If you're troubled and you can't relax, close your eyes and think on this... So begins "Armenia City in the Sky," the first track on The Who Sell Out. Originally released in December 1967, the album reflects not only the hippie counterculture, but also the maturing of rock music as an art form. Here, The Who go between psych-rock, pop, childlike ditties, jazzy ballads, and even a rock opera - not to mention the breakthrough hit "I Can See For Miles". It's tied together (rather loosely)
I’ll Be On Your Side: Neil Young Sets Release For Early Live Show “Young Shakespeare” on CD, DVD and Vinyl
Today, Neil Young and Reprise Records announced another exciting treasure from the vault, continuing Neil's ongoing excursions through his past. On March 26, he'll release Young Shakespeare, a long-awaited live album and movie that documents the earliest known filmed live concert footage of Neil Young, in an array of formats. The previously unreleased, solo acoustic show was filmed in Stratford, Connecticut in 1971, as Young was preparing his commercial breakthrough, Harvest, and just two
Share Your Love: Vinyl Me Please Announces New Reissues of Soul, Folk, Rock, and Hip-Hop Classics
Record subscription service Vinyl Me Please has announced the latest batch of reissues for this month, February, and March. These are split into three tracks: Essentials, curated from an array of genres; Classics, which focuses primarily on soul, jazz, and R&B; and Rap & Hip-Hop, which spotlights favorites These include lost classics from the Stax and Motown vaults, John Prine's masterful self-titled album, overlooked hip-hop gems, and a landmark rock album from the turn of the new
Love and Only Love: Neil Young Announces Long-Awaited “Way Down in the Rust Bucket” Concert Album and Film
Neil Young has been exciting fans lately with his comprehensive journey through the past. Following an extensive box set anthologizing an era and a 50th anniversary edition of a landmark album, he now turns his focus to a beloved Crazy Horse-backed concert from November 1990. On February 26, Young will release the long-awaited archival release, Way Down in the Rust Bucket. It's volume 11.5 in his ongoing Archives Performance series and features Crazy Horse - newly reignited after the release
By the Forces of Nature: Rhino Celebrates Black History Month With Limited Edition Vinyl and New Digital Releases
Black History Month is on the way in February and to celebrate, Rhino will release a number of limited-edition colored vinyl reissues along with a digital initiative to bring legendary recordings to digital service providers for the first time ever. The Rhino Black initiative begins on February 5, with the vinyl reissue of George Benson's multi-platinum Breezin' (issued on blue and beige vinyl) and a the first-ever vinyl issue of the Donny Hathaway compendium, A Donny Hathaway Collection, which
Like Someone In Love: Craft Recordings Launches New “Small Batch” Audiophile Vinyl Series With John Coltrane’s “Lush Life”
Craft Recordings has announced a new series of specially curated and high-quality vinyl reissues: the Small Batch collection. It kicks off with a new pressing of John Coltrane's Lush Life, due February 19. Each limited edition release in the Craft Recordings Small Batch series is a deluxe affair, combining audiophile-approved mastering techniques, a special vinyl lacquering process, and stunning design - adding up to what the label promises is the highest quality listening experience. The
Shake It Up! Rhino Announces Offering for Start Your Ear Off Right 2021
Rhino's annual resolve to Start Your Ear Off Right continues into 2021 with new and exclusive, limited-edition releases to be released throughout January. The campaign begins today and includes titles by a diverse lineup: Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones, Buffalo Springfield, The Cars, Dire Straits, Danny Elfman, Genesis, k.d. lang, Curtis Mayfield, John Prine, Talk Talk, and Talking Heads. You can find all the details about these releases below, and be sure to grab these releases from
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Legacy Looks Back at 1970 With Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix Archival Offerings
50 years ago, two of American music's greatest talents proved they were still venturing into new territories. Elvis Presley, some decade and a half after he first took the world by storm, was setting up shop in Nashville for a marathon session that saw him pulling from the new popular songbook and many songs written just for him. These sessions delivered several albums' worth of material and are now presented chronologically in a new box set, complete with exciting new mixes on From Elvis In
Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: Esoteric Reissues Classics by Barclay James Harvest, Be-Bop Deluxe
As our Holiday Gift Guide continues with a fourth and final look at Cherry Red's recent box set offerings, we wanted to bring to your attention two collections that would look great underneath the tree, whether for a prog-rock enthusiast in your life or for yourself (we won't tell!). First up: Barclay James Harvest's And Other Short Stories, recently reissued as a 2-CD/DVD set. The English prog rock outfit Barclay James Harvest had already made a name for themselves as part of Harvest
Holiday Gift Guide Review: U2. “All That You Can’t Leave Behind: 20th Anniversary Edition”
Prepare to elevate your soul with this 20th anniversary box set edition of U2's All That You Can't Leave Behind. Twenty years into their career, U2 rang in the new millennium with a career-redefining recording that saw them return to the upper echelons of the Billboard charts, with Grammy nominations and worldwide hits to boot. With enduring instant classics like "Beautiful Day," "Walk On," "Elevation," and "Stuck in a Moment That You Can't Get Out Of," it's no wonder the album remains a
New Morning: Bob Dylan 1970 Copyright Extension Release To Get Wider Release, 3CD Set Due in February
In a move that will no doubt excite Bob Dylan aficionados everywhere, on February 26, Legacy Recordings will release Bob Dylan: 1970 in a new, more widely available limited edition set with revised artwork and fresh liner notes by Michael Simmons. The collection includes all the songs from this year's quietly announced copyright extension release. It's an interesting move on the part of Legacy and Dylan's team. Fans of the artist have come to expect micro-batches of 50 year old recordings
Rumbling in the Skies: David Bowie’s Unreleased Covers of John Lennon and Bob Dylan Collected on New 7″ Single
On January 8, Parlophone will celebrate what would have been David Bowie's 74th birthday with a special 7" single featuring his covers of John Lennon's "Mother" and Bob Dylan's "Tryin' To Get To Heaven." "Mother" had been prepared for a Tony Visconti-led John Lennon tribute album that went unreleased, while "Tryin' To Get To Heaven" was recorded at Sony Music Studios during the mixing sessions for the LiveAndWell.com compilation (itself recently announced for release, find out more here). The
Holiday Gift Guide: Vinyl Me, Please – A Year in Review
Over the past few months you've probably heard us mention Vinyl Me Please. The subscription-based record club frequently partners with the major labels to create exclusive pressings from across genres. They also curate Records of the Month for subscribers - available in three tracks: Classics, Essentials, and Hip Hop - specially selected by their staff to spotlight albums of importance in pop, rock, soul, world music, jazz, and beyond. This year, the offerings ran the gamut from The Stooges,
A New Level: Jazz Dispensary and Vinyl Me, Please Team Up For “High Fidelity” Jazz-Funk Reissues
This fall, Vinyl Me Please is partnering with Craft Recordings' Jazz Dispensary imprint to reissue some crate-diggers' delights from David Axelrod, Jack DeJohnette, Bernard Purdie, Leon Spencer, and Idris Muhammad with full audiophile treatment. The music has been remastered in an all-analog chain from original tape sources by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio. Each LP, meanwhile, is pressed on 180-gram color vinyl at RTI and features a heavyweight, tip-on sleeve bearing exact reproductions of
Voices Inside: Vinyl Me, Please Details December Exclusive Titles and Next ‘VMP Anthology’ Volume, A Tribute to Tribe Records
Vinyl Me, Please has built a name as skilled curators of a music experience, whether through monthly record club releases, immersive multimedia box sets, or selected special pressings. This month, the online club has announced several new projects continuing in that vein. For this month's Essentials selection (one of three monthly "tracks" available to subscribers, along with Classics and Hip-Hop), VMP will press up a special, all-analog-remastered edition of Billie Holiday's Lady Sings the
Behind That Locked Door: 50th Anniversary Celebrations for George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” Kick Off TODAY With Remixed Title Track, “My Sweet Lord” RSD Black Friday Release
This morning, the estate of George Harrison has released a new 2020 remix of the artist's classic song, "All Things Must Pass." Originally released 50 years ago today on the All Things Must Pass triple-album, it's now released as a digital single as "a prelude of what's to come." The new stereo mix has been undertaken by Paul Hicks, who's been involved with recent Beatles archival projects as well as the John Lennon Gimme Some Truth box set. It arrives the same day as the reissued "My Sweet
The Second Disc’s Guide To Record Store Day Black Friday 2020
Today's Black Friday shopping will likely look a little different thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. But one thing will remain the same: Record Store Day's yearly event. It's been a packed year with RSD Drops in the months of August, September, and October. Now, they're going out with a bang. Labels big and small will release limited-edition vinyl with the collector in mind. Whether you're after new music from legends, reissues of sought-after recordings, or unreleased rarities from the vault,
Review: Pink Floyd, “Delicate Sound of Thunder”
Welcome to The Second Disc's first Holiday Gift Guide Review of the season! Between now and Christmas, we'll be spotlighting various titles that just might make ideal holiday gifts for the music lovers in your life. Watch this space for the upcoming launch of the full Holiday Gift Guide! Flying hospital beds, laser-eyed pigs, and fire. No, it's not a sci-fi flick, it's Pink Floyd. Long known for their spectacular blending of stage displays, props, and music, the band kicked it up a notch
Playing in the Band: Real Gone Music Announces “Blue Oyster Cult Live ’83” CD and Grateful Dead “Road Trips” Reissues
If you're like us at The Second Disc, you're probably yearning for the day that live music is allowed again. Plans have shifted and events have been postponed in these past eight months of lockdown, but one thing remains the same: the thrill of a concert. Real Gone Music is allowing listeners to go back in time with two exciting live albums due January 8, 2021. There's a set from Blue Oyster Cult recorded in 1983 (previously announced as a Record Store Day Black Friday vinyl release, now coming
Review: “Rock and Roll School For Girls” Celebrates New Wave Pioneers The Catholic Girls
A lost album, an unexpected resurgence, and a new, lovingly crafted compilation that reveals all their talents. Class is in session, and today's subject: The Catholic Girls. In the beginning of the '80s, The Catholic Girls cemented a place in rock history as one of the first all-female rock bands to land a major record deal. Comprised of principal songwriter Gail Petersen on guitar and vocals, Roxy Andersen on lead guitar, Joanne Holland on bass, and Doreen Holmes on drums, The Catholic
A SECOND DISC INTERVIEW: All I Need In Just A Song – Dave Mason Reflects on 50 Years With “Alone Together Again”
Magic was in the air in 1970 and it certainly reached Los Angeles' Sunset Sound, where Dave Mason, along with an array of new friends and some of the top session musicians around, recorded Alone Together. Though only 24 years old, Mason had plenty of experience under his belt. The multi-instrumentalist made a name for himself as part of Traffic, penning some of their best crossover material ("Hole in My Shoe," "Feelin' Alright?"). He also participated in sessions with The Rolling Stones
Some People Want It All: Vinyl Me, Please Announces Color Vinyl Reissue of “The Diary of Alicia Keys”
"Everything means nothing, if I ain't got you..." The refrain was inescapable in 2003, when Alicia Keys' instant classic "If I Ain't Got You" dominated the radio and reached a cross-section of audiences that had rarely been seen before. The track is a highlight among many on her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. The chart-topping, Grammy-winning album defied the concept of the sophomore slump. It stayed on the Billboard Albums listing for 88 weeks and has been certified 5x-Platinum
Spill The Wine: Rhino Reunites with Avenue Records, Announces Record Store Day Black Friday Reissue of WAR’s “Greatest Hits”
After ten years away, Avenue Records has reunited with Rhino Entertainment, bringing recordings from WAR, Eric Burdon, Jimmy Witherspoon, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Redbone, Circle Jerks, Funkadelics, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, and more back to the imprint of Warner Music. Central to the new worldwide deal are WAR's complete master recordings dating back decades, beginning with the band's first album Eric Burdon Declares "WAR" - which introduced listeners to the band's irresistible blend
UPDATE: General Retail Edition, Repressed Deluxe Edition of “Neil Young Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976” Confirmed for March 5
UPDATE 11/12/2020: It's been a long time since Neil Young released his last Archives box set. In the intervening 11 years since Neil released Archives, Volume 1: 1963-1972, fans have endlessly speculated what might be on Volume 2 - or if it might happen at all. As our readers probably know by now, Neil Young Archives, Volume 2: 1972-1976 is a go, with a limited-edition box set arriving next Friday, November 20. A digital edition will also be available on Neil Young Archives and all major digital
Review: Joan Armatrading’s Self-Titled Album Shines on Intervention’s Vinyl Reissue
Back in 2018, we wrote about an upcoming vinyl reissue of Joan Armatrading's self-titled album on Intervention Records. (It was actually your author's very first post on The Second Disc!) Intervention had been making a name for themselves as the new kid on the block of audiophile labels. This imprint has since become known for its attention to detail, commitment to superior audio, and deluxe presentations. We were no doubt thrilled to hear what was to come. Well, after a slight pause,
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