Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical

Coinciding almost perfectly with the 20th anniversary of the Roger Kumble film from which it is based, the new Off-Broadway musical Cruel Intentions uses hit songs from the 1990s as its central motif. Cast members pay tribute to the decade with stellar performances of The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony,” Christina Aguilera’s “Genie In a Bottle,” the Cardigans’ “Lovefool” and the lead single “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” originally by Deep Blue Something.

Created by Jordan Ross, Lindsey Rosin and Roger Kumble, Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical (and its cinematic predecessor) is an adaption from the classic 1792 French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. The musical debuted in Los Angeles in 2015, where it immediately became a sensation with sold out performances mandating a move to a bigger venue. In 2017, the production was recreated off-Broadway at (le) Poisson Rouge in Manhattan were it was met with critical acclaim. Vanity Fair described it as “perfect nostalgia – sweet, silly, sincere . . . and genuinely joyous.” Following a sold-out engagement in the winter of 2017, Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical returned for a six-month, thrice-extended run. In 2019 the production will hit the road for the first time, traveling up and down the East Coast, Midwest and South.

Two time Grammy-winning record producer Stewart Lerman took music director Zach Spound’s orchestrations and arrangements from Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical into his studio in August of this year. No Doubt’s “Just a Girl,” Counting Crows’ “Colorblind” and a unique version of TLC’s “No Scrubs” were brought to life by cast members Carrie St. Louis, Constantine Rousouli, Alex Boniello and Patricia Richardson, whose performances intertwine plot points with the original lyrics of these recognizable hits. The New York Times review of the musical pointed specifically to the “inspired soundtrack” as a strong suit. “The denouement, set to the Verve’s ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony,’ was worthy of Scorsese.”

Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical producer, Eva Price, commented, “We are honored to celebrate this exciting anniversary and immortalize the New York cast’s voices with this album before seeing the show live at venues across the country.”

Roger Kumble, who wrote the screenplay and directed the 1999 film, commented, “Never in my darkest fantasies would I believe twenty years later, my movie about a pair of hedonistic Manhattan step-siblings would turn into a musical – an amazing musical that even people who hate musicals would love, complete with a soundtrack loaded with the greatest ‘90s guilty pleasure songs.”

Beggars Banquet (50th Anniversary Edition) SACD

The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (50th Anniversary Edition) is now available on limited edition hybrid Super Audio CD.

The SACD package itself is designed to look like a miniaturized replica of the 12” gatefold double-vinyl edition, sized to be a convenient 7” gatefold, and contain 2 hybrid SACDs, a flexi disc and expanded packaging elements exclusive to this edition. This bespoke packaging is manufactured in Japan and is of the highest quality to match the SACD audio. Special elements of the package include: replica packshots of two Japanese 7” single picture sleeves (“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Street Fighting Man”) and both versions of the Beggars Banquet sleeve art are included. This SACD set is a Japanese release, which will be imported into North America in a limited quantity.

Recorded between March and July of 1968 at Olympic Sound Studios in London, mixed at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, Beggars Banquet was the first Stones album produced by Jimmy Miller, and marks the start of what is considered their most prolific album era. Beggars Banquet has a special place in the history of the band, as it is the final album completed with the original lineup of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Billy Wyman and Charlie Watts. During the year of release, Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone declared it “the best record they have yet done” and “an achievement of significance in both lyrics and music.”

Each of these hybrid layered discs includes the entire musical content in both Super Audio CD (SACD) as well as standard CD, providing for complete backward and forward hardware compatibility. The discs will play flawlessly on any SACD compatible or standard CD player. In an SACD player, the laser pick-up automatically reads the SACD layer in Direct Strem Digital (DSD) format, while a standard CD player’s laser pick-up will automatically read through the SACD layer to the CD layer in Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) format. Recently remastered by eleven-time Grammy winner Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, the SACD audio is the exact product of his work, with no loss of fidelity whatsoever.

The flexi disc captures a telephone interview between Mick Jagger and a representative of King Records in Tokyo, the distributor of London Records in Japan. The rare artifact’s title translated to “Hello, This Is Mick Jagger!” LONDON to TOKYO April 17, 1968” has been resotred and reissued on flexi disc with a picture sleeve lovingly restored to look just like the original. The flexi is included in the 50^th Anniversary Limited Edition SACD package (as well as vinyl package) worldwide, making it available for the first time outside Japan. A mirthful moment in the exchange captured over the telephone, halfway around the world, while the band was busy recording the yet-unnamed album Beggars Banquet in Olympic Studios, Jagger was asked “What do you think is the future direction of your music?” And with no hesitation, he responded “Sideways.”

The original intended album cover art for Beggars Banquet was initially rejected both by London Records, the band’s U.S. label as well as Decca, their UK label. The Michael Vosse photograph of a vandalized restroom wall (Jagger and Richards provided the graffiti, the restroom was inside a Porsche dealership) was deemed offensive, possibly because the top of an open toilet is captured in the shot. The replacement cover was simply the band name and album title written in the style of a wedding invitation, and remained that way for several years before the intended bathroom photo art finally gained its rightful place on the cover. Beggars Banquet (50^th Anniversary Edition) pays tribute to both, as the package will be housed with the Vosse image, with an overwrap of the “inoffensive” wedding RSVP invitation art.

Beggars Banquet (50^th Anniversary Edition) Super Audio CD tracklist

SACD Disc 1 (original album, stereo mix)

1) Sympathy For the Devil

2) No Expectations

3) Dear Doctor

4) Parachute Woman

5) Jigsaw Puzzle

6) Street Fighting Man

7) Prodigal Son

8) Stray Cat Blues

9) Factory Girl

10) Salt of the Earth

SACD Disc 2

1) Sympathy For the Devil (mono mix)

2) Hello, This is Mick Jagger! LONDON to TOKYO April 17, 1968 (interview

Flexi Disc

1) Hello, This is Mick Jagger! LONDON to TOKYO April 17, 1968 (interview)

My Dinner with Hervé (Music from the HBO Film)

The official soundtrack album for the HBO original film My Dinner with Hervé, directed by Sacha Gervasi, features original score composed by David Norland (Anvil! The Story of Anvil, November Criminals). Inspired by a real story, the film explores the unlikely friendship between struggling journalist Danny Tate (Jamie Dornan) and French actor Hervé Villechaize (Peter Dinklage), as it unfolds over one wild night in L.A. — an encounter that will have life-changing consequences for both.

My Dinner with Hervé (Music From The HBO Film)

Track Listing:

“Papa Researches” – David Norland
“Sprinklers” – David Norland
“Sheep Marrow Therapy” – David Norland
“Afraid Of Someone Like Me” – David Norland
“You Tell Them” – David Norland
“The Phonecall” – David Norland
“Herve’s Goodbye” – David Norland
“Bittersweet Symphony” – Schukulu feat. Coyle Girelli

Come and Stay With Me: The UK 45s 1964-1969

The 22-track collection, Come and Stay With Me: The UK 45s 1964-1969, by Marianne Faithfull, is compiled in chronological order and includes all of the legendary icon’s singles from this unique era packaged with rare photographs and extensive liner notes featuring interviews with Ms. Faithfull. In addition to the A and B-sides of each 45 recorded for the UK Decca label in the 1960s, this album also incorporates the entirety of Go Away From My World, her EP.

Beggars Banquet (50th Anniversary Edition)

The Limited Edition 180 Gram Vinyl Version Includes Mono 12” Single “Sympathy For the Devil” & Flexi Disc of 1968 Jagger Interview wrapped in RSVP Cover Art. The Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet (50^th Anniversary Edition), was recorded between March and July of 1968 at Olympic Sound Studios in London, mixed at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, Beggars Banquet was the first Stones album produced by Jimmy Miller, and marks the start of what is considered their most prolific album era. Beggars Banquet has a special place in the history of the band, as it is the final album completed with the original lineup of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, and Charlie Watts.

With the 1969 release of Beggars Banquet in Japan, the album included a 7″ flexi disc capturing a telephone interview between Mick Jagger and a representative of the King Records in Tokyo, the distributor of London Records in Japan. The rare artifact’s title translated to “’Hello, This Is Mick Jagger!’ LONDON to TOKYO April 17, 1968” has been restored and reissued on flexi disc with identical sleeve art. A limited run will be included in the 50^th Anniversary Limited Edition Vinyl package, worldwide, making it available for the first time outside Japan. A cunning moment in the exchange captured over the telephone, halfway around the world, while the band was busy recording the yet-unnamed album Beggars Banquet in Olympic Sound Studios, Jagger was asked “What do you think is the future direction of your music?” And with no hesitation, he responded “Sideways.”

The limited edition vinyl package will come in gatefold jacket, with a bonus 12” of their iconic single “Sympathy for the Devil” in Mono cut at 45rpm, backed with an etching of the original ‘toilet’ cover. Also included is a replica of the rare Japanese bonus flexi disc containing a phone interview with Mick Jagger from 1968, and a download code for the album plus interview. The landmark album has been newly mastered by Grammy Award® winning engineer Bob Ludwig, lacquers cut at Abbey Road and pressed at RTI in California on 180g.

CD & Digital Tracklist
1)     Sympathy for the Devil
2)     No Expectations
3)    Dear Doctor
4)    Parachute Woman
5)     Jigsaw Puzzle
6)    Street Fighting Man
7)     Prodigal Son
8)     Stray Cat Blues
9)    Factory Girl
10)  Salt of the Earth

Vinyl Tracklist
DISC 1
Side A
1)     Sympathy for the Devil
2)     No Expectations
3)    Dear Doctor
4)    Parachute Woman
5)     Jigsaw Puzzle
Side B
1)     Street Fighting Man
2)     Prodigal Son
3)    Stray Cat Blues
4)    Factory Girl
5)     Salt of the Earth

DISC 2
1) Sympathy for the Devil (mono)

FLEXI DISC
1) ‘Hello, This Is Mick Jagger!’ LONDON to TOKYO April 17, 1968

Turn Right and Go Straight

Roscoe Robinson Celebrates 90th Birthday With New Release

Roscoe Robinson is clearly in it for the long haul. The soul and gospel stalwart turned 90 on May 22, and ABKCO Records celebrates that milestone with the release of two new tracks reflective of his spiritual (“Turn Right and Go Straight”) and secular (“We Got A Good Thing Goin’”) leanings.

Robinson recently reflected on his lengthy career in music. “In the early days, I’d try anything, but now I think a whole lot before I attempt to sing a song now. I think about the lyrics, I work to have an understanding about what the song is really about and how to convey that.”

Robinson’s gospel roots go back the furthest and deepest during a brief stint with the Highway QC’s when Sam Cooke was part of the lineup. They immediately became the best of friends. Roscoe went on to work with both the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Blind Boys of Mississippi, replacing the latter’s group leader Archie Brownlee following his death in 1960 at the age of 34.

But it was Roscoe, while he was singing with the Blind Boys, who tipped Sam Cooke to the Womacks with a suggestion that he bring them onto his label: “The Blind Boys were like members of our family,” said Bobby Womack. “They used to stay with us and my mother would cook for them. We were saying ‘Roscoe, we trying to get a record.’ Roscoe called Sam… first thing he says is ‘Sport, this is So. I think I got something for you.’” Sam Cooke signed the Womack Brothers to the SAR label in 1961. As The Womack Brothers, they recorded gospel music, including “Somewhere There’s A God,” a song Robinson had written for them. Sam Cooke changed the name of the act to The Valentinos for R&B songs like “Somewhere There’s A Girl,” a secular re-write of Robinson’s earlier song.

Like The Womacks and The Valentinos, Robinson was equally adept at secular music as he was at gospel. Following a tenure with Duke’s Peacock label, Roscoe’s “That’s Enough” was released in 1966 on Gerri, the Chicago label with regional reach. But the life of the tune was not over yet. Ernie Leaner whose United Records Distributors was the nation’s first major black owned distributor facilitated the record’s acquisition by Scepter, and the hit reached a wider audience on the imprint Wand. “That’s Enough” broke out at that point, riding up the pop charts and going as far as #7 on the R&B chart. After that, Robinson recorded for the Sound Stage 7, Atlantic, Fame and Paula labels.

Robinson’s involvement in the gospel world saw him play New York’s Apollo Theater in December of 1961 on an all-star bill featuring the Swan Silvertones, Highway QC’s and the Blind Boys of Mississippi. They were held over for two weeks with huge crowds stretching up 125th Street and around the corner; it was one of the biggest shows in Apollo history to that time.

Born in Dermott, AR, in 1928, Robinson has made his home in Birmingham, AL going back almost 50 years. He recorded this new tune “Turn Right and Go Straight” at local Audiostate 55 Recording Studios while “We Got A Good Thing Goin’” was recorded at Young Avenue Sound in Memphis with vocals recorded at Sound of Birmingham Recording. L.C. Cooke, Sam’s younger brother who died last year, first introduced Robinson to ABKCO founder Allen Klein and the relationship between Roscoe and ABKCO continues with the release of these recordings.

Robinson commented, “Jesus still lives, and I believed that through him if I could get a record out, I could prove that he still lives.” And now this has, indeed, come to pass. And today? In a decidedly low-key yet confident tone, he declares, “The voice is still there, there’s no difference…”

“Turn Right and Go Straight” – written by Quinton Claunch

Produced by Roscoe Robinson and recorded at Audiostate 55 Recording Studios, Birmingham, AL.

“We Got A Good Thing Goin’” – written by Bobby Patterson & Jerry Strickland

Produced by Roscoe Robinson. Tracks were recorded at Young Avenue Sound, Memphis, TN. Vocals were recorded at Sound of Birmingham Recording, Birmingham, AL.

Heavy Music: The Complete Cameo Recordings 1966-1967

Heavy Music: The Complete Cameo Recordings 1966-1967, will be the first time ever that all records by the celebrated Detroit group will be made available since their origination as 45rpm singles. The collection represents how stylistically, the band went beyond simple garage rock stomp and stammer formula and spread their wings lyrically and sonically in a few short years. The album is wrapped in a newly designed package, and liner notes by celebrated music writer Jim Allen, rare original photographs and label art from the Cameo Parkway vaults. The collection is mastered by Robert Vosgien at Capitol Mastering and the vinyl pressed in Detroit at Third Man Pressing.

Isle of Dogs (Original Score)

Academy Award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat’s original score for Isle of Dogs
is the fourth collaboration of Alexandre Desplat and Wes Anderson, following The Grand Budapest Hotel (Original Soundtrack), for which Desplat won both a Grammy and an Academy Award, as well as Moonrise Kingdom (Original Soundtrack), and Fantastic Mr. Fox (Original Soundtrack).

Isle of Dogs (Original Soundtrack)

Isle of Dogs tells the story of Atari Kobayashi, 12-year-old ward
to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by Executive Decree, all the
canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump,
Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies to
Trash Island in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots.

Isle of Dogs (Original Soundtrack) includes Academy Award winning
composer Alexandre Desplat’s original score,
compositions from acclaimed Japanese films Seven Samurai
and Drunken Angel, The West Coast Pop Art Experimental
Band’s brand of American psychedelia, and The Sauter-Finegan
Orchestra’s eccentric euphonies.

“I Won’t Hurt You” originally appeared as a B-side on the debut
1966 single by Los Angeles-based psychedelic group
The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. The Sauter-Finegan
Orchestra’s 1952 single “Midnight Sleighride” incorporates
piccolo, xylophone, triangle, chanting, and, of course, sleigh bells.
Japanese composer Fumio Hayasaka worked with legendary
filmmaker Akira Kurosawa on many projects, including
Seven Samurai (1954). Isle of Dogs (Original Soundtrack) includes
a composition from Seven Samurai, performed here by the Toho
Symphony Orchestra, as a cinematic nod to Kurosawa’s work.

This is the fourth collaboration of Alexandre Desplat and Wes Anderson, following The Grand Budapest Hotel (Original Soundtrack), for which Desplat won both a Grammy and an Academy Award, as well as Moonrise Kingdom (Original Soundtrack), and Fantastic Mr. Fox (Original Soundtrack).

On Air (Deluxe)

‘On Air’ is an album full of BBC recordings from the 1960’s which offers a unique insight into the formative days of the band. This is the Stones where it all started, playing the music they loved so much – Blues, R&B and even Country. Every track has been revolutionarily restored via ‘Audio Source Separation’ and you will be able to hear the remarkable difference this makes to each song.

The deluxe edition of the album contains an additional 14 tracks.