I always cook with honey/To sweeten up the night/We always cook with honey/Tell me, how's your appetite/For some sweet love? Valerie Carter liked to cook with honey. Her dish was music-making, and the honey was the lilting yet expressive voice which made her incisive compositions (including "Cook with Honey," a hit for Judy Collins) go down so easy. Cherry Red's Cherry Tree imprint has recently brought together the late singer-songwriter's two Columbia albums, originally released in 1977
Lightning Crashes: Live Reissue “Throwing Copper” With Bonus Tracks, Live Woodstock Set
In April 1994, the alternative rock heroes Live released Throwing Copper. The band already had a reputation as one of the most powerful and dynamic of the alternative rock scene off the heels of their 1991 debut, and when Throwing Copper topped the Billboard 200 chart in 1995, their renown only grew. The Jerry Harrison-produced album spawned two No. 1 singles on the Modern Rock Charts, "Lightning Crashes" and "Selling the Drama," and eventually, the record would be certified 8x Platinum by the
Trick or Treat! “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” Coming to Vinyl in August
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! The Emmy-nominated 1966 television special was the third overall for Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts series and the second to be holiday-themed, after A Charlie Brown Christmas. It earned a whopping 49 share in the ratings and was so successful that CBS re-aired it every year through 2000, with ABC picking up the tradition after that. Yet despite a beloved score by Vince Guaraldi (who else?), a soundtrack album to Great Pumpkin had never been released in any
Midnight Rider: Gregg Allman’s “Laid Back” Gets Deluxe, Expanded Edition, “Gregg Allman Tour” Is Reissued
Two classics from the late, great Gregg Allman are returning to print this August from Mercury/UMe. Allman's 1973 solo debut Laid Back and his 1974 live LP The Gregg Allman Tour will both be reissued on vinyl, while Laid Back will be greatly expanded as a 2-CD Deluxe Edition. Laid Back first arrived in stores on the Capricorn label a few months following the release of The Allman Brothers Band's acclaimed Brothers and Sisters. While both albums were recorded roughly concurrently, with the
Straighten Up and Fly Right: Resonance Collects Nat “King” Cole’s Earliest Years on New Box Set
The career of Nat "King" Cole has been exceedingly well-represented in the CD era, whether via numerous, expanded original album reissues or the hefty box sets released by the Bear Family and Mosaic labels. But one period of King Cole's career has been rather overlooked: the recordings he made prior to signing with Capitol Records, the label with which he would spend more than two decades. Now, Resonance Records is addressing that situation with a remarkable, comprehensive new box set that
Always Returning: Brian Eno Collaboration “Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks” To Be Expanded on LP, CD, and Deluxe Book Set
Apollo: Atmospheres & Soundtracks is one of the most recognizable ambient pieces of Brian Eno's career. The album was a collaboration with Daniel Lanois and Roger Eno that provided the soundtrack to Al Reinert's feature-length Apollo 11 documentary, For All Mankind. Since then, the tracks have appeared in numerous other films, along with television programs, commercials, and even the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. Now, an extended edition of Apollo: Atmospheres &
Inherit the Earth: The Replacements’ New Box Set Premieres Unreleased Tracks, Including Tom Waits Session, Live Concert, and More
Don't tell a soul? The Replacements are releasing their first-ever box set. The hell-raising Minneapolis rockers have proudly told the story of stealing a clutch of tapes from their onetime home of Twin/Tone Records and chucking them into the Mississippi River back in 1987. But happily, the band was more careful about subsequent masters, and the year later, held onto a stash of tapes that now will provide the basis of Dead Man's Pop, a 4-CD/1-LP set reimagining their sixth album and third for
Release Round-Up: Week of July 19
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! James Taylor, The Warner Bros. Albums 1970-1976 (Warner/Rhino) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rhino has a newly remastered box, supervised by Peter Asher, of James Taylor's six studio albums for the label including Sweet Baby James (1970), Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971), One Man Dog (1972), Walking Man (1974), Gorilla (1975); and In the Pocket (1976). Available on CD,
Tell All the People: Rhino Expands The Doors’ “The Soft Parade” For 50th Anniversary Box Set
Rhino is continuing its ongoing series celebrating the music of The Doors with a new 50th anniversary edition of the band's fourth studio album, The Soft Parade. Originally released 50 years ago today on July 18, 1969, The Soft Parade introduced the hit "Touch Me" and became Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore's fourth consecutive Top Ten album. The Soft Parade was further distinguished by the presence of orchestral arrangements for the first time on a Doors record. On October 18,
The Pleasure Principle: Janet Jackson Albums Coming To Vinyl, Plus Expanded ‘Control: The Remixes’
