From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you've enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. (And with plenty of delicious food, too!)  Now, Record Store Day's annual Black Friday event is upon us, so we're spotlighting a dozen of the most eagerly anticipated releases arriving to your local independent brick-and-mortar record shop! Here are our personal picks for RSD BF must-haves; visit Record Store Day's official website for a list of participating retailers.  Happy Listening, and have a great ans safe weekend!  Watch this space for the launch of our annual Holiday Gift Guide on Monday! - Joe, Mike, and Randy

We'll kick things off with Mike's picks...​

Phil Collins, Live from the Board... The Official Bootleg (Rhino)

After Rhino's physical and digital reissue campaign, it was hard to imagine what else the label could do with the venerable singer/drummer's catalogue. While the Both Sides vinyl box may be more for completists than anything, it does bring with it something out-of-print: a 10" reissue of the Live from the Board EP, a chronicle of Collins' early '90s world tour. (For anyone who missed the original CD and isn't trying to brave record store lines, a digital release will be completed imminently.)

Olivia Rodrigo, Guts Spilled (Geffen)

Perhaps unfairly overlooked in a crowded field of young women in pop (or even next to her blockbuster 2021 debut Sour), Olivia Rodrigo's Guts was one of 2023's great mainstream albums. (The Daniel Nigro-produced album and subsequent tour also helped introduce this year's arguably biggest pop star: Rodrigo's opening act Chappell Roan, who contributes backing vocals on four tracks here.) This 2LP edition includes the original album along with all the formerly secret bonus tracks sprinkled onto random vinyl pressings - later released on a Record Store Day-exclusive EP and digital deluxe edition.

Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft (Isolated Vocals) (Darkroom/Interscope)

This year seriously was for the girls on the pop charts, with new releases from Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter and many more. Debate the merits of hearing just Eilish's vocal takes from her third studio album on vinyl all you want; I'll be swooning to her powerful lead on current Top 10 "Birds of a Feather," one of my favorite singles of the year.

Carl Stalling, The Carl Stalling Project: Music from Warner Bros. Cartoons 1936-1958 (Warner/Rhino)

In an ideal world - and here's a free idea, music marketing professionals - there'd be a Looney Tunes-branded website with playlists and video clips that would introduce young listeners to all the classical and early 20th century tunes heard in the classic cartoons. Until that happens, we at least have a 2LP edition of some of Stalling's most engaging music from those animated shorts, originally collected for CD in 1990 and debuting on the format here for the first time.  It's newly remastered by Kevin Gray and housed in a beautiful gatefold jacket (credit to reissue art director/designer Steve Stanley).  A lavishly illustrated 12-page booklet reprints the original essays from the CD set by compilation producer Hal Willner, executive producer Greg Ford, Dick Blackburn, and composer John Zorn.  In a nice touch, one label on each colored LP replicates the classic Looney Tunes bullseye.

Steve Martin, King Tut (Rhino)

The legendary comedian's four stand-up albums are the focus of a new box set at Rhino (which will be reviewed here next month!), and this 12" picture disc offers some of the best musical moments in that box, including the unlikely Nitty Gritty Dirt Band-backed hit "King Tut" plus two banjo-led originals by the Only Murders in the Building star.

Here are Joe's selections...

Isaac Hayes, Truck Turner: Original Soundtrack (Varese Sarabande) (Limited to 3,100 units)

Here at Second Disc HQ, we're big fans of Varese Sarabande's Reel Cult series.  The latest cult soundtrack to get the treatment is from Stax Records' legendary soul man, Isaac Hayes.  In addition to composing the score, 1974's Truck Turner starred Hayes as a retired football player-turned-bounty hunter (why not?) who becomes embroiled in a turf war among pimps.  The artist's brand of hot, buttered soul was ideally suited to the blaxploitation genre, and he served up super-funky cues as well as dramatic, romantic, and action-packed ones.  He sings on the main title theme and the sensual "You're in My Arms Again."  Varese's reissue is presented on 2 translucent purple 180-gram platters and mastered from the original analog tapes by Jeff Powell.  It's housed in a tip-on jacket.

Whitney Houston, Love Is (Legacy) (Limited to 2,000 units - RSD First)

Legacy supplements the recent release of The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) with this RSD First 12-inch single.  The title track is drawn from that release, and it's joined by three other songs from the concert - but only "Love Is" can be found on the physical editions of the album.  The others - "Touch the World," "Lover for Life," and "Home" - were, until now, exclusive to the digital version.  (That leaves "Amazing Grace," "Jesus Loves Me," and "Master Blaster (Jammin')" as digital-only.)  The other side of this single has four more versions of "Love Is": the studio mix, a rehearsal, an a cappella mix, and the Carvin Winans Remix.  While one wishes that the full concert had been made available from the get-go in a physical format, this release gets us almost there...and any release of new music from the extraordinary voice of Whitney Houston is always reason to rejoice.

 

Curtis Mayfield, The Soul and Songs of Young Curtis Mayfield: The Spirit of Chicago (Craft Recordings) (Limited to 1,500 units)

Long before his streak of socially conscious, musically powerful Curtom albums or the soundtrack to Super Fly, Curtis Mayfield was defining the sweet and moving sound of Chicago soul both in front of and behind the microphone.  This new 2-LP, 27-track anthology from Craft Recordings looks back at the young Mayfield's recordings for Vee-Jay Records as a songwriter and producer and also with The Impressions.  He joined the group in 1958 and graduated in 1960 to lead singer, a position he would hold for a decade as the sound of music changed around him - and because of him.  Songs by fellow Impression Jerry Butler (both solo and with Betty Everett), future Earth, Wind & Fire member Wade Flemons, and "Duke of Earl" Gene Chandler take their place on this set alongside key Impressions cuts to paint a compelling picture of Mayfield's distinctive Windy City mélange of soul, R&B, pop, and doo-wop.  Paul Blakemore has remastered the audio from the original analog tapes for this release, and Jim Miller has written new liner notes.

Leon Russell, Hymns of Christmas (Dark Horse) (Limited to 1,300 units - RSD First)

Leon Russell's self-distributed 1995 holiday album - a beautifully ruminative outing, with instrumental renditions of ten classic carols and not a secular Christmas song in sight - gets its vinyl premiere today from Dark Horse Records as part of the label's ongoing reissue campaign for Russell's catalogue.  While the simple, original artwork hasn't gotten an overhaul, the new pressing is on emerald green vinyl.  Hymns of Christmas showcases the artist's spiritual side as well as his deft piano playing and skillful orchestral arranging; it's quite a departure from his pop-rock work, but no less filled with deep soul.

WAR, The Vinyl 1977-1994 (Avenue/Far Out/Rhino) (Limited to 1,500 units)

Rhino and Avenue Records pick up where the 2021 RSD box set The Vinyl 1971-1975 left off with a companion box set of another five albums from the California band's storied discography.  The Vinyl 1977-1994 cherry-picks five platters from WAR's next two decades, boxing up Platinum Funk (1976; No. 6 Pop/No. 7 R&B), Galaxy (1977; No. 15 Pop/No. 6 R&B), The Music Band (1979; No. 41 Pop/No. 11 R&B), Outlaw (1982; No. 48 Pop/No. 15 R&B), and Peace Sign (1994; No. 52 R&B).  The first two albums in the box were certified Gold (the first in its original iteration as Platinum Jazz for Blue Note Records; that edition included a second disc of previously released material which hasn't been reprised here) and while the remaining albums were less commercially successful, they continued to reflect the group's expansive musical worldview.  These five albums take in Latin, Chicano, and African styles as filtered through a funky jazz-soul sensibility, and even though WAR's lineup was rather fluid, the musical consistency is solid and the sound always hard-hitting and recognizable.  This box features new artwork by Dave Van Patten on the sturdy slipcase, while Bernie Grundman has remastered all of these quiet 140-gram LPs (play them loud!). Each one is in a different color (yellow, silver, red, purple, orange) - all the more appropriate considering the musical melting pot that has long been WAR's calling card.  Also available today on CD!

And last but not least, these are Randy's picks!

Christopher Cross, A Christopher Cross Christmas (Omnivore)

Since this is Black Friday RSD, I always like to pick at least one holiday-themed item.  This Christmas album by Cross was originally released in 2007.  It contains the yacht rock pioneer's versions of 10 yuletide classics ("Silent Night," "I'll Be Home For Christmas," and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas, among others) along with two original songs written with longtime collaborator Rob Meurer: "Does It Feel Like Christmas" and "A Dream of Peace at Christmastime."  Cross produced the album himself but has guests on the album including several instruments played by Michael Omartian (who produced Cross' debut album in 1979).  Other guests include Kenny Edwards and Chris Walden, founder of the Pacific Jazz Orchestra.

This RSD release marks the album's debut on vinyl.  It has been reissued a couple of times before on CD in Europe (including under the alternate title Christmas Time is Here in 2010).  Omnivore is also releasing a CD version of the album to general retail on December 6.  The RSD vinyl is limited to 1,200 copies.

Jesse Ed Davis, Tomorrow May Not Be Your Day: The Unissued Atco Recordings 1970-1971 (Real Gone Music)

Native American guitarist Jesse Ed Davis played and performed with some of the greatest musicians of the late 1960's and early 1970s.  He toured with Conway Twitty, became a member of Taj Mahal and played with George Harrison during the Concert for Bangladesh.  Davis also worked on albums from John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Gene Clark, Leonard Cohen, and Jackson Browne.  This lead to him being signed by Atco, where he released two albums in 1970 and 1972.

Real Gone's new 2-LP set gathers up unreleased outtakes from these two albums (Real Gone has previously released the two albums on both CD and vinyl).  Here you'll find you'll find unreleased songs ("Slinky Jam"), covers of "Kansas City" and "Tracks of My Tears," unissued instrumentals (including a version of Dylan's "Love Minus Zero/No Limit"), and an entire side featuring alternate versions of "Washita Love Child" from Davis' first album.  The set has been remastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision and features notes by Dr. Douglas Miller, who wrote a biography of Davis: Washita Love Child - The Rise of Indigenous Rock Star Jesse Ed Davis, which came out a couple weeks ago.  Davis' son, William Noriega, has also contributed photos to the LP.

Real Gone's vinyl is limited to 1,000 copies.  It should be a great slice of guitar rock and a nice companion piece to the new biography.

Herbie Hancock, Possibilities (Rhino)

This 2005 album by the legendary jazz pianist finds him teaming up with a collection of artists from a spectrum of different pop and rock styles and genres.  The result is an eclectic affair but always anchored by Hancock's jazz sensibilities.  The duets you will find on this album come in varying types.  You will find Hancock teaming with artists on versions of their own songs such as Paul Simon ("I Do It For Your Love") and Sting ("Sister Moon") or on new songs written with Hancock such as John Mayer ("Stitched Up") and Trey Anastasio ("Gelo na Montanha").  The rest of the album sees Hancock and his partners tackling covers like Paula Cole's "Hush, Hush, Hush" with Annie Lennox, Leon Russell's "A Song For You" with Christina Aguilera, and Stevie Wonder's "I Just Called To Say I Love You" with Raul Midón.  The album was a success for Hancock, hitting No. 22 on the Billboard 200 and coming in No. 2 in the year-end charts of the Billboard Contemporary Jazz album chart in 2005 and 2006.  It also earned him a pair of Grammy nominations.  Hancock would return to the duets concept for 2010's The Imagine Project, his last studio album to date.

This reissue marks Possibilities' debut on vinyl and is actually the first reissue of the album.  It has been expanded with four bonus tracks: extended versions of "Stitched Up," "Safiatou" (with Santana and Angélique Kidjo), "Hush, Hush, Hush," and "Sister Moon."  These tracks are all taken from a CD which accompanied a DVD about the album in 2005.  The 3-LP package comes in a triple gatefold and features album notes from Michael Hill.  The LPs are pressed on clear ruby-red vinyl and the set is limited to 3,000 copies.  All in all, it is a very nice presentation to showcase this diverse album.

Merry Marvel Marching Band, Merry Marvel Marching Society (Disney)

Sixty years ago, Marvel Comics launched its first official fan club.  The company's popularity had boomed since the introduction of The Fantastic Four in 1961 and they tried to foster a community among their fans.  This led to the creation in 1964 of The Merry Mavel Marching Society (or M.M.M.S.) for short.  Fans would send in $1.00 and get a membership kit which included a record The Voices of Marvel, featuring spoken-word messages from some of Marvel's creators among other collectible items.  The M.M.M.S. would eventually have over 70,000 members.

Two years later, in 1966, The Marvel Super Heroes premiered.  This cartoon took the actual Marvel comics and animated them (rather crudely, it must be said).  The show was broken into short segments, each featuring a different Marvel superhero and their own theme song: Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, and Sub-Mariner.  Opening and closing music was also produced for the show and tied into the M.M.M.S.: "Merry Marvel Marching Society" and "Marvel Superheroes Have Arrived."  These last two songs were then put onto a single you could order through the fan club in 1967 entitled Scream Along With Marvel.  The composer was Jack Urbont, known for his work on film and television (including General Hospital) and stage (the musical Mrs. McThing).

This RSD release brings together the five individual themes and the opening and closing songs together for a 7-track 12-inch vinyl release.  It is essentially a soundtrack to The Marvel Super Heroes.  (Disney has previously been releasing these tracks on a series of limited 7" singles).  This is a cool Marvel collectible and a fun bit of nostalgia.  The vinyl is limited to 6,000 copies.

Utopia, Todd Rundgren's Utopia (Rhino)

After several solo projects at Bearsville, Todd Rundgren decided in 1973 to embark on another group project - his first after leaving The Nazz.  The initial version of Utopia was made of band members who had played on Runt, but it did not go anywhere.  Rundgren began the search for other members and eventually he would bring in five musicians to form the first line-up of the "classic" Utopia: Kevin Ellman (percussion), Moogy Klingman (keyboards), M. Frog Labat (synthesizers), Ralph Schuckett (keyboards), and John Siegler (bass and cello) with Todd on guitar.

The writing for the eventual album would be more improvisational than Rundgren's solo efforts with the sound in the progressive rock mode.  Rundgren was definitely the leader of the group, but the whole band contributed to the songs.  Todd Rundgren's Utopia was released in October 1974 and contained just four songs.  One song, "The Ikon," lasts over 30 minutes and takes up the whole of Side 2.  The only concession to radio is the under-4-minute "Freedom Fighters."  The album is another example of Rundgren exploring different musical ideas, a hallmark of his career.  Putting Todd's name in front of the band for the title is said to have been a commercial consideration, and it is one that paid off.  Their debut was Utopia's highest charting album, peaking at No. 34 on the Billboard chart.  This would be the first and only (mainly) studio outing for this version of Utopia, though - Rundgren would be joined a slimmed-down, new lineup on the band's next commercially released album, Ra, in 1977.

This 50th anniversary edition of Todd Rundgren's Utopia comes on psychedelic swirl vinyl.  The lacquers have been cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering.  A full color insert is included featuring new liner notes by Paul Myers, who wrote the book A Wizard, A True Star: Todd Rundgren in the Studio in 2010.  The vinyl is limited to 3,500 copies.