Todd Rundgren has entitled his new studio album State, but the title is a loaded one: is Todd commenting on a state? Is he commenting on the state? What state is he in? What is he stating? And after all, when Todd Rundgren announces a new album, does anybody ever really know which Todd Rundgren to expect? On his first album for the Esoteric Antenna label, Rundgren has taken his inspiration – and not so implausibly, I might add – from the likes of Skrillex and Frank Ocean, placing his voice
The Softer Side of UMe's Budget Compilation Lines: "Ballads" Released
Having recently introduced some EMI-controlled artists to the ICON roster, Universal now incorporates some of those artists (and some of their most treasured R&B and country acts) into a new budget-oriented series, Ballads. And while none of the artists covered here really, truly need more compilations on the market - and, one can assume, the assembly of these is as low-impact as the ICON series - there's actually some promise to be had here. The overall selection of artists isn't terrible,
Return of The Paisley Underground: Omnivore Anthologizes the Early Three O'Clock
Power-pop legends The Three O'Clock stunned even their most devoted fans by announcing their first live dates in decades this year, including a stop at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. To sweeten the deal even more, the fine folks at Omnivore have prepped a brand-new compilation covering their earliest years on Frontier Records - half of which is entirely unreleased. Singer/songwriter/bassist Michael Quercio had a funny, catchy term to describe what L.A. bands like his were doing
Return of the "Rock Show": Paul McCartney's "Wings Over America" Takes Flight In May
Paul McCartney has always been one for tradition. Last year, Macca used the annual Record Store Day campaign to preview his deluxe Archive Collection release of 1971’s Ram with a vinyl replica single of “Another Day” b/w “Oh Woman, Oh Why.” This year, the reveal of McCartney’s RSD exclusive confirmed the news that diehards have been expecting since the Archive Collection first began: the 1976 chart-topping triple-album Wings Over America is coming on May 27 (Europe) and May 28 (North America)
Review: Paul Anka, "Duets"
Whether you prefer your “My Way” by Sinatra or Sid (Vicious, that is), you have Paul Anka to thank. It was Anka who took the melody to the chanson “Comme d’habitude” and crafted the ultimate anthem of survival and tenacity with his English-language lyrics. When Sinatra recorded the song, a gift to him from Anka, he was just 53 years of age yet could still ring true when singing of that “final curtain.” Today, Paul Anka is 71, and his new memoir is entitled, what else, My Way. Thankfully, the
Release Round-Up: Week of April 9
Brainstorm / S.O.S. Band / Cherrelle / Alexander O'Neal, "Tabu Reborn" Expanded CD Editions (Wave 1) (Tabu/Edsel) After a fresh batch of vinyl last week, the Tabu Records reissue campaign (going strong through next year) kicks off with expanded editions of Brainstorm's Stormin', The S.O.S. Band's III, Cherrelle's Fragile and Alexander O'Neal's self-titled debut. All feature bonus tracks (Alexander O'Neal has a bonus disc) and fresh deluxe packaging. Stormin': Amazon U.S. / Amazon
"Bravo," Masterworks Broadway! "Giovanni" and "Lady in the Dark" Go Digital
Tomorrow, April 9, Masterworks Broadway once again dips into the vaults for two digital-only reissues of vintage Columbia Records cast recordings. What do these recordings have in common? Both feature greats of the opera world. 1962’s Original Broadway Cast Recording of Bravo Giovanni stars bass Cesare Siepi alongside ingénue Michele Lee; and the following year’s studio cast album of Lady in the Dark is led by mezzo-soprano Risë Stevens (who died on March 20 at 99 years of age) with Adolph
Review: Arthur Prysock, "All My Life"
If Arthur Prysock felt like a man out of time, he sure did a good job hiding it. Prysock, a professional vocalist since the days of World War II who had worked with bandleaders Buddy Johnson and Count Basie, was an unlikely candidate for disco stardom. Yet, in 1976, the 47-year old singer with the smooth style of Billy Eckstine found himself with a No. 10 R&B/No. 11 disco hit thanks to a rendition of Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff’s “When Love is New.” The song had been introduced one year
Oh Yes, It's Devo! "Hardcore" Compilations, Live Show Reissue Planned
