"Songs Of Love And Hate" from 1971 by LEONARD COHEN (Inside October 2011's "The Complete Studio Albums Collection" 11CD Box Set with New Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT 1971... - Exceptional CD Remasters  

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1971 LP "Songs Of Love And Hate" on Columbia and CBS Records

Remastered inside "The Complete Studio Albums Collection"

"...Diamonds In The Mines..." 

As others have quite rightly commented - it's a triple-whammy - great music, great price and stunning remastered audio for Montreal's finest.

These eleven Leonard Cohen Columbia Records studio albums stretching from 1967's "Songs Of Leonard Cohen" through to 2004's "Dear Heather" are presently clocking in at less than two quid a pop (March 2017) - which given what's on offer here is utterly remarkable - 'new skin for the old ceremony' indeed. The only missing LP is April 1973's "Live Songs" because it's outside this box studio box set's remit.

His deeply sad passing in November 2016 saw the loss of yet another style-setting songsmith from back in the day – Canada's great mumbling lover man – Leonard Cohen. Always bigger in the UK and Europe than he was in Canada and the States - his deep tonal voice and tales of forlorn love struck a mighty chord in Blighty especially. Not for everyone for sure - but those who loved his articulate wallowing did so with a passion bordering on mania. Sisters Of Mercy named their band after a song on his 1967 debut - while everyone from Tori Amos and Jennifer Warnes to Jeff Buckley, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Neil Diamond, Richie Havens, Tim Hardin, Joe Cocker, Eddie Kendricks, Don Henley, Nick Cave, Roberta Flack, James Taylor, Suzanne Vega, Peter Gabriel and Madeleine Peyroux (amongst many) has covered his lonesome pine tunes. Jeff Buckley practically owns the beautiful and ethereal "Hallelujah" and every Indie Movie its ever been featured in (a UK No 1 while Cohen was still with us). And all of this is yours for less than twenty-two UK pre-Brexit smackers.

Let's get to the various musical positions before someone out there in overpriced digital 'la la land' notices the wrong envelope...and in particular the wonderful third LP from 1971 – overlooked and unfairly forgotten...

UK released 9 October 2011 - "The Complete Studio Albums Collection" by LEONARD COHEN on Sony/Legacy 88697961772 (Barcode 886979617728) is an 11CD Box Set of New Remasters with a 24-page booklet that plays out as follows:

Disc 3 - "Songs Of Love And Hate" (1971) - 45:02 minutes:

1. Avalanche

2. Last Year's Man

3. Dress Rehearsal Rag

4. Diamonds In The Mine

5. Love Calls You By Your Name [Side 2]

6. Famous Blue Raincoat

7. Sing Another Song, Boys

8. Joan Of Arc

Tracks 1 to 8 are his 3rd studio album "Songs Of Love And Hate" - released March 1971 in the USA on Columbia C 30103 and in the UK on CBS Records S 69004 (Stereo only in both cases). Produced by BOB JOHNSTON - it peaked at No. 145 in the USA and No. 4 in the UK.

Produced for Sony/Legacy by Steve Berkowitz and Bruce Dickinson - pages 2 to 5 of the 24-page booklet feature new liner notes from novelist and fan PICO LYER - while the remaining pages offer basic track lists, some musician credits and three or four black and white photos of Cohen during various stages of his career. It's nice but hardly great or in-depth. Excepting the gatefold of 1977's "Diary Of A Ladies' Man" - each album is in a singular card sleeve as per their original vinyl/CD releases - but there's no inserts or the mini booklet that accompanied "Songs Of Love And Hate" - that sort of thing (not reproduced in the booklet either). There's no real analysis of the albums in the booklet - hell they can't even be bothered to put the LP release dates anywhere (you get more info from my lists than you do in here).

But all of that goes out the presentation window when you clap your ears on the wonderful new Remasters. MARK WILDER and BRUCE DICKINSON are the Audio Engineers behind each album (all done at Battery Studios in New York) except "Dear Heather" which doesn't need any work and was originally mastered by STEPHEN MARCUSSEN (he did all the Polydor CD reissues for The Rolling Stones in 2009). Many of these albums have eluded Remaster for years - so it's a welcome Audio haul that's for sure. Let’s focus on 1971...

Producer Bob Johnston had twiddled the knobs for the one and only album by West in 1968 – the self-titled "West" on Epic BN 23860. For the "Songs Of Love And Hate" sessions Johnston brought in the Guitarist from West Ron Cornelius as the principal player (he’d also strummed on Dylan’s "New Morning" LP earlier in 1971). And along with Paul Buckmaster who’d arranged strings for Elton John and David Bowie – you also got Southern Rocker Charlie Daniels later of The Charlie Daniels Band contributing Guitar, Bass and Fiddle. The other element was Bubba Fowler – an Acoustic Folk Guitarist who had managed a lone album called "...And Then Came Bubba" on Columbia CS 9971 in 1970. He plays Bass, Acoustic and Banjo. Cohen in fact decided to dub his troop of players ‘The Army’ and would play live with most of them to Israeli Soldiers later that year on one of his many world-wandering forays. Last but not least - the second song on Side 1 - "Last Year’s Man" - also features the children’s voices of London’s Corona Choir to very moving effect.

It seemed that between the eighteen months since the last LP "Songs From A Room" in April 1969 – Cohen’s vocal range had dipped even lower. I say this because although the first two sparse albums get all the 4 to 5-star accolades - I find his deeper tone on this album to be the best of all that period. Lyrically too – whether it be the acoustic guitar tumble of the opener "Avalanche" or the six-minutes of "Dress Rehearsal Rag" – his words flowed like wise poetry – a very Dylanesque string of consciousness that was both sleepy and ever so slightly drugged-up. There is gorgeous audio on "Diamonds In The Mine" – where there are no grapes on the vine or chocolates in the box – an acidic growling song about Christians getting eaten and doctors sterilising needles (nice).

Things return to that pretty drone of his with "Love Calls You By Your Name" – where lyrics talk about open oceans and even more open veins – women in scrapbooks to be praised and blamed as Paul Buckmaster pours on those trademark strings. In 1986 Jennifer Warners would start the first of three tribute albums to LC by calling hers after the next famous song - "Famous Blue Raincoat" (check out the CDs for “I’m Your Fan” in 1991 and "Tower Of Song" in 1995). Corlynn Hanney and Susan Mussman are the female vocalists who provide those beautiful counterpoint vocals sailing over his story of Jane – while Buckmaster keeps the horns and strings so subtle and therefore so moving. "Famous Blue Raincoat" is worth the price of admission alone. I find the mock live feel to "Sing Another Song, Boys" a bit grating – but the six-minutes of "Joan Of Arc" is classic Leonard Cohen. The blood-spattered Crusader bemoans the war – wants a wedding dress – wants the night to sooth her – wants the mantle of heroine lifted. The remaster is gorgeous throughout this LP finisher that feels like Mike Oldfield on an Acoustic Guitar two years before forming the quieter passages in "Tubular Bells" (the two aforementioned ladies also add a beauty to this song).

It would be over three years until he returned with "New Skin For The Old Ceremony" in August 1974 where Cohen suddenly sounded like Dr. John from New Orleans.

"...I hear that you’re building your little house...deep in the desert..." – Cohen sings on the epic "Famous Blue Raincoat". Start building your love affair with this lovely-sounding album and great value CD Box Set...

PS: If you can’t locate a 1971 original LP - Music On Vinyl – the repressing wing of Columbia – put out a 180-grams remastered vinyl LP version of "Songs Of Love And Hate" in November 2009 (minus the booklet) on Music On Vinyl MOVLP036 (Barcode 5099703221916)...

"The Complete Studio Albums Collection" by LEONARD COHEN (October 2011 Sony/Legacy 11CD Box Set - Mark Wilder and Bruce Dickinson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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CLASSIC 1970s ROCK On CD - Exception Remasters  

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"...Diamonds In The Mine..."

As others have quite rightly commented - it's a triple-whammy - great music, great price and stunning remastered audio for Montreal's finest.

These eleven Leonard Cohen Columbia Records studio albums stretching from 1967's "Songs Of Leonard Cohen" through to 2004's "Dear Heather" are presently clocking in at less than two quid a pop (March 2017) - which given what's on offer here is utterly remarkable - 'new skin for the old ceremony' indeed. The only missing LP is April 1973's "Live Songs" because it's outside this box set's remit.

His deeply sad passing in November 2016 saw the loss of yet another style-setting songsmith from back in the day – Canada's great mumbling lover man – Leonard Cohen. Always bigger in the UK and Europe than he was in Canada and the States - his deep tonal voice and tales of forlorn love struck a mighty chord in Blighty especially. Not for everyone for sure - but those who loved his articulate wallowing did so with a passion bordering on mania. Sisters Of Mercy named their band after a song on his 1967 debut - while everyone from Tori Amos and Jennifer Warnes to Jeff Buckley, Johnny Cash, Judy Collins, Neil Diamond, Richie Havens, Tim Hardin, Joe Cocker, Eddie Kendricks, Don Henley, Nick Cave, Roberta Flack, James Taylor, Suzanne Vega, Peter Gabriel and Madeleine Peyroux (amongst many) has covered his lonesome pine tunes. Jeff Buckley practically owns the beautiful and ethereal "Hallelujah" and every Indie Movie its ever been featured in (a UK No 1 while Cohen was still with us). And all of this is yours for less than twenty-two UK pre-Brexit smackers. Let's get to the various musical positions before someone out there in overpriced digital 'la la land' notices the wrong envelope...

