Rhino's Quadio series continues to grow with a new quartet of Blu-ray Audio releases that are sure to excite devotees of the four-channel surround format. This time, vintage quad mixes from Bette Midler, Bread, Duke Ellington, and Graham Central Station are returning to print for the first time in decades. All Blu-rays also include the original stereo mixes in high-resolution. Few debuts packed the power of Bette Midler's The Divine Miss M. The singer, who'd appeared on Broadway in Fiddler
Purple Drain: What's Going On with the Prince Estate?
In his too-brief life and vastly influential music career, Prince was known for every trait associated with genius: eclectic, kinetic musical ideas; a restless creative spirit; and of course, a mercurial side - known to change his own mind or direction at the slightest whims. In the eight years since his untimely passing, it seems the custodians of his affairs have got the mercurial part right, and that sometimes seems about it. A series of surprising successes and near-misses today in
Where Was You At: WAR Releases 50th Anniversary "World Is a Ghetto" Box on CD, Reissues "Greatest Hits"
On last November's Record Store Day Black Friday event, Rhino revisited WAR's 1972 classic The World Is a Ghetto for its 50th anniversary on five newly-remastered 140-gram LPs; a four-channel surround Quadio release followed on Blu-ray. The hard-hitting, socially-conscious soul-jazz-funk-blues-rock-psychedelia best-seller was the California band's fifth album and third following the departure of vocalist Eric Burdon of The Animals. On July 19, the landmark 5LP box featuring previously
The Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2024: Our Essential Picks
Tomorrow, Record Store Day is once again upon us! It's that time of year where music lovers and vinyl flippers get together at their favorite physical music retailers and wait in line to snag some treasured albums - almost all of which are pressed on vinyl instead of CD (or, you know, sold on secondary marketplaces for above their retail value). This year, the list tops out at over 350 titles, so there's very nearly something for everybody. It wasn't easy to narrow our choices down to around
Born to Get Down: Robinsongs Reissues Three Albums from The Muscle Shoals Horns
3614 Jackson Highway: Cher immortalized the Sheffield, Alabama address of Muscle Shoals Sound Studio as the title of her 1969 album. The superstar was just one of the many legends who passed through the Studio's doors in hopes of capturing some of that southern swamp magic; others include The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Wilson Pickett, Rod Stewart, and Bob Dylan. Much of that earthy sound was conjured by The Muscle Shoals Horns, the brassy complement to the studio's famed
Fly, Robin, Fly! Omnivore Serves Up Soul and Disco from Silver Convention, Ohio Players
Omnivore Recordings continues its packed slate of R&B, soul, and disco releases with an expanded edition of Silver Convention's 1975 debut album, Save Me, due tomorrow, March 29. Next week will then see a comprehensive collection from the early days of funk outfit Ohio Players. Silver Convention - originally Silver Bird in the U.S. and Silver Bird Convention in Europe - was the brainchild of composer/arranger Sylvester Levay and lyricist/producer Michael Kunze. Formed by Levay and Kunze
RSD Round-Up: Spotlight on Omnivore, Iconoclassic, Friday Music, Dark Horse, Light in the Attic, and More
Our look at this year's Record Store Day releases continues with a look at the lineups from Omnivore Recordings, Iconoclassic Records, Friday Music, Light in the Attic, and more of our favorite labels! All titles here are due on April 20, and all descriptions are taken directly from the labels. If you are interested in any of these titles, they will be available at your local record store on April 20. Head over to recordstoreday.com for a list of participating retailers. U.K. readers, please
Many States of Independence: Demon Unveils RSD List with Donna Summer, Yardbirds, Lulu, Average White Band, More
As the week unfolds, we'll be continuing our ongoing look at this year's massive Record Store Day list. Here is a glance at all of the releases coming from Demon Music Group. All descriptions are taken directly from the label. If you are interested in any of these titles, they will be available at your local record store on April 20. Head over to recordstoreday.com for a list of participating retailers. U.K. readers, please visit recordstoreday.co.uk and Canadian readers, please
Release Round-Up: Week of January 26
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. B.T. Express, Non-Stop: Expanded Edition (Iconoclassic) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Iconoclassic follows up its definitive reissue of B.T. Express' debut Do It ('Til You're Satisfied) with a similarly comprehensive reappraisal of the funk outfit's sizzling sophomore release, 1975's R&B chart-topper Non-Stop.
