It won't make any sense in today's media-saturated world, but in 1987 and 1988, George Michael was inescapable. The idea that one single artist could grab multiple genders, races, cliques and generations by the shoulders with his or her music is all but impossible today, but the man born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou did just that. Faith, released by Epic Records in the fall of 1987, put six tracks in Billboard's Top 5 (two-thirds of them No. 1 hits), netted him a Grammy Award for Album of the
Release Round-Up: Week of February 1
George Michael, Faith: Legacy Edition (Epic/Legacy) There's going to be a review of the two-disc/one-DVD edition of this album (also available as a deluxe box set) coming up later today, but let me say right now: Damn. If you forgot how good this record was - how it makes a lot of '80s pop look temporarily flawed and full of effort - go buy this immediately. I'll wait. (Official site) Bob Marley and The Wailers, Live Forever: September 23, 1980 - The Stanley Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA (Tuff
Pearl Jam Reissue Details Trickling Out
We've previously covered the forthcoming wave of Pearl Jam reissues from Legacy, this time pertaining to the band's second and third LPs Vs. (1993) and Vitalogy (1995). It seems that these sets might be closer to stores than previously known, thanks to some Amazon listings. The retailer has March 29 dates for expanded editions of each album, as well as a box that looks to collate both of them with possible additional material. (This clears up a bit of confusion from a Rolling Stone story that
Derek, Eric and "Layla": Details Announced for 40th Anniversary Set
Prepare to be on your knees: details have been released for UMe's upcoming 40th anniversary editions of Derek & The Dominos' Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs, due out March 8. The result of a searing, bluesy collaboration between Eric Clapton, members of Delaney & Bonnie's touring outfit and Duane Allman, Layla was a critical success but sold only moderately until the title track shot to the Top 10 some two years after the album was released. It became a multigenerational hit in the
Short Takes: Early Details on Reissues from Pearl Jam, Kate Bush
A new Rolling Stone article has revealed some details about the upcoming batch of catalogue titles from Pearl Jam. The forthcoming reissues of Vs. (1993) and Vitalogy (1994) will feature "previously unheard bonus tracks (including an alternate version of “Corduroy” and a guitar-and-organ version of “Betterman”), an entire 1994 Boston show and a cassette from their Monkeywrench radio series." The article is not clear, but it seems as though both albums and bonus material may be paired together,
Back Tracks: Aerosmith Part I - The Columbia Years
Aerosmith isn't dead, but it may as well be. Frontman Steven Tyler was preposterous in his first televised appearance as a judge on American Idol (though there was some very funny writing about the whole ordeal), and if you're like me, you wish Tyler had stepped away from such ridiculous duties and went on to perform with what many have called America's greatest rock and roll band - even if it sounded more like their recent, pop-oriented rock instead of their bluesy, pre-metal days. To
Massive Live Dead Box Coming in Fall
Do you love The Grateful Dead? I mean really love-with-capital-letters-bold-italicized-and-underlined LOVE The Grateful Dead? Well, there's a massive box set coming your way to help you express that love. In its newest issue, Rolling Stone reports a box is coming from Rhino that will chronicle The Dead's European tour of 1972 in its entirety, all from original 16-track recordings. It's going to be 60 discs of 22 shows, in their entirety, unedited and bursting at the seams with liner notes and
Reissue Theory: Sammy Davis, Jr., Compiled: "Sammy in the Seventies"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, here we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today, we look at a beloved American icon and one of the least anthologized periods of his lengthy career. There may be no figure in American popular culture more maligned in death than Sammy Davis, Jr. The image of the diminutive entertainer, clad in open shirts and bell-bottoms, wearing beads and gold chains, and with an ever-present cigarette dangling
Back Tracks: Queen, Part II
We continue our coverage of Queen's previous reissues - in anticipation of the band's forthcoming remasters on new U.K. home Island Records - with a look at Queen during most of the '80s, where they went increasingly pop-friendly before returning to their rock roots in the 1990s, losing their iconic frontman and becoming anthologized in nearly a dozen or so compilations. The show must go on, after the jump.
