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 less than 24 hours!
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 few combined tracks and a slightly longer end credits track. (The…
The Tra-La Days Are Back: Wounded Bird to Offer Sedaka Two-on-One
Neil Sedaka famously proclaimed that “The Tra-La Days Are Over” as the title of his (unfortunately out-of-print) 1973 album. But thanks to Wounded Bird (as if the label hadn’t announced a big enough bonanza for reissue fans already!), fans of rock and roll’s golden age have another chance to enjoy Sedaka’s days as king of the shoo-be-doos and tra-la-las. Little Devil and His Other Hits/The Many Sides of Neil Sedaka is set for release on September 7 according to Pause and Play. For an artist with as impressively deep a catalogue as Sedaka,…
Unreleased Jacko Report Gets Wacko
If you’re one of the few dozen people who still reads Rolling Stone‘s Web site, the late-breaking “exclusive” that a new Michael Jackson compilation of outtakes is due in November sounds like a great bit of news. But oops! Looks like RS got beaten to the punch by a four-month-old press release. But they’ve got quotes, so it’s legit, right? What’s that? The quotes were taken from articles from 2009? Oh. Whoops. It’s sad that Roger Friedman has to be the closest to a journalistic authority in this case. The only new…
The Rebel Kind: Ace Preps Lee Hazlewood Compilation
When Lee Hazlewood died in 2007 after a brave battle with cancer, music lost one of its true eccentrics. With a resonant baritone, a keen ear for a melody and a dry wit, Hazlewood was an unlikely recording star. His first long-term collaboration was with guitarist Duane Eddy, with whom he produced a string of hit instrumentals. His second such collaboration was a career-defining one with Nancy Sinatra, effectively launching her career with 1966’s “These Boots are Made for Walkin’” on the Reprise label. For that hallowed company, truly The House That…
“Listen” to Gary Lewis’ Solo Reissue, Coming Soon from Now Sounds
Everybody loves a clown, so why don’t you? Many did indeed love acclaimed comedian and filmmaker Jerry Lewis, but it must have been a surprise when his 20-year old son, Gary, received quite a lot of chart love in 1965. Discovered at Disneyland and signed to Liberty Records by ace producer Snuff Garrett, Gary Lewis and the Playboys had a smash right out of the gate with “This Diamond Ring.” Hitting No. 1 in the middle of the British Invasion, that Al Kooper/Bob Brass/Irwin Levine song remains a 1960s perennial, its production a…
The Times, They Are Indeed A-Changin’: Mono Dylan Reissues Coming
It’s been bandied about for a little bit now, but it looks like it’s true: there’s an Amazon listing for Bob Dylan’s The Original Mono Recordings. It’s an eight-disc set of the first eight Dylan LPs – his 1962 self-titled debut to 1967’s John Wesley Harding in their original mono mixes (or more specifically, according to this Rolling Stone article: “reportedly mastered using ‘first issue copies of the mono LPs’ in order to recreate the sound of the original LPs”) – with a new 60-page book of liner notes by Greil Marcus…
A Wounded Bird Bonanza (EVEN MORE ADDED 7/30)
Wounded Bird Records has just opened the floodgates and got a couple of interesting obscurities released or reissued on CD. There’s a couple of notable names here, and at least one that looks to have bonus tracks. Hit the jump to see them all.
