Film score collectors, don’t put those wallets away just yet. Kritzerland announced a rare treat from Pino Donaggio, The Berlin Affair, on Friday. Varese Sarabande’s CD Club makes its release announcement today, and Film Score Monthly has just confirmed another two titles including one unique surprise. First up is a two-for-one CD from the pen of Laurence Rosenthal, 1966’s Hotel Paradiso and 1967’s The Comedians. Second is a rare musical to be released on the Film Score Monthly label. Until
"I Just Wanna Ask a Question": Harry Weinger on the "What's Going On" Box Set
For most music producers, there's a kind of strangeness to working on multiple reissues of the same classic album over time. Not so for Harry Weinger, vice-president of A&R at Universal Music Enterprises and, as one of UMe's resident Motown gurus, the producer of several deluxe editions of Marvin Gaye's classic LPs, including What's Going On. "You learn between anniversaries," Weinger said. "And luckily, I was there for both of them." When What's Going On became one of Universal's first in
Foot Foot, Reissued: The Shaggs' "Philosophy of the World" Is Back!
Raise your hand if you’re a fan of The Shaggs. We know you’re out there. Frank Zappa called the band “better than The Beatles.” Kurt Cobain admired them as unwitting founders of the DIY/alternative movement. The New York Times proclaimed The Shaggs’ 1969 Philosophy of the World “maybe the best worst rock album ever made.” Lester Bangs called them an “anti-power trio,” while Rolling Stone chimed in that The Shaggs most resemble “lobotomized Trapp Family singers.” What to make of Dot, Betty
Where Are All The "Magic Colors": Lesley Gore's Lost Album Arrives on CD
Lesley Gore epitomized the sound of American pop in the early-to-mid 1960s with hits like "It's My Party" and its answer/follow-up, "Judy's Turn to Cry." For my money, there may never have been a greater one-two punch in pop than that pair, produced by Quincy Jones and arranged by Claus Ogerman. But where was the teen pop queen by the Summer of Love? The U.K.'s Ace label answers that question with the June release of Magic Colors: The Lost Album with Bonus Tracks 1967-1969, unearthing a lost
Before Blondie and Talking Heads: Now Sounds Presents The Original "New Wave"
Blame it on the bossa nova. It was at a Westwood record store that Reid King first heard Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “One Note Samba,” performed by the great Brazilian guitarist Laurindo Almeida and the Modern Jazz Quartet. In no time at all, King found inspiration in the tricky chords of the bossa nova. He mastered them and went on to write his own songs, often in collaboration with one-time child actor Thom Andriola, who performed under the stage name of Tommy André. By 1966, King and
Ring-a-Ding Ding! 1961 Sinatra Debut For Reprise Is Remastered and Expanded
Shortly before Christmas 1960, Frank Sinatra entered the studio to record the tracks that would yield Ring-A-Ding Ding!, his inaugural release on the record label he founded, Reprise. As the company’s slogan went, Reprise albums were meant “to play and play again,” and boy, did Sinatra live up to his word! Ring-A-Ding Ding! is still one of the singer’s most beloved albums some fifty years after its March 1961 release, and Concord Records is marking the occasion on June 7 with a remastered
La-La Land May Report Third Bat Sighting
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGytaGTK7j8] It started, as these things so often do, with a question on composer Elliot Goldenthal's Facebook page: "What's the score?" Just a fan making simple conversation about the composer's music, past, present and future. The answer was a shocker: Goldenthal's camp confirmed that La-La Land Records was following up their great releases of the complete scores to Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), each composed by Danny Elfman, with
Queen Update: U.S. Release Dates and Digital Videos
Here's some more news about the ongoing waves of expanded reissues by Queen - namely, when the next batch will come out in America and a note on digital extras. Next week, U.S. fans will have their chance to buy the first five Queen 40th anniversary remasters - Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races - without paying import prices. And now, the next batch (News of the World, Jazz, The Game, Flash Gordon and Hot Space) have a domestic release date from
Review: Derek and the Dominos, "Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs: 40th Anniversary Edition"
Size isn’t everything. Though Universal’s new super-deluxe box set of Derek and the Dominos’ Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (Polydor/Universal 0600753314326) is about as hefty as these packages come, the best of the box set could fit into a standard jewel case. The 40th anniversary collection includes (drum roll, please) 4 CDs, an audio DVD (though not DVD-Audio – more on that later), 2 LPs, a 48-page hardcover book, an art print, badges, pop-up artwork and a scratch-plate sticker. But
It's the Summer of "SMiLE"!
We've got a pair of dueling release dates for you regarding the long-awaited release of The Beach Boys' legendary lost SMiLE set. Depending on what you've read, the sets - a two-disc "best of" from the sessions as well as a four-disc box set with a double-vinyl LP set, two vinyl singles and a hardbound book - will be released either July 12 or August 9. It seems that the source for both dates is a report from Direct Current Music, which has been duly picked up by several sources, including our
What's New, Pussycat? Classic Burt Bacharach and Lalo Schifrin Soundtracks Reissued
Burt Bacharach turns 83 today on May 12, 2011, and we've got some news to celebrate! "Pussycat, pussycat, I love you..." Chances are you can sing along to the hip-swiveling melody of those lyrics, sung by Tom Jones and written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the 1965 film comedy What's New Pussycat?. But raise your hand now if you remember the sequel! Five years after the success of the original film, United Artists released Pussycat, Pussycat, I Love You, a half-sequel, half-remake moving
A Quartet of Broadway Classics Coming From Masterworks
Back on April 5, we filled you in on the latest slate of reissues from Sony's Masterworks Broadway division, available as digital downloads or discs-on-demand from Arkiv Music. Next week, May 17, sees release of RCA Victor's 1964 Music Theater of Lincoln Center Recording of Franz Lehar's The Merry Widow, making its very first appearance in the CD age. The classic operetta is joined by four new releases returning to print: the Original Broadway Cast Recordings of Irving Berlin’s Mr. President and
BREAKING NEWS! Why Pink Floyd? Prepare for Discovery, Immersion and Experience!
