The Band’s Rock of Ages has long been a mighty document of a mighty quintet at the height of its powers. And it’s about to get even mightier. Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel closed 1971 with four nights at New York City’s Academy of Music, reveling in new horn arrangements by New Orleans’ legendary Allen Toussaint and jamming with old mate Bob Dylan on New Year’s Eve. Highlights from the concert spawned the Top 10 album Rock of Ages, and a 2001
Mountain Goats' "West Texas" Gets an Expansion
Merge Records last week reissued a pivotal album by lo-fi folk outfit the Mountain Goats with a bevy of bonus tracks. The group's 2002 effort, All Hail West Texas, remains one of the group's most treasured recordings. the Mountain Goats, initially the nom de folk of singer/songwriter/guitarist John Darnielle but now a fluid ensemble built around him, have existed since the early 1990s, in the form of largely low-fidelity, quickly-assembled, urgent records. All Hail West Texas, released on the
The Show Must Go On: Queen Plan "Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert" Blu-Ray, Vault Tracks with Michael Jackson
Queen and Eagle Rock Entertainment will release a newly-expanded edition of their unforgettable Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert this fall, on DVD and, for the first time, Blu-Ray Disc. Five months after the tragic passing of one of rock's greatest frontmen from complications due to AIDS, surviving Queen members Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor gathered dozens of famous collaborators and famous fans at London's Wembley Arena on April 20, 1992. Some 72,000 people were in attendance, and
Real Gone Music Updates: Label Confirms Portsmouth Sinfonia Cancellation, Resolves Cat Mother Mastering Problem
Tomorrow, Real Gone Music releases what might be its most exciting batch of titles yet, with offerings from Dionne Warwick, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., Tonto's Expanding Head Band, and George Clinton's Parlet. The line-up will be one title short, however, from that of the original announcement. The scheduled reissue of Portsmouth Sinfonia's Plays the Popular Classics has, according to the label's Facebook page, been "canceled until further notice." On June 13, we described this
Special Weekend Reissue Theory: Madonna, "Madonna: 30th Anniversary Edition"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable records and the reissues they could someday see. It's been three decades since one of the most popular and influential performers of the last 50 years released her first full-length album, and a new deluxe edition is long overdue. Here's a look back at the first album by Madonna. If you'll pardon the anachronism, it wouldn't have been unforgivable to look at Gary Heery's photograph for the cover of Madonna's first
Ho Hey! Folk Upstarts The Lumineers to Expand and Reissue Debut LP
One of the most inescapable songs of last year was immediately identified by two words: "Ho Hey." The best-selling single by Denver-based folk band The Lumineers gradually earned a steady stream of airplay after some choice ad placement and a performance on Saturday Night Live, ultimately sending the tune to No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100. Next month, The Lumineers' self-titled debut is being reissued and expanded as a CD/DVD set, with five extra tracks, music videos and featurettes from the
The Cult Support "Peace" with New Reissue of "Electric"
Here's a recent treat for fans of British rockers The Cult: the band recently reissued their breakthrough album, 1987's Electric, pairing it with a little-heard early version of the album. The Cult burst onto the scene in England with debut LP Love and the Top 20 hit "She Sells Sanctuary" two years prior. When it came time for the follow-up, the band reconvened with Love producer Steve Brown at Oxfordshire's Manor Studios for a new LP, Peace, in 1986. But the band was dissatisfied with what
Can't Stop the Music: Hall and Oates' "No Goodbyes" Arrives on CD
John Oates, the famously mustachioed half of the legendary blue-eyed soul duo Hall and Oates, once described their tenure at Atlantic Records as “three steps towards finding a sound. Whole Oats had a folksiness to it, Abandoned Luncheonette started combining acoustic folk with a little bit of funk, and War Babies was our more adventurous rock ‘n’ roll side.” He keenly observed of these early records with Daryl Hall that “the albums that followed drew on all of those elements.” So, when Hall and
Little River Band Is "Reminiscing" With New Reissues Of Four Classic Albums
Friday night I was late, I was walking you home, we got down to the gate, and I was dreaming of the night…would it turn out right? With those conversational lyrics to the song “Reminiscing,” The Little River Band finally saw their commercial breakthrough in 1978. The catchy, soft-rock track came from the Australian group’s fourth album, Sleeper Catcher; largely on the strength of the single, it also became the LRB’s first U.S. platinum selling LP. Cherry Red’s recent Lemon label is hoping
Best Laid "Van"s: Do Artists' Opinions on Their Catalogue Titles Influence Your Purchases?
Not long after Joe had posted about Rhino's upcoming expansion of Van Morrison's Moondance, I vocalized my pleasant surprise at the news. Morrison's history with reissues has been spotty at best; a late-2000s reissue campaign was quickly halted and almost instantly commanded top dollar on the secondary market. The next day, however, Morrison issued a statement denouncing the project, taking particular issue with the wording of the press release suggesting he was involved. "It is important that
Release Round-Up: Week of July 23
Otis Redding, The Complete Stax/Volt Singles (Shout! Factory) A triple-disc set featuring every one of Otis' single sides in mono - a striking statement on a short but iconic soul career. (Amazon U.S.) Smashing Pumpkins, The Aeroplane Flies High: Deluxe Edition (Virgin/UMe) The Pumpkins' 1996 box set of Mellon Collie-era singles is massively expanded, with bonus tracks on each of the five original discs and an unreleased live CD and DVD. CD box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. LP box: Amazon U.S.
All of Us Under Its Spell: Disney Reissues "Muppet Movie" Soundtrack to Coincide with Blu-Ray Release
It begins so simply, as all immortal songs do: a hopeful melody, plucked on a banjo by the versatile flippers of a frog. "Why are there so many songs about rainbows / And what's on the other side?" sings Kermit the Frog, in one of the unmistakable voices of his creator Jim Henson. If Henson and Sam Pottle's theme to The Muppet Show is the national anthem of those long-running, lovable fur and felt characters, "The Rainbow Connection" is its "God Bless America." Kermit's ode to "the lovers, the
Yes! Prog Legends Honored with SACD Box Set in Japan
Deep-pocketed Yes fans will want to steel their bank accounts for this one: a brand-new box set, to be released this fall in Japan, newly mastering the prog heroes' Atlantic/ATCO albums on hybrid SACD. High Vibration looks to be a typically lavish import, featuring 16 discs of Yes material from 1969 to 1987. The set will feature all of the band's studio albums from that time period (plus 1973's live Yessongs), all in replica paper-sleeve packaging, plus a bonus disc of non-LP cuts, nearly all
Darlene Love, Nino Tempo, The Sweet Inspirations Feature On Jeff Barry's "The Idolmaker" Soundtrack
Perhaps the time just wasn’t right for The Idolmaker. Director Taylor Hackford (An Officer and a Gentleman, Ray) made his feature-length motion picture debut with the 1980 film based on the life of Philadelphia impresario Bob Marcucci, enlisting Ray Sharkey to play the fictionalized manager Vincent Vacari. In reality, Marcucci had discovered Frankie Avalon and Fabian; in the film, the teen idols were Tommy Dee (Paul Land) and Caesare (Peter Gallagher). The United Artists picture received some
It's a Real Gone September with Jefferson Starship, The Paley Brothers, Joanie Sommers and More
While we await previously announced titles coming later this month from Dionne Warwick, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., P-Funk offshoot Parlet and more, Real Gone Music is already looking forward to summer's end with a new release slate due on September 3. Real Gone is making a couple of very contemporary connections with releases from Claudia Lennear and Ponderosa Twins Plus One. Lennear, a longtime background singer, recently stepped to the fore as one of the artists featured in
The Anita Kerr Singers Step Out of the Background On Reissue of "The Genius in Harmony"
The release of director Morgan Neville's documentary 20 Feet from Stardom has rightfully placed the spotlight on those dynamite vocalists who toil in the shadows on record and onstage, often without credit. Background singers are part and parcel of the story of popular music, and Neville's film has given richly-deserved attention to Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Claudia Lennear, Judith Hill, and other greats of the field. The story of background groups like The Breakaways, The Jordanaires, The
All The Night's Magic: Van Morrison's "Moondance" Is Expanded and Remastered This Fall
On September 30, it’s going to be a marvelous night – and day – for a Moondance. For that’s when Warner Bros. Records will celebrate Van Morrison’s classic 1970 album in 1-CD, 2-CD and 4-CD/1-BD configurations. The latter expanded versions comprehensively explore the album’s sessions via outtakes, alternate takes and previously unheard mixes. Following one 1967 album for Bert Berns’ Bang Records, Van Morrison made his debut at the famous Burbank label in 1968 with Astral Weeks. It was a
No. 1 with a Bullet: Boston Hardcore Band Anthologized with New Digital Compilation
