30TH Anniversary reissue of Roy Orbison's 'King of Hearts' out October 14, 2022

I wanted to make sure everyone caught the news about this exciting and essential Roy Orbison reissue coming on Oct. 14, 2022...Robert Kinsler

30^TH ANNIVERSARY REISSUE OF ROY ORBISON’S KING OF HEARTS OUT OCTOBER 14

INCLUDES ‘CRYING’ DUET WITH k.d. lang, ORIGINAL VERSION OF ‘I DROVE ALL NIGHT’

PRODUCED BY DON WAS, JEFF LYNNE, T-BONE BURNETT, ROBBIE ROBERTSON, OTHERS 

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of its initial release, King of Hearts—the posthumous Roy Orbison album lovingly assembled by his friends and family after his untimely death—will be reissued this October 14. Available on CD, digitally and as a limited-edition LP pressed on red vinyl, the new edition of King of Hearts has been completely remastered and is offered by Roy’s Boys LLC, the Nashville-based company founded by the late icon’s sons to administer their father’s catalog and safeguard his legacy, in partnership with Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings.  ­ ­ Pre-order Roy Orbison King of Hearts ­ ­ Orbison’s late career resurgence as a member of the Traveling Wilburys with George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan and Jeff Lynne served a prelude to his smash hit Mystery Girl album that was released fewer than two months after his passing in late 1988. Some years later Barbara Orbison, his widow (and mother of Roy’s Boys principals Roy Orbison Jr and Alex Orbison), surveyed completed material that had not theretofore been included on her late husband’s albums, as well as demos on which his vocals were heard. She determined that a complete album could be constructed from those audio assets with new backing tracks commissioned where deemed necessary. The result was King of Hearts, an album created from various sources which, when assembled, served as a coherent and evocative conceptual “last hurrah” for one of music’s most celebrated voices. Various producers of note including Jeff Lynne and T-Bone Burnett (who had both been involved in the Mystery Girl sessions) as well as Robbie Robertson, David Briggs, Chips Moman, Albert Hammond and Diane Warren are credited as producers on specific King of Heartstracks with Barbara Orbison serving as executive producer.    Don Was had a hand in producing three of the album’s tracks including “Crying,” a reprise of Orbison’s 1961 hit performed as a duet with k.d. lang and originally recorded for the soundtrack of the film Hiding Out, directed by Bob Giraldi. That rendering would go on to win a GRAMMY® for Best Country Collaboration and had a profound impact on k.d. lang’s life and career. She spoke with a sense of awe about what the song meant to her, “I literally think it changed my DNA. I think as a singer it literally shifted me somehow.  That was an epic moment in my musical career, in my life, I mean, in my being.” She notes, “I always carried that song with the utmost respect because it was given to me by him personally - literally handed to me on a silver platter by Roy Orbison… I will always be deeply, deeply humbled and honored that I was given that song.”  ­ ­ View “Crying” video ­ ­ ­

