Here's a fun, surprise soundtrack coming out of the vaults. Counterpoint Records is releasing the first-ever CD of the original soundtrack to Sunset Boulevard, the 1950 Billy Wilder classic with Oscar-winning music from acclaimed composer Franz Waxman. Sunset Boulevard was the fictional tale of Norma Desmond, a silent-film starlet whose time has long passed (played to perfection by Gloria Swanson). The noir tale sees Desmond meeting a struggling screenwriter (William Holden) and attempting to
Review: The Monkees, "Head: Deluxe Edition"
Once upon a time, the undisputed king of the box set was Rhino Records. The label gave us a brain in a box, an old phonograph to house the masterworks of Ray Charles, a crate of eight tracks to take us back to a more soulful time, and a hatbox filled with the most effervescent girl group sounds possible, just to name a few. (Shag carpets, coffee beans and a carrying case for 45s figured prominently in a few other such packages.) Of late, these lavish sets haven't appeared with great frequency; I
Friday Feature: "Psycho" Sequels
Back in May, The Second Disc did a Friday Feature on the chilling, iconic and somehow commercially unreleased score to Alfred Hitchock's Pyscho, written by Bernard Hermann. With Halloween approaching (and a killer screening of Psycho planned tonight at New York's Film Forum), what else is there to write about? Those of you with particularly steel-trap-like memories may recall a set of sequels - sequels! - to the film, released in the 1980s. If that weren't inexplicable enough for you, they
Intrada Releases Two Classic '60s Scores from the Vault
Intrada's latest batch of titles may be on the shorter side when it comes to pure musical recognition, but they have three scores released for the first time anywhere - two of which are from two classic adapted film works of the early '60s. Those scores are to 1961's Raisin in the Sun and 1962's Requiem for a Heavyweight, both penned by Laurence Rosenthal. Requiem is an adaptation of the famous Playhouse 90 teleplay penned by Rod Serling (this adaptation stars Anthony Quinn as the boxer and
Billy's Back
It's true: that upcoming Billy Joel compilation is indeed the tip of the iceberg. Legacy issued a press release late last night promising to burst open the floodgates of Billy Joel catalogue material in 2011. The Hits, the first single-disc compilation of the Piano Man's music, kicks things off, followed by a dozen songs being made available for download on the upcoming Rock Band 3 video game. But next year? The press release promises a live release of the Shea Stadium concerts documented in
Reissue Theory: Chevy Chase
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. This time around, we shine a light on a few unorthodox musical moments from a comedy legend. "I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not." For the past couple of years, no one would dare be envious of the man once considered one of the greatest comedians of the 1970s and 1980s. Today, however, The Second Disc not only defends him from his detractors but makes a case
Reissue Theory: Tony Bennett, "Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today!"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. This installment spins what may be the least-loved Tony Bennett LP into a lost classic for the ages. Today's Reissue Theory takes a look at one of the most reviled albums of all time, the LP thought to be the nadir of a career still going strong after nearly 50 years. The artist is Tony Bennett, and the album is Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today! ,
Legacy Plays Brubeck on New Compilation
Legacy Recordings recently announced the kick-off to a yearlong celebration of master jazz pianist Dave Brubeck - who turns 90 on December 6 - with a new compilation of Brubeck's legendary Columbia material. Legacy of a Legend is a two-disc, 21-track compilation spanning from 1954 to 1970 and compiled by Brubeck himself, featuring great performances in studio and in concert from Brubeck and his classic quartet (including bassist Eugene Wright, sax player Paul Desmond and drummer Joe Morello).
Back Tracks: Michael Jackson's Video HIStory
It pains me to report on unsubstantiated news from the reissue world, but this one needs to be addressed in some way: TMZ reported last weekend that Sony was prepping a compilation of Michael Jackson's music videos (allegedly titled Vision) for the Christmas rush. Yeah, it's TMZ, not a known source of catalogue info, but they did prove their mettle in covering Michael Jackson's death (for better or for worse), so let's at least serve the news to you with more than a dash of salt. But let's say,
Friday Feature: "The Karate Kid"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDi3an8WgN4] There's probably no worse reminder of your own mortality than the idea of remaking a movie. "How long has it been since they made the original?" you wonder in silent horror. "Was it that long ago? Have people forgotten that quickly? Am I that old?" There's no accurate litmus test to determine when the best elapsed time between originals and remakes is. George Clooney's Ocean's 11 came out in 2001, 41 years after the original Rat Pack
Friday Feature: "Wall Street"
Who'd have figured, 23 years ago, that Oliver Stone's ripped-from-the-headlines drama Wall Street would have garnered enough cultural currency to warrant a sequel in 2010? Certainly not the writer-director, who went from strength to strength in and around Hollywood before finally committing to his first sequel. Probably not Michael Douglas, whose corporate raider Gordon Gekko became one of the most captivating villains of 1980s film (and later, bizarrely enough, one of the most misguided role
Reissue Theory: Carl Douglas, "Kung Fu Fighter"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. This installment concerns a hard-hitting novelty single that's still kicking after more than a quarter-century. Twenty-six years ago today, the top song in the United Kingdom was one of the most hilariously stereotypical songs of the 1970s, a funky little number called "Kung Fu Fighting." Rarely has anyone mimed some clumsy karate moves without thinking of
Friday Feature: "Twister"
When you feel down - regardless of your gender - you probably have some sort of ritual that gets you through your funk. This has become almost a cliche among the fairer sex; almost too easily conjured is the image of girls watching The Notebook while wearing comfortable sweatpants and eating some Haagen-Dazs ice-cream for comfort. I can at least empathize with the film aspect of that cliche, although my "comfort film" involves Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and a nightmarish load of property