Back On My Feet Again: Rhino Adds Randy Newman, WAR, AWB, Gil Evans to Quadio Roster
Today, Rhino announced four new titles in its ever-growing line of Quadio Blu-rays: Randy Newman's Good Old Boys (1973), WAR's The World Is a Ghetto (1972), Gil Evans' Svengali, and Average White Band's AWB. The Second Disc had the opportunity to preview this quartet of Blu-ray reissues of classic albums in quadraphonic (four-channel) sound, and we're happy to report that this is another feast for surround fans with all four titles making good - or better - use of surround. (Those equipped
Dear Little Buttercup: Rhino's "Start Your Ear Off Right" Features America, The Doors, Grateful Dead, "Three Amigos," More
Rhino is once again inaugurating the new year with a Start Your Ear Off Right campaign, launching this Friday in brick-and-mortar independent record stores (and if the past is any indication, at Barnes and Noble locations across the United States). The vinyl-only slate, which is spread out over the next four release weeks, concentrates on classic rockers (The Doors, Foghat, America, Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, Black Sabbath, Stevie Nicks, Yes) with a healthy dose of R&B legends (Ray
Get Down with the Philly Jump: Cherry Red, Robinsongs Collect Instant Funk's Salsoul Years
Following its recent albums collection for disco-dance band Skyy, Cherry Red's Robinsongs imprint has turned its attention to another Salsoul Records group: Instant Funk. The 5-CD box, out now, chronicles Instant Funk from 1976's Get Down with the Philly Jump through 1983's Kinky plus a selection of bonus tracks for the first three albums. The Instant Funk story is intertwined with that of Bunny Sigler. The singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist was a mainstay at Kenny
Craft Recordings Announces Record Store Day Black Friday Slate with Jazz, Soundtracks, Classic Soul, and More
It's that time of year again! With Record Store Day's annual Black Friday event happening in less than two months - on Friday, November 24 - news has started arriving of what titles to expect. Craft Recordings' eclectic slate features classic jazz, rare soundtracks, punk, soul, and more from an array of boldfaced names including Gil Evans, Chico Hamilton, Isaac Hayes, Melvin Van Peebles, Alan Silvestri, Carter Burwell, members of Earth Wind & Fire and Little Feat, and more. You'll find
I Ain't Gonna Worry: Motown Preps Digital Deluxe for 50th Anniversary of Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On'
No need to hold back for so long: Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On will be celebrated this month with a digital deluxe edition packed with unreleased tracks. Following the stirring social consciousness of his last album, 1971's What's Going On, Gaye used the musical canvas to dive deep into matters of the bedroom. Romance, carnal desire and the intersections between the two were explored in sessions split between Motown's Detroit studio - including contributions and their newly constructed
Baby Let's Swing: Rhino Celebrates 45 Years with Limited Edition Reissues from Doors, Aretha, Otis, Todd, Chicago, Ramones, More
Since its founding 45 years ago by Richard Foos and Harold Bronson, Rhino Records has established itself as the gold standard in catalogue music. Though much has changed over the decades, the label still maintains a prodigious schedule of releases which has lately encompassed such top-tier titles as Joni Mitchell's Archives series, the Quadio line of reissues, deluxe editions from Little Feat, and a host of Record Store Day releases. Now, to celebrate its anniversary, Rhino has announced the
The Weekend Stream: July 15, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. This week, ABC and Steven Wilson shoot a "Poison Arrow" our way, plus rare albums from Bobby Darin, Pat Boone and others - including a lost '60s soul-pop classic you don't want to miss! ABC, Poison Arrow EP (Mercury/UMR) (iTunes / Amazon) Ahead of the new 40th anniversary vinyl box set of ABC's
The Weekend Stream: May 27, 2023
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 usher you into the weekend from a Sly and the Family Stone rarity to the latest expanded edition from Taylor Swift! https://youtu.be/oGsct11DL_M Sly and the Family Stone, Ten Years Too Soon (The Remix Album) (Epic/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Perhaps the most bizarre item in the Sly and the Family Stone catalogue has hit
The Weekend Stream: April 29, 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 usher you into the weekend. A short round-up this week, featuring expanded albums from the Godfather of Soul and a late '90s R&B star, another ZTT rarity, a classic rock remix and an LP from a screen legend. James Brown, Gravity (Expanded Edition) (Volcano/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) The success of "Living in
Speed of Sound: Real Gone's April Line-Up Features Voivod, "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist," and More
We've already told you about one of Real Gonem Music's April projects: the 3-CD collection The Complete Scepter Singles 1962-1973 from Dionne Warwick. Now we've got the details on an additional six releases, due to hit shelves tomorrow, April 7: five vinyl reissues from the 1980s-2000s with genres encompassing soul, disco, gospel, heavy metal, and soundtracks, plus an all-new CD from the co-founder of Real Gone. First up are two albums by artists with very small discographies. 1980's Mother
Release Round-Up: Week of March 24
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today. Elton John, Honky Château: 50th Anniversary Edition (Rocket/UMC) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Hot on the heels of his final U.S. live performances, Elton John is looking back with a 50th anniversary edition of his 1972 LP Honky Château. The reissue will feature the original album (boasting such classics as "Rocket Man,"
Evacuate Your Seats
Iconoclassic expands and remasters the 1984 album from Ohio Players and Parliament-Funkadelic veteran Junie Morrison. This worldwide CD premiere of Evacuate Your Seats has been remastered by Nick Robbins from the original masters and adds six bonus tracks including three Arthur Baker remixes of "Tease Me," the U.K. single edit and 12-inch remix of "Techno-Freqs," and dub mix "T-Freqan." Andy Kellman has written the new liner notes in the 16-page booklet.
Tease Me: Iconoclassic Premieres, Expands Junie Morrison's "Evacuate Your Seats" on CD
Evacuate Your Seats! Walter "Junie" Morrison's 1984 album found the veteran of Ohio Players and Parliament-Funkadelic digging deep into techno-funk sounds with his own singular sensibility. The original credits proclaimed that Morrison produced, performed, wrote, and directed the album - and indeed, Morrison was a one-band man save for the engineers joining him in the studio. Now, his funky tour de force is coming to CD from Iconoclassic Records. On March 24, the label will release a newly
Sensational: SoulMusic Collects Starpoint's Elektra Discography on 6-CD Box Set
SoulMusic Records has kicked off 2023 with a 6-CD box set from Dionne Warwick, and a 3-CD collection from Philip Bailey is coming up next. But we're turning back the clock to the waning days of 2022 for a look at the label's 6-CD box shining a light on Maryland funk outfit Starpoint. Object of My Desire: The Elektra Recordings (1983-1990) brings together expanded editions of the group's six albums for the Elektra label. Starpoint began their career at the Casablanca imprint Chocolate City.
For The First Time: Real Gone's February Slate Includes Grateful Dead, Soul Searchers, Harem Scarem, and "One Fine Day" Soundtrack
Real Gone's line-up for February features music from the 1970s and 1990s, representing genres from funk to classic rock. Available today are vinyl reissues for The Soul Searchers' second album, Salt of the Earth, the One Fine Day soundtrack, and a CD reissue of Grateful Dead's Road Trips Vol.1 No.1: Fall '79. Coming out in two weeks, on February 17, is a vinyl reissue of the debut album from Canadian band Harem Scarem. Washington, D.C.-based group The Soul Searchers formed in the early
The Year In Review: The 2022 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z - Part One
Happy 2023! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc's 13th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! A lot has happened in the last twelve months, but as we look to a new year with optimism and a hopeful spirit, we recognize the many roles music has played in our lives. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2022'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
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