This week's remaster and reissue of Queen's first two greatest hits LPs in the U.K. (on new home Island Records) is the start of what promises to be a massive reissue campaign for the band's 40th anniversary. The band's first five LPs are slated to be expanded and released in March, with additional batches to follow through 2011. Of course, this isn't the first time the Queen catalogue has been rolled out on CD. While British audiences got straight CD transfers throughout the late '80s,
Legacy Promises Cash Rewards
Details have been released for that forthcoming set of "bootlegs" from Johnny Cash through Columbia/Legacy. From Memphis to Hollywood: Bootleg Vol. 2 is a hefty double-disc set chronicling the earliest years of Cash's career. One disc includes a radio broadcast from 1955, a dozen or so unreleased demos and rare tracks from Cash's Sun Records sessions. Another disc includes rare single sides, some of which are getting their first domestic release on CD. The track list and press release are
Short Takes: Weekend Round-Up
A few small notes that trickled out of the pipeline on Friday: Pearl Jam have confirmed that there are more reissues forthcoming from their extensive discography, to commemorate their 20th anniversary. The Seattle rockers, who reissued landmark debut Ten (1991) as a Legacy Edition in 2009 and will release a live anthology, Live on Ten Legs, later this month, are planning similar deluxe sets for Vs. (1993) and Vitalogy (1994) later this year. A documentary directed by Cameron Crowe is also
Friday Feature: "TRON"
One of the most-talked about film scores on the market right now is the score to TRON: Legacy, composed by French electronic act Daft Punk. Everything about it is delightfully unconventional: it's a score for a Disney blockbuster - a sequel to a cult classic released nearly 30 years ago - composed by two killer musicians best known for making fresh music through technological, not organic means. But the hybrid electronic/orchestral score is a knockout, arguably a serious Oscar contender and one
Ain't That a Kick in the Head? Rat Pack Comp to Feature Unreleased Sinatra Track
The three core members of the superstar collective known as "The Rat Pack" - Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr. - have had their share of catalogue reissues and box sets, more than all the riches in Las Vegas. But together, there have only been a few compilations, thanks to the necessary wrangling between labels (Sinatra's Rat Pack era material was captured between Capitol and his own Reprise label; both of which saw releases from Martin and Davis). The last such release was
Reissue Theory: Haircut One Hundred, "Pelican West"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today, a semi-obscure '80s band is dusted off - particularly their harder-to-find extended remixes. Really, this is all Jeff Giles' fault. The Popdose editor-in-chief tweeted a link that '80s one-hit wonder (at least in the U.S.) Haircut One Hundred are reuniting later this month to play their 1982 debut LP Pelican West in its entirety at London's
Come and Get Them: Upcoming Releases Due from DeShannon, Nelson and More
Britain's Ace family of labels is kicking off 2011 in a big way! Mike filled you in Tuesday about Kent's upcoming I'll Do Anything: The Doris Troy Anthology 1960-1996, and today we turn the spotlight on three more releases due in the U.K. on January 31. Jackie DeShannon remains one of the most beloved voices of the 1960s. DeShannon not only broke barriers as a rare female songwriter in an era when it simply wasn't common, but she was equally comfortable in front of the microphone as a
Gold Reissues Coming Soon for Collins, Taylor, Wonder
Audiophile specialist label Audio Fidelity has announced its initial trio of 24K Gold CD reissues for 2011, and it is comprised of three familiar names, all of whom have previously had titles reissued on the label: Phil Collins, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder. Already having tackled the gold CD of Collins' 1981 solo debut Face Value, Steve Hoffman returns to remaster the artist's 1985 breakthrough, No Jacket Required. Spawning four U.S. Top 10 singles, No Jacket Required was the former
Three Santana Remasters Coming from Friday Music
Carlos Santana won the adulation of a new generation with the pop crossover album Supernatural in 1999 - then promptly lost it by making a bunch of increasingly flabby and self-indulgent records. Friday Music takes us to a simpler time - the early 1980s - with three forthcoming Santana remasters. The Swing of Delight (1980), Zebop! (1981) and Shangó are being remastered and reissued on January 25. (Friday Music lists them as 30th anniversary editions, which is of course only technically true
The Year in Reissues, Part III: The Gold Bonus Disc Awards
Well, another New Year is in sight, the CD still isn't dead (told you so!) and celebration is in the air at The Second Disc. Back on December 23, Mike shared The Year in Reissues both here and over with our pals at Popdose. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 bucks until you read these indispensable columns! Are you back with me? Good. Now, I'd like to take this opportunity to take a fun look back at a few of my favorite things via Joe's Gold Bonus Disc Awards! I'm awarding these to the reissues
Review: James Brown, "The Complete James Brown Christmas"
What artists do you associate with Christmas? The Beach Boys? Andy Williams? Perry Como? How about James Brown? That last one isn't a name one might immediately associate with the holiday season, outside of December 25, 2006 being the day of his death. But Brown cut no less than three holiday albums during his career, and for the first time, Hip-o Select has compiled those LPs (and more, naturally) into a two-disc set, The Complete James Brown Christmas (Polydor/Hip-o Select B0014791-02). The
Reissue Theory: The Beatles at Christmas
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. With one day before Christmas, the discussion turns to a long-lost Yuletide treasure still unreleased on CD - the release of which would be...Fab. One of the most common complaints about the hype about The Beatles on iTunes was the lack of vault material beyond the Washington, D.C. concert on film. Live at the Hollywood Bowl, any of the U.S. albums -
The Year in Reissues, Part II
You're probably wondering where Part I of The Year in Reissues is. Happily, the fine folks at Popdose have put my ramblings about the best reissues, box sets and other catalogue sets on their Web site. But there are plenty more good ones I wanted to shine the spotlight on after filing the story. So here's are five other notable catalogue sets to remember from the past year. And do share your opinions in the comments below, as always!
