No sooner did your catalogue correspondent pop a very old disc of John Denver's 1985 Dreamland Express into the CD player than the news arrived that Dreamland Express would be collected along with 23 (!) other Denver LPs in Legacy's new The Complete Albums Collection. But that's not all. Following the first wave of releases which arrived just over two months ago, the catalogue initiative continues! For the uninitiated, The Complete Album Collection box sets bring together an artist's entire
Impulse Buys Abound from UMe
Universal Music Group got off to a great start anthologizing the deep catalogue of Impulse! Records with a four-disc box set from Hip-o Select earlier this year. Today, that catalogue is revisited yet again, in the form of 28 albums from the jazz label's catalogue collected as two-on-one discs. The titles are pretty diverse, collecting sets from Duke Ellington, McCoy Tyner, Alice Coltrane, Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Milt Jackson and others. You can order each of the titles on Amazon here and
The Adventure Begins With Safan's "Remo Williams" and Mancini's "Moneychangers"
Raise your hand if you remember the golden age of the television miniseries! Once upon a time, the miniseries was king: Rich Man, Poor Man, QB VII, North and South, Roots, The Thorn Birds. Sprawling novels were translated into multiple evenings of rich, dramatic television, with the small screen taking advantage of a length that even big screen fare couldn’t offer. One such miniseries was 1976’s The Moneychangers, based on a novel by Arthur Hailey (Hotel, Airport) and scored by the same man
Comic-Con Special Reissue Theory: "Jan and Dean Meet Batman"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we take a look back at notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. 2011 marks 41 years of Comic-Con International, and record labels like La-La Land and Shout! Factory are joining the traditional publishing houses and film studios this weekend on the show floor. But the comic biz and the music world have long been intertwined, on screen, on stage and on record. Today’s Reissue Theory spotlights one of the most bizarre albums
We've Been Thinking a Lot Today About Folds' Retrospective (UPDATED)
"Soon." That's what a Legacy representative told The Second Disc as to when the label's upcoming Ben Folds retrospective package would be announced. Naturally, such a revelation is nothing short of exciting. Everyone at Second Disc HQ is a major fan of the singer/songwriter/pianist's recorded works over the past 15-plus years, from the perfect punch of Ben Folds Five's three studio LPs to Folds' increasingly prolific solo career, which has seen him collaborate with such luminaries as Joe
Judy Garland at Decca: Track Listing Revealed For JSP Box Set
When you think of Judy Garland, do you think of the awestruck young girl who, transported to the Land of Oz, finds there’s no place like home? The soul-baring actress of A Star is Born? Or the electrifying performer who could keep 3,165 people in the palm of her hand at Carnegie Hall? Whichever aspect of Garland’s great legacy has most affected you, there’s no denying that many enduring accomplishments came between 1936 and 1947, the period when she was a Decca recording artist. This was the
Back Tracks: CHIC
It's a crime that when you talk about CHIC, many of the players who made up arguably the greatest band of the disco era aren't alive to hear your words of praise. Bernard Edwards, CHIC's bassist and co-producer, died in 1997; drummer Tony Thompson passed away in 2003. Nile Rodgers, guitarist, co-producer and keeper of the CHIC flame, could easily have met the same early fate had he not been lucky enough to discover the cancer that he's been since late last year. (Rodgers, one of the best users
Ease On Down For Hip-o's New Stephanie Mills Anthology
Stephanie Mills' very first LP was titled Movin' in the Right Direction. And although the 1975 LP on the ABC-Paramount label didn't launch her career as a recording artist with a bang, its title was certainly apt. A few years later, the label would be 20th Century Fox instead of Paramount, and Mills would skyrocket to superstardom in the disco era. Her hitmaking records for 20th Century Fox Records are being compiled by Hip-o Select for the August 23 release of Feel the Fire: The 20th Century
Armstrong, Fitzgerald, Peterson Featured on Hip-o's Expanded "Hollywood Bowl"
The names of the greatest producers in jazz history still resonate today. The likes of Orrin Keepnews, Creed Taylor and Norman Granz (to name a mere three) all pioneered production and promotion styles that made their releases both identifable and enduring. Next week will see the release on Hip-o Select of a major project by that third-named gentleman. Granz (1918-2001) founded five record labels in his lifetime, but none more renowned than Verve. That label was created by Granz in 1956, and
Steps In Time: Dave Grusin and Cy Coleman, Meet Dick Van Dyke!
