The success of rock and roll has many fathers, but for many, it has one birthplace: Memphis, Tennessee, the home of Sun Records. Sam Phillips' label was crucial in bringing blues and rock music to a mainstream audience, providing early breaks for artists like B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Carl Perkins. Last month, Curb Records released a special double-disc set chronicling the label's heyday in the '50s and early '60s, in honor of the
On The Right Track: Demick and Armstrong's Lost Country-Rock Classic Reissued By RPM
Rod Demick may be best-known as a top sideman, serving with such talent as Screaming Lord Sutch, Dr. John, The Strawbs and the David Essex Band. Herbie Armstrong has had a similarly long career, playing with Van Morrison and film composer Mark Isham, co-founding the band Fox, and even entering Britain’s Got Talent as a contestant. But Demick and Armstrong have shared a long association, dating back to their days in the clubs of Belfast where they played alongside Morrison and his early band,
Kylie Minogue Celebrates Quarter Century with New Compilation
Twenty-five years is quite a long time for any pop star to survive, much less thrive. Australia's darling Kylie Minogue has been doing just that for a quarter century, and is celebrating that landmark with a new greatest hits album to be released this summer. The Best of Kylie Minogue compiles 21 tracks - 18 of them Top 5 hits in the U.K. - to celebrate the anniversary of the singer's first single, a cover of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman team that became
Back Tracks: The Beastie Boys
With the heartbreaking news of the passing of Adam "MCA" Yauch of The Beastie Boys, who'd been battling cancer for several years, we invite you to enjoy this Back Tracks special from October 27, 2010, in which we revisited the band's discography and its reissues. The slightly bizarre news that The Beastie Boys' upcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, slated for release this coming spring, will feature virtually every track recorded for the delayed Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1 is classic Beastie
Ram On: Paul McCartney Archive Collection's "Ram" Coming In May [UPDATED WITH FULL TRACK LISTING AND DETAILS]
We're gonna keep this one short and sweet, dear boys and long-haired ladies. Yes, the oft-rumored Paul McCartney Archive Collection of Paul and Linda McCartney's 1971 album Ram is very close to becoming a reality. On March 22, it was officially announced that Ram will be reissued in multiple formats on May 22. But one of those formats will be a bit surprising to collectors of previous Archive Collection titles. It appears that Ram will not follow the hardcover book format of those past
Digging in the Dirt: Peter Gabriel's "Secret World Live" to Be Released on Blu-Ray
While you count down the months until Peter Gabriel's 25th anniversary reissue of So later this year, we have another catalogue project of his to anticipate this year: an expanded Blu-Ray release of 1993's Secret World Live. After the much-anticipated release of Us in 1992, Peter Gabriel had a big surprise up his sleeve: his (arguably) most ambitious solo tour, a multimedia event so big it took two stages to perform. (For pop trivialists out there, it was also the first major appearance by
Do Not See "Lady in a Cage" Alone! Thrills and Chills Come From Kritzerland On New Soundtrack
The name of Paul Glass isn't nearly as well-known as that of many of his contemporaries, but the Los Angeles-born composer (b. 1934) has carved out a distinguished career writing for the concert stage and the big screen. Yet none of his soundtracks have ever been released on CD until now. Kritzerland is offering the first-ever release in any format of Glass' score to the 1964 thriller Lady in a Cage. Directed by Walter Grauman (television's The Fugitive, The Twilight Zone, Streets of San
Not Too Late: Norah Jones Box Set Due On SACD, Vinyl
Much has always been made of the success rate of Grammy recipients in the Best New Artist category, with some artists damning the prize as a curse. While some winners have, indeed, been unable to match their initial success, the list of winners also includes such long-running artists as Tom Jones, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, and Sheryl Crow plus unlikely but distinguished names like Bob Newhart and Marvin Hamlisch, and a little band known as The Beatles! One more recent
Short Takes, Bonus Tracks Edition: Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Carole King Offer Exclusives
In recent years, the retailer-exclusive bonus track has become an important if controversial part of music sales. Today’s Short Takes, then, is your public service announcement and guide to the bonus tracks available with three recent and upcoming titles from some of music’s most legendary artists. Chances are you might want to own these previously-unreleased rarities! Last week saw the release of Carole King’s The Legendary Demos from Rockingale Records and Hear Music. Its thirteen
Beggars Archive Tellin' Charlatans' "Stories" Once More
Madchester band The Charlatans (known in America with the redundant appellation "The Charlatans UK") will reissue their 1997 album Tellin' Stories through Beggars Archive this month, for the album's 15th anniversary. The enduring alt-rock band - who made humorous headlines earlier this year when a joking tweet from frontman Jim Burgess turned into a limited-edition cereal in England - suffered major tragedy during the recording of Stories, with the death of keyboardist Rob Collins in a car
Another Quarter, Another "ICON" Batch
What can I say about UMe's ICON series that I haven't already said? Nothing. The answer is nothing. LL Cool J, Musiq Soulchild and DMX are out now, Aerosmith and Hank Williams, Jr. are out on May 15. Check 'em out after the jump.