The fight against de-evolution never stops, as evidenced by not one but two upcoming reissues by alt-rock heroes Devo in the coming months. The Akron, Ohio-bred group will reissue a 1981 live show released for Record Store Day last year as well as two long out-of-print compilations of early demos. Live 1981 Seattle was a hot item when it was released as a double-LP set by the band's Booji Boy Records in 2012 for Record Store Day. The set found the band - brothers Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh,
Review: John Williams, "Jurassic Park: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 20th Anniversary Edition"
Really, it's almost pointless to speculate why John Williams never received an Oscar nomination for his score to Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993). The composer's CV features several of the most iconic scores in the history of movies with synchronized sound. Five of his projects - an adaptation of the music to the Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof and four originals (JAWS (1975), Star Wars (1977), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler's List (1993)) have won gold statuettes,
Otis Gets Respect with "Complete Stax/Volt Singles" Set
It's shaping up to be a soulful summer with the release of Otis Redding's The Complete Stax/Volt Singles Collection on Shout! Factory Records. This triple-disc set will feature every single side released by Redding in life and death. Born in Georgia, Redding was a singer/songwriter who went from stints on the chitlin circuit to a brief tenure in Little Richard's band The Upsetters before a chance session at Stax Studios in Memphis put him on the soul music map. With songs like "These Arms of
The Iceman Cometh to Detroit: Jerry Butler's Motown Albums Arrive On CD
When Jerry Butler joined Motown Records in 1975, hopes naturally ran high. One of the classiest baritones in R&B was finally appearing on the most successful independent record label of all time. The Iceman’s time at Motown would turn out to be short, encompassing just four albums in two years. But thanks to SoulMusic Records, his first two albums for Berry Gordy’s empire can be enjoyed once more on CD. The label’s reissue of Love’s on the Menu and Suite for the Single Girl (SMCR 25086)
First Reissue: Light in the Attic Expands Debut LP by Public Image Ltd.
Light in the Attic, the Seattle label that reintroduced us to Rodriguez, has quite a title on hand for their 100th reissue: the first-ever U.S. release of the debut album by Public Image Ltd. as an expanded CD or LP set. Public Image Ltd. was the brainchild of John Lydon, the iconoclastic British punk who'd set the world ablaze as Johnny Rotten with his previous band, The Sex Pistols, in 1977. The band had imploded not long after releasing the iconic Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex
Nancy Wilson Goes Pop and Philly Soul With New Two-For-One CD Reissue
By 1970, Nancy Wilson had already been a marquee recording artist for Capitol Records for a decade. The supreme song stylist never allowed herself to be pigeonholed into one musical style, having made her successful debut single with a Broadway showtune ("Guess Who I Saw Today"), dabbled in R&B ("Save Your Love for Me") and collaborated with jazz greats such as Cannonball Adderley and George Shearing. All in all, Wilson was a leading light of adult pop, selling out nightclubs and even
They Go A Long Way Back: Booker T., Bloodstone, One Way On Tap From Purpose Music Vaults
The Vaults are open again! And by The Vaults, I mean Purpose Music Vaults, the soul/R&B-focused label that launched late last year with a dynamic duo of reissues from Bobby Womack and Ronnie Dyson. Our initial report also covered the label’s reissue of Dan Hartman’s Relight My Fire, but delays kept the disco classic from arriving as scheduled. Well, the good news is that Relight My Fire has finally been released to finer retailers everywhere! The better news is that Purpose has announced
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Review: Mad Season, "Above: Deluxe Edition"
Where was grunge, or alternative rock, in 1995? Kurt Cobain had died one year earlier at his Seattle home. Before 1995 was out, Alice in Chains had released its third album, the last with vocalist Layne Staley and also its final studio LP until 2009. Foo Fighters, born from the ashes of Nirvana, scored a hit with its July debut, but by and large, the brief, blazing supremacy of grunge was ceding to other genres like post-grunge and Britpop. Yet 1995 was the year in which Staley joined with
Speaking Words of Wisdom: "Let It Be...Naked" Comes to iTunes
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJYwJ4z02II] One of the most significant catalogue-era releases by The Beatles - the newly-mixed Let It Be...Naked, a stripped-down version of the band's final album - makes its debut on iTunes today. The story of Let It Be is by now the stuff of music legend. Bassist Paul McCartney proposed an LP that stepped away from the complex, overdub-heavy works of their 1968 self-titled album (better known, of course, as "The White Album"). Provisionally
BBR Keeps A Light In Its Window For The Lost Motown Classic "Caston and Majors"
Like a fine meal, Caston and Majors begins with an appetizer. "Child of Love," on cursory listening, is "just" a bright pop song with a funky groove, employing booming drums, surging strings and a catchy chorus ("Rise now, child of love/No time for wastin'/Rise now, child of love/Stop hesitatin'...") along with a "Hey, hey" cheer that invites singing along. But a closer listen to the lyrics finds songwriters Leonard Caston and Kathy Wakefield giving voice to a higher power: "You must be a
Review: Albert King, "Born Under a Bad Sign"
The familiar cover artwork to Albert King’s 1967 Stax album Born Under a Bad Sign hardly gives any indication as to its heavy contents. A calendar reading Friday the 13th, the Ace of Spades, snake eyes on the dice, and an almost-cute black cat (!) adorned with a skull and crossbones all reinforce the title of the album but offer precious little hint as to the smoking electric blues within the sleeve. Following 2012’s reissue of King’s 1972 Stax album I’ll Play the Blues for You, Concord Music
Release Round-Up: Week of April 2
The S.O.S. Band / Cherrelle / Alexander O'Neal, "Tabu Reborn" Vinyl Editions (Wave 1) (Tabu/Edsel) The start of a lengthy reissue campaign from Demon Music Group, these are 180-gram vinyl reissues of The S.O.S. Band's III (1982), Cherrelle's 1984 debut Fragile, and Alexander O'Neal's self-titled debut from 1985. Expanded editions of these albums come out on CD next week, followed by a great many more waves of product throughout 2013 and into 2014! S.O.S. Band: Amazon U.S. / Amazon
That Old Black Magic: Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck Cast a Spell on "Live 1962"
What happens when two legends collide? Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings will have the answer for you with the May 28 premiere release of Bennett and Brubeck - The White House Sessions: Live 1962 from Tony Bennett and Dave Brubeck. In the true spirit of jazz, the performance by these two titans on August 28, 1962 was largely unplanned. Both men – Brubeck with his Quartet and Bennett with his Ralph Sharon-led ensemble – were appearing at the behest of President John F. Kennedy’s White
In Memoriam: Phil Ramone (1934-2013)
Today, The Second Disc remembers Phil Ramone. The multiple Grammy-winning producer, 79, died on Saturday, leaving behind a legacy of song from artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow to The Band. Yet unlike so many of his contemporaries, Phil Ramone didn’t have a signature style. Instead of molding a band or singer to a preferred sonic specialty, he was a true architect of sound, tailoring each production to the individual artist. Ramone was equally comfortable
Those Oldies But Goodies: Bear Family Offers Up Vintage Everly Brothers, Paul Anka
Though best known for its definitive box sets spanning careers or large swaths of them, Germany’s historically-minded Bear Family label also keeps busy with a steady flow of single-disc anthologies, all with the label’s hallmarks of quality. Three such anthologies have recently arrived from Bear Family, two focusing on The Everly Brothers and one on Paul Anka. Brothers Don and Phil Everly successfully straddled the line between country and rock-and-roll (with a healthy dollop of R&B in
Shout! Factory to Release Nine-Disc Richard Pryor Box Set
Richard Pryor - one of the most culturally-significant, nearly-unprintable and flat-out funniest stand-up comedians in history - will be celebrated by Shout! Factory this summer with a massive career-spanning box set. No Pryor Restraint: Life in Concert captures more than 12 hours of Pryor, from his popular (if comparatively pedestrian) early works as a Cosby-esque stand-up in the 1960s, to his wildly popular, immensely controversial glory years in the 1970s and 1980s to his last stand-up
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