­ ­ ­ Was also produced “We’ll Take The Night” and “After The Love Is Gone” for the album and recently commented, “It was really important to us that the posthumous sessions for King of Hearts avoided grief and sadness because Roy was such a positive and upbeat gentleman. We set up a live band and put a microphone in the vocal booth and, as Roy’s previously recorded performances boomed through our headphones, it was easy to imagine that he was in the booth singing along with the band. His spirit permeated every corner of the studio, and the tape captured the wistful transcendent warmth of the sessions.”   Jeff Lynne was involved in producing two of the album’s tracks including “Heartbreak Radio” and “I Drove All Night.”  The latter, written specifically for Orbison by Tom Kelly and Billy Steinberg, who crafted huge hits for Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston, the Bangles, Heart and Chrissie Hynde, was recorded in 1987 but it was not released at that time. Later versions by Cyndi Lauper and Celine Dion found chart success but Orbison’s original was not heard until the 1992 release of King of Hearts. It was heralded by a highly regarded music video starring Jason Priestly and Jennifer Connelly. ­ ­ View “I Drove All Night” video ­ ­ Other tracks heard on King of Hearts include “Wild Hearts Run Out of Time” from the soundtrack of the film Insignificance and “Coming Home,” a selection from Class of ’55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming, a collaborative effort with Orbison joining original Sun Records labelmates Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. Roy Orbison had a hand in writing the vast majority of the King of Hearts tunestack. Apart from the above referenced “Crying,” “Coming Home,” “We’ll Take The Night” “After The Love Has Gone,” and “Wild Hearts Run Out of Time,” he also wrote “You’re The One,” produced by T-Bone Burnett, and ‘Love In Time,” produced by Robbie Robertson.   Barbara Orbison, who passed away in 2011 on the very same day her husband died 23 years earlier, wrote the album’s original liner notes that are also part of the King of Hearts reissue package. She wrote, “At times I could hardly bring myself to listen to the songs and definitely couldn’t think of finishing the album without Roy. I guess that was one of the reasons I arrived late at one of the first sessions. Don Was had booked the studio to put the rhythm track down around Roy’s voice. When I finally arrived at the studio, the musicians had already left. As I looked around the dimly lit studio - still full of empty cups and full ashtrays, I could just imagine the musicians telling one more funny story, the laughter of their camaraderie and Roy taking that last sip of Coca-Cola before saying “Okay, Let’s take it from the top.” In that moment of daydreaming, Don started rolling the tape and I heard Roy’s voice coming through the speaker singing… Reach out and let it touch your soul And give in to love Love is believing Hearing these words made it right for me to finish the album. When Roy was that young kid from Texas with a song in his heart and a melody of his lip I’m sure he could never have dreamed a sweeter dream than to have his songs finished with so much loving care by a community of old and new friends. Roy would be so honored to have kept another studio busy and filled with great musicians one more time. It was a real special experience to finish this for Roy. “   King of Hearts track listing   1. YOU’RE THE ONE 2. HEARTBREAK RADIO 3. WE’LL TAKE THE NIGHT 4. CRYING (duet with k.d. lang) 5. AFTER THE LOVE HAS GONE 6. LOVE IN TIME 7. I DROVE ALL NIGHT 8. WILD HEARTS RUN OUT OF TIME 9. COMING HOME 10. CARELESS HEART (Original Demo)   Written by:   1. Roy Orbison/Bill Dees 2. Troy Seals/Frankie Miller 3. Roy Orbison/Will Jennings/J.D. Souther 4. Roy Orbison/Joe Melson 5. Roy Orbison/Jerry L. Williams 6, 8. Roy Orbison/Will Jennings 7. Billy Steinberg/Tom Kelly 9. Roy Orbison/Will Jennings/J.D. Souther 10. Roy Orbison/Diane Warren/Albert Hammond Album compiled and mastered by Doug Sax at the Mastering Lab, Los Angeles, except “Heartbreak Radio” and “I Drove All Night,” mastered by Stephen Marcusson at Precision Mastering, Los Angeles. 2022 album remaster by Richard Dodd

Johnny Cash's Mercury Records catalog revisited for first time ever via new comprehensive Box Set & Best Of Collection

Super exciting news! Fans of Johnny Cash are in for a treat next month with the release of several much-anticipated sets featuring the Man in Black...

Johnny Cash's fruitful but often overlooked chapter on Mercury Records reexamined with suite of newly-remastered releases including comprehensive six album vinyl and CD box sets, 'The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991,' and new greatest hits, 'Easy Rider: The Best of the Mercury Recordings'

CASH’S MERCURY ALBUMS ALSO BEING REISSUED ON VINYL

AVAILABLE APRIL 24 VIA MERCURY/UMe

In the mid-1980s as Johnny Cash found himself between labels, Mercury Records snatched up the country legend for what would end up being a prolific string of six albums in five years. The records, released from 1986 to 1991, were a diverse collection that included a notable reunion with fellow Sun Records alumni Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, star-studded collaborations with Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney, Glen Campbell, Waylon Jennings, Emmylou Harris, Hank Williams Jr. and others, inspired takes on songs from Elvis Costello, Guy Clark and Harry Chapin, the Man in Black revisiting his classic hits, and some of the finest songs ever written by Cash. Despite the quality of material, Cash’s stint with Mercury has never been revisited—until now. 

