Unreleased Tommy Keene Album Songs From The Film (Original Version) to Make Historic Debut on Record Store Day
A long-lost chapter in American power-pop finally comes to light
[Bethesda, MD] — [April 15, 2026] — In one of the most anticipated archival releases in recent memory, the original, long-shelved version of Tommy Keene’s Songs From The Film will finally see the light of day as an exclusive Record Store Day release. Often spoken of in fan circles but never officially heard, this is the album Keene recorded in 1984 with producers Don Dixon and T-Bone Burnett—an entire full-length LP completed, titled, sequenced, and then abruptly abandoned in the wake of a major label deal.
What followed became a defining “lost moment” in Keene’s storied career. Now, more than forty years later, listeners will hear the record exactly as it was created.
A Full-Length Album Lost to Industry Pressures
Following the momentum of The Dolphin EP and Places That Are Gone, Keene entered Reflection Sound Studios in Charlotte, North Carolina with Don Dixon—fresh off his acclaimed work with R.E.M. and Guadalcanal Diary—to craft what was intended to be his breakthrough LP. Dolphin Records, aiming to elevate the project even further, brought T-Bone Burnett on board after early conversations with Marshall Crenshaw’s management fell through.-
Keene, Dixon, and Burnett spent a month shaping Songs From The Film: a vivid, fully realized album that represented the natural progression from Keene’s college-radio rise.
But just as the record was completed, Geffen Records stepped in with a major-label offer—on the condition that the album never be released.
“It was mid-1984, and I had been chasing this holy grail major label deal since 1978,” Keene later recalled. “When you’re that young you think, ‘This might never happen again. I better do what they say.’” Dolphin Records protested, and ultimately a compromise was reached—but the album was shelved, momentum stalled, and a two-year release gap followed.
A Crucial Missing Piece of the Tommy Keene Story
The now-legendary “lost” Songs From The Film became a turning point—creatively, professionally, and emotionally. Fans have long speculated about how this original version differed from the later re-recorded 1986 Geffen release.
This Record Store Day edition presents, for the first time:
- The complete original album, produced by Don Dixon and T-Bone Burnett
- Fully restored audio from the original tapes
- Archival session photos and ephemera from the 1984 recording sessions
This is not an alternate take or a collection of demos—it is the complete, finished album that was initially intended to follow The Dolphin EP and carry Keene into the national spotlight.
A Celebration of Keene’s Legacy
The release stands as both a gift to longtime fans and a rediscovered milestone for new listeners discovering Tommy Keene’s timeless songwriting. Record Store Day spokespersons call it “an essential recovery of a pivotal American pop record—a missing link that reshapes our understanding of an artist at a crucial moment.”
Availability
The original version of Tommy Keene’s Songs From The Film will be available exclusively at participating independent record stores on Record Store Day 2026. Quantities will be limited.
For more information, visit www.tommykeene.com, your local independent record store, or the official Record Store Day website.
“COME ON NOW.” – Dave Holmes
