LOS ANGELES (UMe Records) - As one of the most popular and significant artists of our era heads out on tour this spring for the first time in three years - in support of the platinum-certified, two-CD "
Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits" - a "Definitive Remaster" series of reissues is set to reinvigorate his original albums. Thirteen Mellencamp discs, from 1978's "A Biography" (never before released in the U.S. and never on CD anywhere) to 1998's "Rough Harvest," are included in "The
John Mellencamp Definitive Remasters" to be chronologically issued in three releases from Universal
Music Enterprises (UMe) and Island/Def Jam during 2005.
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.
Series One, to be released March 29, 2005, encompasses:
"A Biography": Originally released only in the U.K. and Australia, the album includes the original issuance of his breakthrough track "I Need A Lover." The "Definitive Remaster" bonus is the U.K. single version of "I Need A Lover."
"John Cougar": "I Need A Lover" arrived in America on this 1979 album and scored his first Top 40 hit. The "Definitive Remaster" bonus is the previously unreleased "Take Home Pay."
"Nothin' Matters And What If It Did": This 1980 Steve Cropper-produced album peaked Top 40 and yielded the Top 40 singles "This Time" and "Ain't Even Done With The Night." The album would eventually be certified platinum. The "Definitive Remaster" bonus is the previously unreleased "Latest Game."
"American Fool": The 1982 album that launched Mellencamp as a superstar hit #1 and quintuple platinum. A pair of singles went gold, "Jack & Diane" (#1) and Grammy winner "Hurts So Good" (#2), and "Hand To Hold On" hit the Top 20. The "Definitive Remaster" bonus is the previously unreleased "American Fool."
"Uh-Huh": In 1983 his first album as John Cougar Mellencamp spawned the Top 10s "Pink Houses" and "Crumblin' Down" plus Top 20 "Authority Song." The album reached #9 and triple platinum. The "Definitive Remaster" bonus is the acoustic "Pink Houses" first issued as the b-side of "Authority Song."
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 folk singer).
2004's "Words & Music: John Mellencamp's Greatest Hits" (Island/Def Jam and UMe) marked the first time every Top 40 pop hit of his career to date was made available on one collection and debuted new songs "Walk Tall" and "Thank You," both produced by Mellencamp and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. The Words & Music Tour kicks off March 23rd in Savannah, Ga.
