Varese Sarabande has recently released two deluxe soundtracks to fit two very different moods. The first might put you in the Christmas spirit with an expanded presentation of John Debney's score to the modern holiday classic film Elf. The other will take you on a far darker journey with an expanded look at Angelo Badalamenti's score to Blue Velvet. First up is the deluxe edition of the score to 2003's Elf. The Jon Favreau-directed film starred Will Ferrell in his first lead role after
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Elvis Presley, "Back in Nashville"
When Elvis Presley entered RCA's famed Nashville Studio B in June 1970, expectations were high. His last major recording sessions - not counting those for the Universal film Change of Habit - had taken place at Memphis' American Sound Studio with producer Chips Moman, resulting in the acclaimed From Elvis in Memphis LP. Could he follow up that career triumph? Many would argue that he did. Rather than strictly repeat the formula, he and producer Felton Jarvis crafted the concept album Elvis
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Jimmie Vaughan, "The Jimmie Vaughan Story"
Blues guitarist par excellence Jimmie Vaughan turned 70 earlier this year, and The Last Music Company wasn't about to let the milestone go unnoticed. The label has released the appropriately-titled box set The Jimmie Vaughan Story, boasting 5 CDs and over six hours of music chronicling Vaughan's career up to the present day. The collection is available in two formats: a large-scale box which adds a 12-inch LP of Jimmie's 2001 album Do You Get the Blues?, two 45 RPM vinyl singles, a catalogue
In Memoriam: Michael Nesmith (1942-2021)
Less than one month ago, on November 14, Michael Nesmith and Micky Dolenz brought their final tour as The Monkees to a close on the stage of Los Angeles' Greek Theater. The show opened with Nesmith's "Good Clean Fun," released in 1969 on The Monkees Present. The wistful reflection builds to a sweetly triumphant proclamation which the duo delivered with relish: Well, the plane is finally down/And the engines stopped their sound And I look in the crowd and there you stand And the gap that
In Full Bloom: The Syn's "Flowerman" Collects Recordings of Chris Squire, Peter Banks' Pre-Yes Band
If The Syn is known today at all, it's because the band provided one of the starting points for Yes: Syn members Chris Squire and Peter Banks were two-fifths of the original 1968 Yes line-up. Now, Cherry Red's Grapefruit imprint is setting out to give The Syn its due with a new compilation. Flowerman: Rare Blooms from The Syn 1965-69 features all four of the band's single sides originally released in 1967 by Deram Records plus previously unreleased tracks and rarities. The Syn evolved from
Release Round-Up: Week of December 10
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Band, Cahoots: 50th Anniversary Edition (Capitol/UMe) 2CD/LP/BD/7-inch single: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD (Contents of CDs 1 & @ below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP (2021 Mix of Original Album): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Band and Capitol/UMe are in Cahoots for a deluxe 50th anniversary reissue of the group's fourth studio album. The remixed and remastered Cahoots arrives in
Winter of 'Summer of Soul': Soundtrack to Acclaimed Music Doc Coming in January
Last summer, as some music lovers took tentative steps in getting back to concertgoing amid the early vaccinations against COVID-19, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson gifted audiences with an incredible display of live performance some 50 years in the past. Summer of Soul is The Roots drummer's debut documentary, concerning a little-seen arts festival in Harlem that took place before, during and after that year's Woodstock Music & Art Fair - with some of the greatest soul, blues and jazz performers
If You Want to Sing Out: Cat Stevens' "Harold and Maude" Original Soundtrack Arrives in February
It took time for audiences to come around to Harold and Maude. The 1971 film, written by Colin Higgins (9 to 5, Foul Play) and directed by Hal Ashby (Shampoo, Being There), depicted the unlikely but ultimately powerful relationship between young, death-obsessed Harold (Bud Cort) and elderly, free-spirited Maude (Ruth Gordon). Its blend of dark comedy and ironic uplift initially underwhelmed most critics and moviegoers. Slowly but surely, however, it earned cult classic status. One of the
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Joni Mitchell, "Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971)"
Last evening in Washington, DC, Joni Mitchell joined the 44th class of Kennedy Center Honorees alongside Bette Midler, Berry Gordy, Lorne Michaels, and Justino Diaz. The singer-songwriter who has blurred the lines of folk, pop, rock, and jazz was celebrated by friends and admirers including Brandi Carlile, Herbie Hancock, Ellie Goulding, Norah Jones, Brittany Howard, Dan Levy, and Cameron Crowe. President Joe Biden, also in attendance, had earlier summed up the thoughts of many when he
Out of This World: Decca Celebrates John Williams' 90th Birthday with New Box Set
On February 8, 2022, John Williams will turn 90. Over the course of an extraordinary career, he's earned 25 Grammy Awards, five Oscars (out of 52 nominations, second only to Walt Disney), four Golden Globes, and three Emmys. Rather than resting on his considerable laurels in recent years, he's remained prolific, most recently scoring 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and serving as Music Consultant for longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg's highly-anticipated remake of West Side Story.
