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The year is still new, but archival soundtrack labels are already working overtime with some solid new releases, including two expanded versions of gems from Varese Sarabande’s catalogue, and two new releases from La-La Land Records covering one of TV’s hottest tickets.

First up from Varese is a new expansion of Nigel Westlake’s score to the film Babe. Based on a British book about a pig raised as a sheepdog on a country farm, the film was seven years in development by an unlikely producer: Australian director George Miller, best known for the Mad Max series of dystopian action films. (Miller and director Chris Noonan co-wrote the film’s screenplay.) Despite the odd bedfellows, the film was well served by James Cromwell as the kindly Farmer Hoggett and a stunning cast of real and artificial animals (created with the help of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop). Against all expectations, the film earned seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture; it won for Best Visual Effects.

Westlake’s score, performed by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, paints colorful themes out of 19th century Romantic compositions, including works by Saint-Saens and Grieg. Also featured throughout is the U.K. reggae-pop hit “If I Had Words,” as originally recorded by Scott Fitzgerald and Yvonne Keely. This disc, limited to 1500 copies, features the complete score (without the dialogue from the original album release) plus liner notes by Tim Grieving that features insights from Westlake, Noonan, Miller and Cromwell.

Varese’s next release gets very looney: a deluxe edition of the score to 2003’s Looney Tunes: Back in Action, the final project by legendary composer Jerry Goldsmith. After appearing alongside Michael Jordan in the irreverent Space Jam in 1996, Back in Action was a chance for Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and the gang to return to the original anarchic spirit of their color shorts in the ’40s and ’50s with a live-action/animated adventure story. Despite direction from Joe Dante (Gremlins) and interesting live action performances from Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman and Steve Martin as the villainous head of the famously fictitious Acme Corporation, Back in Action was not the success that Warner Bros. had hoped for. The characters will appear on the big screen this summer for the first time since this film, in a Space Jam sequel with NBA superstar LeBron James.

Goldsmith was fighting colon cancer when he scored Back in Action, and would ultimately succumb to the disease less than a year after the film was released. In fact, a myriad of composers, primarily John Debney, pitched in to help complete the project. But the madcap spirit that Goldsmith brought to every single one of Dante’s projects since Gremlins was in full supply here – not to mention the classical quotes and Carl Stalling arrangements that made the Looney Tunes music to fans’ ears. The double-disc expanded edition, limited to 2000 copies, features the complete film score, a generous selection of outtakes and the original soundtrack album assembly – plus liner notes by Daniel Schweiger (who interviewed Dante, Debney and composer Cameron Patrick for the essay) and Goldsmith’s longtime engineer Bruce Botnick.

Finally, over at La-La Land Records, pre-orders are being taken for the music to the second and third seasons of the hit series Cobra Kai. Originally premiering on YouTube in 2018, the show’s third season bowed this month on Netflix. The quirky action-comedy continues the story of The Karate Kid, featuring former teen bully Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) trying to turn his life around by teaching martial arts to a new generation of kids and avoiding the judgment of his onetime rival Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). Not unlike Creed, the hip reboot/sequel to Rocky – which, like The Karate Kid films, was directed by John G. Avildsen – Cobra Kai continues the film’s stories while building new lore for young audiences with a complex new group of fighting teens. The second and third seasons included even more homages to the original tales, reintroducing Johnny’s former sensei, the villainous John Kreese (Martin Kove) and even bringing Daniel back to Okinawa to reunite with old faces from The Karate Kid Part II and learn more about his sensei Mr. Miyagi (the late Pat Morita).

Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg’s scores heighten the spirit of the episodes and even draw occasionally from Bill Conti’s original film scores (all currently in print from La-La Land). Having issued the score to the first season in 2018, the label now issues the music from the latter two seasons – and in a boon for physical music lovers, these releases feature tracks not available on the digitally available albums. Both sets are available to order now, and set to ship starting January 19.

Order your copies of all these releases below!

Nigel Westlake, Babe: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – The Deluxe Edition (originally released as Varese Sarabande VSD-5661, 1995 – reissued Varese Sarabande, 2021)

1. Opening Titles (from the Motion Picture Babe) – Piggery
2. Fairground (Extended Version)
3. I Want My Mum/The Way Things Are
4. Fly Would Never/Crime and Punishment
5. Anorexic Duck Pizzicati (Extended Version)
6. Repercussions/Into the Knackery
7. Pig, Pig, Piggy/Mother and Son
8. Pork is a Nice Sweet Meat
9. Christmas Morning (Extended Version)
10. Separate the Chickens/Round Up
11. Babe’s Round Up (Extended Version)
12. Mad Dog Rex
13. The Sheep Pig (Extended Version)
14. Dog Tragedy
15. Hoggett Shows Babe/Maa’s Death
16. Home Pig/Hoggett with Gun
17. Pig of Destiny/Up to Trouble
18. The Cat/What Are Pigs For
19. Where’s Babe/Hoggett’s Song
20. Babe in the Kitchen/Help for Babe
21. Baa Ram Ewe/Rex on Truck
22. The Gauntlet/Moment of Truth (Extended Version)
23. Finale – That’ll Do, Pig, That’ll Do
24. If I Had Words
25. Toreador Aria (Excerpt)
26. Pork is a Nice Sweet Meat (with Vocals)
27. Blue Moon (Excerpt)
28. Cantique de Jean Racine (Excerpt)
29. If I Had Words (Hoggett’s Song)

Jerry Goldsmith, Looney Tunes: Back in Action – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (The Deluxe Edition) (Varese Sarabande, 2021)

Disc 1: Film score

1. Looney Tunes Opening (What’s Up Doc?)/Rabbit Fire †
2. What’s Up?
3. Another Take
4. Dead Duck Walking
5. She Likes You
6. The Shimmy/Out of the Bag/Save Dad/The Car ‡
7. Not a Billion
8. Blue Monkey
9. Extra Crispy
10. The Shower/Psycho Parody *
11. In Style
12. The Bad Guys
13. Hit Me
14. Car Trouble/Flying High
15. Hurry Up
16. Nice Hair/Burning Tail
17. A Visit to Walmart/Free Drinks
18. Wrong Turn Coyote ††
19. The Launch ‡‡
20. Thin Air °
21. Area 52 (Take 54)
22. You’re Next
23. Wacky Marvin in the Jar°
24. Hot Pursuit
25. We’ve Got Company/Man & A Woman/I’ll Take That
26. The Painting/The Scream/It is Spring/Bugs with Mandolin §§#
27. The Red Balloon
28. Paris Street
29. Free Fall
30. The Hook/Africa
31. Tasmanian Devil
32. Jungle Scene
33. Pressed Duck
34. Re-Assembled
35. Waiting for a Train *°
36. A New Puppy *°
37. To the Rescue *°
38. Heroes *
39. Merry-Go-Round Broke Down (That’s All Folks!) §
40. End Title Suite

Disc 2: Alternates (1-18) and Original Soundtrack Album (19-39, originally released as Varese Sarabande 302 066 523 2, 2003)

1. What’s Up?
2. Another Take, #9
3. Trumpet Wa-Wa
4. The Shimmy
5. Out of the Bag
6. The Car, Part 1
7. The Car, Part 2
8. Psycho
9. Car Trouble
10. Wrong Turn, Part 1
11. Wrong Turn, Part 2
12. Wrong Turn, Part 3
13. The Launch
14. The Blue Danube/The Barber of Seville/Can Can ##
15. Vivaldi Concerto #
16. The Hook
17. Pressed Duck
18. Merry-Go-Round Broke Down (That’s All Folks!) §
19. Life Story †
20. What’s Up?
21. Another Take
22. Dead Duck Walking
23. Out of the Bag
24. Blue Monkey
25. In Style
26. The Bad Guys
27. Car Trouble
28. Thin Air °
29. Area 52
30. Hot Pursuit
31. We’ve Got Company
32. I’ll Take That
33. Paris Street
34. Free Fall
35. Tasmanian Devil
36. Jungle Scene
37. Pressed Duck
38. Re-Assembled
39. Merry-Go-Round Broke Down (That’s All Folks!)

* composed by John Debney
† composed by Carl Stalling, arranged by Cameron Patrick
†† composed by Carl Stalling with additional music composed and arranged by Cameron Patrick
‡ composed by Jerry Goldsmith with additional music composed by Cameron Patrick
‡‡ composed by Cameron Patrick
§ composed by Cliff Friend and Dave Franklin, arranged by Cameron Patrick
§§ contains musical pieces composed by Modest Mussorgsky, arranged by Mark McKenzie
# contains musical pieces composed by Antonio Vivaldi, arranged by Mark McKenzie
## contains musical pieces composed by Johann Strauss, Gioachino Rossini, and Jacques Offenbach, arranged by Mark McKenzie
° contains excerpts from “Powerhouse” composed by Raymond Scott
°° contains excerpts from “Un Homme Et Une Femme” composed by Francis Lai and Pierre Barouh

Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg, Cobra Kai: Season Two (originally released as Madison Gate digital album, 2019 – reissued La-La Land Records LLLCD 1541, 2021)

1. Miyagi-Do Fix-Up
2. Snake Fight
3. The Wheel Technique
4. Like a Dance
5. The Internet
6. I Got Old
7. An Old Friend *
8. Shochu-Geiko
9. Tory with a Y
10. Furious Hawk
11. Medal of Honor
12. Into the Snake Pit
13. Military Exercise/Who’s Gonna Break
14. New Students
15. Fatherly Advice
16. Mall Fight *
17. You’re the Champ
18. We Are All Miyagi-Do *
19. Busted
20. Worthy Opponent
21. Kan-Geiko *
22. Sam and Robby
23. Mercy and Honor
24. Apartment Skirmish
25. Black Paint on a White Wall
26. I’m Coming for You, Bitch
27. Hallway Hellscape
28. Scale the School
29. Hawk’s Prey
30. Rematch
31. Fallen Soldier *
32. Voicemail
33. In It No Matter What
34. It Belongs to Me
35. Cruel Summer – Kari Kimmel
36. Hawk’s Tattoo **
37. Comic Store **
38. Make a Move **
39. Cement Truck **
40. Awkward **
41. Lifting the Rock **
42. The Lull Between Battles **
43. Coyote Creek **
44. Rehab **
45. Miyagi-Do Commercial **

* includes original The Karate Kid themes by Bill Conti ** CD exclusive bonus track

Zach Robinson and Leo Birenberg, Cobra Kai: Season Three (La-La Land Records LLLCD 1553, 2021)

Disc 1: Original album (released as Madison Gate digital album, 2021)

1. Miyagi Metal *
2. Come Back to Us
3. Work Together
4. Addition by Subtraction
5. Chop Shop
6. Return to Okinawa
7. Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dojos
8. Look at Me
9. Live or Die, Man
10. Crane Technique *
11. Web MD
12. Secrets of Miyagi-Do
13. Be a Better Person
14. Snake in the Grass
15. The Cobra Effect
16. Snap
17. Can’t Run Away from Your Problems
18. Forming a Team
19. Two-Time Champion
20. Dark Hawk
21. I’m a Sensei
22. Nightmare
23. We Deserve the Chance
24. Dream Come True
25. The Good, the Bad, and the Badass
26. Start Over
27. The Right Path
28. Dojo from Hell
29. Carol of the Cobras
30. Must Not Lose to Fear
31. The Call of the Cobra
32. Snake Bitten
33. Duel of the Snakes
34. Ouroboros
35. Challenger

Disc 2: Additional material (previously unreleased except Track 1)

1. Duel of the Snakes (Mega-Edit)
2. Out of Town *
3. Clarence
4. Make Things Right
5. Go Get It
6. Ghost of the Past
7. Learn to Strike First
8. I Forgive You *
9. Hey Johnny
10. Johnny’s Photos
11. Cobra Kai Material
12. You Need Help
13. Nasty Nephews
14. I’m Scared
15. Caught
16. Prisoners
17. Demetri’s Speech
18. Fight’s Over
19. Must Follow Passion
20. The Nature, The Tradition

* includes original The Karate Kid themes by Bill Conti