UK released 9 October 2011 - "The Complete Studio Albums Collection" by LEONARD COHEN on Sony/Legacy 88697961772 (Barcode 886979617728) is an 11CD Box Set of New Remasters with a 24-page booklet that plays out as follows:

Disc 1 - "Songs Of Leonard Cohen" (1967) - 41:38 minutes:

1. Suzanne

2. Master Song

3. Winter Lady

4. The Stranger Song

5. Sisters Of Mercy

6. So Long, Marianne [Side 2]

7. Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye

8. Stories Of The Street

9. Teacher

10. One Of Us Cannot Be Wrong

Tracks 1 to 10 are his Columbia Records debut album "Songs Of Leonard Cohen" - released December 1967 in the USA on Columbia CL 2733 (Mono) and Columbia CS 9533 (Stereo) and February 1968 in the UK on CBS Records BPG 63241 (Mono) and CBS Records S BPG 63241 (Stereo) - the STEREO mix is used. Produced by JOHN SIMON - it peaked at No. 80 in the USA and No. 13 in the UK.

Disc 2 - "Songs From A Room" (1969) - 36:15 minutes:

1. Bird On The Wire

2. Story Of Isaac

3. A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes

4. The Partisan

5. Seems So Long Ago, Nancy

6. The Old Revolution [Side 2]

7. The Butcher

8. You Know Who I Am

9. Lady Midnight

10. Tonight Will Be Fine

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Songs From A Room" - released April 1969 in the USA on Columbia CS 9767 (Stereo only) and in the UK on CBS Records M 63587 (Mono) and CBS Records S 63587 (Stereo) - the STEREO mix is used. Produced by BOB JOHNSTON - it peaked at No. 63 in the USA and No. 2 in the UK.

Disc 3 - "Songs Of Love And Hate" (1971) - 45:02 minutes:

1. Avalanche

2. Last Year's Man

3. Dress Rehearsal Rag

4. Diamonds In The Mine

5. Love Calls You By Your Name [Side 2]

6. Famous Blue Raincoat

7. Sing Another Song, Boys

8. Joan Of Arc

Tracks 1 to 8 are his 3rd studio album "Songs Of Love And Hate" - released March 1971 in the USA on Columbia C 30103 and in the UK on CBS Records S 69004 (Stereo only in both cases). Produced by BOB JOHNSTON - it peaked at No. 145 in the USA and No. 4 in the UK.

Disc 4 - "New Skin For The Old Ceremony" (1974) - 37:28 minutes:

1. Is This What You Wanted

2. Chelsea Hotel No. 2

3. Lover Lover Lover

4. Field Commander Cohen

5. Why Don't You Try

6. This Is A War [Side 2]

7. A Singer Must Die

8. I Tried To Leave You

9. Who By Fire

10. Take This Longing

11. Leaving Green Sleeves

Tracks 1 to 11 are his 4th studio album "New Skin In The Old Ceremony" - released August 1974 in the USA on Columbia C 33167 and in the UK on CBS Records S 69087. Produced by JOHN LISSAUER - it peaked at No. 24 in the UK (didn't chart in the USA).

Disc 5 - "Death Of A Ladies' Man" (1977) - 42:53 minutes:

1. True Love Leaves No Traces

2. Iodine

3. Paper-Thin Hotel

4. Memories

5. I Left A Woman Waiting [Side 2]

6. Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On

7. Fingerprints

8. Death Of A Ladies' Man

Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "Death Of A Ladies' Man" - released October 1977 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 3125 and November 1977 in the UK on CBS Records S CBS 86042. Arranged and Produced by PHIL SPECTOR - the album peaked at No. 35 in the UK (didn't chart USA).

Disc 6 - "Recent Songs" (1979) - 53:26 minutes:

1. The Guests

2. Humbled In Love

3. The Window

4. Came So Far For Beauty

5. The Lost Canadian (Un Canadien Errant)

6. The Traitor [Side 2]

7. Our Lady Of Solitude

8. The Gypsy's Wife

9. The Smokey Life

10. Ballad Of The Absent Mare

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Recent Songs" - released September 1979 in the USA on Columbia JC 36264 and in the UK On CBS Records 86097. Produced by LEONARD COHEN and HENRY LEWY - it didn't chart in either country.