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 rather big, even though they’re…
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 there’s another element at play. When Arnold’s men…
REO Speedwagon Will Keep on Loving You
A short note from a Billboard story: REO Speedwagon are looking to commemorate the 30th of Hi Infidelity with a deluxe reissue and tour. Released at the end of 1980 and one of the biggest sellers of 1981, Hi Infidelity was something of a renaissance for the band, taking them from lower Top 40 success to chart-topping dominance. Aided by a clutch of hits including the undying No. 1 ballad “Keep on Loving You” and the Top 5 follow-up “Take It on the Run,” Hi Infidelity went nine times platinum. Although the…
Rhino Handmade Releases Unreleased Tony Joe White
The latest Rhino Handmade title is That On the Road Look “Live,” a rumored live album by Tony Joe White – finally revealed to be true. White was a Louisiana-bred guitarist famous mostly for his compositions rather than his own performances. “Polk Salad Annie” was his biggest hit, but it’s primarily known as a concert staple during Elvis’ last decade. “Rainy Night in Georgia” was also his composition, though Brook Benton made it a gold-seller in 1970. But this live set – the recording date and venue of which are unknown –…
REMINDER: The Second Disc Ticket Giveaway Ends Friday
Just a quick heads-up that The Second Disc’s giveaway for a decidedly non-catalogue (but still pretty notable) live show ends this Friday, July 30. Thanks to Sony’s RED Distribution, we’re giving away a pair of tickets to see Chris Shiflett and The Dead Peasants. Shiflett, currently the lead guitarist for The Foo Fighters and also known for his work with Me First and The Gimme Gimmes and others, released a roots-oriented LP with new band The Dead Peasants (hear here). The pair of tickets is for a show at TT the Bear’s Place in Cambridge, Massacusetts, and all you have…
Reissue Theory: Sting – “The Art of the Heart”
This week’s Reissue Theory is something a bit different: a proposal to reissue a record that’s never actually been released! When people talk about phenomenal live artists, the conversation doesn’t often turn toward Sting’s solo career. The Police were a hell of a live act – they built their career on constant touring all over the world – but Sting’s solo career, however good, always has an air of stuffiness to it. How could the same singer currently on tour with a symphony orchestra ever be considered a loose, must-see live act?…
Back Tracks: The Cars
The above picture is a bit of a shock, if you haven’t seen it yet: all four of the surviving members of The Cars – Ric Ocasek, Elliott Easton, Greg Hawkes and David Robinson – in a recording studio. It was posted to the official Facebook page for the Boston-based rockers on Thursday. No caption, no explanation. Just the members of The Cars, possibly gearing up for some new music. And who’d have thought? Since the band broke up in 1988, chances seemed slim where a reunion was concerned. The death of…
Iconoclassic to Reissue Solo Carl Wilson and Guess Who in September
If sensitive composer/producer Brian Wilson was the soul of The Beach Boys, and brash frontman Mike Love the voice, passionate singer/guitarist Carl Wilson was no doubt the heart. There was little Carl Wilson couldn’t do, vocally, whether the angelic tones of “God Only Knows,” the soulful shouting of “I Was Made to Love Her” or the dreamlike psychedelia of “Feel Flows.” And when brother Brian wasn’t able to guide the band through the tumultuous 1970s, Carl stepped up to the plate with an amazing run of songs bringing the band’s sound into a…
The Lady and Her Music: “The Essential Lena Horne” Coming in August
Thanks to our friends at MusicTAP for the tip that, on August 24, Legacy will celebrate the life of a great lady of song with its release of The Essential Lena Horne: The RCA Years. Like The Essential Henry Mancini (scheduled to be released on the same day), this release is far from definitive, but appears to be a solid introduction to one period of the late Horne’s magnificent career. That career saw the artist rising from her nightclub roots to break racial barriers in Hollywood, becoming one of America’s first African-American…
The Second Disc Interview #1: A Soulful Chat with Harry Weinger
It is with the greatest pride that The Second Disc presents its first-ever interview, bringing you closer to the catalogue music world we all love so much. Our first interviewee is one of the most notable names from the world of reissues. Harry Weinger, vice-president of A&R for Universal Music Enterprises, has been part of the music business for more than 30 years, writing for publications like Rolling Stone, Vibe, Billboard and Cashbox before becoming a staff writer for PolyGram’s publicity team. After some time penning press releases and liner notes, Weinger…
Elvis is Alive…Sort of
A quick heads-up on the awaited pre-order for Elvis Presley’s The Complete Masters box set: just got word from Legacy that the pre-order date is now August 2 rather than tomorrow. A track list will be available when it’s up. Rest easy, friends – this is still happening!
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 Elvis box set; Legacy has announced another…
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 (then Anthony) Roberts (Annie Hall, How Now Dow Jones, Xanadu) as Chuck Baxter, Betty…
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 Burton and John Williams/Steven Spielberg teams as among the most influential ever in the annals of…
British Invasion, Redux: New Sets Due from The Searchers and Petula Clark
While the original British Invasion is now just a few years south of 50, its music continues to endure. The Second Disc is pleased to report on a trio of new releases coming our way from two of the U.K.’s seminal artists, The Searchers and Petula Clark. One of the best and most successful bands to come out of Liverpool, The Searchers may have toiled in the shadow of that other band from Liverpool, but hits like “Sugar and Spice,” “Pins and Needles” and “When You Walk in the Room” remain some…
Back Tracks: Burton and Elfman
It turns out the reissue of Batman wasn’t the only Danny Elfman-related catalogue news at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con: Elfman shared at a panel discussion that Warner Bros. is planning a box set devoted to the composer’s longtime collaboration with director Tim Burton. It’s not much of a surprise that such a set would happen. Burton and Elfman’s collaboration is one of the strongest director-composer bonds in Hollywood. And while neither men are collaborating with the kind of urgently great results they had in their early years, it’s a strong bond…