For music writers and music lovers alike, Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical Almost Famous has long been a tried and true standby reflecting the glory days of early rock and roll in all their gritty reality. The film’s soundtrack has become an equally beloved artifact, and now an expanded box set version with CDs, vinyl, and plenty of bonus items is being released to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the movie. Crowe said he’s eager to share the new project and celebrate physical media as a method of preserving the film’s impact.
“We are extremely proud to revisit Almost Famous with a very special bounty of goodness,” Cameron Crowe said of the set. “For the first time, we’ve created a Deluxe Soundtrack that features nearly every song from the film, along with Nancy Wilson’s wonderfully evocative score. We’re also thrilled to finally preserve both versions of the film, along with a collection of rare new bonus features, on these beautiful new 4K and Blu-ray releases as part of Paramount Presents. Long live physical media!”
For collectors who really want to get a sense of the Almost Famous world, the inclusion of a 40-page photo book and memoir housed in a film-prop-replica of William Miller’s high-school notebook complete with writings by Cameron Crowe, Nancy Wilson, and from cast and crew members will be the deciding factor. The set also includes the first-ever complete William Miller cover story on Stillwater as a 1973 Rolling Stone newsprint; two replica ticket stubs from Stillwater’s San Diego and Cleveland concerts; and a Stillwater tour poster.
The thirteen-disc Uber Deluxe box includes 6 LPs in black and colored vinyl, a 5 CD super deluxe set, 2 CD deluxe edition, the original soundtrack on 2 LPs and two Stillwater vinyl EPs, along with all the memorabilia listed above. For those looking for a slightly smaller set, the label is also releasing two six-LP editions, on black or colored vinyl, a five-CD Super Deluxe set including 102 tracks with 36 being previously unreleased songs, a separate 12-inch vinyl EP with the six Stillwater songs; a Record Store Day exclusive with the seven original demos of the Stillwater songs (Five performed by Wilson the other two by Frampton) a two-LP vinyl version of the original soundtrack album, and a two-CD deluxe edition of the original soundtrack. All of these new editions will be out this summer on July 9th.
Check out the Almost Famous pre-order links here.