Last weekend, we filled you in on the new Play Dead app, featuring a treasure trove of Grateful Dead concert performances from over the years. Today, Rhino announced a trio of new editions celebrating the band’s 1970 album Workingman’s Dead: Rhino High Fidelity reissues on vinyl and reel-to-reel tape, and a Dolby Atmos mix overseen by drummer Mickey Hart. Frequently hailed as one of the Dead’s most accessible albums (along with its follow-up, American Beauty), Workingman’s Dead placed its focus on tighter songcraft in a country/folk-oriented vein that would later be described as…
Release Round-Up: Week of April 24
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. Michael Jackson, Michael: Songs from the Motion Picture (Epic/Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Black Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Clear Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Translucent Black Ice Vinyl): Independent Record Stores Cassette: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Friday, April 24 sees the release in theatres everywhere of Michael, director Antoine Fuqua’s biopic-slash-celebration of the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Epic Records and Legacy Recordings are marking the occasion with…
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We’re Havin’ a Freak Out! “Zappa ’66,” Due in May, Relaunches Vaulternative Records
Frank Zappa’s archival label Vaulternative Records was launched in 2002 by the late artist’s family to present a variety of fascinating odds and ends from his voluminous archive. Now, after a near-decade-long hiatus, Vaulternative is returning from Zappa Records and UMe to continue preserving the experimental side of the Zappa oeuvre. The newly-refreshed Vaulternative label launches on May 15 with Zappa ’66: Vol. 1 – Live at TTG Studios on one CD or two 180-gram LPs, or via digital download/streaming (including high-resolution audio) exclusively from Zappa.com, uDiscover Music, and Sound of Vinyl….
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In Memoriam: Dave Mason (1946-2026)
For seven decades, the music of Dave Mason has left us “feelin’ alright” (no question mark necessary). The singer, songwriter, guitarist, and Traffic co-founder weathered the changing musical tides well into the 21st century, playing his final concert on August 18, 2024 in Plainfield, Indiana as he celebrated the release of a memoir titled after one of his most famed songs, Only You Know and I Know. Mason’s death was announced yesterday, just weeks shy of what would have been his 80th birthday. Mason co-founded Traffic in Birmingham – about 30 miles…
Something Beautiful Remains: Tina Turner’s Penultimate Studio Album ‘Wildest Dreams’ Gets Deluxe Reissue
Tina Turner’s long-running series of expanded editions continues on June 26 from Parlophone with a new 30th anniversary 4CD/1Blu-ray edition of the late superstar’s 1996 album – and ninth solo studio release, overall – Wildest Dreams. The stylistically varied LP was helmed by a number of producers including Trevor Horn, Terry Britten, Nellee Hooper, and Pet Shop Boys and Chris Porter. Adorned with a warm cover photo of a beaming Turner, Wildest Dreams included collaborations with Sting and Antonio Banderas; the title track “Wildest Dreams” would later be re-recorded as a duet…
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The Weekend Stream Extra: ‘Play Dead’ Rolls Over Hi-Res Grateful Dead Sets in New App
Streaming music got a whole lot more live this past week – or is it a whole lot more Dead? On April 16, the live music platform Nugs.net launched Play Dead, a new app devoted to the live archive of The Grateful Dead. Authorized by the band and Rhino Records, the service brings a digital home to longtime series of authorized Dead recordings that have only been available in physical form – and also offers a leap forward in how the band’s concert releases are managed, with 20 previously unreleased shows available exclusively on…
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The Weekend Stream: April 18, 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. We’ve got a trove of new songs from old (and not-so-old) favorites to kick off your post-Record Store Day festivities, plus a load of rare, out-of-print and expanded titles across genres from country, jazz, prog and beyond. Madonna, “I Feel So Free” (Warner) (Apple / Amazon) Just over two decades after her triumphant Confessions on a Dance Floor – and seven years after…
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The Second Disc’s Guide to Record Store Day 2026
