"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing: that it was all started by a mouse." Walt Disney was, of course, speaking of his enduring creation, Mickey Mouse. The character's debut in the 1928 animated short subject Steamboat Willie was indeed the watershed moment from which decades of entertainment in every conceivable medium followed. But the business that became The Walt Disney Company had been founded five years earlier, in 1923, by brothers Walt and Roy. That's the anniversary
Man That He's Become: Yep Roc Expands Nick Lowe's 'Dig My Mood'
Yep Roc Records, custodian of NIck Lowe's noteworthy catalogue, will expand and reissue a late '90s album of his this summer. Dig My Mood, issued in 1998, was the U.K. singer/songwriter's 10th studio album and second independent release. Here, after leaving behind his detached power-pop style on 1994's The Impossible Bird, Lowe once again swung for the fences with his songcraft, while still wrapping it all in his signature rock sound. (Lowe would later bill The Impossible Bird, DIg My Mood
The Message is Love: Demon Preps Box Set of Arthur Baker Remixes
Demon Music Group scored a real coup in 2021 with the release of Dance Masters: Shep Pettibone (The Classic Master Mixes), a box set devoted to the stellar late '80s and early '90s remixer. The branding on the set indicated that Dance Masters was to be a series, presented by another remixing great: American DJ/producer Arthur Baker. Now, two years later, another Dance Masters set is forthcoming, focused on the work of Baker himself. Dance Masters: Arthur Baker (The Classic Dance Remixes), due
Keep On Loving You: Real Gone's May Slate Incudes The Donnas, Henry Franklin, Medeski Martin & Wood, The Reverend Horton Heat, and More
For its May lineup, Real Gone is releasing titles from the 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s from jazz, rockabilly, heavy metal, and rock artists. All of these titles are hitting store shelves this Friday, May 5 and we've got all the details below. The Donnas formed in California in 1993. Brett Anderson (lead vocals), Allison Robertson (guitar, backing vocals), Maya Ford (bass guitar, backing vocals), and Torry Castellano (drums, percussion, backing vocals) met when they were in the eighth grade.
In the Moonlight: La-La Land Returns with New Williams Expansion, Unused Score Releases
Not long after La-La Land Records issued one of their best archival soundtrack batches for Black Friday 2022, they made a stunning proclamation: after one release in January, the label would take a long break. Any third-party music licensing post-COVID has been a challenge, and the label sought to take a breather, offer some great sales, restock some old favorites and let the rights and clearance pipelines unclog with time. And unclog they have! The label's first batch of titles in nearly five
Wave That Flag: Grateful Dead Mega-Box "Here Comes Sunshine" Features 1973 Shows, Trucks and Betts Encore
A new Grateful Dead mega-box is on the way - and it's rewinding the years all the way back to 1973. 50 years ago, the band's tour culminated in a pair of performances at Washington, DC's Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium as co-headliners with The Allman Brothers Band. The June 10 show, in particular, remains one of the Dead's best ever: an almost five-hour mega-concert with an encore featuring Dickey Betts and Butch Trucks of the ABB sitting in. On June 30, both of the Washington, DC shows
In Memoriam: Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023)
We mourn the loss of troubadour Gordon Lightfoot (1938-2023). Lightfoot's songs pierced the heart, springing from the folk tradition but with one foot in the pop realm as they pondered love, loneliness, nature, and history. His warm, burnished baritone was like that of an old friend, reassuring and wise. The Ontario native was a Canadian national treasure but his music belonged to the world; part of the secret to his success was his richly diverse musical background. By his teenaged years,
People Need Love: ABBA's "Ring Ring" Celebrates 50 with Singles Box Set, More
When the single "People Need Love" was released in 1972, it was intended as a one-off collaboration between three successful Swedish pop entities: female singers Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad and songwriting/producing duo Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson. The single was credited simply to "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid," with no intentions of further capitalizing on the partnership. But the success of the song - a Top 20 hit in their native Sweden - led to an album's
Willin': Little Feat's "Sailin' Shoes" and "Dixie Chicken" Get Remastered, Expanded
"When Lowell [George] and I first got together," Little Feat co-founder Bill Payne remembered to author Bob Mehr in 2022, "our philosophical discussions became about what kind of band we want to be in. We're not going to be a blues band...but we'll play some blues. We're not going to be a country band...but we'll play some country. The idea was that it was supposed to be eclectic and not just one thing." That ethos guided Little Feat for seven studio albums on Warner Bros. Records through
Craft Recordings Plans Staggering Box of Stax Demos
How do you follow up an essential document like this year's comprehensive Wattstax box set? If you're Craft Recordings, you plan a trip deep into the unheard history of the legendary Memphis label, through dozens of demos released for the first time anywhere. Written in Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos is an impressive 7CD anthology including 146 demo versions of enduring Stax hits and fan favorites, songs written by label songwriters that ended up elsewhere as well as a number of songs
On His Own: Bobby Brown's Breakthrough 'Don't Be Cruel' Set for Deluxe Edition at Iconoclassic
Leaving a pop group can be a tricky thing. Will the work you do on your own connect with audiences the same way it did with your bandmates? Ultimately, there's only one way to find out: strike hard and make the music your own. Bobby Brown of New Edition delivered a master class in how to go solo with his second LP Don't Be Cruel (1988) - and now, thanks to Iconoclassic Records, it's getting its due on disc with a deluxe 2CD edition packed with remixes and rarities. As one fifth of Boston
Going for It: New Wham! Compilations Offer Singles, New to CD Mixes and More
More than 40 years after they took the U.K. - and then the world - by storm, the story of pop duo WHAM! will be told in a multi-format compilation, issued just after a new documentary set for release this summer. The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven is arguably the most comprehensive look at the work of George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley as they combined their glossy good looks with an almost unsuspecting penchant for pop brilliance. In just five short years, the pair notched nearly a
Sea Breeze: "Lush Exotica" Collects Four Early Albums from Arthur Lyman
The title of the new collection from Cherry Red's Righteous imprint, Lush Exotica, conjures up images of tropical islands, palm trees swaying in the breeze, sun-drenched beaches, and Polynesian paradise. Perhaps no artist provided a more vivid soundtrack to those images than Arthur Lyman. The late vibraphonist and marimba player (1932-2002), born in Oahu, Hawaii, recorded dozens of albums applying his breezy, alluring style to genres such as folk, jazz, showtunes, and pop. Lush Exotica
In Memoriam: Harry Belafonte (1927-2023)
Can a song truly make change? In an increasingly complex, divided and uncertain world, it's a fair question that has no easy answers. As a child, though, I can tell you I believe the answer was yes. After all, there was Harry Belafonte's "Turn the World Around." It's funny to think that a song from one of Belafonte's final studio albums - far removed from the unprecedented success of 1956's Calypso, the first LP claimed to sell a million copies - and one that didn't even get a considerable
Straight Into Love: Kenny Rogers' Posthumous "Life Is Like a Song" Coming in June
Kenny Rogers released the 28th and final studio album of his lifetime with 2015's Once Again It's Christmas. On June 2, UMe will celebrate the late superstar's musical legacy with a posthumous release featuring eight previously unreleased tracks and two rarities. Life Is Like a Song, coming on CD, vinyl, and digital formats, has been curated and executive produced by his widow Wanda Rogers. It's also Rogers' first studio album to debut on vinyl in the U.S. since 1991. Life Is Like a Song
Mind Go Wild: Zappa's 1970 "Hot Rats" Sequel "Funky Nothingness" Gets First Release
In the pantheon of jazz-rock, Frank Zappa's 1969 LP Hot Rats is surely near the pinnacle. The primarily instrumental album recorded by Zappa, multi-instrumentalist Ian Underwood, and the top tier of L.A.'s session musicians melded the compositional and improvisational sophistication of jazz with Zappa's gritty, searing, and blues-drenched electric rock style. Recorded to 16 tracks at a time when the technology was still in its infancy, Hot Rats pushed the boundaries of production. Elements of
The Second Disc's Record Store Day 2023 Shopping Guide
Record Store Day! It's that time again where music lovers and vinyl flippers get together at their favorite physical music retailers and wait in line to snag some treasured albums - almost all of which are pressed on vinyl instead of CD (or, you know, sold on secondary marketplaces for above their retail value). It's certainly easy to be cynical about this stuff, but the crux of the idea still lives: find some music that moves you, something from an old favorite you've maybe never heard
