Petula Clark & Ray Charles

[aarondillon2011@gmail.com]

Wasn't sure where to ask this at but I figured someone here may have the answer. There are quite a few oldies artists that have their albums available for digital download. However, Petula Clarks Warner Bros. albums 1964-1971 and Ray Charles ABC albums [[With the exception of Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Vol. 1 & 2) are not available for download. Does anyone know why this is?

[sansradio]

Wasn't sure where to ask this at but I figured someone here may have the answer. There are quite a few oldies artists that have their albums available for digital download. However, Petula Clarks Warner Bros. albums 1964-1971 and Ray Charles ABC albums [[With the exception of Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Vol. 1 & 2) are not available for download. Does anyone know why this is?

Can't speak for Pet's Warner output, but Ray's ABC masters are owned by his estate, so they escaped the fate of the Universal Music fire [which would have informed my initial speculations]. It's a head-scratcher.

[aarondillon2011@gmail.com]

Can't speak for Pet's Warner output, but Ray's ABC masters are owned by his estate, so they escaped the fate of the Universal Music fire [which would have informed my initial speculations]. It's a head-scratcher.

Indeed it is a head-scratcher. As with the Chi-Lites material its seems all but 2 of their 70's albums [[For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People and A Lonely Man are not. All but about 5 albums by Jackie Wilson are available. I know physical copies/reissues are almost out of the question but would be nice to have these albums even if it is digital only.

[carlo]

I wish they would release a complete albums box set for Petula. I know it would never be possible, considering all of the different labels she recorded for, over the years. A career spanning box set would at least be nice. She's certainly deserving, along with the long overdue honour of being knighted as a Dame. For someone who has worked so hard for so many years, and has contributed so much to the arts and to music, I feel that she is overlooked. Perhaps that likely has to do with many in North America simply viewing her as 'the lady who sang Downtown'. She started singing as a child in the war time era. Hard to believe she is turning 90 this year!

It is indeed odd that her Pye/Warner albums are not available digitally. They are also long out of print on CD, despite there being a handful of Japanese bootlegs popping up from the Old Days label. I had sent Cherry Red a release suggestion email last year, in regards to reissuing her Pye/Warner albums. Fingers crossed.