It’s no “Video Killed The Radio Star” on MTV, but it’s still pretty cool! On January 11, 2010, a very simple WordPress version of The Second Disc opened its digital doors. In the eight years since, a lot of stuff about the business has changed – back then, there were still four major music labels, and streaming music wasn’t really a thing in the U.S. – but we think one thing has remained consistent: this has remained a hub for enthusiastic coverage of reissues, compilations, box sets and all sorts of archival…
Discs On “Fire”: Robinsongs Compiles Ohio Players’ Finest on Triple-Disc Anthology
Cherry Red’s Robinsongs label is taking fans for a ride on the love rollercoaster this month with an extensive, 3CD overview of the Ohio Players. Known for deeply funky jams with a strong pop crossover appeal, the Ohio Players dominated the soul charts in the ’70s with tunes like “Funky Worm,” “Fire,” “Love Rollercoaster” and “Who’d She Coo?” The group’s oft-changing lineup included, at one time or another, heavy hitters like singer/keyboardist Walter “Junie” Morrison (later a key member of George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic collective), guitarist Leroy “Sugarfoot” Bonner and Clarence “Chet” Willis,…
Road Trips Vol. 4 No. 3: Denver ’73
Real Gone continues its re-pressings of Grateful Dead’s Road Trips series with Vol. 4, No. 3. This 3-CD set contains the full concert from November 21, 1973 at the Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colorado. It also contains three songs from the concert the night before at the same venue. This concert came a little over a month after the release of the group’s sixth studio album, Wake of the Flood. That album was the first not to feature founding member Ron “Pigpen” McKernan, who had passed away March, 1973. This set was first available…
Mahoney’s Last Stand: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Faces’ Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood teamed up to pen the score, consisting of country/folk-flavored songs and instrumental tracks, for this 1972 low-budget Canadian film. Real Gone brings it back to CD with new liner notes by Richie Unterberger.
Heavy Horses: New Shoes Edition
The deluxe series of Jethro Tull hardcover book-style reissues continues with Heavy Horses: New Shoes Edition, a new 3CD/2DVD version of Jethro Tull’s 11th album, originally released in 1978. As with previous releases, Steven Wilson and Jakko Jakszyk have undertaken new remixes in stereo and surround of both the original LP and a host of bonus material. Wilson remixed Heavy Horses and nine associated outtakes (seven of which have never been released in any mix), while Jakszyk remixed a 1978 concert in Bern, Switzerland recorded a month after the album’s release. (At least some…
Better Than A Dream: Varese Expands “Thief of Hearts” Soundtrack Featuring Melissa Manchester
This Friday, January 12, Varese Sarabande is reissuing the long-out-of-print soundtrack album to 1984’s thriller Thief of Hearts. The album’s only prior release on CD was back during its original release and only in Germany, at that. This new edition has been expanded by three bonus tracks and features new liner notes written by our very own Joe Marchese. And we want you to WIN a copy! Read on… The film starred newcomer Steven Bauer as Scott, a burglar who breaks into the home of married couple Mickey (Barbara Williams) and Ray (John…
Soundtrack Watch: Intrada Crowns ‘Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,’ La-La Land Boards ‘Deep Space Nine’
From the forests of medieval England to the furthest corners of the galaxy, two of the biggest soundtrack labels are kicking off 2018 with some great archival titles. Intrada announced last night their first release of the year: an expansion of Michael Kamen’s score to Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The 1991 adaptation of the English folk hero, starring Kevin Costner in the title role and star turns from Morgan Freeman (as Azeem, one of the Merry Men) and Alan Rickman (as the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham), was the year’s second highest-grossing…
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 frequent collaborator Brad Shapiro, Moore notched other…
Love Has Called: A Look At Cherry Red’s Expanded B.A. Robertson Asylum Albums
