The UMe November 10, 2017 2-CD rerelease (and first ever digital release) of the 1995 retrospective of Blue Thumb Records "All Day Thumbsucker Revisited" further shows the love of UMe for music that earn the distinction of being labelled (pun intended) alternative. "Revisited" joins the UMe (reviewed) October 10, 2017 rerelease of "Mystery Road" by REM-influenced Drivin n' Cryin' in the catalog of that company.
The highly informative press materials for "Revisited" share that the labor of loves aspects of this release include celebrating the 50th anniversary of founding Blue Thumb and marking the recent deaths roughly a year apart of company founders Boib Krasnow and Tommy LiPuma.
The must read liner notes from insider record producer Ben Sidran for the '95 release include the "they oughta make a documentary" story of Blue Thumb. Reading an admission of wanting a side of room service with the counter culture climate at the label was just as notable as the tale of a publicity stunt involving naked men providing human billboards in a fancy restaurant.
Listing to the 32 tracks on "Revisited" provides a good sense of the diversity of Blue Thumb. The styles range from "Dead" style folk rock, to many variations of jazz and the blues. You also get a few more mainstream sounding tunes.
"Retro-swing hipsters" Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks provide one of the best tracks; "Canned Music" is a equally well vocalized and orchestrated rockin' tune about the virtues of juke boxes versus live bands as seduction tools. Hicks provides the bonus tune "I Scare Myself."
Another highlight is the (now ironic) "I've Been Loving You Too Long" by Ike and Tina Turner. This one celebrates the sheer joy of a deepening love.
Additional tunes by household names are "Ride A White Swan" and "By the Light of Magical Moon: by Tyrannosaurus Rex and "How Long (Betcha Got a Chick on the Side) and the very catchy "Yes We Can Can" by the Pointer Sisters.
The genius of the raison d'etre of Blue Thumb, the selection of tracks on "Revisited," and reviving both in 2018 is that is shows that art and commerce can simultaneously thrive and gives us non-Bieberers a reminder of the range of quality music that the now almost universally networked radio stations and other outlets have abandoned. We want our counter-culture "canned music," and we want it now.
Anyone with questions or comments regarding "Revisited" is strongly encouraged either to email me or to connect on Twitter via @tvdvdguy.
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