What Oscar-winning composer let the world know “And Then There’s Maude,” joined Billy Joel on 52nd Street and The Nylon Curtain, and shared the music of The Graduate with Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel? Something’s telling me it might be Dave Grusin. His score to The Goonies was described as a “holy grail” by this very site back in March 2010 upon the occasion of its first release on the Varese Sarabande label, and it was indeed snapped up near-immediately. But when it comes to a Grusin
Review: Michael Giacchino, "Up: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
Well, the release of Up is such big news here at Second Disc HQ that we felt one review just wasn’t enough! We hope you’re as excited as we are about our first-ever “tag team” review. To start things off, here’s Mike Duquette… It's fitting, really, that Intrada's first soundtrack reissue in conjunction with The Walt Disney Company is a score to a film about fulfilling a lifelong dream. It's been a dream of Disney fans for years to see some sort of stable catalogue presentation from the
Now Sounds Continues Its Association "Renaissance" With Expanded Mono Edition
If you cherish The Association, you’re in for a treat! August 29 will bring the release of the group’s second long-player, Renaissance, in an expanded mono edition. It’s indeed been a bit of a renaissance for The Association thanks to Now Sounds’ continuing series which launched with Birthday (The Association’s 1968 pop masterwork) and back-tracked to And Then…Along Comes The Association, their debut album. The original twelve-track album, produced by Jerry Yester on the Valiant label, will
In Case You Missed It: UFO Lands in Budget Box from EMI
The latest of EMI's ongoing budget box sets should be of particular interest for fans of early hard rock group UFO: a vault-vacuuming set of the band's early material for Chrysalis Records. UFO are now a respectable name among rock and metal fans, but the band's early experimental material for Beacon Records only earned them modest success in other parts of Europe and Asia. When the band added 18-year-old former Scorpions guitarist Michael Schenker to the group, however, a cleaner but no less
George Harrison Film "Living in the Material World" To Premiere This Fall; CD Promised With DVD/BD Combo Pack
George Harrison famously titled his 1973 album Living in the Material World, and as the follow up to his All Things Must Pass, the former Beatle chronicled his ongoing exploration to define himself on both the physical and spiritual plains. But now that title (also a song on the album) takes on a new resonance as the name selected for Martin Scorsese's much-anticipated documentary on the life of Harrison. Living in the Material World has been confirmed for release this autumn, and it will
Cash, Buffett Kickstart Their Way to Vinyl Reissues
A while back, The Second Disc reported on a reissue of a power-pop record, Cotton Mather's Kon-Tiki, financed entirely through Kickstarter. It was a considerable success, certainly enough to make one think about the viability of using the project-funding website to eke out a niche in the big-enough world of music reissues. Now, there's another reissue-heavy project from another label hitting the site, and it's certainly cool enough to merit a mention over here. 180 Gram Records, an audiophile
Reissue Theory: Live Aid on CD
Twenty-six years ago today, on two different continents, the music world came together for a worthy cause: to raise awareness of famine in Ethiopia. Live Aid, a pair of concerts organized by Bob Geldof in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985 and broadcasted live on the BBC, ABC and MTV, was seen in person by some 172,000 people and on television by nearly 2 billion across the globe. And, if you can believe it, none of it has ever been released on LP or CD. Granted, it's not entirely
Deep Purple Reissues, Live Material Coming from Eagle Rock
Eagle Rock's recent release of Deep Purple's Phoenix Rising documentary, which collected some previously unseen footage of 1975/1976's Mk. IV tour in Japan, is being followed up by no less than seven reissues of the band's early studio and live material. Next Tuesday, the label will release remastered and expanded editions of the band's first three albums, Shades of Deep Purple, The Book of Taliesyn and Deep Purple. Each will feature the same bonus tracks - mostly outtakes and live material -
Big Break's Full Summer Slate Includes Isleys, Pointers, Prince Partners
The fine folks at Big Break Records have got another large batch of new titles for release in the U.K. on July 25, and we figured now was a good time to share not only the track lists and details with you, but look ahead at some of the huge titles they're prepping for next month. There are a few really great, underrated titles from some big-name acts in next week's batch, including expansions of The Isley Brothers' Between the Sheets (1983) and I Can See Clearly Now (1972) by Johnny Nash. But
UPDATE: Hello, Louis! Massive 10-CD Armstrong Box Coming From Universal [NOW WITH FULL TRACK LISTING!]
