By 1953, RCA Victor already boasted a considerable number of Broadway classics in its catalogue – from original cast recordings of Brigadoon and Paint Your Wagon to studio cast renditions of South Pacific and Finian’s Rainbow. But the label was eager to build up its musical theatre repertoire and compete with the likes of Columbia and Decca. To that end, the Show Time series was launched – a collection of 16 EPs, each dedicated to four songs from a beloved musical or operetta. The EPs were also released as eight 10-inch LPs, with two shows per record (one on each side). …
I’m Back in Circulation: Kritzerland Reissues First Two Volumes of Ben Bagley’s “Cole Porter Revisited”
Over the weekend, Kritzerland announced the latest two titles in its ongoing reissue campaign of Ben Bagley’s Revisited series: Cole Porter Revisited and The Unpublished Cole Porter Vol. 2. The pride of Peru, Indiana, Porter (1891-1964) remains one of the Great American Songbook’s most renowned exponents. He lived long enough to see his classic songs such as “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” “Night and Day,” “I Get a Kick Out of You,” “Just One of Those Things,” and “Anything Goes” become standards, and they’re still performed and recorded today. But Ben…
Release Round-Up: Week of December 6
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Who, WHO [Various Formats] (Polydor) Standard CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Who Online Store Deluxe CD: Target U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Who Online Store Standard LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Who Online Store Indie record shop 2LP edition: Bull Moose / HMV Deluxe 45rpm 2LP/EP: The Who Online Store Cassette: The Who Online Store Format Bundles: The Who Online Store Japan SHM-CD: CD Japan The Who return with their…
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Release Round-Up: Week of June 7
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up – a packed one, for sure! Bob Dylan, The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Just in advance of the June 12 debut of director Martin Scorsese’s documentary Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese, Columbia and Legacy unveil a new 14-CD box set that promises to be the ultimate chronicle of the initial leg of Dylan’s legendary Rolling Thunder Revue from the autumn of 1975. The box includes five professionally recorded sets…
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Stage and Screen Short Takes: Kritzerland Reissues Ann-Margret’s “Dames,” Porter, Monk Revues and More; Stage Door Celebrates “Redhead”
The Kritzerland label has announced a quartet of new releases, including two cast recordings and one film soundtrack. The 1968 off-Broadway production of George Haimsohn, Robin Miller, and Jim Wise’s Dames at Sea (a major breakthrough for Bernadette Peters) not only spawned countless productions worldwide, but in 1971, was adapted into a television special. The NBC-TV Bell System Family Theatre broadcast on November 15, co-produced and co-directed by Martin Charnin, boasted an all-star cast including Ann-Margret, Ann Miller, Anne Meara, Fred Gwynne (The Munsters), Harvey Evans (Broadway’s Follies) and Dick Shawn (The…
Short Takes, Broadway Edition: Kritzerland, Stage Door, Harbinger, Verve Celebrate Classic Musicals with Host of Releases
Fans of cast recordings can look forward to plenty of exciting releases due in the coming weeks! Kritzerland has recently announced two new limited edition titles! First up is a two-for-one release with a pair of classic television specials. NBC’s 1973 presentation of Cole Porter in Paris starred Perry Como, Diahann Carroll, Connie Stevens and others in a rousing celebration of the legendary songwriter’s work. It was directed by Martin Charnin (Annie) and featured arrangements by Como’s longtime collaborator Nick Perito. It’s paired with Feathertop, a 1961 TV musical by Charnin and…
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Ella Fitzgerald at 100: Analog Spark Reissues “The Cole Porter Song Book” On SACD and Vinyl
Today, Ella Fitzgerald would have turned 100 years old. While the First Lady of Song passed away in 1996 at the age of 79, her rich legacy of music has hardly waned. She recorded over a remarkable seven-decade span, from 1935 through the early 1990s, yet her most significant contribution to the canon of American song just might be her Songbook series. Between 1956 and 1964, Fitzgerald teamed with a variety of arrangers (including Buddy Bregman, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, Nelson Riddle, Billy May, and Paul Weston) to salute the body…
WE HAVE OUR WINNERS! “AT LONG LAST LOVE” SOUNDTRACK GIVEAWAY!
CONGRATULATIONS! The following 15 entrants have won a copy of Varese Vintage’s brand-new reissue of the original soundtrack to At Long Last Love on CD! If you entered our contest via Facebook and your name is on the list below, please drop us a line at theseconddisc-at-gmail-dot-com or a Private Message on Facebook with your name and mailing address! If you entered via email, you don’t have to do anything – your CD will be in the mail soon! Watch this space soon for more exciting giveaways! The winners are: SCOTT BROGAN CHRISTOPHER…
At Long Last: Original Soundtrack To “At Long Last Love” Comes To CD – AND YOU CAN WIN!
Is it an earthquake or simply a shock? Is it the good turtle soup or merely the mock? Last Friday, Varese Vintage had an unexpected treat for fans of Peter Bogdanovich’s cult classic musical comedy with the first-ever CD release of the original RCA Victor soundtrack to At Long Last Love. Bogdanovich, the Oscar-nominated director of films including The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon and What’s Up, Doc intended At Long Last Love to pay homage to Hollywood’s dazzling musical comedies of the 1930s and the charmingly spellbinding films of Ernst Lubitsch. …
Release Round-Up: Week of October 16
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! The dB’s and Friends, Christmas Time Again! (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Omnivore revisits and revises the classic alt-rock Christmas compilation. Producer Chris Stamey has added new performances by Yo La Tengo & Jeff Tweedy, Marshall Crenshaw, Robyn Hitchcock, and Big Star’s Third (featuring Mike Mills of R.E.M. taking lead vocals on Big Star’s “Jesus Christ”) to selected tracks from past editions of the album for a total of 22 tracks! King Crimson, Thrak (CD/DVD-A) (DGM) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) 1995’s Thrak arrives as the…
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