On Saturday, April 18, record buyers everywhere will descend upon independent shops to seek out a variety of limited-edition vinyl LPs on Record Store Day. Happily, Rhino is continuing its recent tradition of releasing a select number of its RSD titles in the CD format, as well. One day earlier, on April 17, the label will release the double-disc expansion of a-ha’s Analogue (read all about it here!) as well as Todd Rundgren’s Runt Live: The Necessary Cosmic Frenzy and John Prine’s BBC Sessions on CD. Runt Live: The Necessary Cosmic Frenzy…
Review: Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and The Mothers, “Bongo Fury: 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition”
The earliest known recordings of Frank Zappa and Don Van Vliet, a.k.a. Captain Beefheart, are one in the same. The pair’s “Lost in a Whirlpool,” recorded at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California circa 1958, is hardly auspicious but points the way towards the future musical activities of both men: Zappa, for its humorous lyrics (“about a person who was…skindiving in the San Diego sewer system, and talking about encountering brown, blind fish…It was kind of like the Cousteau expedition of its era,” per Zappa in 1989) and Beefheart, for its blues…
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Apogee: Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson Revisit “Under Wraps” and “Walk Into Light” on New Box Set
The latest in the long-running series of Jethro Tull hardcover book-style sets features not one, but two albums – including an Ian Anderson solo set. Under Wraps: The Unwrapped Edition, due May 15 from Chrysalis, explores both Tull’s Under Wraps (1984) and Anderson’s debut as a solo artist, Walk Into Light (1983), via the kind of comprehensive presentation that fans of the series have learned to expect. The impetus for bringing the albums together is their shared sound. Both albums deviated from the folk-rooted “classic rock” sound of the ‘70s to embrace…
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Happy Day: Book of Love’s Debut Turns 40, Receives New Vinyl Pressing from Rhino
Who wrote the Book of Love? On June 26, Rhino will revisit the debut from synth-pop pioneers Book of Love in a new 40th anniversary vinyl edition of their self-titled album which first hit stores on April 1, 1986. (No fooling!) The Philadelphia-formed, New York-based band – lead vocalist Susan Ottaviano and keyboardists/backing vocalists Ted Ottaviano (believe it or not, no relation!), Jade Lee, and Lauren Roselli (later Johnson) – shattered taboos with their frank songs about LGBTQ+ and outsider youths, set to throbbing electronic beats. Their debut LP, produced by Ivan…
All I Want: a-ha Expand ‘Analogue’ for Its 20th Anniversary
The eighth album by Norwegian trio a-ha – the late-period triumph Analogue – is the band’s latest to be expanded and reissued by Rhino this spring. Released for its 20th anniversary, the new Analogue package includes the newly remastered album alongside a B-side and three single mixes as well as a 17-track bonus disc of mostly previously unreleased demos and alternative versions of every track on the LP plus more. It’s available as a 2CD set on April 17, with a 2LP version available a day later as a Record Store Day exclusive. a-ha…
‘I Want You,’ Too: Marvin Gaye’s Classic Gets Vinyl Reissues
When Marvin Gaye released his thirteenth studio album, I Want You, in March 1976, it had been roughly 2-1/2 years since his last solo studio album. Motown passed the time with various other Gaye releases: the Diana Ross duet set Diana and Marvin, a triple-LP Anthology, and a live album, but Gaye’s latest original work would be hotly anticipated. The label itself was at a crossroads; Four Tops and Martha Reeves had left the roster and The Jackson 5 were on the cusp of doing so. The sound of soul music was…
Short Takes: New Albums Coming Soon from McCartney, Manilow, Nelson, and Frampton
A host of TSD’s favorite artists have all announced new albums in recent days, culminating in today’s announcement from Paul McCartney. We thought we’d round up a few of these upcoming titles in today’s Short Takes! May 29 will see the release of Paul McCartney’s first studio album since 2020’s McCartney III. Macca previewed The Boys of Dungeon Lane with the new single “Days We Left Behind.” The intimate ballad was described by its composer in the press release as “very much a memory song for me. The album title, The Boys…
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Hello! “The Book of Mormon” Gets 15th Anniversary CD, LP Reissue
Fifteen years ago this morning, the cast of Broadway’s The Book of Mormon was celebrating its opening on Broadway and basking in the glowing reviews. The show continues today at its original home, The Eugene O’Neill Theatre. As part of the anniversary celebration, Rhino is releasing a new edition of the original cast album on June 26 on both CD and LP. The Book of Mormon was conceived by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. They joined with Robert Lopez (who had written songs for the musical Avenue Q and would go on to co-write the songs…
Made For These Times: The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” Revisited in Multiple Formats for 60th Anniversary
