LOS ANGELES (UMe Records) - Repertoire Touchstones Include "Rain On The Scarecrow," "Small Town," "Lonely Ol' Night," "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A.," "Paper In Fire," "Check It Out," "Cherry Bomb," "Jackie Brown," "Get A Leg Up," "Whenever We Wanted."
Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) has set May 24th as the release date for the second wave of John Mellencamp titles in the chronological Definitive Remasters series that kicked off last month, with the initial release of five CDs. The second series, encompassing four classic Mellencamp albums, includes some of the most groundbreaking work from the artist whose name has become synonymous with America's heartland.
Each Definitive Remaster features newly remastered sound utilizing the original master tapes, a rare or previously unreleased bonus track and upgraded packaging encompassing lyrics and the complete original artwork.
Included in the May 24th release is "Scarecrow," the 1985 John Cougar Mellencamp album that underscored the plight of the American farmer and was a catalyst in the movement that birthed Farm Aid. The album includes three top 10 singles: "Small Town," "Lonely Ol' Night," and "R.O.C.K. In The U.S.A." An acoustic version of "Small Town," previously only available as a b-side, is included in the Definitive Remaster version.
1989's The "Lonesome Jubilee," the artist's first album to be released under John Mellencamp, his given name, is another classic album in the series. It includes three Top 15 singles: "Paper In Fire," "Check It Out" and "Cherry Bomb." The bonus track included is "Blues From The Back Porch," a down home studio romp from Mellencamp and his band, never before released.
"Big Daddy," the 1989 album, includes the Top 15 hit "Pop Singer," thought to be the artist's personal manifesto, and the evocative "Jackie Brown." The bonus track on the Definitive Remaster release is a rare acoustic version of "Jackie Brown," heretofore only released as a b-side.
The last release in the second Definitive Remasters series of Mellencamp albums is "Whenever We Wanted," originally released in 1991. It includes the Top 15 hit "Get A Leg Up," and the bonus track is a London club mix version of the album opener "Love and Happiness" that was originally a CD single "b-side."
The first titles in the Mellencamp Definitive Remasters series were released March 29, and include "A Biography," "John Cougar," "Nothin' Matters And What If It Did," "American Fool" and "Uh-Huh." The third and final releases in the series are tentatively set for this summer.
Bringing together rock, folk, country, blues and R&B, Mellencamp has sold more than 40 million albums and received 11 Grammy nominations (winning one). He is the recipient of Billboard's highest accolade, the 2001 Century Award for distinguished creative achievement, and the 2003 Woody Guthrie Award for exemplifying the ideals of the legendary folksinger.
"Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits" (Island/Def Jam and UMe), was released late in 2004 and has gone on to earn RIAA Platinum certification. With 37 tracks on two discs, it marked the first time every Top 40 pop hit of his career to date was made available on one collection and debuted two new songs, "Walk Tall" and "Thank You," both produced by Mellencamp and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. Mellencamp launched his "Word & Music" tour in support of the release this spring and is set to continue touring nationally this summer.
