On May 21, on what would have been Arthur Russell's 75th birthday, Audika Records presents a remastered/redux double vinyl rerelease of the much-beloved compilation Love Is Overtaking Me of Arthur's folk, pop, and country songs including "Planted a Thought", "Close My Eyes" and "I Couldn't Say It To Your Face".
Originally released in 2007 the redux edition includes new masters from a recently found pristine tape reel and was remastered by Timothy Stollenwerk at Stereophonic Mastering in Portland, OR. Revised artwork by Molly Smith with extensive liner notes from Arthur's partner Tom Lee.
Over twenty years ago, Audika Records began compiling and releasing the exceptionally varied, long sought-after music of Arthur Russell, and in the process has succeeded at helping the beloved, late artist find the broader audience he always believed he would reach. A new generation of listeners and critics has come to appreciate Russell as a visionary and an influence upon a broad range of today's most compelling musical artists.
While much critical and popular affection for Russell's music has come about well after his untimely death from AIDS in 1992, many fellow artists believed in his genius and were drawn to collaborate with him during his lifetime. The legendary producer John Hammond (Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen) recorded Russell on several occasions; a number of these recordings now heard on Love Is Overtaking Me, along with songs recorded with various incarnations of The Flying Hearts, a group formed by Russell and Ernie Brooks whose shifting lineup included, by turns, Jerry Harrison, Rhys Chatham, Jon Gibson, Peter Gordon and Peter Zummo as well as Larry Saltzman and David Van Tieghem. Several other Russell projects are represented on Love Is Overtaking Me, including The Sailboats, Turbo Sporty and Bright & Early.
Compiled from over eight hours of material, Love Is Overtaking Me reaches back further to Russell's earliest compositions beginning in 1973 and spans forward to his very last recordings, made at home in 1991. Several of the songs featured prominently in Matt Wolf's now herald 2008 film Wild Combination: A Portrait of Arthur Russell.