Release Round-Up: Week of January 18
The Jayhawks, Hollywood Town Hall: Expanded Edition / Tomorrow the Green Grass: Legacy Edition (Columbia/Legacy) After months of waiting, alt-country fans get expanded versions of two Jayhawks LPs, including a deluxe set of Tomorrow the Green Grass with a host of previously unreleased demos. (Official site) Pearl Jam, Live on Ten Legs (Monkeywrench) The first volley in the iconic band's PJ20 campaign honoring their 20th anniversary is a self-released chronicle of their live tours from 2003 to
Fit for a Queen: Legacy Planning Massive Aretha Box
As if news of Aretha Franklin's improved health wasn't good news enough, Columbia and Legacy have told the Associated Press that there's going to be a massive box set of her works for the label coming this spring. Take a Look: Aretha Franklin Complete on Columbia is going to be a 12-disc set - 11 CDs and a DVD - chronicling this oft-overlooked early phase of the Queen of Soul's career. Franklin signed to the label in 1960 at the young age of 18, and spent several years releasing albums and
In Case You Missed It: Slayer on Vinyl
Oddly, Slayer's The Vinyl Conflict box, which came out in November, sort of flew under The Second Disc's radar. But today, we have a very special reason to make sure that doesn't happen again. This 11-LP box features all of the iconic metal band's albums for Def Jam (yes, this was toward the end of Rick Rubin's tenure with his label) and American Recordings (the label Rubin subsequently created), from 1983's Reign in Blood to 2009's World Painted Blood. All are remastered and pressed on
FSM Fetches Classic Canine Scores
Film Score Monthly's first release of 2011 is a whopper: five discs' worth of dog-related film scores, anchored mostly around the lovable star Lassie. Created by writer Eric Knight in a short story that was expanded into a 1940 novel, Lassie was a loyal collie who treks across Depression-era Yorkshire, England to reunite with his young owner. The film spawned several sequels and spin-offs, most notably a long-running American television show that ran from 1954 to 1973. The dog is one of only
Back Tracks: Queen, Part I
This week's remaster and reissue of Queen's first two greatest hits LPs in the U.K. (on new home Island Records) is the start of what promises to be a massive reissue campaign for the band's 40th anniversary. The band's first five LPs are slated to be expanded and released in March, with additional batches to follow through 2011. Of course, this isn't the first time the Queen catalogue has been rolled out on CD. While British audiences got straight CD transfers throughout the late '80s,
One is Not the Loneliest Number
Exactly one year ago today, The Second Disc uploaded its first post, an assessment of the best reissues of the prior year. It was taken from my personal Facebook page, which I'd been posting thoughts on music and pop culture here and there for some time. I was a college graduate working in a part-time job I was not particularly fond of, in dire need of something to fill time. After some deliberating over what a blog about reissues and box sets - my favorite kind of music - should be called
Getz Set for New Box from Hip-o Select
Hip-o Select kicks off 2011 with a new set of early works by Stan Getz. Quintets: The Clef & Norgran Albums is three discs of Getz in his first recordings for Verve founder Norman Granz's earliest labels. Five 10" LPs are represented here, alongside some single and EP tracks and three previously unreleased alternate takes. If you can believe it, the set marks the CD debut of much of this material as well. Order the set from the label now and have a look at the track lists after the jump.
Fela! In a Box!
Fans of Nigerian musical maverick Fela Kuti have something to celebrate: a whole bunch of Fela-related reissues are coming in the next few weeks from Knitting Factory Records. The blog Altered States reports that a multi-LP vinyl box set will street on February 1. Consisting of six of Fela's albums - 1975's Everything Scatter and Expensive Shit, 1977's Fear Not for Man and Sorrow Tears and Blood, Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense (1986) and Beasts of No Nation (1989) - in reproductions of their
More Howard Jones Reissues on the Way
Note: in my haste I forgot to accredit the fine Addicted to Vinyl for first mentioning the Wounded Bird reissue of The 12" Album, which in turn led to my checking for new remasters and having something to report. Thanks, guys! The Howard Jones box set from late last year, which compiled remasters of Humans Lib and Dream Into Action alongside a bonus disc of vintage live cuts - was a fun if light tribute to one of the more underrated artists of the '80s. Happily, Jones' independent label, Dtox
Hot Chocolate Discography Warming Up from EMI
EMI must believe in miracles, because they've prepped a set that combines all of the studio albums by pop group Hot Chocolate. The Brixton-based band, fronted by Jamaican singer Errol Brown, first gained prominence for one single on The Beatles' Apple label, a reggae-fied cover of "Give Peace a Chance." (That song, credited to "The Hot Chocolate Band," was resurrected on last year's Come and Get It: The Best of Apple Records compilation.) Several Top 10 hits followed - in fact, the band had at
The Year in Reissues, Part III: The Gold Bonus Disc Awards
Well, another New Year is in sight, the CD still isn't dead (told you so!) and celebration is in the air at The Second Disc. Back on December 23, Mike shared The Year in Reissues both here and over with our pals at Popdose. Do not pass go, do not collect 200 bucks until you read these indispensable columns! Are you back with me? Good. Now, I'd like to take this opportunity to take a fun look back at a few of my favorite things via Joe's Gold Bonus Disc Awards! I'm awarding these to the reissues
The Final Burton/Elfman Non-troversy
If there's any ongoing bad blood about Warner Bros. The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box, The Second Disc accepts full responsibility. We were excited when it was announced and we were floored by the track list (and the price). But when other retailers started taking orders for what was supposed to be a limited edition, direct-order set, there was a lot of confusion in the air. Then, after the limited first run had sold out, direct buyers were promised a signed bonus disc
MERRY DISCMAS!
We're just about to put the "Closed" sign on the door of The Second Disc HQ, but should any of you stumble upon The Second Disc on Christmas, I want this to be the first thing you see for two reasons. One, you're going to find a compendium below of all the Christmas articles Joe and myself have done this season. Let them fill you with Christmas cheer whenever you need some! And second, and most importantly, may you, the treasured reader of The Second Disc, have a Merry, Merry Christmas and a
The Year in Reissues, Part II
You're probably wondering where Part I of The Year in Reissues is. Happily, the fine folks at Popdose have put my ramblings about the best reissues, box sets and other catalogue sets on their Web site. But there are plenty more good ones I wanted to shine the spotlight on after filing the story. So here's are five other notable catalogue sets to remember from the past year. And do share your opinions in the comments below, as always!
In Praise of Box Set Sales
As any music collector can tell you, buying box sets and reissues is an expensive hobby. It's not often that fans catch a break, either; outside of the occasional Cyber Monday deal before the holidays, prices on box sets rarely go down, unless you've found the right connections in the secondary market. So it's refreshing to see labels taking a nice step toward alleviating the financial crunch that comes with box set collecting. Fans of Sony and Legacy may have noted their recently-created Web
Back Tracks: John Lennon
Whether you thought he was the smartest of The Beatles, the best writer, the most politically astute, the one with the most interesting solo career - or if you disagree with any of those statements - I daresay I cannot allow you to disagree with this one: it is not fair that John Lennon is not still alive today. Regardless of your take on his input into the Fab Four (or their eventual demise), Lennon was very much an intelligent, caring, smart musician, who spent much of his career using those
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