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View Full Version : who owns the Longbranch Pennywhistle masters?



Scarlet Sun
10-17-2009, 02:31 PM
I think it's a pretty good album. Not great, but certainly above-average. Shiloh is more mediocre. I wonder if they'll ever see a re-release

sodascouts
10-17-2009, 02:54 PM
I get the impression that the guys aren't too proud of that, so I doubt we'll see it in re-release.

If it's the same deal as Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks and their first album (now out of print) called Buckingham Nicks, the masters are jointly owned by the two of them and both must consent before a re-release. While Stevie has said that she wants to re-release it on CD, Lindsey has resisted... and so it rots on the shelf. I imagine Longbranch Pennywhistle might meet the same fate.

thelongrun
10-17-2009, 03:13 PM
I get the impression that the guys aren't too proud of that, so I doubt we'll see it in re-release.

If it's the same deal as Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks and their first album (now out of print) called Buckingham Nicks, the masters are jointly owned by the two of them and both must consent before a re-release. While Stevie has said that she wants to re-release it on CD, Lindsey has resisted... and so it rots on the shelf. I image Longbranch Pennywhistle might meet the same fate.


IMO LBPW has nothing not to be proud:hilarious: of, may not be a masterpiece but is a very very good Album, by the way I just downloaded it full:thumbsup:

Freypower
10-18-2009, 06:40 PM
I think it's pretty ordinary. I have to say this is because Glenn doesn't feature on it very prominently. My favourite track is (unsurprisingly) Rebecca.

UndertheWire
03-04-2015, 08:15 AM
I've been reading Jimmy Bowen's 1997 book "Rough Mix". It's a good read.
There's only a small amount on Longbranch Pennywhistle and Shiloh and when he talks about the Eagles, he seems to think Geffen is Azoff. I haven't got through all of the Amos section, but Bowen seems to have been a bit of a wheeler-dealer and he was worried that one of his other ventures under the Amos umbrella would bankrupt him.

By the beginning of the seventies a new, post-Beatles rock scene was emerging in L.A. The “LA sound” was a fusion of folk, country and rock. One talented duo in that vein called itself Longbranch and Pennywhistle – formed by two kids named Glenn Frey and J. D. Souther. They got to me through Tom Thacker, my pal from Dumas High and bachelor-pad roommate.

Tom had signed Frey and Souther for publishing and recording with his own company. But when Don Lanier heard their demo, he urged me to bring Thacker in to Amos to get Glenn and J. D, on the label. When Tom brought them in to song some songs, I thought they were just wonderful.
J.D. who was from Amarillo, was a bit on the surly, rebellious side. Glenn was an easygoing sweetheart. Their songs were squarely in that acoustic folk-country groove and it was fresh and upbeat, with just enough country to make me think back to the early Everlys. I really dug their stuff.

They were struggling young musicians, so Dirt [Don Lanier] pulled strings to get Frey and Souther into an apartment building in North Hollywood. They had no money, but I thought I’d give them a shot.

I made Tom a GM at Amos. He then brought me another terrific kid named Don Henley. He had his own country-rock-style gig called Shiloh with Jim Ed Norman, Tom and I made a stock swap between our companies: I gave him a piece of Amos’s publishing and let him produce Longbranch and Pennywhistle’s debut album.

Presumably this is where Geffen stepped in:

I released Souther and Frey from their recording and publishing contracts to a young record-business hotshot named Irving Azoff. The price to buy their publishing contracts back was $7,500 each, whenever they had the money.

sodascouts
03-05-2015, 12:28 AM
Interesting read. Thanks!

Philh
05-17-2017, 05:46 AM
Just received my CD of Longbranch/Pennywhistle. It's on the Big Pink label under license from Amos records and has very good packaging. Looking forward to hearing it all as I have only heard one or two tracks up until now.

UndertheWire
05-17-2017, 07:28 AM
Just received my CD of Longbranch/Pennywhistle. It's on the Big Pink label under license from Amos records and has very good packaging. Looking forward to hearing it all as I have only heard one or two tracks up until now.
Where did you buy it?

Philh
05-17-2017, 08:03 AM
Hi
I bought it from a Japanese EBay seller- ftfym65
Great service- I paid $31.50 in total to ship to the UK
The CD was released in January. The label Big Pink also do the Shiloh CD
Hope this helps

UndertheWire
05-17-2017, 08:13 AM
Thanks. I found a copy on amazon.de. Including shipping, I ended up paying nearly £30. I think if I hadn't been distracted by trying to work in German and Euros, I would have had second thoughts.

I'm surprised no one mentioned this CD release before as it came out in November (and the SHiloh one was in 2015).

I've learned that you buy the special releases when you can. I bought the 3-disc R2 HotE DVD when it was released but now it's very hard to find (and expensive).

sodascouts
05-19-2017, 10:47 AM
This doesn't look legit to me. A lot of bootlegs get packaged prettily and sold overseas under false pretenses. It happens in the US too - it just tends to get shut down more quickly.

DJ
05-21-2017, 06:43 PM
Cannot say I love the album, but I do adore JD and Glenn's collaberation. Do like Run boy run........catchy tune.

GlennsCuz
05-31-2017, 12:00 PM
I have an original of Longbranch album. Still in good condition.

UndertheWire
06-23-2017, 01:28 PM
Big Pink CD release is from Korea. It's nicely packaged in a minature version of the vinyl LP with a insert that folds out to show the lyrics. Of course, this doesn't mean that it's not a bootleg, but the packing is of a much nicer than I've seen on bootlegs.

The label seems to specialise in re-issues of hard-to-find releases from the 70s country rocks era.

I like having a CD to play in the car and after quite a few listens, it's burrowed its way into my brain. I do like JD Souther and of course I like Glenn so it's not surprising that I'm enjoying it. Listening to it on youtube doesn't do it any favours.

Favourites - probably Mister Mister and Kite Woman, but I also like Glenn's two.

I don't dislike any of them though my least favourite would be "Never Have Enough" which is a repetitive protest song. For some reason, I'm thinking "If you're happy and you know it".

NightMistBlue
06-23-2017, 02:32 PM
I just listened to "Rebecca"; oh my, that's a lovely song. I'm gonna check out the rest of the album (whatever I can find on YouTube).

Glenn was what - 19 or 20 when he did this? His voice and singing style sounds mature, not like a teenage boy. Impressive.

P.S. "Don't Talk Now" sounds a bit like that unfinished song fragment "Smile" that Glenn sings while sitting on a motel bed playing his guitar in HOTE. I love that song. I flatter myself that I'm going to try to finish it.

UndertheWire
07-31-2017, 04:46 PM
JD Souther: Glenn and I were writing together and we released an album (as the duo Longbranch Pennywhistle) in 1969. In fact, (producer/engineer) Elliot Scheiner and I are remixing that album now for a re-release.
http://www.songwriteruniverse.com/jd-souther-interview-2017.htm

New Kid In Town
07-31-2017, 05:57 PM
Wow - very cool - I would love the have that album ! I remember reading that when the Eagles first formed David Geffen bought out Glenn's and Don's contracts with Amos records. So did Glenn and JD buy them back or does David Geffen own the rights ?

UTW - Thanks for the interview. I enjoyed reading it. I really do like JD ! Soda, you are so lucky to have met him !

buffyfan145
07-31-2017, 09:08 PM
That's awesome they're going to re-release it!!! :D

UndertheWire
08-01-2017, 04:54 AM
This makes me more optimistic that if there are any unreleased recordings from Glenn, they might get released.

The original question of this thread was "Who owns the Longbranch Pennywhistle masters?" My guess is that this was something that was addressed when sorting out Glenn's estate and that the 1976 Copyright Act (http://variety.com/2013/biz/features/artists-reclaim-rights-to-music-1200334132/) may have been used as leverage to regain the rights for JD Souther and Glenn's estate. As Elliott Scheiner was Glenn's producer/engineer of choice, I see him as representing Glenn's musical interests.

To me, it's a sign that someone (probably Cindy) is taking an interest in Glenn's music outside of the Eagles and is capable of making things happen. If true, more power to her!

New Kid In Town
08-01-2017, 07:00 AM
UTW - Agree with everything you said !

Interesting about that copy right law. Can you imagine the amount of money record companies made from singers/groups. Just that YMCA song alone ! I wish I had a dollar for every time that song was played at a wedding I was at !

sodascouts
08-01-2017, 12:44 PM
I got an email about this from the guys who were doing it but I wasn't sure if it was cool to share anything about it. Longbranch Pennywhistle isn't the only thing in Glenn's back catalog they're looking at re-releasing. Hooray!

New Kid In Town
08-05-2017, 10:55 AM
So happy they are doing this. What a wonderful way to honor Glenn.

UndertheWire
08-07-2017, 07:55 AM
I got an email about this from the guys who were doing it but I wasn't sure if it was cool to share anything about it. Longbranch Pennywhistle isn't the only thing in Glenn's back catalog they're looking at re-releasing. Hooray!
Yay! I hope they're considering a few bonus tracks. Wouldn't it be great to have all those obscure B-sides and foreign releases packaged together?

Annoying Twit
08-07-2017, 09:27 AM
What else are they thinking about re-releasing? Songs with Bob Seger? Heavy Metal Kids?

GlennLover
08-07-2017, 10:45 AM
I got an email about this from the guys who were doing it but I wasn't sure if it was cool to share anything about it. Longbranch Pennywhistle isn't the only thing in Glenn's back catalog they're looking at re-releasing. Hooray!

Fantastic news!