Moments of a Visionary: Tangerine Dream Plan ‘Phaedra’ 50th Anniversary Box

Tangerine Dream’s breakthrough album will be celebrated in a box set that features a host of audiovisual material taken from a bigger box set. Virgin/UMR will reissue the German group’s 1974 hit Phaedra as a 5CD/Blu-ray box set featuring all the relevant album-related material featured in 2019’s 16 CD/2BD In Search of Hades (The Virgin Recordings 1973-1979). Beyond the remastered album, extras include two discs of outtakes, the band’s first U.K. concert and some 5.1 surround and stereo remixes of the album material by celebrated engineer Steven Wilson. The set also comes with…

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Not Just a Mirage: Esoteric Offers Expanded, Remixed Albums by Prog Rockers Camel

Some years after a massive box set took a look at the work of British prog rockers Camel, Cherry Red’s Esoteric imprint will break out some of that material in five expanded 2CD/Blu-ray presentations. Reissues of Mirage (1974), Music Inspired by The Snow Goose (1975), Moonmadness (1976), Nude (1981) and Pressure Points: Live in Concert (1984) will roll out over the next few months from Esoteric, boasting expanded versions of the original albums remastered by engineer Ben Wiseman, as well as remixes of the four studio albums on CD (in stereo) and Blu-ray (in stereo and 5.1 surround) by…

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Just As Long As We Have Love: Rhino’s Quadio Series Continues with Aretha, Spinners, Curtis Mayfield, Billy Cobham

This morning, Rhino unveiled its first batch of Quadio titles for 2025 – and this time, the emphasis is on classic soul and R&B with a twist of jazz!  The series, reissuing vintage quadraphonic (four-channel) surround mixes on Blu-ray Audio Discs, welcomes Aretha Franklin’s Live at Fillmore West (1971), Curtis Mayfield’s Roots (1971), The Spinners’ Pick of the Litter (1975), and Billy Cobham’s Spectrum (1973). The Queen of Soul’s Live at Fillmore West followed 1970’s Spirit in the Dark in her storied Atlantic discography.  Recorded over three nights at the San Francisco…

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Image and Likeness: Andy Summers and Robert Fripp’s Collaborations Revisited in New Collection

A unique team-up between two celebrated guitarists – Andy Summers of The Police and Robert Fripp of King Crimson – will be revisited this spring with a bevy of new material. The Complete Recordings 1981-1984 will expand and remaster the duo’s two studio albums together – 1982’s I Advance Masked and 1984’s Bewitched – along with Mother Hold the Candle Steady, a newly-created album of outtakes from their sessions together. The Blu-ray Audio will include hi-resolution remasters of both albums, new remixes, and “Can We Record Tony?” – an audio documentary created from Fripp’s archival…

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In Memoriam: Garth Hudson (1937-2025)

This morning, it was announced that Garth Hudson, 87, had died in a Woodstock, New York nursing home.  Hudson was the last surviving member of The Band, and with his passing, an era has come to a close.  Though best known for his virtuosic organ playing, Hudson was a multi-instrumentalist who brought various colors to The Band’s rootsy, organic brand of Americana.  Hudson’s sound tapped into the many veins of American popular music and could, by turns, conjure a raucous revival, a whimsical carnival, or a smoky roadside saloon.  He was the…

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Total Mass Retain: Rhino Reissues Yes’ “Close to the Edge” in Super Deluxe Set

Yes’ fifth album, Close to the Edge, continued the band’s early winning streak. The 1972 release – their final album of the decade to feature drummer Bill Bruford and first to feature the band’s now-famous “bubble” logo type – featured just three songs (two of which had multiple movements). But they were sufficiently power-packed as to propel the LP to top five berths in both the U.K. and U.S. and eventual Platinum sales status. On March 7, Rhino will revisit Close to the Edge as a 5CD/LP/Blu-ray set anchored by new surround…

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Holiday Gift Guide Review: Alice Cooper, “Muscle of Love: Deluxe Edition”

Rare is the album that’s better remembered for its packaging than its contents.  But that may well be the case with the band Alice Cooper’s seventh (and final) album, 1973’s Muscle of Love.  As it followed the Platinum-certified international chart-topper Billion Dollar Babies, hopes were high for the LP.  It was greeted by lukewarm critical assessments, though, and “merely” reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and No. 34 on the U.K. Albums Chart.  As such, it was inevitably considered a disappointment.  (It did go Gold.)  But fans – and even those…

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The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway: Super Deluxe Edition

4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada A new deluxe version of Genesis’ prog classic The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway will be a multi-disc celebration – four CDs or five LPs, a Blu-ray Audio disc and a download card – of the group’s acclaimed work. Inside the box will be a new remaster of the original mix of the album, done by Miles Showell with assistance from Nick Davis (who remixed the band’s catalogue for stereo and surround in the ’00s); a remastered and restored performance of the full album at…

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Gotta Get In to Get Out: Genesis’ ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway’ Set for Deluxe Edition Next Year

Genesis will revisit one of their most beloved albums – and their final bow with original vocalist Peter Gabriel – in a new box set next year. Announced almost 50 years to the day of its original release in 1974, a new deluxe version of The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway will be a multi-disc celebration – four CDs or five LPs, a Blu-ray Audio disc and a download card – of the group’s acclaimed work. Inside the box will be a new remaster of the original mix of the album, done by Miles…

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Release Round-Up: Week of November 15

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today…and, with the holidays approaching, it just might be the biggest release week of the year!  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. George Harrison, Living in the Material World: 50th Anniversary (Dark Horse) 2CD/2LP/1BD/1-7″: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada As the studio follow-up to his landmark triple album All Things Must Pass, George Harrison further explored his spiritual and physical selves on…

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Release Round-Up: Week of November 1

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles out today.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Elvis Costello, King of America and Other Realms (UMe) 6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 140-gram Black LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 140-gram Gold Nugget LP: Official Store / uDiscover Music / The Sound of Vinyl Elvis Costello is looking back on his tenth studio album King of America – and its effect on his future live and studio work – on a lavish new box set. The remastered 1986 album is paired with…

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Alice Cooper’s ‘Muscle of Love’ Has Never Been Sold Before (Like This)

Alice Cooper’s final album – well, the final album with Cooper’s original band of the same name – is getting a deluxe treatment this year. Available on 2CD/Blu-ray and pink double vinyl exclusively at Rhino.com, 1973’s Muscle of Love gets expanded with unreleased alternate versions of every track on the album and lengthy, track-by-track liner notes by writer Jaan Uhelszki, drawing from new interviews with Cooper and his surviving bandmates (rhythm guitarist Michael Bruce, bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and additional guitarist Mick Mashbir). The 2CD/Blu-ray additionally includes two single versions as…

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Listen to the Music: Rhino’s New Batch of Quadio Titles Includes Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Starship, J. Geils Band, Foghat

Rhino’s ongoing series of Quadio four-channel surround releases on Blu-ray Audio Discs has already presented a host of classic albums by the eclectic likes of Joni Mitchell, Bette Midler, Bread, Chicago, Seals and Crofts, Spinners, Randy Newman, and many others.  Today, the label announced a new batch with three returning artists (The Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Starship, J. Geils Band) and one band new to Quadio (Foghat).  Each of the four discs, currently available exclusively from Rhino.com, has a quadraphonic mix and a 192/24 stereo mix. British rock band Foghat‘s third album, Energized,…

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Release Round-Up: Week of October 18

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Long After Dark: Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe) 2CD/Blu-ray Audio: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/Blu-ray Audio (with Amazon-exclusive stickers): Amazon U.S. 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Tom Petty Store (Exclusive) Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ fifth studio album has gotten a deluxe makeover.  Geffen/UMe have revisited 1982’s oft-overlooked Long After Dark, originally released on Backstreet Records, in various formats including 2LP and 2CD+Blu-ray. The bonus disc, featuring outtakes…

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Review: Frank Zappa, “apostrophe (‘): 50th Anniversary Edition”

Strictly commercial?  Not quite.  Though Frank Zappa earned his first top ten record and first Gold record with apostrophe (‘) – the same LP that spun off his first single to make the Billboard Hot 100 – it would be difficult to argue that the singer-songwriter-bandleader had dramatically altered his art in an effort to hit the charts.  Sure, the material was a bit more focused and the album rather tight at 32 minutes in length.  Yeah, the cover artwork, with its instantly recognizable, tightly-cropped image of the long-haired artist, looked much…

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Quadio Spotlight: Bette Midler, “The Divine Miss M” and Bread, “Baby I’m a Want-You”

Way back in Ye Olden Days of 2011, The Second Disc advocated for the release of the original quadraphonic mix of Bette Midler’s 1973 debut, The Divine Miss M.  Well, lo these many years later, Rhino has granted our wish, and it’s been released on Blu-ray as part of the label’s still-growing Quadio series of four-channel reissues.  In Craig Anderson’s stellar remaster, it’s happily as good as we remember it!  The 4.0 mix by Atlantic Records veteran Tom Dowd, a legendary producer in his own right, is immersive from the get-go.  The…

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Release Round-Up: Week of September 27

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Chicago, Chicago at the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. (9/16/1971) (Rhino) 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Chicago at the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. (9/16/1971) arrives on 3 CDs, 4 LPs, and digital formats, preserving the band’s show in the U.S. capital.  The concert was recorded just eight days after the opening of the Kennedy Center. …

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Needless to Say: Al Stewart’s “Past, Present and Future” Goes Deluxe From Esoteric

Al Stewart fans have been rather well-served in recent years.  The historically-minded troubadour recently released a new live album with the band The Empty Pockets, preserving a concert set on 2 CDs.  Earlier this summer, Al received a volume of Rhino’s Now Playing series of vinyl compilations.  Last year, TSD teamed up with Real Gone Music for Songs on the Radio: The Complete U.S. Singles 1974-1981, and in 2022, Madfish issued The Admiralty Lights, a massive 50-CD box set featuring (almost) all of Stewart’s catalogue.  (Those U.S. singles were a notable exception!) …

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Talking Heads ’77: Super Deluxe Edition

3CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP/4 7″: Rhino.com Rhino’s Talking Heads revisitation won’t end with Stop Making Sense – they’ll release a new deluxe box set of the group’s 1977 debut album, featuring rare outtakes and B-sides, a live show and the album remixed in Dolby Atmos and surround, as overseen by the band’s keyboardist/guitarist Jerry Harrison.  The super deluxe edition of Talking Heads: 77 will come in hardcover book packaging that’ll feature 80 pages of rare archival photos and liner notes written by all four members of the band along…

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Living in the Material World: 50th Anniversary

2CD/2LP/1BD/1-7″: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada As the studio follow-up to his landmark triple album All Things Must Pass, George Harrison further explored his spiritual and physical selves on 1973’s leaner Living in the Material World.  It’s now returning from Dark Horse and BMG in a belated 50th anniversary edition comprising 2 CDs, 2 LPs,…

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Try Some, Buy Some: George Harrison’s “Living in the Material World” Gets Expanded For Its 50th

As the studio follow-up to his landmark triple album All Things Must Pass, George Harrison further explored his spiritual and physical selves on 1973’s leaner Living in the Material World.  On November 15, the album will return from Dark Horse and BMG in a belated 50th anniversary edition comprising 2 CDs, 2 LPs, and a Blu-ray.  It’s limited to 5,000 units worldwide.  The original album, newly remixed by Paul Hicks, will also be available in 2LP & 2CD Deluxe Editions, Limited Edition color vinyl versions (including an exclusive George Harrison Online Store…

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Qu’est-ce que c’est? Talking Heads’ Debut Gets Box Set Treatment

Rhino’s Talking Heads revisitation won’t end with Stop Making Sense – they’ll release a new deluxe box set of the group’s 1977 debut album, featuring rare outtakes and B-sides, a live show and the album remixed in Dolby Atmos and surround, as overseen by the band’s keyboardist/guitarist Jerry Harrison. Available November 8, the super deluxe edition of Talking Heads: 77 will come in hardcover book packaging that’ll feature 80 pages of rare archival photos and liner notes written by all four members of the band along with engineer Ed Stasium. Highlights in the bonus…

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Release Round-Up: Week of September 13

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Louis Armstrong, Wonderful World: The Best of Louis Armstrong (Verve/UMe) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada This 13-song sampler draws on Satchmo’s 1951-1967 recordings for the Decca, Verve, Kapp, and ABC-Paramount labels and includes many of his most beloved songs as both a vocalist and trumpeter such as “Hello, Dolly!,” “What a Wonderful World,” “A…

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Release Round-Up: Week of September 6

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. Neil Young, Archives Vol. III (1976-1987) (NYA/Reprise) 17CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 17CD/5BD Deluxe Set: Official Store This week’s biggest release is the long-awaited third volume of Neil Young’s long-running Archives series. Archives Vol. III (1976-1987), spans in its deluxe form a whopping 17 CDs and five Blu-rays boasting a broad array of songs and film footage: 15 unreleased songs, 121 unreleased tracks, and 11 full-length films (four of them unreleased). Housed in a…

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Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ ‘Long After Dark’ Gets Lucky on New Deluxe Edition

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ fifth studio album is getting a deluxe makeover.  On October 18, Geffen/UMe will revisit 1982’s oft-overlooked Long After Dark, originally released on Backstreet Records, in various formats including 1LP, 2LP, and 2CD+Blu-ray. Petty was joined by Mike Campbell (lead guitar), Benmont Tench (keyboards), Stan Lynch (drums), and new recruit Howie Epstein (bass/backing vocals) as well as co-producer Jimmy Iovine for Long After Dark.  The third and final of Petty’s three LPs on MCA imprint Backstreet, it followed 1979’s landmark Damn the Torpedoes and 1981’s Hard Promises, the…

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