Features

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Genres:

Classic Rock, Comedy, Country, Folk, Gospel, Latin, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Andy Partridge, Foreigner, George Michael, Jim Reeves, John Williams, Madonna, Reba Rambo, Taylor Swift, The Who, Tom Petty, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, XTC

Release Round-Up: Week of June 5

June 5, 2026 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Barry Manilow, What a Time (Stiletto) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / ShopManilow.com LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / ShopManilow.com Arriving today as Manilow prepares to embark on his first tour after recovering from lung cancer treatment, Barry Manilow’s What a Time is the singer-songwriter’s first album of primarily original music since 2011’s 15 Minutes. The album takes on a reflective tone characterized by its first single, a cover of Peter Allen and Dean Pitchford’s “Once…

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Classic Rock, Classical/Opera, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Barry Manilow, Harpo Marx, Jackie DeShannon, Jeff Goldblum, Pink Floyd, The Beau Brummels

The Weekend Stream: May 30, 2026

May 30, 2026 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. Some classic and modern women heroes of country start things off, along with some rare alt-rock, an expanded classic of metal and more. Brenda Lee, Too Many Rivers / New Sunrise / L.A. Sessions / Even Better (MCA Nashville) Rivers: Apple / Amazon Sunrise: Apple / Amazon L.A. Sessions: Apple / Amazon Even Better: Apple / Amazon UMe successfully took advantage of the seasonal popularity of Brenda Lee’s…

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Classic Rock, Country, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Amanda Shires, Ariana Grande, Brandi Carlile, Brenda Lee, Camper Van Beethoven, Celia Cruz, Clodagh Rodgers, Don Williams, Johnny Pacheco, Lynn Blakey, Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby, Pete "El Conde" Rodriguez, Slayer, The Alan Parsons Project, The Highwomen

The Weekend Stream Extra: ‘Power Ballad’ Could Be the Song That Saves You

May 29, 2026 by Mike Duquette | 3 Comments

Ahead of our usual Weekend Stream coverage, Mike takes a look at a new soundtrack to a very special film that starts its theatrical run today: Power Ballad, from writer/director John Carney. The film is now playing in New York and Los Angeles, expanding to wider release next Friday, June 5. Some of the best filmmakers make a mark by turning variations on a theme around and around, like the rotation of a record player. John Ford mythologized the American West; Alfred Hitchock dialed into anxiety and suspense like no other; Steven Spielberg…

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Soundtracks

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Danny Wilson, Gary Clark, Nick Jonas

Release Round-Up: Week of May 29

May 29, 2026 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles out today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Paul McCartney, The Boys of Dungeon Lane (MPL/Capitol) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Paul McCartney Store LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Paul McCartney Store Paul McCartney releases his first new studio album since 2020’s McCartney III. The Boys of Dungeon Lane, like McCartney III and its two predecessors, was recorded almost entirely by the artist. Andrew Watt, whose credits include the most recent albums from Elton John and The Rolling Stones, is in the producer’s…

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Classic Rock, Classical/Opera, Country, Folk, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Allen Toussaint, Billy Joel, Boublil and Schonberg, Bruce Springsteen, Béla Fleck, Kathleen Brennan, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Renee Fleming, The Monkees, The Who, Tom Waits, Willie Nelson

The Weekend Stream: May 24, 2026

May 24, 2026 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. Rare George Michael remixes, late period a-ha and more Andy Partridge demos are kicking off another great week of streaming tunes – including three new soundtracks from theme park attractions! George Michael, “Monkey” (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) The latest of the Faith-era digital EPs is here, and it’s a corker: these 1988 remixes of “Monkey” by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis helped…

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Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock, Soundtracks

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Andy Partridge, Billy Stritch, Billy Walker, Bruce Broughton, Clodagh Rodgers, George Michael, Jerry Goldsmith, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, John Powell, Nina Simone, Randy Newman, Reba McEntire, Smashing Pumpkins, XTC, a-ha