Beach Boys Week continues here at The Second Disc with news of the upcoming Pet Sounds 60 titles! Click here to read Part One of our review of the band’s We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years box set. “I figure no one is educated musically ‘til they’ve heard [Pet Sounds],” Paul McCartney once said of The Beach Boys’ classic, released nearly 60 years ago on May 16, 1966. George Martin concurred: “Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn’t have happened.” Brian Wilson poured his musical heart into the album’s thirteen tracks; in less than thirty-five…
You Still Look Good to Me: Neil Diamond Revives Rick Rubin Collaboration with New Album “Wild at Heart”
A new album from Neil Diamond is on the horizon…and we think it’s going to be so good, so good, so good! The superstar singer-songwriter has just announced a new album: Wild at Heart, due out on May 8 from Capitol Records and UMe. The ten-track album is composed of outtakes recorded with producer Rick Rubin in 2007 for the Home Before Dark album (which was released the next year). Diamond has recently completed the tracks for this release. Diamond and Rubin – whose production credits at the time already encompassed Johnny Cash,…
We Bid You Goodnight: Mondo Reissues “The Grateful Dead Movie” Soundtrack on Massive Vinyl Box
By 1974, the members of Grateful Dead had grown tired of the touring grind as well as of the difficulties brought on by the massive Wall of Sound system. The band’s October 1974 hometown shows at San Francisco’s Winterland culminating in the October 20, 1974 performance known as “The Last One.” And indeed it was, in a sense, as the Dead didn’t return to regular touring for roughly eighteen months. The band hit on the idea of filming the Winterland shows so, in essence, if they weren’t touring, the concert still could. …
Pop Is (Not) Dead: Omnivore Celebrates The Knack With New Collection
Get The Knack! On May 8, Omnivore Recordings will reignite its longtime series of Knack collections with Knackology: The Zen Recordings, a 19-song collection from the archives of the label founded by the band’s main songwriter and lead singer, the late Doug Fieger. The set boasts demos, live recordings, and studio rarities from the band that’s so much more than just “My Sharona” and “Good Girls Don’t.” Knackology rounds up demos from Fieger and Berton Averre – the pair began collaborating in 1973, six years before the release on Capitol Records of…
Working Day and Night: Michael Jackson Biopic Yields New Compilation
Friday, April 24 sees the release in theatres everywhere of Michael, director Antoine Fuqua’s biopic-slash-celebration of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Epic Records and Legacy Recordings are marking the occasion with the release the same day of Michael: Songs from the Motion Picture, a straightforward, 13-song soundtrack drawing on the period between The Jackson 5’s Motown debut and Jackson’s triumphant Bad (1987). Filling the superstar’s shoes is his nephew (and son of brother Jermaine) Jaafar Jackson, who reportedly will do some of his own singing in the film. Despite that,…
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OUT TOMORROW! TSD, Cherry Red Collect Leon Russell’s Paradise Recordings on New Box Set
‘Wedding Album’ was a gloriously upbeat slab of Southern soul where [Leon & Mary Russell’s] voices blended seamlessly…His own ‘Americana’ (1978) was partly co-written with Kim Fowley, swung with the aid of Chicago’s brass section; dismissed at the time, it’s aged nobly. At the very moment Mary’s self-produced, Leon-arranged ‘Heart of Fire’ undeservedly slipped by unnoticed, his ‘Life and Love’ (1979) added electronic drums and introspective songwriting…[Leon & New Grass Revival’s] accurately-titled, covers-heavy ‘The Live Album’ (1981) concluded Paradise with startling verve. Four stars. – MOJO, April 2026 A great collection of…
Take It To The Limit: Eagles Remix, Reissue “One Of These Nights” On New Box Set with Previously Unreleased Concert
With the release of their fourth studio album, 1975’s One of These Nights, Eagles notched a number of firsts: their first No. 1 album, their first to yield three top ten singles, and their first Grammy Award. One of those singles also went to No. 1. When all was said and done, One of These Nights sold four million copies and transformed the band into international superstars – even though it proved to be the swansong for original member Bernie Leadon. On May 1, Rhino will revisit One of These Nights in…
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Dancing on the Ceiling: Verve Premieres Long-Lost Oscar Peterson Live Album
Eight-time Grammy-winning, Montreal-born pianist Oscar Peterson (1925-2007) recorded prolifically over the years, releasing studio and live albums throughout his lifetime on the Mercury, Verve, MPS, Prestige, Pablo, and Telarc labels, among others. On April 17, Verve will add a new title to his already voluminous discography with the debut of The Oscar Peterson Trio At Baker’s Keyboard Lounge on CD, LP, and digital formats. Renowned Detroit venue Baker’s Keyboard Lounge celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2024 and is still going strong today as the United States’ longest continually operating jazz club. But…
In Memoriam: Neil Sedaka (1939-2026)
In a wide-ranging 2022 interview with MS NOW, Neil Sedaka reflected on his Brooklyn upbringing (“Carole King, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand lived across the street…I think there was something in the egg cream!”) and the legacy of music he’d created (“I think the songs will outlive me, so it’s a form of immortality…That’s [what] I’m most proud of.”) The singer-songwriter passed away last week at the age of 86 but not before notching 33 hit singles on the Billboard pop chart as an artist (including nine top ten entries, three of which…
Tell Me Something Good: Ace’s Songwriter Series Honors a Legend on ‘Black America Sings Stevie Wonder’
Ace’s Songwriter Series and Black America Sings compilations always promise a good time, but their latest may have outdone them all: a hits and rarities packed tribute to the songs, sound and style of Stevie Wonder. Black America Sings Stevie Wonder, available March 27, collects 20 compositions by the Motown legend from across the pop and soul diaspora. From familiar tracks in less familiar versions to songs he gave others both on and off the label he was part of for more than half a century, there’s quite a bit to appreciate here,…
The Story Behind The Album: The New Christy Minstrels’ ‘In Person: Expanded Edition’
Last Friday, Legacy Recordings unveiled a special treat for fans of The New Christy Minstrels, the bestselling, Grammy-winning large folk ensemble. The sparkling, new digital edition of 1962’s In Person (Apple / Amazon) expands the Christies’ second album with seven bonus tracks including previously unreleased performances from the legendary Troubadour stage. As no physical release is planned for the expansion of In Person, some listeners and longtime fans may fear that they’re missing out on crucial context. Team TSD has you covered! Folk historian/reissue producer/curator Tom Pickles has generously shared his previously unpublished liner…
Feeling Good: Michael Bublé Celebrates 20 Years of “Caught in the Act” with Expanded Edition
Michael Bublé supported his 2005 multi-platinum album It’s Time with an international tour that saw him make two stops, in August, at Los Angeles’ Wiltern Theatre. Those concerts formed the basis of his concert album released later that year, Live! Caught in the Act. The original release consisted of a concert film on DVD and an audio sampler with eight songs on CD. Now, for its 20th anniversary, Live! Caught in the Act is being reissued as a 2CD set (also available digitally) with the complete concert in audio form. It’s due…
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You Promised Me The Love: Cherry Red Collects Hazell Dean’s “The Decca Years”
Late last year, Cherry Red continued its series of reissues from Hi-NRG queen Hazell Dean with a trip back to the Essex-born singer’s earliest days. The Decca Years, from the Strike Force Entertainment imprint, rounds up a dozen single sides originally released on the Decca label between 1975 and 1978, while a quartet of bonus tracks round up four ‘80s rarities. While Dean’s career took off with such dance-pop hits as “Searchin’ (I Gotta Find a Man),” “Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go),” and “Who’s Leaving Who,” she admits in a new…
“Once In a Lifetime: A Sammy Davis, Jr. Centennial Celebration” Returns to 54 Below
He was an American original…He was one of the last great exponents of a disappearing art. He told me once, ‘The world doesn’t owe me anything, because I did it myself.’ – Tony Bennett [Sammy] literally could do everything and he just looked so good…I could only tap. – Gregory Hines I wish the world could have known Sam as I did. Sam never gave less than 100% when he was on stage, and he gave even more to those of us lucky enough to call him friend…It was a generous God who gave…
As It Began: ‘Queen II’ to Be Remixed, Expanded in New Box
Following a similar remixed and expanded box set for their debut album in 2024, Queen will give the deluxe treatment to their second album, 1974’s aptly titled Queen II. Available March 27, the reissue arrives in multiple formats, all of which are centered around a new mix of the album by engineers and longtime archival overseers Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J. McRae and Kris Frederiksen. The biggest version is a 5CD/2LP box set that adds two discs of mostly unreleased studio material (including session takes, B-sides and backing tracks) along with two discs…
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Release Round-Up: Week of February 20
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (RCA/Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (black): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (translucent orange/yellow): Amazon U.S. 2LP (marbled red): Graceland Baz Luhrmann, the director of 2022’s blockbuster biopic ELVIS, uncovered scores of film outtakes of The King during production, including footage filmed for the concert/documentary films That’s the Way It Is and Elvis on Tour and audio of Presley describing his life and career. EPiC: Elvis Presley in…
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Won’t Cry for Yesterday: Duran Duran’s Mid-’90s Albums Re-Appear on Vinyl for the First Time in Decades
Ever since EMI – yes, before their assets were divided between Universal and Warner Music Groups – expanded the Duran Duran catalogue with deluxe reissues in 2009 and 2010, fans have hoped that the shepherd of their most prominent major label material (now Parlophone, through Warner) would complete the campaign with reissues of the band’s last three albums originally released through Parlophone/Capitol. That day has finally (sort of) come with long-requested vinyl editions of two of those mid-’90s albums. Parlophone will reissue 1993’s Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) and 1995 follow-up Thank You as…
