Xmas has come early...

Posted by: Kevin-W on 27 July 2018

... if you're a Bobby Gentry fan!

As I predicted in the 'What releases are you looking forward to?' thread, this September sees a mammoth (8 CDs) Bobbie box called The Girl from Chickasaw County. This contains, at a rough count, 75 tracks never heard/released before, even on bootleg.

So, we get all seven Capitol albums - Ode to Billie Joe, Delta Sweete, Local Gentry, Bobbie Gentry & Glen Campbell, Touch 'Em With Love, Fancy, Patchwork - in new masters, all supplemented with extensive bonus tracks; and the recently released Live at the BBC which is massively expanded to 26 tracks!

Here's some of Universal's pre-release blurb:

http://bobbiegentry.org.uk/wp-...et-Press-Release.pdf

And a disc-by-disc listening guide:

http://bobbiegentry.org.uk/wp-...ide-Disc-by-Disc.pdf

Full tracklist is here: http://bobbiegentry.org.uk/wp-...nty-Tracklisting.pdf

Of course, it's a pity that none of the late 1970s Warner stuff gets a look in, nor do any of her innovative Vegas live shows, but hell, it's about time such an important artist gets the full box set treatment.

Needless to say, I have already pre-ordered!

Posted on: 31 October 2018 by ewemon

I had a preview copy to play but decided to buy the full set, searched around the net and picked up a copy for a fraction over £40. Now that's what I call a bargain.

Posted on: 31 October 2018 by Stevee_S
kevin J Carden posted:

Santa’s bringing me this on Vinyl..

..pure punt based on Kevin-W’s heartfelt advocacy.

Fingers crossed I share your enthusiasm Kev!

Kevin, for what its worth I fully back and endorse Kevin-W's views on this super album. Your next request to santa might perhaps be her new absolutely wonderful sounding and beautifully presented eight CD box set collection "The Girl From Chickasaw County - The Complete Capitol Masters" 

 

Posted on: 01 November 2018 by hungryhalibut

I’ve just bought this as a download from Qobuz and have spent a couple of hours sorting out the metadata and listening to some of the tracks on the Qb. I replaced the box set cover with the original albums. The Bobbie Gentry website has really nice versions in the supporting material for the box set, just the right size and much better than you will find using Google. 

Posted on: 01 November 2018 by hungryhalibut

And of course I meant to say that it’s a wonderful set. Some of the extra material, demos and so on, is just brilliant. 

Posted on: 15 November 2018 by Kevin-W

On February 8th next year, Bella Union Records are going to release a new album by Mercury Rev,  Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited which is "a reimagining of Bobbie Gentry’s forgotten masterpiece and features an incredible cast list of guest vocalists including Norah Jones, Hope Sandoval, Beth Orton, Lucinda Williams, Rachel Goswell, Vashti Bunyan, Marissa Nadler, Susanne Sundfør, Phoebe Bridgers, Margo Price, Kaela Sinclair, Carice Van Houten and Laetitia Sadier"

Earlier today the band posted a vid for "Sermon", with Margo Price on vocals. Pretty good.

Full details here:

http://bellaunion.com/2018/11/...ta-sweete-revisited/

Posted on: 15 November 2018 by Stevee_S
Kevin-W posted:

On February 8th next year, Bella Union Records are going to release a new album by Mercury Rev,  Bobbie Gentry's The Delta Sweete Revisited which is "a reimagining of Bobbie Gentry’s forgotten masterpiece and features an incredible cast list of guest vocalists including Norah Jones, Hope Sandoval, Beth Orton, Lucinda Williams, Rachel Goswell, Vashti Bunyan, Marissa Nadler, Susanne Sundfør, Phoebe Bridgers, Margo Price, Kaela Sinclair, Carice Van Houten and Laetitia Sadier"

Earlier today the band posted a vid for "Sermon", with Margo Price on vocals. Pretty good.

 

Full details here:

http://bellaunion.com/2018/11/...ta-sweete-revisited/

That's a good heads up thanks, Kev. 

Posted on: 15 November 2018 by AndyP19

I'm just working through the Bobbie Gentry box set and Delta Sweete is a masterpiece not only in terms of BG's songwriting (Mornin' Glory is a classic) but the original production and the superb reproduction of the album and extras by Andrew Batt. If everything was this good in 16bit we wouldn't need Hi-Res.

Just a stunning set, beautifully packaged and presented. Plus the wonderful news above of Mercurey Rev's Revisit with a great bunch of vocalists.

It is strange that Bobbie Gentry is not up there with singer songwriters like Joni Mitchel and Carole King, maybe the fact that she trod a country path or the slip into prosaic covers on the later albums.

@Kevin-W if you bump into Andrew then please tell him he has worked wonders with this set, given the plethora of box sets around at the moment this stands out as a great example of how an artist should be respected. I'll watch with interest what he does next.

Oh and I just love that 'mini' Martin 5-18 guitar she plays.

Posted on: 25 November 2018 by Kevin-W

I notice that this set got the Reissue of the Year gong in Mojo magazine. Well deserved, too - it beats even the White Album deluxe box