Author Archive / Mike Duquette

Do You Realize?? These Rhino RSD Titles Are Also Coming Soon to CD

  Rhino’s Record Store Day Black Friday schedule is packed with some 35 titles available as limited edition vinyl releases. But CD lovers take heart: six of these titles – most featuring previously unreleased material – will be available the same day on our favorite portable physical format! Here’s a look at each title, alphabetically by artist. Recent years have seen Rhino acquire distribution rights to beloved British ska outfit The Beat (known in America as The English Beat), with expanded editions of the group’s studio albums distributed through the label. You…

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Holiday Gift Guide Review: John Williams, ‘The Anthology Vol. 1 (1969-1990)’

Let’s look at the numbers: John Williams has been on this mortal plane for 93 years, and has been composing for visual media for 73 of those years. Compact discs have been a part of music lovers’ collections for at least four decades, and the “art” of John Williams on CD – a real, curatorial approach to his iconic film scores – began in earnest more than 30 years ago, when the 4CD box set Star Wars Trilogy: The Original Soundtrack Anthology hit record stores in 1993. From basic compilations like Greatest Hits 1969-1999…

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Got to Choose: Weeks After Expanding ‘Dressed to Kill,’ KISS’ ‘Alive!’ Gets Its Own Deluxe Box

Only a few weeks after unveiling a deluxe box set of their third studio album Dressed to Kill – which featured, in part, overdub-free versions of shows utilized for their breakthrough concert album Alive! – KISS have revealed that they will, in fact, release a whole box set for Alive! as well, confirming previous rumors and reports. Available on four CDs or eight LPs and a Blu-ray Audio disc, Alive! features the original double album (here for the first time pressed on one CD) along with two more complete shows (plus some relevant rehearsal audio and…

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Feel the Heat: Supergroup The Power Station Goes Deluxe on New Box Set

Fans of Duran Duran and supergroups will multiply for this one: Rhino is expanding the self-titled debut from The Power Station into a 4CD box set next year. The Power Station DLX includes the remastered album (featuring the hits “Some Like It Hot” and a cover of T. Rex’s “Get It On (Bang a Gong)”) alongside three discs of bonus material, including unreleased “raw instrumental” versions, single mixes and live material, including the band’s performances from the charity concert Live Aid and an unissued full set from nearly a month later at…

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Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Gets a ‘Clue’ and a ‘Ladder,’ Intrada Turns the ‘Tide,’ and Re-Recordings Galore

As film score fans edge ever closer to the inevitably killer archival score reissues typically made available around the holiday shopping season, a host of great soundtrack re-releases are already newly available from some of our favorite specialty labels, including some must-hear, classic re-recordings. La-La Land Records takes a brief break from Bond to make available two seasonally appropriate scores. First up is Maurice Jarre’s score to the haunting cult classic Jacob’s Ladder, a psychological thriller about a Vietnam veteran caught between a harrowing past experience that seems to be affecting reality in…

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High the Memory: Rhino Sets Yes’ ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’ As First Major Box of 2026

Having released arguably more reissues and box sets than any major label in 2025, Rhino has already set sights on their first catalogue title of 2026. Might you be interested? In a word: Yes. Following a deluxe box set of Close to the Edge this past spring, the label will next give the lavish treatment to 1973’s Tales from Topographic Oceans. Available February 6, this 12CD/2LP/Blu-ray box set will offer more than a dozen unreleased outtakes and live tracks alongside a suite of new mixes of the original album by acclaimed engineer Steven Wilson. Building…

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Step Into Christmas: UMe Preps Holiday Singles Box, Expansion of Connie Francis’ Holiday Album

With the spookiest holidays of the fall now in the rear view mirror (that’s right: Halloween and Election Day!), there’s nothing wrong with looking ahead to the Christmas music season and checking out a pair of now-available titles from Universal Music Group spotlighting some of their classic holiday hits and an album by one of catalogue’s biggest success stories this year. UMe is selling a nifty collection of more than a dozen seasonal 7″ singles in a collectible carrying case. This Classic Holiday Singles Box features Christmas perennials spanning from the ’40s to…

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Rock and Roll All Nite: KISS Suit Up New Deluxe Box for ‘Dressed to Kill’

KISS’ third album – the edge of their commercial breakthrough – is getting done up to the nines for its 50th anniversary. The rock legends will reissue Dressed to Kill as a super deluxe set, available exclusively through the band’s official store on five CDs or eight LPs and a Blu-ray. The 1975 release, featuring “C’mon and Love Me” and, arguably the group’s signature song “Rock and Roll All Nite,” has been newly remastered by Bernie Grundman and, on the Blu-ray, remixed from the original multitracks in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround by…

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Ants Invasion: Sony U.K. Plans New Singles Set for Adam Ant

