Author Archive / Randy Fairman

Life In The Fast Lane: Rhino To Release Eagles Box Set Containing Complete Studio and Live Albums on CD & Vinyl

This upcoming October and November are crowded with large box-set releases for classic rock fans with major titles coming from marquee artists like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon, David Bowie, and Bob Dylan.  You can now add another set to that list as Rhino has just announced a new box covering the recorded output of Eagles, entitled Legacy, due November 2. This set contains all of the original studio and live albums by the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers from 1972’s Eagles to 2007’s Long Road Out Of Eden.  In…

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Where You Long To Be: Morello Releases Bobby Bare and Dottsy Album Collections

Cherry Red imprint Morello focuses on country music reissues and we’ve covered them here in the past.  The label has been releasing compilations steadily and we thought we would tell you about some of their recent releases, focusing on albums from the 1960s and 1970s. First up is a collection of three albums from Nashville Sound stalwart Bobby Bare released on a 2-CD set.  The first two albums make their first appearance on CD outside of a Bear Family box set in 1994 and the third is completely new to CD.  The…

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Hold Your Breath: For Its 30th Anniversary, Metallica Reissues “…And Justice For All” in Multiple Formats Including 21-Disc CD/LP/DVD Box

Tomorrow marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Metallica’s fourth studio album …And Justice For All.  To commemorate the occasion, the group has announced today the reissue of the album in a variety of formats including a gigantic 11 CD/6 LP/4 DVD deluxe box set, all due on November 2.  This follows on from similar reissues of the band’s first three albums over the last several years. …And Justice For All was the first Metallica album to feature bassist Jason Newsted following the death of Cliff Burton in 1986.  The songs,…

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A Long Walk: New Box Set Collects Stax’s 1968 Singles, Chronicling Tumultuous Year For The Label

There have been several reissues this year celebrating the 50th anniversary of individual projects released in 1968.  But Craft Recordings has announced a box set which celebrates an entire year’s worth of material with Stax ’68: A Memphis Story, due on October 19.  This 5-CD set contains the A- and B-sides of every single released under the Stax Records banner in 1968, including the company’s sub-labels, for a total of 120 tracks.  Some tracks are by soul legends like Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, William Bell, Booker T. & The M.G.’s and…

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A Sunday Feeling: Jethro Tull’s Debut “This Was” Expanded For Its 50th Anniversary with New Stereo and Surround Mixes

As Jethro Tull celebrates their 50th anniversary this year, the band has already give their fans several reissues beginning with a deluxe version of Heavy Horses in February and a pair of compilations in May.  But that’s not all, because Parlophone/Rhino has just announced a new 3-CD/1-DVD deluxe edition of the group’s debut album This Was, due on November 9. After playing their first show under the name Jethro Tull in February, 1968, the group got into the studio to record their first album in June with sessions lasting through August.  This…

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Knowing The Way: Omnivore Revisits Fastball’s Breakthrough

Despite the lyrics to their biggest hit song referring to never growing old, time marches on for everything.  And so it is that Fastball’s sophomore album All The Pain Money Can Buy is marking its 20th anniversary this year.  To celebrate the occasion, Omnivore Recordings is releasing an expanded edition of the album on November 9. Formed in Austin, Texas in 1995, Fastball consists of Tony Scalzo (vocals, bass, keyboards, guitars), Mike Zuniga (vocals, guitars) and Joey Shuffield (drums, percussion).  Playing locally around Austin, the band got a following which attracted the…

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They Don’t Come Better: Real Gone Announces Four Tops Singles and Joe Simon Pop Hits Compilations For October

With summer winding down, we now start to look to the fall and what’s coming up in that season.  Real Gone has recently announced a couple of 2-CD compilations in the R&B/Soul genre due on October 5. The first is The Complete ABC/Dunhill Singles from the Four Tops.  The vocal quartet of Levi Stubbs, Abdul “Duke” Fakir, Renaldo “Obie” Benson and Lawrence Payton needs little introduction as they were the Motown stalwarts who gave us such classics as “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” and “Reach Out I’ll Be There”…

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One Love to Give: Cherry Red, Doctor Bird Expand Phyllis Dillon’s Pop-Rocksteady Classic

Cherry Red’s Doctor Bird imprint is shining the spotlight on arguably the most significant female artist of the rocksteady genre, Phyllis Dillon.  Her story is a special one; she only released one full album during her recording career, but that album – 1972’s One Life to Live – laid the groundwork for the reputation which she enjoyed until her untimely death in 2004.  Doctor Bird’s reissue, due on September 7, expands the original 12-song album to 28 tracks, making for a deep retrospective of her works for Duke Reid’s renowned Treasure Isle Records. …

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Dipped in Moonlight: Real Gone Reissues Grateful Dead, L7 and Pentangle in September

