Dionne WordPress Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • The Weekend Stream
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ Joe Marchese

Journey Through the Past: Neil Young Expands "Harvest" For 50th Anniversary

October 17, 2022 By Joe Marchese 9 Comments

Neil Young Harvest 50 Cover

Neil Young's fourth studio album, 1972's Harvest, was a landmark for the artist.  His first and only No. 1 album in the U.S. and U.K. to date, it spun off his only U.S. No. 1 single to date with the ballad "Heart of Gold," and became the best-selling album in the U.S. of 1972 - only to remain the best-selling album in Young's ever-growing catalogue.  The 2015 Grammy Hall of Fame inductee has received numerous reissues including a 2002 DVD-Audio presentation and a 2009 remaster as part of Young's

Continue Reading

Categories: Holiday Gift Guide, News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, DVD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Neil Young

England Rocks: Demon Collects Ian Hunter's CBS Years on 2-LP Set

October 14, 2022 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Ian Hunter Once Bitten CBS Collection

Ian Hunter departed from Mott the Hoople in 1974, having guided the band from hard rock to glam through seven studio albums and such hits as "All the Young Dudes," "Honaloochie Boogie," "All the Way from Memphis," "Roll Away the Stone," and "The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll."  Upon leaving Mott, Hunter jumped into a solo career that continues to this day, having produced nearly two dozen studio and live LPs.  Now, Demon Music Group is celebrating one period of Hunter's career with a 2-LP

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson

I Want It All: Queen's "The Miracle" Gets Super-Sized in Upcoming Box Set

October 13, 2022 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Queen The Miracle Cover

Queen's thirteenth studio album, The Miracle, is coming back in a big way.  On November 18, EMI (U.K.) and Hollywood Records (U.S.) will expand The Miracle into a 5CD/Blu-ray/DVD/LP box set adding alternate takes, demos, rough mixes, backing tracks, B-sides, and more.  A 2-CD "highlights" edition will also be available as well as cassette and picture disc vinyl versions of the original album only. The marathon recording period commenced in December 1987 with the specter of Freddie Mercury's

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Blu-Ray, Box Sets, Cassette, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, DVD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Rock Tags: Queen

Don't Be Afraid: Cherry Red, Esoteric Collect Keef Hartley Band's Complete Albums on "Sinnin' for You"

October 13, 2022 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Keef Hartley Band Sinnin for You

Drummer Keith "Keef" Hartley started his professional career rather auspiciously - replacing Ringo Starr in Rory Storm and The Hurricanes when Ringo was enlisted for duty with a certain fab foursome.  Hartley went on to play with The Artwoods as well as with John Mayall before forming his own group.  The Keef Hartley Band played at Woodstock and released six albums - five studio and one live - between 1969 and 1972 on Decca's "progressive" Deram imprint.  Hartley would then release one solo LP

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Blues, Classic Rock Tags: Keef Hartley Band

In Memoriam: Anita Kerr (1927-2022)

October 12, 2022 By Joe Marchese 10 Comments

Anita Kerr Bert Kaempfert Turns Us On

Tennessee native Anita Kerr (born Anita Jean Grilli) was only in her early twenties when her eight-voice choir achieved a spot on WSM Radio, venerable home of the Grand Ole Opry.  Her weekly broadcasts led to a call to join "Mr. Country Music," Red Foley, in the recording studio for "Our Lady of Fatima."  Foley's tune became a No. 16 Pop hit in 1950, and from there, Anita Kerr's career took off to the stratosphere.  The Second Disc has just learned of the

Continue Reading

Categories: News Genre: Country, Pop Tags: Anita Kerr, The Anita Kerr Singers

We'll Take the Night: Roy Orbison's "King of Hearts" Returns for 30th Anniversary

October 12, 2022 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

Roy Orbison King of Hearts

When Roy Orbison unexpectedly died of a heart attack on December 6, 1988 at the age of 52, the world mourned the loss of the rock and roll pioneer.  At the time of his death, he'd been enjoying a career revival thanks to his friends George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Lynne - all of whom regarded him as an inspiration and were thrilled to call him their bandmate in the Traveling Wilburys.  1989's Mystery Girl was The Big O's first posthumously released album, having been completed a

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Roy Orbison

In Memoriam: Angela Lansbury (1925-2022)

October 11, 2022 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Angela Lansbury Legends of Broadway

Whether playing amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher, freewheeling Mame Dennis, nefarious Eleanor Iselin, witch-in-training Eglantine Price, or gentle teapot Mrs. Potts, Dame Angela Lansbury imbued every role of her career with fierce commitment, emotional authenticity, and high spirits.  Five Tony Awards, three Drama Desks, an Olivier, six Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, three Oscar nominations, and a whopping eighteen Emmy nominations barely scratch the surface of

