La-La Land's newest title, a three-disc expansion of The Chosen One, is ready to order. By now you already know the story behind this new release (a sort-of fake-out following La-La Land's scheduling shift ahead of Comic-Con), so it's worth noting instead the kind of music we're dealing with on this set. Barry's epic, James Bond-esque score was largely rejected by the producers for Michel Colombier's atmospheric, synth-heavy score. But elements of Barry's work did figure into the movie, not
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
A Birthday Reissue for Peter Murphy on Cherry Red
Peter Murphy may be known to many as the "Godfather of Goth," having fronted one of the earliest bands of the Goth rock genre, Bauhaus, in the early 1980s, but he's still going strong as a solo performer. He just recently released his latest studio album, Ninth (counting a live album in 2001, it is indeed his ninth record), and today celebrates his birthday - 54 years on this day. Cherry Red and Beggars Archive Group have seen it fit to honor the
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
Weekend Wround-Up: Ramones Vinyl (Plus), Warhol's Legacy, A Voyage to Honnalee on DVD
On Tuesday, July 19, Rhino is reissuing the first four Ramones albums on 180-gram vinyl with the original artwork and track lists (meaning Leave Home will have "Carbona Not Glue" on Side One). Those who order the first 500 copies of each LP directly from the label will receive a bonus 7" with their respective albums. Legacy Recordings will release a strictly limited box set in August to commemorate the life and work of Andy Warhol. 15 Minutes: Homage to Andy Warhol will feature three CDs
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
Two, Rolling Stoned: Taylor and Trower Classics Coming From Iconoclassic
One of the most buzzworthy music events of 2010 undoubtedly was Mick Taylor reuniting on disc with The Rolling Stones to contribute new guitar parts to their expanded Exile on Main Street. Even years after leaving the Stones, Taylor remains beloved for his contributions to such classic albums as Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers and of course, Exile. Iconoclassic Records has announced a project sure to excite fans of the incendiary axeman with the July 26 reissue of his solo 1979 album, Mick Taylor.
You Don't Mess Around With Jim: Croce Classics Arrive In The U.K.
When Jim Croce died in September 1973, the victim of a tragic plane crash, he was only 30 years old. He truly was in the prime of his career, riding the wave of the singer/songwriter movement with his sensitive, personal brand of storytelling. Croce's vivid songs were alternately upbeat and sorrowful, introspective and AM radio-ready. Before his death, Croce only recorded four proper studio albums, the first in collaboration with his wife Ingrid. Those remaining three albums, originally released
"Lonely" No More: Lost Motels Album to Be Released in August
One of the most desired unreleased records of the New Wave era will finally receive an official release, nearly three decades after it was put on the shelf. The Motels' Apocalypso was rejected for its lack of commercial appeal by Capitol Records, which accidentally led the band to a path of brief fame in the 1980s...but it's going to be fun to wonder "what if?" with this set. In 1981, The Motels - lead singer Martha Davis, guitarist Tim McGovern, keyboardist/saxophonist Marty Jourard, bassist
Content with Content: Thoughts on Catalogue Titles and Retail Exclusives
Last week, there was a sort-of funny tempest in a teapot reported by The Los Angeles Times over pop singer Beyoncé's latest album, 4. The paper reported that fans were unhappy with the seemingly low stock of deluxe editions of the album at Target, the chain that was carrying the special version exclusively, as well as problems with the bonus content (an online-exclusive music video, streamed through a special portion of the singer's website when unlocked with the bonus disc) was not available
Suddenly...Cherry Pop Reissues and Expands Two Billy Ocean Albums
If you're sharing the same dream to see Billy Ocean's catalogue get some deluxe treatment, next Tuesday is your day: Cherry Pop is reissuing two of Ocean's mid-'80s pop smashes with bonus content. These will be the Cherry Red label group's second and third reissues for Ocean, following Big Break's expansion of 1982's Inner Feelings back in March. The Trinidad-born, England-raised Ocean enjoyed early success in the late '70s on the GTO label. His first single, 1976's "Love Really Hurts Without
New Links in the Chain: Deluxe 2-CD/1-DVD Sets Coming from The Jesus and Mary Chain (UPDATED)
Few album titles have been more apt than the Jesus and Mary Chain's 1985 LP debut, Psychocandy. The record took deceptively simple pop songs, influenced by the melodies of Phil Spector and Brian Wilson, and cloaked them in a noisy, fuzz-and-feedback-laden haze that took the darkness of The Velvet Underground one step further. If the group didn't exist, someone would have had to invent it. William and Jim Reid, two Scottish brothers, formed the core of the band, initially joined by bassist
Whole Hall and Oates: Famed Duo's Complete Atlantic Years Collected
Daryl Hall and John Oates made their first significant dent on the pop charts with 1976's "Sara Smile," released on RCA Records. "Rich Girl" followed as their first No. 1 single in 1977, and a few short years later, they were proclaimed the most successful duo in rock history thanks to an amazing string of ubiquitous pop singles: "Kiss on My List," "Private Eyes," "Maneater," "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" and so on. But those who only know Hall and Oates from those remarkable 1980s
