Kanye West - Love Everyone (2018)

In May 2017 news began to surface that Kanye West was working in seclusion on his new album "on top of a mountain in Wyoming". In March 2018, similar reports emerged through various artists, including West himself, that he was in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and a release date for the new album was being expected for either 2018 or 2019. In April 2018, West met with Rick Rubin. who was the executive producer on West's previous two studio albums, in West's office in Calabasas, and that same month he previewed the album for radio host Charlamagne tha God, announcing the album's planned release date of June 1, 2018. Revealing it to include seven tracks, and he later tweeted out a text conversation between him and Wes Lang, in which he shared the initial cover for the album, and an explanation of its concept, followed by him asking for help naming the album. Lang replied "LOVE EVERYONE," to which West replied "I love that". The cover art showed plastic surgeon Jan Adams, who had performed a liposuction and mammoplasty operation on West's mother, Donda West, which led to complications and eventually her death a day later. Within the texts, West explained that he wanted to "forgive and stop hating", implying that he was ready to forgive the plastic surgeon for the situation regarding his mother's death, but Adams responded to the news of the cover in the form of an open letter, asking West to "cease and desist using my photo or any image of me to promote your album or any of your work", while noting his willingness to sit down with West for a face to face conversation. 

West returned to Wyoming in May 2018 for more recording sessions, as outside of his own albums he was also executive producing, producing, and providing guest vocals for all of the albums by other artists that came out of these "Wyoming Sessions". However, shortly before the proposed release date for 'Love Everyone', West scrapped the whole album, and recorded a new batch of songs which was released as 'Ye' on 01 June 2018. In an interview conducted during the listening party for 'Ye', West stated that he redid the whole album after a controversial interview with the tabloid news website TMZ in May 2018, during which he revealed that he was addicted to opioids after getting liposuction, and made controversial comments about slavery, as well as suggesting that the entire 'Ye' album was recorded in a month, following the scrapping of 'Love Everyone'. As with many of West's unreleased albums, a definitive track listing doesn't exist, and even though it was stated that it included seven tracks, most of the leaked songs are fairly short, meaning that it would have been a brief thirty minute album at the most. I've therefore combined four or five suggested track listings to make a 40-minute album, and it contains most of the songs that the general consensus says should have been included, while omitting early versions of tracks that later turned up on 'Ye'.  

Track listing

01 Love Yourself
02 Lift Yourself 2049
03 Take Me To The Light (feat. Francis And The Lights & Bon Iver)
04 Queen Bitch
05 Ye vs. The People (Starring TI as The People)
06 Shoot Up (feat. Bon Iver & Santigold)
07 Fine Line (feat. Bon Iver)
08 XTCY (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)

09 Simulation Baptize (feat. A$AP Rocky & Pardison Fontaine)
10 In Your Arms (feat. The-Dream & Caroline Shaw)
11 Lovely (feat. Ant Clemons & Jeremiah)
12 Brothers (feat. Charlie Wilson)

Evanescence - Solitude (1999)

Evanescence was founded by singer, pianist and songwriter Amy Lee and former lead guitarist and songwriter Ben Moody after they met at a youth camp in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1994. Their first songs were 'Solitude' and 'Give Unto Me', written by Lee, and 'Understanding' and 'My Immortal', written by Moody, although the songs were edited by both artists, and they shared equal writing credit. Two of Lee and Moody's songs found playtime on local radio stations, raising local awareness of the group and creating demand for a show, and when the band eventually appeared live they became one of the most popular acts in the area. After experimenting with band names, such as Childish Intentions and Stricken, they decided on Evanescence, which means 'disappearance' or 'fading away', and under that name they released two EP's in 1998 and 1999. The first was the self-titled 'Evanescence EP', of which about 100 copies were made, and which was sold at Vino's Bar, and also handed out to family members of the band for $15 a copy. The second was the 'Sound Asleep EP', also known as the 'Whisper EP', which was limited to just 50 copies, which Moody burned onto CD-Rs on his computer. This EP was released in collaboration with Sound Asleep Records and the label Bigwig Enterprises, and although it had been named 'Whisper' by Lee and Moody, it was then forcibly named 'Sound Asleep' by Sound Asleep Records, which is why it is known by both names. This EP also includes the hidden track 'Ascension Of The Spirit', which was the first recorded instrumental made by the band, and in it's full version runs for over 11 minutes, although this is mostly silence, before a clip from the movie 'My Boyfriend's Back' that starts at 3:00, and then the actual music commences at around 8:19. For this post I've edited out all the silence to leave just the clip and the music. 

These EPs were followed in 2000 by a demo album, which was released on the Bigwig Enterprises label, and both 'Origin' and the EP's all contain demo versions of some of the songs which would later appear on their 2002 debut album 'Fallen'. As only 2,500 copies of 'Origin' were produced, Lee and Moody encouraged fans to download the band's older songs from the Internet, building up a loyal fanbase along the way. Possibly because a number of the songs from these early recordings later turned up on official releases, the EP's have not been compiled, and these versions of the songs are getting harder to find, so I've gathered them all together on one album, and also added a few out-takes from the recording sessions. From the first EP we have 'Give Unto Me', which is a dark piano ballad that Lee composed for her music class at age 14, and which was omitted from the EP due to its heavy religious influence, although an instrumental version of the song was included on their 'Sound Asleep' EP. Added to that are an early version of 'My Immortal' with different lyrics, an acoustic take of 'Understanding', and the otherwise unreleased 'October'. From the 'Sound Asleep' sessions we have 'Goodnight', which was written and performed for a local charity in Little Rock, and which was briefly considered for inclusion on their 'Sound Asleep' EP, but was omitted due to its more light-hearted feel. It was later released on a compilation CD in favor of the KABF 88.3 FM radio program Blitzkrieg in May 2000. And we end with 'You', which was a very personal song of Lee's that was conceived during the recording of 'Sound Asleep', but was omitted as Lee originally intended it to be heard by a select few people. Although the band originally asked fans not to download it, there are many posts of it on Youtube, so I'm including it on this album so you can hear it and make up their own mind about whether to keep it or not. 

Track listing

01 Where Will You Go

02 Solitude

03 Imaginary

04 Exodus

05 So Close

06 Understanding

07 The End

08 My Immortal

09 Give Unto Me

10 Understanding (acoustic version)

11 October

12 Give Unto Me (instrumental)

13 Whisper 

14 Understanding (Sound Asleep version)

15 Forgive Me

16 Ascension Of The Spirit 

17 Goodnight

18 You

Nicole Wray - Elektric Blue (2001)

In 1997, Nicole Wray appeared as a featured vocalist on the song 'Gettaway' for Missy Elliott's first album 'Supa Dupa Fly', and using that as a springboard she released her first solo single 'Make It Hot' the following year, with the record peaking in the top-five on Billboard's Hot 100. This was followed by an album of the same name, but it didn't fare as well as the single, peaking at forty-two on Billboard Top 200 Albums and ninety-one on the UK Albums Chart. Further singles from the album failed to promote sales, although in 1999 Missy Elliott once again featured Wray on her single 'All n My Grill', which achieved some success in European markets. and even garnered a gold-status certification by the SNEP. In 2000, Wray began recording her original second album titled 'Elektric Blue', releasing 'I'm Lookin'' as the lead single, but despite the record's moderate performance on the R&B chart, the album was subjected to several postponements. Wray had partnered with producers outside the SuperFriends clique, and recruited composers Diane Warren, Teddy Bishop, Harold Lily, Tamara Savage, Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo of The Neptunes/N*E*R*D during demo sessions for the album, writing songs such as 'Gonna Love You', 'Only Love', 'Dial My Heart', and 'Jump'. During the course of summer 2000, she decided to work again with collaborators Missy Elliott & Timbaland, coming up with 'Single Life', '(No Joke) Mama Used to Say', 'Club 2G', and 'Bangin' (Don't Lie)', the latter serving as one of two buzz singles for 'Elektric Blue'. Sadly, the single went nowhere due to the signing of Wary's Goldmind Inc. label-mate Torrey Carter, whose inclusion pushed her and other label-mate's projects into 2001. The event caused her to retool the album once more and choose a softer single compared to her previous selections, and the ballad 'I'm Lookin''  was chosen as the official lead single, but although it garnered minor airplay on video networks like BET's 'Midnight Love', it failed to make a bigger impression on the Billboard chart, and as a result 'Elektric Blue' was pushed back once more towards the fourth quarter of 2001, with the consequence that Wray asked to be released from her contract, and 'Elektric Blue' was consigned to the vaults. Once again, record company politics got in the way and prevented a fine album from being heard by the fans, and so, just as Lady Wary re-emerges with her new album 'Piece Of Me', here is a chance to hear that shelved recording, and to curse the record company for keeping it hidden away. 'Sweetest' was only a brief minute and a half long, so I've extended it into a more listenable three minute piece. 

Track listing

01 I'm Lookin'
02 Not My Man (Meet Me At The Spot)
03 (No Joke) Mama Used To Say (feat. Redman & Missy Elliott)
04 Wanna Cruise
05 Single Life (Interlude) (feat. Missy Elliott)

06 Sweetest
07 Bangin' (Don't Lie) (feat. Prodigy)
08 (You) Played The Game
09 Sayonara
00 U Can't Be Me
11 Gonna Love You
12 Ghetto Children (feat. Bizzy)

Marvin Gaye & Pink Floyd - Requiem For A Dream (1981)

American soul star Marvin Gaye lived in Ostend in Belgium during 1981/1982, spending 18 months there during one of the lowest points in his life, trying to overcome his drugs and alcohol addiction, and attempting to regain his inspiration. This was partially successful, as he penned one of his biggest hits 'Sexual Healing' during this period, but generally it wasn't a great time for him. During his stay he would frequently hop across the pond to the UK, and on one of these jaunts in London, he attended a Pink Floyd concert at Earl's Court, and was invited to join them on stage for a rendition of 'Let’s Get It On', sung over Floyd's 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', and a rare piece of audio footage of this performance has recently been located. After the chemistry of this impromptu performance, Waters and Gaye discussed the possibility of recording these collaborations for a possible release, in what would be considered an early version of what people now refer to as a mash-up record. In late 1981, before returning back to the States, Gaye recorded eight renditions of his songs alongside Waters' and Pink Floyd's released material. Coming off a recent departure from Motown, and upset with the rush-job of the Motown-released 'In Our Lifetime' album, Gaye felt the need to move on to other label prospects, and to encourage his creative urge to push into new musical directions. As he was now a free agent, Harvest Heritage was interested in putting out this collaborative effort with Gaye and Pink Floyd, following their release of Floyd's 'A Collection Of Great Dance Songs', but they couldn't clear the rights with Motown to use Gaye's likeness or vocals from his Motown recordings. Reworking an unused Roger Waters album title, the record was named 'Requiem For A Dream', and a limited number of copies were pressed using existing pictures, in the hope that it would see a release date at some point in the future, but it all came to nothing and so the album was shelved. However, one of those limited pressings of the album has recently been unearthed, and so we can now hear this collaboration of musical giants, with Gaye performing some of his best-loved songs, backed by the music of Pink Floyd. The live audio footage of 'Let's Get It On' is believed to have either come from the original Floyd bootleg entitled 'The Wall Came Tumbling Down' or from Waters' unreleased The Wall Tour footage, but this is currently unconfirmed.

