Less than a year after the premiere release of John Williams’ score to 1974’s The Sugarland Express, La-La Land Records will expand another pivotal soundtrack essential to the composer’s transition into a Hollywood heavyweight: his work for the Mark Rydell film The Reivers. Adapted from the final novel published in William Faulkner’s lifetime (which won him a second Pulitzer Prize), The Reivers is a lighthearted, nostalgic turn-of-the-century yarn starring Steve McQueen as a rakish thief in Memphis who turns a young boy’s life upside-down with the help of a brand-new automobile and another thieving stowaway along…
Rhino Readies Nearly 50 Titles for Record Store Day Including Titles from Fleetwood Mac, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, More
As usual, Rhino is leading the Record Store Day pack with a whopping slate of almost 50 titles scheduled to arrive in independent shops everywhere on Saturday, April 12. The label has brought out many of its heaviest hitters, including Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, The Doors, Joni Mitchell, and Jethro Tull, among others. Head over to RecordStoreDay.com for the complete list of participating stores, and below you’ll find details for all of Rhino’s releases! We’ve linked to the full descriptions of each title at the official RSD site. a-ha, Hunting High…
Where Dreams Are Born: John Williams’ ‘A.I.’ Soundtrack Comes to Vinyl from Mondo
One of John Williams’ more haunting works for the films of Steven Spielberg bows on vinyl from the Mondo label: his soundtrack to the 2001 film A.I. Artificial Intelligence. The 2LP set, recreating the original soundtrack album on either red and blue or white 140 gram vinyl (remastered by James Plotkin), is packaged in a Tyvek gatefold jacket – that’s right, the high-density polyethylene material that protects structures from moisture that you’ve seen on a construction project or two – with paper inner sleeves and a translucent obi made of vellum. (Jordan Christianson…
Soundtrack Watch: Intrada, La-La Land Kick Off 2025 with a Bang
The last few months were positively packed with soundtrack reissues – not one, but two Black Friday-sized batches from La-La Land, and a generous array of in-demand titles from Intrada, as well. Well, if you can believe it, those roll-outs could have been even bigger – and La-La Land and Intrada are proving it with their first releases of 2025 (for LLL, all titles that were meant to release last year). There’s something for everyone: music from a Jim Henson cult classic, an action-packed sequel scored by a legendary pop producer, a…
The Weekend Stream: December 21, 2024 – and a Merry Discmas to All!
Welcome to 2024’s final edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! With no Release Round-Up this Friday and a few weeks of peace and quite from (and for!) us until 2025, we’ve got a few more treats for you under the tree from Wham!, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis, Archie Bell & The Drells and so much more! Wham!, Last Christmas (Epic/Legacy/Sony Music U.K.) (iTunes / Amazon) For its 40th anniversary, Wham!’s holiday classic was reissued on various physical…
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The Weekend Stream: December 14, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. We’ve got Christmas cheer from The Damnwells and Jody Miller, a Record Store Day reissue from Tegan and Sara, mid-’70s fun from The Flying Burrito Brothers to Freddie Prinze and a new spin on a John Williams classic. Plus, a way to help a dear friend and collaborator of the TSD team. The Damnwells, Xmas Eve (Poor Man/Pasadena Records) (iTunes / Amazon) Cult-favorite Brooklyn-bred quartet The Damnwells put out one…
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The Weekend Stream: November 23, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. We’ve got Beach Boys covers with some fascinating history related to the band, a tribute to one of the greatest musical icons we lost this year, a new single from a legend of R&B and much more – plus a call to action to help a family in need. California Music, Don’t Worry Baby EP (RCA) (iTunes / Amazon) One of the most unusual branches of the sprawling family tree…
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Super Sequel Soundtracks Are La-La Land’s Black Friday Focus for 2024
Before announcing their typically grandiose year-end slate of archival soundtrack titles, there were rumblings in the film score fan community that La-La Land – whose release schedule offered everything from Star Trek to James Bond to the first Steven Spielberg-John Williams collaboration in 2024 – might do things a little differently. It turns out those rumors were correct: ahead of their usual Black Friday blowout, the label has instead announced three titles approved for license from major labels and studios and ready to manufacture for the top of November. All three are sequel…
Hogwarts Forever! Rhino Plans Massive Box Set of ‘Harry Potter’ Soundtracks
