Fundamentally ... Exciting!

No one loves album reissues more than I do. Now you (and I!) have a chance to win these wonderful deluxe editions from the Pet Shop Boys. Enter HERE.

Music Box: 'Tom Tom Club' (1981) (2009 Reissue)

They say if you want something done right then you should do it yourself. So having spent considerable time and money, along with my pal Greg Jelinek, in "issuing" my own version of various albums that were never released on compact disc, I tend to be as leery as I am excited when records labels surprise me every so often and actually get around to putting some of these overlooked gems out themselves. Still, when word leaked out that a two-disc reissue of the Tom Tom Club's infectious debut album was in the works, complete with bonus disc of the band's hitherto unreleased-on-CD second record, "Close to the Bone, I was overjoyed. (Not to be a buzz kill -- I know it was part of a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Island Records -- but what IDIOT thought of releasing this album on CD in 2009 -- now that NO ONE buys CDs? Why wasn't this out between 1990 and 2000 when they were flying off the shelves and fans were KILLING for it??? But I digress ...)

Naturally, I'm always thrilled when the old tapes are properly converted to digital as my vinyl transfers -- no matter how talented my friend DJ Joe Ross is -- can hardly compete to the real thing. But more often than not, the record label forgets to dot all of its I's and cross all of its T's, so when the CD version finally comes out it frequently pales in comparison to what I've already come up with. Missing B-sides, crappy artwork and incorrect information are common problems -- Marilyn's "Despite Straight Lines" and the Romeo Void/Debora Iyall discs come to mind -- and you're left thinking, you had 20 YEARS to get this right and this is the best you could do?!

So how does "Tom Tom Club/Close to the Bone," um, measure up? Much to my surprise, I'd have to say it's nearly perfect. The sound is fantastic. (It's so great to finally hear my beloved "Never Took a Penny" and "Measure Up" without the hiss and crackle from my worn-out 1983 album.) And they even included the three remixes of "The Man With the 4-Way Hips" that Greg and I had fastidiously included on our "reissue." While it would have been nice to have the artwork from "Close to the Bone" more fully represented somewhere (see photo above for Greg's flawless replication of the cover mixed in with the other albums, above), the packaging is completely delightful and builds upon the timeless original work of James Rizzi, whose "Genius of Love" video won an MTV award for "Best Animated Video" in early '83. (The inclusion of the singles covers is sooooo Greg Jelinek!) The best part, however, is Ian Gilchrist 's loving liner notes, which fascinatingly detail the recording of the debut album that would influence an entire generation (Jamaican producer Lee "Scratch" Perry was supposed to have the con but he STOOD THE BAND UP as they waited in Compass Point Studios, Bahamas, for weeks! The label had originally ordered just a single but were so blown away that it was turned into an album deal! Grace Jones was recording in the studio next door!) The notes go on to explain the tumultuous recording of the dreaded followup (Babies, vegans and cocaine -- oh, my!) They even got to perform "Pleasure of Love" on "Soul Train," making them only the second white act to appear on the show. (Everyone knows "Genius of Love" has been sampled a million times; but did you know Diddy and LL Cool J made "Pleasure of Love" into songs, too?) The band's subsequent efforts, including the infamous Escape From New York tour with the Ramones and Debbie Harry in 1990, are detailed as well. (Really great stuff, Ian: would have loved to have heard how/why they chose to record "Under the Boardwalk, though; and should mention that Colombian -- as in Colombian-American -- and Combs -- as in Sean Puffy Combs -- were misspelled, and it's LL Cool J, not "Jay"!)

