After a quiet month for soundtracks, save the score reissue to little-seen art-house flick Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the past week has seen three releases from Intrada and Film Score Monthly readied for film music aficionados. Intrada's first title did an excellent job of satiating anyone's post-Trek desire for more Jerry Goldsmith; it's the unreleased, unused score to 1996's 2 Days in the Valley. A twisty thriller with a solid cast (Charlize Theron, Eric Stoltz, James Spader, Teri Hatcher
Positively 4th Street: Bob Dylan's First "Greatest Hits" Goes Gold
When Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits first appeared on record store shelves in March 1967, it was Dylan’s first offering since the previous year’s Blonde on Blonde double-LP opus and subsequent, well-publicized motorcycle accident. Although the 10-track Columbia Records set has since been superseded by numerous other compilations from the Bard of Hibbing, Dylan’s first ever Greatest Hits captures the moment in time when there was arguably no more influential songwriter. On July 3, the original Dylan
This Surely is a Dream: Marcy Playground Prep Rarities for New Compilation
While many music fans' knowledge of alt-rock band Marcy Playground begins and ends with their 1998 Top 10 hit "Sex and Candy," those who do follow the band will be excited to know the group's putting out a collection of rarities and outtakes this month. Lunch, Recess & Detention - named for singer/songwriter John Wozniak's "three things I was never late for" - is a 19-track compilation combining outtakes (including alternate takes of songs that appeared on the band's Shapeshifter (1999) and
For Your Pleasure: Roxy Music Unveil Massive Box Set, New Reissue Campaign (UPDATED 6/19)
Roxy Music, arguably the original New Romantics, are coming back in a big way on the catalogue side of things in 2012, with a new box set and additional surprises to follow. Primarily comprised of singer Brian Ferry, guitarist Phil Manzanera, keyboardist Brian Eno, saxophonist Andy McKay and drummer Paul Thompson (with an almost-consistently shuffling lineup during their active years, including England's greatest fill-in Paul Carrack of Ace, Squeeze and Mike + The Mechanics), Roxy combined the
Review: The Beatles, "Yellow Submarine" on Blu-Ray and DVD
Picture yourself in a boat on a river…with tangerine trees and marmalade skies… Now, picture the evocative imagery of The Beatles’ most mind-bending lyrics transferred to a silver screen world where imagination and wonder run rampant. The result might be something like the 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine. Out of print for some time on DVD, Yellow Submarine has just returned to DVD and Blu-Ray (5099962146098) in a painstakingly restored new edition from Apple Corps and
Before We Forget: Slipknot to Release First Hits Compilation
In the past decade, Slipknot were one of the most iconic and unforgettable faces of alternative metal in America. Next month, they will celebrate their tenure with the release of their first greatest hits compilation. Though Antennas to Hell doesn't contain any new tracks - the band has allegedly put together only tentative recordings since the death of founding bassist Paul Gray in 2010 - it will showcase 19 of the band's "fan favorites, live classics and well-known radio hits," including
Review: Deluxe Editions from Everything But The Girl
The band’s name is Everything But The Girl, but the reissue campaign might as well be titled Everything But the Kitchen Sink. Over the course of four 2-CD sets, the Edsel label has crafted a comprehensive, definitive retrospective of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt’s early years as merchants of cool, sophisticated and literate pop. EBTG’s first four albums, originally released on the Blanco Y Negro label, have each been granted the deluxe treatment with an additional disc of non-LP singles, B-sides,
Frankie Say "Sexmix" from ZTT; Rare Remixes Featured on New Compilation
The past few years has seen a flurry of catalogue activity from iconic U.K. label Zang Tuum Tumb. The ongoing Element Series, distributed by England's Salvo Music imprint, has seen artists from 808 State and Propaganda to Frankie Goes to Hollywood and The Art of Noise expanded and remastered in lavish double-disc packages. This summer, ZTT adds to the Element Series a compilation of rarities from the short but intricate discography of Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The quartet's "Relax" was one of
Contest: Would You "Like" to Win a "Graceland" Box Set?
