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/ Joe Marchese

A New Day: Varese Brings Randy Newman's "Pleasantville" to Vinyl

July 24, 2024 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Pleasantville 2024 LP

Writer-director Gary Ross' 1998 fantasy Pleasantville transported modern-day high school students and twin siblings David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) into the 1950s sitcom of the same name, where the pair proves to be the catalyst for the fictional community's shift from buttoned-up black-and-white to provocative color.  To compose the score to his high-concept film, Ross turned to a master of both satire and Americana: acclaimed singer-songwriter Randy Newman.  His richly

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Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Randy Newman

Review: Joni Mitchell, "The Asylum Albums 1972-1975" in Quadio

July 23, 2024 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Joni Mitchell Asylum Albums

The Joni Mitchell renaissance continues.  Following a triumphant surprise appearance in July 2022 at the Newport Folk Festival, the singer-songwriter returned to the stage for a full-length Joni Jam in June 2023 at Washington's Gorge Amphitheatre; tickets were quickly snapped up by ardent fans who had waited roughly two decades to see Mitchell in concert once again. The evening was a transcendent one, a taste of which was supplied to the public when Mitchell and her band of friends performed

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Categories: Reviews Formats: Blu-Ray Audio, Box Sets Genre: Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop Tags: Joni Mitchell

Don't Eat the Yellow Snow: Zappa's "Apostrophe (')" Gets 50th Anniversary Expansion

July 18, 2024 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Frank Zappa Apostrophe

Hot on the heels of the recent box set celebrating Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention's 1968 concert at the Whisky a Go Go, Zappa Records and UMe are turning the clocks forward to revisit the composer-guitarist-bandleader's most commercially successful LP.  On September 13, the labels will mark the 50th anniversary of Apostrophe ('), originally released in March 1974, with a 5CD/1Blu-ray Super Deluxe Edition as well as vinyl and digital editions. 1973's Over-Nite Sensation gave Zappa

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Categories: News Formats: Blu-Ray Audio, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Rock Tags: Frank Zappa

Review: Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, "Whisky a Go Go 1968"

July 12, 2024 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Zappa Whisky 1968

Frank Zappa didn't open his first set on the evening of July 23, 1968 at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go with a power chord or a blues beat.  Instead, the band - Ray Collins (vocals, percussion), Ian Underwood (alto sax), Bunk Gardner (tenor sax, flute), Don Preston (keyboards, gong), Motorhead Sherwood (baritone sax, percussion), Roy Estrada (bass, vocals), Art Tripp (drum set, percussion), and Jimmy Carl Black (drum set, percussion) - opened with a clattering improvisation that was sure to separate

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Everything Else, Jazz Tags: Frank Zappa

Forever Young: Bob Dylan and The Band's Complete 1974 Live Recordings Collected on Massive Box

July 9, 2024 By Joe Marchese 13 Comments

Bob Dylan and The Band 1974 Live Recordings

Bob Dylan had come a long way from coffeehouses.  In 1974, the superstar singer-songwriter embarked on an extensive tour with his old backing band.  Now, they, too, were universally known - as The Band - and the double bill hit indoor arenas across North America for 40 concerts over 30 dates and 21 cities.  The tour became one of the largest and highest-profile of the era, in no small part due to the promotional efforts of David Geffen, who'd spurred on the talks and had recently lured Dylan

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Bob Dylan, The Band

Review: Johnny Cash, "Songwriter"

July 3, 2024 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Johnny Cash Songwriter

"Hello out there, this is planet Earth..."  If planet Earth indeed had a voice, it might well have sounded like that of John R. Cash: deep, resonant, impactful.  Those lyrics open "Hello Out There," the first track on Songwriter, the new, posthumous release from the late troubadour (1932-2003) - the fifth such collection to arrive since his death.  It's been released by UMe and Mercury Nashville, in essence adding one more album to his Mercury discography which spanned 1986-1991. The Mercury

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Country Tags: Johnny Cash

Hard to Say It's Over: Sheena Easton's "A Private Heaven" Returns to Vinyl in Expanded Form

July 2, 2024 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Sheena Easton A Private Heaven 40th

