1974 was a particularly prolific year for Sparks, with the Mael brothers releasing two LPs: Kimono My House and Propaganda. Now, Edsel has reissued them both in a deluxe 3-CD set in 7-inch packaging. Sparks made quite an impression on the U.K. audience, with "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" from Kimono reaching No. 2 on the Singles Chart and becoming the No. 30 hit of the year. They would follow it up with "Amateur Hour" from the same LP and then "Never Turn Your Back on Mother
The Definitive Collection
Formed by Richard "Rick" Thompson (guitar), Bill Risbrook (tenor saxophone), Carlos Ward (alto saxophone), Louis Risbrook (bass), Dennis Rowe (percussion), Terrell Wood (drums), and Barbara Joyce Lomas (vocals) in Brooklyn, New York, B.T. Express aligned themselves with producer Jeff Lane and the independent Roadshow Records before ending up on the Scepter label as it sought to reinvent itself following marquee artist Dionne Warwick's departure. Thanks to a Tom Moulton Mix, their catchy Scepter
Ship of Fools: The Island Albums
Cherry Red's Esoteric arm has revisited a key chapter in the Velvet Underground-related discography with a new box set containing John Cale's three Island Records albums, originally released in 1974-1975: Fear, Slow Dazzle, and Helen of Troy. Following his tenures at Columbia and Reprise, Cale was ready to embrace pure rock-and-roll, though he tempered any melodic accessibility with typically offbeat and often dark lyrics. Stylistically, these albums were all over the place with detours to
1992
Though Leo Sayer didn't write or co-write one of his two Pop chart-toppers - the Carole Bayer Sager/Albert Hammond composition "When I Need You" - his songwriter bona fides are nonetheless impressive including "The Show Must Go On," "One Man Band," "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" (all co-authored with David Courtney), "How Much Love" (with Barry Mann), and "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (with Vini Poncia and an uncredited Ray Parker, Jr.). Between 1990 and 2005, he didn't release any new
Ring the Bells and Sing: Progressive Sounds of 1975
Ring the Bells and Sing: with this new compilation, Esoteric Recordings takes a look at 1975 in progressive rock. By compiler Mark Powell's admission, "1975 is not often referred to as a year that produced a wealth of legendary music." He sets out to prove that assessment wrong with this 4-CD, 47-song compendium. The set stresses the international reach of prog as well as the art of the album as opposed to the single; while many of these artists weren't regular hitmakers, Powell stresses that
Twilights Time: The Complete 1960s Recordings
The Twilights formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1964 by guitarist Peter Brideoake, bassist John Bywaters, and Clem "Paddy" McCartney and future Little River Band co-founder Glenn Shorrock on lead vocals. Shortly after forming, lead guitarist Terry Britten (who would go on to co-write such hit songs as "What's Love Got to Do with It") and drummer Laurie Pryor would join up as replacements for Kevin Peek and Frank Barnard, respectively. Despite charting nearly a dozen successful singles in
Scuba Divers: Blueprint Edition
The road to Dwight Twilley's second album, 1982's Scuba Divers, was a long one. Now, Iconoclassic Records is expanding that 10-track album with a whopping 15 bonus tracks (11 of which are previously unreleased) chronicling the arduous journey to Scuba Divers that began as the sessions for an album called Blueprint. Vic Anesini has remastered all audio from the master tapes, Howie Edelson and reissue compiler/producer Jeremy Holiday provide the new liner notes, and Zox has supplied previously
I Like It! Anthology 1963-1966
Liverpool's own Gerry and the Pacemakers were key players in the Merseybeat and British Invasion scenes with such timeless George Martin-produced hits as "Ferry Cross the Mersey," "How Do You Do It," and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying." The Gerry Marsden-led group was definitively chronicled in 2008 on the EMI box set You'll Never Walk Alone: The EMI Years 1963-1966, with 123 tracks on 4 CDs. But now, more than 15 years have passed, and that set has become long out-of-print. So Cherry
