NEW RELEASES: THE DOORS - WEIRD SCENES INSIDE THE GOLF MINE; LEE FIELDS - EMMA JEAN; FRANK ROSOLINO - I PLAY TROMBONE

THE DOORS - WEIRD SCENES INSIDE THE GOLF MINE

The Doors now make their legendary, long out-of-print compilation Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine available for the first time as a 2-CD set. Originally released in 1972, this gold-certified double album was the first compilation to be released after Jim Morrison's death in 1971. The 22 songs that appear on the collection provide a wide-ranging introduction to the music recorded between 1967-71 by the original quartet, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek and Jim Morrison. The band's longtime engineer Bruce Botnick remastered the music heard on this reissue, which takes its title from a lyric in "The End. " Mixing familiar cuts and deep tracks from six studio albums, Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine touches on everything from hits like "Break On Through" and "Love Her Madly" to unexpected delights like "The Spy" from Morrison Hotel and "Running Blue" from The Soft Parade.  Adding yet another dimension to the album's track list is the inclusion of two stellar b-sides: "Who Scared You" which appeared in March 1969 as the flipside to "Wishful Sinful, " and a cover of Willie Dixon's " (You Need Meat) Don t Go No Further" which was paired with the smash "Love Her Madly" in 1971. ~ Amazon.com

LEE FIELDS - EMMA JEAN

An amazing chapter in the career of Lee Fields – an artist who's been moving our souls for decades, but who just keeps on growing in these really great ways! Unlike the fragile style of My World, or the heady southern soul of Faithful Man, Emma Jean's got this very different vibe – laidback, and definitely with a southern twinge – but with this mellow style that almost takes us back to country soul experiments of artists like Bobby Womack or Joe Tex in the 60s! Not that the style is straight country soul, though – because the backing is by El Michels, who have a strong funk pedigree – but who work with Fields here in this slow-stepping mode that really builds up energy – delivering Lee's vocals with all the power of before, but in an even more personal way. The result is another amazing set from an artist who never falters for a minute – and one of the few contemporary singers who can ever match the depth and strengths of 60s deep soul greats. Titles include "Standing By Your Side", "Just Can't Win", "In The Woods", "Stone Angel", "It Still Gets Me Down", "Don't Leave Me This Way", "Eye To Eye", and "Paralyzed".  ~ Dusty Groove

FRANK ROSOLINO - I PLAY TROMBONE

One of the best albums ever cut by trombonist Frank Rosolino – an open-ended quartet session that really lets him do his thing! The tracks are long, with plenty of room for solo space, and Frank's working with a really great quartet that includes the legendary Sonny Clark on piano – a key force on the west coast scene during his stay in the late 50s – plus Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. Rosolino's tone is tremendous – a perfect tone, but never too polished – and although Clark doesn't play with the same sense of fire as on his Blue Note sessions, his presence is still strongly felt on the date. 3 of the album's tracks are over 7 minutes long – quite rare for a Bethlehem session – and titles include "Doxy", "My Delux", "Flamingo", "I May Be Wrong", and "Frieda".  ~ Dusty Groove