Everything Else / Comedy

Formats:

CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Comedy, Everything Else, Soundtracks

Tags:

Bob McFadden, Jay Chattaway, Rod McKuen, Sean Bonniwell

Songs Our Mummy Taught Us

October 1, 2024 by Joe Marchese

What do Frankenberry, Richard Hell, a cat named Sloopy, and Bill Haley and His Comets have in common? You can find out with Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records’ first-ever reissue of the long-lost Halloween classic Songs Our Mummy Taught Us! This one-of-a-kind, super-rare LP was the creation of voiceover artist Bob McFadden-best-known as the voice of Frankenberry, the Thundercats’ pal Snarf, Cool McCool, and countless others-and the mysterious “Dor,” otherwise known as singer-songwriter (and America’s best-selling poet!) Rod McKuen. Rock-and-roll and beat culture met horror headfirst on this off-the-wall album,…

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Formats:

Vinyl

Genres:

Comedy, Everything Else

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Wild and Crazy: Rhino Collects Steve Martin’s Comedy Albums

September 30, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 3 Comments

There aren’t many comedians funnier than Steve Martin. Though the gray-haired funnyman only spent the better part of a decade performing as a stand-up before pursuing acting, writing, and even bluegrass originals, Martin’s brilliant blend of highbrow, lowbrow and absurdist humor made him one of the most head-turning entertainers of his generation. Rhino Records will celebrate his funniest sides with a new box set in November. Steve in a Box: The Warner Years (1977-1981) brings together all four of Martin’s albums for Warner Bros. Records, which became some of the best-selling comedy…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Comedy

Tags:

Steve Martin

The Weekend Stream: September 14, 2024

September 14, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 9 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 songs from two of our ’80s favorites, a reissue from a rock supergroup, the first release from a hard-working film composer and a new stand-up comedy album with a little something extra. Duran Duran, “New Moon (Dark Phase)” (Tapemodern) (iTunes / Amazon) Friday the 13th was a perfect day for this to drop! Duran Duran will reissue last year’s spooky, ethereal Danse Macabre – a…

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Formats:

Genres:

Classic Rock, Comedy, Disco/Dance, Jazz, Latin, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

Daryl Hall, Duran Duran, Gino Cunico, Guns N' Roses, James Newton Howard, John Early, Peggy Lee, Phil Collins, Sergio Mendes, Sting, Stone Temple Pilots, Tears for Fears, Velvet Revolver

The Weekend Stream: July 20, 2024

July 20, 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. This week’s got a new single by a comedy icon, some more Duran Duran EPs, a recent Paul McCartney 7″ making its way to streaming and so much more. “Weird Al” Yankovic, Polkamania! (Way Moby) (iTunes / Amazon) Ten summers ago, pop’s parody king released his 13th (and likely final) album Mandatory Fun, and even got a No. 1 debut on the Billboard 200 for his trouble. A lot of songs have become…

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Formats:

Genres:

Classic Rock, Comedy, Disco/Dance, Pop, Rock

Tags:

"Weird Al" Yankovic, Ashlee Simpson, Bob Newhart, Duran Duran, Jerry Fuller, Neil Diamond, Patti LuPone, Paul McCartney, Sting, The Police, U2, Wings

The Line-Up: Stand Up! Records Reissues Three Richard Pryor Classics on Vinyl

May 12, 2023 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

55 years ago, Richard Pryor (1940-2005) made his debut on records. His self-titled album was an auspicious introduction for the man who would be recognized as one of the most significant and influential stand-up comedians of all time as well as a genuine film superstar, an accomplished writer, an Emmy Award recipient, Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize honoree, and five-time Grammy Award winner. In 2021, Omnivore Recordings teamed with the Richard Pryor Estate for CD reissues of Richard Pryor (1968), Craps (After Hours) (1971), and Live at the Comedy Store 1973 (first…

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Goodness Gracious Me: Cherry Red Collects Early George Martin Productions on “A Painter in Sound”

February 7, 2023 by Joe Marchese | 2 Comments

Late producer Sir George Martin is described as A Painter in Sound on Cherry Red/El’s new collection of his Pre-Beatles Productions and Classical Influences. While Martin has been anthologized in the past, most notably on the unparalleled 6-CD set Produced by George Martin in 2001, there’s always room for another one – in this case, an eclectic 4-CD journey that’s largely far-removed from the rock which made Martin famous. The title of the set is derived from a Martin quote repeated in its booklet. “When I joined EMI, the criterion by which…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD

Genres:

Classical/Opera, Comedy, Everything Else, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal

Tags:

Cleo Laine, Dudley Moore, George Martin, John Dankworth, Matt Monro, Peter Sellers, Peter Ustinov, Ron Goodwin

The Weekend Stream: February 4, 2023

February 4, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

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. Today sees digital reissues of Raw Power, The Chronic, rare Motown, unreleased music from a Cash family member and more. The Stooges, Raw Power (50th Anniversary Legacy Edition) (Columbia/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Look out honey, ’cause he’s using technology! The Stooges’ seminal proto-punk classic celebrates a half-century with a new digital deluxe edition that bundles up everything from…

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Genres:

Classic Rock, Comedy, Country, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

Tags:

Bill Summers, Dottie West, Dr. Dre, Ginuwine, Groucho Marx, Iggy Pop, Iggy and the Stooges, Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, Sheena Easton, Snoop Dogg, The Stooges, Tommy Cash

Release Round-Up: Week of February 3

February 3, 2023 by The Second Disc | 3 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! Carole Bayer Sager, Sometimes Late at Night: Expanded Edition (Iconoclassic) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Iconoclassic Records is bringing Carole Bayer Sager’s star-studded 1981 album Sometimes Late at Night back to CD, for the very first time from the original Boardwalk Records master tapes. Featuring Burt Bacharach, Michael Jackson, Marvin Hamlisch, Neil Diamond, Melissa Manchester, David Foster, and many others, this lush, extraordinary (and extraordinarily personal) set co-produced by Bacharach and Brooks Arthur gets the treatment it deserves. The…

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Release Round-Up

Formats:

CD, Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Comedy, Country, Jazz, Soundtracks

Tags:

"Weird Al" Yankovic, Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, Dorothy Ashby, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Frank Wess, Grateful Dead, Kenny Loggins, Shania Twain, Shirley Scott, The Soul Searchers

The Living Word: New Box Sets Chronicle Wattstax in Full, 50 Years On

December 12, 2022 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

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 the highlights of both double albums from 1973 and added even more material. Soul’d…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Blues, Comedy, Funk, Gospel, Pop, R&B/Soul, Soundtracks

Tags:

Albert King, Carla Thomas, David Porter, Eddie Floyd, Isaac Hayes, Johnnie Taylor, Kim Weston, Mavis Staples, Richard Pryor, Rufus Thomas, The Bar-Kays, The Emotions, The Staple Singers, William Bell

The Weekend Stream: November 5, 2022

November 5, 2022 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

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. The latest features new and old soundtracks, EPs and holiday favorites and much more! “Weird Al” Yankovic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story – Original Soundtrack (Ear Booker/Roku/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) This weekend sees the release of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s second foray into feature film: a hilariously-exaggerated biopic co-written by Yankovic and starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter himself) as…

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Genres:

Comedy, Country, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

"Weird Al" Yankovic, B.J. Thomas, Charlie Parker, Eminem, Johnny Mathis, P.F. Sloan, Squeeze

The Weekend Stream: September 24, 2022

September 24, 2022 by Mike Duquette | 5 Comments

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 quarter-century old R&B classics, a Fleetwood Mac heroine covering Buffalo Springfield, and an actor who sang enough to make you go a little mad. Stevie Nicks, For What It’s Worth (Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) The celebrated singer has recently been covering this Buffalo Springfield classic on her latest tour, and took to the studio with producer Greg Kurstin, guitarist Waddy…

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Formats:

Anthony Perkins, Mariah Carey, Queens of the Stone Age, Sam the Sham and The Pharoahs, Stevie Nicks, Tears for Fears, Usher

Genres:

Comedy, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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The Weekend Stream: July 16, 2022

July 16, 2022 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

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! This week features deep cut jazz, country and soul, plus some remixes of an ’80s classic and a new, surprise comedic pop track by one of Hollywood’s favorite funnymen. Kitty Wells, Kitty Wells’ Country Hit Parade / Lonely Street / After Dark / Dust on the Bible (Decca/MCA Nashville/UMG) Hit Parade: iTunes / Amazon Lonely: iTunes / Amazon Dark: iTunes / Amazon Dust: iTunes…

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Formats:

Genres:

Classic Rock, Comedy, Country, Disco/Dance, Pop, Reggae, Rock, Soundtracks

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Buddy DeFranco, Canned Heat, Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Dave Mason, David Foster, Harvey Fuqua, Jefferson Starship, Kitty Wells, Lee Greenwood, Musical Youth, Steve Martin, The Flying Burrito Brothers

The Weekend Stream: February 19, 2022

February 19, 2022 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

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! This week we’ve got Depeche Mode on vinyl…er, digital, Roxette in Spanish and Shel Silverstein in rare form. Depeche Mode, Speak & Spell | The 12″ Singles (Warner/Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) Issued in 2018 as the first of nine (and counting) box sets featuring 12″ replicas of every Depeche Mode single from a particular album, this new-to-digital set captures long and alternate…

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Formats:

Genres:

Comedy, Country, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Everything Else, Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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Depeche Mode, Johnny Cash, Kool Moe Dee, Roxette, Shel Silverstein, Static-X, The Supernaturals

Review: Frank Zappa, “200 Motels: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – 50th Anniversary Edition”

