Dionne WordPress Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • The Weekend Stream
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ Mike Duquette

Release Round-Up: Week of January 4

January 4, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

icon oneal

Another short schedule for the first week of 2011. Various Artists, Icon (UMe) As detailed in this post, a variety of releases in Universal's budget compilation series are released today. Unlike previous batches, though, they're either fairly comprehensive or feature some neat rarities here and there. Ella Fitzgerald, Twelve Nights in Hollywood Vol. 1 & 2 / Vol. 3 & 4 (Verve) A pair of double-disc live sets first released as a full box set by Hip-o Select in 2009. (Vol. 1 & 2 at

Continue Reading

Categories: News

Three Santana Remasters Coming from Friday Music

January 3, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

shango

Carlos Santana won the adulation of a new generation with the pop crossover album Supernatural in 1999 - then promptly lost it by making a bunch of increasingly flabby and self-indulgent records. Friday Music takes us to a simpler time - the early 1980s - with three forthcoming Santana remasters. The Swing of Delight (1980), Zebop! (1981) and Shangó are being remastered and reissued on January 25. (Friday Music lists them as 30th anniversary editions, which is of course only technically true

Continue Reading

Categories: News Tags: Santana

Cherry Red Preps Joe Cocker Reissue, Kiki Dee Compilation

January 3, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

sheffield steel

Some more goodies are coming out of the Universal vaults from the Cherry Red label group. The T-Bird label is reissuing Joe Cocker's Sheffield Steel from 1982. Like most Joe Cocker records, the iconic singer lays down great versions of rock and soul covers (written by luminaries including Randy Newman, Jimmy Webb and Steve Winwood). Unlike most Joe Cocker records, Sheffield Steel is heavy on reggae, with instrumental contribution from Sly and Robbie and guest vocals from Jimmy Cliff and Robert

Continue Reading

Categories: News

Hot Chocolate Discography Warming Up from EMI

January 3, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

hot chocolate

EMI must believe in miracles, because they've prepped a set that combines all of the studio albums by pop group Hot Chocolate. The Brixton-based band, fronted by Jamaican singer Errol Brown, first gained prominence for one single on The Beatles' Apple label, a reggae-fied cover of "Give Peace a Chance." (That song, credited to "The Hot Chocolate Band," was resurrected on last year's Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records compilation.) Several Top 10 hits followed - in fact, the band had at

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets

...And We're Back

January 3, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

With plenty of people back at their jobs today, The Second Disc HQ is back online, ready for another year of continuous catalogue coverage! We're expecting some great titles in the not-too-distant future, plus a lot of surprises, too. I know I'm excited, and I'm sure many of you are too. Today's going to be a bit of a catch-up day - a lot of stuff has been announced in the past week or two, mainly across the pond, and we're going to get through most of it today. But first, we're going to start

Continue Reading

Categories: News Genre: Soundtracks

The Final Burton/Elfman Non-troversy

December 31, 2010 By Mike Duquette 3 Comments

tb be wallet 171

If there's any ongoing bad blood about Warner Bros. The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box, The Second Disc accepts full responsibility. We were excited when it was announced and we were floored by the track list (and the price). But when other retailers started taking orders for what was supposed to be a limited edition, direct-order set, there was a lot of confusion in the air. Then, after the limited first run had sold out, direct buyers were promised a signed bonus disc

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Genre: Soundtracks

MERRY DISCMAS!

December 24, 2010 By Mike Duquette 2 Comments

We're just about to put the "Closed" sign on the door of The Second Disc HQ, but should any of you stumble upon The Second Disc on Christmas, I want this to be the first thing you see for two reasons. One, you're going to find a compendium below of all the Christmas articles Joe and myself have done this season. Let them fill you with Christmas cheer whenever you need some! And second, and most importantly, may you, the treasured reader of The Second Disc, have a Merry, Merry Christmas and a

Continue Reading

Categories: Reviews Formats: Box Sets Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Back Tracks, Friday Feature, Reissue Theory

Review: James Brown, "The Complete James Brown Christmas"

December 24, 2010 By Mike Duquette 5 Comments

jb santa

What artists do you associate with Christmas? The Beach Boys? Andy Williams? Perry Como? How about James Brown? That last one isn't a name one might immediately associate with the holiday season, outside of December 25, 2006 being the day of his death. But Brown cut no less than three holiday albums during his career, and for the first time, Hip-o Select has compiled those LPs (and more, naturally) into a two-disc set, The Complete James Brown Christmas (Polydor/Hip-o Select B0014791-02). The

Continue Reading

Categories: Reviews

Reissue Theory: The Beatles at Christmas

December 24, 2010 By Mike Duquette 6 Comments

xmas702

Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. With one day before Christmas, the discussion turns to a long-lost Yuletide treasure still unreleased on CD - the release of which would be...Fab. One of the most common complaints about the hype about The Beatles on iTunes was the lack of vault material beyond the Washington, D.C. concert on film. Live at the Hollywood Bowl, any of the U.S. albums -

Continue Reading

Categories: News Tags: Reissue Theory, The Beatles

More ZTT and All That

December 24, 2010 By Mike Duquette 2 Comments

salvodcd2132

Not only is a deluxe edition of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Liverpool prepped for February 2011, but another vault-clearing compilation is on the way from the ZTT label. Zang Tuum Tumb and The Art of the 12" is two discs' worth of rare or unreleased dance cuts from the best acts to ever grace the roster from 1983 to 1989 or so: Frankie, Propaganda, Art of Noise, 808 State and plenty more. It's also got a handful of those distinctively ZTT short tracks that ended up on the odd single from time

Continue Reading

Categories: News Tags: Propaganda, The Art of Noise

Review: John Williams, "Home Alone: Expanded Original Motion Picture Score"

December 24, 2010 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

home alone ost

When you discuss the best modern entry into the Christmas music canon, most discussion centers on Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You." The 1994 song did a fantastic job of paying tribute to the always-excellent A Christmas Gift to You from Phil Spector (1963), bringing the Wall of Sound to the '90s, and it's lived on for over 15 years. One Yuletide tune that deserves your attention from earlier in that decade, however, is "Somewhere in My Memory," the heartwarming main theme from

Continue Reading

Categories: Reviews Genre: Soundtracks

Going Back to "Liverpool"

December 24, 2010 By Mike Duquette 2 Comments

liverpool deluxe

Earlier this year, ZTT's ongoing reissue campaign gave us a 25th anniversary edition of Welcome to the Pleasuredome, the hit LP from U.K. dance-pop act Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Next year, ZTT and Salvo Music are releasing a similarly expanded version of Liverpool, Frankie's follow-up and finale. By the album's release in late 1986, England was suffering from serious Frankie overexposure. Their singles were everywhere - "Relax," "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love" had all topped the U.K.

Continue Reading

Categories: News

Fly Him to the Moon

December 23, 2010 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

Nobody's denying the greatness of Rod Stewart's early career, both with The Faces and on his own. But since 2002, the man can't stop putting out MOR albums devoted to The Great American Songbook. And it's inspired a host of copycats, from Barry Manilow to Phil Collins. Not content with his five(!) Songbook LPs, J Records will release The Best of The Great American Songbook next year. It's a no-frills collection of the highlights of all those albums and will probably sell a million copies to the

Continue Reading

Categories: News Tags: Rod Stewart

John Barleycorn Must Be Expanded

December 23, 2010 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

john barleycorn deluxe

Well, at least it will be expanded. Traffic's John Barleycorn Must Die (1970) is coming out as a double-disc deluxe edition in February. Originally intended as Steve Winwood's first solo album after the dissolution of Blind Faith, John Barleycorn became a reunion project for Traffic and spawned several well-known songs including "Glad" and "Empty Pages." It was also the highest-charting album of Traffic's career in the U.S., hitting No. 5. A previous reissue in the U.K. in 1999 added two

Continue Reading

Categories: News Tags: Steve Winwood, Traffic

The Year in Reissues, Part II

December 23, 2010 By Mike Duquette 4 Comments

hendrix wcsb cover layers web

You're probably wondering where Part I of The Year in Reissues is. Happily, the fine folks at Popdose have put my ramblings about the best reissues, box sets and other catalogue sets on their Web site. But there are plenty more good ones I wanted to shine the spotlight on after filing the story. So here's are five other notable catalogue sets to remember from the past year. And do share your opinions in the comments below, as always!

Continue Reading

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Tags: Open Forum, The Miracles

Back Tracks: The Clash

December 22, 2010 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

Where were you when you first heard The Clash? If you can't answer that question because you've never heard them, then consider this your Christmas present. The London-based punk band accomplished much in their decade-long tenure, including some of the best albums of the genre. Though they enjoyed the fruits of a major label, they stayed true to their ethos, keeping prices low for albums, tickets and souvenirs (reportedly, the band forfeited royalties on sprawling triple-album Sandinista! in

Continue Reading

Categories: Giveaways! Tags: Back Tracks, The Clash

Release Round-Up: Week of December 21

December 21, 2010 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

fox 752

Just one title today, because it's almost Christmas! Who's going to buy new CDs Christmas week? Not counting the awesome Kritzerland titles (Casino Royale and Genghis Khan)! Various Artists, 20th Century Fox: 75 Years of Great Film Scores (Varese Sarabande) A sweet three-disc set of classics from Fox's deep vault. This was delayed from earlier in the month, but I have a feeling it's worth the wait. (Varese Sarabande)

Continue Reading

Categories: News, Release Round-Up Genre: Soundtracks

Tim Buckley's Debut to Be Expanded (UPDATED 12/18)

December 18, 2010 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

tim buckley tb1

Rhino is releasing Tim Buckley's debut album for Elektra next week, sources confirm. Buckley was all of 19 years old when he recorded his debut LP in 1966 with Elektra founder Jac Holzman co-producing and a stunningly strong group of session players backing him up (Lee Underwood on guitar, Jim Fielder of Blood, Sweat and Tears on bass, Van Dyke Parks on piano and Mothers of Invention drummer Billy Mundi). Though critics never gave him scores of attention, he is now widely regarded as one of the

Continue Reading

Categories: News Tags: Tim Buckley

Review: "Super Mario History 1985-2010"

December 17, 2010 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

mario 251

It's a credit to one's abilities as a composer when people all over the world can vocalize the instruments that play your songs. Every hook The Beatles got on the radio proved their expertise at this. Plenty of album-oriented rock bands have accomplished similar feats. In terms of worldwide appeal, however, Koji Kondo may have them all beat. Though few know his name, a simple vocalization - "Doo-doo-doo-do-do-DOOT" - solidifies his status as a legend. And to think, his most successful music

Continue Reading

Categories: Reviews Genre: Soundtracks

Another Sabbath Reissue Coming in the U.K.

December 17, 2010 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

dehumanizer

Yet another Black Sabbath deluxe reissue is happening in the U.K. in February, and this time it's another Dio-led album. After a year that saw seven Sabbath reissues across the pond (not counting that cross box), Sanctuary/Universal has another one in the pipeline. This one, 1992's Dehumanizer, is actually licensed from the I.R.S. label and featured the return of Ronnie James Dio to vocals after an 11-year absence. Like all the other Sanctuary/Universal remasters, it's augmented with a bonus

Continue Reading

Categories: News

Reissue Theory: "Christmas Cheers from Motown"

December 15, 2010 By Mike Duquette 3 Comments

christmas cheers2

Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today's focus is the least-remembered Christmas album on Motown Records, from a lean but not unlistenable time in the label's long history. One of the best things about the holiday season is the union of two of the greatest kinds of music: Christmas carols and Motown tunes. The definitive sound of the Detroit label, when paired with holiday standards, is

Continue Reading

Categories: News

Review: Michael Jackson, "Michael"

December 15, 2010 By Mike Duquette 2 Comments

michael jackson michael 20101

Last winter, with Michael Jackson's sudden passing not even five months in the past, Motown and Universal Music Enterprises released I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters, a ten-track compilation that was certainly the first in a long salvo of cash-in, vault-clearing titles in honor of the King of Pop (it was wisely marketed as commemorating the 40th anniversary of the J5's first single, which was true enough). Surprisingly, after a great but ill-timed box set collecting Jackson's solo albums and

Continue Reading

Categories: Reviews Tags: Michael Jackson

Eagle Rock is Still Twisted

December 15, 2010 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

you cant stop rock and roll

Fans were hoping for a decent set of remasters for the '80s shock-rockers Twisted Sister at some point in the near future. (A previous set of reissues on the Spitfire label were of intensely dubious quality.) Unfortunately, Warner Music Group seems to have bestowed the remaster task not to Rhino but to Eagle Rock Entertainment, who've put out a steady stream of TS product in the past few months. Now, on January 25, Eagle Rock has another two reissues coming out: the band's sophomore album You

Continue Reading

Categories: News Tags: Twisted Sister

Rock Hall Gets It Right

December 14, 2010 By Mike Duquette 16 Comments

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its inductees earlier this evening, and the results are actually quite exciting. The artists inducted are Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Tom Waits. Leon Russell is getting the Award for Musical Excellence (formerly known as the Sidemen category) while the Ahmet Ertegun Award will go to Jac Holzman (founder of Elektra Records) and Art Rupe (founder of Specialty Records, the label that gave us Little Richard and "Tutti

Continue Reading

Categories: News Tags: Leon Russell, Neil Diamond, Tom Waits

Bob Marley to "Live Forever" on New Live Set

December 14, 2010 By Mike Duquette 3 Comments

Arguably, Bob Marley already is living forever, at least musically. His catalogue has been treated well through various reissues and compilations from Island Records since his death in 1981; the compilation Legend remains the highest-selling reggae album in history, with sales in excess of 14 million copies in the U.S. alone. With the 30th anniversary of Marley's passing imminent, Tuff Gong/UMe preps another treat from the vault: his last recorded concert, in support of the Uprising album. Live

Continue Reading

Categories: News Tags: Bob Marley

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • …
  • 108
  • Next Page »

Upcoming Releases

  • Status Quo Live deluxe
    Live! Deluxe Edition
    Status Quo
    May 16, 2025
    US UK
  • Brothers in Arms 40
    Brothers in Arms: 40th Anniversary Edition
    Dire Straits
    May 16, 2025
    US UK
  • Version 1.0.0
    The Bridge
    David Sancious
    May 16, 2025
    US UK
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,676 other subscribers

Popular Posts

  • Most Commented
  • Most Viewed
  • Dionne Warwick Make It Easy on Yourself(Don't) Walk On By: Dionne Warwick's "Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971" Due in June on 12...
  • Tracks II CD packshot no disc artShut Out the Light: Bruce Springsteen Offers Seven Unheard Albums on 'Tracks II'
  • Rod Stewart Ultimate Hits Amazon exclusiveHe Wears It Well: Rod Stewart's 'Ultimate Hits' Due in June
  • RSD 2025 best of restRecord Store Day 2025: The Best of the Rest
  • record store day logoThe Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2025: Our Favorite Picks
  • John Williams Anthology 1Mondo Maestro: New John Williams Box Set Series Announced, Plus 'Star Wars' Re-Recordings on Vinyl

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popdose
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2025 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy