With a recent pair of reissues, Sony Music/Legacy Recordings has transported listeners to Greenwich Village at the dawn of the 1960s, when guitar-wielding troubadours took the stages at venues like Café Wha? to share their own "alternative" music: folk. While Connie Francis, Brian Hyland, Elvis Presley, and even Percy Faith were ascending to the top of the Pop chart, folksingers were spinning their own musical yarns that didn't involve teenage romance or itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polkadot
The Wayfarer: Bruce Springsteen Announces Soundtrack Album "Western Stars: Songs From the Film"
Bruce Springsteen's feature-length directorial debut, Western Stars opens in movie theaters on October 25 (after limited early screenings on the 19th and 23rd). In the movie, Springsteen performs all the songs from his latest album in his hundred-year-old barn. Springsteen said that the point of the film, which also includes new interviews and archival footage, was to "to get some of the music live to an audience." "The [studio] album and the film are both about this fading Western movie
Review: Bridget St. John, "Live at The Betsey Trotwood"
Bridget St. John is one of the treasures of the British folk revival. Her early recordings on John Peel's Dandelion label in the late '60s and early '70s - delicate and delightful as they are - continue to inspire a growing cadre of songwriters, singers, and alternate-tuned guitar-wielders. Fifty years since her debut Ask Me No Questions, St. John continues to perform, criss-crossing between Europe, Japan, and her adopted home state, New York. And she's still enrapturing audiences of longtime
Isn't It Rich: Edsel Collects Nine Judy Collins Classics on "The Elektra Albums Volume Two"
Demon Music Group's Edsel label has followed up its July release of Judy Collins' The Elektra Albums Volume One (1961-1968) with a second volume available now. The Elektra Albums Volume Two (1970-1984) finishes up the artist's Elektra Records tenure, comprising these nine releases on CD in their original sequences: Whales and Nightingales (1970) Living (1971) True Stories and Other Dreams (1973) Judith (1975) Bread and Roses (1976) Hard Times for Lovers (1979) Running for
Release Round-Up: Week of September 20
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Judy Collins, The Elektra Albums: Volume Two (1970-1984) (Edsel) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Demon Music Group's Edsel label is following up its July release of Judy Collins' The Elektra Albums Volume One (1961-1968) with a second volume out today. The Elektra Albums Volume Two (1970-1984) finishes up the artist's Elektra Records tenure, comprising these nine releases on CD in their original sequences: Whales and Nightingales
Release Round-Up: Week of September 6
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Miles Davis, Rubberband (Warner/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Rhino has unearthed a lost album recorded by Miles Davis in 1985-1986 prior to his label debut Tutu. The LP has been completed by original co-producers Randy Hall and Zane Giles with Davis' nephew Vince Wilburn, Jr., who played drums on the album sessions. Ledisi and Lalah Hathaway have been enlisted to complete the vocal tracks. Available on CD, 2-LP vinyl,
Release Round-Up: Week of August 23
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Here's what arriving today, August 23. Elvis Presley, American Sound 1969 (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S.) The Elvis 1969 celebration continues! In January of that year, Presley and his band began sessions with producer Chips Moman at American Sound Studios in Memphis, which resulted in his acclaimed From Elvis In Memphis album and its lead single "In the Ghetto." He also laid down such iconic songs as "Suspicious Minds," "Kentucky Rain,"
Release Round-Up: Week of August 16
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Cadillac Baby's Bea & Baby Records: The Definitive Collection (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Earwig Music has one of the year's most intriguing box sets and most significant historical excavations - a beautiful 124-page, 4-CD hardcover tome chronicling in words and music the story of Narvel Eatmon, a.k.a. Cadillac Baby, and his Chicago label Bea & Baby Records. From 1959-1989, the label and its various
The Times They Are A-Changin': Shout! Factory Brings Peter, Paul and Mary's "Newport 1963-65" to CD, DVD
The Newport Folk Festival was created in 1959 in Newport, Rhode Island as a response to the rising prominence of folk music in America. In 1961, one of the great groups of the genre was formed when Peter Yarrow, Noel Paul Stookey, and Mary Travers lifted their voices in song as Peter, Paul and Mary. The trio frequently took the stage at Newport with many of their classic songs, and now, Shout! Factory is collecting eighteen such performances on a new set coming to CD, DVD, and digital formats
Release Round-Up: Week of August 9
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Presley, Live 1969 (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) RCA and Legacy celebrate Elvis Presley's triumphant return to live performing at Las Vegas' International Hotel with a new 11-CD box set. All of The King's exhilarating performances from August 21 to August 26, 1969 will be presented on Legacy's new box . Some of the concerts have been previously issued in the last decade on various BMG and Follow That Dream
Try and Get My Soul Free: Full Sets from Woodstock Festival Emerge on Digital and Streaming Services
For fans of Woodstock, Friday was a big day. For the physical media-minded, the giant 38-CD/1-Blu-ray box began shipping out, and Craft's standalone Creedence Clearwater Revival Live At Woodstock album was released. Those who may have been unable to purchase the big set have reason to rejoice as several individual acts' sets from Woodstock have begun to pop up on digital download and streaming services. Last week saw the release of Woodstock recordings from Tim Hardin; Melanie; Mountain;
Rhino's 10-CD Woodstock Set "Back To the Garden: The 50th Anniversary Experience" Delivers the Goods
Fifty years ago this summer, more than 400,000 fans convened at Max Yasgur's farm for a music festival that would come to define not only the era, but the entire ethos of music festivals to come. With every passing decade, the magic of Woodstock has been celebrated and, indeed, re-marketed to new generations of music fans. The '90s saw two new Woodstock-branded festivals and an array of 25th anniversary products, including a compilation called Woodstock Diary and a 4-CD box set. To mark the
Release Round-Up: Week of July 19
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! James Taylor, The Warner Bros. Albums 1970-1976 (Warner/Rhino) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rhino has a newly remastered box, supervised by Peter Asher, of James Taylor's six studio albums for the label including Sweet Baby James (1970), Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon (1971), One Man Dog (1972), Walking Man (1974), Gorilla (1975); and In the Pocket (1976). Available on CD,
Seeds and Stems: Cherry Red Collects Rarities from Iain Matthews on "Orphans and Outcasts"
Few artists of the rock generation can boast as diverse a C.V. as Iain (sometimes Ian) Matthews. The Fairport Convention founder went on to front Matthews' Southern Comfort and Plainsong as well as record under his own name in the pop, folk, country, and rock idioms, often blending those styles together. In his first decade alone, Matthews recorded for the Deram, Polydor, Island, Uni, Vertigo, Elektra, and CBS/Columbia labels - and at virtually every label, material was left behind. Between
Release Round-Up: Week of July 12
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! America, 50th Anniversary: The Collection (Warner/Rhino) 50th Anniversary: The Collection (3-CD) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) 50th Anniversary: The Collection [2-LP] (Barnes & Noble Exclusive) 50th Anniversary: Golden Hits (Single CD) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Almost fifty years ago in London, Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and the late Dan Peek first joined their voices together in song - beginning a
Review: Norma Tanega, "Walkin' My Cat Named Dog" [Green Vinyl Reissue]
Our friends at Real Gone Music have long been combing the vaults of the major labels in search of overlooked classic albums that deserve another moment in the spotlight. The Second Disc was able to take a listen to one of the label's newly reissued limited-edition titles - Norma Tanega's Walkin' My Cat Named Dog - which returns to vinyl in a special bright-green color variant. Tanega's folky '60s pop has found new life on TV shows and compilations, but her debut has never been reissued on
See The Bright Lights: Real Gone Offers Classic Live Concerts From Richard Thompson, Jefferson Airplane in August
Real Gone Music has announced the release of two classic live performances -- one a gig by the multi-faceted guitarist Richard Thompson, and the other the vinyl debut of Jefferson Airplane's Woodstock set. Richard Thompson is one of the great guitarists of his generation and an accomplished singer-songwriter who has remained vital for over fifty years, starting with his genre-bending work as part of Fairport Convention. Over the course of his solo career, Thompson released several
It's Life's Illusions I Recall: Edsel Collects Judy Collins' 1960s Albums on New Box Set
With a crystalline voice and a songbook encompassing the best of folk, pop, Broadway, and beyond, Judy Collins remains an American treasure. The Seattle native first made a splash on the Colorado folk scene; soon, she was gaining notoriety in Connecticut and then in the fertile Greenwich Village stomping grounds of New York City. It was in New York that the luminous Collins - a classical piano prodigy, talented guitarist, gifted adapter and later, songwriter, and a singer with a three-octave
Rave On: Cherry Red Collects Steeleye Span's Early Years on "All Things Are Quite Silent"
The British folk revival of the mid- to late-1960s yielded many memorable artists, but few as enduring as Steeleye Span. The group, still going strong today, notched a quartet of top 40 albums and a couple of bona fide hit singles while remaining true to their traditional roots. Cherry Red's Cherry Tree imprint has recently revisited the band with a 3-CD set containing all three of their albums with founding member Ashley Hutchings plus a small clutch of bonus tracks. All Things Are Quite
Jingle Jangle Jungle: Demon Collects Bobby Darin's "The Direction Albums" in July
The opening song of Bobby Darin's 1967 album Sings Doctor Dolittle was entitled "At the Crossroads." The Leslie Bricusse song, introduced by Samantha Eggar (dubbed by Diana Lee) in the big-screen musical, expressed the viewpoint of a young woman constrained by the time in which she lived, wanting more. The tune was quickly adopted and refashioned by singers from Petula Clark in a slow-burning, stoic and determined version, to Sammy Davis, Jr. in exuberantly hyper-charged "Yes I Can!" mode.
Pastures of Plenty: Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, and More Feature in Previously Unreleased "Woody Guthrie All-Star Tribute Concert 1970" DVD
Woody Guthrie remains one of the most significant figures in folk music. His legendary songs of freedom and struggle laid the groundwork for the folk revival that arose in the fifties and sixties, and his music endures as part of America's rich musical heritage. In 1970, renowned folk artists like Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, Country Joe McDonald, Odetta, Richie Havens, Ramblin' Jack Elliot, Earl Robinson, The Band, and Woody's son Arlo Guthrie, convened to pay tribute to the legendary songwriter,
Review: Ronnie Lane, "Just For A Moment: Music 1973-1997"
Ask any of his collaborators and they'll tell you, Ronnie Lane was special. Sure, he was an exceedingly talented singer, bassist, guitarist, and songwriter; he was also a uniquely open-minded and welcoming collaborator who was more than willing to nurture talent. But what really sets Ronnie Lane apart is the way he subverted what it meant to be a popular musician. Unlike the majority of his peers, Ronnie Lane didn't want to be a rock star. He wanted his music to reach people, sure, but he'd
Review: Gary Louris, "Vagabonds" (Run Out Groove Vinyl Reissue)
Gary Louris was already a hero of the folk-rock revival when he released his first solo effort, Vagabonds. He's been a member of The Jayhawks since the release of their debut in 1986. With a knack for tight harmonies, honest and often melancholic songwriting, and deft instrumental skills, Louris and The Jayhawks have been among the leaders of the alt-country movement ever since. Louris was also a member of the supergroup Golden Smog, whose Down The Old Mainstream we reviewed last year. Despite
Release Round-Up: Week of May 17
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Here's what's in stores today! Paul McCartney, Egypt Station: Explorer's Edition (MPL/Capitol) 2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3-LP black vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3-LP color vinyl: MusicVaultz / JPC.de Paul McCartney's Egypt Station: Explorer's Edition features the same audio content as the Traveller's Edition box set minus the swag (postcards, baggage tickets, luggage tags, lithographs, cards, a map,
What Are We Craving? Real Gone Delivers Folk-Rock from Norma Tanega and Fusion from Airto on Vinyl
Real Gone Music seem to be taking a quick break from their soundtrack series to bring two cult classic albums from jazz and folk-rock: Norma Tanega's 1966 album Walkin' My Cat Named Dog spotlights quirky, pop-leaning folk music; while Airto's 1970 effort Natural Feelings presents the percussion maestro's debut as a bandleader. Both albums will be reissues in limited quantities on June 7! First discovered while singing at a summer camp in the Catskills of New York, Norma Tanega won the
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