CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The sophomore album from U.K.-formed post-punk/pop group Scritti Politti offered a new direction in British music: indebted to the organic sound of R&B with sleek electronic flourishes and a sheen of lyrical intellectualism. It also featured U.S. hit “Perfect Way,” which Miles Davis went bananas over. Remastered by Rough Trade in 2022 after they acquired the rights from bandleader Green Gartside, this expanded CD or double vinyl offers the four bonus tracks from the original CD release as well as two rare mixes of…
A More Perfect Way: Remastered Breakthrough Album by Scritti Politti Gets Expansion with Rare Remixes
After remastering and reissuing newly-acquired classic albums from ’80s pop duo Scritti Politti in 2021, Rough Trade will go back and revisit their signature album with bonus tracks – and have also recently given a third of the group’s albums a re-release. Scritti’s sophomore album Cupid & Psyche 85 will be reissued on July 10 in a new CD or double LP deluxe edition, featuring the classic original album (featuring the U.K. hits “Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin)” and “The Word Girl” as well as the U.S. stunner “Perfect Way”) alongside seven…
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The Weekend Stream: May 16, 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 has a collection of outtakes from one of the greatest albums ever made, a breezy theme song to a popular web series, fantastic new film scores, an unheard recording from Peggy Lee and a frankly stunning amount of songs about horses. Plus our tributes to those we lost recently, and a cool arts-related documentary project worthy of your…
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What’cha Taking Me For: Sheena Easton Singles Box Set Includes More Unreleased Tracks
“But The Second Disc,” you may have thought, “what more is there to discover after Cherry Red’s thorough re-eleases of Sheena Easton’s beloved discography?” The label, in partnership with her RT Industries, has a new answer for you: a 25CD box set chronicling her singles from the EMI years in the ’80s – and yes, this set has unreleased material as well. The Singles 1980-1987 follows two recent boxes following Easton’s EMI recordings in full (not strictly the original albums, but plenty of unreleased and alternate material in the mix). While this…
The Weekend Stream: May 9, 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. It may not get more eclectic than this one, folks! We’ve got catalogue classics from jazz immortals, country icons and ’80s hitmakers; new songs from legends of classic rock, R&B, adult contemporary and hip-hop; new sounds from MUNA, The Waterboys, and Crack the Sky’s John Palumbo; and a sampler of international works, from Spanish chorale to Austrian pop that won…
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The Weekend Stream: May 2, 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. You know you’re in for a treat when the most recognizable digital catalogue here is a country-rock record by Jimi Jamison – plus new singles from Madonna and Peter Gabriel, for good measure. Madonna & Sabrina Carpenter, “Bring Your Love” (Warner) (Apple / Amazon) The official lead single from Madonna’s anticipated Confessions II – a sequel to her 2005 blockbuster Confessions on a…
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The Weekend Stream: April 25, 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. Some of our favorites lead this pack: an archival Prince single, a new Duran Duran song, a vintage George Michael EP, outtakes from The Beach Boys, demos from Andy Partridge – and plenty more where that came from. Prince, “With This Tear” (NPG/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) Last Tuesday, the 10th anniversary of Prince’s death, The Artist’s estate released the latest posthumous…
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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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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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The Weekend Stream: April 11, 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. Another George Michael single is redelivered, XTC demos get delivered and a reinvented video game dance classic enters the arena – plus a whole lot of oddities and buried treasure from 1976! George Michael, Faith (Single) (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) The second of George Michael’s Faith singles to be delivered to digital with the original covers and B-sides is the effortlessly classic title…
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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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Happy Day: Book of Love’s Debut Turns 40, Receives New Vinyl Pressing from Rhino
Who wrote the Book of Love? On June 26, Rhino will revisit the debut from synth-pop pioneers Book of Love in a new 40th anniversary vinyl edition of their self-titled album which first hit stores on April 1, 1986. (No fooling!) The Philadelphia-formed, New York-based band – lead vocalist Susan Ottaviano and keyboardists/backing vocalists Ted Ottaviano (believe it or not, no relation!), Jade Lee, and Lauren Roselli (later Johnson) – shattered taboos with their frank songs about LGBTQ+ and outsider youths, set to throbbing electronic beats. Their debut LP, produced by Ivan…
