Cast Recordings

Formats:

Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray Audio, CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

Tags:

Cat Stevens, Gentle Giant, Josh Groban, Mary Rodgers, Pink Floyd, Sutton Foster, Todd Rundgren, Wilco

The Weekend Stream: April 25, 2025

April 26, 2025 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. Strap in for a killer line-up of titles this week: two more Record Store Day debuts, an incredible posthumous collaboration between two ’80s icons, the return of one of glam’s most beloved bands, new music by some of our favorite pop girls, a hotly anticipated new take on a Broadway favorite, exciting moments in gospel/soul, an exciting new song from a forthcoming West End musical by one of…

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Genres:

CCM, Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

The Spirit of Man: Madfish Preps Box Set Edition of Jeff Wayne’s ‘War of the Worlds’ Concept Album

April 17, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 12 Comments

When H.G. Wells published The War of the Worlds as a serialized collection of stories in 1897 and a full novel a year later, he may not have known the groundbreaking work he was unleashing on the world. A sci-fi story that dared to look at the dark side of theoretical human-alien contact, War of the Worlds was a fantastical-yet-grounded story that imagined visitors from the planet Mars as anything but friendly. The book became fertile ground for adaptations, from Orson Welles’ dramatic 1938 radio dramatization to Steven Spielberg’s 2005 film adaptation and not…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Everything Else, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

David Essex, Gary Barlow, Jeff Wayne, Jerry Wayne, Justin Hayward, Liam Neeson, Marti Pellow, Phil Lynott

The Weekend Stream: April 12, 2025

April 12, 2025 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. By now, you might have hit your participating local shop for Record Store Day – and happily, we’re kicking off this Saturday’s column to share material from five exclusive vinyl titles that are getting a second life in the streaming and download world too. It’s a great way to check out some titles if you missed them, or weren’t sure if you wanted to add them to your…

The Weekend Stream: April 5, 2025

April 5, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 16 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. A quiet, mostly contemplative week means a small batch of understated titles and a big public ask for clarity from one of our missing comrades in catalogue… Dan Fogelberg, Souvenirs (50th Anniversary Edition) (Epic/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) The late, great Fogelberg’s double-platinum sophomore album, produced by Joe Walsh (a year before he joined the Eagles), gets the red carpet treatment with three outtakes and one never-before-heard song. Impex will release…

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Formats:

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Electronic, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

Tags:

Dan Fogelberg, Frank Wildhorn, Jim Caruso, Neil Diamond, Paul Simon

The Weekend Stream: March 29, 2025

March 29, 2025 by The Second Disc | 5 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. Classic Motown in concert, long-lost favorites from a country icon, a live country take on a Fab Four favorite, Gary Numan’s mid-’80s works, new music from Bachman-Turner Overdrive and a documentary on a late, great Australian musician…there really is a lot of ground to cover, and that’s not even all of it! Marvin Gaye, Marvin Gaye Live! (Deluxe Edition) (Motown/UMe) Original LP: Apple / Amazon Deluxe: Apple / Amazon To…

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Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Everything Else, Folk, Latin, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

Cuts The Deepest: Edsel Celebrates P.P. Arnold on “Soul Survivor” Box Set

March 24, 2025 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

One of P.P. Arnold’s early sides for Immediate Records was titled “Am I Still Dreaming?” The song, which the artist born Patricia Ann Cole in Los Angeles wrote at the encouragement of none other than Mick Jagger, is one of the 57 songs on 3 CDs assembled by Edsel Records on the dream of a box set appropriately entitled Soul Survivor: A Life in Song. The collection, compiled by the singer and Michael Mulligan, traces the onetime Ikette’s career from her signing to Andrew Loog Oldham’s label through subsequent collaborations with Barry…

Categories:

News, Reviews

Formats:

Box Sets, CD

Genres:

