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Soundtrack Watch: New Bond from La-La Land, A ‘Rocky II’ Knockout, More ‘Mario,’ Plus Intrada, Varese & Quartet

April 29, 2026 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

Spring is in the air, making now the perfect time to check out some killer recent archival soundtracks released by our friends at La-La Land Records, Intrada, Quartet and Varese Sarabande – plus a great recent score with some deep musical history that felt worth sharing, too. La-La Land shone brightly with new releases in March and April, most notably their latest restoration of a James Bond film score! This time, it’s John Barry’s music to Diamonds Are Forever, the seventh film in the long-running spy series based on Ian Fleming’s novels. For…

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Formats:

CD, Cassette, Vinyl

Genres:

Soundtracks

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Bill Conti, Brian Tyler, Charles Fox, Graeme Revell, Howard Shore, Jerry Fielding, John Barry, John Debney, Mark Mancina, Shirley Bassey, Trevor Rabin

Release Round-Up: Week of April 24

April 24, 2026 by The Second Disc | No Comments

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. Michael Jackson, Michael: Songs from the Motion Picture (Epic/Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Black Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Clear Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Translucent Black Ice Vinyl): Independent Record Stores Cassette: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 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…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Francoise Hardy, Hank Marvin, James Mastro, Level 42, Little Feat, Lowell George, Michael Bublé, Michael Jackson, Richard Barone, Ringo Starr, The Snake Corps

Michael: Songs from the Motion Picture

March 30, 2026 by Joe Marchese

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Black Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Clear Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Translucent Black Ice Vinyl): Independent Record Stores Cassette: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 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). With just a baker’s…

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Formats:

CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, R&B/Soul, Soundtracks

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Working Day and Night: Michael Jackson Biopic Yields New Compilation

March 16, 2026 by Joe Marchese | 6 Comments

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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Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5, The Jacksons

Formats:

CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Queen II (Collectors Edition)

February 20, 2026 by Mike Duquette

5CD/2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Picture Disc: Official Store Cassette: Official Store Queen have remixed their second album, featuring their first Top 10 hit “Seven Seas of Rhye,” for a new multi-format reissue. The box set edition is the most expansive, of course, packed with rare and unreleased demos and session outtakes, a disc of backing tracks and two live collections comprised of previously released archival material. The package includes a 112-page booklet of liner notes and rare archival photos and ephemera along…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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As It Began: ‘Queen II’ to Be Remixed, Expanded in New Box

February 20, 2026 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

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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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Queen

Hi, How Are You: Daniel Johnston Box Set Coming to Cassette in October

July 24, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 9 Comments

One of the most striking figures in 20th century alternative rock will be the subject of a new box set in the fall, featuring replicas of the cassettes he used to distribute featuring his one-of-a-kind tunes. Daniel Johnston’s In the 20th Century, due from Joyful Noise Recordings October 31, offers 16 of those original tapes made between 1981 and 1998. They’ve all been newly remastered by longtime Johnston associate Mark Kramer, using sources provided by Stress Records founder and Johnston’s then-manager Jeff Tartakov. (A mix of home recordings, some studio sessions and the…

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Release Round-Up: Week of June 13

June 13, 2025 by The Second Disc | 3 Comments

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. Grateful Dead, Gratest Hits (Grateful Dead/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Rhino assembles a single-CD or single-LP, nine-song Gratest Hits [sic] from Grateful Dead, marking the band’s 60th anniversary with the original studio versions of such classics as “Truckin’,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Touch of Grey.” Read more here. Neil Sedaka, Sedaka’s Back [Expanded Edition] (Neil Sedaka Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Neil Sedaka remasters and reissues the 1974 Rocket Records…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray Audio, Box Sets, CD, Cassette, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Alice Ripley, Grateful Dead, Metallica, Neil Sedaka, Neil Young, New Kids on the Block, Oasis, Queen, Tom Kitt, Ultravox, Van Morrison

Hero of the Day: Metallica Unloads Massive ‘Load’ Box Set

April 30, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

We’ll spare you additional ribald jokes and puns in sharing that Metallica have announced their latest sprawling box set reissue, this time dedicated to their sixth studio album – 1996’s Load. Available June 13, the centerpiece of the Load reissue campaign is a box that’ll offer 15 CDs, six LPs and four DVDs featuring the remastered album, rare single material, scores of unreleased outtakes (from demos to rough mixes), audio or video of five full shows and plenty additional concert recordings, music videos, TV appearances and more. Weighing in at 10 pounds, with…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

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Metallica

Slippery When Wet: Deluxe Edition

January 8, 2025 by Joe Marchese

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Picture Disc: Official Store Liquid-Filled LP: Official Store Cassette: Official Store After celebrating their debut album with a deluxe edition last year, Bon Jovi will offer similar treatment to their biggest album: 1986’s Slippery When Wet. The New Jersey rockers’ third LP (featuring “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “You Give Love a Bad Name”) will be reissued in a variety of formats including a 2CD expansion with seven bonus tracks (nearly all of which are previously unreleased) as well as a picture disc, cassette and – novelty alert! – a clear vinyl…

