Release Round-Up: Week of June 11

Paul McCartney and Wings, Rockshow (Eagle Rock)

Macca’s newly-restored live show may not be in the Wings Over America box, but that means you can buy it for that much less now. (DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.; BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

ZZ Top, The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1990 (Warner Bros./Rhino)

So not only are you getting all of ZZ Top’s London/Warner-era albums in one convenient box, but you’re getting a fair amount of them in their original mixes for the first time ever on CD. Win? Win. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Various Artists, The Complete Motown Singles Volume 12A: 1972 (Hip-O Select/Motown)

It’s finally here! The penultimate volume of the long-running series features some of Motown’s most out-there stuff yet. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Richard Pryor, No Pryor Restraint: Life in Concert (Shout! Factory)

Nine discs (seven CDs, two DVDs) of side-splitting, wildly off-color humor from one of the greatest stand-up acts there ever was. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Burt Bacharach, Anyone Who Had a Heart: The Art of the Songwriter (U.K.-only box set) (UMe)

From the U.K. comes a new six-disc anthology of Bacharach’s best works as a writer or performer – easily more comprehensive than the double-disc set U.S. audiences got recently. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Icehouse, The 12 Inches Volume 1 (Repertoire)

Two discs of dance mixes from the Australian hitmakers. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Review: Paul McCartney and Wings, “The Paul McCartney Archive Collection: Wings Over America”

“Yesterday” and Today (1976)

With a burst of boogie woogie, Paul McCartney finally acknowledged the elephant in the room.  And then he made it abundantly clear that he wasn’t going to be standing in any shadow, even his own.  That moment came seven songs into the first disc of Wings Over America when Paul suddenly became Beatle Paul once again, tearing into “Lady Madonna” with Fats-inspired glee.  The Wings Over the World tour – taking in three continents, 66 concerts and roughly one million fans – was the most dramatic realization yet of McCartney’s reinvention.  It was also the first time he performed his Beatles back catalogue as the leader of Wings.  “You could seriously go down in history as a guy who tried to get as good as The Beatles and failed miserably,” he’s recently said.  “I felt, in the end, like the guy who tried to get as good as The Beatles – and didn’t.  But did awfully well.”  And he arguably never did better than the Wings Over America leg of the tour.

From May 3, 1976 in Fort Worth, Texas, through June 23 in Inglewood, California, Wings played 31 dates for 600,000 fans.  The massive arena rockshow party thrown by McCartney, wife Linda, Denny Laine, Jimmy McCulloch, Joe English and a four-person brass section (Tony Dorsey, Steve Howard, Thaddeus Richard and Howie Casey, a fellow Liverpool native and longtime hero of McCartney’s who played the same venues as the young Beatles) translated to disc as one of the most electrifying live albums ever.  And now the chart-topping Wings Over America has been released as the fifth entry in The Paul McCartney Archive Collection – and the most dizzyingly lavish yet.

The remastered 2013 Wings Over America has flown into shops in multiple editions.  The original album is available as a standard 2-CD edition and a 3-LP set.  Retail giant Best Buy is offering a 3-CD version.  But the centerpiece is the individually numbered, slipcased set of 3 CDs, 1 DVD and 4 books.  This massive, heavy box dwarfs even last year’s Ram, which itself was significantly bigger than the book-style format of Band on the Run, McCartney and McCartney II.  Despite its larger size, though, its similar spine design and identical height still makes it possible to display on your shelf next to those volumes.  With this set, it’s likely that you’ll lose yourself in the not just the music, but in the overwhelming array of printed material relating to McCartney’s American jaunt.

After the jump: we dive into the various versions of Wings Over America!

Release Round-Up: Week of May 28

Wings, Wings Over America: The Paul McCartney Archive Collection (MPL/Hear Music/Concord)

Paul McCartney’s first great U.S. tour was chronicled brilliantly on this 1977 live album, and it’s been greatly expanded herein for McCartney’s ongoing reissue campaign.

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
3CD (Best Buy exclusive)
4CD/1DVD box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Tony Bennett & Dave Brubeck, The White House Sessions: Live 1962 (Columbia/RPM/Legacy)

A once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between the legendary singer and the acclaimed jazz pianist bows in full on CD for the first time. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Burt Bacharach, Anyone Who Had a Heart: The Art of the Songwriter – The Best of Burt Bacharach (U.S. Edition) (Hip-O/UMe)

What was a six-disc box or two-disc set internationally is a different two-disc anthology of the acclaimed songwriter’s greatest works, as performed by Barbra Streisand, Tom Jones, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin and more. (Amazon U.S.)

The Monkees, Justus: The Deluxe Edition (Friday Music)

The Monkees’ final album, expanded to include an original behind-the-scenes promo film on DVD.  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Basia, Time and Tide: Deluxe Edition (Cherry Pop)

The solo debut of the Polish singer/songwriter expanded with a heap of bonus material – all produced by TSD pal Vinny Vero! (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Dio, Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986 (Eagle Rock)

A long sought-after Dio live video is remastered and reissued across several different formats!

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Blu-Ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Enchantment, Utopia: Expanded Edition / Kleeer, Winners: Expanded Edition / Gwen McCrae, Melody of Life: Expanded Edition / MFSB, MFSB: Expanded Edition / The O’Jays, Live in Philadelphia (Big Break Records)

The BBR slate for this week includes some rare early records from The O’Jays and MFSB and much more! Watch this space for a full breakdown of every title plus Amazon pre-order links!

Various Artists, NOW That’s What I Call 30 Years (Universal U.K.)

Three discs celebrating three decades of the long-running U.K. compilation. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Return of the “Rock Show”: Paul McCartney’s “Wings Over America” Takes Flight In May

Paul McCartney has always been one for tradition.

Last year, Macca used the annual Record Store Day campaign to preview his deluxe Archive Collection release of 1971’s Ram with a vinyl replica single of “Another Day” b/w “Oh Woman, Oh Why.”  This year, the reveal of McCartney’s RSD exclusive confirmed the news that diehards have been expecting since the Archive Collection first began: the 1976 chart-topping triple-album Wings Over America is coming on May 27 (Europe) and May 28 (North America) to the lavish Archive Collection series.  Wings Over America will be preceded by the April 20 RSD release of a 12-inch EP of the live “Maybe I’m Amazed.”  As on the original release, Side One includes “Maybe” in full and edited versions in mono, and Side Two presents the full and edited versions in stereo.

When “Maybe I’m Amazed” first appeared on 1970’s McCartney, a lush standout on a rather spare collection of homemade songs, it quickly gained popularity, but McCartney declined to officially release it as a single.  It wasn’t until the 1976 live version from Wings Over America came along that McCartney relented.  His ode to the lovely Linda then scaled the charts to No. 10 in the United States and No. 28 in the United Kingdom.

“Maybe I’m Amazed” was just one highlight of the expansive, electrifying career retrospective that was Wings Over America, however.  The deluxe edition of Wings looks to be the mightiest entry yet in McCartney’s box set series, with 3 CDs, 1 DVD and 4 books!  The original album only will also be released in a standard 2-CD edition and as a 3-LP set.  In addition, the long-awaited Rockshow film will receive standalone issues on Blu-ray and DVD!

Hit the jump for all of the specs!

Reissue Theory: “James Bond 007: The Ultimate Collection”

Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on classic music and the reissues they may someday see. With 50 years of on-screen action and a new film in theaters, the name is Bond…James Bond, and the music is plentiful!

What else is left to say about Ian Fleming’s blunt, British secret agent James Bond? Our 007, licensed to kill, is an international icon of print and, since Sean Connery suavely stepped into Bond’s tuxedo in 1962’s Dr. No, the big screen. Today, the 23rd Bond film, Skyfall – the third to star Daniel Craig as a rougher-hewn 007 and, by nearly all accounts, one of the greatest films in the series – opens in American theaters, guaranteeing the legacy that film producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli created a half-century ago remains as shaken (not stirred) as ever.

Bond soundtrack fans have had much to enjoy in that time period. From Monty Norman and His Orchestra’s brassy, immortal main theme (punctuated by session guitarist Vic Flick’s staccato electric guitar licks), to lush scores by John Barry, Marvin Hamlisch, Bill Conti, Michael Kamen, David Arnold and Thomas Newman, to name a few, to the 23 title themes of varying quality but with boundless cultural currency, music is as vital a part of the Bond experience as martinis, girls, cars and guns. And fans have been lucky: in the 1990s, Rykodisc acquired the rights to much of the Bond soundtrack catalogue (in most cases, controlled by Capitol/EMI). In the 2000s, Capitol itself expanded and/or remastered many of those albums anew. And compilations, from 1992’s rarity-packed double-disc The Best of James Bond 30th Anniversary Collection to this year’s Bond…James Bond: 50 Years, 50 Tracks, have been plentiful as well.

But short of another, even more comprehensive pass at expanding the soundtrack albums to completion (one that seems increasingly like a pipe dream, thanks to the climate of the industry and the varying physical and financial statuses of the scores themselves), one could certainly find worth in a multi-disc box set that would provide the definitive dossier on Bond music. With that in mind, Second Disc HQ’s latest mission file is just that – and you can expect us to talk after the jump!