Blues, Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Andy Gibb, Barry Gibb, Eric Clapton, Ocean Colour Scene, P.P. Arnold, Paul Weller, Rod Stewart, Roger Waters, Steve Howe

The Weekend Stream: March 15, 2025

March 15, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. We’ve got some early classics in Atmos from England’s not-so-newest hitmakers, a soundtrack to a classic Tom Petty streaming feature, and new tracks from some of our favorite women in pop and rock! The Rolling Stones, The Rolling Stones EP / The Rolling Stones (U.K.) / England’s Newest Hit Makers / Five by Five EP / 12 X 5 / The Rolling Stones No. 2 / The Rolling Stones, Now! / Let…

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Formats:

Chappell Roan, HAIM, The Doobie Brothers, The Rolling Stones, Tom Petty, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Rock

Tags:

The Weekend Stream: March 1, 2025

March 1, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. This week brings new music from Billy Idol and The Chills, cast albums aplenty and some soulful tributes to artists we lost this week. Billy Idol, “Still Dancing” (Dark Horse) (iTunes / Amazon) The recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominee is going on tour this year with Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, and will release Dream Into It, his first full-length album in more than a decade (and…

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Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

Billy Idol, Chris Jasper, Harold Rome, Jerry Butler, Jesse and Joy, The Chills, The Impressions, The Isley Brothers

Release Round-Up: Week of February 14

February 14, 2025 by The Second Disc | 5 Comments

Happy Valentine’s Day! Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Melanie, Ace o’ Diamonds: The Lost Broadway Musical (Cleopatra) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) In the early 1980s, singer-songwriter Melanie lent her talents to the score of a new musical intended for Broadway. Ace o’ Diamonds, with a book by Ed Kelleher and Seymour Vall, revolved around the relationship between Calamity Jane and Wild Bill Hickok. It was workshopped in New York…

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Formats:

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock

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Melanie, Rick Springfield, Robert Palmer, Sabrina Carpenter

Release Yourself from Misery: Pete Townshend Collects Solo Albums (But No Bonus Tracks) for New Box

February 7, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 9 Comments

A prequel of sorts to UMC’s box set of Pete Townshend live recordings is coming this spring: a simple collection of eight of his studio works. The Studio Albums brings together new CD pressings of Who Came First (1972), the Ronnie Lane collaboration Rough Mix (1977), Empty Glass (1980), All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (1982), White City (A Novel) (1985), Iron Man (1989) and versions of Pyschoderelict (1993) with and without dialogue. While a 2006 reissue campaign from Hip-O Records featured bonus tracks on all albums (and Who Came First was later expanded for a double-disc reissue in 2018), those tracks…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Rock

Tags:

John Lee Hooker, Nina Simone, Pete Townshend, Ronnie Lane, The Who

The Weekend Stream: February 1, 2025

February 1, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 3 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! A new charity cover from Def Leppard, reissues of classic albums by Simple Minds and Sheena Easton, and a mess of vintage jazz is on the menu today – plus a heads-up for a forthcoming way to help the ongoing California wildfire relief effort. Def Leppard, Stand by Me (Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon) While also a single from the new Netflix film Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger…

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Formats:

Genres:

Blues, Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Benny Goodman, Def Leppard, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Sammy Kaye, Sheena Easton, Simple Minds, Tommy Dorsey

Release Round-Up: Week of January 24

January 24, 2025 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Badfinger, Head First: 50th Anniversary Edition (Y&T) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Head First, originally intended to be Badfinger’s eighth album and third for Warner Bros. Records, was recorded in 1974 but shelved until 2000. That release presented a rough mix by Apple Studios engineer Phil McDonald; now, 25 years later, it’s been remixed and remastered under the supervision of keyboardist Bob Jackson – the…

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Formats:

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Folk, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Badfinger, Bob Dylan, Dan Fogelberg, Eric Clapton, Jeannie Piersol, Tim Weisberg, Van Morrison