More than 20 years after the first Harry Potter novel was adapted into a film, Rhino is planning a little magic of its own with a heavy-duty vinyl box set of soundtracks to all eight of the films. Limited to 3000 copies worldwide on Rhino.com and other select retailers, Harry Potter: Original Motion Picture Soundtracks I-VII will feature the original album releases of the blockbuster franchise, as composed by John Williams, Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper and Alexandre Desplat. The 16LP box set will be available in one of four box and vinyl colorways – red…
The Weekend Stream: August 24, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. This week sees digital reissues from some familiar names (Madonna, Daryl Hall and U2) as well as some new/old music from names you might not have expected, from ’90s pop-whiz New Radicals(?!) to ’50s piano player Cy Walter. Plus, a heartfelt recommendation for one of the week’s best new albums! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. New Radicals, “Murder on the Dancefloor” / “Lost Stars” (Flatiron) Murder:…
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Maestro Around the World: John Williams’ Late-Period Concert Albums Set for Vinyl Box
Last Sunday, August 11, John Williams added another honorific to his already incredible career: Disney Legend. The iconic film composer, whose nine Star Wars film scores and five for the Indiana Jones series are now part of the Mouse House’s company portfolio thanks to its 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm, was honored at the latest D23 Expo by Dr. Jones himself, actor Harrison Ford, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who’s produced many of the films that Williams has done scores for. (The 92-year-old Williams could not attend, having canceled a series of summer conducting appearances…
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…
Release Round-Up: Week of July 12
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. John Lennon, Mind Games: The Ultimate Collection (Capitol/UMe) 6CD/2BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 9LP/6CD/2BD Super Deluxe Box: Official Store 2CD (includes contents of CD 1 and 6, below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (includes contents of CD 1 and 6, below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada (TBD) John Lennon’s fourth solo album Mind Games will receive a deluxe box set this summer packed with new mixes of the album’s contents as well…
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Road to ‘Sugarland’: La-La Land Records Premieres John Williams’ First Score for a Steven Spielberg Film
Legendary composer John Williams’ personal and professional relationship with director Steven Spielberg has yielded 30 film scores, including Oscar-winning soundtracks to JAWS (1975), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler’s List (1993), three of Williams’ five Academy Award wins in a career that’s seen more nominations than anyone currently alive and only less total than Walt Disney. But Williams’ first score in Spielberg’s filmography was fairly infamous among collectors and fans as one of his only completely unreleased works…until now. La-La Land Records made the bombshell announcement Saturday that Williams’ music to Spielberg’s The Sugarland Express (1974)…
The Weekend Stream: June 15, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. Pop goddesses, rock gods, one classic crooner and remixes aplenty are what you’ll find this week! Mariah Carey, Rainbow (25th Anniversary Expanded Edition) (Columbia/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) The Elusive Chanteuse’s seventh album built upon its 1997 predecessor Butterfly, integrating hip-hop production flourishes into her R&B/adult contemporary style. “Heartbreaker,” featuring a guest rap from Jay-Z, and “Thank God I Found You” a ballad sung with R&B singer Joe (and assistance from…
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Fortune and Glory: ‘Indiana Jones’ Scores Hit Vinyl, New Soundtrack Box Available
With the rights to the Indiana Jones series now part of The Walt Disney Company’s portfolio, the Mouse House has planned several reissues of the five-film series’ iconic scores on CD and vinyl. Harrison Ford took his last ride as the cinematic archaeologist last summer, in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fourth and final sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Regardless of audiences’ opinion on those sequels, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s collaboration is one of each filmmaker’s most enduring. (The Star Wars mogul co-created the character and earned story…
The Weekend Stream: May 4, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. The Alan Parsons Project’s biggest album gets a second look, plus new music from John Williams, Daryl Hall and the unexpected sort-of return of one of country music’s best-known voices. Alan Parsons Project, Eye in the Sky (Sessions) (Arista/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) The latest in Legacy’s Alan Parsons Project Sessions series, bringing together era-specific bonus material as discrete titles, is also one of the biggest: beyond blockbuster LP Eye in the Sky…
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For Seiji: John Williams’ 2023 Tokyo Concert is Latest Live Album from The Maestro
John Williams’ latest overseas trip will form another new album from the celebrated composer. John Williams in Tokyo, recorded in 2023 with the Saito Kinen Orchestra and featuring a very special tribute to one of the country’s most beloved conductors, will be released May 10 by Deutsche Grammophon on multiple formats including standard CD and vinyl and a deluxe 2CD/Blu-ray set. An arguable highlight of Williams’ continued tenure as film score’s elder statesman is his semi-annual trip outside the U.S. to take the baton with a celebrated foreign orchestra. The tradition began in…
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The Weekend Stream: April 21, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. This week’s super-sized post-Record Store Day lineup includes more: more remixes, more covers, more Mancini and yes, more Taylor Swift. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology (Republic) (iTunes / Amazon) Can you really call this a reissue? Pop’s most ubiquitous A-lister whipped fans into a frenzy by announcing her 11th studio album shortly before picking up her fourth Grammy Award for…
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The Year In Review: The 2023 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z – Part One
Happy 2024! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc’s 14th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! As we yet again look to a new year with optimism and a hopeful spirit, we recognize the many roles music has played in our lives. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2023’s cream of the catalogue music crop – those exemplary reissues and box sets, big and small, that proved to be truly outstanding for music lovers worldwide. After much deliberation, we’re excited to unveil our favorites. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill Top…
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We Wish You (Another) Merry Discmas!
The stockings are hung, the presents are wrapped, and the time is now to wish all of our readers at The Second Disc a wonderful holiday season before we enter a brief winter hibernation until the new year! 2023 was our 13th year as (we hope!) one of the more fun destinations for music reissues, box sets and catalogue releases. The business has certainly changed a lot in that time – maybe too much vinyl, maybe not enough CDs? – but labels big and small keep finding new, old and interesting ways…
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Nice to Be Around: Extensive John Williams Box Set Released in France
If you’re a Second Disc reader, you’re no doubt aware of the immense musical power film composer John Williams has over us (and people like us!). Even a casual fan surely knows his most familiar works for the screen, from Star Wars and Indiana Jones to Jurassic Park and Harry Potter; the films of Steven Spielberg (JAWS, E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List); themes for everything from Superman to the Olympics. He’s picked up five Oscars (53 nominations, second only to Walt Disney), 25 Grammys, the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award (the only composer to receive the honor),…
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Soundtrack Watch: Intrada, Quartet and Varese’s Last Batches for 2023, ‘The Naked Gun’ Gets Solo Shot
With a few weeks left in the year, film score labels are still working hard to get out some choice archival releases on CD! Here’s the latest from Intrada, Quartet Records, Varese Sarabande’s CD Club, and a reissue from the folks at Rusted Wave. The estate of James Horner has worked overtime to get a myriad of scores from the late composer out into the market. Two major ones come from Intrada and Quartet, respectively: Intrada delivers a reissue of his third film score, to the sci-fi adventure film Battle Beyond the Stars…
Holiday Gift Guide Review: John Williams, ‘Hook (The Ultimate Edition)’
I. Kindest Personal Regards When critics walked out of screening rooms for Steven Spielberg’s Hook, they – not inaccurately – saw a film that possessed the childlike whimsy and rollercoaster thrills the director was a sure hand at ever since JAWS scared its way to the top of the all-time box-office charts. And yet, it was hard not to feel a bit overwhelmed by it all. “Hook is a huge party cake of a movie, with too much frosting,” David Ansen opined for Newsweek. “After the first delicious bite, sugar shock sets in.” It seems…
Hooked: Williams, Horner, Mancini, Jarre Bring Black Friday Gifts to La-La Land
Two scores from a late, modern icon of film soundtracks; a classic late-period soundtrack to a Hitchcock classic, an informal kickoff to another soundtrack legend’s centennial celebration; and a major gap filled in the most notable director-composer canon? La-La Land always brings out the big titles for their last batch of releases on Black Friday, but they’ve really outdone themselves this year with an era-spanning offering of five great archival score CD releases. Perhaps the most exciting is a stunning new reissue of John Williams’ stirring score to Steven Spielberg’s Hook. The 1991 blockbuster told…