On April 24, Cash's often overlooked and underappreciated chapter of his body of work will be showcased with a suite of releases via Mercury/UMe including a comprehensive new box set, The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991, and a new greatest hits album, Easy Rider: The Best Of The Mercury Recordings, a newly assembled collection that compiles 24 highlights selected from Cash's Mercury catalog. Easy Rider will be released as a single CD, double LP and digital download. 

Pre-order The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991:  https://JohnnyCash.lnk.to/CompleteMercuryAlbums

Pre-order Easy Rider: The Best Of The Mercury Recordings: https://JohnnyCash.lnk.to/EasyRiderBestOf

The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991, available on 7CD or 7LP on 180-gram vinyl, collects all six albums – Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming (1986), Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town (1987), Water from the Wells of Home (1988), Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series (1988), Boom Chicka Boom (1990) and The Mystery of Life (1991), and –  that Cash recorded during his Mercury tenure and presents them together for the first time in a handsome slipcase emblazoned with the distinctive bold Cash logo. All of the albums have been remastered from the original Mercury master tapes by noted engineer Kevin Reeves at UMG Studios Nashville. The set was assembled by Grammy Award-winning producer Bill Levenson and features extensive new liner notes by veteran music journalist Scott Schinder.

Also on April 24, all of the albums will be released individually on 180-gram black vinyl, with Classic Cash: Hall Of Fame Series as a two-LP set. This marks the first time that Cash's Mercury albums have been reissued.

The CD version of The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991 is augmented with several rare or previously unreleased tracks and an additional 20-track disc of spare early mixes aptly titled Classic Cash: Hall Of Fame Series (Early Mixes), mastered from tapes newly discovered in the Mercury vaults. Although these never-before-heard versions are not included in the vinyl box, they're being released on April 18, 2020 as a Record Store Day exclusive, as a stand-alone limited edition double LP. 

While the mid ‘80s to early ‘90s saw Cash, who was still touring heavily, a bit creatively adrift, he never stopped making distinctive, personally charged music. Signing with Mercury after ending his almost 30-year relationship with Columbia, Cash’s output for Mercury demonstrated that his musical gifts remained as sharp as ever. 

Cash’s first album for Mercury, the all-star session, Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming, reunited him with fellow Sun Records alumni Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins. With veteran Memphis producer Chips Moman behind the board, the four singers tackle a mix of old and new material, including the Cash-led "I Will Rock and Roll with You" and the Presley tribute, "We Remember the King." Another Elvis ode, John Fogerty's "Big Train from Memphis," features a vocal chorus that includes Fogerty, June Carter Cash, Rick Nelson, Dave Edmunds, Dan Penn and the Judds.

Johnny Cash Is Coming to Town reteamed Cash with producer "Cowboy" Jack Clement, who as Sun Records' house engineer had overseen many of Cash's '50s sessions and written some of his early hits. The album’s studio team includes wife June Carter Cash and her singing siblings Anita and Helen and daughter Carlene Carter, Cash’s then son-in-law Marty Stuart, and Waylon Jennings, who lends his voice to the warmly nostalgic "The Night Hank Williams Came to Town." Other highlights include rousing readings of Elvis Costello's "The Big Light" and James Talley's "W. Lee O'Daniel (and the Light Crust Dough Boys)."

With Clement producing again, the star-studded Water from the Wells of Home features guest appearances by Cash’s wife June Carter Cash and daughter Rosanne Cash, along with Glen Campbell, Jessi Colter, the Everly Brothers, Tom T. Hall, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings, Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney and Hank Williams Jr. on an eclectic set of material including "That Old Wheel," a duet with Williams that became Cash's highest-charting single in over a decade. 

Classic Cash: Hall of Fame Series finds Cash revisiting such vintage classics as "I Walk the Line," "Ring of Fire," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Get Rhythm," "I Still Miss Someone" and "Sunday Morning Coming Down" with considerable gusto.

With veteran Nashville musician Bob Moore producing, Boom Chicka Boom —named in honor of the trademark rhythm that Cash pioneered in the '50s—is a straightforward vehicle for Cash's talent, vision and humor. Highlights include the surreal Cash composition "A Backstage Pass," a remake of Harry Chapin’s "Cat's in the Cradle" and the poignant "Hidden Shame," which Elvis Costello wrote for Cash. The CD of Boom Chicka Boom includes seven bonus tracks not on the original album, including several b-sides and early versions and the unreleased gem "I Draw The Line."

The Mystery of Life, again produced by Clement, emphasized Cash’s own songwriting, e.g. "The Greatest Cowboy of Them All" and "I'm An Easy Rider," while also dipping into the songbooks of Tom T. Hall and John Prine. The CD version of The Mystery of Life also includes Cash's historic collaboration with U2, "The Wanderer," which appears as an extended version previously released only on the soundtrack album of director Wim Wenders’ film “Faraway, So Close.” The song also closes out the best of collection.

The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991 and Easy Rider: The Best Of The Mercury Recording represent an overdue deep dive into Johnny Cash's Mercury catalog, revealing its importance as the bridge between his better-known work for other labels. As mentioned by Schinder in the box set’s liner notes, these recordings “stand as a notable transitional body of work, and an illuminating prelude to the full-blown creative resurgence that Cash would experience in the 1990s.” 

THE COMPLETE MERCURY ALBUMS 1986-1991
CD TRACK LISTING

CD1: CARL PERKINS / JERRY LEE LEWIS / ROY ORBISON / JOHNNY CASH – CLASS OF ’55: MEMPHIS ROCK & ROLL HOMECOMING (1986)

1. Birth Of Rock And Roll
2. Sixteen Candles
3. Class Of '55
4. Waymore’s Blues
5. We Remember The King
6. Coming Home
7. Rock And Roll (Fais-Do-Do)
8. Keep My Motor Running
9. I Will Rock And Roll With You
10. Big Train (From Memphis)

CD2: JOHNNY CASH IS COMING TO TOWN (1987)

1. The Big Light
2. The Ballad Of Barbara
3. I'd Rather Have You
4. Let Him Roll
5. The Night Hank Williams Came To Town
6. Sixteen Tons
7. Letters From Home
8. W. Lee O'Daniel (And The Light Crust Dough Boys)
9. Heavy Metal (Don't Mean Rock And Roll To Me)
10. My Ship Will Sail

CD3: WATER FROM THE WELLS OF HOME (1988)

1. Ballad Of A Teenage Queen (With Roseanne Cash & The Everly Brothers)
2. As Long As I Live (With Emmylou Harris)
3. Where Did We Go Right (With June Carter Cash and The Carter Family)
4. The Last Of The Drifters (With Tom T. Hall)
5. Call Me The Breeze (With John Carter Cash)
6. That Old Wheel (With Hank Williams, Jr.)
7. Sweeter Than The Flowers (With Waylon Jennings)
8. A Croft In Clachan (The Ballad Of Rob MacDunn) (With Glen Campbell)
9. New Moon Over Jamaica (With Paul McCartney)
10. Water From The Wells Of Home (With John Carter Cash)

CD4: CLASSIC CASH: HALL OF FAME SERIES (1988)

1. Get Rhythm
2. Tennessee Flat Top Box
3. Long Black Veil
4. A Thing Called Love
5. I Still Miss Someone
6. Cry, Cry, Cry
7. Blue Train
8. Sunday Morning Coming Down
9. Five Feet High And Rising
10. Peace In The Valley
11. Don't Take Your Guns To Town
12. Home Of The Blues
13. Guess Things Happen That Way
14. I Got Stripes
15. I Walk The Line
16. Ring Of Fire
17. Ballad Of Ira Hayes
18. The Ways Of A Woman In Love
19. Folsom Prison Blues
20. Supper Time

CD5: CLASSIC CASH: HALL OF FAME SERIES (EARLY MIXES) (1987)
1. Sunday Morning Coming Down (early mix)
2. Get Rhythm (early mix)
3. I Walk The Line (early mix)
4. Long Black Veil (early mix)
5. I Still Miss Someone (early mix)
6. Blue Train (early mix)
7. I Got Stripes (early mix)
8. Peace In The Valley (early mix)
9. Five Feet High And Rising (early mix)
10. Folsom Prison Blues (early mix)
11. Cry, Cry, Cry (early mix)
12. Don't Take Your Guns To Town (early mix)
13. Tennessee Flat Top Box (early mix)
14. A Thing Called Love (early mix)
15. The Ways Of A Woman In Love (early mix)
16. Ballad Of Ira Hayes (early mix)
17. Guess Things Happen That Way (early mix)
18. Home Of The Blues (early mix)
19. Supper Time (early mix)
20. Ring Of Fire (early mix)

CD6: BOOM CHICKA BOOM (1990)
1. A Backstage Pass
2. Cat's In The Cradle
3. Farmer's Almanac
4. Don't Go Near The Water
5. Family Bible
6. Harley
7. I Love You, Love You
8. Hidden Shame
9. Monteagle Mountain
10. That's One You Owe Me
11. Veteran’s Day (b-side of “The Mystery Of Life”)
12. I Shall Be Free (b-side of “Farmer's Almanac”)
13. I Draw The Line (previously unreleased)
14. A Backstage Pass (early version)
15. Harley (early version)
16. That's One You Owe Me (early version)
17. Veteran’s Day (early version)

CD7: THE MYSTERY OF LIFE (1991)

1. The Greatest Cowboy Of Them All
2. I'm An Easy Rider
3. The Mystery Of Life
4. Hey Porter
5. Beans For Breakfast
6. Goin' By The Book
7. Wanted Man
8. I'll Go Somewhere And Sing My Songs Again (with Tom T. Hall)
9. The Hobo Song
10. Angel And The Badman
11. The Wanderer (with U2) [Long version from the Faraway, So Close! soundtrack album]

THE COMPLETE MERCURY ALBUMS 1986-1991
LP TRACK LISTING

LP1: CARL PERKINS / JERRY LEE LEWIS / ROY ORBISON / JOHNNY CASH – CLASS OF ’55: MEMPHIS ROCK & ROLL HOMECOMING (1986)
SIDE A
1. Birth Of Rock And Roll
2. Sixteen Candles
3. Class Of '55
4. Waymore’s Blues
5. We Remember The King

SIDE B
1. Coming Home
2. Rock And Roll (Fais-Do-Do)
3. Keep My Motor Running
4. I Will Rock And Roll With You
5. Big Train (From Memphis)

LP2: JOHNNY CASH IS COMING TO TOWN (1987)

SIDE A
1. The Big Light
2. The Ballad Of Barbara
3. I'd Rather Have You
4. Let Him Roll
5. The Night Hank Williams Came To Town

SIDE B
1. Sixteen Tons
2. Letters From Home
3. W. Lee O'Daniel (And The Light Crust Dough Boys)
4. Heavy Metal (Don't Mean Rock And Roll To Me)
5. My Ship Will Sail

LP3: WATER FROM THE WELLS OF HOME (1988)

SIDE A
1. Ballad Of A Teenage Queen (With Roseanne Cash & The Everly Brothers)
2. As Long As I Live (With Emmylou Harris)
3. Where Did We Go Right (With June Carter Cash and The Carter Family)
4. The Last Of The Drifters (With Tom T. Hall)
5. Call Me The Breeze (With John Carter Cash)