Made for You and Me: American Legend Woody Guthrie Chronicled in New Box Set
Fewer figures cast a larger shadow in American folk music than Woodrow Wilson Guthrie. The Oklahoman singer/songwriter's contribution to the fabric of our nation's sound is innumerable; from Dylan to Springsteen, any songwriter worth their salt in depicting the life, livelihood and dreams of our country owes Woody Guthrie a strong debt. With this in mind, Smithsonian Folkways will release a new career-spanning Guthrie box set this summer, in honor of what would have been his 100th
An Omnivore's Appetite: Tasty Treats From Jellyfish, The Knack, Buck Owens and Ernie Kovacs Coming Soon
Nobody could accuse the fine folks at Omnivore Recordings of not living up to the label's name! After all, "omnivore" is derived from the Latin for "all" and "everything." And Omnivore's recently announced slate of upcoming releases certainly qualifies as encompassing music from an incredibly wide variety of genres and eras. The label's packed line-up for May, June and July takes in legends from the world of comedy and country-and-western plus new wave and power pop pioneers! Two releases
Short Takes: Musicians Talking About Their Reissues
It's rare when musicians do any amount of press on reissues, usually because they've got bigger things to worry about or are deceased. So the notion that some of the people behind three major catalogue campaigns have all had something notable to say in the past few days is certainly worth the attention of any catalogue fan: Johnny Marr gave an extensive interview with The Onion's AV Club about his memories of The Smiths as filtered through the assemblage and release of Rhino's The Smiths
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living on Cherry Red's El Label
The English-speaking world was let in on a secret when, early in 1968, it was revealed that Belgian songwriter/actor Jacques Brel was Alive and Well and Living in Paris. The musical revue opened at New York’s Village Gate and counted among its cast Mort Shuman, the Brill Building-era composer of “Viva Las Vegas,” “This Magic Moment” and “Save the Last Dance for Me,” all co-written with Doc Pomus. Shuman had become enchanted with Brel’s hauntingly dramatic music, and in addition to performing
Lenny Kravitz to Expand and Reissue "Mama Said"
More than two decades after its release, Lenny Kravitz is planning a deluxe edition of his sophomore album, 1991's Mama Said. The Grammy-winning singer/songwriter has been noted more for his film work lately than his musical career, with solid supporting turns in Precious (2010) and the smash hit The Hunger Games (2012). But Mama Said continued to solidify Kravitz as a unique persona with a bright future ahead of him, the groundwork of which was laid with his 1989 debut, Let Love
Release Round-Up: Week of May 1
George Harrison, Living in the Material World / Early Takes Vol. 1 (Hip-O/UMe) The big release in the U.S. today: Martin Scorsese's documentary about the esteemed Beatle on DVD and Blu-Ray, and a 10-track disc of entirely unreleased demos and outtakes. The Beach Boys, 50th Anniversary Collection 'ZinePak (Capitol/EMI) A new compilation/mini-booklet, available exclusively at Walmart stores in America, that features classic Beach Boys singles alongside the first-ever album appearance of the
Wash Away the Rain: Soundgarden Box Up Albums for Europe
Rock fans have a nice surprise coming to them if they check out the soundtrack to the highly-anticipated Marvel Comics blockbuster The Avengers, opening this week: "Live to Rise," the first all-new single from grunge pioneers Soundgarden since their 2010 reunion. It's a promising sign of life from the group, who are slated to release their latest full-length LP later this year. To commemorate that flurry of activity, Universal Music Group is releasing in Europe a special box set of the group's
Sister Act: Heart Gets Box Set Treatment This Summer
The wait is over for the first-ever career-spanning box set from Heart. Legacy Recordings will release Strange Euphoria, a 3 CD/1 DVD package, in stores on June 5. The set spans from the early phases of Ann and Nancy Wilson's musical career as members of "The Daybreaks" in 1967 all the way to their latest album, the Top 10 hit Red Velvet Car (2010). Along the way, there are plenty of hits and unreleased material, including demos of killer cuts like "Magic Man" and "Crazy on You," a live version
Funk Soul Brothers: Ace Collects "Royal Grooves" From King, "Southern Soul" From Stax
If you prefer your soul with a twist of funk, the Ace family of labels has two offerings that should get your fingers clicking and your feet dancing. Both Royal Grooves: Funk and Groovy Soul from the King Records Vaults (BGP CD BGPD250) and Nobody Wins: Stax Southern Soul 1968-1975 (Kent CDKEND 370) cover roughly the same turbulent period of music history, with the former compilation drawing on tracks recorded between 1967 and 1973, and the latter taking in the “Second Golden Age” of Stax
Review: Iron Butterfly, "Fillmore East 1968"
Where were you 44 years ago today? If you happened to be passing by 105 Second Avenue in New York City’s East Village, you would likely have seen a fantastic group of names displayed on the marquee at Bill Graham’s Fillmore East. On Friday and Saturday, April 26 and 27, 1968, Iron Butterfly shared an explosive bill with Traffic and Blue Cheer. The Fillmore East itself is now just a memory, of course. Its exterior and entrance now welcomes you to a bank, and the storied auditorium has been
At The Copa: The Supremes Take New York City By Storm On New Expanded Edition
The name of the Copacabana conjures up many memories: maybe of Lola’s love triangle with Tony and Rico, maybe of Lucy Ricardo and Ethel Mertz trying to get their husbands there in the very first episode of I Love Lucy to air. The famous New York nightspot opened in 1940 on East 60th Street, playing host to the biggest and brightest names in entertainment and becoming synonymous with sophistication and glamour. It made headlines when it ended its “no blacks” policy, playing host to acclaimed
"Going Blank Again," Again: Ride to Reissue Sophomore Album with Bonus Live Film
Following Rhino's great expansion of the debut LP by shoegaze pioneers Ride, the U.K. band are expanding their second album through an independent label with some audiovisual extras packaged in the set. Going Blank Again, released 20 years ago in 1992, was a bit of an evolution from the traditional, reverb-heavy sounds of their full-length debut, 1990's Nowhere. While the guitars still had their typical buzzsaw sensibilities, the band experimented with more layered vocals and a less
In Case You Missed It: Cold Chillin' Comp Has Got What You Need
Here's a fun one that went under the radar a week or so ago: a new compilation highlighting the early works of rap label Cold Chillin' Records. Cold Chillin', which thrived in the late '80s and early '90s, was the home for an informal group of Queens-based artists known as The Juice Crew. Known for their "answer records" and propensity for rapping about "beefs" with rival artists, the Cold Chillin' roster was comprised of hitmakers like producer Marley Marl, battle rapper MC Shan, Kool G Rap
La-La Land Takes Flight on an Incredibly Vintage Title
The latest offering from La-La Land Records may be among the oldest music we've ever covered for the site! The label is releasing a new recording of J.S. Zamencik's score to Wings, a 1927 silent picture forever noted by trivia buffs as the first film to take home an Academy Award for Best Picture (or as it was known then, Most Outstanding Production). Wings, which starred Charles "Buddy" Rogers and Richard Arlen as rival pilots in World War I and Clara Bow as the small-town girl in love with
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