| Author | Message | ||
     spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 71 Registered: 05-2005 |
Does anyone know if, given the rise in the GoBees populatrity of late, if Beggars Banquet (or whoever) might look at remastering and reissuing Robert / Grants solo stuff y know the kinda thing with extra tracks. Has anyone heard anything? I would personally love to hear any outtakes from Danger in the past and Horse Breaker Star. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 160 Registered: 10-2004 |
i think this has been touched on here before, albeit in a "what are the chances of this ever happening?" vein. it's doubtful that forster has very many bonus tracks (please, someone correct me if i'm wrong), given his "4 songs a year" work ethic that he's mentioned in the past. as for grant having bonus tracks, i know he's got at least a few hard-to-find b-side only gems scattered about, paricularly from the period immediately following the go-betweens break-up. people here have stated (not unreasonably) that it's doubtful this kind of reissue series would happen simply because the solo albums didn't sell so well to begin with. it's been hypethesized many times that part of the reason for the Go-Between reunification comes down to the fact that their respective solo careers were sinking ships financially. there just wasn't as much interest in them as solo artists as there seems to be when they're together. if this is true, that would be further motivation to *not* reissue the solo albums. this is all just speculative, so i could be totally wrong about all of this. maybe it would prove more lucrative than i think. that said, it would be nice to see long out-of-print stuff like 'calling from a country phone' back in circulation. robert's albums are not easy to find these days. that would seem to me a good incentive to reissue them, at least a relatively small run. grant's albums, on the other hand, can still be found pretty easily in bargin bins for pretty cheap, so at least around where i live, his stuff isn't hard to track down. | ||
| fsh Member Username: Fsh Post Number: 68 Registered: 05-2005 |
As far as I'm aware, the only out takes from Danger in the Past were a little ditty called 'The land that time forgot' that was released on the b-side of the promo only 7" release of Baby Stones, and an early version of 'Falling Star' that was incomplete. | ||
| Alex Bolton Member Username: Alexb Post Number: 11 Registered: 01-2006 |
Bonus track reissues seem to be all the rage these days and the GoBs have followed the trend. Some albums like 16LL benefit - I love Grant's You Won't Find it Again for example. On Tallulah though they really seem to be scraping the barrell to find 10 extra tracks. I think Jeff W is right that there wouldn't be sufficient interest for solo reissues, though in 1990 when Watershed came out there were high hopes for GW as a commercial artist since 16LL had pushed his songs to the fore. I'm a fan of both as solo artists. As far as the GoBs are concerned though, you do feel the band is greater than the sum of its parts... | ||
| Jaz Member Username: Jaz Post Number: 3 Registered: 05-2005 |
> robert's albums are not easy to find these days. It appears that you can still get Warm Nights, New York Girlfriend and & Danger in the Past from Beggars Mail Order, £5.50 each plus P&P. They have most of Grant's albums too. http://mailorder.almaroad.com/cart/bb_frames.html Secure connection to their website doesn't always work, but I've ordered by phone/email in the past. HTH Jaz | ||
| Kurt Stephan Member Username: Slothbert Post Number: 128 Registered: 04-2005 |
Jaz is right--and it's not hard to find used, inexpensive copies of any of the solo albums from Amazon or eBay. Given the relative thinness of the solo albums, I don't think the world really needs reissues with bonus tracks. To add to what Alex said about the bonus discs of the GoBs albums, it's interesting to note how many non-album gems were included with the reissues of the first three albums (arguably, the "SMAL" and "SHF" bonus discs are as enjoyable as the release albums), but how much slimmer the pickings get in the second batch of three albums. However, regarding "Tallulah," I really like the alternate radio session versions of several of the album tracks, esp. "Kerouac," "Clarke Sisters," and "Right Here," because they give an idea what the album might have sounded like if given a "Liberty Belle"-style production instead of the slick, programmed drum-heavy style of the actual album. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 72 Registered: 05-2005 |
