Short Takes: Legacy’s New Essentials, Concord’s New Jazz Reissues and a Catalogue Score from Perserverance

• Legacy’s latest release schedule update promises three new titles in the Essential series: Paul Revere & The Raiders, Django Reinhardt and Eartha Kitt. All are going to be double disc sets, and specifically, the Raiders set (compiled by Bob Irwin of Sundazed Music) will feature some promo-only tracks and some mono single mixes. All are due on March 15.
• Concord has four new reissues of classic jazz titles also planned for March 15. They are Monk’s Music (1958) by Thelonious Monk, Cal Tjader/Stan Getz Sextet (1958), Ugetsu (1963) by Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and Ella Fitzerald and Oscar Peterson’s Ella and Oscar (1975). At least two of them will feature bonus tracks. Read here for some more info.
• Perseverance Records, which scored a coup in the film score world by releasing the soundtracks to Red Sonja and Rain Man last year, have another victory on hand: the music to the 1989 sci-fi film Slipstream, composed by Elmer Bernstein. It’s due on an unspecified date in the future.

Pearl Jam Reissue Details Trickling Out

We’ve previously covered the forthcoming wave of Pearl Jam reissues from Legacy, this time pertaining to the band’s second and third LPs Vs. (1993) and Vitalogy (1995). It seems that these sets might be closer to stores than previously known, thanks to some Amazon listings.

The retailer has March 29 dates for expanded editions of each album, as well as a box that looks to collate both of them with possible additional material. (This clears up a bit of confusion from a Rolling Stone story that seemed to suggest that there would indeed be a box set of both albums in one package.) Interestingly, there are provisional track listings attached to each page (well, attached to the Vs. and deluxe box set pages, at least) that indicate at least three bonus tracks for each of the albums. Vs. will have three non-LP songs (at least two of which were previously released in some form) while Vitalogy will feature three alternate versions of songs from the original LP.

Presumably, the deluxe box (which has nice-looking packaging) will feature a wealth of riches on par with the Ten box released in 2009. Assuming that’s the case, you might want to place a pre-order; the box is priced shockingly low – at just over $35 as of this writing. Information is certainly still to come on these sets, so tune in to The Second Disc to be ready when it arrives!

The Name Was Barry

It is with a heavy heart that I pass along to you the news that film composer John Barry died on Sunday. Barry, a five-time Oscar winner, is of course best known for his work on 12 of the 22 James Bond films. Though his authorship of the iconic theme is under dispute even after a U.K. court ruled that it was Dr. No composer Monty Norman’s work alone, Barry is still the name most synonymous with Bond music, and crafted some of the series’ best themes.

The timing of Barry’s passing comes at an unusual time for this author: while entertaining some friends this weekend, a lively discussion of the music of 007 took place. While my friends have diverse musical interests, it’s rare that our tastes truly sync up when it comes to works of a catalogue-oriented nature. So comparing and contrasting our favorite Bond songs and which of the LPs we owned on CD or vinyl is now a particularly treasured memory. The loss of Barry reminds me that our musical heroes should be celebrated whenever and wherever possible; you never know when music helps deepen a bond (no pun intended) that was already pretty strong to begin with, or form a new one entirely.

We may do some sort of feature on Barry’s film musc, but if nothing else, I wanted to say a few words in honor of one of the best film composers of the 20th century, by far. Rest in peace, John Barry.

New Neil Diamond Compilation: How Much Bang for Your Buck? (UPDATED 2/2)

Come this March, Neil Diamond won’t be such a solitary man. Diamond will find plenty of stellar company when he’s inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 14.  While Diamond has maintained his superstar status in both the recording studio and the concert stage for 45 years, chances are that the recordings he made for Bang Records between 1966 and 1968 were foremost on voters’ minds when choosing to induct the singer into the venerable hall. It’s during this period that Diamond “graduated” from the Brill Building ranks and established himself as a formidable rock and roll force with the albums The Feel of Neil Diamond and Just for You for Bert Berns’ vibrant New York label.

Yet the 27 unique recordings released by Diamond on Bang (consisting of 25 individual songs, with “Shilo” and “Solitary Man” released in two distinct versions each) have for the most part been unavailable in the CD era. A 1983 compilation, Classics: The Early Years (Columbia 38792), was duly issued on compact disc in 1986, but only collected twelve of Diamond’s hits. Other Bang rarities have since trickled out on various box sets and anthologies, but the Bang era has never been collected comprehensively, nor have the original albums seen reissue. This is particularly ironic because Diamond’s status as a hitmaker was in high gear, aided by the production of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich: “Cherry, Cherry,” “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon,” “Solitary Man,” and “Shilo” all originated during the Bang years.

This finally changes with the March release, timed to coincide with the Rock Hall induction, of The Bang Years 1966-1968.  So what’s included, and what hasn’t made the cut?  Hit the jump to find out, including full track listing and discographical details!