Tomorrow, Record Store Day is once again upon us! And it wouldn’t be a RSD without The Second Disc chiming in with our annual RSD Guide featuring some of our favorite picks. As always, it wasn’t easy for us to narrow ’em down, so we’d like you to sound off on your hoped-for titles, too! Looking for the nearest shop? Visit RecordStoreDay.com in the U.S., RecordStoreDay.co.uk in the U.K., and RecordStoreDayCanada.ca in Canada for the complete list of participating stores. Without further ado, Mike, Joe, and Randy have a handful of the titles upon which…
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Release Round-Up: Week of April 17
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available this week. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. a-ha, Analogue: 20th Anniversary Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The eighth album by Norwegian trio a-ha – the late-period triumph Analogue – is the band’s latest to be expanded and reissued by Rhino. Released for its 20th anniversary, the new Analogue package includes the newly remastered album alongside a B-side and three single mixes as well as a 17-track bonus disc of mostly previously unreleased demos and alternative…
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New York State of Mind: Billy Joel’s “The 100th: The Complete Concert” Comes to DVD, Blu-ray
On March 28, 2024, Billy Joel performed the 100th concert of his long-running residency at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Just months later, on July 25, Joel brought down the curtain on the ten-year residency with its 104th date (and the singer-songwriter’s 150th overall show at the venue). On May 29, Columbia and Legacy will bring that landmark 100th show, featuring special guest Sting, to DVD and Blu-ray. The 100th: Live at Madison Square Garden – The Complete Concert finds Joel in reflective yet rocking mode as he performs a string of…
Release Round-Up: Week of April 10
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores this week. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Weezer, Coloring Book (UMe) Official Store / uDiscover Music All six of Weezer’s self-titled albums distinguished by the color scheme of their cover (1994’s blue debut, 2001’s green, 2008’s red, 2016’s white and 2019’s covers album teal and original black) will be pressed on vinyl in those colors. The draw here is the package: a 72-page, hardcover coloring book featuring illustrations by artist Alec Longstreth, which fans can fill…
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On the Wing: Pink Floyd Plan New ‘8-Tracks’ Compilation, Standalone Audio Release of 1975 L.A. Gig
Pink Floyd are revisiting their latest catalogue title with a standalone issue of a celebrated live bootleg on new formats – and they’re also planning a unique new compilation. The group’s Wish You Were Here 50 was packed with extras, most notably Live from the Los Angeles Sports Arena, April 26th, 1975. This performance, featuring key selections from the 1975 album as well as a full performance of the group’s 1973 masterpiece The Dark Side of the Moon, was taped by legendary bootlegger Mike Millard and restored for official release by Steven Wilson of…
We Gonna Rock: Rhino Brings Todd Rundgren, John Prine RSD Titles to CD
On Saturday, April 18, record buyers everywhere will descend upon independent shops to seek out a variety of limited-edition vinyl LPs on Record Store Day. Happily, Rhino is continuing its recent tradition of releasing a select number of its RSD titles in the CD format, as well. One day earlier, on April 17, the label will release the double-disc expansion of a-ha’s Analogue (read all about it here!) as well as Todd Rundgren’s Runt Live: The Necessary Cosmic Frenzy and John Prine’s BBC Sessions on CD. Runt Live: The Necessary Cosmic Frenzy…
Review: Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, and The Mothers, “Bongo Fury: 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition”
The earliest known recordings of Frank Zappa and Don Van Vliet, a.k.a. Captain Beefheart, are one in the same. The pair’s “Lost in a Whirlpool,” recorded at Antelope Valley College in Lancaster, California circa 1958, is hardly auspicious but points the way towards the future musical activities of both men: Zappa, for its humorous lyrics (“about a person who was…skindiving in the San Diego sewer system, and talking about encountering brown, blind fish…It was kind of like the Cousteau expedition of its era,” per Zappa in 1989) and Beefheart, for its blues…
