www.musicweek.com PRODUCTREISSUES
SPARKS • FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD • RODRIGUEZ • ART GARFUNKEL SPARKS • Extended: The 12 Inch Mixes 1979-1984/Shortcuts: The 7 Inch Mixes 1979-1984 (Repertoire REP 5251/5255)
have a large and fiercely loyal fanbase, who should be thrilled that all tracks here are crisply remastered, with extensive notes.
Quirky fraternal duo Sparks have been consistently interesting but commercially
erratic in a career lasting nearly 40 years. These new Repertoire releases provide a snapshot of the band during one of its most creative periods, between 1979 and 1984, taking up the story when their sound was reinvigorated by Italian producer Giorgio Moroder, who instantly steered them to chart success with Top 20 hits The Number One Song In Heaven and Beat The Clock, both of which married his frantic, hi-nrg style disco to their more eclectic new wave style. This beautifully packaged set revisits these hits and other venerable Mael masterpieces, many of which went criminally ignored at the time. Sparks still
FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD • Sex Mix: Archive Tapes And Studio Adventures Volume 1 (ZTT/Salvo SALVOMDCD 28)
Drawing from the whole of Frankie’s whirlwind career, Sex Mix sets out to make available
on CD for the first time a plethora of mixes previously issued on cassette and vinyl or simply banished to the archives. With two CDs containing more than 140 minutes of music, including the 17- minute version of Rage Hard, the 23-minute mix of Warriors Of The Wasteland and the 16-minute Sex Mix of Relax, it pushes most of the right buttons. However, liner notes musing “What in the world is achieving perfection? We may not get there but boy, do we care” are
rendered ironic and telling by the fact that the first five tracks on the first CD are erroneously included mono masters. With the stereo masters apparently having gone missing, it is a release that has caused consternation among fans, and sales figures may reflect that.
RODRIGUEZ • Searching For Sugar Man OST (Light In The Attic/Legacy/ Sony 88725447852)
In a race with his debut album Cold Fact to provide 70- year-old Sixto Diaz Rodriguez with a
long overdue and richly deserved chart debut, Searching For Sugar Man is the soundtrack to director Malik Bendjelloul’s acclaimed new documentary focusing on two fans’ search to find the enigmatic and obscure Mexican-American singer who cut Cold Fact in 1970, and follow-up Coming From Reality in 1971 to a muted reception, before disappearing into obscurity. Until,
that is, Cold Fact was bootlegged and became a cult favourite in apartheid-stricken South Africa. It also became a belatedly big seller in Australia but rumours that Rodriguez had died (he hadn’t) led to the documentary, and ultimately to this soundtrack, which blends songs from the two albums, and confirms that, although not in the Dylan class, he is a gifted singer. His songs reflect his gritty life in Detroit, with lyrics addressing sexual issues, politics and poverty. Great stuff – but it’s a great pity that the 51 minutes of music here represent the bulk of his recordings.
ART GARFUNKEL • The Singer (Sony 88725458162)
A familiar and much-loved vocalist for nearly 50 years initially with Paul Simon
and later solo, Art Garfunkel himself curated this 34-song double-disc collection. Spanning
his entire career and long overdue (his last ‘best of’ in 1998 has sold 75,000 copies), it concentrates primarily on his solo material, including the chart-toppers I Only Have Eyes For You and Bright Eyes, but also features a clutch of Simon & Garfunkel classics, most notably Bridge Over Troubled Water. Garfunkel’s winsome vocal style is ideally suited to Simon’s songs but he also forged a long and creatively rewarding partnership with Jimmy Webb, who is represented here by the songs In Cars and Scissors Cut, an acutely melodic and melancholic 1981 recording sweetned by the vocal harmonies of Mama Cass’ sister Leah Kunkel. All the cornerstone recordings of Garfunkel’s solo career are here, including All I Know, Disney Girls and A Heart In New York plus two excellent new 2012 recordings, Lena and Long Way Home, which demonstrate perfectly that rumours of Garfunkel’s vocal demise are severely exaggerated.
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