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Formats:

CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop, Rock

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Make My Wish Come True: Vinyl, Singles, SACD to Commemorate 30 Years of Mariah Carey’s ‘Merry Christmas’

November 12, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Mariah Carey Merry Christmas 30 packshot

With the run-up to Christmas approaching full speed, the holiday’s musical queen is looking to take back her crown. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Carey’s Merry Christmas and its unforgettable, cross-generational hit single “All I Want for Christmas is You,” the Elusive Chanteuse will deliver an expanded version of the album on vinyl, featuring material from its most recent reissue and a 24-page booklet in a hardbound package with some holiday surprises. To boost “All I Want for Christmas is You” in its inevitable journey back up the Billboard Hot 100, a number…

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Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, SACD, Vinyl

Genres:

Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul

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The Year In Review: The 2023 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z – Part One

January 15, 2024 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Happy 2024! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc’s 14th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! As we yet again look to a new year with optimism and a hopeful spirit, we recognize the many roles music has played in our lives. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2023’s cream of the catalogue music crop – those exemplary reissues and box sets, big and small, that proved to be truly outstanding for music lovers worldwide. After much deliberation, we’re excited to unveil our favorites. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill Top…

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Features

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Classical/Opera, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, Blossom Dearie, Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Elvis Costello, Eugene Ormandy, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Green Day, Howard Jones, John Williams, Matt Monro, Rose Marie, The Beatles, The Darkness

Release Round-Up: Week of November 10

November 10, 2023 by The Second Disc | 13 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The Beatles, 1962-1966 (Apple/Capitol/UMe) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The famous “red” compilation chronicling The Beatles’ early years returns in a new, expanded edition featuring extra songs and brand-new stereo mixes by Giles Martin and Sam Okell. “I Saw Her Standing There,” “Twist and Shout,” This Boy,” “Got to Get You Into My Life,” and “Here, There, and Everywhere” are among the added tracks while “Help!,”…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Folk, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

Tags:

Bush, Danny O'Keefe, Neil Young, New Order, Powerman 5000, R.E.M., Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, The Beatles, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Wes Montgomery

Release Round-Up: Week of November 3

November 3, 2023 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to another packed Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the many titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The Beatles, Now and Then (Apple/Capitol/UMe) Various Formats including CD single: The Beatles Online Store 7-inch clear single: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 7-inch blue single: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 12-inch black vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Target-exclusive red 12-inch single: Target.com “Now and Then.” No matter who’s listening, the title conjures the ghosts of the past that we all confront. The voice of John Lennon – not far-removed, but viscerally present –…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Reggae, Rock

Now and Then

October 31, 2023 by Joe Marchese

Various Formats: The Beatles Online Store 7-inch clear single: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 7-inch blue single: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 12-inch black vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Target-exclusive red 12-inch single: Target.com As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. “Now and Then” – billed as “The Last Beatles Song” – arrives today in physical formats including various 7- and 12-inch vinyl records and a cassette tape. In a nice bit of circularity, all of them have “Love Me Do” as the B-side. (CD…

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Holiday Gift Guide

Formats:

Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

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Release Round-Up: Week of October 20

October 20, 2023 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the many titles being released today as we inch closer to the holiday shopping season! As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Nancy Sinatra, Keep Walkin’: Singles, Demos, and Rarities (1965-1978) (Light in the Attic) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Standard Black 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Zodiac Blue 2LP: Nancy’s Bootique Highway Song Yellow 2LP: Nancy’s Bootique “Sugar Me” Pink Splatter 2LP: Spotify Abridged 4-Track Tape: Nancy’s Bootique Abridged 8-Track Tape: Nancy’s Bootique Following the release of the anthology Start Walkin’ 1965-1976 and expanded editions of Boots, Nancy and Lee,…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray, Books, Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Folk, Gospel, Latin, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Alan Silvestri, Amy Grant, B.J. Thomas, Bob Dylan, CHVRCHES, Carla Olson, Cher, David Bowie, Devo, Goo Goo Dolls, Nancy Sinatra, Richard Hawley, Salt-N-Pepa, The Mojo Men, The Rolling Stones, Tim Easton, Tony Visconti, Vince Guaraldi

Substance 1987: Expanded Edition

October 2, 2023 by Joe Marchese

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2MC: New Order Store (U.S.) / New Order Store (U.K.) New Order’s landmark 1987 compilation is getting expanded as a 4CD set. The newly-remastered Substance 1987 collected a dozen classic sides from the British electronic band, from 1981’s “Ceremony” to the then-new “True Faith” as well as exclusive updates of “Temptation” and “Confusion.” The double vinyl reissue is pressed on black or retail-exclusive red and blue discs, while the 2CD and double cassette (the latter exclusive to the band’s official stores) add the same program…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Disco/Dance, Electronic, Rock

Tags:

Keep Walkin’: Singles, Demos, and Rarities (1965-1978)

September 20, 2023 by Joe Marchese

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Standard Black 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Zodiac Blue 2LP: Nancy’s Bootique Highway Song Yellow 2LP: Nancy’s Bootique “Sugar Me” Pink Splatter 2LP: Spotify Abridged 4-Track Tape: Nancy’s Bootique Abridged 8-Track Tape: Nancy’s Bootique Following the release of the anthology Start Walkin’ 1965-1976 and expanded editions of Boots, Nancy and Lee, and Nancy and Lee Again, LITA is delivering a companion volume to Start Walkin’ which focuses on Nancy’s B-sides and hidden gems. Keep Walkin’: Singles, Demos, and Rarities (1965-1978) arrives in a plethora of formats including CD, various 2LP editions, digitally, and 4-track and 8-track…

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Holiday Gift Guide

Formats:

CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop

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True Faith: New Order’s Classic Compilation ‘Substance 1987’ Gets Expanded

September 15, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 4 Comments

Style over Substance? New Order offered both on their unforgettable 1987 compilation – and it’s getting expanded as a 4CD set this fall. The newly-remastered Substance 1987 collects once more a dozen classic sides from the British electronic band, from 1981’s ceremony to the then-new “True Faith” as well as exclusive updates of “Temptation” and “Confusion.” The double vinyl is pressed on black or retail-exclusive red and blue discs, while the 2CD and double cassette (the latter exclusive to the band’s official stores) offers the same program of B-sides to the 12 tracks….

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Disco/Dance, Electronic, Rock

Tags:

New Order

Then a Hero Comes Along: Mariah Carey’s ‘Music Box’ Goes Deluxe with Unreleased Outtakes, Live Concert

September 11, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

The third time was the charm when Mariah Carey released Music Box three decades ago. The elusive chanteuse last week announced plans to expand her third album with a wealth of rare and unreleased bonus material. Released as a 3CD or 4LP set on February 24, 2024 but available digitally now, the new expansion of Music Box features the original 10-track album expanded with international bonus track “Everything Fades Away”; a disc of studio material, including the unheard teaser “Workin’ Hard,” rare and new remixes, her popular cover of the Lionel Richie-penned “Endless Love,”…

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Formats:

CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Disco/Dance, Pop, R&B/Soul

Tags:

Mariah Carey

Star Fleet Sessions

June 19, 2023 by Joe Marchese

2CD/Red LP/Black 7″: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Picture Disc: Queen Official Store Red 7″: Queen Official Store CD single: Queen Official Store Having reissued and expanded Brian May’s Back to the Light and Another World, UMe turns fans’ attention to the Queen guitarist’s first-ever solo project, a 1983 collaboration with a collection of stellar musicians – including a team-up with another one of the most iconic guitarists of the age. Star Fleet Project, first issued 40 years ago, was a three-track album clocking in at just under half an hour, but…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Let Me Out: Brian May, Eddie Van Halen Trade Licks on ‘Star Fleet Project’ Reissue

June 6, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

Having reissued and expanded Brian May’s Back to the Light and Another World, UMe will turn fans’ attention to the Queen guitarist’s first-ever solo project, a 1983 collaboration with a collection of stellar musicians – including a team-up with another one of the most iconic guitarists of the age. Star Fleet Project, issued 40 years ago, was a three-track album clocking in at just under half an hour, but here it’s being expanded two two discs featuring the original contents of the album remixed, rare interviews, and a deep dive into the…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

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Brian May, Eddie Van Halen, Queen, REO Speedwagon

Love Comes Quickly: Pet Shop Boys Collect 35 Years of Singles on “Smash”

March 30, 2023 by Joe Marchese | 17 Comments

Pet Shop Boys are looking back on 35 years of music with a newly remastered singles collection to be released on June 16 in a variety of formats. Synthpop duo Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released their debut single in 1984 with “West End Girls.” The strikingly original song melding catchy pop and irresistible dance rhythms was generally well-received but Tennant and Lowe suspected it hadn’t met its full potential. The following year, they re-recorded a new version with producer Stephen Hague for their first studio album, Please. That version shot to…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray, CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Disco/Dance, Electronic, Pop

Tags:

Pet Shop Boys

Release Round-Up: Week of March 24

March 24, 2023 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today. Elton John, Honky Château: 50th Anniversary Edition (Rocket/UMC) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Hot on the heels of his final U.S. live performances, Elton John is looking back with a 50th anniversary edition of his 1972 LP Honky Château. The reissue will feature the original album (boasting such classics as “Rocket Man,” “Honky Cat,” and “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters”) alongside nine session demos covering eight of the album’s tracks (including two versions of “Slave”) and…

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