Rhino gives a digital release to a posthumous album from late troubadour Gerry Rafferty (1947-2011). Rest in Blue was assembled by the artist’s daughter Martha Rafferty from demos recorded by her father; she stripped back the synthesizers applied by Gerry to place the focus squarely on his voice. The 14 songs were written and recorded at various periods in his career, and include originals as well as folk standards (“Wild Mountain Thyme,” “Dirty Old Town”), a cover of Richard and Linda Thompson (“It’s Just the Motion”), and a re-recording of Stealers Wheel’s…
All I Want: Joni Mitchell Releases “Blue 50” EP with Unreleased Tracks, “Archives Vol. 2” Arrives in October
Fifty years ago tomorrow -June 22, 1971 – Joni Mitchell released Blue. The singer-songwriter’s fourth studio album, Blue was raw, intense, emotional, beautiful, moving, and hugely influential. In short, it was the kind of album that only comes along once a generation – if that. Mitchell recently discussed its legacy with filmmaker-journalist Cameron Crowe for The Los Angeles Times. She observed, “The most feedback that I got was that I had gone too far and was exposing too much of myself. I couldn’t tell what I had created, really. The initial response…
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Release Round-Up: Week of May 14
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Déjà Vu: Deluxe Edition (Atlantic/Rhino) 4CD/1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP: CSNY50.com / Rhino.com Rhino revisits Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s landmark 1970 release as a deluxe 4CD/1LP set featuring a remastered version of the original album plus 28 previously unreleased demos, outtakes, and alternate takes. It’s all topped off with an essay from Cameron Crowe. In addition to the 4CD/1LP set, the box will be released in super-deluxe 5LP format exclusively from the new CSNY50.com and Rhino.com. Additionally, the audio will be released to download and streaming…
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The Weekend Stream: May 8, 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! Pearl Jam, Deep (Monkeywrench/Republic) The iconic rockers have unleashed 186 live shows…
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It Sure Looked Good on Paper: The Steve Goodman Demos
It Sure Looked Good on Paper: The Steve Goodman Demos, due in 1CD and 2LP formats, offers the most close-up look yet at the late singer-songwriter’s legacy. The collection presents 20 intimate demo recordings from the artist and storyteller who died of leukemia in 1984 at the too-young age of 36, including renditions of “City of New Orleans” and “You Never Even Call Me by My Name.”
Precious, Precious: Omnivore Unearths Rarities from Steve Goodman, Alex Chilton
Memphis’ Beale Street is one of the most famous musical thoroughfares in America, known for the sounds of rhythm and blues, jazz, soul, and rock-and-roll that pulsate through its shops, restaurants, and bars. On the first weekend every May, The Beale Street Music Festival is staged, celebrating the city’s diverse musical legacy. While COVID-19 sadly has kept the Festival once again from taking place, it’s already set for 2022. And Omnivore Recordings has looked back on a special performance to honor a festival founder by one of Memphis’ – and the label’s…
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Release Round-Up: Week of May 7
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! New Order, Education Entertainment Recreation (Live at Alexandra Palace) (Rhino) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/BD/3LP (Clear Vinyl) Box Set: New Order Store Education Entertainment Recreation (Live at Alexandra Palace) documents New Order’s only U.K. show of 2018. The November 9 gig was played at London’s Alexandra Palace with the current line-up of Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert, Phil Cunningham, and Tom Chapman. At 2 hours and 20 minutes in length, the band celebrated its 2015 release Music Complete in addition to…
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Release Round-Up: Week of April 16
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Mary Wilson, Mary Wilson: Expanded Edition (Motown/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Just days before her sudden passing, Mary Wilson promised that her 1979 Motown solo debut would finally see reissue. Universal Music and Wilson’s estate have made good on that promise with this new digital release. Mary Wilson: Expanded Edition will include the original Mary Wilson album produced by Motown great Hal Davis; three single versions of the album’s disco anthem “Red Hot;” the four bonus tracks produced by Gus Dudgeon; and an all-new single streaming now with special relevance…
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The Reprise Albums (1968-1971)
Joni Mitchell’s first four albums, all recorded for the Reprise label, are collected in a new box set. The Reprise Albums (1968-1971) is the first albums collection to be released under the Joni Mitchell Archives umbrella; it will be followed later this year by Archives Vol. 2 featuring previously unreleased material from this era. In the meantime, this set features Bernie Grundman’s new remasters of Song To A Seagull (featuring the essential tracks “Cactus Tree” and “Marcie”), Clouds (“Chelsea Morning” and “Both Sides Now”), Ladies of the Canyon (“Big Yellow Taxi,” “The Circle Game,” “Woodstock”) and the…