Take Me Home Tonight: Liberation Hall Preps Eddie Money, Muddy Waters, Charlie Parker, More for Record Store Day
When it comes to Record Store Day, Liberation Hall sure isn't kidding around. The label has seven titles from a host of rock, jazz, blues, and folk superstars, all set for release on vinyl at independent record stores everywhere tomorrow, April 22 - but that's not all. All seven albums have also arrived on CD. Eddie Money's The Covers (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) brings the late rock-and-roller's two 2009 EPs together on one album. The eight songs on The Covers encompass the
Summer Sessions: Rusted Wave and 1984 Publishing Premiere '80s Scores by Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman
The '80s not only saw tremendous soundtracks from many of the established composers in Hollywood, but a new generation of musicians making a mark on the silver screen, as well. Next month, two of the best film music discoveries of the '80s will be the subject of new reissues from Rusted Wave Records and 1984 Publishing (known for printing photo books about "Weird Al" Yankovic as well as the memoir by the late Marie Fredriksson of Roxette fame). The labels will prep vinyl and CD releases of
Could It Be Magic: Barry Manilow's Debut, in Rare Original Mix, Heads to Vinyl
Barry Manilow will mark the 50th anniversary of his solo career with an exciting vinyl reissue of his debut album - pressed in a way that's not been heard and seen together since it first came out. The beloved singer/songwriter has been on a hot streak lately that most artists his age would sell their souls for. Already a celebrated draw at the Westgate Las Vegas (his 14th year as a concert act in Sin City, and fast closing in on as many performances at the venue as Elvis Presley), Manilow
Marshall Crenshaw to Have a 'Field Day' with Another Expanded Reissue
Yep Roc Records thrilled fans of great power-pop when they expanded and reissued Marshall Crenshaw's long out-of-print 1982 debut album last year, hitting vinyl for Record Store Day and following up soon after on CD and digital. This summer, the magic continues with a similar reissue for Crenshaw's second LP Field Day. After the delirious magic of Crenshaw's first LP - including the Top 40 hit "Someday, Someway" and a host of other great tunes - even the best of predictions wouldn't have had
Hard Rock Road: Esoteric Collects Steppenwolf's "Epic Years"
BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COMWhile Steppenwolf will always be remembered for classic rock and oldies radio perennials "Born to Be Wild" and "Magic Carpet Ride," the band was much more than just those two hits. The original iteration of the band fronted by German-Canadian singer-songwriter John Kay on Dunhill Records notched a dozen entries on the U.S. Hot 100 as well as $42 million in record sales, $7 million in concert tickets, and two Gold-certified albums. Their music spoke to the
This Way, Mary: Quartet Expands John Barry's "Mary, Queen of Scots"
Today, we're continuing our ongoing look at a recent crop of soundtrack releases! The life of Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-1587) has proved ample fodder for filmmakers over the years, from 1936's Mary of Scotland with Katharine Hepburn to 2018's Mary, Queen of Scots with Saoirse Ronan. Mary was just six days old when her father, James V of Scotland, died and she inherited his throne. She married Francis, the Dauphin of France in 1558, becoming queen consort of France. When she returned to
UPDATE 4/17/23: New Four Seasons Mega-Box Will Have You Swearin' to God
The Four Seasons are one of America's most resonant and enduring pop/rock outfits. Between the group and its distinctive frontman Frankie Valli, they've scored around a dozen Top 10 hits - seven of which went to No. 1. Their early output in the '60s held its own against the British Invasion. They maintained hits into the disco era, and a cover of one of their songs hit the upper reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 in 2021. The original quartet was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and
The Weekend Stream: April 15, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. Rarities and oddities abound: cartoon soundtracks, early works from country legends, and more! Pat Irwin, Rocko's Modern Life (Original Music from the Series) (Nickelodeon) (iTunes / Amazon) Joe Murray's colorful cartoon about a harried wallaby and his misadventures was one of Nickelodeon's
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- …
- 292
- Next Page »