Ooh, what a lucky man I am! Chances are you will be, too, if you’ve been anticipating the just-launched series of deluxe reissues from Emerson, Lake & Palmer, available now from Razor and Tie in the U.S. and Sony Music internationally. It’s back to the very beginning for the progressive rock supergroup, with 1970’s eponymous debut and 1971’s Tarkus both having been revisited in 2-CD/1-DVD editions as you’ve never heard them before. Keith Emerson (organ/synthesizer/piano), Greg Lake
Megadeth Plan "Extinction"-Level Event
Following last year's heavy-duty 25th anniversary box set edition of Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?, EMI is slated to release another expanded anniversary edition from thrash-metal gods Megadeth, celebrating 20 years of their Countdown to Extinction album. Countdown, the politically charged, hard-driving fifth album from the band, was released at one of the commercial zeniths of heavy metal, with Mustaine's former band Metallica's self-titled "Black Album" and Pantera's A Vulgar Display of
Review: The Knack, "Rock and Roll is Good for You: The Fieger/Averre Demos"
Before there was The Knack, there was Doug Fieger and Berton Averre. The former was a Detroit native and a member of the band Sky, the latter a working musician from the San Francisco Bay Area. They began collaborating in 1973, beginning an odyssey that would reach its first milestone six years later when the sensibly-titled Get the Knack on Capitol Records reportedly became the fastest-selling debut album since Meet the Beatles. But before “My Sharona” took Fieger, Averre, Bruce Gary and
Ace Offers Front Row Seat to a "Musical Revolution" with Vanguard Box; Unreleased Dylan Track Included
A vanguard is, by definition, a position at the forefront of new ideas or developments. And in the fertile musical stomping ground of the early 1960s, some of the newest, most avant-garde ideas were being espoused on the Vanguard Records label. Yet these so-called radical, even “dangerous” thoughts were being espoused in forms so traditional, they might have seemed as old as time. Vanguard dived headfirst into the flourishing folk music scene in 1956 with The Weavers at Carnegie Hall, bravely
Cast Your Fate to the Wind with New "Very Best of Jazz" Collections From Brubeck, Evans, Guaraldi, More
What makes a legend most? When it comes to the legends of jazz, Concord Music Group has that answer for you. Earlier this year, Concord launched The Very Best Of, a new series of "Jazz 101" collections designed at an affordable price point. These compact sets might introduce new fans to daunting catalogues, or offer longtime fans a compact sampler of a favorite artist. The first wave of titles arrived for Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Sonny Rollins (tenor
Release Round-Up: Week of September 11
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Emerson, Lake & Palmer / Tarkus: Deluxe Editions (Razor & Tie) Full review coming soon, but you should know that these are 2-CD/1-DVD sets featuring unreleased alternate takes and 5.1 surround mixes for these two classic prog-rock LPs. Dio, Singles Box Set (UMC) A U.K.-made collectible box replicating all of Dio's Vertigo 12" singles, plus the Intermission live EP and a DVD of music videos. The English Beat, Live at The US Festival '82 & '83 (Shout!
