Academy Award winning actress Joanne Woodward will be heard reading the lyrics of John Mellencamp on his upcoming box set.
Mellencamp has created a 4CD set to focus on his songwriting and as part of the presentation Woodward and best selling author Dr. Cornel West will recite the lyrics to some of the songs in the collection.‘On Rural Route 7609’ will feature 54 tracks, 17 previously unreleased on the 4 discs. A 72-page booklet and track-by-track annoted by writer Anthony DeCurtis will also be included.
Mellencamp said about the collection, “I started making records in ’76, and the most recent track on the collection was done in ‘09. So Rural Route 7609; it’s like an address. I thought it sounded cool.”
The collection will be released in June.
The tracklisting (with previously unreleased tracks marked with *) is:
Disc 1
1. Longest Days
2. Grandma’s Theme
3. Rural Route
4. Jackie Brown
5. Rain On The Scarecrow
6. * Jim Crow with Cornell West
7. Jim Crow
8. Big Daddy Of Them All
9. Deep Blue Heart
10. Forgiveness
11. Don’t Need This Body
12. * Jenny At 16
13. * Jack And Diane (writing demo)
14. Jack And Diane
Disc 2
1. * The Real Life with Joanne Woodward
2. Ghost Towns Along The Highway
3. The Full Catastrophe
4. * Authority Song (writing demo)
5. Troubled Land
6. To Washington
7. * Our Country (alternate version)
8. Country Gentlemen
9. Freedom’s Road
10. * Mr. Bellows (remix)
11. Rodeo Clown
12. Love And Happiness
13. Pink Houses
Disc 3
1. If I Die Sudden (live)
2. Someday
3. Between A Laugh And A Tear
4. * Void In My Heart (acoustic version recorded at Chess Studios)
5. Death Letter
6. * Sugar Marie (acoustic)
7. Theo And Weird Henry
8. When Jesus Left Birmingham
9. * L.U.V. (remix)
10. Thank You
11. Women Seem
12. * The World Don’t Bother Me None
13. * Cherry Bomb (writing demo)
14. * Someday The Rain Will Fall
15. A Ride Back Home
Disc 4
1. My Aeroplane
2. * Colored Lights
3. Just Like You
4. Young Without Lovers
5. * To M.G. (Wherever She May Be) (acoustic)
6. Sweet Evening Breeze
7. What If I Came Knocking
8. Country Fair
9. * Peaceful World (writing demo)
10. Your Life Is Now
11. For The Children
12. * Rural Route (acoustic)