Pour a Little Sugar on It: The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971
Perhaps the most fun release of the year - and certainly the sweetest - is this entry in Cherry Red's ongoing series of themed compilations. Pour a Little Sugar on It: The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971, on the Grapefruit imprint, brings together 91 tracks from the golden age of bubblegum music. Naturally, there are plenty of songs with food allusions ("Yummy Yummy Yummy," "Candy Apple Cotton Candy," "Gingersnap," and, of course, "Chewy Chewy" among them)...and artists with
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway: Super Deluxe Edition
4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada A new deluxe version of Genesis' prog classic The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway will be a multi-disc celebration - four CDs or five LPs, a Blu-ray Audio disc and a download card - of the group's acclaimed work. Inside the box will be a new remaster of the original mix of the album, done by Miles Showell with assistance from Nick Davis (who remixed the band's catalogue for stereo and
Rock Billy Boogie: Expanded Edition
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 7a Records celebrates a late, great rockabilly revivalist with this expanded reissue of Rock Billy Boogie from Robert Gordon on both limited-edition 180-gram vinyl and CD. The 1979 album, featuring the lead guitar of Chris Spedding, marked Gordon's major label breakthrough and remains perhaps his finest (half) hour on record, featuring both original songs and energetic covers of familiar oldies
A Celebration
The full 3CD version of Judy Garland: A Celebration - Classic & Collectable Performances (also available as a 1LP "highlights" release) contains 73 tracks or more than 3 hours of music, including a dozen new-to-CD tracks, many from private collectors' archives, from the late superstar. These previously unreleased recordings include seven Capitol overdubs from her 1956 album Judy arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle, all freshly restored from acetates; rare television performances
The Alternate "Judy" Album: Unreleased Session Takes and More
The folks at High Definition Tape Transfers have unearthed a clutch of alternate takes from Judy Garland's 1956 Capitol album, Judy. These takes from those March 1956 sessions arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle form the basis of this new digital release (also available on CD-R). Judy remains one of Garland's master classes in vocal interpretation - aided, in no small part, by Riddle's sympathetic charts - and so it's fascinating to gain a glimpse into her process with early versions of
Wicked: The Soundtrack
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Target (with fold-out poster) / Barnes & Noble (alternate cover) 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Target (split green/pink) What else can we say? Wicked just might be the most highly-anticipated film of the year, and here's the soundtrack (featuring the songs heard in Act One of the long-running Broadway musical...fans of Act Two will have to wait until the next movie!). Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan
Recording Broadway: A Life in Cast Albums
Thomas Z. Shepard is among the most celebrated of all classical and show music record producers, counting 12 Grammy Awards to his name (including four for the musicals of Stephen Sondheim). Now, Shepard (with co-author Gayden Wren) is telling his singular story of coming up through the ranks at Columbia and RCA at a most extraordinary time, and peeling the curtain back on how some of the most famous cast albums of all time - including the original Company and Sweeney Todd - were made. As an
The Man with the Golden Gun / Moonraker
La-La Land is closing out 2024 with an amazing pair of expanded releases: lovingly-restored John Barry scores to James Bond films The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and Moonraker (1979), both reissued for their 50th and 45th anniversaries. Golden Gun, Roger Moore's second go-round as Ian Fleming's Agent 007, featured a Barry score with its now-standard pop song heard in the film's opening title sequence: a melodramatic number with lyrics by Don Black sung by "To Sir, with Love" singer Lulu.
