It's one of the most acclaimed albums of all time by one of the most beloved musicians of the 20th century - and now, it's getting the deluxe treatment. Prince's 1987 masterpiece Sign "O" The Times will be remastered and reissued by Warner Records on September 25, kicking off 2020's box set season with considerable style. It'll be available in multiple formats: newly remastered double CD or double vinyl, a 3CD or 4LP set that includes all the original B-sides and single mixes, and a massive
Sony, Legacy Introduce “Iconic Music Backgrounds” to Enliven Video Conferencing
In this pandemic age, we've all had to adapt in one way or another. Remember when zoom was just an onomatopoeia? For countless workers, daily office environments have been replaced by video conferences; the same ubiquitous technology has also replaced in-person get-togethers for schooling and socialization, and features on television news, talk, and even competition/variety shows. Sony Music has found a way to inject a bit of musicality into these video calls with Iconic Music
Dreamsville: Andy Williams’ “Cadence Albums” Box Available Now from Edsel
Though born in the small town of Wall Lake, Iowa, Howard Andrew Williams always had his sight on the stars. From a young age, he sang with his older brothers Bob, Don, and Dick - first in church, then on local radio. While their father was a railroad worker, he encouraged his sons' showbiz dreams as they "graduated" on the airwaves from Des Moines to Chicago to Cincinnati. It wasn't long before word reached Hollywood of the brothers' potential, and upon moving there in 1943, they were rewarded
Standing Room Only: Barbara Mandrell Looks Back on New Retrospective, Releases Dance Remix of Classic Hit
Barbara Mandrell wasn't yet 27 years old, but she had already spent a lifetime in music when she signed to ABC/Dot Records in 1975. The Houston native was born into a musical family, and was playing accordion by the age of five. By ten, the precocious talent had mastered the steel guitar, and one year later, she began appearing on the famed Town Hall Party television show. Throughout high school, she entertained military audiences as a member of The Mandrell Family. A subsequent, impromptu
It’s Getting Better: Cherry Red Reissues Kevin Rowland’s Cult Classic “My Beauty”
Kevin Rowland of Dexys Midnight Runners released his first solo album, The Wanderer, in 1988 - three years after the band's third studio album (and final one for 27 years). But after The Wanderer, Rowland walked away from the music biz altogether. He returned in 1999 with My Beauty, but the record itself was overshadowed by its striking cover depicting a semi-disrobed Rowland in a dress, stockings, and makeup, with a feather boa slung over the dressing screen. Now, over two decades later, the
Juntos: Real Gone Preps Reissues of Airto’s Sophomore Album and Errol Dunkley’s Roots Reggae Classic “Darling Ooh!”
July 31 is sure to be a crate-digger's delight as Real Gone Music is set to release color vinyl reissues of two jazz and reggae classics: Airto's Seeds on the Ground: The Natural Sounds of Airto and Errol Dunkley's roots classic Darling Ooh! Seeds on the Ground was percussion master Airto's second album and his final release on Buddah. Following sessions with the likes of Miles Davis, Paul Desmond, Wayne Shorter, and Astrud Gilberto, Airto began a solo career that often found him
Good Grief! Craft Recordings Marks 70 Years of “Peanuts” with Two New Reissues
On October 2, 1950, cartoonist Charles M. Schulz debuted Peanuts in seven newspapers, introducing the world in that first strip's four panels to Charlie Brown and his friends Shermy and Patty. Peanuts and its memorable cast of characters went on to inspire television specials, motion pictures, stage musicals, and countless merchandise items as well as numerous albums. This summer, Craft Recordings will celebrate 70 years of Peanuts with two vinyl reissues. On July 24, the label will release a
Chase Down That Crown: A Special Bandcamp Friday Shopping List
Bandcamp Friday is fast becoming as exciting a time as any other music street date. On March 20, as the COVID-19 pandemic was putting the world on pause, the indie music service waived their revenue share on all music and merch sold, allowing indie artists and labels a chance for some steadier income as concert tours began to halt. The event was a resounding success, and has been repeated on the first Fridays of May and June, with another to follow on July 3. This Friday, June 19, in
Epistrophy: Unreleased Thelonious Monk “Palo Alto” Concert Arrives in July
