Reissue Theory: General Public, “…All the Rage”

Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today, a department store ad unleashes an earworm from the New Wave days.

The music industry will never be desperate enough to reissue albums based on certain tunes appearing in commercials, but if they did it would save a lot of headaches for this author.

If you watch enough television in the U.S., you’ve probably noticed those innocuous ads for Target, the big retailer that everyone likes (as opposed to Wal-Mart, the retailer everyone seems to hate). They usually show “regular folks” coping with eccentricities of day-to-day life – paying bills, feeding kids and so on – punctuated by a product sold at Target that will solve their problems and a brief song cue under the tagline (“Life’s a moving target” – ha ha, get it?).

Most of those tunes are early ’80s pop songs, for whatever reason – maybe Target’s ad agency just can’t get enough of New Wave hits – and while a few of them are familiar to the soccer moms and weekend warriors that make up Target’s core audience, some are not. For every ad that uses “Let’s Go” by The Cars or “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar, there’s one that uses “Age of Consent” by New Order or “Tenderness” by General Public.

That last one was a particular pain for this author, as it became one of those songs you know you’ve heard, but can’t for the life of you pin down where it came from. Even if you haven’t seen the ad, you might have recognized its six-note hook from the soundtrack to the film Weird Science in 1985. And if you still haven’t recalled the tune, hit the jump and take a look back, Reissue Theory-style.

The Burton-Elfman Monolith Emerges

It’s not every day you get to talk about two major box sets in a 24-hour span. And this one makes the U.K. Black Sabbath box look like something thrown into a digipak.

The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box is ready to order. Sixteen CDs, a DVD, a 250-page book and a collectible USB drive, all loaded with a heap of unreleased music, demos, rarities and other jaw-dropping stuff. And it’s literally enormous. Check out the size of it in this video; it looks like a box for moving into a new house.

Now, as beautiful a box like this is, both visually and in terms of the music, you always have some trepidations. For one, the price tag is rather steep – $500, for 1,000 limited edition numbered copies – particularly when considering the target audience, the soundtrack buyer. (Most limited edition titles, usually released every other week or so, are around $20 to $30; box sets can span between $125 and $250 from the soundtrack labels. That doesn’t leave much room to budget for this box, not that Warner Bros., the masterminds behind this set, were thinking about that.)

Still, the level of detail on this thing is such that you wish any of your favorite artists got such a devoted, loving, red-carpet treatment. You can see that treatment for yourself by going to the box’s official site and hitting the jump for a full track list. (And check this set actually getting some attention from a major newspaper!)

New U.K. Black Sabbath Box Set: What’s to Be Cross About?

Since The Second Disc began, we’ve seen more than a bit of Black Sabbath reissues and remasters, all of them confined to the United Kingdom, where the band’s catalogue is distributed by Universal Music Group’s Sanctuary Records (Warner Bros. handles it in the U.S.). The latest British-only set has been announced, and it’s a doozy.

A new box, The Ozzy Years: Complete Albums Box Set, will make its way to U.K. record shops on November 15. It has exactly what it says: nine remastered Sabbath albums with Ozzy Osbourne as the lead vocalist (including the compilation We Sold Our Soul for Rock ‘N’ Roll), along with the usual extra goodies (in this case, three radio documentaries of as-yet-undetermined origins, a 100-page booklet, a set of guitar picks and a poster). All of it is stored in one of the most delightfully unique box sets in recent memory – a large, black cross.

Now, this isn’t the first time such an undertaking has been released; Rhino did a Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath 1970-1978 in 2004 compiling all the Ozzy-era LPs (minus the compilation) and adding a DVD. And this set isn’t much more thorough, as you might have guessed; none of the albums include the deluxe edition bonus discs that have been released in Europe between last year and this year (including outtakes discs for Black Sabbath (1970) and Master of Reality (1971) and the quadrophonic mix of Paranoid (1970) available on a DVD with the deluxe edition).

If you’re a collector who can see past those flaws, though, you’ll definitely want to click the link from a few paragraphs back. Skeptics can be further decisive after seeing the rundown after the jump.

In Which We Keep Fishin’ for Weezer Catalogue Info

With the track list for Geffen/UMe’s deluxe reissue of Weezer’s Pinkerton announced, the question still stands: where’s the rest of the track lists?