Call him Pops. Call him Satchmo. Call him Loo-ie. But under any name, Louis (Loo-is) Armstrong was an American original. Miles Davis said, "You can't play anything on a horn that Louis hasn't played." Bing Crosby described him as "the beginning and end of music in America" and Leonard Bernstein stated that "every time this man puts his trumpet to his lips...he does it with his whole soul." Recent, acclaimed biographies by Terry Teachout and Ricky Riccardi have shed light on this
Review: Tony Bennett, "The Best of the Improv Recordings"
Clive Davis had made his mind up. According to his autobiography, he considered Tony Bennett’s career “in jeopardy” by the late 1960s and felt that “new vitality was needed.” As recently-appointed head of the venerable Columbia Records, Davis brought that new vitality to the label, but at what price? In actuality, Tony Bennett's contributions to the storied label were more vital than ever as the 1960s came to an end. He was carrying the torch for unassailable adult pop with sophisticated
Soundtrack Round-Up: Reissues and Premieres from Varese, Intrada and More
Why should La-La Land and Intrada/Disney have all the fun? We've got five new soundtrack catalogue titles for your perusal from Varese Sarabande, Intrada and BSX Records. The wares range from the golden age of film composition (with two heavyweights of the film score world collaborating on a special score restored as a strictly limited title) to an underrated gem of a horror soundtrack from last year. Varese Sarabande released two intriguing limited edition titles for release in the wee hours
Release Round-Up: Week of July 12
R.E.M., Lifes Rich Pageant: 25th Anniversary Edition (EMI) The latest R.E.M. deluxe edition set features the original LP remastered alongside a bonus disc of demos, all of which are currently available for your streaming pleasure here. (Official site) Megadeth, Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? 25th Anniversary Edition (EMI) The metal heroes' breakthrough LP, remastered and featuring a live bonus disc...and for the adventurous super-fan, a deluxe box set adds two additional alternate mixes of
Invasion of the Return of the ICON Series
You know, it took some time, but Universal's ICON series is really coming into its own. What began as a limply-packaged, uber-budget-oriented series of single-artist compilations - not a patch on the label's previous 20th Century Masters and Gold series - is really emerging into something unique. It's just a shame it took this many tries to work out the kinks. Ha ha ha! Who am I kidding? The newest batch of ICON titles, due for release next Tuesday, July 19, is boring. You have a compilation by
La-La Land's Comic-Con Surprise Goes Back to the Final Frontier
La-La Land Records is full of surprises. They teased an amount of titles for the San Diego Comic-Con this year, but announced that four of the potential titles had all fallen victim to various delays. So they announced a three-disc expanded edition of the soundtrack to The Golden Child and, fans assumed, would play it by ear from there. Then, on Friday afternoon, the label shocked the soundtrack world by announcing there was one title coming for Comic-Con that they hadn't even hinted at. And
Nick Lowe Welcomes You To "Kippington Lodge"
Before he taught us that it was cruel to be kind, and even before he first wondered “what’s so funny ‘bout peace, love and understanding?,” Nick Lowe was one fourth of the groovy lite psych-pop outfit by the name of Kippington Lodge. The group, however, was short-lived, and morphed into pub-rock pioneers Brinsley Schwarz, folk/country/rockabilly revivalists. Cherry Red’s RPM label is now giving fans the chance to listen to the complete recorded output of Kippington Lodge for a window into
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