Tennessee native Anita Kerr (born Anita Jean Grilli) was only in her early twenties when her eight-voice choir achieved a spot on WSM Radio, venerable home of the Grand Ole Opry. Her weekly broadcasts led to a call to join “Mr. Country Music,” Red Foley, in the recording studio for “Our Lady of Fatima.” Foley’s tune became a No. 16 Pop hit in 1950, and from there, Anita Kerr’s career took off to the stratosphere. The Second Disc has just learned of the singer-pianist-composer-arranger-producer’s death at the age of 94 in Geneva,…
You Make It Feel Like Christmas: New Collections Coming From Neil Diamond, Reba McEntire, Louis Armstrong, More
The Christmas season is upon us, and there are plenty of new titles coming your way to make spirits bright! Today’s round-up looks at upcoming collections from Neil Diamond, Louis Armstrong, and Reba McEntire, as well as one various-artists set filled with heavy hitters. Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Kennedy Center Honoree Neil Diamond has been a Christmas music mainstay since the release of 1992’s The Christmas Album. The Brooklyn-born superstar, whose story is coming soon to Broadway in the new musical A Beautiful Noise, has since released three more…
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Release Round-Up: Week of October 7
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of new releases arriving in stores today! John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band, Greatest Hits (Iconoclassic) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Iconoclassic offers the first-ever anthology from rock-and-roll revivalists John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band. Its 16 tracks encompass all nine of the band’s chart hits (including “On the Dark Side”) as well as fan favorites from the Eddie and the Cruisers albums, the Rocky IV soundtrack, and more. Vic Anesini at Battery Studios has remastered everything from the original tapes. Read more here!…
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In Memoriam: Loretta Lynn (1932-2022)
On her 2016 album Full Circle, Loretta Lynn openly pondered, “Who’s gonna miss me when I’m gone?” Today, upon the pioneering singer-songwriter’s death at the age of 90, that answer was abundantly clear. Tributes poured in from Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Kacey Musgraves, Martina McBride, Carrie Underwood, and LeAnn Rimes, as well as from The Grand Ole Opry, The Country Music Association, and The Country Music Hall of Fame. Carole King, one of many artists outside of the country genre to celebrate Lynn’s life, summed up the thoughts of many when she…
From L.A. to Bakersfield: Omnivore Celebrates California Music Heroes Dean Torrence and Buck Owens on New Collections
This fall, Omnivore will be revisiting the back pages of two California artists with whom the label has become associated: Dean Torrence and Buck Owens. Back in 2017, Omnivore issued Filet of Soul Redux: The Rejected Master Recordings from Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, the innovative surf-rock duo and Beach Boys pals who transformed the sound of SoCal pop. But Dean was always much more than “just” one-half of that pioneering musical pair. As a graphic designer, Torrence won the Grammy Award for Best Album Cover in 1971 for the band Pollution’s…
Release Round-Up: Week of September 30
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available in stores today! George Michael, Older: Deluxe Edition (Legacy) 5CD/3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada George Michael’s third solo album – and the one he believed to be his finest – returns from Legacy Recordings in a new 5CD/3LP edition and a 2LP set. This expansion of 1996’s Older features both the remastered album and the EP Upper (included with reissues of the album in 1997) on 180-gram vinyl and CD, along with an additional three CDs featuring 27 B-sides,…
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Live at Budokan
Columbia/Legacy releases Willie Nelson’s 1984 Live at Budokan concert, previously available only on Laserdisc, as a 2CD/DVD set as well as digitally. Willie and his band – including sister Bobbie Nelson on piano, Paul English on drums, Grady Martin on guitar, Jody Payne on vocals and guitar, Bee Spears on bass, and Mickey Raphael (who also produced this new set) on harmonica – romp through such classics as “On the Road Again,” “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” “Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” and “Always on My…
That Ol’ Christmas Spirit: Real Gone Announces Yuletide Slate with Steve and Eydie, B.J. Thomas, Lea Michele
Real Gone Music has that holiday feeling with its upcoming slate of three joyful titles for the Christmas season. The label has just announced two deluxe CD releases along with one beautiful vinyl title that’s sure to keep spirits bright. All three titles are due November 11. First up is a definitive, expanded, and remastered edition of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme‘s 1964 Columbia Records classic That Holiday Feeling. After more than a decade of representing Steve and Eydie’s GL Music catalogue, Real Gone is proud to announce a new partnership with…
Diamonds and Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection
Dolly Parton’s Diamonds and Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection offers 23 tracks from the country superstar, originally released between 1971 and 2020, on CD, 2LP, and digital formats. The collection draws on Parton’s recordings for RCA Victor, Columbia Records, and her own Dolly Records label, including her biggest crossover hits such as “9 to 5,” “Here You Come Again,” “Two Doors Down,” “Heartbreaker,” and the Kenny Rogers duet “Islands in the Stream.” The 2020 digital single “When Life Is Good Again,” an uplifting anthem for the age of COVID-19, makes its CD…
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A Holly Dolly Christmas: Ultimate Deluxe Edition
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Dolly Parton reissues her Grammy-nominated, chart-topping 2020 yuletide set with eight bonus tracks including three previously unreleased songs from Dolly’s 1986 TV movie A Smoky Mountain Christmas.
