The Bandcamp Friday train keeps rolling - a light in the darkness for music lovers if ever there was one! On March 20, as the COVID-19 pandemic was putting the world on pause, the indie music service waived their revenue share on all music and merch sold, allowing indie artists and labels a chance for some steadier income as concert tours began to halt. The event was a resounding success, and has been repeated on the first Fridays of May and June, with another on June 19 (a planned annual
Release Round-Up: Week of June 26
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Johnny Cash, The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991 (Mercury/UMe) 7CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 7LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Complete Mercury Recordings 1986-1991 will be available on 7CD or 7LP, 180-gram vinyl formats. The box collects all six albums Johnny Cash recorded for Mercury Records during that era: Class Of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Carl
Before The Beginning: Fleetwood Mac’s “Then Play On” Receives “Celebration” Editions on CD and LP This September
On September 18, nearly 51 years to the day from its original release, Fleetwood Mac's third album, Then Play On, will be reissued on BMG on CD and half-speed mastered 2-LP in a special "Celebration Edition." And as far as Fleetwood Mac albums go, this one is certainly worth celebrating. On Then Play On, the band steers away from the straight-ahead blues covers that dominated their earlier albums. The band's lineup was also in transition - one of many such changes the Mac would see in its 50+
Groundbreaking Guitarist John McLaughlin Reunites With 4th Dimension, Releases “Lockdown Blues” To Benefit Charity
"Lockdown Blues": no doubt we've all experienced it in some form or another in these last few months. While the COVID-19 outbreak upended much of the industry, many artists have used this time to contribute creative pursuits - from live-streamed living room concerts, Zoom-based music videos, or - in the case of the legendary fusion guitarist John McLaughlin, to get the band back together and release a new single. Under the backdrop of the outbreak, McLaughlin reconvened his 4th Dimension
This Calls For A Celebration: Craft Recordings Announces New RSD Dates, Adds Booker T’s “McLemore Avenue” To Lineup
Recently, Record Store Day organizers announced that in lieu of a single-day celebration, planned 2020 RSD would be released across three months on three special "drop days." As labels begin to open up following the COVID-19 outbreak, we're excited to give you the latest. Late last week, Craft Recordings announced the full lineup of indie-exclusive vinyl that will be rolled out on August 29, September 26, and October 24, and the label has added a special 50th Anniversary edition of McLemore
Release Round-Up: Week of June 5
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Frank Sinatra, Nice 'n' Easy: 60th Anniversary Edition (Capitol/UMe) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP (Remixed Album Only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Capitol Records, Frank Sinatra Enterprises, and UMe have a 60th anniversary edition of Frank Sinatra's classic 1960 album arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle. For the occasion, the album has been completely remixed and features three bonus tracks: the
Release Round-Up: Week of May 29
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Ronnie Milsap, The Best of Ronnie Milsap (Craft Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Best of Ronnie Milsap gathers up 12 of the artist's biggest hits from his first tenure at RCA, including "It Was Almost Like a Song," "Any Day Now," and "What a Difference You've Made in My Life." Craft's parent company, Concord Music, acquired the rights to 16 of Milsap's RCA albums from between 1977-2006 last year, and this is the first
Rollin’ and Tumblin’: B.B. King and Eric Clapton’s Collaboration Expanded For 20th Anniversary
Eric Clapton and B.B. King first took the stage together in 1967 - the former a young upstart then serving as one-third of power trio Cream and the latter already a veteran blues master. They didn't record together until 1997 when King called Clapton to guest on his Deuces Wild album of duets, and the experience left both men wanting more. Three years later, Clapton would release Riding with the King, featuring a dozen collaborations between the two guitarists. On June 26, Warner Records and
