Classic Robert Palmer Albums To Make Vinyl Debut

12-03-2024

(HGM) For the first time ever, three albums from UK blue-eyed soul rock legend/Grammy Award-winner Robert Palmer will be available on vinyl and will also be reissued in newly enhanced CD packages and on all streaming and download services. LIVE AT THE APOLLO, DRIVE and RHYTHM & BLUES are set for release on February 14th via BFD/The Orchard.

LIVE AT THE APOLLO is a double vinyl release. Robert Palmer's first complete live album was recorded in New York City on the final date of the United States leg of his record-breaking "Heavy Nova" tour in 1988. This riveting concert finds the singer performing his biggest hits and most popular album cuts including Grammy-Award winning tracks "Addicted To Love" and "Simply Irresistible" as well as "I Didn't Mean To Turn You On" and many more.

Originally released in 1999, RHYTHM & BLUES, also a double vinyl release, highlights Palmer's origins in the rhythm and blues worlds. Inspired by classic Motown and written, arranged and co-produced by Palmer himself, it is a showcase for his superb voice and smooth stylings. DRIVE is Robert Palmer's final studio album and a tribute to all things blues. Originally released in 2003, DRIVE finds Palmer paying homage to such blues icons as Big Mama Thornton/Elvis Presley ("Hound Dog"), ZZ Top and Keb' Mo, amongst others. Many of the songs are in the strict blues form, and Palmer's throaty voice and urgent delivery are well-suited.

One of the great singer/songwriters of the rock era, Robert Palmer sang with such ease that it disguised both his vocal skill and his adventurous tastes. Deeply rooted in soul, he pivoted to a variety of sounds throughout his career, often operating at the vanguard of fashion and mainstream pop. Palmer's career started to come into focus when the Caribbean-inspired "Every Kinda People" gave him his first American hit, and the pounding arena rock of "Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor)" gave him his second. After a sojourn into new wave on his CLUES album, Palmer joined Duran Duran's John Taylor and Andy Taylor and Chic's Tony Thompson to form the supergroup, The Power Station ("Some Like It Hot," "Get It On (Bang A Gong))". This allegiance continued his run in the Top Ten. Blockbusters RIPTIDE and HEAVY NOVA, with their accompanying smash, Grammy-Award winning singles, "Addicted to Love" and "Simply Irresistible" would follow. Thanks to his stylish music videos, Palmer became a superstar on MTV, and stayed there for nearly a decade. Over his career, he released fourteen studio albums and three live albums before his untimely passing in 2003. He has sold more than 6 million albums worldwide to date.

LIVE AT THE APOLLO track listing:

SIDE A
1. Some Like It Hot
2. Hyperactive
3. Discipline Of Love
4. Tell Me I'm Not Dreaming
SIDE B
1. I Didn't Mean To Turn You On
2. Looking For Clues
3. Change His Ways
4. Pride
SIDE C
1. Woke Up Laughing
2. Johnny & Mary
3. Riptide
4. Between Us
5. Flesh Wound
SIDE D
1. More Than Ever
2. Simply Irresistible
3. Casting A Spell
4. Addicted To Love

DRIVE track listing:

SIDE A
1. Mama Talk To Your Daughter
2. Why Get Up?
3. Who's Foolin' Who?
4. Am I Wrong?
5. TV Dinners
6. Lucky
SIDE B
1. Stella
2. Dr. Zhivago's Train
3. Ain't That Just Like A Woman
4. Hound Dog
5. Crazy Cajun Cake Walk Band
6. I Need Your Love So Bad

RHYTHM & BLUES track listing:

SIDE A
1. True Love
2. No Problem
3. Let's Get It On (1999 version)
SIDE B
1. Stone Cold
2. Sex Appeal
3. Work To Make It Work (1999 version)
SIDE C
1. All The Will In The World
2. You're Not The Only One
3. Mr. Wise Guy
SIDE D
1. I Choose You
2. Dance For Me (1999 version)
3. Twenty Million Things