Film score fans, you've hit the jackpot! After a successful year of landmark releases such as an expanded edition of Pino Donaggio’s score to Carrie and the remaster and remix of Promises, Promises: The Original Broadway Cast Recording, just to name two, the Kritzerland label is going to the Casino. Of course, I mean Casino Royale. Unlike in most casinos, however, the odds are in the label’s favor, because no film score fan is going to want to be without producer Bruce Kimmel’s deluxe expanded
Tim Buckley's Debut to Be Expanded (UPDATED 12/18)
Rhino is releasing Tim Buckley's debut album for Elektra next week, sources confirm. Buckley was all of 19 years old when he recorded his debut LP in 1966 with Elektra founder Jac Holzman co-producing and a stunningly strong group of session players backing him up (Lee Underwood on guitar, Jim Fielder of Blood, Sweat and Tears on bass, Van Dyke Parks on piano and Mothers of Invention drummer Billy Mundi). Though critics never gave him scores of attention, he is now widely regarded as one of the
Back Tracks: The Music of the Pink Panther
Back Tracks takes a break from holiday merriment to celebrate the life of Blake Edwards, who died yesterday at the age of 88, leaving behind a legacy of laughter.“[Sometime] ago when I first began, one of my early films was run at a producer’s home one night, and someone who shall remain nameless for the moment came to me and said, ‘Billy Wilder was there and the saw it and you know what he said? He said, ‘You know it’s shit, but it’s funny shit.’ Now, had anybody else said that – this is proof
Reissue Theory: "Christmas Cheers from Motown"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today's focus is the least-remembered Christmas album on Motown Records, from a lean but not unlistenable time in the label's long history. One of the best things about the holiday season is the union of two of the greatest kinds of music: Christmas carols and Motown tunes. The definitive sound of the Detroit label, when paired with holiday standards, is
Review: Michael Jackson, "Michael"
Last winter, with Michael Jackson's sudden passing not even five months in the past, Motown and Universal Music Enterprises released I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters, a ten-track compilation that was certainly the first in a long salvo of cash-in, vault-clearing titles in honor of the King of Pop (it was wisely marketed as commemorating the 40th anniversary of the J5's first single, which was true enough). Surprisingly, after a great but ill-timed box set collecting Jackson's solo albums and
Rock Hall Gets It Right
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its inductees earlier this evening, and the results are actually quite exciting. The artists inducted are Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Tom Waits. Leon Russell is getting the Award for Musical Excellence (formerly known as the Sidemen category) while the Ahmet Ertegun Award will go to Jac Holzman (founder of Elektra Records) and Art Rupe (founder of Specialty Records, the label that gave us Little Richard and "Tutti
Bob Marley to "Live Forever" on New Live Set
Arguably, Bob Marley already is living forever, at least musically. His catalogue has been treated well through various reissues and compilations from Island Records since his death in 1981; the compilation Legend remains the highest-selling reggae album in history, with sales in excess of 14 million copies in the U.S. alone. With the 30th anniversary of Marley's passing imminent, Tuff Gong/UMe preps another treat from the vault: his last recorded concert, in support of the Uprising album. Live
Legacy Readies New Playlists for 2011
Legacy Recording has got another batch of titles in the long-running Playlist series for next month. The line-up is particularly diverse, stretching from soul (Lou Rawls, Patti Labelle) to more recent pop acts (Five for Fighting, Ace of Base, Bowling for Soup) and even touching on some gospel acts (including a spiritual disc from Willie Nelson). They're not as heavy on the rarities, although some of the sets have some appealing rare cuts; Mr. Mister's compilation will feature four tracks from
Release Round-Up: Week of December 14
Another incredibly short one as we get closer to Christmas! Michael Jackson, Michael (Epic) A posthumous collection (the first of many) consisting of 21st century outtakes by The King of Pop. Did he sing them all? I don't know, but I know I'll buy this if only to make Will.i.am angry. (Official site) Dio, Holy Diver (Niji) The classic Dio album remastered and pressed onto picture vinyl by the late singer's own Niji label. (Facebook page) Bad Religion, 30th Anniversary Box Set
"Icon" Series Gets More Iconic
Universal is prepping another batch of Icon compilations for the first week of 2011. Now, we've been hard on this series before, but there's actually a lot to like about these new sets. While previous Icon sets have been bashed by The Second Disc for either shamelessly repackaging previous compilations or offering fewer CD-based rarities than, say, Legacy's Playlist series (more on that tomorrow), this new batch of Icon sets collate artists who haven't had much in the way of compilations yet
The Queen Remasters Begin
Amazon U.K. is posting order pages for what looks like the first batch of Queen remasters across the pond. It's been previously reported that the first four Queen albums would be reissued (and possibly expanded) in England on Queen's new home, Universal, in celebration of the band's 40th anniversary. Happily, though, Universal will give fans a taste of what to expect in terms of presentation and mastering with straight reissues of the band's first two greatest hits packages. Greatest Hits
Friday Feature: "Gremlins"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kjHFSa7ghE] There were many scores that soundtrack fans were hoping for on CD in 2010. But few are sought after more than the score to Gremlins (1984), a wacky, synthesizer-based romp from composer Jerry Goldsmith. It would have been a fantastic grab from one of the major labels for the Christmas season, but it looks like it may be another long wait before the score is released. But with Christmas around the corner, why not bring up one of the most
"They're Here...": FSM Closes Year with "Poltergeist," "Horse"
Film Score Monthly has readied its last two titles of the year to order: one a classic Western, one a spooky horror treat. As mentioned months ago (in a rare up-front statement by FSM honcho Lukas Kendall), FSM fully expands Jerry Goldsmith's classic score to the Tobe Hooper-directed, Steven Spielberg-produced Poltergeist (1982) to completeness. As one of the most popular scores by one of the most popular modern composers, Poltergeist has been reissued before, on Rhino Records in 1997. This
The Second Disc Artist Interview #1: Mr. Richard Page on "Pull"
By any standards, Richard Page would have a lot to be thankful for as the frontman of Mr. Mister, the band behind chart-topping smash hits "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie." This year, however, there's another part of his career to celebrate: after two decades, Pull, the intended fourth album from the band, is coming out of hiding thanks to the fine folks at Legacy Recordings. Granted, Page wears more than just the face of Mr. Mister. As a noted songwriter for Madonna ("I'll Remember," her 1994 hit
Open Forum: A Holiday Head-Scratcher from WHAM! (UPDATED 12/7)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI] Here's a Christmas conundrum that's stumping this catalogue correspondent: are there more than two versions of WHAM!'s "Last Christmas"? A year ago this author bought a copy of The Essential NOW That's What I Call Christmas (UMG Recordings B0011941-02, 2008). Only this year did I open the disc and discover a mix of "Last Christmas," WHAM!'s perennial holiday chestnut, that I don't believe I've ever heard before. Most WHAM! fans can tell you
Re-eh-sue Theory
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today's focus is on two hosers from the Great White North and the strangely funny musical legacy they left behind. The first flurries of the new winter stuck to the lawn outside The Second Disc HQ yesterday. Inevitably, we're going to need something to warm us up into the holiday season and the bitterest cold months of 2011. Sweaters? Check. Tuques? Check.
Release Round-Up: Week of December 7
ABBA, ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits - Special Edition / The Vinyl Collection (Polydor/UMe) The most popular ABBA compilation ever gets expanded with a DVD of music videos, including a previously unreleased animated clip. Also, a deluxe box of the band's eight LPs on vinyl alongside a ten-track record of single and non-LP tracks will be released the same day. (Official site) Joy Division, +- (Rhino U.K.) A box of ten partially fictional singles on vinyl to honor deceased frontman Ian Curtis, 30
Miles Davis' Wight Stuff and More on New Live Disc
Columbia and Legacy are releasing a semi-new disc of live performances from Miles Davis in 2011. Bitches Brew Live is a nine-track disc that features Davis and an all-star lineup (including Dave Holland, Jack DeJohnette and Chick Corea) across two historic live settings. Three tracks, never released on CD, come from a performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1969; the remainder of the disc comes from the iconic performance at the Isle of Wight Festival in 1970, previously released as part of
ABBA Vinyl Box to Make Fans Dance, Jive, Have Time of Lives
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/aBBa#p/u/3/dBcEz5d5R6E] If the previously-reported expansion of ABBA's best-selling ABBA Gold compilation with a bonus DVD hasn't excited your inner dancing queen, here's another collectible that might pique your interest: the same day (tomorrow in the U.S.), Polydor and UMe are releasing ABBA: The Vinyl Collection, a newly-remastered box set. The set contains nine records in total: the first eight are all the ABBA studio albums internationally released by Polar
Review: Bing Crosby, "The Crosby Christmas Sessions"
It’s beginning to sound a lot like Christmas when you hear the voice of Bing Crosby. It would hardly be considered a stretch to credit Crosby as one of the inventors of the art of popular singing. Crosby was among the first performers to conversationally and intimately sing as an extension of speech; he also pioneered the technique of the microphone so a singer wouldn’t have to belt to the rafters. Despite these accomplishments that seismically shifted the sound of American music, the late
Marshall Tucker Box Coming Soon
Southern rockers The Marshall Tucker Band will commemorate their near-40-year legacy with a new box set next week. The Capricorn Years is a 10-disc affair that collates the first seven MTB LPs (from the self-titled 1973 album to 1978's Together Forever), all of which were originally released on Capricorn Records (and many of them reissued on Shout! Factory with a live bonus track or two in recent years). It also includes another Shout! Factory-originated product: the two-CD/one-DVD Carolina
Friday Feature: "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol"
This special holiday-themed Friday Feature originally appeared in December 2010, but we've rescued it from The Second Disc Archives to share it with you! It is dedicated to the memory of Leslie Nielsen, who could count Mr. Magoo as just one of many of his indelible film creations, as well as to the gone-but-not-forgotten Jim Backus, Morey Amsterdam, Jack Cassidy and Paul Frees. Before Rudolph, Frosty and Charlie Brown ruled the television airwaves each December, there was the nearsighted Mr.
The Search is Over: Two Survivor LPs Coming Back to CD
British indie label Rock Candy Records is putting two Survivor albums back in print: 1983's Caught in the Game and 1984's Vital Signs. These two LPs followed Survivor's 1982 smash "Eye of the Tiger," famously featured on the soundtrack to Rocky III; interestingly, only one of them had any degree of success. Caught in the Game was mostly a stiff, only managing No. 82 on the Billboard charts (the same position as pre-success LP Premonition in 1981) and the title track, the only single, did not
Reissue Theory: Andy Gibb
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. The new Bee Gees box set prompts this post to look at the "other" Gibb brother who enjoyed a great deal of success - yet is sadly not around to continue making great music. As Joe's review of the new Bee Gees box set Mythology shows, young Andy Gibb was a pretty integral member of the musical family. Though he wasn't part of the ensemble that Barry, Robin
Review: "Michael Jackson's Vision"
When Michael Jackson was declared dead on that fateful Thursday in June of 2009, most of us healed our pain through the songs. Compact discs flew off store shelves and MP3s funneled through Internet connections in an attempt to recall those days when MJ was the King of Pop. It was these kinds of public celebration - I recall at least one set of speakers blaring "The Way You Make Me Feel" that week in midtown Manhattan - that took center stage for most of us. As a result, it seemed that the music
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