The Village (Snap To It): JAY Records, Cherry Red Celebrate “Folk City” with New Concept Album

January 16, 2025 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

The name of Gerdes Folk City has long been synonymous with the halcyon era of the Greenwich Village music scene. Bob Dylan made his New York debut on its tiny stage and later debuted “Blowin’ in the Wind” there. Peter, Paul, and Mary played their first official gig together at Gerdes. Simon and Garfunkel, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Doc Watson were the among the dozens of major artists who made Gerdes a home in the club’s early days. Its later years saw a wide variety of artists including Elvis Costello, The…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Cast Recordings

Tags:

Pat DiNizio, Robbie Woliver, Ronnie D'Addario, Tracy Nelson

Release Round-Up: Week of December 13

December 13, 2024 by The Second Disc | No Comments

It’s Friday the 13th, but it just might be your lucky day for reissues! Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Luther Vandross, Never Too Much: Greatest Hits (Epic/Legacy) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada In conjunction with a new documentary film, Legacy Recordings issues a new double-disc anthology of the late Luther Vandross’ work, accompanied by several rare and unreleased tracks. Never Too Much: Greatest Hits offers 20 tracks on two CDs that represent the…

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Formats:

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul

Tags:

Anais Mitchell, David Grisman, Foghat, Jason Robert Brown, Jefferson Starship, Jerry Garcia, Luther Vandross, Stephen Sondheim, The Doobie Brothers, The J. Geils Band, Wham!, Yachtley Crew

The Weekend Stream: December 6, 2024

December 6, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. Elton John’s most recent recording gets a remix, plus some rare Prince-produced ’90s R&B, a comeback track from one of 2010s pop’s most underrated performers, and some Christmas curios you’ll have to hear to believe. There’s even a tearjerker music video from…Coldplay? Check it all out! Elton John, “Never Too Late” (Acoustic Version) (Mercury/EMI) (iTunes / Amazon) Elton’s recently released team-up with Brandi Carlile, which closes the documentary…

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Formats:

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Bing Crosby, Brandi Carlile, Coldplay, Dick Van Dyke, Elton John, INXS, Jevetta Steele, Mark Mulcahy, Prince, Sky Ferreira

THE SECOND DISC’S 2024 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!

December 2, 2024 by The Second Disc | No Comments

George Harrison Living in the Material World 50th SDE Cover

Well, today is Cyber Monday, which means one thing at Second Disc HQ: it’s time to launch our annual Holiday Gift Guide, featuring (more than) a few of our favorite things for the music enthusiast in your life. Sure, we might not have included raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but we’ve filled the guide with over 50 essential selections: sprawling box sets and deluxe vinyl editions, as well as noteworthy releases on CD from favorite artists that just might make great stocking stuffers. So just click here or visit the…

Categories:

Holiday Gift Guide

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Classical/Opera, Comedy, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Funk, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

Recording Broadway: A Life in Cast Albums

December 2, 2024 by Joe Marchese

Thomas Z. Shepard is among the most celebrated of all classical and show music record producers, counting 12 Grammy Awards to his name (including four for the musicals of Stephen Sondheim). Now, Shepard (with co-author Gayden Wren) is telling his singular story of coming up through the ranks at Columbia and RCA at a most extraordinary time, and peeling the curtain back on how some of the most famous cast albums of all time – including the original Company and Sweeney Todd – were made. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.