The Weekend Stream: September 17, 2022
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 time out we’ve got Motown rarities, a couple of albums with comic book roots, early music from future legends, and more! Roger Miller, Roger Miller (RCA/Camden/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Legacy has resuscitated this 1964 compilation of early sides from singer-songwriter Roger Miller (produced in Nashville by Chet Atkins). The self-titled album was originally released on RCA’s budget Camden imprint in the…
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Burning Desire: Legacy Recordings Announces RSD Black Friday Titles from Jimi Hendrix, Willie Nelson, David Bowie, The Script
This morning, Legacy Recordings announced its slate of four vinyl releases for Record Store Day’s annual Black Friday event taking place on Friday, November 25. Three celebrate classic artists while one revisits a modern-day triumph. Below you’ll find the descriptions provided by the label for all four releases. Visit recordstoreday.com for a full list of participating record stores. David Bowie, The Next Day Extra (12″ Vinyl EP) The Next Day Extra contains various album outtakes and remixes from David Bowie’s The Next Day album. In the summer of 2013, unreleased songs –…
The Weekend Stream: September 10, 2022
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 short but sweet week offers remixes of a disco legend, demos from a rock icon and more. Lou Reed, I’m So Free: The 1971 RCA Demos (RCA/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Released for Record Store Day this past spring – and ahead of an earlier set of demos coming from Light in the Attic next month – this collection of material from…
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Release Round-Up: Week of September 9
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! The Kinks, Muswell Hillbillies / Everybody’s in Show-Biz – Everybody’s a Star (BMG) 6LP/4CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Muswell Hillbillies 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Muswell Hillbillies 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Everybody’s in Show-Biz 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Everybody’s in Show-Biz 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Kinks are going super deluxe (again!) with a joint reissue of two of the band’s most significant albums featuring remastered audio and a host of bonus tracks. BMG’s box set celebrates The…
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Here She Comes Again: Dolly Parton’s Greatest Hits Collected on “Diamonds and Rhinestones”
Here she comes again. Hot on the heels of the expanded edition of Dolly Parton’s A Holly Dolly Christmas, the superstar is teaming with Legacy Recordings and RCA for a new, career-spanning package. Diamonds and Rhinestones: The Greatest Hits Collection arrives on November 18 with 23 tracks, originally released between 1971 and 2020, on CD, 2LP, and digital formats. Diamonds and Rhinestones draws on Parton’s recordings for RCA Victor, Columbia Records, and her own Dolly Records label. The non-chronologically-sequenced collection includes the freshly-minted Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee’s biggest crossover…
Circle of Love: Dolly Parton’s “Holly Dolly Christmas” Gets Expanded Edition in October
2020’s A Holly Dolly Christmas was Dolly Parton’s 47th solo studio album, but only her third full-length Christmas record following the Kenny Rogers collaboration Once Upon a Christmas (1984) and solo Home for Christmas (1990). The joyful yuletide set, supported by a prime-time CBS television special, became the superstar’s eighth Billboard Country chart-topper; it also reached the peak of the Holiday Albums chart and the top twenty of the Billboard 200. On October 14, the Grammy-nominated instant classic will be expanded on CD and vinyl as A Holly Dolly Christmas: Ultimate Deluxe…
The Weekend Stream Labor Day Special: Spotlight on WIWS Radio with John and Chrissy Sellards
Welcome to a special edition of The Weekend Stream for the long Labor Day weekend! Longtime readers might have noticed that adorable owl perched comfortably atop The Second Disc. He’s the mascot for WIWS Radio, an online radio station dedicated to ’50s and ’60s classics in authentic AM radio sound. We’d like to introduce you to John and Chrissy Sellards, the couple behind WIWS. John is already well known to Second Disc readers for his design work on most of our Second Disc Records releases. With WIWS, John and Chrissy have created…
