La-La Land Records' current slate is nothing short of super-powered, with six(!) titles streeting this month with a root in comic books - five of which come from DC Comics properties. By far the biggest of the titles in terms of both depth and recognition is the debut standalone release of Ken Thorne's scores to Superman II and Superman III, the first two sequels to 1978's blockbuster adaptation of The Man of Steel. Richard Donner's original film was memorably scored by John Williams;
Radioactive: KISS Collects Four 1978 Solo Albums In One New Box Set
Forty years ago, the four founding members of KISS surprised fans by announcing a quartet of solo releases, all scheduled for release on the very same day: September 18, 1978. The four albums were all marketed and branded under the KISS imprimatur by Casablanca Records, and each album would be truly "solo" in that no other KISS member other than the artist would play on the record. Casablanca invested $2.5 million in the marketing effort, and announced that five million copies would be
Only You: Yazoo Collect Albums, Remixes, Rare Live Material For Vinyl, CD Box
Though Yazoo - a.k.a. Vince Clarke and Alison Moyet - only released two studio albums, the synthpop duo's music remains beloved today. Indeed, the number of compilations of Yazoo's work has far exceeded the number of LPs in their discography. On October 26 in the U.K. (and this Friday in the U.S.), the small Yazoo catalogue was revisited and expanded once again with the release of Four Pieces: A Yazoo Compendium, a new 4-LP vinyl box set. A CD edition will follow this Friday in the U.K., and
Release Round-Up: Week of October 26
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Kinks, The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society [Various Formats] (BMG) 5CD/3LP/3-7″ Box Set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Kinks are going back to the Village Green - and it's grown quite a bit in size! The band's legendary fifth album, 1968's The Kinks Are The
Release Round-Up: Week of October 19
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Frank Sinatra, Sings for Only the Lonely: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Capitol/FSE/UMe) 2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada On Frank Sinatra's 1958 Capitol concept album masterwork, he sang for Only the Lonely. But now, 60 years on, that classic is being revisited for everyone in a new 2-CD anniversary edition. Frank Sinatra
Release Round-Up: Week of October 12
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! David Bowie, Loving the Alien (1983-1988) (Parlophone) 11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 15LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The fourth annual volume of Parlophone's ongoing series of box sets dedicated to the late David Bowie, Loving the Alien (1983-1988), arrives on 11 CDs or 15 vinyl LPs. This lavish set is filled with more exclusive material than any of its predecessors, as only three studio albums are
We Wish You a Merry Christmas: Andre Kostelanetz, "Bonanza" Releases Coming From Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music
Every year, Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records' bonanza of Christmas music is as sure a thing as Santa's coming down the chimney! And this year, there's an actual Bonanza as part of our line-up! On November 9, we're getting into the holiday spirit with two all-new collections. First up is Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra's The Complete Christmas Albums, and Andre and co. will be joined by The Complete Christmas on the Ponderosa featuring Lorne Greene and the cast of television's
Release Round-Up: Week of October 5
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Johnny Mathis, The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)/Song Sung Blue: Expanded Edition (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music have paired two 1972 albums from the legendary Johnny Mathis as an expanded 2-CD set. Both albums were produced by Jerry Fuller and make their standalone CD debuts here. The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) had not only Mathis' rendition of the hit
OUT TOMORROW! Second Disc, Real Gone's Johnny Mathis Expanded Series Continues with Two New Titles
Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are proud to continue the journey through the catalogue of the legendary Johnny Mathis TOMORROW with the two latest additions to our ongoing series. First up is an expanded 2-CD release comprising both of the artist's classic albums originally released in 1972: The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) and Song Sung Blue. These teamed Mathis with renowned producer Jerry Fuller (Gary Puckett and The Union Gap, The Knickerbockers, Mark Lindsay) for the first
Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Answers Spielberg-Williams Call With 'E.T.' Vinyl, 'Saving Private Ryan' Expansion
Fans of John Williams' soundtracks for the films of Steven Spielberg have plenty of reasons to phone home lately, thanks to La-La Land Records! The film score label this month issued two expansions of Spielberg-Williams scores - one making its vinyl debut, the other on CD - and there's more yet to come. Longtime readers of The Second Disc no doubt know our love for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (founder Mike Duquette's all-time favorite film). Spielberg's blockbuster about the tender friendship
Release Round-Up: Week of September 28
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Tom Petty, An American Treasure (Reprise) 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada This career-spanning retrospective of rare and previously unreleased material from the late Tom Petty arrives on Reprise Records. The aptly-titled An American Treasure will be the first posthumous collection of Petty material, and it should prove a vital
Another Little Piece Of My Heart: Unreleased Big Brother Demos Abound on 'Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills'
Adorned with a Robert Crumb cover, Big Brother and The Holding Company's 1968 album Cheap Thrills marked the end of an era for the band. It was Big Brother's second and final album with lead singer Janis Joplin, whose incendiary talents were simply too big for any one band. Cheap Thrills, produced by John Simon, remains a touchstone for pulse-pounding blues-rock. Lead guitarist Sam Andrew, guitarist James Gurley, bassist Peter Albin, and drummer David Getz unleashed one of the most
Release Round-Up: Week of September 14
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Doors, Waiting for the Sun: 50th Anniversary Edition (Elektra/Rhino) (Amazon U.S./ Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Doors' Waiting for the Sun, featuring the hit "Hello, I Love You," is turning 50 with a new box set. This 2-CD/1-LP box features Bruce Botnick's remastered version of the original stereo mix on both CD and 180-gram vinyl, plus a disc of 14 previously unreleased tracks including nine rough mixes and five live performances from
