Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Fleetwood Mac, 50 Years: Don't Stop (Warner Bros./Rhino) 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada In celebration of its 50 years, Fleetwood Mac is issuing a new career-spanning collection featuring 50 songs on either 3 CDs or 5 LPs. These include hits, favorites, and a smattering of rarities such as the CD premiere of 2013's "Sad Angel"
Sparks Will Fly: The Rolling Stones’ “Voodoo Lounge Uncut” Concert Arrives on CD, LP, DVD, and Blu-ray
"Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones..." Those are the exciting words that have let audiences worldwide know they're in for a night of exciting rock and roll. Though The Rolling Stones wrapped up their No Filter Tour in July, fans of live Stones will have good reason to be happy this fall, as a concert from 1994 is finally released in full as Voodoo Lounge Uncut. In recent years, Universal Music and Eagle Rock Entertainment have shone a light on rare and previously unreleased concerts
Dream A Little Dream: Real Gone’s Black Friday RSD Slate Includes The Mamas and the Papas, Cheap Trick and Roy Buchanan
Our continuing look at this year's Black Friday Record Store Day offering now brings us to Real Gone Music's three selections which will be available the day after Thanksgiving, November 23. You may purchase these at any participating independent record shop. (See the full list of shops here!) Roy Buchanan - Live at Town Hall 1974 Blues-rock guitarist Buchanan was famous for playing the Fender Telecaster with an effects-free technique and influencing many other musicians despite never
Rare Power: Legacy Announces Record Store Day Black Friday Slate with Hendrix, Byrds, Joan Jett, More
Seven is Legacy Recordings' lucky number for this Black Friday's annual Record Store Day event. On November 23, the label will release seven titles on limited edition vinyl in a variety of genres reflecting the diversity of the Sony vaults. The offerings are highlighted by an EP of mono mixes from Jimi Hendrix; the vinyl debut of the Legacy Edition of The Byrds' Sweetheart of the Rodeo, coinciding with Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman's current tour celebrating the album; and more vinyl
Varese Vintage Reissues Soundtracks from Nino Rota, Taj Mahal
Varese Vintage has just reissued a pair of soundtracks on CD from an accomplished master of the film score genre (Nino Rota) and an American blues legend (Taj Mahal). 1979's Hurricane proved to be Nino Rota's final score. It found the Italian-born composer (The Godfather, La Dolce Vita) adding a lush layer to the romantic "man-against-nature" adventure story. Producer Dino De Laurentiis (King Kong, Flash Gordon) insisted the movie penned by Lorenzo Semple Jr. (the Batman television show,
Release Round-Up: Week of July 27
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Bob Dylan, Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances from the Copyright Collections (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The new 2-CD set Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances from the Copyright Collections draws on Dylan's previously issued limited edition "copyright extension" collections to offer a sampler of Dylan onstage, from a pair of songs recorded on April 16, 1962 at Gerdes Folk City in New York ("Blowin' in the Wind" and
Review: Bear Family’s “Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War”
If there was any doubt that history could be engaging as well as informative, such doubt would be dispelled by a listen to Bear Family's new release, the 4-CD box set Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America's Forgotten War. Make no mistake, the handsomely slipcased collection is as imposing and heavy as a textbook, as its four discs are housed within a lavish, 160-page hardcover tome. But this immersive journey can't help but thrill in its scope and execution. It follows previous Bear
Run Out Groove Round-Up: Dr. John’s “Funknology” and Marshall Crenshaw’s Live “Thank You”
Today, we're looking at two of Run Out Groove's most recent releases! Now is also the time to order the label's next release: Vagabonds: Expanded Edition, from Gary Louris of The Jayhawks! Pre-orders close on June 7, so don't miss out, and don't forget to vote on ROG's next release. Will it be Luna's Lunafied, Fred Neil's Bleecker & MacDougal, or Billy Byrd's Lonesome Country Songs? Vote now! It's not called Funknology for nothing! Run Out Groove's recent release from Dr. John,
Release Round-Up: Week of May 4
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Frank Sinatra, Standing Room Only (Capitol/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This new 3-CD, book-style box set from Capitol/UMe features three spectacular live concerts from three decades of Frank Sinatra's storied career, including the January 28. 1966 second show with The Count Basie Orchestra and conductor Quincy Jones at The Sands in Las Vegas, making its CD debut; and two previously unreleased shows: October 7, 1974 at
A Bigger Bang: The Rolling Stones Collect Fifteen Studio Albums On New Box Set
Start them up! On June 15, The Rolling Stones will release a massive, limited edition vinyl box set collecting the legendary band's 15 studio albums from Sticky Fingers (1971) to Blue and Lonesome (2016) on 20 meticulously-recreated LPs. The box coincides with the Stones' No Filter tour, kicking off this May in Dublin, Ireland. The release from Universal Music will take the form of a "highly bespoke, lenticular mounted" limited edition box. Each album, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, has been
Review: Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, “Motel Shot” [Expanded Edition]
The story of Delaney and Bonnie is by now a famous one. The husband-and-wife team of Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett got their first recording contract in the soulful environs of Stax Records in 1969. The pair then briefly moved to Elektra (and were offered and accepted a contract at The Beatles' Apple Records before their prior association with Elektra negated it) before arriving at Atco in 1970 for their longest sustained recording contract. Though Delaney and Bonnie never achieved much in the
Down By the River: Real Gone Reissues Rare Blues-Rock from Barry McGuire and Roy Buchanan in May
Even though spring is now here, it doesn't feel like it in some parts of the U.S.! As the east coast is hit by its fourth major snowstorm of March, let's look ahead to hopefully warmer days of spring and a pair of Real Gone releases coming out May 4 in the blues-rock genre. First up is Live at Town Hall 1974 from Roy Buchanan. Guitarist Buchanan was famous for playing the Fender Telecaster with an effects-free technique and influencing many other musicians despite never having much solo
Release Round-Up: Week of March 16
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Andrew Lloyd Webber: Unmasked - The Platinum Collection (Polydor/UMC) 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Let the memory live again! Andrew Lloyd Webber celebrates his 70th birthday and provocative new memoir Unmasked with this 4-CD, 71-track box set of the same name. The career-spanning anthology features many of the composer's most famed songs from Phantom of
Record Store Day 2018: The Best of the Rest
We've already filled you in on the upcoming Record Store Day releases from Legacy Recordings, Rhino, and Real Gone Music, but there's still much more on offer from many of our other favorite labels! Here's a selection of "the best of the rest" to be released in brick-and-mortar independent record stores on Saturday, April 21! ABBA, Summer Night City (Polydor) (2000 copies) (Record Store Day UK) (Quantity TBA) Clear/yellow-splatter 7-inch release of ABBA's 1978 non-LP single Baby Huey,
Free Ride: Edgar Winter’s Solo and Band Albums Collected on Two New Box Sets
With his long mane of white hair, Edgar Winter has long cut one of the most striking profiles in rock. Like his older brother Johnny, Texas-born Edgar was steeped in the blues. Emerging onto the scene with the 1970 Epic album Entrance, Winter fused blues with many of the styles with which he would become known, including rock, pop, soul, and jazz. Funk and even disco would come later, but one thing remained constant in whatever genre Edgar Winter was recording: virtuosic musicianship. A
Bear Family Chronicles The Forgotten War On “Battleground Korea” Box Set
Having previously tackled the music and sounds of The Vietnam War on a comprehensive box set, the Bear Family label has turned its attention to chronicling another conflict. Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America's Forgotten War, arriving from the label in the U.S on March 23, is a lavish 4-CD anthology from the historically-minded musical specialists, bringing into the sharp focus the soundtrack of the Korean War. Over 121 tracks, the Bear team brings together songs in the various
Review: Nina Simone, “Mood Indigo: The Complete Bethlehem Singles”
Listeners experiencing 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Nina Simone's debut recordings for the first time might be taken aback at the ferocity and determination which mark these fourteen sides, compiled for the first time in complete form on CD as Mood Indigo: The Complete Bethlehem Singles (BMG 538320282). Those qualities distinguished this remarkable artist throughout a long and fiery career, but were thrillingly present at her very first sessions. Pianist-singer Simone began her
He’s Ready: Chess and Universal to Release New Muddy Waters Collection
Universal Music Catalogue will issue a new collection celebrating the work of the bluesman born McKinley Morganfield but known the world over as Muddy Waters. Can't Be Satisfied: The Very Best of Muddy Waters 1948-1975 presents 40 classic tracks from across the singer/guitarist's tenure on the Chess label. Waters recorded for Chess for most of his life, after being discovered by Alan Lomax in the early 1940s for his Library of Congress-sanctioned sojourn to discover and record local country
New Coat of Paint: Anti- to Remaster Tom Waits’ Elektra/Asylum Catalogue in 2018
Having remastered his catalogue for Anti- Records spanning from 1999 to 2011 last year for CD and vinyl, iconoclastic singer Tom Waits will next partner with the label by turning his attention to the seven albums he released on the Asylum label during the first portion of his career. Waits and his wife and creative partner Kathleen Brennan have remastered all of Waits' studio and live output between 1973 and 1980 for CD and 180-gram LP, bringing many of the albums back into physical print
Sugar In My Bowl: Bethlehem, Rhino Plan Singles Collections Honoring Nina Simone
Few artists have had the impact on pop, soul, rock and jazz as the iconoclastic Nina Simone. Simone (1933-2003) played by her own rules in life and art, recording some of the most electric and eclectic music imaginable in any genre. It wasn't uncommon on a Simone album to find politically charged protest music alongside popular Broadway hits and reworkings of contemporary rock songs. This April, she will enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though she preferred to call her singular fusion of
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
Charmed and Dangerous: Blind Pig Records Celebrates 40 Years on Anthology
Since 1977, Blind Pig Records has been a leading light for the blues in all its many forms. The label, originally formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan and named for that city's Blind Pig Café (welcoming musical artists since 1971), has just celebrated its fortieth anniversary with a new 2-CD, 34-track compendium. Blind Pig Records: 40th Anniversary Collection boasts selections from each decade of the Blind Pig story, featuring many recognizable artists and some lesser-known lights that might just
No Time To Lose: Music Pioneer Ralph Peer Celebrated with Box Featuring Bing, Desi, Buddy, Ray, Elvis, Bob, Nat and Others
The history of commercial recorded music stretches back over 100 years and has encompasses the stories of many artists and talents. One of the biggest figures in this early history was Ralph S. Peer. The A&R (Artists and Repertoire) and publishing pioneer might not be a household name today, but he made major contributions to many varied musical genres including blues, country and Latin. Sony Music Latin has recently released a wide-ranging, eclectic 3-CD box set entitled The Roots of
Back to the Garden: Jimi Hendrix’s “Both Sides of the Sky” Premieres Unreleased Tracks, Features Stills, Winter
Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings are opening the Jimi Hendrix vaults once again for a new release intended as the third installment in the trilogy that began with Valleys of Neptune in 2010 and continued with People, Hell and Angels in 2013. Both Sides of the Sky will arrive in stores on March 9 in CD, vinyl, and digital formats, featuring 13 songs recorded between January 1968 and February 1970 - ten of which are previously unreleased. The recordings on Both Sides of the Sky evince
THE SECOND DISC’S 2017 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!
We wouldn't want you to be left out in the cold today for Cyber Monday, so we're proud to present our annual Holiday Gift Guide featuring more than 50 essential selections for the music enthusiast in your life! We've filled the guide with box sets (such as the Bob Dylan title to your right!) as well as archival releases and holiday music favorites that make great stocking stuffers. So just click here to access this year's top picks, reflecting the diversity of music released this year in