From: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org (jangle-poets-digest) To: jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Subject: jangle-poets-digest V5 #90 Reply-To: jangle-poets@smoe.org Sender: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jangle-poets-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jangle-poets-digest Friday, November 21 2003 Volume 05 : Number 090 Today's Subjects: ----------------- [JP] River and Life reissues -- a note from The Kennedys [Kennedylst@aol.] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 11:09:04 EST From: Kennedylst@aol.com Subject: [JP] River and Life reissues -- a note from The Kennedys Hey, all you Jangle Poets! Hmm, The Beatles reissue, "Let It Be - Naked," and The Kennedys reissues, "River of Fallen Stars," and "Life is Large." Coincidence...or not? Furthermore, are the new Kennedy reissues "naked," or not? Here's the story: "River" and "Life" are, in fact, back on record store shelves again. If you usually buy our albums directly from us, you may not have noticed that these two titles have been out of print, that is, not in record stores since 1997. This is because when we terminated our contract with Green Linnet in 1997, they stopped distributing those two albums, and recalled all copies from stores. The ones that we sell at our gigs are stock that we took out of their warehouse when we left the label. The end result is that it's been nearly 7 years since anyone in the general public could go into a record store and buy "River" or "Life is Large." To us, it's good news that these two titles are finally available again. We like to think that people can get hold of this music even if they're not able to attend one of our concerts and buy it directly from us. The perennial question with reissues is, "What's different about it?" In fact, lots of people who bought "Let It Be - Naked" this past week are scratching their heads and pondering that question at this very moment. If you reissue an album and make it completely different, then it's not really a reissue. The newbie buyers might get a good album, but they'll miss the original experience. On the other hand, if it's exactly the same except for the packaging, then there's no reason to expect any of the original buyers to pay for the same album with a different booklet. For example, we don't rebuy greatest hits albums by The Who or the Beach Boys when they get repackaged every couple of years. We already have that music. The middle ground that makes reissues of value to at least some of the original buyers is the inclusion of additional tracks, as well as photos and liner notes that were not included in the first issue. Thus, the new issue of "River of Fallen Stars" is different in a number of ways from the first. There are three added songs that have never been heard before. They are: "Belfast", "Sendera Blessing" and "Fog". The first two were written, like much of the album, in Ireland and are sonically and lyrically very much in the spirit of the rest of "River." "Fog," which we wrote on Stony Man Mountain in Virginia, was also intended to be included on the original album. In addition, there are versions of "River of Fallen Stars," "Run the Red Horses," and "Spirit Compass" that are the instrumental tracks only, with no vocals. These three cuts seem to stand on their own as ambient instrumentals and they give a closer look at how we create sonic textures in the studio. All six of these tracks come with liner notes similar to the notes provided with the songs in the original sequence. There are also two new photos from the "Pillars" photo session, as well. On a final note, the original songs are the same versions in the same sequence. The master used is one that Pete did in the late 90's, so if the version you now own is from the original 1995 pressing, this one will sound a little richer and more spacious. "Life Is Large" also contains six additional tracks. "She Just Don't Care" is a pop song recorded for the album but left off the final sequence. "And Your Bird Can Sing" (Lennon/McCartney) was issued on a single that was distributed as a promotional item to radio only and was never for sale. In addition, there are four acoustic mixes of well-known Kennedys songs. These mixes were done by Pete concurrently with the rest of the album, but were never officially released. These songs are: "Life Is Large", "One Heart, One Soul", "St. Mark's Square," and "Sirens." Certain details in the backing tracks, including John Gorka's vocal part on "Life Is Large," Nils Lofgren's accordion on "St. Mark's Square," and most notably, The Dixie Hummingbirds great choral part on "One Heart, One Soul" are much more prominent in these mixes. "Sirens" without the driving rhythm track takes on an ethereal world music feel with Charlie Sexton's cumbus and bouzouki parts, and Pete's dulcimer part is much more audible in the mix. Once again, these added tracks all have liner notes that continue thematically from the original song notes. There are two new photos in this package as well, both from the original cover session. The master used for the original sequence was prepared by Pete earlier this year, and has a somewhat fuller, more mellow sound than the original release. Both of these reissues subsequently went through a final mastering process performed in Los Angeles by Bill Inglot, the top engineer in the reissue field. He's known for preserving the original character and texture of the projects he remasters, and we're very happy with his work. We ourselves worked closely with the reissue label, Varese Sarabande, to make sure that these two projects were of the highest quality and that the additional material would be of real value and be of interest to owners of the original issues, as well as new buyers. It should go without saying that there was never any thought of pressuring those original buyers to repurchase the same record. That's why we haven't done an official promotional announcement on our web site, to our email list or to the Jangle Poets, like we normally do when we put out a brand new album. For the moment, it's fine with us that people simply know that these high-quality reissues are available, that there is additional material that may be of interest, and that these two albums are available again in stores after a long period of absence. Since the original records were issued by a label who had a certain amount of control over the overall "product," as they called it, we were glad to have this opportunity to release these two albums with a little bit wider and deeper picture of our own vision. Peace and Love, Pete & Maura Kennedy Check out the Kennedys' Official Home Page: http://www.KennedysMusic.com/ Fab photos, the Official tour diary, dashboard Buddha haiku, groovy merchandise...what more could you ask for? ------------------------------ End of jangle-poets-digest V5 #90 *********************************