Seven James Bonds at Casino Royale/They came to save the world and win the gal at Casino Royale! Six of them went to a heavenly spot, the seventh one is going to a place where it’s terribly hot… Hal David’s lyric captures just a small fraction of the insanity of Charles K. Feldman’s 1967 Casino Royale, the big-budget comic extravaganza that was “too much…for one James Bond!” And so, David Niven as James Bond was joined by 007s of all shapes and sizes (and genders!), and even by his nephew,
And Here's To You, Art Garfunkel: "The Singer" Anthology Coming From Legacy
UPDATE (2/21): A representative from Legacy has confirmed that this title is currently "on hold." Stay tuned for more information as it develops. When the singer’s gone, let the song go on… How lucky we are that Arthur Garfunkel is still very much with us. Jimmy Webb wrote those words for the unlikely rock star, a former architecture student endowed with a purity of tone and the ability to pierce the heart. Garfunkel, of course, was the yin to Paul Simon’s yang, the Tom to his Jerry. And so,
Review: Judy Garland, "The Historic Concert Remastered"
The applause started even before Mort Lindsey lifted his baton to conduct the Overture. By the time Judy Garland took the stage at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961 for "When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)," it didn't seem too far-fetched that the whole world was smiling, even beyond the corner of New York's 57th Street and 7th Avenue. Such was the power of Judy Garland. Only the greatest of live albums, in any genre, can translate the grip of a performer on his audience. Judy at
The Art of the 12-Inch, Part Deux: Unheard Paul McCartney Collaboration Included Among ZTT Treasures
What do you do? No one else can dance like you! So what's all the fuss? There ain't nobody that spies like us! It’s not often that we get the opportunity to write about Paul McCartney, forever fab, and Art of Noise, pioneering British synth-pop duo, in the same sentence. But Salvo Records and ZTT are giving us just that chance with this week's U.K. release of The Art of the 12-Inch, Volume Two. Okay, it’s not that much of a stretch, as Art of Noise’s Anne Dudley contributed synthesizer to
Presidents Day Special Reissue Theory: Walt Disney World's "The Hall of Presidents"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable album and the reissues they could someday see. Today's special holiday entry pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of a classic LP and beloved theme park attraction. Welcome to the Hall of Presidents! "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty
Goin' For High Coin: Harpers Bizarre's "Anything Goes" Returns in Expanded Mono Edition
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking! Now heaven knows, anything goes...Good authors, too, who once knew better words now only use four-letter words writing prose! Anything goes! When Cole Porter wrote "Anything Goes" in 1934, could he have had any idea that his commentary would prove just as relevant more than thirty years later, and indeed, even today? In 1967, three years after the esteemed songsmith's passing, the members of Harpers Bizarre unleashed
Hooked on a Feeling: Real Gone Readies Complete B.J. Thomas, Frankie Avalon, The Tubes, a "Rock Messiah" and More
Raindrops might be falling on your head, but there’s one thing I know: the March slate of releases from Real Gone Music will assuredly keep those blues at bay! Featuring both returning favorites from the old Collectors’ Choice label as well as artists and recordings new to the Real Gone family, there’s something for everyone! Joining B.J. Thomas’ The Complete Scepter Singles on March 27 will be Frankie Avalon’s Muscle Beach Party: The United Artists Sessions, The Tubes’ Young & Rich/Now,
Cowboy in Sweden: Light in the Attic Preps Lee Hazlewood Retrospective, Plus Rare Stax Recordings of Wendy Rene Collected
Though he had many chapters in his career, there was only one Barton Lee Hazlewood. The man who famously taught Nancy Sinatra to “sing like a 16-year old who goes out with 45-year old truckers” also played a pivotal role in the career of Duane Eddy and produced hits by Dean Martin, Dino (Martin), Desi (Arnaz, Jr.) and Billy (Hinsche), and the Chairman of the Board himself. But Hazlewood continued to create works of both eccentricity and beauty long after he departed Reprise Records in the
Aces High! "The London American Label: 1957," "Mod Jazz Forever" and "Smash Boom Bang: Feldman-Goldstein-Gotteher" Available Now
