REVIEW: Essential Recordings (EMI/Capitol)
R.E.M., R.E.M. In The Attic / Blondie, Picture This Live
Beach Boys, Perfect Harmony / David Bowie, Best of 1969-1974
- Bob Gajarsky
Music labels never die, they just change their stripes.
When the EMI label closed its United States operations earlier this year, the legacy of that label's 100 year history carried on. And with the U.S. operations of EMI's catalog having switched to its Capitol affiliate, it offers collectors the opportunity to obtain unique retrospectives as the catalog is mined for more potential sales.
Each of the limited-edition (6 month availability) discs in the series is housed in their own unique digipak with comprehensive, well-written informative liner notes. The only complaint here lies in the use of the digipaks - as with any of these cardboard cases, their longevity and ability to withstand travelling is called into question. But by producing the series in this format, each digipak and slipcase stands out from the traditional disc releases.
R.E.M. die-hards will recognize many of these songs which appear on R.E.M. In The Attic . The European versions of R.E.M.'s discs (during the IRS years) were reissued in 1992 with additional bonus tracks - of course, at a higher cost to the consumer. These songs were primarily B-sides including covers of other people's work (Floyd Cramer's "Last Date"), live versions of their own songs ("Driver 8", "Maps And Legends", "Disturbance At The Heron House", "The One I Love") and a combination of the two (the "Time After Time / So. Central Rain" medley sandwiches part of Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain"). In addition, their two contributions to the Athens GA soundtrack - a live version of "Swan Swan H" and Michael Stipe's excellent rendition of the Everly's "All I Have To Do Is Dream". The 15 song collection doesn't include all the European extras - the covers of "Tighten Up" and "Moon River" are omitted, among others - but serves as an excellent supplement to U.S. fans who are cost-conscious.
Sex-kitten and musical visionary Debbie Harry led the five piece group Blondie out of New York City and into international stardom. Nine songs from a 1980 concert in Dallas and six from a 1978 Philadelphia show from their first four albums are featured on Picture This Live , which captures the energy which was a trademark at Blondie's shows. Because this pre-dates 1980's Autoamerican , the shows omit big hits such as "The Tide Is High" and the groundbreaking "Rapture". But for fans of the band, this collection - including the T-Rex / Iggy Pop cover medley, "Bang A Gong / Fun Time" - results in a high quality live concert from one of the founders of the new-wave scene.
With a catalog which has been nearly thoroughly searched, the David Bowie and Beach Boys collections don't offer many unique songs. The Beach Boys compilation alternates among 'all-time greatest hits' such as "California Girls" and "Good Vibrations", lesser hits including "Do It Again" and "Don't Worry Baby", and alternate versions of songs from their box sets. The latter songs are the prime attraction, with the original mono version of "God Only Knows" and a vocals-only version of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" from the Pet Sounds box set, and vocals-only versions of "Hushabye" and "When I Grow Up" from the Good Vibrations set.
The Bowie compilation primarily consists of tracks from Changesonebowie with some additional rarities and few album tracks tossed in. Unreleased stereo versions of "Prettiest Star" and "All The Young Dudes" are the highlights, but because of the plethora of Bowie compilations, both on Rykodisc and RCA, the collection lacks much in terms of its originality.
