Just a few short weeks ago on August 19, The Second Disc reported on the Criterion Collection release of the Monkees’ trippy cinematic opus, Head. At the end of that article, we opined, “Perhaps the success of this set will inspire Rhino Handmade to revisit the Head soundtrack as a deluxe edition should its Monkees reissue program continue.” Well, we didn’t even have to wait that long. Rhino Handmade has announced a three-disc deluxe box set of the soundtrack to Head and much, much more.
Some Like It Hotter: Kritzerland Follows “Promises” with Remixed “Sugar”
Kritzerland’s Bruce Kimmel wasn’t one to rest on his laurels over the Labor Day weekend. The soundtrack and cast album specialist label announced on Monday its latest two-CD deluxe release, a reissue of the 1972 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Sugar. For those who missed out on Kimmel’s Promises, Promises, don’t pass up the chance to hear this terrifically fun album in a new light. Sugar, the musical version of Billy Wilder’s seminal film Some Like It Hot, was assembled by a Broadway dream
Labor Day Special Reissue Theory: Stephen Schwartz and James Taylor, “Working”
The Second Disc Archives are open! We're reprising this look at a musical which united the talents of Stephen Schwartz, James Taylor, Mary Rodgers, Micki Grant and Craig Carnelia, while our story also features "appearances" along the way by Paul Simon, Joni Mitchell, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Warnes and Rupert Holmes! Welcome to our Reissue Theory special: Working! On Monday, September 6, 2010, America celebrated its 128th Labor Day, all but the first 12 of them recognized as a
Review: Frank Sinatra, "September of My Years"
Frank Sinatra was always one to face the world head-on. So it was with his turning 50. The man who had pioneered the “concept album” with a string of themed records for Capitol began thinking of an LP that would allow him to plant his feet squarely in the present, 1965, and reflect with every ounce of experience he’d acquired in the many lives he’d led over a mere 50 years. The album that would become September of My Years began its life inspired by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson’s “September
News Round-Up: Sinatra TV Specials Boxed, Handmade Does Comedy
Rhino Handmade has revealed the latest addition to its catalogue, and it's an unexpected one. The State began its MTV run in 1993, and ran for three seasons, showcasing its young ensemble in edgy sketch comedy. The troupe spent January 1996 recording an album for Warner Bros. Records, but it was ultimately shelved. That album, Comedy for Gracious Living, gets its first-ever release on September 20 from the busy Handmade folks. Cast members are recognizable from their work in Wet Hot American
Reel Music, Hip-o Select Raid the Motown Vaults
Just a few days' away from its start, September is already looking to be a great month for Motown enthusiasts. For starters, an August 22 tweet from Hip-o Select's Twitter feed revealed the latest project in Motown Select's (busy) pipeline: Tammi Terrell's Come On and See Me: The Complete Solo Collection. While largely remembered for her classic duets with Marvin Gaye, Terrell was no slouch as a solo artist, and this compilation should go a long way in reminding audiences of that fact. As Tammy
Springsteen Reveals Details for "Darkness" Mega-Box
Folks, Bruce Springsteen doesn't kid around when it comes to keeping promises. The specs are in for The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story, and this monster box set due on November 16 is going to be a doozy, to put it mildly. Boasting three packed CDs and three DVDs or Blu-Rays, The Promise is a treasure chest for longtime Springsteen fans: 21 unreleased audio tracks on two CDs, four hours of concert footage (including 12 performances dating between 1976 and 1978, a whopping 26
Review: Various Artists, "Book a Trip: The Psych Pop Sounds of Capitol Records"
In 1970, Griffin’s “Yours Till Forever,” written by a young songwriter named Kenny Nolan, skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart. A band called The Exception, led by singer/bassist Peter Cetera, became one of the biggest acts of the decade and kicked off their international success with the horn-driven hit “My Mind Goes Traveling.” And, of course, the Lettermen, those pioneers of psychedelic pop, are still remembered for their ode to “Mr. Sun.” Okay, none of that really
The Answer's No Longer Blowin' in the Wind: Columbia Confirms Dylan Tracks
On July 30, The Second Disc reported on Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings and the ninth volume of Dylan's acclaimed Bootleg Series, both due in stores on October 19. Well, Volume 9 has an official name and an official track listing. The Bootleg Series Volume 9: The Witmark Demos 1962-1964 will contain a whopping 47 songs (plus one fragment) recorded by Hibbing, Minesota's favorite son in demo form not only for M. Witmark & Sons, but for Leeds Music as well. 15 songs were recorded
"One-Eyed Jacks" a Kritzerland Smash