Hey, we've said it a million times, but let's say it again: The Second Disc has some of the best readers out there. The idea that so many of you like catalogue music as much as Joe and I do, and the idea that so many of you come back to read our news and musings, day in and day out...well, it just makes me feel good. And we've done a solid job (we hope!) of reaching out to every fan old and new across the Internet, be it Facebook or Twitter or even in the comments section of the site. As I type
Are You An Elvis Fan? New Fan-Selected Compilation Arrives In July
Although this August 16 will mark the 35th anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, the musical light left behind by the once and future King of Rock and Roll has never dimmed. 2012 has already seen the expanded reissue of Elvis Country, including the Love Letters from Elvis album, and a handful of reissues from the Follow That Dream specialty label. (More titles are on the way from FTD including a long-awaited, upgraded collection of Presley's Sun recordings: watch for Part Two for more
Getting Real Gone in July with Sanford and Townsend, Clover, 20/20, Jackie Gleason and More
Real Gone Music may not be going “to the moon, Alice,” but the eclectic reissue gurus are going just about everywhere else with their batch of offerings set for July 31. Yes, Jackie Gleason features in a line-up also including poet Charles Bukowski, Sanford and Townsend (Smoke from a Distant Fire), a member of Bread, and a couple of underrated rock-and-roll bands. After the recent, potent reissue of the self-titled debut from Durocs, Real Gone jumps back into the power pop game with 20/20.
His Songs: Elton John "Classic Album Collection," Mash-Up Set Coming in July
Do you remember when rock was young? Many do remember the early days of the former Reginald Dwight, whose first major splash on the American charts was 1970's Elton John. Although that album was John's second, his 1969 debut Empty Sky wouldn't see U.S. release until 1975, at which point John was one of the biggest superstars on the planet. More than forty years after the release of Elton John, the now-Sir Elton's star still shines brightly, with 2010's The Union having earned him a Grammy
A Star Beyond Time: Talking "Trek" with Mike Matessino, Part 2
Captain's log, Stardate 2012.614. When last we left the crew of the starship Second Disc, they were interviewing renowned soundtrack producer Mike Matessino, whose work on La-La Land's triple-disc expansion of Jerry Goldsmith's score to Star Trek: The Motion Picture may be the most vivacious and definitive single soundtrack presentation in a career brimming with many projects. Our interview with Matessino was lengthy, and the two-hour interview was bound to take up more than one post. Why the
Before He Met "Mrs. Jones": Billy Paul's "Ebony Woman" Reissued By BBR
It’s inevitable that Billy Paul will be best remembered for that thing he had going on with a certain Mrs. Jones. But that ode to a steamy extramarital affair hardly told the whole story of Billy Paul. “A lot of people don’t even know I’m a jazz singer. That’s what I want to be known for,” Paul tells Andy Kellman in the liner notes to Big Break Records’ must-have reissue of the singer’s second album, Ebony Woman. Though produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, Ebony Woman wasn’t issued on
Review: The Supremes, "The Supremes at the Copa"
The building on New York’s East 60th Street might between 5th and Madison Avenues might not have looked like much from the outside. But within the walls of 10 E. 60th, it was a different story altogether, as that address housed the fabled Copacabana. Lyricist Fred Ebb asserted of New York City itself, “If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere,” but he could have been writing of The Copacabana. And Berry Gordy wanted to make it there. More accurately, the Motown Records chief wanted
Cool, Cool Summer: New Bananarama Compilation Due in July
Ironically, with news of the Stock Aitken Waterman/PWL box set also comes news of one of the SAW team's most prolific collaborators: U.K. girl group Bananarama, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary with a new CD/DVD compilation. The band initially consisted of childhood friends Keren Woodward and Sara Dallin and schoolmate Siobhan Fahey. The trio's mutual interest in tomboyish fashion and the burgeoning post-punk scene - leading to early gigs opening for The Jam and Iggy Pop and early
Never Gonna Give You Up: Iconic Pop Production Team Stock Aitken Waterman Celebrated with New Box Set
It may have been the "flavor of the month" as European '80s pop went, but the distinctive sounds of Stock Aitken Waterman and the PWL label was one heck of a flavor, earning a rather generous compilation/box set treatment, Pete Waterman Presents The Hit Factory: Soundtrack to a Generation in the U.K. this summer. Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman began working for Waterman's PWL production company in 1984, specializing in Hi-NRG dance music by U.K. pop artists like Hazell Dean and Dead