SIDE B
1. That Old Wheel (With Hank Williams, Jr.)
2. Sweeter Than The Flowers (With Waylon Jennings)
3. A Croft In Clachan (The Ballad Of Rob MacDunn) (With Glen Campbell)
4. New Moon Over Jamaica (With Paul McCartney)
5. Water From The Wells Of Home (With John Carter Cash)

LP4: CLASSIC CASH: HALL OF FAME SERIES (1988)

SIDE A
1. Get Rhythm
2. Tennessee Flat Top Box
3. Long Black Veil
4. A Thing Called Love
5. I Still Miss Someone

SIDE B
1. Cry, Cry, Cry
2. Blue Train
3. Sunday Morning Coming Down
4. Five Feet High And Rising
5. Peace In The Valley

LP5: CLASSIC CASH: HALL OF FAME SERIES (1988)

SIDE C
1. Don't Take Your Guns To Town
2. Home Of The Blues
3. Guess Things Happen That Way
4. I Got Stripes
5. I Walk The Line

SIDE D
1. Ring Of Fire
2. Ballad Of Ira Hayes
3. The Ways Of A Woman In Love
4. Folsom Prison Blues
5. Supper Time

LP6: BOOM CHICKA BOOM (1990)
SIDE A
1. A Backstage Pass
2. Cat's In The Cradle
3. Farmer's Almanac
4. Don't Go Near The Water
5. Family Bible

SIDE B
1. Harley
2. I Love You, Love You
3. Hidden Shame
4. Monteagle Mountain
5. That's One You Owe Me

LP7: THE MYSTERY OF LIFE (1991)

SIDE A
1. The Greatest Cowboy Of Them All
2. I'm An Easy Rider
3. The Mystery Of Life
4. Hey Porter
5. Beans For Breakfast

SIDE B
1. Goin' By The Book
2. Wanted Man
3. I'll Go Somewhere And Sing My Songs Again (with Tom T. Hall)
4. The Hobo Song
5. Angel And The Badman

EASY RIDER – THE BEST OF THE MERCURY RECORDINGS 

CD TRACK LISTING
1. Waymore Blues (with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins)
2. We Remember The King
3. The Big Light
4. The Night Hank Williams Came To Town (with Waylon Jennings)
5. Let Him Roll
6. W. Lee O'Daniel (And The Light Crust Dough Boys)
7. Ballad Of A Teenage Queen (with Roseanne Cash & The Everly Brothers)
8. The Last Of The Drifters (with Tom T. Hall)
9. That Old Wheel (with Hank Williams Jr.)
10. Get Rhythm
11. Tennessee Flat Top Box
12. Sunday Morning Coming Down
13. Veteran’s Day
14. A Backstage Pass
15. Cat's In The Cradle
16. Farmer's Almanac
17. Monteagle Mountain
18. I Shall Be Free
19. I'm An Easy Rider
20. The Greatest Cowboy Of Them All
21. Hey Porter
22. The Mystery Of Life
23. Goin' By The Book
24. The Wanderer (with U2)

2LP TRACK LISTING
SIDE A
1. Waymore Blues (with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins)
2. We Remember The King
3. The Big Light
4. The Night Hank Williams Came To Town (with Waylon Jennings)
5. Let Him Roll
6. W. Lee O'Daniel (And The Light Crust Dough Boys)

SIDE B
1. Ballad Of A Teenage Queen (with Roseanne Cash & The Everly Brothers)
2. The Last Of The Drifters (with Tom T. Hall)
3. That Old Wheel (with Hank Williams Jr.)
4. Get Rhythm
5. Tennessee Flat Top Box
6. Sunday Morning Coming Down

SIDE C
1. Veteran’s Day
2. A Backstage Pass
3. Cat's In The Cradle
4. Farmer's Almanac
5. Monteagle Mountain
6. I Shall Be Free

SIDE D
1. I'm An Easy Rider
2. The Greatest Cowboy Of Them All
3. Hey Porter
4. The Mystery Of Life
5. Goin' By The Book
6. The Wanderer (with U2)

Morrissey unveils momentous collection of 1960s/70s classic covers; 'California Son' out May 24 on Etienne Records/BMG

Morrissey's next project sounds interesting to be sure!