Here We Are: Original Cast Recording
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Here's the vinyl debut of of the most hotly-anticipated cast recordings of the season: Here We Are, the final musical to feature music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. (David Ives penned the book.) Bucking the recent trend of most cast recordings releasing digitally in advance of physical availability, both the CD and digital album arrived back in May. The album features David Hyde Pierce, Steven
A Christopher Cross Christmas
This Christmas album by "Sailing" and "Arthur's Theme" vocalist Christopher Cross was originally released in 2007. It contains the yacht rock pioneer's versions of 10 yuletide classics ("Silent Night," "I'll Be Home For Christmas," and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, among others) along with two original songs written with longtime collaborator Rob Meurer: "Does It Feel Like Christmas" and "A Dream of Peace at Christmastime." Cross produced the album himself but has guests on the
Christmas Jollies I + II: The Extra Jolly Edition
The Second Disc has teamed with SoulMusic Records for the definitive celebration of the Christmas disco/Philly soul classic. The Salsoul Orchestra's Christmas Jollies I + II: The Extra Jolly Edition brings together Vincent Montana, Jr.'s original Christmas Jollies plus Tom Moulton's complete 1992 remix and producer Patrick Adams' rare follow-up, Christmas Jollies II. But that's not all. The Extra Jolly Edition adds nearly a dozen bonus single versions and remixes (most of which are new to CD)
Stones in the Road: Expanded Edition
In 1994, Mary Chapin Carpenter was at the pinnacle of country music. The singer-songwriter's fourth album for Columbia, Come On Come On, was the biggest seller of her career. Singles were still being released from that album in early 1994 and later in the year she released her next endeavor: Stones in the Road. While it ultimately would not sell as many copies as Come On Come On, it would have higher chart success and garner prestigious awards. Carpenter was backed by an A-list band on the
Twilley: Expanded Edition
Twilley, the power pop hero's first solo album following two acclaimed albums with The Dwight Twilley Band, originally arrived in 1979 on Arista Records in the United States. The late singer-songwriter (1951-2023) was joined by a core band including Bill Pitcock IV on lead guitar, Jim Lewis on bass and drums, and Noah Shark on percussion, with Greg Block joining on violin for "Runaway," Jerry Naifeh playing drums on "Runaway" and "It Takes a Lot of Love," and DTB's Phil Seymour guesting on
You're as Right as Rain: The Capitol Albums 1970-1980
TSD has teamed with our friends at Cherry Red and SoulMusic Records to commemorate a special decade for late chanteuse Nancy Wilson. The new 7CD box set You're as Right as Rain has 12 albums originally released between 1970 and 1980 - many of which are now hard-to-find on CD - for a total of 124 tracks including four long out-of-print bonus tracks. The set features Nancy's collaborations with such talents as Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, Thom Bell, Eugene McDaniels, Clarence McDonald, and Gene
Bon Jovi: Deluxe Edition
Earlier this year, UMe celebrated the 40th anniversary of Bon Jovi's debut album with an extras-packed digital deluxe edition. Just in time for Christmas, that set is getting a physical 2CD release. The self-titled effort from the New Jersey rockers sports nine extra tracks, including previously unreleased early versions of debut single "Runaway" and new mixes of previously released live material from the band's longtime engineer Obie O'Brien. The set is packaged in a standard jewel case. As an
Welcome to Shepherd's Bush
The Rolling Stones have long been famed for their "secret shows." One of those intimate gigs took place on June 8, 1999 when Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ronnie Wood, Charlie Watts, and company took the stage at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, a 1903 music hall in the West London suburb. In front of an 1,800-capacity crowd including such luminaries as Anita Pallenberg, Pete Townshend, Jerry Hall, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, and Bob Geldof, the World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band strutted their stuff
On Air
Stage Door Records' Pop imprint celebrates The Happiest Millionaire and Half a Sixpence star Tommy Steele with On Air, a collection of 31 tracks culled from his 1964 U.K. radio series The Tommy Steele Show. None of these tracks have been released since their original broadcast sixty years ago. Tommy was joined on these recordings by The Johnnie Spence Orchestra and vocal group The Raindrops (featuring Irish singer and Northern Soul favorite Jackie Lee). The repertoire is a happily mixed bag
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