Continue Reading

Categories: News Genre: Cast Recordings, Soundtracks Tags: Angela Lansbury

You Make It Feel Like Christmas: New Collections Coming From Neil Diamond, Reba McEntire, Louis Armstrong, More

October 11, 2022 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Neil Diamond Christmas

The Christmas season is upon us, and there are plenty of new titles coming your way to make spirits bright!  Today's round-up looks at upcoming collections from Neil Diamond, Louis Armstrong, and Reba McEntire, as well as one various-artists set filled with heavy hitters. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Kennedy Center Honoree Neil Diamond has been a Christmas music mainstay since the release of 1992's The Christmas Album.  The Brooklyn-born superstar, whose story is coming soon to Broadway in

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Country, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock Tags: Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Neil Diamond, Paul McCartney, Reba McEntire, Velma Middleton

In Memoriam: Brooks Arthur

October 10, 2022 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

Brooks Arthur and Peggy Lee

Brooks Arthur was always the coolest guy in the room...but he was also the nicest.  A gentle giant of the music business, the producer-engineer died yesterday - but not before cementing a legacy of some of the most enduring sounds in pop history. The Brooklyn native born Arnold Brodsky grew up alongside such friends as Neil Sedaka, Carole King, and Neil Diamond, all united in their dreams of making it big across the bridge in Manhattan.  While in high school, he worked in the mailrooms of

Continue Reading

Categories: News Genre: Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Soundtracks Tags: Brooks Arthur

In Memoriam: Loretta Lynn (1932-2022)

October 4, 2022 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Still Woman Enough

On her 2016 album Full Circle, Loretta Lynn openly pondered, "Who's gonna miss me when I'm gone?"  Today, upon the pioneering singer-songwriter's death at the age of 90, that answer was abundantly clear. Tributes poured in from Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, and LeAnn Rimes, as well as from The Grand Ole Opry, The Country Music Association, and The Country Music Hall of Fame.  Carole King, one of many artists outside of the country genre to

Continue Reading

Categories: Features, News Genre: Country Tags: Loretta Lynn

Pleasure and the Pain: Iconoclassic Expands The Damned's "Strawberries" for 40th Anniversary

October 4, 2022 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

The Damned Strawberries

The cover of The Damned's 1982 studio album Strawberries featured a pig with a strawberry on its head.  Lead singer Dave Vanian once revealed that the title was inspired by fans' reaction to the band's new music: "We were playing a lot of new material and we had an audience that didn't want to hear about anything...they just wanted to hear [older singles] 'Neat Neat Neat' and 'New Rose,' nothing else.  And they wanted to just smash everything.  And they weren't interested in hearing music at

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: The Damned

Just For A Thrill: Peggy Lee's "Norma Deloris Egstrom" Returns to CD for 50th Anniversary

October 3, 2022 By Joe Marchese 7 Comments

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom

The words I have to say may well be simple, but they're true/Until you give your love, there's nothing more that we can do... Those lyrics from Lesley Duncan's "Love Song" opened Peggy Lee's 40th original album and her final one for Capitol Records, the label with whom she had been associated since 1944.  (She left Capitol for Decca in 1952 and re-signed with the label five years later.)  With Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota, both the title (Lee's birth name) and the stark

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming Genre: Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Peggy Lee

Summer Storms: Cherry Red, Righteous Collect "Dark Exotica" from Stan Kenton, Others

October 3, 2022 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Dark Exotica

The word "exotica" typically conjures up breezy, mid-20th century imagery of tikis, palm trees, and tropical drinks.  Indeed, many musicians were all too happy to contribute to the genre named after Martin Denny's 1957 album, the title of which was coined by Liberty Records executive Si Waronker.  Denny's musical island fantasies indeed proved transporting for Americans, as did releases from the likes of Les Baxter, Esquivel, and Arthur Lyman.  Back in 2018, the Numero Group curated an

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Everything Else, Jazz, Latin Tags: Bill Russo, Buddy Collette, John Leslie McFarland, Stan Kenton

From L.A. to Bakersfield: Omnivore Celebrates California Music Heroes Dean Torrence and Buck Owens on New Collections

September 30, 2022 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Dean Torrence The Teammates

This fall, Omnivore will be revisiting the back pages of two California artists with whom the label has become associated: Dean Torrence and Buck Owens. Back in 2017, Omnivore issued Filet of Soul Redux: The Rejected Master Recordings from Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, the innovative surf-rock duo and Beach Boys pals who transformed the sound of SoCal pop. But Dean was always much more than "just" one-half of that pioneering musical pair.  As a graphic designer, Torrence won the Grammy Award

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Country, Pop Tags: Bruce Johnston, Buck Owens, Dean Torrence, Flo and Eddie, Jan and Dean, Mike Love, Terry Melcher

Lightning Frightening: New Bowie Box Offers 'Hunky Dory'-Era Rarities

September 28, 2022 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

David Bowie Divine Symmetry

Hot on the heels of the success of the documentary Moonage Daydream (and its recently released soundtrack, currently streaming and coming soon to physical media), Parlophone has announced a major audio excavation from the David Bowie vault.  On November 25, 2022, the label will release Divine Symmetry (An Alternative Journey Through Hunky Dory), a 4CD/1BD box set chronicling the twelve months leading up to the December 1971 release of Bowie's fourth studio album.  Highlighted by 48 previously

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Blu-Ray Audio, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, Rock Tags: David Bowie

California Saga: The Beach Boys' "Sail On Sailor: 1972" Explores "Carl and the Passions," "Holland"

September 27, 2022 By Joe Marchese 19 Comments

Beach Boys Sail On Sailor 1972

The cover of The Beach Boys' eighteenth studio album didn't look so different than what fans might have expected, with its shot of the beach, blue sky, and palm trees through a car window.  But once listeners placed the needle on the first track, it was clear this was no ordinary Beach Boys record.  Only one song - the opening "You Need a Mess of Help to Stand Alone," a twangy rocker with little of the lushness once associated with their sound - bore a production credit for Brian Wilson; only

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: The Beach Boys

Right as the Rain: Barbra Streisand's "Live at the Bon Soir" Arrives in November

September 23, 2022 By Joe Marchese 11 Comments

Barbra Streisand Live at the Bon Soir

Barbra Streisand first took the stage of New York's tiny Bon Soir on September 9, 1960.  The eighteen-year-old singer appeared third on a bill after house band The Three Flames and comic duo Tony and Eddie, and before closing act Phyllis Diller.  The groundbreaking comedienne later recalled her first encounter with Streisand: "We shared a dressing room at the Bon Soir...It was the size of a peapod and usually you could smell fear in there. But she wasn't a bit nervous - at least not that I

Continue Reading

Categories: News Genre: Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Barbra Streisand

Heartbreakers Beach Party: Tom Petty's "Fillmore 1997" Features Hits, Deep Cuts, Covers

September 21, 2022 By Joe Marchese 10 Comments

Tom Petty Fillmore 1997

The Estate of Tom Petty has announced the late rock-and-roller's first live album in more than a decade.  Live at the Fillmore 1997 captures highlights from Petty and the Heartbreakers' blazing 20-show run as recorded at San Francisco's venerable Fillmore between January 10 and February 7, 1997.  Six full shows were captured live, from which 58 songs have been culled for this release.  Making this an even more special affair, 35 of the songs are covers and most unique to the Petty discography. 

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock Tags: John Lee Hooker, Roger McGuinn, Tom Petty, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

There's a Light: Rory Gallagher's "Deuce" Goes Super Deluxe

September 20, 2022 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Rory Gallagher Deuce

Over the past couple of years, UMC has been busy revisiting the catalogue of late Irish guitar virtuoso Rory Gallagher.  Following last fall's box set celebrating Gallagher's eponymous 1971 debut, the label is turning its attention to his second album, 1972's Deuce, for another deluxe, expanded edition.  The similarly expansive 4CD release, due on September 30, boasts: A new mix of the original album; 28 previously unreleased alternate takes; A six-song 1972 BBC Radio In Concert

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Vinyl Genre: Blues, Classic Rock Tags: Rory Gallagher

Go Back, Jack, Do It Again: Steely Dan's Discography Gets Overhaul from UMe, Analogue Productions

September 16, 2022 By Joe Marchese 24 Comments

Steely Dan Cant Buy a Thrill

Between 1972 and 1980, Steely Dan - the loose unit of like-minded musicians and singers led by songwriter-producers Walter Becker and Donald Fagen - released seven albums on the ABC and MCA labels.  While Steely Dan was never a "singles artist," charting just three top ten hits, the band's albums were era-defining affairs; six of their LPs have attained at least Platinum status in the United States, with the seventh respectably going Gold.  Now, that epochal catalogue defined by immaculate

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: CD, SACD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Steely Dan

Let There Be Love: SoulMusic Collects, Expands Shirley Murdock's Elektra Albums

September 13, 2022 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Shirley Murdock As We Lay