Disc 7 - "Various Positions" (1985) - 35:32 minutes:

1. Dance Me To The End Of Love

2. Coming Back To You

3. The Law

4. Night Comes On

5. Hallelujah [Side 2]

6. The Captain

7. Hunter's Lullaby

8. Heart With No Companion

9. If It Be Your Will

Tracks 1 to 9 are his album "Various Positions" - released February 1985 in the USA on Passport PB 6045 and in the UK on CBS Records 26222. Produced by JOHN LISSAUER - it peaked at No. 52 in the UK (didn't chart USA).

Disc 8 - "I'm Your Man" (1988) - 41:00 minutes:

1. First We Take Manhattan

2. Ain't No Cure For Love

3. Everybody Knows

4. I'm Your Man

5. Take This Waltz [Side 2]

6. Jazz Police

7. I Can't Forget

8. Tower Of Song

Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "I'm Your Man" - released February 1988 in the USA on Columbia FC 44191 (LP) and Columbia CK 44191 (CD) and in the UK and Europe on CBS Records 460642 1 (LP) and 460642 2 (CD). Produced by LEONARD COHEN - it peaked at No. 48 in the UK charts (didn't chart USA)

Disc 9 - "The Future" (1992) - 59:42 minutes:

1. The Future

2. Waiting For The Miracle

3. Be For Real

4. Closing Time

5. Anthem

6. Democracy [Side 2]

7. Light As The Breeze

8. Always

9. Tacoma Trailer

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "The Future" - released November 1992 in the USA on Columbia CK 53226 (CD Only) and in the UK/Europe on Columbia COL 472498 1 (LP) and COL 472498 2 (CD). Various Producers (including Leonard Cohen) - it peaked at No. 36 on the UK charts (didn't chart USA).

Disc 10 - "Ten New Songs" (2001) - 52:47 minutes:

1. In My Secret Life

2. A Thousand Kisses Deep

3. That Don't Make It Junk

4. Here It Is

5. Love Itself

6. By The Rivers Dark [Side 2]

7. Alexandra Leaving

8. You Have Loved Enough

9. Boogie Street

10. The Land Of Plenty

Tracks 1 to 10 are the album "Ten New Songs" - released October 2001 in the USA on Columbia C 85953 (LP) and CK 85953 (CD) and in the UK/Europe on Columbia COL 501202 1 (LP) and COL 501202 2 (CD). Produced by SHARON ROBINSON with all songs arranged and co-written by Robinson with Leonard Cohen - it peaked at No. 143 in the USA and No. 26 in the UK.

Disc 11 - "Dear Heather" - 49:27 minutes:

1. Go No More A-Roving

2. Because Of

3. The Letters

4. Undertow

5. Morning Glory

6. On That Day

7. Villanelle For Our Time

8. There For You

9. Dear Heather

10. Nightingale

11. To A Teacher

12. The Faith

13. Live Track: Tennessee Waltz

Tracks 1 to 11 are his album "Dear Heather" - released November 2004 in the USA on Columbia CK 92891 (CD) and in the UK/Europe on Columbia COL 514768 2 (CD).

Produced for Sony/Legacy by Steve Berkowitz and Bruce Dickinson - pages 2 to 5 of the 24-page booklet feature new liner notes from novelist and fan PICO LYER - while the remaining pages offer basic track lists, some musician credits and three or four black and white photos of Cohen during various stages of his career. It's nice but hardly great or in-depth. Excepting the gatefold of 1977's "Diary Of A Ladies' Man" - each album is in a singular card sleeve as per their original vinyl/CD releases - but there's no inserts or the mini booklet that accompanied "Songs Of Love And Hate" - that sort of thing (not reproduced in the booklet either). There's no real analysis of the albums in the booklet - hell they can't even be bothered to put the LP release dates anywhere (you get more info from my lists than you do in here).

But all of that goes out the presentation window when you clap your ears on the wonderful new Remasters. MARK WILDER and BRUCE DICKINSON are the Audio Engineers behind each album (all done at Battery Studios in New York) except "Dear Heather" which doesn't need any work and was originally mastered by STEPHEN MARCUSSEN (he did all the Polydor CD reissues for The Rolling Stones in 2009). Many of these albums have eluded Remaster for years - so it's a welcome Audio haul that's for sure.