The first and only film directed by Marlon Brando, the 1961 western One-Eyed Jacks isn't as well-remembered as many of the screen legend's other accomplishments. But with a cast including Brando as bank robber Rio (inspired by Billy the Kid), Karl Malden as his former partner-turned-sheriff Doc Longworth and Ben Johnson as new cohort Bob Emory, and a revolving door of screenwriters including Sam Peckinpah and Calder Willingham, One-Eyed Jacks had much to distinguish it. It was the final film
September 20 Will Be a Manic Monday: 2 Bangles Titles Reissued and Expanded in the UK
Emerging in the early 1980s with a sound equal parts garage rock, power pop and 1960s folk rock a la the Byrds, the Bangles quickly took their place as one of the most successful girl groups of all time. The band consisting of Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson, Debbi Peterson and Michael Steele made their major-label debut on the Columbia label with 1984's All Over the Place. While not a major success, the album made enough of a splash to attract some big fans, namely 1980s icons Cyndi Lauper, Huey
Holy Mackerel! Early Paul Williams Expanded and Remastered by Now Sounds
If ever an album was lost in the shuffle, it was the 1968 debut LP by The Holy Mackerel. The LP, assigned as Reprise 6311, fell smack in between Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (Reprise 6307) and Neil Young's eponymous solo debut (Reprise 6317). But adventurous listeners would find themselves rewarded if they picked up the album by the oddly-named group, with its cover sleeve of five gents and a lady smiling for the camera under three-dimensional comic book-style lettering proclaiming them "The
Compilation Deluge Due from Legacy: Joplin, Presley, Dylan, Cash Included
The Second Disc kicks off the week with a bit of synergy. Our very own Mike Duquette contributed a wonderful piece over at Popdose looking at the hidden musical treasures you can find at your local grocery store - of all places! - including Sony/Legacy's Playlist: The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates. If you haven’t checked out Mike’s incisive, entertaining feature, please do so now, and then rejoin me here. Okay? Good. Welcome back! With summer turning to fall, and fall traditionally
Intrada Delivers "SpaceCamp" and "Cohen and Tate"
For film score fans, this past Tuesday might as well have been called "Fat Tuesday." I'm going to keep this short and sweet, because the news speaks for itself: Intrada announced the much-anticipated CD release of John Williams' score to 1986's SpaceCamp in a 3,000-copy limited edition which literally sold out in a matter of hours! SpaceCamp is mastered from the original RCA tapes, which have been vaulted by Sony. And Bill Conti fans have reason to rejoice, too, as Intrada has also announced a
Band (Still) on the Run: McCartney Reissue Set for November, Tracks Revealed
Fans of Paul McCartney are going to have to wait just a little bit longer for Concord to kick off its catalogue reissue campaign, as the remastered editions of Band on the Run have been pushed back from September 28 to November 2, a little less than a month after EMI’s massive batch of John Lennon reissues drop. Concord has been keeping all information pertaining to this release close to the vest, but details have finally emerged. The 1973 classic by McCartney and Wings (his fifth solo release
You've Got to Have "Faith" in Multiple Formats and Prices
August 10 brought news of Legacy's remastered, expanded reissue of George Michael's solo debut from 1987, Faith, and a link to pre-order a Limited Edition Numbered Collector's Box Set at the cost of $141.57 and filled with goodies including a vinyl replica of the original album and artist memorabilia. Now, details have finally emerged as to the other configurations in which Faith will be made available, and it's good news: a 2-CD/1-DVD set will include the same bonus disc of remixes and B-sides
Que Sera Sera: Doris Day Mines the Vaults; Disc to Be of Interest to Beach Boys Fans
Fans of the immortal Doris Day got a surprise earlier this month when the somewhat-reclusive legend and active animal rights crusader announced plans to release a new CD collection, her 29th studio recording, later this year. Entitled My Heart and possibly set for a UK release later this year courtesy of Day’s longtime label Columbia/Sony, the set will reissue 4 vintage recordings and debut 8 previously-unreleased tracks recorded circa 1985 with Day’s son, Terry Melcher, at the controls. From
The Porpoise is Waiting No More: Monkees Flick Hits Blu-Ray
Hey hey! Attention all readers! We take a break from our regularly-scheduled coverage of audio reissues to bring you news of an important music-related video release: the Blu-Ray debut of the Monkees’ 1968 surreal film odyssey Head! With the Criterion Collection’s November 23 release as part of a massive box set dedicated to the films of BBS Productions, Head makes its eagerly-awaited appearance on Blu-Ray. (The box set will also be available in the DVD format.) To call Head a trip is to put it
Elvis Has Left the Building: Costello's "Pomp and Pout" Postponed (Again!)
Back on June 8, The Second Disc apprised its readers of a new collection being prepped by Elvis Costello for release on the Hip-o label. Entitled Pomp and Pout, it would be the first compilation of Costello’s Universal recordings, drawing on 10 years and 18 tracks. Originally scheduled for July 13 release, it was postponed to later in July, and then to late in August. Now, with the August 24 release date approaching, it appears that Pomp and Pout has either been postponed, or pulled altogether,
Visit Hollywood, 1962, with "Billy Barnes' L.A." from Kritzerland
In his interview with The Second Disc, producer Bruce Kimmel promised to reissue some long-lost musical revues among Kritzerland’s future releases; he makes good on his word with Monday morning’s announcement of the 1963 Los Angeles cast recording of Billy Barnes’ L.A. Billy Barnes’ L.A. opened on October 10, 1962 at that city's Coronet Theatre, still in use today as part of the Largo music and comedy club. It was recorded the following January at the legendary United Recording Studio on Sunset
The Madcap Laughs, Again: Barrett Anthologized by EMI
When Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett died on July 7, 2006 at the age of 60, rock music lost one of its most notorious and fascinating enigmas. A founding member of Pink Floyd, Barrett was the primary architect of the Floyd’s first studio album (1967’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn) and author of the band’s first three singles: “Arnold Layne,” “See Emily Play” and “Apples and Oranges.” All of these accomplishments reveal Barrett’s unique psychedelic whimsy and stellar musicianship; despite going onto
Barry Manilow, "Weird Al" Yankovic Upgraded to 3.0
And Legacy’s Essential train just keeps on rolling along. Upgrades to Essential 3.0 have been announced for two popular volumes in the long-running series, The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic and The Essential Barry Manilow. The new editions will expand the 2-CD releases with a third disc containing 6 and 7 tracks, respectively. While none of the tracks on the third discs appear to be rare, Essential 3.0 titles are usually priced very similarly to the original 2-CD sets (retailing for
Houston, Laws Reissues On the Way from Funky Town
Our friends at Funky Town Grooves have recently announced a pair of new reissues restoring to catalogue three LPs by two deeply soulful ladies: Thelma Houston and Eloise Laws. Earlier this year saw Soulmusic.com's reissue of Houston's 1969 baroque soul classic, Sunshower, and now Houston's fans can rejoice with the reissue of two RCA LPs dating from 1980 and 1981: Breakwater Cat and Never Gonna Be Another One. While neither made much of an impression on the album charts, both boast Houston's
Tartare Mega-Post: 20 More Titles Now Available
You've got to hand it to the folks at Collectors' Choice Music: when they launch a new catalogue initiative, they don't mess around. After an initial offering last month of 10 releases on the new Tartare imprint, CCM has just announced a further 20 titles to bolster the budding Tartare lineup. The genres covered in this batch are incredibly diverse: from folk songs to groovy psychedelia, polkas to 1990s jangle pop, deep soul to disco, jazz to country. In short, there really is something for
Mining Audiophile Treasures: Coming Soon from Audio Fidelity and MFSL
Some of rock’s finest will be receiving the deluxe treatment from audiophile specialist labels Audio Fidelity and Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) in the coming months: The Beach Boys, The Band, Gram Parsons, Deep Purple, Foreigner, The Pretenders and Billy Joel. The earliest release in this bunch is also one of the most exciting. The Beach Boys' Today! was released in 1965 and is generally remembered as one of the first albums on which Brian Wilson displayed the sensitive studio wizardry that