A Rumor That Would Put Me in a “State of Shock”

It’s one of my favorite Michael Jackson stories: not long after Thriller, Jackson and Randy Hansen collaborate on a few songs together, one of which ends up on The Jacksons’ mostly-forgettable Victory in 1984. That song, “State of Shock,” is recorded as a duet with Mick Jagger and becomes the biggest hit off the album.

The thing is, though, that Jagger wasn’t meant to sing the song. Hansen was. And Hansen isn’t even a real person. It’s the pseudonym of one Freddie Mercury, the Queen frontman extraordinaire. Jackson and Mercury demoed several songs together, including “State of Shock” and “There Must Be More to Life Than This,” the latter of which appeared on Mercury’s solo album Mr. Bad Guy sans Jackson’s vocals. (Rumors persist of a title track to Victory featuring The Jacksons alongside all of Queen, a face-meltingly awesome proposition if ever there was one.)

Now, rumors are coming through the pipeline from 411 Mania that these songs may soon see release. Though this writer would treat it as a rumor, the report has Queen drummer Roger Taylor saying, “We are now working on some never-before-released songs that Freddy made with Michael in the early 80′s. I’m not allowed to say too much about it but they sound incredible!” Whether it’s true or not, let’s hope it happens someday soon – and keep it here for info if it actually does!

La-La Land’s “Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” Ready to Order

Just a quick heads-up to our film score fans: La-La Land’s new reissue of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World is now live and ready to order. Two thousand copies will be made of this set, which we originally posted on here.

Order it here and hit the jump for the full track list.

Alice Cooper Readies Mega-Box Set

Only a day after being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Alice Cooper is prepping a massive collectible for fans: a four-CD/one-DVD/double-vinyl box set capturing the band’s early shock rock years.

There are only some preliminary details about Old School 1964-1974, but here’s what we can tell you. It’s going to feature, across its four CDs, demos, live takes, spoken-word material and vintage advertisements; demos from the  School’s Out and Muscle of Love sessions are specifically mentioned, along with a live show from the Killer Tour in 1971. A DVD promises three hours of never-before-seen footage, while two vinyl discs provide the aforementioned Killer show of 1971 and a reproduction of Very Record S-001, a 1967 single by The Nazz (not to be confused with Todd Rundgren-fronted Nazz), which would shortly change its name to none other than Alice Cooper.

And like any good mega-box set nowadays, there’s plenty of enclosed swag, namely a 64-page hardback book featuring rare photos and liner notes by metal journalist Lonn Friend and a folder featuring reproductions of set lists, ticket stubs, tour programs and more. And, rather ingeniously, the whole thing is packed in a 12″ case shaped like a school desk.

The link in the second paragraph will take you to the pre-order page; it’ll be out in June. More details, including a full track list, will be posted as soon as they’re known.

Legacy Readies for Boy-Band Mania with “NKOTBSB” Compilation

For teenage girls of two different eras, the New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys were the apex of pop music. Both of them were impossibly successful teen quintets created by astoundingly lucky impresarios who had or would soon strike gold with similar acts (NKOTB Svengali Maurice Starr also bought New Edition onto the pop music scene, while now-disgraced BSB producer Lou Pearlman would also make stars out of NSYNC).

When both groups announced late last year that they were collaborating, cross-generational nostalgia among fans was pretty high – and now, as their upcoming tour looms large, we can confirm that there’s going to be a compilation to ride that wave of nostalgia, with the release of NKOTBSB in May from Legacy Recordings.

The premise is simple – ten tracks from the band’s collective catalogue plus an undetermined amount of new tracks featuring both bands. Those old tracks, however, will be up to fans to determine; enthusiasts can head over to an official site to pick five tracks from each band. The selections are painfully obvious ones – nearly all the selections for both bands are Top 40 hits – but there is an “Other” option for both bands, so perhaps fans might make some surprise choices.

NKOTBSB streets on May 23; in the meantime, we’ve enclosed the selectable tracks after the jump, along with their discographical info and U.S. chart positions.

Release Round-Up: Week of March 15

Queen, Queen / Queen II / Sheer Heart Attack / A Night at the Opera / A Day at the Races: Deluxe Editions (Island/UMe)

Deluxe editions of the band’s first five albums are out in the U.K., all remastered with bonus discs of rare or unreleased content. (They’ll be out in the U.S. in May!) (Official site)

Nick Lowe, Labour of Lust (Proper (U.K.)/Yep Roc (U.S.))

Lowe’s New Wave classic, featuring the immortal “Cruel to Be Kind,” is reissued on both sides of the Atlantic, featuring all the tracks heard on original U.K. and U.S. pressings and a non-LP B-side. (Yep Roc)

Rick Springfield, Eartha Kitt, Django Reinhardt, Steve Vai, Nina Simone, The 5th Dimension, Paul Revere and The Raiders and Ricky Skaggs, The Essential(RCA/Columbia/Epic/Legacy)

New two-disc compilations for each of the above artist, each featuring their share of hits and deeper cuts. (We’ve posted the track lists for The 5th Dimension and Paul Revere and The Raiders and will post the remaining track lists later today.) (Amazon)

Peabo Bryson, Reaching for the Sky / Crosswinds: Expanded Edition / Billy Preston, Everybody Likes Some Kind of Music / Jennifer Holliday, I’m on Your Side (Soul Music/Cherry Red)

Remastered editions of four soul classics (the Peabo set is expanded with some U.S. single edits) coming out in the U.K. today. (Soul Music: Peabo, Preston, Holliday)

The Collage, The Collage: Expanded Edition (Now Sounds)

A lost psych-pop classic with some impressive people involved in its recording and production gets a deluxe release on the Now Sounds label in the U.S., having been out for two weeks in England. (Now Sounds)

Inner City: Original Broadway Cast Recording (Masterworks Broadway/Arkiv)

The out-of-print soundtrack to the Tony-winning musical is out through Arkiv as a made-to-order CD-R. (Masterworks)

Various Artists, American Idol 10th Anniversary: The Hits (19/RCA)

Notable tracks from various winners and finalists of American Idol in America. (Official site)