Back Tracks: The Clash
Where were you when you first heard The Clash? If you can't answer that question because you've never heard them, then consider this your Christmas present. The London-based punk band accomplished much in their decade-long tenure, including some of the best albums of the genre. Though they enjoyed the fruits of a major label, they stayed true to their ethos, keeping prices low for albums, tickets and souvenirs (reportedly, the band forfeited royalties on sprawling triple-album Sandinista! in
Review: Perry Como, "The Complete Christmas Collection"
They don’t make ‘em like that anymore. I can’t help but think of that old adage whenever I think of Perry Como. The singer was one in a line of great crooners, many of them Italian-Americans. Frank Sinatra, dean of them all and forever the Chairman of the Board, was well-known for his swagger. Tony Bennett is still renowned for the jazz chops he brings as an interpretive vocalist. Perry Como, though, is perhaps best-known for his quiet gentility. Days after his death in 2001, conservative
Tim Buckley's Debut to Be Expanded (UPDATED 12/18)
Rhino is releasing Tim Buckley's debut album for Elektra next week, sources confirm. Buckley was all of 19 years old when he recorded his debut LP in 1966 with Elektra founder Jac Holzman co-producing and a stunningly strong group of session players backing him up (Lee Underwood on guitar, Jim Fielder of Blood, Sweat and Tears on bass, Van Dyke Parks on piano and Mothers of Invention drummer Billy Mundi). Though critics never gave him scores of attention, he is now widely regarded as one of the
Back Tracks: The Music of the Pink Panther
Back Tracks takes a break from holiday merriment to celebrate the life of Blake Edwards, who died yesterday at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of laughter.“[Sometime] ago when I first began, one of my early films was run at a producer’s home one night, and someone who shall remain nameless for the moment came to me and said, ‘Billy Wilder was there and the saw it and you know what he said? He said, ‘You know it’s shit, but it’s funny shit.’ Now, had anybody else said that – this is proof
Reissue Theory: "Christmas Cheers from Motown"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today's focus is the least-remembered Christmas album on Motown Records, from a lean but not unlistenable time in the label's long history. One of the best things about the holiday season is the union of two of the greatest kinds of music: Christmas carols and Motown tunes. The definitive sound of the Detroit label, when paired with holiday standards, is
Back Tracks: The Christmas Sounds of the Beach Boys
There may be no group more associated with the sounds of summer than The Beach Boys, favorite sons of Hawthorne, California. Yet the boys of summer could also accurately be described as the boys of winter, based on their timeless, perennial music celebrating Christmas. While the entire official Beach Boys Christmas catalogue is based around just one released album and another shelved one, the group's contribution to seasonal music can't be underestimated. On the eve of the group's 50th
Legacy Readies New Playlists for 2011
Legacy Recording has got another batch of titles in the long-running Playlist series for next month. The line-up is particularly diverse, stretching from soul (Lou Rawls, Patti Labelle) to more recent pop acts (Five for Fighting, Ace of Base, Bowling for Soup) and even touching on some gospel acts (including a spiritual disc from Willie Nelson). They're not as heavy on the rarities, although some of the sets have some appealing rare cuts; Mr. Mister's compilation will feature four tracks from
Release Round-Up: Week of December 14
Another incredibly short one as we get closer to Christmas! Michael Jackson, Michael (Epic) A posthumous collection (the first of many) consisting of 21st century outtakes by The King of Pop. Did he sing them all? I don't know, but I know I'll buy this if only to make Will.i.am angry. (Official site) Dio, Holy Diver (Niji) The classic Dio album remastered and pressed onto picture vinyl by the late singer's own Niji label. (Facebook page) Bad Religion, 30th Anniversary Box Set
"Icon" Series Gets More Iconic
Universal is prepping another batch of Icon compilations for the first week of 2011. Now, we've been hard on this series before, but there's actually a lot to like about these new sets. While previous Icon sets have been bashed by The Second Disc for either shamelessly repackaging previous compilations or offering fewer CD-based rarities than, say, Legacy's Playlist series (more on that tomorrow), this new batch of Icon sets collate artists who haven't had much in the way of compilations yet
A Spoonful of Reissues Across the Pond
U.K. label Edsel is prepping a series of expanded two-fer reissues of most of The Lovin' Spoonful's catalogue. The original group - singer/songwriter John Sebastian, guitarist Zal Yanovsky, bassist Steve Boone and drummer Joe Butler - emerged from New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood in the 1960s. In the middle of the decade, they rode a wave of success thanks to folk-pop tunes like "Do You Believe in Magic," "Daydream," "Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?" and the No. 1 hit
Friday Feature: "Gremlins"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kjHFSa7ghE] There were many scores that soundtrack fans were hoping for on CD in 2010. But few are sought after more than the score to Gremlins (1984), a wacky, synthesizer-based romp from composer Jerry Goldsmith. It would have been a fantastic grab from one of the major labels for the Christmas season, but it looks like it may be another long wait before the score is released. But with Christmas around the corner, why not bring up one of the most
More Catalogue Gold from the Grammys
Just as we noted the box sets and other catalogue sets that were nominated for Grammys this year, we would also like to tip the hat to the recordings that were put into the Grammy Hall of Fame, as announced Monday. Thirty recordings, including nine LPs, have been added to a group that now includes 881 classic pieces of music. The oldest recordings on the list are two singles, "Dark Was the Night - Cold Was the Ground" by Blind Willie Johnson and "My Mammy" by Al Jolson (both released in 1927);
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