The first two platters made his name containing songs synonymous with that moaning Leonard Cohen voice - "Suzanne", "Sisters Of Mercy", "So Long, Marianne" and "Bird On The Wire" – a song so popular Tim Hardin named an entire album after it in 1971. The Stereo clarity on album gems like the Simon & Garfunkel acoustic "Hey, That's No Way To Say Goodbye" – or the weary army types aching to tell their story in "A Bunch Of Lonesome Heroes" (that fuzz guitar) and the slaughtering of lambs in "The Butcher" where an only son doesn't like nor understand what daddy does for a day job - so it's off to meet up with an understanding man who will painlessly needle the pain away.

For the "Songs Of Love And Hate" sessions in 1971 Producer Bob Johnston brought in the Guitarist from West - Ron Cornelius - as the principal player (he’d also strummed on Dylan’s "New Morning" LP earlier in 1971). And along with Paul Buckmaster who’d arranged strings for Elton John and David Bowie – you also got Southern Rocker Charlie Daniels later of The Charlie Daniels Band contributing Guitar, Bass and Fiddle.

It seemed that between the eighteen months since the last LP "Songs From A Room" in April 1969 – Cohen’s vocal range had dipped even lower. I say this because although the first two sparse albums get all the 4 to 5-star accolades - I find his deeper tone on this album to be the best of all that period. Lyrically too – whether it be the acoustic guitar tumble of the opener "Avalanche" or the six-minutes of "Dress Rehearsal Rag" – his words flowed like wise poetry – a very Dylanesque string of consciousness that was both sleepy and ever so slightly drugged-up. There is gorgeous audio on "Diamonds In The Mine" – where there are no grapes on the vine or chocolates in the box – an acidic growling song about Christians getting eaten and doctors sterilising needles (nice).

Things return to that pretty drone of his with "Love Calls You By Your Name" – where lyrics talk about open oceans and even more open veins – women in scrapbooks to be praised and blamed as Paul Buckmaster pours on those trademark strings. In 1986 Jennifer Warners would start the first of three tribute albums to LC by calling hers after the next famous song - "Famous Blue Raincoat" (check out the CDs for “I’m Your Fan” in 1991 and "Tower Of Song" in 1995). Corlynn Hanney and Susan Mussman are the female vocalists who provide those beautiful counterpoint vocals sailing over his story of Jane – while Buckmaster keeps the horns and strings so subtle and therefore so moving. "Famous Blue Raincoat" is worth the price of admission alone.

Suddenly sounding like a drunk Dr. John has mated with an acidic Dory Previn – 1974's "New Skin For The Old Ceremony" opens with "Is That What You Wanted" where ghosts of every relationship he's every had haunt his present day fling. He remembers another lady well in the "Chelsea Hotel No. 2" – giving him hell on the unmade bed to the sound of a forlorn French horn. He would call a live set "Field Commander Cohen" in 2000 – throwing acid into diplomatic cocktail parties while elegant types engage in bored silver-bullet suicides (nice). My fave on this dark album is "I Tried To Leave You" where his lone Spanish guitar strums as he once again bemoans his fate – waking up beside her lithesome bod (what a guy).

Album number 5 "Death Of A Ladies' Man" provides the first 'oh dear' moment where he collaborated with the frankly potty Phil Spector. Despite heavy hitters like Bob Dylan, Alan Ginsberg and Bill Diex providing backing vocals on "Don't Go Home With Your Hard-On" - while singer-songwriter, actress and Director Ronee Blakley stumped up Backing Vocals on "True Love Leaves No Traces", "Iodine" and "Memories" with Nino Tempo arranging "Iodine" and "I Left A Woman Waiting" – Phil Spector's typically heavy-handed and over-the-top production values did for the LP. He also claimed co-credit on every song (guns at dawn boys). Even the artwork seemed vaguely arrogant - sided by two lovelies in some Polynesian restaurant as all concerned are gradually lost post-desert in a blizzard of Peruvian dancing dust. In the USA in particular "Death..." was a commercial disaster coming in for some serious media derision, anger from a jaded and bewildered public and even had the artist himself publicly acknowledging its excesses some years later.

Cohen got back to 'humbled in love' songs for 1979's "Recent Songs" - a highly polished long album featuring a huge array of quality Latin sessionmen complimented by Garth Hudson of The Band on Piano, the Bassist Abraham Loboriel and Jennifer Warnes on Harmony Vocals. Of the later albums – like most I return to the sophisticated career rejuvenating "I'm Your Man" and dip occasionally into the ragged songs on "The Future" and beyond. But I must admit I go back now mostly to the forgotten record "Various Positions" – the birthing ground for the immortal "Hallelujah". Despite its 80ts production – I'm partial to "Dance Me To The End Of Love" which Madeleine Peyroux did so beautifully on her "Careless Love" CD. And of course you can't hear "Hallelujah" nowadays without thinking of Jeff Buckley and his fabulous "Grace" album. How Jeff stripped down that song and made it almost hymnal is astonishing. Cohen's "Various Positions" LP ends on the beautiful audio of "If It Be Your Will" - where Jennifer Warnes provides duet vocals that are so spot on – it's scary.