Categories:

Holiday Gift Guide

Formats:

Books

Genres:

Cast Recordings

Tags:

Here We Are: Original Cast Recording

December 2, 2024 by Joe Marchese

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Here’s the vinyl debut of of the most hotly-anticipated cast recordings of the season: Here We Are, the final musical to feature music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. (David Ives penned the book.) Bucking the recent trend of most cast recordings releasing digitally in advance of physical availability, both the CD and digital album arrived back in May. The album features David Hyde Pierce, Steven Pasquale, Denis O’Hare, Rachel Bay Jones, Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, and Jeremy…

Categories:

Holiday Gift Guide

Formats:

Genres:

Cast Recordings

Tags:

Release Round-Up: Week of November 22

November 22, 2024 by The Second Disc | 8 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today including a Christmas classic from Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music and a whole bunch of massive box sets! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Sings Christmas Carols (Expanded Edition) (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) Over the past decade, we here at TSD have happily partnered with Real Gone Music on an array of Christmas releases from such evergreen artists as Johnny Mathis, The Supremes, Chet Atkins,…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray, CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Everything Else, Gospel, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

The Weekend Stream: November 2, 2024

November 2, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. We’ve got all the usual stuff you’d expect – reissues from Usher, rarities from The Alan Parsons Project, and another unique Daryl Hall-related EP – and some stuff you might not, like truly unusual Christmas collections and a new app from one of the best places for music in video games! Nintendo Music app One genre the Second Disc team has always wished had a stronger catalog presence:…

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Formats:

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Everything Else, Holiday, Latin, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Alan Parsons, Daryl Hall, INXS, The Alan Parsons Project, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Usher, a-ha

The Weekend Stream: October 26, 2024

October 26, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 4 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. We’re positively packed this Saturday: posthumous tracks from Van Halen, Luther Vandross and DMX; a great deluxe live set from Linda Ronstadt; plus some Halloween and Christmas surprises…and, to top it all off, a call to action to aid one of our favorite power-pop acts of the last 40 years. Edward & Alex Van Halen, “Unfinished (Between Us Two)” (self-released) (official site) Alex Van Halen just released Brothers, a heartfelt…

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Formats:

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Gospel, Holiday, Jazz, Poetry, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Brenda Lee, Bruce Springsteen, DMX, Danny Elfman, Linda Ronstadt, Liz Story, Luther Vandross, Matthew Sweet, Outkast, Prince, Robert Lamm, Sade, Simple Plan, Stephen Sondheim, The Beatles, Van Halen, Wendy & Lisa

Release Round-Up: Week of October 18

October 18, 2024 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Long After Dark: Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe) 2CD/Blu-ray Audio: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/Blu-ray Audio (with Amazon-exclusive stickers): Amazon U.S. 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Tom Petty Store (Exclusive) Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ fifth studio album has gotten a deluxe makeover. Geffen/UMe have revisited 1982’s oft-overlooked Long After Dark, originally released on Backstreet Records, in various formats including 2LP and 2CD+Blu-ray. The bonus disc, featuring outtakes…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray Audio, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Blues, Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop

Tags:

Albert King, Ella Fitzgerald, Jake Shimabukuro, Jane Monheit, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lou Reed, Mick Fleetwood, NRBQ, Ray Charles, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Kinks, The Pogues, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

The Weekend Stream: September 28, 2024

September 28, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 5 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. There’s a lot of killer stuff on the list today, including two new singles from rock icons, a digital expansion of one of Sting’s best-loved albums, live David Bowie coming from the vaults, a Stevie Wonder syllabus and much more! The Cure, “Alone” (Polydor) (iTunes / Amazon) For the first time in 16 years, The Cure are set to release a new album. Songs of a Lost World is out November…

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Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Ben Folds, Chillina Kennedy, Ciara, Daryl Hall, David Bowie, Eric McCormack, Lea Salonga, Madonna, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Sting, The Cure, Tove Lo

Release Round-Up: Week of September 6

September 6, 2024 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Neil Young, Archives Vol. III (1976-1987) (NYA/Reprise) 17CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 17CD/5BD Deluxe Set: Official Store This week’s biggest release is the long-awaited third volume of Neil Young’s long-running Archives series. Archives Vol. III (1976-1987), spans in its deluxe form a whopping 17 CDs and five Blu-rays boasting a broad array of songs and film footage: 15 unreleased songs, 121 unreleased tracks, and 11 full-length films (four of them unreleased). Housed in a…

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