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
I. In Every Job That Must Be Done, There is An Element of Fun When you're a child - no matter where you're from, or how perceptive you may be about such things - it's easy to get a sixth sense about something you watch or read and just feel is different from the rest of what you've watched or seen. The Wizard of Oz is that way for many people. So too is Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers' series of books about a magical nanny that was adapted into a colorful musical film by Walt Disney Studios in 1964.
When Richard M. Sherman, one half of the legendary songwriting team The Sherman Brothers, passed away last month, The Second Disc was quick to pay tribute to all the duo's great works for Walt Disney films and elsewhere. But their most towering achievement is probably the song score to the whimsical Mary Poppins. This summer, to celebrate the film's 60th anniversary, Disney will release a limited edition vinyl box set collecting the film's original soundtrack, rare archival material and no less
Joe and Mike would like to share a few words on the remarkable life and music of Richard M. Sherman. Mike starts things off with a look back at Richard and his brother Robert's extraordinary achievements. Since the first whistles came from Mickey Mouse's lips in Steamboat Willie, the work of Walt Disney and his media empire has been inexorably tied with music. From lilting tunes in early animated and live-action features ("Heigh-Ho," "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes," "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah")
UPDATE 10/9: "I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing: that it was all started by a mouse." Walt Disney was, of course, speaking of his enduring creation, Mickey Mouse. The character's debut in the 1928 animated short subject Steamboat Willie was indeed the watershed moment from which decades of entertainment in every conceivable medium followed. But the business that became The Walt Disney Company had been founded five years earlier, in 1923, by brothers Walt and Roy. That's the
"I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing: that it was all started by a mouse." Walt Disney was, of course, speaking of his enduring creation, Mickey Mouse. The character's debut in the 1928 animated short subject Steamboat Willie was indeed the watershed moment from which decades of entertainment in every conceivable medium followed. But the business that became The Walt Disney Company had been founded five years earlier, in 1923, by brothers Walt and Roy. That's the anniversary
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Bruce Springsteen, Letter to You (Columbia) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP black with white swirl: Bruce Springsteen Online Store 2-LP grey: Your Local Record Shop The Boss returns with a new, long-awaited album featuring The E Street Band. Produced by Springsteen and his frequent collaborator Ron Aniello, it features original songs as well as his first recordings of
Looking for our usual Release Round-Up? Alas, there's not much new in the way of catalogue music this Friday (and we've already filled you in on Billy Paul and Leon Russell!), but for a very good reason: tomorrow sees releases a-plenty as part of Record Store Day! Without further ado, welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year's RSD event! Once you're through reading, let us know what you're most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent
A British compilation series recently released a magical volume for Disney fans - and with a host of rarities for collectors, to boot! Since 2016, Universal Music On Demand's Sing Your Heart Out series has annually issued hits-packed compilations meant for (you guessed it) singing together, at home or in the car. In October, the Sing Your Heart Out series expanded to include a volume of classics from the films of Walt Disney Pictures. A total of 52 tracks are featured across the set's first
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring three new titles from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music, and much, much more! Johnny Mathis, Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head: Expanded Edition (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Johnny Mathis' 1970 album - featuring the songs of Bacharach and David, Paul Simon, Jimmy Webb, George Harrison and others - gets its first-ever expanded CD reissue from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music. And
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Choir, Artifact: The Unreleased Album (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Omnivore premieres an unreleased album from pre-Raspberries group The Choir, recorded in 1969 by one of the final iterations of the popular Cleveland band. These ten ultra-rare recordings have been restored for this release by the team of Tommy Allen and Ducky Carlisle (The Raspberries' Pop Art Live), and Choir fan Eric Carmen has provided liner
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Ron Wood and Ronnie Lane, Mahoney's Last Stand: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Faces' Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood teamed up to pen the score, consisting of country/folk-flavored songs and instrumental tracks, for this 1972 low-budget Canadian film. Real Gone brings it back to CD with new liner notes by Richie Unterberger. Read more here! Roxy Music, Roxy Music: Super Deluxe
