Country

Holiday Gift Guide Review: ‘Dearly Beloved: A Prince Celebration’

The holidays are a time of good cheer and gratitude, where we all (in theory) come together to share in a common joy. There has not been a lot of common joy if you’re a Prince fan; we don’t need to re-litigate it more than we did this summer, but it’s worth noting that the quest to make intriguing, posthumous Prince projects under the current estate organization has maybe gotten worse than when we published our editorial. But there have been celebrations of The Purple One that honor his restless creative spirit….

Continue Reading

The Weekend Stream: December 14, 2024

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 Christmas cheer from The Damnwells and Jody Miller, a Record Store Day reissue from Tegan and Sara, mid-’70s fun from The Flying Burrito Brothers to Freddie Prinze and a new spin on a John Williams classic. Plus, a way to help a dear friend and collaborator of the TSD team. The Damnwells, Xmas Eve (Poor Man/Pasadena Records) (iTunes / Amazon) Cult-favorite Brooklyn-bred quartet The Damnwells put out one…

Continue Reading

Forty Year Ache: Rosanne Cash Collects Favorites for New Compilation

Rosanne Cash, the oldest child of a country music icon and a superb, genre-hopping performer in her own right, will commemorate a museum exhibit of her life and career with a new career-spanning 2CD retrospective. The Essential Collection brings together 40 of Cash’s most treasured recordings – half from her tenure on Columbia Records and the other from mostly 21st century work on the Capitol, Manhattan and Blue Note labels. The non-chronological set, curated by Cash herself, features all 10 of her No. 1 country singles, including “Seven Year Ache,” “I Don’t…

Continue Reading

THE SECOND DISC’S 2024 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…

Continue Reading

Stones in the Road: Expanded Edition

In 1994, Mary Chapin Carpenter was at the pinnacle of country music.  The singer-songwriter’s fourth album for Columbia, Come On Come On, was the biggest seller of her career.  Singles were still being released from that album in early 1994 and later in the year she released her next endeavor: Stones in the Road.  While it ultimately would not sell as many copies as Come On Come On, it would have higher chart success and garner prestigious awards.  Carpenter was backed by an A-list band on the self-penned album: keyboardist Benmont Tench, guitarists Lee Roy Parnell and Steuart…

Continue Reading
Categories:
Formats:
Genres:
Tags:

The Weekend Stream: November 30, 2024

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. The Christmas season means favorites (quite) old and (sort of) new, plus Wang Chung’s first album and a rock and hip-hop packed slasher film soundtrack. Band Aid, Do They Know It’s Christmas? EP (Band Aid Trading Limited/UMC) EP: iTunes / Amazon Single Version: iTunes / Amazon Extended Version: iTunes / Amazon Just over four decades from its original recording and release, Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” returns for a…

Continue Reading

Release Round-Up: Week of November 29

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up!  While most labels are concentrating today on Record Store Day’s Black Friday releases, we’ve chosen to spotlight a few non-RSD titles out today, as well.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Tommy Steele, On Air (Stage Door Pop) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Stage Door Records’ Pop imprint celebrates The Happiest Millionaire and Half a Sixpence star Tommy Steele with On Air, a collection of 31 tracks culled from his 1964 U.K. radio series The Tommy Steele Show.  None of these tracks have been released since their original broadcast sixty…

Continue Reading

Release Round-Up: Week of November 22

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today including a Christmas classic from Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music and a whole bunch of massive box sets!  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Sings Christmas Carols (Expanded Edition) (Second Disc/Real Gone)  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) Over the past decade, we here at TSD have happily partnered with Real Gone Music on an array of Christmas releases from such evergreen artists as Johnny Mathis, The Supremes, Chet Atkins,…

Continue Reading

Holiday Gift Guide Review: Elvis Costello, “King of America and Other Realms”

It was a fine idea at the time/Now it’s a brilliant mistake… Elvis Costello delivered a powerful surprise in 1986 when he shed his backing band, The Attractions, and teamed up with T Bone Burnett for King of America.  Originally credited in the U.K. to The Costello Show (Featuring The Attractions and Confederates) and in the U.S. to The Costello Show (Featuring Elvis Costello), the album backtracked from the sleek ’80s polish of its two immediate predecessors (Punch the Clock and Goodbye Cruel World) and instead tapped into a vein closer to…

