The Turtles' White Whale albums are back on vinyl as expanded double-LP sets, due June 26 on Manifesto

Happy Friday everyone. I wanted to help share the exciting news about soon-to-be-released vinyl reissues featuring some of The Turtles' most legendary titles... 


The Turtles' White Whale albums are back on vinyl as expanded double-LP sets, due June 26 via Manifesto

Formed in Westchester, Calif. by high school friends Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman, along with Don Murray, Al Nichol, Chuck Portz, and Jim Tucker, the Turtles racked up nine Top 40 hits, including the unforgettable “Happy Together,” during their original run from 1965-1970. While the band may be best known for that and a few other chart-toppers, each of their six studio albums offers unique gems and unsung treasures, featuring unforgettable harmonies and sardonic wit. At long last, those albums are being reissued as they were meant to be heard — on vinyl — on June 26, 2020 by Manifesto Records.

 

Originally released on the Los Angeles-based White Whale label, the long out of print albums were reissued on CD in 2016, but now, for the first time in more than a decade, they’re back on vinyl, digitally remastered from the original tapes.

 

And purists won’t have to struggle with the old mono vs. stereo conundrum. The band’s first three albums — It Ain’t Me Babe, You Baby, and Happy Together — will be issued in high-quality gatefold jackets as two-record sets with both the mono and stereo versions, so you’ll get the best of both worlds. The later three albums — Battle of the Bands, Turtle Soup, and Wooden Head— will also be released in gatefolds as two-record sets with the original album, plus a second disc featuring rare bonus material, including previously unreleased recordings.

 

It Ain't Me Babe, the Turtles’ 1965 full-length debut, includes the Top 10 hit cover of the classic Bob Dylan tune that served as the album’s title track, and renditions of Dylan’s “Love Minus Zero/No Limit” and “Like a Rolling Stone,” as well as a take on P.F. Sloan’s “Eve of Destruction.” The album also features several Kaylan originals that show his evolution as a songwriting force.

 

You Baby, the band’s 1966 sophomore set, also features a mix of covers and originals, including the Top 20 hit title track, penned by Sloan and Steve Barri, whose “Can I Get to Know You Better” closes out the album. Another Sloan cover from the album, “Let Me Be,” was also released as a single and cracked the Top 30 prior to the album’s release.

 

With 1967’s Happy Together, the Turtles reached their peak, both chart-wise (#25 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart) and artistically. It features the band’s two highest-charting singles:  the #1 title track as well as “She’d Rather Be With Me” (#3), both written by the songwriting team of Garry Bonner and Alan Gordon. A third song written by the duo, “You Know What I Mean,” reached #12. Also notable are the Kaylan/Volman co-write “Think I’ll Run Away,” and “Like the Seasons,” composed by a young Warren Zevon.

 

On 1968’s The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands, the group broke out of their, er, shell with a concept album in which the band adopted the personas of 11 fictitious acts, including the Atomic Enchilada and Chief Kamanawanalea and His Royal Macadamia Nuts. It included the band’s most original material to date, plus the title track, written by Harry Nilsson and producer Chip Douglas, and “You Showed Me,” penned by the Byrds' Jim McGuinn and Gene Clark, which became the Turtles’ final Top 10 hit. “Elenore,” credited to Howie, Mark, Johny, Jim and Al on the album, also cracked the Top 10.

 

Although 1969's Turtle Soup failed to spawn a hit single, and stalled at No. 117 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart, it’s notable as the full-album production debut of the Kinks’ Ray Davies, who likely felt a kinship to a group that seemed the American pop cousins of the British band. With 1970's Wooden Head, the Turtles collected B-sides and other rarities, including an alternate version of “The Wanderin’ Kind,” which goes back full circle, as the original version was the opening track on the band’s first album, 1965’s It Ain’t Me Babe.

 

 

It Ain’t Me Babe (MFO 48041)

Record One - MONO
Side A
1. Wanderin' Kind         
2. It Was A Very Good Year      
3. Your Maw Said You Cried      
4. Eve of Destruction     
5. Glitter and Gold        
6. Let Me Be
Side B
1. Let the Cold Winds Blow        
2. It Ain’t Me Babe
3. A Walk in the Sun     
4. Last Laugh   
5. Love Minus Zero       
6. Like A Rolling Stone

Record Two - STEREO
Side C
1. Wanderin' Kind         
2. It Was A Very Good Year      
3. Your Maw Said You Cried      
4. Eve of Destruction     
5. Glitter and Gold        
6. Let Me Be
Side D
1. Let the Cold Winds Blow        
2. It Ain’t Me Babe
3. A Walk in the Sun     
4. Last Laugh   
5. Love Minus Zero       
6. Like A Rolling Stone

 

You Baby (MFO 48042)

Record One - MONO

Side A
1. Flyin' High     
2. I Know That You'll Be There  
3. House Of Pain          
4. Just A Room
5. I Need Someone      
6. Let Me Be

Side B  
1. Down In Suburbia     
2.Give Love A Trial       
3. You Baby     
4. Ball Bearing, Ball Bearing World        
5. All My Problems        
6. Almost There

