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
Twisted Sister Goes Back "Under the Blade"
For years, fans of Twisted Sister have rightfully complained about the less-than-ideal treatment of the band's catalogue on CD. Rhino Records, who'd have first crack at the band's output for Atlantic Records, largely stayed away even after a great 25th anniversary deluxe edition of the band's classic Stay Hungry, which yielded the metal-pop classics "I Wanna Rock" and "We're Not Gonna Take It." And recent releases through Eagle Rock Entertainment have been nothing more than straight
UMe Declares WAR
You probably knew this already, based on the presence of an ICON title for the legendary funk group WAR, but Universal Music Enterprises has acquired the rights to their back catalogue. And it looks like they may be gearing up to do some stuff with it. The label issued a press release last week in honor of the band's 40th anniversary year, detailing a few notable bits of info about the band's plans to celebrate. While the band will be touring and working on a new album - their first since
Another Chance to Visit Dave Grusin's "Mulholland Falls"
One year before Curtis Hanson made film noir hip again with LA Confidential, director Lee Tamahori and screenwriter Pete Dexter proved that there was still a lot of life in the old form. They assembled an all-star cast led by Nick Nolte, Chazz Palminteri, Jennifer Connelly and John Malkovich for Mulholland Falls. The production was top-notch, with the legendary Haskell Wexler (In the Heat of the Night, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Thomas Crown Affair) signed as cinematographer, and
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,
Are You Hangin' on the Edge of Your Seat? Second Round of Queen Remasters Have Track Lists
With all the excitement in and out of Second Disc HQ, we couldn't dare let the revelation of confirmed bonus content on the second wave of Queen reissues pass you by. The track lists for each bonus EP for the next batch of remasters - News of the World, Jazz, The Game, Flash Gordon and Hot Space - were posted to Queen's website Thursday. And they're pretty much what you might expect, with a little bit of what you might not. Once again, each EP has about five or six tracks, drawing from either
UPDATE: REO Speedwagon Will Keep on Loving You
Way back in July 2010, we reported on some rumblings of an expanded reissue of REO Speedwagon's 1980 Hi Infidelity. Better late than never! Thanks to the good people at MusicTAP for passing along the long-awaited news! The 30th Anniversary Edition of the nine-times-platinum album which spawned "Keep On Loving You" and "Take It on the Run" is finally set for release! Frontman Kevin Cronin has kept to his word, as he told Billboard last year that the band recently found old
Wainwright Family Tree: Anna and Kate McGarrigle, Reissued and Expanded
When Kate McGarrigle succumbed to cancer in February 2010, the music world lost one of its brightest lights. The wife of Loudon Wainwright III and mother of Rufus Wainwright, Kate proved herself a keen observer of the world as both a songwriter and a performer, most often with her older sister Anna. The very same week Loudon’s long career was celebrated with the release of a career-spanning box set, Nonesuch released a three-disc collection devoted to Kate and Anna McGarrigle. Tell My Sister
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
This Charming Man: Artists on Their Reissues
vHere's some food for thought regarding a trend that seems to be popping up here and there on the reissue front. One can never expect Morrissey to shy away from expressing his opinion on anything, and he won't let anything - even the sake of his relationships on the catalogue side of things. The mercurial singer recently took to his beloved fan site True to You to vent about, among other things, the poor presence of his latest compilation, The Very Best of Morrissey. "To top off all the
Long Live Rock and Roll! Dio Compilation Due in U.K. This May
Ronnie James Dio passed away in 2010, but his spirit has lived on rather nicely in the world of reissues. In recent years, Universal in the U.K. has released expansive deluxe editions of the vocalist's work with Black Sabbath and Rainbow, not to mention a few archival releases through his own estate's Niji Entertainment Group. Now, Universal Music Catalogue will add another compilation to the mix for U.K. fans - one which covers, in two discs, all of the artist's major-label acts. Mightier Than
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
In Case You Missed It: A Full Spectrum of U.K. Compilations in May
The Spectrum family of labels in the U.K., which includes the catalogues of what Americans count toward Universal Music Group, have a few affordable compilations on the market in the coming month from a diverse crop of artists. On May 23, the label will release compilations from Styx as well as both Fleetwood Mac and Rod Stewart. (The latter two artists, whose catalogues reside with Warner Music Group in the U.S., will focus on each act's "early years.") It's also worth noting that Spectrum has
"Lifes Rich Pageant" Gets Richer for 25th Anniversary
It's always good to see a band focusing on their catalogue while they're still putting out fresh, new music. This year, R.E.M. is one of the acts to have a foot in both camps, releasing their 15th studio album, Collapse Into Now, in March, and will release another 25th anniversary edition of an album this summer, with Lifes Rich Pageant (1986) getting the deluxe treatment from EMI/Capitol. R.E.M.'s fourth LP, which was produced by Don Gehman (producer of John Mellencamp's '80s hit records), was
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
More Intrada Obscurities Arrive
This week's soundtrack reissues from Intrada are an underrated '70s soundtrack album making its CD debut and the premiere of a '50s World War II score. First up, the score to Sleuth, a 1972 film adaptation of the Tony-winning play by Anthony Shaffer. The British playwright adapted his own work for the screen, and All About Eve director Joseph L. Mankiewicz was at the helm, with a stellar cast anchored by Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine, both of whom were nominated for Oscars for their
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
Release Round-Up: Week of May 3
Sade, The Ultimate Collection (Epic) The sultry British soul band anthologized across two discs, featuring several brand-new tracks - the perfect teaser for their long-awaited summer tour. (Official site) Loudon Wainwright, 40 Odd Years (Shout! Factory) The witty singer/songwriter is anthologized across four CDs and a DVD. Check for Joe's review later today! (Shout! Factory) Rush, Moving Pictures: Deluxe Edition (Blu-Ray) (Mercury/UMe) Already available at Best Buy since April, the
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
More McCartney: "The Family Way" Soundtrack Coming From Varese
"The directors, the Boulting Brothers, actually approached me, one of them, Roy, and he was interested in some of the music we've been writing. He said, 'Would you be interested in actually writing something for film?' I said, 'Wow, great honour.' And they're very good directors, quite famous English directors, so I knew they'd be good and the film would be good, and a very good cast with John Mills and Hayley Mills and Hywell Bennett. So I said, 'Yeah, okay!'" So told Paul McCartney to
Dusty Springfield's Lana Sisters Years Compiled By RPM
At last, the remaining piece of the Dusty Springfield puzzle hits CD. On May 23, Cherry Red label RPM will reissue the complete recordings of The Lana Sisters, the late-fifties girl group formed by Ris Chantelle, Lynne Abrams and Mary Catherine O'Brien, later to find fame as soul queen Dusty Springfield. Between 1958 and 1960, The Lana Sisters released seven singles on the U.K.'s Fontana label, all of which are included on RPM's Chantelly Lace: Complete Singles Plus Bonus Tracks. Despite
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.
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