Thu, 09/09/2021 - 8:14 am

As the last year's celebrations commemorating the legendary Bob Marley's 75th birthday continue, "Rebel Music," the eighth episode of the Webby-nominated 12-part documentary series Legacy, premieres today, September 9 at 7am PT/10am ET on Bob Marley's Official YouTube Channel. The episode features twenty-nine luminaries and family members sharing insights about the history and impact of Bob Marley's political and social activism.

"Rebel Music" presents a global conversation about the importance of Bob Marley's work as a political and social activist. Featuring Marley family members, grandson Skip, and children Damien, Ziggy, Julian, Cedella, and Stephen, this episode explores what Bob Marley fought for, who he influenced and why. Also offering insights are modern-day political activists and musicians such as influential Jamaican singer, member of the I-Three's and activist Judy Mowatt, iconic scholar and activist Dr. Cornel West, music greats Bobby Sessions, Beanie Man, Bujo Banton, Cee-Lo Green, Chuck D, Ne-Yo, Otis Williams, Smokey Robinson, Tropkillaz and more. Watch/share "Rebel Music," beginning September 9, HERE.

Over the summer, The Marley Family and UMe presented an all-star roster of talent for Marley Sessions as part of the "Summer of Marley" festivitiesArtists such as Jacob Collier, Julian Marley, Mystic Marley, Sheku Mason, and more featured their representations of tracks from Bob Marley's catalog. Skip Marley, the grandson of Bob Marley, launched Marley Sessions on Bob Marley's official YouTube channel with a performance of "Three Little Birds" and culminated the series with his rendition of "Jamming." Check out all of the MARLEY SESSIONS available HERE.

A brand new official music video for Bob Marley's "Jamming" also premiered on Bob Marley's Official YouTube Channel in honor of International Reggae Day. The brand new "Jamming" video reimagines the lauded live performance footage captured at Boston's Music Hall on June 8, 1978. With animation and a custom never-before-seen edit, the video highlights each member of The Wailers and their radiant energy on stage, including the iThrees, who are symbolized as three little birds throughout. Check out the new video for "Jamming" HERE.

Continuing to honor Bob Marley's legacy, Ziggy Marley has announced a handful of new live concert dates around the U.S. in early fall. The shows will be live tribute sets to his father, Bob Marley, with the BeachLife Festival also seeing Ziggy share the stage with his brother Stephen Marley. This special, collaborative appearance will feature the brothers performing an extensive catalog of Bob Marley tunes in celebration of their father's 75th birthday at the three-day immersive music, art, and culinary ocean-side event. Tickets are available now.  For more information about Ziggy Marley's tour, click HERE.

Ziggy Marley - Bob Marley Tribute Shows:

· 9/10 - Saratoga, CA - Mountain Winery

· 9/11 - Paso Robles, CA - Vina Amp

· 9/12 - Los Angeles, CA - BeachLife Festival (with Stephen Marley)

· 9/30 - Webster, CA - Indian Ranch

· 10/1 - New York, NY - Rooftop at Pier 17

· 10/2 - Asbury Park, NJ - Stone Pony Outdoor Summer Stage

· 10/3 - Cary, NC - Koka Amphitheater 

· 10/5 - Columbia, SC - Columbia Amphitheater 

· 10/6 - Auburn, LA - Auburn University Amphitheater 

· 10/7 - Orlando FL - Phillips Amphitheater 

· 10/8 - Atlanta, GA - Southern Ground Amphitheater

Subscribe to Bob Marley's Official YouTube Channel and never miss an update.

Bob Marley remains one of the most followed posthumous artists on social media in this digital era, and Marley75 serves to bring his music and message to the digital foreground, reaching new audiences and perspectives with innovative content and groundbreaking technology. Special live events, exclusive digital content, recordings, exhibitions, plus rare and unearthed treasures will also be revealed throughout the year. Bob Marley's music continues to inspire generation upon generation, as his legacy lives on through his message of love, justice, and unity, a sentiment needed more than ever. In conjunction with Tuff Gong and UMe, a division of the Universal Music Group, the Marley family will continue to ensure the highest quality, integrity, and care is taken to honor Bob's legacy and to celebrate one of the 20th century's most important and influential figures.

Tune in and subscribe to the Official Bob Marley YouTube channel HERE for more upcoming content celebrating Bob's legacy and contribution to the world.