Smash! Boom! Bang! The ace compilation experts at, well, Ace Records are offering up plenty of Smash, Boom and Bang (both in impact and in label name!) for your buck with their diverse slate of February releases. You'll find top-drawer pop, rock and soul for connoisseurs and beginners alike among the label's latest. Perhaps the most unexpected is the new entry in the label's long-running Songwriters and Producers series. Smash Boom Bang! The Songs and Productions of
Our Memories of Elvis: Presley Classics Expanded by Follow That Dream Label in March
Following December’s release of expanded editions of Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas, Promised Land and Elvis is Back!, the limited-edition Follow That Dream label has announced another trio of vintage Presley titles due in March. The On Stage: February, 1970 album (previously twinned with In Person by RCA and Legacy) will be a 2-disc, 7-inch digipak set with a 12-page booklet. In addition to the original album sequence, it will present all of RCA's recordings from three of the
Back Tracks: Whitney Houston
Music was in both the bloodline and the spirit of Whitney Elizabeth Houston (1963-2012). The native of Newark, New Jersey called Cissy Houston of The Sweet Inspirations her mom, while Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick were her beloved cousins. Aretha Franklin was a close family friend and honorary aunt. Following in her mother's footsteps, she began performing at Newark's New Hope Baptist Church, singing in the gospel choir as a featured soloist, and began to make inroads in the music
So Esoteric: Todd Rundgren's Lost "Disco Jets" and a Jim Capaldi Duo Coming Soon
Longtime Todd Rundgren fans are familiar with the renaissance man’s numerous genre excursions, from pop to rock and everywhere in between: psychedelia, soul, electronica, even metal. But comparatively fewer fans have heard Rundgren’s one and only full-blown excursion into disco. Shortly after completing 1976’s Faithful LP, the iconoclastic producer took the members of Utopia into the studio to create the album known as Disco Jets. Yet the album crafted by Willie Wilcox (drums), Roger Powell
Review: Frank Sinatra, "The Concert Sinatra" (2012)
There have been countless recordings of Frank Sinatra…but only one Concert Sinatra. So named for its full concert orchestra (and not for a live performance), the 1963 album remains a career triumph. It’s perhaps the pinnacle of Sinatra’s long association with conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle, a vivid display of the singer’s gifts as a dramatic actor, and the ultimate valentine to the American theatrical songbook. Make no mistake, The Concert Sinatra is serious symphonic music, and it’s back
The Man in Black Meets the Man Upstairs: New Johnny Cash "Bootleg" Album Collects Gospel Material and Rarities
Underneath the darkness of The Man in Black, there was a great light. Despite trials that would likely have tested the faith of a lesser man, Johnny Cash’s belief in a higher power was unshakeable. And Cash formidably expressed those beliefs in song over the course of his long career. Like another American icon, Elvis Presley, Cash built up a body of gospel and spiritual music with such depth that it has easily stood the test of time alongside his more famous secular works. Johnny Cash
Touch the Sky: Four Classic Carole King Albums Reissued
When Carole King left Lou Adler’s Ode Records, the label that guided her in the transition from urban Brill Building queen to singer/songwriter/earth mother, it marked the end of an era. And how would the Tapestry weaver top the two distinct periods that had come before? King signed to Hollywood’s venerable Capitol Records label, and the title of her first LP for the label said it all: Simple Things. King’s final Ode LP, 1976’s Thoroughbred, had emphasized a return to nature in its cover
Anyone Who Had a Heart: Shelby Lynne's Dusty Springfield Tribute, Reissued
When I Am Shelby Lynne appeared on the Mercury label in 2000, its eponymous singer finally hit on an approach that synthesized her varied influences (country, soul, R&B, rock-and-roll) into a relevant and contemporary whole. Lynne picked up the Best New Artist Grammy, despite having released her first album in 1989, and the album’s title indicated that, finally, the artist knew who she was, and was ready to share her music with the world. Fast-forward eight years, and a number of albums
High Anxiety: Wounded Bird Offers Blood, Sweat and Tears, Phil Everly, and...Mel Brooks?!?
No need to suffer from high anxiety (it’s always the same)! Chances are that Wounded Bird Records might make you so very happy with a trio of new releases slated for February 21. Phil Everly’s 1973 solo offering for RCA Records, Star Spangled Springer, has never before been available on CD despite contributions from Warren Zevon and Duane Eddy, and so Wounded Bird’s reissue will undoubtedly fill a gap in more than a few Everly Brothers collections. It’s joined by the 2-CD release of Blood, Sweat
Gonna Take a Miracle: Deniece Williams Trio Coming From BBR and FTG
Let's hear it for Deniece Williams. By the time of her debut album in 1976, the resilient singer with the remarkable range had already recorded a Northern Soul favorite ("I'm Walking Away" on the small Lock Records label), performed with Minnie Riperton and Roberta Flack, and been a member of Stevie Wonder's versatile backing group Wonderlove. This is Niecy, on Columbia Records, was produced by Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire and Charles Stepney of Chess Records fame, and their
Always on Our Mind: Willie Nelson Returns to Sony in New Legacy Deal
To all the girls and boys who have loved the music of Willie Nelson before, there’s plenty of good news ahead. The red-headed stranger, 78, has signed a new deal with Sony’s Legacy Recordings division that encompasses both new albums (with a total of five promised) and archival releases. Nelson, one of the most prolific recording artists of any genre, has maintained a release schedule that would make many a younger man envious. In 2011 alone, Nelson released one studio album and one live
When The Lovelight Starts Shining: Lost Brit Girl Pop of Beryl Marsden Returns
If you peruse enough collections of Merseybeat, chances are you'll be familiar with the name of Beryl Marsden (no relation to Gerry, of Pacemakers fame). A product of the same Liverpool club scene that birthed the career of Beatle pal Cilla Black, Marsden played a number of recognizable Fab haunts, including the Cavern Club and the Star Club, and even supported the Beatles on their 1964 U.K. tour. But Marsden had never received a career-spanning anthology...until now! Changes: The Story of
Straight Through/From The Heart: Dio Goes Deluxe From Universal, Audio Fidelity Preps Dio, Bryan Adams
It’s 1983 all over again at Audio Fidelity. The audiophile specialty label is readying two albums from that year touching on both the rock and pop ends of the musical spectrum. Bryan Adams’ Cuts Like a Knife and Dio’s Holy Diver are both due in stores on February 14 as 24K Gold CDs playable on all CD players. Cuts Like a Knife was Adams’ third effort, eschewing the stylistic presentation of his first two albums in favor of a melodic rock style that caught on with both listeners and radio
Tattoo You: Rolling Stones Digital Archive Unveils 1981 Concert
When the Rolling Stones opened the Stones Archive for business late in 2011 with the first-ever legitimate release of The Brussels Affair, it was greeted as somewhat of a mixed blessing. The Archive promised to be a place where fans of the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band "can listen to unheard music, view unseen photographs and films, and look at rare merchandise. Fans have the opportunity to buy items such as signed lithographs, deluxe box sets, even personalised merchandise and tour gear
Review: Aretha Franklin, "Knew You Were Waiting: The Best of Aretha Franklin 1980-1998"
Aretha Franklin is serious about her royalty. Billed on her newly-activated Twitter account as "the undisputed Queen of Soul" (take that, Tina Turner!), Franklin doesn't take her title lightly. But for a brief period, the artist's credentials as reigning Queen of Pop were just as unimpeachable. When Aretha joined Arista Records in 1980, it was after five disappointing albums at Atlantic, none of which have ever seen the light of day on compact disc. On those LPs, producers as diverse as
Review: "Golden Gate Groove: The Sound of Philadelphia, Live in San Francisco 1973"
No love, no peace, no shoes on my feet…no home, just a shack where I sleep… In the fall of 1971, Philadelphia International Records launched its long-playing series with Billy Paul’s Going East, and the title opus in which the velvet-voiced crooner spins a slow-burning yarn of slavery. It was hardly Top 40 fare (Paul would have to wait till producers/songwriters/label entrepreneurs Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff gifted him “Me and Mrs. Jones” the following year) but signaled the dramatic
The Hills of Yesterday: Henry Mancini, Charles Strouse Offer "Molly Maguires" Scores
A victim of the blacklist, director Martin Ritt (The Front, The Great White Hope and Norma Rae) felt passionately about using film to explore relevant social issues. So it would have been no surprise that he was taken with the story of the Molly Maguires, the Irish-American coal miners who formed a secret society (some might say, of terrorists) to fight their oppressive employers in 19th century Pennsylvania. Ritt enlisted an all-star cast including Sean Connery (still in his James Bond
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