Laura Nyro Nested Originally released in 1978, Nested marked a departure from Laura Nyro's acclaimed early work ("Wedding Bell Blues," "Eli's Comin'"), with its lyrical focus on impending motherhood and a more organic sound. Across Nested's 10 self-penned tracks, Nyro also reviews her up-and-down love life, rails against music business greed, and muses on the nature of the universe, backed by instrumental contributions from John Sebastian (The Lovin' Spoonful), Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals), Vinnie Cusano (KISS's Vinnie Vincent), Tony Levin, and Andy Newmark, among others. Largely ignored or misunderstood upon initial release, Nested, Nyro's eighth album, can now be heard as the fulcrum on which her early and later career pivoted. Nested is ripe for reappraisal as one of Laura Nyro's most personal, moving, and artistically successful projects. [more info]   Laura Nyro Season of Lights...Laura Nyro In Concert Originally conceived as a double live album, but released as a 10 song single LP in 1977, the Iconoclassic Records reissue of Season of Lights…Laura Nyro in Concert restores the set to its full 16 song length. The single LP version as originally released contained a solo piano rendition of "Timer," whereas a full band performance of that same song was slated for release on the double album version. The Iconoclassic CD includes both the solo and full band versions. One of the factors that makes this live release so compelling is the involvement of jazz players (John Tropea, Richard Davis, and Mike Mainieri) that had performed on Nyro's then-current studio album Smile. As incredible as Laura was when performing live solo with just her piano as accompaniment, this is the place to experience her interaction with a full live band. [more info] The Isley Brothers Showdown This Top 10 Platinum smash, originally released in 1978 on The Isley Brothers' own T-Neck label, has remained criminally out of print on CD in the U.S. … until now! Boasting the #1 hit "Take Me To The Next Phase (Part 1 & 2)" and "Groove With You," and classic, frequently sampled jams like "Coolin' Me Out" and the title track, Showdown was the perfect follow-up to The Isley Brothers' groundbreaking Go For You Guns album. The 3 + 3 lineup—combining the vocals of the 3 elder brothers (Ronald, Rudolph and Kelly) with the writing and producing skills of younger brothers Ernie and Marvin and brother-in-law Chris Jasper—was on fire at this point, producing hit after hit while innovating constantly. Perhaps their funkiest album, Showdown was built to rock the house, as Chris Jasper explains in his detailed, all new liner notes. [more info] The Isley Brothers Go All The Way The Isley Brothers kicked off their fourth decade with this Platinum, #1 album originally issued in 1980. Previously unreleased on CD in the U.S., Go All The Way is highlighted by #1 hit ballad "Don't Say Goodnight (It's Time For Love)" and finds The Isley Brothers embracing new technology while fortifying their proven strengths. Go All The Way features a half dozen extended fan favorites and chart hits (including "Here We Go Again" and the title track) that have not previously been heard in pristine digital sound. One of their most melodic albums, all was not quite as harmonious behind the scenes for the 3 + 3 lineup at this point, as former Isley Brothers songwriter/keyboardist Chris Jasper reveals in the enlightening liner notes. Jasper rates Go All The Way as one of his favorite Isley Brothers albums, and millions of Isley fans agree. [more info]   Mott The Hoople The Hoople The last in the triumvirate of Mott's classic glitter rock albums, The Hoople (1974) was the band's third album release on CBS/Columbia Records, following the classic All The Young Dudes and Mott LPs. The Hoople featured a refocused band after the departure of Mick Ralphs (who left to join Bad Company) and the arrival of Ariel Bender (aka Luther Grosvenor, from Spooky Tooth). Singer Ian Hunter was now established as the undisputed band leader and his songwriting progresses by leaps and bounds on this recording, providing a preview of what would later become an outstanding solo career. Kicking off with the goodtime rocker "The Golden Age Of Rock 'n' Roll," The Hoople immediately plunges into the dramatic "Marionette," bassist Overend Watts' rocker "Born Late '58" and a reworked version of earlier single "Roll Away The Stone." This special expanded reissue features seven bonus tracks, including studio recordings with Mick Ronson (who had replaced Bender on tour) plus a live version of "Golden Age..." prefaced by a snippet of Don McLean's "American Pie." [more info] Weather Report Tale Spinnin' Recorded and originally released in 1975, Tale Spinnin', Weather Report's fifth studio album, is an overlooked gem that stands with anything recorded during the "jazz-rock fusion" era. On a range of fresh, intriguing originals by the band's co-founders and principle composers, keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Zawinul's pioneering interest in what we now call world music is more in evidence, and his synthesizer sophistication is growing along with the available technology. Shorter's work on soprano sax is more animated than on Weather Report's previous two albums, and Alphonso Johnson brings his melodic bass to the fore. "Tale Spinnin' sets up a hypnotic groove, loose and funky with more than a touch of Afro-Latin in the rhythm section and engaging melodic detail on top. . . Spinnin' convinces once again that Weather Report is the most adventurous, meticulous and consistently stimulating band working in the electric-jazz idiom." - Rolling Stone. Jazz Album of the Year, 40th Down Beat Readers Poll. [more info] The Guess Who Wheatfield Soul Wheatfield Soul was The Guess Who's U.S. debut album and launched the Canadian group to international stardom with the classic Top 10 hit "These Eyes." The classic lineup of The Guess Who (with Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman) display their eclectic mix of influences on Wheatfield Soul, numbering pop, garage rock, Doors style psychedelia, jazz, and folk. Iconoclassic Records' 40th Anniversary Edition of Wheatfield Soul has been digitally remastered from the original master tapes and features in-depth liner notes with new interviews from producer Jack Richardson and all of the band members. Additionally, three rare and sought after single sides (two making their worldwide CD debut) have been added as bonus tracks, making this the definitive edition of a landmark album. [more info] Laura Nyro Mother's Spiritual Laura Nyro's ninth album Mother's Spiritual was the second of her two "maternal" albums (1978's Nested being the first). Mother's Spiritual broke a long silence upon its release in 1984, being Nyro's first new release in over five years, and was itself followed by a nearly decade-long absence from the studio. In contrast to the wild, adventurous music with which Nyro first made her reputation (Eli and the Thirteenth Confession, New York Tendaberry), Mother's Spiritual exhibits a calm, serene, piano-centered sound. At the same time, Nyro introduces political, motherhood (both of a child and of the earth), feminist, and environmentalist themes into her writing. Thematically ahead of its time upon its initial release, Mother's Spiritual was incredibly prescient with lyrics that are relevant to today's world. Cherished by longtime fans, Mother's Spiritual has never before been widely available on CD. [more info] Jefferson Airplane Thirty Seconds Over Winterland Thirty Seconds Over Winterland, originally released in 1973, was the final original album release from rock icons Jefferson Airplane. Captured live in concert, the album finds the early '70s edition of the Airplane (with Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady joined by Papa John Creach, David Freiberg and Johnny Barbata) at their hardest rocking, on a set that focuses on their latest material while acknowledging the Hot Tuna splinter group and glancing backward to their groundbreaking '60s work. Although their contemporary studio albums were somewhat disjointed, Jefferson Airplane were still a unified force onstage and many fans regard this period as the Airplane's live peak. Iconoclassic Records' deluxe reissue of Thirty Seconds Over Winterland remasters the original 7-song album, and then adds 5 additional tracks from their final Winterland appearances, newly mastered by Grammy Award-winning engineer Vic Anesini from the original master tapes. [more info] Mott The Hoople Mott The Hoople Live - Expanded Deluxe Edition When Mott The Hoople Live was originally released in November 1974, little did we know that this album would be their swansong; Mott ceased to exist six weeks after Mott The Hoople Live hit the record racks. The original Mott The Hoople Live has been enhanced and expanded into this astonishing 21 song Expanded Deluxe Edition 2 CD set. 13 additional tracks have been added to the original album, capturing two legendary concerts nearly in their entirety: the late-1973 Hammersmith show, where the set over-ran so long that the theater owners lowered the curtain on the band; and a taste of the group's triumphant Broadway season six months later, when Mott became the first rock band to sell out a week of concerts in New York's theater district. In October 2009, the original lineup of Mott The Hoople will reunite for the first time ever, performing at the current Hammersmith venue, making this the perfect time to introduce Mott The Hoople Live – Expanded Deluxe Edition into the U.S. marketplace for the first time. [more info] Isley, Jasper, Isley Broadway's Closer To Sunset Blvd. The excellent debut album of the "younger" half of the classic Isley Brothers 3+3 lineup makes its worldwide CD debut on the Iconoclassic label. The trio had taken over the songwriting, production and musician chores for the Isley Brothers as the seventies had evolved into the eighties, and IJI had entertained splitting from the older trio as early as 1980. Their newer more "eighties" direction and recording techniques (as popularized on "Between The Sheets") were not a comfortable place for the elder Isleys but Ernie Isley, Chris Jasper and Marvin Isley jumped into the deep end and did not look back. Iconoclassic's first-time-on-CD release of Broadway's Closer To Sunset Blvd. includes extensive liner notes by A. Scott Galloway, drawn from new interviews with Ernie Isley and Chris Jasper, as well as a bonus track of the 12" version of "Kiss And Tell." [more info] Lou Reed Legendary Hearts Originally released on RCA Records in 1983 as the follow-up to the highly acclaimed The Blue Mask, Legendary Hearts teamed Lou Reed with Robert Quine, Fernando Saunders and Fred Maher, resulting in one of his leanest, most band-oriented records. Continuing the soul-searching that he had begun on The Blue Mask while lightening the mood slightly, Legendary Hearts teems with underappreciated Lou Reed classics like "The Last Shot," "Betrayed," the humorous "Don't Talk To Me About Work" and the title track. Out of print in the U.S. for well over a decade, Legendary Hearts has been digitally remastered from the original master tapes, and augmented with new liner notes and expanded packaging. [more info] A – Robert Christgau 4 stars – All Music Guide Lou Reed New Sensations Kicked off with "I Love You, Suzanne," as close as Lou Reed ever came to a straight "pop" song, New Sensations is the most uniquely positive album in Reed's canon. Also featuring the title track and "My Friend George," New Sensations introduced Reed to a new, younger audience through MTV and major college radio airplay. However, longtime fans took heart in the fact that Lou's legendary sarcasm was still very much intact. Out of print in the U.S. for well over a decade, New Sensations has been digitally remastered from the original master tapes, and augmented with new liner notes and expanded packaging. [more info]   A – Robert Christgau 4 stars – Rolling Stone The Guess Who So Long, Bannatyne The Guess Who proved they could weather a significant personnel change with 1970's triumphant Share The Land. The 1971 follow-up, So Long, Bannatyne saw the band branching out, embracing more eclectic and less polished and commercial material, much of it with a considerably darker hue than the band's earlier material and heavily influenced by John Lennon's visceral Plastic Ono Band. A fascinating lyrical continuity emerges that reveals a band and its principal writers burdened by success, cynical, tormented; the result being a kind of ad hoc concept record centering around themes of desperation, anger, disillusionment, resignation and an interminable bleakness, topics frontman Burton Cummings would continue to explore throughout the rest of The Guess Who's lifespan. [more info]   The Guess Who Rockin' Rockin', originally released in 1972, represented a back-to-basics album for The Guess Who. The twin-guitars of Kurt Winter and Greg Leskiw power one of the band's hardest rocking releases. Yet in true early '70s Guess Who fashion, Rockin' features an all-inclusive definition of rock, from the heavy riffs of opening track and single "Heartbroken Bopper," the '50s-styled boogies "Get Your Ribbons On" and "Running Bear," the harmony-driven "Smoke Big Factory," the socially conscious "Guns, Guns, Guns," and the psychedelic multipart suite that closed the original album. A longtime cult-favorite among their fans, The Guess Who's Rockin' has been augmented with two previously unreleased bonus tracks including "Lost Sheep," a dry run for the "Hi Rockers!" medley that arguably