My only complaints about the reissue are this: While the new (non-"Close to the Bone") bonus tracks were a nice touch, why would you REMOVE two of the bonus tracks that were on the original CD pressing -- especially a remix of "Wordy Rappinghood" and a long version of "Genius of Love," two of the band's best-known songs? For one thing, there's PLENTY of room left of the disc for them to be included. And more annoyingly to me, doing this forces me to KEEP both discs instead of replacing the old one with the new. (I'm actually NOT a fan of remixes but I AM very anal.) And secondly, WHY didn't someone -- was that you, Chris Frantz? -- DOUBLE CHECK the sequencing and artwork? Two of the songs are listed INCORRECTLY on the disc AND on the artwork: "On, On, On, On ..." (remix) is really "Under the Boardwalk" and vice versa. (Oh, and the inside descriptions omit the word "remix," so it makes it look like "On, On, On, On ..." is just on there twice for no reason). Still, two rather modest misgivings given the shoddy work I've seen from other labels.

MY GRADE: "A": If you are a fan of the Tom Tom Club, you WILL want to shell out 30 bucks for this wonderful U.K. import.



"As Above So Below" (2017 video)

Here they are doing "Under the Boardwalk" in what looks like a reunion tour

"Genius of Love" (acoustic live version)

Performing "Wordy Rappinghood" in 1981!



And again at a 2009 Island Records celebration

Read all Music Box posts HERE.

Music Box: 'Despite Straight Lines'

The 23-year itch, scratched

Cry and be free? Perhaps it does work. It was just this past July that I wrote a sentimental Music Box post about Marilyn, in which I lamented how the one album recorded by the British gender bender had never even made it into the "digital age." Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that by year's end, the album -- which was a bomb when it came out in the U.K. back in 1985 and never even released in America -- would be reissued on compact disc. Cherry Pop popped Marilyn's digital cherry on Dec. 9 with the release of "Despite Straight Lines: The Very Best of Marilyn." (If this can happen, then you might want to hold out hope for any album that never made it to disc!)

Blitz Kids + Jerry Hall + Jamaica x Marilyn Monroe = Marilyn

While a CD by the ultimate style-over-substance artist of the '80s is a welcome addition to my collection, the long-awaited results are decidedly mixed. (FYI: This is not a review of the album -- which I can't even be objective about all these years later because the songs are so deeply ingrained in my childhood that I just love listening to them -- but of the reissue of the album. I will concede, however, that if I'd never heard most of these before I'd probably be pretty horrified!) Let's start with the good news: Cherry Pop did a decent job with the digital remastering. The production was always tight (God knows Marilyn's label was banking on his being the "next Boy George"), but the engineer is to be credited for a job well done here, even if it doesn't sound that much different from the MP3s that have been floating around the World Wide Web for ages. Much more impressive is the fun packaging -- always a key point in any Marilyn release, why do you think I bought all his import 12-inch singles in the first place?! -- with a beautiful 10-page booklet with glamorous color photos of the real Marilyn (not that buzz-cut version on his LP cover, which never seemed right), including an old Smash Hits cover, plus a complete biography and discography.

Unanswered prayers

But from there things begin to go a little off. For starters, the ever-demanding Marilyn himself -- who can cop a diva attitude from a Council flat -- apparently insisted that Cherry Pop omit "Pray for That Sunshine" because he has "no affection for the track." While I understand wanting to please an artist you're working with -- especially one who was rumored to have been making things extremely difficult for the people at the label -- I find this decision to be completely unacceptable, a deal-breaker even. The album only had 10 songs to begin with, so to eliminate even one -- particularly one that was released as a SINGLE!!! -- leaves a huge void. (It's even still listed on the original artwork included on the CD, above.)

Fans who have waited some 20 years for an official CD release -- most of whom have long ago gotten their hands on MP3s of everything - and are now shelling out close to 20 bucks for the import deserve the album in its entirety. (A very selfish move by Marilyn.)

