Bobbie Gentry | The Girl From Chickasaw County/Complete Capitol Masters (2LP)

Bobbie is notable as one of the first female country artists to compose and produce her own material. During her five-year tenure at Capitol, she penned at least two songs that have become certified classics, ‘Ode to Billie Joe’ and ‘Fancy’, among dozens of original compositions.

Bobbie released eight Capitol albums in total, heralded by the smash hit debut ‘Ode to Billie Joe’ (Which displaced Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely-Hearts Club Band from the top of the charts in the US). Delta Sweete, her third, is another highlight. MOJO magazine listed it in their top 500 greatest albums of all time and memorably described her as the ‘JD Salinger of rock n roll.’

She quit the scene over 40 years ago (1978), and unlike everyone who returns, she has stayed out of sight. She remains one of the few genuine mysteries of popular music. Because she was so popular (No.1 singles/Albums, BBC TV series, Vegas residency) her abilities as a writer, producer and arranger were too often overlooked, she paved the way for Joni Mitchell and Carly Simon. Bobbie’s songs continue to influence a new generation of artists like Cheryl Crow, Beth Orton, Lucinda Williams and Roseanne Cash all of whom have cited her as an influence and covered her songs.

In 2018 UMC released Capitol years boxset consisted of 8CDs, this is the first ever large-scale retrospective containing the first UK reissues of her albums in their entirety – supplemented by 76 previously unreleased demos, outtakes and alternate takes from all Bobbie’s Capitol albums. 

This new 2LP is a cut down version of the boxset and feature a selection of the unreleased bonus material from the 8CD package, including an alternate take of Sunday Best, demo of Hurry, Tuesday Child, Mississippi Delta alternate version and many more. The LP will have a 12”12” insert with a selection of images used in the boxset and sleeve notes.

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