Release Round-Up: Week of May 22

May 22, 2026 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles out today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The Cranberries, Everybody Else Is Doing It So Why Can’t We? [Deluxe Edition] (Island/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This 2CD Deluxe Edition of The Cranberries’ 1993 album boasts remastered audio overseen by the original producer Stephen Street, plus a new mix of the album made at Abbey Road. The bonus disc then adds outtakes, previously unreleased live tracks from the group’s London Astoria II…

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David Beard, The Beach Boys

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Edie Brickell, Michael Ball, Mungo Jerry, Scissor Sisters, Steep Canyon Rangers, Steve Martin, The Cranberries, Tom Fletcher

The Weekend Stream Extra: A Second Disc Interview with David Beard, Author of “All Summer Long: Conversations with The Beach Boys From ‘Surfin” to ‘SMiLE'”

May 16, 2026 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Sixty years ago today – May 16, 1966 – The Beach Boys released Pet Sounds on Capitol Records. Though the album wasn’t commercially successful upon its original release, it came to be regarded as a high watermark not just for The Beach Boys, but for American popular music itself. The Beach Boys have just celebrated 60 years of Pet Sounds (as well as its timeless songs including “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” and “Sloop John B”) with a Capitol Tower reunion of Mike Love, Al Jardine, and Bruce Johnston; a…

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Features, Interviews, News

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Books

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Classic Rock, Pop, Rock

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The Weekend Stream: May 16, 2026

May 16, 2026 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. This week has a collection of outtakes from one of the greatest albums ever made, a breezy theme song to a popular web series, fantastic new film scores, an unheard recording from Peggy Lee and a frankly stunning amount of songs about horses. Plus our tributes to those we lost recently, and a cool arts-related documentary project worthy of your…

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Bananarama, Brian May, Clodagh Rodgers, Daryl Hall, Ludwig Göransson, Missing Persons, Peggy Lee, The Beach Boys

The Weekend Stream: May 9, 2026

May 9, 2026 by The Second Disc | 3 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. It may not get more eclectic than this one, folks! We’ve got catalogue classics from jazz immortals, country icons and ’80s hitmakers; new songs from legends of classic rock, R&B, adult contemporary and hip-hop; new sounds from MUNA, The Waterboys, and Crack the Sky’s John Palumbo; and a sampler of international works, from Spanish chorale to Austrian pop that won…

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Blues, Classic Rock, Everything Else, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Andy Partridge, Barry Manilow, Chaka Khan, Clodagh Rodgers, Crack The Sky, Eddy Arnold, Gene Pitney, George Michael, Jim Reeves, John Coltrane, MUNA, Mike Finnigan, Motörhead, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Mike Sammes Singers, The Rolling Stones, The Waterboys, Udo Jürgens

Release Round-Up: Week of May 8

May 8, 2026 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Neil Diamond, Wild at Heart (Capitol/UMe) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Walmart (with exclusive lithograph) / Target (with exclusive lithograph) / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP (Bronze Elegance Edition): NeilDiamond.com LP (Copper Nugget Edition): Barnes and Noble A new album from Neil Diamond is out today…and it’s so good, so good, so good! The superstar singer-songwriter’s Wild at Heart is composed of nine previously unheard outtakes recorded with producer Rick Rubin in…

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Classic Rock, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Amy Grant, Iain Matthews, Josh Groban, Melanie, Neil Diamond, Peter Gabriel, The Knack, Ween

The Weekend Stream: May 2, 2026

May 2, 2026 by The Second Disc | 4 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. You know you’re in for a treat when the most recognizable digital catalogue here is a country-rock record by Jimi Jamison – plus new singles from Madonna and Peter Gabriel, for good measure. Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love” (Warner) (Apple / Amazon) The official lead single from Madonna’s anticipated Confessions II – a sequel to her 2005 blockbuster Confessions on a…

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Celia Cruz, Clodagh Rodgers, Jimi Jamison, Madonna, Peter Gabriel, Robbie Basho, Sabrina Carpenter, The Head and the Heart

