"The Ultimate Collection" by BILLY JOEL – Featuring Album and Compilation Tracks from 1973 to 1993 – Guests Include Danny Kortchmar, Ray Charles, Mick Jones (of Spooky Tooth and Foreigner), The Memphis Horns, Producer Phil Ramone, Arranger Arif Mardin and many more (March 2001 UK Columbia/Sony TV 2CD 36-Track Compilation with 1998 Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...Don't Go Thinking We're Too Familiar..."

 

The worldwide winner that is "The Ultimate Collection" by Billy Joel was first issued as a twofer in Japan just days before Christmas 2000. That variant also had 2CDs and 36-Tracks, but ended CD1 with "The Stranger".

 

I mention this, because when "The Ultimate Collection" was finally issued in the last week of March 2001 in the UK and Europe – that song was swapped out on CD1 for the lovely but largely forgotten "You're My Home" from the "Piano Man" album of 1973 (his second solo LP). In my opinion that was a genius move – it makes the play on CD1 almost perfect in terms of mood and tempo.

 

Sporting newly minted Ted Jensen Remasters from 1998, all the lyrics (albeit in tiny writing in the booklet) and with total playing times of 75:32 and 78:43 minutes on each CD – you were essentially getting four LPs worth of fantastic songwriting for not a whole lotta dosh. It was also issued on Columbia's SONY TV imprint, with adverts making certain the public who had forgotten his songwriting genius knew it was out there – sounding and looking good.

 

So not surprisingly the double-set charted immediately (31 March 2001) and soon rose to an impressive No. 4 after only a few weeks. It was issued in April in Australia, but not in the USA oddly. Fast-forward twelve years and in 2023, it can easily be found online for under three-quid – and that's a stash of the Dogs Bollox for a Catnip Cheapo cost. Here are the tender moments/serenading details...

 

UK released March 2001 -"The Ultimate Collection" by BILLY JOEL on Columbia/Sony TV SONYTV98CD (Barcode 5099749790827) is a 2CD 36-Track career-spanning Compilation using 1998 Remasters that plays out as follows:

 

CD1 (75:32 minutes):

1. Just The Way You Are

2. My Life

3. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me

4. An Innocent Man

5. Piano Man

6. You're My Home

7. Everybody Love You Now (Live Version)

8. The Entertainer

9. Streetlife Serenader

10. New York State Of Mind

11. Say Goodbye To Hollywood

12. She's Got A Way (Live Version)

13. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)

14. She's Always A Woman

15. Honesty

16. You May Be Right

17. Don't Ask Me Why

18. Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway) (Live Version)

NOTES on CD1:

Tracks 1, 13 and 14 are from the album "The Stranger" (September 1977)

Tracks 2 and 15 are from the album "52^nd Street" (October 1978)

Tracks 3, 16 and 17 are from the album "Glass Houses" (March 1980)

Track 4 is from the album "An Innocent Man" (August 1983)

Tracks 5 and 6 are from the album "Piano Man" (November 1973)

Tracks 7, 12 and 18 are from the live album "Songs In The Attic" (Sept 1981)

Tracks 8 and 9 are from the album "Streetlife Serenade" (October 1974)

Tracks 10 and 11 are from the album "Turnstiles" (May 1976)

 

CD2 (78:43 minutes):

1. Uptown Girl

2. Tell Her About It

3. The River Of Dreams

4. The Longest Time

5. We Didn't Start The Fire

6. Goodnight Saigon

7. Allentown

8. All For Lenya

9. This Is The Time

10. Leave A Tender Moment Alone

11. A Matter Of Trust

12. Modern Woman

13. Baby Grand (Duet with Ray Charles)

14. I Go To Extremes

15. Leningrad

16. The Downeaster 'Alexa'

17. You're Only Human (Second Wind)

18. All About Soul (Remix)

NOTES ON CD2:

Tracks 1, 2, 4 and 10 are from the album "An Innocent Man" (August 1983)

