Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Randy Newman, The Randy Newman Songbook (Nonesuch) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Randy Newman Songbook box set marks the first-ever combined release of all three of the legendary songwriter's piano-and-voice Songbook albums (including the new Vol. 3) recorded in 2003 and 2010 with producers Mitchell Froom and Lenny Waronker. All songs have been resequenced as one cohesive, thematically-linked listening experience spread over 4
Acting Naturally: Omnivore Collects Buck Owens' Capitol Singles, Anthologizes Don Rich
Buck Owens changed the face of country music, and all he had to do was "Act Naturally." With his back-to-basics, honky-tonk approach, Alvis Edgar Owens defined the Bakersfield Sound, an antidote to the slick, guitar-and-choir-laden style coming out of Nashville in the 1960s. Omnivore Recordings, the label home of a number of stellar Owens-related projects, is about to issue a definitive 2-CD collection from his prime era - The Complete Capitol Singles 1957-1966 - as well as a compilation
This Is It: SoulMusic Collects Melba Moore, Ramsey Lewis, George Duke On New Anthologies
SoulMusic Records, in association with Cherry Red, has recently launched a series of new 2-CD anthologies designed to give a comprehensive look at one period of an artist's career. The initial group of releases is dedicated to three artists whose talents span multiple genres - Melba Moore, George Duke, and Ramsey Lewis. Melba Moore's Standing Right Here: the Anthology - The Buddah and Epic Years devotes one disc to each one of those labels. Moore's first major-label contract was actually
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Frank Sinatra, "World on a String"
Leave it to Noel Coward to sum it all up. In his introduction to Frank Sinatra's June 14, 1958 performance at the Sporting Club in Monte Carlo, the famous British playwright-actor-songwriter-raconteur observed of his American friend's on-screen performances, "I've never yet known him to strike a false note." As Coward undoubtedly knew, the same was true of Sinatra's musical recordings, sung with the emotional honesty and unvarnished directness of a great actor and communicator. From his
WIN! WIN! WIN! Varese Reissues "City Heat" with Al Jarreau, Irene Cara, Eloise Laws, Joe Williams
In recent months, the fine folks at Varese Vintage have been on a roll with a number of soundtrack releases including Foul Play, Roots, The Champ, The Electric Horseman, and most recently for Record Store Day Black Friday, Harry Nilsson's Popeye and Charles Fox and Bob Crewe's Barbarella. Now, the label has just reissued for the first time on CD the soundtrack to the 1984 crime drama City Heat, featuring music by Lennie Niehaus and performances by Al Jarreau, Eloise Laws, Irene Cara, Joe
Release Round-Up: Week of December 2
Welcome to December, and this week's Release Round-Up! The Rolling Stones, Blue and Lonesome (Interscope) Standard Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Rolling Stones return with their first studio album since 2005's A Bigger Bang. Recorded over just three days in London, Blue and Lonesome returns the legendary band to its blues roots. Available on CD, LP
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Margaret Whiting, "Dream: The Lost Recordings"
Margaret Whiting was a singer's singer. Possessed of a clarion vocal instrument capable of both great exultation and deep longing, a performance by Whiting guaranteed a path to the heart of a song. It's no wonder that Johnny Mercer, a songwriter of no small stature, made sure that the 18-year old songbird was one of the first artists signed to his fledgling Capitol Records label. Mercer had known Whiting since her childhood as the daughter of his collaborator, composer Richard Whiting, and
You Know How Good It Is: BBR Expands Vincent Montana's "Goody Goody" For CD
It's that time of year again when radio stations everywhere turn to the sounds of the holiday season. One of the tunes always in frequent rotation is a bit of light swing from The Salsoul Orchestra's 1976 disco classic Christmas Jollies: "Merry Christmas, All." The voice of that perennial belongs to Denise Montana, daughter of its composer-arranger-conductor, the late, great MFSB vibraphonist and Salsoul Orchestra leader Vince Montana. Now, another project uniting Vince and Denise Montana has
Colour My World: Steven Wilson Remix of "Chicago II" Due in January
The second album by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legends Chicago is coming back to CD in a newly remixed edition. On January 27, Rhino will issue Chicago II: Steven Wilson Remix, featuring an all-new stereo mix of Chicago's classic 1970 double album from the producer-engineer behind acclaimed remixes for progressive bands such as Yes, Jethro Tull, King Crimson, and Emerson, Lake and Palmer. The creativity and innovation of the band formerly known as Chicago Transit Authority surged more
A Groovy Kind of Love: Ace Collects Classical-Inspired Pop Songs on "Classical Gassers"
Classical music has long been a source of inspiration for pop. Just ask Barry Manilow ("Could It Be Magic"), Eric Carmen ("All By Myself," "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again"), Billy Joel ("This Night"), or Walter Murphy ("A Fifth of Beethoven"). Ace Records has recently collected 24 of these classical "crossovers" on the aptly-titled Classical Gassers: Pop Gems Inspired by the Great Composers. These tracks date between 1960 and 1971 and feature such hitmaking artists as Lesley Gore, Jay and the
Mister Magic: Cherry Red Collects Grover Washington Jr.'s "Definitive Collection"
In a career spanning three decades, Grammy-winning saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. recorded roughly 25 albums, earned a No. 2 Pop single with Bill Withers, supported countless other vocalists, and recorded music of genres from funk to opera. (Yes, opera!) Washington passed away in 1999 at the age of 56, but not before having made his mark on the worlds of jazz and pop alike. His legacy has recently been celebrated by Cherry Red's Robinsongs label on the new 2-CD Definitive Collection. This
THE SECOND DISC'S 2016 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!
We wouldn't want you to be left out in the cold for Cyber Monday, so we're proud to present our annual Holiday Gift Guide featuring more than 50 essential selections for the music enthusiast in your life! We've filled the guide with box sets (such as the popular David Bowie title to your left!) as well as archival releases and holiday music favorites that make great stocking stuffers. So Just click here to access this year's top picks! You'll notice that the Gift Guide is in the same
Good Times! The Second Disc's Essential RSD Black Friday 2016 Release Guide
From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you're enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of family and friends. Of course, from this day which conjures nostalgic and warm feelings comes a celebration of a different kind with this year's annual Black Friday - the day for consumers to start off the holiday shopping season on a mad, frenetic note. But 2016 is just in the latest year in which numerous retailers in the U.S. have made headlines by blackening Thursday, or
Release Round-Up: Week of November 25
Happy Thanksgiving! Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Prince, Prince 4Ever (Warner Bros.) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This release actually came out on Tuesday, but it's worth a reminder here: this first posthumous collection from the late, great artist premieres one previously unreleased track, and includes a number of single versions making their CD debuts. Prince 4Ever is a 40-track summary of The Artist's major works from his first album, 1978's For You, to
Hold On To Your Precious Love: Edsel Reissues Percy Sledge's Atlantic Recordings On Three Volumes
"Percy Sledge is the most dynamic new soul singer to arrive on the record scene in years," wrote Bob Rolontz on the original liner notes to the artist's 1966 Atlantic debut When a Man Loves a Woman. That LP, of course, was titled for the song that took the balladeer to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts right out of the gate and yielded him the No. 20 record of the year, sandwiched between Tommy James and the Shondells and The Rolling Stones. Though Percy Sledge (1940-2015)
That Same Old Feeling: RPM Collects Pickettywitch, Polly Brown On New Anthology
If Pickettywitch is remembered today, it's for "That Same Old Feeling" - the 1970 single penned by the hitmaking team of Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod that reached No. 5 on the U.K. Pop chart. Yet that tune was far from the only slice of upbeat, light and cheerful pop recorded by the Polly Brown-fronted group. Cherry Red's RPM imprint has recently collected the recordings of Pickettywitch along with a solo LP from Polly, plus Polly and Tony Jackson's album as Sweet Dreams, on a new set. That
Good Time Music: Cherry Red Reissues Two From Ronnie James Dio's Elf
"We played it hot, hard and heavy at the Carolina County ball/And we sang 'Ooooo'/On a boogie-woogie Friday night..." Ronnie James Dio's early band Elf played it hot, hard and (pretty) heavy throughout its relatively short lifespan. Elf released three studio albums between 1972 and 1975 before going to superstardom with Rainbow (the core of which was actually built from Elf), Black Sabbath, and Dio. Last year, Cherry Red released a reissue of 1972's debut Elf; now, the label has turned its
