CHICAGO LIVE: THEN AND NOW

The Legendary 'Rock Band With Horns' Returns With The Vinyl Debut of Live At
The Isle Of Wight From 1970 And The CD/DVD Greatest Hits Live Recorded Last Year

Both Will Be Available From Rhino On October 26

LOS ANGELES - Chicago has toured continuously for more than 50 years, helping make the legendary "rock band with horns" one of America's most successful groups. Rhino spotlights that legacy with two stellar live collections, one that captures the band's early days, and the other recorded just last year.

GREATEST HITS LIVE features 13 of Chicago's biggest hits, which were recorded live in 2017 for PBS's Soundstage series. It will be available in two formats on October 26: a single-CD version ($14.98) and a CD/DVD set ($24.98) that includes video of the program, plus a 5.1 audio mix. The music will also be available digitally and via streaming services.

LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT includes the band's entire August 1970 performance at the Isle of Wight Festival. Available on vinyl for the first time, the double-LP set will be released on October 26 for $34.98.

GREATEST HITS LIVE was recorded at the historic WTTW-TV studios in the band's hometown of Chicago last November for PBS's Soundstage series. The collection is a companion piece to Chicago II: Live On Soundstage. Released this summer, that set featured a full-album performance of the group's multi-platinum second album, Chicago II.

The songs on GREATEST HITS LIVE span the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's entire career and include "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" from the group's 1969 debut album; the #1 smash "If You Leave Me Now" from 1976; and "Hard Habit To Break" from 1984's Chicago 17, which is still their biggest-selling album.

LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT was recorded on August 28, 1970 when Chicago co-headlined the Isle of Wight Festival with Jimi Hendrix and The Doors. The band's performance debuted on CD earlier this year as part of Chicago: VI Decades Live (This Is What We Do). This double-LP set is the concert recording's vinyl debut.

This live collection offers a snapshot of the band on the verge on superstardom with performances of songs from their first two albums - "Beginnings" and "In The Country" - as well as "Mother" from their then-unreleased third album. The concert also features the song cycles "Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon" and "It Better End Soon."

Formed in 1967 in the band's namesake city, Chicago is one of the longest-running and best-selling groups of all time. It's the first American band to ever chart albums in Billboard's Pop Top 40 in six consecutive decades, the highest charting American band in Billboard's Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists and the #4 band on Billboard's All-Time Top Bands and Duos list. The group's extensive accomplishments include: two Grammy Awards®, multiple American Music Awards, 11 Number One singles, five consecutive Number One albums, and record sales in excess of 100,000,000, with 47 albums earning gold and platinum certification. Chicago was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2016, and Chicago's first album, Chicago Transit Authority, was inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall Of Fame in 2014. Robert Lamm and James Pankow became inductees of the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017.  These legendary songwriters wrote mega-hits such as, "25 or 6 to 4," "Saturday In The Park," "Feelin' Stronger Every Day," "Make Me Smile," and many others.
 

GREATEST HITS LIVE
CD/DVD Track Listing:

1.    "Beginnings"
2.    "Questions 67 And 68"
3.    "If You Leave Me Now"
4.    "Call On Me"
5.    "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"
6.    "Hard Habit To Break"
7.    "You're The Inspiration"
8.    "I'm A Man"
9.    "Street Player"
10.  "Just You And Me"
11.  "Hard to Say I'm Sorry/Getaway"
12.  "Saturday In The Park"
13.  "Feelin' Stronger Every Day"

LIVE AT THE ISLE OF WIGHT
LP Track Listing:

Side One
1.    Introduction
2.    "South California Purples"
3.    "Beginnings"
 
Side Two
1.    "In The Country"
2.    "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" (Free Form Intro)
3.    "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?"
4.    "Mother"
 
Side Three
1.    "It Better End Soon"
2.    "25 Or 6 To 4"
 
Side Four
1.    "Ballet For A Girl In Buchannon"
2.    "I'm A Man"

Chicago Tour Dates:

