Reissue Theory: Philip Bailey, “Chinese Wall”

Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. Despite the presence of a hit single with a famous singer/songwriter/producer and a killer soul vocalist, Philip Bailey’s hit sophomore record remains unexpanded on CD. What would such a project look like? This article is the only way you’ll ever know-oh-ohh…

What does it say about Philip Bailey that his biggest hit wasn’t entirely his?

It’s not like Bailey only had so much talent. Quite the contrary: as the lead singer of Earth, Wind and Fire, Bailey’s distinctive falsetto lit up some of the best R&B singles of the late ’70s, like “Fantasy” and the sublime “September.” But his biggest success as a solo artist came with the aid of one of the most prolific musicians of the ’80s – so much so that some thought the musician in question had actually discovered Bailey!

The discussion continues after the jump.

Pino Donaggio’s Lost “Ordeal” Released at Last

Kritzerland’s restoration of Pino Donaggio’s complete score to Carrie was one of the most lauded film score releases of 2010. Today, the label announced a title that could be considered a follow-up: the premiere of Donaggio’s shelved score to the 1985 film Ordeal by Innocence. This Cannon Films adaptation of Agatha Christie’s 1958 novel was directed by Desmond Davis of 1981’s Clash of the Titans, and featured a starry ensemble including Christopher Plummer, Faye Dunaway and Ian McShane. The transition from page to screen wasn’t a simple one, however. After Donaggio turned in his final score, the filmmakers found themselves re-editing and re-shooting. Donaggio was no longer available to re-score, so the entirety of his symphonic work was replaced. Oddly, the choice to replace him wasn’t another established film composer, but rather jazz legend Dave Brubeck (who, in 2011, is going strong at 90 years old!). Some of Brubeck’s existing compositions were re-recorded, and while splendid musically, Brubeck’s style seemed an uncomfortable match for the dark world of Ordeal by Innocence.

Now, more than 25 years later, Donaggio’s complete score receives its first-ever release, with only the 17-minute “Suite for a Dying Venice” having previously appeared on Silva Screen’s Three Original Motion Picture Soundtracks by Pino Donaggio (SIL 5093-2, 1992). Kritzerland has uncovered every note written and recorded for the film as well as a bonus suite of alternate cues, and the entire project has been assembled from the original first-generation two-track music masters housed in Italy.

There’s little doubt that Ordeal by Innocence will take its place among Donaggio classics such as Dressed to Kill and Carrie. Hit the jump for Kritzerland’s press release as well as order information and track listing!

Nick Cave and The Band Seeds to Reissue Four Albums on CD/DVD

The latest batch of reissues by U.K. rockers Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds have been announced for release this spring.

Mute Records will continue their ongoing reissue campaign for the band by re-releasing four of the band’s albums from 1994 to 2001. As with previous batches, each set will be a two-disc CD/DVD affair, pairing the remastered original album on CD alongside a DVD featuring the original album, B-sides and videos, all remixed in 5.1 surround sound. These batches will also include another four parts of Do You Love Me Like I Love You?, a short film commissioned for the project. (The extra content will be available for download so listeners can enjoy them apart from the DVD.)

Each set will be released May 16. Read the track lists after the jump. (Credit to Slicing Up Eyeballs for first reporting this story.)

New Paul Revere & The Raiders Comp Has a Track List

If you’ve been around Amazon lately, you might have known that the previously mentioned entry for Paul Revere & The Raiders in Legacy’s Essential series has a track list.

The two-disc set is due out in two weeks, but fans have certainly been wondering what this set will have that others before it (namely Collector’s Choice Music’s three-disc Complete Columbia Singles) did not. The first blurb Legacy released about the product promised promo-only tracks and some mono single mixes, all curated by Bob Irwin of Sundazed Music. Of course, Amazon’s track listing isn’t going to point out the intricacies of each tune.

So we’re going to do something a little different: the track list is after the jump, albeit without discographical comment. We can’t differentiate which mixes are different, so for now we’ll just give you the songs on each disc. Have at it in the comments!

