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/ Various Artists

November 24, 2015 By Randy Fairman 2 Comments

Classic Christmas Album Amazon

With Thanksgiving this Thursday and Black Friday the day after, the Christmas season is officially upon us (if it hasn't already arrived a couple of weeks ago!).  There have been several Christmas reissues we've talked about so far this season, including the four new entries in Legacy's Classic Christmas Album series.  And now we've got information on a fifth entry for this year:  the simply-titled Classic Christmas Album.  And we're also happy to say that this Amazon exclusive, 3-CD, 42-song

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Holiday, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Various Artists

November 10, 2015 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Come and See Me

Today, we're turning the spotlight on two recent releases from Cherry Red's RPM Records imprint! When David Bowie placed Tucker Zimmerman's 1969 album Ten Songs by Tucker Zimmerman on a list of his 25 favorite albums - alongside acknowledged classics by The Velvet Underground, James Brown, Little Richard and even Steve Reich - readers of the 2003 list could have been forgiven for wondering, "Who is Tucker Zimmerman?"  It's taken some time, but the RPM label has finally unearthed Ten Songs by

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, Rock Tags: Tucker Zimmerman, Various Artists

November 2, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Hulaland

Though it didn't become the 50th United State of America until 1959, the Aloha State of Hawaii had long held an enchanting spell over mainland dwellers. Tiki culture rose to prominence in the 1930s; the decade saw the opening of the first Polynesian-themed tiki bar and restaurant, Don the Beachcomber, in 1934. By the end of the thirties, flights to Hawaii had begun, making the lush and beautiful land of sun and surf more widely accessible. The Polynesian craze hit full swing in the 1950s, and

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Various Artists

October 29, 2015 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Artifact Creation Box

"Our master plan was destroy manufactured bands," writes Alan McGee in the foreword to Cherry Red Records' recent box set, Artifact: The Dawn of Creation Records '83-'85. "We lost," he adds.  "But maybe we won for a while!"  Surely the Creation label founded by McGee could be considered a winner, having given a platform in the 1980s and 1990s to bands including The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream, My Bloody Valentine and Oasis.  Only the first two of those are represented on this impressive

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Rock Tags: Primal Scream, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Various Artists

October 26, 2015 By Randy Fairman 3 Comments

Now Halloween

We've reported on several Christmas reissues being released in the lead-up the yuletide season.  And when it comes to holidays throughout the year, Christmas certainly reigns supreme in terms of the quantity of music devoted to it.  However, some other holidays and occasions throughout the year have music devoted to them.  One of the more popular ones is Halloween which is coming up this weekend.  To provide a soundtrack to your Halloween parties or trick-or-treating, Legacy Recordings, in

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Blue Oyster Cult, Donovan, Mike Oldfield, Various Artists, Warren Zevon

October 26, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

London American Label 1966

Ace is saying "All Aboard!" with a pair of recent releases spotlighting the label's pursuit of the diverse sounds of music.  The London American Label Year by Year: 1966 continues Ace's long-running survey of the American sides issued on London Records in the U.K. between the 1950s and the 1970s while All Aboard! 25 Train Tracks Calling at All Musical Stations spotlights (you guessed it!) "train songs." The eleventh volume of Ace's The London American Label series is here, with 28 selections

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Blues, Country, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Chuck Berry, Neil Sedaka, The Righteous Brothers, The Ronettes, The Vogues, Various Artists

October 20, 2015 By Joe Marchese 6 Comments

Songs for Swinging Ghosts

With Halloween around the corner, the pre-Beatles pop specialists at Cherry Red's Croydon Municipal imprint have offered up a collection of spooky musical treats, Songs for Swinging Ghosts, along with a disc of more traditional fare, the girl group salute All About the Girls. The 22 tracks on Songs for Swinging Ghosts, comprising both vocals and instrumentals, are primarily drawn from U.K. releases though a handful of American artists are on hand, too.  Compiler Bob Stanley of St. Etienne

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: St. Etienne, Various Artists

October 8, 2015 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Solid Stax Sensations

Ace Records has recently celebrated the enduring legacy of Stax Records with a trio of exciting releases from some of the label's leading lights.  The Isaac Hayes Movement's 1975 Disco Connection makes its first ever CD appearance, joined by Hayes' songwriting partner David Porter's equally rare 1970 ...Into a Real Thing in a newly-expanded edition.  Ace tops it all off with Ian Levine's Solid Stax Sensations, a revelatory collection showcasing the varied sides of the Stax label family. It's

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: David Porter, Isaac Hayes, Various Artists

October 6, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Popcorn Exotica

Croydon Municipal, an imprint of Cherry Red Group, has recently continued two of its popular series with the releases of Troxy Music 2 and Popcorn Exotica. Like the first volume of Troxy Music, this edition is subtitled Fifties and Sixties Film Themes; this time around, it's Screen 2.  Compiler Bob Stanley and compiler/annotator Martin Green set out the collection's ethos in the liner notes, explaining how both Hollywood and Great Britain fought against the onslaught of television: "Hollywood