Boogie Chillen’: Ace Collects John Lee Hooker’s Early Years, Premieres Unreleased Tracks
Ace Records is celebrating the late blues legend John Lee Hooker (1912 or 1917 - 2001) with a historic new box set. Due on May 29, Documenting the Sensation Recordings 1949-1952 accomplishes just that feat. When Ace purchased Sensation Records from Bernard Besman, a number of Hooker sides were among the acquisition. Besman had previously sold some of Hooker's recordings to United Artists and Greene Bottle. Until now, Ace hadn't completed research into the total contents of the acquisition. Over
In Memoriam: Little Richard (1932-2020)
The stupid but true thing to start off with is there was nothing "little" about him. I was born in 1987, a year after Richard Penniman was officially canonized as one of rock and roll's true pioneers, inducted into the first class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. From that point through the early '90s, he got to enjoy some unlikely fruits of becoming an elder statesman that aren't typically afforded to many at this stage in their careers. In 1986, his song "Great Gosh A'Mighty," from the
Hot Coals: Classic Rory Gallagher Arrives on “Check Shirt Wizard: Live in ’77”
The late Irish guitar hero Rory Gallagher (1948-1995) is well known for his live albums, and now UMC has added a new one to the Gallagher canon. Out now, Check Shirt Wizard: Live in '77 is available as a 2-CD or 3-LP set. Each configuration features 20 previously unreleased recordings from Gallagher's 1977 U.K. tour including performances from the Brighton Dome, Sheffield City Hall, the Hammersmith Odeon, and Newcastle City Hall. The set boasts incendiary versions of his then-most-recent
Message to Love: Universal Prepares a Wealth of Rarities for RSD 2020
Here at Second Disc HQ, we've been thrilled by the news of amazing releases coming from all the labels this Record Store Day 2020, and UMe's slate of 20+ titles is no exception. With a new definitive vinyl edition of Paul McCartney's debut, a tenth-anniversary celebration of Ellie Goulding's Lights, a Cat Stevens rarity making its vinyl debut, an expanded Elton John, a reissue of an impossible-to-find CTI Jazz album, and many more, fans will want to line up bright and early to secure their
Run Out Groove Preps Paul Butterfield, Type O Negative Releases; Voting Open for Next Titles
There are just fourteen days left to pre-order Run Out Groove's beautiful vinyl premiere of The Butterfield Blues Band's Live at Woodstock, capturing Paul Butterfield and co.'s memorable set on two 140-gram vinyl LPs with stunning new artwork in a deluxe tip-on jacket. Place your orders here! In the meantime, however, ROG has announced a new release from Type O Negative. Last year, ROG reissued the goth metal band's None More Negative box set in a sold-out limited edition, and now, the label
Just Peachy: New Box Set Celebrates 50 Years of The Allman Brothers Band
The November 1969 arrival of the self-titled The Allman Brothers Band heralded the arrival of a group which would change the face of music. Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley, Jai Johanny Johanson (a.k.a. Jaimoe), and Butch Trucks fused rock, blues, and country with jazz-inspired improvisation to become one of the most beloved bands of all time. On February 28, UMe and Mercury Records will celebrate 50 years of The Allman Brothers Band with a remarkable, career-spanning box
Cream’s Long ‘Goodbye’ Compiled For New Box Set
The fourth and final core album by Cream, 1969's Goodbye (sometimes referred to as Goodbye Cream), followed the structure of the previous year's Wheels of Fire. Whereas that album featured one disc of live recordings and one disc of studio tracks, the taut Goodbye had one live side and one studio side. Despite its short running time of just six songs, Goodbye packed considerable power from the triumvirate of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, and Ginger Baker. It reached the top of the Albums Chart in
THE SECOND DISC’S 2019 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!