And the Catalogue Grammy Nominations Go To…

Safely tucked underneath a controversial slate of Grammy nominations in the major categories – seriously, Rihanna’s Loud got an Album of the Year nod and Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy didn’t? – there were a fantastic batch of reissue and box set-oriented nominations in this year’s 54th annual ceremony.

Without further pithy commentary, here they are:

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

Radiohead, The King of Limbs (ATO Records)
Donald Twain & Zachariah Wildwood, art directors

Bruce Springsteen, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story (Columbia/Legacy)
Dave Bett & Michelle Holme, art directors

Danny Elfman and Tim Burton, The 25th Anniversary Music Box (Warner Bros.)
Matt Taylor & Ellen Wakayama, art directors

Sting, 25 Years (A&M Records/Cherrytree Records/UMe)
James Spindler, art director

Wingless Angels, Wingless Angels: Deluxe Edition (Mindless Records, LLC)
David Gorman, art director

Best Album Notes

Neil Diamond, The Bang Years 1966-1968 (Columbia/Legacy)
Neil Diamond, writer

Various Artists, The Bristol Sessions, 1927-1928: The Big Bang of Country Music (Bear Family)
Ted Olsen and Tony Russell, writers

Syl Johnson, Complete Mythology (The Numero Group)
Ken Shipley, writer

Various Artists, Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond As Recorded by the San Francisco Bay by Chris Strachwitz in the 1960s (Arhoolie Records)
Adam Machado, writer

Various Artists, The Music City Story: Street Corner Doo Wop, Raw R&B and Soulful Sounds from Berkeley, California 1950-75 (Ace)
Alec Palao, writer

Best Historical Album

Paul McCartney & Wings, Band on the Run: The Paul McCartney Archive Collection – Deluxe Edition (MPL/Hear Music/Concord)
Paul McCartney, compilation producer; Sam Okell & Steve Rooke, mastering engineers

Various Artists, The Bristol Sessions, 1927-1928: The Big Bang of Country Music (Bear Family)
Christopher C. King and Ted Olsen, compilation producers; Christopher C. King and Chris Zwarg, mastering engineers

Syl Johnson, Complete Mythology (The Numero Group)
Tom Lunt, Rob Sevier & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Jeff Lipton, mastering engineer

Various Artists, Hear Me Howling!: Blues, Ballads & Beyond As Recorded by the San Francisco Bay by Chris Strachwitz in the 1960s (Arhoolie Records)
Chris Strachwitz, compilation producer; Mike Cogan, mastering engineer

Elvis Presley, Young Man with the Big Beat: The Complete ’56 Elvis Presley Masters (RCA/Legacy)
Ernst Mikael Jorgensen, compilation producer; Vic Anesini, mastering engineer

Again, a huge congratulations to the winners.

UPDATE: Macca Mania: Paul’s “McCartney” and “McCartney II” Expanded Editions Coming in June [NOW WITH COMPLETE CD/DVD TRACK LISTS]

“Do you foresee a time when Lennon/McCartney becomes an active songwriting partnership again?” That question was one of many posed on a press release enclosed with advanced copies of Paul McCartney’s 1970 solo debut, McCartney. With the Cute Beatle’s one word response, the world knew that The Beatles were irreparably broken. McCartney’s simple “no” spoke volumes. His other answers didn’t help matters. And so while the world’s most beloved band was fracturing, a solo career that flourishes to this day was beginning. On June 14 (updated), Concord’s Hear Music label continues The Paul McCartney Archive Collection with reissues of 1970’s McCartney and its ten-years-later sequel, 1980’s McCartney II. (Thanks to our good friends at MusicTAP for the heads-up!) Both releases will be made available in 2-CD Deluxe Editions and 2-LP packages. In addition, McCartney will be released as a 2-CD/1-DVD set and McCartney II as a 3-CD/1-DVD set.  These will resemble the hardbound book-style box set Band on the Run and feature 128 pages of text, memorabilia and photographs. Maybe you’re amazed by this news? If so, hit the jump for more!

The Year in Reissues, Part III: The Gold Bonus Disc Awards

Well, another New Year is in sight, the CD still isn’t dead (told you so!) and celebration is in the air at The Second Disc. Back on December 23, Mike shared The Year in Reissues both here and over with our pals at Popdose. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 bucks until you read these indispensable columns!

Are you back with me? Good. Now, I’d like to take this opportunity to take a fun look back at a few of my favorite things via Joe’s Gold Bonus Disc Awards! I’m awarding these to the reissues that have raised the bar over the past 12 months. You’ll notice a number of titles that have already been praised by Mike, as well as new entries, but overall, I’ve simply tried to recognize as many diverse, worthy releases as possible. It’s my sincere hope, though, that you’ll take a chance on a title previously unknown to you; all of the artists, producers, and labels mentioned here have kept great music alive in 2010.

