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/ Search Results for: "best"

Reissue Theory: Whitney Houston, "Whitney"

January 25, 2012 By Mike Duquette 10 Comments

whitney houston whitney

We remember Whitney Houston (1963-2012) and her timeless legacy of song.  We're sharing this feature in her memory, and will return with a tribute to this musical legend, gone too soon. Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable album and the reissues they could someday see. Today's entry: a 25th anniversary spotlight on one of the best dance-pop albums of any era, and a tribute to a powerhouse R&B voice. In a word: Whitney. Around this time in 2010,

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Reissue Theory, Whitney Houston

Short Takes: "Meet Glen Campbell" and "Matter of Time" Reissued, A Rare Earth Curio and More From Impulse!

January 25, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

glen campbell matter of time

The legendary Glen Campbell has seen a number of his classic albums reissued this year by labels including BGO, Real Gone Music and New Haven.  Our friends at Rockbeat Records have lined up the next Campbell release, revisiting his 1985 LP for the Atlantic label, It’s Just a Matter of Time.  Produced by Harold Shedd, the album found Campbell revisiting some of his past triumphs.  Longtime collaborator and friend Jimmy Webb contributed three songs: the oft-covered “Do What You Gotta Do,”

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Country, Pop Tags: Glen Campbell

From "Blonde" to "Blue": Bob Dylan, Miles Davis Classics Coming on SACD and LP

January 25, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

another side of bob sacd1

Any label president would have killed to have Bob Dylan or Miles Davis on his company’s roster, but Columbia Records’ legendary Goddard Lieberson had the good fortune to have had both of these groundbreaking artists making their most important music on the red label under its watchful eye logo.  Since the advent of the compact disc era, there’s been no shortage of reissued music from these giants, and it’s already clear that 2012 will continue the steady flow. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab has

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Categories: News Tags: Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, SACD, The Band

Review: A Real Gone January - Bill Medley, Jody Miller and The Tymes

January 24, 2012 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

the tymes so much in love1

Among the first releases of 2012 from newbie label Real Gone Music is a two-on-one collection offering the compact disc debut of Bill Medley’s 100% and Soft and Soulful.  But those titles are apt to describe the entire Real Gone line-up for January, as the young label has given 100% to make available a wide variety of music: soft and soulful, yes, but also jazzy, twangy, and folky.  There’s something for everyone in this array of once-neglected titles. As 1968 began, The Righteous Brothers were

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Categories: News, Reviews Tags: The Tymes

Reissues on Target: Retail-Exclusive Expansions Available for Adele, Blake Shelton

January 24, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

blake shelton red river blue deluxe

If you're in the U.S. and are heading to Target after work for a few household items, you might want to keep an eye out for two recent hit albums, both newly expanded in sets exclusive to the retail chain. First up, a familiar expansion of last year's biggest album, 21, by British soul singer Adele. Unless you've been living underneath a rock for the past year, you know that the 21-year-old Grammy Award winner for Best New Artist has had a precedent-shattering year with this record. In an age

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Categories: News

You've Got a Friend in Intrada: Randy Newman's "Toy Story 3" Arrives on CD

January 24, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

toy story 3 ost1

Toy Story 3 certainly had its fair amount of accomplishments.  It was highest-grossing film of 2010 (domestic and worldwide), the all-time box office champ among animated features, and in the Top 10 highest-grossing films of all time.  It reaped five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and took two of the gold statues home.  It became the first film to be released theatrically in 7.1 surround sound.  But one thing Toy Story 3 didn't have was a proper soundtrack album on CD. 