Rush Celebrates 30 Years of “Moving Pictures” With Surround Mixes and More

For fans of music in surround, every new release can be a cause for celebration. Surround music hasn’t proliferated for years, but a small if steady flow keeps the torch burning over multiple formats. Last year saw the surprise launch of Rhino Handmade’s Quadradisc series with classic quadraphonic titles arriving on DVD from Aretha Franklin and Chicago, while Tom Petty and UMe offered Damn the Torpedoes as a 5.1 Blu-Ray. King Crimson continued its 40th Anniversary Series on Inner Knot with a group of lauded DVD-Audio titles, and Acoustic Sounds offered remarkable three-channel mixes of Nat “King” Cole’s Capitol catalogue. (Of new music in surround, Trent Reznor is offering his Oscar-winning score to The Social Network in surround.) A few weeks back, The Second Disc reported a tantalizing tidbit about a surround-sound reissue of Rush’s 1981 classic Moving Pictures. Details are now in, and the news looks great!

Moving Pictures is generally considered the strongest album by the band. Members Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart built on their hard rock-meets-new wave sound pioneered on Permanent Waves, incorporating reggae and even pop influences. The Mercury label will release the 30th anniversary edition of Moving Pictures on April 5 in two formats. A CD+DVD edition will feature the original seven-track album as Disc One. Disc Two will contain the entire album in audiophile-quality surround and stereo mixes plus the music videos for “Tom Sawyer,” “Limelight” and the previously-unreleased “Vital Signs.” All tracks on the DVD will be presented in both 5.1 and stereo. Both mixes will be in 96 kHz/24 bit resolution for DVD-A users, and Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM Stereo for those listeners utilizing DVD-V players.

Do you prefer your music in the more recent Blu-Ray format? No worries! Moving Pictures will also be issued as CD+BD. Again, the original album will comprise Disc One on CD, and the Blu-Ray will contain the same tracks as the DVD.  For Blu-Ray, however, the surround mixes are available in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 in addition to 96 kHz/24 bit PCM 5.1 and stereo. Engineer Richard Chycki remixed Moving Pictures for surround and wrote on his blog, “It really was an amazing experience to spread the original tracks of such a classic CD into the 3D world of surround. (The car [on the track “Red Barchetta”] speeds off, goes behind and banks a sharp right in rear, [by the way]). The listening experience is drastically enveloping and coupled with songs and performances that epitomize this band, it’s definitely a great time to re-discover Rush.” Chycki has revealed on his blog that he is also currently remixing the band’s 2002 Vapor Trails, presumably as a standard stereo CD, for release sometime in the future.

To top off this truly deluxe package, Moving Pictures will contain new liner notes by music historian David Fricke, updated artwork by original album designer Hugh Syme, and a gallery of previously unreleased photos from the recording sessions. Hit the jump for pre-order information and a full track listing with discographical annotation!

The Man Who Sang “Liberty Valance”: RPM Continues Gene Pitney Reissues

With one of the most resonant and recognizable voices in rock and roll, Gene Pitney (1940-2006) was the rare American talent to be able to withstand the British Invasion and continue to thrive. He collaborated with Phil Spector and The Rolling Stones, wrote hit songs for Roy Orbison, Bobby Vee, Ricky Nelson and the Crystals, and brought to life the songs of others, too. Among the recipients of the Pitney treatment were Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Carole King and Gerry Goffin, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and even (two-time Oscar winner) Randy Newman. He popularized Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington’s “Town Without Pity,” an Oscar-nominated song from 1961, and had even greater success with “(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance.” While it was an “exploitation” song not actually in the 1962 film of the same name, it became a signature song for Pitney.

His long out-of-print albums for Aaron Schroeder’s Musicor label were reissued in a series of two-fers by Sequel Records in the late 1990s. Upon their deletion, they began commanding high prices on the second-hand market. Pitney’s catalogue has since been marked by an inordinate number of budget releases, making it difficult for a new fan or even a longtime collector to know where to start. Thankfully, RPM (another arm of Cherry Red) is ready to reintroduce Pitney’s original album classics to a new generation. The label has begun reissuing the Sequel two-fers in new editions featuring updated liner notes by Roger Dopson as well as redesigned artwork. Last year brought Pitney’s first two albums, The Many Sides of Gene Pitney and Only Love Can Break a Heart, as RETRO 881, and just last week, RPM delivered Sings Just for You and Sings World-Wide Winners as RETRO 887. Hit the jump for stories behind both albums, plus track listings and discographical information!