Review: The Association, "The Complete Warner Bros. and Valiant Singles Collection"
“Everyone knows” the answer to the musical question of Who’s trippin’ down the streets of the city / Smilin’ at everybody she sees? But here’s another one: what’s the record label reaching out to capture a moment, bendin’ down to give us a rainbow? Everyone (at least everyone reading The Second Disc!) knows it’s Now Sounds. The Cherry Red-affiliated label has recently released the latest in its ongoing series of deluxe reissues of The Association’s catalogue, and it’s the most impressive
Release Round-Up: Week of June 12
Dean Martin, Collected Cool (UMe) Can you believe this is the first ever domestic, career-spanning Dino box set, pallies? And just in time for Father's Day. Sugar, File Under: Easy Listening - Deluxe Edition (Edsel) The last Sugar LP, expanded with B-sides, the live album The Joke is Always on Us, Sometimes, and a DVD of videos and live footage. Gilbert O'Sullivan, Southpaw: Deluxe Edition / A Stranger in My Own Back Yard: Deluxe Edition (Salvo) The latest in Salvo's ongoing expansion
Freak Out! Zappa Family Trust Strikes Deal For Reissue Of 60 Albums From Universal, Roll-Out Begins In July
The numbers and dates may have changed, but we can now finally confirm the news that has long been circulating, both here and elsewhere, that Frank Zappa's catalogue is headed to Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). According to the Zappa Family Trust's press release, a global license and distribution deal will see the reissue of 60 Zappa albums, beginning with a group of 12 (not 18, as previously believed) that will roll out on July 31. Throughout a long career that produced more than 60 albums
Find a Way, Say What You Want to Say with Swing Out Sister Deluxe Reissue
The term "sophisti-pop" may not be used much in rock criticism nowadays, but when they were, it was easy to acknowledge Swing Out Sister as a key artist of the movement. The Manchester-bred band stood head and shoulders above many of their keyboard-oriented contemporaries in mid-'80s England for mixing jazzy horn sections and lush synth-strings into their upbeat, snappy tunes. And this summer, the band's original label, Mercury Records, is commemorating the band's quarter-century mark with an
It's "All in a Night's Work" For Dino, Shirley and André Previn
Scoring a major motion picture…writing a Broadway musical…recording a jazz piano album…conducting a classical symphony. Any of the above might be all in a night’s work for André Previn, a four-time Academy Award winner and ten-time Grammy recipient. And now Previn’s score for the 1962 film All in a Night’s Work is getting its first-ever soundtrack release courtesy of the Kritzerland label! The Dean Martin/Shirley MacLaine comedy followed Previn’s triumphant, Oscar-nominated score for 1960’s
Reviews: Three From Real Gone - Mick Fleetwood's Zoo, Jerry Reed and Durocs
Real Gone Music has become known for its wide-ranging and eclectic releases, and today we’re looking at three of the most recent, from the countrypolitan stylings of Jerry Reed to the rock animals of Mick Fleetwood’s Zoo and the pure pop of The Dūrocs! Dūrocs, Dūrocs (Real Gone Music RGM-0058, 2012) Are you ready to hear one of the best albums you’ve never heard? Then head straight to the pig pen for the first-ever CD release of Dūrocs. Primarily written and produced by the team of Ron
Review: Paul Simon, "Graceland: 25th Anniversary"
When Paul Simon travelled to Graceland, he was aware of the mighty contradictions: “And I may be obliged to defend every love, every ending/Or maybe there’s no obligations now…” Those days of miracle and wonder took place in 1986, and now some 25 years later, the restless artist is still defending Graceland. The path to Graceland was a circuitous one, with stops in New York, Los Angeles, London, Louisiana and most crucially, Johannesburg. Though the multi-platinum record picked up Grammy
Hooked On A Feeling (Again): B.J. Thomas "Complete Singles" Back On Schedule, Plus Germs Update
Longtime readers of The Second Disc know that Real Gone Music is one of our favorite reissue labels. And the level of dedication from the Real Gone team brings a silver lining to what would otherwise be an update as to a long-delayed title. Back in February, the Real Goners announced the March 27 release of The Complete Scepter Singles of B.J. Thomas, the “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” and “Hooked on a Feeling” hitmaker. March, of course, came and went, and as of June 6, this
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