Who among us hasn't been touched by the music of Donna Summer? One of the defining voices of the disco era, Summer has been silenced today after a brave battle with cancer. Yet the music of LaDonna Adrian Gaines, born on New Year's Eve in 1948, will doubtless continue to transport us back to a time when vivacious music blared "On the Radio." Donna Summer implored us to take that "Last Dance" on the disco floor with some very "Bad Girls" in a nearly unrivalled string of hits. She reminded us
In Case You Missed It: A Compilation That Can't Be Kihn-tained
Here's a compilation that slipped through the cracks a few weeks back: Best of Beserkley '75-'84, a new disc covering the work of The Greg Kihn Band, for many years the flagship artist of Beserkley Records. The Berkeley, California-based indie label trafficked in power pop and alt-rock stylings, with early acts including Earth Quake, The Rubinoos and Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers. Kihn, a Baltimore-born singer/songwriter living in Berkeley was an early signee, as well; his debut
Review: Diana Ross, "Live in Central Park"
The hair is the first thing you notice when Diana Ross emerges from a troupe of grass skirt-clad dancers on stage at Central Park in New York City on July 21, 1983. Miss Ross, as she's gotten older, is easily distinguished for that dark, curly mane, like a proud lioness. But while her hair was as resplendent as usual on this night, it was...askew. Musicologists and hardcore Diana fans know why without any explanation: Ross' Central Park concert had the unfortunate circumstance of being schedule
Singin' to the Music: Davy Jones' "Bell Recordings" Joins Monkees' Deluxe "Pool It!" in April, Rhino Offers Limited Vinyl 45
It's no exaggeration to state that the entertainment world was shaken by the sudden passing of Davy Jones on February 29 of this year, responding not only with an outpouring of grief, but with genuinely fond memories of the actor, singer and Monkee. Friday Music is joining Rhino Entertainment in keeping Jones' rich legacy of music alive, with two new releases slated for April 24. After having recently reissued Jones' pre-Monkees debut, the label turns its attention to Jones' 1971-1972 recordings
Soundtrack Surplus: Varese, Intrada, La-La Land Announce List of Heavyweights
Soundtrack fans had a lot of courses to chew on this week, with batches from Intrada and Varese Sarabande landing within mere hours of each other on Monday and Tuesday and a reissue announced for next week by La-La Land Records. Over at Intrada, fans got to enjoy a new entry in the label's Special Collection series: Michael Small's sexy, suspenseful score to The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981). Small's soundtrack is released in full for the first time anywhere, featuring a handful of
Just As He Was: Bill Withers' 1971 Debut "Just As I Am" Reissued By Big Break
Bill Withers titled his 1971 debut album Just As I Am, and the raw, simple and understated cover photo seemed to support that title. Withers, with an ingratiating smile on his face and a lunch pail in his hand, is standing against a brick wall at California's Webber Aircraft facility. The US Navy aircraft mechanic turned guitar-slinging singer/songwriter was somewhat of an anomaly on the music scene, and in his understated manner wrote on the album's jacket, "It matters not where I came from
Reissue Theory: Squeeze, "East Side Story"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. Today marks the just-over-three-decade mark on a classic British LP of the '80s that is practically screaming for a deluxe effort. If you were brave or foolhardy enough to label Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook the heirs to the throne of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, 1981 was truly the year to do it. The British singer/songwriters and their little New Wave band that could,
It's A Happening World: Real Gone Announces Sixties Bonanza of Electric Prunes, Tokens, Timi Yuro, More
It will be a sixties flashback on June 26 when Real Gone Music ushers in the summer with five releases from that golden decade of music. “Complete Singles” collections are due from experimental rockers The Electric Prunes and big-voiced soul queen Timi Yuro, and the label is also anthologizing the legendary folk group The New Christy Minstrels. Last but certainly not least, two original LPs are being remastered and expanded: an outré pop classic from The Tokens and the debut of “international
Needles and Pins: Searchers Box Set Finally Back on Schedule
Back on July 26, 2010, we reported on Sweets, Spice, Sugar, Pins and Needles, a 4-CD, 120-track boxed retrospective dedicated to The Searchers, the second-most famous band to emerge from Liverpool during the British Invasion! We wrote: One of the best and most successful bands to come out of Liverpool, The Searchers may have toiled in the shadow of that other band from Liverpool, but hits like “Sugar and Spice,” “Pins and Needles” and “When You Walk in the Room” remain some of the strongest
