Mark your calendars, friends: a new batch of ICON budget compilations are due from Universal. Between May 3 and 24, UMe is releasing a clutch of ICON sets that run the gamut from country (Willie Nelson, Hank Williams) to R&B (New Edition, Kelly Price), from classics (The Mamas & The Paps, Louis Armstrong) to modern day heroes (Gin Blossoms, Rob Zombie). As usual, there's not much in the way of brand-new or rare material, although some titles have some one-off tunes to their credit.
We're Into Something Good: ABKCO Reissues Two From Herman's Hermits In May
"Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter." "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)." "A Must to Avoid." These chart hits from Herman's Hermits have stood the test of time, but how many reading this remember the films in which those songs were featured? Upon signing to MGM Records in the U.S., Herman's Hermits were groomed for a Hollywood film career, and why not? At the height of the group's fame, they rivaled the Beatles for popularity, even topping them as the biggest-selling pop
UPDATE: Macca Mania: Paul's "McCartney" and "McCartney II" Expanded Editions Coming in June [NOW WITH COMPLETE CD/DVD TRACK LISTS]
“Do you foresee a time when Lennon/McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?” That question was one of many posed on a press release enclosed with advanced copies of Paul McCartney’s 1970 solo debut, McCartney. With the Cute Beatle’s one word response, the world knew that The Beatles were irreparably broken. McCartney’s simple “no” spoke volumes. His other answers didn't help matters. And so while the world’s most beloved band was fracturing, a solo career that flourishes to
Beware! La-La Land Expands "The Blob" Remake Score
It can fill up a room in seconds, gets unexplainably bigger every day and can consume anything it touches. No, not your music collection - The Blob! The ectoplasmic entity - as remade in 1988 - is the latest expanded soundtrack to come from La-La Land Records today. A remake of the classic 1958 sci-fi/horror flick, The Blob finds the titular monster consuming the helpless population of a California town - but rather than some space creature, this blob is a military bio-weapon gone horribly
Review: Roy Orbison, "The Monument Singles Collection (1960-1964)"
It's frequently been said that image is everything in the music business. And surely one of the most recognizable images in all of music is that of Roy Orbison, the loner behind dark sunglasses, clad in black. If one could see his eyes, wouldn't they surely betray his lifetime of heartache? His wife Claudette (the inspiration behind the song) was killed at his side in a motorcycle accident, his two young sons perished in a fire at his home. There was more than meets the eye to Roy Orbison,
The Aeroplane Flies Higher: EMI Preps Three Years of Smashing Pumpkins Reissues
For Generation X, fewer names inspire emotions quite like Smashing Pumpkins. The Chicago-based alt-rock outfit, anchored primarily by singer, songwriter and sole remaining original member Billy Corgan, made rock music that was dark, atmospheric and ambitious - and yet somehow maintained commercial as well as critical success - before splintering in 2000 and reforming some six years later. While Corgan continues to lead Smashing Pumpkins through some interesting projects - he's been working on a
"Get Back" To The Beatles With Ace's "Black America Sings Lennon and McCartney"
“Yesterday” is considered the most-covered popular song of all time, but might The Beatles also be the most-covered band of the rock era? I’ll leave that one to the Guinness folks, but needless to say, there are thousands of cover versions of songs introduced by The Fab Four, most of which were written under the “Lennon and McCartney” umbrella. On June 7, Ace will release a follow-up to its acclaimed 2010 collection How Many Roads: Black America Sings Bob Dylan, turning the spotlight onto the
Review: Don Sebesky, "Giant Box"
Why can’t jazz be populist and pure, both at the same time? One imagines Creed Taylor asked that question when he launched CTI (Creed Taylor Incorporated) as a solo label back in 1970. Three years earlier he had decamped from Verve and christened the CTI name as an imprint of Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss’ A&M Records. At A&M, Taylor produced nearly 30 albums by such jazz greats as Wes Montgomery, Montgomery's heir apparent George Benson, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Herbie Mann. Taylor’s
WE HAVE A WINNER!: Bob Dylan's "The Other Side of the Mirror" on Blu-Ray
The Second Disc would like to extend hearty congratulations to reader MICHAEL ELDER! Michael is the winning entrant in our contest for The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965 on Blu-Ray, courtesy of our wonderful friends at Legacy Recordings! Mike and I would like to extend a big "THANK YOU!" to all who entered, as well as a special thanks to those of you who had such nice things to say about The Second Disc along with your contest entries. Your
Friday Feature: "Night Shift"
Fate works in mysterious ways. Dionne Warwick was home one evening, half-asleep while the 1982 film Night Shift played on her television set. “I didn’t really pay attention to the names that were going up on the credits,” Warwick recounted, “but I knew that was Burt Bacharach’s melody. There was no way in the world it could be anybody else’s.” She was speaking of “That’s What Friends Are For,” an all-but-forgotten song written for the 1982 film Night Shift, Ron Howard’s major big screen
Now Boarding: Jefferson Airplane Reissues Take Off On BGO and Friday Music
Now departing from San Francisco: it's Jefferson Airplane! While the classic band's live reissue series launched by Collector's Choice Music remains in limbo, fans of the classic rock line-up of Grace Slick, Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady and Spencer Dryden don't have to fear! Both BGO Records and Friday Music have a rich slate of Airplane projects to keep the group flying high! Friday Music kicks things off with a 180-gram vinyl LP remastering of the ironically-titled
LAST CHANCE REMINDER! Contest: Win Bob Dylan's "The Other Side of the Mirror" on Blu-Ray
Hey, friends! Our Bob Dylan contest ends tonight at 11:59 p.m. EST. Mike and I couldn't be more thrilled to give you the opportunity to win The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965 on Blu-Ray! Don't delay; details are below. Enter now! We've got some very exciting stuff for fans of Bob Dylan: a contest to win a reissue of a Dylan documentary on Blu-Ray from Legacy Recordings! We're giving away a copy of The Other Side of the Mirror - Bob Dylan
Bob Seger Reissues His Live Albums with a Bullet
If you're in the mood for that old time rock & roll, you just might be in luck! Capitol and EMI have announced two remastered editions of classic live albums from Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band. 1976's Live Bullet and 1981's Nine Tonight are both due in stores on May 17. Bob Seger catapulted to national stardom in 1976 with the LP Night Moves, after a string of regional hits in the Detroit area and throughout the Midwest. Just before that commercial breakthrough, Seger and his
Heavy Traffic: "The Jim Capaldi Story" Told On Upcoming Box Set
It's time to clear a space on your shelf next to Steve Winwood's 1995 box set The Finer Things or its 2010 counterpart Revolutions. The life and career of Winwood's longtime collaborator Jim Capaldi (1944-2005) is being celebrated by the fine folks at Universal U.K. with a lavish new box set, Dear Mr. Fantasy: The Jim Capaldi Story. Set for release on June 27, Dear Mr. Fantasy is named after one of Traffic's most beloved songs. It encompasses Capaldi's work with that group as well as early
Second Disc Advisory: Joe Takes Over!
Hey there catalogue enthusiasts! Just a quick note that Joe's got the reins of The Second Disc while I'm on vacation for a few days. We've made pretty sure that there shouldn't be much problems in transition, so business will continue as usual - likely with less '80s and soundtrack news, but still strong! I'll see everyone back here around Tuesday.
Short Takes: Cars on Friday, INXS Live Show and Howard Jones Tidbits
Our friends at Friday Music have found a great way to celebrate the reunion of The Cars: a reissue of one of their albums! A straight reissue of the group's final album for Elektra, 1987's Door to Door, remastered by the label's own Joe Reagoso, will be available May 10, the same day as the band's brand-new studio album, Move Like This. In honor of the impending royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, INXS have released a digital album of their 1985 concert performed in honor of a
Shirley Bassey Goes Beyond "Goldfinger" On BGO Reissue
Dame Shirley Bassey first blazed into the American consciousness in 1964 singing the immortal theme to Goldfinger. Bassey's full-throttle take on the John Barry/Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse song became her first and only American Top 10 single, and helped the film’s soundtrack recording climb all the way to the top spot. Bassey returned to both John Barry and James Bond with the themes to Diamonds are Forever (1971) and Moonraker (1979), but she never again scaled the heights of commercial
Poison Double Dip with "Double Dose"
There comes a time in every music collector's life where we utter, "Another (name of artist) compilation?!" The time has come to put Poison in those parentheses; their latest collection is due in stores on May 3. Double Dose: Ultimate Hits does have a lot of worthy material for new fans. In addition to collating all the band's notable singles, it includes a fair amount of album cuts and at least one or two non-LP tracks that were scooped up on reissues or prior compilations. But for hardcore
Intrada Premieres Scores to "Ravagers," "Stay Tuned"
Some small but significant premiere releases have bowed from Intrada this week: a dynamic sci-fi score from the '70s and a comedic action romp from the '90s. Ravagers was a brooding post-apocalyptic film featuring Richard Harris as a vigilante safeguarding against the titular band of marauders hell-bent on killing any survivors they can find. Art Carney and Ernest Borgnine co-starred in this forgotten thriller, and the score was composed by Fred Karlin, a jazz arranger who gained prominence in
Arcade Fire Goes Back to "The Suburbs"
Canadian indie-rockers Arcade Fire have had a pretty successful year. Their third studio album, The Suburbs (2010), was a critical and commercial smash, topping the Billboard charts and netting them a Grammy for Album of the Year. And while their victory may have turned some heads, it was well-deserved; The Suburbs is an appealing, sprawling rock epic the likes of which are all too rare these days. In case you missed it the first time around, the band is set to re-release the record on June 27
"1991" Documentary Featuring Nirvana, Sonic Youth Revisited
Thanks to Slicing Up Eyeballs for this neat tip over the weekend: 1991: The Year Punk Broke is making its debut on DVD later this year. This documentary of Sonic Youth and Nirvana's European tour of 1991 - a precursor to the breakthrough Nirvana would experience with Nevermind some 20 years ago - was released on VHS and laserdisc many years ago, and featured performances by both bands as well as other luminaries of the age including Dinosaur Jr., The Ramones and more. The DVD will feature a
Queen Announce Second Round of "Deep Cuts"
As is now custom with each batch of new Queen reissues in the U.K., another compilation comes with them highlighting the band's lesser-known album tracks. Not necessary by any means, but a neat idea for those already familiar with the greatest hits or those anxious to test the quality of the new remasters without splurging on each expanded title. Today, Queen's website announced the track list for Deep Cuts 2, set to accompany the next batch of reissues (spanning from News of the World to Hot
"What's New?" Ronstadt and Riddle Classic Revisited on Gold CD
While the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inexplicably remained immune to her charms, few artists have had the career of Linda Ronstadt. She's racked up 38 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including ten that went Top Ten. On the album chart, she's placed 36 entries, including ten that reached the Top Ten there too (her magic number!) and three that hit pole position. And consider this: after playing a vital role in the country-rock scene with the Stone Poneys and their hit recording of Mike
Reissue Theory: Majosha, "Shut Up and Listen to Majosha"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. As a modern-day piano man starts digging through the archives, we take a look at one of his steps on the path to critical acclaim. Exciting news seems to be developing for fans of singer/songwriter/pianist Ben Folds: he recently tweeted a picture taken at his Nashville home of what appears to be the beginning of some research for an archival project. Folds' wife, Fleur,
A Dozen "Playlist" Sets Due in May
Love 'em or hate 'em, the various budget compilations that come from the major labels are quick, easy ways to get catalogue material out to the masses. Universal's ICON and Sony's Playlist series are probably the highest-profile of these series, but the latter is arguably the more beloved of the two, thanks to a concerted effort by some of the producers at Legacy to get rarer tracks on the Playlist discs, whether it's a rare single version or bonus track from a previous reissue. Legacy has 12
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