It's been 32 years since David Byrne's directorial debut True Stories first arrived in theaters, and this November the film will be revisited to the tune of brand-new audio and visual restorations. Master film restorers The Criterion Collection are slated to release True Stories on Blu-ray and DVD on November 27. On the music front, Todomundo Records and Nonesuch have announced an expanded soundtrack album, True Stories, A Film By David Byrne: The Complete Soundtrack, due on CD, 2-LP, and
Review: David Bowie, “Loving the Alien [1983-1988]”
And if you say run, I'll run with you... "I want you to make a hit." In one of the essays accompanying the beautiful new 11-CD or 15-LP box set Loving the Alien [1983-1988], the fourth such collection of David Bowie's chronological discography, Nile Rodgers recalls his surprise at the artist's instruction. "A hit? You just did Scary Monsters, bro," the CHIC leader replied. But Bowie was adamant; he wanted Rodgers, enlisted as his producer, to make a hit. The year was 1983 and the album
A Lot More Action: Toby Keith Expands Debut Album For 25th Anniversary
Originally released in April of 1993, Toby Keith's self-titled debut introduced his unique, Oklahoma-raised country songcraft to the world. It contained four hit singles and has since been certified platinum. On November 30, Mercury Nashville/UMe will release an expanded 25th anniversary edition of the landmark album under a new name, Should've Been A Cowboy, in honor of Keith's debut single that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Country Charts. The title will arrive on CD, digital, and LP -- marking
The Groove Is Gonna Get You: Sunset Blvd. Celebrates Ben Sidran with Live Anthology
It's fair to say that Ben Sidran has had a career unlike any other. The author of five books, record label proprietor, radio and television host, singer, songwriter, pianist, teacher, and eternal hipster has played as part of The Steve Miller Band (and co-wrote "Space Cowboy"), produced records for Mose Allison, Rickie Lee Jones, and Diana Ross, and performed with Van Morrison and Georgie Fame. Along the way, he's recorded for Capitol, Blue Thumb, Arista, A&M, and Windham Hill. Sidran
You Know His Name: Chris Cornell’s Legacy Celebrated In New Box Set
Last year, the world lost one of the greatest voices and songwriters of modern times -- Chris Cornell. From his work in Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, and his solo career, Chris's music defined a generation of rock music. Tomorrow, November 16, UMe will release a new collection that celebrates his legacy of song. Entitled Chris Cornell, the set comes in a variety of configurations: 1-CD distillation, 2-LP, 4-CD, and super deluxe 4-CD/1-DVD/7-LP. There will also be digital versions
Sweetness Follows: Real Gone Announces “Music From Vanilla Sky” and “Orange County” on LP
Last month, Real Gone Music announced the release of seven Christmas-related goodies, including a pair of joint releases with Second Disc Records. But, as temperatures fall, Real Gone plans to bring more than just holiday melodies to keep listeners warm this winter. On December 14, the label will release limited-edition, two-disc colored vinyl sets of two cult film soundtracks: Music From Vanilla Sky and Orange County: The Soundtrack. Vanilla Sky was Cameron Crowe's seventh film. Based
All This and More: Esoteric Expands Procol Harum’s 1972 “Live in Concert” Symphonic LP
"It took a 77-man group and Procol Harum to record this album," read one advertisement for the prog-rock band's 1972 LP Live in Concert with The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. The release from the band lineup of Gary Brooker (voice/piano), B.J. Wilson (drums), Alan Cartwright (bass), Chris Copping (organ/harpsichord), Dave Ball (guitar), and Keith Reid (spoken word) has just been remastered and expanded by Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint. Procol Harum were surely not the first band of
Welcome To The Party, Pal! La-La Land Rebuilds ‘Die Hard’ Score For 30th Anniversary
Even though La-La Land's traditionally generous Black Friday slate is a week away, the beloved soundtrack label isn't waiting to make you say "yippie-ki-yay" - they've reconstructed Michael Kamen's classic score to Die Hard for a definitive 3CD edition. Loosely based on Roderick Thorp's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, Die Hard casts Moonlighting star Bruce Willis in his first major film role as John McClane, a New York City cop caught in the middle of a terrorist plot on a high-rise Los
Pat Boone and Family Join Rosemary Clooney, Bob Hope, Dinah Shore, Yogi Bear and More on New Holiday DVD
It's the time of the year for family celebrations...and few artists have had the kind of multi-generational family success as Pat Boone. One of the top ten biggest-selling singles artists in the history of twentieth century pop, Boone was the youngest performer to host a national television primetime variety show with his 1957 program Pat Boone's Chevy Showroom, and he went on to become a familiar, welcoming presence on the small screen over the ensuing decades. Family has always been a
Put On The Red Light: New Vinyl Box Collects The Police’s Studio Recordings
Over the course of just five albums released between 1978 and 1983, The Police synthesized pop, rock, new wave, and world music sounds including, most notably, reggae into a style all their own. Incorporating influences of punk and jazz into the mix, their sound still reverberates today. Vocalist-bassist Sting, guitarist Andy Summers, and drummer Stewart Copeland called it a day before 1986 was out, reuniting in 2007-2008 for a phenomenally successful tour before going their separate ways yet
Around and Around: Real Gone’s November Vinyl Includes Christmas New Kids On the Block, Hanson and Grateful Dead Box
Tomorrow's the date for Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music's annual slate of Christmas releases, but those titles aren't the only holiday releases due to arrive in stores. Our friends at Real Gone also have a couple of yuletide vinyl titles while, on the other end of the spectrum, the label will bring a Grateful Dead concert to vinyl on November 30. First up from RGM is Merry, Merry Christmas from New Kids On The Block. Released in 1989 at the height of the group's fame between their
OUT TOMORROW! Second Disc Records, Real Gone Celebrate Christmas with Andre Kostelanetz, “Bonanza”
Tomorrow's the day for Second Disc Records' and Real Gone Music's Christmas bonanza - and this year, there's an actual Bonanza as part of our line-up! We're getting into the spirit with not one, but two, festive titles. 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 Bonanza: Michael Landon, Pernell Roberts, and Dan Blocker! Almost
Like You’ll Never Let Me Go: Early John Denver Material Unearthed On New Compilation
John Denver was one of the most renowned artists of the 1970s. His unique, mellow style resonated with audiences to the tune of twelve gold-certified and four platinum-certified albums, and a whopping 33 million records sold worldwide. Though his best-known albums arrived in the early 1970s, Denver's music journey had begun long before, as a member of The Mitchell Trio, and as one-third of Denver, Boise & Johnson. This Friday, November 9, Varese Sarabande will release a new CD collection of
How Far I’ll Go: England’s ‘Sing Your Heart Out’ Series Releases Disney Volume with Rare Instrumentals
A British compilation series recently released a magical volume for Disney fans - and with a host of rarities for collectors, to boot! Since 2016, Universal Music On Demand's Sing Your Heart Out series has annually issued hits-packed compilations meant for (you guessed it) singing together, at home or in the car. In October, the Sing Your Heart Out series expanded to include a volume of classics from the films of Walt Disney Pictures. A total of 52 tracks are featured across the set's first
Shatterproof: Cherry Red, RPM Collect Singles From Rockpile’s Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner is fondly remembered today for his time in Rockpile alongside Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, and Terry Williams, but the estimable singer-guitarist has also brought his talents to recordings by The Pretenders, Carlene Carter, and Shakin' Stevens, and had his own successful solo career. It's the latter aspect of Bremner's discography that Cherry Red's RPM Records imprint has just chronicled on Singled Out. This new, 21-track anthology compiles many of Bremner's singles for labels
He and Mrs. Jones: Vocalion Adds to Quad Roster with SACDs from Billy Paul
The U.K.'s Dutton Vocalion label is continuing to grow its SACD catalogue of quadraphonic releases. Following recent titles from The Guess Who, Rick Derringer, Stephen Sondheim, and others, Vocalion has just released another batch of vintage quad mixes from the worlds of jazz (George Benson's Body Talk, Weather Report's Tale Spinnin'), rock (the Jim Peterik-affiliated jazz-rock fusion group Chase's Pure Music and Chase), and R&B. In the latter category comes three albums from Philadelphia
