In one of our newest features, Greater Hits, we pit two greatest hits compilations by the same artist against each other and see which one comes out on top. Today's installment: we take one of Canada's most successful alt-rock bands, compare their compilations and figure out which one's most worth your time, whether you have $1,000,000 or not. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfdTnpV03p8] It's been just more than one week since the Barenaked Ladies' Hits from Yesterday & The Day
The Takeover, The Break's Over: Jay-Z Reissues "The Blueprint" on Vinyl
Timing is everything, especially in the hip-hop world. So what does it say about Jay-Z that he somehow managed to make a positive out of one of the darkest days in American history? A vinyl reissue of his landmark The Blueprint may provide some answers to that question. The man born Shawn Carter had already established himself as a rapper/entrepreneur of the highest order. The grit and realism of his first album, 1996's Reasonable Doubt, placed him high on the list of rappers to watch,
What's in Ben's Vault?
As if getting a set of Ben Folds Five rarities on disc with next week's Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective wasn't enough, Folds, along with Legacy Recordings, vowed to open the vaults even further with the Ben Folds Fifty-Five Vault, a 55-track digital companion, five tracks of which would be given away free with purchase of the new compilation. Today, all the tracks were announced from the vault, and while not all of it is entirely unreleased, there's more than enough to satisfy the
Gorillaz to Release First Compilation in November
Gorillaz don't look 10 years old, do they? Granted, it's not easy to assess the age of a band made almost entirely out of cartoons. Adding to the confusion, the band's future-forward hip-hop doesn't sound much like a product of any time period. Regardless, the band is indeed at the decade mark - and they're being commemorated with a new compilation. The fictitious members of the band - vocalist/keyboardist 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, guitarist Noodle and drummer Russel Hobbs - actually have a
Mumford & Sons Go Back to "The Cave" for Expanded Album
In case you've been living under a rock for the past year or so, Mumford & Sons isn't the name of a trendy country boutique. It's a rather great, roots-oriented band turning out some of the best, harmonically dense Americana-tinged rock on the scene right now. (Naturally, they're not from around these parts, calling West London their home.) In the year since Mumford & Sons' Sigh No More was released in the U.S., the quartet's songs, namely "Little Lion Man" and "The Cave," have become
Better Than Barbecued Iguana: Varese to Release New Wall of Voodoo Compilation
There's a good chance that, if you own at least one '80s compilation CD released in the past 10 or 15 years, you've heard "Mexican Radio" by Wall of Voodoo. Though the song - with its distinctively sung couplets from vocalist Stan Ridgeway and a propulsive, rhythmic backing track featuring some great guitar work and a distinctive, mariachi-flavored harmonica/synth lick - peaked outside of Billboard's Top 40 almost three decades ago, it's become one of those tunes that sums up the New Wave sound
Deftones Go "Elite," Release Vinyl Box
Get ready, vinyl heads: yet another vinyl box set is coming your way, this time from Reprise for Sacramento rockers Deftones. When the Deftones' debut album, 1995's Adrenaline, went gold (and later platinum) with considerably little promotion on MTV or radio, it could have been construed as a surprise. But the band - comprised of high school friends Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter and Abe Cunningham on vocals, guitar and drums, respectively, plus bassist Chi Cheng and keyboardist Frank Delgado
Even Better Than the Real Thing? U2 Uber-Box Details Unveiled (UPDATED WITH TRACK LISTS)
Well. U2 have finally unveiled the preliminary details for the Achtung Baby box set, and it's particularly insane. Of the five formats available for this set, most of them could be predicted. You have your single-disc remaster, a two-disc edition featuring B-sides and remixes and a quadruple-vinyl set featuring Achtung Baby and its remixes and B-sides. Fine enough. Then we have the big box set. Well, two versions of the big box set. At the heart of each is 10 discs - six CDs and four DVDs -
Short Takes: Jesus and Mary Chain Error Addressed, Meat Loaf Catalogue Could Be in Doubt
