Monkee Alert! In 1969, the band itself was coming apart at the seams, and its television program had been cancelled a year earlier. But Colgems Records had a solution to reignite interest in the zany music makers: release the first-ever Monkees hits collection! That LP was The Monkees Greatest Hits, a 14-track album that lives up to its promise: "I'm a Believer," "Last Train to Clarksville," "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Daydream Believer," "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You," and so on. The
Release Round-Up: Week of January 24
The Doors, L.A. Woman: 40th Anniversary Edition (Reprise/Rhino) / Mr. Mojo Risin': The Story of L.A. Woman (Eagle Rock/Rhino) The Doors' final album with Jim Morrison, memorialized in both a double-disc set with unreleased alternates and outtakes and a DVD/Blu-Ray documentary. Various Artists, 2012 Grammy Nominees (Universal Republic) And the nominees are...on this disc. Various Artists, Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty
10538 Overture: Electric Light Orchestra Debut Turns 40, Expanded with Quad DVD and Bonus Tracks
The musical partnership of Jeff Lynne and Roy Wood was a short-lived one, but EMI will soon give listeners a chance to revisit their acclaimed collaboration. A 40th Anniversary Edition of the debut album from Electric Light Orchestra is set to arrive on March 12. Self-titled for its original U.K. release and re-titled No Answer for the U.S., the album announced a bold new sound, reportedly created when Wood urged Lynne to add cellos to his song “10538 Overture.” That track leads off this
Legacy Plans Artist Collections, Themed Sets for New "Playlist" Batch
Brace yourselves, compilation collectors: Legacy's got another batch of Playlist titles out next week. The latest batch of set, due out January 31, skew mainly toward modern country and rootsier rock (Gretchen Wilson, Montgomery Gentry, solo works by Gregg Allman) with some wild cards thrown in for good measure (R&B from Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band and Wyclef Jean, contemporary pop-rockers Augustana, a set from The Hooters that was delayed from the last batch). In a nice change of pace,
Happy Birthday Johnny! Film Legend Celebrates Milestone with Pair of Compilations
The music catalogue world is celebrating one of Hollywood's truest living legends with two, count 'em, two, compilations next month. Whether you're a die-hard film score collector or a mere appreciator of good movie music, John Williams has made a mark on your consciousness. His list of credits spans decades, first as a Juilliard-trained pianist working under the greatest batons in Tinseltown (that's him plunking the low notes in Henry Mancini's iconic Peter Gunn theme), then a light, jazzy
Ann-Margret, James' "Thurber Carnival" Enliven Masterworks Broadway's Upcoming Slate
James Thurber (1894-1961) once commented, ""[Humor is] a kind of emotional chaos told about calmly and quietly in retrospect." The celebrated writer, cartoonist and humorist, perhaps best-known for 1939's fanciful The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, recounted that kind of emotional chaos in his acclaimed short stories and drawings, a number of which have been successfully adapted to other media. Four years before Walter Mitty itself was musicalized, Broadway welcomed Thurber's works to the stage
Tomorrow Is A Long Ways Away: The Byrds' "Preflyte" Expanded For U.K. Reissue
On November 10, 1964, The Byrds inked a deal with Columbia Records. Or more accurately, Jim (later Roger) McGuinn, Gene Clark and David Crosby signed to Columbia Records, with Michael Clarke and Chris Hillman officially joining the roster later. But before that auspicious major label signing, The Byrds' bags were packed, pre-flyte, it was zero hour...and after that day, they were destined to be high as a kite...eight miles high. (Pardon the mixing of musical metaphors.) The band's
UPDATE 1/19: Flower In The Sun: "The Pearl Sessions" Joins "Carousel Ballroom" To Celebrate Janis Joplin
41 years ago this month, Columbia Records unleashed Pearl, the final musical statement of Janis Lyn Joplin, on the world. A firebrand till her untimely death at the age of 27, Joplin didn’t live to see the release of Pearl, but the album summed up her deep blend of soul, psychedelia, rock and country, even touching on jazz and pop. Joplin honed her style in a brief but intense period of impassioned live performances and recording. She had a penchant for living life on the edge; in her recent
Review: Hugh Martin, "Hidden Treasures: Songs for Stage and Screen 1941-2010"
Did a cork pop? Did the world stop? Am I just in love…with the music and lyrics of Hugh Martin? Even if you don’t know the name of the late Mr. Martin, you certainly know his songs: “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “The Trolley Song,” and a little song heard every season, year after year, by the name of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” But these songs from the MGM musical Meet Me in St. Louis are just the tip of the iceberg of Hugh Martin’s catalogue, a few highlights of a career that lasted
Epic Jazz and Funk: George Duke and Stanley Clarke Complete Boxes Coming Soon
With the latest two additions to its growing Complete Albums Collections roster, Legacy Recordings and Epic Records are looking to two musical pioneers for which the description "jazz artist" seems largely inadequate. George Duke, keyboard virtuoso, and Stanley Clarke, electric and acoustic bass pro, have extensively toured and recorded together, but these forthcoming box sets turn the clock back to their solo periods on the Epic label. George Duke has proven himself equally adept at jazz,
A Grande Cup of Burt: Starbucks Brews "Music By Bacharach"
If you see me walking down the street, and I start to cry…or smile…or laugh...there’s a good chance I might be listening to a song by Burt Bacharach. Since beginning his songwriting career with 1952’s instrumental “Once in a Blue Moon” as recorded by Nat King Cole, Bacharach has provided the soundtrack to many of our lives, often in tandem with lyricist Hal David. (Their first collaborations date to 1956, including The Harry Carter Singers’ “Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil,” and Sherry
Doin' It for Themselves: Funky Town Grooves Plans Major Expansions for Aretha and Andre
As independent reissue labels go, Funky Town Grooves has long been a pioneer in cratedigging through scores of forgotten soul and R&B favorites, many from the fertile period of the 1980s. This year, the label has announced two expanded releases that may be among their most ambitious, for two of the best-loved R&B albums of the decade. First up, this March will see an expanded edition of Who's Zoomin' Who?, the major comeback by The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. Aretha had ended the
Life is Beautiful: The "Romantic" Tony Bennett Coming For Valentine's Day
Well, Valentine’s Day is less than one month away, and chances are some of you might be looking for the perfect accompaniment for that moment when you turn the lights down low, pour your favorite vino and share amorous thoughts with your better half. If so, Concord Music Group has one such offering for your hi-fi. Isn’t It Romantic? is a new 15-track offering due on February 7, drawing on Tony Bennett’s recordings for the Improv and Fantasy labels, originally released between 1975 and
Every Saga Has a Beginning: "Star Wars" Score to Be Reissued
As Star Wars fans count down to a theatrical reissue of the chronological beginning of the six-film series, new fans will get a chance to rediscover its musical merits, thanks to a new reissue from Sony Classical. The year 1999 was a monumental year for fans of George Lucas' Star Wars series. After years of discussions and planning, that May saw the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, the first of a new prequel trilogy that explained how Lucas' mythological galaxy fell into the
Release Round-Up: Week of January 17
Frank Sinatra, The Concert Sinatra (Concord) A remixed, remastered and expanded edition of Frank's 1963 studio album (the title referred to the size of Nelson Riddle's excellent orchestra). Modern English, Mesh and Lace / After the Snow / Ricochet Days (4AD) Newly-pressed reissues of the first three Modern English LPs, with bonus tracks. They've been out before, so you might already have them. But if you don't, they're here again. Heaven 17, Play to Win: The Very Best of Heaven 17 / Hot
Review: The Monkees, "Instant Replay: Deluxe Edition"
When The Monkees' Instant Replay was released in February 1969, less than three years had passed since the band's vinyl debut in October 1966. But the pop world of 1966 might have been a lifetime ago. Five days before Instant Replay's February 15 release, The Beach Boys unveiled the album 20/20, on which America's band surreptitiously recorded a song by Charles Manson. Two days after, The Temptations skyrocketed to Cloud Nine, meeting psychedelia head-on. By the year's end, the dream of
New Cherry Red Imprint Sets Its Sights; JoBoxers, 'Til Tuesday Expansions Planned
Cherry Red's stable of reissue labels has become a little bigger: this month, the group established a new imprint, Hot Shot Records, that looks to expand the horizons of reissues for pop and dance hits of yesteryear. Established under the group's thriving Big Break Records label, Hot Shot's mission, according to its Facebook page, is "to breathe life back into a variety of smart pop, dance gems and hidden treasures." From its outset, it looks like the label is looking to make a mark with
If You Don't Know Them By Now: Philadelphia International Heads West For "Golden Gate Groove"
England, Russia, China, Africa, Egypt, Israel…all of the above are stops on the O’Jays’ perennial “Love Train.” We all know that the train started in Philadelphia, home to Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, the song’s writer-producers, and Thom Bell, its co-arranger (with Bobby Martin). But a new release from Philadelphia International Records and Legacy Recordings reveals another pivotal stop: San Francisco. For one remarkable night, brotherly love washed over the city by the bay. Golden Gate
Jason Takes Hollywood: "Friday the 13th" Box Available from La-La Land
It's Friday the 13th, and there's a chill in the air out in the east. Perfect timing, then, for La-La Land Records to unveil their much-anticipated Friday the 13th soundtracks box set! The beloved soundtrack label is presenting, for the first time, all of Harry Manfredini's music for the first six films in the long-running slasher series, remastered and restored from original source elements. Much of this material is being heard on disc for the first time, a definite treat for fans of the
Open Your Eyes: The Move's "Live at the Fillmore 1969" Coming From Right Recordings
Can you hear the grass grow? An oft-circulated set by Birmingham's legendary Move is finally receiving an official release courtesy of Right Recordings! Live at the Fillmore 1969 chronicles the band's stand at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore Auditorium on October 16-19 of that year; The Move joined Joe Cocker and the Grease Band and Little Richard on the bill! The new 2-CD set is being released thanks to the cooperation of Sue Wayne, the widow of late singer Carl Wayne, and arrives in the
The Right Profile: Early Rap Label Anthologized on New Double-Disc Set
Legacy Recordings has got a fantastic new compilation coming out later this month chronicling the rise of a most underrated rap label: Profile Records. Profile was the brainchild of two young aspiring music moguls living in New York City at the tail end of the disco boom. Steve Plotnicki was a songwriter whose cult disco tune, "Love Insurance," was recorded by Cory Robbins in 1979, for release on Robbins' own Panorama label, a small imprint with ties to MCA Music Publishing. The duo aspired to
Gilbert O'Sullivan Goes "Back to Front" On Next Salvo Reissue
Would the real Gilbert O’Sullivan please stand up? When peering at his sophomore album, Back to Front, potential purchasers back in 1972 didn’t see the same nostalgic figure of the previous year’s Himself. Gone was the chap in his flat cap, pudding-basin haircut and jacket. In his place was a tanned, rather more mainstream-looking fellow, shirt open and chest hair exposed. But the opening “Intro” in which the singer implored listeners to sit back, relax and enjoy the album, was proof
And the Tracks Are...: "2012 Grammy Nominees" Disc Due
With the 54th Annual Grammy Awards mere weeks away on February 13, it's getting close to one of music's most vaunted pre-Grammy traditions: the release of the annual Grammy nominees compilation. Due out January 24, 2012 Grammy Nominees compiles exactly the artists you'd expect, from multiple award nominees (British soul songstress Adele, pop acts Bruno Mars and Katy Perry, modern rock legends the Foo Fighters and country star Taylor Swift) to rising stars (rappers J. Cole and Nicki Minaj,
Been Down So Long: The Doors' "L.A. Woman" Celebration Underway, Super Deluxe Edition Cancelled
It's finally time to open the doors on the much-anticipated 40th anniversary celebration of The Doors' L.A. Woman. We first reported on the L.A. Woman festivities back in April 2011, the actual month of the anniversary. The band looked forward to the fall release of a deluxe edition of its acclaimed sixth and final album with Jim Morrison. Then in September, we passed on an update from Jeff Jampol, the steward of The Doors' legacy, announcing "The Year of the Doors" campaign and promising the
Wouldn't It Be Good? Universal U.K. Expands Nik Kershaw's Debut LP
A pleasant surprise is coming from Universal's catalogue arm across the pond: an expanded edition of Nik Kershaw's excellent debut album Human Racing. Released in 1984, Human Racing gave the young Bristol-born, Suffolk-raised guitarist a big break after years of jobbing in local bands. Aided by a set of teen magazine-ready good looks and an ear for intricately arranged, vaguely theatrical pop tunes, the second single from Human Racing, the excellent "Wouldn't It Be Good," became a Top 5 smash
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