October 6         Indio, CA                  Fantasy Springs Resort Casino
October 8         Fresno, CA               Big Fresno Fair
November 8     Peoria, IL                  Peoria Civic Theater
November 10   New Buffalo, MI        Four Winds Casino Resort

# # #

THE MONKEES TO RELEASE CHRISTMAS PARTY,
THEIR FIRST EVER HOLIDAY ALBUM

Featuring Newly Recorded Versions Of Classic Christmas Songs
Along With New Songs Written For The Band By Peter Buck And Scott McCaughey,
Rivers Cuomo, Andy Partridge, And Album Producer Adam Schlesinger

Available On CD, Digital Download, And Streaming On October 12

LOS ANGELES - The Monkees will celebrate the season with their first holiday album,   featuring new vocals by Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. The late Davy Jones' unmistakable voice - taken from vintage recordings - also appears on two songs. CHRISTMAS PARTY will be available on CD ($15.98), digital download, and streaming services on October 12.

On CHRISTMAS PARTY, The Monkees put their unmistakable vocal stamp on a wide array of classic Christmas tracks, from the R&B holiday standard "Merry Christmas, Baby," to Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime" and Wizzard's yuletide classic "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day."

After helming The Monkees' critically acclaimed studio album Good Times! in 2016, Grammy® and Emmy®-winning songwriter Adam Schlesinger reprises his role as producer on CHRISTMAS PARTY. All of the album's 13 songs were recorded this year, with "Silver Bells" and "Mele Kalikimaka" using classic Davy Jones vocals from the archives combined with newly recorded music.

Much like Good Times!, CHRISTMAS PARTY features songs newly written for the band by a group of talented songwriters, including Rivers Cuomo of Weezer ("What Would Santa Do") and Andy Partridge of XTC ("Unwrap You At Christmas"). Schlesinger and celebrated author Michael Chabon teamed up to write "House Of Broken Gingerbread." Guitarists Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey of The Minus 5 play on two songs - a cover of Big Star's "Jesus Christ" and the album's title track, which they wrote together.

CHRISTMAS PARTY also includes two songs with Michael Nesmith on lead vocals, with each track being produced by one of his sons. His take on the yuletide classic "The Christmas Song" was produced by Christian Nesmith while "Snowfall" was helmed by Jonathan Nesmith.

Over the years, The Monkees' amassed a dozen Top 40 hits, including a trio of tunes that soared to #1. Between September 1966 and December 1967, "Last Train To Clarksville," "I'm A Believer," and "Daydream Believer" collectively occupied the top position for 12 weeks. Sales of their LPs were more phenomenal still: The Monkees occupied the #1 position for 13 consecutive weeks, and More Of The Monkees for 18 weeks. Both Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. went to the top as well, for a four-in-a-row feat in the incomprehensible space of 13 months. The final tally: 16 million albums and 7.5 million singles sold in a mere 2 1/2 years.


CHRISTMAS PARTY
Track Listing

1.    "Unwrap You At Christmas"
2.    "What Would Santa Do"
3.    "Mele Kalikimaka"
4.    "House Of Broken Gingerbread"
5.    "The Christmas Song"
6.    "Christmas Party"
7.    "Jesus Christ"
8.    "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day"
9.    "Silver Bells"
10.  "Wonderful Christmastime"
11.  "Snowfall"
12.  "Angels We Have Heard On High"
13.  "Merry Christmas, Baby"

# # #
 

THE CHIC ORGANIZATION 1977-1979

6-Disc Vinyl Version and 5-CD Set Salutes Nile Rodgers And Bernard Edwards With 
New Nile Rodgers Signature Editions Remastered At Abbey Road Studios

Collection Includes CHIC's First Three Albums, Sister Sledge's We Are Family, Plus 
12" Mixes And 7" Edits From The Era

Vinyl Version Includes Exclusive 12" Reissue Of CHIC's First Single 

Both Versions Will Be Available On November 23 From Atlantic/Rhino
 

LONDON, ENGLAND - On September 21, 1978, CHIC released "Le Freak," a chart-topping smash that sold more than seven million copies on its way to becoming the best-selling 7" single in the history of Atlantic Records. The song's lasting influence was recognized by the Library of Congress earlier this year when "Le Freak" was added to the National Recording Registry. 

