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
Barbra Streisand's Latest Offers Bonus Disc Of Bergman Classics
It should come as no surprise that Barbra Streisand has dedicated her newest studio album to the lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Streisand began her association with the husband-and-wife lyricist team in 1969, recording their "Ask Yourself Why," with music by Michel Legrand, on What About Today?, her very first stab at the contemporary pop market. (She actually had recorded one Alan Bergman/Lew Spence song, "That Face," as part of a medley on 1966's Color Me Barbra.) Though Streisand would
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
Gentle On His Mind: Two Early Glen Campbell Classics Reissued By BGO
It’s knowing that your door is always open and your path is free to walk/That makes me tend to leave my sleepin’ bag rolled up and stashed behind your couch… For nearly fifty years, many of us have opened our doors to Glen Campbell on record and on television. So it came as a shock that, just two months before the release of what’s being billed as his final studio recording, Campbell announced that he has been diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. The beloved singer and
"Kryptonite" to Be Reissued - That's What I Said, Now
It appears 20th anniversary music reissues come in threes. Yesterday had words on Nirvana's Nevermind and U2's Achtung Baby; now, there's word from Legacy Recordings that August will see an expanded edition of...Spin Doctors' Pocket Full of Kryptonite. Sure, giggle all you want, but it's hard to deny that Spin Doctors had quite a moment in the sun in the early 1990s. Formed in New York City in the late '80s, Spin Doctors were initially known more for their jam-friendly live shows (often
One Box: U2 to Compile Early '90s Reissues This Fall
Looks like Universal's Nevermind box set isn't the only such package coming from the label this year. Rolling Stone's newest issue reports some progress on the long-expected 20th anniversary edition of U2's Achtung Baby - and it looks like there's going to be a few surprises in store. The article - which isn't is now available online but was duly reported by @U2 and Slicing Up Eyeballs - indicates that both Achtung Baby (1991) and its follow-up, 1993's Zooropa will be remastered and
Reissue Theory: Bette Midler, "The Divine Miss M"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we take a look at notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. Long before "Wind Beneath My Wings" and "From a Distance," Bette Midler was blazing a path like few others before or since with her blend of outrageous comedy, musical invention and pure showmanship. Yet despite a treasure trove of unreleased material, Midler's platinum debut, The Divine Miss M, has never been expanded on CD. What might such a reissue be
La-La Land Preps Reissues for Goldsmith and Trevor Jones Plus Titles for Comic-Con
La-La Land Records released its newest titles yesterday featuring some A-list composers - all the while, as always, amid speculation for their next releases at the San Diego Comic-Con. This week's releases were Bad Girls by Jerry Goldsmith and The Sender by Trevor Jones. Bad Girls, a Western about a quartet of prostitutes (Andie MacDowell, Drew Barrymore, Mary Stuart Masterson and Madeline Stowe) on the run in Texas after a justifiable homicide and subsequent jailbreak. The score boasted 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
Reissue Theory: The Smiths, "The Queen is Dead"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we take a look at notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. Has the world changed or have we changed? Whatever the answer, The Smiths' The Queen is Dead, which recently hit the quarter-century mark, is a classic of British rock - and, like all of The Smiths' albums, it would make a prime candidate for a deluxe reissue. It wouldn't be enough to someday see remasters of The Smiths' core discography (the four studio albums, the
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
All Eyez on Him: Tupac Catalogue Gets Digital Reissue for Rapper's 40th Birthday
He would have turned 40 this year - as of last week, in fact. His death nearly 15 years ago is still one of rap's greatest unsolved murders (and is still a hot topic). Now, Universal is digitally releasing five albums by Tupac Shakur this summer - their debuts in the digital realm. 2Pacalypse Now (1991), Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. (1993), his sole, self-titled album with the Thug Life collective (1994), Me Against the World (1995) and the posthumous R U Still Down? (Remember Me) (1997) will
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.
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
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