UPDATE: Thanks to reader Alan for passing along the track listings for these sets! You can read them after the jump. ORIGINAL POST: Why Pink Floyd? Why not? Whatever the answer, though, Why Pink Floyd is the name of the major new catalogue intiative for the legendary band, and while matters have sometimes been contentious between band members, they appear to be in perfect harmony for the launch of this campaign! The expansive collection is a three-tiered celebration of the work of Syd Barrett,
The Box is Out There: "X-Files" Compilation Due Today from La-La Land
UPDATE: This set's now ready to ship. Order here and hit the jump for the track list. ORIGINAL POST: Just a quick reminder that today, after months and months of anticipation from the soundtrack community, La-La Land Records will release the first-ever box set of music from the popular sci-fi series The X-Files. From 1993 to 2002, composer Mark Snow was the go-to composer for the hit FOX series starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny as two FBI agents following a myriad of paranormal
Release Round-Up: Week of May 10
Aerosmith, Tough Love: Best of the Ballads (Geffen/UMe) Geffen augments the craziness of American Idol host/Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler (who has a solo single out today) by putting out a compilation of the band's Geffen-era ballads hits ("Love in an Elevator" isn't a ballad in any configuration). Apparently it's only available at Target, so if you visit a local indie store you should be fine. (Official site) Booker T. & The MG's, McLemore Avenue / The Staple Singers, Be Altitude:
Back Tracks, In Memoriam: The Musical Legacy of Arthur Laurents
The late Arthur Laurents wrote many of the most beloved musicals and films in entertainment history including West Side Story, Gypsy, The Way We Were and Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope. He passed away on May 5, but today’s special Back Tracks celebrates this great writer’s legacy in music. “If you have a good strong finish, they’ll forgive anything!” So implores stage mother Madame Rose to her daughter Louise, the future Gypsy Rose Lee, in the 1959 musical Gypsy. Rose’s bon mot was one of many
UMe Declares WAR
You probably knew this already, based on the presence of an ICON title for the legendary funk group WAR, but Universal Music Enterprises has acquired the rights to their back catalogue. And it looks like they may be gearing up to do some stuff with it. The label issued a press release last week in honor of the band's 40th anniversary year, detailing a few notable bits of info about the band's plans to celebrate. While the band will be touring and working on a new album - their first since
Weekend News Round-Up: Doobies, Peter Gabriel, Stax and Kansas
It was such a busy week that reporting has spilled over into the weekend! Enjoy these tidbits from around the rest of the catalogue music world. Eagle Rock is releasing a vintage live CD/DVD by The Doobie Brothers, from their 1982 farewell tour. Live at the Greek 1982 sees a lineup that included sole original member Patrick Simmons on guitar, longtime co-drummer Keith Knudsen (who shared the kit with Chet McCracken, a member since 1980's One Step Closer), guitarist/violinist John McFee,
Review: Loudon Wainwright III, "40 Odd Years"
Lucky for us, Loudon Wainwright III is only "so damn happy" on an infrequent basis. The singer-songwriter-humorist-satirist-actor (is that enough of a multi-hyphenate for you?) posited the question "Is it necessary to feel like shit in order to be creative?" He arrived at the final answer "yes!" but prefaced it with "unless you're J.S. Bach." Over the course of 91 songs on four CDs and another 38-plus on DVD, Shout! Factory's new box set 40 Odd Years (82663-12189, 2011) - dig the double
More Intrada Obscurities Arrive
This week's soundtrack reissues from Intrada are an underrated '70s soundtrack album making its CD debut and the premiere of a '50s World War II score. First up, the score to Sleuth, a 1972 film adaptation of the Tony-winning play by Anthony Shaffer. The British playwright adapted his own work for the screen, and All About Eve director Joseph L. Mankiewicz was at the helm, with a stellar cast anchored by Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, both of whom were nominated for Oscars for their
UPDATE: Don't "Walk Away": Left Banke Reissues Coming from Sundazed on June 28
Today, The Left Banke is probably best known for "Walk Away Renee." A No. 5 pop hit in 1966, the song has been recorded by The Four Tops, Frankie Valli, Linda Ronstadt and Eric Carmen, to name a few, and remains a staple of oldies radio today. But was The Left Banke a mere flash in the pan, just a one-hit wonder? Far from it. Yet things have been stacked against the group for quite a while now: neither of their two original Smash LPs has ever seen CD release in America, and the definitive CD-era
Shout! Factory Takes Frank Sinatra Fans "Around the World"
Shout! Factory and Frank Sinatra Enterprises delivered a remarkable treat last November with the release of the 7-DVD Frank Sinatra: Concert Collection. This expansive box set restored to catalogue the splendid series of television specials starring the one and only Chairman of the Board, in which he celebrated his musical legacy. Sinatra welcomed a diverse roster of guests including Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Tony Bennett, Loretta Lynn, The 5th Dimension and his daughter
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
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
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