Classic Rock

Made For These Times: The Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” Revisited in Multiple Formats for 60th Anniversary

Beach Boys Week continues here at The Second Disc with news of the upcoming Pet Sounds 60 titles!  Click here to read Part One of our review of the band’s We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years box set. “I figure no one is educated musically ‘til they’ve heard [Pet Sounds],” Paul McCartney once said of The Beach Boys’ classic, released nearly 60 years ago on May 16, 1966. George Martin concurred: “Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn’t have happened.” Brian Wilson poured his musical heart into the album’s thirteen tracks; in less than thirty-five…

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Review: The Beach Boys, “We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years” Part 1 – “15 Big Ones,” “The Beach Boys Love You”

What I remember is “Brian’s Back” was a campaign for a record company, but it was far more than that for all the rest of us. – Mike Love, February 12, 2026 At the recent Grammy Museum event celebrating the release of The Beach Boys’ latest box set, the 3CD/3LP We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years, a visibly emotional Mike Love recounted the media frenzy that surrounded Brian Wilson’s so-called comeback.  The Beach Boys’ onetime leader and creative visionary had largely retreated from the producer’s chair after the shelved SMiLE sessions;…

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The Weekend Stream: March 21, 2026

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. Two eras of Madonna, early INXS and plenty of new cuts for country, folk and rock lovers are all in the mix! Madonna, Into the Groove / Hung Up (Remixes) / Sorry (Remixes) / Jump (Remixes) / 4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland) (Remixes) / Celebration (Remixes) EPs (Warner/Rhino) “Groove”: Apple / Amazon “Hung Up”: Apple / Amazon “Sorry”: Apple / Amazon “Jump”: Apple / Amazon “4 Minutes”: Apple…

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Release Round-Up: Week of March 20

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.   Aerosmith, Aerosmith: Legendary Edition (UMe) 5LP: Official Store (Fan Pack with satin bomber jacket) 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (fan pack with T-shirt) The Bad Boys from Boston return to where it all began with a deluxe edition of their 1973 debut album, which featured “Mama Kin,” “Make It” and eventual Top 10 hit “Dream On.” This…

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We Bid You Goodnight: Mondo Reissues “The Grateful Dead Movie” Soundtrack on Massive Vinyl Box

By 1974, the members of Grateful Dead had grown tired of the touring grind as well as of the difficulties brought on by the massive Wall of Sound system.  The band’s October 1974 hometown shows at San Francisco’s Winterland culminating in the October 20, 1974 performance known as “The Last One.”  And indeed it was, in a sense, as the Dead didn’t return to regular touring for roughly eighteen months.  The band hit on the idea of filming the Winterland shows so, in essence, if they weren’t touring, the concert still could. …

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Pop Is (Not) Dead: Omnivore Celebrates The Knack With New Collection

Get The Knack!  On May 8, Omnivore Recordings will reignite its longtime series of Knack collections with Knackology: The Zen Recordings, a 19-song collection from the archives of the label founded by the band’s main songwriter and lead singer, the late Doug Fieger.  The set boasts demos, live recordings, and studio rarities from the band that’s so much more than just “My Sharona” and “Good Girls Don’t.” Knackology rounds up demos from Fieger and Berton Averre – the pair began collaborating in 1973, six years before the release on Capitol Records of…

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The Weekend Stream: March 14, 2026

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. This week is all about pairs: a New Jersey rock legend covering a classic Irish punk; expanded editions from our friends at SuperVisible Multi Media; and out-of-print albums by Jimmy Smith, Oscar Peterson and more! Bruce Springsteen, “A Rainy Night in Soho” (Rubyworks) (Apple / Amazon) The Boss’ second new studio recording of the year just dropped: the lead single to…

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One of These Nights: Deluxe Edition

3CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rhino is revisiting Eagles’ 1975 chart-topper (featuring hit singles “One of These Nights,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” and ‘Take It to the Limit”) in a deluxe edition built around a new mix of the original album.  The set adds the band’s previously unreleased show of September 28, 1975 near the end of the album’s tour at the Sunshine Festival in Anaheim, California – not far from Disneyland, where the future Eagles once supported Linda Ronstadt onstage.  The Blu-ray included in the 3CD/1BD set has the audio…

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Release Round-Up: Week of March 13

