Fans of John Williams' soundtracks for the films of Steven Spielberg have plenty of reasons to phone home lately, thanks to La-La Land Records! The film score label this month issued two expansions of Spielberg-Williams scores - one making its vinyl debut, the other on CD - and there's more yet to come. Longtime readers of The Second Disc no doubt know our love for E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (founder Mike Duquette's all-time favorite film). Spielberg's blockbuster about the tender friendship
Release Round-Up: Week of September 28
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Tom Petty, An American Treasure (Reprise) 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada This career-spanning retrospective of rare and previously unreleased material from the late Tom Petty arrives on Reprise Records. The aptly-titled An American Treasure will be the first posthumous collection of Petty material, and it should prove a vital
Another Little Piece Of My Heart: Unreleased Big Brother Demos Abound on 'Sex, Dope and Cheap Thrills'
Adorned with a Robert Crumb cover, Big Brother and The Holding Company's 1968 album Cheap Thrills marked the end of an era for the band. It was Big Brother's second and final album with lead singer Janis Joplin, whose incendiary talents were simply too big for any one band. Cheap Thrills, produced by John Simon, remains a touchstone for pulse-pounding blues-rock. Lead guitarist Sam Andrew, guitarist James Gurley, bassist Peter Albin, and drummer David Getz unleashed one of the most
Release Round-Up: Week of September 14
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Doors, Waiting for the Sun: 50th Anniversary Edition (Elektra/Rhino) (Amazon U.S./ Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Doors' Waiting for the Sun, featuring the hit "Hello, I Love You," is turning 50 with a new box set. This 2-CD/1-LP box features Bruce Botnick's remastered version of the original stereo mix on both CD and 180-gram vinyl, plus a disc of 14 previously unreleased tracks including nine rough mixes and five live performances from
Come and Get It: Real Gone Expands Badfinger's Two Warner Bros. Albums in November
Real Gone Music is taking a bite of the apple, er, Apple, this fall with a special pair of newly remastered and generously expanded reissues from Badfinger. The band's two underrated Warner Bros. albums are getting the deluxe treatment from the label on November 2. Following five albums for The Beatles' Apple label (including one as The Iveys in 1969), the hitmaking band behind "Come and Get It" and "Day After Day" decamped their fab home for the Warner Bros. label. The quartet of Pete Ham,
Things Can Only Get Better: Deluxe Howard Jones Box Sets Due In November
Cherry Red Records has a pair of treats for fans of English singer-songwriter and '80s synthpop hero Howard Jones. On November 30, the label will expand and remaster Jones' chart-topping debut album Human's Lib and its follow-up, Dream Into Action. Originally issued in March 1984, Human's Lib rocketed into the U.K. Album Chart at No. 1 with sales of over 100,000 units in the first week alone. The double platinum smash spent a total of 57 weeks on the British chart, and yielded four top 20
Release Round-Up: Week of September 7
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Led Zeppelin, The Song Remains the Same [Various Formats] (Atlantic/Swan Song) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Blu-ray Audio: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/4LP/2DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham took the famous stage at New York's Madison Square Garden on July 27-29, 1973 for the concerts
Turn You Inside Out: R.E.M. Collect BBC Recordings for 8CD/1DVD Box
R.E.M.'s relationship with the BBC was a long and fruitful one, and on October 19, Craft Recordings will celebrate their joint musical journey with a new retrospective release. R.E.M. at the BBC will be available as a super deluxe 8CD/1DVD box set as well as in 2-CD and 2-LP formats. The collections have been curated from the archives of both the band and the BBC, and boast rare and previously unreleased live and studio recordings spanning 1984-2008. The in-studio recordings featured on the
Soul and Inspiration: Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music Continue Johnny Mathis Series with Expanded "The First Time," "Song Sung Blue," and "Me and Mrs. Jones"
Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are proud to continue the journey through the catalogue of the legendary Voice of Romance, Johnny Mathis, on October 7 with the two latest additions to our ongoing series. First up is an expanded 2-CD release comprising both of the artist's classic albums originally released in 1972: The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) and Song Sung Blue. These teamed Mathis with renowned producer Jerry Fuller (Gary Puckett and The Union Gap, The Knickerbockers, Mark
Just One Lifetime: Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music Expand Melissa Manchester's "Mathematics" to 2 CDs
Melissa Manchester announced her independence from Arista Records when she signed to MCA Records after nearly a decade with Clive Davis' famous label. At Arista, Manchester had established herself as one of the finest singer-songwriters of her era (or any other!) as well as a first-class pop interpreter. At MCA, she reinvented herself further by jumping headfirst into the world of dance-oriented synthpop, Hi-NRG, and new wave. 1985's Mathematics bore the period's hallmark of multiple big-name
Cool Summer: Six Bananarama Albums Expanded On London Label
She's got it...yeah, baby, she's got it! The first six albums by the beloved girl group Bananarama have recently been reissued in expanded editions from London Music Stream Limited. These albums - Deep Sea Skiving (1983), Bananarama (1984), True Confessions (1986), Wow! (1987), Pop Life (1991), and Please Yourself (1993) - represent the first decade of the band, spanning 1983-1993 and including such hits as "Shy Boy," "Cruel Summer," "More Than Physical," "I Heard a Rumour," and of course,
Anyone Who Had a Heart: Dionne Warwick Saluted on Public Television, New Rarities-Packed CDs, More
From the moment she burst onto the music scene in 1962 exhorting "Don't Make Me Over," Dionne Warwick has been a musical force with which to be reckoned. The legendary singer blended elegant pop and deeply-felt soul in a fashion which remains unrivaled today for its sophistication and polish; her signature songs like "Walk On By," "I Say a Little Prayer," "Alfie," and "I'll Never Love This Way Again" have all become cornerstones of the new American songbook. Dionne's remarkable life and
Release Round-Up: Week of August 17
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Neil Diamond, Hot August Night III (Capitol) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Neil Diamond's August 2012 concerts at Los Angeles' Greek Theater marking the 40th anniversary of the original Hot August Night are captured on this new live release which also follows 1987's Hot August Night II and 2009's Hot August Night/NYC (with
Run Out Groove Gets "Revolting" With Its Next Limited Vinyl Release
Run Out Groove has announced its next limited-release, fan-voted LP...and it's positively Revolting! Fans have voted Revolting Cocks' 1993 album Linger Ficken' Good...And Other Barnyard Oddities to be the next official limited and numbered Run Out Groove release. The industrial rock supergroup had its origins as a side project from Richard 23 of Front 242, Belgian artist Luc van Acker, and Ministry's Al Jourgenson. Linger Ficken' Good...And Other Barnyard Oddities returns to vinyl after a
Release Round-Up: Week of August 3
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Ben Folds, Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1996-2012 (Edsel) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The 13-CD box Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1996-2012 brings together nearly all of Folds' core studio albums together with a live album and various other odds and ends. It traces his career from the first Ben Five Folds record through his solo recordings to the Five's reunion album in 2012, for a total of 194 tracks! And yes - it's shaped
Just Can't Get Enough: Depeche Mode Initiate 12" Singles Box Set Series
Later this month, Depeche Mode will launch a series of box sets collecting the band's 12-inch singles. On August 31, the first two boxes, Speak & Spell and A Broken Frame, will be released. All audio in this series has been newly remastered from the original tapes and cut at Abbey Road Studios. The first box, Speak & Spell: The 12" Singles, collects all of the singles around the era of the British electronic band's 1981 debut Speak & Spell. It kicks off with a replica of the
Love Kills: Joe Strummer's Solo Material Highlighted In New Collection
When it comes to Joe Strummer, 001 is the number to watch. That's the name of the upcoming box set that shines a deserved light on the late Clash frontman's work outside of his famous band - solo, with former bandmate Mick Jones, and with his 101ers and The Mescaleros. 001 arrives on September 28 from Ignition Records in an array of formats, including 2CD, 2CD Deluxe, 4LP, and a 2CD/4LP/7"/Cassette Super Deluxe edition. The first CD of 001 compiles 20 eclectic, previously released sides
Release Round-Up: Week of July 27
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Bob Dylan, Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances from the Copyright Collections (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The new 2-CD set Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances from the Copyright Collections draws on Dylan's previously issued limited edition "copyright extension" collections to offer a sampler of Dylan onstage, from a pair of songs recorded on April 16, 1962 at Gerdes Folk City in New York ("Blowin' in the Wind" and
Release Round-Up: Week of July 20
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Cilla Black, Surround Yourself with Cilla/It Makes Me Feel Good [Expanded Edition] (Cherry Red/SFE) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Cherry Red celebrates the late, great Cilla Black with a new reissue campaign. The first 2-CD set pairs 1969's George Martin-produced Surround Yourself with Cilla with 1976's It Makes Me Feel Good, produced by David Mackay (Cliff Richard, Blue Mink, The New Seekers). 22 bonus tracks (13 new to CD) are
Don't Say You Don't, Please Say You Do: Morrissey Releases New Compilation
While Morrissey has recently cancelled another round of live shows originally scheduled for the U.K. and Europe, the English singer has released This is Morrissey, a new, budget-priced 12-track collection of studio and live tracks. The compilation will arrive on August 31 on vinyl with one additional bonus track. This is Morrissey, sporting a retro-style jacket, goes back to the artist's 1988 solo debut Viva Hate for "Everyday is Like Sunday" and continues with selections from 1991's Kill
OUT TOMORROW! Bobby Darin's "Go Ahead and Back Up: The Lost Motown Masters" Arrives From Second Disc and Real Gone!
Are you ready to hear Bobby Darin like you've never heard him before? The musical superstar joined Motown Records in 1970, inaugurating the final phase in a remarkable career that saw him transform from a rock-and-roll teen idol to a sophisticated swinger to a socially conscious folkie. Yet before his tragic death at the age of 37 in 1973, Darin only released one album and a handful of singles for Berry Gordy's legendary label. A few posthumous recordings followed in 1974 and a live album in
Thinkin' of a Master Plan: Eric B. & Rakim Discography Compiled In Vinyl/CD Box Set
UMe is revisiting the catalogue of influential hip-hop act Eric B. and Rakim with the July 13 release of a new box set. The Complete Collection 1987-1992, on 8 LPs and 2 CDs, brings together all four of the duo's classic albums (on the 4th & Broadway, Uni, and MCA labels) on eight vinyl LPs plus two CDs of remixes. Eric B. (Eric Barrier) was the DJ of the duo, and Rakim (William Griffin Jr., later Rakim Allah) the MC. Eric B.'s love of James Brown inspired a reassessment of The Godfather
Release Round-Up: Week of July 6
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Beatles, Yellow Submarine [7-Inch Single] (Capitol/Apple/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine" b/w "Eleanor Rigby" returns to 7-inch vinyl as a picture disc single to mark the 50th anniversary of the animated film classic. It will be housed in a die-cut card sleeve. Read more here. Judy Garland, I Can't Give You Anything But Love 1938-1961 (Jasmine) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon
Release Round-Up: Week of June 29
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Supremes, Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland: Expanded Edition (Motown/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Supremes' smash 1967 album featuring "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" gets a must-have 2-CD deluxe treatment, including the original mono and stereo albums, rarities, outtakes, remixes, and a live set from The Copacabana in 1967 featuring one of the last joint performances of Diana Ross, Mary
Release Round-Up: Week of June 22
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Cure, Mixed Up: Deluxe Edition (Universal (U.K.)/Elektra/Rhino (U.S.)) 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Mixed Up 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Torn Down 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Postponed from last week: The Cure revisits its 1990 remix album as a 3-CD deluxe edition. The first disc of the new set contains the original Mixed Up album,