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Friday, September 12, 2014

Queen's Roger Taylor solo works to be reissued

I was thrilled to see the surviving members of Queen live for the first time over the summer in LA (see review elsewhere on this blog). Now comes word of Taylor's solo catalog getting its due. Read on...

As a founding member of Queen (2001 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees), Roger Taylor is not only one of rock's most revered drummers, but has written No. 1 hits like “Radio Ga Ga” and “A Kind of Magic” and co-written such rock classics as “Under Pressure” and “One Vision” among many others.
 
Add in his work with Jeff Beck, Roger Daltrey, Elton John, Gary Numan, Foo Fighters, and more, and one can see why he is one of the most respected drummers in rock history. To top that off, he has had a critically acclaimed solo career starting with his 1977 single “I Wanna Testify.”

Omnivore Recordings will celebrate Taylor’s own work with two releases. Coming
Oct. 27 is
Best, which contains 18 tracks from both his aforementioned 1977 solo debut single through tracks from 2013’s Fun on Earth. This is the first-ever collection from Taylor, available on CD and double LP, with many tracks available on vinyl for the very first time.
 
The packaging contains new liner notes from Taylor himself, and the first pressing of the LP will be available on gold vinyl for the first run, with black to follow. The initial run is destined to become a collector’s item.

The Lot, originally released overseas, sees its first North American issue
on Nov. 11. It is exactly what the title implies: Roger Taylor’s entire solo works.
 
This massive 12-CD/1-DVD set, packaged in a 64-page hardbound book with slipcase, features all five of Taylor’s solo albums (including bonus tracks on 2013’s Fun on Earth, available only in this offering), and the three releases from the Cross — which found Taylor fronting a new band, handling lead vocals and guitar, and whose recordings featured guest appearances from his Queen bandmates Freddie Mercury and Brian May. The remaining four CDs contain every single and remix from both his solo material and releases with the Cross. Add in a DVD with promo videos, live performances, and extras, and you have the complete picture. You have The Lot.

Track Listing for Best

1. Future Management
 (You Don’t Need Nobody Else)
2. I Wanna Testify
3. Let’s Get Crazy
4. Magic Is Loose
5. Strange Frontier
6. Man on Fire
7. Beautiful Dreams
8. Nazis 1994
9. Foreign Sand (With Yoshiki)
10. Everybody Hurts Sometime
11. Happiness
12. Surrender
13. Where Are You Now?
14. A Nation of Haircuts
15. Tonight
16. No More Fun
17. The Unblinking Eye (Everything Is Broken) single version
18. Sunny Day

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