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. Leon Russell with Mary Russell, The Paradise Years 1976-1981 (Cherry Red/Lemon/Second Disc) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Cherry Red) Second Disc Records teams with Cherry Red’s Lemon Recordings imprint to release the first-ever collection of Leon Russell’s recordings for the Warner-distributed Paradise Records label.  The Paradise Years 1976-1981 presents, on four CDs, six full albums plus seven bonus tracks, all of which are new to CD.  These encompass the non-LP B-side…

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OUT TOMORROW! TSD, Cherry Red Collect Leon Russell’s Paradise Recordings on New Box Set

‘Wedding Album’ was a gloriously upbeat slab of Southern soul where [Leon & Mary Russell’s] voices blended seamlessly…His own ‘Americana’ (1978) was partly co-written with Kim Fowley, swung with the aid of Chicago’s brass section; dismissed at the time, it’s aged nobly. At the very moment Mary’s self-produced, Leon-arranged ‘Heart of Fire’ undeservedly slipped by unnoticed, his ‘Life and Love’ (1979) added electronic drums and introspective songwriting…[Leon & New Grass Revival’s] accurately-titled, covers-heavy ‘The Live Album’ (1981) concluded Paradise with startling verve.  Four stars. – MOJO, April 2026 A great collection of…

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Review: Rhino High Fidelity Reissues of The Velvet Underground’s “Loaded,” The Stooges’ “Fun House”

In recent years, Rhino has aggressively courted the audiophile market with such series as the four-channel Quadio Blu-rays, and the audiophile-quality vinyl lines Rhino Reserves and Rhino High Fidelity.  Two of Rhino High Fidelity’s recent releases underscore how the label has gone the extra mile in presentation, supplementing the stellar analog mastering by Kevin Gray and 180-gram vinyl pressing at Optimal Media with classic “tip-on” packaging and even liner notes in the best Rhino tradition.  The RHF reissues of The Velvet Underground’s Loaded and The Stooges’ Fun House look as good as…

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Take It To The Limit: Eagles Remix, Reissue “One Of These Nights” On New Box Set with Previously Unreleased Concert

With the release of their fourth studio album, 1975’s One of These Nights, Eagles notched a number of firsts: their first No. 1 album, their first to yield three top ten singles, and their first Grammy Award.  One of those singles also went to No. 1.  When all was said and done, One of These Nights sold four million copies and transformed the band into international superstars – even though it proved to be the swansong for original member Bernie Leadon.  On May 1, Rhino will revisit One of These Nights in…

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The Weekend Stream: March 7, 2026

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. There’s new and old works from three of the best British white guys to ever do it, plus a boatload of Hugh Masekela treasures, a legendary punk session and plenty of exciting ’70s country nuggets. Sting, Mercury Falling (Expanded Edition) (A&M/UMe) (Apple / Amazon) For the 30th anniversary of Sting’s fifth studio album – a quirkier affair than previous, with tracks…

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Release Round-Up: Week of March 6

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. Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, The Ultimate Collection (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada/ Real Gone Music) Real Gone delivers the definitive tribute to Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme with this 4-CD box set.  Previously available only as a Public Television pledge incentive, The Ultimate Collection has been curated by David Lawrence and is thematically arranged by disc.  It features highlights from Steve and Eydie’s…

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The Weekend Stream: February 28, 2026

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. Nine Inch Nails returns to The Grid, plus a trio of soundtracks from an electronica icon, rarities from The New Christy Minstrels, Wynn Stewart, Vince Guaraldi and others, plus some tributes to artists we’ve lost and a TSD-related onstage production you don’t want to miss! Nine Inch Nails, TRON Ares: Divergence (The Null Corporation/Walt Disney Records/Interscope) (Apple / Amazon) A complete surprise…

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Release Round-Up: Week of February 27

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. Paul McCartney, Man on the Run: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack (MPL/Capitol) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Morgan Neville’s newest documentary, which received a limited theatrical engagement before landing on Prime Video, details how Paul McCartney found new life after the break-up of The Beatles with his new group Wings. On the documentary’s streaming release date, a companion album will include favorites (and a…

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The Weekend Stream: February 21, 2026

