The soundtrack community can take another "holy grail" off the list today. Varese Sarabande has announced their newest Soundtrack Club title to be the premiere release of Dave Grusin's score to The Goonies. The Steven Spielberg-produced comedy about a group of misfits who find a pirate treasure map has been a cult classic ever since its release in 1985. Grusin's score was grandiose, adventurous and sweet as needed, and was a highlight of the film. But the original LP release, on Epic Records,
Reissue Theory: Peter Gabriel, "Deutsches"
On this day 42 years ago, Decca Records released a single, "Silent Sun," by a new band, Genesis. It was the first single off From Genesis to Revelation, an album that would not be released until nearly a year later. Neither the single nor any material from that first album would resemble anything near the forms of Genesis we know and love today. The sound was less prog and more psychedelia, and the teenaged band members - lead vocalist Peter Gabriel, keyboardist Tony Banks, guitarist Anthony
The (Aggravating) Sound of The Smiths
Today was the day that U.K. fans, elated from the grassroots success of making Rage Against the Machine's "Killing in the Name" the 2009 Christmas No. 1 single, attempted to make lightning strike twice with a campaign for The Smiths' immortal "How Soon is Now?" Call me a spoilsport, but I have my doubts that the campaign is going to make the same kind of headway. The "Killing in the Name" incident was just right-place, right-time and had suitable fire underneath it (people will buy a single so
"Raw Power" to Melt Faces in April
Fans of The Stooges, get ready for a rush: Legacy Recordings is reissuing Raw Power, one of the most iconic pre-punk rock records of the 1970s. And hardcore fans are going to drool over the goodies that are coming their way. The standard set is going to be a two-disc Legacy Edition (you know, the ones in a double digipak with a slip case). On the first disc is the original album as originally mixed by David Bowie. This is a really big deal, as the last time Legacy reissued the record in 1997,
Back Tracks: The Who
Were you left cold by The Who's straightforward, inoffensive performance at The Super Bowl last night? Did you hear will.i.am's pointless remix of "My Generation" and think about a time in which that song actually meant something? This installment of Back Tracks takes you through the deluxe editions of The Who's discography, so you can focus on the glory days and not Roger Daltrey's incredibly silly get-up. And take heart: The Who's back catalogue is probably one of UMe's grandest war horses.
Reissue Theory: Ben Folds Five, "Ben Folds Five"
In Reissue Theory, The Second Disc researches and drafts a box set, compilation or reissue that would be worth pursuing by a label. Lots of catalogue enthusiasts are older folks, there's no getting around that. Those who grew up with great rock and roll and consumed it on compact discs as adults are probably the lion's share of people reading sites like this. But regardless of what you perceive the quality of more recent music to be, it needs to be looked after as well by catalogue
Double Dip: Won't Get Fooled Again
Here's a feature I'd like to make as regular as possible: in Double Dip, I look at a catalogue title - perhaps a frequent re-release or a new compilation - and try to deconstruct its content. Think of it as a buyer's guide for the newest releases. This week, in anticipation of their upcoming Super Bowl gig, Geffen and Universal Music Enterprises have released a new compilation by The Who, Greatest Hits Live, exclusively on iTunes. The press release excitedly touts the set as "22 recordings of
In With the Old: 2009 in Reissues
Good evening and welcome to The Second Disc! Assuming you've taken a look at the page where I've explained this blog, I'd like to present a list of some of the best catalogue titles released to the public during the past year. This year was just as full of complaints about the demise of the music industry as ever (I guess part of this can be blamed on the general economic malaise gripping us all), but this really seemed to be a great year for reissues and box sets of all sorts. Two notes before