Track listing

01 If This World Were Mine 
02 Ain't No Mountain High Enough
03 Stubborn Kinda Fellow 
04 What's Going On? 
05 Ain't That Peculiar 
06 If I Could Build The Whole World 
07 A Wonderful One  
08 Let's Get It On 
09 Let's Get it On (Live from Earl's Court)

Prefab Sprout - Has All The Best Tunes (1992)

In 1977 brothers Paddy and Martin McAloon formed The Dick Diver Band, but by 1978 the name had changed to Prefab Sprout, a name McAloon had created years earlier, when band names were supposed to be profound and have hidden meaning, and so he just joined two random words together. After drummer Michael Salmon joined the brothers, they began playing live, and in 1982 they recorded their first single 'Lions in My Own Garden: Exit Someone' / 'Radio Love', which was self-released on their own Candle Records. Paddy McAloon later said that he wanted a song title where the first letters of the words spelled out Limoges, the French city where his former girlfriend was studying at the time. Music journalist Stuart Maconie praised the track as "enigmatic, melancholy, and tuneful", and shortly after its release their lineup expanded to incorporate vocalist Wendy Smith, and this new configuration recorded their second single 'The Devil Has All the Best Tunes' / 'Walk On' in September 1982. In March 1983 they were signed to Keith Armstrong's Kitchenware Records, and their two singles were reissued by Kitchenware and attracted notice including adulation from Elvis Costello, as well as making original copies instantly collectable. Following the departure of Michael Salmon as drummer, the band recorded their debut album with session drummer Graham Lant in a 24-track studio in Edinburgh on a budget of £5,000, and 'Swoon' (an acronym for Songs Written Out Of Necessity), was released in March 1984. It was critically acclaimed, with several reviewers highlighting its unorthodox musical style and unconventional lyrics, and it reached No. 22 on the UK Albums Chart, attracting the attention of musician Thomas Dolby along the way, who began producing new material with the band. Graham Lant's relationship with Prefab Sprout ended soon after the recording of 'Swoon', so Neil Conti joined the band as a permanent drummer, and the band's second album 'Steve McQueen' was released in 1985, (issued in America as 'Two Wheels Good' in anticipation of displeasure from McQueen's estate), and was highly praised by critics, as well as giving the band its first hit UK single with 'When Love Breaks Down'. The band's next project was 'Protest Songs', a sparsely-produced and quickly recorded album intended for a limited release in late 1985, but it was put on hold by CBS so as not to affect sales of 'Steve McQueen', and languished in the vaults for four years before finally seeing the light of day in 1989. 

Before that the band issued the  follow-up to 'Steve McQueen', 'From Langley Park To Memphis', in 1988, and this record gave the band their biggest commercial success in the UK, with the single 'The King Of Rock 'n' Roll' reaching No. 7 in the UK Singles Chart, their only single to reach the Top 10. The album was also notable for including guest appearances from Stevie Wonder and Pete Townshend, as well as using multiple producers, including Thomas Dolby, who could not commit to working on the entire album. Two years later, the ironically titled 'Jordan: The Comeback', was nominated for a BRIT Award, and although Thomas Dolby was on board to give the music a more accessible appeal than their earlier material, the lyrics and subject matter remained characteristically oblique and suggestive. In 1992 the band took a five year hiatus, returning in 1997 with their first new studio material in the form of the album 'Andromeda Heights', but this was also a time of change for the group, with Wendy Smith leaving to pursue a new career as a voice instructor. In 2001 the band, now reduced to Paddy and Martin McAloon, released 'The Gunman And Other Stories', a concept album based around the American Wild West, and produced by Tony Visconti, but although the opening track 'Cowboy Dreams' was a hit for the British actor-singer Jimmy Nail, the parent album did not enjoy commercial success. In 2003 Paddy McAloon was diagnosed with a medical disorder that seriously impaired his vision, but he still released his first solo album that year, with 'I Trawl The Megahertz' coming out on the EMI Liberty label. Fifteen years later, in autumn 2018, the album was reissued on Sony Music as a Prefab Sprout record, as it had originally been intended. In 2006, McAloon suffered another medical setback, where due to the onset of Ménière's disease his hearing had deteriorated. 

Prefab Sprout's first album of new material since 2001, 'Let's Change The World With Music', emerged in 2009, but this was actually a collection of McAloon solo demos, originally recorded in the early 1990's and intended for an unmade full band Prefab Sprout album. Despite this, reviews in the UK press were favourable, and in 2013 a leak of ten previously unreleased songs on SoundCloud led to speculation that a new Prefab Sprout album was being recorded, but when it did appear, once again 'Crimson/Red' consisted of developed versions of tracks from the vaults. It also confirmed that Prefab Sprout was now in effect a solo project, with Paddy McAloon singing, playing and programming all of the music on the album on his own, as the deterioration of his hearing and eyesight made it impractical for any other musicians to be involved. Throughout the band's career, McAloon has been an extremely prolific songwriter, and there are rumours of hundreds of unreleased songs stored away in plastic boxes, and even several concept albums, such as ones based on the life of Michael Jackson, the history of the world ('Earth: The Story So Far') and even a fictional superhero ('Zorro The Fox'), but he also made sure that most of the band's singles included new songs on the flips, and so this album collects all the non-album singles and b-sides, from that very first cryptic ode to his girl-friend, right up to the band's hiatus in 1992. When you listen to these songs alongside their albums, you can hear just why McAloon is regarded as one of the great songwriters of his time, and why the band have been credited with producing some of the most beloved pop music of the 1980's and 1990's.

Track listing 

01 Lions In My Own Garden: Exit Someone (single 1982)
02 Radio Love (b-side of 'Lions In My Own Garden: Exit Someone')
03 The Devil Has All The Best Tunes (single 1983)
04 Walk On (b-side of 'The Devil Has All The Best Tunes')
05 Spinning Belinda (b-side of 'Couldn't Bear To Be Special' 1984)
06 Diana (b-side of 'When Love Breaks Down' 1984)
07 The Yearning Loins (b-side of 'When Love Breaks Down' 1984)
08 Donna Summer (b-side of 'When Love Breaks Down' 1984)
09 Heaven Can Wait (b-side of 'When Love Breaks Down' reissue 1985)
10 He'll Have To Go (b-side of 'When Love Breaks Down' 12" 1985)
11 Silhouettes (b-side of 'Faron Young' 1985)
12 Oh! The Swiss (b-side of 'Appetite' 12" 1985)
13 Wigs (b-side of 'Johnny Johnny' 1986)      
14 Dandy Of The Danube (b-side of 'Johnny, Johnny' 12" 1986)
15 Old Spoonface Is back (b-side of 'Johnny, Johnny' 12" 1986)
16 The Guest Who Stayed Forever (b-side of 'Johnny, Johnny' 12" 1986)  
17 Vendetta (b-side of 'Cars And Girls' 1988)
18 Nero The Zero (b-side of 'Cars And Girls' 12" 1988)
19 Real Life (Just Around The Corner (b-side of 'Cars And Girls' CD single 1988)
20 Tornado (b-side of 'Hey Manhattan!' 1988)
21 Bearpark (b-side of 'Nightingales' 1988)
22 The Sound Of Crying (single 1992)
23 If You Don't Love Me (single 1992)

