NELSON'S ENTIRE CATALOGUE MAKES A DIGITAL DEBUT ON JANUARY 29th
Collector's Items Like Brother Harmony, Imaginator and Life Make Their Debuts At Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon and More
LOS ANGELES, January 29, 2018- The entire Nelson catalogue - representing every album released by Matthew and Gunnar Nelson in the course of their 28-year-career - will, for the first time, be available at all digital retailers and streaming services on January 8, including Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, Amazon and Pandora, among others, through their distribution partner, Redeye. The announcement follows the re-release of Nelson's remastered 1990, multi-platinum debut album, After the Rain, on 180g vinyl by Universal Music Enterprises.
The full digital roll-out will take place today, January 29, when such collector's items as Imaginator, the prophetic 1996 release which were originally supposed to be the follow-up to After the Rain; Brother Harmony, the 1998 country album the brothers recorded in Nashville which is now a coveted collector's item, and Ricky Nelson Remembered, an album featuring studio recorded versions of Matthew and Gunnar performing their father's biggest career hits, previously available only at Nelson concerts, become available for streaming and download for the first time.
"Each of these songs is like one of our children," says Gunnar about the process of going back and rehearing their work.
"You start reliving what it took to put all the pieces together," adds Matthew. "It represents 25-plus years of work. These songs are, quite literally, the soundtrack to our lives."
Here's the complete list of available titles, with comments from Matthew and Gunnar:
Imaginator (1996): Originally intended as the follow-up to After the Rain, but turned down by DGC/Geffen, Nelson finally put out the prescient album as the first release on their own Stone Canyon Records label. An edgy, acerbic record which took aim at their unfair media treatment and the threat of the Internet in the days of dial-up, Matthew recalls, "It was not the fun, sunshine pop formula the label thought they were getting." Adds Gunnar, "It was so cathartic and honest, it's emotionally painful for me to listen to now. It brings me back to a time when I felt we were misunderstood by the industry."
Because They Can (1995): After the rejection of Imaginator, Matthew and Gunnar went back into the studio with legendary producer and mentor John Boylan (Boston, Little River Band, Edie Brickell) for an album that epitomized the California country-rock sound, featuring contributions from Eagles' Don Felder and Timothy B. Schmit, America's Gerry Beckley and the Cars' Elliot Easton. It also features the famed William Wegman cover photo of his Man Ray Weimaraner dogs with long, blonde hair, showing the Nelson brothers were in on the joke. "It was like a Crosby, Stills & Nash Laurel Canyon record when nobody was doing that," says Matthew.
Silence is Broken (1997): Recorded for JVC Victor Japan, the album was intended to be a bridge between Imaginator and Life, according to Matthew. "We were just learning how to record digitally," he says of the record, produced in various studios in West L.A. and Valencia. "It really pushed the stylistic envelope in terms of its diversity."
Brother Harmony (1998): After playing several acoustic shows in Nashville, Matthew and Gunnar signed to Warner-Reprise, and began recording songs for a new, never released album as the Nelsons with some of Nashville's finest musicians.
Life (1999): Another JVC Victor Japan import, the album was recorded in a Nashville basement, but remains one of Gunnar's favorites. "I have a particular affection for it," he says. "We just wanted to make ear candy. It's a real take-no-prisoners pop/rock album." Matthew adds: "We recorded everyone in a room playing at the same time, which gave it some real energy." Life features "Is That How It Is?" co-written with Russ Ballard. "We went a little bit more Vox than Marshall," laughs Matthew.
Like Father, Like Sons (2000): The brothers' initial tribute to their father was recorded live at the Date Festival in Indio, California, site of the Coachella festival, with James Intveld on upright bass, Gunnar on stand-up drums and Matthew on acoustic guitar. The group delved into affectionate, authentic rockabilly takes on some of Ricky's greatest hits, including "Garden Party," "Milk Cow Blues," "Travelin' Man" and "Hello Mary Lou."
Lightning Strikes Twice (2010): After signing a new deal with Frontier Records, this was one of three separate releases to come out during the year. Nelson's first album of new material in nearly 11 years, it featured guitarist Steve Lukather, and was recorded at Gunnar's home Nashville studio and mixed in L.A. by top recording engineer Jay Ruston (Metallica, Anthrax). "The label challenged us to make the follow-up to After the Rain, except with modern technology and their full support," recalls Gunnar. "It represented a personal victory." The album went on to become the most critically acclaimed album of their career behind, "After the Rain," with a rare 7 of 7 diamond rating from Metal Hammer Magazine.
Before the Rain: The Demos 1986-1990 (2010): A collection of the recordings which led up to their debut, After the Rain, this album shows how Nelson's songwriting evolved, representing the band's attempt to convince DGC/Geffen A&R legend John David Kalodner they were ready to record. Explained Matthew, "It's a great way for the fans to hear how the songs from that first album started and eventually came together."
Perfect Storm - After the Rain World Tour 1991 (2010): Recorded during their whirlwind, 13-month-long tour, which ended with four shows in Japan, the album captures the band as it begins to feel its strength as a live attraction, thanks to the efforts of live engineer Toby Francis. "We were very loud, but he got it to sound clean," says Matthew. "The band we had for that tour was just ridiculously talented."
Peace Out (2015): Another favorite of Gunnar's for its razor-sharp focus and stylistic consistency, the song "Back in the Day" describes Nelson's populist, crowd-pleasing aim perfectly. "The radio was our saving grace/Our heroes showed the way/Back in the day."
"Getting these records out has been extremely satisfying because, up until now, they haven't been available," says Gunnar. "For the first time in a while, we're talking about making a new Nelson album."
Until then, Nelson will continue to inspire their fans live, with a planned summer 2018 tour on the horizon.
"Up to this point, these songs are our legacy," adds Matthew. "I'm just happy people can find and hear them now."
Matthew sits down with Mitch to discuss his band's latest album PEACE OUT as well as Ricky Nelson Remembered, Scrap Metal, Nelson throughout the years and more.
Quote from the interview: "We had a year - year and half of true dominance in what was happening which was MTV and touring."
This episode is co-hosted by FIREHOUSE guitarist, Bill Leverty.
This Episode of One On One With Mitch Lafon is brought to you by the Heavy Montreal Festival taking place on August 7th, 8th and 9th at Parc Jean Drapeau in Montreal. This year featuring Lamb Of God, Slipknot, Korn, Faith No More as well as '80s artists Extreme, Dokken, Lita Ford and Warrant. Visit: http://www.heavymontreal.com
America’s favourite twins, Gunnar & MattNelson are threatening to close the door on the band Nelson after this release. If so, they will leave us with another dose of high-energy, high-spirits singalong melodic rock goodness.
Peace Out is well and truly Gunnar Nelson’s record – he delivers much of the guitar work, most of the lead vocals, was the sole writer on all but 3 of the tracks and is in charge of production and mix.
The only downside here is part of that production – in particular the drum sound, which sounds programmed (but not specified either way in the credits) and the muddiness of the sound overall, which is dragged down by the drum sound. The vocals and guitars sound pretty clear.
Production values aside, the songs on Peace Out have my full attention, being some of the strongest and most consistent of the band’s career!
The opening track Hello, Everybody is pure melodic rock and sounds more like Cheap Trick than Nelson; Back In The Day, Invincible and Let It Ride are more guitar driven than recent times and are smothered in harmonies and instantly memorable chorus hooks.
I Wanna Stay Home is melodic rock bliss; Rock Star and Bad For You is one of the album’s heavier, but equally melodic tracks; Autograph is almost punky in feel – a real garage rocker; What’s Not To Love is pure power pop.
There’s a couple of quality ballads in there and the only track that doesn’t really work for me is the grating You And Me.
Peace Out doesn’t match the sonics of past Nelson albums, but the songwriting makes up most of the ground. As an overall collection of songs, this rates as some of the catchiest and most consistent since the wonderful Life album.
Absolutely essential for Nelson fans, others will have to judge but there’s no denying the likability of these songs.
New Studio Album Returns Band to Classic Melodic Rock Format.
To Be Released By Frontiers Music Srl in May
In their 25 years as a musical duo, Gunnar & Matthew Nelson, collectively known simply as Nelson, have grown from Pop music idols to seasoned songwriters and performers. Now, as the brothers celebrate a quarter century at the forefront of the international music scene, they return with Peace Out, their most ambitious studio album to date.
Released in Europe on May 15th and North America on May 19th by Frontiers Music Srl. Peace Out marks a return to the well crafted pop songs that put the band at the top of the Billboard charts in the 1990s. From the anthemic “Invincible” to the rollicking soon-to-be pop classic “Back in the Day,” Peace Out is quintessential Nelson from start to finish.
“We set a pretty high standard with our previous release with Frontiers – Lightning Strikes Twice. That record received by far the most critical acclaim of any Nelson record to date... Peace Out was expected to be even BETTER, The so the goal was to push ourselves to the very limit- past what we believed we could do,” says Gunnar Nelson. “We wanted to write and record the most exciting, authentic, uplifting, and rockin’ Nelson record ever made! The mission: to make a classic.”
The brothers have always had their work cut out for themselves, being the third generation in one of America’s most celebrated entertainment families, who came into US households every week from 1952 through 1966 on the ABC sitcom, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet. Their grandfather, Ozzie Nelson, was a celebrated big band leader, whose orchestra featured their grandmother, Harriet; and their late father, Ricky, was one of Rock’n’roll’s earliest superstars, a member of The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, and generally credited with creating the country-rock format.
When the Nelson twins burst onto the music scene with the Billboard #1 hit “(I Can’t Live Without Your) Love & Affection,” in 1990, they set a Guinness World Record by being the only family to have three generations of #1 hits on the charts! Nelson went on to release a half dozen Rock albums selling nearly 7 million records, beginning with the multi-platinum After The Rain.
Peace Out marks their fourth release on Frontiers since 2010. Look for Nelson to embark on a world tour upon the album’s release. “We're putting the live show together as we speak... And it will incorporate the very best live songs from our career... Focusing heavily on the Peace Out album,” tells Gunnar.
The Nelsons have worked in a number of musical styles including pop, hard rock and even country. Now, Peace Out takes them to the musical home they have known the best: harmony-driven pop Rock whose melodies are as infectious as they are lasting.
Peace Out tracklisting:Hello Everybody; Back In The Day; Invincible; Let It Ride; I Wanna Stay Home; On The Bright Side; Rockstar; Autograph; What’s Not To Love?; You And Me; Bad For You; Leave The Light On For Me.
In an interview with AXS, rock band NELSON have signalled that their upcoming studio album, Peace Out, due for Frontiers Records in 2015 will be their last before launching a new project.
"Matthew and I are finishing up recording an album called 'Peace Out'; which will literally be the last Nelson rock record that will ever be recorded. We've been putting a lot of love into it for the past year and are going out with a bang. It's a classic, vintage album and I'm pretty stoked about it. In January, we'll start focusing on a new, modern day 'Everly Brothers meets The Eagles' country rock project called 'Matthew and Gunnar'."
