Author Archive / Mike Duquette

Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Disco/Dance, Electronic, Pop

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Madonna

Say You Will: New Ivy Album, Built from Unreleased Tracks, Due in September

June 5, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Five years after bidding a too-early farewell to one of pop’s most stalwart songwriters, a new album from his second-best remembered (but first major) band is coming, built off contributions he left behind. Traces of You, due September 5, is the first new album in a dozen years from alternative pop band Ivy. The news might come as a shock, as one of the group’s charter members, bassist/songwriter Adam Schlesinger, died in 2020 – an early victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. Happily, as a gift from somewhere beyond, he’s present on all…

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Pop, Rock

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Adam Schlesinger, Ivy

You’ve Got a Friend in Me: ‘Toy Story’ Songs Pressed on Zoetrope Vinyl for 30th Anniversary

June 4, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

We’re not pulling your string: this year marks 30 years since Disney and Pixar rewrote the rules of animation with Toy Story. A new LP will collect nine tracks from all four of the films in the series since then – all from the pen of the one and only Randy Newman. Toy Story: Songs to Infinity and Beyond is a sonic love letter to the series, offering rare concept drawings and new art on the set’s front cover and gatefold and a zoetrope vinyl pattern that features moving images of the series’ lovable…

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Vinyl

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Soundtracks

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Chris Stapleton, Gipsy Kings, Randy Newman, Riders in the Sky, Sarah McLachlan

Soundtrack Watch: Bond Back on Vinyl At La-La Land, Intrada Unsheathes Kamen’s ‘Three Musketeers’

June 2, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

A new month kicks off with a bonanza of soundtrack reissues from La-La Land and Intrada – including more planned activity from the world of James Bond. La-La Land has made three archival titles available for sale from yesterday (June 1). First is a vinyl edition of their remastered CD of John Barry’s score to Goldfinger. The third James Bond film (and the second to be scored by the British composer/arranger) scored big with the series’ first-ever title theme, co-written by Barry, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse and sung with paint-peeling gusto by…

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CD, Vinyl

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Pop, Soundtracks

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Anthony Newley, Bryan Adams, Cyril Mockridge, Elmer Bernstein, Franz Waxman, Harry Manfredini, Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry, Louis Armstrong, Michael Kamen, Rod Stewart, Shirley Bassey, Sting, Victor Young

The Weekend Stream Extra: A Guide to ‘MTV Unplugged’ on Paramount+ (Part 3)

June 1, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

Welcome to a special Sunday feature of The Weekend Stream, which takes a look at one of MTV’s great live music programs thanks to a recent reissue of one of its best-known episodes. We’re running a five-part deep-dive on every episode of MTV Unplugged that’s currently streaming on the station’s parent streaming network Paramount+! (Part 1 and 2 can be read here and here.) With rock music undergoing a transformation after the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, MTV Unplugged continued to settle into institutional status. The show held court primarily in New York…

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CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

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Classic Rock, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, KISS, Lenny Kravitz, Live, Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Stone Temple Pilots, The Cranberries, Tony Bennett

Young Blood: UFO’s ‘No Place to Run’ Gets Reissued with Remixed Concert Audio

May 30, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

A transitional album in the discography of British rockers UFO will be revisited in a deluxe edition this summer. The band’s eighth album No Place to Run, originally released in 1980, will be reissued as a 2CD or 3LP set on August 15. It pairs a new remaster of the original album created at London’s AIR Studios alongside selections from a concurrent live set at the Marquee Club in London. Some of the live material was reissued as bonus tracks on various sets between 2009 and 2013, but has been newly remixed for…

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UFO

Stay Hungry: Rhino Rebuilds Talking Heads’ ‘Buildings and Food’ for Box Set Release

May 29, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

More Songs About Buildings and Food deluxe

Rhino is taking Talking Heads fans to the river with their next deluxe edition: a 3CD/Blu-ray edition of the group’s 1978 sophomore album More Songs About Buildings and Food. Available July 25, the box will include the remastered album alongside a bonus disc of rare studio material (including four unreleased alternate takes and a host of material included on previous expansions) and a live set recorded at the Entermedia Theatre in New York City, just about a month after the album was released. Video of highlights from that same show feature on the…

