In 1970, Griffin’s “Yours Till Forever,” written by a young songwriter named Kenny Nolan, skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard pop singles chart. A band called The Exception, led by singer/bassist Peter Cetera, became one of the biggest acts of the decade and kicked off their international success with the horn-driven hit “My Mind Goes Traveling.” And, of course, the Lettermen, those pioneers of psychedelic pop, are still remembered for their ode to “Mr. Sun.” Okay, none of that really
The Answer's No Longer Blowin' in the Wind: Columbia Confirms Dylan Tracks
On July 30, The Second Disc reported on Bob Dylan: The Original Mono Recordings and the ninth volume of Dylan's acclaimed Bootleg Series, both due in stores on October 19. Well, Volume 9 has an official name and an official track listing. The Bootleg Series Volume 9: The Witmark Demos 1962-1964 will contain a whopping 47 songs (plus one fragment) recorded by Hibbing, Minesota's favorite son in demo form not only for M. Witmark & Sons, but for Leeds Music as well. 15 songs were recorded
"One-Eyed Jacks" a Kritzerland Smash
The first and only film directed by Marlon Brando, the 1961 western One-Eyed Jacks isn't as well-remembered as many of the screen legend's other accomplishments. But with a cast including Brando as bank robber Rio (inspired by Billy the Kid), Karl Malden as his former partner-turned-sheriff Doc Longworth and Ben Johnson as new cohort Bob Emory, and a revolving door of screenwriters including Sam Peckinpah and Calder Willingham, One-Eyed Jacks had much to distinguish it. It was the final film
September 20 Will Be a Manic Monday: 2 Bangles Titles Reissued and Expanded in the UK
Emerging in the early 1980s with a sound equal parts garage rock, power pop and 1960s folk rock a la the Byrds, the Bangles quickly took their place as one of the most successful girl groups of all time. The band consisting of Susanna Hoffs, Vicki Peterson, Debbi Peterson and Michael Steele made their major-label debut on the Columbia label with 1984's All Over the Place. While not a major success, the album made enough of a splash to attract some big fans, namely 1980s icons Cyndi Lauper, Huey
Holy Mackerel! Early Paul Williams Expanded and Remastered by Now Sounds
If ever an album was lost in the shuffle, it was the 1968 debut LP by The Holy Mackerel. The LP, assigned as Reprise 6311, fell smack in between Jimi Hendrix's Electric Ladyland (Reprise 6307) and Neil Young's eponymous solo debut (Reprise 6317). But adventurous listeners would find themselves rewarded if they picked up the album by the oddly-named group, with its cover sleeve of five gents and a lady smiling for the camera under three-dimensional comic book-style lettering proclaiming them "The
Compilation Deluge Due from Legacy: Joplin, Presley, Dylan, Cash Included
The Second Disc kicks off the week with a bit of synergy. Our very own Mike Duquette contributed a wonderful piece over at Popdose looking at the hidden musical treasures you can find at your local grocery store - of all places! - including Sony/Legacy's Playlist: The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates. If you haven’t checked out Mike’s incisive, entertaining feature, please do so now, and then rejoin me here. Okay? Good. Welcome back! With summer turning to fall, and fall traditionally
Intrada Delivers "SpaceCamp" and "Cohen and Tate"
For film score fans, this past Tuesday might as well have been called "Fat Tuesday." I'm going to keep this short and sweet, because the news speaks for itself: Intrada announced the much-anticipated CD release of John Williams' score to 1986's SpaceCamp in a 3,000-copy limited edition which literally sold out in a matter of hours! SpaceCamp is mastered from the original RCA tapes, which have been vaulted by Sony. And Bill Conti fans have reason to rejoice, too, as Intrada has also announced a
Band (Still) on the Run: McCartney Reissue Set for November, Tracks Revealed
Fans of Paul McCartney are going to have to wait just a little bit longer for Concord to kick off its catalogue reissue campaign, as the remastered editions of Band on the Run have been pushed back from September 28 to November 2, a little less than a month after EMI’s massive batch of John Lennon reissues drop. Concord has been keeping all information pertaining to this release close to the vest, but details have finally emerged. The 1973 classic by McCartney and Wings (his fifth solo release
You've Got to Have "Faith" in Multiple Formats and Prices
August 10 brought news of Legacy's remastered, expanded reissue of George Michael's solo debut from 1987, Faith, and a link to pre-order a Limited Edition Numbered Collector's Box Set at the cost of $141.57 and filled with goodies including a vinyl replica of the original album and artist memorabilia. Now, details have finally emerged as to the other configurations in which Faith will be made available, and it's good news: a 2-CD/1-DVD set will include the same bonus disc of remixes and B-sides
Que Sera Sera: Doris Day Mines the Vaults; Disc to Be of Interest to Beach Boys Fans
Fans of the immortal Doris Day got a surprise earlier this month when the somewhat-reclusive legend and active animal rights crusader announced plans to release a new CD collection, her 29th studio recording, later this year. Entitled My Heart and possibly set for a UK release later this year courtesy of Day’s longtime label Columbia/Sony, the set will reissue 4 vintage recordings and debut 8 previously-unreleased tracks recorded circa 1985 with Day’s son, Terry Melcher, at the controls. From
The Porpoise is Waiting No More: Monkees Flick Hits Blu-Ray
Hey hey! Attention all readers! We take a break from our regularly-scheduled coverage of audio reissues to bring you news of an important music-related video release: the Blu-Ray debut of the Monkees’ 1968 surreal film odyssey Head! With the Criterion Collection’s November 23 release as part of a massive box set dedicated to the films of BBS Productions, Head makes its eagerly-awaited appearance on Blu-Ray. (The box set will also be available in the DVD format.) To call Head a trip is to put it
Elvis Has Left the Building: Costello's "Pomp and Pout" Postponed (Again!)
Back on June 8, The Second Disc apprised its readers of a new collection being prepped by Elvis Costello for release on the Hip-o label. Entitled Pomp and Pout, it would be the first compilation of Costello’s Universal recordings, drawing on 10 years and 18 tracks. Originally scheduled for July 13 release, it was postponed to later in July, and then to late in August. Now, with the August 24 release date approaching, it appears that Pomp and Pout has either been postponed, or pulled altogether,
Visit Hollywood, 1962, with "Billy Barnes' L.A." from Kritzerland
In his interview with The Second Disc, producer Bruce Kimmel promised to reissue some long-lost musical revues among Kritzerland’s future releases; he makes good on his word with Monday morning’s announcement of the 1963 Los Angeles cast recording of Billy Barnes’ L.A. Billy Barnes’ L.A. opened on October 10, 1962 at that city's Coronet Theatre, still in use today as part of the Largo music and comedy club. It was recorded the following January at the legendary United Recording Studio on Sunset
The Madcap Laughs, Again: Barrett Anthologized by EMI
When Roger Keith “Syd” Barrett died on July 7, 2006 at the age of 60, rock music lost one of its most notorious and fascinating enigmas. A founding member of Pink Floyd, Barrett was the primary architect of the Floyd’s first studio album (1967’s The Piper at the Gates of Dawn) and author of the band’s first three singles: “Arnold Layne,” “See Emily Play” and “Apples and Oranges.” All of these accomplishments reveal Barrett’s unique psychedelic whimsy and stellar musicianship; despite going onto
Barry Manilow, "Weird Al" Yankovic Upgraded to 3.0
And Legacy’s Essential train just keeps on rolling along. Upgrades to Essential 3.0 have been announced for two popular volumes in the long-running series, The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic and The Essential Barry Manilow. The new editions will expand the 2-CD releases with a third disc containing 6 and 7 tracks, respectively. While none of the tracks on the third discs appear to be rare, Essential 3.0 titles are usually priced very similarly to the original 2-CD sets (retailing for
Houston, Laws Reissues On the Way from Funky Town
Our friends at Funky Town Grooves have recently announced a pair of new reissues restoring to catalogue three LPs by two deeply soulful ladies: Thelma Houston and Eloise Laws. Earlier this year saw Soulmusic.com's reissue of Houston's 1969 baroque soul classic, Sunshower, and now Houston's fans can rejoice with the reissue of two RCA LPs dating from 1980 and 1981: Breakwater Cat and Never Gonna Be Another One. While neither made much of an impression on the album charts, both boast Houston's
Tartare Mega-Post: 20 More Titles Now Available
You've got to hand it to the folks at Collectors' Choice Music: when they launch a new catalogue initiative, they don't mess around. After an initial offering last month of 10 releases on the new Tartare imprint, CCM has just announced a further 20 titles to bolster the budding Tartare lineup. The genres covered in this batch are incredibly diverse: from folk songs to groovy psychedelia, polkas to 1990s jangle pop, deep soul to disco, jazz to country. In short, there really is something for
Mining Audiophile Treasures: Coming Soon from Audio Fidelity and MFSL
Some of rock’s finest will be receiving the deluxe treatment from audiophile specialist labels Audio Fidelity and Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) in the coming months: The Beach Boys, The Band, Gram Parsons, Deep Purple, Foreigner, The Pretenders and Billy Joel. The earliest release in this bunch is also one of the most exciting. The Beach Boys' Today! was released in 1965 and is generally remembered as one of the first albums on which Brian Wilson displayed the sensitive studio wizardry that
Wake Up, Everybody: Edsel Reissues Seven from Philadelphia International
When Sony Music Entertainment reacquired the rights to the full Philadelphia International Records (PIR) catalog in 2007 (after losing control of the post-1976 output in 1984 to EMI), hopes were high that much of that storied hit factory’s catalogue would finally be reissued on CD. Arguably the 1970s’ answer to Berry Gordy’s Motown empire, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff’s label boasted a top-notch roster: Lou Rawls, The O’Jays, Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, The Three Degrees
The Second Disc Interview #2: From Hollywood, It's Bruce Kimmel!
