Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle: 50th Anniversary Edition (Varese Vintage) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) It's the time of the season! Varese has a new edition of The Zombies' 1968 classic, freshly remastered at d2 Mastering and with seven bonus tracks as well as new liner notes by co-producer Andrew Sandoval and rare photographs. The bonuses comprise the mono mix of "I'll Call You Mine" and "I Want Her She Wants Me;" alternate
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
For over 40 years, the names of director Steven Spielberg and composer John Williams have been inextricably linked. Since 1973's The Sugarland Express on which they first worked together, only two Spielberg pictures have not featured a score by Williams (1985's The Color Purple and 2015's Bridge of Spies). On March 17, Sony Masterworks will celebrate the enduring collaboration of these two titanic talents with the release of John Williams and Steven Spielberg: The Ultimate Collection. This
From the deepest reaches of space (the final frontier), to the toughest streets on either side of America, to not one, but two prehistoric adventures on tropical islands, La-La Land Records' just-announced final five catalogue soundtrack titles of 2016 offer some of the greatest film music around! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDPGywgZ_Yo "He's been chased, thrown through a window and arrested," the poster proclaimed. Just another day for a Detroit cop on vacation in Beverly
Superheroes and comic book characters have become a larger force in pop culture over recent years with many comic-book based properties racing to the top of list box-office winners each year, and over ten comic book-related television shows scheduled to air this fall on various networks. DC Comics, home to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and dozens of others, has been a big part of that. Next week also sees the annual San Diego Comic Con taking place, the largest comic and pop culture gathering
With this year's Record Store Day on Saturday, April 16 rapidly approaching, it's time to highlight the releases from Walt Disney Records. The label is offering up three selections on vinyl for the event and they range from the earliest days of the Walt Disney Company right up to its modern acquisitions. The first up is a new vinyl compilation entitled Disney Favorite Songs. This 8-song LP features songs from the classic and modern Disney repertoire ranging from "When You Wish Upon A Star"
Welcome to our first Release Round-Up of 2016! The Mamas and the Papas, The Complete Singles: The 50th Anniversary Collection (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Real Gone Music has 53 tracks on 2 CDs of pure pop pleasure from The Mamas and the Papas - as a group and solo - with this first-ever collection of their complete singles, just in time for their 50th anniversary! Full details here. J.D. Souther, John David Souther (Expanded Edition) (Omnivore)
Well, Christmas is almost upon us, and the onslaught of new releases has turned into a trickle as we head right into last-minute shopping territory! Still, selections are choice! Enjoy, and remember - you'll see our next Release Round-Up in the New Year! John Williams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada) Today is all about Star Wars...and we're just as thrilled as could be about a brand-new score by the
Today sees the release of the hotly-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters (well, technically, yesterday at 7 PM). As the film seems poised to break several box office records, a deluge of Star Wars products has hit the shelves. Among these offerings released today is the soundtrack CD featuring John William's seventh score for the iconic franchise. To tie in with all of the Star Wars happenings, Sony Masterworks recently announced that the label will be releasing two box sets
A classic '50s score and four popular '90s soundtracks from three beloved composers make up La-La Land Records' exciting-as-always Black Friday announcements. This year, the label has prepped expanded reissues of Dimitri Tiomkin's Giant (1956), 25th anniversary editions of John Williams' Home Alone and John Barry'sDances with Wolves (both 1990) and two scores by the late James Horner: 1994's The Pagemaster and 1995's Braveheart. All five limited edition CD sets will be available to order on
To our U.S. readers, today is the day of shopping known as Black Friday - but happily, the diverse slate of releases due in stores today should lift your spirits - no matter where you're located! Love, Reel to Real: Expanded Edition (High Moon Records) (Amazon U.S.) High Moon Records has the premiere reissue of Arthur Lee and Love's 1974 album Reel to Real as a newly-expanded Deluxe Edition boasting a color, 32-page booklet. A vinyl edition will follow early next year. Read more
Only shortly after their expansion of the score to JAWS 2, Intrada gives fans of the great white shark franchise a true reason to need a bigger boat, announcing a deluxe edition of John Williams' iconic, Academy Award-winning soundtrack to Steven Spielberg's JAWS. We've told the story behind the music before, in a Friday Feature from 2012. What's important now is what fans can expect from this new release, the third issue of JAWS score on CD. According to Intrada's product description, the
Mere weeks after Intrada took us Back to the Future for two very special soundtrack reissues, the label is exploring another one of Universal's hit franchises with unforgettable soundtracks: JAWS. Having expanded Alan Parker and Michael Small's scores to JAWS 3-D (1983) and JAWS: The Revenge (1987) earlier this year, Intrada now enters John Williams territory with a double-disc presentation of 1978's JAWS 2. Though John Williams was a composer of some acclaim before JAWS hit theaters in
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
Our look at the work of John Williams for Steven Spielberg's filmography continues with this look at the rest of the 1990s and beyond. Also featured are a few compilations of performances devoted to one of the best partnerships in film music history. Enjoy after the jump!
As I write this, Steven Spielberg is currently at work on his next film, an adaptation of the World War I-themed British play War Horse, due for a release a year from now. This means that, before long, composer John Williams will begin to write his 26th score for a Spielberg picture. The duo have been an almost immortal force in the film business for nearly 40 years, from their first collaboration, 1973's The Sugarland Express, to next Christmas' The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn,