NRBQ - NRBQ

Return of their classic debut album on gatefold LP!

The New Rhythm And Blues Quintet formed more than 50 years ago, and after playing together for a few years, the band began recording with Eddie Kramer and inked a two-record deal with Columbia Records. Their eponymous debut appeared on shelves in 1969, featuring the band's wide-ranging originals peppered with versions of songs from artists as wide-ranging as Eddie Cochran and Sun Ra, plus a co-write between the band's Terry Adams and Jazz experimentalist Carla Bely. It was, and is, a wildly original and influential release.

For all of its stature, it's hard to believe in its 49-year existence, this album has never been reissued, nor ever appeared on CD or digital. That changes in March when NRBQ is available once again, on CD (for the first time), digital, and as a gatefold LP. Combining elements of the original, with additional photos and new liner notes from Jay Berman, the package has never looked, nor sounded better.

The band is still going strong, and this reissue follows hot on the heels of their 5-CD boxed set, High Noon — A 50-Year Retrospective, and last year's critically acclaimed EP, Happy Talk.

As Berman says in his notes: This historic and monumental recording has been remastered, and finally authorized for re-release. This album is a great reminder that NRBQ is on a mission, one that holds steady to its original inspiration to this day. For those fans who missed it the first time around, it hasn't aged a bit.