Dear Donovan: what's it been like being you? The enigmatic Scotsman born Donovan Philips Leitch has worn many colours since bursting onto the music scene in 1965: the guitar-slinging Woody Guthrie disciple of "Catch the Wind," the mystical folkie of "Season of the Witch," the lysergic hippie of "Sunshine Superman," the sinister rock narrator of "Hurdy Gurdy Man." Though he's never retired, the poet/troubadour has maintained a low profile in recent years. He's only sporadically emerged with
Short Takes: Sex Pistols to Reissue Another Single, Waylon's Last Works Due in Fall
The Sex Pistols' controversial single "God Save the Queen" is getting repressed for its 35th anniversary on May 28. Universal Music Catalogue in the U.K. will re-release the single, a month after repressing "Anarchy in the U.K." for Record Store Day and four months before reissuing the band's Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols. It is unknown if the single, released alongside the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977, will feature "No Feeling," the original B-side on the extremely rare
By the Power of Grayskull: "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" Soundtrack Comes to CD...Via France!
Here’s one off the beaten reissue path for you children of the eighties! Chances are you’ll remember Masters of the Universe: Prince Adam of Eternia transformed into the valiant warrior He-Man to defend his kingdom from the evil forces of Skeletor. Launched as an action figure line in 1982, the franchise reached its largest audience via Filmation’s animated television series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. 130 episodes were produced over two seasons, but the series continued to air
It's a Beauty: Iconoclassic Continues Reissue Series for The Guess Who, The Tubes (UPDATED WITH LINKS AND TRACK LISTS)
In a surprise announcement, Iconoclassic Records is continuing their successful reissue campaigns for The Guess Who and The Tubes this summer. Two Guess Who's #10 (1973) and Road Food (1974) - the sixth and seventh in the label's long line of Guess Who remasters - and The Tubes' Outside Inside (1983) will be remastered and expanded, according to Iconoclassic's Facebook page. When Outside Inside's lead single "She's a Beauty" cracked the Top 10 in 1983, The Tubes became one of the unlikeliest
Release Round-Up: Week of April 17
Janis Joplin, The Pearl Sessions (Columbia/Legacy) Essentially a new double-disc deluxe edition of Joplin's final album, with mono single mixes and a heap of mostly unreleased session outtakes as bonus tracks. Little Richard,
The Hungry Years: Neil Sedaka's "Tra-La Days" and "Overnight Success" Arrive on CD, 10cc and Elton John Guest
From “Happy Birthday, Sweet Sixteen” to “Breaking Up is Hard to Do,” Neil Sedaka drew on a seemingly endless well of onomatopoeic hooks to enliven his early rock-and-roll records, leaving no Tra-la-la or do-be-doo untouched. The Juilliard-trained musician and native of Brooklyn, New York was one of the relatively rare few rockers of his generation equally adept at both performing and songwriting. As active members of Don Kirshner’s Aldon Music stable (alongside Carole King and Gerry Goffin as
Take Off the Mask: Greg Phillinganes' "Pulse" Expanded by Big Break Records
Never a label to count out in the R&B reissue game, one of Big Break Records' latest reissues is guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of liner note hounds everywhere: Pulse, the second solo album from keyboard legend Greg Phillinganes. While the 28-year-old Phillinganes may not have been a household name when Pulse was released at the end of 1984, anyone with a serious ear for pop and R&B had likely already heard his work: from 1976 to 1981, he served as a keyboardist for Stevie
Beat Crazy: Legendary Ska Group to Receive Catalogue Overhaul in Two Countries!