Cherry Red's Cherry Pop arm began its association with Sheena Easton with the 2021 release of The Definitive Singles 1980-1987.  The 3-CD, 51-song collection brought together the Scottish singer's A-sides including both 7- and 12-inch singles during that period.  Since then, Cherry Pop has refreshed much of Easton's discography including expanded editions on CD of Madness, Money, and Music, Take My Time, and A Private Heaven, and the first-time release of Live at the Palace, Hollywood in audio

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Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Pop Tags: Prince, Sheena Easton

"Les Cousins: The Soundtrack to Soho's Legendary Folk and Blues Club" Features Paul Simon, Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, Al Stewart

June 25, 2024 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Les Cousins

"For two-and-a-half years, I had the Friday night show at Bunjies Coffee Bar, and it became a residency for me," Al Stewart remembered in an interview with this author for the recent collection of his U.S. singles.  "After a while, I got another residency right around the corner at a club called Les Cousins."  The Greek Street venue was a focal point of the London folk scene.  Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, Alexis Korner, John Renbourn, and a young American named Paul Simon all passed through its

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Folk Tags: Al Stewart, Bert Jansch, Cat Stevens, Donovan, Nick Drake, Paul Simon, Various Artists

Review: David Bowie, "Rock 'N' Roll Star"

June 18, 2024 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

David Bowie Rock N Roll Star

"So Long, '60s," David Bowie proclaims on the first track of the new 5CD/1BD Parlophone box set Rock 'N' Roll Star.  Strumming his 12-string at a San Francisco Holiday Inn, the future superstar was embracing the new decade and its immense possibilities: "I'll kick you in the ass, you rascal, you!"  Its verse melody and the barest wisp of the lyric ("keep your mouth shut!") would make it to a new composition, "Moonage Daydream," the third song on his fifth album.  That LP was The Rise and Fall of

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Categories: Reviews Formats: Blu-Ray Audio, Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: David Bowie

Over to That Sunnyside Road: Cat Stevens' "Foreigner" Returns to CD, LP, Digital

June 12, 2024 By Joe Marchese 7 Comments

Cat Stevens Foreigner

For his seventh studio album, 1973's Foreigner, Yusuf a.k.a. Cat Stevens made a major departure.  It was the first album solely produced and written by the artist, and his first to somewhat jettison his folk-influenced acoustic sound in favor of a more expansive R&B style.  Stevens traveled to Kingston, Jamaica to record the LP, enlisting an international array of musicians to join him.  On July 26, A&M/UMe will release a remastered edition of Foreigner on CD, vinyl (standard 180-gram

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Cat Stevens

What a Wonderful World: Verve Premieres Louis Armstrong's "Louis in London" on CD, LP

June 11, 2024 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Louis Armstrong Louis in London

Well, hello, Louis!  On July 12, Verve Records will release Louis in London on CD, vinyl, and digital formats.  This previously unreleased performance was recorded live on the BBC on July 2, 1968 while the legendary musician and singer was riding high thanks to the chart-topping success in Great Britain of "What a Wonderful World." The 13-song set naturally includes that evergreen anthem penned by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. Armstrong - a pioneer not only as a jazz trumpeter and

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Jazz, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Louis Armstrong

Little Bit of Love: Iconoclassic Reissues, Remasters, and Expands Dwight Twilley's "Jungle"

June 6, 2024 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Dwight Twilley Jungle

Tomorrow, June 7, Iconoclassic Records is saying: Welcome to the Jungle.  The label is reissuing the late, great Dwight Twilley's 1984 album Jungle for the first time on CD in a 40th anniversary expanded edition featuring six bonus tracks (four of which are previously unreleased). Twilley's third solo album and second on EMI America, Jungle became the singer-songwriter's most successful.  It reached the top 40 of the Billboard 200 and yielded the top 20 hit "Girls," fueled by a music video in

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Dwight Twilley, Tom Petty

Living Proof: Sylvester's Complete 1979 "Live at the Opera House" Coming from Craft Recordings

June 5, 2024 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Sylvester Live at the Opera House

March 11, 1979 was the evening that cemented dance superstar Sylvester's legend.  The 3,100+-seat San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, home since 1932 to the San Francisco Opera company, was filled to capacity with fans who'd come to see their hometown hero in his singular splendor.   Mayor Dianne Feinstein had sent city supervisor and gay rights activist Harry Britt to present Sylvester, mid-show, with the key to the city.  That concert, during which Sylvester was joined by the electrifying