They Call It MISTER New Batch of Intrada Releases
Intrada's new releases will see three scores - two television film soundtracks from a score legend and the final chapter of a famous film series - released for the first time anywhere. The Organization isn't a universally recognized film, but it does star one of the greatest actors in one of the greatest roles of all time. That would be Sidney Poitier as Virgil Tibbs, the hard-working detective created by author John Ball in the book In the Heat of the Night. The classic, Oscar-winning 1967
Tartare and Cameo Parkway Heat Up: Morris Day, Ric Ocasek, Dee Dee Sharp, Dino, Desi & Billy On Tap
On September 9, The Second Disc sadly reported on the axe falling on more of the beleaguered Rhino Records staff, and the company's plans to delve further into the on-demand CD realm. One such initiative is the Tartare imprint being offered by WMG/Rhino in conjunction with Collectors' Choice Music. Another 20 Tartare titles are on the way from Collectors' Choice, and this group again spans decades, from the 1950s through the 1990s. Track listings are not available (indeed, not every title has
Friday Feature: "The Naked Gun"
It was a show so ridiculous, it'd make you wonder how it made the airwaves. It boasted some of the most out-there moments and uproarious sight gags on television. It was consistently funny, no matter how many times you watched an episode. Naturally, it was canceled. I'm of course talking about Police Squad!, the madcap spoof of police dramas that aired for six episodes on ABC in the spring and summer of 1982. Despite its creative pedigree - it was created by Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David
It's Monkee-Mania: "Head" Soundtrack Expanded as Deluxe Box Set
Just a few short weeks ago on August 19, The Second Disc reported on the Criterion Collection release of the Monkees’ trippy cinematic opus, Head. At the end of that article, we opined, “Perhaps the success of this set will inspire Rhino Handmade to revisit the Head soundtrack as a deluxe edition should its Monkees reissue program continue.” Well, we didn’t even have to wait that long. Rhino Handmade has announced a three-disc deluxe box set of the soundtrack to Head and much, much more.
"TNG" Box Boldly Goes Where Few Have Gone Before
Film Score Monthly has announced its fifth box set, and like the others, it's quite an undertaking: Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Ron Jones Project collates 14 discs' worth of music from the famous television series plus a heap of other Trek goodies from composer Ron Jones. Jones, best known for some surprisingly notable scores to animated television works (including the Disney cartoons DuckTales and Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers along with turns on Family Guy), composed scores to 42
A Heroic Selection of Music
It's always a blast to find out catalogue news from unexpected sources, so when I read a report from my favorite geek news site Topless Robot about a DC Comics music compilation, I got pretty darn excited. Set for release September 28, The Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary Collection collects 31 tracks from various DC-affiliated film and television projects - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, The Flash and even Swamp Thing are all here - and the best part is that
The Porpoise is Waiting No More: Monkees Flick Hits Blu-Ray
Hey hey! Attention all readers! We take a break from our regularly-scheduled coverage of audio reissues to bring you news of an important music-related video release: the Blu-Ray debut of the Monkees’ 1968 surreal film odyssey Head! With the Criterion Collection’s November 23 release as part of a massive box set dedicated to the films of BBS Productions, Head makes its eagerly-awaited appearance on Blu-Ray. (The box set will also be available in the DVD format.) To call Head a trip is to put it
Friday Feature: The Rocky Story
Today saw the release of the widely-hyped The Expendables, in which Sylvester Stallone gathered as many action movie heroes, past and present, and shoved them all into a film. By all accounts, it doesn't seem to have worked as well as it could have. And that's more or less latter-day Stallone for you. (Seriously, have you seen Rambo?) With that in mind, this week's Friday Feature takes you to a simpler time. A time where Stallone was a young actor with a dream, which he turned into a
Back Tracks: The Spielberg-Williams Connection Part II
Our look at the work of John Williams for Steven Spielberg's filmography continues with this look at the rest of the 1990s and beyond. Also featured are a few compilations of performances devoted to one of the best partnerships in film music history. Enjoy after the jump!
Back Tracks: The Spielberg-Williams Connection
As I write this, Steven Spielberg is currently at work on his next film, an adaptation of the World War I-themed British play War Horse, due for a release a year from now. This means that, before long, composer John Williams will begin to write his 26th score for a Spielberg picture. The duo have been an almost immortal force in the film business for nearly 40 years, from their first collaboration, 1973's The Sugarland Express, to next Christmas' The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn,
Tartare Mega-Post: 20 More Titles Now Available
You've got to hand it to the folks at Collectors' Choice Music: when they launch a new catalogue initiative, they don't mess around. After an initial offering last month of 10 releases on the new Tartare imprint, CCM has just announced a further 20 titles to bolster the budding Tartare lineup. The genres covered in this batch are incredibly diverse: from folk songs to groovy psychedelia, polkas to 1990s jangle pop, deep soul to disco, jazz to country. In short, there really is something for
The Second Disc Interview #2: From Hollywood, It's Bruce Kimmel!
Producer, director, writer, actor, composer, lyricist, raconteur – any and all of those words could be used to describe Bruce Kimmel. After helping to launch the Varese Sarabande label over thirty years ago and christening its still-ongoing soundtrack series with his score to The First Nudie Musical (which he also wrote, co-directed and acted in), Kimmel founded the Bay Cities label. Between 1989 and 1993, he and his Bay Cities colleagues were among the very first to reissue classic film