In what is quite possibly the first such occurrence since The Second Disc opened up shop in 2010, one popular ska band from England is getting two very different sets of catalogue reissues in their native land as well as the United States. The Beat - known as The English Beat in North America - were among the top bands of the late-'70s/early-'80s ska revival in England. With an eclectic lineup (Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger sharing lead vocals, Andy Cox on guitar, bassist David Steele,
Reissue Theory: Guns N' Roses, "Appetite for Destruction: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. Now that they're safely ensconced in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it's time to imagine a deluxe edition of Guns N' Roses' landmark debut album - and we think we made up a pretty good list. It's safe to say the door has finally, unquestionably closed on the classic Guns N' Roses lineup as of this weekend, when the legendary California hard-rockers were inducted into the
Get Up, Stand Up: "Marley" Soundtrack Chronicles Reggae Legend in Song
With the impending release of Marley, a new documentary chronicling the life and work of Jamaica's favorite son, Universal is releasing a new compilation of tunes featured in the movie, featuring a few rare and unreleased goodies. Robert Nestor Marley remains one of the definitive forces in the reggae genre. From his early works as a member of The Wailers alongside fellow legends Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, to his reinvention of the group as a backing band for his increasingly beautiful,
King of Cool: Career-Spanning Dean Martin Box Set "Collected Cool" Coming in June, Uncut Dino DVDs Arriving in May
How lucky can one guy be? Although Dean Martin's exhaustive catalogue has been definitively anthologized on four massive box sets released by Germany's Bear Family label between 1997 and 2001, unheard material from the King of Cool continues to be discovered. Reporting in February 2011 about the then-recent Cool Then, Cool Now 2-CD/book box set, this writer opined: "A true career retrospective box with material from each label and era would be essential for those Martin fans looking for more
Bacharach, Sondheim, Lloyd Webber Honored by Melissa Manchester, Dave Koz, Stephen Bishop and More on New Kritzerland Releases
Kritzerland is reaching into the vaults of Los Angeles’ S.T.A.G.E. charitable organization for three star-filled releases celebrating composers who need no introduction: Burt Bacharach, Stephen Sondheim and Andrew Lloyd Webber. These live concert recordings feature renowned artists from the worlds of pop (Melissa Manchester, Stephen Bishop) and jazz (Dave Koz, Ann Hampton Callaway) plus stars from stage, screen and television (Tyne Daly, Felicity Huffman, Len Cariou, Charlotte Rae, Donna
Here She Comes Again: Cracker Barrel Offers Reissued Dolly Parton Live Set On CD/DVD
With a catalogue of over fifty studio albums, both solo and as a duet partner, and a reported 3,000+ songs, it's hard to dispute Dolly Rebecca Parton's standing as a reigning queen of country music. Still, such an appellation sells Parton short, seeing as she's also an actress, author, entrepreneur and philanthropist with multiple Grammy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, the National Medal of Arts, and Oscar and Tony nominations. Even when crossing over onto the pop charts or courting a wide
Come Rain or Come Shine: Tracie Bennett's "End of the Rainbow" Arrives From Masterworks Broadway
“After watching Tracie Bennett’s electrifying interpretation of [Judy] Garland in the intense production that opened Monday night at the Belasco Theater, you feel exhilarated and exhausted, equally ready to dance down the street and crawl under a rock. In other words, you feel utterly alive with all the contradictions that implies,” The New York Times’ Ben Brantley about the performance at the center of Peter Quilter’s play End of the Rainbow. This fictionalized look at Judy Garland’s final
Get Down: Gilbert O'Sullivan's "I'm A Writer, Not A Fighter" Remastered and Expanded
Are you ready for another trip through Gilbertville? The fine folks at Salvo and Union Square Music have just released the latest title in their acclaimed Gilbert O’Sullivan reissue series, and though the album is called I’m a Writer, Not a Fighter, it might as well have been named Another Side of Gilbert O’Sullivan. On this 1973 set, the singer/songwriter placed less emphasis on the acoustic piano, his usual instrument of choice, and more on keyboards. These electronic textures musically
Information Society: In Praise of Passions Just Like Mine and Other Uber-Fan Sites
Today bought a major dark cloud over the days of Morrissey and The Smiths fans everywhere, even more so than the reissue of Viva Hate. Passions Just Like Mine, the long-running discography/videography/gigography for Manchester's favorite singer/songwriter, has closed up shop. In a statement, the site's founder, Stephane, announced a desire to pursue "a few other personal projects in mind (unrelated to Morrissey)" but was still taking suggestions as to "what to do with the body." (The body of