For the song's 40th anniversary, Atlantic/Rhino salutes the creative forces behind it - guitarist and Songwriters Hall of Fame/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, Nile Rodgers and bassist and Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, Bernard Edwards - with THE CHIC ORGANIZATION 1977-1979. A 5-CD version ($54.98) and a 6-Disc Vinyl version ($124.98) of the collection will both be available on November 23, 2018.

The sets both include CHIC's first three albums - CHIC (1978), C'est Chic (1978) and Risqué (1978) - which have been newly remastered from the original Atlantic stereo tapes by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios. As executive producer, Nile Rodgers personally oversaw the remastering process with the approval of Bernard Edwards' estate.

Exclusive to the vinyl version is an exact reproduction of CHIC's first single, a 12" promo for "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yosah, Yosah)" that Buddah Records released in 1977 prior to the band signing to Atlantic. This was an especially important inclusion to Rodgers as he and Edwards always felt the bass and bottom end on this master was superior to the Atlantic issue. 

The collection also features 12" mixes and 7" edits of smash hits like "Good Times," which also happens to be one of the most-sampled songs in music history. The collection also features a newly remastered version of Sister Sledge's 1979 breakthrough We Are Family, the first album Rodgers and Edwards wrote and produced for another artist.

To ensure exceptional sound quality, the six-disc vinyl version of THE CHIC ORGANIZATION 1977-1979 was mastered at half-speed and pressed on 180-gram vinyl audio. 

Nile Rodgers said, "My life has been everything I ever hoped it could be as a result of the incredible music Bernard and I made together. This has been recognized both critically and commercially as some of the finest of all time and that's everything we hoped for as two young musicians who knew no limits and who's partnership was effortless.  Having the biggest selling single in the history of Atlantic Records, one of the greatest labels of all time, what a dream! It was important to me that we make these the best sounding editions ever as a tribute to 'Nard.  I'm quite certain that Miles Showell and I and the team at Abbey Road succeeded. Forty years later this all feels so fresh."

Both box sets contain newly written definitive essays by Toure and Paul Morley while the vinyl edition includes an exclusive essay by musical historian Ashley Kahn and Paul Morley's essay (which is an edited version on the CD set) is offered in its' full length.
 
"CHIC were so good at what they did - combining lively, dramatic experimental tendencies and sumptuous melodies with a heightened understanding of how to produce intoxicating atmospheric music for those who come alive after dark - that they made music that sounded better than most in nightclubs, and then on audience grabbing hit radio." Paul Morley
  
"CHIC's songs were about balance - of tension and release, of passion and precision, of raw urgency and structural intricacy. The yin and yang of CHIC was not only what Rodgers brought but what Edwards did with it." Ashley Kahn
 
"Thank you CHIC for the music that will last forever and the endless hours of dancing you inspired and thank you especially for the love you gave to an audience that needed love."  Toure 
Rodgers and Edwards famously formed CHIC in 1976 after Rodgers was inspired by seeing Roxy Music play live in London. A year later, the band signed with Atlantic Records where they helped define the pop and disco genres with unstoppable hits like "Le Freak," "Good Times," "I Want Your Love," "Everybody Dance," "My Feet Keep Dancing" and "My Forbidden Lover." 

After CHIC's initial success, Rodgers and Edwards began making music for other artists as The CHIC Organization. One of their biggest successes was Sister Sledge's third record, We Are Family.Released in 1978, it remains a classic album thanks to hits like "He's The Greatest Dancer," "Lost In Music," "Thinking Of You" and the title track. Rodgers believes this is arguably the finest album he and Edwards wrote, produced and performed.