Track 3 is from the album "River Of Dreams" (August 1993)

Tracks 5, 14, 15 and 16 are from the album "Storm Front" (October 1989)

Tracks 6 and 7 are from the album "The Nylon Curtain" (September 1982)

Track 8 is from the album "Glass Houses" (March 1980)

Tracks 9, 11, 12 and 13 are from the album "The Bridge" (July 1986)

Track 17 is from 2LP Compilation "Greatest Hits – Volume I & Volume II" (August 1985) which had two new songs – this is one of them

Track 18 is from the CD compilation "Greatest Hits – Volume III" (August 1997); it initially appeared on the October 1993 CD single to "All About Soul" and was an exclusive version at 6:01 minutes

 

The 16-page booklet has all the lyrics in tiny print and a small 2-page history on Joel and his amazing singer-songwriter career by PATRICK HUMPHRIES. It's a functional affair, but the Remastered Audio is truly fab – very clean and amped in just the right way. To the listens...

 

I could probably go another ten years without ever having to hear the now slightly irritating Motown throwback chipper nature of "Uptown Girl" or "Tell Her About It" and the "Glass Houses" album felt like a dip when I bought it. But the ballad opener "Just The Way You Are" (lyrics above) and his magnificent 'Yesterday' moment (as far as I'm concerned) in the equally gorgeous "She's Always A Woman" never really get old. "Leave A Tender Moment Alone" is the same – so damn sweet (harmonica complimenting). I love the three live tracks from "Songs In The Attic" because that album was such a smart move at the time – reintroducing deep LP cuts that had gotten lost in the numbers swallowing behemoths that were "The Stranger" in 1977 and "52^nd Street" in 1978.

 

Serious smarts have also included lovelies like the early song genius of "You're My Home" right up to the synth-plinking vs. drumming warmth inherent in "This Is The Time" on "The Bridge" album from 1986. Two forgotten but fan remembered moments tail-end CD2 with the popular jaunt of "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" (a great Bonus on the first Greatest Hits Volumes) and that Remix exclusive to the CD Single for "All About Soul". But I have to say that "Goodbye Saigon" (his Vietnam song for Vets still struggling with the aftereffects) and the workingman's meeting-his-bills dilemma in "Allentown" woke many up to the less delicate side of the US economy ("The Nylon Curtain" album is considered a forgotten classic among Joel devotees like moi).

 

"New York State Of Mind" too from years earlier – nostalgic but profound - a tune about that most famous of cities you can't help thinking only Joel could have articulated so well (the audience pride-roar when he sings the word Brooklyn in the live version of "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out On Broadway)" is another huge moment). A stunning Pepsi vs. Coke set of rapid-fire hammerhead lyrics took the world by storm when he released "We Didn't Start The Fire" (Monroe and Studebakers ahoy). I'd admit though that CD2 feels at times (as the years progressed and the albums came further apart) like it wanes far more than CD1 does. But there is still sexy bombast galore in "I Go To Extremes" and touches of the old magic in "The Downeaster 'Alexa'" - while his crooner styled duet "Baby Grand" with Ray Charles is a big old dollop of piano-schmoozing class.

 

Having sold over 100-million albums but also having been musically inactive for decades – you could argue that Billy Joel is a spent force. Well - all I know is that I spent a lot of time loving his deeply moving songs of angst and triumph and poured over his erudite lyrics on many's a long winter evening - an intelligent impassioned Yank who seemed to speak to ordinary men and women alike with a lyrical honesty that both warmed and stung.

 

There are two four-disc Billy Joel Retrospectives out there that will give you more and flesh out the story with extra layers of quality. But if you want a kick-ass twofer one-stop then "The Ultimate Collection" is comprehensive enough and brilliant sounding into the digital bargain. And in July 2023 - it's available for a pittance that does not reflect its majestic innards. 

 

Get this gift into your seaside palisades and see that the lights don't go down on your Broadway...