The world of rock and roll is littered with captivating tales of what-ifs and alternate routes that pushed a musician in one direction instead of another. One such captivating story of late is that of Jason Everman, a seemingly unassuming Army Ranger today who at one point was a member of the Seattle grunge scene, playing in both Nirvana and Soundgarden before both rocketed to success in 1991. What's particularly interesting about that New York Times piece on Everman, other than its subject, is
Hallejulah! It's (Still) Raining Men with The Weather Girls' Deluxe Reissue
Everything about The Weather Girls’ debut album, Success, was big. The 1983 LP was the brainchild of producer/songwriter Paul Jabara, who modestly noted on the LP’s back cover, “After working with Barbra, Donna and Diana – I began to get spoiled – I felt I could only work with ‘giants in the industry!’ I think I found them!” And so the “Last Dance” and “No More Tears (Enough is Enough)” auteur turned his attention to Two Tons o’ Fun. Izora Rhodes Armstead and Martha Wash had toured with the
Waxing on Universal's New Vinyl Project Initiative
Only in 2013 - a year where vinyl is expected to sell 5.5 million units this year, the largest number since the early '90s - would Universal Music Group's new "Vinyl Project" score so much digital ink. The premise is simple: UMG now wants to take crowd-funded opinions into what titles get pressed anew and stocked through online retailers and local record stores. The goal, according to the new site, is to utilize the label's "extensive catalogue to offer sought-after deleted recorded to be
Bob Dylan's "Bootleg Series Vol. 10" Answers Burning Question: "What is This Shit?"
The Bootleg Series is back. Almost three years after the release of Bob Dylan’s The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 - The Witmark Demos 1962-1964, Columbia Records has announced a tenth volume in the acclaimed series dedicated to the unreleased recordings of The Bard of Hibbing. On August 27, the label will deliver Vol. 10 - Another Self Portrait (1969-1971), drawing on the treasure trove of material mainly used to assemble the 1970 studio albums New Morning and Self Portrait. This new, 35-song
Release Round-Up Special: James Taylor, CSN, "Blade Runner" Released by Audio Fidelity
In lieu of a standard Release Round-Up this week, here's a look at the major three titles that are out today: the latest gold discs and SACDs from Audio Fidelity. The titles released today are Crosby, Stills & Nash's CSN, James Taylor's Gorilla and Vangelis' soundtrack album to Blade Runner. The third studio album by the folk-rock supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash, released in 1977, is crucially different from the ones before - this time, there's no contribution from Neil Young. (Young
There's "A Place in the Sun": Classic Hollywood Score Receives World Premiere Release
1951’s six-time Oscar winner A Place in the Sun wasn’t Hollywood’s first adaptation of Theodore Dreiser’s 1925 novel An American Tragedy. The very first film version of the haunting novel came from Paramount Pictures and director Josef von Sternberg in 1931. But the 1951 motion picture – starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters, directed by George Stevens – is the one most remembered by generations transfixed by Dreiser’s sad tale of desperation and ill-fated romance.
Mike Oldfield Remaster Campaign Continues with "Crises," "Five Miles Out"
Universal's Mike Oldfield expanded remaster campaign begins with reissues of two of his more pop-friendly records: 1982's Five Miles Out and 1983's Crises, both of which will come packed with extras in September. While both albums featured their share of ambitious and complex pieces like "Taurus II" and Crises' title track, there was an increasing presence of keyboards on both albums, notably the Fairlight CMI and Oberheim OBX synthesizers. On Five Miles Out, Oldfield made rare vocal
Mary Wells, Ben E. King, Johnnie Taylor Join Kent's Celebration of "The Phillip Mitchell Songbook"
“Prince” Phillip Mitchell is in some mighty good company. The Kentucky-born singer and songwriter, who rose to prominence composing songs for deeply soulful artists including Millie Jackson and Bobby Womack, is the latest to receive a career retrospective from Ace Records’ Songwriters and Producers series. With the Ace/Kent release of Something New to Do: The Phillip Mitchell Songbook (CDKEND 394), he joins such illustrious talents as Dan Penn, Burt Bacharach, Randy Newman, Jerry Leiber and
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