“It’s midnight at a liquor store in Texas, closing time, another day is done when a boy walks in the door and points a pistol/He can’t find a job, but Lord, he’s found a gun...” Talk about an introduction! Listening to the “new” 2013 Johnny Cash album Out Among the Stars, it doesn’t take long to realize you’re in good hands. Cash’s robust, reassuring storyteller’s voice is firmly authoritative on the ironically jaunty opening track, yet filled with empathy for the “many weary
Little Esther, All Grown Up: Raven Collects Esther Phillips' First CTI Albums
As the premier vocalist on CTI Records' Kudu imprint, Esther Phillips (1935-1984) played a key role in producer Creed Taylor's "Cool Revolution" at CTI. A gifted vocalist, Phillips nonetheless struggled with personal demons throughout her too-short life. The former "Little Esther" had her first taste of success in 1949, just fourteen years old, and a taste of heroin not long after; stories of her mercurial behavior have entered into legend. But her talent was never in doubt. CTI recorded
Release Round-Up: Week of April 1
Cyndi Lauper, She’s So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration (Portrait/Epic/Legacy) One of MTV's first queens wears the crown anew on this deluxe set featuring new remixes, rarities from the vault, rare photographs and a fun expanded package with a diorama and reusable sticker set. Amazon U.S.: 1CD / 2CD / LP Amazon U.K.: 1CD / 2CD / LP Real Gone slate: Doris Day, Music, Movies & Memories / Doris Day, Sings Her Great Movie Hits / Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, The Complete Atlantic
Reviews: Real Gone Goes R&B with Bettye Swann and Samuel Jonathan Johnson
Shreveport, Louisiana-born Bettye Swann never liked her birth name of Betty Jean Champion, yet when it came to soul music, Swann was certainly a champion. Her debut single for Money Records, 1965’s “Don’t Wait Too Long,” became a Top 30 R&B hit, and two years later, “Make Me Yours” went all the way to the No. 1 spot on that chart. It was inevitable that bigger labels than Money would come calling, and sure enough, Swann recorded two country-flavored LPs in 1969 and 1970 for Capitol. Rick
The Animals' Alan Price Leads Musical "Andy Capp" From Stage Door Records
When the musical Andy Capp premiered at London's Aldwych Theatre (current home to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Stephen Ward) in September 1982, cartoonist Reg Smythe's beloved character took his place alongside Little Orphan Annie, Snoopy and Li'l Abner as comic strip creations-turned-musical heroes. The frequently inebriated, cap-wearing, chronically unemployed ne'er-do-well made his debut in The Daily Mirror on August 5, 1957 and readers quickly became engrossed in the daily gags featuring Andy, his
You Got It: Legacy to Expand Roy Orbison's Final Album with Unheard Audiovisual Content
Roy Orbison, a.k.a. The Big O, a.k.a. Lefty Wilbury, a.k.a. “the Caruso of Rock,” never did anything small. His big, booming voice gave life to a series of painfully heartbreaking yet irresistible ballads that sounded like nothing else in rock and roll or pop. Orbison brought an authenticity and urgency to the dramatic songs he wrote and recorded, but when he cut loose on an “Ooby Dooby” or “Oh, Pretty Woman,” his voice could also be the sound of freedom and lust and excitement. With the
She's The Greatest Star: Barbra Streisand's Broadway "Funny Girl" Goes Super Deluxe For 50th Anniversary
Attention people who need people! Funny Girl is turning 50, and that’s no laughing matter. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the classic Broadway musical that launched Barbra Streisand to superstardom, Capitol/UMe is releasing a CD/LP super deluxe edition of the original cast album of Funny Girl on April 29th. The musical by librettist Isobel Lennart, composer Jule Styne (Gypsy, Bells Are Ringing) and lyricist Bob Merrill (Carnival, New Girl in Town) depicted the rise to fame of
Release Round-Up: Week of March 25
Johnny Cash, Out Among the Stars (Columbia/Legacy) This new album of newly-discovered mid-'80s outtakes is perhaps better than what was released at the time. Gorgeous and, at times, haunting, the way Johnny Cash albums should be. CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: 40th Anniversary Edition (Mercury/Rocket/UMe) Elton's classic double album comes back to glorious life with several lavish editions, featuring new covers of songs from
The Return of "One-Eyed Jacks": Sold-Out Soundtrack Receives New Encore Edition
