The last calendar page of the year (and, in this case, even the first!) means a bounty of soundtrack reissues! La-La Land Records, Varese Sarabande and Quartet have all recently planned some exciting expansions for your favorite score collector. La-La Land may have claimed that they were “serving coal” this year, with a lot of their typically big end-of-year titles stuck in approval delays – but they still prepared two late-period favorites from two classic film composers (plus an exciting vinyl title for James Bond fans) before kicking off January with two…
Soundtrack Watch: Bond Back on Vinyl At La-La Land, Intrada Unsheathes Kamen’s ‘Three Musketeers’
A new month kicks off with a bonanza of soundtrack reissues from La-La Land and Intrada – including more planned activity from the world of James Bond. La-La Land has made three archival titles available for sale from yesterday (June 1). First is a vinyl edition of their remastered CD of John Barry’s score to Goldfinger. The third James Bond film (and the second to be scored by the British composer/arranger) scored big with the series’ first-ever title theme, co-written by Barry, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse and sung with paint-peeling gusto by…
Soundtrack Watch: ‘Cape Fear’ Remake Score Rises from the Depths at Quartet
Quartet Records will revisit a special musical approach to a remake of a classic suspense thriller: Martin Scorsese’s 1991 adaptation of Cape Fear. The 2CD set, will include a remastered and expanded presentations of Elmer Bernstein’s score to the remake, adapted from the original 1962 film’s music by Bernard Herrmann. Produced by Neil S. Bulk and Mike Matessino (who also remasters the score from engineer Shawn Murphy’s original six-track mixes), the set features both the expanded score presentation and the original soundtrack album, augmented by Jeff Bond’s liner notes. Universal’s original Cape…
In Memoriam: Intrada Founder Douglass Fake (1952-2024)
Douglass Fake, a film score champion who produced hundreds of archival soundtrack releases and reissues as the founder of Intrada Records, has died at 72 after an extended illness. There is no better primer on his life and work than can be read at the label’s official site, courtesy of Joe Sikoryak, one of the label’s longtime designers. When anyone of note passes away, and that outpouring of condolences and memories flows like a river, it can be easy to take a step back and investigate the way we react. It’s easy…
Soundtrack Watch: Intrada Heats Up ‘Backdraft,’ Kickstarts ‘Abbott and Costello’ Recording; La-La Land Expands ‘Last Action Hero’ and ‘Heavy Metal’
Leave it to Intrada and La-La Land to cook up some appropriately blazing soundtrack reissues in recent weeks! Intrada has expanded an early classic by Hans Zimmer, bowed a selection of re-recordings of TV work by Jerry Goldsmith, and is prepping another re-recording project to crowdfund; meanwhile, La-La Land (in addition to releasing the only John Williams score to a Steven Spielberg film without a soundtrack) has expansions of works by Elmer Bernstein and Michael Kamen. Quite the selection of soundtrack icons! First up from Intrada is a new 2CD edition of…
RSD Round-Up: Spotlight on Omnivore, Iconoclassic, Friday Music, Dark Horse, Light in the Attic, and More
Our look at this year’s Record Store Day releases continues with a look at the lineups from Omnivore Recordings, Iconoclassic Records, Friday Music, Light in the Attic, and more of our favorite labels! All titles here are due on April 20, and all descriptions are taken directly from the labels. If you are interested in any of these titles, they will be available at your local record store on April 20. Head over to recordstoreday.com for a list of participating retailers. U.K. readers, please visit recordstoreday.co.uk and Canadian readers, please visit recordstoredaycanada.ca. Watch this space close to…
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The Weekend Stream: July 2, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. This week brings an R.E.M. classic given new life by a hit TV show, another side of one of Motown’s sultriest crooners, two Prince-related artists gone solo, dance grooves from Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul and an early version of one of the greatest epic film scores of the ’50s. R.E.M., Strange Currencies EP (Craft) (iTunes / Amazon) The…
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In the Moonlight: La-La Land Returns with New Williams Expansion, Unused Score Releases
Not long after La-La Land Records issued one of their best archival soundtrack batches for Black Friday 2022, they made a stunning proclamation: after one release in January, the label would take a long break. Any third-party music licensing post-COVID has been a challenge, and the label sought to take a breather, offer some great sales, restock some old favorites and let the rights and clearance pipelines unclog with time. And unclog they have! The label’s first batch of titles in nearly five months includes a special expansion of an underrated score…
The Weekend Stream: October 23, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it’s no secret that listening audiences are also digital – catalogue music lovers, too – and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we’ve introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Chicago, Chicago at Carnegie Hall Complete (Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon / Spotify) Released…
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Soundtrack Watch: September Slates for Varese, La-La Land, Intrada
September was an unusually bountiful month for archival soundtracks, and we’re here to break it all down. Varese Goes West, Revisits Buddy Holly The latest title in Varese Sarabande’s CD Club was an expansion of Elmer Bernstein’s heroic score to the 1999 blockbuster Wild Wild West. Though the film somewhat infamously broke co-star Will Smith’s ironclad grip on the July 4 weekend box office after star turns in Independence Day (1996) and Men In Black (1997), the weird cult charm of this adaptation of the CBS spy-cum-Western show is hard to ignore….