"Star Time" by JAMES BROWN – Subtitled '71 Songs Including Many Rare Or Previous Unreleased Tracks' – Cliff White, Harry Weinger and Alan Leeds Compilation Including Mono and Stereo 45-Singles, Album Tracks and Unreleased Recordings from February 1956 to June 1984 on Federal, King, Polydor, People, T.K. and Tommy Records. Including Acts Associated with JB Productions (Nat Kendricks & The Swans, The Poets, Fred Wesley And The J.B.'s) – Featured Musicians are The J.B.'s with Fred Wesley, Bobby Byrd, Jimmy Parker, Pee Wee Ellis, Maceo Parker, St-Clair Pinckney, Joe Farrell, Richard Griffith, Sam Brown, Fred Thomas, John Jabo Starks, Clyde Stubblefield and more with Guests Catfish Collins and Bootsy Collins of P-Funk, Billy Cobham, Jerry Poindexter, Afrika Bambaataa and many more (May 1991 Original Issue, June 2004 and October 2007 Reissues UK Universal/Polydor 4CD Long Box Set and Two Subsequent 4CD DigiBook Reissues (With Upgraded Booklets) Using 1991 Ted Jensen Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...Ain't That A Groove... "

 

***** 

 

When Harry Weinger and Alan Leeds started their eleven-volume 2CD series for James Brown and his mighty Singles output (covering March 1956 on Federal up to May 1981 on Polydor) – they finally finished the Herculean task with twofer number eleven in October 2011 having started as far back as September 2006 for Vol. One. Put out on the hugely collectable Hip-O Select Label (initially the mail-order wing of Universal) – all eleven are genuinely things of digital reissue beauty - and have become big-time collectables ever since. I diligently bought the lot as they came out and have reviewed (in detail) all but the first three volumes (see my Sounds Good, Looks Good Blog) and I intend to get to those Tres Hombres some time in the future too.

 

I mention Weinger and Leeds because these two JB-champions were also two of daring-do crew behind the now legendary Star Time 4CD Box Set that debuted all the way back in May of 1991. Alan Leeds was his Tour Manager between 1970 and 1974 and co-edited The James Brown Reader - while Harry Weinger (as Vice President of A&R at Universal) has been heavily involved down through the decades in Soul and Funk CD Reissues for Motown, James Brown and the superb Funk Essentials series. Their two names are synonymous with JB and their handling of his legacy has been done with diligence, joy and respect (shipmates good and true names like Cliff White and Bill Levenson also had a large part in it).

 

Back to this release... taking its names from what the announcer used to prep the crowds with before JB and the Band hit the stage (are you ready for...) and subtitled '71 Songs Including Many Rare Or Previous Unreleased Tracks' – "Star Time" has been a Box Set backbone of any self-respecting music fan collection for over 4 decades now. However, here in June 2023, the 4CD Career Anthology "Star Time" by JAMES BROWN has been issued a total of three times and the details for each are worth chronicling because there are subtle differences.

 

First up came the original chunky long box of Red and Gold colour issued 7 May 1991 in the UK on Polydor 849 108-2 (Barcode 042284910828). That variant had a 64-page booklet. However, it was reissued 7 June 2004 in the UK using the same catalogue number and Barcode as Universal/Polydor 849 108 2 (Barcode 042284910828) - but this time with an upgraded booklet to 96-Pages, different artwork front ad rear and a more easy-to-manage 4CD Digibook Presentation. When Brown passed in December 2006 (aged 73), Polydor reissued that Digibook Presentation (with the 96-page booklet) yet again - 29 October 2007 as Universal/Polydor 0600753022498 (Barcode 600753022498). You could argue that it was a bit sloppy of Universal to use the 2004 booklet text in the 2007 reissue because it does not mention Brown’s passing in late 2006 (in fact it awkwardly states he’s alive). But it is a minor quibble in what was and still is a feast of goodies you need in your life (you could argue CD3 alone is damn near Funky Nirvana perfection). Here is the breakdown (all tracks US 45s unless otherwise stated)...