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Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Talking Heads

Pryor Conviction: An Interview with Dan Schlissel of Stand Up! Records

May 29, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

If you’ll forgive the stupidly obvious lede, Dan Schlissel takes comedy pretty seriously. As the founder of Minneapolis-based Stand Up! Records, he’s carved a considerable niche in the music industry as one of the longest-lasting and most stalwart homes for stand-up comedy on CD, LP and many other formats. Schlissel, a first generation American whose parents came from Israel, first started the indie-rock label -ismist, which provided a crucial stepping stone to an up-and-coming band of masked alt-rockers called Slipknot, who’d become one of nu-metal’s pre-eminent acts in the late ’90s and…

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Interviews

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CD, Vinyl

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Comedy

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Richard Pryor

Mystery of Love: Sufjan Stevens Expands ‘Carrie & Lowell’

May 28, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

A deceased mother and a grieving son laid the groundwork for one of the best-reviewed records of 2015. A decade later, it’s being expanded with unreleased material – and its creator is sharing some unexpected opinions on how he regards the album. Sufjan Stevens’ seventh album Carrie & Lowell will be reissued this Friday, May 30, for its 10th anniversary. The 2CD or 2LP set includes a small trove of seven unreleased demos – including a version of a track that would be the closest thing Stevens may have to a signature song…

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Folk

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Sufjan Stevens

Take Your Mama Out: Scissor Sisters’ Debut Gets Deluxe Reissue

May 28, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

One of the most dynamic pop acts of the 2000s is ready to have a kiki with fans once more, thanks to a new expanded edition of their debut album and return to touring. The self-titled first album by Scissor Sisters turns 20 (and a year, but who’s counting) in 2025, and will be reissued by Republic Records as a greatly expanded edition offering the album in a digipak alongside two bonus discs of B-sides, remixes and seven previously unheard tracks. A truncated offering of the B-sides and outtakes will be included…

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Disco/Dance, Pop

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Scissor Sisters

The Weekend Stream Extra: A Guide to ‘MTV Unplugged’ on Paramount+ (Part 2)

May 25, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

Welcome to a special Sunday feature of The Weekend Stream, which takes a look at one of MTV’s great live music programs thanks to a recent reissue of one of its best-known episodes. We’re running a five-part deep-dive on every episode of MTV Unplugged that’s currently streaming on the station’s parent streaming network Paramount+! (Part 1 can be read here.) The evolution of MTV Unplugged was not unlike that of the network itself. If those first years on the air from 1989 to 1991 were proof of the format’s artistic viability, the episodes recorded…

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CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Blues, Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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Annie Lennox, Arrested Development, Duran Duran, Eric Clapton, Heavy D, John Mellencamp, Lulu, Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Nirvana, Paul Simon, Pearl Jam, Queensryche, Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Soul Asylum, k.d. lang

Somewhere North of Nashville: Ace Takes Listeners to ‘Springsteen’s Country’

May 22, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

Ace Records continues its quest to offer variations on a theme by exploring country interpretations of the music of Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen’s Country will collect 20 covers of The Boss, some familiar (Johnny Cash’s “Johnny 99,” Steve Earle’s live take on “State Trooper”), some offbeat (a take on Tunnel of Love opener “Ain’t Got You” by Solomon Burke, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s version of beloved outtake “From Small Things (Big Things One Day Come)”), and some altogether lesser known (Americana acts like Lera Lynn and The Whiskey Treaty Roadshow interpreting “Fire” and…

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Classic Rock, Country, Rock

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Bruce Springsteen, Emmylou Harris, John Anderson, Johnny Cash, Kenny Chesney, Mel McDaniel, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Solomon Burke, Steve Earle, Travis Tritt

Jethro Tull’s ‘Living in the Past’ Arrives in the Present with New Steven Wilson Remix

May 22, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 5 Comments

An early, classic compilation by Jethro Tull will be remixed, expanded and wildly reconstructed by engineer Steven Wilson. Still Living in the Past, available July 11 from Rhino, will reinterpret the group’s odds-and-ends compilation from 1972 as a 5CD/1 Blu-ray set boasting some 35 unissued mixes and versions alongside just about every one of the 21 original tracks that appeared on the original double album. Alongside the original mixes of the non-album material that comprised Living in the Past, Wilson has compiled his mixes of those tracks – both versions done for box…

