Sincerest apologies to all our readers who may have wondered where The Second Disc went off to. Though I hate jumbling personal/professional stuff with maintenance of the site, today was kind of busy. But there will be a few relaxed posts over the weekend as a way of thanking you, the reader, for your patience (and continued readership, of course!).

In any case, here are two links that might be worth your perusal on the reissue front:

• The Yep Roc label posted a neat interview with Nick Lowe, who discusses at length his forthcoming Labour of Lust reissue, coming out in the U.S. on Yep Roc next month. Illuminating stuff for power pop fans.
• R.E.M.'s Mike Mills talked to Billboard about the band's forthcoming record Collapse Into Now, and while the article is mostly about the new album (and the fact that the band will not tour behind it), the last paragraph confirms a 25th anniversary deluxe edition of Lifes Rich Pageant (1986) is on the way (as has been the case with every album of the band's for the past few years). Mills says the set will have "a lot of demos, some of which I think are actually better than the songs on the record." The new album also marks the conclusion of R.E.M.'s contract with Warner Bros., their home since 1988; no word on their next move or how it will relate to their catalogue affairs.