This single-CD compilation features 19 tracks from the first iteration of the band. It spotlights the music recorded by the band’s original lineup including leader Wayne Coyne’s brother Mark on vocals. It includes the band’s first and second cassette demos plus their 1984 debut EP, newly remastered from the original analog tapes. This is the first time these seminal recordings have been collected in one place. Showcasing the band’s influences, the set is peppered with covers such as The Who’s “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere,” Led Zeppelin’s “Communication Breakdown,” and Neal Hefti’s “Batman Theme”…
Release Round-Up: Week of March 9
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Jimi Hendrix, Both Sides of the Sky (Legacy/Experience Hendrix) 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.” Eva Cassidy, Songbird 20 (Blix Street) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The late Eva Cassidy’s 1998 posthumous collection…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 23
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Concert for George [Various Formats] (Craft Recordings) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/2DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/2BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/2DVD/2BD/4LP Limited Online Exclusive Box Set: George Harrison Shop The star-studded 2002 concert celebration of the life of George Harrison – featuring Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and other luminaries – returns in a variety of formats (with some previously unreleased music and bonus features) from…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 16
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! The Choir, Artifact: The Unreleased Album (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Omnivore premieres an unreleased album from pre-Raspberries group The Choir, recorded in 1969 by one of the final iterations of the popular Cleveland band. These ten ultra-rare recordings have been restored for this release by the team of Tommy Allen and Ducky Carlisle (The Raspberries’ Pop Art Live), and Choir fan Eric Carmen has provided liner notes along with Al Kaston and Choir members Denny Carleton and Phil Giallombardo. Read more here!…
Johnny Cash – Forever Words
The lost words of Johnny Cash – from poems, letters, and other unpublished writings – are set to music for the very first time and performed by a “Who’s Who” of artists including Johnny’s daughter Rosanne Cash, his stepdaughter Carlene Carter, fellow Highwaymen Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, Elvis Costello, John Mellencamp, T Bone Burnett, Allison Krauss, The Jayhawks, and others. John Carter Cash has helmed the project at Cash Cabin Studio in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Available in CD, DD, and LP formats.
Changestwobowie
David Bowie’s 1981 compilation spanning the period between Hunky Dory and Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) returns to print for the first time in three decades in a newly remastered edition. Its ten tracks include “Starman,” “Oh! You Pretty Things,” single versions of “Fashion,” “Ashes to Ashes,” and “D.J.,” and more. Available on CD, DD, and LP. The first LP run only will be pressed on both blue and black vinyl, to be packaged randomly.
More Ch-Ch-Changes: Parlophone Reissues David Bowie’s “Changestwobowie,” “Aladdin Sane”
Following the 40th anniversary reissue of David Bowie’s Changesonebowie in 2016, Parlophone is readying a CD, LP and DD edition of its 1981 followup: Changestwobowie. This will arrive on April 13, to be followed a week later by a special 45th anniversary vinyl edition of the artist’s seminal Aladdin Sane. Changestwobowie returns to CD after a three-decade absence. Originally released on LP in 1981 and on CD in 1985 by RCA, it features 10 songs spanning the period between Hunky Dory (1971) and Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps) (1980), including single versions…
I’ll Still Love You: Elvis Costello, Rosanne Cash, John Mellencamp, More Sing Unheard Johnny Cash on “Forever Words”
Previously unheard words of Johnny Cash are coming to new life on April 6 with Legacy Recordings’ release of Forever Words, an album of new songs built around the late Man in Black’s unknown poems and writings. In the spirit of similar projects like The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams and Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes (setting new melodies to lost lyrics by Hank Williams and Bob Dylan, respectively), Forever Words features an all-star array of talent placing Cash’s words in an all-new musical setting. Helmed by Cash’s son…
The Searcher: The Original Soundtrack
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD RCA and Legacy have the soundtrack to director Thom Zimny’s upcoming documentary on Elvis Presley coming in a variety of formats: an 18-track soundtrack CD, a 2-LP gatefold 12-inch vinyl edition, and a 3-CD collectible deluxe box set with additional music from Presley and those who inspired him. The film traces the artistic evolution of the artist from his R&B and country beginnings…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 9
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Stax Singles Vol. 4: Rarities and Best of the Rest (Stax/Craft) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) 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. Watch for our…
How the West Was Won [Multiple Formats]
3 CDs: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4 Vinyl LPs: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Blu-ray Audio: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Super Deluxe Edition (3 CD/4 LP/1 DVD): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Led Zeppelin’s 2003 concert album chronicling the band’s June 25 and 27, 1972 concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena returns in a new, remastered edition available in multiple formats.
Going to California: Led Zeppelin Goes Super Deluxe with “How the West Was Won”
Fifteen years ago, Led Zeppelin issued How the West Was Won, premiering performances from the band’s June 25 and 27, 1972 concerts at the Los Angeles Forum and Long Beach Arena. Now, those seminal tracks have been newly remastered under the supervision of Jimmy Page for a surprise addition to the band’s Super Deluxe library – as well as in a variety of formats, all of which are due from Atlantic/Swan Song on March 23 including the first-ever Blu-ray Audio and vinyl editions. The remastered How the West Was Won arrives in…
Concert for George [Various Formats]
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada (TBD) 2CD/2DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD) 2CD/2BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD) 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) / Amazon Canada (TBD) The star-studded 2002 concert celebration of the life of George Harrison – featuring Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and other luminaries – returns in a variety of formats from Craft Recordings.
Pure Hysteria: Def Leppard Allow Download, Streaming of Classic Catalogue for the First Time
Step inside, walk this way: British rockers Def Leppard have finally allowed their most popular albums to stream or download for the first time. Ahead of a major co-headlining tour with Journey, fans old and new can finally take the hits of Def Leppard along with them wherever digital music is found, thanks to the band’s label, Bludgeon Riffola, and Universal Music Enterprises, who distributes much of the group’s catalogue. “Given a bit of time to sit down and think about it and read and do the research and listen to the…
Release Round-Up: Week of January 19
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Fleetwood Mac, Fleetwood Mac [Various Formats] (Reprise/Rhino) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3CD/DVD/LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The 1975 debut album by the Fleetwood Mac line-up of Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, John McVie, and Mick Fleetwood arrives in a variety of deluxe formats, including a 3CD/DVD/LP box with the remastered album on CD and vinyl, bonus singles, previously unreleased studio outtakes and a live concert recording, and a DVD with high-resolution stereo and surround mixes. Todd Rundgren, Something/Anything and…
Give Me Peace On Earth: Craft Reissues ‘Concert For George’ In Various Formats
George Harrison would have been 75 years old next month, and Craft Recordings is celebrating that milestone with the ultimate tribute to the former Beatle: a multi-format reissue of 2002’s Concert For George. Available February 23, two days before Harrison’s birthday, Concert For George will bow in five different physical configurations – the most enormous of which is an online-only box set, limited only to 1,000 copies worldwide and featuring the star-studded tribute show on two CDs, two DVDs, two Blu-ray Discs and four 180-gram LPs. This 12″ x 12″ box set…
Release Round-Up: Week of January 12
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Dionne Warwick, Odds and Ends: Scepter Records Rarities (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) From 1962 to 1971, Dionne Warwick, working primarily with songwriters/producers Burt Bacharach and Hal David, notched over twenty Top 40 hits on the Scepter label and garnered two Grammy Awards. Yet while there have been numerous reissues of Warwick’s work at Scepter, some material has been overlooked. This new collection rectifies that! All 27 tracks on this compilation are new to U.S. CD, including 11 previously unreleased tracks. You’ll…
Put On Your Red Shoes: Parlophone Releases a Demo of “Let’s Dance,” Bowie’s Biggest Hit
To commemorate what would have been David Bowie’s 71st birthday, Parlophone has unveiled a previously unreleased gem from the vaults: the singer’s original demo for “Let’s Dance,” recorded with guitarist/producer Nile Rodgers. As both devoted and casual fans know, “Let’s Dance,” from Bowie’s 15th studio album of the same name in 1983, marked a sea change for the enigmatic performer. Having pushed the envelope dabbling in glam, disco and alternative rock during the late ’60s and ’70s, Bowie – armed with a new, lucrative record deal on EMI – was keen on…
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…
I Hear a Rhapsody: “Motown Unreleased: 1967” Features Marvin Gaye, Four Tops, Temptations, Mynah Birds
As has become a yearly tradition for the past several years, Motown released a “copyright extension” compilation of previously unreleased tracks at the very end of 2017, only a couple of weeks after last year’s similar set got a physical release. Motown Unreleased: 1967 gathers 89 tracks across the equivalent of 4 CDs, all previously unheard treasures from the seemingly inexhaustible Motown vaults. Like the collections of the past couple of years, there is a wide range of Motown talent on display here. Unlike, however, say last year’s compilation, the set is…
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…
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…
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…
Living For Today
The legendary Petula Clark’s 2016 album From Now On gets its first U.S. release with two new tracks on the heels of Petula’s acclaimed American tour! Living for Today premieres both the upbeat title song penned by Petula and Grant Sturiale, and the infectious “The Rainbow,” the first collaboration between Petula and “Downtown” hitmaker Tony Hatch in recent years!





















