When Game Theory emerged with their fourth full-length release in 1987, there was not only a new line-up of the band, but it took two LPs to capture all of the magic. Once again produced by Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement, Let’s Active), Lolita Nation was the culmination of all that had come before, and pushed the boundaries far further than Game Theory had gone before.
Lolita Nation became their most critically acclaimed work — grabbing a Bay Area Music Award (BAMMY) nomination for Outstanding Independent Label Album in 1988. It has since been revered as a classic by fans and critics, though — sadly — it has remained out of print for quarter of a century.
As Omnivore Recordings continues to reintroduce this seminal band to the masses, Lolita Nation now requires a second CD to collect alternate mixes, live recordings, and radio sessions. The original’s 27 tracks are joined by 21 bonus performances.
In addition to the previously unheard and much sought-after eight-minute version of “Chardonnay” and illuminating alternate mixes of key album tracks, the bonus material features covers of David Bowie, The Modern Lovers, Sex Pistols, Elvis Costello, The Smiths, The Stooges, Joy Division, The Hollies, and Public Image Ltd. Classics and a never before heard song by Scott Miller from Lolita Nation era. Truly as eclectic and all-encompassing as Lolita Nation itself, and just as revolutionary.
Omnivore’s deluxe reissue of Lolita Nation will be available Feb. 5 as a double CD, Digital and double LP (first pressing on translucent dark green vinyl, with black to follow). The LP contains a download card for the entire 48-track CD program. All formats feature new liner notes from Okkervil River’s Will Sheff, interviews with the band and original album contributors and previously unseen photos.
Reissue co-producer Dan Vallor notes: “Lolita Nation is the middle child of Game Theory’s San Francisco period. The three albums of this era are like an advancing, engulfing, and receding aural storm, with Lolita Nation its tempest. The Big Shot Chronicles has warmth and elegance, but also sadness and anger expressed in ways that Scott Miller hadn’t mined before. It’s like a child’s eyes opening to coming maturity, seeing the world as new and different and romantic; yet also a provocation to petulance and indignation.” (Reissues of both Big Shot Chronicles and Two Steps From the Middle Ages will be forthcoming to round out the core catalog).
Track Listing:
Disc One:
1. Kenneth-What’s The Frequency?
2. Not Because You Can
3. Shard
4. Go Ahead, You’re Dying To
5. Dripping With Looks
6. Exactly What We Don’t Want To Hear
7. We Love You Carol And Alison
8. The Waist And The Knees
9. Nothing New
10. The World’s Easiest Job
11. Look Away
12. Slip
13. The Real Shelia
14. Andy In Ten Years
15. Watch Who You’re Calling Space Garbage Meteor Mouth • Pretty Green Card Shark
16. Where They Have To Let You In
17. Turn Me On Dead Man
18. Mammoth Gardens
19. Little Ivory
20. Museums Of Hopelessness
21. Toby Ornette
22. All Clockwork And No Bodily Fluids Makes Hal A Dull Metal Humbert • In Heaven Every Elephant Baby Wants To Be So Full Of Sting • Paul Simon In The Park With Canticle • But You Can’t Pick Your Friends • Vaccuum Genesis • Defmacros • Howsometh • Ingdotime • Salengths • Omethingl • Etbfollow • Aafternoo • Ngetprese • Ntmomenti • Fthingswo • Ntalwaysb • Ethiswayt • Bcacausea • Bwasteaft • Ernoonwhe • Neqbmeret • Urnfromsh • Owlittleg • Reenplace • 27
23. One More For Saint Michael
24. Choose Between Two Sons
25. Chardonnay
26. Last Day That We’re Young
27. Together Now, Very Minor
Disc Two
1. Chardonnay (Long Version)
2. Dripping With Looks (Rough Mix W/ Alternate Vocal)
3. One More For St. Michael (Live)
4. Carrie Anne (Live)
5. The Waist And The Knees (Rehearsal Demo)
6. Tiny Steps (Radio Session)
7. We Love You Carol And Alison (Radio Session)
8. Gimme Danger (Radio Session)
9. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Live)
10. Andy In Ten Years (Rough Mix W/ Alternate Vocal)
11. Candidate (Live)
12. Little Ivory (Rehearsal Demo)
13. These Things Take Time (Radio Session)
14. Roadrunner (Live)
15. One More For St. Michael (Rough Mix W/ Alternate Vocal)
16. God Save The Queen (Radio Session)
17. Drive-In Saturday (Radio Session)
18. Public Image (Live)
19. The Waist And The Knees (Rough Mix W/ Alternate Vocal)
20. Together Now, Very Minor (Radio Session)
21. Choose Between Two Sons
Game Theory Lolita Nation trailer:
https://youtu.be/hDD-7Y4FeHA
John David Souther, better known as JD Souther, is a singer-songwriter and actor best known as writer of hit songs by the likes of the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. While his own albums failed to gain the commercial traction of those of his songwriting clients, they’ve long been viewed as cult classics, prototypes of the Americana movement.
Omnivore Recordings will launch a JD Souther expanded reissue initiative after the first of the year, with the debut album — John David Souther — set for Jan. 8 release while Black Rose and Souther’s sole ’80s album, Home by Dawn, will return to stores on Feb. 12.
Before he was co-writing #1 Eagles hits like “Best of My Love,” “New Kid in Town,” and “Heartache Tonight” with Glenn Frey and Don Henley, Souther formed Longbranch/Pennywhistle with Frey when they were roommates. Their downstairs neighbor was a fellow by the name of Jackson Browne, who took Souther to audition for his boss, David Geffen, who had recently formed the Asylum Records label. After hearing two songs, Geffen told Souther to “go make a record.” And that’s exactly what he did.
John David Souther arrived in 1971, and was immediately a critical success and established Souther as a, if not the songwriter to watch. (He would be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame 42 years later.)
Co-produced by Souther and Fred Catero (who had recently finished Santana’s Abraxas), John David Souther featured 10 originals — all stunning, and many of which would be covered by artists like Bonnie Raitt (“Run Like a Thief”) and his old friends the Eagles, who released “How Long” as the first single from their 2007 comeback and multi-platinum smash, Long Road Out of Eden.
For its Jan. 8 expanded re-release of Souther’s debut, Omnivore has added seven previously unissued bonus tracks. John David Souther was, and is, the perfect introduction to the singer and performer behind the songs.
After his impressive debut, Souther worked with Chris Hillman (Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers) and Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield, Poco) in the short-lived Souther/Hillman/Furay Band, which yielded two more Asylum LPs, The SHF Band and Trouble in Paradise. During that time, his songwriting reputation grew, as friends and colleagues took his material to commercial heights.
To date his writing has been recorded by other artists as diverse as Hugh Masekela, Tricia Yearwood, Raul Malo, Bernadette Peters, Brooks and Dunn, Glen Campbell, Taiwanese girl group S.H.E., Michael Bublé, India Irie, and his longtime friend and collaborator Don Henley.
Five years after John David Souther, Black Rose appeared. Beautifully helmed by Peter Asher, the album was not only full of incredible songs, but a who’s who of musicians including Lowell George (Little Feat), Joe Walsh, Waddy Wachtel, Jim Keltner, Andrew Gold, Russ Kunkel, Donald Byrd, and Stanley Clarke — with David Crosby, Art Garfunkel, Don Henley and Glenn Frey adding their voices.
In addition to the lush production and instrumentation, Souther’s ten songs were again exceptional. Linda Ronstadt had previously recorded “Faithless Love” on her breakthrough Heart Like a Wheel album, and would tackle “Simple Man, Simple Dream” in 1977 — even basing that year’s album title and her 2014 memoir Simple Dreams on the song. (For the record, Ronstadt has recorded 10 Souther tracks, a relationship that began with his production on her 1973 album Don’t Cry Now, also named for a Souther composition. That album includes “I Can Almost See It” — presented as a bonus track here in Souther’s demo version.)
This expanded edition of Black Rose, due out February 12, 2016, is made even more impressive by the addition of seven bonus tracks including six previously unissued live performances and demos — the other taken from the only solo album from the Little Feat leader, Thanks I’ll Eat It Here.
“Black Rose was an ambitious undertaking, and it took a long time,” Souther states in the new liner notes. “I wanted to use more of my musical influences, and I had to dig a bit deeper. But when we were finished, I was almost as pleased with it as if it had sold a million copies. Almost.”
Now is the time for those million copies to bloom.
After hitting the Top 10 twice with “You’re Only Lonely” and his duet with James Taylor, “Her Town Too,” Souther released his only album of the 1980s — Home by Dawn, produced by David Malloy (Eddie Rabbitt, Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire).
As Souther took distinctive creative turns with each release, Home by Dawn emerged at the beginning of the new wave of country music. In fact, legendary producer/engineer, and David’s father, Jim Malloy (Townes Van Zandt, Eddy Arnold, Sammi Smith) told Souther, “You were about 15 minutes ahead of your time!” That timing was confirmed when Dixie Chicks covered “I’ll Take Care of You” on their 12x platinum-awarded Wide Open Spaces in 1998.
Home by Dawn has steadily earned a reputation as the groundbreaking and important statement it was, and continues to be. From rock to roots-rock to rockabilly, that release took Souther in a direction reflecting his Texas upbringing.
For its Omnivore reissue, the album’s original nine songs are joined by four bonus tracks — a demo of “I’ll Take Care of You,” two outtakes from the original sessions and his Urban Cowboy duet with Linda Ronstadt, “Hearts Against the Wind.”
Home by Dawn has proven to be an important and influential album released before its time. Now is the perfect time to discover, or rediscover it.
All three reissues feature expanded artwork, and new liner notes by Scott Schinder, based on recent interviews with Souther.
John David Souther track listing:
The Fast One
Run Like a Thief
Jesus in 3/4 Time
Kite Woman
Some People Call It Music
White Wing
It’s the Same
How Long
Out to Sea
Lullaby
Bonus Tracks:
Kite Woman (Alternate Version)
Jesus in 3/4 Time (Demo)
The Fast One (Demo)
Run Like a Thief (Demo)
How Long (Demo)
One in the Middle (Demo)
Silver Blue (Demo)
Black Rose Track Listing:
Banging My Head Against the Moon
If You Have Crying Eyes
Your Turn Now
Faithless Love
Baby Come Home
Simple Man, Simple Dream
Silver Blue
Midnight Prowl
Doors Swing Open
Black Rose
Bonus Tracks:
Faithless Love (Live)
Songs of Love (Band Demo)
Can Almost See It (Demo)
Cheek to Cheek – Lowell George
Border Town (Solo Demo)
Texas Nights and Mexican Moons (instrumental piano demo)
Songs of Love (Solo Demo)
Home by Dawn Track Listing:
Home by Dawn
Go Ahead and Rain
Say You Will
I’ll Take Care of You
All for You
Night
Don’t Know What I’m Gonna Do
Bad News
All I Want
Bonus Tracks:
Hearts Against the Wind – Linda Ronstadt/JD Souther
I’ll Take Care of You (Demo)
Little Girl Blue
Girls All Over the World
JD Souther trailer:
https://youtu.be/takuJJCJPZI
No comments:
Post a Comment