Once, twice, three times a diva

To make up for this omission, the CD boasts eight bonus tracks. While this sounds promising, fans will be quickly disappointed to learn that not all of Maz's b-sides are included on this collection either. His first two B's -- "Move Together" and "Running" -- are here and are as delightful as ever. But then "I Ain't Been Licked" (a HUGE fan favorite) is missing (perhaps because it was too costly? it's a cover of the Diana Ross song by Ashford & Simpson) and so is the original "Raining Again," although an extended version is. (I'd rather have ALL the originals before we get into any alternate versions, but I guess you could call this one a wash if not for the fact that this 7-plus-minute "Raining Again" is REALLY annoying and strips away all of the charms of the single version.) In addition, none of the songs he recorded during various comeback attempts -- "Sofia" and "Hold on Tight" or his covers of "Sooner or Later" and "Spirit in the Sky" -- are included. (There's also a bunch of demos that could have been included.) Instead, we get two extended versions of "Calling Your Name," two alternate recordings of "Cry and Be Free" (only they're labeled incorrectly, switching "Streisand Style" and "Gospel") and an extended version of "Baby U Left Me (In the Cold)."

The first Mrs. Gavin Rossdale

So, it's a truly mixed bag. If you're a Marilyn fan, of course you'll want to pick up a copy. (What self-respecting '80s queen could resist a MARILYN CD?!) But at the same time it's a bit of a shame this one-time-only effort would have a stupid song labeling error (oh, and the URL to his official Web site is WRONG, too!) and, more importantly, be robbed of some of Marilyn's best songs. Perhaps it's fitting that this album -- which could have only been made in the 1980s -- would finally get the '90s treatment in the '00s. I certainly see no listing for it on iTunes or Amazon MP3s, which I'm sure won't upset any of the kids buying music out there now. But at least I can be free of wishing for this CD, even if left me (a bit) in the cold ...

Always looking out for No. 1

Does it come as any surprise that this disappointed purchaser of this long-overdue CD had produced his own Marilyn collection several years ago? It's like my mother always told me, if you want something done right, do it yourself. So tell me, Marilyn fans: Which one would YOU rather have?

(Artwork by Greg Jelinek)

 

"Cry and Be Free," Marilyn's second single, which Boy George dubbed "Try and Be Me"

Since Cherry Pop didn't bother to include it, here's "I Ain't Been Licked," Maz-style

Marilyn tries to undo the damage from his career-wrecking 1985 mishap at Area with this 1989 performance of "Give It Up" in Milan 

Pretenders Deluxe

The first album I profiled in my ongoing Listen Up series of all-time favorites was the classic Pretenders debut from 1980. Over the summer I went to see the Pretenders and couldn't believe how great Chrissie Hynde sounds after all these years (it's like time stood still with that woman). I've long been complaining that the early Pretenders albums were begging to be remastered (when songs from them come on my iPod, they're half as loud as current music), but it was beginning to seem like every other album was being deluxed up except the Pretenders.

Much to my delight the good people at Rhino Records answered my prayers this Tuesday -- and the glorious results arrived in my mailbox today! Where do I begin in describing what they've done: not only are the first two albums remastered and sounding better than ever, each comes with a bonus disc of rarities, b-sides, demos and live tracks from the early years. Both collections come with the complete lyrics (something the original albums didn't have if my memory serves me correctly) and both have all of the original artwork and detailed liner notes, including information on the bonus material. I just got them today and haven't even gotten through all four discs yet as I write this -- I just heard Chrissie scream out her McEnroe-inspired "You guys are the pits of the world!" opening of "Pack It Up" -- but already I'm mesmerized by the demo of "Brass in Pocket" in which Chrissie's point of view is completely in reverse singing "You're special. So special" rather than the more appropriate rocker chick "I'm special" attitude we've always loved. Another surprise is that the song "Tequila" from 1994's "The Last of the Independents" is actually an old number from the original lineup days (the demo is included).

If you're a Pretenders fan you'll want to get both of these classic albums in the format they deserve to be heard in. Go to Amazon and check out the two-disc remastered versions of "Pretenders" here and "Pretenders II" here.

(Note to Rhino: You really outdid yourselves, but did you have to use those annoying cardboard cases that are too big to fit in a CD rack?! Oh, well. You can't have everything ...)

Previously:
I Love Pretending
Listen Up: Pretenders (1980)