Continue Reading

Release Round-Up: Week of November 15

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today…and, with the holidays approaching, it just might be the biggest release week of the year!  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. George Harrison, Living in the Material World: 50th Anniversary (Dark Horse) 2CD/2LP/1BD/1-7″: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: 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 As the studio follow-up to his landmark triple album All Things Must Pass, George Harrison further explored his spiritual and physical selves on…

Continue Reading

The Last Word: Real Gone’s First November Releases Include 30th Anniversary Edition of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “Stones In The Road” Plus Misery Signals, The Unfolding

As usual, Real Gone’s first releases in November are an eclectic bunch.  The label is releasing the 30th anniversary edition of a contemporary country classic album, a psychedelic exploitation record from the 1960s, and a 20th anniversary edition of a metalcore album.  Read on for more details for these releases all hitting store shelves tomorrow, November 15. In 1994, Mary Chapin Carpenter was at the pinnacle of country music.  The singer-songwriter’s fourth album for Columbia, Come On Come On, was the biggest seller of her career.  Singles were still being released from…

Continue Reading
Categories:
Formats:
Genres:

Country Sunshine: Morello Reissues Four Albums from Late Country Queen Dottie West

After nearly a decade, Cherry Red’s Morello imprint has returned to the discography of late country songstress Dottie West with a new 4-albums-on-2-CDs release. After pairing West’s first two RCA albums on CD (1965’s Here Comes My Baby and Dottie West Sings) in 2016, Morello has jumped ahead to 1971-1972 for a collection featuring Careless Hands, Have You Heard…Dottie West, I’m Only a Woman, and Country Sunshine. After penning Jim Reeves’ 1963 hit “Is This Me,” Dottie auditioned and signed with RCA Victor.  The label’s Nashville chief, Chet Atkins, took a personal…

Continue Reading
Categories:
Formats:
Genres:

Sugar Town: Light in the Attic Reissues, Expands Nancy Sinatra’s “Sugar” and “Country, My Way”

Light in the Attic is accelerating its Nancy Sinatra Archival Series with the November 29 reissue of the singer’s fourth and fifth studio albums, both from 1967: Sugar and Country, My Way.  Both of these expanded editions will be available on CD, LP, and digitally. Sugar capped off an incredibly prolific year for Sinatra.  The fourth album she recorded in 1966, Sugar was nominally named for the sweet and seductive, Lee Hazlewood-penned “Sugar Town,” a top 5 Pop/No. 1 AC hit.  Though album producer Hazlewood also contributed Coastin’, the LP was mostly…

Continue Reading

Release Round-Up: Week of November 1

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. Elvis Costello, King of America and Other Realms (UMe) 6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 140-gram Black LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 140-gram Gold Nugget LP: Official Store / uDiscover Music / The Sound of Vinyl Elvis Costello is looking back on his tenth studio album King of America – and its effect on his future live and studio work – on a lavish new box set. The remastered 1986 album is paired with…

Continue Reading

The Weekend Stream: October 26, 2024

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’re positively packed this Saturday: posthumous tracks from Van Halen, Luther Vandross and DMX; a great deluxe live set from Linda Ronstadt; plus some Halloween and Christmas surprises…and, to top it all off, a call to action to aid one of our favorite power-pop acts of the last 40 years. Edward & Alex Van Halen, “Unfinished (Between Us Two)” (self-released) (official site) Alex Van Halen just released Brothers, a heartfelt…

Continue Reading

Release Round-Up: Week of October 25

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. Blue Magic, Stop to Start: The Atco and WMOT Recordings (SoulMusic/The Second Disc) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Cherry Red) Let the sideshow begin!  SoulMusic Records and TSD are proud to unveil a new 6-CD box set dedicated to the sweet ‘n funky soul stylings of Philly quintet Blue Magic (“Sideshow,” “Three Ring Circus,” “Welcome to the Club,” “What’s Come Over Me”).  Stop to Start: The Atco and WMOT Recordings brings together…

Continue Reading

The Weekend Stream: October 19, 2024

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 brief week offers some unusual soundtracks, an even more unusual Beach Boys homage – and plenty of Christmas curiosities! Various Artists, Pulp Fiction (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (Geffen) (iTunes / Amazon) This weekend, the iconic songs-and-dialogue album for Quentin Tarantino’s classic film Pulp Fiction – featuring favorites like Dick Dale’s rapid-fire, guitar-driven instrumental “Misirlou” and a cover of Neil Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon” by Urge Overkill…

