Here's a title that slipped through our radar a few weeks back: a new compilation by '80s dance-pop sensations Dead or Alive. DoA, the brainchild of Liverpudlian singer Pete Burns, was founded in 1980 and gradually got successful off the back of some catchy, up-tempo tunes and Burns' video-ready, gender-bending outfits (frequently accessorized with an eyepatch). After a steady string of mid-charting U.K. singles, including a cover of KC and The Sunshine Band's "That's the Way (I Like It)," DoA
The Most Exciting Announcement of Last Year
The Beatles are on iTunes. The Beatles are on iTunes. The Beatles. Are. On iTunes. And? In typical Apple/music press fashion, the Internet is hugging itself over the notion that all of the remastered albums in The Beatles' catalogue - the U.K. studio albums, the U.S. version of Magical Mystery Tour, the Past Masters compilation and the Red and Blue albums - are now available for digital download. Much of the coverage is laughably hyperbolic, considering there's not much more to say other than
Release Round-Up: Week of November 16
Bruce Springsteen, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story (Columbia/Legacy) Bruuuuuuuuce celebrates one of his most acclaimed albums in a big way. Darkness will be augmented with two discs' worth of outtakes and three(!) DVDs, including the new making-of documentary The Promise. (The outtakes are available as their own double-disc set as well.) (Official site) Jimi Hendrix, West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology / BBC Sessions / Live at Woodstock / Blues / Merry
Back Tracks: Menken at Disney
This week will see the release of Disney's newest animated feature, Tangled, a quirky retelling of the Rapunzel tale. As has been custom for the best of Disney's animated features, the film will feature songs and score from Alan Menken, the musical genius who gave Disney some of its greatest music of the past 20-plus years. Menken came to Disney in the late 1980s after his musical with lyricist Howard Ashman, a peppy, Wall of Sound-inspired take on Roger Corman's Little Shop of Horrors, was
New Compilation to Prove N.E.R.D is Cool
The new N.E.R.D album, Nothing, only just came out two weeks ago, but that's not stopping a new compilation due from the group early next year. Of course, there's a pretty simple reason for it: Nothing and its predecessor, Seeing Sounds (2008), were released on Universal's Interscope label. Meanwhile, the first two LPs by the band - comprised of superproducers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo (better known as The Neptunes, the duo behind Wreckx-N-Effect's "Rump Shaker," Jay-Z's "I Just Wanna Love
Your Black Friday Wishlist
The more-or-less official start of the holiday shopping season kicks off next Friday, November 26. (You've probably seen decorations up in department stores by now. Even this huge Christmas fan can't blame you for shaking your head.) But giving the gift of music is important. You probably know that, and your local indie music store knows that, too. That's why this Black Friday will see a gaggle of special releases at all stores that participate in Record Store Day. There's a lot of neat vinyl
FSM Readies "North Dallas Forty"
Film Score Monthly has another release ready to go for soundtrack collectors: the premiere release of the score to North Dallas Forty by John Scott. Released in 1979, North Dallas Forty was a fact-based account of novelist Peter Gent's five-year stint in the NFL. The film got much of the details right, and critics and fans were both pleased. John Scott - a session player from England - drummed up a soundtrack that had jazz and blues undertones while keeping the entire orchestra intact for the
Kritzerland Debuts "Carrie" Score
It may be closer to Thanksgiving, but Kritzerland is ready to scare the daylights out of you with their latest release - the premiere of Pino Donaggio's complete score to the horror classic Carrie. The film, based on the first published novel by acclaimed writer Stephen King and directed by Brian De Palma, centers on a shy high school senior with a big secret: telekinetic powers. When the abuse she suffers daily, from both her classmates and her maniacally religious mother, prove to be too
Motown Goes Funky
A neat duo of reissues is on the way later this month from Funkytown Grooves - two R&B women on Motown Records in the 1980s. The label is prepping expanded reissues of Stacy Lattisaw's Take Me All the Way (which spawned the Top 5 R&B and Dance hit "Nail It to the Wall") and Set My Love in Motion, a 1981 LP by Syreeta Wright (the late ex-wife of Stevie Wonder). Each release will be accompanied by two 12" single tracks each. Pre-order links are here and here; track lists are after the
Simon Officially Rhymin' for Legacy in 2011
Legacy Recordings just announced another big catalogue overhaul planned for 2011: Paul Simon's catalogue is indeed getting a new reissue campaign next year. Our own Joe Marchese reported in June that Simon had planned to move his back catalogue from Warner Bros. back to Columbia, the home of Simon & Garfunkel. And The Essential Paul Simon, a straight reissue of the 2007 Rhino compilation, was released a few weeks ago. But this is the first official confirmation from the label that something
"Michael" Stays Away from the Vaults (Mostly)
Sony has released the track list for upcoming Michael Jackson posthumous album Michael, and...it's exactly what you'd expect. The estate and Sony are starting small, focusing on tunes Jackson recorded after 2001's Invincible, likely an attempt to sound as "new" as possible. (Never mind the fact that Michael's material from as long as 40 years ago sounds fresher than his material from, say, a decade ago.) That said, there's a few songs to be included on the disc that definitely come from some of
A Soundtrack That's Ready for Its Close-Up, 60 Years On
Here's a fun, surprise soundtrack coming out of the vaults. Counterpoint Records is releasing the first-ever CD of the original soundtrack to Sunset Boulevard, the 1950 Billy Wilder classic with Oscar-winning music from acclaimed composer Franz Waxman. Sunset Boulevard was the fictional tale of Norma Desmond, a silent-film starlet whose time has long passed (played to perfection by Gloria Swanson). The noir tale sees Desmond meeting a struggling screenwriter (William Holden) and attempting to
In Case You Missed It: The Best Concert Ever?
The Second Disc very rarely covers "new" releases, even if they're newer releases by vintage artists. But when our good friend Eric Luecking of Record Racks (a darn good site if I say so myself) reminded me a few days ago of the recently-released Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concert DVD, it seemed alright to break that unofficial embargo of "new" stuff. In case you missed this when it was released on September 28, The 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Concerts is a
A Sweet "Entreat" on Vinyl
MusicTAP reports that Rhino is releasing Entreat Plus by The Cure on double vinyl next year. Entreat Plus was the third disc of this year's expansive reissue of landmark album Disintegration (1989). It's a live document of the ensuing Prayer Tour, recorded at Wembley Stadium in London in July of 1989. It was released in Europe as a promotional CD, but never saw a release Stateside until this year - at which point it was remixed and expanded to include live versions of all 12 songs on the
A Reissue Worth 1000 Points and a 1-UP Mushroom
In September, The Second Disc did a Reissue Theory commemorating the early music of the Super Mario Bros. series for the video game franchise's 25th anniversary. In the post, we mentioned a new compilation of Mario music that was, at the time, exclusive only to Nintendo's native Japan. Now, we can report, that compilation is coming to America in time for Christmas. It's not just a soundtrack, of course. Nintendo is releasing a special deluxe game package for the Nintendo Wii. It will include a
Some Compilation House-Cleaning
Just so everyone's on the same page (yours truly included), we present a few updated track lists for some upcoming compilations for your perusal. When Pink's Greatest Hits...So Far!!! and Nelly Furtado's The Best Of were announced back in October, the track lists were either partial or based upon import track lists. In the interest of clarity, we give you standard and deluxe domestic track lists for both titles, each due November 12. (This writer is still bummed that Pink's take on "Whataya
The Boys Are Back in Town: Universal to Release Expanded Thin Lizzy LPs Abroad
Here's some good news to follow the long-gestating, recent expansion of Thin Lizzy's Vagabonds of the Western World: three - count 'em, three! - of the band's albums are getting the deluxe treatment from Universal in the U.K., according to Classic Rock. Double-disc editions of the 1976 albums Jailbreak and Johnny the Fox will be released, as well as a two-CD/one-DVD edition of Live and Dangerous (1978). Remastering is being overseen by Thin Lizzy guitarist Scott Gorham (who's about to take the
Why Yes, That IS Mr. Mister on the Radio
On November 23, Legacy Recordings will take some nice steps to make '80s rockers Mr. Mister more than just a pocketful of big radio hits and a lyric in that Train song. A handful of Mr. Mister and Mr.-related titles will be released for digital download, alongside a previously-unreleased album by the band. First, the goodies from the vault. Hardcore Mr. Mister fans doubtlessly know the band's discography was not meant to end with 1987's Go On... album. The group began work on a follow-up album,
La-La Land: A Visual Guide
La-La Land Records' Facebook page put up a fun little graphic, as seen above, of all their soundtrack reissues and releases from this year. Note there are still four titles to go (set to be announced on Black Friday, November 26). Any that you've gotten? Any guesses for the last four? Sound off below.
Reissue Theory: NOW That's What I Call Missing
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. With another entry in the NOW That's What I Call Music series out in the U.S. today, we reflect on the series' original entries across the pond...and the titles in the series that have yet to appear on CD. Today in the States, a new entry in the NOW That's What I Call Music series was released (the 36th in the main series, not counting specialty
New Live Doors Release Forthcoming
Fans of The Doors have two things to be happy about. First, outgoing Florida governor Charlie Crist is considering pardoning late frontman Jim Morrison for that little indecent exposure kerfluffle back in 1969. Second, Rhino's releasing an archival set by The Doors in two weeks. Live in Vancouver 1970 is a two-disc set capturing the band's show at the Pacific National Coliseum on June 6, 1970. The set features one very special guest: blues legend Albert King, who opened for the set and sits in
Release Round-Up: Week of November 9
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Damn the Torpedoes: Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe) With a bonus disc of B-sides and unreleased outtakes and an optional Blu-Ray audio version, audiophiles hopefully won't have a reason to say "don't do me like that" with this set. (Official site) Bon Jovi, Greatest Hits: The Ultimate Collection (Island) If 1994's Cross Road isn't enough of a Bon Jovi comp for you, this career-spanning set (available in single and double-disc formats) combines all the usual hits
Intrada Readies "Patton," "Gator" for Battle
Two fan favorite titles were announced by Intrada last night: a newly-expanded soundtrack for the classic film Patton (1970) and a reissue of the score to the cult classic Gator (1976). Film fans remember Patton for George C. Scott's famed portrayal of the controversial American general during World War II. (Scott won an Oscar for the role - and became the first person to refuse an Oscar.) Score fans remember it as yet another triumph for Jerry Goldsmith, who provided an innovative score
Want to Hear Some Stuff from "The Promise"?
Of course you do. Rolling Stone and NPR have some tracks from the forthcoming Darkness on the Edge of Town box for your streaming perusal. Think of it as a burst of energy for the last few hours at work!
FSM Readies "Dr. T," Warner Bros. Two-Fer
Film Score Monthly, one of the best sources for soundtrack reissues and info in the pre-Internet age, has had a lot of weird press lately. FSM founder Lukas Kendall had an oddly overstated reaction when discovering that this year's Star Trek: The Next Generation box set had been uploaded onto a torrent site. (It was easily the Internet at its worst on both sides - FSM posters might have overreacted at what was already a callous, disgusting act on the part of the pirates, leading to little
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