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/ Joe Marchese

The Weekend Stream Labor Day Special: Spotlight on WIWS Radio with John and Chrissy Sellards

September 5, 2022 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

WIWS Logo

Welcome to a special edition of The Weekend Stream for the long Labor Day weekend!  Longtime readers might have noticed that adorable owl perched comfortably atop The Second Disc. He's the mascot for WIWS Radio, an online radio station dedicated to '50s and '60s classics in authentic AM radio sound.  We'd like to introduce you to John and Chrissy Sellards, the couple behind WIWS.  John is already well known to Second Disc readers for his design work on most of our Second Disc Records releases. 

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Categories: Features, Interviews Genre: Country, Everything Else, Holiday, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul Tags: WIWS Radio

Can You Feel the Love Tonight: Four Elton John LPs Reissued on Vinyl Today

September 2, 2022 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

Elton John Love Songs

As Elton John continues the final North American leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, another four gems from his discography have returned to vinyl following the recent reissues of The One and Peachtree Road. A Single Man arrived in 1978 and marked a turning point for the singer-songwriter following 1976's expansive double album Blue Moves.  Despite the presence of the hit single "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," Blue Moves had ended John's streak of chart-topping albums that began

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Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Elton John

Two (Discs) of Hearts: Cherry Pop Expands Stacey Q's Debut with 20 Rare or New-to-CD Tracks

September 1, 2022 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Stacey Q Better Than Heaven

Stacey Q's 1986 debut album was titled Better Than Heaven, and listeners were inclined to agree with that assessment as its lead single "Two of Hearts" ascended the charts in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and throughout Europe.  On September 16, Cherry Pop will reissue the Hi-NRG classic as a deluxe 2-CD expanded edition with a whopping 20 bonus tracks, almost every one of which is new to CD. Show business was in Stacey Lynn Swain's blood since childhood.  She trained as a dancer, modeled,

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Disco/Dance, Pop Tags: Stacey Q

Dee-Lightful! Stage Door Reissues, Expands Johnny Burke's "Donnybrook!"

August 31, 2022 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Donnybrook OBC Deluxe

"Dee-lightful Is the Word" for Donnybrook!  The 1961 Broadway musical was based on Maurice Walsh's short story "The Quiet Man" which had famously been adapted by director John Ford and screenwriter Frank S. Nugent into the Academy Award-winning 1952 film of that name.  The story and film had all of the ingredients of a successful musical, with a colorful Irish setting, larger-than-life characters, and vivid romance.  Ultimately, Donnybrook! lasted just 61 performances at the 46th Street Theatre

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Cast Recordings Tags: Art Lund, Eddie Foy Jr., Johnny Burke, Susan Johnson

On the Dark Side: Iconoclassic Celebrates John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band on "Greatest Hits"

August 25, 2022 By Joe Marchese 9 Comments

John Cafferty Greatest Hits

Iconoclassic Records is headed to the "Dark Side" with the first-ever anthology from the real-life band behind Hollywood's Eddie and The Cruisers: John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band. On September 30, the label will release Greatest Hits, a freshly remastered 16-track collection from the rock-and-roll revivalists whose "On the Dark Side" reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1984 and spent five weeks atop the Mainstream Rock chart and the MTV video charts. Singer-guitarist

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Ben E. King, John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band

Build Me Up, Buttercup: Cherry Red Collects The Foundations on "Am I Groovin' You"

August 24, 2022 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

The Foundations Am I Grooving You

When "Baby, Now That I've Found You" reached No. 1 on the U.K. Singles Chart in late 1967, The Foundations became the country's first multi-racial band to score a No. 1 single.  The irresistible tune by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod also topped the chart in Canada and peaked just out of the top ten in the United States, inaugurating a brief period of success for the groundbreaking group.  The Foundations are well-remembered today for both "Baby, Now That I've Found" you and the Macaulay/Mike

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: The Foundations

Do It Again: HDTT Label Brings Judy Garland's Carnegie Hall Concert to Hi-Res Digital, CD Formats

August 23, 2022 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Judy Garland Greatest Night in Show Business History

The Canada-based High Definition Tape Transfers label recently released Judy Garland's The Final Concert in Copenhagen, bringing the legendary artist's last public concert on March 25, 1969 to a variety of high-resolution formats.  As the celebration of Garland's centennial continues, the label has turned its attention to Garland's most famous live performance, and indeed one of the most famous concerts of all time. The Greatest Night in Show Business History: April 23, 1961 is HDTT's reissue of