By Grabthar's Hammer! "Galaxy Quest" Score Unearthed from Vaults
With all the Star Trek soundtrack love expressed in the reissue world lately, it's awesome to report the premiere release of the score to the best Trek satire there ever was. The soundtrack to the excellent 1999 comedy Galaxy Quest is making its commercial debut from La-La Land Records. Galaxy Quest is the tale of a group of struggling actors known for playing the crew of a short-lived cult favorite show of the same name. Tim Allen is the William Shatner-esque captain, Sigourney Weaver the
Nothing But Everything But the Girl: U.K. Pop Duo Expands First Four Albums
Fans of U.K. sophisti-pop duo Everything But the Girl are justified in saying they miss them. They're even justified in saying they miss Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, who haven't performed under the EBTG moniker since 2000, the same way the deserts miss the rain. But all is not lost, thanks to the tireless efforts of Demon/Edsel (arguably the hardest-working U.K. reissue label in the game right now), who are working with Thorn and Watt in expanding the band's first four albums (originally released
Get It On: Marc Bolan Goes Super Deluxe with T. Rex "Electric Warrior," 2-CD, 1-CD Versions Also Available [UPDATED]
Before David Bowie was Ziggy Stardust, Marc Bolan was the Electric Warrior. A major turning point in the glam-rock revolution of the U.K., the Electric Warrior album (1971) effectively buried the psychedelic folk rock of Tyrannosaurus Rex and immortalized the trashy hard rock of T. Rex. True, one successful single (“Ride a White Swan”) and eponymous album had already introduced the T. Rex name in 1970, and the single “Hot Love” first boasted the expanded band line-up of Bolan, Mickey Finn, Steve
Still Willin': Edsel Reissues A Pair From Little Feat
Though the band formed in 1970 and found a home on Burbank’s famed Warner Bros. label with a debut album produced by L.A. stalwart Russ Titelman, Little Feat always stood apart from its California rock brethren. Still, the blues/rock/funk outfit attracted the attention of some important members of the Laurel Canyon crowd. “Willin’,” written by Feat’s de facto leader and chief songwriter Lowell George, found a home on Linda Ronstadt’s Heart Like a Wheel album. The song was reportedly despised
Love So Fine: Nick DeCaro's "Works" Features James Taylor, B.J. Thomas, Andy Williams, More
Though the A&M stands for (Herb) Alpert and (Jerry) Moss, A&M Records has meant a great many things to a great many people since its founding in 1962. Those who came of age in the 1980s may think of the famous logo adorning records by Sting, Janet Jackson or Bryan Adams. In the 1970s, the label was home to The Carpenters, Cat Stevens and Joe Cocker. In the 1960s, A&M was not only a label but a “sound.” That sound was a certain, beguiling style of sophisticated adult soft-pop
Release Round-Up: Week of April 10
Howard Jones, One to One / Cross That Line / In the Running: Remastered Edition (Dtox) HoJo's last set of remasters is a five disc set featuring his last three Warner-era albums from 1986 to 1992, plus two generous discs of B-sides and remixes. Parts of this era are really underrated, and if this box is as loving as the last one was, it may well earn your everlasting love. Various Artists, Philadelphia International Classics: The Tom Moulton Mixes (Harmless) This gorgeous four-disc set,
Put Your Hands Together: Massive 10-CD Philadelphia International Box Due [UPDATED]
Philadelphia International Records has turned 40, and you're invited to the party! Sony's Legacy Recordings thrilled fans earlier this year with the archival release of Golden Gate Groove, a Don Cornelius-hosted concert that brought together many of the label's biggest and brightest stars, from the O'Jays to Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass. The folks across the pond at the Harmless label have already dropped Philadelphia International: The Re-Edits, with 21 tracks
Philadelphia Freedom: Dexter Wansel Is "Captured" By Robinsongs
Welcome to our second feature today spotlighting artists of the Philadelphia International label! First we looked at The O'Jays' pre-PIR period! Now it's time to look at a lost post-PIR album from Dexter Wansel! Philadelphia-born Dexter Wansel made quite an impression in the City of Brotherly Love, becoming one of the leading lights of the Gamble and Huff organization's "second golden age" of 1976-1983 and playing a key role in shaping the latter-day Sound of Philadelphia. A keyboard
Albert King Will "Play the Blues for You," with Vault Material
Here's a title for Stax fans to mark on their calendars: a reissue of Albert King's I'll Play the Blues for You (1972), expanded with four bonus tracks in anticipation of the album's 40th anniversary. King was already revered for his work with Stax Records, which he had been signed to since 1966. It was a boom period for the Memphis label, with Otis Redding earning high marks for his crossover performance at the Monterey International Pop Festival and Sam & Dave entering the pop charts with
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