Release Round-Up: Week of May 1

May 1, 2026 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Eagles, One of These Nights: Deluxe Edition (Rhino/Asylum) 3CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rhino is revisiting Eagles’ 1975 chart-topper (featuring hit singles “One of These Nights,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” and ‘Take It to the Limit”) in a deluxe edition built around a new mix of the original album. The set adds the band’s previously unreleased show of September 28, 1975 near the end of the album’s…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Classic Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Adrian Belew, Bill Evans, David Bowie, Eagles, Jerry Garcia, Kacey Musgraves, Merl Saunders, The Black Keys, Tori Amos, UFO

The Weekend Stream: April 25, 2026

April 25, 2026 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. Some of our favorites lead this pack: an archival Prince single, a new Duran Duran song, a vintage George Michael EP, outtakes from The Beach Boys, demos from Andy Partridge – and plenty more where that came from. Prince, “With This Tear” (NPG/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) Last Tuesday, the 10th anniversary of Prince’s death, The Artist’s estate released the latest posthumous…

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Jazz, Latin, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Release Round-Up: Week of April 24

April 24, 2026 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Michael Jackson, Michael: Songs from the Motion Picture (Epic/Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Black Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Clear Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Translucent Black Ice Vinyl): Independent Record Stores Cassette: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Friday, April 24 sees the release in theatres everywhere of Michael, director Antoine Fuqua’s biopic-slash-celebration of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Epic Records and Legacy Recordings are marking the occasion with…

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Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Francoise Hardy, Hank Marvin, James Mastro, Level 42, Little Feat, Lowell George, Michael Bublé, Michael Jackson, Richard Barone, Ringo Starr, The Snake Corps

The Weekend Stream Extra: ‘Play Dead’ Rolls Over Hi-Res Grateful Dead Sets in New App

April 19, 2026 by Mike Duquette | 5 Comments

Streaming music got a whole lot more live this past week – or is it a whole lot more Dead? On April 16, the live music platform Nugs.net launched Play Dead, a new app devoted to the live archive of The Grateful Dead. Authorized by the band and Rhino Records, the service brings a digital home to longtime series of authorized Dead recordings that have only been available in physical form – and also offers a leap forward in how the band’s concert releases are managed, with 20 previously unreleased shows available exclusively on…

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Classic Rock, Rock

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Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, Mickey Hart, The Grateful Dead

The Weekend Stream: April 18, 2026

April 18, 2026 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. We’ve got a trove of new songs from old (and not-so-old) favorites to kick off your post-Record Store Day festivities, plus a load of rare, out-of-print and expanded titles across genres from country, jazz, prog and beyond. Madonna, “I Feel So Free” (Warner) (Apple / Amazon) Just over two decades after her triumphant Confessions on a Dance Floor – and seven years after…

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Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock, Soundtracks

Release Round-Up: Week of April 17

April 17, 2026 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available this week. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. a-ha, Analogue: 20th Anniversary Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The eighth album by Norwegian trio a-ha – the late-period triumph Analogue – is the band’s latest to be expanded and reissued by Rhino. Released for its 20th anniversary, the new Analogue package includes the newly remastered album alongside a B-side and three single mixes as well as a 17-track bonus disc of mostly previously unreleased demos and alternative…

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Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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Beastie Boys, Jimmy Scott, John Prine, Oscar Peterson, Romeo Void, The Blasters, Todd Rundgren, a-ha

The Weekend Stream: April 11, 2026

April 11, 2026 by The Second Disc | 4 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. Another George Michael single is redelivered, XTC demos get delivered and a reinvented video game dance classic enters the arena – plus a whole lot of oddities and buried treasure from 1976! George Michael, Faith (Single) (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) The second of George Michael’s Faith singles to be delivered to digital with the original covers and B-sides is the effortlessly classic title…

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Blues, Cast Recordings, Country, Electronic, Everything Else, Folk, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Abbey Lincoln, Andre Kostelanetz, Andy Partridge, Aztec Two-Step, Cedar Walton, Chet Atkins, Danny Davis, David Gates, Earl Scruggs, Freddy Weller, Gary Stewart, George Michael, John Lee Hooker, Lea Michele, Lou Courtney, Lynn Anderson, Markolino Dimond, Tim Rice, XTC