Another Cyber Monday is here, which means one thing at Second Disc HQ: it's time to launch 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 Steve Miller Band title to your right!) as well as archival releases and Christmas music favorites that will make great stocking stuffers. So just click here to access this year's top picks, reflecting the diversity of music released this year
Red’s Favourites: John Renbourn’s Formative Albums Collected on “Unpentangled” Box Set
Few figures were as instrumental to the British folk music revival as John Renbourn, whose guitar style incorporated influences from Celtic, jazz, pop, R&B, and beyond. As one-fifth of Pentangle, he and his bandmates expanded the possibilities of a folk-infused combo with odd time signatures, lengthy instrumental passages, and a repertoire that spanned decades, genres, and forms. But even before forming Pentangle, Renbourn had stunned audiences and listeners with his unique approach to the
You Better Watch Yourself: Rarities From The Prime Movers Feature Iggy Pop On Drums and More
One of the unsung acts of the burgeoning '60s rock scene in the American Midwest, The Prime Movers Blues Band are finally getting their due with their first ever official release - a self-titled collection to be released in November. Founded by brothers Michael and Dan Erlewine in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1965, The Prime Movers became an unbelievable breeding ground for local talent. Michael's vocals and Dan's skillful guitar already made for a potent front end of the band, steeped in a deep
Earwig Music Unearths Trove of Chicago Blues and Soul on “Cadillac Baby’s Bea & Baby Records: The Definitive Collection”
Chicago in the '50s was overflowing with skilled bluesmen, vocal groups, gospel singers, not to mention the mom-and-pop labels eager to make a hit off the artists. There are the now-famous labels - Chess, Delmark, and Vee-Jay among them. But the Windy City was so teeming with talent (and entrepreneurial hucksters trying to launch their own careers) that small, independent labels were plentiful. Earwig Music Company celebrates one such label in its ambitious new box set, Cadillac Baby's Bea
Release Round-Up: Week of September 27
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Beatles, Abbey Road: Anniversary Edition [Various Formats] (Apple/UMe) Super Deluxe 3CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Deluxe 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Abbey Road celebrates 50 with a variety of editions built around a new 2019 stereo mix by Giles Martin
Review: Bobby Rush Proves He’s At the Top of His Game With “Sitting On Top of the Blues”
Legendary bluesman Bobby Rush is back with a new album, Sitting on Top of the Blues, which is released today on CD and LP through Rush's own Deep Rush label. At 86 years old, the Louisiana-born guitar slinger and singer has traveled from the Chitlin' circuit to the world's stages since 1951. He's released music on indie labels across the nation, recorded for Gamble & Huff, and has performed alongside a who's-who of funk, soul, and blues luminaries. You've probably heard some of his classics
Release Round-Up: Week of August 16
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Cadillac Baby's Bea & Baby Records: The Definitive Collection (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Earwig Music has one of the year's most intriguing box sets and most significant historical excavations - a beautiful 124-page, 4-CD hardcover tome chronicling in words and music the story of Narvel Eatmon, a.k.a. Cadillac Baby, and his Chicago label Bea & Baby Records. From 1959-1989, the label and its various
Release Round-Up: Week of August 9
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Presley, Live 1969 (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) RCA and Legacy celebrate Elvis Presley's triumphant return to live performing at Las Vegas' International Hotel with a new 11-CD box set. All of The King's exhilarating performances from August 21 to August 26, 1969 will be presented on Legacy's new box . Some of the concerts have been previously issued in the last decade on various BMG and Follow That Dream
Release Round-Up: Week of August 2
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Davy Jones, Live in Japan (7a Records) 2CD/DVD Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Keymail Records (U.K.) / Deep Discount (U.S.) 3LP Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Keymail Records (U.K.)/ Deep Discount (U.S.) 7a Records releases a Davy Jones treasure trove on Live in Japan, available in both 2CD/DVD and 3LP formats. The 2CD/DVD set presents both of Jones' officially released (and long-unavailable)
Rhino’s 10-CD Woodstock Set “Back To the Garden: The 50th Anniversary Experience” Delivers the Goods
Fifty years ago this summer, more than 400,000 fans convened at Max Yasgur's farm for a music festival that would come to define not only the era, but the entire ethos of music festivals to come. With every passing decade, the magic of Woodstock has been celebrated and, indeed, re-marketed to new generations of music fans. The '90s saw two new Woodstock-branded festivals and an array of 25th anniversary products, including a compilation called Woodstock Diary and a 4-CD box set. To mark the
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