ABOUT BOB MARLEY

Bob Marley, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, is notable not only as the man who put reggae on the global map but, as a statesman in his native Jamaica, he famously brought together the country's warring factions. Today, Bob Marley remains one of the 20th century's most important and influential entertainment icons. Marley's lifestyle and music continue to inspire new generations as his legacy lives on through his music. In the digital era, he has the second-highest social media following of any posthumous celebrity, with the official Bob Marley Facebook page drawing more than 70 million fans, ranking it among the Top 20 of all Facebook pages and Top 10 among celebrity pages. Marley's music catalog has sold millions of albums worldwide. His iconic collection LEGEND holds the distinction of being the longest-charting album in the history of Billboard magazine's Catalog Albums chart and remains the world's best-selling reggae album. Marley's accolades include inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1994) and ASCAP Songwriters Hall of Fame (2010), a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), multiple entries in the GRAMMY® Hall Of Fame, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (2001).  For more information, visit bobmarley.com and Facebook.com/bobmarley.

Fri, 09/10/2021 - 8:31 am

On Elvis Costello’s daring, first-of-its-kind record, Spanish Model, out today via UMe, the ever adventurous songwriter and his co-conspirator, the 18-time GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY® award-winning producer,Sebastian Krys, have brought together a stunning international cast of some of the biggest Latin rock and pop artists from around the globe to interpret Elvis Costello and The Attractions’ classic 1978 debut album, This Year’s Model, entirely in Spanish. 

The exciting new incarnation of the album combines newly-recorded vocal performances with Costello and The Attractions’ original instrumental performances from the pristine master tapes. Spanish Model retains the spirit and energy of This Year’s Model, while revealing even greater instrumental power in the Attractions’ playing.

This is a brand new edition of these songs for the present day, for the Spanish-speaking audience or indeed anyone with the willingness to listen again and sense the imagination, integrity, and wit of these new vocal performances, which on several occasions turn the lyrical perspective, inside out and upside down. 

On “This Year’s Girl,” known on the record as “La Chica De Hoy,” Chilean Latin pop star Cami offers the modern female perspective of the song. Costello says, “It’s a totally different story when you hear a young woman singing about the negotiations proposed by a man’s gaze and his assumptions, in a lyric I wrote when I was just 23.”  

For “Radio Radio,” legendary Argentine songwriter and musician Fito Páez brings a new passion and humor to a complete lyrical re-write of the song. As Costello said, “Every device and circuit is speaking to us, if not yelling at us. It isn’t always easy to hold on to what you love and value but Fito knows how to do that.” 

Colombian superstar Juanes turns in an exhilarating performance of Pump It Up that re-fashions the rhythmic delivery of the song with the new Spanish adaptation. Costello’s original backing vocals provide the trademark chorus but the mix also runs on past the original fadeout to reveal a rhythm guitar duel between Costello and Mick Jones of The Clash, a 1978 contribution not heard since the original studio date. 

“Big Tears,” is sung by rising Colombian-born, Miami-bred star, Sebastián Yatra, one of the leading voices in Latin music with the current global hit and “song of the year contender,” “Pareja del Ańo” with Myke Towers. 

Yatra puts his singular spin on a Costello song that was originally released as the B-side to “Pump It Up,” or as Costello puts, “The place where you smuggled in the songs closest to your deepest feeling and intentions.”

He added, “‘Big Tears’ should have always been on the album, as it was at least equal if not superior to some of the other songs but we always wanted to make 7” inch singles very special by having such a great track on the flip side of a hit record. Yatra’s wonderful rendition of the song, only confirms my feeling that the tune is now where it has always belonged.” 

The song, translated to “Llorar,” debuts today with a rousing, retro-chic video directed by award-winning director, Pablo Croce,which features Yatra and his band as window display mannequins brought to life by a young woman (played by Joaquina) who is pulled into the world of Spanish Model while wandering the town. 

Whereas Costello brought a desperate edge to a song, inspired by director Peter Bogdanovich’s 1968 motion picture, “Targets,” Yatra transforms the melodic line, taking the tune from suave to soaring and ringing out with a more hopeful emotion.

“I listened to Elvis Costello’s music thanks to my parents,” Yatra said. “My voice sounds very different than in my other songs.  It’s more rock, it helped me to get more confident and not to be scared of screaming or to let out my rawer side. I felt it was very beautiful to sing this in Spanish. I want to thank Elvis for having written this song.”

Of Yatra’s interpretation, Costello said: “I sing like me. Yatra sings like him. But he in this case has taken on the story of this song in a very interesting direction. It’s beautiful, hopeful even joyful. He’s never sung anything like this before. It's tremendous what he does. I mean, he must have surprised himself.” You can buy Spanish Model  HERE.