Come and Get It: Real Gone Expands Badfinger's Two Warner Bros. Albums in November
Real Gone Music is taking a bite of the apple, er, Apple, this fall with a special pair of newly remastered and generously expanded reissues from Badfinger. The band's two underrated Warner Bros. albums are getting the deluxe treatment from the label on November 2. Following five albums for The Beatles' Apple label (including one as The Iveys in 1969), the hitmaking band behind "Come and Get It" and "Day After Day" decamped their fab home for the Warner Bros. label. The quartet of Pete Ham,
Things Can Only Get Better: Deluxe Howard Jones Box Sets Due In November
Cherry Red Records has a pair of treats for fans of English singer-songwriter and '80s synthpop hero Howard Jones. On November 30, the label will expand and remaster Jones' chart-topping debut album Human's Lib and its follow-up, Dream Into Action. Originally issued in March 1984, Human's Lib rocketed into the U.K. Album Chart at No. 1 with sales of over 100,000 units in the first week alone. The double platinum smash spent a total of 57 weeks on the British chart, and yielded four top 20
Release Round-Up: Week of September 7
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Led Zeppelin, The Song Remains the Same [Various Formats] (Atlantic/Swan Song) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Blu-ray Audio: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/4LP/2DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham took the famous stage at New York's Madison Square Garden on July 27-29, 1973 for the concerts
Turn You Inside Out: R.E.M. Collect BBC Recordings for 8CD/1DVD Box
R.E.M.'s relationship with the BBC was a long and fruitful one, and on October 19, Craft Recordings will celebrate their joint musical journey with a new retrospective release. R.E.M. at the BBC will be available as a super deluxe 8CD/1DVD box set as well as in 2-CD and 2-LP formats. The collections have been curated from the archives of both the band and the BBC, and boast rare and previously unreleased live and studio recordings spanning 1984-2008. The in-studio recordings featured on the
Soul and Inspiration: Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music Continue Johnny Mathis Series with Expanded "The First Time," "Song Sung Blue," and "Me and Mrs. Jones"
Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are proud to continue the journey through the catalogue of the legendary Voice of Romance, Johnny Mathis, on October 7 with the two latest additions to our ongoing series. First up is an expanded 2-CD release comprising both of the artist's classic albums originally released in 1972: The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) and Song Sung Blue. These teamed Mathis with renowned producer Jerry Fuller (Gary Puckett and The Union Gap, The Knickerbockers, Mark
Just One Lifetime: Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music Expand Melissa Manchester's "Mathematics" to 2 CDs
Melissa Manchester announced her independence from Arista Records when she signed to MCA Records after nearly a decade with Clive Davis' famous label. At Arista, Manchester had established herself as one of the finest singer-songwriters of her era (or any other!) as well as a first-class pop interpreter. At MCA, she reinvented herself further by jumping headfirst into the world of dance-oriented synthpop, Hi-NRG, and new wave. 1985's Mathematics bore the period's hallmark of multiple big-name
Cool Summer: Six Bananarama Albums Expanded On London Label
She's got it...yeah, baby, she's got it! The first six albums by the beloved girl group Bananarama have recently been reissued in expanded editions from London Music Stream Limited. These albums - Deep Sea Skiving (1983), Bananarama (1984), True Confessions (1986), Wow! (1987), Pop Life (1991), and Please Yourself (1993) - represent the first decade of the band, spanning 1983-1993 and including such hits as "Shy Boy," "Cruel Summer," "More Than Physical," "I Heard a Rumour," and of course,
Anyone Who Had a Heart: Dionne Warwick Saluted on Public Television, New Rarities-Packed CDs, More
From the moment she burst onto the music scene in 1962 exhorting "Don't Make Me Over," Dionne Warwick has been a musical force with which to be reckoned. The legendary singer blended elegant pop and deeply-felt soul in a fashion which remains unrivaled today for its sophistication and polish; her signature songs like "Walk On By," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Alfie," and "I'll Never Love This Way Again" have all become cornerstones of the new American songbook. Dionne's remarkable life and
Release Round-Up: Week of August 17
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Neil Diamond, Hot August Night III (Capitol) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Neil Diamond's August 2012 concerts at Los Angeles' Greek Theater marking the 40th anniversary of the original Hot August Night are captured on this new live release which also follows 1987's Hot August Night II and 2009's Hot August Night/NYC (with
Run Out Groove Gets "Revolting" With Its Next Limited Vinyl Release
Run Out Groove has announced its next limited-release, fan-voted LP...and it's positively Revolting! Fans have voted Revolting Cocks' 1993 album Linger Ficken' Good...And Other Barnyard Oddities to be the next official limited and numbered Run Out Groove release. The industrial rock supergroup had its origins as a side project from Richard 23 of Front 242, Belgian artist Luc van Acker, and Ministry's Al Jourgenson. Linger Ficken' Good...And Other Barnyard Oddities returns to vinyl after a
Release Round-Up: Week of August 3
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Ben Folds, Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1996-2012 (Edsel) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The 13-CD box Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1996-2012 brings together nearly all of Folds' core studio albums together with a live album and various other odds and ends. It traces his career from the first Ben Five Folds record through his solo recordings to the Five's reunion album in 2012, for a total of 194 tracks! And yes - it's shaped
Just Can't Get Enough: Depeche Mode Initiate 12" Singles Box Set Series
Later this month, Depeche Mode will launch a series of box sets collecting the band's 12-inch singles. On August 31, the first two boxes, Speak & Spell and A Broken Frame, will be released. All audio in this series has been newly remastered from the original tapes and cut at Abbey Road Studios. The first box, Speak & Spell: The 12" Singles, collects all of the singles around the era of the British electronic band's 1981 debut Speak & Spell. It kicks off with a replica of the