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Release Round-Up: Week of May 13

May 13, 2014 By Mike Duquette 2 Comments

michael jackson xscape

Michael Jackson, Xscape (Epic) Where was this three years ago? This collection of eight outtakes, augmented with tasteful future-retro production by Timbaland, Stargate, L.A. Reid and others, is possibly the best project to escape the MJ vaults yet. For the discerning fan, Epic's done you a solid, offering a deluxe package with the same songs in their untouched demo form. It's really something. Standard CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Deluxe CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. /

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets Tags: Michael Jackson, Ned Doheny, Pink Floyd, Porter Wagoner, The English Beat, The Sound, Vince Guaraldi, Vinyl

Get It Up For Ned Doheny: Numero Sheds Light On Southern California Troubadour, Premieres Demos with Henley and Frey

May 12, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

ned doheny separate oceans

Despite the history behind it, singer/songwriter Ned Doheny's last name might be the least interesting thing about him. Yes, Los Angeles native Doheny is descended from the family for whom Doheny Drive is named, a family marked by triumph (patriarch Edward L. Doheny was at one time the second richest oil tycoon in America, second only to John D. Rockefeller) and tragedy (Edward's son, the first Ned Doheny, died in a headline-making murder-suicide). But Ned Doheny, the musician, has blazed a

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Vinyl Genre: Pop Tags: Eagles, Ned Doheny

Box Set Watch: Edsel Collects The Sound, Suede, The (English) Beat

May 12, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

suede box

Demon Music Group’s Edsel Records has a packed release slate this week from a number of artists returning to the label’s roster. From Britpop heroes Suede (a.k.a. The London Suede), the label has Royal Albert Hall, 24 March 2010, a 2-CD/1-DVD set preserving the band’s reunion concert (with Brett Anderson, Neil Codling, Simon Gilbert, Richard Oakes and Mat Osman) benefiting Teenage Cancer Trust; and Sci-Fi Lullabies, a reissue of the original 2-CD anthology of the group’s B-sides released

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Tags: Suede, The Beat, The English Beat, The Sound

Eat, Drink and Be Merry: Dave Matthews Band's Debut Makes Vinyl Premiere

May 8, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

dave matthews band remember two things

For many, it’s just not summer without a Dave Matthews Band tour, and on May 16, the favorite sons of Charlottesville, Virginia will kick off their latest U.S. trek on which fans can expect to hear band favorites in freshly improvised style. While the tour will likely feature contemporary and vintage material, the group will revisit where it all began on June 17 with the Bama Rags/RCA/Legacy Recordings expanded reissue of Remember Two Things. The 1993 album, primarily consisting of music

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Categories: News Tags: Vinyl

Ain't That The Shames! Now Sounds Reissues, Expands The Cryan' Shames' Psych-Pop LP "A Scratch In The Sky"

May 7, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

cryan shames a scratch in the sky

Put “California Girls” in a blender with “Cherish” and you might well wind up with something like “A Carol for Lorelei,” the bright, harmony-drenched pop nugget that opens The Cryan’ Shames’ sophomore album, 1968’s A Scratch in the Sky. Though the Chicago band recorded the LP in New York City, the good vibrations of the Summer of Love were clearly in the air back east for the Columbia Records artists. Whereas the band’s debut album Sugar and Spice was a blast of energetic rock and roll by way of

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: The Cryan' Shames

Henry Mancini's "Who Is Killing The Great Chefs of Europe?" Inaugurates New Vintage Soundtrack Series From Varese

May 7, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

who is killing the great chefs

The 1978 film Who is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? billed itself as "a delicious mystery."  Naturally, a delicious mystery would require a delicious score.  To accompany the film's recipe of drama, suspense, comedy and action, director Ted Kotcheff turned to "top chef" Henry Mancini.  No stranger to all of those genres and more, composer-arranger-conductor Mancini crafted a score that became one of the film's most memorable assets.  The long out-of-print soundtrack album, originally

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Categories: News, Reviews Genre: Soundtracks