Spanish Model will be explored in depth in an engrossing six-part mini-documentary series, beginning September 13th, and releasing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, culminating with the final episode on Friday, September 24th. Directed by three-time Latin GRAMMY® award winner, Jose Tillan, and produced by The POPGarage/Abrakadabra.tv, the engrossing documentary will delve deep into the story of the original record and its innovative new incarnation, the album’s popularity and influence in Latin America, the artist’s personal connections to This Year’s Model, their love for Costello’s music, and why they wanted to be a part of this unique project. In addition to nearly all of the artists who participated in the album and producer Sebastian Krys, it also includes interviews with everyone who made the original album – Costello, The Attractions’ Steve Nieve, Bruce Thomas and Pete Thomas, engineer Roger Béchirian, and producer Nick Lowe – bringing them together in a documentary about the legendary album for the first time ever. The episodes will be available beginning September 13th HERE.

“We are thrilled to have worked with Elvis Costello in developing six visual content shorts that tell the story of how and why This Year‘s Model becomes Spanish Model,” Jose Tillan said. “This is such a unique and completely new concept, which made the process of storytelling both challenging and adventurous. It is amazing how the DNA of the original album – both the music and themes – totally resonate with Spanish speaking artists and audiences.”

“I love the humour and heart that Jose has caught in this film,” Elvis Costello said. “It’s been great to hear all these voices and see the faces of our new friends. The whole gang’s here. One last time with feeling.”

Spanish Model exudes the same kind of energy and spirit as the original but with a Latin twist. With 19 featured artists representing 10 countries and territories across the Spanish-speaking world including:  Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, Uruguay, plus several from the United States. The album is truly a global, collaborative affair. Costello’s spiky guitars collide with band mates Steve Nieve’s carnival-esque keys and the urgent, propulsive rhythms of bassist Bruce Thomas and drummer Pete Thomas, as The Attractions virtually back a host of Latin music legends, contemporary stars and burgeoning artists for a set of thrilling Spanish-language performances imbued with each artist’s singular identity and style. 

Spanish Model features such artists as: Cami, Draco Rosa, Fito Páez, Francisca Valenzuela & Luis Humberto Navejas (lead singer of Enjambre), Gian Marco & Nicole Zignago, Jesse & Joy, Jorge Drexler, Juanes, La Marisoul, Luis Fonsi, Morat, Nina Diaz, Pablo López, Raquel Sofía & Fuego, Sebastián Yatraand Vega.

In addition to Spanish Model, This Year’s Model has been newly remastered and is now available on CD and 180-gram black vinyl with the addition of “Big Tears” and “Radio Radio.” A limited edition version, that pairs both Spanish Model and the new pressing of This Years Model together as a 180-gram double LP, is available exclusively via ElvisCostello.com, uDiscover and Sound Of Vinyl webstores. 

Elvis Costello & The Attractions (with Various Artists) — SPANISH MODEL 

1. No Action – Nina Diaz

2. (Yo No Quiero Ir A) Chelsea ((I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea) - Raquel Sofía y Fuego 

3. Yo Te Vi (The Beat) – Draco Rosa

4. Pump It Up – Juanes

5. Detonantes (Little Triggers) – La Marisoul

6. Tu Eres Para Mi (You Belong To Me) – Luis Fonsi 

7. Hand In Hand – Francisca Valenzuela y Luis Humberto Navejas 

8. La Chica de Hoy (This Year's Girl) – Cami

9. Mentira (Lip Service) – Pablo López

10. Viviendo en el Paraiso (Living In Paradise) – Jesse & Joy

11. Lipstick Vogue – Morat

12. La Turba (Night Rally) – Jorge Drexler

13. Llorar (Big Tears) – Sebastián Yatra

14. Radio Radio – Fito Páez

15. Crawling To The U.S.A. - Gian Marco y Nicole Zignago

16. Se Esta Perdiendo La Inocencia (Running Out Of Angels) - Vega

Fri, 10/22/2021 - 10:53 am

Yusuf / Cat Stevens today releases new single Bitterblue²,” which originally featured on his 1971 album Teaser and The Firecat. The newly recorded and never before heard version of the classic album track sees Yusuf working with the original album’s producer, Paul Samwell-Smith, and his long-time guitarist Alun Davies for this special rendition.

