What single sat atop the Billboard Hot 100 forty years ago this week? You might first guess it was perhaps something by the Bee Gees, who were in their own historical chart-run at this moment. But it was actually “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone, which was well on its way to becoming the No. 1 single of the entire 1970s. The record-smashing hit was also featured on an album of the same name, which became a platinum smash in its own right. Despite this success, the album has never…
The Soulful Shack: “Motown Unreleased 1966” Box Set Comes to Limited Edition CD
Given the speed and frequency with which the Motown label made recordings during its heyday, the company’s vaults are known to be vast. Large amounts of unreleased material have been added to compilations and reissues over the years, while still other collections have been solely devoted to never-before-heard tracks from the label’s superstars. Due to European copyright laws that allow unused recordings to enter the public domain, Motown has been releasing digital-only copyright-extension compilations for the past several years beginning with multiple Motown Unreleased 1962: Guys, Girls, Jazz, and Gospel volumes. Last…
Watcha Gonna Do: Real Gone to Release “Papa” Denny Doherty’s Complete Solo Recordings for ABC/Dunhill, Including Unreleased Steely Dan Songs
Back in January 2016, Real Gone collected the complete singles of The Mamas & The Papas onto one 2-CD collection to celebrate the group’s 50th anniversary. Two years later, on January 12, 2018, the label is turning its attention to a solo member of the band by releasing Of All the Things: The Complete ABC/Dunhill Masters by Denny Doherty, featuring Doherty’s 1971 album Watcha Gonna Do together with other assorted tracks (including four unreleased) and including liner notes written by our very own Joe Marchese. By 1969 /1970, it looked as if The…
We Are Not Alone: La-La Land’s Massive Black Friday Slate Includes Williams, Horner, More
While all of the Thanksgiving and Black Friday excitement was going on last week, La-La Land announced five exciting new limited-edition soundtrack reissues which are going to be available today at 12 pm PST on the label’s website. First up, celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, is the soundtrack to Richard Fleischer’s 1967 musical Doctor Dolittle. The film, based upon the character created by the Hugh Lofting in 1920, starred Rex Harrison as Doctor Dolittle, Samantha Eggar as Emma Fairfax and Anthony Newley as Matthew Mugg. The score and songs were written…
Stop, Listen, Look & Think: Exposé’s Second Album Expanded by Cherry Pop
Earlier this year, Cherry Red imprint Cherry Pop issued a greatly expanded edition of the 1989 sophomore album by the vocal freestyle group Exposé, following from their 2015 2-CD expanded edition of the group’s first album. The 11-track What You Don’t Know has been augmented by 34 bonus tracks on this impressively exhaustive 3-CD set. The group was the brainchild of Miami-based DJ, producer and songwriter Lewis Martineé. In 1984, he decided to form a dance-based vocal group and hired three singers to make up the trio. In 1985, they would have…
The Light of Day: Bruce Springsteen Live Archive Recent Release Round-Up
As Bruce Springsteen continues his sold-out Springsteen on Broadway run, he has continued to release live concerts from his archives. It has been a little while since we looked at these, so we thought we might catch you up on the most recent ones. And a special reminder: all titles are on sale today for Cyber Monday (25% off CDs, 50% off downloads)! Released a couple of weeks ago is Springsteen and the E Street Band live from Stockholm, Sweden on July 3, 1988. This concert was part of Tunnel of Love…
Every Time I Dream: Morello Releases More Twofers from Tammy Wynette
For the past couple of years, Cherry Red imprint Morello Records has been releasing twofers from Tammy Wynette’s Epic Records catalog ranging from the 1960s to the 1980s. We’ve got two more to tell you about now: Another Lonely Song/Woman to Woman and You and Me/Let’s Get Together. These four albums all hail from the mid-1970s and were produced by Wynette’s longtime collaborator Billy Sherrill. They also chronicle the period before and after her divorce from fellow country superstar George Jones. Another Lonely Song and Woman to Woman were both released in…
Real Gone Unveils Blue Oyster Cult, Utopia Releases For Black Friday RSD; Soundtracks Coming from Mancini and More
Real Gone Music just released its full slate of Christmas music, including our very special trio of The Supremes, The Ames Brothers, and Connie Smith. But the label still has more releases coming for the holiday season, which you can get for yourself or a lucky someone else! We’ve told you about most of them before, including the 40th anniversary edition of Debby Boone’s You Light Up My Life and the deluxe reissue of Jimmy Webb’s Angel Heart, but let’s take a look at some more of the label’s limited edition vinyl! First,…
A Dream In Your Heart: Real Gone Announces a Dionne Warwick Rarities Collection and Expanded Jimmy Webb “Angel Heart”
We’ve already told you about Real Gone’s reissue of Debby Boone’s You Light Up My Life, coming on December 8. Now, Real Gone has announced two other titles coming soon. Both feature legendary artists who got their start in the 1960s. First up is Odds & Ends: Scepter Records Rarities, a collection of rarities from Dionne Warwick taken from her time at Scepter Records. Due on January 12, 2018, it features new liner notes by our very own Joe Marchese based on his brand-new interview with the artist. From 1962 to 1971,…