Review: Real Gone Goes Country with Eddie Rabbitt, Mel McDaniel, Cowboy Copas
What defines country music? The answer isn’t an easy one. Dolly Parton is undoubtedly singing a country-and-western song when she reminisces about “My Tennessee Mountain Home,” but how about when she’s warbling “Here You Come Again” by the Brill Building team of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil? Are Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift country artists as pop stars, or pop stars as country artists? Billboard recently described none other than Bruce Springsteen as “a symbolic fencepost
Within My World: Dave Clark's "Time" Reissued, Features Freddie Mercury, Dionne Warwick, Julian Lennon, Cliff Richard, More
Today, London’s Dominion Theatre is home to We Will Rock You, a tongue-in-cheek “jukebox musical” featuring the music of Queen. That show is currently celebrating its 10th year at the Dominion, but even before the “Bohemian Rhapsody” chaps came to town, the Dominion was no stranger to mega-musicals from rock stars. In 1986, Dave Clark of the Dave Clark Five put his name above the title of a lavish spectacle called Time. Clark collaborated on the musical’s book and lyrics with David Soames;
Is There Anyone Out There? Maroon 5 to Expand Debut Album Alongside Newest LP (UPDATE 5/11)
As crazy as it may sound, the debut album by pop-rock band Maroon 5 is turning 10 this year, and the band is picking a strange time to commemorate it. The band and their label, A&M/Octone, are partnering to release a double-disc expanded edition of 2002's Songs About Jane featuring "original demos, unreleased material and videos." The set will be released to general retail on June 5; a deluxe bundle, available on the band's website, also comes with a bonus lithograph "incorporating original
Be My Baby: Sundazed Preps Spector Reissues On Vinyl
It's once again time to go back to mono. Sundazed has just announced the vinyl reissue of four classic albums from Phil Spector's Philles label. On July 31, The Ronettes' Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica by the Ronettes; Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah by Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans; and The Crystals' Uptown and He's A Rebel will all receive the Sundazed treatment. All four albums were reissued on CD last year from Phil Spector Records and Legacy Recordings as part of The Philles
Review: The Ad Libs, "The Complete Blue Cat Recordings"
Ooh-wah, ooh-wah, cool, cool kitty! Tell us about the boy from New York City… And indeed, much of America listened to the Ad Libs tell of that kinda tall, really fine guy in his mohair suit. The Top 10 hit turned radio’s attention from Swinging London back to New York City for a brief moment, but the group was never able to repeat the song’s success. It wasn’t for lack of trying, though, as Real Gone Music’s The Complete Blue Cat Recordings (Real Gone RGM-0500, 2012) proves. Though the Ad
No More Wire Hangers! Henry Mancini's "Mommie Dearest" Joins Christopher Komeda's "Rosemary's Baby" On CD (UPDATED)
Mother's Day is just around the corner, and La-La Land Records is celebrating with a couple of releases celebrating some, ahem, very unusual mothers. No, the world premiere of the soundtrack to Psycho isn't among the duo, but this pair just might be the next best thing. On May 8, the label will issue Henry Mancini's score to 1981's cult campfest Mommie Dearest and Christopher (Krzysztof) Komeda's score to 1968's horror classic Rosemary's Baby, both from the vaults of Paramount
Review: Shorty Long, "The Complete Motown Stereo Masters"
Frederick Long's nickname "Shorty" was ironic considering his surname, but the diminutive pianist, songwriter and vocalist was indeed a mere 5'1". Yet Shorty was Long on talent. Harvey Fuqua brought Long to Motown with him from Tri-Phi, and Long was eventually selected by Berry Gordy to inaugurate the new Soul label, designed to showcase the funkier side of the Sound of Young America. That single arrived in 1964, but Gordy didn't release a Long solo album until 1968, just one year before the
What Kind of Love: Ike Turner's Sixties "Studio Productions" Compiled By Ace
Though some credit him with creating the very first rock and roll song (1951’s “Rocket 88,” credited to Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats), Ike Turner’s tumultuous personal life has long taken priority in the public eye over his groundbreaking musical achievements. Yet Turner, in addition to maintaining a grueling schedule on the road with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, turned out a prodigious amount of studio material on a variety of labels. The latest addition to Ace Records’ Producers
All Together Now: The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" Remastered Songtrack and Blu-Ray to Bow in June [UPDATED]
Last Tuesday saw the American release on Blu-Ray and DVD of Martin Scorsese's 2011 documentary on the life of George Harrison, Living in the Material World. That notable title, however, isn't the only Beatles-related film coming to home video. On June 5, the Fabs' delightfully trippy 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine will be reissued on DVD and make its Blu-Ray debut in a brand-new transfer. That same day, the 1999 Yellow Submarine Songtrack CD will also see a remastered reissue. Directed
Kylie Minogue Celebrates Quarter Century with New Compilation
Twenty-five years is quite a long time for any pop star to survive, much less thrive. Australia's darling Kylie Minogue has been doing just that for a quarter century, and is celebrating that landmark with a new greatest hits album to be released this summer. The Best of Kylie Minogue compiles 21 tracks - 18 of them Top 5 hits in the U.K. - to celebrate the anniversary of the singer's first single, a cover of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion" produced by the Stock Aitken Waterman team that became
Back Tracks: The Beastie Boys
With the heartbreaking news of the passing of Adam "MCA" Yauch of The Beastie Boys, who'd been battling cancer for several years, we invite you to enjoy this Back Tracks special from October 27, 2010, in which we revisited the band's discography and its reissues. The slightly bizarre news that The Beastie Boys' upcoming album Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 2, slated for release this coming spring, will feature virtually every track recorded for the delayed Hot Sauce Committee Pt. 1 is classic Beastie
Ram On: Paul McCartney Archive Collection's "Ram" Coming In May [UPDATED WITH FULL TRACK LISTING AND DETAILS]
We're gonna keep this one short and sweet, dear boys and long-haired ladies. Yes, the oft-rumored Paul McCartney Archive Collection of Paul and Linda McCartney's 1971 album Ram is very close to becoming a reality. On March 22, it was officially announced that Ram will be reissued in multiple formats on May 22. But one of those formats will be a bit surprising to collectors of previous Archive Collection titles. It appears that Ram will not follow the hardcover book format of those past
Not Too Late: Norah Jones Box Set Due On SACD, Vinyl
Much has always been made of the success rate of Grammy recipients in the Best New Artist category, with some artists damning the prize as a curse. While some winners have, indeed, been unable to match their initial success, the list of winners also includes such long-running artists as Tom Jones, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Carly Simon, Bette Midler, and Sheryl Crow plus unlikely but distinguished names like Bob Newhart and Marvin Hamlisch, and a little band known as The Beatles! One more recent
Short Takes, Bonus Tracks Edition: Paul Simon, Paul McCartney, Carole King Offer Exclusives
In recent years, the retailer-exclusive bonus track has become an important if controversial part of music sales. Today’s Short Takes, then, is your public service announcement and guide to the bonus tracks available with three recent and upcoming titles from some of music’s most legendary artists. Chances are you might want to own these previously-unreleased rarities! Last week saw the release of Carole King’s The Legendary Demos from Rockingale Records and Hear Music. Its thirteen
An Omnivore's Appetite: Tasty Treats From Jellyfish, The Knack, Buck Owens and Ernie Kovacs Coming Soon
Nobody could accuse the fine folks at Omnivore Recordings of not living up to the label's name! After all, "omnivore" is derived from the Latin for "all" and "everything." And Omnivore's recently announced slate of upcoming releases certainly qualifies as encompassing music from an incredibly wide variety of genres and eras. The label's packed line-up for May, June and July takes in legends from the world of comedy and country-and-western plus new wave and power pop pioneers! Two releases
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living on Cherry Red's El Label
The English-speaking world was let in on a secret when, early in 1968, it was revealed that Belgian songwriter/actor Jacques Brel was Alive and Well and Living in Paris. The musical revue opened at New York’s Village Gate and counted among its cast Mort Shuman, the Brill Building-era composer of “Viva Las Vegas,” “This Magic Moment” and “Save the Last Dance for Me,” all co-written with Doc Pomus. Shuman had become enchanted with Brel’s hauntingly dramatic music, and in addition to performing
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