More recently, Nile Rodgers was elected Chairman of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and appointed as the first ever Chief Creative Advisor for the legendary Abbey Road Studios. His work in the CHIC Organization and his productions for artists like David Bowie, Diana Ross, and Madonna have sold over 500 million albums and 75 million singles worldwide while his innovative, trendsetting collaborations with Daft Punk, Avicii, Sigala, Disclosure, and Sam Smith reflect the vanguard of contemporary music.  Nile Rodgers & CHIC will be releasing their first new album in 26 years, "It's About Time" on September 28, 2018. 

THE CHIC ORGANIZATION 1977-1979
Nile Rodgers' Signature Edition Remasters

Album and Track Listings 

Chic (1977)
1.    "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)"
2.    "São Paulo"
3.    "You Can Get By"
4.    "Everybody Dance"
5.    "Est-ce Que C'est Chic?"
6.    "Falling in Love with You"
7.    "Strike Up the Band"

C'est Chic (1978)
1.    "Chic Cheer"
2.    "Le Freak"
3.    "Savoir Faire"
4.    "Happy Man"
5.    "I Want Your Love"
6.    "At Last I Am Free"
7.    "Sometimes You Win"
8.    "(Funny) Bone"

Sister Sledge - We Are Family (1979)
1.    "He's The Greatest Dancer"
2.    "Lost In Music"
3.    "Somebody Loves Me"
4.    "Thinking Of You"
5.    "We Are Family"
6.    "Easier To Love"
7.    "You're A Friend To Me"
8.    "One More Time"

Risqué (1978)
1.    "Good Times"
2.    "A Warm Summer Night"
3.    "My Feet Keep Dancing"
4.    "My Forbidden Lover"
5.    "Can't Stand to Love You"
6.    "Will You Cry (When You Hear This Song)"
7.    "What About Me?"

Original '77-'79 Remixes and Edits
1.    "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" (7" Edit)
2.    "Everybody Dance" (12" Mix)
3.    "You Can Get By" (7" Edit)
4.    "Everybody Dance" (7" edit)
5.    "Le Freak" (7" Edit)
6.    "I Want Your Love" (7" Edit)
7.    "Good Times" (7" Edit)
8.    "My Forbidden Lover" (7" Edit)
9.    "My Forbidden Lover" (12" Mix)
10.  "My Feet Keep Dancing" (7" Edit)

Vinyl Boxed Set Exclusive: Buddah Records 12" Promotional Single
1.    "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)"
2.    "São Paulo"
 

# # #

MARILLION'S CLUTHING AT STRAWS
SET FOR DELUXE EDITION ON CD/BLU-RAY AND VINYL

Newly Remixed Version Of The Band's Final Fish-Era Album Opens
4-CD/Blu-ray Set That Includes Unreleased Demos, Concert Recordings,
Video Interviews, And More

New Remix And 1987 Concert Recordings Also Featured On 5-LP Set

Both Versions Will Be Available On November 23 From Parlophone

LOS ANGELES - Following the multi-platinum success of Marillion's concept album Misplaced Childhood, the British quintet returned in 1987 with its fourth studio album, Clutching At Straws. The album peaked at #2 on the U.K. charts, where it scored Top 40 hits with "Incommunicado," "Sugar Mice," and "Warm Wet Circles." Considered by many to be one of the neo-prog rocker's finest, Clutching At Straws would also turn out to be Marillion's final studio release with original singer Fish.

On November 23, Parlophone will look back on this classic with two versions of the CLUTCHING AT STRAWS: DELUXE EDITION. One is a 4-CD/Blu-ray set ($49.98), and the other a 5-LP version ($89.98). The music will be available the same day through digital and streaming services.

Both collections open with a new version of Clutching At Straws that was remixed earlier this year by Andy Bradfield and Avril Mackintosh. Both sets also include a concert recording of Marillon performing in Scotland at the Edinburgh Playhouse in December 1987 during the group's final tour of Fish-era. It was mixed by Michael Hunter.

