Grateful Dead Legendary Cornell University Show Set For Release On May 5 For 50th Anniversary

Artist Name
Grateful Dead
Release Date

GRATEFUL DEAD: CORNELL 1977

The May 8, 1977 Performance At Cornell University’s Barton Hall,
Revered By Many As The Best Grateful Dead Show Of All Time,
To Get First Official Release Following Acquisition Of “Betty board” Master Tapes

The Show Is Featured In Get Shown The Light, A New Dead.net Exclusive
Limited Edition 11-Disc Boxed Set Featuring Four Unreleased Shows From May 1977;
Cornell 5/8/77 Also Available As A 3-CD Set, 5-LP Set, And Digitally

All Titles Set For Release On May 5;
Available For Pre-Order Now At Dead.net

LOS ANGELES – The Grateful Dead played more than 2,000 concerts, but none continues to spark interest and provoke discussion quite like the band’s performance at Cornell University’s Barton Hall on May 8, 1977. It is one of the most collected, traded, and debated concerts by any band ever, has topped numerous fan polls through the years, and was a favorite of the group’s longtime archivist Dick Latvala, who stated: “Enough can’t be said about this superb show.” Even Uncle Sam got into the act in 2011 when the recording was “deemed so important to the history and culture of the United States” that a copy was added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of that magical show, Dead.net will release MAY 1977: GET SHOWN THE LIGHT, a new 11-disc boxed set that features the commercial debut of the Cornell University show (5/8/77) along with three other previously unreleased concerts: Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT (5/5/77), Boston Garden, Boston, MA (5/7/77), and Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, Buffalo, NY (5/9/77). As if that weren’t enough, the source for these recordings is the legendary Betty boards, which Jeffrey Norman has mastered in HDCD for unrivaled sound quality. The transfers from the master tapes were produced by Plangent Processes, further ensuring that this is the best, most authentic that Cornell (and the other three shows) has ever sounded.

“These four concerts have been the holy grail of wish-list releases both externally and internally for a long, long time,” says David Lemieux, Grateful Dead archivist and the set’s producer. “ During the 18+ years I’ve worked with the Grateful Dead, no concert has garnered as much attention and as many requests for release as Cornell, with the New Haven, Boston, and Buffalo shows following very closely behind. For those who didn’t know the history of these master tapes and about their absence from the band’s vault, and for those who have, like us, lamented this hole in the collection, we join with you in celebrating what might be, minute-for-minute, song-for-song, the most high quality Grateful Dead release ever produced.”

The set is available now for pre-order and will be shipped to arrive on May 5, the anniversary of the first show in the collection. Production of the set is limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies and available exclusively from Dead.net for $139.98. The set will also be available as a digital download in Apple Lossless ($99.98) and FLAC 192/24 ($124.98) exclusively at dead.net beginning on May 5.

On the same day, Rhino will release the Barton Hall concert separately in multiple formats. CORNELL 5/8/77 will be available as a three-CD set ($29.98), a limited edition five-LP set ($119.98, limited to 7,700 copies), as well as  digital download and streaming.

MAY 1977: GET SHOWN THE LIGHT comes in an ornate box crafted by GrammyÒ-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike. The set includes an in-depth essay by noted Dead scholar Nicholas G. Meriwether, who explores the memories and mysteries that surround this run of shows. The set also comes with Cornell ‘77: The Music, The Myth And The Magnificence Of The Grateful Dead’s Concert At Barton Hall (Cornell Press), a new book by Peter Conners dedicated to the Cornell show. The book will also be available for purchase separately.

Jerry Garcia, Donna Jean Godchaux, Keith Godchaux, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir had just completed Terrapin Station, the band’s ninth studio album, when they hit the road for a spring tour leading up to the album’s release in late July. This new set serves as a prequel of sorts to the May 1977 boxed set from 2013, which featured the next five shows from that magical tour. It adds further sonic evidence that the 1977 tour was truly a high-water mark in the Dead’s history.

