The response to The LHI Years on Record Store Day was flat out overwhelming! Lots of people kept asking if this was going to come out on CD (you know, for the car or to get for your younger brother who doesn’t know what a record player is). Well, here it is! Today you can now purchase the CD edition (same stellar sound, book-deep liner notes and rare archive photos) direct from us here. Check out the “What’s Inside?” video below for the full scoop on the CD.
+ First ever reissue
+ Re-mastered from original master tapes
+ CD/LP include new liner notes by Wyndham Wallace, interviewing director Torbjörn Axelman
+ Unseen archive photos
+ 180-gram LP includes 18″x24″ fold-out reproduction of original film poster
The second release in our exhaustive Lee Hazlewood reissue series, A House Safe For Tigers (LITA 087) is the soundtrack to one of the seven TV movies Hazlewood made with the director Torbjörn Axelman during his period living in Sweden in the early 1970s. Hazlewood had moved there to lay low and to help his son avoid the draft, but wound up finding happiness and creative freedom. Many of the albums recorded in Sweden made their way no further than Scandinavia, but of them all, A House Safe For Tigers is the holy grail for collectors, often changing hands for hundreds of dollars.
Originally only available in Sweden, this marks the first time Tigers has been reissued and available the world over. The movie was a “semi-documentary” featuring Hazlewood and his friend Axelman, looking back to childhood and contemplating the meaning of life. In it, Hazlewood runs a marathon, tells anecdotes about a bum who cured his stutter and convinces a group of Swedish children to take sides against Richard Nixon. “It’s strange, very strange,” Hazlewood said, “But we meant it to be strange.”
The album finds Hazlewood contentedly immersing himself in Swedish life, serenading Gotland, the island Hazlewood fell in love with during the shooting of the television movie Cowboy in Sweden and where he spent time filming Tigers. Highlights include “The Nights,” in which Lee conjures up an epic tale of love and genocide that draws on his Native American blood running, “Our Little Boy Blue,” a magical, sleepy lullaby, and the two versions of the stirring, cinematic “Souls Island” frame the album.
For audio samples, more info and to pre-order (street date August 21, 2012) Lee Hazlewood A House Safe For Tigers (CD / 180-gram LP / Digital) visit LightInTheAttic.net. Still curious about this release? Take a gander at the “What’s Inside?” videos below for the full visual scoop!
+ First ever reissue
+ Re-mastered from original master tapes
+ CD/LP include new liner notes by Wyndham Wallace, interviewing director Torbjörn Axelman
+ Unseen archive photos
+ 180-gram LP includes 18″x24″ fold-out reproduction of original film poster
Out today, the second release in our exhaustive Lee Hazlewood reissue series, A House Safe For Tigers (LITA 087). Originally only available in Sweden, this marks the first time Tigers, the holy grail Hazlewood record for collectors, has been reissued and available the world over. As the soundtrack to one of the seven TV movies Hazlewood made with director Torbjörn Axelman during his period living in Sweden in the early 1970s, the movie is a “semi-documentary” featuring Hazlewood and Axelman looking back to childhood and contemplating the meaning of life. In it, Hazlewood runs a marathon, tells anecdotes about a bum who cured his stutter and convinces a group of Swedish children to take sides against Richard Nixon. “It’s strange, very strange,” Hazlewood said, “But we meant it to be strange.”
The album finds Hazlewood contentedly immersing himself in Swedish life, serenading Gotland, the island Hazlewood fell in love with during the shooting of the television movie Cowboy in Sweden and where he spent time filming Tigers. Highlights include “The Nights,” in which Lee conjures up an epic tale of love and genocide that draws on his Native American blood running, “Our Little Boy Blue,” a magical, sleepy lullaby, and the two versions of the stirring, cinematic “Souls Island” frame the album. A true lost gem, A House Safe For Tigers stands as a masterwork in the same league as Hazlewood’s most celebrated albums.
Lee Hazlewood A House Safe For Tigers (CD / 180-gram LP / Digital), available today at fine record stores world wide and at LightInTheAttic.net.
Today is the day! For this very special Record Store Day / Black Friday, we give you – Lee Hazlewood Industries: You Turned My Head Around 1967-70. Available now to order directly from us online here or at your favorite record store, worldwide.
Part of the sheer joy of Light In The Attic’s excavation of Lee Hazlewood’s back catalogue has been exploring the output of his own, late ‘60s label, Lee Hazlewood Industries, which issued dozens of long forgotten 45s and LPs. Whether acid-folk, country-rock, pop-psych or soul, LHI artists were united by the patronage of the underdog hero of 1960s music, the moustachioed maverick Lee Hazlewood.
The best of these have been now collected in You Turned My Head Around, a lavishly packaged, 3000-edition box set of eleven 45s, featuring such LHI favorites as Suzi Jane Hokom, Honey Ltd., Kitchen Cinq, Ann-Margret, and of course the undeniable Mr Lee.
To say Lee Hazelwood neither sings nor appears on many of these tracks, You Turned My Head Around tells the listener much about the cult singer-songwriter, producer, film star and latter-day cowboy. Like Hazlewood’s own output, these are pop songs coloured by sadness, pain and wisdom. Hazlewood’s character is there in every long, spiral groove thanks to his stunning production.
That’s not to say there’s no variety. Artists include the Nico-like Lynn Castle with Last Friday’s Fire, the Zombies-like psych-poppers The Kitchen Cinq, blues-rockers Hamilton Streetcar, the sweet, trippy vocal group Honey LTD, instrumental group The Woodchucks, the Bobbie Gentry-like Ann Margret, psychedelic crooner Danny Michaels and the country stylings of Eve.
Then there are those tracks featuring Lee himself: Suzi Jane Hokom proves to be every bit the worthy counterpart to the big man’s sonorous baritone, just as Nancy Sinatra did before, and Hazlewood’s solo ‘Troublemaker’ – a song about a conscientious objector – could be the rebellious performer’s theme song.
For fans of the lesser-discovered parts of the ‘60s music cannon, this is a treasure trove, chronicling the rise and fall of the flower power ideal from multiple perspectives; not just that of the young bands looking to ride the groovy train to pop stardom but from the perspective of Lee himself, a man already with a long career behind him, an accidental pop star for whom the hippy movement was to be viewed through eyes with deeper crow’s feet than most.
As with all Light In The Attic releases, You Turned My Head Around has been produced with a great eye for detail. Housed in a custom-made, magnetic flip-top box, the package includes anLHI adapter and a free download card for all songs (handy for when you’re away from your beloved turntable). The eleven 7” singles each come in their own picture sleeve, making this a delight to hold, to see and to listen to.
Remember the first time you heard Nuggets? Get ready to get that feeling all over again. Lee Hazlewood Industries: You Turned My Head Around 1967-70 is available now, Black Friday (November 23rd, 2012), at great record shops across the globe and at LightInTheAttic.net!
Hey Seattle! Come out and celebrate our release of Lee Hazlewood’s debut album, Trouble Is A Lonesome Town, March 14th at the Hazlewood in Ballard!
There will be solo sets from some of Seattle’s finest local heads performing covers of selections from Trouble Is A Lonesome Town.
Performances by:
Jesse Lortz (Case Studies)
Shana Cleveland (La Luz)
Justin Deary (Wayfinders, Tall Smoke)
Craig Chambers (Dreamsalon, Le Sang Song)
Cameron Elliott (Mongrel Blood, No Grave)
Mike Dumovich (Mike Dumovich)
And the fun doesn’t stop there. There’ll also be a DJ set by the producer of our LHI Archive Series, featuring tons of rare Hazlewood wax! Don’t miss it out. Find more details and RSVP here.
If you picked up a deluxe version of our recent reissue of Trouble Is A Lonesome Town (still available at LightInTheAttic.net), you hold a copy of Lee Hazlewood’s unaired screenplay! Our good friend Ian Marshall from Wombleton Records stumbled upon a pretty crucial manila folder during one of his epic record digs. The folder was brimming with legal letters, TV pitches, and demographic specs for two scripts that never made it to air: The Lee Hazlewood Show & Trouble Is A Lonesome Town. Here are some highlights:
If you haven’t already, pick up a copy of Trouble Is A Lonesome Town from LightInTheAttic.net! Limited edition version with script reproduction is still available (limited to 350 copies).
It’s Free Basin’ Friday! This week we’re giving away a DELUXE copy of Lee Hazlewood’s debut, Trouble Is A Lonesome Town pressed on baby blue wax! Don’t worry, we’re not stopping there! We’ll also include a copy of Lee Hazlewood’s unaired screenplay for a 1960′s television special based on Trouble Is A Lonesome Town!
This blue vinyl version is long out of print and very limited! So, give it your best shot! For your chance to win, complete this line pulled directly from Lee’s Trouble script in your own words, Mad Libs style! Anything goes.
DIRK
“Trouble is about the only town in the world that’s got a __________ that thinks he’s a __________.”
Make sure to include your name and email address (kept private) in the proper fields, so we can contact you if you win! Winner will be chosen and announced next Friday. Good luck, and have a killer weekend!
Honey Ltd. The Complete LHI Years
LITA 102 (CD | LP | Digital)
Available: July 23rd
PRE-ORDER NOW!
Light In The Attic is excited to announce the release of the latest gem from Lee Hazlewood’s LHI imprint, Honey Ltd. The Gorgeous and talented girl group from Detroit, Michigan had all the makings of a hit band, yet they disappeared after releasing just one album in 1968, a vinyl rarity that now regularly fetches upwards of $2,000. Fans of The Ronettes, The Shangri-Las and Pentangle are in for a treat – Honey Ltd.’s music blended social commentary with harmony-drenched, psych-soul pop.
* Photo courtesy of Temmer Darigan
Laura Polkinghome, Marsha Jo Temmer and sisters Joan and Alexandra Sliwin are the girls with the angelic voices. Hailing from Detroit, the four members of Honey Ltd. grew up in a culture of soul music and dance shows, yet forming a band was never part of the plan. It simply happened after they sung together in a Wayne State University cafeteria and found they’d silenced the room. In 1967 they had formed a group known as the Mama Cats and were playing shows with local singer Bob Seger. By 1968, against a backdrop of rioting in Detroit, they’d hauled over to Los Angeles to give music a go, and it’s there that they hitch-hiked to an audition with Lee Hazlewood on Sunset Boulevard. At the time, Lee Hazlewood Industries was in its prime: the money flowed and the roster swelled. “I think Lee just sat there for a while and listened, looking at us,” Temmer recalls. “He said, ‘Yeah, I think we can do something.’ You know – immediately!” Before long, LHI had the band in the studio with crack session music unit The Wrecking Crew.
These were not enlightened times for girl groups. The group were re-named Honey Ltd. by Hazlewood, and were put to work on an album without even realizing it. The band were under the impression they were simply recording singles. As a result, the band were unphased by Honey Ltd’s commercial failure.
* Photo courtesy of Temmer Darigan
The parent label, however, did notice the album’s failure but the girls continued on. By the end of 1968, the band joined Bob Hope on the USO tour and headed to Thailand to perform for soldiers. In 1969, Alex married and quit the band, their tenure on LHI was effectively terminated and the remaining members regrouped as country-rock group Eve. But like their music, the girls’ outlook remained resolutely sunny.
“Its all a karmic equation, isn’t it?” Temmer recalled. “So many things to experience and learn and humbly let go of in this journey. Our friendship is based on love – we love each other… always have… always will.”
Pre-order Honey Ltd. The Complete LHI Years now from LightInTheAtti.net!
