Erasure, Wonderland / The Circus: Deluxe Editions (EMI) Vince Clarke and Andy Bell's first two albums, expanded with bonus B-sides and remixes across two CDs and DVDs full of live footage. (Official site) Jim Capaldi, Dear Mr. Fantasy: The Jim Capaldi Story (Universal U.K.) The late Traffic legend is memorialized in a four-disc box set. (Official site) Paul McCartney, Driving Rain (MPL/Concord) Another Macca remaster, this one of Paul's 2001 album. No frills, but I imagine "Freedom" will
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
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
Review: Neil Young, "A Treasure"
Are you ready for the country? In 1984, Neil Young certainly was. His Geffen Records debut, Trans, had just a couple of years earlier plunged Young into a “high tech” world of vocoders, synthesizers and dance beats while the singer ruminated about “The Computer Age,” “Computer Cowboy” and “Transformer Man.” 1983’s Everybody’s Rockin’ was an exercise in recreating rockabilly, with Young’s band billed as The Shocking Pinks. Originals like “Kinda Fonda Wanda” blended right in with covers of
Release Round-Up: Week of June 28
Queen, News of the World / Jazz / The Game / Flash Gordon / Hot Space: Deluxe Editions (Island/UMC) The next wave of Queen remasters are out this Monday in England. If you don't want to get them as imports, you'll have to wait until September to get these as domestic reissues - by which point I'd imagine the third wave will be out in the U.K. (Official site) Alice Cooper, Old School 1964-1974 (Bigger Picture) This desk-sized box includes not pencils, not books, not black eyeliner, but four
Sonic Youth Comp Goes from Starbucks to Stores Everywhere
Anyone who missed Sonic Youth's last compilation, 2008's Hits Are for Squares (released exclusively through Starbucks stores), have another chance to get it beyond last year's vinyl release on Record Store Day. It's being released to general retail this summer, reports MusicTAP. The collection collates hits and favorite tracks from the New York City band's extensive catalogue, stretching back from 1984's EVOL to 2004's Sonic Nurse. All the tunes were selected by famous fans of the band,
Benson, Hubbard, Turrentine On June Slate From CTI Masterworks
Earlier this year, Universal and Hip-o Select released a bold orange box set containing the first 6 LPs on the Impulse! label, all of which were produced by Creed Taylor. The ambitious producer didn't stay long at Impulse!, however, departing for the greener pastures of Verve, then A&M, where he founded his CTI label. Following a highly successful series of CTI albums under the A&M imprimatur, Taylor's mini-kingdom went the independent route and along the way practically defined the
He Shall Be Levon: Helm Two-Fer Brings Together Rare Solo LPs
Though The Band remains a likely candidate for Group Least Likely to Reunite, Levon Helm hasn’t been resting on his laurels. After a 25-year year hiatus from his career as a solo artist (during which time he participated in the recording of three Band albums sans Robbie Robertson and successfully underwent treatment for throat cancer) Helm returned to recording with 2007’s acclaimed Dirt Farmer. Since then, he’s maintained a busy live schedule, and last month’s Ramble at the Ryman preserved a
People All Over the World! A New "Soul Train" Comp Rolls Your Way
For most of its 35-year run, there was no better outlet for soul music on television than Soul Train. Featuring a diverse palette of R&B artists and the commanding presence of creator/producer/host Don Cornelius, Soul Train has become an institution, the longest-running, nationally syndicated show in American history - albeit one that modern audiences would be slow to appreciate, were it not for the efforts of Time-Life Entertainment in releasing several official DVDs of content from the
Teen Spirit, Redux: "Nevermind" to Be Expanded for 20th Anniversary
Back in April, in a Back Tracks post commemorating Nirvana on the occasion of Kurt Cobain's passing, we declared it "inconceivable that the powers-that-be at Geffen/UMe wouldn't be thinking of reissuing [breakthrough album Nevermind] for the two-decade mark (especially with the exact anniversary falling in November, just in time for the box set frenzy associated with the fourth quarter)." At the time, the band's Hormoaning EP had received a domestic vinyl reissue for Record Store Day and 20th
Lowe and Edmunds, Live: Rockpile "Live at Montreux" Arrives On CD
Nick Lowe, Dave Edmunds, Billy Bremner and Terry Williams, individually, are among the most accomplished artists to come out of the "pub rock" scene. Joined as Rockpile, they are a true rock legend. Though the band only recorded one album, 1980's Seconds of Pleasure, under its own name, the Rockpile sound is instantly recognizable. It graced solo LPs by Edmunds and Lowe as well as tracks by Mickey Jupp and Carlene Carter (then Lowe's wife). Eagle Records will on August 22 release on CD the
Review: Sam Cooke, "The RCA Albums Collection"
In 1963, RCA Victor dubbed its young star Sam Cooke “Mr. Soul” as the title of his latest LP. Today, few would argue with that appellation as we remember the roof- (and consciousness-) raising “A Change is Gonna Come,” the ultimate festive anthem “Havin’ a Party” or the bluesy R&B “Chain Gang.” But Mr. Soul, the album, offered a more complex portrait of the artist, offering “These Foolish Things,” “I Wish You Love” and “Cry Me a River” alongside Ahmet Ertegun’s “Chains of Love,” Johnny
Release Round-Up: Week of June 21
Peter Tosh, Legalize It: Legacy Edition / Equal Rights: Legacy Edition (Columbia/Legacy) The first two albums by the onetime Wailer are greatly expanded with rare alternate mixes and other goodies. (Official site) Ace, Five-a-Side: Expanded Edition / Time for Another/No Strings: Expanded Edition (Cherry Red) How long can you wait for expanded editions of the whole Ace catalogue? Each set (Five-a-Side as one set and the other two albums in another package) is remastered and expanded with a
We Remember Clarence
Clarence Clemons wasn’t born in New Jersey, but he might as well have been. Those of us who hail from the Garden State are used to the “What exit?” jokes, but truth to tell, we can identify those exits by the great musicians who lived in those towns off the Garden State Parkway or New Jersey Turnpike. One such towering talent was our favorite adopted son Clarence, who had an early job counseling troubled children in Newark (Parkway Exit 145), participated in one of his first recording sessions
ICON and On and On
UPDATE 6/20: With a day before these sets are to hit stores, here's the post with the track list for the one compilation that hadn't been confirmed at the time - an incredibly slight collection for Steve Winwood. Just Steve Winwood. Not Traffic or anything else. Make of that what you will. Original post: The latest batch of ICON titles hasn't even hit stores yet, but yet another assortment of them has been announced for release next month. While, as always, there's not much in the way of
Sinatra on Screen: Rare Dramatic Scores By Bernstein and Antheil Arrive From Kritzerland
When Frank Sinatra won the Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor for 1953’s From Here to Eternity, it was the “comeback” story of the year. As Sinatra was earning plaudits in Hollywood, he was also beginning the most significant chapter of his recording career at Capitol Records, recording his Capitol debut Songs for Young Lovers in November 1953. After his triumph as Maggio in From Here, Sinatra’s Hollywood career was riding high, as he embarked on a number of high-profile dramatic films.
Hip-o Select Goes Grunge on Newest Release
In 1980, Andrew Wood, his brother Kevin and drummer Regan Hagar formed a band named Malfunkshun in the Woods' native Bainbridge Island, Washington. They only released two tracks in their existence, but the outfit is considered one of the forefathers of the burgeoning grunge movement that blossomed from the Seattle area in the late '80s and early '90s. Now, in a year that's already full (or conceivably full) of commemorative grunge projects, Hip-o Select is releasing a three-disc set chronicling
Review: Two By Richard Rodgers, "On Your Toes" (1952) and "Carousel" (1955)
June is busting out all over, and so is the music of Richard Rodgers. Then again, the work of the composer (1902-1979) is always busting out all over. Even in 2010, Rodgers had the third most-covered song of the year, according to ASCAP. The song was "My Funny Valentine," with lyrics by Lorenz Hart, and it was written in 1937, proving that Richard Rodgers' music is, indeed, timeless. Masterworks Broadway, drawing from Sony Music Entertainment's Columbia and RCA Victor vaults, has been a leading
Review: Ozzy Osbourne, "Blizzard of Ozz: Expanded Edition" and "Diary of a Madman: Legacy Edition"
There's something wonderful about seeing things in a different light than before. Some of us go through our lives thinking certain things are one way, when others might see the same thing in a totally opposite way. If those two sides see eye-to-eye, though? It's a beautiful thing. I'd like to think that there's a bit of that eye-to-eye business with Epic/Legacy's new reissues of the first two Ozzy Osbourne albums. New fans who pick these packages up will learn that there is so much more to the
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