A few brief notes from around the catalogue world on this Tuesday afternoon! Slicing Up Eyeballs reports that the deluxe edition of The Jesus and Mary Chain's Darklands has an error on one disc, but Demon Music Group is ready to replace your copies. A mastering error caused eight tracks on the first CD to become improperly indexed, meaning the starts of those tracks will be cut off if you shuffle or skip through the program. Replacement discs are already being pressed and should be ready in
Gold Legion Goes "Koo Koo," Expands Debbie Harry's Solo Debut
Well before she was French kissin' in the U.S.A., Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry made a big splash with her 1981 solo debut Koo Koo, produced by the ever-busy CHIC Organization team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. Thirty years later, the Gold Legion label, the same team behind those upcoming Grace Jones reissues, is releasing a newly expanded edition of the set with a new-to-CD bonus track. In 1981, in the midst of a yearlong hiatus for Blondie (their latest, 1980's Autoamerican, spawned
Release Round-Up: Week of October 4
After a blowout week of catalogue titles last Tuesday, you can almost hear the crickets chirp. There's some seasonal stuff on the horizon, though, so keep your eyes peeled. John Coltrane, The Impulse! Albums Volume 5 (Hip-o Select/Verve) Five of 'Trane's posthumous albums, boxed. (Hip-o Select) Joss Stone, The Best of 2003-2009 (Virgin) A simple overview for the British chanteuse. (Amazon) The Jesus and Mary Chain, Munki / Stoned and Dethroned: Deluxe Editions (Edsel) Another batch of
Review: Nirvana, "Nevermind: 20th Anniversary Edition"
It finally happened. After around 20 months at the helm of The Second Disc, I think I've finally stumbled over a reissue that feels...dare I say it...misguided. Not entirely misguided, mind you, but misguided enough that it took me far longer than anticipated to bang out some thoughts on the title at hand, to understand what it meant for all of us as collectors and enthusiasts of catalogue material. Not a total strikeout, but a hit that barely gets a runner to second base, when it should have
These Are the Good Times: U.K. Gets New CHIC Compilation, Too
As if the revelation of a new U.K. compilation for today's birthday boy Johnny Mathis (with an unreleased track from the CHIC-produced I Love My Lady, no less) wasn't exciting enough, Edsel's Music Club Deluxe imprint has also announced a similar set for CHIC themselves - and rarity-seekers are going to be excited. Magnifique! The Very Best of CHIC captures the greatest hits and album cuts from the inimitable disco band, spanning not only through their biggest period of success from 1977 to
Disturbed Round Up "Lost Children" for B-Sides Set
The rock world may be getting a bit quieter next year, with the planned hiatus of alt-metal group Disturbed. But for longtime fans and collectors, they're at least going out with a bang, releasing a compilation of B-sides and unreleased material as a going-away present. The Lost Children collates 16 tracks from the Chicago-based band, many of which have appeared on Japanese pressings, import CD singles, soundtracks or digital downloads, all in one place for the first time. The set spans the
Slipknot Return to "Iowa" for 10th Anniversary
Iowa is more than Johnny Carson and John Wayne's home state. It's also the name of one of the heaviest metal albums of the past decade, by the native sons of Slipknot. The landmark album is being reissued this fall by Roadrunner Records, adding a bonus CD of live rarities and a DVD of video treasures. With their attention-grabbing wardrobe of numbered jumpsuits and off-the-wall masks, a frenetic musical style augmented by unique percussive elements and a rough-and-tumble live stage presence,
Don't Mess with the Messer: Gold Legion Reissues Early Grace Jones Albums
With her striking, even fearsome, physical appearance, distinctive voice and commitment to only the most danceable of music - a commitment that's netted her scores of Top 10 hits on Billboard's dance charts - it's safe to say there is no one quite like Grace Jones. Now, thanks to the efforts of the Gold Legion label, part of Jones' oft-overlooked early history is coming back out on compact disc. Jones' discography is considered most bountiful during her time on Island Records, working with
It's Remixes, B*tch: Britney Spears Gets Mixed Up on New Compilation
A slight break from yesterday's activities of more classic pop/rock-oriented catalogue action to shine the spotlight on some dance collectibles from one of pop's more recognizable faces. Britney Spears is releasing a second volume of dance remixes for your bum-shaking pleasure in October. B in the Mix: The Remixes Volume 2, a sequel to the starlet's 2005 compilation (one of the top 10 best-selling remix albums, as it happens), collects remixes of tracks from her last three studio efforts,