Isn't It Time! Beach Boys Reissues Confirmed For U.S., Two "Greatest Hits" Sets Also Arriving! [UPDATED 9/10]
UPDATE 9/10: It appears that the mono/stereo catalogue remasters for The Beach Boys will now arrive from Capitol/EMI on October 9 in North America, alongside the two greatest hits sets, not the previously announced September 25. As of today's date, we have not confirmed any change of date for the international releases. Watch this space for any further updates! BREAKING NEWS 8/8: The Beach Boys have announced plans for the CD and digital release of two new commemorative hits collections by
Lullaby of Broadway: Classic Columbia, RCA Victor Cast Albums Collected in "Broadway in a Box"
Curtain up! Tomorrow, Sony's Masterworks Broadway division will release Broadway in a Box: The Essential Broadway Musicals Collection, a 25-disc collection formatted similarly to the “Complete Albums” box sets arriving from sister label Legacy Recordings. This impressive collection brings together the original cast recordings for 25 musicals recorded for Columbia Records, Arista Records and RCA Victor between 1949 (South Pacific) and 1987 (Into the Woods and a revival of Anything
Unleash the Beast with New Dio Compilation, Singles Box, Audio Fidelity Reissue
Metal will never die - and neither will the memory of Ronnie James Dio. The late singer will be celebrated with no less than three catalogue projects between now and October. First up, from Universal U.K. comes the Dio Singles Box Set, released last week in the U.K. and available as an import starting this week. The 15-disc set features replicas of all of Dio's Vertigo-era 12" singles, including the Dutch-only "The Last in Line" and French-exclusive Dio Live single, as well as classics like
In Case You Missed It: Rhino U.K. Goes the Distance for Vangelis
At this summer's Olympic Games in London, if there was going to be any film score coming through the speakers, it would be the theme to Chariots of Fire. Vangelis' synthesizer-based piece has resounded in the popular consciousness for more than 30 years. Running along a beach or looking for energy to complete a task? That piano riff - which helped the film win one of four Academy Awards and topped the Billboard charts for a week in 1982 - will likely play in your head until you finish the
Return to Strummerville with Expanded Reissues of Clash Frontman's Solo Discs
In celebration of what would have been Joe Strummer's 60th birthday this year - and, just as sadly, the 10th anniversary of his passing this coming December - the Clash frontman's three albums with latter-day solo band The Mescaleros have received the deluxe treatment both physically and digitally. At the end of August, Hellcat/Epitaph Records released a digital box set, Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros: The Hellcat Years. This 57-track box set contains all three remastered Mescaleros LPs -
Soundtrack Corner: Intrada Offers More "Galactica," La-La Land's "Friday the 13th" Available on Its Own
This week and next see a trio of great film and television scores coming to CD from Intrada and La-La Land Records. First up, it's the long-anticipated third volume of Stu Phillips' music to Battlestar Galactica from Intrada. While the previous two volumes were devoted to only three episodes of the series in total, subsequent installments of BSG largely eschewed new scores for previously-recorded cues tracked into the soundtrack. But Phillips was on hand to compose music for seven
A Second Disc Interview: Talking Matt Monro, Mastering and Mixing with RICHARD MOORE
A remarkable treasure trove of Matt Monro rarities has just been released by EMI Gold, a timely reminder of the artist’s life and career. He was sometimes known as the “Cockney Como” or the “English Sinatra,” but both descriptions fail to adequately capture the essence of the beloved singer’s unique and enduring style. Fortunately, Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro offers that singular sound in abundance as it traces the arc of his entire career, via almost entirely unheard material. We welcomed
Review: "A&M 50: The Anniversary Collection"
On its surface, it seems kind of crazy to make a compilation of tunes from A&M Records. There are plenty of labels with clearer narrative arcs: Columbia was a hotbed for melodic singer-songwriters in the '60s and '70s, from Dylan and Simon & Garfunkel to Springsteen and Billy Joel. Burgeoning soul fans started with Motown and graduated to Stax or Atlantic, depending on their region. ZTT was the place for avant-garde dance-pop/rock in the '80s, much like Elektra was the source for dreamy
Getting the Knack (No, Not That Knack!) From Now Sounds
When The Knack burst onto the scene in 1979 with the album Get the Knack, allegedly the fastest-selling debut LP since Meet the Beatles, was it a case of déjà vu for Dink Kaplan, Larry Gould, Pug Baker and Michael Chain? The "My Sharona" group was a quartet that came to prominence in Los Angeles, played the Sunset Strip, signed to Capitol Records, and was lauded for a Beatlesque pop style via a massive promotional campaign. But Kaplan, Gould, Baker and Chain had been through it all before.
Reissue Theory: Queen, "The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. On an iconic rock star's birthday, we hope for a concert celebrating his life and work to make it onto CD someday. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuqx11UOOP4] On this day, 66 years ago, Farrokh Bulsara was born in Zanzibar. The world would, of course, know him by another name: Freddie Mercury, the iconoclastic frontman for the British hard rock band Queen.
A Second Disc Interview: Talking "Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro" with MICHELE MONRO
A remarkable treasure trove of Matt Monro rarities has just been released by EMI Gold, a timely reminder of the artist’s life and career. He was sometimes known as the “Cockney Como” or the “English Sinatra,” but both descriptions fail to adequately capture the essence of the beloved singer’s unique and enduring style. Fortunately, Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro offers that singular sound in abundance as it traces the arc of his entire career, via almost entirely unheard material. Click here if
David Guetta's Star-Studded Latest to Be Expanded This Fall
Parisian artist/producer/remixer David Guetta stepped back into the spotlight with last year's Top 5 album Nothing But the Beat - a collaboration between Guetta and some of the biggest names in R&B, rap and dance - and next week will present a greatly expanded edition of the album. Nothing But the Beat 2.0 combines the floor-fillers of the original disc, including the hit singles "Without You" (a Top 5 smash with guest vocals from Usher), "Turn Me On" (featuring Nicki Minaj) and "Where Them
Ten Kind Favors: Massive B.B. King Box in Development at Universal (UPDATED WITH TRACK LIST)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Np5Nmxr-1Y] With over half a century in the business of playing the blues, Riley B. King - "B.B." to millions - is the total embodiment of a living legend. As we dive headfirst into box set season, it looks like King's getting a box set from Hip-O/UMe worthy of that legend - and fans can be a part of it. Ladies and Gentlemen...Mr. B.B. King, crafted in honor of the 50th anniversary of King's contract with ABC-Paramount, has all the hallmarks of a
The Heart of a Man: Matt Monro Anthologized On Deluxe 2-CD Set "Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro"
A remarkable treasure trove of Matt Monro rarities has just been released by EMI Gold, a timely reminder of the artist's life and career. He was sometimes known as the "Cockney Como" or the "English Sinatra," but both descriptions fail to adequately capture the essence of the beloved singer's unique and enduring style. Fortunately, Matt Uncovered: The Rarer Monro offers that singular sound in abundance as it traces the arc of his entire career, via almost entirely unheard material. We're
Release Round-Up: Week of September 4
Freddie Mercury & Montserrat Caballé, Barcelona: Deluxe Edition (Island U.K.) The Queen frontman's final solo effort - an ambitious collaboration with a Spanish opera legend - has been given new life on CD, with its original synth instrumentation fully fleshed out by an orchestra. A super deluxe box includes scores of audiovisual extras, and the newly-orchestrated album is also available on vinyl. Judas Priest, Screaming for Vengeance: Special 30th Anniversary Edition (Columbia/Legacy) A
In Memoriam: Hal David (1921-2012)
What's it all about? For Hal David, it was about dedication to his craft, a tireless commitment to songwriters' rights and a desire to bring the world a message of love, sweet love - a sentiment that's never gone out of fashion. The Oscar, Grammy and Gershwin Prize-winning lyricist and former president of performance rights organization ASCAP passed away on September 1. He left behind a world made immeasurably richer by his gift of song. Hal David's turns of phrase in songs like "Raindrops
Music Club Deluxe Go Back to the '80s with 2CD Sets from Yazoo, Duran Duran
Our coverage of Music Club Deluxe's eclectic double-disc budget sets in England takes us to two such titles by favorite synth-oriented pop/rockers of the 1980s: Duran Duran and Yazoo. Birmingham's "Fab Five," the MTV-conquering quintet-turned-trio of the decade, and the short-lived but much-loved duo of big-voiced Alison Moyet and synth whiz Vince Clarke, will each get their own entries on the Music Club Deluxe label, focusing on an unusual, non-chronological mix of hit singles, choice album
Go Where You Wanna Go: The Mamas & The Papas' Farewell, "People Like Us," Expanded by Now Sounds
“I guess no matter what else we do, we’ll always be part of this thing called The Mamas & the Papas, with all its intense love-hate relationships.” So once admitted “Papa” John Phillips, and by all accounts, those familiar relationships flared up in 1971 when John, ex-wife Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot reunited for what would turn out to be their final album together, People Like Us. Yet despite being a contractual obligation for the group, the LP turned out to be a work
(Still) Screaming For Vengeance: Judas Priest Has a 30th Anniversary Edition Comin'
It might get loud. Next Tuesday, September 4, is the date for Legacy Recordings’ 30th anniversary CD/DVD edition of Judas Priest’s 1982 metal classic Screaming for Vengeance. Though the 1982 album wasn’t the first platinum-selling album from the British rock legends, it remains one of the most beloved, spawning radio hits “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’” and “(Take These) Chains.” Though the band formed in Birmingham in 1969 and recorded its first album in 1974, its line-up fluctuated
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