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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The Weekend Stream: March 21, 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. Two eras of Madonna, early INXS and plenty of new cuts for country, folk and rock lovers are all in the mix! Madonna, Into the Groove / Hung Up (Remixes) / Sorry (Remixes) / Jump (Remixes) / 4 Minutes (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland) (Remixes) / Celebration (Remixes) EPs (Warner/Rhino) “Groove”: Apple / Amazon “Hung Up”: Apple / Amazon “Sorry”: Apple / Amazon “Jump”: Apple / Amazon “4 Minutes”: Apple…
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The Weekend Stream: March 7, 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. There’s new and old works from three of the best British white guys to ever do it, plus a boatload of Hugh Masekela treasures, a legendary punk session and plenty of exciting ’70s country nuggets. Sting, Mercury Falling (Expanded Edition) (A&M/UMe) (Apple / Amazon) For the 30th anniversary of Sting’s fifth studio album – a quirkier affair than previous, with tracks…
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The Weekend Stream: February 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. Nine Inch Nails returns to The Grid, plus a trio of soundtracks from an electronica icon, rarities from The New Christy Minstrels, Wynn Stewart, Vince Guaraldi and others, plus some tributes to artists we’ve lost and a TSD-related onstage production you don’t want to miss! Nine Inch Nails, TRON Ares: Divergence (The Null Corporation/Walt Disney Records/Interscope) (Apple / Amazon) A complete surprise…
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Release Round-Up: Week of February 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. Paul McCartney, Man on the Run: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack (MPL/Capitol) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Morgan Neville’s newest documentary, which received a limited theatrical engagement before landing on Prime Video, details how Paul McCartney found new life after the break-up of The Beatles with his new group Wings. On the documentary’s streaming release date, a companion album will include favorites (and a…
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You Promised Me The Love: Cherry Red Collects Hazell Dean’s “The Decca Years”
Late last year, Cherry Red continued its series of reissues from Hi-NRG queen Hazell Dean with a trip back to the Essex-born singer’s earliest days. The Decca Years, from the Strike Force Entertainment imprint, rounds up a dozen single sides originally released on the Decca label between 1975 and 1978, while a quartet of bonus tracks round up four ‘80s rarities. While Dean’s career took off with such dance-pop hits as “Searchin’ (I Gotta Find a Man),” “Whatever I Do (Wherever I Go),” and “Who’s Leaving Who,” she admits in a new…
The Weekend Stream: February 21, 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 we’ve got one of the biggest rock bands in the world making a surprise statement on current events, some ’80s covers from a current synthpop favorite, rarities and remixes that’ll make you want to hit your local mall, and so much more! U2, Days of Ash (Island) (Apple / Amazon) Not long after Bruce Springsteen and Billy Bragg each…
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Keep on Doin’ the Hump: Digital Underground’s ‘Sex Packets’ Expanded for CD, LP
For old-school hip-hop heads, there’s a reissue better than getting busy in a Burger King bathroom coming this spring: an expansion of Digital Underground’s debut LP Sex Packets. Released (a bit late, c’est la vie) for its 35th anniversary on March 20, the remastered album has been sequenced on two CDs or LPs to mirror the original running order of the CD. It’ll also feature multiple bonus tracks depending on format: all versions have the cassette bonus tracks “A Tribute to the Early Days” and the unedited version of album cut “Gutfest ’89,”…
Sex Packets (35th Anniversary Edition)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The 1990 debut album by Bay Area collective Digital Underground was a lighthearted affair featuring the club classic “Doowutchyalike” and the immortal crossover hit “The Humpty Dance.” These new pressings feature the original album as it appeared on CD, plus a host of bonus tracks including a cassette-only bonus track, an instrumental of “The Humpty Dance” and the unreleased “Blue View.” (A fourth bonus cut, the extended cassette version of album track “Gutfest ’89,” appears exclusively on the 2CD, with a radio mix of…
The Weekend Stream: February 14, 2026
Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. New remixes from James Brown and Tears for Fears, uncovered rarities from Peggy Lee, new songs from MUNA and Bleachers and a whole lotta Ween will keep you busy for the rest of the day! MUNA, “Dancing on the Wall” (Saddest Factory) (Apple / Amazon) One of pop’s best current bands is back for more! Queer-friendly trio MUNA have built a considerable fan base through catchy, electronics-and-guitar-driven albums –…
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Jive Talkin’: Bee Gees’ Extended Dance Mixes Reissued on New Box Set
This morning, Universal unveiled a limited edition 4LP box set rounding up fourteen extended dance versions of Bee Gees classics. You Should Be Dancing: The 12″ Collection is available for pre-order now exclusively through the Bee Gees’ and Universal Music’s online storefront and is limited to 1,000 units only. It will ship on or around February 27. Alas, much like the last time the group’s extended mixes were reissued (2015’s Extended EP, on Rhino), this collection will be unavailable on compact disc. You Should Be Dancing features the original Disco Mixes of…