Here’s your pass to join the insect nation: Sony Music’s U.K. arm is releasing a new compilation devoted to post-punk heroes Adam and The Ants. The simply-titled Singles, available October 31 in the U.K. and a week later in America, collects 20 tracks on CD or two LPs (pressed on red and white vinyl) that served as A-sides for the ’80s iconoclast. Split about evenly between the classic Ants lineup and Adam’s solo material, it features all the classics you’d expect, from “Kings of the Wild Frontier,” “Antmusic,” “Prince Charming” and “Stand…

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Baby’s Got a Secret: Madonna Expands ‘Bedtime Stories’ with ‘Untold Chapter’ EP

After teasing it last year – and not long after this year’s release of a similar Ray of Light-era remix collection – Madonna will explore rare and unreleased material tied to another one of her most celebrated albums of the ’90s, Bedtime Stories, with another EP of unissued tracks. Bedtime Stories – The Untold Chapter, available November 28, will offer eight remixes, demos and outtakes from the Queen of Pop’s sixth album, originally released in 1994. In addition to previously released mixes of the singles “Secret” and “Human Nature,” the EP includes…

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The Weekend Stream: October 18, 2025

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. There’s much to cover: digital box sets, anniversary editions, new  remixes, old stand-up comedy – and a quartet of memorials to musicians and more. Neil Young, Neil Young Archives Vol. III (1976-1987) (Reprise) (Apple / Amazon) One of the biggest box sets of last year is now available in a slightly more compact form. The digital release of Archives Vol. III includes nearly 200 tracks, 121 of which are unreleased….

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The Best That He Can Do: Omnivore Preps Christopher Cross Singles Set

Once in your life you find them: an artist whose impossibly smooth music had a major impact on a generation of listeners. After honoring Christopher Cross’ landmark debut album with an expanded edition earlier this year, Omnivore Recordings will now expand their focus to all of his major label work on a new compilation. All Right: The Worldwide Singles 1980-1988 offers 20 classic tracks – many in rare single edit or mix form – from Cross’ tenure on the Warner Bros. and Reprise labels, along with a few curios for compilations. The…

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The Weekend Stream: October 4, 2025

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. From the Foo Fighters entering Bandcamp for a cause to a Record Store Day rarity by Rage Against the Machine, the dream of the ’90s is very much alive here…plus much more from other decades, too! Are Playing Where??? Vol. I by Foo Fighters Foo Fighters, Are Playing Where??? Vol. 1 (Roswell) (Bandcamp) After kicking off a season of drummer exodus – sacking session drummer Josh Freese, who’d join…

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D’You Know? The Cranberries Plan New Expansion of ‘No Need to Argue,’ ‘MTV Unplugged’ Set

It’s not just in your head: The Cranberries have just reissued an album they expanded a few years ago – but they’ve also got an unreleased live set due soon, too. The band’s sophomore album, 1994’s No Need to Argue, was previously reissued for its 25th anniversary in 2020 with a host of B-sides and rare material; as of today, it’s available once more as a 2CD or 2LP edition that includes an EP’s worth of unissued material, including remixes by Iain Cook of Scottish synthpop band CHVRCHES, a demo of international…

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Tonight, Tonight: Smashing Pumpkins Offer New Expansion of ‘Mellon Collie’ with Bonus Live Material

Despite all your rage, you are still just a reader on a post about a new expansion of one of The Smashing Pumpkins’ biggest albums. The iconoclastic band will reissue Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness this fall for its 30th anniversary, pairing the original, sprawling album with a new double album of unreleased live performances on the band’s ensuing tour in support of the record. It’ll be available as a 4CD or 6LP set from UMe on November 21. Conceived from the outset as a double album – frontman Billy Corgan described…

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Wiser for the Time: The Black Crowes Detail ‘Amorica’ Box Set

Following recent reissues of The Black Crowes’ first two albums, 1990’s Shake Your Money Maker and 1992’s The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion – along with an expanded edition of a live team-up with Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin – the Southern rockers’ third album will get the similar treatment this fall. On November 14, the group (formed around brothers and sole consistent members Chris and Rich Robinson) will revisit 1994’s Amorica as a 3CD or 180-gram 5LP set. The box will include an expanded version of the album (remastered from 1/4″ production…

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Celebrated Summer: Numero Group Honors Hüsker Dü’s “Miracle Year”

The Numero Group kicked off their 200 line of titles in 2017 with Savage Young Dü, an unprecedented archival dive into the early works of Minneapolis punk trio Hüsker Dü. Fifty entries later in that chapter of the label’s discography, Numero has a new Dü title that takes a special look at what may be their most pivotal year as a band. 1985: The Miracle Year is a 2CD or 4LP set that chronicles the group’s biggest gambles yet, through the filter of their blistering live shows. Kicking off with a powerful 23-song…

