It's always a killer prospect when a band still manages to go strong with over a dozen albums under their belt. Depeche Mode are one such ensemble, with 2009's Sounds of the Universe proving that the band is as fresh as they ever were some three decades ago. Their newest project, however, sees them dipping into the vaults for an expansive remix set, and longtime fans of the band will have reason to be excited. Remixes 2: 81-11, to be released in June, will cover the band's catalogue in remix
Verve Throws a 50th Anniversary "Celebration" for Sergio Mendes
This year, Sergio Mendes celebrates his 50th year as a recording artist. The Brazilian musician is most closely identified with the romantic sounds of bossa nova, though his career has been an eclectic one. His latest recordings have embraced hip-hop sounds in collaboration with The Black Eyed Peas, Justin Timberlake, John Legend and India.Arie, while he did much to define the classic sound of A&M Records in the 1960s, a blend of bossa nova, jazz and soft pop (think: Herb Alpert and The
Back Tracks: The Police
On this day in 1978, A&M Records signed a bunch of blonde guys masquerading as punk rockers to their label. That doesn't sound like a blueprint for success, but those guys - vocalist-bassist Gordon Sumner (better known as Sting), guitarist Andy Summers and drummer Stewart Copeland - were well on their way to becoming one of the biggest bands in the world, then one of the most lamented and celebrated after their messy breakup (and inevitable reunion). The Police were like few others,
Motown, Disco and Funk: Tata Vega and Harvey Mason Reissues Due in April
Fans of classic soul and R&B have already had a very good 2011. And there’s no sign of letting up! Cherry Red’s Big Break and Soulmusic.com labels have particularly led the charge. After an exciting slate for March, Soulmusic.com Records has announced three releases for April. Tata Vega’s first two albums on the Motown label both will receive expanded editions, while famed drummer Harvey Mason’s Arista debut also will be reissued. Vega is perhaps one of the most underrated exponents of the
The Impulse! Box Has a Track List (UPDATED 3/22)
UPDATE 3/22: You can now order this box set through Hip-o Select here. We have some more info on the aforementioned Impulse! Records box set coming from Universal in April, thanks to our friends at Record Racks. As previously mentioned, First Impulse: The Creed Taylor Collection 50th Anniversary box is going to compile the label's first six LPs by the likes of Kai Winding, Gil Evans, Ray Charles and John Coltrane, all of which were produced by label founder Taylor, along with rare and
"Trail of the Pink Panther" Leads to World Premiere Release by Intrada
Blake Edwards’ Trail of the Pink Panther, from 1982, is best remembered as the final film in the long-running series to feature Peter Sellers. The extraordinarily talented, mercurial actor had died in 1980, but Edwards paid tribute to his colleague by stitching together outtakes and old material to continue the story of the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. (1983’s Curse of the Pink Panther was shot concurrently by Edwards, introducing Ted Wass as Clifton Sleigh, an inept New York policeman on the
Reissue Theory: Elton John, "To Be Continued...1992-2010"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they may some day see. It's been over two decades since Elton John released his career-spanning To Be Continued... box set, and so much has happened with his career since then. How do you cover such ground? Simple - make another one! It’s only appropriate that Elton John titled his 1992 album The One. It was a major first for the superstar: his first album recorded in all too many years without
Bowie Plays with "Toy" and a Thought on Bootlegs
Here at Second Disc HQ, this author has had a nuanced take on digital downloading, particularly as it relates to catalogue music. The hard, fast rule I tend to hold myself to is this: if material is excessively difficult or impossible to find on CD, then it's fair game. The original mix of Billy Joel's Cold Spring Harbor? The excellent vinyl rips I've found in my travels will stay on my iPod until Legacy releases it officially. (And I will happily buy a copy that day!) On the other hand, I
Love Makes the World Go Round: London Cast "Carnival" Hits CD
Priscilla: Queen of the Desert. Sister Act. Catch Me If You Can. Today’s Broadway is populated by adaptations of familiar movies; in 1961, such screen-to-stage transfers were rare. When they did occur, the authors usually changed the title of the film to signify that their musical version was, indeed, a new work. (Imagine producers today allowing authors to diverge from a famous property's title!) Such creative freedom resulted in some of the most inspired musicals in stage history, and one such
Roger Waters Reissues Coming in the U.K.
Roger Waters is bringing Pink Floyd's The Wall Live tour to Europe this spring, and to celebrate, Sony is reissuing a good amount of his work at an affordable price. On March 28, the compilation Flickering Flame: The Solo Years Volume I (2002) will be repressed. This set collected the best of Waters' solo material from 1983 to what was then the present, with two unreleased demos added to the mix. Unfortunately, this disc has a rather unsavory legacy, as it was released with a rather extreme
Marlena Shaw is "Acting Up" Again
Whether recording jazz, pop or funk, the soulful Marlena Shaw has made her mark. The first female vocalist signed to Blue Note Records, Shaw has had an impressive career with tenures not only at the venerable jazz imprint but also Chess' Cadet subsidiary, Columbia, Verve and Concord. Included in her outstanding discography are searing takes on Goffin and King's "Go Away, Little Girl" (as "Go Away, Little Boy"), Ashford and Simpson's "California Soul" and a discofied "Touch Me in the Morning."
Goldsmith, Horner and "Crusoe" Coming from FSM
As previously reported, Film Score Monthly's two newest titles are the premiere releases of three great scores: an underrated sci-fi epic and two TV-movies with music from legendary film composers. Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) is exactly what it sounds like: the Daniel Defoe classic on the surface of Mars. Paul Mantee is the marooned astronaut and Victor Lundin is "Friday," the Martian slave laborer who escapes and befriends him. (Also appearing as Mantee's doomed co-pilot was a pre-Batman
In Case You Missed It: Barclay James Harvest Revisited "Once Again"
Some four decades ago, Barclay James Harvest delivered one of their first great albums, and a towering achievement in the prog-rock genre. This past winter, EMI reissued the record in a manner quite befitting of its classic status. Once Again was the band's second album for Harvest Records, put out three years into their tenure with EMI. With notable tracks like "Song for Dying," "Galadriel" and "Mocking Bird" (the latter of which remains one of the band's most iconic songs), and the backing of
Back Into Battle with The Art of Noise
It's with great pleasure to find out that The Art of Noise's debut effort, Into Battle with The Art of Noise (1983), will be reissued as part of ZTT/Salvo's ongoing Element Series in April. And hardcore Art of Noise fans have a lot to be excited about this new release. The Art of Noise. Those four words signify a bizarre advent in '80s pop music - perhaps the ultimate marriage of music and technology (a staple of almost all popular art released that decade), a template upon which much of modern
Reissue Theory: Stevie Nicks Solo - and Beyond
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. With anticipation running high for a new album from Stevie Nicks in a few months, we bring you a special look back at her first two solo albums - which have never been expanded - and that one record she's on that fans have been anxiously waiting for an official CD release... This post is dedicated with love to Stephen Sears, a good friend of The Second Disc. Today is his
Short Takes: The Kinks are Koming Stateside, B.A.D. Reissues Planned, MBV Insanity, More Live Dead
Those upcoming deluxe reissues of the first three Kinks LPs in the U.K. this April are coming to American record stores too! They've been set for April 12, one week after the British release date. (Thanks to MusicTAP for the tip!) Buried at the bottom of a press release touting the forthcoming Big Audio Dynamite reunion tour - no doubt spurred on in part by last year's pretty great deluxe reissue of their first album - there's a mention that Legacy is working with B.A.D. on more Legacy Editions
Five Disco Classics Coming from Big Break in April (UPDATED 3/16)
Big Break Records continues its busy schedule with five new disco and dance titles from the '70s and '80s coming to CD on April 25. The records in question are Open Sesame by Kool & The Gang (which spawned several danceable hits in the title track - heard in Saturday Night Fever - and "Super Band"); Pennye Ford's Pennye and Yarbrough & Peoples' Be a Winner, both cut for the Total Experience label in the mid-'80s; and the sole albums by Loose Change and TJM, both of which were produced
A Rumor That Would Put Me in a "State of Shock"
It's one of my favorite Michael Jackson stories: not long after Thriller, Jackson and Randy Hansen collaborate on a few songs together, one of which ends up on The Jacksons' mostly-forgettable Victory in 1984. That song, "State of Shock," is recorded as a duet with Mick Jagger and becomes the biggest hit off the album. The thing is, though, that Jagger wasn't meant to sing the song. Hansen was. And Hansen isn't even a real person. It's the pseudonym of one Freddie Mercury, the Queen frontman
La-La Land's "Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" Ready to Order
Just a quick heads-up to our film score fans: La-La Land's new reissue of It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is now live and ready to order. Two thousand copies will be made of this set, which we originally posted on here. Order it here and hit the jump for the full track list.
Legacy Readies for Boy-Band Mania with "NKOTBSB" Compilation
For teenage girls of two different eras, the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys were the apex of pop music. Both of them were impossibly successful teen quintets created by astoundingly lucky impresarios who had or would soon strike gold with similar acts (NKOTB Svengali Maurice Starr also bought New Edition onto the pop music scene, while now-disgraced BSB producer Lou Pearlman would also make stars out of NSYNC). When both groups announced late last year that they were
Release Round-Up: Week of March 15
Queen, Queen / Queen II / Sheer Heart Attack / A Night at the Opera / A Day at the Races: Deluxe Editions (Island/UMe) Deluxe editions of the band's first five albums are out in the U.K., all remastered with bonus discs of rare or unreleased content. (They'll be out in the U.S. in May!) (Official site) Nick Lowe, Labour of Lust (Proper (U.K.)/Yep Roc (U.S.)) Lowe's New Wave classic, featuring the immortal "Cruel to Be Kind," is reissued on both sides of the Atlantic, featuring all the tracks
Will "Psycho" Sale Pave the Way for a Long-Awaited Release?
The score to Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho - that terrifying, string-based effort by Bernard Hermann - has entertained audiences the world over since the film's release over 50 years ago. But it is one of the great crimes of catalogue music history that the original score as heard in the film has never been released on any format, be it LP, cassette or CD. That may change, if a U.K. report is to be believed. From Brighton's The Argus: Psycho has one of the most iconic film scores in movie history
Suede Catalogue Overhaul Coming This Summer
Back in September, we reported on a hits/B-sides compilation for legendary Britpop band Suede. Now, the recently-reunited band have announced a major catalogue expansion through U.K. label Demon/Edsel. In five weeks starting May 30, the label will release massive three-disc editions of each of the band's studio LPs, from 1993's self-titled debut to 2002's A New Morning. The sets will feature two CDs featuring the remastered original albums, the band's many non-LP B-sides and many unreleased
The SMiLE Saga: A Happy Ending Promised for Lost Beach Boys Masterwork
The story of The Beach Boys' 1967 SMiLE, often considered the greatest lost album of all time, has long been a story of heroes and villains. On February 3, the band's Al Jardine was a hero when he announced that SMiLE would finally be arriving in record stores everywhere later this year. The Second Disc duly passed this on before Jardine offered a bizarre quasi-retraction, likely at the behest of his record label, on February 14. Mastering engineer Steve Hoffman (who was worked with the Beach
More Kate Bush Reissue Details Emerge
For fans of great classic pop-rock, there are two great pieces of news today: Capitol's confirmation of releasing The Beach Boys' SMiLE this year (!!!) and the promise of a new Kate Bush album in May, her first since 2005. There are some details on that release, Director's Cut, which will be of some interest to our readers: not only is it an album of sort-of-re-recorded songs (it will feature partially but not entirely new versions of songs from The Sensual World (1989) and The Red Shoes
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