Brian Alexander Robertson, a.k.a. B.A. Robertson, has just about done it all in a career spanning five decades. The Scottish-born talent has written an international best-selling, Ivor Novello Award-winning hit (“The Living Years” for Mike + The Mechanics), scored hit singles under his own name (“Bang Bang,” “Knocked It Off”), written with Burt Bacharach and Cliff Richard, and reinvented classic Disney songs with artists ranging from Billy Joel to LL Cool J. Last year, Cherry Red brought Robertson’s three 1980-1982 solo albums for the Asylum label back into print on CD in…
Release Round-Up: Week of January 5
Welcome to the first Release Round-Up of the new year! David Bowie, Beauty and the Beast [7-Inch Vinyl Single] (Parlophone/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) David Bowie’s series of 40th anniversary series continues with the picture-disc release of “Beauty and the Beast” from Heroes, backed with a live version of “Blackout” from Berlin’s Deutschlandhalle on May 16, 1978. The A-side boasts a photo of Bowie from Japan 1977, while the flip has him in NYC in 1978. Natalie Dessay and Michel Legrand, Between Yesterday and Tomorrow (Sony Classical) CD: Amazon…
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Top of the World: Real Gone’s February Slate Includes Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood, Grateful Dead and “Last of the Mohicans” Soundtrack
After the rush of the holiday season and the New Year, we now settle into the winter months, but that still doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot of music to talk about. Today, we’ve got new of some of Real Gone’s titles hitting just under a month from now on February 2. First up is a CD reissue of an obscure title featuring two members of the Faces: Mahoney’s Last Stand – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Ronnie Lane and Ron Wood. If you have never seen or heard of the…
Everything’s Coming Up Posies: Power Pop Group Work with Omnivore, PledgeMusic on Expanded Reissues
Power pop masterminds The Posies will celebrate their 30th anniversary this year by teaming up with Omnivore Recordings and PledgeMusic for reissues of three albums recorded for DGC Records in the mid-’90s. Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, the core members of the group, released the first Posies album, Failure, in 1988. (That self-released title was reissued by Omnivore in 2014.) Signing to Geffen’s rock subsidiary in 1990 (where they’d count Nirvana and Weezer as labelmates), the group’s harmony-rich tunes earned critical plaudits and more than a few comparisons to Big Star (a…
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 releases. While the native Philadelphian never had a commercial pop breakthrough, notching…
Thief of Hearts: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Varese Vintage returns the long out-of-print soundtrack to the 1984 thriller Thief of Hearts to CD in a newly remastered and expanded edition! In addition to the title track by Melissa Manchester and the original score by Harold Faltermeyer, the album also includes songs from E.G. Daily, Annabella Lewin of Bow Wow Wow, Darwun, and Beth Anderson & Joe “Bean” Esposito. TSD’s Joe Marchese supplies the new liner notes! Bonus tracks include the rare 12-inch dance mix of Manchester’s “Thief of Hearts” and the single and remixed versions of Daily’s “Love in…
Live At Lafayette’s Music Room
Live At Lafayette’s Music Room showcases Big Star kicking off 1973 at the acclaimed Memphis venue. Co-founder Chris Bell had recently departed the group, leaving singer/guitarist Alex Chilton, bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens to continue as a trio. While the group would not yet commit to recording a follow-up to 1972’s #1 Record until fall of the next year, this show at Lafayette’s features tracks from both #1 Record and the album that would become 1974’s Radio City, including future classics like “O My Soul” and “Back Of a Car.” This set was first released in…
The Year In Review – The 2017 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z
Happy New Year, and welcome to The Second Disc’s Eighth Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! As with every year’s awards, our goals are simple: to recognize as many of the year’s most essential reissues and catalogue titles as possible, and to celebrate as many of those labels, producers and artists who make these releases happen in the current retail landscape. The labels you’ll read about below have, by and large, bucked the trends to prove that there’s still a demand for physical catalogue music that you can purchase in brick-and-mortar stores. And…
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Merry Discmas! See You in 2018!
The Second Disc will be on holiday today through January 2, 2018 – no doubt listening to as many reissues and box sets as we can! We wanted to thank our readers and listeners for another astounding year; it’s hard to imagine that in just a few weeks we’ll be turning 8 YEARS OLD, and we wouldn’t be where we are without you. From Joe and myself, we wish you nothing but joy, love and prosperity for the rest of 2017 and all of 2018! We can’t wait to see what the…
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Various Artists, “Stax Country”
We’re continuing to look at the 60th anniversary releases from legendary R&B powerhouse label Stax Records with a single-CD or LP collection that just might make a perfect stocking stuffer! Stax Country (CR 00009), from Craft Recordings, takes a fresh look at some of the other, non-R&B music emanating from the corridors of Stax’s studios on East McLemore Avenue – in particular some “Sweet Country Music.” That’s the title of the twangy ditty recorded in 1975 by Becki Bluefield which leads off this compilation. Though Bluefield was an accomplished songwriter herself with…
New Shoes for Jethro Tull’s ‘Heavy Horses’ with 3CD/2DVD Edition in February
That 2018 release calendar is filling up nicely – and for Jethro Tull fans, there’s a guaranteed treat in yet another remixed, expanded 40th anniversary edition release. On February 3, Parlophone issues Heavy Horses: New Shoes Edition, a new 3CD/2DVD version of Jethro Tull’s 11th album, originally released in 1978. As with previous releases, Steven Wilson and Jakko Jakszyk have undertaken new remixes in stereo and surround of both the original LP and a host of bonus material. Wilson remixed Heavy Horses and nine associated outtakes (seven of which have never been…
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, Patti LaBelle), pop (Johnny Mathis, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis,…
Release Round-Up: Weeks of December 22 and 29
Welcome to this end-of-year Release Round-Up! The Monkees, More of The Monkees: Super Deluxe Edition (Rhino) Rhino delivers a 3-CD Super Deluxe Edition of The Monkees’ 1967 sophomore album with mono and stereo versions of the album and a plethora of alternate takes, never-before-heard rarities, and a recently-discovered live recording! With 91 tracks (55 previously unreleased!), this set greatly expands upon the 2-CD iteration from 2006. Read all about it here! Herbie Mann, It’s a Funky Thing: The Very Best of Herbie Mann (Varese Vintage) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon…
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Joy Ride: Cherry Red Boxes Up Albums From Rick Derringer, Mungo Jerry
Cherry Red has recently collected up the albums of two very different artists from the 1970s as compact clamshell box sets. The label’s Hear No Evil Recordings imprint is taking listeners on a Joy Ride with four Epic solo albums from guitar great Rick Derringer, while 7Ts Records has expanded editions of five Dawn albums from the group Mungo Jerry as The Dawn Albums Collection. Joy Ride: Solo Albums 1973-1980 follows the release earlier this year of The Blue Sky Albums from Rick’s band Derringer. But before Derringer the band, Rick Derringer…
Both Sides of the Sky
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The latest collection of posthumously-released material from Jimi Hendrix arrives in CD, vinyl, and digital formats, featuring 13 songs recorded between January 1968 and February 1970 – ten of which are previously unreleased, including performances with Stephen Stills of Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock” and the original song “$20 Fine.”
The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 6
4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Copenhagen LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada (TBD) 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 L’Olympia Theater on Monday, March 21; two shows from the next night at Stockholm’s Konserthuset; and one from Copenhagen’s Tivolis Koncertsal three days later, on March 24. The Final Tour: The Bootleg Series Vol. 6 has been fully authorized by both the Miles Davis and…
Stax Singles Volume 4: Rarities & The Best of the Rest
Craft Recordings boxes up a fourth volume of rare singles from the Stax vaults. Volume Four lives up to its subtitle, collecting odds and ends from Stax and its various imprints by artists including not just the label’s usual heavy hitters but also Big Star, Billy Eckstine, Delaney and Bonnie, and others. 80 pages of liner notes accompany this 6-CD treasure trove.
