The late Arthur Laurents wrote many of the most beloved musicals and films in entertainment history including West Side Story, Gypsy, The Way We Were and Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope. He passed away on May 5, but today’s special Back Tracks celebrates this great writer’s legacy in music. “If you have a good strong finish, they’ll forgive anything!” So implores stage mother Madame Rose to her daughter Louise, the future Gypsy Rose Lee, in the 1959 musical Gypsy. Rose’s bon mot was one of many
Erasure LPs Get a Little Respect on CD/DVD Sets
It wasn't easy for Vince Clarke when he set out to form his latest project in 1986. The synth-playing songwriter had a lengthy amount of credits to his name in the previous five years, including the first album by Depeche Mode (of which he was a founding member), two albums with singer Alison Moyet as the synthpop duo Yazoo and a collaboration with producer Eric Radcliffe under the name The Assembly. When he put out an ad in Melody Maker for a singer for a new project, though, lightning struck
Weekend News Round-Up: Doobies, Peter Gabriel, Stax and Kansas
It was such a busy week that reporting has spilled over into the weekend! Enjoy these tidbits from around the rest of the catalogue music world. Eagle Rock is releasing a vintage live CD/DVD by The Doobie Brothers, from their 1982 farewell tour. Live at the Greek 1982 sees a lineup that included sole original member Patrick Simmons on guitar, longtime co-drummer Keith Knudsen (who shared the kit with Chet McCracken, a member since 1980's One Step Closer), guitarist/violinist John McFee,
Dionne Warwick "Playlist" Includes CD Debut of Isaac Hayes Duet
A couple of weeks back, Mike filled you in on the track listings for Sony's upcoming slate of Playlist releases. This eclectic bunch - including Muddy Waters, Dave Brubeck, Janis Ian and the Psychedelic Furs - hits stores next week on May 10. Only one title's track listing proved elusive, and now we can reveal that, too. Most happily, it's worth the wait. Playlist: The Very Best of Dionne Warwick is, like many of the titles, an odd collection. It's not a "greatest hits" but more a random
Motown Treasures Coming From "Josie and the Pussycats" Star Patrice Holloway
Though her fame was eclipsed by older sister Brenda, the late Patrice Holloway is still well-remembered by legions of Motown fans worldwide. The co-writer of "You've Made Me So Very Happy" and a voice for Hanna-Barbera’s cartoon stars Josie and the Pussycats, Patrice receives her first-ever CD anthology courtesy of Ace's Kent label. Love and Desire: The Patrice Holloway Anthology was originally slated to coincide with Kent's release of Brenda Holloway's The Early Years in 2009, which collected
Review: Loudon Wainwright III, "40 Odd Years"
Lucky for us, Loudon Wainwright III is only "so damn happy" on an infrequent basis. The singer-songwriter-humorist-satirist-actor (is that enough of a multi-hyphenate for you?) posited the question "Is it necessary to feel like shit in order to be creative?" He arrived at the final answer "yes!" but prefaced it with "unless you're J.S. Bach." Over the course of 91 songs on four CDs and another 38-plus on DVD, Shout! Factory's new box set 40 Odd Years (82663-12189, 2011) - dig the double
UPDATE: Don't "Walk Away": Left Banke Reissues Coming from Sundazed on June 28
Today, The Left Banke is probably best known for "Walk Away Renee." A No. 5 pop hit in 1966, the song has been recorded by The Four Tops, Frankie Valli, Linda Ronstadt and Eric Carmen, to name a few, and remains a staple of oldies radio today. But was The Left Banke a mere flash in the pan, just a one-hit wonder? Far from it. Yet things have been stacked against the group for quite a while now: neither of their two original Smash LPs has ever seen CD release in America, and the definitive CD-era
Six John Barry Scores Boxed Digitally By Silva Screen
John Barry may have passed away in January, but the film score titan has hardly been forgotten. Kritzerland just scored a quick sell-out on its new edition of Barry's score to Until September, while Quartet Records has reissued The Knack...and How to Get It on CD. The Classic Brit Awards has announced that Barry will be the first-ever posthumous recipient of an award, while a June 20 concert at London's Royal Albert Hall will celebrate his legacy with performances and remembrances from Sir
Reissue Theory: John Wayne, "America, Why I Love Her"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. With a bold development in international relations beginning today, we look at an American actor and patriot who put his beliefs into an unusual record. Let's be honest with ourselves: I'm a music writer, first and foremost. I'm not 100 percent sure what pithy commentary I can (or should) offer on the massive news of last night - that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the
Shout! Factory Takes Frank Sinatra Fans "Around the World"
Shout! Factory and Frank Sinatra Enterprises delivered a remarkable treat last November with the release of the 7-DVD Frank Sinatra: Concert Collection. This expansive box set restored to catalogue the splendid series of television specials starring the one and only Chairman of the Board, in which he celebrated his musical legacy. Sinatra welcomed a diverse roster of guests including Bing Crosby, Dean Martin, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Tony Bennett, Loretta Lynn, The 5th Dimension and his daughter
Reissue Theory: Bell Biv DeVoe, "Poison"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. One of the biggest R&B hits of 1990 is still an earworm today - but is there more lurking underneath the surface? The debut of Bell Biv DeVoe is reassessed. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcbMW2-Goog] Girl. I. Must. Warn youuuu...that if you listen to "Poison" by Bell Biv DeVoe one too many times, those herky-jerky New Jack beats will affix themselves to your
Even More "ICON" Titles on the Way
Mark your calendars, friends: a new batch of ICON budget compilations are due from Universal. Between May 3 and 24, UMe is releasing a clutch of ICON sets that run the gamut from country (Willie Nelson, Hank Williams) to R&B (New Edition, Kelly Price), from classics (The Mamas & The Paps, Louis Armstrong) to modern day heroes (Gin Blossoms, Rob Zombie). As usual, there's not much in the way of brand-new or rare material, although some titles have some one-off tunes to their credit.
We're Into Something Good: ABKCO Reissues Two From Herman's Hermits In May
"Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter." "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)." "A Must to Avoid." These chart hits from Herman's Hermits have stood the test of time, but how many reading this remember the films in which those songs were featured? Upon signing to MGM Records in the U.S., Herman's Hermits were groomed for a Hollywood film career, and why not? At the height of the group's fame, they rivaled the Beatles for popularity, even topping them as the biggest-selling pop
Review: Roy Orbison, "The Monument Singles Collection (1960-1964)"
It's frequently been said that image is everything in the music business. And surely one of the most recognizable images in all of music is that of Roy Orbison, the loner behind dark sunglasses, clad in black. If one could see his eyes, wouldn't they surely betray his lifetime of heartache? His wife Claudette (the inspiration behind the song) was killed at his side in a motorcycle accident, his two young sons perished in a fire at his home. There was more than meets the eye to Roy Orbison,
The Aeroplane Flies Higher: EMI Preps Three Years of Smashing Pumpkins Reissues
For Generation X, fewer names inspire emotions quite like Smashing Pumpkins. The Chicago-based alt-rock outfit, anchored primarily by singer, songwriter and sole remaining original member Billy Corgan, made rock music that was dark, atmospheric and ambitious - and yet somehow maintained commercial as well as critical success - before splintering in 2000 and reforming some six years later. While Corgan continues to lead Smashing Pumpkins through some interesting projects - he's been working on a
Elton, CSN, Costello, Taylor and More Salute Neil Young on Tribute DVD and Blu-Ray
What do David Crosby, Luciano Pavarotti, Bono and Neil Diamond all have in common? Each gentleman is a past honoree as MusiCares Person of the Year. Administered by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences and chosen by the MusiCares Foundation, the title is bestowed upon artists to commend both artistic achievement in music and commitment to philanthropy. A tribute is to paid to the recipient with an evening of eclectic performances celebrating his or her legacy. In 2011, the
It's Motown Monday: Kent Releases The Definitive Monitors In June
It's Motown Monday here at The Second Disc as we're pleased to spread the news of the latest title in Ace Records' series of lost Motown treasures! Previous releases have been devoted to The Satintones, The Contours and Marv Johnson, and this June will see the first-ever CD anthology dedicated to the recordings of The Monitors. Led by future Temptation Richard Street, The Monitors released five singles on Berry Gordy's V.I.P. and Soul labels and one LP on Soul. Say You!: The Motown Anthology
