Tuesday, May 20, 2008

NEW GREATEST HITS BREAKDOWN

 

The new Tom Petty Greatest Hits CD is out today and yes, the tracks are remastered and a vast improvement over the last package.  It does underscore the need, though, to perhaps have his albums remastered... especially Full Moon Fever.  The version of FMF you can buy in the store today is the same faint version that was made available on its original release... in 1989. 

Can you imagine a remaster of that and Into The Great Wide Open done like the Wilburys remasters??

Sunday, May 18, 2008

MR. JET BLUE SKY

Jeff lands another commercial campaign.  Mr Blue Sky (actually Jeff's most recent remake of it) is the centerpiece for JetBlue's Happy Jetting.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

TOO MUCH, EVEN FOR ME...

 

You know the Discovery box (see picture) that holds 9 of ELO's Sony Paper Sleeve Collection CDs.  A box alone just sold for $102.51 at auction on eBay.  Just the box.  They are official, if not approved, collectors items made from a company called Disc Union for many groups' paper sleeve series, but wow.

There are other empty boxes for sale (not just ELO) I'm having considerable trouble finding for under $50.  Again, wow.

ANOTHER GROUP SAYS GROOOSSSSS

For those of you who like cover versions, here's a press release about The Northern Kings.  The Finland-based group will have a new album in UK on 16 June called Reborn.  Among the album's 13 cover versions is ELO's Don't Bring Me Down

Hat Tip: Will Taylor at Noble PR

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

THE WILBURYS RETURN STRIKES GOLD

     

From Rhino:

THE WILBURYS RETURN STRIKES GOLD The Traveling Wilburys Collection Is Certified Gold as Rhino Releases Remastered and Expanded Versions of Volume 1 and Volume 3 Individually

Available June 3 from Rhino Records

May 05 2008

LOS ANGELES --

After being out-of-print for more than a decade, Rhino reintroduced The Traveling Wilburys' music last year with The Traveling Wilburys Collection. The set, which features previously unreleased bonus tracks, has been certified gold. The legendary super-group of musical "brothers" stays in the spotlight as Rhino releases expanded and remastered versions of the band's historic, Grammy-winning 1988 debut and 1990 follow-up as individual albums.

With a lineup featuring esteemed artists Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty, the Traveling Wilburys were a one-of-a-kind musical phenomenon. The remastering of the music featured on VOLUME 1 and VOLUME 3 was supervised by Lynne.

The all-star configuration came about by chance when the members convened at a Southern California studio in 1988 to record a B-side for a single by Harrison. Recalling the group's origins, Harrison was often quoted as saying: "And so everybody was there and I thought, I'm not gonna just sing it myself, I've got Roy Orbison standing there. I'm gonna write a bit for Roy to sing. And then, as it progressed, thenI started doing the vocals and I just thought I might as well push it a bit and get Tom and Bob to sing the bridge." The experience recording "Handle With Care" was so much fun they decided to release it under the Wilburys moniker and continue the collaboration with an album's worth of songs.

Their camaraderie is heard in every groove on Rhino's remastered reissue of their now-historic, VOLUME 1. The album achieved wide critical acclaim, and most critics agreed that the music was so extraordinary because of the modest ambitions of the band, which translated to a fresh and relaxing sound. Rolling Stone instantly hailed it as one of the Top 100 Albums of all time. The album also saw commercial success: it reached #3 on the Album charts, garnered double-platinum status, and earned the group a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group. The remastered version includes the bonus tracks "Maxine" and "Like A Ship."

The Wilburys followed it up in 1990 with the group's second full-length, VOLUME 3. The disc was recorded without Orbison, who passed away in '88, but the songs are still full of the spirit that made their musical "brotherhood" the stuff of legend. With Harrison and Lynne producing again, both "She's My Baby" and "Wilbury Twist" became radio hits as the album reached #11 in the U.S. and achieved platinum success. The remastered version includes the bonus tracks "Nobody's Child" and "Runaway."

VOLUME 1
Track Listing

1. "Handle With Care"
2. "Dirty World"
3. "Rattled"
4. "Last Night"
5. "Not Alone Any More"
6. "Congratulations"
7. "Heading For The Light"
8. "Margarita"
9. "Tweeter And The Monkey Man"
10. "End Of The Line"
Bonus Tracks
11. "Maxine"
12. "Like A Ship"

VOLUME 3
Track Listing

1. "She's My Baby"
2. "Inside Out"
3. "If You Belonged To Me"
4. "The Devil's Been Busy"
5. "7 Deadly Sins"
6. "Poor House"
7. "Where Were You Last Night?"
8. "Cool Dry Place"
9. "New Blue Moon"
10. "You Took My Breath Away"
11. "Wilbury Twist"
Bonus Tracks
12. "Nobody's Child"
13. "Runaway"

TOM PETTY GREATEST HITS

Anyone who bought the new Mudcutch CD probably noticed the small insert that came with it.  Turns out, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers Greatest Hits is being altered and re-issued on May 20.  The collection has new album art and apparently replaces Something In The Air with Stop Draggin' My Heart Around with Stevie Nicks

The tracks (including 5 produced by Jeff Lynne titles) are remastered.  To date, Full Moon Fever or Into The Great Wide Open have yet to get a badly needed remastering job.