"Of the hundreds of new records unleashed on the public each year, few stand out as truly inspired, literate works of art," began Sparks' Russell Mael in his liner notes to Gleaming Spires' 1981 debut Song of the Spires. "Fewer still go beyond that. Though I have not personally had the time to listen to this, the Gleaming Spires' first recorded effort, two of my bridge partners tell me that this record goes way, way beyond." Sparks' tongue-in-cheek endorsement (to which Russell's brother Ron
Spooky, Scary: Andrew Gold's "Halloween Howls" Returns on Friday
When late singer-songwriter Andrew Gold set out to record his Halloween Howls: Fun and Scary Music album, he knew he was filling a void. The composer-lyricist of "Thank You for Being a Friend" and "Lonely Boy" wrote in the 1996 CD's original liner notes, "Each holiday has a mood and usually has music to go with it. However, it's been very hard to find any tapes or CDs of Halloween music. In fact, there's mostly just scary sound effects available and very few songs. So, I fixed that." Over the
Review: The Beach Boys, "Feel Flows: The Sunflower and Surf's Up Sessions 1969-1971"
Like a Companion for Your Lonely Soul Those placing the needle on The Beach Boys' Sunflower upon its release in 1970 might have been taken aback by the sheer drive of its opening track. The lusty "Slip on Through" - co-written, produced, and primarily sung by Dennis Wilson - rocked harder than just about anything else in the band's discography to that point. The song announced that Sunflower was not just The Beach Boys' first album on a new label but the beginning of a new chapter
Out There: Disney's Legacy Collection Returns with Expanded 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' Soundtrack
Like the pealing bells over Paris, Walt Disney Records has heralded the arrival of one of its most beloved recent archival projects with the surprise, impending release of an expanded score to the animated film The Hunchback of Notre Dame - the 14th release in the label's Legacy Collection series. It's only the third release in the series since two generous batches of titles in 2014 and 2015; an expansion of the music of animated films Robin Hood (1973) and Beauty and the Beast (1991)
The Weekend Stream: September 11, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we've introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Aaliyah, Aaliyah
Yesterday Once More: Richard Carpenter Returns with Solo "Piano Songbook"
Richard Carpenter's last solo album was titled Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor. Now the musical legend is returning in three of those capacities for his first full-length recording since that 1997 set. His third overall solo album, Richard Carpenter's Piano Songbook arrives from Decca Records - not A&M, but part of the same Universal Music family - on October 22 in CD and digital formats. The nine-song collection features newly-recorded solo piano renditions of some of the rich,
Release Round-Up: Week of September 10
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Chicago, Chicago at Carnegie Hall: Complete (Rhino) (Rhino.com) For the first time, Rhino brings together all eight of Chicago's concerts between April 5-10, 1971 at New York's Carnegie Hall in one deluxe, 16-CD box set. The original 4-LP box Chicago at Carnegie Hall was a commercial smash, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200. This set features every note played by the band as newly restored by the band's Lee Loughnane and engineer Tim
Make It Last Forever: Spice Girls' Debut Set for Expanded Reissue
Tell me what you want, what you really, really want... If what you want is a 25th anniversary expanded edition of the Spice Girls' 1996 debut Spice, you're in luck. On October 29, Virgin/UMC (U.K.) and EMI will reissue Spice on 2 CDs and a digital "eAlbum." The expanded Spice 25, curated by the Spice Girls, features the original album on the first CD plus a second disc of twelve bonus tracks. These encompass a sampling of period remixes and single versions plus five previously unreleased
The Weekend Stream: September 4, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we've introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Rick James, Glow (Deluxe Edition) /
Signs of Life: Pink Floyd's "A Momentary Lapse of Reason - Remixed and Updated" Sees October Release
On October 29, Sony and Pink Floyd Records will break out another title from 2019's mammoth Pink Floyd: The Later Years box set. A Momentary Lapse of Reason - Remixed and Updated features the David Gilmour-overseen presentation of the band's 1987 studio album. Remixed by Andy Jackson with Gilmour, assisted by Damon Iddins, this version will be released on CD/DVD, CD/BD, double 180-gram, half-speed mastered 45 RPM vinyl, and digitally with stereo and 5.1 mixes. Additionally, the album will be
Release Round-Up: Week of September 3
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Bob Marley and The Wailers, The Capitol Session '73 (Tuff Gong/Mercury Studios) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP Green Marble Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Five days after Bob Marley and The Wailers' landmark Burnin' hit stores in October 1973, producer Denny Cordell (Leon Russell, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers) took the band into Hollywood's Capitol
Always Love You: Elton John Welcomes Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Brandi Carlile, Glen Campbell and More to "The Lockdown Sessions"
Earlier today, Elton John announced a new album, his first new studio release since 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night. A spiritual successor to 1993's Duets, The Lockdown Sessions features Elton's collaborations with 16 diverse artists ranging from the late Glen Campbell and legendary Stevie Wonder and Stevie Nicks to current hitmakers including Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, and Nicki Minaj. The album was borne out of the many guest appearances Elton made on various records during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Riders on the Storm: The Doors' 'L.A. Woman' Celebrates 50th Anniversary with New Box Set
The Doors' L.A. Woman was hotly anticipated. The band's sixth studio set and a return to the blues-rock on which the band made its name, it followed the concert album Absolutely Live and the compilation 13, both in 1970, as well as the hit single "Love Her Madly." The March 1971 release of "Love Her Madly" teased the new album which finally arrived in April and shot to a top 10 berth on the Billboard 200. Three months later, Jim Morrison was found dead in his Paris apartment and the original
And That's Just What They'll Do: Nancy Sinatra's "Boots" Returns from Light in the Attic
Earlier this year, Light in the Attic launched its Nancy Sinatra Archival Series celebrating the musical legacy of the vocalist behind such classics as "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," "How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?," "You Only Live Twice," and the duet "Somethin' Stupid" with her famous father. On September 17, the series will continue with a CD, vinyl, digital, and 8-track (!) reissue of Nancy's debut album, 1966's Boots, originally issued on the Reprise label. Boots was, of course,
The Weekend Stream: August 28, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we've introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! OutKast, ATLiens (25th Anniversary
Release Round-Up: Week of August 27
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Beach Boys, Feel Flows: The Sunflower and Surf's Up Sessions 1969-1971 (Capitol/UMe) 5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP Black Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP Translucent Blue & Translucent Gold: The Beach Boys Shop Feel Flows: The Sunflower and Surf's Up Sessions 1969-1971, a hardcover book-style set
Get Back: The Beatles Remix, Expand 'Let It Be'
More than 50 years after its May 1970 release, The Beatles' Let It Be - the Fab Four's final original studio album - remains anything but the last word on the band. While the LP topped the charts in multiple countries including the U.S. and U.K., and included such beloved now-standards as "The Long and Winding Road," "Across the Universe," "Get Back," and the title track, the road to its release was anything but a smooth one. It was previously announced that the story would be chronicled this
Bittersweet Me: R.E.M. Revisits 'New Adventures in Hi-Fi' for 25th Anniversary
Craft Recordings is continuing its ongoing R.E.M. reissue series with a 25th anniversary edition of the Georgia band's tenth studio album New Adventures in Hi-Fi. On October 29, a 2CD/1BD Deluxe Edition will present the newly remastered original album, a disc of B-sides and rarities, and a Blu-ray with numerous features including a 64-minute outdoor projection film (originally shown on buildings across five cities in 1996 to promote the album release), a 30-minute EPK (Electronic Press Kit),
Just the Smile: Rory Gallagher's 1971 Solo Debut Expanded as 50th Anniversary Box Set
2020 saw a number of releases from late Irish guitar god Rory Gallagher including a blazing 1977 live set and a career-spanning anthology. Now, the celebration of all things Gallagher continues with a 50th anniversary edition of his 1971 solo debut. On September 3, UMC (in the U.K.) and UMe (in the U.S.) will reissue the eponymous Rory Gallagher as a 4CD/1DVD set containing a new mix of the original album, 30 previously unreleased outtakes and alternates, a six-song BBC Radio John Peel Sunday
The Weekend Stream: August 21, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we've introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Aaliyah, One in a Million
Release Round-Up: Week of August 20
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Eric Clapton, Eric Clapton: Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Polydor/UMe) 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP (Original Album Only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Eric Clapton's eponymous 1970 solo debut is reissued today in 4CD and 1LP iterations. The 4CD Deluxe Edition presents Eric Clapton in three separate mixes, with one mix on each of the first three CDs in the box: The Tom Dowd Mix, The Eric Clapton Mix, and The
You Make a Grown Man Cry: Rolling Stones Celebrate 40th Anniversary of "Tattoo You" with New Multi-Format Release
The old saying goes that necessity is the mother of invention. And when The Rolling Stones needed a new LP to tour behind but didn't have time to write and record, they invented Tattoo You. The 1981 album was primarily assembled from a decade's worth of outtakes, some essentially finished and some nowhere near so; band members eventually made their way into the studio to complete the latter tracks. The gamble paid off and Tattoo You topped the U.S. Billboard 200 and went to No. 2 on the U.K.
Get Up, Stand Up: Bob Marley and The Wailers' "The Capitol Session '73" Comes to CD, LP, DVD
1973 was a landmark year for Bob Marley. His band, The Wailers, released their sixth studio album in October to critical acclaim and commercial success. Burnin' earned a Gold sales certification in the U.S. and eventually an induction into the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. The album introduced "Get Up, Stand Up" as well as the future Eric Clapton hit "I Shot the Sheriff." But Marley and The Wailers weren't resting on their laurels around the time of the album's release.
She's a Survivor: Reba McEntire's "Revived, Remixed, Revisited" Box Due in October
Reba McEntire is looking back on her career with a three-disc, three-album retrospective - but with a twist. Revived Remixed Revisited, due on October 8 from MCA Nashville, consists entirely of new and previously unheard versions of her greatest hits for a total of 30 tracks. The first disc, Revived, presents McEntire's songs (including "Can't Even Get the Blues" and "Is There Life Out There") performed with her touring band as they would be heard in concert today with arrangements and
Like a Prayer (Answered): Madonna Signs Career-Spanning Deal with Warner, Announces Deluxe Reissue Series
For years - decades, even - fans have wondered when Madonna's catalogue would get the kind of deluxe treatment befitting her stature as a trailblazer. It now looks like that day is coming soon, as early this morning, the artist and Warner Music Group announced a career-spanning partnership. The new deal between Madonna and WMG (already her home for the first 24 years of her career on the Sire, Maverick, and Warner labels) sees that WMG will represent her entire body of work in both recordings
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