"[It's] one of the best live recordings I've ever heard by Thelonious...I wasn't even aware of my dad playing a high school gig, but he and the band were on it." So says T.S. Monk, son of groundbreaking jazz pianist Thelonious Monk. "When I first heard the tape, from the first measure, I knew my father was feeling really good." The younger Monk is talking about Palo Alto, a newly unearthed concert recorded October 27, 1968 which will be released for the first time ever on July 31 through
Zip! Stage Door Reissues, Expands London Cast Albums of “Zip Goes a Million” and “Happy Holiday”
Stage Door Records is heading back to the 1950s with a new CD presenting two U.K. musicals from the team of composer George Posford and librettist/lyricist Eric Maschwitz: Zip Goes a Million and Happy Holiday. It's due from the label on June 26. 1951's Zip Goes a Million was based on George Barr McCutcheon's 1902 novel Brewster's Millions about a young man left an inheritance by his grandfather with an unusual twist: he must spend the entirety of the inheritance within one year, resulting in
Jump Over Here! Half-Speed Mastered Edition of CCR’s “Cosmo’s Factory” Due in August
Last year, the audiophile community was raving about the excellent half-speed mastered 50th anniversary editions of Creedence Clearwater Revival's classic swamp-rock albums which had arrived in the form of a lavish 7-LP box. Now, Craft Recordings has announced a standalone edition of the band's influential Cosmo's Factory pressed on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl and half-speed mastered at Abbey Road Studios by Miles Showell using high-resolution transfers of the original analog tapes. This
Split Enz’s ‘True Colours’ Shine Bright On New Reissue
The album that introduced most of the world to New Zealand pop band Split Enz, True Colours is getting a new mix and expanded reissue for its 40th anniversary. The album now features a brand-new mix of the record by Enz keyboardist Eddie Rayner, who's often overseen the sonic quality of the band's catalogue. "I have both the original stereo masters from the 1979 mixing sessions, and the versions currently held in repositories such as Spotify...and they are radically different, sonically,"
Go All the Way: Demon Reissues Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs’ “Under the Covers,” Compiles New “Best Of” Collection
"In the real world, Sid 'n Susie are Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs - two navigators in the pop musical current, current tense vocally and as tunesmiths with prime craft of their own write. They've bagged the best of the '60s with uncanny insight. I know. I was there but can remember," asserted Van Dyke Parks in his introduction to 2006's Under the Covers Vol. 1. On that volume, Sid 'n Susie revisited some of their favorite songs of the 1960s, largely staying faithful to the original
All I Want Is You…: Peter Jackson’s “The Beatles: Get Back” Documentary Pushed To 2021
Back in March, we gave you the news about The Beatles: Get Back and joined Beatles fans everywhere who were excitedly waiting to enjoy the long-awaited Peter Jackson film in movie theaters. Now, only three months later, we're in a different world. The COVID-19 outbreak has not only forced many movie theaters to shut down indefinitely, but has also left studios scrambling to reschedule releases and reconsider delivery options. Accordingly, we'll have to wait a bit longer to see the
Groundbreaking Guitarist John McLaughlin Reunites With 4th Dimension, Releases “Lockdown Blues” To Benefit Charity
"Lockdown Blues": no doubt we've all experienced it in some form or another in these last few months. While the COVID-19 outbreak upended much of the industry, many artists have used this time to contribute creative pursuits - from live-streamed living room concerts, Zoom-based music videos, or - in the case of the legendary fusion guitarist John McLaughlin, to get the band back together and release a new single. Under the backdrop of the outbreak, McLaughlin reconvened his 4th Dimension
People, Let’s Freak Out: Cherry Red Reissues, Expands “Belfast Gypsies” from The Other Them
There are many peculiar stories in the annals of rock and roll, but surely one of the most peculiar is the tale of Them and The Other Them - and it's just been chronicled anew in Cherry Red/Grapefruit's release of Them: Belfast Gypsies. The Northern Irish band Them always had a fluid lineup; frontman Van Morrison wrote candidly in 2015 that "Them was intended as a vehicle, a way for me to sing and play the blues." The first line-up, featuring Eric Wrixon on keyboards, only ever recorded
Go Ahead, Have A Vision: Paul McCartney Prepares “Flaming Pie” Archive Edition Sets for July
Today, Paul McCartney fans everywhere have much to celebrate as the inimitable musician has announced the July 31st release of the latest volume in his ongoing Archives series - this one's a look back on Flaming Pie, an album that marked a sort of return to form upon its release in 1997. Inspired by the simpler, more immediate recording style that The Beatles used decades before, Paul McCartney returned to Abbey Road with some of his favorite collaborators, including Ringo Starr, George Martin,
UPDATE: Bob Dylan Confirms “Rough and Rowdy Ways” Tracks
UPDATED 6/11/20: Last month, Bob Dylan announced the upcoming release of Rough and Rowdy Ways, his first album of original music in 8 years. Due out next Friday, June 19, on Columbia Records, Rough and Rowdy Ways will be a ten-song, two-CD affair. The album opens with "I Contain Multitudes," followed by "False Prophet," and it closes with the epic "Murder Most Foul." In typical Dylan fashion, much of the details about the new album have remained under lock and key. But earlier today,
Things I Didn’t Know I Loved: Ghostlight Salutes Off-Broadway Icon on “The Liz Swados Project”
"I'm not a legitimate theatrical composer like Steve Sondheim, that sort of thing," insisted Elizabeth Swados to New York in 1980. "I'm not such a good musician, but I do have an excellent ear. People say I don't write melodic music. I was talking to a Broadway producer who told me I could learn to write melodies. But my orientation is different; I'm writing music that can't be dissociated from a theatrical piece, from the event itself." In fairness, one should note that the same affront - "he
Have You Heard: Omnivore Celebrates Doo-Wop Era with The Duprees, The Crests, The Rivieras, Adam Wade
Omnivore Recordings is celebrating the era of street-corner symphonies with five upcoming CD/digital collections from the golden age of doo-wop. The remastered titles arriving throughout July and August are drawn from the vaults of Coed Records and celebrate the sounds of The Rivieras (The Coed Singles), The Duprees (over two volumes, The Coed Singles and The Coed Albums: You Belong to Me/Have You Heard), The Crests (The Best of The Crests featuring Johnny Mastro: 16 Fabulous Hits), and Adam
A Second Disc Interview: Chatting with America’s Audio Archivist Jeff Larson as Band Preps “Half Century” Box
Chewing on a piece of grass/Walking down the road/Tell me, how long you gonna stay here, Joe? Happily, the music of America has stayed with us for 50 years. Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek met in London where their fathers were stationed with the United States Air Force; their coming together at the dawn of the 1970s has led to 16 studio albums and 47 singles including three U.S. chart-toppers and eleven Top 40 hits. That's in addition to a Grammy Award, a spot in the Vocal Group
Don’t Refuse To Believe It: Dave Mason, Yusuf Revisit Legendary Recordings 50 Years On
There was something special going on in the music scene in 1970, a certain alchemy that resulted in countless perfect albums that continue to stop listeners in their tracks. Two such albums - Cat Stevens' Tea For the Tillerman and Dave Mason's Alone Together - are among those that remain fresh all these years later. So imagine the surprise when Mason and the artist now known as Yusuf each announced they'd be revisiting their classics with Tea For the Tillerman 2 and Alone Together Again,
Down To Earth: Peter Gabriel’s Collection of Movie Songs Gets Wide Release In June
Last year, Peter Gabriel issued Rated PG, a collection of one-off songs he'd written and performed for motion pictures across his solo career. This year, that album gets a wider release beyond its picture disc pressing for Record Store Day; it'll now be available on CD and vinyl this Friday, June 12. A longtime film fan who once nearly enrolled at a London film school before his work in Genesis became noticed by the British music press, Gabriel has been no stranger to writing music for
Voice of America: Little Steven’s Discography Returns to CD, Some Titles Expanded with DVDs
Last year, Steven Van Zandt looked back on his solo discography with an impressive 6LP/4CD box set. Rock 'n Roll Rebel: The Early Work collected six albums on vinyl and added four CDs of bonus material, adding up to a definitive look at a powerful and politically-charged body of work. Now, the versatile E Street Band guitarist/Sopranos and Lilyhammer actor/Disciples of Soul bandleader is issuing Bob Ludwig's remastered versions of all six original albums on CD, and three of them will come with a
It’s Cold Outside: Omnivore Releases Live Album from Cleveland’s The Choir
Back in 2018, Omnivore Recordings released a never-before-heard recording from The Choir. Artifact: The Lost Album was a delightful trip back in time with the Cleveland garage-rock outfit. The rock 'n' rollers made their first splash with a 1966 single ("It's Cold Outside"). The regional hit on the Canadian-American label earned them national attention when it was re-released on Roulette and charted on the Billboard Hot 100. The band released a couple more 45s on Roulette through early 1968; a