Intervention Records launched in 2015 with a simple mission statement: "To provide archive-quality LPs of music we love," with the goal that "each record we do must be the single definitive, final version of that album, the one real music lovers will seek out." Happily, the label's early releases have all more than lived up […]
Continue ReadingCherry Red's RPM Records label has been doing a lot of Looking with its series of themed mini-box sets dedicated to such pop subgenres as freakbeat, mod, and girl group soul. The latest set in the Looking series, established in 2011, is Looking Stateside. This volume is dedicated to U.S. R&B Mod, Soul and Garage […]
Continue ReadingWhat happens when monsters meet rock-and-roll? Vee-Jay Records answered that question in 1964 with the release of the fiendishly fun It's Monster Surfing Time. The LP credited to The Deadly Ones (who else?) has, over the past decades, become a highly-collectable title in its original vinyl format. On April 8, this slice of summery surf […]
Continue ReadingWelcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Go-Go's, Beauty and the Beat / Vacation / Talk Show: Deluxe Editions (Edsel) Beauty and the Beat: Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Vacation: Expanded Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Talk Show: Expanded Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Edsel has expanded editions of the three classic albums by The Go-Go's […]
Continue ReadingPaul McCartney has just announced a new, solo career-spanning anthology. On June 10, Pure McCartney will arrive in 4-CD (67 tracks), 4-LP (41 tracks) and 2-CD (39 tracks) formats. This non-chronologically sequenced compilation draws on solo and Wings material from 1970's homemade McCartney through 2014's "Hope for the Future," featured on the Destiny video game. […]
Continue ReadingThe Second Disc welcomes back Ted Frank as he takes a sonic journey with one of his favorite albums so far of 2016, Brett Harris' Up in the Air! It may not be a reissue, but Harris' spin on vintage pop sounds make this release a must-listen. Listening to Brett Harris' newest album Up in the […]
Continue ReadingThe O'Jays quietly began their association with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff on 1970's Neptune album In Philadelphia, announcing the Ohio group's shift to the City of Brotherly Love and its burgeoning soul scene. But there was nothing quiet about the opening track of Back Stabbers, the trio's first album for Gamble and Huff's Philadelphia […]
Continue ReadingCollectors of rare psychedelia likely know the band July and its self-titled 1968 album on the Major Minor label featuring "My Clown," "Dandelion Seeds," and "The Way." But few remember that the psych cult heroes of July began their career as members of The Tomcats. Cherry Red's RPM label has recently collected the Ealing band's […]
Continue ReadingMay 26, 2016 would have been Miles Davis' 90th birthday. Though the legendary musician died in 1991 at just 65 years of age, his body of work has hardly left the spotlight. Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings have recently announced two upcoming projects to mark Davis' landmark birthday. First, on Friday, April 1, the labels […]
Continue ReadingFor the past seven decades, Michel Legrand has been composing rich melodies for film, stage, television and records. The three-time Academy Award winner and co-writer of such songs as "The Windmills of Your Mind," "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life" and "Happy (Love Theme from Lady Sings the Blues)" has been a […]
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