Various Artists - Can I Get To Know You Better? (The Songs Of P. F. Sloan & Steve Barri 1966 - 1967) (1967)

In the mid-60's P. F. Sloan joined the group of L.A. session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew as a guitarist, working with such well-known backing musicians as drummer Hal Blaine, guitarist Tommy Tedesco, bassist Joe Osborn, and bassist/keyboardist Larry Knechtel. While working with Barry McGuire, Sloan created and played a guitar introduction as a hook to a new song by John Phillips entitled 'California Dreamin'', and the same backing track was used for the hit version by Phillips' group The Mamas & the Papas, which led to Sloan being a regular in their recording sessions. Sloan and Steve Barri also were performers while on Dunhill, and released a collection of surf instrumentals as the Rincon Surfside Band, while Sloan's successful folk-influenced songwriting prompted Dunhill to offer to record two solo albums by him. His single 'Sins Of A Family' reached the Billboard top 100 in late 1965, in the wake of the huge success of 'Eve Of Destruction'. During this time, Sloan & Barri continued to do session work with Jan Berry of Jan & Dean, until Berry's near-fatal car wreck in April 1966, which basically ended Jan & Dean's career. They also produced a number of other acts, including Ann-Margret, The Robbs, Terry Black and Patrician-Anne McKinnon, but the the main Sloan/Barri recording efforts for Dunhill were done as The Grass Roots, where they wrote and recorded their material under that name. However, after The Grass Roots enjoyed a Billboard Top 30 single with 'Where Were You When I Needed You', Dunhill forced the pair to recruit a real band to perform as The Grass Roots to promote their album, with Sloan and Barri continuing as producers for the band. However, despite having an accomplished songwriter on board, the new Grass Roots wanted to write their own material, and this, plus the fact that Sloan still wanted to have his own recording career, alienated him from both Barri and Dunhill management. During this period, Sloan's growing experience and reputation also attracted the attention of other young and aspiring musical artists, seeking both musical and business advice, and as a favor to a friend, he first met the relatively unknown Jimmy Webb at his home in 1968. Webb played him his songs 'Wichita Lineman', 'Up, Up And Away', an early version of 'MacArthur Park, and lastly 'By the Time I Get To Phoenix"', and Sloan has said that it changed his view of the 'singer/songwriter' forever. 

According to Barri, Sloan changed after the success of 'Eve Of Destruction', following McGuire to England and coming back a different person. Sloan himself described a change at this time: "I wanted to be loved. I wanted to be Elvis. . . . But P.F. Sloan? He wanted honesty and truth." During the Summer of Love, Sloan played as a solo artist on the final day of the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival in 1967, being a precursor to the more famous Monterey Pop Festival held the following weekend. Sloan's final Dunhill release was a solo single, 'I Can't Help But Wonder, Elizabeth' b/w 'Karma (A Study of Divinations)', released under the name Philip Sloan in 1967, before he moved to ATCO Records for further releases. After the falling out with Barri, Sloan wrote on his own, but the songs didn't seem to have the same hit potential are their collaborations, although they were still recorded by a variety of successful artists. After leaving Dunhill, Sloan recorded an album in 1968 titled 'Measure Of Pleasure', but in 1969 he left the music scene due to numerous business and legal problems, repeatedly reporting that Dunhill made threatening advances to force him to sign away the rights to his valuable compositions, and also blaming his absence from the music scene on an illness. It was not until the new millennium that he finally found relief from his long illness, with help from Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba. In 2005, Sloan made a series of recordings with producer Jon Tiven in Nashville, Tennessee, and the resulting album 'Sailover' was released in August 2006, followed by his final recording 'My Beethoven' in 2014. Sloan died of pancreatic cancer on November 15, 2015 at his home in Los Angeles, aged 70. After Dunhill was acquired by ABC Records, Barri stayed on in the 1970's as head of Artists & Repertoire (A&R) where he focused on signing and producing new artists. He collaborated with songwriters Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter on three albums for the Four Tops, which included the million-selling single 'Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)', and after ABC Records reorganized in 1975, Barri departed to become A&R chief at Warner Brothers Records, leaving in 1986. This second post of the duo's songs includes many of my very favourite 60's singles, from The Turtles, The Mamas And The Papas, and The Grass Roots, and is a fitting tribute to two of the best songwriters of the 60's. 

Track listing

01 Secret Agent Man (Sloan, Barri) Johnny Rivers 1966
02 I Don't Wanna Say Goodnight (Sloan, Barri) Gary Lewis And The Playboys 1966
03 Let Me Be (Sloan, Barri) The Turtles 1966
04 Hold On (Sloan) Herman's Hermits 1966
05 What Am I Doin' Here with You (Sloan, Barri) Twinkle 1966
06 The Man Behind The Red Balloon (Sloan) Noel Harrison 1966
07 Can I Get To Know You Better (Sloan, Barri) The Turtles 1966
08 Autumn (Sloan, Barri) Gary Lewis And The Playboys 1966
09 You Baby (Sloan, Barri) The Mamas And The Papas 1966
10 I Know You'll Be There (Sloan, Barri) The Turtles 1966
11 See Ya 'Round On The Rebound (Sloan) Sandy Posey 1966
12 Things I Should Have Said (Sloan, Barri) The Grass Roots 1967
13 This Precious Time (Sloan, Barri) Terry Knight And The Pack 1967
14 My First Day Alone (Sloan, Barri) Peter And Gordon 1967
15 Another Day, Another Heartache (Sloan, Barri) The 5th Dimension 1967
16 Cling To Me (Sloan) Johnny Tillotson 1967
17 On A Quiet Night (Sloan, Barri) The Association 1967