Release Round-Up: Week of April 10

April 10, 2026 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores this week. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Weezer, Coloring Book (UMe) Official Store / uDiscover Music All six of Weezer’s self-titled albums distinguished by the color scheme of their cover (1994’s blue debut, 2001’s green, 2008’s red, 2016’s white and 2019’s covers album teal and original black) will be pressed on vinyl in those colors. The draw here is the package: a 72-page, hardcover coloring book featuring illustrations by artist Alec Longstreth, which fans can fill…

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Classic Rock, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Alfie Boe, Claybourne Elder, Duran Duran, Gregg Allman, Joe Jackson, Laufey, Suzi Quatro, Ween, Weezer

The Weekend Stream: April 4, 2026

April 4, 2026 by Mike Duquette | 6 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. The elder British/Irish rock contingent is alive and well, with new music from U2, Peter Gabriel and Ringo Starr plus new remixes from Sting; there’s also quite a bit of country (from Jim Reeves and Ricky Skaggs to…Disney?) and jazz (Monk, Maynard and more) to go around. U2, Easter Lily EP (Island) (Apple / Amazon) More prolific (and present) than they’ve…

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Gospel, Jazz, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Al Jarreau, Bola Sete, Cal Tjader, Claybourne Elder, Jim Reeves, Kristin Chenoweth, Led Zeppelin, Maynard Ferguson, Peter Gabriel, Ricky Skaggs, Ringo Starr, Stephen Schwartz, Sting, Thelonious Monk, U2

Release Round-Up: Week of April 3

April 3, 2026 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Robin Trower, Live! [50th Anniversary Edition] (Chrysalis) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The former Procol Harum guitarist’s acclaimed power trio live release gets a fresh look to celebrate its half-century mark! It’s been newly sequenced back into its original 12-song running order and remixed from the original multi-tracks by engineer Richard Whittaker. A 2CD set will include that expansion next to a new remaster of the…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray Audio, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Bruce Hornsby, Curtis Mayfield, Everything But the Girl, Gene Pitney, Graham Central Station, Joe Pernice, Kut Klose, Robin Trower, The Devil Wears Prada, The Modern Jazz Quartet, The Spinners, The Tedeschi Trucks Band, Tim Buckley, Tom Tom Club

The Weekend Stream: March 28, 2026

March 28, 2026 by The Second Disc | 5 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. This week is delivering the goods: vintage George Michael mixes, Beach Boys rarities, new tracks from some of our favorite elder statesmen of pop and rock, and so much more in so many genres. George Michael, I Want Your Sex EP (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) There’s things that you guess and things that you know – but we honestly weren’t expecting this!…

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Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Folk, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Reggae, Rock

Release Round-Up: Week of March 27

March 27, 2026 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Queen, Queen II: Collectors’ Edition (Virgin/EMI/Hollywood) 5CD/2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. Link TBD / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Picture Disc: Official Store Cassette: Official Store Queen have remixed their second album, featuring their first Top 10 hit “Seven Seas of Rhye,” for a new multi-format reissue. The box set edition is the most expansive, of course, packed with rare and unreleased demos and session…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Country, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

Charlie Puth, Digital Underground, Heaven and Hell, John Mellencamp, Kenny Loggins, Melissa Etheridge, Michael McDonald, Queen, R.E.M., Stevie Wonder, The Charlie Daniels Band, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Puppini Sisters, Van Halen

The Weekend Stream: March 21, 2026

March 21, 2026 by The Second Disc | 4 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. Two eras of Madonna, early INXS and plenty of new cuts for country, folk and rock lovers are all in the mix! Madonna, Into the Groove / Hung Up (Remixes) / Sorry (Remixes) / Jump (Remixes) / 4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland) (Remixes) / Celebration (Remixes) EPs (Warner/Rhino) “Groove”: Apple / Amazon “Hung Up”: Apple / Amazon “Sorry”: Apple / Amazon “Jump”: Apple / Amazon “4 Minutes”: Apple…

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