betters its originally released counterpart. [more info]   Robin Trower Twice Removed From Yesterday Following Robin Trower's departure from Procol Harum he embarked upon a remarkable solo career with the aid of James Dewar (vocals and bass) and Reg Isadore (drums). The power trio's initial offering, Twice Removed From Yesterday, was produced by former Procol band mate Matthew Fisher and the album unleashed the full force of Trower's incredible guitar playing. The Fender Stratocaster was his weapon of choice and the sheer fury with which Robin attacked uptempo rock and blues was astonishing considering that those elements of his playing had only been hinted at in his former band. The contrast of that was the subtlety and pure lyricism that was displayed on less aggressive materiel like "Daydream," an FM radio staple from back in the day. This is the album that paved the way to "Bridge of Sighs" and superstardom. The Iconoclassic release is augmented by "Take A Fast Train," the B-side of the album's first single "Man Of The World." . [more info]   The Isley Brothers It's Our Thing The Isley Brothers left Motown in 1968 and re-launched their T-Neck label through Buddah Records early the following year. This album was the first release for their revived imprint and it celebrated the group's newfound artistic freedom in the album’s title. The album became a smash as the single "It's Your Thing" rose all the way to #2 on the R&B charts. The success of that single catapulted the album all the way to #22 on the pop album charts. The band's instincts to move towards a funkier feel and a more prominent horn section appeared to intersect perfectly with popular tastes at the end of the sixties. It's Our Thing has never before been issued as a stand-alone CD. [more info]   The Guess Who Artificial Paradise Artificial Paradise, originally released in 1973, was The Guess Who's most band-oriented effort. New recruits Don McDougall (guitar, vocals) and Bill Wallace (bass, vocals) contribued strong original material, as did longtime guitarist Kurt Winter. Bandleader Burton Cummings brought several gems to the table as well, including "Orly" and one of his "state of the band" addresses: "Those Show Biz Shoes." Although not a major commercial success upon release, Artificial Paradise has become a firm audience favorite and is the most requested title by fans of Iconoclassic's Guess Who reissue series. Never before individually released on CD, Artificial Paradise is also acclaimed for its unique "sweepstakes" style packaging, which is reproduced for this reissue. [more info]   Carl Wilson Youngblood Youngblood, originally released by Caribou/Epic Records in 1983, was the second solo album from legendary Beach Boys vocalist Carl Wilson. In contrast to the bright pop and airy ballads with which Wilson made his reputation in the Beach Boys, Youngblood bursts from the speakers with a pair of tough rockers powered by the guitar of album producer Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers). Youngblood continues with dramatic balladry ("Givin' You Up," whose lyric may be seen as a commentary on the state of the Beach Boys at the time; "One More Night Alone," penned by Wilson's then brother-in-law Billy Hinsche who also wrote new liner notes for this reissue) and finds space for some good old fashioned rock & roll, both from Wilson's own pen and those of John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival) and John Hall (Orleans). [more info]			The ethos of Iconoclassic Records is perfectly captured in the company's name. Iconoclassic Records reissues classic titles by iconic artists, many of whom have handled their careers in an uncompromising, iconoclastic manner. A CD reissue label focused on rock, pop, and R&B music of the 1970s and '80s, Iconoclassic Records specializes in notable albums that have never been released on CD, as well as classic titles that have fallen out of print. [more]   Are the CDs remastered? Yes, all Iconoclassic Records CDs are digitally remastered from the original master tapes by award winning engineers, such as Grammy® winner Vic Anesini, who remastered Laura Nyro's Nested and Season of Lights. Check out photos from the mastering session on the Nested album page. Are the original album graphics included in the packaging? Yes, Iconoclassic reproduces all the imagery and text from the original LP front and back covers and inner sleeves. In addition, we frequently add newly written liner notes and additional photographs from the appropriate time periods.  [more]