It’s been confirmed time and again that Universal has two more sets of Weezer rarities and ephemera due, possibly by the end of the year. Death to False Metal is the long-gestating outtakes compilation spanning the band’s Geffen years, while another set of frontman Rivers Cuomo’s demos, set to cover the time surrounding the making of Pinkerton, is on its way as well.

But what will they feature? Metal has a release date of November 2, the same day as the deluxe Pinkerton, so a track list can’t be far off. Not much has been heard about Alone III, though; according to Weezer archivist Karl Koch, the compilation came from an aborted super-deluxe version of Pinkerton, so it’s likely waiting in the wings, too. But is three Weezer sets too much for the holiday season – particularly with a new album already in stores?

Time will tell, but in the meantime, ridiculously thorough fan site Weezerpedia has posted potential track lists for each of the remaining sets that look mighty tantalizing (although they go best with a grain of salt, as they lack citations). They are yours, after the jump.

Mini-Exclusive: A Small Treat for Lennon Fans at Target

Thinking about next week’s John Lennon reissues and where to buy them? If you like Target, it may be the place to get a hold of at least some of the sets. We’ve confirmed that those who purchase the new deluxe edition of Double Fantasy (with the “Stripped Down” bonus disc) and the Power to the People compilation at the Bullseye will receive a $5 gift card with purchase.

Sure, it’s not extra tracks, but it might be a minor incentive if you have other purchases to make at the retailer – and it’s nice to see catalogue material getting a bit of love from a big box store. (Target’s actually done a semi-decent job in that field, offering bonus tracks on Jimi Hendrix’s Valleys of Neptune and selling the bonus disc to The Rolling Stones’ Exile on Main St. reissue as a standalone set.)

At the very least? Think of it as something to go toward your iPad purchase.

In Case You Missed It: Midge Ure Reissues Coming Up

EMI continues its ongoing parade of reissued titles with two titles from Midge Ure, best known as the frontman for Ultravox, coming next week on October 4. The label will expand Ure’s first two albums, 1985’s The Gift and 1988’s Answers to Nothing, in two-disc sets boasting the usual B-sides, remixes, live cuts and some unreleased material to boot.

Both albums, released on either end of Ultravox’s final album in 1986, boasted a few great singles, including the U.K. chart-topper “If I Was” and “Dear God,” a Top 5 Modern Rock song in the States. The unearthed bonus cuts on The Gift include some additional material from a Wembley Arena gig just before Christmas 1985 – the same season Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas,” co-written by Ure with Bob Geldof, became a worldwide hit. (Parts of that show had shown up as B-sides elsewhere, and that previously released material makes its CD debut here.) Answers to Nothing adds several work-in-progress mixes as a sweetener.

With these sets, the bulk of Ure’s early solo catalogue has been remastered and expanded (Pure (1991) and Breathe (1996), recorded for Sony BMG, were given expanded reissues by Edsel last year in a two-disc set).

Original props for this story go to Slicing Up Eyeballs, who also detailed a neat art-print and meet and greet contest surrounding these sets. Hit the jump for track lists.

Reissue Theory: Ben Folds Five, “The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner”

 

Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. With a new album from a modern-day piano man released today, we take a look back at one of his best classic albums.

Today is a day pissed-off geeky guys like myself love celebrating: Ben Folds has released a new album. Lonely Avenue makes one of his most intriguing LPs since going solo with Rockin’ the Suburbs nine years ago. This time, the lyrics Folds sings are not his own, but lines written by British author Nick Hornby, the man behind great novels like High Fidelity, About a Boy, Fever Pitch and others. The album is earning praise after a handful of uneven affairs by Folds, often considered to be an indie-rock hybrid of Elton John and Randy Newman, meaning that Folds may have finally found his own Bernie Taupin.

Of course, what a lot of Folds fans may be overlooking (mostly because his audience tends to skew on the younger side – odd, considering his presence as a musician for some 15 years) is the work he did before flying solo, with his band Ben Folds Five. One of the greatest walking contradictions of the post-grunge era, BF5 was a trio – bassist Robert Sledge, drummer Darren Jessee and singer-pianist Folds – without a guitar in sight. They walked a fine line between melodic, ’70s AM-radio-ready pop and messy, feedback-laden punk rock (“for sissies,” they were quick to add) for much of their career, particularly their major-label debut (and sophomore LP) Whatever and Ever Amen (1997), which spun off an unlikely Top 40 hit in “Brick,” a lump-in-the-throat ballad about the true story of a teenaged Folds and his girlfriend getting an abortion.

