Had Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson written nothing but "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," the duo would have found their place in the musical pantheon assured. But the reality is that the husband-and-wife team also wrote such American pop standards as "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," "You're All I Need to Get By," "California Soul," and "Solid (As a Rock)." They were so prolific that even top-notch material was left on the shelf; Second Disc
Review: Solomon Burke, “The Best of Atlantic Soul 1962-1965”
When Solomon Burke died in 2010 at the age of 70, American song lost one of its most towering talents. With a figure as imposing as his deep voice, The King of Rock and Soul sat upon his throne for decades, spreading the gospel...not just the gospel of music, but the Gospel itself. Tapping into his roots in church music, jazz, blues, and country, Burke was one of the pioneering artists who bridged the gap between "R&B" and "soul," and he did it at Atlantic Records. Run Out Groove's new
If They Could See Me Now: Blixa Sounds Reissues Four Albums From Linda Clifford
May 1978 was certainly Linda Clifford's month. The Chicago songstress had taken to the top of the Billboard Disco chart - and wasn't about to let it go for five consecutive weeks. The bold reinvention of Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields' Sweet Charity showstopper "If My Friends Could See Me Now" established Clifford in the top tier of disco superstars, and now Blixa Sounds is revisiting that golden era. On Friday, the label will reissue four of Clifford's albums for Curtis Mayfield's Curtom
Her Music Is Hot: Cherry Red, Robinsongs Reissue Rare R&B from Lalomie Washburn
My Music Is Hot: Lalomie Washburn exuded confidence with the very title of her 1977 LP debut. With a husky voice entrenched in the spirit of the blues and a keen sense of herself as both a singer and songwriter, she seemed a prime candidate for soul stardom. While solo fame eluded Washburn, she left behind a great legacy of music that's gone overlooked for far too long. Happily, Cherry Red's Robinsongs label has just resuscitated My Music Is Hot for its first-ever CD version. This edition is
Review: Dennis Coffey, “One Night at Morey’s: 1968”
For guitarist Dennis Coffey, music was no mere day job. While plying his trade each day as a member of the Funk Brothers, laying down funky licks on some of Detroit's finest records, Coffey was spending his evenings at Morey Baker's Showplace Lounge as one-third of organist Lyman Woodard's instrumental trio. With Woodard and drummer Melvin Davis, Coffey treated patrons to sizzling renditions of the day's hits as well as original songs. One of the trio's 1968 sets was issued last year on
Piece of His Heart: “Bang: The Bert Berns Story” Arrives On DVD
BUY DVD NOW FROM OFFICIAL WEBSITEDuring his all-too-short lifetime, Bert Berns never received the kind of fame afforded many of his contemporaries on the New York music scene such as Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, or Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. Yet, across the pond, young men like Paul McCartney and Keith Richards were taking notice whenever they saw the Berns imprimatur on one of their favorite 45s. McCartney and Richards are just two of the luminaries who lined
Review: “Fab Gear: The British Beat Explosion and Its Aftershocks 1963-1967”
"Yesterday's Gone": the song by folk-pop duo Chad and Jeremy opens the first of the six discs comprising Cherry Red and RPM's new box set Fab Gear: The British Beat Explosion and Its Aftershocks 1963-1967. It's a most appropriate opener, as yesterday really was gone for an entire generation of artists swiftly rendered obsolete by the emergence of The Beatles. As the box eloquently explains, the Fab Four "in name, song, band structure, image, defined this new Beat music...Until 1967, when The
Run Out Groove Round-Up: Dr. John’s “Funknology” and Marshall Crenshaw’s Live “Thank You”
Today, we're looking at two of Run Out Groove's most recent releases! Now is also the time to order the label's next release: Vagabonds: Expanded Edition, from Gary Louris of The Jayhawks! Pre-orders close on June 7, so don't miss out, and don't forget to vote on ROG's next release. Will it be Luna's Lunafied, Fred Neil's Bleecker & MacDougal, or Billy Byrd's Lonesome Country Songs? Vote now! It's not called Funknology for nothing! Run Out Groove's recent release from Dr. John,
Baby, They’ve Got It! Ace Raids Motown Vaults for “More Motown Girls”
Back in 2013, Ace Records launched its first collection of Motown Girls, spotlighting previously unreleased tracks from the legendary ladies of Motown Records. A second installment arrived in 2015, and now, we're finally the recipient of a third volume in the series. The 24-song anthology Baby I've Got It! More Motown Girls boasts 16 previously unreleased tracks, with the remaining eight drawn from the Motown Unreleased compilations (all of which have been digital-only except for the one
Bewitching: Cherry Red Premieres 1968 Jazz-Soul Sessions from Joy Marshall and Gordon Beck Quartet
When New York-born, London-settled vocalist Joy Marshall died in November 1968, her obituaries unsurprisingly concentrated on the salacious aspects of her death, which in retrospect, seemed all but inevitable considering the fast lane in which she lived her life. But today, with decades having passed, one can more fairly evaluate Marshall's career solely on her art. Based on the upcoming release due May 18 from Cherry Red's Turtle imprint of When Sunny Gets Blue: Spring '68 Sessions from The
Review: Lou Johnson, “Sweet Southern Soul”
Brooklyn-born vocalist Lou Johnson was one of the most distinctive voices in 1960s soul. Hailing from a musically-inclined family, Johnson honed his vocal instrument in gospel choirs, in college, and with the group The Canjoes before signing to the Big Apple's Big Top label in 1962. At Big Top, his voice made Burt Bacharach and Hal David take notice, and the on-the-rise songwriting and production team was soon presenting him with top-drawer material like "If I Never Get to Love You," "Reach
The Second Disc’s 2018 Record Store Day Must-Haves
Welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year's Record Store Day event! Once you're through reading, let us know what you're most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent retailer! Our list features just a sampling of our favorites from our friends at Legacy Recordings, Varese Sarabande, Rhino Records, Real Gone Music, Demon Music Group, Walt Disney Records, Omnivore Recordings, and more! Joe's kicking things off with five essential picks (in
RECORD STORE DAY PREVIEW! Minky Records Uncovers Early ’70s Latino Soul from God’s Children; Wrecking Crew Featured
"All God's children got rhythm," went a popular standard performed by Judy Garland, Stan Getz, and many others. In the case of the East L.A. group called God's Children, that lyric certainly was true. Music is the Answer: The Complete Collection is the name of their first-ever long-playing release, available tomorrow from Minky Records on CD and this Saturday on limited edition brown vinyl for Record Store Day. This holy grail of Latino soul and Chicano rock presents their released sides plus
Love Is The Message: Cherry Red Collects MFSB’s “Definitive Collection”
MFSB - a.k.a. Mother, Father, Sister, Brother (or a rather more off-color series of four words, depending on whom you ask) - remains one of the all-time great aggregations of studio musicians, right up there with The Funk Brothers, The Wrecking Crew, and The Nashville Cats. The legacy of the Philadelphia International group has just been celebrated by Cherry Red's Robinsongs imprint on a new 2-CD, 32-track anthology entitled The Definitive Collection. The talented, versatile musicians at the
Review: Isaac Hayes, “Hot Buttered Soul,” “Shaft” and “Black Moses” Reissues
As a songwriter, producer, arranger, and session pianist, Isaac Hayes was a key architect in creating the sound of Memphis-based Stax Records. But few could have foreseen his dramatic ascendance to superstardom - a rise that began with his 1969 solo album Hot Buttered Soul. Now, that seminal record has returned to vinyl along with 1971's pair of Shaft and Black Moses from Craft Recordings. All three of these landmark LPs have been given the deluxe treatment in both packaging and
Review: Nina Simone, “Mood Indigo: The Complete Bethlehem Singles”
Listeners experiencing 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Nina Simone's debut recordings for the first time might be taken aback at the ferocity and determination which mark these fourteen sides, compiled for the first time in complete form on CD as Mood Indigo: The Complete Bethlehem Singles (BMG 538320282). Those qualities distinguished this remarkable artist throughout a long and fiery career, but were thrillingly present at her very first sessions. Pianist-singer Simone began her
This Time, Baby: BBR Reissues, Expands Jackie Moore’s Philly Disco Classic “I’m On My Way”
By the time Jackie Moore recorded the album entitled I'm On My Way, she certainly was. After early singles on the Shout and Wand labels, the Florida-born R&B vocalist had scored a success on the larger Atlantic Records with "Precious, Precious." The single, produced by southern soul veteran (and her cousin) Dave Crawford and co-written by the singer and producer, made it to No. 12 on the R&B chart and No. 30 Pop, and established Moore as a chart presence. Working with Crawford and his
Living Inside Your Love: SoulMusic Anthologizes Phyllis Hyman, Ruby Turner
Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint has recently delivered two more titles in its ongoing series of artist anthologies - this time dedicated to two "sophisticated ladies": Phyllis Hyman and Ruby Turner. When Phyllis Hyman took her own life on June 30, 1995, one of the era's most potent, poignant voices was silenced. A singer as well as a Tony Award-nominated actress, Hyman left behind a small but significant discography of eight studio albums, which has since been bolstered by posthumous
Shake Your Body: “The John Luongo Disco Mixes” Features Jacksons, Mathis, Labelle, Sly Stone, and More
Can You Feel the Force? asks the title of Groove Line Records' new compilation of The John Luongo Disco Mixes. The force is undeniable on this 2-CD, 21-track selection of some of the finest floor-fillers crafted by the Boston DJ-turned-pioneering disco mix master. Luongo had a vision for disco that extended beyond the expected; hence, this dynamite set mostly drawn from the Sony vaults features an eclectic array of artists from the realms of R&B (The Jacksons. Gladys Knight and the Pips,
Holiday Gift Guide Review: “The Stax Vinyl 7s Box”
When it comes to Stax Records' 60th anniversary celebration, why should CDs have all the fun? The vinyl release of The Stax Vinyl 7s Box from Concord and UMC (STX 00252) brings fourteen rare tracks from across the Stax family of labels to seven 45 RPM singles, all emblazoned with the familiar yellow, finger-snapping logo. Compiler Richard Searling's raison d'etre is a simple one, as he sets forth in the liner notes: "I've selected the content based on my experience of featuring these songs in
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Isaac Hayes, “The Spirit of Memphis 1962-1976”
From its humble beginnings in a Memphis garage sixty years ago to its present-day role as part of the Concord Music Group, Stax Records has persevered through numerous ups and downs to be rightfully recognized as one of the most important labels of the 20th century. After early records concentrated on pop, country, and rockabilly, Stax (so named for founders Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton) found its niche in R&B, launching the careers of soul legends like Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Sam &
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Johnny Mathis, “The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection”
I. Wonderful, Wonderful "A new sound in popular music," heralded the back cover of Johnny Mathis' 1956 debut album. That self-titled release on Columbia Records introduced a voice that's now instantly familiar: expressive, rich, creamy, seductive, and tender, with a clarion, controlled vibrato that set it apart from any other tone in the golden age of American song. As Columbia's George Avakian realized, Mathis' natural instrument was perfect for jazz - capable of navigating the form's
Review: “Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track” [Super Deluxe Box Set]
![Review: “Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track” [Super Deluxe Box Set]](https://i1.wp.com/theseconddisc.com/wp-content/uploads/Saturday-Night-Fever-OST.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1)
Listen to the ground...there is movement all around... Saturday Night Fever didn't invent disco...but in many ways, it epitomized the genre. With the December 1977 release of the John Badham-directed drama and its soundtrack album, the onetime underground dance movement which had been rising to the mainstream since at least 1974 became the mainstream. Disco's alluring blend of the gritty and the glamorous gained a face in the form of John Travolta, whose tough yet tender Tony Manero of Bay
Smiling Faces: Ace Brings Three Motown Classics From Undisputed Truth to CD
Had you crossed The 5th Dimension with Sly and the Family and Stone, the result might well have sounded like The Undisputed Truth. Assembled in 1971 by Motown veteran and "psychedelic soul" pioneer Norman Whitfield, The Undisputed Truth (a.k.a. Joe Harris, Billy Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce Evans) scored a hit off their first LP with the hauntingly ominous "Smiling Faces Sometimes." Enduring personnel changes, the group went on to record six LPs in all for Motown's Gordy imprint before moving
Party Is a Groovy Thing: People’s Choice Philly Soul and Funk Collected by BBR
Philadelphia International Records, home of The Sound of Philadelphia, wasn't always the most hospitable label for bands. After all, the label's "house band" MFSB featured some of the finest musicians anywhere, so self-contained units such as Instant Funk, Force of Nature, or even the venerable Soul Survivors inevitably played second fiddle to the vocal groups supported so deftly by MFSB. But of all the Philly International bands, one rose above the rest. People's Choice scored an R&B
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