The set lists played at the four shows included in this set – especially Barton Hall – offer up sweeping retrospectives of the band’s career, touching on the early psychedelic days (“Morning Dew” and “St. Stephen”), and the rootsy early-Seventies (“Uncle John’s Band” and “Tennessee Jed”) up to and including previewing songs from the group’s then-unreleased album Terrapin Station (“Estimated Prophet” and “Samson and Delilah.”)

Elevating this already extraordinary release is the fact that the recordings are sourced from the fabled Betty boards, which are soundboard tapes made by Betty Cantor-Jackson, who was the Dead’s live recording engineer for many years. Since some of her tapes began circulating in the 1980s, her live recordings of the band have become the gold standard by which others are measured. After decades in limbo, more than 350 reels of her recordings are now part of the Grateful Dead’s musical vault. The July 1978 set released last year represented the first official release of the Bettys, with even more to come after MAY 1977: GET SHOWN THE LIGHT.  

In the set’s liner notes, Meriwether captures how the Cornell show pulls together many of the disparate strands of the Grateful Dead phenomenon and the Deadhead experience, from the music and experience of the show to its recording and dissemination. “The story of Cornell ’77 is more than just a tale of another great Dead show, another enduring example of what [Dick] Latvala called ‘primal Dead’: It is the stuff of history and legend, myth and mystery, and how those all played out to finally produce this long-awaited, much anticipated release, forty years after the last notes of ‘One More Saturday Night’ rang out in the drafty, cavernous confines of Barton Hall that night.”

 

MAY 1977: GET SHOWN THE LIGHT
Track Listing

Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum
New Haven, CT (5/5/77)

Disc One
“Promised Land”
“Sugaree”
“Mama Tried”
“El Paso”
“Tennessee Jed”
“Looks Like Rain”
“Deal”
“Lazy Lightning>”
“Supplication”
“Peggy-O”
“The Music Never Stopped”

Disc Two
“Bertha”
“Estimated Prophet”
“Scarlet Begonias>”
“Fire On The Mountain>”
“Good Lovin’”
“St. Stephen>”
“Sugar Magnolia”
“Johnny B. Goode”

Boston Garden
Boston, MA (5/7/77)

Disc Three
“Bertha”
“Cassidy”
“Deal”
“Jack Straw”
“Peggy-O”
“New Minglewood Blues”
“Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo>”
“Big River”
“Tennessee Jed”
“The Music Never Stopped”

Disc Four
“Terrapin Station”
“Samson and Delilah”
“Friend Of The Devil”
“Estimated Prophet”

Disc Five
“Eyes Of The World>”
Drums>
“The Wheel>”
“Wharf Rat>”
“Around and Around”
“U.S. Blues”

Barton Hall (Cornell University)
Ithaca, NY (5/8/77)


Disc Six
“New Minglewood Blues”
“Loser”
“El Paso”
“They Love Each Other”
“Jack Straw”
“Deal”
“Lazy Lightning>”
“Supplication”
“Brown-Eyed Women”
“Mama Tried”
“Row Jimmy”

Disc Seven
“Dancing In The Street”
“Scarlet Begonias>”
“Fire On The Mountain”
“Estimated Prophet”

Disc Eight
“St. Stephen>”
“Not Fade Away>”
“St. Stephen>”
“Morning Dew”
“One More Saturday Night”

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium
Buffalo, NY (5/9/77)

Disc Nine
“Help On The Way>”
“Slipknot>”
“Franklin’s Tower”
“Cassidy”
“Brown-Eyed Women”
“Mexicali Blues”
“Tennessee Jed”
“Big River”
“Peggy-O”
“Sunrise”
“The Music Never Stopped”

Disc Ten
“Bertha>”
“Good Lovin’”
“Ship Of Fools”

Disc Eleven
“Estimated Prophet>”
“The Other One>”
Drums>
“Not Fade Away>”
“Comes A Time>”
“Sugar Magnolia”
“Uncle Johns Band”

 

# # #

Faith Evans And The Notorious B.I.G.
Release Date
Fri, 05/19/2017
main product image [right click to download]
description:

FAITH EVANS UNVEILS HER LONG-AWAITED DUETS ALBUM
WITH THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
THE KING & I

Evans Celebrates Her Life With Biggie Smalls On Star-Studded New Album 
Including Rare And Unreleased Vocals By The Legendary Rapper

Features Guest Appearances From Busta Rhymes, 
Lil’ Cease, Lil’ Kim, Sheek Louch, And Styles P 

First Singles “NYC” Featuring Jadakiss And 
“When We Party” Featuring Snoop Dogg Available Now;
Album Out On May 19

additional product images:

Faith Evans And The Notorious B.I.G. The King & I Available May 19

Artist Name
Faith Evans And The Notorious B.I.G.
Release Date

FAITH EVANS UNVEILS HER LONG-AWAITED DUETS ALBUM
WITH THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
THE KING & I

Evans Celebrates Her Life With Biggie Smalls On Star-Studded New Album 
Including Rare And Unreleased Vocals By The Legendary Rapper

Features Guest Appearances From Busta Rhymes, 
Lil’ Cease, Lil’ Kim, Sheek Louch, And Styles P 

First Singles “NYC” Featuring Jadakiss And 
“When We Party” Featuring Snoop Dogg Available Now;
Album Out On May 19

LOS ANGELES – Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G. famously met at a photo shoot in 1994 and were married nine days later. What followed would become one of the most legendary love stories in hip-hop history. 

Evans has now, 20 years after B.I.G.’s still unsolved murder, created THE KING & I, a new album that tells the story of their life together. The album’s 25 tracks feature newly recorded vocals by Evans melded with vocals by Biggie Smalls, some well-known but also a selection of rare and unheard rhymes from the B.I.G. vault. THE KING & I also includes an impressive list of guest appearances by rap royalty including Busta Rhymes, Jadakiss, Lil’ Cease, Lil’ Kim, Sheek Louch, Styles P, and Snoop Dogg. Evans has also brought on some of the most acclaimed producers in hip-hop, many of which produced some of B.I.G.’s most famous tracks, including DJ Premier, Just Blaze, Salaam Remi, Stevie J, and Chucky Thompson.

“I remember telling Ms. Wallace years ago that one day it would be really dope if I could do something similar to Natalie & Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable,” says Evans. “Knowing the love that B.I.G. had for Tyanna & Ceejay, I feel it's my duty to uphold & extend his legacy, especially his musical contributions. This project is my creative reflection of the love we had & the bond we will always have. I'm elated to share this musical journey with our fans!”

THE KING & I will be released on May 19 – just two days before Biggie’s birthday. The album will be available on CD ($18.98), digital download, and streaming from Atco Records, an imprint of Rhino Entertainment. THE KING & I will also be available on vinyl as a 2-LP set ($31.98) on June 9.

The album’s first two singles are: “NYC,” Evans’ love letter to New York featuring Jadakiss, and “When We Party,” the West Coast party anthem featuring Snoop Dogg. Both are available now for digital download and streaming.
 
In addition to the constellation of stars who appear on THE KING & I, there is one other very special guest: Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace. Her voice is featured, along with those of Evans and Biggie, on multiple interludes that provide a poignant narration of the album. Other guest stars adding harmonies to the interludes include 112, Kevin McCall, Chyna Tahjere, and Jamal “Gravy” Woolard, who famously portrayed B.I.G. in the 2009 film Notorious. 

Faith Evans has enjoyed worldwide success as an award-winning singer, songwriter, actress and writer. She has recorded eight studio albums, including the back-to-back platinum smashes, Faith (1995) and Keep The Faith (1998). “I’ll Be Missing You,” her tribute to Biggie, debuted at #1 in 1997, stayed there for 11 weeks, and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Since then, the singer has been nominated for a Grammy Award seven times. In 2008, she released her autobiography, Keep the Faith: A Memoir, which won the African American Literary Award for Best Biography/Memoir. Last year, she took part in the Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour to commemorate the influential record label’s 20th anniversary.