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Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray Audio, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Jethro Tull

Come Dancing: The Kinks Close 60th Anniversary Celebration with Third and Final Compilation ‘The Journey – Part 3’

May 21, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 5 Comments

Following a pair of compilations in 2023 chronicling earlier parts of their storied career, British rockers The Kinks have one more in the chamber to commemorate their 60th anniversary as a group, focusing on a period of transition and finality in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. The Journey – Part 3 will offer, on two CDs or two 180-gram LPs, a dozen favorites originally released on Arista Records between 1977 and 1984, including the band’s last worldwide smash, “Come Dancing.” The newly remastered selections – which, in a first for The Journey series,…

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Classic Rock, Pop, Rock

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Dave Davies, Ray Davies, The Kinks

All You Can Think About: They Might Be Giants Rarities Set Comes to CD

May 19, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

A collection of harder-to-find material from stalwart alt-rock duo They Might Be Giants – released on vinyl last year – gets a wider availability on CD this month. The Spine Surfs Alone: Rarities 1998-2005 is available at general retail on May 30, having been available from the band’s official store since earlier this spring. (A vinyl version was surprise released last November, during which the album was made available digitally through Bandcamp as well.) The set includes the balance of two EPs: 2000’s Working Undercover for the Man, released only through the…

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Rock, Soundtracks

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They Might Be Giants

The Weekend Stream Extra: A Guide to ‘MTV Unplugged’ on Paramount+ (Part 1)

May 18, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 9 Comments

Welcome to a special Sunday feature of The Weekend Stream, which takes a look at one of MTV’s great live music programs thanks to a recent reissue of one of its best-known episodes. We’re kicking off a five-part deep-dive on every episode of MTV Unplugged that’s currently streaming on the station’s parent streaming network Paramount+! If the music video was the most significant concept MTV introduced back in 1981, the word “unplugged” might come in a close second. In 1989, as the cable station began slowly diversifying their blocks of video programming –…

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CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

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Blues, Classic Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock

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Aerosmith, Crowded House, Daryl Hall and John Oates, Elton John, Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Neil Finn, Neil Young, Paul McCartney, Sinead O'Connor, Sting, The Allman Brothers Band, The Beatles, The Church, The Police, The Smithereens, Tim Finn

Wake Me Up: New Compilation Honors Life and Career of Avicii

May 16, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

In his too-brief career, Swedish DJ/producer Avicii became one of the most dynamic figures of the early 2010s electronic dance boom. A new collection, sanctioned by his estate, will honor that body of work. Avicii Forever offers, on CD or two LPs, 20 tracks from his albums and EPs, including the worldwide hits “Wake Me Up,” “Levels,” “Hey Brother” and “The Days.” The set also includes a previously unreleased track, “Let’s Ride Away,” featuring vocals by Elle King. Physical copies of the album will also include the recent single “Forever Yours (Tim’s…

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Disco/Dance, Electronic

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Aloe Blacc, Avicii, Elle King, Imagine Dragons, Rita Ora

Dancing Barefoot: The Feelies Collect Old Covers for New Album

May 16, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

What started as a simple digital exercise for New Jersey rockers The Feelies is a new collection of some of their harder-to-find cover songs. The jangle-pop heroes will release Rewind on June 20, a nine-track affair featuring versions of cuts by The Beatles (“She Said She Said,” “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey”), Neil Young (“Barstool Blues,” “Sedan Delivery”), Bob Dylan (“Seven Days”), The Rolling Stones (“Paint It Black”) and more. Most were recorded during the band’s initial heyday in the ’80s and early ’90s, though “Seven Days” and…

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Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Rock

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Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Patti Smith, The Beatles, The Doors, The Feelies, The Modern Lovers, The Rolling Stones