When we first reported on Kritzerland's reissue of the soundtrack to 1961's One-Eyed Jacks on Wednesday, August 25, 2010, the limited edition release had already sold out. In fact, all 1,200 copies had sold out in a matter of hours. But the label is bringing this in-demand title back as a new Encore Edition. Strictly limited to 1,000 units, the Encore Edition re-presents the contents of the deluxe restoration of Hugo Friedhofer's score. The new edition is scheduled to ship by the first week
Return of the Okie from Muskogee: Live Merle Haggard Records Paired for Reissue
If you like livin' right and free, you're going to love the recent revelation that Merle Haggard's famed live album Okie from Muskogee will be reissued next week, paired with a follow-up live record making its CD debut. Named for the 1969 country chart-topper that's easily Haggard's signature song - a tongue-in-cheek lampooning of the liberal values that were taking youth culture by storm at the time - Okie from Muskogee is a perfect distillation of Haggard's unique voice and sound, a uniquely
Lick It Up: "KISS 40" to Include Rare Live Tracks, Unreleased Demo
With an impending Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, a co-headlining tour with Def Leppard and a vinyl reissue campaign all on the horizon, the time seems right for KISS to remind fans of their four decades of rockin' and rollin' all night (and partying every day). On May 27, they'll do just that with KISS 40, a new two-disc anthology of their hits. As previously promised, KISS 40 features one track from each of their studio and live albums, as well as tracks from each of the original band
Of Ghosts, Panthers and Ronettes: Legacy Unveils Record Store Day 2014 Slate
Today’s the day! This morning, Los Angeles’ vinyl mecca Amoeba Music hosted the “Official List Launch” for Record Store Day, with simultaneous unveilings of the extensive RSD ’14 line-up occurring in Nashville and across the pond in London. We’ve already filled you in on some of the exciting titles arriving on Saturday, April 19 from many of our favorite labels (Real Gone Music, Omnivore Recordings) and artists alike (Creedence Clearwater Revival, Devo, Neil Young, R.E.M. ), and there’s plenty
Five Sundazed Singles to Rock Your Record Store Day
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OBogYK_40U] It's like NFL draft day for music geeks*! Today's the big announcement of the full Record Store Day 2014 exclusives list, to kick off with a press conference at Los Angeles' Amoeba Music later today. While we're positive there are some great surprises in store, a number of our favorite labels have already spilled the beans on their spreads for April 19. Sundazed Music, purveyors of great vintage rock on CD and vinyl, have five 45 RPM singles
Donna Summer and John Barry Go "Deep" On New Hot Shot Reissue
Everything about The Deep was big. Jaws author Peter Benchley was guaranteed over half a million dollars by impresario Peter Guber for film rights to his unpublished follow-up in a deal which seemed justified when The Deep finally arrived and quickly became a bestseller. For his big screen-ready underwater adventure, Guber had a big budget, big locations for shooting, and a big partner in Neil Bogart's Casablanca Records. Bogart wasn't known for doing anything small, and as the inaugural
Once She Had A Secret Love: Legacy, Real Gone Celebrate Doris Day's 90th Birthday With Classics and Never-Before-Heard Music
UPDATE 3/18: Whether on record, the silver screen or television, the name of Doris Day has always been synonymous with grace, class, charm, tenacity and artistry. The singer, actress and animal rights activist will celebrate her landmark 90th birthday on April 3 of this year, but two days earlier, Real Gone Music will mark the occasion with two brand-new releases filled with both classics and rarities. Music, Movies & Memories celebrates the entirety of Day's career as one of America's
KISS Prep Smashes, Thrashes, Hits, Everything Else for Vinyl Mega-Box (UPDATED)
Think of all the reissues, repackagings and other ephemera released over the decades by the unforgettable rock band (and impending Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees) KISS. Now quadruple them. That's pretty much what to expect with KISSteria, the latest box set announced by the band. This limited edition set, of which 1,000 units will be made, features 34 KISS albums on vinyl in an Anvil road case packed with more merchandise than you can wave a Love Gun (or anything else, really) at. This
Perpetual Change: Steven Wilson Takes "The Yes Album" To 5.1 Surround and Beyond with Unheard Music
Say Yes! Prog-rock hero and surround-sound guru Steven Wilson has just confirmed the near-imminent release of the second title in his series of expanded and remixed Yes classics. On April 14, the Panegyric label will reissue 1971’s landmark The Yes Album in CD/DVD-Audio and CD/Blu-ray packages loaded with bonus material and new stereo and surround mixes. Yes’ third studio LP, The Yes Album welcomed guitarist Steve Howe to the band following the departure of Peter Banks. Howe immediately made
And We Love Them: "A Hard Day's Night" Added to Criterion Collection for 50th Anniversary
Despite the insistence of punk rock saint Joe Strummer, Beatlemania seems no closer to biting the dust in 2014. Apple Corps have made quite the big deal out of this year's 50th anniversary mark of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr making their first trip to America in 1964, branding a generation with their blend of highly original, mania-inducing pop/rock. November saw the release of a second volume of recordings for the BBC and a copyright-busting,
Release Round-Up: Week of March 18
Elvis Presley, Recorded Live on Stage in Memphis: Legacy Edition The King's 1974 live gig in his home turf is remastered and paired with a show in Richmond, Virginia from two days before and a handful of RCA studio rehearsals in Hollywood. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Belinda Carlisle, The Anthology / The Collection (Edsel/Demon) Edsel did a great job of expanding Belinda's solo catalogue last year; now, they've prepped a CD/DVD hits set and 3CD/2DVD box for the fans, with singles, rarities,
R.E.M. "Unplugged" Set to Complicate Your Life on Record Store Day
A then-unheard of gap of three years stood between R.E.M.'s first two albums for Warner Bros. Records - 1988's Green and 1991's Out of Time - so there's still time to go before the departed band's ongoing 25th anniversary album remaster campaign enters the 1990s. With that, Warner Bros. is instead releasing, for the first time, two complete live sets the band recorded for the beloved MTV Unplugged series. Both sets will first be available in a single, four-disc vinyl box set to be released on
Big Day: XTC's "Skylarking," with Improved Sound, to Get CD Reissue
Four years after it was upgraded for vinyl, XTC's Skylarking will get the same sonic upgrade on CD next month. XTC's ninth (and arguably best) album found them working an uneasy alliance with producer Todd Rundgren, with whom singer-songwriter Andy Partridge found himself frequently at odds with (despite Partridge's lasting respect for Rundgren's work on the album). But a spate of killer songs by Partridge ("Summer's Cauldron," "Earn Enough for Us") and vocalist/bassist Colin Moulding (singles
California Dreamin': Carole King, Merry Clayton, The Everly Brothers Featured on "Lou Adler: A Musical History"
Songwriter, manager, A&R man, producer, director, impresario, diehard L.A. Lakers fan – in his eighty years, Lou Adler has worn all of those labels proudly. It’s hard to believe that the same man behind The Rocky Horror Show – both on stage and on screen – and Cheech and Chong’s Up in Smoke also helmed one of the most successful records ever in Carole King’s Tapestry, or that the same man penned a bona fide standard in Sam Cooke’s “Wonderful World.” But much of Lou Adler’s extraordinary
Ace Heads Back to the "Hall of Fame" and The "Cellar of Soul"
Ace Records’ Kent label will travel just about anywhere to bring you the greatest soul you’ve never heard – hence, Kent has recently revisited both the Hall of Fame and the Cellar of Soul in new installments of each series. Back in March of last year, we reported on Hall of Fame Volume 2, which presented 24 cuts recorded at Rick Hall’s storied FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama – 20 of which were previously unissued. The new, third volume of Hall of Fame boasts another 24 slabs of prime
Cherry Red's él Heads to the Sixties for Pop Art, Bossa Nova, and Singing Celebs
What made the swinging sixties swing? Cherry Red’s él label continues to explore the various corners of early 1960s pop music with a trio of releases that, in large part, offer answers to that very question. Pop Goes the Easel: The Start of the Swinging Sixties takes its name from maverick director Ken Russell’s 1962 documentary film, and over two eclectic CDs, boasts 65 tracks from thirteen different films and television programs. Artists range from Buddy Holly to Anthony Newley. A fine
Rhino Gets the Led Out with Deluxe Zeppelin Remasters
After endless speculation fueled by former guitarist Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin and Atlantic/Swan Song today announced the first wave in a new reissue campaign from one of the world's most acclaimed rock bands. Starting on June 3, with the first three Led Zeppelin albums from 1969-1970 - all self-titled, with Roman numerals appended to each "sequel" - Page has overseen remastered and expanded versions of each of the band's albums, all featuring a disc's worth of unreleased vault content,
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