"...I sing this for the captain...for the heart with no companion...for the soul with no King..." – Leonard Cohen moaned on the deceptively lovely and moving "Heart With No Companion" in 1985 – just as he'd done in 1967 and would continue to do for decades more – always winning the crowd quietly - majestically.

A simply 'Best Of' or the 2CD 'Essential' set of Leonard Cohen Remasters will probably suffice for most. But this is one of those occasions where you can get so much more quality music for not a lot more outlay.

And you can’t help thinking that the great mumbler/chronicler of love and heartbreak would have liked that - and given his lowly finances in the later years - giggled at the irony of it too...

"Eli And The Thirteenth Confession" by LAURA NYRO (2002 Columbia/Legacy 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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CLASSIC ROCK & POP 1970 to 1974 - Exceptional CD Remasters  

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"...A Little Magic...A Little Kindness..."

A rare beauty and typically gone too soon. Laura Nyro's 2nd album - the wonderfully named "Eli And The Thirteenth Confession" scraped a No. 181 position on the US LP charts in August 1968 months after its March release (it was an improvement on the the total non-chart placement of her 1966 set "More Than A New Discovery"). And in truth I know people who can't bear her busy arrangements and that voice you either love or loathe. Yet you have to say that Columbia have done her memory and musical legacy proud with this elegant and beautiful sounding CD reissue. Here are the testimonials unveiled...

UK released August 2002 - "Eli And The Thirteenth Confession" by LAURA NYRO on Columbia/Legacy 508068 2 (Barcode 5099750806821) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster with three Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks and plays out as follows (52:23 minutes):

Side 1: Part 1

1. Luckie

2. Lu

3. Sweet Blindness

4. Poverty Train

5. Lonely Women

6. Eli's Comin'

Side 2: Part 2

7. Timer

8. Stoned Soul Picnic

9. Emmie

10. Woman's Blues

11. Once It Was Alright Now (Farmer Joe)

12. December Boudoir

13. The Confession

Tracks 1 to 13 are her 2nd studio album "Eli And The Thirteenth Confession" - released March 1968 in the USA on Columbia CS 9626 (Stereo) and August 1968 in the UK on CBS Records S 63346 (Stereo). Produced by CHARLIE CALELLO and LAURA NYRO - all songs written by Laura Nyro.

BONUS TRACKS (all Previously Unreleased):

14. Lu (Demo recorded 29 Nov 1967)

15. Stoned Soul Picnic (Demo recorded 29 Nov 1967)

16. Emmie (Demo recorded 29 Nov 1967)

The CD Reissue is Produced by AL QUAGLIERI - the 12-page booklet features affectionate and informative liner notes (with a rear sleeve note from singer Phoebe Snow) - a photo of her at the piano with Miles Davis - lyrics to the songs and recording dates - a photo beneath the see-through tray and the usual reissue credits. It feels classy right from the off...

The last time the album has a CD transfer was in May 1997 on Columbia 487240 2 – an album-only reissue. But this new 'Expanded Edition' on their Legacy imprint from 2002 comes with a fresh remaster involving two very experienced Audio Engineers - MARK WILDER and SETH FOSTER. A pretty ballad like "Emmie" and "Lonely Women" have quite passages and the tape hiss is evident in places ("Poverty Train" too) - but nothing too much to detract. In fact re-listening to stuff like the brass arrangements on "Woman's Blues" is a stunning experience - the remaster is beautiful - as is the music (you can 'so' hear where Blood, Sweat & Tears got their musical signatures from).

Although she couldn't seem to get arrested with regard to sales of her own records - her songwriting prowess soon got noticed. Laura Nyro was one of those songsmiths where her odd melodies and tunes had a Soulfulness that others hooked into and could bring out – even make better. The 5th Dimension famously picked up on two songs – "Stoned Soul Picnic" and "Sweet Blindness". Their cover of "Stoned Soul Picnic" hit the US singles charts in June 1968 on Soul City 766 and crashed the top ten - eventually settling at an impressive No. 3. They followed this success in October 1968 with their cover of Nyro's irrepressible and busy bopper "Sweet Blindness" on Soul City 768 (lyrics from it title this review). It peaked at No. 13. Later the following year those great interpreters Three Dog Night took "Eli's Coming" to a No. 10 slot on Dunhill/ABC 4215 in November 1969. Obscurities - Linda Hoyle of the British Jazz Fusion ensemble Affinity issued "Eli's Coming" as a British 45 on the Prog label Vertigo 6059 018 in 1970 - while Ronnie Dyson's debut September 1970 album "(If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can't I Touch You" on Columbia Records featured a cover of the mellow vibes tune "Emmie" - probably one of the loveliest songs on the “Eli...” album.

Album highlights include the staggering hurt in "Lonely Women" where "...no one hurries home to..." these aching ladies - the fuzzed-up guitars in the brilliant and political "Poverty Train" and the piano/brass chug-and-stop of "Once It Was Alright (Farmer Joe)" - a song that starts out rocking but goes off into soaring vocals and different rhythm tangents. There's hiss on the beautiful "December's Boudoir" but its quickly forgotten as those gorgeous strings and plucked harp notes swirl around your speakers. Her vocals on this song are 'so' soulful. It ends on "Confession" - more vocal pyrotechnics and frantic arrangements that sound like no one else. In fact the whole album is like that...

But the big prize for fans is the three beautifully recorded demos - all recorded 29 November 1967 and Previously Unreleased. They feature Laura on piano with doubled vocals - and that's it. They sound and feel utterly amazing - and I'd push the boat out by saying that I prefer this 'piano and voices' version of "Stoned Soul Picnic" version to the finished result. "Emmie" has always been a ballad hidden in the bowls of the album. Here it's even more intimate with just her on Piano producing something that's Todd Rundgren/Tori Amos beautiful (if you know what I mean). Wow - what a find...

On the song "Time And Love" from her next album "New York Tendaberry" (September 1969) - Laura Nyro would sing "...nothing cures like time and love..."

Laura Nyro passed in 1997 aged only 47 from Ovarian Cancer. She was impossibly special and her music is a musical cure waiting to be discovered again and again...

“Bang Masters” by VAN MORRISON (1991 Columbia/Legacy CD Mark Wilder and Stephen St. Croix Audio Restoration and Remasters)

“...Let It Out...Don’t Worry Which Way It Goes...”

Back when CD was really making inroads into the marketplace (after the first Beatles launch in 1987 had made the format respectable) – I can remember vividly hearing the awesome Audio on this CD for the first time – and noticing Columbia's Legacy logo on the rear inlay too. Not only is Van's first recorded Solo music (done in New York in 1967 after he left his Belfast group THEM) a properly great listen – the sonic quality on offer here will take most by storm.

And with his Bang label material being such a mishmash of early releases (most exploitive) – this CD goes a long way to sorting out that shady part of his career before be signed to Warner Brothers and produced the masterful "Astral Weeks" and the classic "Moondance" albums. "Bang Masters" is a winner on all fronts. Here is the girl with the big brown eyes and more from Old John too...

UK released May 1991 – "Bang Masters" on Columbia/Legacy 468309 2 (Barcode 5099746830922) breaks down as follows (75:13 minutes):

1. Brown Eyed Girl

2. Spanish Rose [see Notes]

3. Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)

4. Chick-A-Boom

5. It’s All Right

6. Send Your Mind

7. The Smile You Smile

8. The Back Room

9. Midnight Special

10. T.B. Sheets

11. He Ain’t Give You None (Alternate Take)

12. Who Drove The Red Sports Car

13. Beside You

14. Joe Harper Saturday Morning [see Notes]

15. Madame George

16. Brown Eyed Girl (Alternate Take)

17. I Love You (The Smile You Smile) (Previously Unreleased, Mono)

REMASTERS/AUDIO RESTORATION:

All tracks on this CD have been remixed from the original multi-track master tapes with the best clarity offered to date. In researching the release – the tracks "Spanish Rose" and "Joe Harper Saturday Morning" were found to have had verses edited out of them for their initial vinyl release. These verses are now presented here in full – the original performances in the studio. "Spanish Rose" was originally 3:09 minutes, is now 3:54 minutes - while "Joe Harper Saturday Morning" was originally 2:53 minutes and is now 4:17 minutes.

THE FOUR ORIGINAL LPS:

A 21-year old Van was in New York in March 1967 with Producer Bert Barnes to cut some single-sides across two days (28th and 29th). The sessions produced a flurry of fully formed studio-recorded material including his biggest hit (and most famous early song) – the wonderful "Brown Eyed Girl". Van returned to Ireland to work on songs that would become his first album proper as far as he was concerned – 1968’s "Astral Weeks". Barnes however put out the hit single and it became a monster smash. Eager to capitalise on the momentum of the 45 and with contractual authority – Barnes then went back to the session tapes and cobbled together 7 other tracks (without Van’s consent) to make the album "Blowin' Your Mind" released September 1967 in the USA on Bang BLP 218 (Mono) and BLPS 218 (Stereo) and in the UK on London HA-Z 8346 in Mono-Only. That first LP sequences as follows:

1. Brown Eyed Girl

2. He Ain't Give You None

3. T.B. Sheets

1. Spanish Rose [Side 2]

2. Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)

3. Ro Ro Rosey

4. Who Drove The Red Sports Car

5. Midnight Special

After the albums "Astral Weeks" (November 1968), "Moondance" (March 1970) and "His Band And The Street Choir" (November 1970) on Warner Brothers made Van Morrison a Rock Star around the world – Barnes went at the material again and came up with a 2nd LP - the dubiously titled "The Best Of Van Morrison" 10-track compilation LP released May 1971 on Bang Records in the USA on Bang BLPS 222 and President Records PTLS 1045 in the UK. He took "Brown Eyed Girl", four other tracks from the "Blowin' Your Mind" album and a further five outtakes from the sessions and sequenced them as follows:

1. Spanish Rose

2. It's All Right

3. Send Your Mind

4. The Smile You Smile

5. The Back Room

1. Brown Eyed Girl [Side 2]

2. Goodbye Baby (Baby Goodbye)

3. Ro Ro Rosey

4. He Ain’t Give You None

5. Joe Harper Saturday Morning

A 3rd (and final original) compilation "T.B. Sheets" was released January 1974 in the USA on Bang BLP-400 (charted at 181) and March 1974 in the UK on London HSM-5008. This 8-track LP contained two new surprises – Bang-era early versions of two tracks that would eventually come out on "Astral Weeks" – "Beside You" and "Madame George". It sequences as follows

1. He Ain’t Give You None

2. Beside You

3. It’s All Right

4. Madame George

1. T.B. Sheets [Side 2]

2. Who Drove The Red Sports Car

3. Ro Ro Rosey

4. Brown Eyed Girl

A 4th compilation came out in the UK-only in September 1977 on London/Bang 6427 625 called “This Is Where I Come In” and its generous 15-tracks are gathered up as follows:

1. Spanish Rose

2. Good Baby (Baby Goodbye)

3. He Ain’t Give You None

4. Beside You

5. Madame George

6. T.B. Sheets

1. Brown Eyed Girl [Side 2]

2. Send Your Mind

3. The Smile You Smile

4. The Back Room

5. Ro Ro Rosey

6. Who Drove The Red Sports Car

7. It’s All Right

8. Joe Harper Saturday Morning

9. Midnight Special

"Chick-A-Boom" was issued in September 1967 as the B-side to "Ro Ro Rosey" in the USA on Bang 552 as the follow-up 45 to "Brown Eyed Girl" and doesn't feature on any of the four albums. Of the Previously Unreleased tracks - Sony only found the Demo tape to "The Smile You Smile" (labelled "I Love You") in 1990 while the Alternate Version to "He Ain’t Give You None" has more verses about the dodgy Old John character in the song.

CDs of "Blowin' Your Mind" followed on from "Bang Sessions" in 1995 – but for my money there's something about the Audio on this compilation that is fabulous. The 12-page booklet with informative liner notes from BILL FLANIGAN (of Musician Magazine) tell us that MARK WILDER did the Remixing and Remastering at Sony Music Studios in New York while STEPHEN St. CROIX handled the Noise Removal and Stereo Imaging on the Demo "I Love You (The Smile You Smile)". The clarity on these tracks is breathtaking.

Musically the whole CD presents this fascinating battle not just within Van - but with his professional musicians trying to capture what this mad 21-year old veteran of the clubs from Belfast actually wanted. The sessions are looking for a hit – so his R&B leanings from those Them albums surface in "Ro Ro Rosey" and "Midnight Special", the Blues come through on the fabulously sloppy "The Back Room" - but if you want genius - it’s the near ten-minutes of "T.B. Sheets" that does my head in every time. His ad-lib free-form style that would dominate his performances for decades to come was already kicking in here - you can just 'feel' his inner-Tim Buckley trying to break out (and on this track succeeding). The more Bluesy earlier version of "Beside You" and the in-studio shouting of "Madame George" have long since been the subjects of scholarly debate (when are Warner Brothers going to do a Deluxe Edition of "Astral Weeks" like they did with "Moondance"?) – but they sound just incredible anyway. I’ve always loved the lyrical "get it together" rap that goes on in "It's All Right" and those guitar flourishes too (lyrics from it title this review). It's all good really.

I return to this CD so much. Formative years or not –"Bang Masters" rocks – a stunning listen. Van the Man folks...it’s all right...