Some of the performances first appeared in 1988 on the live album, The Thieving Magpie. In concert, the band plays songs that span its entire career up to that point with "Garden Party" from its 1983 debut Script for a Jester's Tear; "Punch And Judy" from Fugazi (1984); "Kayleigh" from Misplaced Childhood (1985); and "Warm Wet Circles" from Clutching at Straws.

The third disc in the CD-version of CLUTCHING AT STRAWS: DELUXE EDITION brings together nine demo recordings released in 1999 with four unreleased demos for "Hotel Hobbies/Warm Wet Circles," "Just For The Record," "Torch Song" and "Slàinte Mhath."

The Blu-ray features the 1987 album's original mix, plus various other mixes (48/24 PCM Stereo Remix; 48/24 LPCM Master Audio 5.1 Mix; 48/24 DTS Master Audio 5.1 Mix). Video content includes an interview with the band discussing the album, plus promo films for "Incommunicado," "Sugar Mice" and "Warm Wet Circles."


CLUTCHING AT STRAWS: DELUXE EDITION
Track Listing

Disc One: 2018 Andy Bradfield & Avril Mackintosh Re-mix
1.    "Hotel Hobbies"
2.    "Warm Wet Circles"
3.    "That Time of the Night (The Short Straw)"
4.    "Going Under" (Alternate Version)      
5.    "Just or the Record"
6.    "White Russian"
7.    "Incommunicado"
8.    "Torch Song"
9.    "Slàinte Mhath"
10.  "Sugar Mice"
11.  "The Last Straw"
12.  "Happy Ending"
                                  
Disc Two: Live at the Edinburgh Playhouse 1987 (2018 Michael Hunter Mix)
1.    "La Gazza Ladra"
2.    "Slàinte Mhath"
3.    "Assassing"
4.    "White Russian"
5.    "Incubus"
6.    "Sugar Mice"
7.    "Fugazi"
8.    "Hotel Hobbies"
9.    "Warm Wet Circles"
10.  "That Time of the Night (The Short Straw)"
          
Disc Three: Live at the Edinburgh Playhouse 1987 (2018 Michael Hunter Mix)
1.    "Pseudo Silk Kimono" (Intro)  
2.    "Kayleigh"
3.    "Lavender"
4.    "Bitter Suite"
5.    "Heart of Lothian"
6.    "The Last Straw"
7.    "Incommunicado"
8.    "Garden Party"
9.    "Market Square Heroes" (incomplete, featuring "My Generation," "Margaret," and "Let's Twist Again")
 
Disc Four: 1999 Remaster Demos           
1.    "Beaujolais Day" (Demo)
2.    "Story From A Thin Wall" (Demo)
3.    "Shadows On The Barley" (Demo)
4.    "Exile On Princes Street" (Demo)
5.    "Sunset Hill" (Demo)
6.    "Tic-Tac-Toe" (Demo)
7.    "Voice In The Crowd" (Demo)
8.    "White Russians" (Demo)
9.    "Sugar Mice In The Rain" (Demo)
10.  "Hotel Hobbies/ Warm Wet Circles" (The Mosaic Demos) *
11.  "Just for the Record" (Demo) *
12.  "Torch Song" (Demo) *
13.  "Slàinte Mhath" (Demo) *
 
Blu-ray Content

Clutching At Straws (2018 Andy Bradfield & Avril Mackintosh Re-mix)
-    48/24 PCM Stereo Remix
-    48/24 LPCM Master Audio 5.1 Mix
-    48/24 DTS Master Audio 5.1 Mix
"The Last Straw" Clutching At Straws: Interviews with Fish and band
Promo Films (SD Content)
"Incommunicado"
"Sugar Mice"
"Warm Wet Circles"
Audio Extras          
Clutching At Straws (Original 1987 Album Mix)
Bonus Tracks (Audio Only)
"Incommunicado" (Alternative Version)
"Tux On"
"Going Under" (Extended Version)

Hi-Res Digital
Live at the Edinburgh Playhouse 1987 (2018 Michael Hunter Mix)