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Soundtracks Tags: Various Artists

September 30, 2015 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Second Helpings

Numerous collections have compiled famous "answer songs."  Ace Records' 2007 anthology The Answer to Everything had many of the best, like Jody Miller's "Queen of the House," Esther Phillips' "When a Woman Loves a Man" and Marilyn Michaels' "Tell Tommy I Miss Him."  Early in the summer, Ace took a look not at answer songs, per se, but at sequel songs, on the compilation of Second Helpings: Sequels to the Songs That Left 'Em Hungry for More! The 24 tracks on this collection all hail from the

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Country, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Buddy Holly, George Jones, Jay and the Americans, Jimmy Dean, Marty Robbins, The Marvelettes, The Shirelles, Various Artists, Wanda Jackson

September 15, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Casino Classics

When American soul great Tommy Hunt first approached the Wigan Casino in Wigan, England to celebrate the nightclub's second anniversary on September 27, 1975, his first reaction was decidedly mixed.  He recalled in 2013, "When I got to Wigan, I refused to go in!  It scared me because it looked so rough!  I'd been playing these fabulous clubs.  When I looked at the outside, I said to the driver, 'you must be at the wrong place.'  He said, 'Tommy, wait 'til you get inside.'  When I walked in

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: Gloria Jones, Jackie Trent, Len Barry, Reparata and the Delrons, The Ramsey Lewis Trio, Tommy Hunt, Various Artists

September 10, 2015 By Randy Fairman 7 Comments

Earth Wind and Fire Classic Christmas

Legacy Recordings is getting into the Christmas spirit this year by continuing its Classic Christmas Album series.  On October 2, four new entries will be released featuring artists who had their biggest successes in the '70s (Earth, Wind & Fire), '80s (a various artists compilation), '90s (Sarah McLachlan) and 2000s (Celtic Thunder). The majority of the material on these compilations is of a relatively recent vintage.  The exception is The Classic Christmas '80s Album which obviously

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Everything Else, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Celtic Thunder, Earth Wind and Fire, Sarah McLachlan, Various Artists

September 3, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Groove and Grind

Got a few spare hours?  You'll definitely want to put some time aside for a new box set that just might get you up and dancing... The four packed CDs comprising RockBeat Records' Groove and Grind: Rare Soul '63-'73 (ROC-CD-3255)- that's 112 songs, most of which have never previously appeared on CD - add up to one of the most exhaustive rare soul archives in the CD era, and one which you'll want to spend hours and hours exploring.  As accompanied by a 112-page book with Bill Dahl's copious,

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Categories: Reviews Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: Various Artists

August 31, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Happy Lovin Time

Ace Records has previously mined the eclectic catalogue of producer-impresario Gary S. Paxton, most notably on Hollywood Maverick: The Gary S. Paxton Story.  That 2006 volume featured Paxton's work with artists including The Hollywood Argyles ("Alley Oop"), Paul Revere and the Raiders ("Midnight Ride") and Bobby "Boris" Pickett ("The Monster Mash").  Recently, Ace has returned to the archives of Paxton's Garpax production company with the delicious Happy Lovin' Time: Sunshine Pop from the Garpax

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD, Digital Download Genre: Pop Tags: Curt Boettcher, Gary S. Paxton, The Four Freshmen, Various Artists

August 21, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Isley Brothers T Neck and RCA Masters

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

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, SACD Genre: Classic Rock, Everything Else, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Soundtracks Tags: Belinda Carlisle, Jeff Beck, Linda Ronstadt, Nicolette Larson, Paul Young, Peggy Lee, Singers and Players, Teddy Pendergrass, The Isley Brothers, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Sherman Brothers, Various Artists

August 5, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Groove and Grind

Hot on the heels of its recent Super Rare Doo Wop Box, RockBeat Records is turning its attention to another corner of the rhythm and blues world and further advancing into the 1960s with a new four-CD box set.  Groove and Grind: Rare Soul 1963-1973, due in stores on Friday, August 18, is packed with 112 songs - the vast majority of which have never been reissued on CD! Groove and Grind, compiled by RockBeat's James Austin and annotated in its hardcover 127-page book by Bill Dahl, has divided

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: Various Artists

August 3, 2015 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Here Today The Songs of Brian Wilson

The title of Ace Records' recent collection is Here Today! The Songs of Brian Wilson, after one of those famous Wilson songs off The Beach Boys' 1966 Pet Sounds.  But the fact of the matter is - as this enjoyably diverse set proves over the course of its 25 tracks - Brian Wilson's music is not only here today, but will be here for many tomorrows. Unlike Ace's 2003 volume Pet Projects: The Brian Wilson Productions, this anthology concentrates on Brian as songwriter.  But there are a couple of

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Bobby Vee, Brian Wilson, Carmen McRae, Hugo Montenegro, Jan and Dean, Nick DeCaro, The Beach Boys, The Tokens, Three Dog Night, Various Artists

July 24, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Doobie Brothers Warner Years

Today's Release Round-Up features an array of high-resolution music, plus box sets, vintage reissues, live albums and more! Roger Waters, Amused to Death (Remixed Editions) (Columbia/Legacy) Roger Waters revisits his 1992 album Amused to Death, featuring contributions from Don Henley, Rita Coolidge, P.P. Arnold, Andy Fairweather Low and Michael Kamen, in a variety of formats featuring new stereo and 5.1 surround mixes.  Read our full coverage here. CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray Audio, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, DVD, SACD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, Rock Tags: Joe Walsh, Roger Waters, The Doobie Brothers, The Knack, The Rolling Stones, Todd Rundgren, Utopia, Various Artists

July 14, 2015 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

Rare Soul

If Rare Soul is what you're looking for, PopMarket has an exclusive release just for you.  The online shop has recently released A Crate Digger's Collection of Rare Soul, a 3-LP set pressed on heavyweight180-gram vinyl presenting 35 tracks culled from the Warner Music Group family of labels including Atlantic, Cotillion, Loma, Atco and Warner Bros. itself.  This handsome package, a limited edition of 1,000 units, features 35 tracks from some of the labels' heaviest hitters as well as names that

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: Vinyl Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: Ben E. King, Bettye LaVette, Dee Dee Sharp, Mary Wells, Otis Redding, Percy Sledge, Solomon Burke, Various Artists

June 16, 2015 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

James Taylor Before This World

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring the return of a veteran artist, celebrations of the renowned musicians of Nashville and Los Angeles, a classic Disney soundtrack, and much more! Various Artists, Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City (Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Legacy teams with the Country Music Hall of Fame for this 2-CD, 36-song companion soundtrack to the Nashville museum's current exhibit chronicling Music City's fusion of country of rock.

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, DVD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Christopher Cross, Donovan, Eddi Reader, James Taylor, John Barry, Johnny Cash, Miklos Rosza, The Dream Syndicate, Various Artists

June 12, 2015 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Vive Le Rock and Roll

RPM, an imprint of Cherry Red Group, has recently issued a number of sets exploring the world of sixties French pop.  Now the label has recently turned to the heavier side, with Vive Le Rock and Roll, a 22-track anthology dedicated to the country's rock-and-roll scene. As detailed in Kieron Tyler's extensive liner notes to this collection subtitled The Unruly World of French Rock and Roll 1956-1962, France didn't cotton to the rough-and-tumble genre immediately.  Bill Haley and the Comets

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Everything Else Tags: Johnny Hallyday, Various Artists, Vince Taylor

June 11, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Bottom Line Archive Chapin

The new Bottom Line Archive Series, which launched earlier this year with volumes from The Brecker Brothers, Willie Nile, and Kenny Rankin, continues on June 30 with a new wave of titles all recorded at the late, great New York venue once located on West 4th Street in Greenwich Village.  Concerts from Harry Chapin and Janis Ian, plus two various-artists compilations, will be released on Bottom Line Records on that date. Legendary singer-songwriter Harry Chapin's January 1981 set at The Bottom

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Folk, Pop, Rock Tags: Harry Chapin, Janis Ian, Jimmy Webb, Pete Seeger, Various Artists

June 8, 2015 By Randy Fairman 1 Comment

Cinderella Legacy Collection

We've got a couple of bits of Disney music news to bring you today.   One concerns an ongoing series and the other concerns material that many have long hoped would see release! First up, we can confirm more details about the next volume of Walt Disney Records' Legacy Collection: Cinderella.  Celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, Cinderella was Walt Disney's twelfth animated feature and was released on February 5, 1950.  It starred the voices of Ilene Woods as Cinderella, Eleanor Audley

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Vinyl Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Al Hoffman, Jerry Livingston, Mack David, Various Artists

June 1, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Sweet Things from Greenwich and Barry

With Sweet Things, Ace Records has picked a most apt title for its third volume of music from the Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry songbook (Ace CDCHD 1434).  Though Greenwich and Barry were united as husband and wife for just the short period of 1962-1965, and only worked together for a short time after that, a year hasn't gone by since when their enduring songs haven't been recorded and re-recorded.  The collection's 24 titles span 1963-1978 and blend hits and rarities from the duo with tracks

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Darlene Love, Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector, The Crystals, The Shangri-Las, Various Artists

May 27, 2015 By Joe Marchese 9 Comments

Dylan Cash and Nashville Cats

Two legendary artists headline a new anthology arriving on June 16, 2015 from Legacy Recordings.  Dylan, Cash and the Nashville Cats: A New Music City, a 2-CD, 36-track compilation, serves as an audio companion and soundtrack to the exhibit of the same name currently on display at Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame through December 31, 2016.  Like the exhibit, this new release explores the timeless sounds created at the intersection of country, folk and rock in Nashville between, roughly

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download Genre: Classic Rock, Country, Folk Tags: Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Simon and Garfunkel, Various Artists

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