James Taylor is back with his first collection of original songs in over 13 years! The 10-track album Before This World will be available in a number of configurations including a single CD; CD/DVD Deluxe Edition (with the documentary There We Were: The Making of James Taylor’s Before This World; vinyl LP; and Super Deluxe Edition with bonus audio, an expanded cut of the film, a 40-page booklet and swag (handwritten lyric replicas, etc.) in a numbered limited edition. Super Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. CD/DVD Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K….
Release Round-Up: Week of May 5
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Oddly, releases were split between yesterday and today, but both days add up to a wealth of titles in nearly every genre! Without a doubt, this is one of the most packed weeks yet this year! Jackie DeShannon, All the Love: The Lost Atlantic Recordings (Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) All the Love–The Lost Atlantic Recordings brings together DeShannon’s entire 1973 Atlantic Records material in one place for the first time, including seven previously unreleased tracks plus her four collaborations with Van Morrison and the…
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Review: Frank Sinatra, “Ultimate Sinatra”
On August 31, 1939, Frank Sinatra stepped into a New York recording studio as vocalist of Harry James’ orchestra for a two-song session. The second song recorded, Arthur Altman and Jack Lawrence’s “All or Nothing at All,” captured a philosophy that the 23-year old “boy singer” would hold closely. “All or nothing at all/Half a love never appealed to me,” he asserted. “If it’s love there is no in-between…” Indeed, Frank Sinatra’s life was one of triumphant highs and shattering lows – no in-betweens. The vocalist returned to the song numerous times…
But Beautiful: “Lady in Satin: The Centennial Edition” Expands Billie Holiday Classic To 3 CDs
Billie Holiday was just a couple months away from her 43rd birthday when she entered Columbia Records’ 30th Street Studio on February 18, 1958 to record Lady in Satin. The album controversially promised a new, glamorous setting for the artist, who had recently been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver following a lifetime of troubles including alcohol and drug dependency, abusive relationships, stints in reform school and prison, and even a period as a teenaged prostitute. The LP’s original liner notes by producer Irving Townsend noted that “The use of strings and…
Release Round-Up: Week of April 28
Dusty Springfield, Faithful (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Faithful assembles for the first time on one CD all of the masters produced by Jeff Barry (“Chapel of Love,” “Leader of the Pack,” “Sugar, Sugar”) for Dusty Springfield in 1971. From his home base at New York’s Century Sound, Barry produced thirteen songs for Dusty – twelve intended for album release and one for a non-LP single. Four songs were released on two 45s, but when Dusty departed Atlantic Records, the remaining tracks were left on the shelf, and thought…
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Loaded: Jeff Beck Offers “Live+” With Tour Performances, New Studio Recordings
With Jeff Beck currently hitting the road once more, the time is right for Atco’s upcoming release of Jeff Beck Live+ culled from performances on the legendary guitarist’s 2014 tour with ZZ Top. The May 19 release features 14 live cuts along with Beck’s first two studio recordings since 2010. Beck’s tour last year with ZZ Top was curtailed due to the injury of the band’s bassist, Dusty Hill; Live+ will arrive in the midst of the April 30-May 10 tour dates for ZZ Top and Beck. On May 12, Beck will resume…
The Wrecking Crew
Denny Tedesco’s acclaimed documentary about the hitmaking L.A. session legends collectively known as The Wrecking Crew arrives on DVD and Blu-ray. Features contributions from Brian Wilson, Leon Russell, Glen Campbell, Cher, Herb Alpert, Micky Dolenz and more.
Songs of “Aloha”
The soundtrack to Cameron Crowe’s upcoming film Aloha is here, featuring songs from David Crosby, Fleetwood Mac, Beck, Josh Ritter, Hall and Oates, and others.
Live+
Guitar hero Jeff Beck returns with a new live album culled from his 2014 tour. Two new studio tracks round out the set.
Say “Aloha”: Fleetwood Mac, David Crosby, Beck Featured On New Cameron Crowe Soundtrack
Since making his big-screen debut as a writer with the 1982 comedy Fast Times at Ridgemont High, onetime teenaged Rolling Stone scribe Cameron Crowe has made music an integral part of his films – and we’re not just talking about Almost Famous! Every one of his movies as writer-director, from 1989’s Say Anything… to 2011’s We Bought a Zoo, has had its share of musical highlights. His next film, Aloha, should prove to be no exception. On May 26, Legacy Recordings and Madison Gate Records will issue Songs of Aloha, the Original…
Sticky Fingers
The Rolling Stones revisit their 1971 classic featuring “Wild Horses,” “Brown Sugar,” “Bitch,” “Sister Morphine” and “Moonlight Mile” in a multitude of deluxe editions: 3-CD/1-DVD Super Deluxe Edition Box Set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 2-CD/1-DVD Deluxe Edition Box Set: Amazon U.S. TBD / Amazon U.K. 2-CD Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 1-CD Standard Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 2-LP Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Release Round-Up: Week of April 21
Today’s Release Round-Up features an array of titles including a box set from the one and only Chairman of the Board, a number of vintage albums in surround sound, a classic reissue from a new Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, and more! Frank Sinatra, Ultimate Sinatra (Capitol/UMe) 4-CD Box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 1-CD Highlights: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 2-CD Target Exclusive: Target.com 2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Standard Edition DD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. The 100th birthday of Ol’ Blue Eyes is celebrated with a variety of releases under the Ultimate Sinatra umbrella,…
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The Kingbees
Omnivore remasters and expands The Kingbees’ 1980 roots-rock gem with eight previously unissued demos and live recordings on CD and DD.
In the Beginning
Resonance follows 2012’s Echoes of Indiana Avenue with this collection of 26 newly-discovered live and studio recordings from the jazz guitar virtuoso – including a Quincy Jones-produced session for Epic Records from 1955 previewed last year on Record Store Day. The deluxe 2-CD set includes a 56-page booklet with liner notes by Quincy Jones, Pete Townshend, Ashley Kahn and others.
Dames at Sea: Original London Cast Recording
The 1969 London Cast Recording of George Haimsohn, Robin Miller and Jim Wise’s 1968 musical features an all-British cast performing the musical comedy with orchestrations that vary considerably for those created for the original off-Broadway album. Available since April 14 on CD-R from Masterworks Broadway’s website, it will be made available as a digital download through all service providers and a CD-R exclusively through Arkiv Music on May 4.
Amused to Death (Remixed Editions)
Roger Waters revisits his 1992 album Amused to Death, featuring contributions from Don Henley, Rita Coolidge, P.P. Arnold, Andy Fairweather Low and Michael Kamen, in a variety of formats featuring new stereo and 5.1 surround mixes. CD CD / Blu-ray SACD Hi-res digital download 2LP 200 gram vinyl (pressed at Quality Record Pressings) Limited edition, numbered 2LP picture disc vinyl
Perfect Sense: Legacy to Revisit Roger Waters’ “Amused to Death” with New Stereo and 5.1 Remixes
While there has been no Pink Floyd reissue news for nearly a year now since the release of a deluxe edition of The Division Bell, fans can look forward to revisiting one of Rogers Waters’ solo projects with the newly announced reissue of Amused to Death. Death was released in 1992 and was Waters’ third solo outing after 1984’s The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking and 1987’s Radio K.A.O.S. As is common for Waters’ LPs, it is a concept album. The songwriter based it upon ideas from Neil Postman’s book Amusing…
Turn Them Loose On Broadway: Masterworks Reissues Bette Davis Musical and More
Sony’s Masterworks Broadway division is once again opening the vaults to rescue more vintage recordings from obscurity. Over the next three months, the label will release in its made-on-demand CD-R and digital programs three Broadway related recordings: the 1969 London Cast of Off-Broadway’s Dames at Sea (making its CD premiere), 1952’s Broadway revue Two’s Company starring Bette Davis (making its U.S. CD debut) and the original recording of Sir John Gielgud’s 1958 Broadway solo Shakespeare recital, Ages of Man (making its CD premiere). You can find more details from Sony’s press release…
Release Round-Up: Week of March 31
Today’s Release Round-Up has everything from classic country and rock to vintage jazz! Glen Campbell, Rhinestone Cowboy: 40th Anniversary Edition (Capitol Nashville) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) Capitol Nashville remasters and expands Glen Campbell’s smash 1975 album with five bonus tracks, including the previously unreleased “Quits,” two rare new-to-U.S.-CD single sides and remixes of “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Country Boy (You Got Your Feet in L.A.).” Read full details here. Van Halen, remasters and Tokyo Dome Live in Concert (Warner Bros./Rhino) Van Halen: Remastered Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 1984: Remastered…
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Raise Your Hand! Epic Springsteen Concert Comes to Archive Series
Please join us in welcoming the newest contributor to The Second Disc, Randy Fairman! Randy’s checking in today with news of the latest addition to Bruce Springsteen’s live archive series! Bruce Springsteen is continuing his Archive series at a fast pace, with the latest release coming just over a month after premiere of the last (December 31, 1975 at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania). This time, the concert is another from New Year’s Eve, but five years later and a little up the coast from the previous release: December 31, 1980…
Forever Man
Eric Clapton’s new anthology – released on the occasion of his 70th birthday – features 51 tracks on three CDs, with one disc dedicated to studio tracks, one to live recordings, and one to his explorations of the blues. Also available in 2-CD and 2-LP highlight forms, and as a digital download.
Wonderful Tonight: Eric Clapton Turns 70, Releases New Late-Period Anthology
On March 30, Eric Clapton turns 70, but the guitar hero isn’t about to rest on his considerable laurels. He’s marking the occasion with a series of concerts including two at New York’s Madison Square Garden and seven at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Reprise Records is also celebrating the artist’s landmark birthday with the April 28 release of Forever Man, a compilation concentrating on his longtime affiliation with the label and its sister Warner Bros. Records which began in 1983. Featuring 51 tracks from the 19-time Grammy winner over three CDs, Forever…
Margaret Whiting and George Shearing’s “Lost Jazz Sessions” Found
With her straightforward, emotionally honest and vocally pristine style, it’s no wonder why Margaret Whiting became one of the foremost interpreters of the body of work known today as The Great American Songbook. One of the earliest signings to Johnny Mercer’s fledgling Capitol label, Whiting scored approximately 50 chart hits in the 1940s and 1950s, popularized now-standard songs including “My Funny Valentine,” “It Might as Well Be Spring,” “Moonlight in Vermont” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and was the first major artist to record a songbook tribute album (1947’s Margaret Whiting Sings…
Can’t Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour
Leonard Cohen offers ten selections – including two songs never previously recorded and a pair of covers – from his recent world tour.
Light As The Breeze: Leonard Cohen Returns With Live Rarities Set
Just a few months after the September 2014 release of Leonard Cohen’s new studio album Popular Problems and subsequent concert release Live in Dublin, the troubadour is back with a new offering drawn (like Live in Dublin) from his Old Ideas World Tour. Whereas Dublin presented an overview of Cohen’s extraordinary career, the upcoming Can’t Forget: A Souvenir of the Grand Tour presents rarities performed during the international trek. The May 12 release from Legacy Recordings features a pair of never-before-released songs alongside classics and choice covers from the Rock and Roll…