* previously unreleased   
 

# # #

GRAMMY®-NOMINATED GRATEFUL DEAD DOCUMENTARY 
LONG STRANGE TRIP COMING TO DVD AND BLU-RAY

Career-Spanning Documentary From Director Amir Bar-Lev 
And Executive Producer Martin Scorsese Will Make Home Video Debut On November 16

Deluxe Edition Will Be Available Exclusively From Dead.net, 
Featuring Unreleased Concert Footage Filmed In The U.K. In 1970

LOS ANGELES – The Grateful Dead’s first official career-spanning documentary, Long Strange Trip: The Untold Story Of The Grateful Dead, will make its DVD and Blu-ray debuts this fall. In addition, a new Deluxe Edition featuring unreleased bonus content will be available exclusively from Dead.net. Both versions arrive more than a year after the acclaimed four-hour documentary premiered at Sundance, followed by its exclusive release on Amazon Prime.

Directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev (“Happy Valley,” “The Tillman Story”) with Martin Scorsese serving as executive producer, Long Strange Trip brings together never-before-seen performance footage, vintage interviews, and other candid moments unearthed from the Grateful Dead’s vast vaults. The film also includes newly captured conversations with surviving members Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh, and Bob Weir, as well as many other characters and pranksters from the Dead universe.

Long Strange Trip was nominated for the “Best Music Film” Grammy® Award and was also one of 15 films shortlisted for the Academy Awards® “Best Documentary Feature.” The film was widely praised by fans and the critics alike, including the Los Angeles Times, which called it: “One of the most engrossing rock docs ever made.”

LONG STRANGE TRIP: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE GRATEFUL DEAD will be available on November 9 as a double-DVD ($24.98) and single Blu-ray ($27.98). The Deluxe Edition will be available the same day exclusively from Dead.net on three DVDs ($26.98) and two Blu-rays ($30.98). Production of the Deluxe Edition is limited to 6,500 copies each on DVD and Blu-ray.

All versions include the original documentary in stereo, as well as a 5.1 surround mix. They also feature a new commentary track with director Bar-Lev and editor John Walter. The Deluxe Edition boasts previously unreleased footage from the band’s first show overseas, recorded on May 24, 1970 in England at the Hollywood Festival, including six full songs along with backstage footage and other behind the scenes moments from the band’s first trip over the pond. The Deluxe Edition also includes two live performances from 1989 (“Dear Mr. Fantasy” and “Death Don’t Have No Mercy”). Snippets of all the bonus content were used in the film, but this marks the first time they will be released in their entirety.  

“Around 2003, while winding through the 16mm film outtakes for The Grateful Dead Movie in preparation for its DVD release, I came across a couple of unlabeled cans of 16mm film. I loaded the first reel onto the Steenbeck film viewing/editing table and was amazed by what I saw,” says band archivist David Lemieux. “Not only rare, exceptional quality material from the performance at the Hollywood Festival, but loads of other terrific footage, showing the band at a Warner Bros. Records party in London (Pigpen surrounded by suits!), at a photo shoot (‘that's one uncooperative bunch of musicians!’), at a rehearsal hall performing ‘Candyman’ vocal harmonies and, most exciting of all, backstage at the festival. This is truly some of the most remarkable, candid, and interesting footage in existence of the Grateful Dead and we're thrilled to be releasing the entirety of this wonderful historical document.”

Long Strange Trip was directed by Amir Bar-Lev and financed by Alex Blavatnik through his AOMA Sunshine Films. Eric Eisner (“Hamlet 2”), Ken Dornstein, Nicholas Koskoff, and Justin Kreutzmann served as producers. In addition to Scorsese, the film’s other executive producers are: Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Andrew Heller, Sanford Heller, Rick Yorn, Alicia Sams, Thomas Mangan, Bernie Cahill, Trixie Garcia, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir. Longtime Grateful Dead archivist David Lemieux served as the film’s music supervisor. Production entities partnering on the project are Double E Pictures, Axis Films, and Sikelia Productions, Inc.

# # #