Release Round-Up: Week of December 3
Welcome to the first Release Round-Up of the last month of 2021! The Doors, L.A. Woman: 50th Anniversary Edition (Elektra/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com) The sixth and final studio album from The Doors featuring Jim Morrison gets a 50th anniversary expansion from Rhino on 3 CDs and 1 LP. The original stereo album (newly remastered by Bruce Botnick) is present on both CD and LP while the bonus discs have more than two hours of previously unreleased
Classical Goes Rock: Prog "Peter and the Wolf" Featuring Manfred Mann, Brian Eno, Phil Collins, Stephane Grappelli Returns to CD from Cherry Red, Esoteric
Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf in 1936 as "a symphonic fairy tale for children." As conceived, the narrator tells a story for children in which every character is musically "played" by a different instrument, i.e., the bird is a flute, the duck is an oboe, the cat is a clarinet, the grandfather is a bassoon, the Wolf is French horns, the hunters are woodwinds and trumpets, and Peter is string instruments. Prokofiev's composition earned the attention of Walt Disney
Sunrise, Sunset: La-La Land Wraps 2021 with Score Titles from Williams, Newman, and More
Like the consumption of Thanksgiving turkey and waiting in line for Record Store Day exclusives, La-La Land's Black Friday announcements of their final (and often biggest) archival soundtrack releases of the year is a holiday tradition. In 2021, the label did not disappoint, unveiling five rare, unreleased and expanded score titles from across five separate decades. From horror classics to brilliant stage musical adaptations and even a stunning Golden Age score, there's really something for
Sweet Season: Real Gone's December Releases Include Final Black Jazz Reissues and Eddie Hazel on Vinyl
Our friends at Real Gone Music have a few jazz and funk reissues on the way, beginning this Friday, December 3. The label is concluding its series of Black Jazz album reissues with sets from Calvin Keys and Doug Carn and also bringing back into print the only solo album from Funkadelic's guitarist Eddie Hazel. First up is guitarist Calvin Keys' Proceed with Caution! from 1974. It was Keys' second album for Black Jazz after 1971's Shawn-Neeq, his debut as a leader. In the 1960s, Keys backed
THE SECOND DISC'S 2021 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!