January 26, 2022 by Joe Marchese | 2 Comments

Frank Zappa called 200 Motels “a surrealistic documentary.” Leonard Maltin described it as a “visual, aural assault disguised as a movie; completely berserk, freeform film…some of it ingenious, some funny, but not enough to maintain [an] entire film.” Roger Ebert compared the surreal musical to the work of experimental composer Harry Partch before observing that it “assaults the mind with everything on hand…a full wall of sight-and-sound input.” Zappa never wrote and directed another full-length film, and today, 200 Motels remains largely an enigma. The movie itself has only been reissued on…

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Reviews

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Comedy, Soundtracks

Tags:

Frank Zappa

Have Yourself a Merry Little Discmas…

December 24, 2021 by Mike Duquette | 12 Comments

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 returned to concerts and live performances,…

Categories:

Features

Formats:

Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray Audio, Books, Box Sets, CD, Cassette, DVD, DVD-Audio, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, SACD, Vinyl

Genres:

Tags:

The Weekend Stream: December 18, 2021

December 18, 2021 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

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 release January 7 (a day before what would have been Bowie’s 75th birthday), there’s now a streaming-only…

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Formats:

Genres:

Blues, Classic Rock, Comedy, Country, Everything Else, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

David Bowie, Jackie Gleason, Johnny Winter, Loretta Lynn, Mac Davis, Madonna, Organized Konfusion, Tangerine Dream, The Simpsons

The Weekend Stream: November 27, 2021

November 27, 2021 by The Second Disc | No Comments

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! Despite the Thanksgiving holiday (and recovery period from Record Store Day Black Friday) there are some surprises for lovers of rock, soul and soundtrack obscurities – check it out below! Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Live, New York, 1981 (Blackheart/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon / Spotify) If you can believe it, there’s almost no official representation of Joan Jett & The Blackhearts in…

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Formats:

Genres:

Comedy, Everything Else, Folk, Gospel, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Brenda Lee, Darlene Love, Debbie Gibson, Jim Nabors, Joan Jett, Melanie, The Drifters, Vaughn Meader

The Weekend Stream: October 16, 2021

October 16, 2021 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Prince, Do Me, Baby (Demo) (NPG/Warner) (iTunes / Amazon / Spotify) A surprise release on Thursday for the 40th anniversary of Prince’s Controversy (1981), the Prince Estate has issued a demo recording of “Do Me, Baby,” recorded during the studio sessions for Prince’s self-titled sophomore album in 1979. (As such, it sounds less like a demo and more like a studio version in league with that album.) It’s a fascinating recording that again highlights The Purple One’s genius – and it’s also available physically through The Artist’s official store, on a one-sided,…

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Formats:

Cassette, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Comedy, Disco/Dance, Everything Else, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Aztec Camera, Cyndi Lauper, Debbie Gibson, Doug E. Fresh, Indigo Girls, Jimmy Webb, Julian Velard, Nick Kamen, Ozzy Osbourne, Prince, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, Stokely Carmichael

I Hope I’m Funny: Omnivore Reissues Richard Pryor’s “Live at The Comedy Store, 1973”

July 23, 2021 by Joe Marchese | 2 Comments

Earlier this year, Omnivore Recordings released a pair of albums from Richard Pryor, the rare artist for whom “legendary” is entirely apt and not at all hyperbolic. Pryor (1940-2005) pushed the envelope in life as well as in art – on film, television, and records. Following the expanded reissues of his eponymous 1968 debut album and 1971’s Craps (After Hours), Omnivore has turned its attentions to another rarity from the five-time Grammy Award winner and pioneering writer-actor-comedian. Live at The Comedy Store, 1973 was recorded at the venerable West Hollywood club and…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Comedy

Tags:

Richard Pryor

The Weekend Stream: April 24, 2021

April 24, 2021 by The Second Disc | 4 Comments

While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it’s no secret that listening audiences are also digital – catalogue music lovers, too – and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we’ve introduced a new Saturday feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Mark Morrison, Return of the Mack (#25ROTM Mixes) (Warner Music/X5) (iTunes / Amazon…

Categories:

Features, News, The Weekend Stream

Formats:

Genres:

Classic Rock, Comedy, Everything Else, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

Tags:

Bay City Rollers, Mark Morrison, Poco, Rodney Dangerfield, Squeeze

Short Takes: “Fawlty Towers” Comes to Vinyl with Cleese Autograph; Judas Priest Plans Massive Box Set for Summer

March 16, 2021 by Joe Marchese | 4 Comments

Although only 12 episodes were made between 1975 and 1979, Fawlty Towers remains one of television’s most beloved comedies. As recently as 2019, it was named the greatest ever British sitcom by Radio Times, and its magic has never been successfully duplicated. Three American remakes – starring Harvey Korman and Betty White (the pilot-only Chateau Snavely, 1978), Bea Arthur (Amanda’s, 1983), and John Larroquette and JoBeth Williams (Payne, 1999) – all failed to recapture the spirit of the original in which co-creator/writer John Cleese starred as the misanthropic Basil Fawlty, owner of…

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