 

CD1 "Mr Dynamite" (71:38 minutes):

1. Please Please Please

2. Why Do You Love Me - Tracks 1 & 2 are the A&B-sides of his March 1956 Debut US 45-single on Federal 45-12258, Mono

3. Try Me

4. Tell Me What I Did - Tracks 3 & 4 are the A&B-sides of October 1958 US 45-single on Federal 45-12337, Mono

5. Bewildered - From the US LP "Think!", October 1960 on King 683 in Mono

6. Good Good Lovin' - July 1959 US 45 on Federal 45-12361, A-side, Stereo

7. I'll Go Crazy

8. I Know It's True - Tracks 7 & 8 are the A&B-sides, January 1960, Federal 12369, Stereo

9. (Do The) Mashed Potatoes Pt.1 - February 1960, Dade Records 1804, A-side, Mono, credited to Nat Kendrick and The Swans

10. Think - May 1960, Federal 45-12370, A-side, Mono

11. Baby, You're Right - Previously Unreleased Alternate Take

12. Lost Someone - November 1961, King 45-5524, A-side, Stereo

13. Night Train - November 1961 US LP "Night Train" on King 771

14. I've Got Money - B-side to "Three Hearts In A Tangle", November 1962, King 45-5701, Mono

15. I Don't Mind (Live) - From the May 1963 US LP "James Brown Live At The Apollo" on King 826

16. Prisoner Of Love - April 1963, King 45-5739, A-side, Stereo

17. Devil's Den - April 1963, Try Me Records 45-28006, A&B-sides combined, credited as The Poets

18. Out Of The Blue - Previously Unreleased Alternate Take

19. Out Of Sight

20. Grits – From the 1964 US LP "Grits & Soul" on Smash Records SRS 67057 in Stereo

21. Maybe The Last Time – Tracks 19 and 21, A&B-sides, July 1964, Smash Records S 1919, A-side Mono, B-side Stereo

22. It's A Man's World - Previously Unreleased Stereo Mix from June 1964

23. I Got You – A Fall of 1964 Single originally to be on a 45 and LP, withdrawn

24. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, Pts. 1, 2 & 3 – Previously Unreleased Complete Take in three-parts; this version was later sped up and released as a 2-part King Single Master

NOTES:

Tracks 11, 18, 22 and 24 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

 

CD2 "The Hardest Working Man In Show Business" (74:33 minutes):

1. Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, Pt. 1 – July 1965, King 45-599,A-side, Mono

2. I Got You (I Feel Good) – November 1965, King 45-6015, A-side, Mono

3. Ain't That A Groove – Previously Unreleased Unedited Version – James Brown with The Jewels

4. It's A Man's Man's Man's World – April 1966, King 45-6035, A-side, Mono

5. Money Won't Change You – Previously Unreleased Complete Version – Edited and Released July 1966 as a two-part US 45-single, King 45-6048

6. Don't Be A Dropout – Previously Unreleased Unedited Version – Edited and Released October 1966 as a two-part US 45-single, King 45-6056

7. Bring It Up (Hipster's Avenue) – Previously Unreleased Unedited Version – Edited and Released January 1967 as a two-part US 45-single, King 45-6071

8. Let Yourself Go - Previously Unreleased Unedited Version – Edited and Released April 1967 as a two-part US 45-single, King 45-6100

9. Cold Sweat – Complete Version from the 1967 US LP "Cold Sweat" on King Records 1020. Edited and Released July 1967 as a two-part US 45-single on King 45-6110

10. Get It Together – October 1967 A&B-sides combined, King 45-6122

11. I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me), Pt. 1 – Original Recorded Tempo – US 45-single release A-side was slowed down for December 1967 released on King 45-6144