I suppose the answer would be to give it a try Beggars? You never know what they could uncover if they really tried. DITP to me is a lost 'classic', (even the cover is a work of art!) maybe more so than any of GM's solo efforts. If they did release it remastered with some strong advertising I reckon it could attract a new audience. Take The Blue Aeroplanes deluxe version of Swagger which has just been released, again 16 years down the line, I believe this is selling very well at the moment and there's really been no press on the Aeroplanes for 10 years, so anything is possible. I suppose where I 'm coming from is that I value DITP very highly and feel it would be doing justice to an amazing album to raise its profile rather than rendering it to the vaults. Ho hum... | ||
| gareth w Member Username: Gareth Post Number: 27 Registered: 05-2005 |
The re-release of 'Swagger' is really excellent. The second disk stands up well in its own right. Had forgotten how good the album was. 'Your Ages' is such a great song. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 73 Registered: 05-2005 |
yeah it is an amazing album Swagger. I was lucky enough to support them on that tour in 1990, there was such a buzz at the time as they'd just finished the REM Green tour. It was such a shame as they nearly had a glimmer of real fame rather than cult status, their version of Boy in the bubble sneaked into the Top 40, which meant a Top of The Pops appointment, but the week they were due to appear there was a Cameramen strike!! So they never made it onto the big screen. They were an unbelievable group, really quite astounding. They are major idols of mine! I am fortunate enough to keep in touch with gerard and some ex Aeroplanes, in fact the drummer John is playing on my next CD album with my group The Winnebago Orchestra (we have a CD out on the GoBees Tuition label in May). Sorry, veering off thread there (its the Scottish in me) | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 134 Registered: 08-2004 |
I listened to Blue Aeroplanes 'Altitude' last night, very impressive. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 161 Registered: 10-2004 |
while we're on this tangent, can anyone recommend some blue aeroplanes records for me? i've only heard friendloverplane, which i thought was okay but kind of patchy (which might make sense, given that it's a comp). where's a good place to start with them? | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 74 Registered: 05-2005 |
Swagger is the best place to start really. There's also a compilation entitled Huh! Friendloverplane the blue cover spans their early existence, I think its really a great insight into how a band can develop. Frienloverplane 2 is similar to Huh! Beatsongs which followed Swagger in '91 should have been the breakthrough album, its very good. If you want to travel back a bit, there's an album called Spitting Out Miracles, which finds them in their folky pop art phase, it is an excellent album, but was the last album to feature many of the originalline up. They then went from amateurs to professionals when Swagger was unleashed. There's a real difference between Spitting '87 and Swagger '90. Rough Music, Life Model and anything else you find are patchy. Gerard Langley's solo album Record Player is good. Offshoots I would recommend are Time for the rest of your life by Strangelove, their first cd featuring Alex Lee and John langley form BA's. Caroline Trettine (ex gutarist) has 2 smashing albums, 10 Light Years and Trail in the sky. She's very Sandy Denny, but with a much smokier tone. Angelo Bruschini the axe hero in the BA's went on to play in Massive Attack, you probably know their Mezzanine, he's all over that, its a great CD. Hope this helps. | ||
| Jeff Whiteaker Member Username: Jeff_whiteaker Post Number: 162 Registered: 10-2004 |
Thanks spence, I'll have to hunt these down. I have noticed a fair amount of 2nd hand copies of Blue Aeroplanes LPs in the record shops in my area, so hopefully the albums you mentioned are among them. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 75 Registered: 05-2005 |
Good luck Jeff hope you enjoy them! | ||
| Randy Adams Member Username: Randy_adams Post Number: 152 Registered: 03-2005 |
Taking down notes . . . . Anybody with a folk pop art phase has to be good. And a guitarist who sounds like Sandy Denny? I see an Amoeba trip coming. | ||
| spence Member Username: Spence Post Number: 76 Registered: 05-2005 |
if anybody wants a caroline trettine cd 'trail in the sky' e-mail me your addressand i'll get you a copy FOC. there are sopme people who i promised some josef k and paul haig videos too, i have just located the files and will send them shortly. | ||
| M. Mark Burgess Member Username: Fortysomething Post Number: 64 Registered: 05-2005 |
I'm thinking Rhino for these solo re-issues. Hell, they've re-released everything else. | ||
| Jerry Clark Member Username: Jerry Post Number: 136 Registered: 08-2004 |
I would be surprised if Lomax didn't take up the solo years idea. If you consider how succesful OA has been. To repackage & compile not forgetting to put "of The Go-Betweens" stickers on every one. Go on Bernard, if you don't somebody else will. |