Dispatch from the Gamma Quadrant: La-La Land Releases “Deep Space Nine” Score

From 1966 until 1993, there was one constant in the Star Trek universe: The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), the ship that took Kirk, Spock, Picard, Riker and a myriad of crew through the furthest reaches of space to explore new worlds and seek out new life and new civilization. Nearly three decades later, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine changed the game – and the musical fruits of that endeavor have been newly anthologized by La-La Land Records.

Deep Space Nine took viewers on the decks of the eponymous space station, a vital stop beside the Bajoran wormhole. A crew of Starfleet officers and other colorful characters, including Avery Brooks as Starfleet Commander Benjamin Sisko, Rene Auberjonois’ Odo, the shape-shifting head of security for the station; and the unforgettable Ferengi bartender Quark (Armin Shimerman), populated Deep Space Nine. (Later, after the end of sister show Star Trek: The Next Generation, the Klingon Worf (Michael Dorn) transfered from the Enterprise to DS9.) In its seven seasons, the series investigated many of the deeper issues of equality and justice that previous Trek installments weren’t afraid to tackle – but it did so with the added benefit of trying longer, multi-episode story arcs more in line with traditional episodic television.

Like its predecessors, DS9 was graced by some solid television soundtrack work from veterans of both Trek and television. Dennis McCarthy, who scored many episodes of The Next Generation, wrote a gorgeous, stately theme for the series, and shared scoring duties with composers like Jay Chattaway, Richard Bellis and John Debney. A good five hours of that music is presented on a new four-disc set from La-La Land. One disc features compositions by McCarthy, one devoted entirely to Chattaway, another to “the new recruits” and a final disc intriguingly presents an album assembled for release during the program’s lifespan that remained unreleased until this set. Jeff Bond again pens liner notes for this Trek title, limited to 3,000 copies.

After the jump, pre-order the Deep Space Nine collection and check out the track list!

Release Round-Up: Week of February 12

Merle Haggard, The Complete ’60s Capitol Singles / Wanda Jackson, The Best of the Classic Capitol Singles / George Jones, The Complete United Artists Solo Singles (Omnivore)

Joe’s review of all three of these new country/rock singles anthologies from Omnivore speaks for each of them pretty well!

Merle: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Wanda: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
George: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Borderline, Sweet Dreams and Quiet Desires/The Second Album / Sam Dees, The Show Must Go On / Kenny O’Dell, Beautiful People / Pozo Seco, Shades of Time / Sam Samudio, Hard and Heavy / Billy Joe Shaver, The Complete Columbia Recordings /Rick Wakeman, No Earthly Connection (Real Gone Music)

The latest from Real Gone (some of which is on tap in the preceding link), including a solo LP from Sam The Sham, all of Billy Joe Shaver’s Columbia work and a solo disc from Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman.

R.E.M., Original Album Series / Yes, Original Album Series (Rhino U.K.)

Two new entries in Rhino’s “Original Album Series” sets, budget boxes packaging five albums by the same artist together, with a minimum of frills. R.E.M.’s set includes their final five albums, all recorded as a trio after drummer Bill Berry retired (Up (1998), Reveal (2001), Around the Sun (2004), Accelerate (2008) and Collapse Into Now (2011)), while Yes’ box includes their final works for Atlantic/Atco (Going for the One (1977), Tormato (1978), Drama (1980), 90125 (1983) and Big Generator (1987)).

R.E.M. Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Yes: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Joni Mitchell, The Studio Albums 1968-1979 (Rhino)

Already available in the U.K., this domestic new release features the iconic singer-songwriter’s first ten albums in one box. Nothing new in the way of packaging or remastering, just a quick way to snag ’em all at once. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

INXS, Shabooh Shoobah/The Swing (Friday Music)

From Friday Music comes the Australian band’s third and fourth albums on one compact disc. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Aretha Franklin, In the Beginning: The World of Aretha Franklin 1960-1967 (Wounded Bird)

A 1972 compilation of Aretha’s oft-overlooked early days on Columbia gets reissued by Wounded Bird. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Pat Boone, I’ll See You in My Dreams/This and That / Jane Morgan, What Now My Love/At the Cocoanut Grove / Tony Mottola, Roman Guitar 2/Spanish Guitar / Original Soundtrack Recordings, The Road to Hong Kong/Say One for Me (Sepia)

Some special two-for-one albums, many with bonus tracks, making their CD debuts from this British reissue label.

Review: Barbra Streisand, “Classical Barbra: Expanded Edition”

The title said it all: Classical Barbra.  Here was a singer who needed no surname, diving headfirst into a new repertoire, that of art songs and arias.  Streisand’s 1976 “crossover” album, created in collaboration with arranger, pianist and conductor Claus Ogerman, has recently arrived on CD in a newly-remastered, expanded edition from Sony’s Masterworks label (88691 92255 2, 2013).  And if Classical Barbra might not have been every fan’s first choice for a deluxe Streisand reissue, producer David Foil has made a compelling case for this often-overlooked, and surprisingly accessible, classic.

Though recorded in 1973, Classical Barbra was first issued in 1976 between the Lazy Afternoon LP and the soundtrack album to A Star is Born. It couldn’t have been more different from those pop-rock projects, however, as its twelve tracks were drawn from the European classical repertoire of composers including Claude Debussy, Carl Orff, George Handel, and Robert Schumann.  Producer Claus Ogerman had previously worked with Streisand on the concert stage as well as in the studio, and brought to the project his great versatility.  Ogerman had sensitively arranged Bach and Chopin for Bill Evans and bossa nova for Frank Sinatra, and the German-born producer proved himself a perfect match for Streisand.  He was among the numerous strong producers who each brought a distinct sensibility to her recordings of this era, including Richard Perry (Stoney End) and Rupert Holmes (Lazy Afternoon), and also composed the album’s closing track and sole original composition, “I Loved You.” (Its lyrics were adapted from Alexander Pushkin’s poetry.) Streisand was at her most virtuosic on this collection, singing not only in English, but in French, Occitan, German, Italian and Latin. Ogerman’s symphonic backdrop lushly supported (but never overpowered) Streisand’s vocals on the album’s original ten tracks, expanded to twelve for this reissue.

Hit the jump for more on Classical Barbra!