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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They’re Ready To Believe You: ‘Ghostbusters’ Score To Be Reissued For Film’s 35th Anniversary
To commemorate the 35th anniversary of Ghostbusters‘ original 1984 theatrical debut, Sony Classical has announced a new reissue of Ghostbusters: Original Motion Picture Score featuring Elmer Bernstein’s iconic themes. It’s the first time the score has been in print since 2006, when Varese Sarabande’s premiere, limited release became one of the year’s fastest-selling score titles. The 37-track anniversary edition has been newly mixed and remastered from the original multitracks and boasts new artwork, liner notes from Elmer Bernstein’s son Peter, and four previously unreleased recordings! (As of press time, those unreleased recordings…
Short Takes, Broadway Edition: Stage Door Celebrates Alfred Drake, Kritzerland Reissues “Streets of New York” and More
With his rich baritone and intense looks, Alfred Drake (1914-1992) defined the classic Broadway leading man. Originating roles in such landmark musicals as Oklahoma!, Kiss Me Kate, and Kismet, Drake won Tony and Drama Critics Awards, and was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. But despite his many appearances on cast recordings, Drake has never headlined a solo CD…until now. The U.K.’s Stage Door label has announced the April 26 release (May 3 in North America) of Lucky to Be Me: A Life in Music, a 2-CD set that will earn…
Journey Back to Prydain: Bernstein, Williams, Poledouris Scores Announced by Varese Sarabande
Varese Sarabande Records has quite the bounty of soundtrack CD club releases this spring, announcing two stellar deluxe editions and reissuing a favorite album on disc. First up, a double-header for John Williams fans: his 1990 score to the romantic drama Stanley & Iris and the premiere release of his score to 1972’s Pete ‘N’ Tillie. Stanley & Iris starred Robert De Niro and Jane Fonda as two struggling coworkers in a baking factory–she struggles to make ends meet with her extended family and no husband, he takes care of his ailing…
So Let It Be Written: Intrada Announces “Ten Commandments” Box
We’re continuing our Movie Monday here at The Second Disc with more great film score news! From high atop the mountain comes Intrada’s newest release–an incredibly ambitious and definitive box set edition of Elmer Bernstein’s score to the Hollywood epic The Ten Commandments. The final film of Cecil B. DeMille, based in part on his silent adaptation of the film from 1923, The Ten Commandments dramatizes the Biblical tale of Moses (Charlton Heston), the adopted Egyptian prince whose divine mission is to lead the enslaved Hebrews to the promised land. Featuring Yul…
Kritzerland Turns 10! Label Launches New Soundtrack Series, Begins Indiegogo Campaign
Happy Birthday, Kritzerland! Ten years ago this month, producer Bruce Kimmel, known for his work at labels including Bay Cities and Varese Sarabande, launched the Kritzerland label. Since 2005, Kritzerland has released over 150 CDs: classic soundtracks from composers like Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini, John Barry and John Williams, vintage cast recordings of musicals including stunning remixes of Follies and Promises, Promises, and solo albums by artists such as Sandy Bainum and the elusive Guy Haines. Among the label’s recent highlights is a deluxe 2-CD premiere of the complete songs and score…
Release Round-Up: Week of September 16
Jimi Hendrix, The Cry of Love and Rainbow Bridge: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Experience Hendrix/Legacy) Legacy and Experience Hendrix have reissues of Jimi Hendrix’s first two posthumously-released albums, both from 1971; The Cry of Love is long out-of-print on CD, while Rainbow Bridge makes its first authorized appearance in the CD format. Both titles have been freshly remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog masters. The Cry of Love: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Rainbow Bridge: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack : Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Charles Lloyd, Manhattan Stories (Resonance) (Amazon U.S….
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A Bernstein Bouquet: Cherry Red’s él Label Reissues Elmer’s “Mockingbird” and “Brass”
In a career that placed him among the most legendary of film composers, Elmer Bernstein (1922-2004) penned the scores to more than 200 films in what seemed like every genre conceivable –comedies (Airplane!), dramas (Sweet Smell of Success), musicals (Thoroughly Modern Millie), fantasies (Ghostbusters) and of course, westerns (The Magnificent Seven). But among his most beloved scores is 1962’s Academy Award-nominated To Kill a Mockingbird. Cherry Red’s él imprint has paired the re-recorded soundtrack album, originally released on Ava Records, with Bernstein’s long out-of-print 1956 Decca album Blues and Brass – two…
La La Land Has “True Grit” With First Release Of Complete Elmer Bernstein Score with Four Glen Campbell Vocals
When directors Joel and Ethan Coen adapted Charles Portis’ novel True Grit in 2010 for its second big-screen adaptation, one element was noticeably missing: the Academy Award-nominated title song by Elmer Bernstein and Don Black, so winningly introduced by Glen Campbell in the 1969 film version. Campbell’s recording yielded a Top 10 Country and AC/Top 40 Pop single, and remains one of his most beloved songs today. “True Grit” appeared on a brief, 10-track album in which two renditions as sung by Campbell bookended eight tracks of Bernstein’s stirring score. But that…