Real Gone Music has announced three more reissues hitting shelves on September 7, joining previously-announced titles from Alice Coltrane, The Munsters, and more! First up is a vinyl reissue of Pentangle’s 1968 double-album Sweet Child, celebrating its 50th anniversary.  The British folk-jazz group came together in 1967 and consisted of Jacqui McShee (vocals), John Renbourn (guitar and vocals), Bert Jansch (guitar and vocals), Danny Thompson (double bass) and Terry Cox (drums).  Their first appearance together came at a May 1967 concert at Royal Albert Hall.  The band signed with Transatlantic Records and…

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A Party Tonight in London: Bruce Springsteen Releases 1981 “The River” Tour Concert with Tributes to Elvis Presley

BUY NOW FROM NUGS.NET Bruce Springsteen is continuing his ongoing Archive series.  Last month, he released a concert from 1978 that was promoting the Darkness on the Edge of Town album.  This month, he jumps forward three years to a gig to promote The River album: June 5, 1981 at Wembley Arena in London, England. The River was released on October 17, 1980.  Springsteen and the E Street Band spent nearly a year on tour to promote the double album which had been their first to top the charts.  The first two…

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A Million Miles of Fun: Real Gone Celebrates “Dazed and Confused,” “True Romance,” “Go” and “The Munsters” in September

We’ve told you about one of Real Gone’s September releases: the first-ever collection of Alice Coltrane’s complete Warner Bros. recordings.  Now we’ve got the news on a quartet of soundtrack releases also slated for the month. The first release actually hits one day before September, on August 31.  It is a vinyl reissue of Even More Dazed and Confused, the second soundtrack album from Richard Linklater’s 1993 film Dazed and Confused.  The high school coming-of-age film takes place primarily during a single day in Austin, Texas in 1976.  The ensemble cast featured…

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Prove It All Night: Bruce Springsteen Gives The First Official Release To Famous 1978 Roxy Concert

Bruce Springsteen is returning to Darkness.  Last week, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the performance, Springsteen gave his concert from July 7, 1978 at the Roxy in West Hollywood, California its first official release as part of his ongoing Archive series.  The gig was part of the tour to promote the Darkness On The Edge of Town album.  This particular tour has been well-documented: this latest release marks the fourth show to be officially released from the tour. The Darkness album had been released just a little over a month prior…

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Review: Keely Smith, “Sings the John Lennon-Paul McCartney Songbook”

Oh yeah, I’ll tell you something I think you’ll understand… At the height of Beatlemania in 1964, some members of the so-called “older generation” still hadn’t caught on to what made the Fab Four more than the latest passing teenybopper fad.  But Keely Smith was ready to make them understand.  For her third album at Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Records, the smoky-voiced chanteuse set out to have the adults in the room “meet the Beatles” in a new way.  Keely Smith Sings the John Lennon-Paul McCartney Songbook was one of the first in…

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Eternal Transcendence: Real Gone Collects Alice Coltrane’s Compete Warner Bros. Studio Recordings

Real Gone Music has just announced its first release for this September and it should be of substantial interest to jazz aficionados: a collection of Alice Coltrane’s studio recordings for Warner Bros. from the mid to late 1970s.  The 2-CD set, Spiritual Eternal – The Complete Warner Bros. Studio Recordings, is scheduled to be released on September 7. Coltrane was born Alice McLeod in Alabama in 1937, but grew up in Detroit.  She studied music and played a number of instruments, including the piano and harp.  She decided to take up jazz…

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The Sun in Your Eyes: Real Gone’s August Slate to Include Alan Parsons Project, Merry Clayton, Monk Higgins, More

Real Gone Music has just announced its slate for August, and the reissues are in a variety of genres and formats, all due on August 3. First up is a standalone release of the Blu-ray Audio edition of The Alan Parsons Project’s 1982 hit album Eye in the Sky.  The Project’s sixth album (and fifth on Arista Records) employed a variety of musical styles within a radio-friendly soft-rock framework to address typically lofty themes.  This Blu-ray reissue boasts a high-resolution stereo version of the album alongside a new 5.1 surround mix, done…

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Give ‘Em The Old Razzle-Dazzle: Real Gone To Reissue “Chicago” Soundtrack on Vinyl in July

We have told you about the nearly all of Real Gone’s titles for this July, including Second Disc Records’ compilation of Bobby Darin’s unreleased Motown recordings.  Now, Real Gone has just announced the final reissue on their July slate: the first-ever vinyl reissue of the original soundtrack to 2002’s Academy Award-winning musical Chicago, due July 13. The musical Chicago originally opened on Broadway on June 3, 1975 and is based upon the 1926 play of the same name written by reporter Maurine Dallas Watkins.  It revolves around Roxie Hart, on trial for…

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Heading Somewhere: Real Gone to Premiere Ben Folds Five’s “Sessions at West 54th” on CD and Vinyl in July