Super Duper Hits: EMI to Release Joss Stone Compilation
It's been a long time coming, but Joss Stone's first compilation, The Best of 2003-2009, is finally ready for release next week after a six-month wait. For a time in the early 2000s, it was hard to lose sight of Joss Stone. The British crooner was only a teenager when her debut, 2003's The Soul Sessions, became a Top 5 smash in her native country. With a voice that recalled Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin, Stone first rose to prominence with a few inspired soul-influenced covers (her reworking
To Hollywood...and Glory! "1941" Score Locked and Loaded from La-La Land
The War for Soundtracks rages on, and La-La Land Records' latest volley is the long-awaited expanded edition of the score to 1941, the 1979 World War II comedy scored by legendary composer John Williams for longtime collaborator, director Steven Spielberg. Take some of the most talented young comedians of the '70s, put them in a picture written by two of the brightest upstarts in Hollywood and put the world's hottest young director in charge. Sounds like a formula for success, right? Maybe most
Release Round-Up: Week of September 27
'Tis the season! The big guns for the fourth quarter are starting to be drawn. Elvis Presley, The Young Man with the Big Beat / Elvis Presley: Legacy Edition (RCA/Legacy) The newest Elvis box set is all about 1956: five CDs of complete studio masters, outtakes, vintage audio interviews and live material. For the casual fan, the Elvis Presley Legacy Edition includes the Elvis Presley and Elvis LPs with the hit non-LP singles of that era. (Official site) Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon:
At Their Most Beautiful: New R.E.M. Compilation Announced
The music world was kind of shocked when R.E.M. announced their breakup. (We even devoted a whole Reissue Theory to their 1987 B-sides compilation Dead Letter Office.) It's certainly interesting timing, then, that the band has one last act of catalogue material before they split: a double-disc compilation coming in November. Named after a quippy assessment of the band by its own guitarist, Peter Buck, Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011 is the first set from the band to
Howlin' Wolf Boxed Up from Hip-o Select
The name Chester Arthur Burnett might not mean anything to the average music fan, but mention his famous nickname - Howlin' Wolf - and the game changes. Howlin' Wolf was one of the pioneers of the blues, a legend on the Chicago scene and a powerful force to be reckoned with on the electric guitar. Hip-o Select celebrates his lengthy legacy through a new four-disc box set of recordings for his longtime home base, Chess Records. Wolf was signed to Leonard Chess' label in 1951, and began to craft
Motown Commemorates Supremes', Temptations' Golden Anniversary with Two New Releases
Motown's 50th anniversary was celebrated in style in 2009 - a year before The Second Disc even existed - with some excellent box sets and reissues. But this year marks another important set of golden anniversaries for the label: the debut of Motown's world famous groups, The Supremes and The Temptations. And no commemoration would be complete without a little bit of product to attract fans and collectors. With that in mind, Hip-o Select announced over the weekend a pair of triple-disc sets
Reissue Theory: R.E.M., "Dead Letter Office: 25th Anniversary Edition"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. As we mourn the passing of one of the most beloved American rock bands of the last few decades, we look at their all-too-often ignored early B-sides, compiled only once on disc - and how those rarities could make for a nice deluxe package down the line. R.E.M. is dead. Long live R.E.M. The Athens, Georgia-based band announced their split Wednesday, after just over 30
EMI U.K. Opens Up a "Box O' Snakes"
Here they go again: EMI is releasing a hefty box of the earlier works of acclaimed rock band Whitesnake, according to Classic Rock. While most remember Whitesnake for the leadership of onetime Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale - the sole original member of the band, as it stands - and the 1987 smash hit "Here I Go Again" (aided by that oft-referenced music video featuring Tawny Kitaen slithering on the hood of a Jaguar) - the band in fact traces their roots to 1978, in what began as the
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