Continue Reading

Release Round-Up: Week of October 18

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Long After Dark: Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe) 2CD/Blu-ray Audio: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/Blu-ray Audio (with Amazon-exclusive stickers): Amazon U.S. 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Tom Petty Store (Exclusive) Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers’ fifth studio album has gotten a deluxe makeover.  Geffen/UMe have revisited 1982’s oft-overlooked Long After Dark, originally released on Backstreet Records, in various formats including 2LP and 2CD+Blu-ray. The bonus disc, featuring outtakes…

Continue Reading

The Weekend Stream: October 12, 2024

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. The Christmas creep may continue, but we’ve got plenty more where that came from: a new spin on a John Lennon classic, rare remixes from David Bowie, a live triumph from Céline Dion, some thrills and chills from the Alien universe – and first off, a charitable compilation built for a good cause in the wake of our country’s severest storms of late. Various Artists, Cardinals At the Window (Music’s Promise) (Bandcamp)…

Continue Reading

Ace Round-Up: Label Celebrates John Barry, Jackie DeShannon, Thom Bell, Paul Williams, Holland-Dozier-Holland

Today, we’re rounding up five releases from Ace Records, all of which were released within the past few months by the U.K. label. Ace has followed up its 2022 collection dedicated to the oeuvre of composer John Barry, The More Things Change: Film TV, and Studio Work 1968-1972, with a new volume of the film maestro’s works.  Something’s Up!  Film, TV, and Studio Work 1964-1967 (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) hardly plays like a collection of runners-up, however.  Barry crafted so much indelible music – throughout his lifetime, but…

Continue Reading

Release Round-Up: Week of October 4

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. Joni Mitchell, Archives Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) (Rhino) 6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) features six CDs (also available as a “highlights” set on four LPs) chronicling the Canadian icon’s trek through the latter half of the ’70s, peeling away from her always-eclectic folk-pop sound, venturing into territory inspired by jazz and fusion. Sourced from variously…

Continue Reading

In Memoriam: Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024)

On a Sunday mornin’ sidewalk/I’m wishin’, Lord, that I was stoned/’Cause there’s somethin’ in a Sunday/That makes a body feel alone… With songs such as “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down,” Kris Kristofferson expanded the vernacular of country music, bringing realism, gritty authenticity, and a literate sensibility – he was an Oxford-schooled Rhodes Scholar –  to a genre already known for its unvarnished musical stories of pain and heartbreak.  Kristofferson would find himself at the vanguard of the so-called outlaw country movement, but his songs and career far eclipsed that tag.  The singer-songwriter, who…

Continue Reading
Categories:
Formats:
Genres:

Release Round-Up: Week of September 27

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Chicago, Chicago at the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. (9/16/1971) (Rhino) 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Chicago at the John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. (9/16/1971) arrives on 3 CDs, 4 LPs, and digital formats, preserving the band’s show in the U.S. capital.  The concert was recorded just eight days after the opening of the Kennedy Center. …

Continue Reading

King of America and Other Realms

6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 140-gram Black LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 140-gram Gold Nugget LP: Official Store / uDiscover Music / The Sound of Vinyl Elvis Costello is looking back on his tenth studio album King of America – and its effect on his future live and studio work – on a lavish new box set. The remastered 1986 album is paired with a disc of demos and outtakes (six of them previously unreleased), a previously unissued show recorded in 1987 at Royal Albert Hall in London, and three discs of potpourri showcasing the…

Continue Reading

The Best of Ronnie Milsap

The Best of Ronnie Milsap gathers up 12 of the artist’s biggest hits from his first tenure at RCA, including “It Was Almost Like a Song,” “Any Day Now,” and “What a Difference You’ve Made in My Life.” Craft’s parent company, Concord Music, acquired the rights to 16 of Milsap’s RCA albums from between 1977-2006 in 2019, and this is the first physical product to come from the acquisition (an expanded digital version of this compilation featuring 25 songs was released last June by Craft and is available now).  Paul Blakemore has…

Continue Reading
Categories:
Genres:
Tags:
Scroll to Top