MY TOP MUSIC OF THE WEEK (10-27)

All titles issued in the US except where noted.

1.  Nightflight To Venus - BONEY M. **3 weeks #1**
     (Sony/BMG - 2007) Europe; Expanded edition of 1978 album

2.  Kisses And Hits - BROTHERHOOD OF MAN
     (CD-R)

3.  Panic Of Girls - BLONDIE
     (EMI/Eleven Seven - 2011) UK

4.  The Lion And The Cobra - SINEAD O'CONNOR
     (Ensign/Chrysalis - 1987)

5.  Rumours - FLEETWOOD MAC
     (Warner Bros. - 2004) Expanded edition of 1977 album

6.  Greatest Hits - THE TOURISTS
     (Camden/BMG - 1997) UK

7.  THE GROOP
     (Sundazed - 2007) Expanded edition of 1969 album

8.  Gold - DONNA SUMMER
     (Hip-O - 2005)

9.  AM Gold: 1972 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
     (Time-Life - 1991)

10.  AM Gold: 1971 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
       (Time-Life - 1990)

11.  AM Gold: 1970 - VARIOUS ARTISTS
       (Time-Life - 1990)

12.  In The Heat Of The Night/Crimes Of Passion - PAT BENATAR
       (Beat Goes On - 1998) UK; Albums recorded in 1979 and 1980


Note:  Number 2 was compiled by a member of a Yahoo group I belong to.

MY TOP MUSIC OF THE WEEK (10-20)

All titles issued in the US unless otherwise noted.

1.  Close-Up: Vol. 2, People & Places - SUZANNE VEGA **1 week #1**
     (Amanuensis - 2010)
     * NEW *

2.  Close-Up: Vol. 1, Love Songs - SUZANNE VEGA
     (Amanuensis - 2010)
     * NEW *

3.  Nightflight To Venus - BONEY M.
     (Sony/BMG - 2007) Europe; Expanded edition of 1978 album

4.  Anticipation - CARLY SIMON
     (Elektra - 1971)

5.  The Complete BUCKINGHAM NICKS
     (Polydor/Peacock - 2008) Expanded edition of 1973 self-titled album

6.  The Essential Collection 1965-1997 - CARPENTERS
     (A&M/Chronicles - 2002)

7.  A Day Without Rain - ENYA
     (Reprise - 2000)

8.  The RCA Years - MIDDLE OF THE ROAD
     (7T's - 2010) UK

9.  The Best Of SIMON & GARFUNKEL
     (Columbia/Legacy - 1999)

10.  Fleetwood Mac Collection #2 - CHRISTINE McVIE
       (Home compilation)

11.  THE GROOP
       (Sundazed - 2007) Expanded edition of 1969 album

12.  4xCD 1xDVD - FRIDA
       (Polar - 2005) Europe


Note:  Number 10 is one of three discs I put together compiling all of Christine McVie's album tracks with Fleetwood Mac.

SUZANNE VEGA

In the last two years I've purchased collections of re-recordings by two of my all-time favorite female singers, Carly Simon and Kate Bush.  Last year, a third favorite started putting out what may be the most ambitious of any I've picked up so far.

I received two CD's by Suzanne Vega in the mail on Saturday.  They're the first two volumes of re-recordings in a series entitled "Close-Up."  What sets Suzanne's project apart from those formentioned is that each disc follows a certain theme.  But like Carly's, the songs are given a more stripped-down sound than the originals.  This particularly excited me about Suzanne as the music on two of her albums, "99.9F*" (1992) and "Nine Objects Of Desire" (1996) were produced with an electronic, "industrial" sound (think Joan Baez meets Nine Inch Nails).  While I think they were works of art, it's also been a joy hearing them here with a more intimate approach.  Unlike Kate, Suzanne revisits all of her albums for the new series.

"Close-Up: Vol. 1, Love Songs" is a collection of songs from her back catalog that focus on relationships of all kinds.  This includes reworkings of her debut single, "Marlene On The Wall" and "Caramel" which was used in the film "The Truth About Cats And Dogs."

(Amanuensis, 2010)

You hear little to no percussion on the first volume where with "Close-Up: Vol. 2, People & Places," there is some sneaked in.  "Fat Man & Dancing Girl" sounds close to original in that regard.

It's noteworthy to mention that the second volume includes reworkings of Suzanne's biggest hits.  "Luka" (#3 Pop & AC, 1987, Billboard) is slightly shorter than the original as instrumental breaks are cut out.  The new version of "Tom's Diner" (#5 Pop, 1990, Billboard) is perhaps my favorite yet.  The original recording was the opening track of "Solitude Standing" and done a cappella in 1987.  It was set to music by techno-dance project DNA for the hit version.  I had wondered which way Suzanne would go here and she patterned it after the latter using an electric bass with string instruments.  Another welcomed twist is the use of all the lyrics in the new recording (DNA cut out the last three lines in their version).

One new song was recorded for the second volume, "The Man Who Played God," a humorously sarcastic look at how people like to take matters in their own hands today.

There are two more volumes in the "Close-Up" series and I hope to get them soon.  If what I have so far is an indication, I know I won't be let down.

MY TOP MUSIC OF THE WEEK (10-13)

All titles issued in the US unless otherwise noted.

