Gary Louris was already a hero of the folk-rock revival when he released his first solo effort, Vagabonds. He's been a member of The Jayhawks since the release of their debut in 1986. With a knack for tight harmonies, honest and often melancholic songwriting, and deft instrumental skills, Louris and The Jayhawks have been among the leaders of the alt-country movement ever since. Louris was also a member of the supergroup Golden Smog, whose Down The Old Mainstream we reviewed last year. Despite
Happy Rovin’ Cowboy: BMG Presents Archival Hank Williams Radio Sessions on “The Complete Health and Happiness Recordings”
Few have made such a profound impact on the country music landscape as Hank Williams, whose singular talents, enduring songs, and inimitable vocal style continue to influence scores of up-and-coming talents. In 1949, though, Hank wasn't quite the star he wanted to be, nor the star we remember him as. He'd had some popular songs and scored a headlining gig on The Louisiana Hayride , but it wasn't until he performed on The Health & Happiness radio program that his meteoric rise to fame began
They’re Ready To Believe You: ‘Ghostbusters’ Score To Be Reissued For Film’s 35th Anniversary
To commemorate the 35th anniversary of Ghostbusters' original 1984 theatrical debut, Sony Classical has announced a new reissue of Ghostbusters: Original Motion Picture Score featuring Elmer Bernstein's iconic themes. It's the first time the score has been in print since 2006, when Varese Sarabande's premiere, limited release became one of the year's fastest-selling score titles. The 37-track anniversary edition has been newly mixed and remastered from the original multitracks and boasts new
Release Round-Up: Week of May 17
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Here's what's in stores today! Paul McCartney, Egypt Station: Explorer's Edition (MPL/Capitol) 2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3-LP black vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3-LP color vinyl: MusicVaultz / JPC.de Paul McCartney's Egypt Station: Explorer's Edition features the same audio content as the Traveller's Edition box set minus the swag (postcards, baggage tickets, luggage tags, lithographs, cards, a map,
If Loving You Is A Crime: Lee Moses Rarities Collected on “How Much Longer Must I Wait?”
Three years ago, Light In the Attic reissued Time and Place, the lone album by soul powerhouse Lee Moses. The self-taught instrumentalist and singer made a name for himself in Atlanta, where he performed with Gladys Knight, among others. Upon its original release, Time and Place didn't make waves financially but in the decades since, it became a cult classic. On May 24, Light In the Attic's Future Days Recordings imprint will continue its celebration of the raw and beautiful soul music of Lee
Let’s Get Rocked: More Def Leppard Studio Albums and Rarities Collected on “Def Leppard: Volume 2” Box Set
On June 21, UMC will continue their celebration of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Def Leppard with Def Leppard: Volume 2, a new limited-edition set that includes their studio albums Adrenalize (1992), Slang (1996), and Euphoria (1999), as well as the 1993 compilation Retro Active and three volumes of rarities recently compiled by Joe Elliott. The rarities sets collect hard-to-find B-sides and live recordings and feature newly commissioned artwork. Def Leppard: Volume 2 will be available
More Sides: Phil Collins To Release Digital B-Side, Remix Collections
When Phil Collins' Take a Look At Me Now... reissue campaign commenced in 2016, some fans were understandably, justifiably sore at the exclusion of most of his rarest material - non-LP B-sides and remixes - in favor of unreleased demos or, more often, non-contemporaneous live material sitting next to the original albums on bonus discs. This month, Rhino will finally collect that much-coveted material - albeit in digital form - on two new compilations: Other Sides and Remixed Sides, due May
Happy With What You Have: King Crimson Celebrates ’90s and ’00s Work With “Heaven and Earth” Mega-Set and Breakout Reissues, Due May 31
When it comes to raiding the vaults for lavish box sets, few have embraced the task quite like King Crimson, who have released six such sets which typically include remixed studio albums, outtakes, and live recordings galore. Now, the band has announced its seventh mega-set, entitled Heaven & Earth. It's due out on May 31 and can be pre-ordered directly from Inner Knot/DGMLive (U.S.) and Burning Shed (U.K.). On the same day, more digestible versions of The ReconstruKction of Light (in its
If You Love Me: Elvis Costello’s “Purse” Reaches Wider Audience With Digital Release