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Categories: News Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Randy Newman

10538 Overture: Electric Light Orchestra Debut Turns 40, Expanded with Quad DVD and Bonus Tracks

January 23, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

elo no answer1

The musical partnership of Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood was a short-lived one, but EMI will soon give listeners a chance to revisit their acclaimed collaboration.  A 40th Anniversary Edition of the debut album from Electric Light Orchestra is set to arrive on March 12.  Self-titled for its original U.K. release and re-titled No Answer for the U.S., the album announced a bold new sound, reportedly created when Wood urged Lynne to add cellos to his song “10538 Overture.”  That track leads off this

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Categories: News Formats: DVD Tags: Roy Wood

Legacy Plans Artist Collections, Themed Sets for New "Playlist" Batch

January 23, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

playlist black history month

Brace yourselves, compilation collectors: Legacy's got another batch of Playlist titles out next week. The latest batch of set, due out January 31, skew mainly toward modern country and rootsier rock (Gretchen Wilson, Montgomery Gentry, solo works by Gregg Allman) with some wild cards thrown in for good measure (R&B from Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band and Wyclef Jean, contemporary pop-rockers Augustana, a set from The Hooters that was delayed from the last batch). In a nice change of pace,

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Categories: News Tags: Bob Marley, Marvin Gaye, Miles Davis, Run-D.M.C., The Hooters

Ann-Margret, James' "Thurber Carnival" Enliven Masterworks Broadway's Upcoming Slate

January 23, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

david merrick hits1

James Thurber (1894-1961) once commented, ""[Humor is] a kind of emotional chaos told about calmly and quietly in retrospect."  The celebrated writer, cartoonist and humorist, perhaps best-known for 1939's fanciful The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, recounted that kind of emotional chaos in his acclaimed short stories and drawings, a number of which have been successfully adapted to other media.  Four years before Walter Mitty itself was musicalized, Broadway welcomed Thurber's works to the stage

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Categories: News Genre: Cast Recordings

Who Is Tom Northcott? Rhino Handmade Clues You In with New Warner Bros. Anthology

January 19, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

tom northcott

Somewhere in rock's back pages, you might find the name of Tom Northcott, troubadour.  After establishing himself as the folk-singing frontman of The Tom Northcott Trio in his native Canada, Northcott headed for California, and proved himself in the fertile musical ground of the San Francisco Bay Area, opening for acts like The Who, The Doors and Jefferson Airplane.  Soon he found himself even further south, signed to Los Angeles' Warner Bros. Records.  And between 1966 and1969, Northcott

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Categories: News Tags: Leon Russell, Randy Newman, Tom Northcott

Review: Hugh Martin, "Hidden Treasures: Songs for Stage and Screen 1941-2010"

January 19, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

hugh martin hidden treasures1

Did a cork pop?  Did the world stop?  Am I just in love…with the music and lyrics of Hugh Martin?  Even if you don’t know the name of the late Mr. Martin, you certainly know his songs: “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “The Trolley Song,” and a little song heard every season, year after year, by the name of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”  But these songs from the MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis are just the tip of the iceberg of Hugh Martin’s catalogue, a few highlights of a career that lasted

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Cast Recordings Tags: Hugh Martin

Epic Jazz and Funk: George Duke and Stanley Clarke Complete Boxes Coming Soon

January 18, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

george duke contents1

With the latest two additions to its growing Complete Albums Collections roster, Legacy Recordings and Epic Records are looking to two musical pioneers for which the description "jazz artist" seems largely inadequate.  George Duke, keyboard virtuoso, and Stanley Clarke, electric and acoustic bass pro, have extensively toured and recorded together, but these forthcoming box sets turn the clock back to their solo periods on the Epic label. George Duke has proven himself equally adept at jazz,

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Jazz, R&B/Soul Tags: George Duke, Stanley Clarke

Doin' It for Themselves: Funky Town Grooves Plans Major Expansions for Aretha and Andre

January 17, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

andre cymone ac

As independent reissue labels go, Funky Town Grooves has long been a pioneer in cratedigging through scores of forgotten soul and R&B favorites, many from the fertile period of the 1980s. This year, the label has announced two expanded releases that may be among their most ambitious, for two of the best-loved R&B albums of the decade. First up, this March will see an expanded edition of Who's Zoomin' Who?, the major comeback by The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Aretha had ended the

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Categories: News

Release Round-Up: Week of January 17

January 17, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

hits and more1

Frank Sinatra, The Concert Sinatra (Concord) A remixed, remastered and expanded edition of Frank's 1963 studio album (the title referred to the size of Nelson Riddle's excellent orchestra). Modern English, Mesh and Lace / After the Snow / Ricochet Days (4AD) Newly-pressed reissues of the first three Modern English LPs, with bonus tracks. They've been out before, so you might already have them. But if you don't, they're here again. Heaven 17, Play to Win: The Very Best of Heaven 17 / Hot

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Categories: News Tags: Martina McBride, Modern English, UFO

New Cherry Red Imprint Sets Its Sights; JoBoxers, 'Til Tuesday Expansions Planned

January 16, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

hot shot uk

Cherry Red's stable of reissue labels has become a little bigger: this month, the group established a new imprint, Hot Shot Records, that looks to expand the horizons of reissues for pop and dance hits of yesteryear. Established under the group's thriving Big Break Records label, Hot Shot's mission, according to its Facebook page, is "to breathe life back into a variety of smart pop, dance gems and hidden treasures." From its outset, it looks like the label is looking to make a mark with

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Categories: News

And the Tracks Are...: "2012 Grammy Nominees" Disc Due

January 12, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

2012 grammy nominees

With the 54th Annual Grammy Awards mere weeks away on February 13, it's getting close to one of music's most vaunted pre-Grammy traditions: the release of the annual Grammy nominees compilation. Due out January 24, 2012 Grammy Nominees compiles exactly the artists you'd expect, from multiple award nominees (British soul songstress Adele, pop acts Bruno Mars and Katy Perry, modern rock legends the Foo Fighters and country star Taylor Swift) to rising stars (rappers J. Cole and Nicki Minaj,

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Categories: News Tags: Mumford & Sons, Tony Bennett

Goin' Back to New Orleans: Rounder Anticipates Mardi Gras With New Collection

January 10, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

meet me at mardi gras1

Laissez les bons temps rouler!  Each year, the good times do indeed roll in New Orleans, Louisiana, when the city throws the biggest Mardi Gras bash in the country.  Though carnival season is celebrated around the world, the revelry in New Orleans surely has one of the richest legacies, and a major part of that legacy is, of course, its music.  Rounder Records, founded in 1970 and now part of the Concord Music Group, has built a solid foundation of Cajun and carnival favorites in its impressive

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Categories: News Tags: Professor Longhair

Andy Gibb's Greatest Hits Reprised, and Flashback with Iron Butterfly

January 10, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

iron butterfly evolution1

Two long out-of-print greatest hits collections are back in print today thanks to the fine folks at Rhino Records.  Iron Butterfly’s Evolution: The Best of Iron Butterfly arrived on the Atco label in 1971 and brought together 11 tracks from the hard rock pioneers’ first four albums.  Andy Gibb’s 1991 Greatest Hits, originally on the Polydor label, differed from the 1980 RSO Records hits compilation, and offered 12 prime pop cuts from the youngest of the Brothers Gibb. Although Rhino’s Light

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Andy Gibb, Iron Butterfly, The Bee Gees

Release Round-Up: Week of January 10

January 10, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

icon anthrax1

A slow week, but enough substantial releases to make this our first Round-Up of 2012! Alex Chilton, Free Again: The 1970 Sessions (Omnivore Recordings) After The Box Tops, before Big Star, the late, great Chilton finds his voice as a writer. A review from Joe is forthcoming! Jellyfish, Bellybutton / Spilt Milk (Omnivore Recordings) Brand-new vinyl remasters of the only two albums by the perennially underrated power pop band. Andy Gibb, Greatest Hits / Iron Butterfly, Evolution: The Best of

