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Los Angeles, California – Real Gone
Music’s first releases of Spring 2013, due out on the 2nd of April, will tickle
the funny bones of all manner of collector, as the label has taken its customary
eclecticism to new heights, with releases from a vocal pop legend, two guitar
icons, the most popular crossover classical artist of all time and a long
sought-after soundtrack in addition to a strong slate of rock-oriented releases.
Perhaps the most unusual release is the first appearance on legitimate CD of
Alfred Newman’s life-affirming score to the George Stevens’ 1959 film The
Diary of Anne Frank, released in time to coincide with Passover; of
particular interest to vocal pop fans are Margaret Whiting’s complete London
recordings, released in two volumes and licensed directly from the estate. And
the Country Gentleman, Chet Atkins, makes an appearance on two releases this
month; first, on his second riotous collaboration with Les Paul, Guitar
Monsters, and, second, as part of a twofer featuring a pair of ’60s albums
from Arthur Fiedler and the Boston Pops Orchestra.

For rock and soul
fans, Real Gone has lined up the CD debut of the 1971 solo album by Memphis
music legend Don Nix, featuring the Muscle Shoals rhythm section and a host of
other luminaries, plus, also making its CD debut and also from 1971, the
way-ahead-of-its-time soul/funk/rock/folk album from Barbara Massey and Ernie
Calabria, Prelude to…. Also on tap are two albums from underappreciated
singer-songwriter Tom Jans, Take Heart and Tom Jans, the former
featuring Mimi Farina and the latter making its worldwide CD debut. And the
label continues its long strange trip through the Grateful Dead’s Dick’s
Picks series with its release of Dick’s Picks Vol. 24 — Cow Palace Daly
City, CA 3/23/74, a 2-CD set featuring the first-ever appearance of the
band’s famed Wall of Sound concert PA system.

Winner of nine Academy
Awards (second only to Walt Disney) and nominated for 45 (second among composers
only to John Williams), Alfred
Newman ranks as one of the greatest screen composers of all time. But his
score to the 1959 George Stevens film adaptation of “The
Diary of Anne Frank” (which was nominated for an Academy Award), occupies a
special place in the hearts of Newman fans, and not just because the story on
screen that it accompanies is so heart-rending and enduring. Contrary to what
one might expect of a movie set in The Holocaust, the music to the film is
lyrical, even on occasion lighthearted; as Newman put it, “…the music would be
motivated by high ideals, the tenderness and spiritual qualities inherent in
their family life and their special badge of courage.” Real Gone Music proudly
presents the original stereo film soundtrack album for the first time on
legitimate CD with the original album artwork and new liner notes by Frank
DeWald.

Together with Peggy Lee, Margaret
Whiting was the only female vocalist to have hits in the ’40s, ’50s and even
in the late ’60s, when the rock and roll sound sidetracked the career of most of
her peers. But unlike Peggy, Margaret’s ’60s recordings — made with producer
Arnold Goland and released on the London label — have remained unissued in the
digital era. Now, Real Gone Music, in conjunction with the Whiting estate, is
reissuing Margaret’s COMPLETE London recordings in two 25-track volumes, with
notes by highly esteemed music critic Will Friedwald and pictures from the
Whiting family’s private archive. “The
Wheel of Hurt (Deluxe Edition)” features her 1966 chart-making album plus 13
rare single sides, while “Maggie
Isn’t Margaret Anymore / Pop Country” adds four unreleased tracks to a pair
of London albums. The pop vocal find of the year!

After their 1976 smash
Chester and Lester guitar duet album, Chet
Atkins and Les
Paul reunited in 1978 for another round of pickin’ and grinnin’ on “Guitar
Monsters.” The front cover illustration shows a couple of dragons dueling,
and it’s appropriate; for all the often-hilarious byplay between the two,
there’s no question that these two legends were friends and rivals, as
each trade-off between solos just sets the bar higher. A must for guitar lovers,
guitarists and/or gearheads (those are Hascal Haile, Del Vecchio and of course
Gibson Les Paul and Gretsch Country Gentleman guitars they’re playing),
Guitar Monsters appears here for the first time on stand-alone CD with
added notes by Chris Morris and a fresh remastering by Mark Wilder at Battery
Studios in NYC. Then, Chet Atkins teams with Arthur
Fiedler & the Boston Pops for the first of the albums on our Real Gone
twofer presenting a pair of ’60s releases from the crossover classical
phenomenon; recorded in the mid-’60s, at the height of the Nashville Sound, “The
Pops Goes Country” (which hit #62 on the 1966 charts) put the architect of
that sound and his twangy Gretsch guitar in front of the Pops for a rousing set
of mostly traditional country tunes. And 1968’s “The
Pops Goes West” took its inspiration from the ever-popular Western-themed
films and TV shows of the ’50s and ’60s for its collection of classic Western
tunes, Both albums make their CD debut here, with new liner notes by Ed Osborne
and remastering by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in NYC…a double barreled
orchestral blast!