Aaries - Always Remember (2002)

Aaries are a nu-soul duo made up of twins Ayanna & Ayinka Hipps, and throughout their teens and early twenties they worked steadily on Philadelphia’s 'new jack' circuit, finding themselves becoming fast musical soulmates with the likes of fellow Philly artists Jill Scott, The Roots and Musiq. By the time Musiq released his debut album 'Aijuswanaseing', AAries had already been touring with him as back-up singers, and were subsequently featured on his hit single 'Girl Next Door'. This opened a door which led to both the start of work on the duo's official debut album 'Always Remember', and also the subsequent signing of a deal for the album with Atlantic Records. A single was chosen to promote the record, and 'Strangers To Lovers' was their first release under their own name, with the vocals sashaying their way through the jazzy track, complete with warm background vocals. Similarly appealing, with its focus on each sister's individual vocal part, is the ballad 'So Nice', while the title track is an emotional song about never forgetting where you came from, and keeping the important things in life alive. The girls mix it up as well, with the up-tempo 'Waiting', as well as the powerhouse 'Even Though', which bursts with edgy, funk-ridden vocals, and hip-swaying bass. Alongside the original material is a fine rendition of the late Minnie Ripperton classic 'Baby, This Love I Have', featuring some beautiful vocal stylings. Unfortunately Atlantic didn't really know what to do with the girls, and so just cancelled the release, which is a shame as it is a fine nu-soul record. One of the songs did eventually surface, with 'Come Inside' appearing on the soundtrack to the 2004 film 'Johnson Family Vacation', but really the whole album deserves to be heard. 

Track listing

01 Always Remember 
02 Baby This Love I Have
03 Come Inside
04 Cool Like That
05 Even Though
06 So Nice
07 Strangers To Lovers
08 Time Will Reveal
09 Tonight
10 Truly Yours
11 Untrue
12 Your Woman

Madonna - Revenge (1998)

Following the release of her compilation album 'Something To Remember' in 1995, Madonna started taking vocal lessons in preparation for her role in the film of 'Evita', and later that year she gave birth to her daughter, Lourdes, and both of these events inspired a period of introspection for her. This was also around the time that she embraced Kabbalah and started studying Hinduism and yoga, and so all of this which was going on in her life helped her see the world from a different perspective. By May 1997 she had started writing songs for her next album, collaborating with Babyface, who had first worked with her on her previous album, 1994's 'Bedtime Stories', and the two wrote a couple of songs together before Madonna decided the collaborations were not going in the musical direction she wanted for the album. She instead turned to musician Rick Nowels, who had previously co-written songs with Stevie Nicks and Celine Dion, and this collaboration produced seven songs in nine days, although one of these displayed the album's future electronic musical direction. Madonna then began writing songs with Patrick Leonard, who had produced many songs for her in the late 1980's, but she felt that Leonard's production would have lent the songs more of a 'Peter Gabriel' vibe, which was a sound that she did not want for the album. Guy Oseary, chairman of Maverick Records, then phoned British electronic musician William Orbit, and suggested that he send some songs to Madonna, and a 13-track digital audio tape duly arrived for her to listen to. With Orbit on board, recording began in early June 1997, with Madonna listening to musical snippets that Orbit was working on over and over until she was inspired to write lyrics, and once she had an idea about the lyrical direction of the song, she would take her ideas back to Orbit, and they would expand on them. The album was recorded over four and a half months at Larrabee North Studio in North Hollywood, California, beginning in mid-June 1997, and was the longest that Madonna had ever worked on an album, as Orbit preferred to work with samples and synth sounds, rather than live musicians, and his computers were constantly breaking down, delaying recording until they were repaired. 

The finished album was a stylistic and aesthetic departure from her previous work, being an electronica and techno-pop record which incorporated multiple genres, including ambient, trip hop, psychedelia, and Middle Eastern music, while also seeing Madonna singing with greater breadth and a fuller tone. Having gone through so many collaborators before settling on Orbit, it's no surprise that there are a number of songs floating around that didn't make the album, particularly those written with Babyface, Leonard, and Nowels, as well as some with Orbit himself. 'Gone, Gone, Gone' is a pre-Orbit recording, sometimes referred to as 'Gone Gone Gone (This Love Affair Is Over)', while 'Like A Flower' was written around this time, but only leaked online in 2003, with it later being given to Italian singer Laura Pausini for her 2004 album 'Resta In Ascolto'. 'Revenge' was one of the early demos from 1997, produced by Greg Fitzgerald and Rick Nowels, and when it leaked in 2002 it was rumored to be a newly recorded song for the James Bond movie 'Die Another Day'. 'Be Careful' was written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, and is possibly an early version of the song 'Be Careful (Cuidado Con Mi Corazon)', recorded with Ricky Martin and William Orbit, although Leonard is not credited on the released Madonna/Orbit version with Ricky Martin. 'No Substitute For Love' was the original name for what became 'Drowned World/Substitute For Love' on the album, where it was re-recorded with different lyrics, vocal melody and instrumentation, while 'You'll Stay' is a variation of 'Like A Flower' with different lyrics, and with a lovely stripped-back Latin flavour to it. 'I'll Be Gone' and 'Never Love A Stranger' are two of the songs produced by Babyface before that collaboration broke down, and so once again there are enough out-takes from the 'Ray Of Light' sessions to put together a companion record that could have come out some time in the three years before 'Music' appeared in 2000. Obviously it doesn't have the cohesion of 'Ray Of Light', as the songs were written with a number of different producers, and each had their own style, but there are still some fine pieces on here, in particular 'Like A Flower'/'You'll Stay', and so it's definitely worth hearing.  