Similar to the original, “Bitterblue²” has a sense of momentum and forward motion imparted by the rhythm of the driving acoustic guitars. Singing the vocals an octave lower than the 1971 version, the track has a new sense of gravity and wisdom, more steely conviction. 

The newer version of the track beautifully reflects the growth and transitions in Cat's own life, and his aspiration to make the world a better place. The lyrics reflect the wandering ‘aged’ spirit, looking at the passage of time as it disappears behind, “I’ve been running a long time / Summer’s come and gone / Drifting under the dream clouds / Past the broken sun.” It tells of a traveler, hurt, slightly bitter and bruised by life’s trials, trying to recapture the eternal hope of youth, whilst “I’ve been living a long time / to be back beyond” also shows an acceptance and understanding of the progression into the next life, a sense of passing the lantern of wisdom on to new generations to keep the flame alive and flourishing.

“Bitterblue²” is taken from Teaser and the Firecat, Cat Stevens’ third LP with Island Records – A&M in the U.S., that propelled him into superstardom, spawning some of his most memorable hits including “Moonshadow,” “Peace Train” and “Morning Has Broken;” songs by a youthful spiritual seeker, wise beyond his years that would lay the pretext for a poignant new wave of soulful troubadours and poets. Later, “The Wind” would see Teaser and the Firecat celebrated anew, rising to prominence following the song’s use in Wes Anderson’s much celebrated film “Rushmore” as well as the Oscar-winning Cameron Crowe film, “Almost Famous.” Through his spell-binding gift for songwriting and his introspective vision, Cat delivered a universal sense of hope and peace in Teaser and the Firecat that still resonates profoundly to this day. 

Half a century later, Teaser and the Firecat has been given the ultimate treatment in a brand new Super Deluxe Edition set; the most in-depth and definite version of the album possible. Presented in a remastering of Yusuf’s original artwork, the release includes: 41 previously unreleased audio tracks and 21 live video performances on disc for the first time, amongst an entire CD and LP of studio demos and alternate mixes; a stunning 44-page, 12” soft cover replica of the original Teaser and the Firecat book, hand written and illustrated by Yusuf in 1972, and now featuring text in 10 languages; and a 108 page hard-cover 12” essay book, alongside a host of other rarities across 4CDs, Blu-Ray, 2 LPs and 7” vinyl. The set is presented in a rigid clamshell box and is the latest in a series of boxsets - so far consisting of Back To EarthMona Bone Jakon and Tea for the Tillerman - that celebrate the albums in full depth with the direct involvement and direction of Yusuf and his son Yoriyos, who curates and designs each boxset.

Preorder Teaser and the Firecat 50th Anniversary Box Set HERE.

Fri, 10/22/2021 - 11:11 am

When The Band pulled into the unfinished Bearsville Sounds Studios in Bearsville, New York in early 1971 to record Cahoots, their fourth studio album in as many years, they were still basking in the success of and acclaim for their first three history-making records. The Band’s landmark debut album, July 1968’s Music From Big Pink, drew inspiration from the American roots music melting pot of country, blues, R&B, gospel, soul, rockabilly, the honking tenor sax tradition, hymns, funeral dirges, brass band music, folk and good ol’ rock ’n’ roll to foment a timeless new style that forever changed the course of popular music. When they released their seminal eponymous second album, The Band, the following year in September 1969 – or “The Brown Album,” as it would lovingly be called – not much more was known about the reclusive group. Even so, August 1970’s Stage Fright, recorded over 12 days on the stage of the Woodstock Playhouse in upstate New York, cemented the fulfilled promise of those initial back-to-back albums that solidified The Band as one of the most exciting and revolutionary groups of the late 1960s, who were able to carry their avowed excellence directly into the 1970s without interruption.

Indeed, The Band, made up of four Canadians and one American, was still purposefully shrouded in mystery at the turn of the decade, allowing for listeners and the music press to let their imaginations run afield about who these men were and what this music was that sounded unlike anything else happening as the psychedelic ‘60s officially wound down. Dressed like 19thcentury fire-and-brimstone preachers and singing rustic, sepia-toned songs about America and the deep south, The Band – Garth Hudson (keyboards, accordion, horns), Levon Helm (drums, vocals, mandolin, guitar), Richard Manuel (keyboards, vocals, drums), Rick Danko (bass, vocals) and Robbie Robertson (guitar, piano, vocals) – was still somewhat enigmatic as the ‘70s began to unfold and unravel around them, but there’s no denying how The Band was able to forge such an ineradicable impact on the music scene at large heretofore unmatched by any group that came before them, or since.

