On March 4, 2002, two days after the third anniversary of Dusty's death, Mercury UK will release the following Dusty albums on CD format: See All Her Faces (1972), Cameo (1973), It Begins Again (1978), Living Without Your Love (1979) and White Heat (1982). It will be the first time that these albums have been released in their entirety on CD format (with the exception of Cameo which was reissued in the US on the disc Beautiful Soul--see February 2001 News).

JANUARY 5, 2002
DUSTY DAY 2002
The date for the third annual Dusty Day UK celebration has recently been announced. Dusty Day 2002 will take place on Sunday, April 14, in Henley-on-Thames. In past years this very special celebration has been praised as an entertaining and festive gathering of people from around the world celebrating all things Dusty! The 2002 celebration will continue this tradition.

Dusty Day 2002 is being organized by Julie Oliver. Tickets are £10 each plus £1 p+p in the UK and £2 p+p outside the UK, the address to send to is Dusty Day 2002, 53 Penn Road, Dattchet, Berkshire, SL3 9hs UK. Julie can accept cash or English cheques made payable to JULIE BROWN. For more information call 07979-262-842 (+44-7979-262-842 from outside the UK) or write to Julie at julieimsyillhere@yahoo.com or dustyday2002@yahoo.co.uk. Be sure too to check out the official Dusty Day 2002 Website.

JANUARY 7, 2002
PAUL HOWES INTERVIEWED BY WOMAN OF REPUTE
Paul Howes, editor of The Dusty Springfield Bulletin and author of the recently published The Complete Dusty Springfield was interviewed in early January by Michael Bayly, creator of Woman of Repute. A full transcript of the interview can be found here. Thanks to Paul for taking the time to be interviewed and for his insightful responses.

FEBRUARY 3, 2002
ACTIONETTES TO PAY TRIBUTE TO DUSTY
Recently Woman of Repute received the following e-mail from Nicola Cowee of The Actionettes: Let me introduce myself! My name is Nicola and I am a part of The Actionettes--a dance troupe who dance to the songs of the 60's. We run our own club, Sophisticated Boom! Boom!, which is a bi-monthly event and each club night celebrates a different 60's female icon--the past two very successful events have been dedicated to Nancy Sinatra and Ronnie Spector. Our next event is on the 16th February and is a Valentine's Day tribute to Dusty Springfield. Not only are we dancing to Dusty songs but we also have Emma Wilkinson, the Stars in their Eyes winner, singing. You can find out more on our website.

Sophisticated Boom! Boom! Is located at upstairs at The Garage, Highbury Corner, N5, London (Highbury & Islington Tube). The Dusty Tribute takes place on Saturday February 16, 2002, 9:00pm-2:00am.

MARCH 4, 2002
FIVE DUSTY ALBUMS REISSUED IN UK
Two days after the third anniversary of her death, Mercury UK have released five Dusty Springfield albums on CD format. Although some tracks from these albums have surfaced over the years on various compilation CDs, four of the albums have not previously been released in their entirety on CD format. The albums are See All Her Faces (1972), Cameo (1973), It Begins Again (1978), Living Without Your Love (1979), and White Heat (1982).

SEE ALL HER FACES
A somewhat hodge-podge of an album--but with good reason. At the time of its release Dusty was signed to two different recording labels--Atlantic in the U.S. and Philips in the U.K. Philip's 1972 album, See All Her Faces, is a catch-all effort--attempting to gather new material recorded in the U.K. and various American recordings that had only been released by Atlantic in the U.S. Accordingly there's a host of different producers, arrangers and styles. It was clearly a time of transition--both personally and professionally--for Dusty, and the music on this album reflects this in more ways than one.
Stand-out Tracks: "Mixed Up Girl," "Crumbs Off the Table," "Let Me Down Easy," "Yesterday When I Was Young," "Willie and Laura Mae Jones," "See All Her Faces," and "That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho)."

CAMEO
Dusty's 1973 album Cameo, recorded with U.S. producers Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter, was released on CD format in the U.S. on Hip-O Records' Beautiful Soul: The ABC/Dunhill Collection (2001). Beautiful Soul also includes all but one track of Dusty's aborted 1974 album Longing. The British music magazine Mojo notes that Cameo is "an above-average pop-pourri flavoured by a horn-hooked rendition of Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey," a slyly funky reading of Alan O'Day's "Easy Evil" and enough other items to ensure that nobody was ever going to ask for their money back." Mojo, like everyone else who has ever seen the original artwork of the album, also observes that Cameo boasts "a sleeve design that ranks among the worst to ever grace a recording by a major artist."
Stand-out Tracks: "Who Gets Your Love?" "Breakin' Up A Happy Home," "Easy Evil," "Mama's Little Girl," "I Just Wanna Be There," and "Tupelo Honey."