MORRISSEY UNVEILS MOMENTOUS COLLECTION OF 1960/70s CLASSIC COVERS -- 'CALIFORNIA SON' OUT MAY 24th ON ETIENNE RECORDS/BMG

The Britpop icon’s latest will include performances with members of Green Day, The Regrettes, Grizzly Bear, Young the Giant, LP and more for the 12-song effort

Morrissey teases monumental collection with first track out today, the Roy Orbison classic “It’s Over” -- LISTEN HERE

Morrissey has returned, and he’s singing songs that made you cry and songs that saved your life. After last year’s “heartfelt” (Rolling Stone) cover of Pretenders’ “Back on the Chain Gang” gave fans a taste of what was to come, Morrissey is releasing a highly-anticipated covers album California Son May 24, 2019 on BMG.

California Son traverses the sonic landscape of the 60s & 70s, covering untouchable luminaries like Joni Mitchell, Dionne Warwick, and Bob Dylan while also delving into more obscure musicians of the time, such as early gay icon Jobriath and political activist Phil Ochs. Paying equal tribute to the marginalized stars as he does household names—and taking on these covers with modern alt-rock royalty guests including Billy Joe Armstrong (Green Day), Ed Droste (Grizzly Bear), Sameer Gadhia (Young the Giant), and LP — the record serves as a bridge between space, time, and rock music’s past, present, and future. 

In line with a career marked by environmental advocacy and a groundbreaking soundscape of jangly alt-rock melancholia, we see Morrissey playing to his strengths while pushing his sonic limits. The U.K. rocker conjures bombastic stadium anthems ( “Lady Willpower”), messages of environmentalist activism (“Days of Decision”), trip-hop psychedelia (“When You Close Your Eyes” with Petra Haden), and even dives into surf rock on the first track “It’s Over”, a heartbreaking cover of “The Caruso of Rock” Roy Orbison that interpolates church bells, castanets, and operatic vocals amid a sea of reverberated guitar accompanied by stirring operatic vocals courtesy of LP. The record, in short, showcases Morrissey doing what he has done best since his Smiths days: delivering harsh truths with a charming genteel.

"We love Morrissey! Morrissey's hair, and melancholy and poetic lyrics always reminded me of my dad. His version of “It’s Over” is great."  - Roy Orbison, Jr.

“When I would think of Morrissey and his music it was always with great respect and appreciation as I’m sure is the case with many of his fans. However, I soon realized when I hung out with him and he played me all the songs he was putting on this record that behind this was the heart of an audiophile and a deep fan of his own musical heroes. He is well versed in so many genres and knows deep cuts of artists I thought I knew so much about. It is inspiring to see the enthusiasm and intellect he brings to people through his own musical journey." – LP

PRE-ORDER ‘CALIFORNIA SON’ HERE

‘CALIFORNIA SON’ TRACK LISTING

1. Morning Starship (Jobriath) with Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear

2. Don’t Interrupt The Sorrow (Joni Mitchell) with Ariel Engle of Broken Social Scene

3. Only a Pawn In Their Game (Bob Dylan) with Petra Haden

4. Suffer the Little Children (Buffy St Marie) 

5. Days of Decision (Phil Ochs) with Sameer Gadhia of Young The Giant

6. It’s Over (Roy Orbison) with LP

7. Wedding Bell Blues (The Fifth Dimension) with Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day & Lydia Night of The Regrettes

8. Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets (Dionne Warwick)

9. Lady Willpower (Gary Puckett)

10. When You Close Your Eyes (Carly Simon) with Petra Haden

11. Lenny’s Tune (Tim Hardin)

12. Some Say I Got Devil (Melanie)

SOCIAL MEDIA

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