The Best News I've Heard All Year

They're doing a deluxe reissue (with bonus tracks) of the two great comeback albums by Brit Invasion legends The Searchers between 1979-81.



From Omnivore's press release:

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — During the British Invasion, there was another Liverpool band topping the charts worldwide. The Searchers had 11 Top 40 hits between 1963 and 1966 in the U.K., including three #1s with “Needles and Pins,” “Sweets for My Sweet,” and “Don’t Throw Our Love Away.” There were eight hits in the U.S. including a #3 cover of “Love Potion No. 9.” By the end of the decade, the group’s chart presence may have slowed down, but the Searchers didn’t. They continued to hone their sound on the live circuit, adding a modern musical crunch to their incredible harmonies. After seeing the band perform, Sire Records head Seymour Stein offered them a home on his new wave flagship label (home of the Ramones, Talking Heads, Dead Boys, and soon, Pretenders).

The Searchers returned in 1979 with a self-titled release, featuring originals and covers of tracks from Tom Petty, The Records, Bob Dylan, and the Mickey Jupp-penned “Switchboard Susan”—a concurrent hit for Nick Lowe. Produced by Pat Moran (Be Bop Deluxe, Dr. Feelgood, and Rush —yes, that Rush), it was a sonic powerhouse. That album was followed the next year by Love’s Melodies (titled Play for Today in the U.K.), with Ed Stasium (Ramones, Talking Heads, Smithereens) joining Moran as co-producer. More originals, and more covers (Big Star, John Fogerty, and others), and another great album.

These are two of my favorite records ever, both for the originals (the first cover song The Floor Models learned was "It's Too Late," the single from the 1979 album)...



...and the covers (the version of "Almost Saturday Night" is IMHO the best one ever by anybody).



Have I mentioned that this is the best news I've heard all year?