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Woke Up with a Monster: Rhino’s Start Your Ear Off Right Titles Run the Gamut

Why wait for Record Store Day? Rhino continues their January tradition of “Start Your Ear Off Right” with just over three dozen exclusive vinyl titles being released through January at independent record stores. (A small handful, linked below, are also available at Rhino’s official web store.) The majority will be released in two waves split between last Friday (January 2) and this Friday (January 9), with five more arriving between January 23 and January 30. Altogether, this list spans all forms of rock, pop, R&B, jazz, soundtracks and even comedy. In addition…

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The Paradise Years 1976-1981

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: Wedding Album: Expanded Edition – Leon and Mary Russell (1976); Make Love To The Music: Expanded Edition – Leon and Mary Russell (1977); Americana: Expanded Edition – Leon Russell (1978); Heart Of Fire – Mary Russell (1979); Life And Love – Leon Russell (1979); and The Live Album: Expanded Edition – Leon…

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The Weekend Stream: January 3, 2026

Welcome back, from holiday break, to 2026’s first edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! We’re starting in rare form with news of a surprise new album from one of England’s most beloved rock musicians, plus some tantalizing rare and unreleased ’60s and ’70s pop treats. There’s a lot to love here – and we can’t wait for you to listen! Peter Gabriel, “Been Undone” (Dark-Side Mix) (Real World) (Apple / Amazon) The iconic British singer/songwriter’s long-gestating i/o was finally…

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Another Merry Discmas to All from The Second Disc!

No one – not even your friends at TSD HQ! – can predict the arc of music reissues. When we launched The Second Disc nearly 16 years ago, the business was in a place of surprising highs and lows. The Beatles’ albums had been remastered for the first time ever – but it seemed that stalwarts like Rhino Records were enduring hardships. Vinyl was a niche concern, streaming even more so, and who knew where the CD would end up? (And that doesn’t even account for personal growth immaterial of the music…

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The Weekend Stream: December 20, 2025

Welcome to 2025’s final edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. We’re wrapping up the month with a wicked good time: hip-hop instrumentals, unearthed ’70s rock and country, and a whole lot of zydeco! Wicked: For Good – The Soundtrack (Sing-Along) / For Good EP (Republic/Verve) Sing-Along: Apple / Amazon For Good: Apple / Amazon With the second part of Universal’s big-budget adaptation of the long-running Broadway musical adapted from author Gregory Maguire’s alternative take on The Wizard of…

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Hold On To This Feeling: TSD, Cherry Red Collect Leon Russell’s Paradise Recordings on New Box Set

By 1976, Leon Russell was already an industry veteran.  The onetime Wrecking Crew pianist had already written and arranged hit singles for Gary Lewis and The Playboys, launched two record labels (Viva and Shelter), built his own recording studios, joined Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, served as the bandleader of Joe Cocker’s storied Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, recorded his own hit albums, and written or co-written such instant American standards as “A Song for You,” “Superstar,” and “This Masquerade.”  Tension with co-founder Denny Cordell led Russell to depart Shelter Records in…

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The Weekend Stream: December 13, 2025

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 even more holiday gifts today: new takes on a film music legend, a decade-spanning dance mash-up, more centennial celebrations for a Rat Pack icon, plus some deep country and modern rock treasures. Cécilia Tsan, Sara Andon & Simone Pedroni, John Williams Reimagined: Home Alone (Warner Classics/Erato/Parlophone) (Apple / Amazon) In 2024, soundtrack reissue producer Robert Townson assembled cellist Tsan, flautist Andon and pianist Pedroni for a most intriguing…

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The Weekend Stream: December 5, 2025

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. You’ve been good so far this Christmas season, so we’re giving you this present a day early – with new tracks from Guns N’ Roses, live tracks from The Hooters and one of our favorite bands for Bandcamp Friday! The Hooters, 45 Alive – Keswick Live in Concert (self-released) (Apple / Amazon) Philly band The Hooters – perhaps best known for the melodica-augmented 1985 hit “And We Danced” among its…

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THE SECOND DISC’S 2025 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!

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 handy red…

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Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long: On Stage 1964-1974

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Omnivore is returning to the discography of Bakersfield’s favorite son, Buck Owens, with a new 3CD set that chronicles a decade of music-making on the concert stage.  Buck and His Buckaroos’ Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long: On Stage 1964-1974 boasts 89 tracks (78 songs plus 11 introductions and pieces of onstage chatter) – the majority of which are new to CD.  A full 25 tracks have never been issued in any format, while a whopping 43 others are premiering in CD and digital formats including the complete contents…

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The Weekend Stream: November 29, 2025

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. Our Black Friday bonanza offers the return of Let’s Active, a new Stranger Things mini-mixtape, an unlikely team-up between two recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and one Record Store Day title that dropped yesterday. Plus, a tribute to a Minneapolis legend who was always on Time. Let’s Active, Afoot / Cypress / Big Plans for Everybody / Every Dog Has His Day (I.R.S./Capitol) Afoot: Apple / Amazon Cypress: Apple / Amazon Big Plans: Apple…

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The Second Disc’s Guide to Record Store Day Black Friday 2025

From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. (And with plenty of delicious food, too!)  Now, Record Store Day’s annual Black Friday event is upon us, so we’re spotlighting a dozen of the most eagerly anticipated releases arriving to your local independent brick-and-mortar record shop! Here are our personal picks for RSD BF must-haves; visit Record Store Day’s official website for a list of participating retailers.  Happy Listening, and have a great…

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Release Round-Up: Week of November 28

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up!  With Record Store Day’s Black Friday event taking place today, the slate is usually a small one…not so this year, though, thanks to Rhino’s CD releases of numerous RSD titles.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Neil Young, Tonight’s the Night 50 (Reprise/NYA) 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Greedy Hand Store 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Greedy Hand Store Clear Vinyl: Greedy Hand Store Neil Young’s sixth album, released in 1975 but mostly recorded two years earlier, was the closer to his “Ditch Trilogy.”…

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And Then I Wrote… The First Three Albums of the ’90s

This 4CD box set from the Bakersfield country hero (also available on 4 LPs for Record Store Day Black Friday) includes a full LP of rarities from the era including covers of “Things We Said Today,” “Suspicious Minds,” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.”​

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The Weekend Stream: November 22, 2025

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 real grab bag for you before the Thanksgiving holiday: cut songs from Broadway comedies, rarities from a ’60s soul/rock legend, an inexplicably remastered charity single, rare 12″ mixes and remastered jazz. Have a listen, won’t you?? Various Artists, Monty Python’s Spamalot (Original Broadway Cast Recording/20th Anniversary Edition) (Decca Broadway) (Apple / Amazon) Something to (always) look on the bright side of life over: a new reissue of the music…

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Release Round-Up: Week of November 21

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. The Beatles, Anthology Collection (Capitol/Apple/UMe) 8CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store 12LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store The Beatles’ Anthology Collection premieres remastered editions of the original three collections of rarities and outtakes compiled by George Martin and released through 1995 and 1996, available across six CDs or nine LPs. Martin’s son Giles, who remastered those albums for this release, also curates a new collection, Anthology 4, across a further two CDs or…

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The Weekend Stream: November 15, 2025

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 got comebacks aplenty: new songs from Squeeze and Robyn, old favorites from Art in America, Jim Reeves and Outkast; a whole ton of jazz and a toast to an unsung hero of the early rock and roll years. Squeeze, “Trixies, Pt. 1” (Love/BMG) (Apple / Amazon) As speculated last week, Squeeze have a new album coming through BMG! Trixies, due March 6, is a loose concept album…

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Release Round-Up: Week of November 7