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download Genre: Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Judy Garland

Filthy Habits: "Zappa '75" Brings Frank and The Mothers' Yugoslavia Shows to CD

August 22, 2022 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Zappa 75

Earlier this year, Zappa Records and UME released Zappa/Erie, a 6-CD box documenting Frank Zappa and The Mothers' shows in the Erie, Pennsylvania area circa 1974-1976.  An upcoming release due October 14 is a bit slimmer - just two CDs - but no less interesting as it chronicles Zappa and the band's visit to an even more far-flung locale in the fall of 1975.  Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana captures The Mothers' first and only concerts in Yugoslavia.  He referred to the dates as "The Mothers of

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Frank Zappa

For Your Eyes Only: Cherry Pop Brings Sheena Easton's "Live at The Palace, Hollywood" to CD and DVD

August 18, 2022 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Sheena Easton Live at the Palace

Sheena Easton closed the first chapter of her career with Madness, Money, and Music, recorded in spring and released in autumn 1982.  Easton's third studio album, it was her last to be produced by Christopher Neil who had guided the Scottish superstar's meteoric ascent with such songs as "Modern Girl," "9 to 5 (Morning Train)," and "For Your Eyes Only."  The Grammy-winning Best New Artist of 1982 scarcely had any time to rest on her laurels; after recording the album at George Martin's AIR

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Categories: News Formats: CD, DVD Genre: Pop Tags: Sheena Easton

Sock It To Me, Baby: Ace Celebrates Bob Crewe on "Whatever You Want"

August 16, 2022 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Bob Crewe Whatever You Want

Yesterday, we looked at Ace Records' recent anthology dedicated to West Coast producer Gary Usher. Today, we're heading east... Stanley Robert Crewe of Newark, New Jersey studied architecture and tried his luck as a fashion model before turning full-time to music.  Though the handsome young man was a teen idol-in-the-making, he found his truest calling behind-the-scenes. With writing partner Frank Slay, Crewe gifted "Silhouettes" to The Rays and "Tallahassee Lassie" to Freddy "Boom Boom"

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Ben E. King, Bob Crewe, Bob Gaudio, Chuck Jackson, Dee Dee Sharp, Frankie Valli, Gary Knight, Jerry Butler, Kenny Lynch, The Four Seasons, Various Artists, Walter Jackson

Let's Go to Heaven In My Car: Ace Collects Productions and Songs of Gary Usher

August 15, 2022 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

Gary Usher Happy in Hollywood

Ace's long-running Songwriters and Producers series has recently yielded two stellar entries celebrating two gentlemen equally versed in both crafts: Gary Usher and Bob Crewe.  Part One of our Ace Round-Up today looks at Happy in Hollywood: The Productions of Gary Usher. Gary Usher (1938-1992) would have gone down in pop history as one of his neighborhood pal Brian Wilson's earliest collaborators, penning lyrics for both a popular hot rod tune ("409") and one of Wilson's most introspective,

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Brian Wilson, Curt Boettcher, Gary Usher, Keith Allison, Sagittarius, The Byrds, The Castells, The Hondells, Various Artists

Burning Love: Elvis Presley's "Elvis On Tour" Gets Super-Sized on New Box Set

August 12, 2022 By Joe Marchese 21 Comments

Elvis On Tour Box

The King once again reigned supreme when Baz Luhrmann's fantastical biopic Elvis hit cinemas this summer and cruised to $138 million (and counting) in domestic grosses.  Luhrmann deftly blended Presley's original vocals with that of star Austin Butler, and in at least in one crucial moment in the film, the actual Elvis took the screen in lieu of the young actor.  Now, RCA Records and Legacy Recordings are celebrating 50 years of an earlier film: Elvis On Tour, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's dynamic 1972

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Soundtracks Tags: Elvis Presley

Moment's Notice: John Coltrane's "Blue Train: The Complete Masters" Due in September

August 10, 2022 By Joe Marchese 7 Comments

John Coltrane Blue Train Complete Masters

John Coltrane only recorded one album for Blue Note as a leader.  1958's Blue Train, featuring all original compositions plus one standard, would come to be overshadowed by the saxophone great's very next recording: the groundbreaking Giant Steps for Atlantic.  But as a document of Coltrane in his hard bop period, Blue Train remains a top-notch record.  Now, it's returning to vinyl, CD, and digital formats on September 16 in a variety of editions. Blue Train: The Complete Masters joins Blue

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Jazz Tags: John Coltrane

In Memoriam: Olivia Newton-John (1948-2022)

August 8, 2022 By Joe Marchese 13 Comments

Olivia Newton John Making a Good Thing Better

Olivia, we honestly love you. Sandy, the good girl of Rydell High.  Kira, the Olympian muse who inspires the roller disco paradise, Xanadu.  Livvy, the girl singer who dreams of the big time but must first take to the cosmos.  Olivia Newton-John was all of these and more.  The singer who sweetly asked "Have You Never Been Mellow" and implored us to get "Physical" in the 1980s' longest-charting Number One was a dedicated activist for environmental and animal rights, and a courageous advocate

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Categories: News Genre: Pop, Soundtracks Tags: Olivia Newton-John

Sha-La-La-La-La-La: Cherry Red, Grapefruit Collect Living Daylights' "Let's Live For Today: The Complete Recordings"

August 8, 2022 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Living Daylights Lets Live for Today

"Let's Live for Today," a top ten U.S. hit in the Summer of Love, will forever be associated with The Grass Roots.  But not one, but two, U.K.-based groups also staked a claim to the song.  Now, Cherry Red's Grapefruit arm is chronicling the discography of one of those groups, Living Daylights.  The single-CD anthology Let's Live for Today: The Complete Recordings is due this Friday, August 12. Living Daylights - a.k.a. brothers Garth and Norman Watt-Roy on guitar and bass, respectively, plus

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Living Daylights

Time and the Tide: Dark Horse Collects Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros' Albums on "002"

August 2, 2022 By Joe Marchese 6 Comments

Joe Strummer 002

Back in 2018, Joe Strummer 001 collected recordings made by the late Clash frontman outside of that band: solo, with bandmate Mick Jones, and with The Mescaleros and The 101ers.  Now, BMG's reactivated Dark Horse Records label has announced Joe Strummer 002.  Subtitled The Mescaleros Years and due from the label on September 16, the collection reissues all three Mescaleros albums and adds fifteen rare and/or previously unreleased tracks.  It will be available on 4 CDs with a 72-page book or 7

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Rock Tags: Joe Strummer, The Mescaleros

You Turn Me On, I'm a Radio: Joni Mitchell's "The Asylum Albums (1972-1975)" Coming from Rhino

July 28, 2022 By Joe Marchese 11 Comments

Joni Mitchell Asylum Albums

On Sunday, happy tears flowed at the Newport Folk Festival when Joni Mitchell took the Rhode Island stage for a surprise set - her first full-length concert in roughly two decades, performed alongside her longtime champion Brandi Carlile and a host of illustrious friends.  Soon, those tears were flowing everywhere when audio and video from the thirteen-song show was shared worldwide.  Joni Mitchell was back, tapping into a deep well of vivid emotion on her beloved standards such as "Both Sides

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop Tags: Joni Mitchell

One and One Make Love: Godley and Creme's pre-10cc Days Collected on "Frabjous Days"

July 26, 2022 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Godley and Creme Frabjous Days

Kevin Godley and Lol Creme might be best known as founding members of 10cc...or as a pioneering pop duo...or as directors of groundbreaking music videos for such artists as The Police, Duran Duran, Sting, and George Harrison.  But pre-fame, Godley and Creme recorded an unreleased album for impresario Giorgio Gomelsky.  Now, that album - and a clutch of related material - has finally seen the light of day from Cherry Red's Grapefruit imprint as Frabjous Days: The Secret World of Godley and Creme

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: 10cc, Godley and Creme, Graham Gouldman

Shooting Stars: Iconoclassic Rediscovers Lost Gems from Ohio Players, Dwight Twilley

July 21, 2022 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Dwight Twilley Wild Dogs

On July 29, Iconoclassic Records will release a pair of albums from two very different artists - yet both releases look to be equally essential. The Ohio Players famously topped the U.S. Hot 100 in 1975 with the irresistible "Love Rollercoaster," the group's second song to reach that coveted spot after "Fire."  The band's history is a bit of a roller coaster itself, with plenty of ups and downs.  Upon its release in 1981, Tenderness might have been considered a down, but Iconoclassic is

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Funk, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Dwight Twilley, Ohio Players

Grapefruit's "Heroes and Villains" Collects L.A. Sounds of 1965-1968 From The Beach Boys, Mamas and Papas, Monkees, Zappa, More

July 20, 2022 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Heroes and Villains The Sound of Los Angeles 1965 68

Though Heroes and Villains is the title of Grapefruit's new 3-CD anthology chronicling The Sound of Los Angeles 1965-68, that famous Beach Boys song isn't among its 90 selections.  Not that Brian Wilson and co. are absent; the compilation instead presents another SMiLE tune, "Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock)" as part of its portrait of a place and time in music history when it truly seemed anything was possible.  U.K.-based compiler David Wells persuasively makes the case here that L.A.