On December 10, Capitol/UMe will celebrate the 50th anniversary of The Band’s classic fourth album, Cahoots, with an assembly of newly remixed, remastered and expanded 50th Anniversary Edition packages, including a multi-format Super Deluxe 2CD/Blu-ray/1LP/7-inch vinyl box set along with digital, 2CD, 180-gram half-speed-mastered black vinyl and limited-edition 180-gram black vinyl packages. All the Anniversary Edition releases were overseen by principal songwriter Robbie Robertson and sport a new stereo mix by Bob Clearmountain from the original multi-track masters. The box set, CD and digital configurations boast a bevy of unreleased recordings, including Live at the Olympia Theatre, Paris, May 1971, a rousing bootleg partial concert consisting of 11 tracks culled from the initial throes of a European tour that found The Band perched at the top of their live game; and early and alternate versions of “Endless Highway” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece” along with six other early takes, outtakes, instrumentals, and stripped-down mixes.

Exclusively for this box set, Clearmountain has also created new Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround-sound mixes of both the album and four bonus tracks, presented in high resolution on Blu-ray, alongside the new stereo mix. Every new audio mix has been mastered by Adam Ayan at Gateway Mastering. The lift-top box set also includes an exclusive reproduction of the Japanese pressing of The Band’s 1971 7-inch vinyl single for “Life Is A Carnival” b/w “The Moon Struck One” in their new stereo mixes; a 20-page booklet with new notes by Robbie Robertson and extensive insider liner notes by Rob Bowman; three classic photo lithographs, one each by Barry Feinstein, Richard Avedon (his infamous eyes-closed group portrait from the back cover) and noted New York artist/illustrator Gilbert Stone (who painted the still stunning stretched-out portrait of The Band on the album’s front cover); plus a wealth of additional material and other historical data from the original recordings sessions. The limited-edition 180-gram black vinyl release that features a tip-on jacket also contains a photo lithograph by Barrie Wentzell that’s unique to the package.

Pre-order for the Cahoots 50th anniversary editions is available now, and the first flavor of the new mix can be heard with today’s release of “Life Is A Carnival” (2021 Stereo Mix), streaming now and available for immediate download with digital album pre-order. Listen to “Life Is A Carnival” and pre-order Cahoots (50th Anniversary Edition) HERE:

As with the acclaimed 50th anniversary collections for the winning trio of Music From Big Pink, the self-titled record and Stage Fright, Clearmountain and Robertson’s approach to remixing Cahoots was undertaken with the utmost care and respect for the music and what The Band represents. That said, Robertson’s instructions for how his right-hand mixing partner should handle the Cahoots mixes possessed one key difference: Robertson wanted Clearmountain to transform them based on what he felt was lacking from the original mixes. As Clearmountain shares in the liners, “Robbie told me, ‘Just think of the original mixes as rough mixes. Pretty much don’t pay attention to the mixes themselves.’” This directive gave Clearmountain the leeway to unclutter some of the album’s original arrangements, all with Robertson’s blessing: “In the beginning of these sessions, we didn’t know if we were making another Basement Tapes where nobody would hear the music or if we were actually making a real record,” Robertson admits. Though Robertson felt the first three Band records wound up sounding better due to a combination of how today’s technology actually enhances the limitations of yesterday’s technology, he doubled down with his instructions to Clearmountain for Cahoots: “I told Bob, ‘There are no rules. So, every mix we do, I want to start from scratch. I don’t even want to listen to the original. I want to listen to the way we hear it now and be fearless and experimental with it.”

Clearly, Clearmountain took Robertson’s wishes to heart not only in terms of his 2021 stereo mix – as is instantly evident in the greater clarity of the punch of the drums and bass and how putting guitar and organ lines a bit back in the mix enables certain vocal elements to be more out front – but most especially in terms of the breadth so readily apparent in his groundbreaking Dolby Atmos mix, a first for The Band’s core catalog. In his Atmos mix of Cahoots, Clearmountain puts the listener dead-center and smack dab in the middle of the band in the most “you-are-there” fashion imaginable. Concludes Robertson, “This is what Ireally meant. This is the honesty of this now. This is a trip. This is something special.”