Real Gone Music has just announced another title in its July slate, this one a little more modern than some of their other titles.  Hailing from 1997, Real Gone will release the CD and vinyl debut of The Complete Sessions at West 54th from longtime TSD favorites Ben Folds Five.  It will be released on July 13, just a few weeks after the release of Folds’ career-spanning box from Edsel. (And to be clear, the Real Gone Sessions at West 54th material is not in that box). Sessions at West 54th was…

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Good Times: Real Gone To Reissue Rare Willie Nelson, Statler Brothers In July

We’ve recently told you about Go Ahead & Back Up: The Lost Motown Masters, Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records’ CD of unheard Bobby Darin Motown recordings due in July.  Now we’ve gotten word of two more Real Gone July releases, both in the country genre: one for Willie Nelson and one for The Statler Brothers. Country legend Willie Nelson hardly needs an introduction.  The 85-year-old is one of the biggest names in country and has been recording for over six decades, including up through this year.  But, like nearly every…

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Spare Parts: Rarities Abound On Nine Springsteen Digital EPs

To coincide with today’s release of Bruce Springsteen’s second Album Collection, Sony/Legacy and Columbia Records are releasing nine rare Springsteen EPs on digital platforms.  These are part of Legacy’s ongoing vault series which sees digital release of rare music from artists in a wide variety of eras and genres. The EPs are mostly international releases and span the years from 1987-2012.  Two were originally released in Japan.  The first, Live Collection, rounds up four concert performances, some previously on albums and some taken from B-sides.  The second EP, Roll of the Dice,…

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Waiting For the Gift of Sound: Parlophone to Release Three David Bowie Reissues including CD Debut of Rare 1978 Concert and Two Vinyl Exclusives

  Parlophone is continuing its series of David Bowie reissues.  The label has just announced a trio of projects due June 29: the CD and digital debut of Welcome To The Blackout (Live London ’78), previously only available on vinyl for this year’s Record Store Day, and a pair of vinyl exclusives for brick-and-mortar record shops.  All three titles come from the period covered in last year’s Bowie box A New Career in a New Town: 1977-1982, which saw Bowie release two acclaimed albums, work in television and film and embark upon…

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Coming Back To Your Hometown: Bruce Springsteen Releases 1996 Freehold Concert Featuring the Premiere of a Rare Song

As Bruce Springsteen continues his acclaimed run on Broadway (for which he will receive a special Tony Award) and releases his second Album Collection on vinyl next week (with a CD edition only available in Japan), he is also continuing his archival concert series.  His latest entry is another show that ties into the spirit of his Broadway outing, his benefit performance at The St. Rose of Lima Gymnasium in his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey on November 8, 1996. This concert came in the middle of Springsteen’s solo acoustic tour for…

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Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Debuts ‘Alien 3,’ Breaks Out ‘Superman IV’

Over the past couple of days, La-La Land Records has released a pair of 2-CD soundtrack limited edition sets for two entries in sci-fi/superhero franchises which began in the 1970s: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Alien 3. Released in 1987, Superman IV marked the final time Christopher Reeve would step into the Man of Steel’s iconic red and blue costume.  Directed by Sidney J. Furie (Lady Sings the Blues, Iron Eagle), the film centered around Superman’s efforts to curtail the nuclear arms races.  At the same time, Lex Luthor (portrayed…

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Welcome (Back) to the Jungle: Guns N’ Roses Announce Major ‘Appetite For Destruction’ Reissue

Last night at precisely the stroke of midnight, Guns N’ Roses made an announcement sure to whet fans’ Appetite.  The belated 30th anniversary celebration of 1987’s Appetite for Destruction will arrive in a variety of formats from UMe on June 29 ranging from a $999.00 (!) Locked N’ Loaded Edition to a straight single-disc remastered CD. The classic line-up of Guns N’ Roses solidified in June, 1985 in Los Angeles.  The group consisted of Axl Rose (vocals), Slash (lead guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) Izzy Stradlin (rhythm guitar) and Steven Adler (drums).  They…

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Feed Your Dreams: Rhino To Release Graham Nash Anthology in June Featuring Hits, A Dozen Unreleased Demos

In conjunction with a U.K. and European tour Graham Nash is launching in July (and the 50th  anniversary of the formation of Crosby, Stills and Nash), Rhino has just announced a new anthology for the legendary artist in a variety of formats.  On June 29, the 2-CD, 30 track Over The Years… will be available, as well as a downloadable and streaming version.  Following two months later on August 31 will be a 15-track double-LP version of the compilation.  The anthology has been put together by Nash and longtime associate Joel Bernstein…

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Your Most Valuable Possessions: Edsel Plans Ben Folds’ ‘Brick’ Box

Edsel has just announced a 13-CD box set looking at the career of alternative music star (and one of our favorite artists here at Second Disc HQ) Ben Folds, both as a solo artist and as a member of Ben Folds Five.  Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1996-2012, due June 22, contains nearly all of Folds’ core studio albums together with a live album and some other odds and ends.  It traces his career from the first Ben Five Folds record through his solo recordings to the Five’s reunion album in…

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