This week and next see a trio of great film and television scores coming to CD from Intrada and La-La Land Records. First up, it's the long-anticipated third volume of Stu Phillips' music to Battlestar Galactica from Intrada. While the previous two volumes were devoted to only three episodes of the series in total, subsequent installments of BSG largely eschewed new scores for previously-recorded cues tracked into the soundtrack. But Phillips was on hand to compose music for seven
New Morello Label Launches with Country Classics from Jones, Robbins, Dalton
Though George Jones has introduced many of the standards of the country-and-western repertoire, his turbulent offstage life has had more ups and downs than even the most dramatic honky-tonk tune. A Kennedy Center Honoree with fourteen Number One country hits in the U.S., the son of Saratoga, Texas has been recording since 1957 and is still going strong despite battling the bottle and engaging in many stormy relationships with women. Though he’s been known as “No-Show Jones” for the number of
A Second Disc Interview: Talking Matt Monro, Mastering and Mixing with RICHARD MOORE
A remarkable treasure trove of Matt Monro rarities has just been released by EMI Gold, a timely reminder of the artist’s life and career. He was sometimes known as the “Cockney Como” or the “English Sinatra,” but both descriptions fail to adequately capture the essence of the beloved singer’s unique and enduring style. Fortunately, Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro offers that singular sound in abundance as it traces the arc of his entire career, via almost entirely unheard material. We welcomed
Review: "A&M 50: The Anniversary Collection"
On its surface, it seems kind of crazy to make a compilation of tunes from A&M Records. There are plenty of labels with clearer narrative arcs: Columbia was a hotbed for melodic singer-songwriters in the '60s and '70s, from Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel to Springsteen and Billy Joel. Burgeoning soul fans started with Motown and graduated to Stax or Atlantic, depending on their region. ZTT was the place for avant-garde dance-pop/rock in the '80s, much like Elektra was the source for dreamy
Getting the Knack (No, Not That Knack!) From Now Sounds
When The Knack burst onto the scene in 1979 with the album Get the Knack, allegedly the fastest-selling debut LP since Meet the Beatles, was it a case of déjà vu for Dink Kaplan, Larry Gould, Pug Baker and Michael Chain? The "My Sharona" group was a quartet that came to prominence in Los Angeles, played the Sunset Strip, signed to Capitol Records, and was lauded for a Beatlesque pop style via a massive promotional campaign. But Kaplan, Gould, Baker and Chain had been through it all before.
Reissue Theory: Queen, "The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. On an iconic rock star's birthday, we hope for a concert celebrating his life and work to make it onto CD someday. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuqx11UOOP4] On this day, 66 years ago, Farrokh Bulsara was born in Zanzibar. The world would, of course, know him by another name: Freddie Mercury, the iconoclastic frontman for the British hard rock band Queen.
A Second Disc Interview: Talking "Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro" with MICHELE MONRO
A remarkable treasure trove of Matt Monro rarities has just been released by EMI Gold, a timely reminder of the artist’s life and career. He was sometimes known as the “Cockney Como” or the “English Sinatra,” but both descriptions fail to adequately capture the essence of the beloved singer’s unique and enduring style. Fortunately, Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro offers that singular sound in abundance as it traces the arc of his entire career, via almost entirely unheard material. Click here if
David Guetta's Star-Studded Latest to Be Expanded This Fall
Parisian artist/producer/remixer David Guetta stepped back into the spotlight with last year's Top 5 album Nothing But the Beat - a collaboration between Guetta and some of the biggest names in R&B, rap and dance - and next week will present a greatly expanded edition of the album. Nothing But the Beat 2.0 combines the floor-fillers of the original disc, including the hit singles "Without You" (a Top 5 smash with guest vocals from Usher), "Turn Me On" (featuring Nicki Minaj) and "Where Them
Ten Kind Favors: Massive B.B. King Box in Development at Universal (UPDATED WITH TRACK LIST)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Np5Nmxr-1Y] With over half a century in the business of playing the blues, Riley B. King - "B.B." to millions - is the total embodiment of a living legend. As we dive headfirst into box set season, it looks like King's getting a box set from Hip-O/UMe worthy of that legend - and fans can be a part of it. Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr. B.B. King, crafted in honor of the 50th anniversary of King's contract with ABC-Paramount, has all the hallmarks of a
He and Mrs. Jones: Billy Paul and Big Break Records Have a Thing Going On with "360 Degrees" Reissue
Philadelphia International Records turns 40 this year, and Big Break Records keeps adding more candles to the birthday cake! The label's latest release from the PIR catalogue is one of the mightiest albums ever produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff: 1972's 360 Degrees of Billy Paul, the long-player which introduced the world to the steamy soul epic "Me and Mrs. Jones." This expanded and remastered edition follows BBR's reissue earlier this year of Paul's more jazz-oriented Ebony Woman, from
Some Dreams Come True: Bangles' "Everything" to Be Expanded by Cherry Pop
Close your eyes, give us your hand and let's talk about a new reissue of Everything, The Bangles' final album for Columbia Records, from the Cherry Pop label. Released in 1988, Everything was the latest effort from a band riding high for the past two years. Different Light, released in 1986 (and also expanded by Cherry Pop), had made them MTV superstars thanks to killer cuts like the Prince-penned "Manic Monday" and "Walk Like an Egyptian." The following year, a hard-hitting cover of Simon
The Heart of a Man: Matt Monro Anthologized On Deluxe 2-CD Set "Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro"
A remarkable treasure trove of Matt Monro rarities has just been released by EMI Gold, a timely reminder of the artist's life and career. He was sometimes known as the "Cockney Como" or the "English Sinatra," but both descriptions fail to adequately capture the essence of the beloved singer's unique and enduring style. Fortunately, Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro offers that singular sound in abundance as it traces the arc of his entire career, via almost entirely unheard material. We're
Release Round-Up: Week of September 4
Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé, Barcelona: Deluxe Edition (Island U.K.) The Queen frontman's final solo effort - an ambitious collaboration with a Spanish opera legend - has been given new life on CD, with its original synth instrumentation fully fleshed out by an orchestra. A super deluxe box includes scores of audiovisual extras, and the newly-orchestrated album is also available on vinyl. Judas Priest, Screaming for Vengeance: Special 30th Anniversary Edition (Columbia/Legacy) A
In Memoriam: Hal David (1921-2012)
What's it all about? For Hal David, it was about dedication to his craft, a tireless commitment to songwriters' rights and a desire to bring the world a message of love, sweet love - a sentiment that's never gone out of fashion. The Oscar, Grammy and Gershwin Prize-winning lyricist and former president of performance rights organization ASCAP passed away on September 1. He left behind a world made immeasurably richer by his gift of song. Hal David's turns of phrase in songs like "Raindrops
(Still) Screaming For Vengeance: Judas Priest Has a 30th Anniversary Edition Comin'
It might get loud. Next Tuesday, September 4, is the date for Legacy Recordings’ 30th anniversary CD/DVD edition of Judas Priest’s 1982 metal classic Screaming for Vengeance. Though the 1982 album wasn’t the first platinum-selling album from the British rock legends, it remains one of the most beloved, spawning radio hits “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” and “(Take These) Chains.” Though the band formed in Birmingham in 1969 and recorded its first album in 1974, its line-up fluctuated
Chickenfoot's Debut Gets New Legs on Double-Disc Set
It only saw release a few years back, but hard-rock supergroup Chickenfoot is reissuing their out-of-print debut album with a nice amount of extra tracks. The incredible pedigree of the band - featuring former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony on vocals and bass, respectively, along with guitarist Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith - earned a heavy amount of media attention upon first release, particularly as Hagar and Anthony's former bandmates in Van
Soundtrack Round-Up: FSM "Heat"s Up, Intrada Uncovers More Disney, La-La Land is Super, Kritzerland Is Forever Young
You know it's a big week for soundtracks when multiple specialty labels announce projects in the same week; currently, we have six such titles on the horizon from four labels! First off, Film Score Monthly has prepped their third-to-last soundtrack set, and it's an oft-requested killer: an expanded edition of John Barry's score to Body Heat (1981). A neo-noir classic, Body Heat - the directorial debut of legendary screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan (The Empire Strikes Back, Raiders of the Lost
Review: Art Garfunkel, "The Singer"
The first-ever 2-CD anthology of the collected works of Arthur Ira Garfunkel is titled The Singer (Columbia/Legacy 88725 45816 2, 2012). In a life and career that’s also seen Garfunkel as an actor, poet, author, athlete and student, “singer” seems the most apt appellation. Indeed, he is not just a singer, but The Singer, in longtime service to the art of the song. Garfunkel was an anomaly in the young world of 1960s rock, leaving the songwriting to his partner Paul Simon while still lending
Let's Go! Clap, Stamp and Shake with The Routers!
From psychedelic guitars to uninhibited drums, Ace Records’ 2012 release slate has been chock-full of wild instrumentals from the halcyon days of the 1960s. A recent title, part of the label’s Limited Edition series, revisits that period with one of the snappiest groups to grace the Warner Bros. label: The Routers! Just one glance at the song titles will clue you in as to the kind of ride you’re in for on A-Ooga!!! Stamp & Shake with the Routers : “Let’s Go (Pony),” Snap, Crackle and
Review: Taj Mahal, "The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal: 1969-1973"
Perhaps Henry Saint Clair Fredericks Jr. just didn’t have the right ring to it? Whatever the reason, the former Fredericks took the name of Taj Mahal after the palatial Indian mausoleum, and never looked back. The singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and all-around renaissance bluesman had his first solo tenure with Columbia Records, from 1968 to 1976, and most of that period is addressed on the new 2-CD anthology The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal 1969-1973 (Columbia/Legacy 82876 82294 2,
Déjà Vu: Expanded Reissue of Dionne Warwick's 1979 "Dionne," Produced by Barry Manilow, Arrives on CD
Dionne Warwick recently announced a new album, produced by Phil Ramone. Entitled Now, the projected October release will reflect on a storied career that’s lasted 50 years. But Warwick was in a very different place then, meaning in 1979. The sophisticated soul singer was at a crossroads. Her unprecedented string of pop and R&B hits written and produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David at Scepter Records were far in the rearview mirror. Bacharach and David had bitterly split after just
As the Globe Turns: Universal Adds Classic, Possibly Rare, Soundtrack Material to Blu-Ray Box Set
In 1912, an ex-dry goods merchant and owner of the nascent Independent Moving Pictures (IMP) studio stood in a New York office with five other movie moguls and made history. These six men, organized by IMP founder Carl Laemmle, were keen to merge their businesses with an eye toward the growing big business of moviemaking. As they struggled for a title for their venture, Laemmle allegedly saw a wagon zip by on the street below with a grandiose name: "Universal Pipe Fitters." Turning back to the
If It's Meant to Be: Barbra Streisand Announces "Release Me" Collection of Long-Lost Songs
Everybody knows "The Way We Were." But how about "The Way We Might-Have-Been?" The what-ifs are many in Barbra Streisand's career. The legendary vocalist, about to celebrate her fiftieth year with Columbia Records in 2013, has amassed a vault filled with unreleased outtakes from her decades of recording. These date as far back as 1962 when the young singer recorded an as-yet-unissued rendition of Harold Arlen and "Yip" Harburg's "Right as the Rain" for possible release on 45. (In fact,
Take the "A" Train to Complete Boxes From Ellington, Armstrong, Christian and Smith
The roaring twenties are back! Okay – or should that be OKeh? – in fairness, so are the thirties, forties, and fifties, thanks to four upcoming box sets spotlighting legendary jazz and blues stars. Legacy Recordings adds to its growing Complete Albums Collection library on October 30 with these new volumes: Louis Armstrong, The Complete OKeh, Columbia and RCA Victor Recordings 1925-1933 (OKeh/Columbia/RCA/Legacy) (10 CDs); Charlie Christian, The Genius of the Electric Guitar (Columbia/
In Case You Missed It: Don't Forget Glass Tiger's Expanded Debut, New Compilation
The band themselves likely wouldn't want it any other way, so we won't forget to tell you about some relatively recent catalogue projects that just arrived up north from rock band Glass Tiger. The Canadian rockers shot to fame in the mid-'80s with the irresistibly catchy "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)." With a synth-horn-fueled hook that could make the most stoic musician bop along, a dollop of perfect pop-rock production from co-writer Jim Vallance and an edgy vocal cameo from fellow Northern
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