Name: Something Special
Brand: Lee Hazlewood

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

lita133cd

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

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Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2015-12-11

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

826853013321

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Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

Lee Hazlewood

Genre GB

Classic

Label GB

Light in the Attic

Lee Hazlewood was an American singer, songwriter, actor and producer. He was born on July 9, 1929 in Mannford, Oklahoma, USA and passed away on August 4, 2007 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Hazlewood is best known for his work with Nancy Sinatra in their iconic duo.
With a career spanning several decades, Hazlewood made significant contributions to the music industry as both a performer and behind-the-scenes talent. His unique blend of country, pop and rockabilly influences set him apart from his contemporaries.
Hazlewood's collaborations with Nancy Sinatra produced numerous hits that remain beloved classics today. Their chemistry and musical synergy captivated audiences worldwide.

Light In The Attic (LITA) is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington. Established in 2002 by two music enthusiasts, LITA began as a concert productions company before venturing into reissuing lost classics with modern packaging and production. With a passion for preserving and celebrating music history, LITA has become a respected authority in the industry.
Since its inception, LITA has been dedicated to unearthing forgotten gems and giving them new life. Their carefully curated catalog spans various genres and eras, showcasing the diversity of musical talent that may have otherwise been overlooked. From soulful R&B to psychedelic rock, LITA's releases are cherished by collectors and music lovers alike.
With their meticulous attention to detail and commitment to quality, LITA has gained recognition for their exceptional vinyl reissues. Each release is thoughtfully remastered from original tapes or best available sources, ensuring that the essence of the music is preserved while delivering an enhanced listening experience for modern audiences.

Album remastered from the original tapes with bonus track. The three years spent on MGM Records between 1966 and 1968 were golden ones for Lee Hazlewood. He spent them working with his muse, Suzi Jane Hokom, writing a still-unreleased book, The Quiet Revenge of Elmo Furback, competing with Phil Spector from their respective studios, and coming up with the formula for the 'boy / girl' songs for which he'd become famous. In fact, the unflattering portrait on the cover of 'Something Special' did little to hint at how hip this late-flowering talent (he was in his late 30s when 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin' made him a star songwriter) had become. 

The common strand on the MGM trilogy is one of the unexpected happening. They were an ill fit for a major label-experimental, difficult to pigeonhole, and unpredictable. Those descriptors apply nowhere more aptly than 'Something Special'. Where 1966's 'The Very Special World Of Lee Hazlewood' and 1967's 'Lee Hazlewoodism: Its Cause And Cure' had employed an arranger, Billy Strange, and a full orchestra, Something Special stripped things back and brought in a flavor of jazz and blues, complete with gravelly-voiced scatting courtesy of collaborator Don Randi. This sat alongside tracks like 'Little War' and 'Hands,' the kind of late night, acoustic balladeering Hazlewood would later seize for his career-highlight LP, 'Requiem For An Almost Lady'. The sound was that of a stripped-down nightclub jazz / blues / folk combo, fully rejecting the psychedelic music going on all over the world. 

The album made clear that forging a career as a serious star was not at the top of Hazlewood's agenda, and at the third opportunity, he'd let the listener in on the joke. Tellingly, Hokom recalls Hazlewood saying the MGM albums were his "expensive demos. I'm sure that MGM thought that they would be successful." Little chance of that with Something Special -it was originally released only in Germany. The same year, Hazlewood founded the LHI imprint, and began building his own empire, one we've been lovingly archiving for the past few years. We now present this missing link in the story, three albums that generated some of Hazlewood's best-and most varied-work. Liner notes by Hunter Lea with exclusive interviews and archive photos.

Something Special

Music GB

Buy Lee Hazlewood - Something Special (Vinyl, CD) now from Rough Trade - independent purveyors of great music, since 1976.