Universal marks 45th anniversary of 'The Velvet Underground and Nico' with deluxe six-CD collection

Super Deluxe six-CD collection features previously unreleased recordings from Factory rehearsals, Scepter Studios acetate, live performances

"Modern music begins with The Velvets.” - Lester Bangs

When The Velvet Underground & Nico album was released in March 1967 on Verve Records, with its Andy Warhol-designed, peel-off banana cover, it was far from a chart-topper. In fact, as the quote attributed to Brian Eno famously put it, the album may not have sold many copies, “but everyone who bought it formed a band.” And its reputation as a groundbreaker has only increased over the four-and-a-half decades since its original release. 

Universal Music / Polydor will celebrate the now-iconic album’s 45th anniversary on October 30 2012 with a multi-format, worldwide release on October 29th and 30th that includes stereo and mono versions remastered from the original tapes, previously unreleased recordings of the band’s rehearsals in Warhol’s Factory and the subsequent rare April 1966 Scepter Studios recordings captured on acetate which feature early, alternate versions of songs later issued on the album.

A limited-edition, super deluxe six-CD box set will also feature a previously unavailable November ’66 live concert performed by the Velvets’ original, five-person lineup — Lou Reed, John Cale, Sterling Morrison, Moe Tucker and Nico — at the Valleydale Ballroom in Columbus, Ohio, and Nico’s Chelsea Girl, an album released in October 1967 (seven months after the Velvets’ disc) which featured all the members of the band as well as a teenage folksinger named Jackson Browne. It also includes an 88-page booklet with a new essay by band biographer Richie Unterberger. All remastering, tape transfers and digital assembly was overseen by veteran A&R producer Bill Levenson at the prestigious Sterling Sound Studios in New York; Levenson has been involved with previous Velvet Underground reissues for more than 30 years, working on VU and Another VU in the ’80s, the banana-covered box set in the ’90s and UMG’s first expanded, deluxe edition of The Velvet Underground & Nico in 2002.

This six-CD set captures the Velvets in a crucial period in their development, covering the band’s Factory rehearsals in January ’66, the original Scepter recording sessions that April, then a live show in November, leading up to the March ’67 release, almost a year after the album was finished. Nico’s Chelsea Girl, which came out seven months later in October, completes the set’s almost two-year arc, chronicling the band both before and directly after its historic debut. 

The super deluxe set allows fans to compare the mono and stereo versions of the album. Longtime Velvets aficionados have touted the mono mix because of its lo-fi quality, with the music coming off even tougher as a result of its compression. 

The Velvet Underground & Nico album has achieved many honours since its release: The Observer placed it number 1 in 50 Albums that Changed the World; Uncut placed it at number 1 of 100 Greatest Debut Albums; it was placed in the top 10 of Mojo's 100 Greatest Albums Ever Made and it continues to consistently top UK polls. 

In the US, the earned the original band a slot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Rolling Stone placed it at number 13 on the list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time in November 2003, dubbing it “the most prophetic rock album ever made”; Spin Magazine placed it atop its list of the Top 15 Most Influential Albums of All Time that same year and the album is one of 225 recordings in the prestigious Library of Congress National Recording Registry. In Czechoslovakia, the band gave its name to the Velvet Revolution, which overthrew the Communist regime in that country. Globally, the album is seen just like Sgt. Pepper’s and Pet Sounds, as a seminal, influential high-water mark in rock music history.

Universal will release the album worldwide simultaneously in six different physical and digital versions. Aside from the Super Deluxe edition, The Velvet Underground & Nico will be available in a brand-new two-CD Deluxe Edition which includes a stereo version of the album along with a separate disc of the Factory rehearsals and Scepter Studios sessions. There will also be a digital exclusive and a one-CD original stereo album remaster in both physical and digital form (alongside a remastered vinyl edition).

The deluxe edition and digital reissue of The Velvet Underground & Nico is not only for hard-core fans, but for anyone who wishes to trace the two-year development of a world-class band in the process of creating one of the greatest albums in rock history through rare and previously unreleased recordings.

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Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr B.B. King

Box set: Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr B.B. King
Release date: 24 September 2012
Label: Universal 

'B.B. King is one of America’s few, long-standing musical treasures whose stature has grown to an unassailable, international level. Despite his 85 years, King continues to tour, perform and to grow in influence, casting a shadow that reaches far beyond the blues scene from whence he first came. His warm, downhome vocal style, his distinctive, “talking” blues guitar playing, and his songs that sing of love’s joys and hardships – Sweet Sixteen, How Blue Can You Get?, Help The Poor, The Thrill Is Gone and countless others – are all indelibly imprinted elements in the modern musical heritage.' – Ashley Kahn

Celebrating his 50th-anniversary signing to ABC-Paramount Records in 1962, Universal Music brings you this multi-format career retrospective, a slick 10-CD, 194-track collection chronicling his entire career from his first recordings in 1949 through to his most recent studio album. Housed in a beautiful luxe box, the package includes a 72-page silver-gilded hardback book, featuring essays from Ashley Kahn and Dick Shurman. The box set is also packed with glorious images and memorabilia, illustrating King's incredible career. All lovingly assembled and engineered by Universal's Grammy Award winning consultants Bill Levenson and Andy McKaie.

Key features:

• Two CDs chronicling his early years on Bullet, Modern/RPM and Kent/Crown Records
• Eight CDs chronicling his recording achievements on ABC-Paramount, ABC Bluesway, ABC, ABC/Impulse, MCA and Geffen Records, as well as high profile collaborations
• Key recordings from every ABC/MCA/Geffen era album
• Rare, non-album singles
• Rare album tracks
• Rare “One Touch” EP tracks:      
• Packaging to feature career spanning photos and memorabilia, essays by noted authors Ashley Kahn and Dick Shurman, extensive recording credits
• 4CD Cutdown Box
• Digital Deluxe Edition
• Digital Exclusives

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Swing out Sister: It’s Better To Travel – 2 CD Expanded Edition

Album reissue: It's Better to Travel by Swing Out Sister
Label: Universal Music Catalogue / Re-presents
Release date: 16 July 2012 

Universal Music Catalogue’s “Re-presents” label takes well known and loved albums from decades gone and quite literally re-presents them in a fresh, new form.  Each 2 CD package features the original album as it was in its entirety plus other exciting material, including original B-sides, alternative mixes, extended versions and edits – many of which have never before appeared on CD. A sure way to whet the appetites of seasoned fans and new discoverers to these classic records alike.

Swing Out Sister’s 1987 chart-topping debut It’s Better To Travel is a warmly organic collection of electronic pop that sets itself apart with its use of real strings and horns as well as lead singer Corinne Drewery’s much-loved and recognisable vocals. The record spawned two Top 10 hits and achieved platinum status as well as earning the band two Grammy nominations and a host of critical praise from the likes of Melody Maker (“spanking, sparkling, radio-friendly little tunes”) and NME (“lush, laidback funky mix with nifty horn section”) .

A chance meeting at Manchester’s now legendary Hacienda club brought Andy Connell and Corinne Drewery together. Andy had proved his musical capabilities with Factory Records’ A Certain Ratio, while Corinne, after graduating from St. Martin’s School of Art in London, found her musical interests had eclipsed her fashion career. Along with ex-Magazine drummer Martin Jackson they combined their diverse influences to produce a series of demos which attracted the attention of several major labels, including Phonogram, who eventually signed the band.

Once Swing Out Sister was formed in 1985, a long-term working relationship with producer Paul Staveley O’Duffy was established, which was to define the future sound of the group. Their unique blend of cinematic jazz pop earned them several chart singles, including Breakout, a UK No.4 Hit, Surrender and Twilight World, resulting in their 1987 debut album, It’s Better To Travel hitting the number one spot in the UK album charts. Success followed throughout Europe, America and the Far East.

In 1988, Swing Out Sister were nominated for two Grammy Awards including ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Group or Duo’ for Breakout.

Ten studio albums, two live albums and over a decade of live shows have gained Swing Out Sister international success. This newly enhanced 2 CD package has been compiled by Swing Out Sister (Corinne Drewery and Andy Connell); the audio is newly re-mastered; the brand new booklet features sleeve notes written by the band and a host of carefully selected photos.

Track Listing

CD 1

1. Breakout - (3.46)
2. Twilight World (Superb, Superb Mix) - (6.27)
3. After Hours - (4.48)
4. Blue Mood - (4.18)
5. Surrender - (5.53)
6. Fooled By A Smile - (4.06)
7. Communion - (4.40)
8. It's Not Enough - (3.46)
9. Theme From It's Better To Travel - (4.32)
10. Breakout (N.A.D. Mix) - (5.50)
11. Surrender (Stuff Gun Mix) - (6.40)
12. Twilight World (Gas Distress Mix) - (6.13)

CD 2

1. Breakout (A New Rockin' Version) - (5.52)
2. Surrender (Roadrunner Mix) - (6.17)
3. Fooled By A Smile (Ralph Mix) - (6.10)
4. Blue Mood (Dubbed Up Mix) - (6.48)
5. Communion (Instrumental) - (4.43)
6. Dirty Money - (4.09)
7. Fever - (4.33)
8. Who's To Blame? - (5.13)
9. Wake Me When It's Over - (4.34)
10. Another Lost Weekend - (5.27)
11. Blue Mood (Growler Mix) - (6.52)
12. Breakout (Horny Mix) - (4.33) 

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