12. I Got The Feelin' – April 1968, King 45-6155, A-side, Stereo

13. Licking Stick – Licking Stick – May 1968 A&B-sides combined, King 45-6166, Stereo

14. Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud, Pt. 1 – August 1968, King 45-6187, A-side, Stereo

15. There Was A Time (Live) – Previously Unreleased

16. Give It Up Or Turnit A Loose – January 1969, King 45-6213, A-side, Stereo

17. I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing (Open Up The Door I'll Get It Myself) – March 1969 A&B-sides combined, King 45-6224, Stereo

NOTES:

Tracks 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11 and 15 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

 

CD3 "Soul Brother No.1" (72:54 minutes):

1. Mother Popcorn – Combined A&B-sides of US 45-single, June 1969, King 45-6245, Stereo

2. Funky Drummer – Original Mix Combined A&B-sides of US 45-single, March 1970, King 45-6290, Stereo

3. Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine - Combined A&B-sides of US 45-single, July 1970, King 45-6318, Stereo

4. Super Bad, Pts. 1 & 2 – Previously Unreleased Stereo Mix – Original US 45-Single two-parter released in Mono, October 1970, King 45-6329

5. Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothing – Previously Unreleased Extended Version of the Original Mix – Portion originally released February 1972 as a two-part US 45-single, Polydor PD 14109

6. Get Up, Get Into It And Get Involved – Previously Unreleased Stereo Mix – Originally a Mono US 45-single, December 1970, King 45-6347

7. Soul Power, Pts. 1 & 2 – Previously Unreleased Unedited Stereo Mix – Originally Edited and released as a three-part US 45-single, March 1971, King 45-6368

8. Brother Rapp / Ain't It Funky Now (Live) – Previously Unreleased, Recorded 8 March 1971 at Olympia Theater in Paris

9. Hot Pants, Pt. 1 – July 1971, People 45-2501, A-side, Mono

10. I'm Greedy Man, Pt. 1 – November 1971, Polydor PD-14100, A-side, Stereo

11. Make It Funky, Pt. 1 – August 1971, Polydor PD-14088, A-side, Mono

12. It's A New Day (Live) – From the December 1971 2LP Live Set "Revolution Of The Mind –Recorded Live At The Apollo Vol.III" on Polydor PD 3003

13. I Got Ants In My Pants, Pt. 1 And I Want TO Dance – January 1973, Polydor PD-14162, A-side, Stereo

14. King Heroin – February 1972, Polydor PD 14116, A-side, Stereo

NOTES:

Tracks 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

 

CD4 "The Godfather Of Soul" (75:35 minutes):

1. There It Is, Pt.1 – April 1972, Polydor PD 14125, A-side, Stereo

2. Public Enemy ♯ 1, Pt.1 – From the 1972 US Stereo LP "There It Is" on Polydor PD 5028

3. Get On The Good Foot – July 1972, Polydor PD-14139, A-side, Mono

4. I Got A Bag Of My Own – October 1972, Polydor PD 14153, A-side, Stereo

5. Doing It To Death by FRED WESLEY And THE J.B.s – April 1973, People PE 621, A-side, Mono

6. The Payback - From the 2LP Studio Set "The Payback", December 1973 USA on Polydor PD 2-3007 and April 1974 in the UK on Polydor 2659 030 (using US copies)

7. Papa Don't Take No Mess, Pt.1 – From the June 1974 US 2LP Studio Set "Hell" on Polydor PD 2-9001

8. Stoned To The Bone, Pt.1 – October 1973, Polydor PD 14210, A-side, Mono

9. My Thang – Previously Unreleased Mix – Originally Issued as a US 45-single, June 1974, Polydor PD 14244, Stereo

10. Funky President (People It's Bad) – October 1974, Polydor PD 14258, A-side, Stereo

11. Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved) –November 1975, Polydor PD14301, A-side, Stereo

