Legends shine on via spectacular titles: George Harrison, Etta James, Nina Simone, ZZ Top

The enduring talents of several late legends are celebrated in my column this week.

Artist: George Harrison

Title: All Things Must Pass - 50th Anniversary Edition (Super Deluxe Edition sampler) (Capitol Records)

You might like if you enjoy: George Harrison, The Beatles

Tell me more: The greatest solo album by any member of The Beatles, George Harrison's 1970 masterpiece All Things Must Pass is being released in a number of formats in celebration of the album's 50 year anniversary. Capitol Records provided this writer with a sampler of 34 of the tracks ahead of the Aug. 6 release. My immediate reaction upon hearing the remastered tracks and previously-unreleased outtakes is that the seminal masterwork is more impressive than ever. Critics of the so-called "Wall of Sound" applied by co-producer Phil Spector on the original version of the 23-track triple album recorded between May and October of 1970 (and released in November of that year) will be stunned by the clarity and brightness of the 2020 mixes. Executive produced by George Harrison's son Dhani Harrison and mixed by triple GRAMMY® Award-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon), the new album mixes are a dramatic improvement in every way. Harrison's singing is clear with the nuanced and emotive touch of his signature baritone truly astonishing; the talents of a parade of legendary musicians who contribute includes Ringo Starr, Badfinger, Billy Preston, Dave Mason, Klaus Voormann, Eric Clapton, Bobby Keys, Gary Wright and many more – their contributions are thankfully more vivid now. And just listen to Harrison's soaring slide guitar work. The Americana-swept version of Bob Dylan's "If Not For You" and his own "Behind That Locked Door" and "Apple Scruffs" astound. More rocking material ("Wah-Wah," "Let It Down," "Art Of Dying"), fascinating outtakes (including the rockabilly-styled "Going Down To Golders Green" and acoustic demo for "Cosmic Empire") and timeless favorites ("My Sweet Lord," "What Is Life," "Beware Of Darkness") may well have many audiophiles briefly wondering if they are hearing this artistic triumph for the very first time. All Things Must Pass 50th Anniversary Edition will be available in a variety of formats on Friday, Aug. 6. Information: GeorgeHarrison.com.

Artists: Etta James

Title: Etta James: The Montreux Years (BMG)

You might like if you enjoy: Etta James, Beth Hart, Janiva Magness

Tell me more: Montreux Jazz Festival and BMG have started releasing a new series of releases available in multiple-format configurations (including double LP, two-disc audio CD editions, and via digital download and streaming services). Etta James: The Montreux Years features the six-time Grammy winner in appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland captured across three decades – indeed selections from the Los Angeles native's performances in 1977, 1978, 1989, 1990 and 1993 are featured on disc 1 of the essential collection. The wealth of outstanding material from those appearances includes the soulful blues cut "Damn Your Eyes" (featuring some killer guitar work from Bobby Murray), R&B celebration "Tell Mama" and the original rock 'n' roll-meets blues confessional "Something's Got a Hold On Me," the fiery blues-rocker "Beware" and an artful jazz medley featuring "At Last," "Trust In Me" and "Sunday Kind Of Love." Disc 2 is a true treasure; Etta James' very first concert in Europe staged at the festival's ninth edition on July 11, 1975 sounds amazing. The blues track "Respect Yourself," funky "W-O-M-A-N," Chicago blues blaster "Dust My Broom," and animated take on the B.B. King favorite "Rock Me Baby" are all here. James' rich contralto vocals are a wonder across all 21 tracks on the release. Information: bmg.com.

Artist: Nina Simone

Title: Nina Simone: The Montreux Years (BMG)

You might like if you enjoy: Nina Simone

Tell me more: Nina Simone was an artist who defied easy categorization. A top-tier vocalist, classically trained pianist, composer, arranger and civil rights champion and feminist activist, Simone's music ran the gamut from classical and jazz to blues, soul, R&B, folk, world music, pop and gospel. On Nina Simone: The Montreux Years, all the diverse elements of her musical world are revealed over the course of her performances at the Montreux Jazz Festival spanning from a full-length concert on June 16, 1968 (that fills disc 2 and marks the first-ever release of the performance on audio CD) to highlights from appearances in 1976, 1981, 1987 and 1990. The melodic "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free," the bewitching "See-Line Woman," valiant "Four Women," nuanced and poignant version of Janis Ian's "Stars" and stirring take on Bob Marley's classic "No Woman No Cry" are among the marvelous selections Simone performs with magnificence on the two-disc, 29-track collection. Information: bmg.com.

Artist: ZZ Top

Title: ZZ Top's First Album (Warner Bros. Records)

You might like if you enjoy: ZZ Top, Billy F Gibbons

Tell me more: The death of ZZ Top bassist-keyboardist Dusty Hill on July 28 provides the perfect reason to celebrate his 50+ year run with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame trio by rediscovering "ZZ Top's First Album." Released in January 1971, ZZ Top's First Album was the debut LP featuring Hill, singer-guitarist Billy F Gibbons and drummer Frank Beard. The Bill Ham-produced album –  recorded at Robin Hood Studios in Tyler, Texas between June and October of 1971 – immediately set the template for the threesome's undeniable blend of hard rock, boogie and Texas-bred blues rock. Highlights of the rowdy and often-raunchy track listing includes the feisty opener "(Somebody Else Been) Shaking Your Tree," infectious electric guitar-anchored "Goin' Down To Mexico," boogie sortie "Neighbor, Neighbor" and aptly-pegged "Certified Blues."  In addition to the uptempo material, the original "Old Man" grows from a slow blues ballad into a decidedly more dynamic finale while "Just Got Back From Baby's" is a particularly wonderful blues-mining showcase for Hill's signature skills on the bass guitar. Information: ZZtop.com.

Robert Kinsler

ZZ Top set to Return to Houston to Contribute to Hurricane Harvey Relief Efforts

It's great to see America pull together to assist the plight of those who have suffered because of Hurricane Harvey. That is especially true for the band ZZ Top, formed in Houston in 1969...

ZZ Top, seen here performing at the Stagecoach Festival in Southern California in April 2015, are assisting with relief for victims of Hurricane Harvey. Photo: Kelly A. Swift

SUGAR LAND, TX (Sept. 1, 2017) The members of ZZ Top, Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, who first joined together in Houston almost five decades ago, have previously expressed great concern about the plight of those affected by the devastation wrought by Hurricane Harvey.

Now the band has joined forces with Smart Financial Centre to contribute $100,000 to local agencies handling the recovery effort. The partnership is especially apropos in light of the fact that ZZ Top is scheduled to perform at the venue, located in Sugar Land, on September 10, 2017. The concert, previously announced as part of ZZ Top’s continuing Tonnage Tour, will mark the first public event to be held at Smart Financial Centre since the advent of Hurricane Harvey and its aftermath.  

Billy F Gibbons commented to Rolling Stone, “The plan is to stick to our guns, charge ahead and pull the show together the best we can.”  He characterized the band’s return to the Houston area to play the Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land as “a true homecoming in a very real sense.  Our roots are in Houston so this is going to be a very special show for us.  We’re hoping that it marks a turning point in the crisis and is a reflection of the indomitable spirit that typifies Texans and Houstonians in particular.” 

For more information on ZZ Top, visit the band's website at: http://www.zztop.com/