La-La Land Plans Some Golden Surprises
Reissue enthusiasts have often felt the sting of delays. One of our favorite soundtrack labels, La-La Land Records, announced today that the same sting had fallen upon them - but in the process, teased some great gems coming from the label in the future. As previously reported, La-La Land was gearing up several special soundtrack titles for this year's San Diego Comic-Con later this month. (That same celebration gave fans expansions of the scores to Krull and Batman last year.) One of the
Elmer Bernstein Classic "Drango" On Deck From Kritzerland
Had Sweet Smell of Success been the only film score written by Elmer Bernstein in 1957, the composer’s place in the pantheon would have been all but assured. Yet Bernstein remarkably found time to score four other motion pictures that very same year. The soundtracks to two of those pictures, Fear Strikes Out and The Tin Star, were reissued earlier this year by Kritzerland. A third, Drango, was announced on Monday, July 4 as the latest release from the veteran stage and screen specialist
July 4 Special Reissue Theory: "1776: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
Happy 4th of July! Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we take a look back at notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. In 1969, a Broadway musical about a most unlikely subject became the toast of New York. Three years later, a movie mogul in the twilight of his years shepherded it to the big screen, and while the film has lived on, its soundtrack album has all but disappeared. Today's Reissue Theory, pulled from The Second Disc archives, imagines a
Back Tracks: Sly and The Family Stone
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G861C3J9ms] Today being the Fourth of July, there are few better reasons to give a spin to Sly and The Family Stone's Greatest Hits, arguably one of the best single-artist compilations in pop history. Those danceable grooves will get you moving at any barbecue, family reunion, pool party or whatever you might be celebrating this holiday weekend. But revisiting Sly has another purpose as of late: to get set up for one of the most unexpected comebacks in
Friday Feature: "The Transformers: The Movie"
That crunching, crashing sound you hear is another Transformers movie rolling out into theaters. The series' third installment, Dark of the Moon, features Autobots and Decepticons yet again pummeling each other into scrap metal with the fate of the Earth at stake. While it remains to be seen - at least by this author - if the new film is any worse than the abhorrent Revenge of the Fallen from 2009 (which featured an enemy with a crotch made of wrecking balls, hereafter referred to as
Patti Smith Still "Outside Society" On New Legacy Comp
October 30, 2009. Electricity was in the air at the second evening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concerts at New York’s Madison Square Garden. In a crowning irony, quintessential downtown icon Patti Smith had taken the uptown stage in this most mainstream of venues. She was on hand to sing her 1978 hit “Because the Night” with its co-writer and the unofficial ringleader for the two marathon shows, Bruce Springsteen, and pianist Roy Bittan. The song required a couple of
Masterworks Broadway Announces Three More CD Debuts Including "Divine Hair"
In a recent Wall Street Journal column, Scott Farthing, Sony Masterworks' Senior Director of Marketing, estimated that the Sony vaults house 80-85% of all [American] cast recordings ever made. Largely built on the combined catalogues of Columbia Records and RCA Victor (and their associated labels), the Masterworks Broadway label has gradually been making that immense library available once again in the digital domain. Masterworks has just announced its summer line-up, and as usual, it’s a varied
Review: The Left Banke, "Walk Away Renee/Pretty Ballerina" and "The Left Banke Too"
After listening to The Left Banke's two original albums, just reissued by Sundazed, I have only one question: what took so long? The group's recorded output was collected back in 1992 by Mercury on There's Gonna Be A Storm: The Complete Recordings 1966-1969. Besides getting my vote for Best Rhino Album Not Actually Produced By Rhino (Bill Inglot produced and Andrew Sandoval annotated...'nuff said!), the single disc compilation offers a remarkable view of the group that soared with 1966's
Review: Marvin Gaye, "What's Going On: 40th Anniversary Edition"
Close your eyes and think of your favorite childhood vacation destination. That familiar locale, perhaps a constant lake house where you dreamt of the perfect summer and did your best to achieve it. The silly family rituals, the bonds you made with others, the warm feeling that comes with those kind of memories. Now picture that same destination, revisited as a luxurious, all-expenses-paid package. There's not a worry in sight, no shortage of requests to be fulfilled by servers and staff - the
Some Kind Of Wonderful: Carole King's "Music" Set For SACD and LP Release
Fronting a band called The City in 1968, Carole King titled her first full-length LP Now That Everything's Been Said. Thankfully, King actually had much, much more to say. She began her solo career, proper, in 1970 with Writer, and had the breakthrough the following year with Tapestry. But how to follow an album that spawns three number one pop hits and wins four Grammy Awards, not to mention igniting the entire female singer/songwriter movement? King wasted no time, and less than one year
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