April Green

In 1998, Blue Note released several CDs of previously unavailable (at least domestically) material from its prime years under the title of Standards. Some are not up to the level of the label's best output, but this outing is a definite exception. Guitarist Grant Green is heard in prime form in a sparse trio with bassist Wilbur Ware and drummer Al Harewood. Six of the eight performances were previously available in Japan as an LP but never before in the U.S. Because Green rarely ever played chords, sticking to single-note lines, hearing him in this setting is similar to hearing a tenor in a pianoless trio. Highlights include "Love Walked In," "I'll Remember April," "All the Things You Are," and two versions of "If I Had You."

THE KINKS ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY 50th ANNIVERSARY SUPER DELUXE BOX SET - 2018 REMASTER This lavishly packaged super-deluxe box set is part of the BMG 'Art Of The Album' series, which focuses specifically on high quality, bespoke packaged re-issues of seminal albums within the BMG catalogue, offering the highest spec audio masters and original artwork…

This 50th Anniversary edition trumps them all by offering three LPs, three 7" singles, and five CDs, all offering a different avenue for exploration of the Village Green. The first two discs look very similar to the 2004 triple-CD set, containing new remasters of the stereo and mono versions of the album, along with their accompanying non-LP tracks, singles, and B-sides, plus songs from the sessions that later appeared on The Great Lost Kinks Album. The third disc concentrates on the Village Green sessions, featuring a ton of alternate mixes, studio chatter, and backing tracks, including the much-bootlegged "Mick Avory's Underpants." The fourth disc features Village Green at the BBC, including interviews and live sessions performed between 1968 and 1969; among the highlights here are "Where Did My Spring Go?" and "When I Turn Off the Living Room Light," which wound up on The Great Lost Kinks Album…