Someday, Somehow, Someone’s Gotta Play

La-La Land Records has a one-man army for their latest film score reissue: James Horner, for his score to the hit action film Commando.

Unless you’ve been living in a particularly nonviolent box these past 26 years, Commando was one of the first major starring vehicles for bodybuilder/actor/future governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yes, Schwarzenegger was certainly in the national consciousness in two killer sci-fi/fantasy roles, as the title characters in Conan the Barbarian (1982) and The Terminator (1984). But Commando was special because it was the first picture to create the actor’s now-exhaustively-familiar archetype: a thinly-characterized good guy, perhaps of military descent, who single-handedly destroys a cadre of bad guys to save some good guys. (In this case, he’s pitted his turncoat ex-Marine partner and an ousted South American dictator, who’ve kidnapped his teenage daughter.)

The action, sick humor, one-liners and general over-the-top atmosphere was greatly aided by a strange if active score from James Horner, well-established with his work for the Star Trek sequels and a year away from his work on Aliens. Horner relied heavily on electronics for the soundtrack, scattering keyboards and drum machines heavily into the mix. The real kicker, though, is the presence of some heavy-duty steel drums and saxophones throughout – not nearly the first choices for an action score, but adding to the overall fun of the score.

While the original score was released in part on a limited edition, long sold-out CD by Varese Sarabande in 2003, this release remasters and expands the score to completion, breaking up all the individual cues and including four bonus tracks – two alternates, an alternate mix of a track and “Someday, Somehow, Someone’s Gotta Pay,” the upbeat end-credits pop song written and performed by Duran Duran side-project The Power Station.

The disc, limited to 3,000 units, is ready to order now. Full information is after the jump.

Gone, Baby, Real Gone: New Label From Collectors’ Choice and Hep Cat Founders To Launch November 8

It was a mere three weeks ago that we reported on the formation of Real Gone Music, a new venture between Collectors’ Choice Music’s Gordon Anderson and Hep Cat Records’ Gabby Castellana.  That announcement generated a great deal of excitement around these parts, and you can read that initial story (along with the spirited discussion that ensued) at the link above.  Well, we’re bursting at the seams to pass on the news that Real Gone is up and running!

On August 26, Real Gone Music updated its website, complete with a spiffy logo and the news that its first batch of releases would be coming November 8, with details to come “VERY soon,” natch.  A July 31 posting at the site indicates the label’s only criteria for a potential reissue candidate: “What makes a piece of music real gone? It can be from any era, any genre, from superstar acts or the most esoteric artist—but if it’s REAL GONE, it’s an essential recording coming to you with excellent sound and packaging, designed to make you feel like you did the first time you bought an album or single at your local record store.”

Real Gone is the brainchild of Anderson and Castellana, two music lovers from Ohio with a wealth of experience in the reissue business.  The label plans on “licensing repertoire from major and independent labels, artist estates and other sources for release on CD, vinyl and digital formats,” according to co-founder Anderson.  He hails from Collectors’ Choice Music, the label he founded.  (Collectors’ Choice still operates as a retail/catalogue concern only, having suspended its label operations.)  Castellana founded roots-rock, rockabilly and punk specialist label Hepcat, which was sold to Collectors’ Choice back in 2005. 

Hit the jump for more on this exciting new label!

I Can’t Wait for Saturday! Classic CHIC Production to Receive CD Expansion

Anyone who knows the story of CHIC (told quite well in last year’s box set and to be told on the printed page in guitarist/producer Nile Rodgers’ memoir in October) knows that their success was not limited to their roles as lead performers but writing and production as well – not just for themselves, but for a host of luminaries from Sister Sledge to Diana Ross.

The first step in that direction, though, was a solo album for CHIC singer Norma Jean Wright, the first extracurricular project produced by Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. Next month, U.K. label Edsel Records is remastering and expanding the set with a host of bonus cuts, giving fans a chance to discover that early stop on CHIC’s road to massive success. Read all about it below!

From Monro With Love: “The Singer’s Singer” Box Set Due From EMI

Matt Monro never met a genre of music he didn’t like.  Whether covering standards, tackling contemporary pop hits or singing in Spanish, that reassuring, velvet croon, unerring interpretive skills and all-around good taste made Matt Monro “the singer’s singer.”  A 2001 EMI box set of that title was a limited edition of 3,000 copies, and quickly disappeared from store shelves, but EMI will re-offer that 103-track box set in a budget-priced reissue due in the U.K. on September 12. 

And it gets better.  Not only will the 2011 edition of The Singer’s Singer be priced affordably (as of this writing on August 30, it’s currently selling on Amazon U.K. for under 7 pounds!) but the set has been completely remastered, too!  38 tracks have been derived from the 2010 and 2011 remasters created for EMI’s acclaimed The Complete Singles Collection and Words and Music reissues, while of the remaining 65 tracks, 60 have been transferred by engineer Richard Moore from the first generation mixdown tapes!  In addition, two tracks erroneously included on the 2001 version, duets between Monro and his son Matt Monro, Jr., have been corrected with the original solo versions.

Richard Moore has catalogued his amazing journey assembling and mastering this new edition of The Singer’s Singer at his website, and we urge you to read it!  Then return here, as we’ve got much more on Monro coming up, including the complete track listing.  Just hit the jump!

Release Round-Up: Week of August 29

Spin Doctors, Pocket Full of Kryptonite: 20th Anniversary Edition (Epic/Legacy)

The “Two Princes” guys…hey, stop laughing…have their hit debut album remastered and expanded – cut that out! – with a bonus disc of demos and rarities. (Official site)

Aerosmith, Celine Dion, The Byrds and Carole King, The Essential 3.0 (Columbia/Epic/Legacy)

Four Essential compilations get the third-disc treatment. Note that the Celine Dion title is identical to 2008’s My Love: The Essential Collection and the Aerosmith set is identical to 2002’s O Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits. (Amazon: Aerosmith, Celine, Byrds, Carole)

Jill Scott, The Original Jill Scott: From the Vault – Volume 1 (Hidden Beach)

The R&B singer’s original label, having recently lost her after a nasty court battle, decides to raid its vaults and finds 14 good tracks. (Official site)

The Association, Renaissance: Deluxe Expanded Mono Edition (Now Sounds)

Another great Association LP, nearly doubled in length by bonus tracks! (Now Sounds)

Alberta Hunter, Downhearted Blues: Live at the Cookery (RockBeat)

The legendary blues singer with a great story (Hunter sang from the ’20s to the ’40s before leaving the music scene to become a nurse – and then made a surprise comeback after retiring from that career in the ’70s) is represented on CD with this hard-to-find performance from 1981. (Amazon)

Ice Cube, Kill at Will (RockBeat)

Cube’s beloved 1990 EP is now available on CD and vinyl from one of our new favorite reissue labels. (Amazon)