LOS ANGELES, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Collectors' Choice Music) - There are many indie-rock, punk and metal albums that deserve reissue, but Collectors' Choice didn't feel it was right to put them on its main imprint, cheek by jowl with such artists as Jackie Gleason, the Singing Nun and the Four Freshmen. So, for the first time in its long history of licensing and releasing reissues, Collectors' Choice has launched a new label, which they've assigned the curious name of Noble Rot. Wine lovers will recognize the term as the one used to describe the bacteria that cause grapes to rot, thereby upping their sugar content. The folks at Collectors' Choice liked it because, one, good recordings really do improve with age, and two, because 'rot ' is as punk as a word gets. (And 'bacteria' is pretty punk, too!)
The first releases under the Noble Rot banner are reissues by Grant Lee Buffalo, Robyn Hitchcock, Hunters & Collectors and Yngwie Malmsteen, all with snazzy Digipak packaging. Street date for the initial rollout of six CDs is set for June 26, 2007.
The following reissues inaugurate the birth of Noble Rot:
• Grant Lee Buffalo – Fuzzy: On this 1993 album, the eclectic Los Angeles rock indie rock outfit Grant Lee Buffalo delivered one of that year's most acclaimed debuts, with the band creating an eclectic, effortlessly accomplished sonic palette for leader Grant-Lee Phillips' lyrically vivid, melodically distinctive compositions. An early '90s alt-rock landmark, with new notes from Phillips.
• Grant Lee Buffalo – Copperopolis: The group's third album was their most ambitious and accomplished effort to date, with subtly adventurous arrangements that emphasize the lyrical and melodic strengths of leader Grant-Lee Phillips' epic yet intimate story-songs. Phillips contributed new liner notes for the reissue that set the scene.
• Robyn Hitchcock – Jewels for Sophia: From his days with the Soft Boys through his wildly inventive solo work, Robyn Hitchcock has captivated audiences on both sides of the Atlantic with a bewitching blend of psyche-pop and warped lyrical whimsy. Jewels for Sophia found Hitchcock delivering a dozen slices of his surreal songcraft, with help from a sprawling support cast that featured his old Soft Boys bandmate Kimberly Rew, R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, and members of the High Llamas, Grant Lee Buffalo, the Fastbacks and the Young Fresh Fellows.
• Robyn Hitchcock – Storefront Hitchcock: Hitchcock's public profile received a boost in 1998 when noted filmmaker and longtime fan Jonathan Demme paid tribute to the artist with the feature-length performance film Storefront Hitchcock. The project also included a companion album, which features a spare live performance of 11 Hitchcock originals along with a twisted cover of Jimi Hendrix's 'The Wind Cries Mary.' AllMusic.com called Storefront Hitchcock a 'dictionary definition, jaw-dropping live singer/songwriter album.'
• Hunters & Collectors – Ghost Nation: Australia's Hunters & Collectors were already an established star attraction in their homeland when they released Ghost Nation in 1990. By then, the Melbourne combo's forceful sound had evolved from the goth-funk category of their early releases to a more accessible approach that emphasized the melodic strengths of frontman Mark Seymour's moody, thoughtful songwriting.
• Yngwie Malmsteen – Fire & Ice: By the time he released 'Fire & Ice' in 1991, Yngwie Malmsteen was established as one of heavy metal's reigning guitar gods, and was considered by many to be the most technically accomplished axmen in hard rock. The self-produced Fire & Ice combines the baroque classicism of his early work with more commercially oriented material, resulting in a memorable showcase for the Swedish shred king's lightning fretwork.
According to Collectors' Choice Music general manager Gordon Anderson, 'There are a ton of albums from the '80s and '90s that deserve to be in print but are not, and a lot of them you can't find digitally, either. We started Noble Rot to rescue those records from undeserved oblivion, and, just like with our Collectors' Choice Music label, we're open to suggestions from our constituency, namely music lovers, and, yes, even from music journalists!'