Speed of Sound: Omnivore’s Black Friday Record Store Day Slate Includes Chris Bell, The Raspberries and Roger Taylor
As we continue to make our way through the offerings for this year’s Black Friday Record Store Day event coming on November 24, let’s now look at what Omnivore Recordings has on tap with its three releases. First up is the 6-LP The Complete Chris Bell. This set, consisting of the solo output of the Big Star co-founder, reconfigures the material from earlier Omnivore CD releases: July’s Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star and September’s I Am The Cosmos: Deluxe Edition. As a bonus, the sixth LP includes a 1975 interview…
Fill Your Nights With Song: Real Gone Expands Debby Boone’s “You Light Up My Life” for Its 40th Anniversary
Forty years ago this week, Meco’s “Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band” was knocked from the top of the Billboard Hot 100 after a two-week run at the peak position. The new chart-topper would remain in that spot for an additional 9 weeks and become the biggest-selling single of the entire 1970s. And what was that song? You might first guess it was perhaps something by the Bee Gees, who were in their own historical chart-run at this moment. But it was actually “You Light Up My Life” by Debby Boone. The record-smashing single…
Hungry for Fun: Samantha Fox Receives 4 Disc CD/DVD “Fox Box” from Cherry Pop
Last year marked the 30th anniversary of Samantha Fox’s debut on Jive Records. Recently, Cherry Red imprint Cherry Pop Records released a box set chronicling her career. The 2CD/2DVD set Play It Again, Sam: The Fox Box traces Fox’s musical journey from 1986 all the way up through the present day. While initially gaining fame in the U.K. as a model, Samantha Fox began a career in music at nearly the same time. In her early teens, she formed the band SFX, which also included Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey as a…
Reach The Stars and Fly A Fantasy: Cherry Red Expands “The NeverEnding Story” Soundtrack
“A Boy Who Needs a Friend Finds a World That Needs A Hero.” So proclaimed the tagline to the 1984 fantasy film The NeverEnding Story. The film became a hit that year and featured a title song which also climbed the charts. Cherry Red imprint Strike Force Entertainment has recently released an expanded reissue of the film’s soundtrack. The movie, based upon the 1979 German fantasy novel by Michael Ende, tells the tale of ten-year old Bastion Balthazar Bux who begins to read a book chronicling the adventures of Atreyu as he…
Making a List and Checking It Twice: Real Gone’s Christmas Offerings Revealed, Including Percy Faith, Fred Waring and Robert Shaw
We’ve already told you about the three Christmas offerings coming from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music this year from The Supremes, The Ames Brothers and Connie Smith. Now here’s the rest of Real Gone’s superlative slate of yuletide releases…and one more non-holiday reissue, all due on November 3! First up is an expanded edition of the classic Music of Christmas from Percy Faith and His Orchestra. This was actually the second album to bear this title from the prolific conductor. The first arrived in mono in 1954 on Columbia. That…
You’ll Be Doin’ All Right: New Compilation Features Elvis Presley Christmas Classics with New Orchestral Backing
Even though the fall season has yet to officially begin, kids are back at school and we are already looking ahead to winter. Of course, that also means Christmas and it is time to start kicking off the announcements of Christmas recordings for this year. RCA and Legacy Recordings have just announced a new Elvis Presley project for this yuletide season: Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, due on October 6. As you may have guessed from the title, this new project follows on from 2015’s If I Can Dream:…
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Have Some Faith in The Sound: George Michael’s “Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1” To Be Expanded (UPDATED 9/7/2017)
UPDATE (9/7/2017): Nearly a year after the deluxe Listen Without Prejudice–and some months after the unexpected passing of George Michael on Christmas 2016, the expanded Listen Without Prejudice is back on the calendar and packing a few new surprises. The 3-CD/1-DVD set and cut-down 2-CD package (featuring the original album and the MTV Unplugged set) will now hit stores October 20. The 2-CD set features new cover art as well as one additional bonus track: a new remix of Listen-era B-side “Fantasy” by acclaimed producer Nile Rodgers. This sleek funk version premiered…
You’re About To Get Your Share: Real Gone Announces Desmond Dekker and Meters Vinyl Reissues
After revealing its Halloween slate of titles, Real Gone Music has announced two more vinyl reissues due in late October and early November. The first, due on October 27, is the 3-LP set The Meters – A Message from The Meters: The Complete Josie, Reprise and Warner Brothers Singles 1968-1977. Funk pioneers The Meters are one of those bands who are greatly influential to a great many musicians. They have worked with artists ranging from Dr. John to Paul McCartney, but have not had great mainstream success of their own. Formed in…