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Disco/Dance, R&B/Soul Tags: Martha Wash, Sylvester, Two Tons o' Fun

Edsel Box Set Round-Up: "SAM: The Sound of New York City," "Sean Rowley Presents Guilty Pleasures: 20th Anniversary"

June 3, 2024 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Sean Rowley's Guilty Pleasures

When brothers Hy and Sam Weiss passed in 2007 and 2008, respectively, the Romanian-born immigrants to Brooklyn were eulogized as the last of the golden age record men.  The Weiss brothers formed their first record label in 1949; in 1953, they launched Old Town Records which Hy would take on as his own in 1956.  Many of Old Town's classic hits are still favorites today, such as The Capris' "There's a Moon Out Tonight," Billy Bland's "Let the Little Girl Dance," and "Remember Then" by The Earls. 

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Disco/Dance, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Andrew Gold, Carole Bayer Sager, Doris Duke, Electric Light Orchestra, John Davis and The Monster Orchestra, Nicolette Larson, Olivia Newton-John, Rupert Holmes, Seals and Crofts, Various Artists

At Last: "Dreams Do Come True: George Benson Meets Robert Farnon" Arrives in June

May 28, 2024 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

George Benson Meets Robert Farnon

Earlier this year, George Benson announced his return to Warner Music Group, bringing him back to the home of such classic albums as the multi-platinum Breezin' and platinum In Flight and Give Me the Night.  On June 14, the superstar guitarist-singer will debut a previously unreleased album from 1989 in CD, vinyl, and digital formats.  Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon paired Benson with the Canadian composer-conductor-arranger whose most famous clients include Frank

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Jazz, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: George Benson, Robert Farnon

Watching the Sun Bake: UMe Remasters, Reissues Ten Albums from Jimmy Buffett

May 22, 2024 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Jimmy Buffett Living and Dying in 3 4 Time

The late Jimmy Buffett was recently announced to join Dionne Warwick, late producer-songwriter Norman Whitfield, and Michigan rockers MC5 as a recipient of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's Musical Excellence Award.  The singer-songwriter who passed away last September at the age of 76 left behind a legacy of music (and beyond) that continues to entertain and inspire.  His final album, Equal Strain on All Parts, was one of his most moving, blending his infectious optimism and tropical pop with

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Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Pop Tags: Jimmy Buffett

Self Expression: Lou Christie's "Gypsy Bells" Collects Rare, Unreleased Columbia Sides

May 21, 2024 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

Lou Christie Gypsy Bells

There are many great mysteries in pop music.  How the heck did Lou Christie move from MGM to Columbia in the wake of "Lightnin' Strikes" and "Rhapsody in the Rain" and all but disappear? is certainly one of them.  Earlier this year, Ace Records attempted to answer this question with Gypsy Bells: Columbia Recordings 1967, a compendium of the released and unreleased material recorded by the Italian-American falsetto singer during his short and rocky tenure with the label.  Expectedly, it's a

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Lou Christie

Prove Your Love: Fleetwood Mac's Early Years Chronicled on New Compilation

May 20, 2024 By Joe Marchese 15 Comments

Fleetwood Mac Best of 1969 1974

With 1975's Fleetwood Mac, the venerable blues-rock outfit founded by Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Peter Green, and Jeremy Spencer made a strategic leap towards the mainstream.  Fleetwood, John McVie, and Christine McVie were joined on that album by two Americans, Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, who transformed the band into a commercial rock behemoth.  Those who had followed the group's early years, though, knew that the only thing to expect from Fleetwood Mac was the unexpected.  On July

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Fleetwood Mac

Moonlight Serenade: Stage Door Reissues Max Bygraves' "Discolongamax"

May 16, 2024 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Max Bygraves Disco

Tomorrow, Stage Door Records delivers perhaps the most unexpected reissue of the year - and almost certainly the campiest!  Fans of kitsch (and you know who you are!) will doubtless find much to enjoy in Stage Door's CD premiere of Discolongamax from the late British entertainer Max Bygraves (1922-2012).  This marks the third release in the label's Pop series, following an expanded album from The Nolans and the television-themed Crossroads Wedding Party. Cast album connoisseurs might know

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Disco/Dance, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Max Bygraves

PRE-ORDER UPDATE: SoulMusic, The Second Disc Team to Celebrate The Salsoul Orchestra on New Box Set

May 16, 2024 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Salsoul Orchestra It's Good for the Soul

Last Christmas, The Second Disc teamed with SoulMusic Records and Cherry Red for The Salsoul Orchestra's Christmas Jollies: The Extra Jolly Edition, celebrating the best-selling album in the entire Salsoul catalogue.  On May 31, we'll follow that set up with It's Good for the Soul: The Vince Montana Years (1975-1978), the definitive, first-ever box set collecting The Salsoul Orchestra's groundbreaking albums produced, arranged, and conducted by Vincent Montana, Jr.!  U.S. customers: pre-orders

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Disco/Dance, R&B/Soul Tags: The Salsoul Orchestra, Vincent Montana Jr.

We Have Heaven: Rhino Reissues, Expands Yes' "Fragile" with New Mixes

May 15, 2024 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Yes Fragile

Rhino is following last year's Super Deluxe Edition of 1971's The Yes Album with a similar set for the prog legends' fourth album. Fragile arrived later that same year, introducing Rick Wakeman as keyboardist and kicking off a new era of Yes history. The upcoming box set, due on June 28, follows the same 4CD/1LP/1BD format as The Yes Album, featuring Steven Wilson's newly remastered and remixed audio, rare and previously unreleased live and studio tracks, and a Dolby Atmos mix. Fragile was

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Categories: News Formats: Blu-Ray Audio, Box Sets, CD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Rock Tags: Yes

I'll Love You Forever: 7a Reissues, Expands Davy Jones' "Incredible!" Album

May 13, 2024 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Davy Jones Incredible

Davy Jones' "lost" album, Incredible!, is finally seeing a wide, authorized release from our friends at 7a Records.  This Friday, May 17, the label will issue the album on both CD and limited edition, 180-gram, LP pressed on blue vinyl. Incredible! has taken on almost mythical status among Monkees collecting circles.  Jones recorded the original 10-song set at the height of the '80s wave of Monkeemania when new fans were discovering Davy, Mickey, Peter, and Mike through MTV, syndication, and

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Vinyl Genre: Pop Tags: Davy Jones

Beautiful Music: Barry Manilow's "Live in Britain" Returns to CD

May 7, 2024 By Joe Marchese 7 Comments

Barry Manilow Live in Britain

Barry Manilow hasn't been resting on his laurels. In recent months, the superstar entertainer saw his musical Harmony finally make it to Broadway, continued his record-breaking residency in Las Vegas, sold out New York's Radio City Music Hall, and announced from the stage of Carnegie Hall that he had re-entered the studio at the instigation of Clive Davis to record Peter Allen and Dean Pitchford's anthem "Once Before I Go" for a new single on which he collaborated with producer Babyface. Manilow

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming Genre: Pop Tags: Barry Manilow

What's So Funny: Cherry Red, Lemon Collect Brinsley Schwarz Albums on "Thinking Back"

May 6, 2024 By Joe Marchese 6 Comments

Brinsley Schwarz Thinking Back

Brinsley Schwarz, the band, may be best-remembered today as the launching pad for singer-songwriter Nick Lowe and as a prime exemplar of the U.K. pub rock scene.  The band's studio albums, though, reveal diverse influences and a vibrant sound that more than holds up today.  In recent months, Cherry Red's Lemon Recordings imprint brought together the band's seven albums plus more than 60 bonus tracks on the whopping 7-CD box set Thinking Back: The Anthology 1970-1975. Guitarist Brinsley

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Brinsley Schwarz, Ian Gomm, Nick Lowe

Makes Me Feel Fine: Rhino's New Quadio Batch Includes Seals and Crofts, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Hot Tuna

May 3, 2024 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Quadio Bundle 4

Not long after the release of Joni Mitchell's Quadio box set - making her the third artist to have an entire Quadio box dedicated to her, after Chicago and The Doobie Brothers - Rhino has just announced the fourth round of Blu-ray titles in the four-channel surround format  Donny Hathaway's Extension Of A Man, Hot Tuna's Burgers, Roberta Flack's Killing Me Softly, and Seals & Crofts' Summer Breeze are all available now, as newly remastered from the original four-channel quadraphonic master

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Categories: News Formats: Blu-Ray Audio Genre: Blues, Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Donny Hathaway, Hot Tuna, Roberta Flack, Seals and Crofts

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