Double-O-Love: SoulMusic, Cherry Red Reissue Dan Hartman's "Instant Replay"
It's Instant Replay for Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint with the recent reissue of Dan Hartman's 1978 disco classic of the same name. The album featuring the Disco chart-topper has been expanded with four bonus singles for this new edition. It's difficult to pigeonhole Dan Hartman. The late musician-songwriter-producer-artist had begun his musical career as a member of psychedelic rock outfit The Legends before backing Johnny Winter and then, crucially, Johnny's brother Edgar. As a
Release Round-Up: Week of November 18
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up - the last of the major release weeks for 2016! The Beatles, Eight Days a Week (DVD or BD) (Apple/Capitol) 2-Disc Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-Disc DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Standard Edition Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Standard Edition DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Ron Howard's acclaimed 2016 documentary chronicling Beatlemania, Eight Days a Week, hits DVD
And All That Jazz: Liza Minnelli, Petula Clark, Michael Crawford Featured On "Elaine Paige Presents The Musicals"
Elaine Paige is lending her name to a new 3-CD collection of musical theatre favorites. Elaine Paige Presents The Musicals is due on November 25 from Union Square Music, with 58 tracks and over three hours of music. Elaine Paige Presents the Musicals is licensed from various labels, making for a cross-section of recordings. You'll find familiar names from the worlds of theatre, movies and pop, including Michael Ball ("Love Changes Everything" from Aspects of Love, "Falling Slowly" from
Beyond "The Year 2525": Tune In Collects Zager and Evans' RCA Recordings
In the annals of one-hit wonders, few are as well-remembered as the duo Zager and Evans. Rick Evans and Denny Zager, both of Lincoln, Nebraska, hit it big in 1969 with their dark, apocalyptic single "In the Year 2525." But the duo never scored another Hot 100 hit despite the fact that "2525" topped the Pop and AC charts in the United States and also went to the top in the United Kingdom. Now, their recordings for RCA have been collected by Cherry Red's Tune In imprint as In the
Rock Candy Records To Launch American Label with Sammy Hagar, The Nymphs, More
Rock Candy Records, the brainchild of former music journalist and A&R man Derek Oliver, has just announced the birth of a U.S. arm. The American operation for Rock Candy will launch this Friday, November 18, with four titles from Sammy Hagar, The Nymphs, Salty Dog, and Tyketto. Amazon U.S. will have the Hagar and Salty Dog titles in stock on December 2. For the past eight years, the London-based label has celebrated rock and its various strains on a variety of reissues from the
Sundazed's Black Friday Line-Up Boasts Scepter Soul, Spacey Jazz From Sun Ra, and an "Adult" Classic
Sundazed Music has announced a trio of limited edition releases for Black Friday's Record Store Day event, and they're sure to be a crate-digger's delight. Scepter Records may today be best remembered as the home of Dionne Warwick's classic recordings, but the New York label founded by pioneering executive Florence Greenberg also gave a home to The Shirelles, B.J. Thomas, Chuck Jackson, Maxine Brown, and numerous other stars of soul and pop. In addition, Greenberg nurtured a stable of some
In Memoriam: Leon Russell (1942-2016)
News came earlier today of the passing of Leon Russell, 74. A true renaissance man and an extraordinary talent as composer, musician, arranger, producer, and artist, The Master of Space and Time led many lives. With each one, his music touched a new audience: as a Wrecking Crew multi-instrumentalist who contributed to innumerable classic recordings; as a pop arranger for Gary Lewis and the Playboys and others; as leader of Joe Cocker's raucous band; as composer of songs that will last forever,
"Tony Bennett Celebrates 90" With All-Star Concert, Previously Unreleased Songs, More
This past August 3, Tony Bennett celebrated his milestone 90th birthday...and made it clear that he had no intentions of slowing down. Indeed, the legendary vocalist has dates booked well into 2017, but first, he's looking back with a new 3-CD set including rare and previously unreleased material. Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 premieres the recording of the all-star concert tribute held at Radio City Music Hall on September 15 of this year, but the Amazon-exclusive Deluxe Edition will
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