The Headstones has signed a U.S. deal with Velvel, which will see a compilation of songs from the Kingston, Ont.-bred rock band's three gold-selling albums released in the new year.

The label will also put out the Hard Core Logo soundtrack, to coincide with the November release of the Canadian movie on Quentin Tarantino's distribution arm, Rolling Thunder, with Miramax.

Headstones singer Hugh Dillon stars in the Bruce McDonald-directed film about a fictional rock band called Hard Core Logo. The soundtrack, which features Dillon as lead vocalist Joe Dick, was never released in Canada (only a "tribute" album was made available through BMG).

"Velvel thought that picking up the soundtrack would be a good thing to help cross-promote the Headstones," says the band's manager Joe Bamford.

The Headstones, which happily remain on Universal in Canada, hasn't had much luck in the U.S. with its previous albums, Picture Of Health, Teeth & Tissue, and the latest, Smile & Wave.

"We had releases with Universal in other territories, like Germany and Australia," says Bamford, "but Universal in America never showed any interest at all, ever."

The Headstones' debut, Picture Of Health, was released on a tiny independent label, Avalanche, owned by Saga's ex manager. "We got some good press, no radio," says Bamford in a nutshell. "The first album will come free in the spring and we might make a deal with Velvel for that."

Bamford met Velvel president Bob Frank in January, 1996, at MIDEM, a music conference in France. "I gave him my little song and dance about the Headstones," recalls Bamford. Although he heard from Frank six months later, saying he liked the album, it wasn't until a showcase in New York at the legendary CBGB's last fall that the deal forged ahead.

"The plan with Velvel right now is to do a compilation of the second and third, and possibly first album, and put it out in the spring of next year," says Bamford. Meanwhile, he says, "They're writing songs now and we hope to have the new album done and recorded by the end of this year."