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Couldn’t Care More: Fine Young Cannibals to Drive You Crazy with Multi-Format Compilation

Four decades after their brief but pivotal run of success on each side of the Atlantic in the mid-to-late ’80s, Fine Young Cannibals come back for a few more bites in the form of a sprawling compilation/box set. Arriving from London Records on November 21, FYC40 will reintroduce audiences to the Birmingham trio behind “Johnny Come Home,” “She Drives Me Crazy” and “Good Thing” on a multi-disc set that’s available on CD or vinyl. The most comprehensive version spans four CDs and a DVD, offering expanded editions of 1985’s Fine Young Cannibals and 1989’s The Raw…

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They Don’t Know – But New Kirsty MacColl Compilation Will Change That

If you were intimidated by UMR’s See That Girl (1979-2000), an 8CD dive into the music of Kirsty MacColl released back in 2023, Edsel has licensed a new 2CD collection offering 30 songs from the same era, due out this week. Free World – The Best of Kirsty MacColl 1979-2000 is a well-curated mix of singles, B-sides and fan favorites from the dearly missed British songstress, including the stellar debut “They Don’t Know”; hits like “A New England,” “Days” and “Walking Down Madison”; and team-ups with “A New England” songwriter Billy Bragg (“Darling,…

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In My Mind’s Eye: Tears for Fears’ ‘Songs from the Big Chair’ Revisited for 40th Anniversary

Tears for Fears’ Songs from the Big Chair – still the crown jewel of the duo’s discography, and easily its most-reissued – will get some more pressings on CD and vinyl this fall to mark its 40th anniversary. Already expanded on CD in 1999, 2006 and a 2014 box set, TFF’s signature LP comes back into print as a 3CD set that offers most of the contents of that out-of-print box set: the original album, B-sides, various single edits and remixes. The original album will also be newly pressed on Coke bottle-clear vinyl…

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It’s Magic: The Cars’ ‘Heartbeat City’ Beats Strong in New Deluxe Edition

Hello again! The Cars’ penultimate album and biggest commercial success is coming back in a box set this year. Rhino will reissue the group’s Heartbeat City as a 4CD/1LP set on October 31, a year-delayed 40th anniversary celebration that’ll include the original album on CD and vinyl alongside a wealth of bonus material (including tracks featured on previous expanded editions of not only this album but 1980’s Panorama). Highlights include the non-album B-side “Breakaway,” remixes of the single “Hello Again,” a number of early versions and demos (including one of standout track “Drive” as…

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The Magic in Your Touch: New Thompson Twins Collection Features Hits, Deep Cuts and Live Disc

Just about a year after expanding and reissuing landmark album Into the Gap for its 40th anniversary, the Thompson Twins’ catalogue will now be evaluated through a new compilation – the first to be sanctioned by the band. Industry & Seduction: A Thompson Twins Collection will offer 20 singles and favorite cuts across the band’s best-known period of material from 1982 to 1986, including standouts “Hold Me Now,” “Lay Your Hands on Me,” “Lies,” “Doctor! Doctor!” and “In the Name of Love.” Those 20 tracks will be available as a 1CD or…

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How’s About Some Hot Stuff: Massive Donna Summer Singles CD Box Set Coming This Fall

It’s a box set fit for a queen (of disco): Donna Summer’s singles are being chronicled in a major way in November. Summer Time: The Singles Collection 1974-2010, coming November 28 from the late singer’s Driven by the Music catalogue imprint, is set to be a staggering tribute to Summer’s decades-long presence as a dancefloor filler. Timed to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her breakthrough hit “Love to Love You, Baby,” this 40CD set will highlight five decades’ worth of single sides she issued all over the world, from early Dutch single-only…

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A Second Disc Interview: A.J. Croce Brings the Family Songbook to Life Once More

The music business works in mysterious ways. Not long after posting news that recent remixes of Jim Croce’s classic solo albums were getting repackaged into a CD set, The Second Disc was approached with the opportunity to talk to A.J. Croce, the son of the late singer/songwriter, ahead of a tour he’s mounting. Adrian James Croce was eight days shy of turning two when a plane crash claimed the life of his father, then just 30 years old. He has since gone into music himself: hardly a clone of Jim – there’s a…

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Free As a Bird: The Beatles ‘Anthology’ Gets Remixed and Expanded in New Box Set (UPDATED 9/16/2025)

The next archival project from The Beatles is a celebration of their most major archival project, with a newly reissued and (slightly) expanded edition of their Anthology series coming to audio and video formats this fall. Anthology Collection will include remastered editions of the original three collections of rarities and outtakes compiled by George Martin and released through 1995 and 1996, available across six CDs or nine LPs. Martin’s son Giles, who remastered those albums, also curates a new collection, Anthology 4, across a further two CDs or three LPs. Anthology 4 is drawn mostly from…

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