Back From the Grave and Ready To Party: Real Gone’s October Releases Celebrate Halloween with ‘Cujo,’ Zacherle, ‘Return of the Living Dead’ and More
Real Gone has already announced one title for October: an expanded edition of Carol Burnett Sings. Now they are going in a completely different direction with titles to get listeners in the Halloween spirit, due on October 6. Things kick off with a limited vinyl reissue of the soundtrack to 1985’s The Return of the Living Dead. Return‘s history and legacy is a little complicated. George A. Romero and John Russo wrote 1968’s classic Night of the Living Dead. After its release, the two parted ways, with Russo retaining the rights…
I’m So Glad We Had This Time Together: Real Gone Reissues Carol Burnett Album for 50th Anniversary
Real Gone Music is kicking off its October slate of titles with a CD commemorating the 50th anniversary of one of the most iconic television program of all time: The Carol Burnett Show. The multi-talented Burnett recorded the album Carol Burnett Sings to tie in with the premiere of her new program, and Real Gone is giving the title its first-ever reissue on CD on October 6th, featuring liner notes by our very own Joe Marchese. Carol Burnett was already a stage, screen and recording veteran by the time the show bearing…
Smoke On The Water: Career-Spanning Deep Purple Compilation Due From Rhino
Deep Purple have just kicked off their latest tour in Las Vegas, co-headlining with Alice Cooper. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and part of the “Holy Trinity of British Hard-Rock” (with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath) are nearing their 50th anniversary and Rhino Records has announced a new anthology, available in several configurations to celebrate the band’s legacy. A Fire in the Sky will be available in single and 3-CD editions on September 8, with a 3-LP edition following on November 8. The band was formed in March of…
Review: Keely Smith, “Little Girl Blue/Little Girl New (Expanded Edition)”
In spring 1963, Keely Smith entered the studio to cut her first full-length effort for Reprise Records, the label recently founded by her friend Frank Sinatra. Little Girl Blue/Little Girl New, recorded with arranger-conductor Nelson Riddle, exemplified Smith’s classy vocal art and Riddle’s peerless gift for orchestration. After far too long an absence from the shelves, this seminal release is back in print from Real Gone Music as the second entry in the label’s Keely Smith series, with two bonus tracks adding to its already-considerable luster. Little Girl Blue/Little Girl New continued…
Listen To What The Band Is Playing: Bruce Springsteen Releases Two 1977 Concerts Featuring Official Premiere of Unreleased Song
Bruce Springsteen has just released two new concerts into his ever-growing list of shows available as made-on-demand CD-Rs and digital downloads at nugs.net. The first is from February 7, 1977 in Albany, New York and the second is from the next night, February 8 in Rochester, New York. They are significant as no soundboards from this portion of Springsteen’s touring career have ever surfaced before, and because they also feature a song which sees its first official release here: “Action in the Streets.” The years 1976 and 1977 were a bit trying…
Give Your Propers: New Aretha Franklin Project Combines Classics with New Orchestral Backing
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Aretha Franklin’s arrival at Atlantic Records in 1967 after departing Columbia Records. Her twelve year-tenure there would produce some of the most iconic soul and R&B recordings of all time. To celebrate this anniversary, Rhino Records is taking a cue from the Elvis Presley playbook and combining her classic vocals with new orchestral backing tracks. A Brand New Me: Aretha Franklin with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will hit stores on November 10 in three formats: CD, LP and digital download. The CD version features fourteen tracks. …
There’s No Need To Argue: Real Gone’s September Slate Concludes with Expanded DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince and a Two-fer from Ornette Coleman
We’ve told you about the first batch of Real Gone Music’s releases for September, including the Second Disc Records collection of Melissa Manchester’s Arista singles. Now, we’ve got the final two releases on Real Gone’s September slate to share. First up, due on September 8, is an expanded edition of 1988’s He’s the DJ, I’m the Rapper from DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The group began when Will Smith (“The Fresh Prince”) and Jeff Townes (“DJ Jazzy Jeff”) met at a party where Townes was acting as DJ. Smith stepped…
The Thrill of the Hunt: Real Gone’s September Slate Begins with “Predator” on Vinyl Plus Duane Eddy RCA Singles and Grateful Dead
While we are now in the height of the summer heat, Real Gone is looking ahead to the fall. The label has announced the first part of its release slate for September of this year and it is another eclectic mix of titles. First up is a title from the artist most people consider to be the greatest rock-instrumentalist of all time: Duane Eddy. Guitar Star: The Complete RCA Singles A’s and B’s collects all 22 single sides Eddy recorded for RCA Victor in the early to mid-1960s on CD, and is…