IT BEGINS AGAIN
Dusty's "comeback album" of 1978 was produced by Roy Thomas Baker of Queen fame. The album has a decidedly West Coast sound--labelled "over-produced" by some. It's one of Dusty's most thematically consistent albums, one which sees her exploring, analyzing and ultimately rejecting various dimensions of her experience of California--one night stands ("Love Me By Name"), image-making ("Hollywood Movie Girls"), and superficiality and lack of purpose ("Sandra").
Stand-out Tracks: "Turn Me Around," "Checkmate," "A Love Like Yours," "Sandra," "Hollywood Movie Girls," and "That's the Kind of Love I've Got For You."

LIVING WITHOUT YOUR LOVE
Dusty's follow-up to It Begins Again was also recorded in California but this time with first-time producer David Wolfert. Living Without Your Love has, over the years, received somewhat of a bad rap--even from fans. Mojo magazine calls it "forgettable," while Dusty herself labelled the album "unstunning." It's actually a great late-night listening album--laid back for sure, but never laid out!
Stand-out Tracks: "You Can Do It," "Closet Man," "Living Without Your Love," "I Just Fall In Love Again," "Get Yourself To Love," and "Dream On."

WHITE HEAT
White Heat is one of the great "lost" albums of the '80s. Emerging from one of Dusty's low periods--personally and professionally--1982's White Heat is the most experimental and daring album of Dusty's career. Paul Howes in his book "The Complete Dusty Springfield," also notes that "White Heat contains the most diverse selection of tracks to be collected on any Dusty Springfield album (compilations excluded), ranging from hard rock to techno pop to ballads, and truly displays Dusty's vocal dexterity and versatility." Dusty's performance on the rocker "Blind Sheep" is, according to Howes, "truly magnificent and a match for any female rock singer of any period." Produced in Toronto and Los Angeles by Howard Steele and Dusty herself, White Heat sees Dusty largely abandoning the genteel vocals she employed on her two previous albums (It Begins Again and Living Without Your Love) and embracing instead a world-weary snarl with which she explores the darker side of sexual relationships. New Musical Express noted in 1983 that White Heat was for Dusty a personal risk, "a huge leap away from the relative security of the cabaret circuit into the dangerous currents of pop commercialism. On White Heat, the force of those great '60s melodramas has been re-ignited in an '80s context of syths, voice treatments and upfront sexuality."
Stand-out Tracks: Each and every one of them!

APRIL 2, 2002
DUSTY MENTIONED IN ROLLING STONE, LIFE, AND Q
Dusty Springfield has been mentioned in a number of publications in recent weeks. In the March edition of the British music magazine Q, an extensive cover story on singer Alicia Keys includes a section entitled "Alicia Keys' Foremothers," that describes "15 Essential Female Soul Albums." Artists include Aretha Franklin, Jill Scott, Ann Peebles, Mary J. Bilge, Irma Thomas, Sade, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Marlene Smith, Macy Gray, Minnie Ripperton, Lauryn Hill, Roberta Flack, and, of course, Dusty Springfield. Of Dusty's highlighted album, Dusty in Memphis, Q notes that "the ironed coolness of Springfield's delivery isn't to everyone's taste . . . [though] 'No Easy Way Down' is Mississippi mud in the eye of the detractors." The commentary goes on to say that Dusty's album exudes a "chilly sadness," concluding that "even in [Memphis] there was a touch of the tundra about her."

The U.S. magazine Life recently issued a "Rock & Roll at 50" special edition that includes a list of "The Top 100 Rock & Rollers of All Time." Dusty is placed in seventy-second place. Life's woefully inadequate (and at times inaccurate commentary on Dusty) includes the following: "One of the most soulful of rock's white female singers, [Dusty] set off a string of hits with "I Only Want To Be With You," and her trademark hair and makeup became a common sight in her native London . . . She recorded Dusty in Memphis in 1969 [1968, actually] . . . In the late '80s the Pet Shop Boys helped spark a revival, but the coming years brought a long battle with cancer that she finally lost in 1999." Life's Number One Rock & Roller is Elvis Presley.

Still in the U.S., Rolling Stone magazine in its annual "Cool Issue" (April 11), featured "the 50 Coolest Records" that every series music collection should contain. Dusty in Memphis was ranked Number 9. Of the album Rolling Stone notes the following: "London's fabbest pop starlet takes her big voice and fire-hazard bouffant to Memphis and becomes a born-again soul diva. [The album] sounds like Dusty working these torch ballads until her mascara runs all over the mike. Best song: "Breakfast in Bed," about a great way to start your morning." Rolling Stone's Number 1 "coolest album" (for this year at least) is The Velvet Underground's White Light/White Heat. Other artists on the list include James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Beastie Boys, Bjork, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones, Blondie, The Beatles, Massive Attack, Sly and the Family Stone, Prince, Bob Dylan, and Otis Redding.

TWO DUSTY MOVIES IN THE WORKS
Simon Bell reports on his excellent website, Dusty Devotedly, that the movie about Dusty's life and career which was originally planned for U.S. cable channel VHS, has now been picked up for feature film development by Tavel-Cameron Productions. For more information about the U.S. proposed Dusty film, including an interview with producer Ned Kandel, see Simon's website.

Meanwhile in Britain, a TV movie on Dusty is also in the works. The British-based websites Dusty Devotedly and White Lady of Soul report that actress Michelle Collins--well-known for her role in the TV series Eastenders--is to play Dusty.

HIP-O OFFERS TO REPLACE ERRONEOUS DISCS

Last December, Woman of Repute noted that Hip-O Records' Dusty Springfield: Ultimate Collection CD erroneously included an earlier (and inferior) recording by Dusty of the song "A Love Like Yours." In addition, Paul Howes, editor of the Dusty Springfield Bulletin, alerted readers to the fact that "the bands 'Oh No! Not My Baby' and 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' were wrongly reversed on the disc."

These errors have been recified in subsequent pressings of the disc and Hip-O Records has offered to replace any erroneous CDs. For a replacement disc, send your original disc to Hip-O Records, 2220 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404 and mark it for the attention of Anthony Hayes.

Thanks to Paul Howes for this information.

JUNE 25, 2002
DUSTY'S 1966 HIT ON "BEST OF BRITISH" SONG LIST
As part of the recent celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II's fifty year reign, BBC Radio Two conducted a poll to determine the top fifty British songs of the past fifty years. Dusty Springfield's 1966 hit, "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me," is ranked Number 9 in the poll. She is also the only female artist to feature in the list's Top Ten.

According to the poll, Queen's epic "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the top British song of the last fifty years. Other songs that appear on the list include John Lennon's "Imagine" (No. 3), Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" (No. 5), The Hollies' "He Ain't Heavy" (No. 10), The Animals' "House of the Rising Sun" (No. 31) and Ultravox's "Vienna" (No. 50).

Dusty is one of only five female artists on the list. The others are Kate Bush (at No. 18 with "Wuthering Heights"), Petula Clark (at No. 26 with "Downtown"), Judy Tzuke (at No. 39 with "Stay With Me Till Dawn"), and Shirley Bassey (at No. 46 with the James Bond theme "Goldfinger").

The Beatles have five songs in the Top Fifty--"Yesterday" (No. 6), "Hey Jude" (No. 7), "Let It Be" (No. 19), "Strawberry Fields" (No. 27) and "She Loves Me" (No. 36).

For a complete list of the "Top 50 British Songs of the Past 50 Years," check out Andy Robinson's excellent website, Dusty Springfield: White Lady of Soul.

TWO VINYL RE-RELEASES
Grant Whittingham's excellent A Girl Called Dusty website reports that two record companies in the U.S. are re-releasing Dusty Springfield material on vinyl. On July 16, the 4 Men with Beards label re-issued Dusty's classic 1968 album Dusty in Memphis, while Classic Records plan to re-issue Dusty's 1967 hit single "The Look of Love" sometime in early August. For more information about either of these special releases, see Grant's website.

AUGUST 7, 2002

LATEST ISSUE OF THE DUSTY SPRINGFIELD BULLETIN NOW AVAILABLE
Issue 47 of the Dusty Springfield Bulletin (DSB) has recently been received by subscribers. DSB remains the definitive source of news and information about Dusty and her music, and the latest issue is yet another great compilation by editor Paul Howes of Dusty-related articles, reviews, photographs, and opinions from around the world. For further information about this great publication (including how to subscribe), check out the DSB section of this website.

The cover of the latest issue boasts a fascinating photograph of Dusty rehearsing on the set of the cult '60s TV show Ready, Steady, Go! The image recalls author Lucy O'Brien's description of Dusty in the updated second edition of her book She Bop: The Definitive History of Women in Rock, Pop and Soul (Continuum, 2002). Like Dinah Washington and Nina Simone, Dusty, says O'Brien, was culturally and musically "a witch on the cusp of two worlds, a shape shifter . . ."

Indeed, the cover of the latest DSB depicts the young Dusty (looking very much like an "earthbound gypsy") standing within the outline of a large, iconic photograph of herself, seemingly conjuring up--with her spell-binding hand movements--the larger-than-life persona of Dusty Springfield.

Paul is to be commended for always finding rare and often intriguing images of Dusty for the pages of DSB. Earlier this year I interviewed Paul about his excellent book The Complete Dusty Springfield. This interview can be found here.

AUGUST 27, 2002
SIMON BELL INTERVIEWED BY WOMAN OF REPUTE
Simon Bell, colleague and close friend of Dusty Springfield, was recently interviewed by Michael Bayly, creator of the Woman of Repute website. A full transcript of the interview can be found here or by going to the Dusty: As They Knew Her section of this website. Thanks to Simon for taking the time to be interviewed and for his insightful responses.

OCTOBER 10, 2002

OCTOBER SURPRISE!
Okay, not really a surprise--but definitely a treat! Two Dusty releases in early October--a new compilation album in the U.S. and a special reissue of the classic Dusty in Memphis in the U.K.

October 8 saw the release by U.S.-based Varese Sarabande label of Heart and Soul--a collection of rarites including duets, soundtrack and live recordings. It's a collection aimed squarely at hardcore fans, and for this Varese should be commended. Their single disc collection contains five studio tracks significant to Dusty's later career--"Sometimes Like Butterflies", "I Wanna Control You", "As Long As We've Got Each Other", "Private Number", and "Heart and Soul"--that had been excluded from every previous Dusty collection, including the British 4-CD set Simply Dusty, and the U.S. 3-CD release The Dusty Springfield Anthology.

Heart and Soul also contains a number of live recordings of songs that, although not as compelling as equivalent live British versions available on the Dusty Springfield Bulletin release Good Times, are nevertheless long overdue additions to the commercially available Dusty Springfield canon.

The complete track listing for Heart and Soul is as follows:

1. "But It's A Nice Dream" (from the 1982 motion picture Kiss Me Goodbye)
2. "Wherever Would I Be?" (Solo version) (1995)
3. "As Long As We've Got Each Other" (Theme from Growing Pains) (A 1988 duet with B.J. Thomas)
4. "Sometimes Like Butterflies" (Extended mix) (1985)
5. "I Wanna Control You" (1985)
6. "Private Number" (1984 duet with Spencer Davis)
7. "Heart and Soul" (1993 duet with Cilla Black)
8. "Sea and Sky" (from the 1971 Michael Legrand album Time For Loving)
9. "Son Of A Preacher Man" (Live performance--1968)
10. "A Brand New Me" (Live performance--1969)
11. "The Look Of Love" (Live performance--1969)
12. Medley: "I'll Never Find Another You"/"Georgy Girl"/"A World Of Our Own" (Live performance--1970)
13. "Up On The Roof" (Live performance--1971)
14. "People Get Ready" (Live performance--1971)
15. "Won't Be Long" (Live performance--1971)
16. "Since I Fell For You" (Live performance--1972)
17. "Magnificent Sanctuary Band" (Live performance--1973)
18. "Of All The Things" (Live performance--1973)

Heart and Soul also contains two "hidden tracks". Track 19 is an alternative take of the opening track, "But It's A Nice Dream". Track 20 is a 1967 radio jingle for Great Shakes performed by Dusty. It's a piece of tongue-in-cheek fluff which would be quite at home in an Austin Powers flick--"It's so creamy, thick and dreamy"!!

From the ridiculous to the sublime: The special reissue of Dusty Springfield's Dusty In Memphis--released in the U.K. in the first week of October--boasts a sound quality superior to any previous vinyl or CD release of this landmark album recorded in 1968 and first released in 1969.

Gary Moore of Universal Mastering, London, notes the following in the CD's booklet: "I first became acquainted with Dusty In Memphis in the late '60s. I thought that it was her greatest to date (I still think so), but even then I was aware of a very 'hissy' vinyl disc. The UK record company (Philips) assured me that it was the best that they could get from the American masters.

"Several years later after I had successfully obtained a position of technical engineer at the Philips Studio in Marble Arch, London, I became acquainted with not only the tapes of Dusty In Memphis, but the great singer herself. She told me that she was not 100% happy with the technical quality of the album, but that there were no better copies available. Philips then decided to reissue the album with several added unreleased USA titles. The job was given to me, and we tried several de-noise units to reduce hiss--with minimal success. Dusty was impressed by what she heard and agreed that it was an improvement.

"Along came CD and I was asked to remaster the album again. This time we only issued the original album--again cleaning up the sound as best we could, this was 1990. The album has been remastered with indifferent results again for CD [by Rhino/Atlantic in 1999].

"[This] current Dusty In Memphis is the third time I have been involved in the remastering. Technical facilities have greatly improved since the vinyl days, and for this issue I have used the SADIE 4, 24 bit/96K mastering computer. Computerised noise-reduction techniques have been employed (CEDAR), as well as a T.C.ELECTRON FINALIZER, and all routed through a YAMAHA Digital Mixing Desk. The original analogue Dusty In Memphis have been used as a source. The [bonus] mono mixes have been supplied on a digital tape from the Rhino/Atlantic vaults in the USA."