Artistry release new CD of David Byron sessions

The Artistry label has done a fantastic job in the last couple of years, preserving some of the old Avenue recordings on CD - not least, those sung by David Byron in his pre-Uriah Heep days. The label has already issued two collections of Byron's vocal slots, which we covered in this blog post back in 2012. Now, a new volume has been added to the CD discography: The Early Sessions Vol. 3.

The notes describe the delicate nature of the task undertaken by Colin Richardson and his team, working with aging studio tapes with techincal issues, to produce a 20-track selection of songs worthy of the CD format. And an interesting set it makes too. Byron is nothing if not versatile, and displays his talents with a challenging range of singing styles from reggae ("Love of the Common People") to Bob Dylan ("Lay Lady Lay") to Motown ("Tracks of my Tears") and even the 1970 England football team ("Back Home")!

Many of these recordings will be known to collectors of Avenue, having turned up on vinyl around 45 years ago. But with the scarcity of those early LPs and EPs a matter of common knowledge and frustration, having another set available on CD is fantastic news.

Readers can pick this disc up, and others released by Artistry, on Ebay. Thanks and congratulations to Colin Richardson and the rest of the crew for preparing this new disc. Here is the track listing:

1. Hitchin' A Ride
2. Need Your Love So Bad
3. My Melanie Makes Me Smile
4. What Does It Take?
5. Yester Me, Yester You, Yester Day
6. Young Gifted And Black
7. Lay Lady Lay
8. Gimme Dat Ding
9. Son Of Hickory Holler's Tramp
10. Love Of The Common People
11. Rainbow Valley
12. Tracy
13. My Lady
14. In The Bad Bad Old Days
15. Lazy Sunday
16. My Sentimental Friend
17. Tracks Of My Tears
18. I Can't Tell The Bottom From The Top
19. Back Home
20. All I Have To Do Is Dream