They Say It’s Wonderful: Impulse! Collects John Coltrane Takes on “1963: New Directions” CD and LP Sets
Jazz historians have long designated 1963 as a pivotal year in the genre's history, thanks in no small part to John Coltrane's indelible contributions to jazz that year. In the summer, Impulse! stunned jazz fans worldwide when they unveiled a lost Coltrane artifact, entitled Both Directions at Once, that reaffirmed Coltrane's excellence. The unreleased recording session within showed the saxophonist wholeheartedly exploring new territories in jazz. Though that session remained unreleased for 50+
Review: John Lennon, “Imagine: The Ultimate Collection”
You May Say I'm a Dreamer Much like the artist who created it, John Lennon's Imagine has always been an album of contradictions. While its dreamy, idealized title track has become an anthem for generations, the same LP veers from heartbreaking vulnerability ("Jealous Guy") and expressions of romance ("Oh My Love," "Oh Yoko!") to a withering, personal jab at a friend ("How Do You Sleep") to powerfully pointed social commentary ("Crippled Inside," "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama I Don't Wanna
Ticket To Ride: “Carpenters with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” Arrives In December
The music of the Carpenters has long transcended mere nostalgia. With 20 Billboard top 40 hits including three No. 1s and five No. 2s as well as 15 Adult Contemporary No. 1s, their timeless legacy of song is as resonant today as ever. Karen's intimate, warm, and soulful voice melded with Richard's rich, sophisticated musical settings to create a sound still unrivaled in popular music. Now, that sound is getting a little larger. On December 7, A&M Records will release Carpenters with The
Magic In The Night: ‘Springsteen On Broadway’ To Be Released On CD and Vinyl
"As portraits of artists go," wrote The New York Times' Jesse Green on October 12, 2017, "there may never have been anything as real - and beautiful - on Broadway." The critic was referring to Bruce Springsteen's performance the evening before on the stage of the intimate, 939-seat Walter Kerr Theatre. Even before it opened, Springsteen on Broadway became New York theatre's hottest ticket - and most expensive. Rapturous reviews greeted The Boss' Broadway debut, with most critics marveling at
OUT TOMORROW! Melissa Manchester’s “Mathematics: The MCA Years” Arrives From Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music
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
Cadence and Cascade: King Crimson’s Early Output Celebrated in Two Limited-Edition LP Box Sets from Panegyric
As the progressive rock titans King Crimson continue their Europe leg of their current Uncertain Time tour, the group has announced two new six-disc, 200-gram vinyl box sets that celebrate their formative years. Arriving on the Panegyric imprint this month, the collections -- entitled 1969-1972 and 1972-1974 -- bring together seven classic albums between them, as well as an array of rare tracks that are new to vinyl. This marks the first time that King Crimson's 40th Anniversary mixes, prepared
Visions of Paradise: Moody Blues’ “In Search of the Lost Chord” Box Set Coming on Friday
Following last year's 2CD/DVD reissue of The Moody Blues' 1967 sophomore album Days of Future Passed, UMe is going even more deluxe for the Moodies' next album, 1968's In Search of the Lost Chord. Tomorrow, November 2, the label will reissue that seminal classic as a 3CD/2DVD box comprising alternate mixes, previously unreleased tracks, and more. Mike Pinder, Ray Thomas, Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graeme Edge, working with producer Tony Clarke, constructed In Search of the Lost Chord
Sparks Will Fly: The Rolling Stones’ “Voodoo Lounge Uncut” Concert Arrives on CD, LP, DVD, and Blu-ray
"Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones..." Those are the exciting words that have let audiences worldwide know they're in for a night of exciting rock and roll. Though The Rolling Stones wrapped up their No Filter Tour in July, fans of live Stones will have good reason to be happy this fall, as a concert from 1994 is finally released in full as Voodoo Lounge Uncut. In recent years, Universal Music and Eagle Rock Entertainment have shone a light on rare and previously unreleased concerts
Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land’s Super Slate Includes Five DC Comics Releases
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;