Track listing
 
01 Be Careful  
02 Has To Be #1      
03 No Substitute For Love 
04 You'll Stay
05 Revenge
06 Never Love A Stranger
07 I'll Be Gone  
08 Has To Be #2  
09 Like A Flower
10 Gone Gone Gone

Ultimate Painting - Up! (2018)

Ultimate Painting were formed in London in 2014, by co-frontmen Jack Cooper and James Hoare, with a revolving cast of rhythm sections. Blackpool-born singer-guitarist Jack Cooper, who previously fronted Mazes and co-fronted Beep Seals with ex-Alfie guitarist Ian Smith, and Torbay-born singer-guitarist James Hoare, who co-fronts Proper Ornaments and also co-fronted Veronica Falls, joined forces to write and record together, and after signing to Trouble in Mind, they released their self-titled debut album in 2014. Follow-up album 'Green Lanes' came out in 2015, and third album 'Dusk' followed in September 2016. In October 2017, the band signed to UK label Bella Union, and it was confirmed that they were working on their next album at James Hoare's home studio. On 29 January 2018 the band released 'Not Gonna Burn Myself Anymore' as a digital single, and revealed the release date of fourth album 'Up!' was to be April 2018. On 12 February 2018, Jack Cooper announced that the band were splitting up, adding that "the partnership at the core of this band has always been a very fragile thing, but due to an irreconcilable breakdown we will no longer be working with each other". Despite having an album in the can, Cooper asked Ultimate Painting's label not to release it, and they agreed. 'Up!' was not slated for release until 06 April 2018, but barring any last-minute changes Cooper or Hoare might have made, the album was totally finished, with completed artwork, and advance digital downloads of the album had been sent out to journalists for review. One of these reviews claimed that it was a good record, filled with the same sort of Kinks-inspired understated hooks and quietly propulsive guitar lines that powered their previous releases. In retrospect, the press release that was sent out with the album reads like a foreshadowing, citing a "burned out" feeling amongst the band members, and "pain and indecision" that plagued their writing process. Given the number of digital copies that had already been sent out to journalists, it's no surprise that 'Up!' soon found its way to dedicated fans, whether through official channels or otherwise, and so here it is so that you can hear the swansong of this tragically short-lived and under-rated band.  

Track listing 

01 Needles In My Eyes
02 Not Gonna Burn Myself Anymore
03 I Am Your Gun
04 Foul & Fair
05 Someone's Out To Get You
06 Take Shelter
07 My Procedure
08 Lying In Charles Street
09 Darkness In His Eyes
10 Snake Pass

Dr. Dre - Detox (2010)

The period from mid 1999 to 2002 was the most successful of Dr. Dre's career, as after struggling to establish his new Aftermath Entertainment label, he struck gold with Eminem's debut, 'The Slim Shady LP', and then his own second album '2001'. As the latter moved more than 7 million copies, it dominated urban radio throughout 2000 with singles like 'Still D.R.E.', 'Forget About Dre', 'The Next Episode', 'Xxxplosive' and 'Fuck You', while Aftermath issued Eminem’s diamond-certified classic 'The Marshall Mathers LP' and Xzibit's platinum 'Restless', and became one of the hottest rap labels in the industry. As Dre was already considered one of the greatest producers of the past 25 years, a third solo record would have cemented his reputation in the rap hierarchy, and so he embarked on creating 'Detox', which he often called his 'final album'. During the next 10 years or so, he reportedly worked on tracks with more than two dozen rappers, producers and vocalists, from Aftermath stars like Eminem, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes and Kendrick Lamar, to T.I., Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Skylar Grey and Mary J. Blige. For nearly a decade, he publicly vacillated on whether or not 'Detox' would ever be released, and then just as he seemed primed to deliver the album the world was waiting for, he apparently decided not to put it out after all, leaving us with only Internet leaks and rumors of what might have been. The album was originally intended to be a concept album about the life of a hitman, possibly inspired by his impressive cameo in the 2001 film 'Training Day', but by the end of the year that idea had been ditched, and in November Ice Cube told MTV News that Dre had postponed 'Detox' to work on Cube's Aftermath debut, although that project never appeared, and Cube eventually left the label. By 2004 his time was being completely taken up with running Aftermath, as it was one of the hottest labels around, thanks to a roster that included 50 Cent, Eminem, Busta Rhymes and others. In 2006 Scratch magazine published a 'Detox' cover story, re-igniting the rumours of an imminent release, but 2007 came and went with no record, and Dre gave an extensive interview to the LA Times, where he admitted he was "really hoping to have it out this year, but i's going to have to be pushed back a while because of some other things I’ve got to work on". In 2008 Snoop Dogg claimed that the long-gestating album was finished, but that seemed premature when Dre announced in November that he was going back into the studio in a couple of months. 

In 2009 leaks from the seemingly never-ending sessions began to appear online, with tracks like 'I Am Hip-Hop (Detox)', 'Topless' and 'Shit Popped Off' surfacing, and in 2010 things finally seemed to be happening, with a collaboration with Jay Z, 'Under Pressure', being announced as the album's first single. However, when an unfinished version of 'Under Pressure' leaked, Dre posted a message saying that it was an incomplete song and that he was still working on it, and an official version has yet to appear. The end of the year finally brought the first official 'Detox' music, with 'Kush', featuring Snoop Dogg and Akon, earning mixed reviews, and peaking at Number 34 on the pop charts, while 'I Need A Doctor' proved to be the bigger hit, thanks to soaring pop production by Alex Da Kid. One theory about the album is that 'Detox' is a catch-all name for everything Dr. Dre has worked on for the past 15 years, with material from it being released when he felt the time was right. The album therefore became more mythic in the hip-hop community, and it served, whether Dre intended to or not, as a useful publicity tease even as the hype proved impossible to live up to. Between 2009 and 2011, the best of the hundreds of song snippets he worked on were leaked, and there are numerous CDs of supposed 'Detox' tracks doing the rounds, including a 10 volume CD set of 'The Detox Chroniclez', but still a definitive track listing proves elusive. By checking out the various fan-made albums, and seeing which tracks they agree should be included, I've complied my own version, mostly based on the one by Longtou Edits, but including some different versions and some of my own edits. Given an unlimited budget and no deadline, you could spend the rest of your life locked in a perfectionist's prison, constantly terrified that the music you'll make next will be better than the music you've made so far, but with each passing day you only become further away from the finish line. Until Dre realises this and releases the album, all we can do is collect what's leaked so far and tell him that it sounds perfectly fine to us.   