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Buffalo Springfield, Frank Zappa, Lee Hazlewood, Love, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Sonny and Cher, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Grass Roots, The Mamas and The Papas, Tim Buckley, Various Artists

God Gave Rock and Roll to You: Edsel Compiles Best of Argent on New 2-CD Anthology

July 18, 2022 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Argent Hold Your Head Up

Out of the ashes of The Zombies came Argent, the band named for keyboardist-singer Rod and also featuring ex-Zombie Chris White as a behind-the-scenes songwriter and producer.  Joining Rod in the line-up proper was his cousin Jim Rodford on bass, Bob Henrit on drums, and Russ Ballard on guitar and vocals.  While Argent only lasted for seven studio albums and one live set between 1969 and 1975, their major hits - "Hold Your Head Up" (No. 5 U.S. and U.K.), "God Gave Rock & Roll to You" (No. 18

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Argent

Just in Time: Restored, Complete Presentation of Judy Garland's Final Concert Comes to CD, Digital Formats

July 15, 2022 By Joe Marchese 8 Comments

Judy Garland The Final Concert in Copenhagen

On March 25, 1969, Judy Garland took the stage at Copenhagen's Falkoner Centret for a concert in which she was joined by Johnnie Ray as the opening act and an orchestra under the direction of Tony Osborne.  Garland weighed a mere 90 pounds but her physical frailty was no impediment to her delivering a concert packed with classic songs, newer additions, and an abundance of authenticity, emotion, and heart.  Sadly, the Copenhagen performance was to be Judy's last-ever public concert.  Less than

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download Genre: Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Johnnie Ray, Judy Garland

These New Changing Times: Cherry Red, Morello Reissue Another Trio from Waylon Jennings

July 11, 2022 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

Waylon Jennings Just to Satisfy You Three Fer

Following the release earlier this year of Waylon Jennings' first four RCA Victor albums on one 2-CD set, Cherry Red's Morello imprint has returned to the outlaw country legend's early milieu with a trilogy of albums from 1969-1970 on another 2-CD collection: Waylon (1970), Just to Satisfy You (1969), and the collaboration Country-Folk with The Kimberlys (1969). This three-for-one release picks up where one of Morello's previous collections from the prolific singer - including Love of the

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Country Tags: Anita Carter, Chet Atkins, Waylon Jennings

Meeting of the Spirits: Impex Premieres Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia's "Saturday Night in San Francisco"

July 7, 2022 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Al Di Meola Saturday Night in San Francisco

Two months into a joint tour, Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, and Paco de Lucia took the stage at San Francisco's Warfield Theatre on Friday, December 5, 1980.  The three acoustic guitarists, intuitively connected to one another, employed no rhythm section or other instrumentalists.  Their tight interplay was nothing short of magical; one could hear a pin drop in the 2,300-seat venue.  Di Meola remembered the evening as "a night of pure balls to the wall.  But highly inventive balls to the wall." 

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Categories: News Formats: CD, SACD, Vinyl Genre: Jazz Tags: Al Di Meola, John McLaughlin, Paco de Silva

Touch 'Em with Love: Highlights from Bobbie Gentry's "The Girl from Chickasaw County" Coming to CD, LP in August

July 6, 2022 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

Bobbie Gentry The Girl from Chickasaw County Highlights

Mississippi-born singer-songwriter Bobbie Gentry reached the pinnacle of success - earning hit singles, winning Grammy Awards, headlining a BBC series of her own, selling out engagements in Las Vegas, and appearing with Johnny Carson - before pulling off music's ultimate disappearing act.  Gentry last performed in public on a television special in 1981 and last appeared in public at the 1982 Academy of Country Music Awards presentation.  She was 39. But the music of Bobbie Gentry has never

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Vinyl Genre: Country, Pop Tags: Bobbie Gentry, Glen Campbell

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