In 1973, Hanna-Barbera's animated adaptation of E.B. White's beloved children's novel Charlotte's Web was released; over time, it became a multi-generational classic. 45 years later, a major milestone occurs with the first ever CD release of the film's winning soundtrack, courtesy of Varese Sarabande. Though White professed to not care for the film, condemning it as "a travesty" and admitting "I don't care much for jolly songs," Charlotte's Web has incredibly gained fans with time. The story
How often does one get the opportunity to hear a never-before-released score from one of the most beloved songwriting teams of all time? How about three unreleased scores, then? And what if one of those scores featured seven never-before-heard performances from Sammy Davis, Jr.? Indeed, such opportunities are rare...making Kritzerland's new release of Unsung Sherman Brothers all the more special. This delectable and tuneful collection premieres rare demo recordings of three unproduced scores
"In every job that must be done/There is an element of fun/You find the fun and snap!/The job's a game!" For more than fifty years, the tuneful team of Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman found the fun in their own job: songwriting. Together, "The Boys" penned memorable hits by Annette Funicello and Ringo Starr, defined the sound of Disneyland with unforgettable songs like "There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" and "It's a Small World," and made timeless movie magic with Mary Poppins,
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 this week's Release Round-Up, packed with box sets, reissues, special collections, and more! The Isley Brothers, The RCA Victor and T-Neck Album Masters (Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Legacy has boxed up 23 discs of The Isley Brothers - featuring every one of the group's RCA and T-Neck albums released between 1959 and 1983, including one previously unreleased album and a total of 84 previously unissued or new-to-CD bonus tracks! Every track has been newly-remastered
ORIGINAL POST OF APRIL 30 [NEW INFORMATION IN BOLD]: Just two days ago, we brought you the news about Walt Disney Records' latest entry in its Legacy Collection series: Lady and the Tramp. Now, we have a little more information and release information about the next entry in the series, this time devoted to the Happiest Place on Earth: Disneyland! Disneyland, of course, hardly needs an introduction. Since opening on July 17, 1955, it has become arguably the most famous theme park on the
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
Just two days ago, we brought you the news about Walt Disney Records' latest entry in its Legacy Collection series: Lady and the Tramp. Now, we have a little more information and release information about the next entry in the series, this time devoted to the Happiest Place on Earth: Disneyland! Disneyland, of course, hardly needs an introduction. Since opening on July 17, 1955, it has become arguably the most famous theme park on the planet and hosts millions of visitors each year. The
Less than one year ago, Walt Disney Records announced The Legacy Collection, a 12-title series marking various anniversaries of classic Disney films and even a theme park. In June, the series kicked off with a deluxe expansion of the soundtrack to The Lion King to commemorate that film's 20th year, and since then we've received similarly expanded editions of Mary Poppins (50th), Sleeping Beauty (55th), The Little Mermaid (25th), Fantasia (75th) and Pinocchio (75th). Future releases were
The Kinks, Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround: Deluxe Edition (Sanctuary/BMG, 2014) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) The Kinks' 1970 classic is expanded with a second album - 1971's Percy - plus an array of bonus tracks (many previously unreleased) on a new 2-CD set! Mary Poppins: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Legacy Collection (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) Walt Disney Records' deluxe Legacy Collection unveils its second release - a
In every job that must be done There is an element of fun You find the fun, and - SNAP! The job's a game! -Julie Andrews, "A Spoonful of Sugar," Mary Poppins (song written by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman) There's certainly an element of fun in catalog music, particularly catalog soundtracks, particularly the somehow oft-ignored discography of The Walt Disney Company. Disney's somewhat passive approach to a catalog initiative (tempered by their licensing deal with the Intrada
Eric Clapton, Give Me Strength: The '74/'75 Recordings (Polydor/UMe) One of Clapton's most prolific periods is revisited with this six-disc box, featuring expanded versions of 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), There's One in Every Crowd (1975), a remixed and expanded double-disc version of live album E.C. Was Here (1975), a disc of sessions at Criteria Studios with blues legend Freddie King and a Blu-Ray featuring new 5.1 surround and original quadrophonic mixes. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Ella
A new box set released today chronicles the musical legacy of The Walt Disney Company with a variety that hasn't been seen in quite awhile. The new Disney Classics celebrates nearly every medium of entertainment the animation studio-turned-film-titan has dabbled in, from film and television to revolutionary theme park attractions. Disney Classics is touted in a press release as being released in honor of 90 years of musical history as it pertains to the work of Walter Elias Disney (1901-1966).