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. Wings, Wings [Various Formats] (MPL/Capitol/UMe) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: 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 On November 4, Paul McCartney released Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, an oral history of the superstar’s other band. The hardcover tome, created in collaboration with film director Morgan Neville and editor Ted Widmer, tells Wings’ story through text, photographs, a timeline, a gigography,…

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Step Into Christmas: UMe Preps Holiday Singles Box, Expansion of Connie Francis’ Holiday Album

With the spookiest holidays of the fall now in the rear view mirror (that’s right: Halloween and Election Day!), there’s nothing wrong with looking ahead to the Christmas music season and checking out a pair of now-available titles from Universal Music Group spotlighting some of their classic holiday hits and an album by one of catalogue’s biggest success stories this year. UMe is selling a nifty collection of more than a dozen seasonal 7″ singles in a collectible carrying case. This Classic Holiday Singles Box features Christmas perennials spanning from the ’40s to…

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The Weekend Stream: November 1, 2025

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. Rare mixes from David Bowie, late-period repertoire from Squeeze (with a new distributor hinting at their next album) and an actor who plays jazz will start you off… David Bowie, I Can’t Give Everything Away E.P. (ISO/Parlophone) (Apple / Amazon) Released last week in conjunction with the last of Bowie’s era-focused boxes, this EP offers five new-to-digital remixes released between 2002 and 2016. Squeeze, Spot the Difference / Live At The Fillmore / The…

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Release Round-Up: Week of October 31

Happy Halloween!  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. Bob Dylan, The Bootleg Series Vol. 18: Through the Open Window (Columbia/Legacy) 8CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The beginnings of Bob Dylan’s long and extraordinary career are being revisited by Columbia and Legacy Recordings on the eighteenth installment of the artist’s long-running Bootleg Series.  Through the Open Window: The Bootleg Series Vol. 18 (1956-1963) arrives on 8 CDs as well as…

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The Weekend Stream: October 25, 2025

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 an unreleased outtake from The Beatles; a favorite ’80s band re-recording a deep cut; and a rock legend recruiting an unexpected guest on a new mix of their latest single – plus late period greatness from The Go-Betweens, Glenn Frey cutting standards and more. The Beatles, “I’ve Just Seen a Face (Take 3)” (Apple/Capitol/UMe) (Apple / Amazon) The Beatles are previewing the upcoming Anthology Collection with…

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Release Round-Up: Week of October 24

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles out today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska ’82 (Columbia/Legacy) 4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada It’s no surprise that, as Hollywood recounts the story of Bruce Springsteen’s most striking solo release with the film Deliver Me from Nowhere (out today), a box set tells the tale of the (literal) tape.  Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings are releasing Nebraska ’82, a new box set showcasing the start-to-finish journey of Bruce’s most…

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Release Round-Up: Week of October 17

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. Randy Newman, Trouble in Paradise: Expanded Edition (Warner/Rhino) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rhino Reserves LP: Rhino.com We Love It! Rhino reissues Randy Newman’s seventh studio album, Trouble in Paradise, as a 2CD expanded edition featuring previously unreleased demos and a rare concert performance.  With such classics as “I Love LA” and “Real Emotional Girl,” Trouble remains one of Newman’s most beloved LPs.  This generous release adds the singer-songwriter’s largely…

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Power to Consume: Legacy Unveils Record Store Day Black Friday Slate with Prince, Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, More

We’re continuing our look at this year’s Record Store Day Black Friday releases with a rundown of the nine titles coming your way on Friday, November 28 from Legacy Recordings.  These include classics from Miles Davis, Prince, and Billy Joel, a rarity from Bob Dylan, a spirited Danny Elfman soundtrack, and more!  Click here for a list of participating Record Store Day shops, and stay tuned for more RSD Black Friday news here at The Second Disc! Cage the Elephant, Live from The Vic in Chicago (RCA/Legacy) (2LP – Yellow and Black Splatter vinyl;…

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