Legacy Recordings Announces Digital Releases for Fall 2009

Legacy Recordings, the world's foremost catalog music label, is continuing its on-going digital reissue initiative with a round of classic album titles, from a variety of genres, to be released for the first time in the online digital realm this fall.

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"Whether offering a celebrated masterpiece for rediscovery or shining a new light on a rare cult classic, Legacy is committed to providing serious music fans access to a diverse array of new digital titles every month," said Adam Block, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Legacy

The Legacy Recordings autumn Digital Audio Longplay release schedule includes:

Townes Van Zandt

Before his untimely passing at the age of 52 on New Year's Day 1997, the underrated singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt laid down a series of intense home demo versions of his most familiar and iconic songs. Producer Eric Paul, working with a group of top-shelf Nashville session players, transformed those raw performances into "A Far Cry From Dead," Van Zandt's posthumous major-label debut. In its review (August 5, 1999) at the time of the album's original release, Rolling Stone called Zandt "...arguably, the finest songwriter to ever come out of Texas..." while praising the collection as "stunning... the best vocals Van Zandt ever laid down, as weathered and powerful as Johnny Cash...." "A Far Cry From Dead" is available for the first time as a digital release.

Dave Mason

The British singer-songwriter-musician bon vivant Dave Mason rose to fame in the early 1970s as co-founder of the influential rock band Traffic, who popularized a number of Dave's compositions including "Feelin' Alright," "Hole In My Shoe" and others. Branching off into successful solo career, Dave Mason signed with Columbia Records in 1973. Legacy is proud to release, for the first time digitally, three of Dave's classic solo titles including his 1973 Columbia debut "It's Like You Never Left," his 1976 double LP "Certified Live," and 1980's "Old Crest On A New Wave," featuring the Vanilla Fudge's Mark Stein on keyboards and guest vocalist Michael Jackson on "Save Me."

Donovan

One of the preeminent UK recording artists of the 1960s, the Scottish singer-songwriter-performer Donovan had an unbroken string of hit singles and albums from 1965-1970 and was the first artist to be signed by Clive Davis to CBS/Epic Records. "A Gift From A Flower To A Garden," Donovan's 1967 magnum opus, was not only one of the first double albums in rock history, it was also the first to packaged as a boxed set. Legacy is making Donovan's psychedelic folk double-album masterpiece available for the first time as digital release alongside "Open Road," the "celtic rock" album Donovan cut in 1970 with the band Open Road featuring John Carr on drums, Mike O'Neil on keyboards and guitarist Mike Thomson.

Loggins & Messina

Jim Messina, a member of Buffalo Springfield and Poco, met then-unknown singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins in 1970. By mid-decade, as Loggins & Messina, the pair sold more than 16 million records. Legacy Recordings is issuing, for the first time as a digital release, Loggins & Messina's 1975 "covers" album featuring the pop-country-soft-rock duo's interpretations of songs by the Everly Brothers, Gene Pitney, Hank Williams, Bobby Darin, Chuck Berry and many more.

The Black Eyed Susans

Legacy Recordings is reissuing 1995's "Mouth to Mouth," the third studio album from the influential Australian alt-country rock band the Black Eyed Susans. Recorded in Melbourne's Fortissimo Sound Studios, "Mouth to Mouth" was produced by Phil Kakulas, introduced new band members Kiernan Box (piano, organ and harmonica) and Dan Luscombe (guitar) and featured the hit single "Let's Live."

Trey Lorenz

Recently seen performing "I'll Be There" with Mariah Carey at the Michael Jackson memorial concert in Los Angeles, Trey Lorenz first hooked up musically with the contemporary pop-soul diva singing backup on her very first promo tour in 1990. Mariah returned the favor two years later when she laid down backing vocals on Trey's crossover smash single "Someone to Hold," the centerpiece for his self-titled debut album, a #1 Billboard Heatseeker in 1992, finally available through Legacy digital.

Argent

Founded in 1968 by Zombies keyboardist Rod Argent, Argent set a standard for early 70s progressive rock with songs like "Liar" (a hit for Three Dog Night), "God Gave Rock & Roll To You" (later covered by KISS), and the group's signature smash "Hold Your Head Up." Legacy is digitally releasing three key titles from the Argent canon including the 1970 debut album, 1973's underrated "In Deep" and "Encore: Live In Concert," a killer live show from 1974 featuring an eleven minute "Hold Your Head Up" and a definitive performance of the Zombie's "Time of the Season."

The Edgar Winter Group with Rick Derringer

One of the great 1970s rock & roll summit meetings, the explosive combination of Edgar Winter's progressive keyboards and Rick Derringer's finely-chiseled rock guitar burned at the core of this all-time classic album from 1975. "This is a beautifully produced album," observed Billboard, calling the record "technically gemlike."

Esther Phillips

One of the greatest R&B singers of all-time, Esther Phillips earned a Best Rhythm & Blues Vocal Performance Grammy nomination in 1973 for her smoldering interpretation of Gilbert O'Sullivan's perennial "Alone Again, Naturally." A bona-fide crossover success, Esther's "Alone Again, Naturally" album made it onto Billboard's Jazz and R&B charts as well as the Billboard 200 in 1973.