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The Weekend Stream: September 3, 2022
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 a Prince-ly duo of two queens to a Beach Boy gone solo and more, you’ll find some great picks for the holiday weekend. Wendy & Lisa, B-Sides / Instrumentals / Edits / Extended Versions (Virgin) B-Sides: iTunes U.K. / Amazon U.K. Extended: iTunes U.K. / Amazon U.K. An exciting treat for fans of Wendy & Lisa, the killer pop/rock guitar/keyboard duo…
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Release Round-Up: Week of September 2
As we here in the U.S. head into Labor Day weekend, we have a shorter Release Round-Up than usual! To all our readers – wherever you might be – please have a safe and happy weekend! Shania Twain, Not Just a Girl: The Highlights (Mercury Nashville/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Not Just a Girl (The Highlights), a new companion album to the documentary coming to Netflix, features 17 of Shania Twain’s classic pop and country hits plus the new title track. Read more here. Mel Carter, When a Boy Falls in Love…
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Not Just a Girl (The Highlights)
Not Just a Girl (The Highlights), a new companion album to the documentary coming to Netflix, features 17 of Shania Twain’s classic pop and country hits plus the new title track.
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The Weekend Stream: August 27, 2022
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, Marvin Gaye gets remixed, two pop icons from different generations join forces, an underrated Olivia Newton-John album resurfaces and more. Marvin Gaye, I Want You: The John Morales M+M Mixes (Motown/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon) Sort of the quiet masterpiece in Marvin Gaye’s impressive ’70s run, the disco-tinged title track to I Want You was given the remix treatment by John Morales…
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The Weekend Stream: August 20, 2022
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 short but sweet release week has jazz, soundtracks and a lost pop record from one of the best-loved rock frontmen of the last few decades. Max Q, Max Q (Golden Rebel) (iTunes) INXS may have announced some activity around the 40th anniversary of their classic Shabooh Shoobah this fall (more on that as we keep confirming information about the band’s plans)…
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Going Up! ‘Not Just a Girl’ Documentary and Soundtrack Highlights Shania Twain’s Country Chart-toppers
It’s news worthy of an exclamation point or two(!): a new documentary about Shania Twain is on Netflix, and a new compilation is coming to accompany it! Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl brings a top-down look at the Canadian hitmaker to Netflix. She started as a hard-luck singer who put her dreams on hold after losing her mother and stepfather in a car accident; her first efforts for Mercury Records didn’t get much traction but got the attention of Robert John “Mutt” Lange, the super-producer looking to infuse something different into…
The Weekend Stream: August 13, 2022
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 lighter week nonetheless has some fun new digital debuts, including bonus-packed reissues from Belinda Carlisle and a sequel to a classic live jazz album. Belinda Carlisle, Heaven on Earth (Deluxe Edition) / Runaway Horses (Deluxe Edition) (MCA/UMe) Heaven: iTunes / Amazon Horses: iTunes / Amazon Expanded by Edsel many years ago, the second and third solo albums by the Go-Go’s frontwoman…
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Release Round-Up: Week of August 12
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the titles arriving in stores today! Jimi Jamison, Rock Hard (Iconoclassic) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Iconoclassic Records is now premiering Rock Hard, Survivor lead singer Jimi Jamison’s previously unreleased 1990 album, in a deluxe, expanded CD edition. Intended to be Jamison’s solo debut, Rock Hard features 10 songs including three previously unreleased compositions, three previously unreleased recordings, and a pair of previously unreleased mixes/arrangements. Jimi’s non-LP solo single (issued in Germany, Japan, and promotionally in the U.S.) of his Survivor bandmates Jim Peterik…
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