One of the most pivotal Broadway shows of the last few decades will be revisited in a special package for its vinyl debut. Spring Awakening, the striking rock musical by Steven Sater (book/lyrics) and Duncan Sheik (music), will have its original cast recording reissued for its 20th anniversary on August 14. In addition to the original songs – now newly mastered for vinyl by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound – this package will also include two previously unreleased recordings of songs cut from the final production. The high-quality gatefold package includes…
Everything’s Heavy Underground: Ben Folds Five to Reissue Debut with ‘Shelved First Attempt’ Bonus Disc
Piano-pounding alternative trio Ben Folds Five will revisit their first album this fall – both versions of their first album. The group’s self-titled debut will be remastered and expanded on September 4, a year after its 30th anniversary mark. This 2CD or 180-gram 2LP release pairs that original album, featuring seminal tracks like “Underground” and “Philosophy,” with a mostly unreleased “Shelved First Attempt” featuring many of the same tracks (and a few others) recorded in an earlier session. Both sets will offer expanded liner notes featuring rare photos and commentary by Folds. It…
Release Round-Up: Week of July 3…Plus The Weekend Stream!
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Due to the U.S. holiday, there’s less than usual on offer this week, but our usual large gathering of titles will resume soon! In the meantime, here’s a rundown of some highlights from today’s releases plus a truncated version of The Weekend Stream (on hiatus this weekend). As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. From all of us at TSD HQ to all of you, we wish you and your loved ones a very happy Fourth of July weekend! Grateful Dead, Fillmore Audtitorium, San…
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Soundtrack Watch: ‘Frankenstein’ from Intrada, Barry and Bond from La-La Land and Quartet, ‘SpongeBob’ and ‘Shrek’ At Varese, and Williams’ Full ‘Disclosure’
Recent weeks have seen some incredible archival soundtrack announcements from many of our favorite labels – as well as a physical release of a new film score we’re quite excited about here. Come take a deep dive with Mike and Randy in our latest Soundtrack Watch! INTRADA 1973’s Frankenstein: The True Story is a two-part British-American television film directed by Jack Smight and loosely adapted from Mary Shelley’s classic novel by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy. Starring Michael Sarrazin as Frankenstein’s Monster, Leonard Whiting as Victor Frankenstein, David McCallum as Dr. Henry Clerval,…
Give the Kid a Break: Alice Cooper’s Early Solo Material Remastered in New Box Set
On July 31, Rhino will celebrate the early years of shock rock legend Alice Cooper with a new 5CD or 5LP box set. The Studio Albums 1975-1978 begins with 1975’s Welcome to My Nightmare, his first proper solo album, and continues with Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (1976), Lace and Whiskey (1977), and From the Inside (1978). The collection is rounded out with a 7-track collection of bonus material encompassing rarities and unique single versions. (In the vinyl set, this bonus album is cut at 45 RPM.) The band Alice Cooper began…
Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow): Rhino Celebrates 60 Years of “The Monkees” with “Made For TV”
On September 12, 1966, television audiences first met The Monkees. Under the auspices of creators Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, the zany foursome of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork pushed the boundaries of the American sitcom format with their musical misadventures. The Emmy Award-winning comedy only lasted two seasons and 58 episodes on NBC but endured thanks to Saturday morning repeats, syndication, cable, DVD, Blu-ray, and – most notably – the albums recorded by the four young men cast as The Monkees who went on to assume the…
The Force is with Him: New John Williams Addresses His Film Music ‘Legacy’
John Williams’ place in the canon of film music, Hollywood history and American popular culture is well solidified. The 94-year-old composer just saw the release of Disclosure Day, his 30th soundtrack for director Steven Spielberg – a collaboration that’s yielded three Oscar-winning scores in JAWS, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Schindler’s List plus memorable themes to classic films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the Indiana Jones film series and Jurassic Park. Next year, his Oscar-winning work on 1977’s Star Wars – a musical odyssey that’s yielded a trio of film trilogies and multiple spin-off streaming shows and theme park…
All I Want: Joni Mitchell’s “Blue” Turns 55, Rhino Unveils Vinyl and Reel-to-Reel Reissues
Joni Mitchell’s landmark Blue turns 55 this year, and Rhino isn’t letting the occasion go unnoticed. On July 10 – just weeks after the album’s actual anniversary on June 21 – the label will unveil High Fidelity editions on both vinyl and reel-to-reel tape. (For audiophiles who prefer shiny silver discs, Blue was reissued last year on Blu-ray Audio with Atmos, quadraphonic, and high-resolution stereo mixes.) On Blue, Mitchell turned her artistry fully inward for an act of stunning musical self-reflection. Upon hearing the original album, Kris Kristofferson famously quipped “Save something…
Release Round-Up: Week of June 19
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Sheena Easton, The Singles: 1980-1987 (Cherry Pop) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Cherry Pop’s Sheena Easton series has a new crown jewel: a 25CD box set chronicling her singles from the EMI years in the ’80s – and yes, this set has unreleased material as well. The Singles 1980-1987 follows two recent boxes following Easton’s EMI recordings in full (not strictly the original albums, but plenty of unreleased and alternate material in the mix)….
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Never Get Away from the Sound: Fleetwood Mac Expands Quintet-Era ‘Greatest Hits’ Set
Rhino is revisiting the first compilation of Fleetwood Mac’s “classic” quintet era – a push, it appears, ahead of a long-awaited, as-yet unreleased documentary on the band. 1988’s Greatest Hits will be reissued on July 31 in a new double-disc edition on CD and vinyl. In addition to the plethora of smash hits like “Rhiannon,” “Go Your Own Way,” “Dreams,” “Don’t Stop,” “Tusk,” “Gypsy,” “Little Lies” and “Everywhere” – as well as the then-new tracks “As Long As You Follow” and “No Questions Asked” – the set now includes a bonus disc of…
Timeless
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (140-gram Purple Marbled Vinyl) Ten years after his tragic passing, a newly-curated release from Prince’s vault offers 10 unreleased tracks spanning his entire recording career – mostly unconsidered, in their respective forms, for any formal versions of his albums. Advance highlights include “With This Tear,” a song Prince gave to Celine Dion early in her English-language singing career, and the ’90s pop/funk “Stone.”
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HERO: A Second Wind
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (Red Vinyl/Signed) The major-label debut of country singer Maren Morris is one of the genre’s best breakthroughs in recent memory – and for its 10th anniversary, it’ll be reissued with nine bonus tracks, five of them previously unreleased (including demos and non-album tracks).
Four Tops Live! (Deluxe Edition)
Recorded over two separate engagements at the Roostertail club in Detroit, this 60th anniversary edition of one of Motown’s first and best live LPs has been completely rebuilt, newly mixed and mastered from the original multitrack tapes and offering not only songs from the concerts not heard on the original album, but alternate performances of the ones that were.The 2LP gatefold package includes Scott Regen’s original liner notes as well as new ones from him, as well as production notes from longtime Motown reissue producer Harry Weinger. (A digital version will be…
(the best & the rest of) New Order
4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada (the best of) 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada (the rest of) 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Less than a decade from the beloved compilation Substance, New Order issued (the best of) New Order in 1994 that chronicled their ’90s transitions into house and traditional alt-rock music, with a few new mixes to boot. The following year, (the rest of) New Order compiled recent and new remixes of the same material. (the best & the rest of) New Order brings together both collections with a further two discs of rare, new-to-CD and unreleased remixes…
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To Live and Die in L.A. (Deluxe Edition)
Available exclusively through Interscope Records’ online store, Wang Chung’s soundtrack to William Friedkin’s 1985 neo-noir will be pressed on two opaque orange “L.A. sunset” LPs. The first offers a chronological sequence of the music from the film, with two additional tracks: the hit single “Dance Hall Days” and the unreleased “This One’s for You, White Boy.” The second LP offers eight bonus remixes and edits, five of which are previously unreleased. (A futher expanded digital edition is promised, but the long-discussed CD edition seems to be off the table.)
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Thin Lizzy (Deluxe Edition)
3CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (green): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (blue) Though markedly different from the twin-guitar attack they’d be known for later in the decade, Thin Lizzy’s 1971 debut makes for a fascinating listen, taking cues from folk and Celtic rock and introducing the burgeoning mastery of much-missed singer/songwriter/bassist Phil Lynott. This 55th anniversary deluxe box set offers the group’s self-titled debut and the New Day EP in their original forms as well as new stereo remixes by Richard Whittaker, more than a dozen unreleased outtakes and BBC sessions and…
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Release Round-Up: Week of June 12
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The 5th Dimension, Let the Sunshine In: The Soul City & Bell Albums 1967-1974 (Second Disc/Cherry Red/Strawberry) Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Cherry Red 2026 marks 60 years of The 5th Dimension–and the celebration is kicking off with the first-ever box set dedicated to the legendary “champagne soul” fivesome! Second Disc Records is proud to team with Cherry Red’s Strawberry imprint for Let the Sunshine In: The Soul City &…
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Spill the Wine: WAR’s “Greatest Hits” Returns in Expanded Form
Rhino is revisiting the 1976 collection which reaffirmed WAR’s status as reliable hitmakers. On July 31, the label will reissue WAR’s Greatest Hits on both CD and vinyl. Whereas the 2021 edition entitled Greatest Hits 2.0 added an entire disc’s worth of favorites, this release is more compact. The CD version adds four cuts (including “Spill the Wine”) to the original collection while the LP, part of Rhino’s Spirit of ’76 summer vinyl campaign, replicates the original album track listing. (The campaign encompasses 23 releases from 1976 including Yes’ Live at Roosevelt Stadium.)…
Review: Frank Zappa, “Zappa ’66, Vol. 1: Live at TTG Studios”
Freak Out! Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention’s 1966 debut record on the venerable Verve label introduced an artist for whom no cow was sacred; Zappa spent his entire career successfully pushing the boundaries of popular music and, some might add, of taste. He always had his finger on the pulse of pop culture, unafraid to poke fun at its excesses. Now, with Zappa ’66, Vol. 1: Live at TTG Studios – No. 134 in the Official Release Series – Zappa Records’ recently-relaunched Vaulternative imprint has given fans a real treat:…
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Miles ’56: The Prestige Recordings
3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Following the previously released collections Miles ’54 and Miles ’55, Craft Recordings is continuing its survey of the early Miles Davis discography for a new installment. The sensibly-titled Miles ’56 is another archival dive into the Prestige Records catalogue as it chronicles a pivotal year in Davis’ musical history. It’s out in 3CD, limited-edition 4LP, and digital formats (including hi-res audio) with all audio sourced from the original analog masters and restored using Plangent Processes. Though these dates closed the door on Davis’ affiliation with Prestige Records and…
Review: The Beach Boys, “Pet Sounds” 60th Anniversary Releases
By the time Pet Sounds hit stores on May 16, 1966, The Beach Boys had already released ten studio albums. The group’s sound had undoubtedly matured since their earliest days, culminating in an exquisite mini-suite that filled most of Side Two of 1965’s The Beach Boys Today! and the increasingly sophisticated, if still teenage-themed, productions of its follow-up, 1966’s Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). Still, even those recordings didn’t fully prepare listeners for Pet Sounds. Composer-arranger-singer-producer Brian Wilson and his bandmates Mike Love, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston…
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Release Round-Up: Week of June 5
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Barry Manilow, What a Time (Stiletto) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / ShopManilow.com LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / ShopManilow.com Arriving today as Manilow prepares to embark on his first tour after recovering from lung cancer treatment, Barry Manilow’s What a Time is the singer-songwriter’s first album of primarily original music since 2011’s 15 Minutes. The album takes on a reflective tone characterized by its first single, a cover of Peter Allen and Dean Pitchford’s “Once…
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Nothing Left But Stone: ‘Timeless’ Collects 10 Unreleased Prince Recordings
The faithful fans hoping for more music from Prince’s vault have something to look forward to. Timeless, a new collection from NPG Records and Legacy Recordings, offers 10 previously unreleased recordings spanning the breadth of the Minneapolis legend’s career, from a 1978 home recording to a live take of a favorite B-side from one of his final concerts. The album will be available on CD and vinyl on August 28. Prince’s version of “With This Tear,” an early ’90s ballad given to Celine Dion and released to mark the 10th anniversary of…
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Return of a ‘Hero’: Maren Morris’ Breakthrough Gets Expanded for Its 10th Anniversary
Almost exactly a decade after catapulting into the upper tier of country music, Maren Morris will celebrate the album that put her there with a new deluxe edition. HERO: A Second Wind expands Morris’ major-label debut HERO for its 10th anniversary with a generous nine tracks – nearly double the length of the original record. In addition to three previously available tracks on a Target-exclusive deluxe edition, the set (available on CD, 2LP and digitally) offers two previously unheard songs, “We Can’t Be Friends” and “Hard Liquor and Soft Rock,” and demo versions…
The Best of Judas Priest
Legacy brings together a career-spanning selections of tracks from Judas Priest – 10 on vinyl and 16 on CD – including such favorites from the metal titans as “Breaking the Law,” “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming,” “Electric Eye,” “Turbo Lover,” and “Painkiller.” (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)