George Duke

In 1983, keyboard wizard George Duke released "Guardian of the Light," a musical concept album following the exploits of a mythical character of Duke's own creation. The crossover album broke into the R&B and Jazz charts as well as the Billboard 200. Duke's forgotten masterpiece sounds better than ever in its new digital incarnation.

Laura Nyro

Recorded during her 1976 tour in support of her "Smile" album, Laura Nyro's "Season of Lights" chronicles the artist's first full-band tour with inspired interpretations of her hits and classics from "Sweet Blindness" to "And When I Die."

Paul Desmond

Perhaps best-known for composing "Take Five," one of the most familiar riffs in jazz history, saxophonist Paul Desmond laid down these remarkably dreamy sessions between September 14, 1961 and March 15, 1962. Originally released as "Desmond Blue," the album was dubbed "Late Lament" when reissued for CD in 1987. Featuring the sublime guitar stylings of Jim Hall on several tracks, Paul Desmond's "Late Lament" is an atmospheric jazz classic.

The Innocence Mission

Hailing from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, centering around wife and husband songwriters/performers Karen and Don Peris, the Innocence Mission recorded the group's alternative-folk masterpiece, "Birds of My Neighborhood," thirteen years after their debut. Featuring the profoundly moving "Lakes of Canada" (a song covered by Sufjan Stevens), "Birds of My Neighborhood" is a revelation ten years after its original release.

Riot

First generation heavy metal rock band Riot formed in New York City in 1975 and was reaching its apogee of success in the early 1980s. By 1990, the band decided to stretch its conceptual boundaries with "The Privilege of Power," the 7th Riot album. Featuring a horn section and an Al DiMeola cover ("Racing with the Devil on a Spanish Highway"), "The Privilege of Power" catapulted Riot the band, and metal the genre, into a brave new world.

Mike Bloomfield

As the fiery eloquent lead guitar player in the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, musician Mike Bloomfield helped bring Chicago electric blues to a whole new generation while establishing his own reputation as an instrumental virtuoso. Bloomfield's 1975 solo album, "Try It Before You Buy It," is an overlooked masterpiece of blues-rock, featuring Michael on guitar, keyboards and vocals.

Tammy Wynette

The late great Tammy Wynette, America's "First Lady of Country Music," had seventeen #1 country singles during her extraordinary career. During the 60s, 70s and 80s, Tammy (alongside Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn) helped define the sound and persona of women in country music. Her signature song, "Stand By Your Man," was one of the best-selling records in country music history. Legacy is proud to revisit a pair of Tammy's lost gems from the late-1980s: 1987's "Higher Ground" and 1988's "Next To You."

Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs

Guitarist Lester Flatt and banjo-picker Earl Scruggs met as members of Bob Monroe's Blue Grass Boys in 1946 before forming their own ensemble, the Foggy Mountain Boys, a couple of years later. The groundbreaking bluegrass duo recorded a series of successful albums and singles for Columbia from 1957-1970, crescendoing in the popular sphere with songs like the Grammy-winning "Foggy Mountain Breakdown," the go-to soundtrack for numerous rural car chases and crashes in the movies (notably "Bonnie & Clyde") and "The Ballad of Jed Clampett," the theme song for "The Beverly Hillbillies." Legacy Recordings is reissuing of Flatt & Scruggs seminal albums: "Folk Songs of Our Land" (1962), "Breaking Out" (1970), "A Boy Named Sue" (1973), and "The Fabulous Sound of Flatt and Scruggs," which rocketed to #2 on the Country Album charts in 1965.

Jennifer Warnes

The Grammy Award winning artist Jennifer Warnes, a backup singer for Leonard Cohen, broke through as a solo artist with her 1977 Top 10 easy listening/country crossover hit, "Right Time of the Night," followed closely by "I Know A Heartache When I See One" and her recording of 1979's Oscar-winning Best Song "It Goes Like It Goes." Jennifer's first wave of hits are included on 1982's "Best of Jennifer Warnes," digitally released for the first time on Legacy Recordings.

Robert Tepper

New Jersey-born singer-songwriter Robert Tepper rose to acclaim when Sylvester Stallone chose Tepper's "There's No Easy Way Out" for the soundtrack to "Rocky IV." Legacy is releasing, for the first time in the digital realm, a pair of essential albums from Tepper's Scotti Bros. catalog: "No Easy Way Out" (1986) and "Modern Madness" (1988).

Additional Legacy Digital releases TBA on an ongoing basis.

Legacy Recordings, the world's premier catalog music label, has opened its vaults to create the Legacy Digital Reissue initiative, making an incredible selection of classic albums and deep catalog rarities available for the first time in the digital realm.

Drawing from the vast resources of the Sony Music archives, spanning the entire history of commercial recordings, the ongoing Legacy Digital Reissue program offers music fans an opportunity to rediscover old favorites, experience forgotten musical rarities, and explore an incomparably rich variety of genres, artists and sounds from the last 125 years.

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SOURCE: Legacy Recordings

CONTACT: Tom Cording, VP of Media Relations, Sony Music - Legacy,
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