Lee Hazlewood There's A Dream I've Been Saving: Lee Hazlewood Industries 1966 - 1971 (4CD + DVD)

(2013/Light In The Attic)
Well, looks like dreams do come true and here's one we've been saving. After 7 intense years in the making, Light In The Attic are proud to announce by far our most expansive and lavishly packaged project to date: There's A Dream I've Been Saving, commemorating the complete legacy of Lee Hazlewood Industries from 1966-1971. For more than a year now, Light In The Attic has been reissuing the solo work of this true American moustachioed maverick. Beyond restored versions of Lee's debut Trouble is a Lonesome Town and the soundtrack A House Safe for Tigers, the lid has also been lifted on the rich, little-explored archives of the label Lee Hazlewood Industries (LHI), when Hazlewood was svengali and super-producer to a stable full of brilliant artists. This landmark box set is the ultimate artifact for Lee Hazlewood heads new and old, containing a lavishly packaged, expansive 172-page LP sized hard cover book. But every good book deserves a soundtrack and in this case it comes in the form of a four-CD anthology of the LHI label, along with the never-before-released 1970 film Cowboy in Sweden on DVD. The CDs feature Hazlewood songs familiar and less so; surprising covers, doleful duets and little heard LHI gold. One of the most impressive aspects of the LHI box set is the gorgeous 12''x12'' LP sized book (perfect for your record shelf), packed with rare beautiful pictures of Lee, his artists (and the occasional horse). The pages roll out the full story of the LHI label, including interviews with Lee and Suzi Jane Hokum, re-assessments of key Hazlewood albums, and artist profiles for the label's roster, lovingly written by renowned L.A. music journalist/novelist Jessica Hundley. In the illuminating text, a picture of Hazlewood emerges - fiercely talented, brutally independent, a rare, ornery, ruthless and visionary man. 172 Page Hard Cover Book: - LP-sized cloth bound book with gold foil stamp - Over 150 rare & unseen photos + in depth essays - LHI history, album breakdowns, 27 artist profiles, LHI timeline, and interviews with Lee & dozens of label alum. Cowboy in Sweden The Film, on DVD (1970, 60 mins): - First time available. New digital transfer from the original 16mm master negative at the Swedish Broadcasting Co. Fully restored in HD with re-mastered sound. Region Free. 4 CDs (107 Tracks): - Meticulously re-mastered. Analog transfers captured at 24-bit/96-kHz. 95% of transfers from original analog master tapes (remainder transferred from mint vinyl). - DISCS 1&2: Everything Lee recorded for LHI, including every 45 single and album (Cowboy in Sweden, Forty, The Cowboy & The Lady, and Requiem For an Almost Lady), plus a handful of unreleased tracks. - DISCS 3&4: Key tracks from the LHI stable of artists, including Suzi Jane Hokom, The Kitchen Cinq, Ann-Margret, Honey Ltd., The International Submarine Band, Arthur, The Aggregation, Sanford Clark, Lynn Castle, The Surprise Package, Virgil Warner, and Hamilton Streetcar, amongst many others. - 14 unreleased tracks

Lee Hazelwood

Lee Hazelwood, born in 1929 in Mannford, Oklahoma, went to Southern Methodist University before the Army took him to Korea. On his discharge in 1953, he became one of the most popular deejays in Phoenix, Arizona, where he broadcast C&W music locally. In 1955, he branched out into songwriting and began dabbling in record production after experimenting in his radio studio. His production of 'The Fool', by Sanford Clark, sold 800,000 copies on Dot Records in 1956 and Dot subsequently signed him as a record pro-ducer for a year, but he failed to make another hit. In 1957, he teamed up with entrepreneur Lester Sill and they formed the Jamie label in Philadelphia with a distribu-tor and Dick Clark of Bandstand fame.

Through Bandstand, they launched Duane Eddy with the 'twangy' guitar sound which made him a star. In three and a half years, Hazelwood sold 20 million Duane Eddy records which despite their crass commerciality were the earliest 'sound' productions in rock. In 1961, Hazelwood and Sill formed the Gregmark label which scored with Phil Spector-produced records by the Paris Sisters (Sill and Hazelwood had earlier run two less successful labels called Trey and East-West). They parted company in 1962 and Hazelwood formed an unsuccessful label, Eden.

In 1964, he left the business but the following year, Jimmy Bowen at Reprise asked him to produce the bubblegum trio of Dino, Desi and Billy for whom he pro-duced four consecutive hits. He also began recording Nancy Sinatra at Reprise and established her as a potent chart-force with 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin" and re-corded countrified duets, like 'Jackson', with her. In the late Sixties, be ran his own LHI label in Hollywood but lack of success ended the project.

Always something of a bohemian, Hazelwood — now in semi-retirement — commutes between homes in Sweden, Paris and Los Angeles.