Cyber Monday is upon us once again, which means one thing at Second Disc HQ: it's time to launch our annual Holiday Gift Guide, featuring a few of our favorite things for the music enthusiast in your life. Sure, we might not have included raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but we've filled the guide with more than 50 essential selections: box sets (such as the Fab set to your right!) as well as archival releases and even new CDs from favorite artists that just might make great stocking
The Second Disc's Picks for Record Store Day Black Friday 2021
From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you've enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. (And with plenty of delicious food, too!) Now, Record Store Day's annual Black Friday event is upon us, so we're spotlighting a dozen of the most eagerly anticipated releases arriving to your local independent brick-and-mortar record shop! Here are our personal picks for RSD BF must-haves; visit Record Store Day's official website for a list of
Release Round-Up: Week of November 26
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! It's a smaller week than usual owing to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday as well as to Record Store Day's slate of Black Friday releases! To all those who celebrated Thanksgiving, we hope it was a wonderful one! David Bowie, Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) (Parlophone) 11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 17LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Parlophone continues its career-spanning series of box sets for the late David
Ace Records Round-Up: Spotlight on Petula Clark, Norman Whitfield, and "More Motown Girls"
The soundtrack of director Edgar Wright's recent film Last Night in Soho features two interpretations of Tony Hatch's classic pop hit "Downtown" performed by star Anya Taylor-Joy: one perky and uptempo, one haunting and downbeat. But the Soho soundtrack isn't the only way to hear "Downtown" as you likely haven't heard it before. The irresistible ode to that place where you can "forget all your troubles, forget all your cares" can be heard in Italian as sung by its originator, Petula Clark, as
Spirit of Salvation: Cherry Red, Esoteric Collect Spirit's Mercury Years on New 8-CD Box Set
Back in 2018, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings arm anthologized the early, seminal albums from Los Angeles rock band Spirit. The group spun off from The Red Roosters, a group which included Randy California (real name: Randy Wolfe) on guitars and vocals, Mark Andes on bass, and Jay Ferguson on vocals and percussion. When California's stepfather Ed Cassidy and John Locke joined on drums and keyboards, respectively, the members rechristened themselves Spirits Rebellious, and finally, Spirit.
In Memoriam: Keith Allison (1942-2021)
The Second Disc mourns the loss of singer-songwriter-musician-producer Keith Allison, 79, best known for his time as a member of Paul Revere and The Raiders. The Texas-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist had already toured with artists including Ray Peterson and The Crickets when he was plucked from the audience at the Whisky A' Go-Go and groomed for stardom on the weekday music show Where the Action Is. In a classic case of "right place, right time," busy session musician
Release Round-Up: Week of November 19
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts (Columbia/Legacy) 2CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts features newly remixed and restored audio and video footage from Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band's sets at Madison Square Garden in New York City in
I Can Make Tonight Forever: Cherry Pop Collects Bonnie Tyler's "EastWest Years" on New Collection
Back in 2017, Cherry Red's Cherry Pop imprint compiled Bonnie Tyler's Remixes and Rarities, a 2-CD collection drawing on the singer's Columbia/CBS, Epic, RCA, and Hansa recordings originally released between 1979 and 1994. Now, Cherry Pop is picking up the Bonnie Tyler story with a new 3-CD set. The EastWest Years 1995-1998 brings together her two albums for the Warner imprint plus a disc of single versions, edits, and remixes. By the time she joined East West, the distinctively
Lonely Boys: The Black Keys' "El Camino" Returns For 10th Anniversary with Expanded CD and LP Editions
The Black Keys, a.k.a. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, are marking 10 years of El Camino with anniversary editions from Nonesuch Records: 5LP Black Vinyl Super Deluxe (limited to 3,500 units, available now); 3LP Black Vinyl Deluxe (available now); 3LP White Vinyl Deluxe (limited to 7,500 units, available now); 5CD Super Deluxe ("extremely limited availability," available December 3); and Digital/streaming. El Camino, the band's seventh album, was co-produced by Auerbach and
2000 Light Years Away: Green Day to Release BBC Sessions on CD, Vinyl
Earlier this year, Green Day reached into its archives for a pair of limited-edition vinyl singles released exclusively through Oakland Coffee, an organic java brewery founded by the band in 2015 in Oakland, California (where else?). The singles presented four tracks recorded in 1994 for BBC Radio One, none of which had been previously available in commercial form. Now, that quartet of tunes will be joined by an additional dozen on Reprise Records' December 10 release of Green Day's BBC
Release Round-Up: Week of November 12
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Presley, Back in Nashville (RCA/Legacy) 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP Colored Vinyl: Graceland Official Store Elvis: Back in Nashville boasts 82 recordings on 4 CDs (or digitally) from The King's final Nashville sessions in 1971. With country, folk, holiday and gospel songs, pop, and rock and roll, these seminal tracks represent some of the most richly diverse in