In May and June of 1971, The Band set off to tour Europe, where they hadn’t played since their tumultuous tour with Bob Dylan in 1966, during which they were booed every night as folk rock purists felt betrayed by Dylan’s going electric as backed by The Hawks, who would soon enough become The Band. Not having played the continent in five years, the guys were justifiably wary and didn’t really know what to expect in Europe – but rather than garnering boos and catcalls, they received a rapturous response at their first concert in Hamburg, Germany and would continue performing for one enthusiastic crowd after another. Playing at the Olympia Theatre in Paris on May 25, 1971 was one such gig especially near and dear to The Band’s collective heart. “We hadn’t been back to this place since playing there with Bob Dylan, when the Paris show was a complete disaster,” Robertson recalls. “We wanted so much to do a special performance for the French. We wanted a certain kind of feeling in the Olympia. When we played the show, I felt like we did it.”

The set list that night reflected each of The Band’s ten two-set European concerts, and it was recorded by a French radio station and filmed by French media. Sadly, only the second half of that show survives, but it’s full of a slew of Band classics, such as “The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show,” “We Can Talk,” the Stevie Wonder-penned Four Tops hit “Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever,” “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” “Across The Great Divide,” “The Unfaithful Servant,” “Don’t Do It,” the Garth Hudson showcase “The Genetic Method” that leads into “Chest Fever,” “Rag Mama Rag” and a rousing cover of the Little Richard barnburner, “SlippinAnd Slidin’.” This portion of the Paris show is presented on CD2 as a “bootleg partial concert,” but even so, each of these 11 electrifying live tracks serve as even more evidence of just how good The Band sounded onstage at this point in their career.

Originally released on September 15, 1971, Cahoots contains a number of The Band’s best-loved and most enduring songs, including “Life Is A Carnival” and “When I Paint My Masterpiece.” As recounted in the liner notes, longtime Band road manager Jonathan Taplin notes how “Carnival” was born in part out of Robertson’s infatuation with some of the more peculiar characters on display in Marcel Carné’s 1945 film Les Enfants du Paradise, not to mention his having worked on the midway at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto in his youth. In addition to The Band’s own impeccable style of groove-making, the song’s Mardi Gras-esque atmospherics are also due to legendary New Orleans R&B producer Allen Toussaint having been deployed to compose a most excellent, and decidedly funky, horn arrangement to buttress the track.

Meanwhile, “When I Paint My Masterpiece” ensued from a visit by lifelong Band compadre Bob Dylan, an instant classic that’s bolstered by Levon Helm’s mandolin and Garth Hudson’s accordion, both of which lent the track a European feel that best matched Dylan’s lyrical axis. Be sure to spend time with the “Masterpiece” alternate take near the end of CD1, which begins with a more prominent mandolin chord and world-weary Levon vocal, rather than the song’s more familiar 25-second fade-in. You’ll also discern differences in Garth’s accordion accompaniment, Rick Danko’s animated bass playing and Richard Manuel’s insistent drumming. (Manuel often took to the drum chair whenever Levon would switch off to mandolin.)

Incidentally, Cahoots features another guest of note who also happened to be a Woodstock resident at the time: namely, Van Morrison, who adds his indelible vocal stamp to “4% Pantomime.” One afternoon, Morrison stopped by Robertson’s writing studio, heard Robertson noodling on some chord changes and a melody on piano, and the next thing anyone knew, Morrison was singing and creating lyrics on the spot while looking right at Richard Manuel. Morrison (whom Robertson dubbed the “Belfast Cowboy”) was so galvanized by the tune that he suggested they all head to the studio to cut it that same night. A few hours and a few false starts later, “4% Pantomime” was officially on tape. In the finished version, Morrison and Richard Manuel trade impassioned face-to-face vocals captured only a few feet apart (with Manuel also turning in double duty on piano), Levon Helm supplying the unmistakable backbeat, and Garth Hudson adding all the right organ fills. (You can hear that initial false start version on one of the key outtakes on CD1.)

Cahoots peaked at #21 on Billboard, marking The Band’s fourth consecutive Top 30 album appearance. Fifty years on, Cahootsremains a stone-cold masterpiece, reinforced with a vibrant swath of refreshing stereo and surround-sound mixes alike for lifelong fans and those discovering the wonders of The Band for the very first time. Believe it or not, Cahoots is most definitely worth more than “two bits a shot.”

Cahoots (50th Anniversary Edition) Tracklisting

CD1

1. Life Is A Carnival

2. When I Paint My Masterpiece

3. Last Of The Blacksmiths

4. Where Do We Go From Here?

5. 4% Pantomime

6. Shoot Out In Chinatown

7. The Moon Struck One

8. Thinkin’ Out Loud

9. Smoke Signal

10. Volcano

11. The River Hymn

Bonus Tracks

12. Endless Highway

(Early Studio Take, 2021 Mix)

13. When I Paint My Masterpiece

(Alternate Take, 2021 Mix)

14. 4% Pantomime (Takes 1 & 2)

15. Don’t Do It (Outtake – Studio Version, 2021 Mix)

16. Bessie Smith (Outtake) 

CD2

Live at The Olympia Theatre, Paris, May 1971 (Bootleg, Partial Concert)*

1. The W.S. Walcott Medicine Show

2. We Can Talk

3. Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever

4. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

5. Across The Great Divide

6. The Unfaithful Servant

7. Don't Do It

8. The Genetic Method

9. Chest Fever

10. Rag Mama Rag

11. Slippin' And Slidin'

Bonus Tracks

12. Life Is A Carnival (Instrumental)*

13. Volcano (Instrumental)*

14. Thinkin’ Out Loud (Stripped Down Mix)*

Thu, 11/11/2021 - 8:10 am

John Coltrane’s spiritual jazz masterpiece, A Love Supreme, has been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1 million albums in the U.S. The achievement garners Coltrane his first-ever platinum record and is the first jazz album of the 1960s to receive platinum status, underscoring its enduring legacy and importance. Following weeks of writing and arranging, A Love Supreme, was recorded in one session on December 9, 1964 at Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, with Coltrane’s classic quartet – pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones – and was released on Impulse! Records, the following month, January of 1965. Composed and created by Coltrane as a “humble offering to the Divine,” it became an instant best-seller and received a GRAMMY nomination. Fifty-six years after its release, it remains one of the greatest albums ever recorded. 

Last week, John and Alice Coltrane’s son and daughter, Ravi and Michelle Coltrane, were presented with a platinum plaque in honor of their father’s achievement by the head of Verve and Impulse! Records, Jamie Krents, and the label’s VP of Jazz Development, Ken Druker. The presentation took place at The John & Alice Coltrane Home in Dix Hills, Long Island, N.Y., where John Coltrane composed the four-part suite. 

Ravi Coltrane, said, "We are thrilled and humbled to witness this incredible milestone in our father’s recorded legacy. I believe both John and Alice would be very proud of this achievement. We take great pride knowing new generations continue to discover this album and that the music continues to speak to their souls.”

Krents, said, “The last few years have seen a flurry of activity from the partnership of Impulse! Records, UMe and the Coltrane estate. It’s been the highest honor for our team to be the custodians of this music, beginning with the A Love Supreme: Complete Masters release in 2015 to finding and sharing unreleased gems with the found albums Both Directions At Once and Blue World, and most recently discovering and releasing A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle. It’s truly incredible to see the catalog and legacy of Mr. Coltrane not only thriving and but literally growing with the addition of these recordings. “It’s immensely gratifying for all of us at Impulse! Records to see the original A Love Supreme record achieve such an impressive sales milestone, as new generations of fans discover the most iconic musical suite in the history of jazz.”

UMe President & CEO, Bruce Resnikoff, said, “John Coltrane is one of the most important artists of the 20th century and A Love Supreme, is his masterwork. We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone and that the album continues to find new listeners more than five decades after its release.”

In celebration of the accomplishment, Impulse! Records/UMe today has released a digital-only collection titled A Love Supreme: The Platinum Collection, which brings together all commercially released versions of the most iconic suite of music in jazz. The collection begins with the original album, continues with a live 1965 recording from Antibes, France, followed by the newly released A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle, also recorded in 1965. The package ends with outtakes and alternative takes from the previously released A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters from 2015. This digital release serves as an aural history of the most lauded, yet rarely-performed, extended composition in jazz history.

In addition, beginning today, A Love Supreme is now available in Dolby Atmos Spatial Audio on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Tidal. 

A Love Supreme will also be released by Supersense as one of the first titles, in their newly launched Mastercut Edition series. The incredibly limited edition, high-end release features each LP cut from the original analog source master, and not a stamper, one by one, without any digital interference, compression or compromise, in real time, with the highest possible expertise and passion. Limited to 999 units globally, this special release will feature custom packaging that has been printed and packaged by hand, includes a photo of the specific lacquer being cut, and comes with white gloves to properly handle the record, which is held in place via a screw to prevent any damage or movement. For more info or to pre-order, visit here

The story of the A Love Supreme suite is the story of John Coltrane—his musical journey, and his spiritual path. It has become one of the most celebrated and influential recordings to come out of the jazz canon, revered and studied by musicians far beyond the jazz realm. Watch “A Love Supreme: Deep Dive,” which explores the lasting musical and historical importance of this seminal recording. 

