Hello there. Allow us to introduce you to your new favorite record: Jim Ford Harlan County! Recorded in 1969 in Los Angeles, CA, Harlan County is a true gem of the swamp/country-funk tradition. Tony Joe White, Bobby Charles, Charlie Rich…Jim Ford could hang with them all.
Dig the gatefold spread! Stick 'em up!
“Jimmy Ford is the baddest white man on the planet,” said Sly Stone of Jim Ford, and listening to Harlan County today who’s to argue? Needless to say, we’re honored to re-release these ten country-funk gems on CD and 180-gram wax (for the first time) with Ford’s original cover artwork, beautifully re-mastered audio (from the original tapes), extensive liner notes by Kurt Wolff (The Rough Guide to Country Music), and rare photos. These jams are fierce and fuzzed out, ready for the club or just a cruise in your powder blue Ford pickup. See ya out there.
Check all the goodies!
For more info, audio samples and to order Jim Ford Harlan County (LITA 068 – CD | LP) hop on over HERE!
We’re very happy to announce starting October 4th we will be partnering with Rhino Handmade in an exclusive distribution deal. This marks the first time that the incredible and exhaustive releases from Rhino Handmade will be available in stores and via LightInTheAttic.net in addition to Rhino.com. If you’re not familiar with Rhino Handmade, do yourself a favor and check out their stellar roster (Judee Sill, Stooges, Bobby Charles, to name just a few).
The first release in this partnership is the deluxe reissue of Tim Buckley’s Tim Buckleydebut album. A stunning 2-CD set with 46 songs features remastered audio by original engineer Bruce Botnick, a gorgeous portfolio cardstock package and book-deep liner notes by Thane Tierney. It will be available October 4th but you may pre-order it now!
RHINO HANDMADE AND LIGHT IN THE ATTIC RECORDS
ANNOUNCE DISTRIBUTIONPARTNERSHIP
First Releases Include Deluxe Editions Of Debut Albums From Tim Buckley And Ride Available October 4th and Oct. 18th
LOS ANGELES – Rhino Handmade, an imprint of Rhino Entertainment, has announced an innovative partnership with Seattle-based label/distributor Light In The Attic Records. Under this new partnership, Light In The Attic will take select Rhino Handmade titles, previously available exclusively at rhino.com, to retail outlets and also offer them on their website (www.lightintheattic.net). The partnership begins with the deeply expanded debut albums from ‘60s art-pop singer-songwriter Tim Buckley and timeless psychedelic shamans Ride. Handmade titles will continue to be available exclusively at Rhino.com for the first 60 days of release prior to Light In The Attic distributing them exclusively to retail.
The partnership between Rhino Handmade and Light In The Attic is a match made in music heaven as both labels work tirelessly to comb the vaults and deliver uniquely crafted releases of some of the greatest (and often times lost, obscure, or forgotten) music masterpieces from the past to music connoisseurs and collectors.
Rhino Handmade has been mining the Warner Music archives for over a decade to curate unprecedented collections of rare, out-of-print, and previously unreleased material from such beloved acts as Aretha Franklin, The Doors, Wilson Pickett, The Stooges, and The Monkess while also shining a spotlight on incredible, overlooked artists such as The Beau Brummels, Bettye Lavette, Doug Sahm, and Tony Joe White.
Light In The Attic is known for posh CD and 180 gram vinyl runs of crate-digging classics like the first two Karen Dalton albums, the exclusive re-release of the highly coveted and controversial concept LP Historie de Melody Nelson by Serge Gainsbourg, as well as his seductive collaboration with Jane Birkin on Je T’aime …; Betty Davis’s full soul-punk canon, Sixto Rodriguez’s psych-folk masterpiece Cold Fact, and a generous collection of early Kris Kristofferson demos.
Neil Young may have asked, “Are you ready for the country?” but what we really want to know is, “are you ready for the COUNTRY FUNK”? But wait, what in the hell is “country funk”? The answer is a complicated one, in part due to the fact that “country funk” is an inherently defiant genre, escaping all efforts at easy categorization. The style encompasses the elation of gospel with the sexual thrust of the blues, country hoedown harmony with inner city grit. It is alternately playful and melancholic, slow jammin’, and booty shakin’. It is both studio slick and barroom raw. And while these all may seem unlikely combinations at first glance, upon close listen, it all makes sweet sense.
With bare chest and a whiskey buzz we present to you Country Funk 1969-1975, a melting pot concoction of the music of Dale Hawkins, John Randolph Marr, Cherokee, Johnny Adams, Mac Davis, Bob Darin, Jim Ford, Gray Fox, Link Wray, Bobby Charles, Tony Joe White, Dennis The Fox, Larry Jon Wilson, Bobbie Gentry, Gritz, and Johnny Jenkins. Featuring extensive liner notes by Jessica Hundley (MOJO, The New York Times, Vogue), original album/label artwork, and new illustrations by Jess Rotter of Rotter and Friends (who designed the Lee Hazlewood, Louvin Brothers, and Jim Sullivan tees), think of this as a fantasyland where the Josie-era Meters back young Elvis singing Kris Kristofferson-penned slices of rustic American life and you’ll begin to understand the country funk vibe. It’s from the swamp to the city and all points in between.
And listen children, we wouldn’t send you out in the wold with not a shirt on your back, would we?? Be the star of the bar with these jamboree threads by Jess Rotter / Rotter and Friends featuring her homespun illustrations for the anthology (photos by David Black). Double sided. Double trouble. Boss.
For audio samples, more info and to pre-order V/A - Country Funk 1969 – 1975 (LITA 083 – CD/2xLP/Digital) visit LightInTheAttic.net now.
* All tracks newly re-mastered
* Features rare cuts by Bob Darin, Gray Fox, Dennis The Fox, Cherokee, Gritz and more
* 2xLP housed in a deluxe gatefold Stoughton “Tip-On” jacket with liner notes insert, along with Jess Rotter’s illustrations
* CD with 24-page booklet with liner notes plus Jess Rotter’s illustrations