Review: Don Sebesky, "Giant Box"
Why can’t jazz be populist and pure, both at the same time? One imagines Creed Taylor asked that question when he launched CTI (Creed Taylor Incorporated) as a solo label back in 1970. Three years earlier he had decamped from Verve and christened the CTI name as an imprint of Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss’ A&M Records. At A&M, Taylor produced nearly 30 albums by such jazz greats as Wes Montgomery, Montgomery's heir apparent George Benson, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Herbie Mann. Taylor’s
Stage and Screen Classics, Reissued: "Until September" and "Camelot"
If there’s a link between Kritzerland’s two new releases, it would have to be melody. I’m speaking of sheer, unadulterated, romantic melody, courtesy of two of music’s finest purveyors of such themes: John Barry and Frederick Loewe. This morning, the stage and screen specialists announced two limited edition titles of 1,000, and both are notable, indeed. From Mr. Barry comes the 1984 score to Until September, while Mr. Loewe is represented by the first-ever CD release of the 1964 Original
Friday Feature: "Night Shift"
Fate works in mysterious ways. Dionne Warwick was home one evening, half-asleep while the 1982 film Night Shift played on her television set. “I didn’t really pay attention to the names that were going up on the credits,” Warwick recounted, “but I knew that was Burt Bacharach’s melody. There was no way in the world it could be anybody else’s.” She was speaking of “That’s What Friends Are For,” an all-but-forgotten song written for the 1982 film Night Shift, Ron Howard’s major big screen
Now Boarding: Jefferson Airplane Reissues Take Off On BGO and Friday Music
Now departing from San Francisco: it's Jefferson Airplane! While the classic band's live reissue series launched by Collector's Choice Music remains in limbo, fans of the classic rock line-up of Grace Slick, Marty Balin, Paul Kantner, Jorma Kaukonen, Jack Casady and Spencer Dryden don't have to fear! Both BGO Records and Friday Music have a rich slate of Airplane projects to keep the group flying high! Friday Music kicks things off with a 180-gram vinyl LP remastering of the ironically-titled
Heavy Traffic: "The Jim Capaldi Story" Told On Upcoming Box Set
It's time to clear a space on your shelf next to Steve Winwood's 1995 box set The Finer Things or its 2010 counterpart Revolutions. The life and career of Winwood's longtime collaborator Jim Capaldi (1944-2005) is being celebrated by the fine folks at Universal U.K. with a lavish new box set, Dear Mr. Fantasy: The Jim Capaldi Story. Set for release on June 27, Dear Mr. Fantasy is named after one of Traffic's most beloved songs. It encompasses Capaldi's work with that group as well as early
"Peace" Still Sells: Megadeth Album to Receive Deluxe Box Treatment
Dave Mustaine was determined not to become a footnote in heavy metal history. The guitarist had spent a mostly uneventful two years in the employ of a Los Angeles band named Metallica, who fired him shortly before recording their debut album, Kill 'Em All, in 1983. (Mustaine did pen four tracks on the record, including favorites "The Four Horsemen" and "Jump in the Fire.") Undeterred, Mustaine formed his own band, Megadeth, in 1985. Their debut, Killing is My Business...and Business is Good!,
Shirley Bassey Goes Beyond "Goldfinger" On BGO Reissue
Dame Shirley Bassey first blazed into the American consciousness in 1964 singing the immortal theme to Goldfinger. Bassey's full-throttle take on the John Barry/Anthony Newley/Leslie Bricusse song became her first and only American Top 10 single, and helped the film’s soundtrack recording climb all the way to the top spot. Bassey returned to both John Barry and James Bond with the themes to Diamonds are Forever (1971) and Moonraker (1979), but she never again scaled the heights of commercial
We Got the "Beat" Deluxe Track List
When you think of the canon of rock music, it's largely a man's world, from the most legendary performers to the (theoretically, mostly) male-dominated clique of music geeks. Sure, Elvis and The Beatles wouldn't have gotten anywhere without their screaming female fans, but it took until the early '80s for girls to earn a place in the hierarchy of rock. That glass ceiling was finally shattered with Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Charlotte Caffey, Kathy Valentine and Gina Schock, better known as
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