You Say You Want a Revolution Following the enormous, worldwide success of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles wouldn't have been faulted had they re-entered Abbey Road Studios and created another album of robustly melodic, lavishly orchestrated songs of whimsy and wonder. But Messrs. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr weren't interested in repeating themselves. When The Beatles arrived on November 22, 1968, roughly one and one-half years after Pepper, one didn't even
Release Round-Up: Week of November 9
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Andre Kostelanetz and His Orchestra, The Complete Christmas Albums (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This comprehensive 2-CD, 43-track set from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music features all three of the legendary conductor's classic Columbia Christmas LPs - Joy to the World: The Music of Christmas (1959), Wonderland of Christmas (1963), and Wishing You a Merry Christmas (1965), on which he was joined by
Review: John Lennon, “Imagine: The Ultimate Collection”
You May Say I'm a Dreamer Much like the artist who created it, John Lennon's Imagine has always been an album of contradictions. While its dreamy, idealized title track has become an anthem for generations, the same LP veers from heartbreaking vulnerability ("Jealous Guy") and expressions of romance ("Oh My Love," "Oh Yoko!") to a withering, personal jab at a friend ("How Do You Sleep") to powerfully pointed social commentary ("Crippled Inside," "I Don't Wanna Be a Soldier Mama I Don't Wanna
Through A Glass Onion: The Second Disc Hears Selections From The Beatles’ “White Album” Box
NEW YORK, NY - "We live in a perfect world of [these] anodyne, Instagrammed, perfect photographs, in-tune music, and everything in time, and The Beatles weren't that. The Beatles had a heartbeat to them, and the story of 'The White Album' is the story of that heartbeat, if you'd like." Last Wednesday morning, September 26, Giles Martin was holding court for an audience of about 70 at New York's famed Record Plant. The subject was, of course, the legendary 1968 double-LP formally named The
Say It’s Your Birthday: The Beatles Mark 50 Years of The White Album with Deluxe Reissue
It's officially named for the band that created it, but to listeners around the world, the 1968 double-album will forever be known as The White Album. Its sprawling, eclectic lineup of 30 tracks showcased every side of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, and cast its musical net wider from the baroque pop majesty of Sgt. Pepper's to a heavier celebration of all things, and all sounds, rock-and-roll. Just a few of its classic songs include "Back in the USSR," "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da," "While My Guitar
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
Review: The Band, “Music from Big Pink: 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition”
The house on Parnassus Lane, formerly Stoll Road, in West Saugerties, New York might be one of rock and roll's least likely landmarks, with its unassuming residential façade distinguished only by its pink siding. But the colorful house bore witness to the birth of some of the greatest songs in American pop history when Bob Dylan and his band - soon to be The Band - recorded "The Basement Tapes" there. When Capitol Records subsequently signed Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Rick
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
My Precious: Rhino Reissues ‘Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers’ Box Set on CD, Blu-ray, Vinyl
Rhino is taking another journey to Middle-earth this Friday, July 27, with the reissue of the second soundtrack from director Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - The Complete Recordings, composed and conducted by Academy Award winner Howard Shore, follows the reissue earlier this year of the Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack. Like that set it will be available in two deluxe physical formats: a 5-LP vinyl box set and a 3-CD/1-Blu-ray Audio
Back to Big Pink: The Band’s “Music from Big Pink” Turns 50, Goes Super Deluxe
The Band is returning to Big Pink for its 50th anniversary. On August 31, Capitol/UMe will reissue the seminal Music from Big Pink on CD, 2-LP vinyl, digital, and in a CD/BD/2-LP/1-7 inch single Super Deluxe Edition. Though few groups would have had the audacity to name themselves The Band, that's exactly what Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel did. Big Pink was the album where the former Hawks (and former Bob Dylan backing band) crystallized the
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
The Sun in Your Eyes: Real Gone’s August Slate to Include Alan Parsons Project, Merry Clayton, Monk Higgins, More
Real Gone Music has just announced its slate for August, and the reissues are in a variety of genres and formats, all due on August 3. First up is a standalone release of the Blu-ray Audio edition of The Alan Parsons Project's 1982 hit album Eye in the Sky. The Project's sixth album (and fifth on Arista Records) employed a variety of musical styles within a radio-friendly soft-rock framework to address typically lofty themes. This Blu-ray reissue boasts a high-resolution stereo version of
Whole Lotta Love: Led Zeppelin’s “The Song Remains the Same” Gets Super Deluxe Treatment in September
The next Super Deluxe box set from Led Zeppelin was officially announced early this morning. 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 that were captured in the film The Song Remains the Same. Now that film's soundtrack, produced by Page and originally released on Swan Song in 1976, is getting the lavish reissue treatment on September 7. The Song Remains the Same follows the
Release Round-Up: Week of April 6
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, and one of the biggest Release Fridays of the year to date! Chicago, VI Decades Live: This is What We Do (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Chicago celebrates 50 years on the road with this expansive new box set featuring 4 CDs and 1 DVD of previously unreleased live music recorded between 1969 and 2014. This set includes two complete concerts - The Isle of Wight, 1970 on CD and a Rockpalast broadcast from Germany in 1977 on
Release Round-Up: Week of March 23
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Miles Davis and John Coltrane, The Final Tour: Bootleg Series Vol. 6 (Columbia/Legacy) 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Copenhagen LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada This latest volume of Miles Davis' Bootleg Series brings together five performances by Davis and John Coltrane recorded during the Spring 1960 Jazz at the Philharmonic European Tour, Coltrane's final such outing as a sideman: two shows from Paris's
To Rule Them All: Inaugural ‘Lord of The Rings’ Score Gets Vinyl, Blu-ray Reissue
From the gentlest ranges of The Shire to the highest point of Mount Doom, Peter Jackson's epic three-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of The Rings books is the kind of one-in-a-million success that you couldn't dare to imagine. Nearly 20 years after the inaugural film in the series, The Fellowship of The Ring, was released to theaters, Rhino Records is bringing back a crucial archival portion of LoTR lore on April 6: a generously expanded edition of Howard Shore's acclaimed,
Going to California: Led Zeppelin Goes Super Deluxe with “How the West Was Won”
Fifteen years ago, Led Zeppelin issued How the West Was Won, premiering performances from the band's June 25 and 27, 1972 concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena. Now, those seminal tracks have been newly remastered under the supervision of Jimmy Page for a surprise addition to the band's Super Deluxe library - as well as in a variety of formats, all of which are due from Atlantic/Swan Song on March 23 including the first-ever Blu-ray Audio and vinyl editions. The remastered How
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Eagles, “Hotel California” [3CD/1BD Box Set]
Everything about Hotel California, the late-1976 album by Eagles, was larger than life - beginning with the epic title track. Upon its release, its stature grew as mighty as the music within its grooves. It yielded two U.S. No. 1 singles, was certified platinum within a week of release, and sold over 17 million copies in the U.S. alone as of 2013 - a number that grew to over 32 million worldwide, and counting. Over forty years after its initial release, the most famous Eagles album has
Such a Lovely Place: Rhino Expands Eagles’ “Hotel California” In November
The doors to the Hotel California are opening anew. On November 24, Rhino will deliver a new 2-CD/1-Blu-ray Audio set of the 1976 Eagles classic that includes the remastered album, ten previously unreleased live recordings, as well as hi-res stereo and 5.1 mixes. Hotel California: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is housed in an 11x11 hardbound book offering rare and unseen photos from the era, a replica tour book, and an 11x22 poster. Additionally, a 2-CD Expanded Edition (with both of the
Review: The Doors, “The Singles”
The Doors have had no shortage of collections in the CD era, whether the 10x-platinum The Best of The Doors, Legacy: The Absolute Best, The Very Best of The Doors, or The Future Starts Here: The Essential Doors Hits - just to name a few. Happily, the latest such release from Messrs. Morrison, Manzarek, Krieger, and Densmore distinguishes itself with a true raison d'etre. Rhino's simply-titled The Singles lives up to its name with 44 A-and B-sides on two CDs, originally released between 1967
Release Round-Up: Week of September 15
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Doors, The Singles (Elektra/Rhino) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. 2CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. Vinyl box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. Singles compiles all 20 of the singles from The Doors' official discography. This not only includes every A and B-side from their core studio albums, but several albums recorded and released after the passing of frontman Jim Morrison, including
Sirius-ly Expanded: Legacy Plans ‘Eye in the Sky’ Box from Alan Parsons Project
The eye in the sky is still looking at you... On November 17, Legacy Recordings will issue a 35th anniversary box set celebrating The Alan Parsons Project's 1982 Eye in the Sky. The album, which yielded the APP's biggest hit single with its title track as well as the classic instrumental "Sirius," will be enhanced for this expansive 3-CD/1-BD/2-LP/1-Flexidisc release with rare and previously unreleased material. Perhaps the pinnacle of the collaboration between Alan Parsons and Eric
Tell All the People: New Doors Collection to Feature Rare Edits and Mixes
The Doors' 50th anniversary celebration, which kicked off with an expansion of their debut album earlier this year, continues with a new compilation that, astoundingly, does something none of their previous collections have done: compile every original single side from their entire career. The Singles compiles all 20 of the band's singles from The Doors' official discography. This not only includes every A and B-side from their best-known studio albums from The Doors (1967) to L.A. Woman
Guaranteed to Raise a Smile: The Second Disc Hears The 50th Anniversary “Sgt. Pepper” Remix
NEW YORK (NY) - Could it really be getting better? That was a fair question on the lips of the crowd assembled last Friday, April 28, at New York City's World of McIntosh Townhouse. The Second Disc was privileged to be among those members of the press assembled for a "first listen" to the upcoming 50th anniversary stereo remix of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, due for release on May 26 from Capitol, UMe, and Apple Records. Jeff Jones, the chief executive of Apple Corps,
Getting Better All the Time: The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” Reissued for Its 50th Anniversary
"It was twenty years ago today Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play They've been going in and out of style But they're guaranteed to raise a smile So may I introduce to you The act you've known for all these years Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!" With that verse, The Beatles quite honestly changed popular music. Their eighth studio album, and the first since their final concert tour, ushered in a sea change of rock and roll--a focus on the long-playing album over singles as focal