Track listing

01 Intro 
02 Die Hard (feat. Eminem) 
03 Coming Back (feat. T.I.)
04 Mr. Prescription (feat. Nikki Grier & Slim The Mobster) 
05 This Is Detox (I Am Hip-Hop) (feat. T.I.) 
06 Topless (feat. Eminem & Nas)  
07 Kush (feat. Snoop Dogg & Akon)  
08 Say Dr. Dre (feat. Crooked I) 
09 Popped Off (feat. T.I.) 
10 Under Pressure (feat. Jay-Z) 
11 The Doctor  
12 OG's Theme (feat. Ludacris)  
13 Westcoast Party (feat. Young Knox & O.G. Rhymez)  
14 Underdog (feat. Nate Dogg) 
15 I Need A Doctor (feat. Eminem & Skylar Grey)  
16 Hey Young World (feat. The Game & Snoop Dogg)
17 Turn Me On  
18 Good Things (Interlude) 
19 Chillin' (feat. Swizz Beatz) 
20 The Next Episode 2006 (feat. Snoop Dogg & Nate Dogg)  
21 Topless (Reprise) (feat. T.I & Nas) 
22 Kush (Remix) (feat. Snoop Dogg, The Game & Slim The Mobster) 
23 Doggisodes (Outro) 

Various Artists - Take Me For What I'm Worth (The Songs Of P. F. Sloan & Steve Barri 1964 - 1965) (1965)

Philip Gary Schlein (known professionally as Philip Gary "Flip" (P. F.) Sloan) was born on 18 September 1945 in New York City, to an American father and a Romanian-born mother. His family moved to West Hollywood, California in 1957, where his father, a pharmacist, changed the family name from "Schlein" to "Sloan" after repeatedly being denied a liquor license for his store. When Sloan was 13 his father bought him a guitar, and while at the music store in Hollywood he met Elvis Presley, who gave him an impromptu music lesson. In 1959, the 14-year old "Flip" Sloan recorded a single, 'All I Want Is Loving' / 'Little Girl In The Cabin' for the Aladdin Records label in LA, but the label folded soon after its release. At 16 he became part of the burgeoning Los Angeles music scene, landing a job on the songwriting staff at music publisher Screen Gems, which was then the largest publisher on the West Coast. While there he formed a partnership with Steve Barri (Steven Barry Lipkin), and the duo made several attempts at recording a hit single under names such as Philip and Stephan, The Rally-Packs, The Wildcats, The Street Cleaners, Themes Inc., and The Lifeguards. In 1963, they came to the attention of Screen Gems executive Lou Adler, who decided to use them as backing singers and musicians (Sloan on lead guitar and Barri on percussion) for Jan and Dean, whom he managed. Sloan and Barri wrote the theme song for the T.A.M.I. Show (Teen Age Music International Show) and were credited on all Jan and Dean albums from throughout 1964 and 1965, and Jan Berry used Sloan as the lead falsetto voice instead of Dean Torrence on the band's top 10 hit 'The Little Old Lady From Pasadena'. Around that time, Sloan and Barri also wrote their first U.S. Billboard Top 100 hit, 'Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann', arranged by Jack Nitzsche and performed by a Watts, California-born artist named Round Robin. They also appeared on surf records by Bruce & Terry (Bruce Johnson and Terry Melcher pre-involvement with The Beach Boys) and the Rip Chords, and they recorded their own surf singles and an album as The Fantastic Baggys. Adler then doubled their salaries to hire them for his startup companies, publisher Trousdale Music and label Dunhill Records, and while under contract he wrote or co-wrote hits for many performers, including Barry McGuire, The Turtles, Herman's Hermits, The Searchers, and Johnny Rivers, for whom they wrote the theme tune for Danger Man, a British TV series that had been given a new title (Secret Agent) and theme for the US market. In the first of two posts, here are some of the best songs that Sloan and Barri wrote which were recorded in 1964 and 1965, covering garage-rock, surf tunes, R&B belters, songs for UK pop groups, including the pre-Procol Harum r'n'b group The Paramounts, and possibly Sloan's most famous song 'Eve Of Destruction'.  

Track listing 

01 That's Cool, That's Trash (Sloan, Barri) The Kingsmen 1964
02 Summer Means Fun (Sloan, Barri) Bruce & Terry 1964
03 Please Don't Go (Sloan, Barri) Yvonne Carroll 1964
04 Meet Me Tonight Little Girl Sloan, Barri) Philip & Stephan 1964
05 Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann (Sloan, Barri) Round Robin 1964
06 You Say Pretty Words (Sloan, Barri) Ramona King 1964
07 (Here They Come) From All Over The World (Sloan, Barri) Jan & Dean 1965
08 Upon A Painted Ocean (Sloan) Barry McGuire 1965
09 These Are Bad Times (Sloan, Barri) Paul Revere & The Raiders 1965
10 I Wonder Who The Lucky Guy Will Be (Sloan, Barri) Freddie And The Dreamers 1965
11 Eve Of Destruction (Sloan) Barry McGuire 1965
12 The Sins Of A Family (Sloan) Murray The "K" 1965
13 Goes To Show (Just How Wrong You Can Be) (Sloan, Barri) Joey Paige 1965
14 Take Me For What I'm Worth (Sloan, Barri) The Searchers 1965
15 Where Were You When I Needed You (Sloan, Barri) Del Shannon 1965
16 A Must To Avoid (Sloan, Barri) Herman's Hermits 1965
17 You Never Had It So Good (Sloan, Barri) The Paramounts 1965

Michael Jackson - Nite Line (1982)

Michael Jackson's 1979 album 'Off The Wall' received huge critical acclaim and was a commercial success, having sold 10 million copies at the time, but the years between 'Off The Wall' and 'Thriller' were a transitional period for him, which saw him become increasingly independent. It also saw him become deeply unhappy, in particular about what he perceived as the under-performance of 'Off The Wall', which he felt deserved the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. He also felt undervalued by the music industry, and so for his next album he wanted to create a record where "every song was a killer", as he was frustrated by albums that would have "one good song, and the rest were like b-sides ... Why can't every one be like a hit song? Why can't every song be so great that people would want to buy it if you could release it as a single? ... That was my purpose for the next album." He reunited with 'Off The Wall' producer Quincy Jones to record his sixth studio album, and they worked together on 30 songs, nine of which were included on the album. The recordings commenced on 14 April 1982, with Jackson and Paul McCartney recording 'The Girl Is Mine', and it was completed five months later in November 1982. Jackson wrote four songs for the record - 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'', 'The Girl Is Mine', 'Beat It' and 'Billie Jean', with the others being provided by Rod Temperton, James Ingram/Quincy Jones and John Bettis and Steve Procaro of Toto, who also played on the record with his band. 

'Billie Jean' was very personal to Jackson, who struggled with obsessed fans, but Jones wanted to shorten the long introduction, but was over-ruled by Jackson, who insisted that it remain because it made him want to dance. The ongoing backlash against disco also made it necessary to move in a different musical direction from the disco-heavy 'Off The Wall', and so Jones and Jackson were determined to make a rock song that would appeal to all tastes, and spent weeks looking for a suitable guitarist for the song 'Beat It', eventually settling on Steve Lukather of Toto to play the rhythm guitar parts and Eddie Van Halen to play the solo. When Rod Temperton wrote the song 'Thriller', he wanted to call it 'Starlight' or 'Midnight Man', and demos of 'Starlight' do exist, but he settled on 'Thriller' because he felt the name had merchandising potential. While it's probably a foregone conclusion that the best tracks were chosen for 'Thriller', of the 30 songs worked on with Jones, there are a number which deserve a hearing, and these include 'Nite Line', 'She's Trouble', 'Can't Get Outta The Rain', and 'Hot Street', all of which have a great 80's dance feel to them, although Jones felt that they just weren't up to the standard of some of the other recordings. 'Scared Of The Moon' is a lovely piano ballad, which might not have fitted in with the rest of the high-energy songs, and another ballad, 'Someone In The Dark', was recorded in 1982 for the film 'E.T.', and so while not strictly a 'Thriller' out-take, it does fit the timeline of these other songs. 'There Must Be More To Life Than This' is known as a duet between Jackson and Freddie Mercury, but here we have Jackson's solo take on the song, with muffled encouragements from Mercury, and lastly we have two co-writes with Paul Anka, which weren't without their own issues. 

In 1983 Jackson worked with Anka on demos for the songs 'Love Never Felt So Good' and 'I Never Heard'. The original versions only featured Jackson's vocals, finger snaps and a piano, played by Anka, and in 1984 Anka sent 'Love Never Felt So Good' to Johnny Mathis, who recorded a new version with revised lyrics by Anka and Kathleen Wakefield, and added it to his 1984 album 'A Special Part Of Me'. In 2006 Jackson's demo leaked online, and then during the 2013/2014 recording sessions for the 'Xscape' album it was given a revision as a disco-infused track. The other song fared no better, as 'I Never Heard' was written by Anka and Jackson, and a demo was recorded at Anka's California recording studio, with the intention of adding it as a track on Anka's 1983 duets album 'Walk A Fine Line'. However, later in the 80s, Anka accused Jackson of stealing the tapes, and threatened to take legal action if the recordings were not returned. Jackson's version of the song was reportedly found in a box of tapes with only Jackson's voice and a piano accompaniment, and although he subsequently returned the tapes, Anka insisted that Jackson had made a copy of the recording of 'I Never Heard', and had re-recorded and re-titled the track to 'This Is It', later giving its name to his documentary film. The cover for this post is what would have graced the original release had the title track remained 'Starlight', but when it was renamed 'Thriller' the cover was re-shot to the one we know and love today. 

Track listing

01 Nite Line

02 Carousel

03 Got The Hots

04 Scared Of The Moon

05 Can't Get Outta The Rain

06 There Must Be More To Life Than This

07 Hot Street

08 This Is It

09 Somewhere In The Dark

10 She's Trouble

11 Love Never Felt So Good

2Pac - Troublesome 21 (1992)

Following the release of his debut album '2Pacalypse Now' in November 1991, Tupak Shakur started to prepare his second official album, which was originally supposed to be called 'Black Starry Night', but as the recording process went on over the next few months, he decided to change the name to 'Troublesome 21'. Although it was pretty much finished, Time Warner scrapped it due to the outcry in the media and political legislatures over the lyrics on albums such as '2Pacalypse Now', and many of the songs from the album remain officially unreleased, although some of them did turn up on b-sides in 1993, while a few of them appeared on his official second album 'Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...', either in slightly reworded form, or taken from the 'Troublesome 21' master tapes. The album stands as a truly historical piece in 2Pac's discography due to the fact these are unreleased or rarely heard songs because of the controversial lyrics at the time. The album was produced by Stretch, Big D the Impossible, Truman Jefferson, Laylaw, and the D-Flow Production Squad, and while there are various track listings online for this album, I've taken it directly from Shakur's handwritten notes for it, which is also included in the folder. 

Track listing

01 Intro
02 Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z... 
03 The Streetz R Deathrow 
04 I Get Around (feat. Digital Underground)
05 Holler If Ya Hear Me (feat. Live Squad)
06 Don't Call Me Bitch (feat. Shock G)
07 Papa'z Song (feat. The Wycked & Poppi)
08 Crooked Nigga Too (feat. Stretch)
09 Souljah's Revenge (When I Get Free)

10 What Goes On (feat. The Wycked & Mouse Man)

11 Still Don't Give A Fuck
12 I Wonda If Heaven Got A Ghetto
13 Nothin' But Love (feat. Dave Hollister)
14 Troublesome
15 Keep Ya Head Up (feat. Dave Hollister)