For film score fans, this past Tuesday might as well have been called "Fat Tuesday." I'm going to keep this short and sweet, because the news speaks for itself: Intrada announced the much-anticipated CD release of John Williams' score to 1986's SpaceCamp in a 3,000-copy limited edition which literally sold out in a matter of hours! SpaceCamp is mastered from the original RCA tapes, which have been vaulted by Sony. And Bill Conti fans have reason to rejoice, too, as Intrada has also announced a
The Porpoise is Waiting No More: Monkees Flick Hits Blu-Ray
Hey hey! Attention all readers! We take a break from our regularly-scheduled coverage of audio reissues to bring you news of an important music-related video release: the Blu-Ray debut of the Monkees’ 1968 surreal film odyssey Head! With the Criterion Collection’s November 23 release as part of a massive box set dedicated to the films of BBS Productions, Head makes its eagerly-awaited appearance on Blu-Ray. (The box set will also be available in the DVD format.) To call Head a trip is to put it
Visit Hollywood, 1962, with "Billy Barnes' L.A." from Kritzerland
In his interview with The Second Disc, producer Bruce Kimmel promised to reissue some long-lost musical revues among Kritzerland’s future releases; he makes good on his word with Monday morning’s announcement of the 1963 Los Angeles cast recording of Billy Barnes’ L.A. Billy Barnes’ L.A. opened on October 10, 1962 at that city's Coronet Theatre, still in use today as part of the Largo music and comedy club. It was recorded the following January at the legendary United Recording Studio on Sunset
Friday Feature: The Rocky Story
Today saw the release of the widely-hyped The Expendables, in which Sylvester Stallone gathered as many action movie heroes, past and present, and shoved them all into a film. By all accounts, it doesn't seem to have worked as well as it could have. And that's more or less latter-day Stallone for you. (Seriously, have you seen Rambo?) With that in mind, this week's Friday Feature takes you to a simpler time. A time where Stallone was a young actor with a dream, which he turned into a
Back Tracks: The Spielberg-Williams Connection Part II
Our look at the work of John Williams for Steven Spielberg's filmography continues with this look at the rest of the 1990s and beyond. Also featured are a few compilations of performances devoted to one of the best partnerships in film music history. Enjoy after the jump!
Back Tracks: The Spielberg-Williams Connection
As I write this, Steven Spielberg is currently at work on his next film, an adaptation of the World War I-themed British play War Horse, due for a release a year from now. This means that, before long, composer John Williams will begin to write his 26th score for a Spielberg picture. The duo have been an almost immortal force in the film business for nearly 40 years, from their first collaboration, 1973's The Sugarland Express, to next Christmas' The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn,
New at La La Land: "Gunmen" and a Beach Party
La La Land announced their next batch of titles yesterday (their only two for the month), and they're a pair of appealing titles from the vault. In a bit of a teaser to October's planned box set of music from The X-Files, the label is prepping an offering of TV soundtracks composed by the same man (Mark Snow) for the same producer (Chris Carter). This CD (LLLCD 1135) will feature music from the short-lived X-Files spinoff The Lone Gunmen and the even more short-lived sci-fi series Harsh Realm.
News Round-Up: More Morrissey, Live Dio, A Change at Disney and More
Our inimitable alt-rock flame-keeper friends at Slicing Up Eyeballs point us toward a trail of additional Morrissey rarities leading up to the 20th anniversary reissue of his excellent compilation Bona Drag. It seems that early single "Everyday is Like Sunday" is going to be reissued on CD and 7-inch vinyl, and will include some interesting bonus tracks. Both vinyl singles include live renditions of "Sunday" from the Hollywood Bowl in 2007 and The New York Dolls' "Trash" from 1991, while the CD
Friday Feature: "Footloose"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsCO-YkDgnY] This week's theatrical release of Step Up 3D proves that young people everywhere still embrace the notion of defying authority by shaking one's ass on the dance floor. It's nothing new, of course; ever since Columbia Pictures turned Twist Around the Clock onto a dance-crazy culture in 1961, dance pictures have become a generational touchstone. Whether they're good, crowd-pleasing films (Saturday Night Fever (1977), Flashdance (1983)) or
The Second Disc Interview #2: From Hollywood, It's Bruce Kimmel!