Producer, director, writer, actor, composer, lyricist, raconteur – any and all of those words could be used to describe Bruce Kimmel. After helping to launch the Varese Sarabande label over thirty years ago and christening its still-ongoing soundtrack series with his score to The First Nudie Musical (which he also wrote, co-directed and acted in), Kimmel founded the Bay Cities label. Between 1989 and 1993, he and his Bay Cities colleagues were among the very first to reissue classic film
The Tra-La Days Are Back: Wounded Bird to Offer Sedaka Two-on-One
Neil Sedaka famously proclaimed that "The Tra-La Days Are Over" as the title of his (unfortunately out-of-print) 1973 album. But thanks to Wounded Bird (as if the label hadn't announced a big enough bonanza for reissue fans already!), fans of rock and roll's golden age have another chance to enjoy Sedaka's days as king of the shoo-be-doos and tra-la-las. Little Devil and His Other Hits/The Many Sides of Neil Sedaka is set for release on September 7 according to Pause and Play. For an artist with
The Rebel Kind: Ace Preps Lee Hazlewood Compilation
When Lee Hazlewood died in 2007 after a brave battle with cancer, music lost one of its true eccentrics. With a resonant baritone, a keen ear for a melody and a dry wit, Hazlewood was an unlikely recording star. His first long-term collaboration was with guitarist Duane Eddy, with whom he produced a string of hit instrumentals. His second such collaboration was a career-defining one with Nancy Sinatra, effectively launching her career with 1966’s “These Boots are Made for Walkin’” on the Reprise
"Listen" to Gary Lewis' Solo Reissue, Coming Soon from Now Sounds
Everybody loves a clown, so why don't you? Many did indeed love acclaimed comedian and filmmaker Jerry Lewis, but it must have been a surprise when his 20-year old son, Gary, received quite a lot of chart love in 1965. Discovered at Disneyland and signed to Liberty Records by ace producer Snuff Garrett, Gary Lewis and the Playboys had a smash right out of the gate with "This Diamond Ring." Hitting No. 1 in the middle of the British Invasion, that Al Kooper/Bob Brass/Irwin Levine song remains a
Iconoclassic to Reissue Solo Carl Wilson and Guess Who in September
If sensitive composer/producer Brian Wilson was the soul of The Beach Boys, and brash frontman Mike Love the voice, passionate singer/guitarist Carl Wilson was no doubt the heart. There was little Carl Wilson couldn’t do, vocally, whether the angelic tones of “God Only Knows,” the soulful shouting of “I Was Made to Love Her” or the dreamlike psychedelia of “Feel Flows.” And when brother Brian wasn’t able to guide the band through the tumultuous 1970s, Carl stepped up to the plate with an amazing
The Lady and Her Music: "The Essential Lena Horne" Coming in August
Thanks to our friends at MusicTAP for the tip that, on August 24, Legacy will celebrate the life of a great lady of song with its release of The Essential Lena Horne: The RCA Years. Like The Essential Henry Mancini (scheduled to be released on the same day), this release is far from definitive, but appears to be a solid introduction to one period of the late Horne’s magnificent career. That career saw the artist rising from her nightclub roots to break racial barriers in Hollywood, becoming one