Thursday, March 16, 2006

Disco reissues update (March 17th - April 12th)

A couple of new reissues from Japan I just found out about.. Yes, I know they're insanely expensive, but they're included, just for the sake of reference..

That said, I decided to make this new list of reissues instead of adding to the old one, since many of those have already just been released. To make things a little more orderly, I'll be transfering some of the items that were on the old list to this new one.

3/19/06 update: Added a new double-disc Grace Jones compilation to the list..

March 17th:

Denise LaSalle - I'm So Hot
(1980, MCA / 2006, P-Vine)
pre-order @ HMV Japan
A Japanese reissue of Denise's highly underrated "I'm So Hot" album.. The 12" of the title track has become highly sought after. Original copies of the 12" have been known to fetch over $700 (!!!!) on eBay. That inevitably prompted it's inclusion on the 2002 BBE/Urban Theory "Disco Spectrum 3" compilation, not to mention a bootleg reissue of the 12" itself.. I mean it's a great song, but the 12" is the same as the album version. So I'm not sure it justifies a price of $700, but I guess some people just have to have it on 12".

That aside, this is one great album that I'm looking forward to having on CD. Another disco favourite on this album is the sultry "Try My Love" and the disco-space-funk of "Coma Ta Ya Ha Dance (We Came To Earth To Dance)."
DENISE LASALLE @ ALLMUSIC.COM
DENISE LASALLE @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM

Vernon Burch - Get Up (1979, Chocolate City/Casablanca / 2006, P-Vine)
pre-order @ HMV Japan
I haven't heard this album but I hear there are some disco nuggets on this LP from the former Bar-Kay's guitarist. As I said, I haven't heard the album though I have heard the title track, and that is one good piece of disco-funk! The break from "Get Up" was also sampled by Deee-Lite on their mega-hit "Groove Is In The Heart," and has subsequently been included on numerous "breaks compilations," so I guess it's about time they reissued the album..
VERNON BURCH @ ALLMUSIC.COM
VERNON BURCH - GET UP LP (REVIEW) @ ALLMUSIC.COM

April 3rd:

Various - A Tom Moulton Mix (2006, Soul Jazz Records)
pre-order @ amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | dustygroove.com
Okay I've mentioned a lot about this already... Originally supposed to be released this past March 13th, this has apparently been delayed until March 27th. According to Amazon UK though, it won't ship it until April 3rd, so I decided to put that down as the release date. Much more info on this on the previous list of releases.

April 4th:

Thank God It's Friday DVD (1978)
pre-order @ amazon.com
At last on DVD (widescreen) Motown & Casablanca's attempt to get a piece of the "Saturday Night Fever" pie.. Looks like a budget release with no bonuses and slightly misleading cover, but at least it's something.. Mind you, I haven't seen this movie (some really good stuff on the soundtrack though), but I do intend to..
THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY @ IMDB

April 6th:

Grace Jones - The Grace Jones Story
(2006, Universal)
pre-order @ amazon.com | amazon.co.uk
A new two-disc Grace Jones anthology, probably the most complete so far. This seems to be the first one to cover all the dominant phases in her recording career; from her late 70's disco records to her cutting-edge early 80's material as well as her more pop-oriented late 80's period and right into the early 90's with "Sex Drive." One of the surprises on the tracklist is the inclusion of a few selections ("Don't Mess With The Messer," "Sinning," and "Saved") from "Muse" (1979, Island), the last of her disco albums. None of the songs from that album have ever been on CD before; apparently Island founder Chris Blackwell, when he was at the helm of the label, hated them so much he refused to reissue them. Unfortunately, with all the other stuff they included, they didn't include "Slave To The Rhythm," which is odd considering it's one of her definitive works; not sure that you can really do the "Grace Jones Story" without it.. In any case it's nice that they finally did a fairly comprehensive anthology for her. Still, I would've preferred if they'd have reissued and remastered her Island albums instead of just putting out yet another compilation..

This is a UK release as far as I know, yet Amazon US has a release date of April 6th and Amazon UK has the release as May 29th, which is odd.. I guess we'll see which one is right soon enough..
GRACE JONES @ ALLMUSIC.COM
GRACE JONES @ DISCOMUSEUM.COM


April 10th:

Various: Journey Into Paradise - The Larry Levan Story (2006, Rhino/Warner)
pre-order @ amazon.com | amazon.co.uk | dustygroove.com
I've mentioned Larry a few times on here before and his legacy has become pretty well known, so it's good to know his name has enough drawing power for a major label to put out a compilation. This one's a 2-disc collection of songs that were regular plays during his residency at the Paradise Garage as well as some that were mixed by Larry himself. The message board thread at discomusic.com and the Rhino press release (remove the exclamation point in new window) both have the tracklisting. One exclusive on this set is Gwen Guthrie's "It Should Have Been You" (the Larry Levan 12" Vocal Version); although the majority of the selections are still available on other CDs or at least were on CDs that have since gone out of print. All things considered, it looks like a bit of a cash-in, but I guess it's nice to have some of these available again and in one place.

CATEGORIES: REISSUES & RELEASES

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