Since its inception in 2013, Cherry Red’s Croydon Municipal label has reliably shed light on some of the least illuminated corners of the pre-Beatles pop world. Two recent releases – Such a Much: R&B Girls of the ‘50s and ‘60s and TV is the Thing: Fifties and Sixties Television Themes – continue in this tradition. Like many of Croydon’s releases, Such a Much features a blend of names both familiar (LaVern Baker, Little Esther, Etta James, Ruth Brown) and less familiar (Paula Grimes, Carrie Grant, Annie Laurie, Fay Simmons). What the 19…
Sensitive Chaos: Rhino To Release Anthology From Steve Howe of Yes
Get ready to say “Yes” to a new retrospective from progressive-rock great Steve Howe. The English guitarist has curated a new 33-track retrospective, simply titled Anthology, for release on March 10 via Rhino. The 2-CD set, also available as a digital download, is primarily drawn from the studio albums he’s recorded between 1975 and 2011. It arrives just weeks before the May 19 release of Progeny: Seven Shows from Seventy-Two, the 14-CD box set preserving Howe and Yes’ performances on their landmark 1972 tour. Drawing inspiration from talents as diverse as Chet Atkins…
1984 (Remastered Edition)
David Lee Roth’s (first) swansong with Van Halen is remastered, with no additional material, on CD, DD and LP.
Van Halen (Remastered Edition)
Van Halen’s debut album returns in a remastered edition with no additional material on CD, DD and LP.
Tokyo Dome Live in Concert
The first-ever live album from Van Halen to feature David Lee Roth, Tokyo Dome Live in Concert was recorded on June 21, 2013 in Japan with Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen and Wolfgang Van Halen, Tokyo Dome Live in Concert boasts 25 songs representing all seven of the band’s albums with Roth, right up through 2012’s A Different Kind of Truth. Mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Chris Bellman, it will be released in 2-CD, 4-LP and DD configurations.
Still Here: 1967-1973
Numero collects the best of the Chicago R&B vocal group, produced by Syl Johnson and Curtis Mayfield, illustrating the group’s musical transition from smooth ballads to socially-conscious soul.
Ultimate Sinatra
The 100th birthday of The Chairman of the Board is celebrated with a variety of releases under the Ultimate Sinatra umbrella, including a 4-CD box set drawing on the RCA, Columbia, Capitol and Reprise eras, highlights on 2 LPs or 1 CD, and a digital download. Full track listings and details on bonus material can be found in our full article!
Perfectly Frank: Sinatra Celebrated With Career-Spanning Box Set “Ultimate Sinatra”
2015 is getting a lot more ring-a-ding-ding come April thanks to the release of Ultimate Sinatra. On April 21, Capitol/UMe will continue the Frank Sinatra centennial celebration in style with new career-spanning collections drawing on the Chairman of the Board’s historic tenures with the RCA Victor, Columbia, Capitol and Reprise labels. Available as a 25-track single CD, a 26-track digital album, a 24-track 180-gram double-vinyl set, and a deluxe, 101-track 4-CD or digital box set, Ultimate Sinatra is the first initiative in over twenty years to bring together tracks from these three…
Walking in Memphis: Omnivore Revisits “Beale Street Saturday Night”
Omnivore Recordings is going back to Memphis. The label has already preserved a number of classic records drawing on the city’s rich musical landscape by artists including Big Star, Alex Chilton, Sandra Rhodes, and Sid Selvidge. On April 14, Omnivore will add to that collection with the reissue of Beale Street Saturday Night, produced and curated in 1979 by the late Jim Dickinson in celebration of the city’s blues mecca Beale Street. Produced for The Memphis Development Foundation (and with proceeds today going to benefit the Beale Street Caravan, a non-commercial radio…
Review: Ron Nagle, “Bad Rice”
Rare is the “cult album” that actually lives up to its mystique. But rare is Ron Nagle’s Bad Rice. This artifact from the Mystery Trend leader and acclaimed ceramic sculptor, originally released on Warner Bros. Records circa 1970, has recently been given new life by Omnivore Recordings in a deluxe 2-CD edition that’s an early candidate for Reissue of the Year. One part David Ackles, one part Randy Newman and the rest pure Nagle, Bad Rice likely wasn’t helped all those decades ago by its inscrutable title and unattractive cover artwork. Potential…
Straight Shooter: Deluxe Edition
The sophomore album from supergroup Bad Company gains a second disc of rarities on CD – 13 previously unreleased session tracks and one non-LP single! A 2-LP vinyl edition features the remastered original album plus selected rarities.
Bad Company: Deluxe Edition
The debut album from supergroup Bad Company is expanded with an entire second disc of rarities on CD – 10 previously unreleased session tracks and two non-LP singles! A 2-LP vinyl edition features the remastered original album plus selected rarities.
Can’t Get Enough: Deluxe 2-CD Bad Company Reissues On the Way
Today saw the reissue of Physical Graffiti, Led Zeppelin’s first album on the band’s own Swan Song Records label. So it’s appropriate that Rhino chose today to announce the deluxe, expanded reissue for the very first album on Swan Song – the self-titled debut of British hard rock supergroup Bad Company. That 1974 chart-topping album will be joined on April 7 by Bad Company’s 1975 sophomore effort, Straight Shooter in a similarly expanded edition. These reissues, to be available on CD, LP and digital download, have been remastered from the original multi-track…
Sometimes People Forget
The music of Translator (“Everywhere That I’m Not”) is celebrated with this new collection of demos recorded between 1979 and 1985. Of the 22 tracks here, 20 are previously unreleased. The band’s Steve Barton has co-produced this release!
Countdown To “Physical Graffiti” Begins: Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page Does Q&A, Expanded Album Streams Tomorrow
The wait for the latest volume of Led Zeppelin’s remastered and expanded reissue series is almost over! Tomorrow – Thursday, February 19 – Yahoo Live will stream the 40th Anniversary Led Zeppelin Physical Graffiti Deluxe Edition Premiere. The complete, previously unreleased companion audio from the upcoming deluxe edition will be unveiled, followed by a live Q&A with legendary axeman and album producer Jimmy Page in front of a live audience at Olympic Studios in London, the same studio where portions of the album were originally recorded over 40 years ago. Fans worldwide will have the opportunity to…
Postcards from Paradise
Ringo Starr’s eighteenth album arrives just in time for his solo induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Guest musicians include members of Starr’s most recent All-Starr Band, all of whom co-wrote one track with Starr: Todd Rundgren, Steve Lukather, Gregg Rolie, Richard Page, Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette. Guest appearances are also promised from Joe Walsh, Richard Marx, Peter Frampton and Dave Stewart.
No Pier Pressure (Deluxe Edition)
Brian Wilson returns with his long-anticipated eleventh studio album featuring Al Jardine, David Marks and Blondie Chaplin of The Beach Boys, plus Nate Ruess of fun., She & Him, Kasey Musgraves, Sebu Simonian of Capital Cities, Peter Hollens, Mark Isham, and longtime members of Wilson’s band. Wilson and Joe Thomas (The Beach Boys’ That’s Why God Made the Radio) have produced. The standard CD edition will include 13 songs, while a deluxe CD edition has been promised with 16. The 2-LP vinyl set will feature the 16-track version. This link is for the Deluxe…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 17
The Pretenders, 1979-1999 (Edsel) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) This mega-box features all of Edsel’s expanded Pretenders reissues, totaling the band’s eight Sire/Warner Bros. albums across 14 CDs and 8 DVDs (with six of the titles as 2-CD/1-DVD sets and two as 1-CD/1-DVD sets). Wow! All of the box set’s albums are also available individually (see below)! All track listings and discography can be found here. The Pretenders, 1979-1999 individual CD/DVD reissues (Edsel) Pretenders (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Pretenders II (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Learning To Crawl (Amazon U.S. / Amazon…
Minstrel in the Gallery: 40th Anniversary La Grande Edition
Jethro Tull’s “Minstrel in the Gallery” celebrates its 40th with a 2-CD/2-DVD book-style edition including new 5.1 and stereo mixes of the original album, the original stereo and quadraphonic mixes, a previously unreleased concert in 5.1 and stereo, and more!
Spirit in the Night: Closing Night of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” Tour Comes To Archive Series
Bruce Springsteen is continuing his live Archive Series of CDs which began last year with the release of the Apollo Theater, New York City concert of March 12, 2012 and the Agora Theatre, Cleveland show of August 9, 1978 (from The Darkness on the Edge of Town tour). The newest release, for which pre-orders began Tuesday, takes fans back to the Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, on December 31, 1975 when Springsteen and the E Street Band held the stage for an electrifying night. The last night of 1975 was also the last night of…
Reviews: Two From Omnivore – Ian Matthews, “Stealin’ Home” and TV Eyes, “TV Eyes”
In Part One of our Omnivore round-up, we looked at recent releases from Big Star and Roger Taylor. Today, we’re turning the spotlight on Ian Matthews and the trio of Roger Manning, Jason Falkner and Brian Reitzell, a.k.a. TV Eyes! “This album was very much a conscious attempt at something a little more AOR, without deserting my roots.” So writes Ian (or, as he’s sometimes known on record, Iain) Matthews in his introduction to Omnivore Recordings’ splendid 2014 reissue of his 1978 album Stealin’ Home (OVCD-98). As a prevailing sound of AOR…
Another Side: Shedding Light On Bob Dylan’s “Shadows”
With this week’s release of Shadows in the Night, Bob Dylan has unveiled his buzziest album in years. On track to become Dylan’s eighth No. 1 album in the U.K. – with chart success also expected stateside – Shadows in the Night is the album on everybody’s lips. We can’t stop talking about it at Second Disc HQ, either. Joe filed his review on Tuesday, but longtime Dylanphile Ted has “another side” to offer, too! Please join the discussion and sound off below on the latest work from one of America’s most…
Easy Skanking in Boston ’78
Easy Skanking in Boston ’78 kicks off a new program from UMe and the Bob Marley family. This new release, consisting of previously unreleased concert footage, will be available in Blu-Ray/CD combo pack, DVD/CD and standalone CD and vinyl versions. The video was shot with a hand-held camera by a fan that Marley allowed to sit right in front of the stage for his 1978 concert at Boston’s Music Hall. The result captures the artist from just a few feet away. Gaps in the original footage have been filled with newly-created animation over the existing audio….
Release Round-Up: Week of February 3
Tony Joe White: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (2-CD Set) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / George Jones & Tammy Wynette: Songs of Inspiration (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / Bobby Lance: First Peace/Rollin’ Man (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) / Jerry Williams: Gone (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / Various Artists: Apollo Saturday Night/Saturday Night at the Uptown (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / John Hall: Power (Expanded Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / Ray Kennedy: Ray Kennedy (Expanded Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) / Grateful Dead: Dick’s Picks Vol. 12—Providence Civic Center 6/26/74 &…

