Can You Feel The Love Tonight: 2-CD Expanded Edition of "The Lion King" Kicks Off Disney Legacy Collection

May 6, 2014 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

the lion king legacy collection

With Walt Disney Records’ juggernaut soundtrack to Frozen preparing to enjoy its thirteenth week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 – becoming one of only 39 albums in the history of the chart to have spent at least 13 weeks at pole position – the time has never been better for the record label to revisit the studio’s classic animated film library. Today, Walt Disney Records announced what’s arguably its most ambitious reissue program ever. The Legacy Collection will mark the anniversaries of

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Elton John, Hans Zimmer, Tim Rice

Still Here: Elaine Paige Celebrates Career On New "Ultimate Collection" With Previously Unreleased Songs and Rare Singles

May 6, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

elaine paige ultimate collection

Though her appearances on the Broadway stage have been rare, Elaine Paige remains one of the reigning first ladies of musical theatre around the world. Paige has been a fixture in London's West End since her debut there in the 1968 production of Hair, rising to fame as the first actress to portray Eva Peron onstage in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita in 1978. Paige went on to introduce the role of Grizabella and the song "Memory" in Cats, and subsequently starred in such musicals as

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Cast Recordings, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Barry Manilow, Elaine Paige, Stephen Sondheim

Folk Heroes: Omnivore Celebrates Hank Williams and Dave Van Ronk

May 6, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

hank williams garden spot

This month, Omnivore Recordings turns its attention to two singer-songwriters who could be said to embody the spirit of American music, Hank Williams and Dave Van Ronk. Though he died just aged 29 in 1953, Hank Williams remains a towering figure in country-and-western music.  The likes of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Cold, Cold Heart," "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" and "Hey Good Lookin'" have been recorded countless times in country, pop, R&B and rock renditions by

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Country, Folk Tags: Dave Van Ronk, Hank Williams

Release Round-Up: Week of May 6

May 6, 2014 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

steeltown deluxe1

Big Country, Steeltown: Deluxe Edition (Mercury/UMC) The second, criminally underrated album by the Scottish rockers behind "In a Big Country" is remastered and expanded with a bonus disc of single sides and outtakes. (Amazon U.K. / Amazon U.S.)  UPDATE: This one's been pushed back to September, folks! Philadelphia International: The Collection - 2o Original Albums / The Very Best of Teddy Pendergrass, Lou Rawls, The Three Degrees, The Intruders, The O’Jays, Billy Paul and Harold Melvin

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets Tags: Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, The O'Jays, The Three Degrees

From Brazil to Ireland, Él Releases Grab-Bag of Jazz, Vocals, Soundtracks and Bossa Nova

May 2, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

cal tjader latin bag

Fans of vintage jazz can thank Cherry Red's él label for a number of recent reissues from such artists as Cal Tjader, Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks, Herbie Mann and Antonio Carlos Jobim. In a Latin Bag and Saturday Night/Sunday Night at the Blackhawk combines two albums on one CD from Latin jazz pioneer Cal Tjader. The vibraphonist/percussionist recorded these long out-of-print albums in 1961 and 1962, respectively, at Verve under the aegis of future CTI chief Creed Taylor. By the time he

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Cal Tjader, Lambert Hendricks and Ross, Victor Young

"I Hunger For Your Touch" Collects 31 Recordings of "Unchained Melody" From Elvis, The Righteous Brothers, Many More

May 1, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

unchained melody

It began life as the theme to a 1955 B-movie that asked, “No locks!  No walls!  In the prison without bars!  What keeps men like these from crashing out?”  The film was Unchained, and the song was “Unchained Melody” with music by Alex North (A Streetcar Named Desire, Spartacus) and lyrics by Hy Zaret (“Dedicated to You”).  Though the movie - in which just a brief snippet of the song was sung by Porgy and Bess’ original Porgy, Todd Duncan – is hardly remembered today, the intensely romantic

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Categories: News Tags: Les Baxter, Matt Monro, The Lettermen, The Righteous Brothers, Waylon Jennings

Ace's "Black America Sings Bacharach and David" Features Dionne, Aretha, Cissy, Nina and More

April 30, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

black america sings bacharach

In retrospect, it might be telling that Burt Bacharach’s first recorded song, “Once in a Blue Moon,” was cut in 1952 by Nat “King” Cole. From those earliest days, Bacharach and his lyrical partner Hal David saw their songs recorded by a host of African-American artists: Johnny Mathis, Gene McDaniels, Joe Williams, Lena Horne, and Etta James among them. Once the duo began to change the sound of American music with their ultra-cool, sophisticated pop-soul compositions, those songs were most

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Nina Simone, The Drifters

I Don't See Nothin' Wrong with a Little "Essential R. Kelly"

April 29, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

the essential r kelly

On May 19, Legacy Recordings adds to its growing library of Essential volumes with the release of The Essential R. Kelly, the first-ever career-spanning anthology for the three-time Grammy-winning R&B superstar. Over 35 tracks on 2 CDs, this title chronologically revisits the key recordings of Kelly’s major-label career, including cuts from every one of the artist’s albums from 1991 to 2012. The career of Chicago-born Robert Sylvester Kelly has been one of the most successful in modern-day

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Categories: News Tags: R. Kelly

Do It Again: JSP's "The Garland Variations" Box Set Collects Multiple Recordings of Judy Garland Songs

April 29, 2014 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

garland variations

Like so many of the great vocalists of her day, Judy Garland frequently revisited repertoire over the years. An arrangement might vary, in great or small ways, and so, of course, would the interpretation. Garland’s unparalleled interpretive gifts, apt for wringing as much authentic emotion out of a song as possible, are front and center on the latest box set of the late artist’s recordings from JSP Records. The Garland Variations – Songs She Recorded More Than Once is a new 5-CD collection, set

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets

Release Round-Up: Week of April 29

April 29, 2014 By Mike Duquette 5 Comments

supremes funny girl

Grace Jones, Nightclubbing: Deluxe Edition (Island/UMe) Pull back up to the bumper with a generously expanded version of the almighty Jones' most beloved album. 2CD: Amazon U.K. 1CD: Amazon U.S. 2LP:  Amazon U.K. / Amazon U.S. Blu-Ray Audio: Amazon U.K. / Amazon U.S. Diana Ross & The Supremes, Sing and Perform Funny Girl: Expanded Edition (Motown Select) A digital-only expansion of The Supremes' 1968 album of the Jule Styne-Bob Merrill musical, featuring the original LP alongside a

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Barbra Streisand, Rick Wakeman, Rush, Salsoul Orchestra, Taylor Dayne, The Supremes, Vanilla Fudge, Vinyl

Special Review: Jack Bruce, "Silver Rails"

April 28, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

jack bruce silver rails

As bassist, songwriter and singer for the power trio Cream, Jack Bruce ensured his place in the classic rock pantheon. Yet in a career spanning over 50 years, Bruce’s time in Cream was incredibly brief: 1966-1968, with two very brief reunions thereafter. That Cream existed for such a short time seems almost unbelievable in light of how influential the band’s music became. But both B.C. and A.C. – Before Cream and After Cream – Jack Bruce has been a working musician. His first studio album since

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Categories: News, Reviews

WE HAVE A WINNER of a Complete Set of Omnivore Recordings' Record Store Day Exclusives!

April 28, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

omnivore rsd 14 banner medium

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR WINNER, ***SCOTT LESLIE***!

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Categories: Giveaways!, News Tags: Vinyl

BBR Embarks On An Odyssey With "Native New Yorker" Group and The Hues Corporation

April 28, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

hues corporation freedom for the stallion

Cherry Red’s Big Break Records imprint has rocked the boat with a batch of recent reissues from the RCA vaults – one seminal title from The Hues Corporation and a trio from “Native New Yorker” group Odyssey. When “Rock the Boat” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1974, it wasn’t exactly new.  It had first appeared almost a year earlier on the August 1973 release of Freedom for the Stallion, The Hues Corporation’s debut album for RCA.  “One lovely lady” and “two bright young men” is

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Categories: News Tags: Odyssey, The Hues Corporation

The (Motown) Music That Makes Me Dance: The Supremes' "Funny Girl" Gets Expansion

April 25, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

supremes funny girl1

I'm the greatest star/I am by far! But no one knows it... - Fanny Brice, Funny Girl Back in 2012, while reviewing Hip-o Select's splendidly expanded edition of The Supremes at the Copa, I wrote of the "altogether enjoyable [and] still inexplicably not on CD" album The Supremes Sing and Perform Funny Girl. Indeed, that 1968 LP, featuring Motown's greatest stars tackling the showstoppers from Jule Styne and Bob Merrill's score, has long been one of the rarest and most-requested titles in the

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Categories: News Genre: Cast Recordings Tags: The Supremes

Burn, Baby, Burn! Career-Spanning Anthology Arrives For The Dictators

April 24, 2014 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

dictators faster louder

Who will save rock and roll? The Dictators posed the question on their 2011 reunion album D.F.F.D. (that’s “Dictators Forever, Forever Dictators,” in case you were wondering), but many listening might have felt that The Dictators themselves could have been the saviors. Yet despite recording three well-received albums between 1975 and 1978, and gaining such high-profile fans as Bruce Springsteen and Little Steven Van Zandt, The Dictators’ anarchic, acerbic brand of rock-and-roll never garnered

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Categories: News Tags: The Dictators

Hold On to Your Friends: Morrissey's "Vauxhall and I" to Be Expanded

April 24, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

vauxhall and i

On June 3, Morrissey is picking up where he left off.  Parlophone Records will follow the February CD/DVD reissue of 1992’s Your Arsenal with the next album in his considerable catalogue, 1994’s Vauxhall and I.  Like Your Arsenal, the remastered CD of Vauxhall will be packaged with a previously unreleased live concert performance, this time also on CD. Vauxhall and I was a very different animal than its predecessor.  Since the release of Arsenal, the artist had suffered the loss of that album’s

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Categories: News Tags: Morrissey

Isn't That The Look of Love: Ace Reissues and Expands Lesley Gore's "Girl Talk"

April 23, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

lesley gore girl talk

The inviting cover image of Lesley Gore’s 1964 LP features the teenage star on the telephone, poised for some Girl Talk with her best girlfriends. Ace Records, following its expanded version of Gore’s shelved album Magic Colors, has recently reissued Girl Talk in similarly lavish fashion, with thirteen bonus tracks (Ace CDCHD 1383). Ace’s disc spotlights one of the great, largely unheralded “triangle marriages” in pop music – artist Lesley Gore, producer Quincy Jones and arranger Claus

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Lesley Gore

"Porky's" Is Back! "Revenge" Soundtrack Features George Harrison, Dave Edmunds, Robert Plant, More

April 22, 2014 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

porkys revenge ost1

“Keep an eye out for the funniest movie about growing up ever made,” read the poster to 1982’s raunchy comedy Porky’s. It depicted the eye of a Peeping Tom, looking onto a woman showering. “You’ll be glad you came!” Despite – or more likely, because of – its puerile humor, the modestly-budgeted teen sex comedy Porky’s became a runaway hit and spawned two theatrical sequels by 1985. The third Porky’s film, Porky’s Revenge, was the least successful, grossing just $20 million compared to the first

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Categories: News Genre: Soundtracks

Release Round-Up: Week of April 22

April 22, 2014 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

yes the yes album

Joe Satriani, The Complete Studio Recordings (Epic/Legacy) The guitar whiz's complete studio output from 1986 to 2013 is collected in a 15-disc box set or chrome-domed USB head! (Amazon U.S. /Amazon U.K.) ABBA, ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits - 40th Anniversary Edition (Polydor/UMe) Two best-selling ABBA compilations, 1992's ABBA Gold and its 1993 sequel More ABBA Gold, are paired up with a third disc of single B-sides. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Yes, The Yes Album (Panegyric) The prog group's

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Formats: Blu-Ray, Box Sets, DVD Genre: Soundtracks Tags: ABBA, Toto

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