LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

Jackie... Plus ranks #3 on Rolling Stone's Top Ten Reissues of 2003.By the time Jackie DeShannon signed to Atlantic in 1972, she'd already built a multi-dimensional career. She entered the business as a child gospel singer with her own radio show; she rocked under the tutelage of Eddie Cochran; she opened for The Beatles on their first U.S. Tour; she even earned her way into the vaunted Burt Bacharach-Hal David stable. But what she desired at this point was creative freedom. Instead of singing over elaborately arranged tracks, she wanted to be a part of the process -- to work with a band, as it were. Jackie would be the culmination of just such a vision. So DeShannon and Atlantic's Jerry Wexler entered the legendary American Sound Studios in Memphis -- home to many of the area's renowned session cats -- and embarked upon an album project that would be part DeShannon originals and part interpretations of songs with which she had an artistic affinity. Chosen works included Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," Van Morrison's "I Wanna Roo You," John Prine's "Paradise," and a song Wexler called "one of the greatest songs ever written," Alice Stuart's "Full Time Woman." The originals find DeShannon really spreading her wings. "Laid Back Days" is a six-minute departure from the rigid structure of pop songwriting. "Vanilla O'Lay," which reached #76 on the singles chart, features a steel-drum band, and "Anna Karina" offers a groovy free-form reflection on the French New Wave actress. This remastered Rhino Handmade release presents Jackie in its entirety. It also gathers 12 bonus tracks (10 previously unreleased) from DeShannon's two-year stint with Atlantic. Included are four 1973 collaborations with Van Morrison and the unearthed gospel gem "Through The Gates Of Gold." Jackie made a brief appearance on the album chart, but it's more significant as a bold artistic statement and critical triumph. DeShannon is very proud to this day: "They're extremely respectable recordings. And for a woman at that time, it was quite a feat to cover that kind of ground musically….If you can't be honest, then what's the point?" Jackie… Plus is available as an individually numbered limited edition of 2,500 copies.
TRACK LISTING PARADISE (2:36) HEAVY BURDENS ME DOWN (2:56) BRAND NEW START (2:38) ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART (2:40) LAID BACK DAYS (6:02) FULL TIME WOMAN (2:38) VANILLA 'OLAY (3:00) WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN TO DANCE (3:38) I WON'T TRY TO PUT CHAINS ON YOUR SOUL (3:01) I WANNA ROO YOU (3:04) PEACEFUL IN MY SOUL (2:54) ANNA KARINA (2:55) WHEN I'M GONE (2:37) DRIFT AWAY (2:41) ALL THE LOVE THAT'S IN YOU (2:13) SPEAK OUT TO ME (3:06) HYDRA (3:00) YOUR OLD LADY'S LEAVING (2:26) GRAND CANYON BLUES (2:52) SWEET SIXTEEN (3:25) FLAMINGOS FLY (3:45) SANTA FE (4:03) THE WONDER OF YOU (3:34) THROUGH THE GATES OF GOLD (5:31)