As Star Wars fans count down to a theatrical reissue of the chronological beginning of the six-film series, new fans will get a chance to rediscover its musical merits, thanks to a new reissue from Sony Classical. The year 1999 was a monumental year for fans of George Lucas' Star Wars series. After years of discussions and planning, that May saw the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the first of a new prequel trilogy that explained how Lucas' mythological galaxy fell into the
Release Round-Up: Week of January 17
Frank Sinatra, The Concert Sinatra (Concord) A remixed, remastered and expanded edition of Frank's 1963 studio album (the title referred to the size of Nelson Riddle's excellent orchestra). Modern English, Mesh and Lace / After the Snow / Ricochet Days (4AD) Newly-pressed reissues of the first three Modern English LPs, with bonus tracks. They've been out before, so you might already have them. But if you don't, they're here again. Heaven 17, Play to Win: The Very Best of Heaven 17 / Hot
New Cherry Red Imprint Sets Its Sights; JoBoxers, 'Til Tuesday Expansions Planned
Cherry Red's stable of reissue labels has become a little bigger: this month, the group established a new imprint, Hot Shot Records, that looks to expand the horizons of reissues for pop and dance hits of yesteryear. Established under the group's thriving Big Break Records label, Hot Shot's mission, according to its Facebook page, is "to breathe life back into a variety of smart pop, dance gems and hidden treasures." From its outset, it looks like the label is looking to make a mark with
Jason Takes Hollywood: "Friday the 13th" Box Available from La-La Land
It's Friday the 13th, and there's a chill in the air out in the east. Perfect timing, then, for La-La Land Records to unveil their much-anticipated Friday the 13th soundtracks box set! The beloved soundtrack label is presenting, for the first time, all of Harry Manfredini's music for the first six films in the long-running slasher series, remastered and restored from original source elements. Much of this material is being heard on disc for the first time, a definite treat for fans of the
The Right Profile: Early Rap Label Anthologized on New Double-Disc Set
Legacy Recordings has got a fantastic new compilation coming out later this month chronicling the rise of a most underrated rap label: Profile Records. Profile was the brainchild of two young aspiring music moguls living in New York City at the tail end of the disco boom. Steve Plotnicki was a songwriter whose cult disco tune, "Love Insurance," was recorded by Cory Robbins in 1979, for release on Robbins' own Panorama label, a small imprint with ties to MCA Music Publishing. The duo aspired to
And the Tracks Are...: "2012 Grammy Nominees" Disc Due
With the 54th Annual Grammy Awards mere weeks away on February 13, it's getting close to one of music's most vaunted pre-Grammy traditions: the release of the annual Grammy nominees compilation. Due out January 24, 2012 Grammy Nominees compiles exactly the artists you'd expect, from multiple award nominees (British soul songstress Adele, pop acts Bruno Mars and Katy Perry, modern rock legends the Foo Fighters and country star Taylor Swift) to rising stars (rappers J. Cole and Nicki Minaj,
Love Hangover, Redux: Hip-O Select Plans Deluxe Edition of "Diana Ross"
And now Hip-o Select unveils its first new catalogue set of the New Year: a deluxe edition of Diana Ross' legendary 1976 self-titled album. Ross' first studio LP in three years, following 1973's Last Time I Saw Him, was produced by Michael Masser, who'd rose to prominence with his work on Last Time - writing the title track - as well as Motown stalwarts Hal Davis and Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. The leadoff single had been released the previous year, a sweet, irresistible song from
Wouldn't It Be Good? Universal U.K. Expands Nik Kershaw's Debut LP
A pleasant surprise is coming from Universal's catalogue arm across the pond: an expanded edition of Nik Kershaw's excellent debut album Human Racing. Released in 1984, Human Racing gave the young Bristol-born, Suffolk-raised guitarist a big break after years of jobbing in local bands. Aided by a set of teen magazine-ready good looks and an ear for intricately arranged, vaguely theatrical pop tunes, the second single from Human Racing, the excellent "Wouldn't It Be Good," became a Top 5 smash
Pulp on Fire: Early U.K. Albums Expanded for February Release
Yesterday's announcement of the lineup for the three-day Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival in April was met with typical fanfare associated with major festival announcements. And why not? A veritable who's who of rising stars and legends across a wide swath of genres will be performing, including Radiohead, The Black Keys, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, Bon Iver, Madness, Squeeze, The Shins, ex-Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher, the newly-reunited At the Drive-In, James, Florence and The Machine,
Release Round-Up: Week of January 10
A slow week, but enough substantial releases to make this our first Round-Up of 2012! Alex Chilton, Free Again: The 1970 Sessions (Omnivore Recordings) After The Box Tops, before Big Star, the late, great Chilton finds his voice as a writer. A review from Joe is forthcoming! Jellyfish, Bellybutton / Spilt Milk (Omnivore Recordings) Brand-new vinyl remasters of the only two albums by the perennially underrated power pop band. Andy Gibb, Greatest Hits / Iron Butterfly, Evolution: The Best of
Intrada Releases Two Fists of Kamen for 2012
After a healthy and innovative year for film score reissues, Intrada starts off the new year with a bang - or better yet, a swift roundhouse kick: two heretofore-unreleased late-'80s action scores by the excellent Michael Kamen. The first one is a very familiar title to pop-culture junkies and cult-classic geeks: the score to Road House. The 1989 action flick starred Patrick Swayze in his first post-Dirty Dancing project as Dalton, a strangely complex, widely-renowned bouncer with a degree in
Promised You a Miracle: Simple Minds Expand Early Albums for New Box Set, Tour
In 1985, Scottish rockers Simple Minds burst onto the American music scene in a big way with "Don't You (Forget About Me)," the chart-topping theme to iconic teen drama The Breakfast Club. Before their brush with John Hughes-induced fame, though, the band released a batch of increasingly successful post-punk and New Wave records between 1979 and 1982. This winter, to coincide with the "5x5 Tour" in Europe, which will see founding members - singer Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill -
Another Year, Another Batch of "ICON" Titles
It's 2012, a new year full of new catalogue opportunities - and yet another batch of our favorite ridiculous, vaguely pointless series of compilations, UMe's ICON. The generic collections pack nothing but hits into an 11-track set list, enabling the uninitiated to get a simple primer of their favorite artist for maybe $8 and change. This time around, the batch is very rock-oriented (mid-'80s Deep Purple, Anthrax, Cinderella, Uriah Heep) with some traces of late-'90s rap and R&B (Dru Hill,
Compilation Watch: New Best-Ofs by Goldfrapp, Martina McBride Coming in 2012
Here's some more upcoming releases to shake the malaise off the new release schedule: two very different compilations from two very excellent ladies in the dance and country genres. Her name isn't mentioned as often as Faith Hill or Shania Twain, but Martina McBride was one of a treasured few country starlets who enjoyed a contemporary pop crossover or two. Her first big moment outside of Nashville came in 1997 with the adult contemporary ballad "Valentine" with pianist Jim Brickman; it charted
The Dark Knight Returns: La-La Land Reissues "Batman Forever" Score
La-La Land Records continues their history with Gotham City's Caped Crusader on CD today, with the release of the complete score to 1995's Batman Forever. The third Bat-film sees Batman - the vigilante alter-ego of millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer) - square off against not one but two villains: Harvey "Two-Face" Dent (Tommy Lee Jones), the former district attorney whose facial disfiguration leads to a dual personality, and Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), a disgraced employee of Wayne
This is Not a Love Song: PiL Remasters in U.K. in 2012
It looks like the first major remaster campaign for 2012 is going to be a re-release of the Public Image Ltd. catalogue, coming from EMI in England. The spectacular flameout of punk legends The Sex Pistols in 1978 wasn't enough to stop lead singer John Lydon - forever better known as Johnny Rotten - in his tracks. Lydon collaborated with guitarist Keith Levene and bassist Jah Wobble to form Public Image Ltd., a band as noisy and rebellious as the Pistols but with a bit more room for creativity
Film Score Monthly is "Frantic"
It's a new year, and with that new year comes the knowledge that Film Score Monthly is getting closer and closer to its final release sometime this spring. But before you get frantic about that, enjoy their latest title, released last week: the soundtrack to Frantic. The 1988 Roman Polanski film featured Harrison Ford as an American doctor in Paris whose wife suddenly disappears from their hotel. His against-all-odds search for her - without the aid of the skeptical French government or U.S.
May Your Days Be Merry and Bright
As another year of amazing catalogue reissues and expansions comes to a close, and we gather around our loved ones to celebrate both a year gone by and a new one full of promise on the horizon, it seemed right to stop and take a moment to wish the same glad tidings to all of our treasured readers at The Second Disc. Since starting the site in January of 2010 - can you believe it's almost going on two years? - I've always worried about a lot of things, but none more potent than the idea that,
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 19 (#10-6)
It's the penultimate entry in our list of Rolling Stone's greatest albums of all time, as seen through the reissues that have filled our shelves for years. We've got some heavy hitters here: Beatles, Stones, Dylan - plus what may be the greatest punk and R&B albums ever. 10. The Beatles, The Beatles (Apple, 1968) The double-LP the world knows mostly by three other words - "The White Album" - was difficult and unusual inside and out. Most of the songs were conceived during an ultimately
Take It to the Bridge: Squeeze Frontman Releases New Set of Vintage Demos
Here's a treat for any of you British pop fans out there: another series of demos from Squeeze songwriter Glenn Tilbrook. When Daylight Appears: The Demo Tapes 1985-1991 spotlights Squeeze at one of their most underrated stages in a wildly underrated career. In 1985, the band ended a three-year breakup, reuniting singers/songwriters guitarists Tilbrook and Chris Difford, keyboardist Jools Holland (increasingly known outside of Squeeze for his burgeoning television host career on The Tube),
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 17 (#20-16)
We're in the Top 20 of Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of All Time list, going through the various reissues and expansions of each one! This time, we have a Boss, a champion of a '90s rock revolution, a poet of the '60s - and starting right now, the King of Pop himself. Read on! 20. Michael Jackson, Thriller (Epic, 1982) Nine disparate songs, helmed by a producer of straightforward jazz and R&B, and performed by a 24-year-old former child star-turned-gawky but dedicated perfectionist. It
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 15 (#30-26)
It's time for another installment of our 100 Greatest Reissues list, taking Rolling Stone's list of the greatest albums of all time and investigating their many pressings and expansions as the catalogue industry has grown. Today, enjoy selections from three of the most beloved bands of all time, a pioneer in the blues field and our first selection, a singer/songwriter extraordinaire who proved that rock is not just for the guys. 30. Joni Mitchell, Blue (Reprise, 1971) To read the entries
The Fourth Day of Second Discmas
We're at the end of our first week of prizes for Second Discmas, and today's might be our best yet! We have a special bundle of prizes from our friends at Legacy Recordings: two packs of two very special box sets the label has done in the past few months. Today's titles are Miles Davis' The Bootleg Series Vol. 1: Live in Europe 1967, a 3-CD/1-DVD box set of unreleased performances by the legendary trumpeter's quintet, and Move Over!, a special box set of four 7" singles, made for Record Store
The Third Day of Second Discmas
It's the third day of Second Discmas, and what could be better than two copies of some Ben Folds rarities or three Spector compilations? How about five, count 'em, five Piano Men? Well, it's only one Piano Man; specifically, it's Piano Man by Billy Joel. But we're giving away five copies of Joel's legendary debut for Columbia Records, featuring the hits "Piano Man" and "Captain Jack." This remastered Legacy Edition also features, for the first time anywhere, Joel's 1972 performance at Sigma
The Second Day of Second Discmas
It's The Second Day of Second Discmas, our special form of holiday greetings to our loyal readers, and we've got another round of awesome giveaways for you today. Today, we've got another gift for you from our friends at Legacy Recordings. Sony's reissue arm has been diligent lately in releasing works from the esteemed Philles Records catalogue, from a series of greatest-hits albums to a fantastic, bonus-filled box of vintage albums from the label's discography. On The Second Day of Second
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