Nobody's denying the greatness of Rod Stewart's early career, both with The Faces and on his own. But since 2002, the man can't stop putting out MOR albums devoted to The Great American Songbook. And it's inspired a host of copycats, from Barry Manilow to Phil Collins. Not content with his five(!) Songbook LPs, J Records will release The Best of The Great American Songbook next year. It's a no-frills collection of the highlights of all those albums and will probably sell a million copies to the
John Barleycorn Must Be Expanded
Well, at least it will be expanded. Traffic's John Barleycorn Must Die (1970) is coming out as a double-disc deluxe edition in February. Originally intended as Steve Winwood's first solo album after the dissolution of Blind Faith, John Barleycorn became a reunion project for Traffic and spawned several well-known songs including "Glad" and "Empty Pages." It was also the highest-charting album of Traffic's career in the U.S., hitting No. 5. A previous reissue in the U.K. in 1999 added two
The Year in Reissues, Part II
You're probably wondering where Part I of The Year in Reissues is. Happily, the fine folks at Popdose have put my ramblings about the best reissues, box sets and other catalogue sets on their Web site. But there are plenty more good ones I wanted to shine the spotlight on after filing the story. So here's are five other notable catalogue sets to remember from the past year. And do share your opinions in the comments below, as always!
Back Tracks: The Clash
Where were you when you first heard The Clash? If you can't answer that question because you've never heard them, then consider this your Christmas present. The London-based punk band accomplished much in their decade-long tenure, including some of the best albums of the genre. Though they enjoyed the fruits of a major label, they stayed true to their ethos, keeping prices low for albums, tickets and souvenirs (reportedly, the band forfeited royalties on sprawling triple-album Sandinista! in
Review: Perry Como, "The Complete Christmas Collection"
They don’t make ‘em like that anymore. I can’t help but think of that old adage whenever I think of Perry Como. The singer was one in a line of great crooners, many of them Italian-Americans. Frank Sinatra, dean of them all and forever the Chairman of the Board, was well-known for his swagger. Tony Bennett is still renowned for the jazz chops he brings as an interpretive vocalist. Perry Como, though, is perhaps best-known for his quiet gentility. Days after his death in 2001, conservative
Review: Nat "King" Cole, "Love is the Thing" and "The Very Thought of You"
The time is 1957. The place is the corner of Hollywood and Vine in Los Angeles, California – the Capitol Tower. And you are there. Such is the magic of Analogue Productions’ pair of hybrid Super Audio CDs, part of the label’s Nat “King” Cole reissue program. Thanks to the gorgeous remastering and improved quality afforded by the format, you’ll hear every breath, as if you were in the studio alongside Cole himself during a recording session. The versatile artist is today remembered for many
Release Round-Up: Week of December 21
Just one title today, because it's almost Christmas! Who's going to buy new CDs Christmas week? Not counting the awesome Kritzerland titles (Casino Royale and Genghis Khan)! Various Artists, 20th Century Fox: 75 Years of Great Film Scores (Varese Sarabande) A sweet three-disc set of classics from Fox's deep vault. This was delayed from earlier in the month, but I have a feeling it's worth the wait. (Varese Sarabande)
"Genghis Khan" Makes CD Debut Alongside "Casino Royale"
During a time of the year when most labels have wound down their new releases for 2010, Kritzerland has rewarded loyal listeners with a pair of early Christmas gifts. On Monday, the label made available for pre-order its final two releases of the year, and both are doozies. On Friday, we brought you the news of the remastered and expanded Casino Royale soundtrack composed by Burt Bacharach, and yesterday, the label gave official word that Casino will be joined by the first-ever CD release for
EXCLUSIVE: Have No Fear, Bond is Here! Expanded and Remastered "Casino Royale" Due
Film score fans, you've hit the jackpot! After a successful year of landmark releases such as an expanded edition of Pino Donaggio’s score to Carrie and the remaster and remix of Promises, Promises: The Original Broadway Cast Recording, just to name two, the Kritzerland label is going to the Casino. Of course, I mean Casino Royale. Unlike in most casinos, however, the odds are in the label’s favor, because no film score fan is going to want to be without producer Bruce Kimmel’s deluxe expanded
Tim Buckley's Debut to Be Expanded (UPDATED 12/18)
Rhino is releasing Tim Buckley's debut album for Elektra next week, sources confirm. Buckley was all of 19 years old when he recorded his debut LP in 1966 with Elektra founder Jac Holzman co-producing and a stunningly strong group of session players backing him up (Lee Underwood on guitar, Jim Fielder of Blood, Sweat and Tears on bass, Van Dyke Parks on piano and Mothers of Invention drummer Billy Mundi). Though critics never gave him scores of attention, he is now widely regarded as one of the
Review: "Super Mario History 1985-2010"
It's a credit to one's abilities as a composer when people all over the world can vocalize the instruments that play your songs. Every hook The Beatles got on the radio proved their expertise at this. Plenty of album-oriented rock bands have accomplished similar feats. In terms of worldwide appeal, however, Koji Kondo may have them all beat. Though few know his name, a simple vocalization - "Doo-doo-doo-do-do-DOOT" - solidifies his status as a legend. And to think, his most successful music
Back Tracks: The Music of the Pink Panther
Back Tracks takes a break from holiday merriment to celebrate the life of Blake Edwards, who died yesterday at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of laughter.“[Sometime] ago when I first began, one of my early films was run at a producer’s home one night, and someone who shall remain nameless for the moment came to me and said, ‘Billy Wilder was there and the saw it and you know what he said? He said, ‘You know it’s shit, but it’s funny shit.’ Now, had anybody else said that – this is proof
Reissue Theory: "Christmas Cheers from Motown"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today's focus is the least-remembered Christmas album on Motown Records, from a lean but not unlistenable time in the label's long history. One of the best things about the holiday season is the union of two of the greatest kinds of music: Christmas carols and Motown tunes. The definitive sound of the Detroit label, when paired with holiday standards, is
Review: Michael Jackson, "Michael"
Last winter, with Michael Jackson's sudden passing not even five months in the past, Motown and Universal Music Enterprises released I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters, a ten-track compilation that was certainly the first in a long salvo of cash-in, vault-clearing titles in honor of the King of Pop (it was wisely marketed as commemorating the 40th anniversary of the J5's first single, which was true enough). Surprisingly, after a great but ill-timed box set collecting Jackson's solo albums and
Eagle Rock is Still Twisted
Fans were hoping for a decent set of remasters for the '80s shock-rockers Twisted Sister at some point in the near future. (A previous set of reissues on the Spitfire label were of intensely dubious quality.) Unfortunately, Warner Music Group seems to have bestowed the remaster task not to Rhino but to Eagle Rock Entertainment, who've put out a steady stream of TS product in the past few months. Now, on January 25, Eagle Rock has another two reissues coming out: the band's sophomore album You
Back Tracks: The Christmas Sounds of the Beach Boys
There may be no group more associated with the sounds of summer than The Beach Boys, favorite sons of Hawthorne, California. Yet the boys of summer could also accurately be described as the boys of winter, based on their timeless, perennial music celebrating Christmas. While the entire official Beach Boys Christmas catalogue is based around just one released album and another shelved one, the group's contribution to seasonal music can't be underestimated. On the eve of the group's 50th
Rock Hall Gets It Right
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its inductees earlier this evening, and the results are actually quite exciting. The artists inducted are Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Tom Waits. Leon Russell is getting the Award for Musical Excellence (formerly known as the Sidemen category) while the Ahmet Ertegun Award will go to Jac Holzman (founder of Elektra Records) and Art Rupe (founder of Specialty Records, the label that gave us Little Richard and "Tutti
Legacy Readies New Playlists for 2011
Legacy Recording has got another batch of titles in the long-running Playlist series for next month. The line-up is particularly diverse, stretching from soul (Lou Rawls, Patti Labelle) to more recent pop acts (Five for Fighting, Ace of Base, Bowling for Soup) and even touching on some gospel acts (including a spiritual disc from Willie Nelson). They're not as heavy on the rarities, although some of the sets have some appealing rare cuts; Mr. Mister's compilation will feature four tracks from
"Titans," "Flesh" Close Out Intrada's Year in Score Reissues
Intrada has announced their final four catalogue soundtrack releases to round out the year. First up is Laurence Rosenthal's complete score to the classic action/fantasy film Clash of the Titans (1981). This box office hit starred Harry Hamlin as the mythic hero Perseus, who ventured across ancient Greece battling classic monsters, all expertly created by stop-motion animation guru Ray Harryhausen. (The Gorgon Medusa as seen in the film still gives us the chills!) Intrada's double-disc set
"Icon" Series Gets More Iconic
Universal is prepping another batch of Icon compilations for the first week of 2011. Now, we've been hard on this series before, but there's actually a lot to like about these new sets. While previous Icon sets have been bashed by The Second Disc for either shamelessly repackaging previous compilations or offering fewer CD-based rarities than, say, Legacy's Playlist series (more on that tomorrow), this new batch of Icon sets collate artists who haven't had much in the way of compilations yet
A Spoonful of Reissues Across the Pond
U.K. label Edsel is prepping a series of expanded two-fer reissues of most of The Lovin' Spoonful's catalogue. The original group - singer/songwriter John Sebastian, guitarist Zal Yanovsky, bassist Steve Boone and drummer Joe Butler - emerged from New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood in the 1960s. In the middle of the decade, they rode a wave of success thanks to folk-pop tunes like "Do You Believe in Magic," "Daydream," "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" and the No. 1 hit
The Queen Remasters Begin
Amazon U.K. is posting order pages for what looks like the first batch of Queen remasters across the pond. It's been previously reported that the first four Queen albums would be reissued (and possibly expanded) in England on Queen's new home, Universal, in celebration of the band's 40th anniversary. Happily, though, Universal will give fans a taste of what to expect in terms of presentation and mastering with straight reissues of the band's first two greatest hits packages. Greatest Hits
Friday Feature: "Gremlins"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kjHFSa7ghE] There were many scores that soundtrack fans were hoping for on CD in 2010. But few are sought after more than the score to Gremlins (1984), a wacky, synthesizer-based romp from composer Jerry Goldsmith. It would have been a fantastic grab from one of the major labels for the Christmas season, but it looks like it may be another long wait before the score is released. But with Christmas around the corner, why not bring up one of the most
More Catalogue Gold from the Grammys
Just as we noted the box sets and other catalogue sets that were nominated for Grammys this year, we would also like to tip the hat to the recordings that were put into the Grammy Hall of Fame, as announced Monday. Thirty recordings, including nine LPs, have been added to a group that now includes 881 classic pieces of music. The oldest recordings on the list are two singles, "Dark Was the Night - Cold Was the Ground" by Blind Willie Johnson and "My Mammy" by Al Jolson (both released in 1927);
"They're Here...": FSM Closes Year with "Poltergeist," "Horse"
Film Score Monthly has readied its last two titles of the year to order: one a classic Western, one a spooky horror treat. As mentioned months ago (in a rare up-front statement by FSM honcho Lukas Kendall), FSM fully expands Jerry Goldsmith's classic score to the Tobe Hooper-directed, Steven Spielberg-produced Poltergeist (1982) to completeness. As one of the most popular scores by one of the most popular modern composers, Poltergeist has been reissued before, on Rhino Records in 1997. This
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