Today, The Notorious B.I.G. is widely recognized as one of the world’s most influential rappers and has sold more than 17 million albums in the U.S. alone. Before his murder in 1997, Christopher Wallace recorded two classic albums as The Notorious B.I.G. His debut Ready to Die arrived in 1994 and helped revitalize the East Coast rap scene with massive hits like “Big Poppa” and “Juicy.” Life After Death was released in March 1997 just weeks after he was shot and killed in Los Angeles. The record topped the U.S. album charts and featured the hits “Hypnotize” and “Mo Money Mo Problems.” It remains one of the few hip-hop albums to ever achieve Diamond certification from the RIAA.

Faith is represented by Cheryl Flowers-Briggs for Charm Flowers Group, Inc. and Julian Petty, Esq. for Nixon Peabody LLP. 

www.faithevansmusic.com
www.facebook.com/NotoriousBIG
www.facebook.com/faithevansofficial
www.instagram.com/therealfaithevans
www.twitter.com/@faithevans

Pre-order NOW at the following links:

CD - https://rrih.no/tkaicd
LP - https://rrih.no/tkailp
Digital Download - https://rrih.no/tkaidl
Streaming - https://rrih.no/tkaisp

THE KING & I 
Track Listing

1.    “A Billion”
2.    “Legacy”
3.    “Beautiful” (Interlude)
4.    “Can’t Get Enough”
5.    “Don’t Test Me”
6.    “Big/Faye” (Interlude) – featuring Jamal Woolard
7.    “Tryna Get By”
8.    “The Reason”
9.    “I Don’t Want It” – featuring Lil’ Cease
10.    “I Got Married” (Interlude) – featuring Mama Wallace
11.    “Ten Wife Commandments”
12.    “We Just Clicked” (Interlude) – featuring Mama Wallace
13.    “A Little Romance”
14.    “The Baddest” (Interlude)
15.    “Fool For You”
16.    “Crazy” (Interlude) – featuring 112 & Mama Wallace
17.    “Got Me Twisted”
18.    “When We Party” – featuring Snoop Dogg
19.    “Somebody Knows” – featuring Busta Rhymes
20.    “Take Me There” – featuring Sheek Louch & Styles P
21.    “One In The Same”
22.    “I Wish” (Interlude) – featuring Kevin McCall & Chyna Tahjere 
23.    “Lovin You For Life” – featuring Lil’ Kim
24.    “NYC” – featuring Jadakiss
25.    “It Was Worth It”

# # #

Fleetwood Mac
Release Date
Fri, 03/10/2017
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description:

FLEETWOOD MAC TO REISSUE TANGO IN THE NIGHT
IN CELEBRATION OF THE ALBUM’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY

3CD/DVD/LP Deluxe Edition Includes Newly Remastered Sound, 
Unreleased Recordings, Rare Tracks, Music Videos And More 

Three Versions Available March 10 From Warner Bros. Records

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Fleetwood Mac Tango In The Night Set For Deluxe Reissue On March 10

Artist Name
Fleetwood Mac
Release Date

FLEETWOOD MAC TO REISSUE TANGO IN THE NIGHT
IN CELEBRATION OF THE ALBUM’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY

3CD/DVD/LP Deluxe Edition Includes Newly Remastered Sound, 
Unreleased Recordings, Rare Tracks, Music Videos And More 

Three Versions Available March 10 From Warner Bros. Records
 

LOS ANGELES – Fleetwood Mac released the second-best selling record of its career in 1987 with Tango in the Night, an album that’s sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. It topped the album charts in Britain, peaked at #7 in America, and scored major hits everywhere with “Big Love” and “Little Lies.”