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. This week we’ve got one of the biggest rock bands in the world making a surprise statement on current events, some ’80s covers from a current synthpop favorite, rarities and remixes that’ll make you want to hit your local mall, and so much more! U2, Days of Ash (Island) (Apple / Amazon) Not long after Bruce Springsteen and Billy Bragg each…

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Queen II (Collectors Edition)

5CD/2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Picture Disc: Official Store Cassette: Official Store Queen have remixed their second album, featuring their first Top 10 hit “Seven Seas of Rhye,” for a new multi-format reissue. The box set edition is the most expansive, of course, packed with rare and unreleased demos and session outtakes, a disc of backing tracks and two live collections comprised of previously released archival material. The package includes a 112-page booklet of liner notes and rare archival photos and ephemera along…

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As It Began: ‘Queen II’ to Be Remixed, Expanded in New Box

Following a similar remixed and expanded box set for their debut album in 2024, Queen will give the deluxe treatment to their second album, 1974’s aptly titled Queen II. Available March 27, the reissue arrives in multiple formats, all of which are centered around a new mix of the album by engineers and longtime archival overseers Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J. McRae and Kris Frederiksen. The biggest version is a 5CD/2LP box set that adds two discs of mostly unreleased studio material (including session takes, B-sides and backing tracks) along with two discs…

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Release Round-Up: Week of February 20

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. EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (RCA/Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (black): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (translucent orange/yellow): Amazon U.S. 2LP (marbled red): Graceland Baz Luhrmann, the director of 2022’s blockbuster biopic ELVIS, uncovered scores of film outtakes of The King during production, including footage filmed for the concert/documentary films That’s the Way It Is and Elvis on Tour and audio of Presley describing his life and career. EPiC: Elvis Presley in…

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Iconoclassic Watch: Label Preps Expanded CDs for Dwight Twilley Concert, The Snake Corps, Members of The Bongos

With typical aplomb, Iconoclassic kicks off a new release year this week with the first of three forthcoming titles: the official release of a live show by one of the label’s favorite acts, and expanded editions of an overlooked post-punk classic and a power-pop rarity making its debut on CD. Tomorrow, February 20, the label will release Live on Fire At The Agora 1978, another vintage slice of guitar greatness from the Dwight Twilley Band. Having expanded four of Twilley’s solo albums (Twilley (1978), Scuba Divers (1982), Jungle (1984) and Wild Dogs (1986)) and given a proper…

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Too Rolling Stoned: Robin Trower’s Live Classic Gets Remixed and Expanded

A treat for British blues-rock fans, this spring will see the release of an expanded edition of Robin Trower Live!, the first concert release from the celebrated guitarist. Available April 3, the set will offer Trower’s renowned set from Stockholm, Sweden in 1975, not only uncut for the first time but remixed and put in its original sequence. The 2CD digibook reissue will pair the expanded, remixed edition alongside the original album, while the remix will also be available as a 2LP set. The accompanying liner notes by David Sinclair include new interview…

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Robin Trower Live! (50th Anniversary Edition)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The former Procol Harum guitarist’s acclaimed power trio live release gets a fresh look to celebrate its half-century mark! It’s been newly sequenced back into its original 12-song running order and remixed from the original multi-tracks by engineer Richard Whittaker. A 2CD set will include that expansion next to a new remaster of the original seven-track LP, while the vinyl includes the new mix across two LPs. Liner notes by David Sinclair include new…

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Man on the Run (Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Morgan Neville’s newest documentary, which receives a limited theatrical engagement before landing on Prime Video, details how Paul McCartney found new life after the break-up of The Beatles with his new group Wings. On the documentary’s streaming release date, a companion album will include favorites (and a rarity or two) taken from the Wings albums that have been reissued as part of Paul’s Archive Collection series – plus three previously unreleased tracks, including “Gotta Sing Gotta Dance,” the live Rockshow version of “Live…

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Breaking Out of Heaven 2007-2009

4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 7LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada A new box set offers the complete output of Heaven & Hell, the renamed reunion of Black Sabbath’s early ’80s line-up (vocalist Ronnie James Dio, founding guitarist and bassist Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, and drummer Vinny Appice). An expanded edition of 2009’s The Devil You Know (featuring the group’s 2007 recordings for a Dio-era Sabbath compilation) joins two live shows from Radio City Music Hall in New York City and the Wacken Open Air Festival; among the last dates Dio took on before his passing in…

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