Fast forward to the present time and my attitude towards this album has changed quite a bit, not at least thanks to 2 superb performances at Later With Jools Holland in 1999 which can be found on YouTube: Twenty Million Things (just Palmer, Jools Holland and David Grant) and Stone Cold, complete with a male choir, very soulful!
Also interesting: Twenty Million Things was an old song written by Lowell George of Little Feat, the band Robert used to great effect on his first album (Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley) in 1974!
But if we take a closer look at Rhythm & Blues, things turn weird, very weird indeed. Some songs have different titles. e.g. Let's Get It On 98 / Let's Get It On 99 and Work To Make It Work 98 / Work To Make It Work 99… The reason is that Rhythm & Blues was first released in Japan in 1998, whereas the international versions were issued in 1999!
(the cover of the Japanese version)
Other discrepancies turn up as well: several songs on the Japanese edition are (much!) longer than on the international ones: e.g., Let's Get It On 98 is 6:25, whereas Let's Get It On 99 is only 4:07!
To make it even more convoluted, there are also quite a few song differences between the various editions: Captured, Spellbound, and The Long And Winding Road are exclusive to the Japanese edition. Twenty Million Things was included on all international versions except the Japanese.
Dance For Me was only on the US & UE versions. Tennis replaced Dance For Me on the Canadian, UK, & European versions. And Big Shot was a B-side only of the True Love single. Consequently, this album was a perfect candidate for another JOKONKY Deluxe Edition!
ELSEWHERE ON PALMERBLOG: Koen's deluxe edition of Woke Up Laughing (Robert Palmer's Adventures In Tropical Music) and Stinky's deluxe Homemade Live Album version of Clues!
Koen's question for the download: What album do you think deserves a Deluxe Edition?
ReplyDeleteThis looks great, Koen.
ReplyDeleteWhat album do I feel deserves a deluxe edition? PIANOSAURUS Groovy Neighborhood which was recorded entirely on toy instruments!
- Stinky
There are more songs on the Rounder CD of Groovy Neighborhood -- but what if there are previously unearthed Pianosaurus fossils, or prehistoric demos? The world needs to know! I'm on board for your Kickstarter, Stinky!
DeleteThank you, I had an on and off relation to the music for Robert Palmer. This is a fine re-entrance .
ReplyDeletehttps://www.discogs.com/release/797330-Roscoe-Mitchell-L-R-G-The-Maze-S-II-Examples
Not only would I like this in a deluxe version, wouldn't it be nice to have the sections apart so one could create their own version. I am not that great on any instrument, it would be great to rearrange the sections on my homecomputer.
Not a record I am familiar with, but it sure looks interesting. With so many computer programs available to rearrange and remix music, it would be interesting to see someone release a record separated for that purpose. Some artists do share "stems" but I wouldn't have the first clue what to do with them!
DeleteI have two "faux deluxe" versions planned for this blog. One is You Am I's #4 Record. The first three You Am I albums were reissued in "Superunreal" editions with lots of bonus tracks, but #4 Record is equally deserving, and there are plenty of non-LP b-sides to fill out a bonus disc.
The other is the second album by the band dEUS. There's a box set of the first album, and a "20th Anniversary Edition" of the third -- but the Difficult Second Album is a neglected middle child. Again, there are more than enough songs for a bonus disc of b-sides from that period.
Never heard of You Am I. Will listen though. dEUS is a well known Belgian band, with a very well know Tom Barman .
DeleteNow mentioning a Belgian band, one of the most iconic Belgian bands of the 80s was TC Matic, and only the first album had a deluxe reissue.
Here's the link: https://tinyurl.com/RPDeluxeRnB
ReplyDeletedEUS and TC Matic are/were pretty cool! I have a few other Deluxe Editions in the pipeline, but no details yet...
ReplyDeleteOne of my one buck records! Fished out of a discount bin in a Woolworth's, if I remember correctly (I might not). At first, I didn't think much of it, but the album grew on me. 20 Million Things, one of the most beautiful songs ever written, is pretty good on the album but absolutely kills in the Jool Hollands version...
ReplyDeleteI went to a one buck CD sale today, and there was Robert Palmer's Rhythm & Blues! I didn't buy it (since I now have Koens dee-luxe edition), but I did pick up Twilight Time by Bennie Wallace & Dr. John, which Koen featured here on the blog last year.
DeleteFound this link for a live gig by Robert Palmer https://www.nowbodhisblissness.com/2024/01/riptide-pride-robert-palmer-75.html
ReplyDeleteNice find, Richard -- thanks!
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