Following the recent deluxe edition of Mirage, Fleetwood Mac continues to reissue its classic albums with the new TANGO IN THE NIGHT: DELUXE EDITION. The collection, timed to coincide with the album’s 30th anniversary, expands on the original with a selection of rare and unreleased recordings, newly remastered sound, plus several music videos. Available on March 10 from Warner Bros. Records in three formats:

-    Deluxe: Three CDs, DVD and LP. Original album with remastered sound on CD and 180-gram LP, rare and unreleased recordings, 12” remixes, plus a DVD with music videos and a high-resolution version of the album. $99.98 SRP
-    Expanded: Two CDs. Original album with remastered sound, plus rare and unreleased recordings. $19.98 SRP
-    Remastered: One CD. Original album with remastered sound. $11.98 SRP
-    Also available digitally

After topping the U.S. charts in 1982 with Mirage, Fleetwood Mac returned five years later with Tango In The Night. It currently stands as the final studio album released by the quintet of Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Christine McVie, John McVie and Stevie Nicks. The album sent four singles into the Billboard Top 20: “Little Lies” (#4), “Big Love” (#5), “Everywhere” (#14), and “Seven Wonders” (#19). 

The deluxe and expanded editions of Tango In The Night both include a disc of rare recordings. Among those 13 tracks are unreleased gems like the alternate version of “Mystified,” a demo for the album’s title song, plus the rare b-sides: “Down Endless Street” and “Ricky.”

TANGO IN THE NIGHT: DELUXE EDITION includes a third disc that compiles more than a dozen 12” mixes. Dub versions of “Seven Wonders” and “Everywhere” are featured along with an extended version “Little Lies” remixed by John “Jellybean” Benitez. The collection also comes with a DVD that contains videos for five singles: “Big Love,” “Seven Wonders,” “Little Lies,” “Family Man,” and “Everywhere.” Also included in the deluxe edition is Tango in the Night as a 180-gram vinyl LP.

 

TANGO IN THE NIGHT: DELUXE EDITION
Disc One: Original Album - 2017 Remaster
1.    “Big Love”
2.    “Seven Wonders”
3.    “Everywhere”
4.    “Caroline”
5.    “Tango In The Night”
6.    “Mystified”
7.    “Little Lies”
8.    “Family Man”
9.    “Welcome To The Room… Sara”
10.    “Isn’t It Midnight”
11.    “When I See You Again”
12.    “You And I, Part II”

Disc Two: B-Sides, Outtakes, Sessions
1.    “Down Endless Street”
2.    “Special Kind Of Love” (Demo)*
3.    “Seven Wonders” (Early Version)*
4.    “Tango In The Night” (Demo)*
5.    “Mystified” (Alternate Version)*
6.    “Book Of Miracles” (Instrumental)
7.    “Where We Belong” (Demo)*
8.    “Ricky”
9.    “Juliet” (Run-Through)*
10.    “Isn’t It Midnight” (Alternate Mix)*
11.    “Ooh My Love” (Demo)*
12.    “Mystified” (Instrumental Demo)*
13.    “You And I, Part I & II” (Full Version)*

*Previously Unissued

Disc Three: The 12” Mixes
1.    “Big Love” (Extended Remix)
2.    “Big Love” (House On The Hill Dub)
3.    “Big Love” (Piano Dub)
4.    “Big Love” (Remix/Edit)
5.    “Seven Wonders” (Extended Version)
6.    “Seven Wonders” (Dub)
7.    “Little Lies” (Extended Version)
8.    “Little Lies” (Dub)
9.    “Family Man” (Extended Vocal Remix)
10.    “Family Man” (I’m A Jazz Man Dub)
11.    “Family Man” (Extended Guitar Version)
12.    “Family Party” (Bonus Beats)
13.    “Everywhere” (12” Version)
14.    “Everywhere” (Dub)

Disc Four: The Videos (DVD)
1.    “Big Love”
2.    “Seven Wonders”
3.    “Little Lies”
4.    “Family Man”
5.    “Everywhere”
Plus a High-Resolution Stereo Mix of the Original Album

Tango In The Night (Vinyl)
Side One
1.    “Big Love”
2.    “Seven Wonders”
3.    “Everywhere”
4.    “Caroline”
5.    “Tango In The Night”
6.    “Mystified”

Side Two
1.    “Little Lies”
2.    “Family Man”
3.    “Welcome To The Room… Sara”
4.    “Isn’t It Midnight”
5.    “When I See You Again”
6.    “You And I, Part II”

For more information, please visit www.FleetwoodMac.com 

Pre-order NOW on the following links!

Physical:
•    Deluxe (3CD/1DVD/1LP)  -  https://smarturl.it/TITNDP 
•    Expanded (2CD) – https://smarturl.it/TITN2CD
•    Remaster (1CD)  - https://smarturl.it/TITN1CD

Digital:
•    Deluxe - https://smarturl.it/TITNDD

# # #

Black Sabbath
Release Date
Fri, 02/03/2017
main product image [right click to download]
description:

BLACK SABBATH: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION

Career Spanning Re-Mastered  Set Available On CD, Digitally, And On Limited
Edition “
Crucifold” 4-LP Heavyweight Vinyl On February 3 From Rhino

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Black Sabbath The Ultimate Collection Available February 3 From Rhino

Artist Name
Black Sabbath
Release Date

BLACK SABBATH: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION

Career Spanning Re-Mastered  Set Available On CD, Digitally, And On Limited
Edition “Crucifold” 4-LP Heavyweight Vinyl On February 3 From Rhino


LOS ANGELES - Black Sabbath are arguably the most influential heavy metal band of all time. The band helped to create the genre with ground breaking releases such as Paranoid, an album that Rolling Stone magazine said “changed music forever.” Time Magazine called Paranoid “the birthplace of heavy metal.”

In 2017, Black Sabbath remains one of the most prominent acts in music.  Performing for over 45 years, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, have received two Grammy® awards , 13 Platinum and 6 Gold albums in the US, and have sold over 75 million records worldwide.

THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION was curated by band members, resulting in a 31-track collection that features the band’s classic songs including “Paranoid,”  “Iron Man,”  “War Pigs,” “N.I.B.” and “The Wizard,” as well as choice cuts from their classic albums. The collection is the definitive accompaniment for all Sabbath fans as well as those with a love of hard rock.

Remastered by renowned engineer Andy Pearce (Motörhead, Deep Purple, Lou Reed, Iggy & The Stooges),  THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION is available on February 2 in multiple formats including  2-CD ($19.98) and digital/HD formats ($19.99), and a limited edition “Crucifold” edition, a heavyweight 4 LP vinyl version ($59.98) produced in the shape of the cross. 

Black Sabbath was formed in Birmingham in 1968 by Ozzy Osbourne (lead vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Geezer Butler (bass), and Bill Ward (drums and percussion). Originally formed as a heavy blues-rock band named Earth, the band began incorporating occult and horror-inspired lyrics with tuned-down guitars, changing their name to Black Sabbath and releasing multiple gold and platinum records in the 1970s.


THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION:
Track Listing:

CD Disc One:
1. Paranoid
2. Never Say Die
3. Iron Man
4. Black Sabbath
5. Children Of The Grave
6. Fairies Wear Boots
7. Changes
8. Rat Salad
9. Sweet Leaf
10. War Pigs
11. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
12. Hole In The Sky
13. Symptom Of The Universe
14. Spiral Architect
15. Rock ‘N’ Roll Doctor
                                             

CD Disc Two:
1. Dirty Women                   
2. Evil Woman, Don’t Play Your Games With Me
3. A Hard Road
4. Lord Of This World
5. Into The Void
6. Behind The Wall Of Sleep
7. Snowblind
8. Tomorrow’s Dream
9. The Wizard
10. N.I.B.
11. Electric Funeral
12. Embryo
13. Killing Yourself To Live
14. Am I Going Insane
15. Wicked World
16. It’s Alright
 

# # #

Kris Kristofferson
Release Date
Fri, 02/10/2017
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description:

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON: THE AUSTIN SESSIONS

1997 Recording Featuring Stripped-Down Versions Kristofferson's Best Songs
Has Been Remastered And Expanded With Two Unreleased Outtakes

Available From Rhino On February 10

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Kris Kristofferson - The Austin Sessions Expanded Edition Available February 10 From Rhino

Artist Name
Kris Kristofferson
Release Date

KRIS KRISTOFFERSON: THE AUSTIN SESSIONS

1997 Recording Featuring Stripped-Down Versions Kristofferson's Best Songs
Has Been Remastered And Expanded With Two Unreleased Outtakes

Available From Rhino On February 10


LOS ANGELES - In the summer of 1997, Kris Kristofferson spent a few days in Texas recording stripped-down versions of his best-known songs. Released by Atlantic Records in 1999, The Austin Sessions pairs the acclaimed outlaw country songwriter with a band of studio aces and guest harmony vocalists for intimate versions of classics like "Me and Bobby McGee," "Why Me?" and "Sunday Morning Coming Down."

Rhino Records celebrates these powerful recordings with an expanded version of the album that features remastered sound and includes two unreleased session outtakes. Fred Mollin, who produced the original album, tells the story behind the sessions in the collection's liner notes, which also feature several unpublished photos from the time. THE AUSTIN SESSIONS: EXPANDED EDITION will be available February 10 on CD ($13.98) and digitally ($9.99). A remastered vinyl version of The Austin Sessions will also be available on the same day ($21.98).

Kristofferson recorded The Austin Sessions at Arlyn Studios in Texas with a group of session veterans from Los Angeles and Nashville who were hand-picked by Mollin, who also plays acoustic guitar on the album. Kristofferson's longtime touring guitarist Stephen Bruton appears on several songs as well.

Mollin recalls: "I knew in my heart that I could pull off a great under-produced production and give Kris the album he always wanted to make: one that felt like it had the uniqueness and rootsy feeling that Dylan accomplished on his early electric albums."

Several guests join Kristofferson on the album, including Jackson Browne ("Me And Bobby McGee"), Steve Earle ("Sunday Morning Coming Down"), Vince Gill ("Help Me Make It Through The Night"), Catie Curtis ("Nobody Wins"), and Mark Knopfler ("Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends").

Left off the original album, "Best Of All Possible Worlds" and "Jody And The Kid" make their debut on the expanded version. Mollin says the songs show different sides of Kristofferson' songwriting. "One is lighthearted, dry, sarcastic and one of the greatest examples of Kris' humor and storytelling, while the other is just deeply emotional and shows the true aching heart that can be felt like an arrow, from Kris to the listener."

Continuing down the path of his fabled career, the five-time Grammy® winner gained another nomination for Best Americana Album for his LP The Cedar Creek Sessions in December 2016. At 80 years old, the country music legend will kick off a 2017 tour this January. More information on the tour can be found via www.kriskristofferson.com.
 

THE AUSTIN SESSIONS: EXPANDED EDITION
Track Listing:

1.    "Me And Bobby McGee"
2.    "Sunday Morning Coming Down"
3.    "For The Good Times"
4.    "The Silver Tongued Devil And I"
5.    "Help Me Make It Through The Night"
6.    "Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)"
7.    "To Beat The Devil"
8.    "Who's To Bless And Who's To Blame"
9.    "Why Me?"
10.  "Nobody Wins"
11.  "The Pilgrim: Chapter 33"
12.  "Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends"
13.  "Best Of All Possible Worlds" *
14.  "Jody And The Kid" *

* previously unreleased


# # #
 

Paul Shaffer & The World's Most Dangerous Band
Release Date
Fri, 03/17/2017
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description:

PAUL SHAFFER & THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS BAND
RETURNS FOR NEW ALBUM AND TOUR

The Legendary Ensemble's Album Features Guest Appearances By Dion,
Bill Murray, Darius Rucker, Shaggy, And Valerie Simpson

Jenny Lewis Collaboration "Sorrow,"
A Tranquil, Heartfelt Tribute To David Bowie, Is Available Now

CD And Digital Versions Available On March 17 From Sire Records;
North American Tour Kicks Off April 1

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