 

Record Two - STEREO

Side C
1. Flyin' High     
2. I Know That You'll Be There  
3. House Of Pain          
4. Just A Room
5. I Need Someone      
6. Let Me Be

Side D  
1. Down In Suburbia     
2. Give Love A Trial       
3. You Baby     
4. Ball Bearing, Ball Bearing World        
5. All My Problems        
6. Almost There

 

Happy Together (MFO 48043)

Record One - MONO
Side A

1. Makin' My Mind Up    
2. Guide For The Married Man   
3. Think I'll Run Away    
4. The Walking Song     
5. Me About You          
6. Happy Together        

Side B
1. She'd Rather Be With Me       
2. Too Young To Be One          
3. Person Without A Care          
4. Like The Seasons     
5. Rugs Of Woods And Flowers

 

Record Two – STEREO

Side C
1. Makin' My Mind Up    
2. Guide For The Married Man   
3. Think I'll Run Away    
4. The Walking Song     
5. Me About You          
6. Happy Together        

Side D
1. She'd Rather Be With Me       
2. Too Young To Be One          
3. Person Without A Care          
4 .Like The Seasons     
5.R ugs Of Woods And Flowers

 

Battle of the Bands (MFO 48044)

Record One - Stereo
Side A
1. The Opening: The Battle of the Bands
2. The Last Thing I Remember   
3. Elenore        
4. Too Much Heartsick Feeling  
5. Oh Daddy!    
6. Buzz Saw
Side B  
1. Surfer Dan    
2. I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts)
3. You Showed Me       
4. Food
5. Chicken Little Was Right        
6. The Closing: Earth Anthem (All)         

Record Two - The Bonus Tracks
Side C
1. She's My Girl
2. Chicken Little Was Right (single version-stereo)          
3. Sound Asleep           
4. Umbassa The Dragon           
5. The Story of Rock and Roll
Side D  
1. Can't You Hear the Cows       
2. The Last Thing I Remember (The First Thing I Knew)  
3. The Owl        
4. To See the Sun        
5. Earth Anthem (alternate version) [previously unreleased]        
6. Battle of the Bands Radio Spot

 

Turtle Soup (MFO 48045)

Record One
Side A
1. Come Over
2 .House on the Hill
3. She Always Leaves Me Laughing      
4. How You Love Me
5. Torn Between Temptations   
6. Love in the City
Side B  
1. Bachelor Mother       
2. John & Julie  
3. Hot Little Hands        
4. Somewhere Friday Night
5. Dance This Dance With Me    
6. You Don’t Have to Walk in the Rain    

Record Two - The Bonus Tracks
Side C
1. Goodbye Surprise
2. Like It Or Not
3. There You Sit Lonely
4. Can I Go On
5.Y ou Want to be A Woman
6 .If We Only Had the Time        
Side D
1. Dance This Dance With Me (Demo)    
2. Come Over (Demo) [Previously Unreleased]  
3. How You Love Me (Demo)     
4. Strange Girl (Demo) [Previously Unreleased]  
5. Marmendy Mill (Demo)           
6. Turtle Soup Radio Spot

 

Wooden Head (MFO 48046)

Record One
Side A
1. I Can't Stop  
2. She'll Come Back      
3. Get Away      
4. Wrong From The Start           
5. I Get Out Of Breath   
Side B
1. We'll Meet Again       
2. On A Summer's Day  
3. Come Back   
4. Say Girl         
5. Tie Me Down
6. Wanderin' Kind         

Record Two - The Bonus Tracks
Side C
1. You Baby (1967 Stereo Mix)  
2. So Goes Love           
3. Makin' Up My Mind (1966 Version-Stereo)     
4. Is It Any Wonder?     
5. Let Me Be (1967 Stereo Mix)
6. Grim Reaper Of Love
Side D
1. It Ain't Me Babe (1967 Stereo Mix)     
2 .Can I Get To Know You Better           
3. Outside Chance        
4. You Know What I Mean         
5. Cat In The Window    
6. We'll Meet Again (Alternative Take) [Previously Unreleased]   
7. The Turtles! Golden Hits Radio Spot   

New music: Beck, Tim Buckley, Whitney Rose, Jackie Greene, Ricky Byrd

A slew of today's great singer-songwriters are featured on essential new releases, while an unearthed treasure trove from legendary tunesmith Tim Buckley is available too.

Artist: Beck
Title: Colors (Capitol Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Beck, Prince, David Bowie
Tell me more: Since Beck burst on the music scene in 1994 with his breakthrough hit "Loser," the singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist has somehow blended alternative rock, pop, soul, funk, hip hop, Americana and a myriad of other styles with unearthly brilliance. On his 13th full-length album Colors, the Southern California-based artist continues to chart his own creative path with a master's touch. This time out, Beck has simultaneously tapped into 1980s synth pop, modern rock and late '60s psychedelic rock to carve out yet another expansive masterwork. The songs here are mostly upbeat, buoyant and armed to get concertgoers on their feet with infectious grooves. The swirling title track "Colors," exuberant "I'm So Free," propulsive "No Distraction" (with its cool fly-by Beatlesque guitar hits and Beck's falsetto vocals) and dreamy "Fix Me" are among this writer's faves. This is an album that reveals its sonic secrets and wonders more fully with each subsequent listen. Information: beck.com.

