The discography of Big Sound Records proves that great things often come in small packages. While the label didn't release many LPs, those that were released by the likes of The Scratch Band and Van Duren have become favorites of crate-diggers. Big Sound patterned itself on the U.K.'s Stiff Records, and its answer to Stiff's Elvis Costello may well have been Roger C. Reale. The 1978 album Radio Active, credited to Reale and Rue Morgue, was packed with compact rock-and-roll nuggets - ten on the
Release Round-Up: Week of October 25
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Kinks, Arthur, or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire [Various Formats] (BMG) 4CD/4-seven-inch single box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Kinks Official 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Kinks Official 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Kinks Official The Kinks' 1969 concept album continued in the quintessentially British vein of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation
The Hills Are Alive: “The Sound of Music” 60th Anniversary Reissue Due in December from Craft Recordings
Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music has found a new home. The original Broadway cast recording of the beloved Broadway musical, first issued in 1959 and continuously in print since then on Columbia Records, will celebrate its 60th anniversary on a new label. On December 6, Craft Recordings will premiere on CD and 180-gram vinyl a remastered reissue of the album starring Tony Award winning stage legend Mary Martin and acclaimed actor/folksinger Theodore Bikel. The show, based on the
Do You Hear What I Hear: New “Bing at Christmas” Features Crosby Backed by London Symphony
The Christmas season is almost here - that time of year when the indelible sound of the late Harry Lillis Crosby once again takes the airwaves. This year, however, there may be a twist. On November 22, Decca Records will release Bing at Christmas, melding Crosby's classic vocals with new orchestrations recorded by The London Symphony Orchestra. Nick Patrick, producer of similar symphonic albums from Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and Roy Orbison, helmed Bing at Christmas. "White Christmas," of
Among The Believers: Steven Van Zandt Preps Vinyl/CD Box Set with Classic Albums, Unreleased Tracks
In the 1980s, after a successful run as a key member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band as well as a key architect of the rock-and-soul-infused "Jersey Shore sound," Steven Van Zandt struck out on his own. A new box set from UMe will showcase his solo evolution. The singer/songwriter/producer/guitarist's RockNRoll Rebel - The Early Work will collect five of Little Steven's solo works on colored vinyl - Men Without Women (1982), Voice Of America (1984), Freedom - No Compromise (1987),
I Think It’s Love: Rhino Releases Special Demo of Prince’s “I Feel For You” on Digital and Limited Edition 7″
This morning, Rhino and The Prince Estate announced a surprise release of "I Feel For You," a two-track single that honors the 40th anniversary of Prince's second, self-titled album. The new single includes a previously unreleased acoustic demo version of the legendary song, later covered by The Pointer Sisters, La Toya Jackson and most famously Chaka Khan (whose 1984 version won two Grammy Awards). As Prince's vault archivist Michael Howe says in a statement, "You hear his incredible talent
Release Round-Up: Week of October 18
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Jethro Tull, Stormwatch: 40th Anniversary Edition (Chrysalis) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Jethro Tull continues its long-running box set series with a new 4CD/2DVD expansion of 1979's Stormwatch, the final Tull album to feature the "classic" line-up of Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Glascock, John Evan, David (now Dee) Palmer, and Barriemore Barlow. The new edition features: The original album and associated recordings
Something Completely Different: “Monty Python Sings (again)” Receives Expanded 2-LP Reissue
On October 5, 1969, Monty Python's Flying Circus appeared on TV for the first time, and their unique brand of sketch- and music-based comedy has since become an indelible part of our culture. To celebrate their 50th anniversary, the surviving members of Monty Python will launch re-releases of their films and their landmark television series. They've also begun to revisit their classic albums with recently released reissues of Monty Python's Previous Record, Live At Drury Lane, The Album Of The
We’ve Known Each Other For So Long: Rick Astley Preps Hits Collection
With all the surprise of a Rickroll, British singer Rick Astley went from pop star to Internet meme to solid entertainer over the past three decades. This fall, he's got a new compilation celebrating that evolution. The Best Of Me, to be released October 25, collects his biggest international hit singles and beloved cuts throughout his career, including tracks from 50 (2016) and Beautiful Life (2018), which marked a return to original music after 15 years. 50 debuted atop the U.K. albums
What’s The 411? Mary J. Blige’s Early Years Anthologized On ‘HERstory’
Long established as one of the premiere female hip-hop/R&B artists of her generation, Mary J. Blige is telling her story - the one that earned her the title of Queen of Hip-Hop Soul - through HERstory, Vol. 1, a new multi-format compilation coming this December. Born in The Bronx and raised in both Savannah, Georgia and the projects of Yonkers, New York, Mary J. Blige's three-decade-plus career has been supported by music that balances street sounds with feminine soul and the pen of a
Review: Frank Sinatra, “My Way: 50th Anniversary Edition” and “Sings Alan and Marilyn Bergman”
The album was entitled My Way for the song by Paul Anka, Claude Francois, Gilles Thibault, and Jacques Revaux, but truth to tell, the moniker would have been fitting even without that famous anthem. For the ten songs on Frank Sinatra's 1969 Reprise LP were indisputably sung as only one man could: swing - his way, pop - his way, rhythm and blues - his way. Capitol Records, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, and UMe have reissued My Way in a 50th anniversary expanded edition celebrating both the song and
The Shape Returns: Last Year’s ‘Halloween’ Score To Be Expanded
Michael Myers is coming home again, thanks to an expanded edition of the soundtrack to last year's Halloween sequel. John Carpenter helped kickstart the slasher genre with this low-budget classic he co-wrote and directed in 1978. Jamie Lee Curtis (daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, making her film debut) starred as Laurie Strode, a babysitter in Haddonfield, Illinois who is targeted by Myers ("The Shape"), a masked killer who murdered his sister 15 years before. Donald Pleasance
Peaches En Regalia: Frank Zappa’s “Hot Rats” Turns 50, Gets Expanded to Six CDs
If an upcoming box set is any indication, Zappa Records is on fire - as Frank Zappa's 1969 solo album Hot Rats is about to get a lot hotter. On December 20, the label, in association with UMe, will issue The Hot Rats Sessions, a 6CD box set exploring that seminal album from every angle. The mostly-instrumental LP came on the heels of the breakup of the original Mothers of Invention, making it clear that Zappa was a force with which to be reckoned as a composer. Described by the artist as "a
Release Round-Up: Week of October 11
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Steve Miller Band, Welcome to the Vault (Sailor/Capitol/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Welcome To The Vault is the first-ever Steve Miller Band rarities collection. The 3CD/DVD box set features 52 songs that span Miller's career, including 38 previously unreleased recordings and 5 never-before-heard songs. With demos, rehearsal takes, newly unearthed compositions, classic concert recordings, and more, Miller has dived into
Way to Go Home: Rhino Compiles Lost Grateful Dead Album as “Ready or Not”
The Grateful Dead released their final studio album on Halloween 1989. The title Built to Last was certainly appropriate, as the Dead have indeed done just that over the past decades. But the band continued writing new songs after the album's release, performing them in concert in the early 1990s. Unfortunately, with the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995, the Dead were unable to complete them in the studio. Today, Rhino announced a new release that may prove to be the closest we'll ever get to
Heaven in Here: Rare Live Tracks From Bowie’s Tin Machine Collected on Digital Album
We're continuing our periodic look at digital-only titles we might otherwise have missed with a peek at a previously unreleased concert from David Bowie and Tin Machine! Thirty years ago, the ever-mercurial David Bowie embarked on a new phase of his career with his new band Tin Machine. After several commercial-leaning albums in the earlier part of the decade, Bowie joined up with the then-unknown guitarist Reeves Gabrels and former Todd Rundgren associates Tony and Hunt Sales to form Tin
With a Fire In His Heart: George Michael Classics Power ‘Last Christmas’ Soundtrack
An upcoming holiday film is taking its cues from a classic song from George Michael and Wham! On November 8 in the U.S. and November 15 in the U.K., Last Christmas will arrive in cinemas. Legacy Recordings will issue the soundtrack, featuring one previously unheard George Michael song and an array of his classics, on November 8 in CD, vinyl, and digital formats. In spring 2013, screenwriter-actress Emma Thompson visited Michael to earn his blessing for the film. Michael consented, leading to
Song of Time: Two Folk Classics from Art and Paul Are Reissued for First Time
With a recent pair of reissues, Sony Music/Legacy Recordings has transported listeners to Greenwich Village at the dawn of the 1960s, when guitar-wielding troubadours took the stages at venues like Café Wha? to share their own "alternative" music: folk. While Connie Francis, Brian Hyland, Elvis Presley, and even Percy Faith were ascending to the top of the Pop chart, folksingers were spinning their own musical yarns that didn't involve teenage romance or itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polkadot
Like A Rolling Stone: The Rolling Stones Prep “Bridges To Buenos Aires” Archive Release
The Rolling Stones have recently announced the latest in their archival series. Bridges to Buenos Aires will be released on November 8 in a variety of CD, vinyl, and video configurations. Following the Bridges to Bremen live album released in June, Bridges to Buenos Aires also commemorates The Rolling Stones' hugely successful 1997-1998 tour. The Buenos Aires show was recorded on April 5, 1998 -- the last of a five-night residency at the River Plate Stadium -- and features a very special
Something ‘Groovy’: New Hendrix Box Revisits The Band Of Gypsys
Jimi Hendrix's Fillmore East concerts of December 31, 1969 and January 1, 1970 have become the stuff of legend. With Billy Cox and Buddy Miles matching him in intensity and power, Hendrix pushed the envelope of heavy rock, R&B, and funk. The original 1970 release of Band of Gypsys offered a tantalizing taste of the concerts, and over the years other songs from the concerts have emerged on various releases (most recently 2016's Machine Gun: The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/69). Now,
Release Round-Up: Week of September 27
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Beatles, Abbey Road: Anniversary Edition [Various Formats] (Apple/UMe) Super Deluxe 3CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Deluxe 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Abbey Road celebrates 50 with a variety of editions built around a new 2019 stereo mix by Giles Martin
The Wayfarer: Bruce Springsteen Announces Soundtrack Album “Western Stars: Songs From the Film”
Bruce Springsteen's feature-length directorial debut, Western Stars opens in movie theaters on October 25 (after limited early screenings on the 19th and 23rd). In the movie, Springsteen performs all the songs from his latest album in his hundred-year-old barn. Springsteen said that the point of the film, which also includes new interviews and archival footage, was to "to get some of the music live to an audience." "The [studio] album and the film are both about this fading Western movie
Castle In the Clouds: Gong’s ’70s Output Celebrated on 13-Disc “Love From Planet Gong” Box and 2-CD Sets
When it comes to all-encompassing mega-sets celebrating the oft-overlooked talents of British prog, UMC has delivered the goods. They're following up their already impressive lineup with a new, 12-CD/1-DVD box set that covers the legendary psychedelic surrealists Gong and their tenure at Virgin. Entitled Love From the Planet Gong: The Virgin Years, 1973-1975, the new box offers all their studio albums from the era, plus a wealth of rare, previously unreleased recordings. It's all set to hit
America’s Gerry Beckley Returns with New Solo Album “Five Mile Road”
Gerry Beckley has earned the right to call the opening track of his new solo album "Life Lessons." The singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and America co-founder is understandably in a reflective mood on Five Mile Road, out now from Blue Elan Records. The artist may be celebrating 50 years with America, but he still has plenty to say. For his first solo album since 2016's Carousel, Beckley has reunited with many of the same collaborators. Jeff Larson not only co-produced with Beckley but
Everybody’s Still Talkin’: Omnivore Preps Unreleased Harry Nilsson Album for November
Nilsson fans (and who isn't?), rejoice! On November 22, the late singer-songwriter's final recordings will at last see the light of day on CD, vinyl, and digital formats from Omnivore Recordings. Losst and Founnd is the first new album of original material from Harry Nilsson since 1980's Flash Harry. Nilsson was working on the album at the time of his death at the age of 52 in January 1994 with producer Mark Hudson (Ringo Starr, Aerosmith). Two of the songs, "U.C.L.A." and "Animal Farm," were
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