Elvis Costello and the Imposters have been in the news a lot lately. They are set to embark on a U.S. tour this summer co-headlining with Blondie and recently released a new EP, Purse. The four-song set features all unreleased tracks, including previously unrecorded lyrics from Johnny Cash ("If You Love Me") and Bob Dylan ("Down in the Bottom" featuring Rebecca and Megan Lovell). Purse also features co-writes with Paul McCartney ("The Lovers That Never Were") and Burt Bacharach ("Everyone's
Metamorphosis Exploration: Real Gone To Reissue Cult Classics From The Deviants and Klaus Nomi
Real Gone Music has made waves with their recent LP releases that bring long out-of-print titles back into print. For their next pair of welcome reissues - due June 14 - the label presents color vinyl editions of two classic examples of counterculture music: The Deviants' #3 from 1969 and Klaus Nomi's self-titled album from 1981. Klaus Nomi made a name for himself in the late '70s as part of the performance art scene in New York's East Village. His larger-than-life persona and
I’ve Got A Sure Thing: Craft Presents “Soul Explosion” Vinyl Reissue, Plus A Month of Stax Digital Rarities
Craft Recordings has announced the next phase of its campaign to honor one of the great labels of soul - Stax Records. Entitled "Soul Explosion," the campaign began with their Record Store Day releases of Boy Meets Girl: Classic Stax Duets, Stax Does The Beatles and the first-ever mono reissue of Albert King's Born Under A Bad Sign. The next phase begins on May 31 and will see new vinyl and digital reissues of classics from 1969, which proved to be a watershed year for the label, and
Can You Hear Me? David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” Single Gets 50th Anniversary Box Set Reissue
"Space Oddity" is among the most iconic and enduring of David Bowie's many timeless tracks. Major Tom's trek in a tin can has captured imaginations for fifty years and has become part of popular culture since it became Bowie's breakthrough single. On the heels of Parolophone's ongoing vinyl series, the label is set to release another new box set, one that celebrates the golden anniversary of "Space Oddity." The new Space Oddity 50th Anniversary Edition single box set arrive July 12 and
Running Back: Esoteric Revisits Van Der Graaf Generator’s “The Aerosol Grey Machine” With 50th Anniversary Box Set
Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint has recently released a new box set that celebrates the 50th anniversary of the debut from British prog-rockers Van Der Graaf Generator. Their first album, The Aerosol Grey Machine has been released in an expanded, 2-CD/LP/7" box set. The progressive pioneers originally formed in 1967 with Peter Hammill on vocals and guitar, Chris Judge Smith on drums and vocals, and Nick Pearne on keyboards. By the time their debut was released on Mercury in
What Are We Craving? Real Gone Delivers Folk-Rock from Norma Tanega and Fusion from Airto on Vinyl
Real Gone Music seem to be taking a quick break from their soundtrack series to bring two cult classic albums from jazz and folk-rock: Norma Tanega's 1966 album Walkin' My Cat Named Dog spotlights quirky, pop-leaning folk music; while Airto's 1970 effort Natural Feelings presents the percussion maestro's debut as a bandleader. Both albums will be reissues in limited quantities on June 7! First discovered while singing at a summer camp in the Catskills of New York, Norma Tanega won the
Digital Round-Up: Week of May 3
While The Second Disc continues to champion physical media, we recognize that some labels have begun to issue digital-only releases that bring together rarities from the vault or spotlight long-out-of-print albums. From annual copyright extension releases to vault-clearing initiatives, we figured our readers would like to know about some of the treasures that have been released online and on streaming services. So, from time to time, we will shed some light on the best of these digital
Salt of the Earth: ABKCO Revisits “The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus” With Expanded Deluxe Sets
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is one of those great time capsules of the rock and roll era. Filmed at the Intertel TV Studio in Wembley on December 11, 1968 and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the movie was part rock show and part sideshow. The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus featured the original lineup of The Rolling Stones - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, and Bill Wyman - who served as the main music draw and the night's hosts. They were joined by a
Don’t Be Denied: Rare Neil Young and Stray Gators Set Documented on “Tuscaloosa”
Neil Young has been hard at work. It was recently announced that he and Crazy Horse had entered the studio and Young has written that they've got 8 tracks in the can. But for as much as Neil enjoys looking forward, he's also spent considerable time curating his legacy. The now near-mythical Archives Vol. 2 has been rumored to be on the way, his Archives website will soon see new exclusive rarities added, and he's got a number of vault projects in the works. One that fans can finally check off
The Wayfarer: Bruce Springsteen Returns With New Long-Player, “Western Stars”
Yesterday, Bruce Springsteen announced the release of his highly anticipated new solo album, Western Stars, which marks his first studio work since High Hopes in 2014. Due on June 14 from Columbia, Western Stars marks a return to "character driven songs and sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangement[s]," as Springsteen described it in a statement. According to the press release, the album is partly inspired by classic Southern California pop of the '60s and '70s, and Springsteen has
To the Valley Below: Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue Celebrated With Documentary and Box Set
Preliminary details have begun to emerge about an upcoming multi-disc box set and Martin Scorsese-directed Netflix documentary celebrating the 1975 leg of Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue tour. As first reported in Variety, Dylan's legendary tour will be commemorated on June 7 with a 14-CD, 148-track live box set. The mammoth collection brings together all five professionally recorded Dylan sets from October and November 1975, as well as recently discovered rehearsals recorded at New York's
Nothing Compares: ‘Originals’ Collects Prince’s Demos of Songs Given to Others
There are few artists as prolific as Prince. His legendary Vault is said to contain hundreds of albums' worth of material. On June 7 -- what would have been Prince's 61st birthday -- The Prince Estate and Warner Bros. Records will issue Originals, a new album of further treasures from the archives. As first reported by Variety (just one day before the estate welcomes fans to the annual Prince Celebration at Paisley Park, his recording complex-turned-museum), Originals brings together 15 demos
Hunt It Down: Paul McCartney To Release Music-Only “Egypt Station: Explorer’s Edition”
Earlier this year, Paul McCartney announced he'd be revisiting his most recent album -- 2018's Egypt Station -- with a lavish, limited-edition suitcase box set packed with vinyl, cassette, and CD versions of the album and a handful of bonus tracks, along with postcards, baggage tickets, luggage tags, lithos, playing cards, a map, and a jigsaw puzzle. While that Traveller's Edition box (due on May 10) is a luxurious, business-class trip, a slimmed-down set called Egypt Station: Explorer's Edition
What’s the Frequency? Craft Recordings Announced Vinyl Reissue of “In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003”
Yesterday, Craft Recordings announced an exciting new reissue that brings a popular compilation back to vinyl for the first time in 15 years. In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988-2003 was originally released in 2003 and collected 18 tracks from the band's post-IRS era, including their biggest hits ("Losing My Religion," "Man On the Moon," "Stand," Everybody Hurts"), soundtrack recordings ("All the Right Friends," "The Great Beyond"), collaborations ("E-Bow the Letter" with Patti Smith), and then-new
Modal Mood: Vinyl Me Please and Blue Note Present Sold-Out VMP Anthology, “The Story of Blue Note”
The LP subscription club Vinyl Me, Please and legendary jazz label Blue Note Records recently announced a new collaboration called The Story of Blue Note Records, the centerpiece of which is a 7-LP box set. While its strictly limited 1,000 units sold out almost immediately upon release - sadly before our coverage could go to print - we thought it'd be best to let readers know about the release, should it be pressed again or made available elsewhere. The first "VMP Anthology" endeavor, The
Force Majeure: Tangerine Dream Classics, Outtakes, and Surround Mixes Abound on “In Search of Hades” Box
Tangerine Dream was among the "true pioneers of electronic and ambient music, and the albums they recorded for Virgin Records between 1973 and 1979 remain classics of the genre" - so says progressive rocker and remixer extraordinaire, Steven Wilson. And he should know, as Wilson has been heavily involved in a Tangerine Dream box set that spotlights the era, entitled In Search of Hades: The Virgin Recordings 1973-1979. Due from UMC/Virgin on June 14, In Search of Hades celebrates Tangerine
Release Round-Up: Week of April 19
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Rolling Stones, HONK [Various Formats] (Interscope) 1-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3-CD deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP standard: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP Target-exclusive blue vinyl: Target.com 4-LP deluxe color vinyl: The Rolling Stones' Online Shop Various music/apparel bundles: The Rolling Stones' Online Shop Honk is a new compilation album from The Rolling Stones that
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