Producer, director, writer, actor, composer, lyricist, raconteur – any and all of those words could be used to describe Bruce Kimmel. After helping to launch the Varese Sarabande label over thirty years ago and christening its still-ongoing soundtrack series with his score to The First Nudie Musical (which he also wrote, co-directed and acted in), Kimmel founded the Bay Cities label. Between 1989 and 1993, he and his Bay Cities colleagues were among the very first to reissue classic film
Review: Danny Elfman, "Batman: Expanded Archival Collection"
It's a safe guess that your enjoyment of La La Land's new expansion of Danny Elfman's score to Batman (1989) (LLLCD 1140), like so many soundtracks, hinges on your enjoyment of the film itself. That sentiment, in turn, hinges on how much you can separate the idea of a fun movie from a good one. The blockbuster - drawn from the immortal DC Comics superhero - never falls short on action, thrills or compelling visuals. But it is too long and bloated, with thin characterization and a
Coming Tomorrow: Adventures in Kritzerland!
A most excellent heads-up to readers of The Second Disc: at noon tomorrow we'll be posting our second interview. This one's done by our very own Joe Marchese, and will feature a dialogue with Bruce Kimmel. The longtime record producer/writer/director known in some circles for his catalogue work through the Kritzerland label (and in others for cult classics like The First Nudie Musical!) will chat with us about his work, past, present and future. It should be a good read, and it'll be here in
Intrada Readies "Predator" and Vintage Westerns
Intrada has some great releases due this week. One is a familiar romp through '80s action territory, the other a pair of unearthed Western scores. As rumored, Intrada is bringing Alan Silvestri's score to Predator (1987) back into print. First released by Varese Sarabande in 2003, this high-powered, rhythm-heavy score is remastered from newly-discovered two-track digital stereo session elements, so it's got the best sound one can hope for. The track order is more or less the same, outside of a
FSM to Catalogue Soundtrack Buyers: Start Saving!
Film Score Monthly has been a soundtrack fan's haven for two decades running, and has been a quality home for vintage soundtrack expansions and reissues for nearly 15 of those years. Almost anyone who collects scores has a favorite, whether it's early works by John Williams, expansions of scores to Star Trek sequels, or box sets full of film music devoted to Superman. FSM founder Lukas Kendall recently took to the Web to make a rare set of pre-announcements of product - and some of them are
Friday Feature: "Predator"
If you went into theatres in the summer of 1987 to see Predator, you might have expected a rote action film with Arnold Schwarzenegger and nothing more. On the surface, there's nothing that would have you expect anything else. The Austrian Oak leads a team of soldiers through an attempted rescue mission in South America. Sounds like any other action movie from the '80s, right? But then you catch those quick bursts of infrared images. The distorted sound. The unearthly snarling. And you realize
News Round-Up: Dead on Vinyl, Closer to Elvis, Deluxe Duran Rearranged and More
The Grateful Dead is releasing a five-LP box set containing reissues of the band's first five studio albums for Warner Bros. records. Collectors will want to take note that this box will include the original mixes of Anthem of the Sun and Aoxomoxoa, which have not been released since the original LPs came out. The set is due on September 21; pre-orders placed now get a bonus reproductions of a 7" single and a vintage promo poster. While we await tomorrow's pre-order date for a crazy-enormous
Breaking News: More "Promises" Kept from Kritzerland
We catalogue music enthusiasts just can't get enough. Near-universal acclaim greeted Kritzerland on its re-release of the original cast album of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's Promises, Promises, including from your humble correspondent. Yet many of those cheers were quickly followed in the fan community by: "Now, when are you going to release the London Cast Recording?" The long-lost United Artists LP was recorded in 1969 with the stars of the production at the Prince of Wales Theatre: Tony
Of Panthers and Baby Elephants: "The Essential Henry Mancini" Coming Soon
Henry Mancini’s film score work has been anthologized numerous times, and the latest such release is due August 24 from Legacy as part of their ongoing The Essential… series. The Essential Henry Mancini is a 2-disc overview containing 36 tracks, dating between 1958 and 1983. During that time, Mancini was one of Hollywood’s most prolific composers, creating memorable themes for the big and little screens alike. Mancini’s longterm collaboration with Blake Edwards ranks with the Danny Elfman/Tim
Friday Feature: "Reality Bites"
There are plenty of moviegoers in any given week who look at the films playing at their local theatre, shake their head and conclude that Hollywood is no longer making movies for "them." One only wonders how the winter of 1994 was for that crowd when Reality Bites was released. One of the most explicitly Generation X movies ever created, Reality Bites follows the trials and tribulations of a group of twentysomethings in 1990s Houston. There's Leilaina (Wynona Ryder), a college valedictorian
More Score to Adore
With no shortage of catalogue film score news and announcements in the past week, The Second Disc adds to that with two releases from Intrada and a few rumblings about La La Land. First, the releases: Lalo Schifrin's score to the newspaper drama The Mean Season and George Delerue's fanciful score to the Glenn Close comedy Maxie, both released in 1985, are getting their first-ever releases as part of Intrada's Special Collection. Both albums feature a new sequencing experiment for the label: big
Romantic Hamlisch Coming Soon from Kritzerland
This is shaping up to be an exciting week for classic soundtrack fans. Hot on the heels of Film Score Monthly’s announcement of a Bronislau Kaper collection, Kritzerland unveiled its latest release Monday morning: Marvin Hamlisch’s score to the 1983 film Romantic Comedy. Hamlisch is too often underrated in the film scoring department, although can you really call someone underrated who has amassed three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes, four Emmy Awards, four Grammy Awards, a Tony Award and
News Round-Up: New Stage and Screen Releases from Kaper, Loesser and More
There's rarely such a thing as a Monday matinee, but that won't keep The Second Disc from ushering in the week with news of a quintet of reissues from our friends at Film Score Monthly and Sepia Records. These exciting releases are sure to please devotees of both soundtracks and cast albums. Film Score Monthly kicks things off with their new release of BUtterfield 8: Bronislau Kaper at M-G-M, Volume 1 (FSM 1309). Kaper rarely seems to be afforded the acclaim given to many of his contemporaries,
Friday Feature: "Ghostbusters"
For whatever cosmic reason, 1984 was a huge cosmic intersection for pop music and film. Prince exploded into the national consciousness with Purple Rain, Kenny Loggins continued his run as America's go-to soundtrack guy with his contributions to Footloose. Stevie Wonder called The Woman in Red to say he loved her, Harold Faltermeyer helped make Eddie Murphy a superstar with "Axel F." from Beverly Hills Cop. Even Phil Collins had a soundtrack hit, against all odds. And then there was
"Batman," "Krull" to Be Expanded by La-La Land
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AdEHOta-Uc] La-La Land Records has announced its next batch of catalogue soundtrack reissues - and they're two big names to fans of '80s action/fantasy films. Danny Elfman's iconic score to the 1989 film version of Batman and James Horner's music from Krull (1983) are getting lavish expanded releases for the month of July. Batman, part of La-La Land's Expanded Archival Collection series, will feature, for the first time ever, the full score as
News Round-Up: Coming Soon from Audio Fidelity, Kritzerland & Masterworks Broadway
There's lots of label action to report today, so let's just jump right in: Hot on the heels of this week's release of Stevie Wonder's Talking Book and Laura Nyro's Time and Love: The Essential Masters, Audio Fidelity has announced two more titles to receive the 24K Gold CD reissue treatment. Coming up are two 1980s classics: Rickie Lee Jones' 1989 Flying Cowboys, produced by Walter Becker of Steely Dan, and Billy Idol's Rebel Yell, the 1983 album that catapulted Idol to superstardom. Steve