News: Exciting announcements coming from the Lion label camp!

December 8, 2013 update: The Vanay albums have been released!

We've recently heard from Vincent, who runs the CDRWL's favorite US based reissue label: Lion Productions. While not all of Lion's releases intersect with the CDRWL's personal interests, this latest set of news either touches the circle, or is a complete bullseye.

I think the most exciting news is that the Laurence Vanay albums are imminent! As in the October / November time frame. The LPs may come a month or two later depending on pressing plant priorities. Vincent states: "Loads of bonus tracks on both CD versions, almost doubling the original length of the albums. The LP versions will be exact replicas (without bonus tracks)." And the big surprise here is that we can also expect reissues of her mythical, and previously unreleased, "Les Soleils de la Vie" and "La Petite Fenetre" albums! What will not be reissued is her "Magic Slows" album, since Ms Thibault isn't very fond of it herself. And fellow Gnosis explorer Lev from Russia has already demystified the contents of the album, thus categorizing the omission as "no loss".

We've also been told that we may see Probe 10 as early as December of this year, or early 2014. So that's also very exciting news for the CDRWL.

With that, let's move onto Lion's three new releases that I think many of you will be interested in. I haven't personally heard any of them to date. The T2 is what amounts to the second post-"It'll All Work Out in Boomland" archival set of releases. Lion was involved with the first set as well which were called "T2" or "Fantasy". Those recordings were from 1970, and this latest batch constitute their 1971 to 1972 output (obviously). And, yes, this has already been issued on LP. This will be its debut on CD.

Tin House is a 1971 hard rock album from Florida that is highly rated in some circles. Based on the reviews I've read, it sounds like something I need to hear. Might as well just start with the Lion CD!

The Guy Skornik is another album that looks intriguing.  Not too many albums will reference Wahkevitch, Berger, Gainesbourg, and Manset in the same paragraph. I've also read comparisons to Popera Cosmic! The promo sheet says: "Digipack CD + 28 page booklet. Between 1970 and 1973, EMI/Path released several ambitious and progressive pop albums, including 'La Mort Dorion' (Grard Manset), 'Puzzle' (Michel Berger), 'Hathor' (Igor Wakvitch), and 'Pour Pauwels' by Guy Skornik. Skornik was a mystic explorer, psychonaut, and gifted musician, who was immersed in the metaphysical revolutions of his time. He presented television reports, laced with elements of Eastern mysticism, on LSD experiences. And then there was Skornik's album, 'Pour Pauwells', inspired by the revolutionary writings of Louis Pauwells, one-time counterculture hero and disciple of esoteric spiritualist G. I. Gurdjieff. Guy was brought to the public's attention for the first time in the beginning of 1970 with the release of a magnificent LP on the Path-label. Skornik tried, and succeeded perfectly, to do with his music what Louis Pauwels did with his huge best-seller 'The Morning Of The Magicians'. This is one of a handful of classic French progressive pop concept albums released in the early 1970's, together with Serge Gainsbourgs 'Melody Nelson' and the titles mentioned above. Features arrangements by Ivan Jullien (Franoise Hardy, Johnny Hallyday, Quincy Jones and Elton John). Licensed from Parlophone. Limited to 500 copies."

Lots to look forward to here!