John Williams 4 - The Second Disc

Classical/Opera, Everything Else, Popular Standards/Vocal, Soundtracks

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Sunrise, Sunset: La-La Land Wraps 2021 with Score Titles from Williams, Newman, and More

December 1, 2021 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Like the consumption of Thanksgiving turkey and waiting in line for Record Store Day exclusives, La-La Land’s Black Friday announcements of their final (and often biggest) archival soundtrack releases of the year is a holiday tradition. In 2021, the label did not disappoint, unveiling five rare, unreleased and expanded score titles from across five separate decades. From horror classics to brilliant stage musical adaptations and even a stunning Golden Age score, there’s really something for everyone in LLL’s last harvest of the year. Join us for an in-depth look at each, now…

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CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

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Alfred Newman, Bill Conti, Craig Armstrong, Harry Manfredini, Jerry Bock, John Williams, Sheldon Harnick

Santa Came Down the Chimney: Real Gone Announces Christmas Titles Including a Trio of Vinyl Soundtracks and One CD Debut

September 15, 2021 by Randy Fairman | 7 Comments

Even though it’s only the middle of September and it is not even fall yet, announcements are beginning to be made about the upcoming Christmas season. Real Gone Music is continuing its yearly holiday tradition with a batch of holiday albums, including a CD debut and three vinyl represses, due in October and November. The lone CD reissue in the slate, due November 5, is Merry Christmas, Baby, one of the earliest compilations of Christmas music singles from 1956. Subtitled Intimate Christmas Music for Young Lovers, the R&B album was originally released…

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CD, Vinyl

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Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Soundtracks

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Charles Brown, Cyndi Lauper, Danny Elfman, Darlene Love, John Williams, Southside Johnny

Release Round-Up: Week of February 5

February 5, 2021 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Dusty Springfield Complete Atlantic Singles

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Dusty Springfield, The Complete Atlantic Singles 1969-1971 (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Complete Atlantic Singles 1968-1971brings together Dusty Springfield’s 24 U.S. single sides released during her tenure at Atlantic. These tracks have been remastered from the original mono tapes by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision, and all but the eight sides pulled from Dusty in Memphis have never before appeared on CD in these original mixes. TSD’s Joe Marchese provides the new liner notes based on his interviews with Jeff Barry, Thom Bell, and Kenny Gamble….

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Release Round-Up

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Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Blues, Cast Recordings, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Reggae, Rock, Soundtracks

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A.J. Croce, Bill Loose, Bing Crosby, Bob Marley, Calvin Keys, Dusty Springfield, Fine Young Cannibals, Galt MacDermot, John Mayall, John Williams, Melba Moore, Norma Tanega, Rudolph Johnson, The Andersons, The Weeknd, Uncle Walt's Band

Nice to Be Around: John Williams’ ‘Live in Vienna’ to Get Expanded CD Release

January 6, 2021 by The Second Disc | No Comments

As legendary film composer John Williams heads toward his 89th birthday in 2021, Deutsche Grammophon is giving fans a present in the form of a new expanded edition of his latest concert release, just three days before his big day. Released just this past August and noted as 2020’s best-selling classical album, John Williams in Vienna presented the five-time Oscar winner leading the Weiner Philharmoniker and violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter – the soloist on 2018’s Across the Stars collaboration album – from the stage of The Musikverein in Austria, considered one of the…

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CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

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Smuggler’s Blues: ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off ‘Solo’ Gets Mondo Vinyl Release, Digital Expanded Soundtrack

December 1, 2020 by The Second Disc | No Comments

2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story sharply divided fans and Star Wars aficionados. The film, chronicling the early years of Han Solo, Chewbacca, and Lando Calrissian, endured a bumpy – and very public – road to theatres that saw original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) replaced by veteran Ron Howard. But while reviews were mixed on the film, one crucial element consistently earned well-deserved recognition: John Powell’s score. In recent weeks, an expanded edition of the original soundtrack came to digital download and streaming…

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Digital Download, Digital Streaming

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John Powell, John Williams

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Soundtrack Watch: An October Harvest from Intrada, Varese, La-La Land

October 30, 2020 by The Second Disc | No Comments

October is thick with not only great archival horror soundtracks, but favorites from all genres! Let’s dive in to eight great film score reissues from this past month. Intrada rolled out titles from three iconic composers. This week sees an expansion of the late James Horner’s score to The Land Before Time (1988). The second collaboration between animator Don Bluth and producer Steven Spielberg (this time with George Lucas in tow) told the story of a group of juvenile dinosaurs roaming the prehistoric Earth in search of safety. Known to ’90s kids…

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Bill Conti, Dave Davies, Diana Ross, Harry Manfredini, James Horner, Jerry Goldsmith, John Carpenter, John Powell, John Williams

Review: Joel McNeely, ‘Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire’

August 19, 2020 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

For the 42 years Star Wars has been a pop cultural force, musical oddities have followed in the wake of its starship engines. Sure, legendary composer John Williams put an interstellar jazz number in the middle of his almost operatic score to the original 1977 film, but that didn’t predict a chart-topping disco song, or Christmas albums, or quirky EDM, or various other ephemera in the ensuing decades. When Star Wars: Shadows Of The Empire was released in 1996, amid a major comeback for that galaxy far, far away (eventually culminating in…

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Reviews

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CD, Vinyl

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Joel McNeely, John Williams

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The Force Is Still With Us: #TSDTweet Returns At a New Time With Original ‘Star Wars’ Soundtrack

May 6, 2020 by The Second Disc | No Comments

The week started with May the Fourth, so it might as well end with another trip to a galaxy far, far away! Our latest #TSDTweet will take a listen to John Williams’ original soundtrack to Star Wars: the 1977 double album that launched one of the composer’s most lengthy and recognizable works. Williams composed the music to eight other Star Wars films between 1980 and 2019, in addition to contributing new works for the 2018 spin-off Solo: A Star Wars Story and the newly-opened Galaxy’s Edge at the Disney theme parks…but this…

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Features

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CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Soundtrack Watch: Williams Releases, ‘Star Wars’ Spin-Off and Some ‘Mystery Men’

May 5, 2020 by The Second Disc | No Comments

With May the 4th occurring yesterday, it seemed only natural that there might be some Star Wars music-related news, or some great catalog-related material from the film series’ iconic composer, John Williams. Luckily, fans got both! Not one but two Williams-oriented titles were announced yesterday. First, from Deutsche Grammophon comes John Williams Live In Vienna, a new live set taken from concerts conducted by the five-time Oscar winner earlier this year. Anticipation for the shows were doubly high; Williams first planned to make his conducting debut in Vienna in the fall of…

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Blu-Ray, CD, Vinyl

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Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith, Joel McNeely, John Williams, Shirley Walker

What a Buzz! La-La Land Premieres Goldsmith’s ‘The Swarm,’ Expands Williams’ ‘Far and Away’

March 3, 2020 by The Second Disc | No Comments

La-La Land Records kicks off March with a killer pair of archival score releases by two of the most famous film composers of all time! The label will premiere Jerry Goldsmith’s oft-requested The Swarm (1978) and expand John Williams’ underrated Far and Away (1992) this month. Having kicked off a disaster movie craze in the ’70s by producing The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno (both of which featured scores by Williams that were recently given deluxe treatment in a box set from La-La Land last year), Irwin Allen moved to the…

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Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, The Chieftains

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Release Round-Up: Weeks of December 20 and 27, and January 3

December 20, 2019 by The Second Disc | 8 Comments

Welcome to our final Release Round-Up of 2019! This edition covers today’s releases as well as those of the next two weeks, the quietest time of the year for new releases. The weekly Release Round-Up will be back on January 10. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to all! Frank Zappa, The Hot Rats Sessions (Zappa/UMe) 6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada This 6-CD box set explores Frank Zappa’s 1969 primarily instrumental solo album Hot Rats from every angle. The first…

La-La Land’s Annual Black Friday Blowout Offers ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Karate Kid,’ Disaster Scores and More

December 3, 2019 by The Second Disc | 4 Comments

It wouldn’t be Black Friday without an announcement of one last killer batch of archival soundtracks from La-La Land Records. The impressive slate of titles the label announced are on sale now, and we’ve got the scoop on all of them! First up, it’s a second, long-promised collection of music from Star Trek Voyager, the third live-action spinoff based on Gene Roddenberry’s iconic sci-fi series that aired between 1966 and 1969. Hot off the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) and Deep Space Nine (1993-1999), Voyager (1995-2001) was set contemporaneously…

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Box Sets, CD

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Alfred Newman, Bill Conti, David Arnold, Dennis McCarthy, Franz Waxman, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Mel Tormé, Nelson Riddle, Victor Young, Walter Scharf

The Second Disc’s Picks for Record Store Day Black Friday 2019

November 29, 2019 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. Record Store Day Black Friday is now almost upon us, so we thought we’d spotlight a few particularly exciting releases arriving to your local brick-and-mortar record shop! Here’s our round up of RSD BF must-haves! We’re kicking off with Sam’s list, and then we’ll follow with Randy and Joe’s! Aretha Franklin, The Atlantic Singles Collection 1968 (Atlantic/Rhino) Last year, fans were treated to a singles…

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Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

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Classic Rock, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul

Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Promises Gods and Monsters In October Release Slate

October 18, 2019 by The Second Disc | No Comments

A defining classic of horror film and a late-period Spielberg-Williams collaboration are just two of La-La Land Records’ recent archival soundtrack releases. The latest in the label’s Universal Pictures Film Music Heritage Collection is rescued elements from a soundtrack that’s more than 80 years old: Franz Waxman’s score to The Bride Of Frankenstein. One of the first critically acclaimed blockbuster sequels, Bride continued the story of Universal’s 1931 adaptation of the iconic Mary Shelley novel. Director James Whale and stars Colin Chive and Boris Karloff return as Dr. Henry Frankenstein and his…

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Dominic Frontiere, Franz Waxman, Graeme Revell, John Williams

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Record Store Day Black Friday 2019’s Best Of The Rest

October 11, 2019 by Sam Stone | No Comments

RSDBF PaulMcCartney HomeTonight InAHurry

The major labels aren’t the only ones who’ll be part of Record Store Day Black Friday this year. A number of impressive indies (and other major labels with notable catalog friendly material) have announced exciting additions to the RSDBF slate. What’s more, we’ve got coverage of some exciting new music from artists as diverse as Paul McCartney, Tank and the Bangas, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, and Norah Jones! First up… Chuck Berry, Chuck Berry In London (Elemental) By 1965, the British Invasion had brought Chuck Berry’s name back into the rock and roll…

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Vinyl

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Classic Rock, Country, Everything Else, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Christmas Conga! Real Gone Announces First Wave of Holiday Lineup

October 3, 2019 by Sam Stone | 1 Comment

Sure, you can wait to find Real Gone’s lineup of holiday-themed titles under the tree, but why wait? A trio of merry Yuletide albums will be available on color vinyl on November 1, including Cyndi Lauper’s Merry Christmas… Have A Nice Life!, the Home Alone Christmas soundtrack compilation, and the soundtrack to Love Actually. First up: Cyndi Lauper’s Merry Christmas… Have A Nice Life! This often-overlooked slice of Lauper’s discography is a fresh spin on the time-honored tradition of the Christmas album. The album was partly inspired by motherhood; in fact, the story goes that…

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Vinyl

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Holiday, Pop, Soundtracks

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Alan Jackson, Atlantic Starr, Cyndi Lauper, Darlene Love, Dido, John Williams, Joni Mitchell, Kelly Clarkson, Lisa Fischer, Maroon 5, Mel Tormé, Norah Jones, Otis Redding, Southside Johnny, TLC, The Beach Boys, The Pointer Sisters, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

You Will Believe: La-La Land Restores Williams’ ‘Superman’ Score For 40th Anniversary

February 15, 2019 by The Second Disc | 9 Comments

Look, up in the sky! (You knew we were going to say that!) Following remastered releases of the scores to Superman II, Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace in 2018, La-La Land Records returns to the one that started it all: a brilliant new remastered edition of John Williams’ score to Superman: The Movie, landing just a few months after its 40th anniversary. (In an amazing confluence of events, today’s announcement comes on “Superman Soundtrack Day,” the same date as two previous expanded editions of the original soundtrack: a…

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La-La Land’s Wondrous World: Soundtrack Giant Plans ‘Potter,’ ‘Bond’ and More Archival Releases

November 27, 2018 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Hours of unreleased soundtrack music? Oft-requested titles from favorite composers and popular film series? It’s definitely Black Friday season at La-La Land Records! The venerable soundtrack label closed the book on 2018 with five brand-new film and television score expansions – a total of 18 discs’ worth of material, including three works involving one of the most successful living soundtrack composers and projects related to two world-renowned franchises. First up, La-La Land’s successful Spielberg-Williams collaboration – the label has expanded many of the director and composer’s works together, from E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial…

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Box Sets, CD

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Alexander Courage, Annie Lennox, David Arnold, Garbage, John Williams, Scott Walker

Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land’s Super Slate Includes Five DC Comics Releases

October 31, 2018 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

La-La Land Records’ current slate is nothing short of super-powered, with six(!) titles streeting this month with a root in comic books – five of which come from DC Comics properties. By far the biggest of the titles in terms of both depth and recognition is the debut standalone release of Ken Thorne’s scores to Superman II and Superman III, the first two sequels to 1978’s blockbuster adaptation of The Man of Steel. Richard Donner’s original film was memorably scored by John Williams; Thorne’s adaptations were one of many changes to the…

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Chaka Khan, Giorgio Moroder, John Williams, Ken Thorne, Marshall Crenshaw

The Count Returns: Varese Expands John Williams’ Score to 1979’s “Dracula”

October 23, 2018 by Randy Fairman | No Comments

Just in time for Halloween, Varese Sarabande has announced a new CD featuring arguably the greatest fictional horror character of all time: Dracula. Varese’s latest entry in their CD Club is an expanded presentation of John Williams’ score to the 1979 film version of Dracula. The 2-CD set Dracula: The Deluxe Edition is available for preorder now and due to start shipping the week of November 5. Dracula, the character, of course needs little introduction. Created by Bram Stoker in 1897 for the novel Dracula, the titular vampire has gone on to…

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Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Answers Spielberg-Williams Call With ‘E.T.’ Vinyl, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ Expansion

October 1, 2018 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Fans of John Williams’ soundtracks for the films of Steven Spielberg have plenty of reasons to phone home lately, thanks to La-La Land Records! The film score label this month issued two expansions of Spielberg-Williams scores – one making its vinyl debut, the other on CD – and there’s more yet to come. Longtime readers of The Second Disc no doubt know our love for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (founder Mike Duquette’s all-time favorite film). Spielberg’s blockbuster about the tender friendship between a lonely 10-year-old boy and a loving space creature was the…

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CD, Vinyl

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Varese Unveils First CD Club Batch of 40th Anniversary Year with Williams, Goldsmith Expansions

June 19, 2018 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

40 years ago, Varese Sarabande Records launched with the soundtrack to writer-director Bruce Kimmel’s The First Nudie Musical. Today, the label (recently acquired by Concord Music Group) continues to serve the soundtrack community with an impressive array of releases from both past and present. Its limited edition CD club has recently announced its first four titles marking the company’s 40th anniversary. First up is John Williams‘ 1972 score to director Mark Rydell’s The Cowboys. The John Wayne vehicle gave Williams an opportunity to compose a rousing, melodic adventure score including a subsequent…

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David Newman, Georges Delerue, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams

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Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Debuts ‘Alien 3,’ Breaks Out ‘Superman IV’

May 9, 2018 by Randy Fairman | 3 Comments

Over the past couple of days, La-La Land Records has released a pair of 2-CD soundtrack limited edition sets for two entries in sci-fi/superhero franchises which began in the 1970s: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Alien 3. Released in 1987, Superman IV marked the final time Christopher Reeve would step into the Man of Steel’s iconic red and blue costume. Directed by Sidney J. Furie (Lady Sings the Blues, Iron Eagle), the film centered around Superman’s efforts to curtail the nuclear arms races. At the same time, Lex Luthor (portrayed…

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