Reissues of Classic Albums From Concrete Blonde and Billy Squier Announced
04/16/2010
.
Shout! Factory will be reissuing two seminal albums originally released on Capitol Records, Concrete Blonde's Bloodletting, and Billy Squier's Don't Say No. Both albums have been remastered and include rare and unreleased bonus tracks. Bloodletting will be released July 13, and Don't Say No will be released July 27.
Massachusetts-born Billy Squier had interest in music from an early age, going on to attend the Berklee College of Music and playing in the group Kicks with Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls, The Sidewinders, and the band Piper, which opened for KISS at Madison Square Garden, and got him his first recording contract. His solo debut, 1980's "The Tale of the Tape" was released in 1980 and didn't spawn any hits, however the track "The Big Beat," has been sampled over the years in hip hop songs.
Don't Say No, Billy Squier's landmark 1981 album, gave us the mega-hits "The Stroke," "My Kinda Lover," and "In the Dark." Arguably his best album, Don't Say No reached #5 on Billboard's album chart. Produced by Reinhold Mack (Queen), the album went on to sell over 3 million copies in the U.S. alone. Squier was the personification of '80s rock, with an array of arena rock anthems and power ballads. His combination of rock and pop proved to be a huge success and was able to reach an even wider audience thanks to heavy rotation on brand new MTV. Squier now lives in New York, and continues to tour and release new music. This long-overdue reissue features 2 bonus tracks, live version of hit songs "The Stroke" and "My Kinda Lover," recorded during a 2009 tour.
Born out of the early 1980s Los Angeles post-punk scene along with bands such as X, Wall of Voodoo and the Go-Gos, Concrete Blonde got their start when founding members Johnette Napolitano and James Mankey met working as backup for Leon Russell. They formed Dream 6 and signed with IRS Records, where labelmate Michael Stipe of R.E.M. suggested they change their name to Concrete Blonde. Their powerful, eponymous debut album came out in 1987, and was followed by Free (1989), which spawned the college radio hit "God Is A Bullet."
Bloodletting, their third album, took Concrete Blonde in a new direction. Produced by Chris Tsangarides in London in 1989 and 1990, and featuring guests such as Steve Wynn, Bloodletting was a gothic tapestry of danger, vampires, alcoholism and passion. Hit single "Joey" reached #19 on Billboard's Top Pop Singles Chart, and the album was eventually certified Gold. In 2006 Napolitano told antimusic.com: "One of the biggest shocks of my life was when Bloodletting came out . . . I just thought, 'OK, nobody is going to relate to this. Nobody but me.' It was the most amazing thing to find that it was such a universal thing. It was a real revelation to discover that the closer you get to your own truth, the more universal it becomes." The band briefly reunited in the early 2000s, and will be touring in the summer of 2010 (dates below). This remastering of Bloodletting, long overdue, breathes new life into their signature album, which is expanded to include "I Want You," the long unavailable B-side of the single version of "Joey," other B-sides from the period and a previously unreleased French version of the title track.
Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture. Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over. Shout! Factory's DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras. The company's audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable "best of" compilations. These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention. With its fingers on the pulse of pop culture, Shout! Factory continues to impact the entertainment media landscape through acquisition of top quality programming for home entertainment releases. Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, California. For more on Shout! Factory, visit www.shoutfactory.com.
CONCRETE BLONDE TOUR DATES
June 8 – Boston, MA – Royal Boston
June 10 – New York, NY – Webster Hall
June 11 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
June 12 – Chicago, IL – The Vic
June 15 – Washington D.C. – 9:30 Club
June 16 – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
June 18 – Dallas, TX – Granada Theatre
June 19 – Austin, TX – Emo's
June 21 – Arvada, CO – Arvada Center
June 22 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
June 24 – Seattle, WA – Showbox at the Market
June 26 – San Francisco, CA – The Regency Ballroom
June 28 – Hollywood, CA – The Music Box
CONCRETE BLONDE BLOODLETTING TRACKLISTING
1. Bloodletting (The Vampire Song)
2. The Sky Is A Poisonous Garden
3. Caroline
4. Darkening Of The Light
5. I Don't Need A Hero
6. Days And Days
7. The Beast
8. Lullabye
9. Joey
10. Tomorrow, Wendy
11. I Want You [B-side of "Joey"] –BONUS TRACK
12. Little Wing [B-side of "Caroline" CD single] –BONUS TRACK
13. Bloodletting (The Vampire Song) [French Extended Version] –BONUS TRACK
14. Roses Grow (Live) [B-side of "Caroline" CD single] –BONUS TRACK
15. The Sky Is A Poisonous Garden (Live) [B-side of "Caroline" CD single] –BONUS TRACK
16. Tomorrow, Wendy (Live) [B-side of "Caroline" CD single] –BONUS TRACK
BILLY SQUIER DON'T SAY NO TRACKLISTING
1. In The Dark
2. The Stroke
3. My Kinda Lover
4. You Know What I Like
5. Too Daze Gone
6. Lonely Is The Night
7. Whadda You Want From Me
8. Nobody Knows
9. I Need You
10. Don't Say No
11. The Stroke (Live 2009) –BONUS TRACK
12. My Kinda Lover (Live 2009) –BONUS TRACK
Share this article on Twitter
[an error occurred while processing this directive]
Click here to read today's full Day in Rock report
Preview and Purchase Billy Squier CDs
Billy Squier Tour Dates/Tickets
Billy Squier MP3 Downloads
| Was it Good for you? Please Fark it!, Stumble It, Digg it or more! |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Fark | Stumble Upon | Digg | Facebook |
|
tell a friend about this article know of a news item we should cover?  antiMUSIC News featured on RockNews.info and Yahoo News
.
...end |
