News

The Second Disc kicks off the week with a bit of synergy. Our very own Mike Duquette contributed a wonderful piece over at Popdose looking at the hidden musical treasures you can find at your local grocery store – of all places! – including Sony/Legacy’s Playlist: The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates. If you haven’t checked out Mike’s incisive, entertaining feature, please do so now, and then rejoin me here. Okay? Good. Welcome back! With summer turning to fall, and fall traditionally being the season when record labels release the most product in anticipation of the holidays, Sony has turned its attention to releasing a staggering amount of compilations in both their Essential and Playlist lines.

The Second Disc last reported on Barry Manilow, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Henry Mancini and Lena Horne joining the ranks of those anthologized in The Essential series, with Horne’s entry boasting some rare, new-to-CD tracks. Now a varied group joins that already eclectic lineup. August 31 will bring Essential 3.0 releases for Patti LaBelle, Simon and Garfunkel, Hezekiah Walker, Fred Hammond and Gloria Estefan, while October 12 will see The Essential Ronnie Milsap 3.0. Perhaps surprisingly given Legacy’s recent acquisition of his solo catalog, no new Paul Simon catalogue compilation has yet been announced.

The Playlist series takes its turn with two waves of releases, as well. Unfortunately no releases from the dormant catalogues of Philadelphia International Records or Philles Records have been announced, and Legacy’s plans for both labels are still unknown. That said, the artists getting the Playlist treatment are definitely diverse. From the jazz world, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk and Weather Report all have titles arriving in stores on September 14.  (Armstrong’s offering appears to be cross-licensed, containing tracks from the Universal catalogue.) October 12 brings volumes from Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, the Isley Brothers, Elvis Presley and Barry Manilow, among others. (Can I vote for “Tight Connection to My Heart”  from 1985’s Empire Burlesque for the Dylan volume, dedicated to his 1980s work?) These titles often feature a rarity or two in the mix, so keep an eye out for track listings when they’re announced. Perhaps Manilow’s “Oh, Julie!” will finally appear here, having been passed over for The Essential 3.0…

Finally, thanks to our friends at the indispensable Musictap for a heads-up on more interesting compilation news from Legacy’s associated labels. Apparently a new series of 3-CD sets is scheduled for October 5 under the nondescript banner The Music Of.  The first artists in this series will be Dan Fogelberg, Jefferson Airplane, George Jones, Merle Haggard and Gladys Knight. As more details are revealed, we’ll report back.

Hit the jump for the full list of upcoming Playlist volumes, and pre-order links for all of the Playlist and Essential titles mentioned!

August 24, 2010

• The Essential Henry Mancini
• The Essential Lena Horne: The RCA Years

August 31, 2010

• The Essential Gloria Estefan 3.0
• The Essential Fred Hammond 3.0
• The Essential Patti LaBelle 3.0
• The Essential Simon and Garfunkel 3.0
• The Essential Hezekiah Walker 3.0
• The Essential “Weird Al” Yankovic 3.0

September 14, 2010

• Playlist: The Very Best of Louis Armstrong
• Playlist: The Very Best of Duke Ellington
• Playlist: The Very Best of Charles Mingus
• Playlist: The Very Best of Thelonious Monk
• Playlist: The Very Best of Weather Report

October 12, 2010

• Playlist: The Very Best of Johnny Cash (Gospel)
• Playlist: The Very Best of Bob Dylan (The 1980s)
• Playlist: The Very Best of Molly Hatchet
• Playlist: The Very Best of Julio Iglesias
• Playlist: The Very Best of the Isley Brothers
• Playlist: The Very Best of Janis Joplin
• Playlist: The Very Best of Mat Kearney
• Playlist: The Very Best of Barry Manilow
• Playlist: The Very Best of Dolly Parton (Gospel)
• Playlist: The Very Best of Elvis Presley (Gospel)
• Playlist: The Very Best of Jessica Simpson
• Playlist: The Very Best of Stevie Ray Vaughan
• The Essential Barry Manilow 3.0
• The Essential Ronnie Milsap 3.0

It should be noted that pre-order links aren’t yet active for the Mat Kearney and Dolly Parton releases.