Leavin’ Here: Motörhead’s Earliest Classic Trio Recordings Unearthed

May 12, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

Motörhead’s 50th anniversary will be celebrated with a fascinating find: the premiere release of the first studio sessions to feature the trio’s classic line-up. The Manticore Tapes, released on June 27, will offer the first studio sessions from the late summer of 1976 with the beloved line-up of singer/bassist Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, guitarist “Fast” Eddie Clarke and drummer Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor. Though cut in a perhaps unusual location well associated with one of progressive rock’s best-known trios, The Manticore Tapes is all of the rough-and-tumble power fans came to expect as the…

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Lemmy Kilmister, Motörhead

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The Weekend Stream: May 10, 2025

May 10, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

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. This week, classic rock icons celebrate their live history, a modern music icon gets serious, a master of horror films (and soundtracks) revisits his first non-movie music and a former folk duo open their vault. The Doors, Live in Pittsburgh 1970 / Live in Philadelphia ’70 / Live in Detroit (Bright Midnight/Rhino) Pittsburgh: Apple / Amazon Philadelphia: Apple / Amazon Detroit: Apple / Amazon The Doors have been issuing live sets from their 25-year-old…

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Digital Download, Digital Streaming

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Classic Rock, Electronic, Folk, Rock

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Fiona Apple, John Carpenter, The Civil Wars, The Doors

No Substitute: Release of 1971 Gig by The Who Heralds Their Farewell Tour

May 8, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 5 Comments

Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend today announced that, just over 60 years since their first appearances, The Who will bid farewell this fall with The Song is Over, one final tour of North America. But the music is hardly stopping, so to speak: the group will also officially release a long sought-after live performance this summer. Available first as part of the band’s revived Wholigan Fan Club, then as a general release on August 22, The Who’s Live At The Oval 1971 will finally canonize the group’s celebrated performance at “Goodbye to Summer,” a…

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John Entwistle, Keith Moon, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, The Who

Beyond Today – and Tomorrow: A Look At Liberation Hall’s Recent and Upcoming Releases

May 8, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

The Liberation Hall label has, of late, been a haven for interesting and unusual reissues from exciting corners of the post-punk scene. (They’ve also been active during Record Store Day, recently releasing a box set of albums by The Blasters and an anthology of work by Clarence White of The Byrds.) Here’s a look at three noteworthy releases that have been or will be in stores soon. The label in April released an expansion of the debut album by Pearl Harbor & The Explosions, a provocatively-named San Francisco punk/new wave combo formed…

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Pearl Harbor and the Explosions, Translator, Vivabeat

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Rock

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Omnivore Sets Sail with Expanded Edition of Christopher Cross’ Debut

May 7, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 12 Comments

A new wind reaches the sails of one of yacht rock’s defining masterpieces, courtesy of Omnivore Recordings. The label will offer an expanded reissue of the self-titled debut album from Christopher Cross, the unforgettable 1979 release that became a commercial juggernaut and propelled the unlikely star to the music business’ upper echelon. The CD or 2LP release will feature 11 bonus tracks including the rare non-album single “Mary Ann” and a slew of demos, six of which are made available for the first time anywhere – including several songs never before issued…

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Pop, Rock

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Christopher Cross

Never Gonna Be the Same: A Conversation with Gary Clark of Danny Wilson

May 7, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

The best known hit of his band begins with “Everything is wonderful / being here is heavenly…” and perhaps no line better sums up the experience of hearing a song by Gary Clark. The Scottish singer/songwriter formed the trio Danny Wilson with his brother Kit and bassist Ged Grimes in the mid-’80s, eventually scoring a hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1987 and 1988 with the sublime “Mary’s Prayer.” While it’s easy to place Danny Wilson in the same British sophisti-pop continuum that yielded records by the likes of The…

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Interviews

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CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

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Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Danny Wilson, Gary Clark

Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Spins ‘Thelma & Louise,’ Intrada Revisits ‘First Blood’ and New Varese Club Titles

May 6, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

The month ahead brings even more soundtrack news than the big John Williams box set! New archival reissues from La-La Land Records, Varese Sarabande and Intrada are all on the calendar. First up, after expansions of Rain Man, A League of Their Own and Gladiator in recent months, La-La Land will give the expanded treatment to Hans Zimmer’s score to the 1991 hit Thelma & Louise. Directed by Ridley Scott from a screenplay by writer-director Callie Khouri (her first credit!), Thelma & Louise starred Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis as two midwestern friends whose road trip escape…

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