Friends, as always, please share your thoughts and comments below. Without further ado, let’s celebrate 2010’s best of the best. Welcome to the Gold Bonus Disc Awards!

Which releases take home the gold?  Hit the jump to find out!

Fans of Paul’s “Band” May “Run” for Best Buy Exclusive (UPDATED 11/2)

It’s been a very good year for Beatles fans, especially those with deep pockets! First came The John Lennon Signature Box and reissue campaign, then George Harrison’s Collaborations box set preserving his work with Ravi Shankar. Last Tuesday delivered a sparkling batch of Apple Records remasters, and after months of anticipation, Concord’s Paul McCartney reissue campaign finally kicks off next Tuesday with the reissue of Band on the Run. The 1973 Wings smash takes flight in four configurations: a single-disc remaster available on either LP or CD, a two-CD/one-DVD edition and a three-CD/one-DVD box set. Or at least we thought there were only those four configurations.  Word has arrived that Best Buy will have a store exclusive for Band on the Run: a bonus DVD “featuring interview footage.”

Best Buy’s weekly ad shows the bonus disc as being included with the two-CD/one-DVD edition at the sale price of $14.99; Best Buy’s website, however, appends it to the $9.99 single disc remaster.

The length of the DVD or origin of the interview footage is likely to remain a mystery until someone actually buys the set. That said, this release is sure to be greeted by many McCartney completists with the same frustration that accompanies most news of store exclusives. Other than in its packaging and 120-page book, the box set (listing at $99.98) only bests the much less expensive two-CD/one-DVD version with a previously-released CD that most McCartney fans already own (from the 25th anniversary edition in 1999). Now, thanks to the Best Buy exclusive, a purchaser of the $14.99 set from the retailer will now have more video material than a buyer who plunks down many times that for the ultra-deluxe (but apparently incomplete) box set at Best Buy or anywhere else.

(UPDATE 11/2: Further details of the Best Buy exclusive bonus DVD have been revealed. The DVD runs nearly 25 minutes, and contains four chapters. The first of these is the eight-minute EPK (Electronic Press Kit) created to promote this remaster. The disc is rounded out by three live performances of Band tracks which, although unidentified on the sleeve, appear to be taken from last year’s Good Evening, New York City concert film: “Jet,” “Mrs Vandebilt” and “Band on the Run.” In store, the bonus DVD is bundled not with the single-disc remaster, but rather with the 2-CD/1-DVD edition, at a sale price of $14.99. It comes in a paper sleeve replicating the album’s cover and is attached to the top of the digipak, but it is able to be removed cleanly.)

Still, with retailers struggling to remain competitive in a challenging sales climate, these ever-controversial retailer exclusives are here to stay. For those who haven’t yet pre-ordered Band on the Run and planned to purchase the “mid-sized” edition anyway, two CDs and two DVDs for $14.99 at the big box giant might just be a viable way to go.

Release Round-Up: Week of November 2

Another week, another batch of reissues!

Wings, Band on the Run: Special Edition (Concord)

After reissues of John Lennon’s solo catalogue and the Apple Records discography, another Beatles-oriented campaign kicks off with a new reissue of Band on the Run, Paul McCartney and Wings’ classic LP. It’s the first of his classic discs to be re-released on Concord, and will be available in a wide variety of formats. (Best of all, it’s the first drop in the bucket – an insert inside the sets confirms upcoming reissues of more McCartney and Wings sets.) (Official Site)

Weezer, Pinkerton: Deluxe Edition / Death to False Metal (Geffen/UMe)

With Weezer no longer a part of the Geffen roster, UMe begins mining the pop-rock band’s considerable back catalogue (after a 10th anniversary reissue of the band’s 1994 debut). This week brings a similar deluxe edition of 1995’s Pinkerton, long thought to be the band’s crowning achievement, and a compilation of outtakes, Death to False Metal. (Official Site)

Various Artists, The Sound of Music: 45th Anniversary Edition (RCA/Legacy)

To time with the film’s debut on Blu-Ray, Sony reissues The Sound of Music yet again, with a rendition of “My Favorite Things” by Glee star Lea Michele as a bonus track. (Amazon)

Pet Shop Boys, Ultimate Pet Shop Boys (EMI)

A slim, single-disc distillation of the PSB discography, with a new track, “Together.” A deluxe edition adds a DVD full of goodies, including all the band’s live BBC performances and their acclaimed set at Glastonbury back in June. (Amazon U.K.)