As a member of the extended family of funk group Zapp, Shirley Murdock memorably added her vocals to the 1986 hit "Computer Love" (for which she also shares a co-writing credit).  Concurrently, Murdock was launching her own solo career at Elektra Records, where she would release three solo LPs through 1991.  Now, Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint has revisited and expanded that trio of albums on As We Lay: The Elektra Recordings (1985-1991), a new 3-CD collection that's an essential

Continue Reading

Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Disco/Dance, Gospel, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Shirley Murdock

Too Hot: Edsel Compiles Second Album Box for Kool & The Gang

September 12, 2022 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

Kool and the Gang The Albums Volume 2 Cover

In 2024, Kool and the Gang will celebrate 60 years of music-making.  Though the band has weathered the passing of key personnel in recent years including founding members Ronald Bell a.k.a. Khalis Bayyan and Dennis "D.T." Thomas, Robert "Kool" Bell and George "Funky" Brown keep the fusion of soul, R&B, dance, funk, and jazz alive and well.  Earlier this year, Demon Music Group's Edsel label released Kool and the Gang's The Albums Vol. 1: 1970-1978 collecting their first dozen LPs plus a disc

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Disco/Dance, Funk, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Kool and the Gang

Here She Comes Again: Dolly Parton's Greatest Hits Collected on "Diamonds and Rhinestones"

September 8, 2022 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

Dolly Parton Diamonds and Rhinestones

Here she comes again.  Hot on the heels of the expanded edition of Dolly Parton's A Holly Dolly Christmas, the superstar is teaming with Legacy Recordings and RCA for a new, career-spanning package.  Diamonds and Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection arrives on November 18 with 23 tracks, originally released between 1971 and 2020, on CD, 2LP, and digital formats. Diamonds and Rhinestones draws on Parton's recordings for RCA Victor, Columbia Records, and her own Dolly Records label.  The

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Country, Pop Tags: Dolly Parton, Kenny Rogers, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette

And Your Bird Can Sing! The Beatles' "Revolver" Goes Super Deluxe in October

September 7, 2022 By Joe Marchese 31 Comments

Revolver deluxe

The Beatles' seventh studio album - and the bridge between Rubber Soul and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band - 1966's Revolver is recognized as one of the Fab Four's most groundbreaking as well as significant albums. With producer George Martin, the group employed studio wizardry to bring their new songs to life - tape loops, automatic double tracking, close miking, use of varispeed and reversed tapes, among other techniques that would soon be imitated by countless others - as well as

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, Rock Tags: George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, The Beatles

Circle of Love: Dolly Parton's "Holly Dolly Christmas" Gets Expanded Edition in October

September 6, 2022 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Dolly A Holly Dolly Christmas Deluxe

2020's A Holly Dolly Christmas was Dolly Parton's 47th solo studio album, but only her third full-length Christmas record following the Kenny Rogers collaboration Once Upon a Christmas (1984) and solo Home for Christmas (1990).  The joyful yuletide set, supported by a prime-time CBS television special, became the superstar's eighth Billboard Country chart-topper; it also reached the peak of the Holiday Albums chart and the top twenty of the Billboard 200.  On October 14, the Grammy-nominated

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Country, Holiday Tags: Billy Ray Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Jimmy Fallon, Michael Bublé, Miley Cyrus, Willie Nelson

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • …
  • 173
  • Next Page »

Upcoming Releases

  • Version 1.0.0
    Natural Gas: Original Master Edition
    Natural Gas
    May 30, 2025
    US UK
  • Grateful Dead The Music Never Stopped
    The Music Never Stopped
    Grateful Dead
    May 30, 2025
    US UK
  • TMBG Spine Surfs Alone CD
    The Spine Surfs Alone: Rarities 1998-2005
    They Might Be Giants
    May 30, 2025
    US UK
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,676 other subscribers

Popular Posts

  • Most Commented
  • Most Viewed
  • Dionne Warwick Make It Easy on Yourself(Don't) Walk On By: Dionne Warwick's "Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971" Due in June on 12...
  • Tracks II CD packshot no disc artShut Out the Light: Bruce Springsteen Offers Seven Unheard Albums on 'Tracks II'
  • Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits Amazon exclusiveHe Wears It Well: Rod Stewart's 'Ultimate Hits' Due in June
  • RSD 2025 best of restRecord Store Day 2025: The Best of the Rest
  • record store day logoThe Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2025: Our Favorite Picks
  • John Williams Anthology 1Mondo Maestro: New John Williams Box Set Series Announced, Plus 'Star Wars' Re-Recordings on Vinyl

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popdose
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2025 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy