine ;-)
If you go to this website it will give you the tracklisting for the new Human League box set http://www.ondarock.it/news.php?id=4804
Sooooooo looking forward to the Sam Brown set.
Sam Brown – immortalised on Floyd’s Pulse DVD. A monstrously great rendition of Great Gig In The Sky.
The “A&M Years” you say… I guess, that means no tracks from the “43 Minutes” period. Such a shame.
Yes, fine album, but as you say, not part of the A&M Years…
Guys, Led Zeppelin are gone. Done. Finished. Plant owns part of those songs, and his audience like him to cover some tunes every now and again. He does it, but he does it a new way. You may not like it, but there’s nothing wrong with it at all. Plant just doens’t have any interest in playing again in a flat-out rock band. His music is far deeper these days.
And to call his current band “a bunch of no marks” suggests your musical tastes might well be very very narrow. They’re a terrific band, and wonderful musicians.
Stop pining over Led Zep – that’s so yester-year.
I totally agree with what you say Dean, RP`s backing band are a fine set of musicians and the versions of old Zep songs are far more interesting than any reunion could produce. RP has moved on and followed his muse which has resulted in some very fine albums.
I`m a Zep fan but any reunion would just be a repeat of the last get together. So those who pine for a Zep reunion put your Celebration Day LPs/CDs/DVD/Blu-Ray because that`s as good as it`s gonna get and it was bloody good.
Don’t want a Zep reunion as you say its done .As musicians sorry they must be the most lacklustre Plant’s ever played with. He rabbits on about new challenges . The work he did with The afro celt sound system and the band on Fate of nations was streets ahead of this recycled
Zep lite. I repeat no marks and his lead guitarist and his faux Jimmy page posturing Puhlease.
Cannot wait for this saw her live many times over the years. Such a shame she had to stop due to problems with her voice. Looking forward to hearing new stuff
only know 2 sam browns tracks stop and the one she did with fish
You’re in for a treat then…
What sort of fish?
They did a version of Fish’s ‘Just Good Friends’ from his Internal.Exile album. The duet version appears on either the Yin or Yang collections from the big man.
Excited about Sam Brown. She so deserves revisiting.
Well awriiiiight, as Mick would say!
The Sam Brown set sounds good. Any news on the Stones Mono box set I’ve seen advertised?
News on Stones coming next week..
Aah Planty !got to love him, less love for the Shapeless fitters he currently plays with!
Isn’t there some law being broken here? The murder of Zeppelin tunes by a bunch of no marks
should carry some sentence surely.
I find it a bit odd that Percy seems perfectly willing to do Zeppelin material on tour with pretty much anyone but the blokes who actually co-wrote and originally performed the damned stuff; it tends to make me think it’s not the material he’s averse to, just the baggage that Page and Jones apparently bring to it.