Beyond the Domestic Jazz and Pop Releases

For the average pop fan, the monthly Schwann Compact Disc Catalog provides a satisfying list of what albums are available in CD. The November issue, for instance, contains the name and order number of about 10,000 domestic pop and jazz releases.

The key word, however, is domestic.

A wide array of CD albums that have been released by companies in, say, England or Japan aren’t touched by Schwann.

In some cases, these are simply alternative versions of “greatest hits” albums available in the States. But there are also complete studio works that haven’t been released on CD in this country for a variety of reasons--sometimes insufficient interest, other times contractual reasons.

For the intense CD collector who is interested in these packages, CD International’s “CD World Reference Guide” fills the Schwann void. It’s a semiannual publication whose just-released winter edition lists an astounding 30,122 titles, including 27,300 regular CDs and 2,500 CD singles.

The 454-page, 8 1/2x11 paperback volume lists pop, rock, jazz, country and soul artists alphabetically with references to the artists’ works available in CD in the United States, Britain, West Germany and Japan. The non-domestic albums may be available here in stores that specialize in import CDs or can usually be ordered from mail-order firms.

In the case of the biggest-selling artists, the same album is usually released in all four countries simultaneously. But there are lots of exceptions. Aretha Franklin fans who have been looking in vain for domestic copies of two of her most prized albums from the 1970s--”Aretha Live at Fillmore West” and “Amazing Grace”--can learn in the CD International catalogue that both albums have been released in CD West Germany.

Among countless other examples of CDs not available in this country: Queen’s “A Night at the Opera” has been released in all three of the other countries; John Fogerty’s first solo album (a 1975 package that contains “Rockin’ All Over the World”) is available in England, and Procol Harum’s “Live in Edmonton” is available in a West German CD.

Besides the semiannual directory, which is available for $9.95 in some CD-only shops around town, CD International also publishes a monthly magazine devoted to new releases, including song listings and cover photos of key albums. The magazine is published by Phi-Ba Project, Inc., Box 22014, Milwaukie, Or., 97222. Phone: (503) 652-1291.

REVIEWS

John Prine’s “Live” (Oh Boy)--Prine is as affecting and gifted as any post-Dylan, folk-oriented singer-songwriter, but that hasn’t helped get any of his seven Atlantic and Asylum studio albums onto CD. The only material from those days on CD is in “Prime Prine,” a 12-song “best-of” from Atlantic. This new, 19-song, 74-minute album (Prine’s third for his own independent label) was recorded mostly during a solo appearance at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano. While it offers an engaging intimacy, fans who have lived with Prine’s music over the years may miss the musical seasoning found on the original studio versions. On a scale of one (poor) to four (excellent): *** 1/2.

John Prine’s “Aimless Love” (Oh Boy/Mobile Fidelity)--There are moments of brightness and humor on this 1985 album (the first of his Oh Boy releases), but the primary theme is psychological isolation. The heart of the album deals with people who are nearly immobilized by their loneliness. While his melodies are often as warm as a baby’s smile, Prine’s strength is in his lyrics, which reflect equal degrees of compassion, insight and craft. ****