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Tags: Vinyl

Edsel January Preview: Rundgren, Chapin, Gosdin, Manhattan Transfer, Jo Jo Gunne Kick Off 2012

January 9, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

vern gosdin1

What kind of year will 2012 be?  If the first batch of releases, slated for January 30 release, from the Edsel label is any indication, there's plenty of rare and well-done music on the way! A three albums-on-two-CDs package collects the entirety of Todd Rundgren's Warner Bros. Records period.  A Cappella/Nearly Human/2nd Wind continues Edsel's definitive series which brings Rundgren's solo and Utopia output on both Bearsville and Warner Bros. under one umbrella.  The studio wizard's decision

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Country, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Harry Chapin, Jo Jo Gunne, Manhattan Transfer, Todd Rundgren, Vern Gosdin

Rick Nelson, Mark Lindsay, McGough and McGear (with Hendrix and McCartney!) Are Real Gone In February

January 6, 2012 By Joe Marchese 11 Comments

rick nelson epic1

With another month comes another slate of rare music on both CD and vinyl from one of the real up-and-comers in the reissue biz, Real Gone Music!  The label’s February centerpieces just might be Rick Nelson’s The Complete Epic Recordings and Mark Lindsay’s The Complete Columbia Singles, but those two releases are being joined by titles from Sean (T.S.) Bonniwell, McGough and McGear, Eddie Hazel and the girls of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s Red Bird label on CD, plus Hank Thompson on vinyl! 

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Categories: News Tags: Mark Lindsay, McGough and McGear, Paul McCartney, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Rick Nelson

Come Fly With Me: Bobby, Peggy, Ella, Buddy Take Off With "Pan Am" Soundtrack

January 5, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

pan am1

Following in the footsteps of Matthew Weiner’s 1960s drama Mad Men, Jack Orman’s Pan Am takes to the airwaves each week on ABC with a period-perfect recreation of the days when "the world's most experienced airline" ruled the skies.  Now, the show’s impeccably-selected music can be yours to keep - and perhaps used as the soundtrack to your very own swinging cocktail party! - on Verve’s Pan Am: Music From and Inspired by the Original Series, due to arrive on January 17.  How appropriate that one

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Categories: News Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Peggy Lee, Sergio Mendes, Stan Getz

The Dark Knight Returns: La-La Land Reissues "Batman Forever" Score

January 3, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

batman forever

La-La Land Records continues their history with Gotham City's Caped Crusader on CD today, with the release of the complete score to 1995's Batman Forever. The third Bat-film sees Batman - the vigilante alter-ego of millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne (Val Kilmer) - square off against not one but two villains: Harvey "Two-Face" Dent (Tommy Lee Jones), the former district attorney whose facial disfiguration leads to a dual personality, and Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), a disgraced employee of Wayne

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Categories: News Genre: Soundtracks

Review: Elvis Presley, "Elvis Country: Legacy Edition"

January 3, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

elvis country legacy edition contents1

The title of Elvis Presley's 1969 double album said it all: From Memphis to Vegas, or if you turned the jacket over, From Vegas to Memphis. Both sides of the singer were on display both on the album and in its title: the superstar showman who had triumphed at Las Vegas' International Hotel and the onetime Sun Records prodigy who'd periodically returned to his R&B roots. Though no studio album was released in 1970, the singer returned in January 1971 with Elvis Country: I'm 10,000 Years Old,

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Country, Pop Tags: Elvis Presley

Film Score Monthly is "Frantic"

January 2, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

481 322042

It's a new year, and with that new year comes the knowledge that Film Score Monthly is getting closer and closer to its final release sometime this spring. But before you get frantic about that, enjoy their latest title, released last week: the soundtrack to Frantic. The 1988 Roman Polanski film featured Harrison Ford as an American doctor in Paris whose wife suddenly disappears from their hotel. His against-all-odds search for her - without the aid of the skeptical French government or U.S.

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Categories: News Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Simply Red

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