When a new pressing of Janet Jackson's breakthrough album Control was announced earlier this year, we speculated that perhaps the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and R&B/pop legend would finally be the subject of some catalog activity. That wish seems to be coming true: four more of Janet's albums are coming to vinyl on July 24, along with an expanded edition of a remix album to be released in America for the first time! A&M/Virgin/UMe will press Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989),
Get Your Hands On It: La-La-Land Celebrates 500th Release with “Planet of the Apes” Box Set
La-La Land Records has just announced its landmark 500th film score project. In association with 20th Century Fox, Fox Music and Varèse Sarabande, the label is releasing at the end of this month a 5-CD box set of the scores to the original five Planet of the Apes films featuring music by Jerry Goldsmith, Leonard Rosenman, and Tom Scott. Planet of the Apes first hit cinemas in February 1968, based upon a book by French author Pierre Boulle. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, the movie
Straight, No Chaser: Omnivore Collects Art Pepper’s Complete Artists House Sessions on New Box
Omnivore Recordings is continuing its association with the late saxophone great Art Pepper with a new box set. On September 13, the label will issue Promise Kept: The Complete Artists House Recordings on 5 CDs and digital platforms, collecting all four of Pepper's albums for John Snyder's Artists House label with bonus material. Producer Snyder had long wished to record Pepper, and to that end, booked him into a week at the Village Vanguard in New York. But the sax man was under contract to
Been Way Too Long: Soundgarden’s “Live From the Artists Den” Album and Movie Arriving
Soundgarden, the estate of Chris Cornell, and UMe have announced a new partnership with the acclaimed TV program Artists Den which will bring the band's 2013 appearance on the show to the homes of fans everywhere on July 26. On February 17, 2013, Soundgarden wrapped up their King Animal winter tour with a show at L.A.'s Wiltern Theatre. Over the course of nearly two and a half hours, the band performed 29 songs: their biggest hits, new material, and many songs never performed before, all in
Shop Around: “Motown: Greatest Hits” Arrives From Universal U.K.
Back in March, we filled you in about Universal Japan's plans for Motown's 60th anniversary campaign, which included a series of reissues and a 3-CD, 60-song collection. We recently reviewed the U.S.' reissue of the definitive Motown: The Complete No. 1s box set. Now, the U.K. is getting into the act with a different 3-CD, 60-song anthology of its own. Motown: Greatest Hits arrives on August 16. Like the Japanese set, it boasts 60 classics from the label on three CDs, but the selection is
Review: Cheryl Lynn, “Got To Be Real: The Columbia Anthology”
Last month, Cherry Red's SoulMusic imprint released an exciting new compilation of Cheryl Lynn classics. Got To Be Real: The Columbia Anthology brings together 31 of the powerhouse vocalist's most enduring tracks. The 2-CD set not only represents tracks from her classic Columbia albums Cheryl Lynn (1978), In Love (1979), In the Night (1981), Instant Love (1982), Preppie (1983) and It's Gonna Be Right (1985), but also features rare 12" remixes; dance versions; soundtrack selections; and duets
If You Like Piña Coladas: “NOW” Series Celebrates Yacht Rock on New Volume
Shimmering guitars, breezy horns, smooth keyboards, and crisp vocals on well-crafted songs with catchy choruses: all of those qualities might have once described "soft rock" or "adult-oriented rock," but more recently the genre has experienced a resurgence as "yacht rock." Though the term was originally intended in a pejorative way, it's come to be accepted by many of the progenitors of the genre including Michael McDonald and John Oates. There's an entire book on the yacht rock phenomenon, a
Seeds and Stems: Cherry Red Collects Rarities from Iain Matthews on “Orphans and Outcasts”
Few artists of the rock generation can boast as diverse a C.V. as Iain (sometimes Ian) Matthews. The Fairport Convention founder went on to front Matthews' Southern Comfort and Plainsong as well as record under his own name in the pop, folk, country, and rock idioms, often blending those styles together. In his first decade alone, Matthews recorded for the Deram, Polydor, Island, Uni, Vertigo, Elektra, and CBS/Columbia labels - and at virtually every label, material was left behind. Between
Release Round-Up: Week of July 12
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! America, 50th Anniversary: The Collection (Warner/Rhino) 50th Anniversary: The Collection (3-CD) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) 50th Anniversary: The Collection [2-LP] (Barnes & Noble Exclusive) 50th Anniversary: Golden Hits (Single CD) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Almost fifty years ago in London, Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and the late Dan Peek first joined their voices together in song - beginning a
Real Gone’s Back With The Strangeloves on Vinyl, Janie Fricke on CD
Real Gone Music continues to mine the vaults for overlooked classics and will present two exciting titles on August 9: a color vinyl reissue of The Strangeloves' I Want Candy (presented in mono and back on vinyl for the first time in three decades), and a new compilation of '80s country songstress Janie Fricke's best-sellers entitled It Ain't Easy: The Complete Hits (1979-1988). Originally released on Bert Berns' Bang label in 1965, The Strangeloves' I Want Candy wasn't what it seemed.
