Supremes Funny Girl Banner Ad Now Available

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

Short Takes, Classic Pop Edition: What’s Coming From Willie Nelson, Bing Crosby, Aretha Franklin, Tony Bennett

January 30, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Willie Nelson - Let's Face the Music

Today’s Short Takes looks at a variety of upcoming releases with one thing in common: great vocalists in the tradition of the Great American Songbook!

First up, let’s take a look at an album of new recordings from a favorite reissue label.  One genre has never been enough to contain the musical restlessness of Willie Nelson.  The country legend and honky-tonk hero created his own standards with his early songs such as “Crazy” and “Funny How Time Slips Away” before paying tribute to the Great American Songbook of yore with 1978’s chart-topping Stardust.  Since that seminal album, the prolific Nelson has made frequent returns to the realm of standards of both the pop and country genres.  His latest such effort arrives from our friends at Legacy Recordings on April 15.

Roughly two weeks before Nelson celebrates his 80th birthday on April 30, Legacy will release Let’s Face the Music and Dance from Willie Nelson and Family.  Recorded in Austin, Texas and produced by Buddy Cannon, the album of all-new recordings is titled after the 1936 Irving Berlin song.   He’s joined by Family, the band he formed with his sister Bobbie Nelson (on piano), drummer Paul English and Mickey Raphael on harmonica.  They’re accompanied by Paul’s brother Billy English (keeping it all in the family, after all) on electric gut string and snare drum, Kevin Smith on upright bass and Jim “Moose” Brown on B-3 organ.  Willie’s son Micah Nelson, who contributed to Nelson’s 2011 Legacy debut Heroes, contributes percussion.  Pop, rock, jazz and country classics all have found a place on Let’s Face the Music and Dance, including songs from Carl Perkins (“Matchbox”), Frank Loesser (“I Wish I Didn’t Love You So”), Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh (“I Can’t Give You Anything But Love”) and Django Reinhardt (“Nuages”).

Willie’s celebratory jaunt through some of the songs that have shaped his own musical legacy hits stores on April 15.

Jane Morgan - What Now

The U.K.’s Sepia Records label continues to offer a number of rare vocal, soundtrack and cast album treats, many of them available as a result of the U.K.’s current public domain laws.  Last month’s batch of reissues included titles from Jack Jones, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, and Enoch Light.  Come February 12, Sepia will release the following:

Pat Boone, I’ll See You in My Dreams/This and That – Sepia continues its series dedicated to Pat Boone with this new release.  The label is supplementing two original Boone LPs with seven bonus tracks, and many of these tracks have not appeared on CD outside of Bear Family’s complete box sets.  Rather than being in rock-and-roll mode here, Boone tackles standards including “That Old Black Magic,” “My Blue Heaven,” “The Tennessee Waltz” and even “Peg o’ My Heart.”

Jane Morgan, What Now My Love/At the Cocoanut Grove – The great chanteuse’s final two albums for Kapp Records, both from 1962, are joined together on one CD.  What Now My Love, a collection of torch songs, is notable for having been arranged and conducted by the young Burt Bacharach.  It includes Bacharach and Bob Hilliard’s song “Waiting for Charlie to Come Home.”  (Morgan first recorded a new Bacharach song with 1959’s “With Open Arms.”  Around the time of the LP, Bacharach recorded his “Forever My Love” with Morgan as the B-side to the single of “What Now My Love,” and he also arranged and conducted a Terry Gilkyson song, “Ask Me to Dance,” for her.)   Cocoanut Grove features Jane on extended medleys of Paris-themed songs and tunes popularized by actress/singer Lillian Russell (1860-1922).

Tony Mottola, Roman Guitar 2/Spanish Guitar – Sepia pairs two 1962 Command Records LPs from session guitarist extraordinaire Tony Mottola on one CD.  Roman Guitar 2 made it all the way to No. 46 on the U.S. Billboard album chart and contains performances of Italian-themed favorites like “Funiculi Funicula.”  For Spanish Guitar, Mottola turned to “Tico-Tico,” “Granada” and even “Lady of Spain.”  Mottola continued to record into the 1980s, but this pair of albums finds the guitarist in his prime, making music ready-made for dancing in front of the hi-fi.

Original Soundtrack Recordings, The Road to Hong Kong/Say One for Me – Two rare soundtracks starring Bing Crosby have been collected on one CD.  From 1962 and 1959, respectively, The Road to Hong Kong and Say One for Me have never previously been available on CD.   The original Liberty Records soundtrack to Hong Kong finds Crosby and Bob Hope joined by Joan Collins and Dorothy Lamour; Columbia’s Say One for Me album features Debbie Reynolds and Robert Wagner.

After the jump: Wounded Bird revives a long out-of-print title from the Queen of Soul, and travel with Tony Bennett as time goes by!

Aretha - In the Beginning

By 1972, Aretha Franklin had indisputably already earned her title as the Queen of Soul.  After a creatively successful but commercially tepid stint at Columbia Records, Aretha had come into her own at Atlantic beginning with 1967’s No. 2 Pop/No. 1 R&B I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You.  1972’s Young, Gifted and Black continued her winning streak, spawning Top 10 singles “Rock Steady” and “Day Dreaming” and earning Aretha a Grammy Award and a No. 11 Pop/No. 2 R&B chart placement.  It was natural, then, that Columbia would capitalize on its vaults of Franklin material.  In the Beginning: The World of Aretha Franklin 1960-1967 featured a modern-looking Franklin on its cover, but the 2-LP, 20-track set compiled highlights from her Columbia tenure in which she primarily recorded as a blues- and jazz-oriented vocalist.  Wounded Bird Records is bringing this vintage title back in print on February 12.

Though the style is much different than her Atlantic work, Franklin positively soars on songs like “Skylark,” “God Bless the Child” and “If Ever I Would Leave You.”  She even anticipates her R&B rebirth on tracks such as “Mockingbird,” “Every Little Bit Hurts” and “Soulville.”  Legacy Recordings released the “last word” on Franklin’s Columbia period with the remarkable 2011 box set Take a Look: Complete on Columbia, but Wounded Bird’s reissue should be a pleasant surprise for those who remember the original 1972 compilation or are discovering Franklin’s pre-Atlantic period for the first time.  It’s available in stores on February 12.

Tony Bennett - As Time Goes By

On February 5, Concord Records will issue As Time Goes By: Great American Songbook Classics from Tony Bennett.  This newly-assembled twelve-track anthology is drawn from Bennett’s recordings on the Improv and Fantasy labels released between 1975 and 1977 and features new liner notes from Will Friedwald, co-author of Bennett’s autobiography The Good Life.  The Improv albums have previously been collected on 2004’s The Complete Improv Recordings, and excerpted for releases such as 2011’s The Best of the Improv Recordings and 2012’s Isn’t it Romantic? collection.  (Read our review of the latter set here!)  This new, budget-priced offering (at the time of this writing, it can be yours for less than five bucks) includes standards from the pens of Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, and Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer.  Bennett is joined by piano great Bill Evans on “Maybe September,” “Days of Wine and Roses” and “Some Other Time.”  Joe Tarantino has remastered all songs.  In his notes, Will Friedwald writes, “When you say ‘Great American Songbook’ to almost anyone, they know exactly what you mean: the specific canon of songs, mostly written for Broadway shows between the two world wars, largely composed by Jewish immigrants and African-Americans with names like Gershwin and Ellington. And as the career of Tony Bennett, more than almost any other artist, proves again and again, only the Great American Songbook truly deserves to be called the Great American Songbook.”  You’ll know what he means if you’re familiar with the twelve songs on As Time Goes By.

Click on any album title or cover artwork for a link to order each CD!

Categories: News Tags: Bing Crosby, Burt Bacharach, Pat Boone, Tony Bennett

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

You Might Also Like

  • Dusty Springfield Complete Atlantic SinglesRelease Round-Up: Week of February 5
  • Little Steven Macca to MeccaRelease Round-Up: Week of January 29
  • EltonJohn JewelBox plRelease Round-Up: Week of November 13
  • RSDRopsLogo SquareYeah, Baby, Yeah! The Second Disc Guide to Record Store Day Drop 3, October 24

Comments

  1. Jeff Burke says

    January 30, 2013 at 12:07 pm

    Where oh Where is the 5 cd Aretha release? Will it see the light of day????https://theseconddisc.com/2012/06/06/almighty-fire-five-lost-aretha-franklin-albums-reissued-expanded-for-first-time-on-cd/#more-14526

    Reply
    • Joe Marchese says

      January 30, 2013 at 12:22 pm

      Mum seems to be the word on these reissues, Jeff, but we’ve been looking into them and will continue to do so! Stay tuned…fingers crossed here, too!

      Reply
    • Kevin says

      January 31, 2013 at 8:29 am

      Keep your vinyl on those 5 albums!!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • NeilYoung NeilYoungArchivesVol2 RETAILEDITION pl
    Archives, Volume 2: 1973-1976
    Neil Young
    March 05, 2021
  • Zappa BD
    Zappa [DVD and Blu-ray]
    Frank Zappa
    March 05, 2021
  • Rebecca Luker and Sally Wilfert All the Girls
    All the Girls
    Rebecca Luker and Sally Wilfert
    March 05, 2021
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,114 other subscribers

Popular

  • TheWho TheWhoSellOut box pk
    I Can See For Miles: The Who Announce Rarities-Filled Deluxe Reissue of “The Who Sell Out” Due April 23 posted on February 26, 2021 | under News
  • BobDylan 1970Collection
    Release Round-Up: Week of February 26 posted on February 26, 2021 | under Release Round-Up
  • California Music Add Some Music
    Good with the Soul: “California Music Presents Add Some Music” Features Beach Boys, Friends, Family posted on March 1, 2021 | under News

Comments

  • small faces here come the nice2
    Return To Itchycoo Park: Small Faces’ “Here Come The Nice” Deluxe Box Set Arrives In January [UPDATED 12/3] 79 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 3, 2013 | under News
  • the beatles u s albums box2
    British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil “The U.S. Albums” Box Set in January 69 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 12, 2013 | under News
  • Rolling Stones in Mono
    Out of Their Heads: Stones Plan Mono Box Set 47 comments | by Mike Duquette | posted on August 10, 2016 | under News

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popblerd
  • Popdose
  • Record Racks
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Viva La Mainstream
  • Wolfgang’s Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Raven Records
  • Real Gone Music
  • Resonance Records
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2021 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy