On February 24, Craft Recordings has a date with The King of the Boogie. That's the date the label will reissue John Lee Hooker's 1962 electric blues classic Burnin' in an expanded mono/stereo CD edition and in various vinyl pressings just in time for its 60th anniversary. Singer-guitarist Hooker recorded Burnin' for the Vee-Jay label in Chicago during one November 1961 session. He was supported by the personnel who would later comprise Motown's legendary Funk Brothers house band including
In Memoriam: Jeff Beck (1944-2023)
Almost two months ago to the day, on November 12, 2022, Jeff Beck took the stage at Reno, Nevada's Grand Sierra Resort. Performing with his friend Johnny Depp, Beck ran through a setlist of fan favorites and covers. The guitar virtuoso made every song his own, with razor-sharp precision, an elegant tone, and a spellbinding touch. Little did anyone in attendance know that the concert would be Beck's last. After a short battle with bacterial meningitis, Jeff Beck has passed away at the age of
Vinyl Box Watch: Clapton, a-ha, Neutral Milk Hotel All Prep Big Sets on LP
For nearly no other occasion would you see these three bands in the same sentence, but it's true: vinyl box sets are all forthcoming from blues-rock legend Eric Clapton, Norwegian popsmiths a-ha, and '90s indie-folk darlings Neutral Milk Hotel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdl2I1spS8M This week, on January 13, Clapton readies The Complete Reprise Studio Albums - Volume II from Rhino Records. This 10LP set picks up where last year's first set left off, offering new remasters of Clapton's
The Living Word: New Box Sets Chronicle Wattstax in Full, 50 Years On
One of the greatest music festivals of the '70s is getting celebrated with an exhaustive array of reissues in 2023: Wattstax, the multi-dimensional Los Angeles celebration of soul, funk, blues and gospel courtesy of Stax Records. A half-century after the premiere of a Golden Globe-nominated documentary on the star-studded 1972 event, Craft Recordings, custodian of the Stax catalogue, will release the most definitive looks at Wattstax, most recently addressed in a 3CD box set in 2003 that took
Hey, Love: Vinyl Me, Please Celebrates Cadet Records Legacy on New Anthology Box Set
Following recent releases celebrating The Comedy Store, Ghetto Records, and the Philadelphia International label, the Vinyl Me, Please record club has announced the next title in its lavish Anthology series. The Story of Cadet Records, with eight albums spanning the halcyon era of 1968-1972, is available for pre-order now. Cadet Records emerged in 1965 as the successor to Argo Records, the jazz imprint of Chicago-based rhythm-and-blues label Chess Records. When brothers and co-founders
The Second Disc's Guide to Black Friday Record Store Day 2022: Our Essential Picks
From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you've enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. Of course, from this day which conjures nostalgic and warm feelings comes a celebration of a different kind with this year's annual Black Friday Record Store Day event. In keeping with tradition, Mike, Randy, and Joe have once again selected some essential picks of the roughly 200 titles being released tomorrow at independent record stores
The Weekend Stream: November 12, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. This week features a new version of a pop legend's most recent compilation, great proto-Motown soul, an expanded version of Robert Glasper's breakout album, Bon Jovi in Spanish(?) and a heap of early Christmas gifts. Check it out! Elton John, Diamonds (Deluxe) (Virgin/EMI) (iTunes /
Release Round-Up: Week of November 4
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! Billy Joel, Live at Yankee Stadium (Columbia/Legacy) 2CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Billy Joel's Live at Yankee Stadium, originally released on video, is getting a major makeover. The concert film, shot on June 22 and 23, 1990, has been restored and remixed from original audio and video elements for a 2CD/Blu-ray
In Memoriam: Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-2022)
To the uninitiated, the biography of Jerry Lee Lewis in 2022 read like a list of rock tropes so basic you can't believe they all happened to one man. Born to a poor Louisiana family that included a lot of famous Southerners (including cousins Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart), Jerry Lee's parents mortgaged their farm to buy him a piano and hoped he would honor the Lord in song. What they got instead was a firebrand, whose boogie-woogie sensibilities galvanized and scandalized the
Don't Be Afraid: Cherry Red, Esoteric Collect Keef Hartley Band's Complete Albums on "Sinnin' for You"
Drummer Keith "Keef" Hartley started his professional career rather auspiciously - replacing Ringo Starr in Rory Storm and The Hurricanes when Ringo was enlisted for duty with a certain fab foursome. Hartley went on to play with The Artwoods as well as with John Mayall before forming his own group. The Keef Hartley Band played at Woodstock and released six albums - five studio and one live - between 1969 and 1972 on Decca's "progressive" Deram imprint. Hartley would then release one solo LP
Release Round-Up: Week of September 30
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available in stores today! George Michael, Older: Deluxe Edition (Legacy) 5CD/3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada George Michael's third solo album - and the one he believed to be his finest - returns from Legacy Recordings in a new 5CD/3LP edition and a 2LP set. This expansion of 1996's Older features both the remastered album and the
Release Round-Up: Week of September 23
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Joni Mitchell, The Asylum Albums (1972-1975) (Elektra/Rhino) 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Joni Mitchell's Archives campaign rolls on with this new 4-CD or 5-LP box collecting four of the inspirational singer-songwriter's most acclaimed and beloved studio albums, all recorded for David Geffen's then-new Asylum Records label: For the Roses (1972), Court and Spark (1974), and The
There's a Light: Rory Gallagher's "Deuce" Goes Super Deluxe
Over the past couple of years, UMC has been busy revisiting the catalogue of late Irish guitar virtuoso Rory Gallagher. Following last fall's box set celebrating Gallagher's eponymous 1971 debut, the label is turning its attention to his second album, 1972's Deuce, for another deluxe, expanded edition. The similarly expansive 4CD release, due on September 30, boasts: A new mix of the original album; 28 previously unreleased alternate takes; A six-song 1972 BBC Radio In Concert
Hello, It's Me: Rhino Announces Black Friday RSD Slate with Todd Rundgren, Fleetwood Mac, Madonna, More
It's that time of year again: Record Store Day's annual Black Friday event is scheduled for Friday, November 25 as the holiday shopping season begins. Rhino has wasted no time in sharing its list of releases from some of the label's marquee artists including Fleetwood Mac, The Doors, Grateful Dead, and Madonna. Classic albums from Todd Rundgren, Captain Beefheart, and Eric Burdon & WAR are also among the titles on Rhino's slate. And one release is even available on CD! Read on for the
Behind the Mask: Eric Clapton's '80s and '90s Studio Work Included in New Vinyl Box
A forthcoming vinyl box set will chronicle the highs and lows of Eric Clapton's solo career in the '80s and '90s, from pop-adjacent player to triumphant elder statesman. Rhino's The Complete Reprise Studio Albums Volume 1 will include six of Slowhand's LPs issued between 1983 and 1998 - from Money and Cigarettes to Pilgrim - as well as an eight-track selection of non-LP live tracks and B-sides that includes two unreleased songs. Nearly every album (save Money and Cigarettes) has been pressed
Release Round-Up: Week of June 24
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the week's new titles! Christine McVie, Songbird: A Solo Collection (Rhino) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada "Sea Foam" Green LP: Rhino.com Christine McVie releases her first-ever solo compendium. Songbird (A Solo Collection), available in CD, 180-gram vinyl, and digitally, is a lean 10-track anthology remastered by producer Glyn Johns who worked in tandem
The Weekend Stream: June 11, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! From buckets of EPs by Portishead and the Black Crowes to a deep dive on Judy Garland, you'll find much to listen to and love. Judy Garland, Recordings from the M-G-M Films (Motion Picture Soundtrack Anthology) (WaterTower) (Apple Music / Amazon) There's plenty of celebrating the late, great Judy Garland's
Funky But Chic: Light in the Attic Unearths Rarities in "Earl's Closet"
When Earl McGrath died in January 2016 at the age of 84, the music industry veteran and art gallery owner was remembered by a starry crowd including Anjelica Huston, Jerry Hall, Harrison Ford, Mick Jagger, and Joan Didion. The Rolling Stones frontman called him "a wonderful man and such an amusing companion, too." McGrath was godfather to three of Ford's five children, and the Indiana Jones star described him as "the last of a breed, one of the last great gentlemen and bohemians." After
Release Round-Up: Week of May 13
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new releases arriving in stores today! The Rolling Stones, Live at the El Mocambo (UMe) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP Black Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP Neon Vinyl: Rolling Stones Online Shop The Rolling Stones are bringing their March, 1977 secret shows at Toronto's tiny El Mocambo club to 2-CD, 4-LP black vinyl, 4-LP neon vinyl, and digital formats. Live at the El
Release Round-Up: Week of April 15
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new releases available today! Rush, Moving Pictures: 40th Anniversary [various editions] (Mercury/UMe) 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3CD/5LP/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rush's seminal 1981 Moving Pictures receives a number of belated 40th anniversary reissues today including a 3CD version with the 2015 album remaster (debuting in
Release Round-Up: Week of March 18
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the titles arriving in stores today! Frank Zappa, The Mothers 1971 / Fillmore East - June 1971: 50th Anniversary Expanded Edition / Rainbow Theatre - December 10, 1971 (Zappa Records/UMe) The Mothers 1971: Official Zappa Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Fillmore East - June 1971: 50th Anniversary Expanded Edition: Official Zappa Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rainbow Theatre -
The Weekend Stream: March 12, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! Georgia Satellites, Lightnin' in a Bottle: The Official Live Album (Cleveland International/Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) Recorded at Cleveland club Peabody's at the end of 1988 - two years after their only hit, the No. 2 smash "Keep Your Hands to Yourself," had fallen off the charts - this blistering set showcases
The Sound of Liberation Hall: Label Announces Slate Through April Featuring Flamin' Groovies, The Troggs, Tony Hazzard, Kim Fowley, More
Since its formation in late 2020, the Liberation Hall label has delivered a wide variety of releases ranging from a Dr. Demento-curated collection of novelties to a campaign from the vaults of San Francisco indie label 415 Records. Now, the label has announced a bounty of upcoming releases scheduled between now and April. The eclectic slate encompasses reggae (Peter Tosh), blues (Chicago Blues Reunion), psychedelic and garage rock (The Moving Sidewalks, The Flamin' Groovies, Kim Fowley, The
Have Yourself a Merry Little Discmas...
Wow! And just like that, another year has flown by. Just a few weeks before The Second Disc hits its 12th anniversary(!), this Christmas Eve it is our custom to look back on the last 12 months and take some time to think fondly of the music, magic, memories and friends that made our lives worth living. As if last year wasn't unconventional enough, 2021 packed more pop, clicks, skips and distortion than the most misguided vinyl pressings. We got vaccinated, we got boosted, we tentatively
The Weekend Stream: December 18, 2021
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! A quiet week before Christmas offers a new Bowie remix, rare soundtracks from Tangerine Dream and The Simpsons, plus a legendary funk label on Bandcamp. David Bowie, Changes (2021 Alternative Mix) (Parlophone/Rhino) (Spotify) Alongside a newly-announced 50th anniversary picture disc of Hunky Dory, slated for
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