A Case of You: Joni Mitchell’s First Four Albums Remastered, “The Reprise Albums (1968-1971)” Due June 25
Last year Joni Mitchell and Rhino stunned fans with the announcement of the Joni Mitchell Archives, an ongoing series of releases that look back at the career of the multifaceted songwriter, singer, producer, and visual artist. (Check out our interview with series co-producer, Patrick Milligan, here!) Today, Joni Mitchell and Rhino announced the next volume in the series: The Reprise Albums (1968-1971), to be released June 25, just fifty years and three days after she released Blue on June 22, 1971. The 4-CD or 4-LP set collects her first four albums, which…
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Rhino’s Record Store Day Slate Features John Prine, Steely Dan, Joni Mitchell, CSNY, Donny Hathaway, Lou Reed, More
At 1:00 pm EST/10:00 am PST today, the list of Record Store Day’s annual offerings was made public. As was the case in 2020, this year’s RSD festivities will take place over more than one day. The two RSD Drops are scheduled for Saturday, June 12, and Saturday, July 17. We’ll be sharing periodic announcements of various labels’ releases, including this look at Rhino’s whopping array of over 30 titles from heavy hitters including Black Sabbath, Donny Hathaway, Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Tom Petty, CSNY, Lou Reed, John Prine, and…
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Craft Recordings Announces Record Store Day Slate Including The Zombies, Jonathan Richman, John Martyn, More
At 1:00 pm EST/10:00 am PST today, the list of Record Store Day’s annual offerings was made public. As was the case in 2020, this year’s RSD festivities will take place over more than one day. The two RSD Drops are scheduled for Saturday, June 12, and Saturday, July 17. We’ll be sharing periodic announcements of various labels’ releases, beginning with this look at Craft Recordings’ line-up. For the full list of all participating RSD retailers, visit RecordStoreDay.com. Craft Recordings is offering a dozen titles for Record Store Day from a variety…
Review: Neil Young, “Young Shakespeare”
When Neil Young announced the release of Young Shakespeare as Disc 3.5 of the Neil Young Archives Performance Series, many wondered, “Why another solo acoustic show?” Since the archival series began in 2006, Young has released six solo acoustic concert albums, three of which chronicled performances from 1970-1971; Young Shakespeare was recorded in that time frame, on January 22, 1971, at Stratford, Connecticut’s Shakespeare Theatre. While the venue sadly burned to the ground in January 2019, the concert recorded there 48 years earlier has survived to see release. Young took the stage in…
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Rearrange the Art: Craft Recordings Reissues Sarah Jarosz’s “Build Me Up From Bones,” Vinyl Due on April 9
Craft Recordings continues its exploration of roots music with a new vinyl release from one of folk’s brightest. On April 9, Sarah Jarosz’s 2013 acclaimed Build Me Up From Bones will hit shelves and online storefronts in a deluxe vinyl package. Her web store will also stock an exclusive red vinyl edition. Just five years after singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jarosz signed to the Sugar Hill Records label, the phenom of the Americana scene released her most fully-realized effort, Build Me Up From Bones. She’d come a long way in that short…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 26
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Bob Dylan, 1970 (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) In recent years, Bob Dylan’s annual copyright-extension collections have become highly sought-after collectors’ items and fodder for bootleggers everywhere. Happily, Legacy Recordings has opted to give a wide release to Dylan’s 1970 set, largely drawn from the Self Portrait sessions and featuring his loose jams with George Harrison. This 3-CD set features 74 previously unreleased tracks on 3 CDs. Read more here. Neil Young, Way Down in the Rust Bucket [Various Formats] (Reprise) 4-LP/2-CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local…
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Release Round-Up: Week of February 5
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Dusty Springfield, The Complete Atlantic Singles 1969-1971 (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Complete Atlantic Singles 1968-1971brings together Dusty Springfield’s 24 U.S. single sides released during her tenure at Atlantic. These tracks have been remastered from the original mono tapes by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision, and all but the eight sides pulled from Dusty in Memphis have never before appeared on CD in these original mixes. TSD’s Joe Marchese provides the new liner notes based on his interviews with Jeff Barry, Thom Bell, and Kenny Gamble….
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Sivuca
Real Gone Music reissues the self-titled 1973 Vanguard Records album from Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist Sivuca (1930-2006). Born Severino Dias de Oliveira, Sivuca mastered accordion, guitar, and keyboards, not to mention honing a powerful voice that earned him attention from a wide variety of fellow artists. He wrote and arranged for, and performed with, Miriam Makeba beginning in the early 1960s and toured with her and Harry Belafonte. He caught the attention of Oscar Brown, Jr., going on to star with him and serve as musical director for Brown’s off-Broadway musical Joy. (The New…
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 millennium. January’s Essentials selection (available now) is John Prine’s self-titled debut, which arrives newly remastered…
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Release Round-Up: Week of January 15
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Stevie Nicks, The 24-Karat Gold Tour: Live in Concert (BMG) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Stevie Nicks brings her latest live album, recorded in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh in 2017 and featuring classics and rarities alike, to wide release in the United States. The 2-CD set was previously released as a Target exclusive, while Barnes & Noble is exclusively carrying a crystal-clear vinyl version of…
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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 your favorite independent record shop or their online storefronts as well as select Barnes…
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The Year In Review: The 2020 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z
Happy 2021 and welcome to The Second Disc’s 11th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! The past year has presented any number of unprecedented challenges. But music has filled a more important role than ever, providing solace, comfort, and escape in a time unlike any other. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc once again wishes to recognize 2020’s cream of the catalogue music crop – those exemplary reissues and box sets big and small that proved to be truly outstanding for music lovers worldwide. Despite the many delays caused by COVID-19,…
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Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: Cherry Red Box Set Bonanza – Rhinoceros, Jerry Jeff Walker, Fumble
Welcome to the third part of our Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight – Cherry Red Box Set Bonanza! Click here for Part One, featuring Evelyn “Champagne” King, and here for Part Two featuring Graham Bonnet! When one thinks of bands assembled by audition, The Monkees usually spring to mind. Davy, Micky, Peter, and Michael had been assembled by Screen Gems for the purposes of starring in a new television sitcom, and by sheer force of will became a “real” band making some of the era’s most intoxicating music. But The Monkees were far…
New Morning: Bob Dylan 1970 Copyright Extension Release To Get Wider Release, 3CD Set Due in February
In a move that will no doubt excite Bob Dylan aficionados everywhere, on February 26, Legacy Recordings will release Bob Dylan: 1970 in a new, more widely available limited edition set with revised artwork and fresh liner notes by Michael Simmons. The collection includes all the songs from this year’s quietly announced copyright extension release. It’s an interesting move on the part of Legacy and Dylan’s team. Fans of the artist have come to expect micro-batches of 50 year old recordings to sneak out every December, pressed up for copyright protection reasons. …
Walkin’ My Cat Named Dog: Expanded Edition
Norma Tanega’s 1966 folk-pop classic returns to CD in a remastered and expanded edition from Real Gone Music. This new presentation of the Bob Crewe-produced album features the original artwork (which was replaced on prior CD issues) and has been sourced from high-resolution files of the original masters. It also includes two non-LP bonus tracks: the mono singles of “Bread” and “Run, On the Run.”
So Much Love: Real Gone Music Collects Dusty Springfield’s “Complete Atlantic Singles,” Expands Norma Tanega’s Debut Album
For several years in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Dusty Springfield was romantically linked to singer-songwriter Norma Tanega. On February 5, 2021, the late, talented duo will be linked once more with a pair of new releases from our friends at Real Gone Music. Real Gone has previously surveyed Springfield’s remarkable career on releases including Faithful (premiering her complete, lost album with producer-songwriter Jeff Barry in standalone form), A Brand New Me: The Complete Philadelphia Sessions (collecting in full her work with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell), and Come…
