When it comes to the recent
Michael Small's "Audrey Rose" Arrives on CD
Despite his acclaimed scores to films such as Klute, The Parallax View, Marathon Man and The China Syndrome, Michael Small (1939-2003) remains one of the most underrated names in the film score pantheon. Too few a number of Small’s works have been made available on CD, yet his singular voice enhanced a number of great films (and even some bad ones - Ed.). This is especially true during his 1970s peak in which he collaborated with directors as celebrated as Alan J. Pakula, Bryan Forbes, Sidney
Now Sounds Readies "The Collage" for Expanded CD Debut
When The Collage signed with Mercury Records' Smash division in 1968 (also the home of The Left Banke), the group was on the verge of a breakthrough. Consisting of Jerry Careaga, Ron Joelson, Donna Byrd and Jodie Cline, the two-man, two-woman Collage was in the mold of The Mamas and the Papas, but with two ace songwriters instead of one; Careaga and Joelson worked as a team. Their songs - described by Careaga as "beat-poetry lyrics to show-tune-style melodies" - grabbed the attention of industry
RCA to Salute "Idol" Hands in New Compilation
As if music fans needed another reminder that, every now and then, the pop culture ship sometimes docks in unusual waters, Sony is prepping a compilation of hits for American Idol's tenth anniversary. I mean, whaaaaaat? Alright, so the show's being a bit premature in celebrating its legacy; Idol premiered on FOX in the summer of 2002 and has failed to let up since. The idea of plucking a pop star from obscurity has lost much of its novelty status, but there have been some great artists and acts
Another Morrissey Compilation is Coming
If you thought you already had the best of Morrissey on CD - even if you probably do - Moz is going to prove you wrong with The Very Best of Morrissey, a new CD/DVD compilation due in April. If our count is correct, this is Morrissey's seventh or eighth compilation, but it's good to see he's still active. The track list collects pretty much all the hits you'd expect from the HMV/Parlophone era of 1988 to 1995, including a few choice B-sides and single material (U.S. mixes of "Tomorrow" and "My
Release Round-Up: Week of February 22
Johnny Cash, Bootleg 2: From Memphis to Hollywood (Columbia/Legacy) Rarities from the Man in Black, including rare radio performances, demos and single sides. (Official site) Various Artists, Wall of Sound: The Very Best of Phil Spector / The Ronettes, Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes / The Crystals, Da Doo Ron Ron: The Very Best of The Crystals / Darlene Love, The Sound of Love: The Very Best of Darlene Love (Phil Spector Records/Legacy) Legacy finally gets things going with their
A "Cliffhanger" Coming from Intrada
Intrada knows how to make film score fans hang onto every release: their latest batch includes a long-unreleased, underrated suspense score and the long-awaited deluxe reissue of a classic early '90s action score. Released in 1993, Cliffhanger, starring Sylvester Stallone as a mountaineer unwillingly forced into a heist led by John Lithgow was a critical and commercial success, and featured a great action score by Trevor Jones. The soundtrack called back to classic scores by luminaries like
Presidents' Day Special Feature: Stan Freberg, "The United States of America"
Here's one for Watson: "This actor, comedian, voice artist, singer, songwriter and advertising guru coined the name 'Grammy' for the annual awards bestowed by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS)." The correct answer? "Who is Stan Freberg?" To list Freberg's credits in the fields of cinema, radio, television, animation and music would take up the entirety of this column, but readers unfamiliar with those accomplishments are advised to stop reading now, order a copy of
Robbie Williams Reissues to Entertain You in March
After a new double-disc compilation and a heavily-publicized reunion with U.K. boy band Take That (who will go on tour this year), EMI will have another batch of goodies for the Robbie Williams fan in your life: new CD/DVD reissues of the singer's Chrysalis catalogue. Williams - one of the most celebrated male singers in England, with more BRIT Award wins than anyone and some 60 million albums sold worldwide - recorded seven LPs for Chrysalis between 1997 and 2006. Each one topped the British
Friday Feature: "Catch Me If You Can"
It's hard not to be skeptical over the fact that Catch Me If You Can, the amazing "true story of a real fake," is coming to Broadway. Modern musicals based on existing properties either hew too close to their original musical source material (if they were already rooted in song, like Footloose) or not close enough; consider Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark, for instance. (Or don't!) The few songs this author's heard from the Catch Me musical score, sent on a promotional disc, are jaunty and fun
Lauded Wainwright: Box Set to Honor Musical Patriarch (UPDATED)
Loudon Wainwright III has had a charmed life. The singer/songwriter has captivated audiences for decades with his witty, self-deprecating style. He's also done an impressive job of passing on his musical gift through genetics; children Rufus, Martha and Lucy Wainwright Roche are all accomplished singer/songwriters in their own right. But his latest project is all his to celebrate: a box set spanning his idiosyncratic career, coming out in May on Shout! Factory. 40 Odd Years is to be a
Bo Goes to the Beach in Hip-o Select Reissue
Hip-o Select, in addition to prepping what they've confirmed is the penultimate set of James Brown singles, has got a blues title coming up: a straight reissue of Bo Diddley's Beach Party, the first live album by guitar legend Bo Diddley. Recorded over two nights in June of 1963 at a club in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Bo Diddley's Beach Party features nine of the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's original songs and an instrumental cover of fellow Chessman Chuck Berry's "Memphis." This set makes
Reissue Theory: Madonna, "Like a Prayer"
By now, you've likely heard the 1,000th No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 - Lady Gaga's new single "Born This Way." The dance anthem has come under a bit of fire for critics thanks to its striking similarity to another dance-pop icon's hit, Madonna's "Express Yourself." The Madonna-Gaga comparisons have been wildly obvious from the start - Italian-American, dyed blonde singers with decent if not fantastic voices, a flair for the visual and a desire to control every aspect of their iconography
Billy Preston's Debut to Get Digital Reissue
Interest in Billy Preston has piqued in recent years thanks to reissues of his work with The Beatles ("Get Back," of course one of the last great hits on The Fab Four's recent, Grammy-winning remasters) and beyond (two albums for The Beatles' Apple Records, reissued last year). Now, ABKCO goes a bit deeper into the vaults to release, for the first time in years, Preston's first album. 16 Year Old Soul, released in 1963 on Sam Cooke's SAR/Derby label, captured Preston at the very beginning. He
Metallica's "Garage" Days Re-Visited on Vinyl Reissue
Metallica are reissuing their Garage Inc. compilation in several vinyl formats. Garage Inc. was a double-disc set released in 1998 that showcased the multiple rock influences of the L.A.-based metal gods. One disc was comprised of newly recorded covers of favorites from Black Sabbath and Thin Lizzy to Bob Seger and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The other disc was another collection of covers that the band had previously released on singles and EPs (notably the then-out-of-print 1987 EP The $5.98 EP: Garage
A Material Reissue Coming from Hip-o Select
Every now and then one wonders what Hip-o Select has to offer outside of the Motown and Verve canon. Not that the volumes of catalogue gold coming from the fine producers and compilers devoted to those genres are overkill - quite the opposite - but it would be nice to see other acts in the Universal roster receive the Select treatment. That's what makes the news of a reissue from short-lived power-pop band Material Issue such a delight. The Chicago band only released a small handful of LPs, EPs
Back Tracks: Buffalo Springfield Reunion Special
“Used to play in a rock ‘n roll band, but they broke up. We were young and we were wild, it ate us up,” lamented Neil Young in the song “Buffalo Springfield Again” from his 2000 album Silver and Gold. “I’d like to see those guys again, and give it a shot. Maybe now we can show the world what we’ve got. But I’d just like to play for the fun we had.” Some 11 years later, Young’s wish may be coming true. On February 10, Rolling Stone carried a headline for which fans had waited years: “Exclusive:
The Price of Box Sets: How Much is Too Much?
The revelation of The Rolling Stones' CD singles box set is pretty cool, and living proof that the catalogue music business is still thriving. It's a year that's given or will give us a box set of Danny Elfman's music for Tim Burton, all of Aretha Franklin's Columbia-era material and an enormous run-through of The Grateful Dead's European tour of 1972. But how much is all of this worth? The Stones set, when one converts from pounds to U.S. dollars, is nearly $300. How worth it is that for some
More Gerhardt LPs Coming from Masterworks in March
In October, to the delight of film score fans everywhere, Sony Masterworks reissued a portion of the Classic Film Scores series, vintage RCA LPs of great soundtracks as recorded by Charles Gerhardt and The National Philharmonic Orchestra. In March, the second installment of the reissue series is happening, covering some of the greatest composers in motion picture history, including Hermann, Waxman, Korngold and Steiner. Masterworks' reissue campaign, announced today, covers compilations
Get Up Offa That Thing! New Volume of JB Singles Ready for Order
The tenth volume of Hip-o Select's ongoing James Brown singles series is ready to order. The Singles Volume 10 collects each side of all the 45s J.B. released from 1975 to 1979. At a time when disco was taking hold of pop music's conscience, the Godfather of Soul soldiered on as the self-proclaimed "Minister of New Super Heavy Funk," and delivered just that with classics like "Get Up Offa That Thing," "Hot (I Need to Be Loved, Loved, Loved, Loved)," "Bodyheat" and "It's Too Funky in Here." Some
Massive Stones Box Rolling Your Way
Although nobody knows if The Rolling Stones have any plans on touring this year, their music is still ripe for catalogue projects. Two years ago it was the deluxe version of Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! Last year it was the Exile on Main St. deluxe reissue and some collectible vinyl boxes. And this year it will be a sizable 45-disc box set chronicling all of their singles from 1971 to the present. Following in the tradition of a few ABKCO CD singles boxes (covering the band's early material), UMe will
Record Store Day Going Back to the '90s
As we fast approach April 16 - this year's Record Store Day, the music geek's Christmas - we're starting to see more vinyl reissues happening in independent stores especially for the occasion. Two of the most recent ones take us back to the rock and roll sound of the 1990s, from traditional grunge to spacier, experimental styles. Twenty years ago, Matthew "Slim" Moon formed a record label in Olympia, Washington, with the intention of putting out eclectic records, from spoken word to punk. That
More "ICON" Titles on the Way
Universal has another batch of Icon titles coming your way. The next wave kicks off with a tribute to recently-deceased Motown luminary Teena Marie on February 15; the rest of the titles are set for a March 1 release. They run the gamut from country (Loretta Lynn, Billy Ray Cyrus) to soul/funk (The Four Tops, Kool & The Gang, The Gap Band) and some rock-oriented surprises (Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, joke-rockers The Bloodhound Gang). Are there many surprises? Not really, although the
How "Cool" Is New Dean Martin Box Set?
Don't move those Bear Family boxes over quite yet, Dean Martin fans. Between 1997 and 2001, the German label issued four remarkable boxes collecting virtually every note ever recorded by Dean Martin not only for Capitol and Reprise (his two most famous label associations) but for Diamond, Embassy, Apollo, Warner Bros. and MCA. So what could a new box offer to collectors and fans? On June 7, Hip-o will release a two-CD box set dedicated to the perennially cool singer and swinger in a hardcover
U2 x 2: New Fan-Club CD to Explore Duets
Details for U2's latest fan-club release have been announced, and the band is bringing some very special guests for this disc. U2 Duals, continuing a tradition of fan-club releases that have included special CD singles, remix albums and vintage live shows, collates some of the group's most notable duets. From "When Love Comes to Town," the 1988 single featuring B.B. King, to a live show this past November with a guest appearance by Jay-Z, U2 have gotten around with multiple collaborators
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