1.  Oceans Of Fantasy - BONEY M. **1 week #1**
     (Sony/BMG - 2007) Europe; Expanded edition of 1979 album
     * NEW *

2.  Passionworks - HEART
     (Epic - 1983)

3.  Gold: The 70's - BONEY M.
     (Home compilation)
     * NEW *

4.  The Definitive Collection - ABBA
     (Polar/UTV - 2001)

5.  36 All-Time Greatest Hits - THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS
     (GSC/MCA - 1996)

6.  Nine Objects Of Desire - SUZANNE VEGA
     (A&M - 1996)

7.  The Best Of LINDA RONSTADT 1976-1978
     (Home compilation)

8.  Gold - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
     (Hip-O - 2005)

9.  Together Again/Anthem - THE NEW SEEKERS
     (7T's - 2009) UK; Expanded editions of 1976 and 1978 albums

10.  A&M Digitally Remastered Best - CAPTAIN & TENNILLE
       (A&M - 1998) Japan

11.  Take The Heat Off Me - BONEY M.
       (Sony/BMG - 2007) Europe; Expanded edition of 1976 album

12.  Nightflight To Venus - BONEY M.
       (Sony/BMG - 2007) Europe


Notes:  Number 3 by Boney M. is my latest home compilation.  Upon receiving Oceans Of Fantasy this past week, I put the disc together using mostly album versions of their 70's hits included on the 1992 international release, Gold: 20 Super Hits.

I compiled number 7 by Linda Ronstadt using the 14 singles she charted with on Billboard magazine's Pop, Adult Contemporary, Country, and R&B charts from her albums Hasten Down The Wind, Simple Dreams, and Living In The USA.

BONEY M. (1979)

I received the CD "Oceans Of Fantasy" by Boney M. in the mail today.  This is a 2007 extended issue of an original 1979 album.

Boney M. had always had a reputation of being cutting edge where disco was concerned.  Their use of a Carribean style and tribal percussion set them apart from the rest.  One surprise here is an almost country-sounding song entitled "I'm Born Again," proving the group to be even more eclectic.

The most notable track on "OOF" would probably be the single, "Gotta Go Home."  It was most recently sampled in the club hit "Barbra Streisand" by Duck Sauce.  I'm personally happy to have a full album version of the song here as opposed to an edited version on my first purchase, "Gold: 20 Super Hits."  Same goes for the biographical song "El Lute", based on the arrest and escape of Eleuterio Sanchez.  Subject matter like this also made Boney M. unique in disco.

"Oceans Of Fantasy" includes a rousing cover of Sam & Dave's "Hold On Coming."  Tina Turner had done this on a previous tour and I hoped she'd record it, but no such luck.  I'm glad to have it turn up here.

The two bonus tracks on the disc are "I See A Boat On A River" and "My Friend Jack" which were recorded specially for the compilation "The Magic Of Boney M." in 1980.

In comparison to their previous release, "Nightflight To Venus" in 1978, "Oceans Of Fantasy" was a commercial letdown. I'm guilty of feeling that nothing could beat "NTV" in production strength myself, but I may have been proven wrong with this one.

MY TOP MUSIC OF THE WEEK (10-6)

All titles issued in the US except where noted.

1.  Making A Good Thing Better - OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN **1 week #1**
     (Warner Music - 1998) Australia; Recorded in 1977
     * NEW *

2.  The Complete BUCKINGHAM NICKS
     (Peacock/Polydor - 2008) Expanded edition of 1973 self-titled album

3.  Panic Of Girls - BLONDIE
     (EMI/Eleven Seven - 2011) UK

4.  Anthology - CARLY SIMON
     (Arista/BMG Heritage - 2002)

5.  Fleetwood Mac Collection #1 - CHRISTINE McVIE
     (Home compilation)

6.  Nightflight To Venus - BONEY M.
     (Sony/BMG - 2007) Europe; Expanded edition of 1978 album

7.  THE GROOP
     (Sundazed - 2007) Expanded edition of 1969 album

8.  Dare/Love And Dancing -
     THE HUMAN LEAGUE/THE LEAGUE UNLIMITED ORCHESTRA
     (Caroline - 2002) Recorded in 1981 and 1982, respectively

9.  The Collection - RITA COOLIDGE
     (Spectrum - 1998) UK

10.  Greatest Hits 1985-1995 - HEART
       (Capitol - 2000)

11.  THE NEW SEEKERS featuring Eve Graham
       (Home compilation)

12.  Take The Heat Off Me - BONEY M.
       (Sony/BMG - 2007) Europe; Expanded edition of 1976 album

13.  The Definitive Collection - ABBA
       (Polar/UTV - 2001)


Note:  "Love And Dancing" by The League Unlimited Orchestra (#8) is an instrumental remix collection of tracks from The Human League's "Dare" album.  The pseudonym was inspired by Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra.

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN

I received the CD "Making A Good Thing Better" by Olivia Newton-John in the mail on Friday.  This is a 1998 issue of an original 1977 album.  It was the only American release I lacked by Olivia on CD until then.  I bought the original LP in the late eighties but it was sent to me in the album cover for her 1975 album, "Have You Never Been Mellow" (one of my more unusual purchase stories).

"Making A Good Thing Better" brought Olivia closer to more of a pop sound than she ever recorded up to that point, though commercially it didn't fare as well as previous albums reaching #34 on the album chart (Billboard).  Part of the apparent new direction includes a version of  "Don't Cry For Me Argentina" from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Evita" which was probably her most ambitious effort while still in the country crossover phase.  She did remain true to her regular formula with covers of Johnny Cash's "Ring Of Fire" and Johnny Rivers' "Slow Dancing" (recorded as "Swayin' To The Music" by Rivers).

The only single was the title track which fared worse than the album reaching #87 on the pop chart (Billboard), which is personally a shame as it's one of my favorite songs of hers.

Olivia would reach the pinnacle of her career with "Grease" the next year, establishing her as a versatile recording artist.  "Making A Good Thing Better" is one of those underrated albums that deserves revisiting to remind people of an amazing road to that success.