12. Get Up Offa That Thing (Release The Pressure) – New 6:14 Minute Edit in Stereo created for "Star Time"

13. Bodyheat (Part 1) – December 1976, Polydor PD 14360, A-side, Stereo

14. It's Too Funky In Here – From the July 1979 LP "The Original Disco Man" on Polydor PD-1-6212

15. Rapp Payback (Where Iz Moses) – October 1980, T.K. Records TKX-1039, A-side

16. Unity, Part 1 by Afrika Bambaataa And The Godfather Of Soul James Brown – September 1984, Tommy Records TB-847-7, A-side

NOTES:

Tracks 9 and 12 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

 

"Star Time" – Subtitled '71 Songs Including Many Rare Or Previous Unreleased Tracks' – legendarily took one and half years to complete – compiled by Harry Weinger, Cliff White, Oscar A. Yong and Bill Levenson. Compiler and JB pal Harry Weinger (in interview) has stated, it was just as well too. While compiling the anthology, Brown was in State Prison doing a suspended sentence of just over 2 years for aggravated assault, but was out on its May 1991 release. Timing-wise, that handily also happened to coincide with the 35^th Anniversary of his debut single - "Please Please Please" on Federal. Another thing you notice about the quality of the listen is that across 4CDs and 71-songs – how few are album cuts (only 10). Weinger admitted that in the early years and even much of the Sixties decade (outside the much vaunted live sets), Brown had way too much filler on his contractually obliged studio albums. So Weinger became determined to create an across the board listen on all four discs that would cut it – even as stand-alones (never sold as such). The extended playing times of tracks particularly on CD2 and CD3 are largely due to two-parter 45-singles co-joined).

 

TED JENSEN did the Remasters (from original tapes) at Sterling Sound in New York and you can for the want of a better word – feel this sucker sweat as it Funkifies your listening area with the baddest band that ever laid down a groove. Take the 6:19 minutes of "Mother Popcorn" that opens CD3 and the seven-minutes of "Funky Drummer" that follows it – Stereo Funky Nirvana. MP has Brass Jabs aplenty with JB hollering at Maceo to give it some – while FD combines JB on Organ, Jimmy Nolen on Guitar and the boys just goofing off on the Horns. Can I count it off – the still thrilling "Sex Machine" starts – presented here in its full 5:15 minutes of Stereo glory (Catfish Collins playing that fabulous guitar groove). Staying on the scene (they way he likes it) – we then get a sensation as far as I’m concerned – the normally Mono two Parts of "Super Bad" presented to us in Stereo for the first time with Catfish Collins on Guitar and Bootsy Collins slapping that Bass. And all of it in Fantastic Sound.

 

Brown himself did the introduction (dictated by phone from his prison stay) and famed musicologist and writer Nelson George even won a Grammy for Best Liner Notes – his connecting of Browns hard-hitting Funk Rhythms to the emerging Hip Hop Sound and Culture hitting all the right alliance notes. Alan Leeds has a signed-copy of "Star Time" and treasures it.

 

The booklet breaks things down into a JB Introduction on one page (January 1991), a 4-page Essay from Nelson George called "Right On!" to "Word Up!", Alan Leeds section is called "From the Inside", Cliff White and Harry Weinger provide "Are You Ready For Star Time?" while the remainder does a song-by-song credits, Discography and general credits at the rear. The text is peppered with period photos (mostly black and white), tour posters, record company and promoter promo shots (great snap of Brown chatting with an admiring Mick Jagger in 1964), some album covers, Godfather Of Soul jacket buttons, live photos of his famous train-routine exiting the stage with a cape over his shoulders and so on. The "Star Time: Song By Song" section does what it says on the tin – it lists musician credits that are hugely detailed – recording dates – catalogue numbers – details on the new stuff whilst referencing the originals and so forth. And the discography that follows of 45s and Albums is cool even if it does forgo actual release dates for just a year date. And you can see that in some years he might have had as many as six LP releases – hammering it all times – a work ethic that was as relentless as his band in the pocket.