Artist: Tim Buckley
Title: Venice Mating Call (Manifesto Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Tim Buckley, Alex Chilton, Beck
Tell me more: Before he died at the age of 28 in June 1975, singer-songwriter Tim Buckley created a stellar and genre-defying body of original songs drawing from the blues, folk, funk, soul and other styles. Now Manifesto Records has released the outstanding two-disc Venice Mating Call showcasing live tracks recorded at the legendary Troubadour in Hollywood in September 1969. The haunting "Chase the Blues Away," free form jazz-flavored "Venice Mating Call," psychedelic rock-mining "Gypsy Woman" flamenco-tinged "Driftin'," Ten Years After-patterned "(I Wanna) Testify" and luxurious "Anonymous Proposition" are among the many treasures here. Buckley's dynamic and distinctive vocals are showcased across the live collection and this set will thrill long-time fans or those just discovering this vital artist. Information: manifesto.com.

Artist: Whitney Rose
Title: Rule 62 (Six Shooter/Thirty Tigers)
You might like if you enjoy: Kacey Musgraves, Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline
Tell me more: With a sound and beautiful soprano that recalls some of the stellar country music singers of the '50s and '60s, Nashville-based songstress Whitney Rose shines on the decidedly contemporary Rule 62. Produced by Raul Malo (lead singer of the Mavericks), there is plenty of real world depth and captivating musical heft to lift each and every one of the 11 songs on the disc. The driving and defiant "Arizona" and Time to Cry," tender "You Never Cross My Mind" (which includes some sublime harmonies from Malo) and poetic "Wake Me in Wyoming" showcase Rose's superb talents as singer and songwriter.  Recorded on Jan. 20, 2017 – the same day of the most recent Presidential Inaugural – "Can't Stop Shakin' " has a nervous and funky vibe suited to the uncertainty of the times; the Hammond B3 organ, electric guitar riffs and saxophone blasts immerse Rose's evocative vocals as part of the terrific and disquieting arrangement. An all-star group of musicians including bassist Jay Weaver (Dolly Parton, Tanya Tucker), guitarist Kenny Vaughn (Marty Stuart, Lucinda Williams), drummer Paul Deakin (The Mavericks), pianist Jen Gunderman (Sheryl Crow), fiddler Aaron Till (Asleep at the Wheel) and steel guitar player Chris Scruggs (Marty Stuart) enhance the album as well. Information: SixShooterRecords.com.

Artist: Jackie Greene
Title: The Modern Lives – Vol 1 (Blue Rose Music)
You might like if you enjoy: Beck's "Sea Change," The Jayhawks, Mark Knopfler
Tell me more: One of Americana music's greatest modern-day voices, Jackie Greene has played lead guitar with the Black Crowes, played a seminal role in the roots-minded supergroup Trigger Hippy and carved out an established solo career ripe with concert dates and winning album releases. Now the long-time Northern California artist newly moved to New York City is back with another must-hear release; The Modern Lives – Vol 1 packs a dashing wallop with a heady and diverse mix of songs across its six-song run. The wry "Modern Lives" bristles with an infectious and satirical look at life in the 21st century. "The Back of My Mind" is a tender ballad adorned with layers of piano, acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin and lovely vocal harmonies. The country blues of a cover of Willie Dixon's "Good Advice" recalls the spirit of Mississippi blues with a modern edge. Listening to this impressive EP, it's hard to believe it was reportedly recorded in Greene's Brooklyn basement. Information: JackieGreene.com.

Artist: Ricky Byrd
Title: Clean Getaway (Recovery Troubadour Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jackie Greene, Jonny Lang
Tell me more: With so many legendary musicians ranging from Jimi Hendrix and Gram Parsons to Keith Moon and John Entwistle having died as a direct result of drug and/or alcohol abuse it is great to hear an artist release a full-length album dedicated to breaking free of addiction. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame singer-guitarist Ricky Byrd (of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts fame) has issued Clean Getaway, a 12-song disc delving fully into the shades, layers and nuances of addition and recovery. On the Chicago blues original "Clean Getaway," Byrd sings powerfully of his break from substance abuse and coming clean (he closes the track singing: "When trouble comes knocking / you know I ain't going to come answer that door"). The music here showcases Byrd's far-flung skills as singer and lead guitarist; for example the rollicking "I Prefer Wakin' Up...To Comin' To" would be at home on one of Chuck Berry's early LPs; "Lighthouse" is a beautiful soul song. The rowdy "Paranoid" has a '70s rock feel and finds Byrd singing of the downfalls of being addicted. This is an album that rocks, but serves as an honest look at a topic the rock community hasn't always been one to assess in song. A portion of the sales from "Clean Getaway" go to the Clean Getaway non-profit 501(c)(3) to bring awareness, education, prevention and addiction resources to those suffering from drug and alcohol addiction. Information: https://www.cleangetaway.nyc.


Robert Kinsler