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The Weekend Stream: April 4, 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. The elder British/Irish rock contingent is alive and well, with new music from U2, Peter Gabriel and Ringo Starr plus new remixes from Sting; there’s also quite a bit of country (from Jim Reeves and Ricky Skaggs to…Disney?) and jazz (Monk, Maynard and more) to go around. U2, Easter Lily EP (Island) (Apple / Amazon) More prolific (and present) than they’ve…
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Release Round-Up: Week of April 3
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. Robin Trower, Live! [50th Anniversary Edition] (Chrysalis) 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…
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Apogee: Jethro Tull, Ian Anderson Revisit “Under Wraps” and “Walk Into Light” on New Box Set
The latest in the long-running series of Jethro Tull hardcover book-style sets features not one, but two albums – including an Ian Anderson solo set. Under Wraps: The Unwrapped Edition, due May 15 from Chrysalis, explores both Tull’s Under Wraps (1984) and Anderson’s debut as a solo artist, Walk Into Light (1983), via the kind of comprehensive presentation that fans of the series have learned to expect. The impetus for bringing the albums together is their shared sound. Both albums deviated from the folk-rooted “classic rock” sound of the ‘70s to embrace…
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Knackology: The Zen Recordings
Omnivore Recordings reignites its long-running series of Knack releases 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.” It’s been mastered by Michael Graves and features liner notes by the compilation’s co-producer, Lee Lodyga. With a cross-section of tracks spanning four decades, it serves as both an introduction to the…
Pet Sounds 60 [Various Formats]
Pet Sounds: 1LP Zoetrope Vinyl: uDiscoverMusic.com / TheBeachBoys.com 1LP Definitive Sound Series: Capitol Records Store 2LP Mono/Stereo Vinylphyle: uDiscoverMusic.com / TheBeachBoys.com The Pet Sounds Sessions [Highlights]: 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscoverMusic.com / TheBeachBoys.com 2LP (Green and White Splatter Vinyl): uDiscoverMusic.com / TheBeachBoys.com 2LP (Black Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscoverMusic.com / TheBeachBoys.com 2LP (Yellow Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD On Friday, May 15, 2026 – nearly 60 years to the day the original album first reached stores in 1966 – the labels will celebrate The Beach Boys’ landmark Pet…
The Weekend Stream: March 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. This week is delivering the goods: vintage George Michael mixes, Beach Boys rarities, new tracks from some of our favorite elder statesmen of pop and rock, and so much more in so many genres. George Michael, I Want Your Sex EP (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) There’s things that you guess and things that you know – but we honestly weren’t expecting this!…
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Release Round-Up: Week of March 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. Queen, Queen II: Collectors’ Edition (Virgin/EMI/Hollywood) 5CD/2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. Link TBD / 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…
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Short Takes: New Albums Coming Soon from McCartney, Manilow, Nelson, and Frampton
A host of TSD’s favorite artists have all announced new albums in recent days, culminating in today’s announcement from Paul McCartney. We thought we’d round up a few of these upcoming titles in today’s Short Takes! May 29 will see the release of Paul McCartney’s first studio album since 2020’s McCartney III. Macca previewed The Boys of Dungeon Lane with the new single “Days We Left Behind.” The intimate ballad was described by its composer in the press release as “very much a memory song for me. The album title, The Boys…
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What a Day for a Daydream: The Complete Recordings 1965-1969
Cherry Red’s Strawberry imprint celebrates the legacy of New York’s Lovin’ Spoonful with What a Day for a Daydream: The Complete Recordings 1965-1969. This 7CD box set brings together all of the classic band’s albums originally released between 1965 and 1969 including two soundtracks, Zal Yanovsky’s lone solo record, and tracks from the Elektra compilation What’s Shakin’. The core albums are presented in mono and stereo, and the set also appends the bonus tracks which originally appeared on the 2002-2003 BMG Heritage/Buddha reissues. The set has been mastered by Alec Palao. (As…
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…
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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