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Lenny Kravitz’s first five albums — 1989’s Let Love Rule, 1991’s Mama Said, 1993’s Are You Gonna Go My Way, 1995’s Circus, and 1998’s 5 — will be honored with an extensive vinyl reissue campaign courtesy of Virgin/UMe, with each release appearing on 2LP 180-gram black vinyl in addition to individualized limited-edition, color variants.
Both the 2LP reissues and color variants for Mama Said, Are You Gonna Go My Way, Circus, and 5 are all scheduled to drop on September 21, while Let Love Rule will kick off its 30th anniversary in style on November 30. Four of the five double-LP reissues also feature exceptional non-album tracks, many of them appearing on vinyl for the very first time.
No two color-variants are the same, as Let Love Rule is 50/50 semi-transparent brown and yellow, Mama Said is marbled white and gray, Are You Gonna Go My Way is transparent red and transparent purple, Circus is solid white and transparent clear, and 5 is solid orange and solid white.
Each album in this series exhibits the ongoing evolution of Kravitz’s considerable talents as a multifaceted singer, songwriter, producer, and guitar player. Let Love Rule established the template for Kravitz’s exploratory nature as an artist, as evidenced by the elegiac buildup of the title track and the poignant social commentary of “Mr. Cab Driver,” a song as relevant today as it was when it was released 30 years ago. The complete 13-track album will be issued on vinyl for the first time.
Mama Said continued the thread, with the mid-tempo ballad “It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over” (a No. 2 hit single featuring the Phenix Horns, of Earth, Wind & Fire fame) and the soul-drenched “Always On The Run” (with a killer guest guitar turn from Slash) leading the charge. It appears on vinyl for the first time in the U.S. Are You Gonna Go My Way sealed Kravitz’s wide-ranging appeal, thanks to the abject ferocity of the title track and the international chart hit “Heaven Help.” On its 25th anniversary, the main album will be available on commercial vinyl for the first time and includes eight bonus tracks on vinyl for the first time.
Meanwhile, Circus, now on vinyl for the first time in the U.S., continued the man’s climb with the undeniable punch of “Rock And Roll Is Dead,” while 5 took Kravitz to newer heights with the universal yearning of “Fly Away,” which topped the Singles charts in the United Kingdom as well as reaching No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts in the United States. “Fly Away” also earned Kravitz a Grammy Award in 1999 for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, the album will be on vinyl for the first time ever.
Many of the key songs from these five albums will be featured during Kravitz’s current Raise Vibration Tour 2018, which comes to the United States this fall following a highly successful spring and summer run in Europe and abroad.
Lenny Kravitz LET LOVE RULE [2LP 180-gram vinyl]
A1. Sittin’ On Top Of The World
A2. Let Love Rule
A3. Freedom Train
B1. My Precious Love
B2. I Built This Garden For Us
B3. Fear
C1. Does Anybody Out There Even Care
C2. Mr. Cab Driver
C3. Rosemary
C4. Be
D1. Blues For Sister Someone**
D2. Empty Hands**
D3. Flower Child**
**original CD album tracks on vinyl for the first time
Lenny Kravitz MAMA SAID [2LP 180-gram vinyl]
A1. Fields Of Joy
A2. Always On The Run
A3. Stand By My Woman
B1. It Ain’t Over Til It’s Over
B2. More Than Anything In This World
B3. What Goes Around Comes Around
C1. The Difference Is Why
C2. Stop Draggin’ Around
C3. Flowers For Zoë
C4. Fields Of Joy (Reprise)
D1. All I Ever Wanted
D2. When The Morning Turns To Night
D3. What The …. Are We Saying?
D4. Butterfly
Lenny Kravitz ARE YOU GONNA GO MY WAY [2LP 180-gram vinyl]
A1. Are You Gonna Go My Way
A2. Believe
A3. Come On And Love Me
A4. Heaven Help
A5. Just Be A Woman
A6. Is There Any Love In Your Heart
B1. Black Girl
B2. My Love
B3. Sugar
B4. Sister
B5. Eleutheria
C1. Ascension**
C2. Brother**
C3. Heaven Help (Acoustic Version)**
C4. All My Life**
D1. Someone Like You**
D2. Sister (Live)**
D3. For The First Time**
D4. Believe (Acoustic Version)**
**denotes bonus tracks from CD promo disc, on vinyl for the first time
Lenny Kravitz CIRCUS [2LP 180-gram vinyl]
A1. Rock And Roll Is Dead
A2. Circus
A3. Beyond The 7th Sky
A4. Tunnel Vision
B1. Can’t Get You Off My Mind
B2. Magdalene
B3. God Is Love
B4. Thin Ice
C1. Don’t Go And Put A Bullet In Your Head
C2. In My Life Today
C3. The Resurrection
D1. Another Life**
D2. Confused**
D3. Is It Me, Or Is It You?**
**denotes bonus tracks
Lenny Kravitz 5 [2LP 180-gram vinyl]
A1. Live
A2. Supersoulfighter
A3. I Belong To You
A4. Black Velveteen
B1. If You Can’t Say No
B2. Thinking Of You
B3. Take Time
C1. Fly Away
C2. It’s Your Life
C3. Straight Cold Player
C4. Little Girl’s Eyes
D1. You’re My Flavor
D2. Can We Find A Reason?
D3. American Woman**
D4. Without You**
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