 

As you can glean from the track lists above on CD1 to CD4, right through the Sixties and even the Seventies – his 45-singles seemed to have this Mono vs. Stereo battle – with Mono being the most likely winner. So the listen flits from one sound stage to another – but both are impressive. Take the Stereo 45-cut of "Lost Someone" from as far back as November 1961 to ten years later and "Make It Funky, Pt. 1" in August 1971 which is Mono – the punch of the Remasters is remarkable on both counts. I always prefer Stereo if I am truthful – but real fans will notice the subtle choices made by the compilers – the swapping out of familiar Mono variants for a fresher Stereo touch – or unreleased mixes of giants like "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag" here in a near seven-minute three-parter – or the extended cut of "Talkin' Loud & Sayin' Nothing" that stretches this famous beast out to nearly nine-minutes! And I know that all the CDs are chockers full of value, but I do wish they could have swapped out say something lesser like say "Hot (I Need To Be Loved, Loved, Loved) " from 1975 and included instead the incredible flipside to "King Heroin" called "Theme From King Heroin" from February 1972 – what a masterpiece (I have a Hip-O Select Remaster of it and wow!).

 

I know that his Sixties output had been groundbreaking and probably his most commercially winning period – but musically and culturally – I would openly cough-up to JB in the Seventies as being the dogs for me. JB and his evolving JBs had issued the "Black Caesar" soundtrack in February 1973, the soundtrack to "Slaughter’s Big Rip Off" in July, a compilation called "Soul Classics, Volume II" in October and then "The Payback" in December 1973. And when you think that in November 1972 he had released another double-album gem in the shape of "Get On The Good Foot" – the dude was prolific if not anything else. 1973 was a helluva year for The Godfather Of Soul – once again bringing him well deserved commercial success – all of only marred by the horrible loss of his son Teddy in an automobile accident on the 14th of June. Still JB carried on that punishing schedule for years after. My admiration for him and what he achieved is boundless. He paid the cost to be the real boss for damn sure. For sure the listen tapers off towards the end of CD4 and that album called "The Original Disco Man" seems like blight on his extraordinary legacy. "Star Time" also avoids the Living In America song – his last chart success, but maybe that is a good thing.

 

James Brown – The Godfather of Soul – The Preacher – the only real comparison is Prince – another giant gone but never forgotten. Soul and Funk owe JB and his Band of Funky Pirates big time (described in the liner notes on Page 56 by Cliff White and Harry Weinger as an unrivaled powerhouse). And how many 4CD Box Sets elicit such genuine affection more than four decades after their issue. 

 

"Star Time" does...and how...

"True Blue" by MADONNA – June 1986 Third Studio Album on Sire Records featuring Pat Leonard, Bruce Gaitsch, Brian Elliot, John Putnam, David Williams, Dan Huff, Fred Zarr, Richard Marx, Siedah Garrett and more (May 2001 UK 'Warner Remasters' CD Reissue with Two Bonus Tracks – Ted Jensen Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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This Review and 229 more like it are in my E-Book

Available on AMAZON 

LET'S GO CRAZY - 80ts Music On CD

Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters

Classic Albums, Compilations, 45s

All In-Depth Reviews from the Discs Themselves

Over 1,650 e-Pages of Info

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"...I've Learned My Lesson Well..." 

Some albums are absolute juggernauts and I doubt even their creators knew it.

 

When sexpot Madonna burst on the scene in the early Eighties with her first two albums "Madonna" (September 1983) and "Like A Virgin" (November 1984), the hits were calculatedly aimed at the feet and her reviewer detractors could therefore scream about her girly voice, the obvious sexual ploys to garnish controversy and the general lack of what you might call substance in her songs. 

 

All of that changed with June 1986's "True Blue" - a giant album for her that produced a record-breaking 5 No. 1 singles (in varying markets) and Box Office sales for a female artist that were unprecedented. She lowered her vocal range for several tracks, took on subjects that were racy in a socially aware way and most of all – through good songwriter collaborations with the like of Patrick Leonard and Bruce Gaitsch and Brian Elliot – she became admired and adored in the same way Prince and others were.

 

Madonna's "True Blue" hit the top spot in something like 40 countries around the world - a feat that few if any had ever achieved. And when you listen back to this little Remastered raver in 2023 - you can so hear why it caught the zeitgeist of a decade that was kind of in love with itself. And the album was dedicated to 'the coolest guy in the Universe' - her then husband - actor Sean Penn. 

 

Let's get to Papa who mustn't preach and needs to reorder diapers...

 

UK released 22 May 2001 - "True Blue" by MADONNA on Warner Brothers 9362-47902-2 (Barcode 093624790228) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue in their 'Warner Remasters' Series. It has Two Bonus Tracks and plays out as follows (52:34 minutes): 

 

1. Papa Don't Preach [Side 1]

2. Open Your Heart 

3. White Heat 

4. Live To Tell

5. Where's The Party

6. True Blue

7. La Isla Bonita 

8. Jimmy Jimmy 

9. Love Makes The World Go Round 

Tracks 1 to 9 are her third studio album "True Blue" - released late June 1986 in the USA on Sire 9 25442-1 (LP) -4 (MC) -2 (CD) and July 1986 in the UK on Sire WX54 (925 445-1) LP. Produced by MADONNA, PATRICK LEONARD and STEPHEN BRAY - it peaked at No. 1 in both countries. Guest Musicians and Collaborators include Pat Leonard, Bruce Gaitsch, Brian Elliot, John Putnam, David Williams, Dan Huff, Fred Zarr, Richard Marx, Siedah Garrett and more.

 

BONUS TRACKS:

10. True Blue (The Color Mix) - Shep Pettibone Remix

11. La Isla Bonita (Extended Remix) - Chris Lord-Alge Remix

 

The 'Digitally Remastered' logo along the inlay spine distinguishes these 'Warner Remasters' CD reissues - the ten-leaf foldout inlay faithful to the front cover artwork and lyric inner bag of the original release. As is the same with these Remasters - you don't get any extra liner notes - period photos - memorabilia - fan stuff - just the basics with a note that GREGG GELLAR oversaw the Series and TED JENSEN did the Remaster from original tapes. And man can you hear it - everything is super clear - even the Cagney Film Clip dialogue that starts "White Heat". But it's the synths and that huge Bass that thumps. I must admit that at times the vocals seem to disappear into the background a tad too much as your ears are assaulted with pings and pongs and pumping Disco rhythms - but that opening to "Live To Tell" is now gorgeous.

 

The album whacked out five beasts - all numero uno – the first of which was and still is the best of the bunch. "Live To Tell" was issued March 1986 before the album's arrival - a gorgeous ballad co-write with her mainman songwriting partner - PATRICK LEONARD. The teen pregnancy song "Papa Don't Preach" hit the shops two weeks before the album in the second week of June 1986 - a stunning piece of Pop and Social Conscience written by Brian Elliot from conversations he overheard local schoolgirls having.

 

The title track and obvious love song to her heartthrob hubby "True Blue" made the shops in September 1986 (a co-write with Stephen Bray), then the get-up-on-the-floor Synth-Pop of "Open your Heart" in November 1986. Finally, the Spanish rhythms of "La Isla Bonita" came in February of the following year – 1987 – and was a surprise smash. But whilst the Pettibone and Lord-Alge Bonus Track Remixes of "True Blue" and "La Isla Bonita" are known fan faves, I have to say that neither the overdone mania of "Where's The Party" nor the too-cluttered "Jimmy Jimmy" album tracks have weathered the years very well and "White Heat" is just the sort of curio you skip (four out of five stars then).

 

Madonna would go on to break more box office records and court controversy like it was candy to a child, but "True Blue" is where Ms. Ciccone found her voice and you could even say, her spell-binding skill - her mojo. She had and has learned her lesson indeed and lived to tell the tale...