Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful? Omnivore Serves “The Complete Waitresses”

After Omnivore’s exciting announcement of the Humble Pie Fillmore box set, the label now turns to one of the most underrated American New Wave groups of the ’80s: The Waitresses, whose complete Polydor output is coming from Omnivore in September.

Anchored by guitarist/producer Chris Butler and irascible lead vocalist Patty Donahue, the Akron-based Waitresses cut two albums and one EP for Polydor between 1982 and 1984. They enjoyed at least three notable songs in their short lifespan: “I Know What Boys Like,” a smirking dance-rock tune that peaked at No. 62 on the Billboard charts; the theme to the cult TV series Square Pegs (which featured a then-unknown Sarah Jessica Parker as a new high schooler attempting to fit in with the popular crowd); and the too-catchy-to-be-seasonal “Christmas Wrapping,” still a perennial favorite on radio around the end of the year. Though the band never had much commercial traction, their tightly-produced pop/rock offerings made them a cult name. (Butler continues to make music as a solo artist; Donahue died of cancer in 1996 after working in A&R for MCA.)

Just Desserts: The Complete Waitresses contains all of the band’s works for Polydor: albums Wasn’t Tomorrow Wonderful? (1982) and Bruiseology (1984), the 1983 EP I Could Rule the World If I Could Only Get the Parts, three single tracks (“Hangover 1/1/83,” the B-side to “Christmas Wrapping,” and two remixes of I Could Rule the World single “Bread and Butter”) and one unreleased track, an alternate version of Bruiseology‘s title track. This two-disc set, produced by Butler with longtime reissue producer Bill Levenson, marks the first time all of these albums have been released in full on CD in the United States.

This set is served on September 24; the full track list and Amazon link is after the jump!

Grateful Dead’s “Sunshine Daydream” Offers Sought-After Live Show on CD, DVD, Blu-Ray

The Dead will rise in September with a new set from Rhino.

Sunshine Daydream takes Deadheads back to one of the most sought-after shows in the band’s history – a blistering set in Veneta, Oregon in the dead of summer 1972 – on CD and video for the first time.

Having just returned from a now-legendary tour of Europe (painstakingly chronicled by Rhino in one of the biggest box sets in recent memory), The Grateful Dead were in top form when they traveled to the Olde Renaissance Fairgrounds in Veneta, Oregon, to put on a show to benefit the Springfield Creamery, a local dairy run by the parents of Ken Kesey, the famed novelist and countercultural hero. Kesey’s Merry Pranksters were on hand for what was their final “acid test,” and the Dead – at the time, consisting of Jerry Garcia, Donna and Keith Goodcheaux, Bill Kreutzmann, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir – put on a rollicking show on one of the hottest days on record in state history.

Sunshine Daydream will be available in a number of physical formats:

• Standard retail edition: contains the entire show on three HDCDs and one DVD featuring newly remixed 5.1 surround sound
• Deluxe Dead.net edition: contains the content of the standard edition with an expanded 40-page booklet and Grateful Days, a new documentary about the classic show. 12,500 copies of this edition will be available with a DVD, and another 12,500 with a Blu-Ray.
• Vinyl edition: the entire show on four LPs, limited to 5,000 copies

The sets street on September 17. Hit the jump to place your orders for the standard and vinyl editions on Amazon and check out the packaging and track list!

Live From D23: New Albums for Disneyland, Walt Disney World Due in August, Premiere New-to-CD Tracks

Today, you’ll find The Second Disc at the Anaheim Convention Center for the D23 Expo, “The Ultimate Disney Fan Event.”  Naturally, every arm of The Walt Disney Company has something to offer here, and naturally, that includes music!  Tonight, Disney Theatrical President Thomas Schumacher will host Broadway and Beyond, celebrating Disney on Broadway’s legacy of musicals from Beauty and the Beast to Newsies.  Tomorrow, American Bandstand legend Dick Clark will be honored as a Disney Legend, and two composers who need no introduction – Richard M. Sherman and Alan Menken – will unite for a one-night-only concert event.  And on Sunday, Randy Thornton, the Grammy Award-winning producer who has spearheaded the exciting catalogue projects at Walt Disney Records, takes the stage to reveal Secrets of the Lost Chords.  What’s The Lost Chords?  It’s the series of releases that has excavated numerous outtakes from Disney films like Cinderella and The Aristocats, in both original demo versions and newly-recorded renditions.

In addition to all of this fun, however, the Walt Disney Records team is now gearing up for the release of two long-awaited albums.  The Official Albums of Disneyland and Walt Disney World have long been staples of souvenir shops at Disney’s Magic Kingdoms, collecting music from the Disney theme parks for take-home enjoyment.  New volumes have been absent from shelves since 2008, however, naturally raising concerns about the series’ future.  But on August 20, all worries will have been assuaged.  That’s the date when new 2013 Official Albums are released in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Both volumes are 2-CD, 36-track sets with the usual blend of classic theme park favorites and new additions.  The Disneyland Resort Official Album, including tunes from both Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure, boasts 13 new-to-CD tracks from attractions both vintage (It’s a Small World) and recent (Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, Toy Story: Midway Mania and Cars Land).

What will you find on these two new releases?  Hit the jump for more details, including a complete track listing!