A LOVE SUPREME: THE PLATINUM COLLECTION TRACKLISTING

Disc 1 – The Original Stereo Album, Impulse! AS-77

1. "Acknowledgement" – 7:42

2. "Resolution" – 7:20

3. "Pursuance" – 10:41

4. "Psalm" – 7:05

Disc 2 – Live at Festival Mondial du Jazz Antibes, July 26, 1965

1. Introduction by André Francis and John Coltrane – 1:13

2. "Acknowledgement (Live)" – 6:12

3. "Resolution (Live)" – 11:37

4. "Pursuance (Live)" – 21:30

5. "Psalm (Live)" – 8:49

Disc 3 – Live in Seattle

1. A Love Supreme Pt. I – Acknowledgement

2. Interlude 1

3. A Love Supreme Pt. II – Resolution

4. Interlude 2

5. A Love Supreme Pt. III – Pursuance

6. Interlude 3

7. Interlude 4

8. A Love Supreme Pt. IV – Psalm

Disc 4 – The ‘Extras’ – Original Mono Reference Masters

1. "Pursuance" – 10:42

2. "Psalm" – 7:02

Quartet Session, December 9, 1964

3. "Acknowledgement" (vocal overdub 2) – 2:00

4. "Acknowledgement" (vocal overdub 3) – 2:05

5. "Resolution" (take 4/ alternate) – 7:25

6. "Resolution" (take 6/ breakdown) – 2:13

7. "Psalm" (undubbed version) – 6:59

Sextet Session, December 10, 1964

8. "Acknowledgement" (Take 1 / alternate) – 9:24

9. "Acknowledgement" (Take 2 / alternate) – 9:47

10. "Acknowledgement" (Take 3 / breakdown with studio dialogue) – 1:26

11. "Acknowledgement" (Take 4 / alternate) – 9:04

12. "Acknowledgement" (Take 5 / false start) – 0:34

13. "Acknowledgement" (Take 6 / alternate) – 12:33

Mon, 11/15/2021 - 10:47 am

Island Records, Interscope, and UMe today announce the 30th Anniversary Edition release of U2’s seminal album Achtung Baby, which will see a special Standard and Deluxe vinyl release on November 19, ahead of a 50-track digital boxset available December 3, 2021. 

Thirty years ago, Bono described Achtung Baby as “the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree” while Jon Pareles of the New York Times wrote that “stripped-down and defying its old formulas, U2 has given itself a fighting chance for the 1990's”. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance and became one of the most significant records of the nineties and of U2’s career.

Recorded over six months at Hansa Studio in Berlin and Windmill Lane in Dublin, Achtung Baby is U2’s seventh studio album. Produced by long-time U2 collaborators Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno with Steve Lillywhite, Achtung Baby was engineered by Flood and released on November 18, 1991. Lead by The Fly, four other singles followed: Mysterious Ways, One, Even Better Than The Real Thing, and Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.

In celebration of Achtung Baby’s anniversary, the band have collaborated with Berlin-based French artist Thierry Noir (the first artist to paint on the Berlin Wall) for a special one-off installation at the legendary Hansa Studios in Kreuzberg. Thirty years ago, the band commissioned Noir to paint a series of now iconic Trabant cars, which featured on the album artwork, as well 1991’s Zoo TV Tour. U2 x THIERRY NOIR sees Noir return with a newly painted Trabant for 2021, as well as an exclusive mural painted on a section of the Berlin wall.  

The bonnet of the Trabant will be auctioned at Phillips, London, on December 9, as part of their New Now sale, with proceeds going to the Berlin Institute for Sound and Music. 

Achtung Baby (30th Anniversary Edition) is available on Standard black vinyl and Deluxe color vinyl on November 19, with Achtung Baby (2018 Remaster) and Achtung Baby (Unter Remixes) also available digitally that day. A 50-track digital boxset – to include Uber Remixes, Unter Remixes, B-Sides with 22 tracks never-before available digitally – will be released on December 3, 2021.  

U2 X-Radio, the band’s SiriusXM channel, will this month present an Achtung Baby special to include interviews with band members and album collaboration Daniel Lanois, Flood, and Anton Corbijn. 

Pre-order Achtung Baby (30th Anniversary Edition) here: