Re-release Review: Lesley Gore “Ever Since [Deluxe Edition]”

Reissue of mature, sophisticated 2005 release given Deluxe Edition tag with inclusion of a previously unheard recording.

Lesley Gore shot to prominence in 1963 with the #1 (US) hit ‘It’s My Party‘ which she recorded when she was a mere 16 years old. Producer Quincy Jones famously double tracked the vocal to make it sound fuller. A string of further US hits followed, although only ‘It’s My Party‘ and 1964’s ‘Maybe I Know‘ bothered the UK Top 20. The hits had dried up by the end of the ’60s and Gore carved out a career as a performer and a songwriter for other artists; among these, she had songs featured in movies and TV shows (CSI: Miami, The L Word), as well as ‘1-2-3-4 Rock ‘n’ Roll‘ a song released in 1983 by British all-female heavy metal band Girlschool.

Gore’s final long player, ‘Ever Since‘ was released in 2005, 23 years after her previous release, ‘The Canvas Can Do Miracles‘. The recent reissue of ‘Ever Since‘ as a Deluxe Edition came about when Blake Morgan; musician, producer and label owner, also Gore’s godson, was listening back to the album, some years after Gore’s death (in 2015) and found a previously unreleased recording from the ‘Ever Since‘ recording sessions. This previously unheard recording, of the song ‘Love Me By Name‘, is Gore’s final studio recording; it’s a reworking of the title track from her album of 1975. Morgan mixed the song and proceeded to remix and remaster the entire record. Morgan describes the remixing and remastering as a restoration of the original, “to preserve it for generations to come.”

The previously unheard recording of ‘Love Me By Name‘, unlike the 1975 version, which has a sound very much of its era, heavily featuring strings, piano and synthesizer, has more of a timeless arrangement and instrumentation that lend it an air of sophistication, highlighting a much better vocal delivery from Gore. ‘It’s Gone‘, composed jointly by Gore and Morgan is the most memorable song here; a tuneful melody with strong hooks. ‘You Don’t Own Me‘, first released in 1964, was seen by Gore as her signature song; an anthem for an independent woman. This version is slowed down a little and sounds powerful, quite different to the pop sound of the original. ‘Out Here On My Own‘ as sung by Irene Cara in the 1980 movie Fame, was co-written by Gore and her brother Michael Gore; it was Oscar-nominated in the Best Song category at the 53rd Academy Awards (1981); though the Oscar was won by another Michael Gore song, ‘Fame‘.

This is a very mature album; the arrangements, while being perhaps a little understated at times are backed by a strong production and Gore’s voice is strong and sounding good. Clearly this was a labour of love for Morgan. There’s much here that deserves credit; that said, whether a single additional song merits the ‘Deluxe Edition’ description is a moot point; clearly this release is far from unique in this, but you’d expect a little more by way of ‘extras’ to justify such a tag.