Cherry Red continues their ongoing excavation of the Howard Jones catalogue with a new set that collects two remix albums from the mid-'80s: one a special early part of his discography, and one a treasured rarity for Japanese collectors. The label will issue a 2CD set on March 18 featuring the contents of The 12" Album and 12"ers Vol. 2, which collected a plurality of mixes, some B-sides and the odd unique track from the Human's Lib and Dream Into Action albums. 1984's The 12" Album featured
The Weekend Stream: January 22, 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 quick week brings us a great latter-day Hall & Oates track, a classic Lil Wayne mixtape, unreleased gems from The Art of Noise and more. Daryl Hall & John Oates, "Romeo is Bleeding" (U-Watch/BMG Rights Management (U.K.)) (iTunes / Amazon / Spotify) It's been 50 years since the world's bestselling duo
Review: David Bowie, "Brilliant Adventure [1992-2001]"
Putting on the black tie, cranking out the white noise... David Bowie wasn't one to look back. But when he announced Black Tie White Noise, many fans collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Might the "old" David Bowie be returning? The 1993 album was his first in six years, following three albums (two studio and one live) with his hard rock band, Tin Machine. It also reunited him with Nile Rodgers, producer of his all-time best-selling album Let's Dance, and with Ziggy Stardust-era
Have Yourself a Merry Little Discmas...
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
The Weekend Stream: December 11, 2021
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 offers a fistful of digital deluxe editions, expansions on holiday favorites, and at least one Bond theme in the mix. Tina Turner, GoldenEye (Parlophone) (iTunes / Amazon / Spotify) If you're still riding high off the excellent latest James Bond film No Time to Die, released a few months ago, you
The Weekend Stream: November 20, 2021
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 some new remixes for Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass, a revisit of Josh Groban's debut and some great rarities for soul and alt-rock fans. Marvin Gaye + SaLaAM ReMi, Save the World Remix Suite (Motown/UMe) (iTunes / Spotify / Amazon) From remixer SaLaAM ReMi - who helped organize Gaye's
The Weekend Stream: September 11, 2021
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 feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Aaliyah, Aaliyah
Always Love You: Elton John Welcomes Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Brandi Carlile, Glen Campbell and More to "The Lockdown Sessions"
Earlier today, Elton John announced a new album, his first new studio release since 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night. A spiritual successor to 1993's Duets, The Lockdown Sessions features Elton's collaborations with 16 diverse artists ranging from the late Glen Campbell and legendary Stevie Wonder and Stevie Nicks to current hitmakers including Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, and Nicki Minaj. The album was borne out of the many guest appearances Elton made on various records during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Weekend Stream: August 7, 2021
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 feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Madonna, True Blue (35th
The Weekend Stream: July 10, 2021
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 feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Captain Beefheart and His Magic
The Weekend Stream: June 5, 2021
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! Nelly Furtado, Loose
What's Your Take On It? Paul McCartney Announces Remix and Covers Album "McCartney III-Imagined"
On Thursday, Paul McCartney announced a new project called McCartney III-Imagined, an aptly titled collection of covers, reworkings, and remixes of his last studio album, McCartney III. It's due for digital release on April 16, with CD configurations and an array of 2-LP vinyl pressings set to arrive on July 23. The collection was curated by Macca and features contributions from Beck (who's featured on a reworking of "Find My Way"), Anderson .Paak (offering a remix of "When Winter Comes"),
Waltz in Orbit: Sir George Martin's Space-Age Electronica Receives Limited Edition Reissue
Throughout his extraordinary career, the late George Martin produced everything from comedy records to musical cast recordings, leaving his mark in every genre. His versatility, of course, found full flower in his collaborations with The Beatles. Now, a fascinating early project of the producer-composer-arranger-executive is coming to light in a special, limited edition release. In early 1962, Martin teamed with Maddalena Fagandini of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop to record a pair of
Share Your Love: Vinyl Me Please Announces New Reissues of Soul, Folk, Rock, and Hip-Hop Classics
Record subscription service Vinyl Me Please has announced the latest batch of reissues for this month, February, and March. These are split into three tracks: Essentials, curated from an array of genres; Classics, which focuses primarily on soul, jazz, and R&B; and Rap & Hip-Hop, which spotlights favorites These include lost classics from the Stax and Motown vaults, John Prine's masterful self-titled album, overlooked hip-hop gems, and a landmark rock album from the turn of the new
Shake It Up! Rhino Announces Offering for Start Your Ear Off Right 2021
Rhino's annual resolve to Start Your Ear Off Right continues into 2021 with new and exclusive, limited-edition releases to be released throughout January. The campaign begins today and includes titles by a diverse lineup: Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones, Buffalo Springfield, The Cars, Dire Straits, Danny Elfman, Genesis, k.d. lang, Curtis Mayfield, John Prine, Talk Talk, and Talking Heads. You can find all the details about these releases below, and be sure to grab these releases from
They're Red Hot: AIDS-Combating Compilations Get Digital Reissues for 30th Anniversary
Since 1989, the Red Hot Organization (RHO) has been combatting the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Red Hot has primarily raised money through the creation of music compilations beginning with the 1990 release Red Hot + Blue: A Tribute to Cole Porter. Now, that star-studded release and numerous others have come to digital and streaming services to continue raising money for the charity. RHO co-founder John Carlin, an entertainment lawyer spurred into action by the devastating losses suffered by the New
Design As Reduction: Brian Eno's Soundtrack Work Anthologized On "Film Music 1976-2020"
Brian Eno and UMe have recently announced the release of Film Music 1976-2020 . This first-ever compilation of Eno's film and television soundtrack work brings together highlights from five decades of music, including seven tracks previously unreleased in an audio-only format . Digital configurations will be released on November 13 while CD and 2-LP editions are set to arrive on January 22, 2021. Multi-instrumentalist and composer Eno has long been associated with film music, starting in 1970
Release Round-Up: Week of October 23
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Bruce Springsteen, Letter to You (Columbia) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP black with white swirl: Bruce Springsteen Online Store 2-LP grey: Your Local Record Shop The Boss returns with a new, long-awaited album featuring The E Street Band. Produced by Springsteen and his frequent collaborator Ron Aniello, it features original songs as well as his first recordings of
Still Afraid of Americans: New Bowie Live Series Collects '90s Tour Dates
Brilliant Live Adventures. That's how Parlophone is describing the latest catalogue initiative for the late David Bowie. This series will encompass six live albums from the 1990s which will be released in limited edition, one-time pressings on both vinyl and CD. The first three albums will all be released before Christmas, with the remaining three early in 2021. The first Brilliant Live Adventure, coming on October 28 on single-CD and double-vinyl formats from Bowie's official webstore, is
Play Tetris Til My Eyes Fall Out: The Second Disc's Bandcamp Friday Picks, October 2020
The month's best new release day is back! Since March, indie music retailer Bandcamp has waived their share of revenue for indie artists and labels using their platform to give "the little guys" a leg up in the face of the pandemic. The result was more music bought by more fans than any day on the site, a record broken on the first Friday of May. Bandcamp Fridays have since taken place in June, July, August, and September - plus the first of an annual occurrence when the service will donate its
De-Rezzed to Re-Rezzed: Mondo Reissues Daft Punk's 'TRON: Legacy' Soundtrack
Daft Punk's scintillating electronic score to TRON: Legacy is coming back to vinyl for its 10th anniversary with a lavish edition courtesy of the Mondo label. The label lists this release as one of their "holy grails," and they've spared no expense in celebrating it. This 2LP, 180-gram release, pressed on blue/white and red/black vinyl, features the original soundtrack program along with seven bonus cuts that didn't make the original CD release. (As was standard a decade ago, they were
Short Takes: Bowie Box, Covering '90s and Early '00s, Planned for 2021
David Bowie's official website has announced plans for a fifth epoch-covering box set to release next year, after delaying an alternate version of said collection for a 2020 release. In a brief post, the late singer's website confirms that the follow-up to the four career-spanning album boxes - 2015's Five Years (1969-1973), 2016's Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976), 2017's A New Career in a New Town (1977-1982) and 2018's Loving The Alien (1983-1988) - will cover the widest span of time yet: 1993
Almost Hear You Sigh: Record Store Day U.K. Announces New Releases, Spotlight on The Yardbirds' "Roger the Engineer"
Tomorrow marks Record Store Day Drop 2. Recently, RSD U.K. announced 23 additions to their drop lists for September and October. While we know for sure that The Rolling Stones' upcoming Steel Wheels Live 10" picture disc will be a worldwide release, it's unclear at the time of writing whether all of the other releases will be distributed across the pond. Still, with so many retailers taking their business online given the COVID-19 pandemic, it's altogether possible that customers in the
Shoot It Up: Cherry Red Expands Sigue Sigue Sputnik's Debut
Cherry Red is launching the debut album by Sigue Sigue Sputnik back into orbit with a greatly-expanded 4CD set. Flaunt It, the group's 1986 album introduction after several years of hype and a pair of Top 20 hits in the U.K., will be expanded to feature two discs of B-sides and remixes and a previously unreleased live-in-studio set at Abbey Road Studios. All the material is remastered from the original tapes and assembled with input by original group bassist Tony James and guitarist Neal
Funny and You Don't Know Why: The Second Disc's Bandcamp Friday Picks for September
On March 20, as the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic was just starting to be understood, indie music retailer Bandcamp made the bold choice of waiving their share of revenue for artists and labels who were cancelling shows and delaying album releases left and right. The result was more music bought by more fans than any day on the site, a record broken on the first Friday of May. Bandcamp Fridays have since taken place in June, July and August - plus the first of an annual occurrence when the