It’s An Actuality: Light in the Attic Uncovers Treasure Trove of Lee Hazlewood Demos
Light in the Attic is continuing its expansive archival series dedicated to the music of maverick Lee Hazlewood with a new collection of previously unreleased demos on CD and LP. 400 Miles from L.A. 1955-56 takes listeners back to Hazlewood's early days in Phoenix, Arizona, sharpening his skills as a songwriter, producer, and artist. The set is due on September 13. Lost for over 60 years, the 24 recordings on 400 Miles from L.A. date from the period in which Hazlewood shuttled back and
A Good Beginning: Sigur Ros Revisits “Agaetis byrjun” With Deluxe Reissue
Twenty years ago, Icelandic electronic act Sigur Rós released Ágætis Byrjun (meaning "A Good Beginning"). And so it proved to be, as critics everywhere praised the album. One of the songs, "Svefn-g-englar," made it onto the Vanilla Sky soundtrack in 2001, and Q Magazine even went as far as to deem it "the last great album of the 20th century." On July 5, the band revisited the album with an expanded, 4-CD deluxe edition that brings together a remastered version of the album, demos, newly
Review: Tear Gas, “Piggy Go Getter” and “Tear Gas”
Tear Gas, the Scottish rock outfit, released a pair of albums in the early '70s that vividly highlighted their talents for guitar-based rock. Though the band kept up a rigorous touring schedule, it only really paid off once a few band members joined with Alex Harvey as The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. Still, Esoteric's reissues of Piggy Go Getter (in its first-ever official CD release) and its follow up Tear Gas show the band's early promise. The Glasgow-based group originally formed in the
Revved Up Like a Deuce: “Blinded by the Light” Soundtrack Premieres Springsteen Song, Rarities on CD and LP
August 14 sees the theatrical release of Blinded by the Light, a new coming-of-age film inspired by Sarfraz Manzoor's Greetings from Bury Park: Race, Religion and Rock N' Roll. Both book and movie chronicle the story of a young man's life-changing experiences with the music of Bruce Springsteen, so it's only appropriate that a soundtrack filled with Boss tunes would be on the way. On August 9, Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings will release Blinded by the Light: Original Motion Picture
Seaside Woman: Linda McCartney’s “Wide Prairie” To Be Reissued This August
On the heels of the news about his live album vinyl and CD reissues, Paul McCartney has announced another reissue project: this one involving the sole album by his wife, Linda, Wide Prairie. Originally released in 1998, the album collected tracks that she sang and played on during her time in Wings, including the non-album single "Seaside Woman" / "B-Side to Seaside." There's also solo material from the 1980s and '90s; covers of such classics as "Poison Ivy" and "Mr. Sandman"; and her final
Strictly Genteel: The Zappa Family Trust and UMe Present “Orchestral Favorites” Deluxe Edition, “Mothermania” Reissue
UMe and The Zappa Family Trust have announced a pair of Frank Zappa releases that is sure to delight fans: an expanded deluxe edition of 1979's Orchestral Favorites and a new reissue of the classic compilation Mothermania. First up is a new, 40th Anniversary, deluxe 3-CD edition of Orchestral Favorites. Orchestral Favorites is an odd release in the Zappa catalogue - one that started its life in a very different configuration. The music, recorded live in September 1975 with a full orchestra