It’s only a slight stretch to say that without Don Nix,
there might not have been a Stax Records or a Memphis Sound. Nix started out as
a saxophonist in the Mar-Keys, and, then stepped into a producer/executive role
at Stax while continuing to play as a sideman on numerous sessions. Later, he
befriended Leon Russell and recorded for Russell’s Shelter label while
continuing to produce artists like Delaney & Bonnie, Joe Cocker, Tracy
Nelson, Albert King, Freddie King and others for Stax, Shelter and Memphis’
Ardent Studios. This album, released in 1971, featured the Muscle Shoals rhythm
section, plus Duck Dunn (a high school classmate of Nix’s), and the “Shelter
People” Nix brought with him from his time at the Shelter label, including Don
Preston, Jeanie & Marlin Greene, Claudia Lennear and Kathi McDonald (and, to
top it off, bluesman Furry Lewis as narrator)! With a line-up like that, it will
come as no surprise to learn that “Living by the
Days” is soul and gospel-dipped Americana (Nix’s Civil War garb on the front
cover is another tip-off), and springboard for the legendary Alabama State
Troupers road show Nix put together with Lonnie Mack and Lewis. Our Real Gone
reissue features the original gatefold artwork and new notes by Colin
Escott.

Totally obscure, utterly beguiling and shockingly relevant to
today’s music scene, 1971’s Barbara
& Ernie: Prelude To…, which paired guitarist Ernie Calabria and soul
singer Barbara Massey, is a good example of why reissue labels exist. Prior to
this recording, Calabria had played on sessions for Harry Belafonte, Nina Simone
and Anita Carter, while Massey had sung backup for Jimi Hendrix, Quincy Jones,
Herbie Hancock and Cat Stevens among others. With those influences, the duo
made exactly the kind of album you might expect — a funky, folky,
psychedelic soul gem graced with a stellar list of sidemen (e.g. Joe Beck and
Keith Jarrett) that vanished without a trace in the more stratified world of
early ’70s music retail. Nowadays, of course, the record’s mix-and-match blend
of styles sounds amazingly current — thanks in part to disco pioneer Eumir
Deodato’s orchestrations — and its oft-sampled sound has won devotees from the
jazz, soul, psych and funk factions of crate diggers worldwide. Nevertheless,
this Real Gone release marks its first legitimate release on CD, with added
liner notes by Pat Thomas.

With nary a single reissue of his album
catalog in this country, these days Tom
Jans is perhaps most famous for having had a song (“Whistle Down the Wind”)
dedicated to him on Tom Waits’ album Bone Machine, but the body of work
by this ’70s folk singer-songwriter remains one well worth revisiting; this
twofer presents Tom Jans’ first two albums, both recorded for A&M Records.
The first, 1971’s “Take
Heart,” marked the return of Joan Baez’s younger sister Mimi Farina to
recording after the death of Richard Farina and the collapse of her second
marriage; Jans met her in 1970 and the duo toured extensively (most notably
appearing at the Big Sur Folk Festival) before recording this cult classic. The
second, 1974’s self-titled “Tom
Jans,” appears on CD here for the first time ever, and features Jans’s own
version of his classic “Loving Arms” (which was recorded by Elvis among many
others) as well as a crack band featuring guitarist Lonnie Mack and keyboardist
David Briggs. This Real Gone reissue features the original album art from both
albums along with added photos and liner notes by Richie Unterberger and
remastering by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios.

Boasting the first-ever
appearance of the Grateful
Dead’s famous (or infamous, depending on which Deadhead you ask) Wall of
Sound concert PA, “Dick’s
Picks Vol. 24 — Cow Palace Daly City, CA 3/23/74” already
ranks as one of the most historic entries in the series; add to that it also
captures the first-ever performance of two songs, “Cassidy” and “Scarlet
Begonias,” that were to become concert staples and one would have to say it is
also one of the series’ most essential. A peak show from a pivotal period in the
band’s development, first time available at retail in years.

April
2 Releases from Real Gone Music

The
Diary of Anne Frank: Original Film Soundtrack
Margaret
Whiting: The Wheel of Hurt (Deluxe Edition)
Margaret
Whiting: Maggie Isn’t Margaret Anymore / Pop Country
Chet
Atkins & Les Paul: Guitar Monsters
Arthur
Fiedler / Boston Pops / Chet Atkins: The Pops Goes Country / The Pops Goes
West
Don Nix: Living
by the Days
Barbara
& Ernie: Prelude To…
Tom
Jans & Mimi Farina: Take Heart / Tom Jans
Grateful
Dead: Dick’s Picks Vol. 24 — Cow Palace Daly City, CA 3/23/74

About Real Gone MusicReal Gone Music,
formed and helmed by industry vets Gordon Anderson and Gabby Castellana, is an
eclectic and prolific catalog and reissue label with distribution through Sony
via Razor & Tie. Anderson and Castellana each started businesses in 1993 —
Collectors’ Choice Music and Hep Cat Records & Distribution, respectively —
that became two of the most important outlets for buyers and sellers of vintage
music recordings. They joined forces in 2011 to launch Real Gone Music, which
serves both the collector community and the casual music fan with a robust
release schedule combining big-name artists with esoteric cult favorites. Real
Gone Music is dedicated to combing the vaults for sounds that aren’t just gone
— they’re REAL gone.