WAEA was expanded and reissued by Epic in 2005, as Folds’ second LP Songs for Silverman was released. The Second Disc also outlined a fantastic way to have commemorated the band’s self-titled indie debut, some 15 years after it was released, in one of our first Reissue Theory posts. With a new creative high point for Folds in stores today, it’s high time to revisit the Five’s last, and possibly best, studio album, Reissue Theory-style. Read on after the jump.

U.K. Comps from En Vogue, Faith No More Arrive from Music Club Deluxe

Last week The Second Disc reported on a double-disc anthology from The Jesus and Mary Chain from Music Club Deluxe Records. It turns out that set was just the tip of the iceberg; the label, owned by Demon Music Group, has just put out some more double-disc sets aimed at collectors and anthologists. We’re pleased to present to you their latest slate, including sets from En Vogue, Faith No More, All Saints and more.

Though their reunion tour is about to come to an end, West Coast rockers Faith No More have cut an impressive swath of music, including crossover hits like “Epic,” “We Care a Lot” and “Midlife Crisis.” Music Club Deluxe’s new set, Midlife Crisis: The Very Best of Faith No More, compiles all those hits with a respectable amount of album sides and rarities.

Also hailing from the state of California is the R&B group En Vogue. They gave audiences in the early ’90s something to dance to in hits like “Hold On,” “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” “Free Your Mind” and “Whatta Man,” their collaboration with Salt-N-Pepa. Don’t Let Go: The Very Best of En Vogue spans the group’s entire career, including some hard-to-find remixes.

Here’s something else for the ’90s British pop fan in your life: Pure Shores: The Very Best of All Saints is the first fully career-spanning compilation from the British hit singers, who rose to fame off a string of Top 10 singles including the chart-toppers “Never Ever,” “Pure Shores,” “Black Coffee” and covers of “Under the Bridge” and “Lady Marmalade.” For collectors, it not only includes tracks from all three of their studio albums, including the EMI-released Studio 1 (2006), but a handful of B-sides and remixes.

Finally, another British pop group gets compiled with Stay Another Day: The Very Best of East 17 . The boy band racked up a dozen U.K. Top 10 hits throughout the 1990s, and those singles and more album cuts make the cut on this set.

Check out all the track listings after the jump and head on over to Music Club Deluxe’s site to place your orders, as they’re all available now.

Intrada Displays “Uncommon Valor”

James Horner has seen quite a few of his orchestral soundtracks get the deluxe treatment in the past year or so. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), Krull (1983), Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983), The Journey of Natty Gann (1985), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), the planned release of Jade (1995) – the list goes on, and it’s safe to say Horner has been admitted into the hall of fame for great composers.

Add another one to the list from Intrada – his score to the 1983 film Uncommon Valor. In the picture, Gene Hackman played a retired marine colonel who led a group of soldiers into the wilds of Vietnam to rescue his POW/MIA son. It packed plenty of action and moving drama, and Horner – having made his mark with Khan the year before – provided one of his first of many militaristic scores (a tradition that would continue with works like Aliens (1986) and Apollo 13 (1995)).

The disc presents the complete score in stereo for the first time on any format, and includes several unused bonus cues. The set is limited to 3,000 copies, a worthy amount for the increasingly popular Horner. Take a look after the jump.

“Pinkerton” Deluxe Edition Details Unveiled

With the release of the surprisingly strong Hurley from those crazy pop-rockers Weezer, it’s a delight to see Rivers Cuomo and company back in the public eye. Sure, everyone likes to come down on their more recent material – say, everything after their self-titled “Green Album” in 2001 – for being overly polished and lacking the depth of their excellent first two records, but the fact that Cuomo can pen so many catchy pop hooks on a single album is admittedly stunning. And this year, the band’s longtime home Geffen Records (which Weezer only recently left for indie label Epitaph earlier this year) will release a deluge of material revisiting some of the more prolific years in the band’s career.

We’ve known about the planned titles for awhile: both a long-discussed compilation of unreleased material, Death to False Metal (previously titled Odds and Ends), and a deluxe edition of 1995’s monumental Pinkerton are planned for a November 2 release, while another volume in Rivers Cuomo’s home demo series – Alone III: The Pinkerton Years – is also planned for an as-yet undetermined future release.

Details have now come out for the Pinkerton reissue, which will feature all the relevant B-sides from the era as well as a few long-requested unreleased tunes. Check out the track listings after the jump. (Annotation comes courtesy of the insanely devoted Weezerpedia.)