Everything Else / Gospel

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Gospel, Jazz, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Al Jarreau, Bola Sete, Cal Tjader, Claybourne Elder, Jim Reeves, Kristin Chenoweth, Led Zeppelin, Maynard Ferguson, Peter Gabriel, Ricky Skaggs, Ringo Starr, Stephen Schwartz, Sting, Thelonious Monk, U2

Release Round-Up: Week of January 30

January 30, 2026 by The Second Disc | 4 Comments

Welcome to our final Release Round-Up of January, with a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The Monkees, The A’s, The B’s, and The Monkees (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The A’s, The B’s and The Monkees, at long last, brings together on 2 CDs all of the band’s commercial singles originally released between 1966 and 1970, from “Last Train to Clarksville” b/w “Take a Giant Step” through “Oh My My” b/w “I Love You Better.” It’s arranged with its 15 A-sides on…

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Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Folk, Gospel, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Beastie Boys, Blondie, Bob Dylan, Cream, Donna Summer, Freddie and The Dreamers, Howard Jones, Linda Ronstadt, Miles Davis, Patti Smith, Ramones, Sonic Youth, Talking Heads, Television, The Monkees

Highway of Diamonds: Black America Sings Bob Dylan

January 29, 2026 by Mike Duquette

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Bob Dylan’s impressive songbook is celebrated as part of Ace’s Black America Sings series for the second time (after 2010’s How Many Roads compilation). This set offers 20 takes on favorites from across the folk songwriter and Nobel Prize winner’s mighty catalogue as sung by such luminaries as The Staple Singers, Billy Preston, Natalie Cole, Harry Belafonte, Nina Simone, Solomon Burke, Merry Clayton and others, augmented by liner notes by Tony Rounce.

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CD, Vinyl

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Folk, Gospel, R&B/Soul

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In the Mood for You: Ace’s ‘Highway of Diamonds’ Collects Black Voices Taking on Bob Dylan

January 29, 2026 by Mike Duquette | 4 Comments

Ace Records’ ongoing Black America Sings series gets a second helping of classic tunes by Bob Dylan on a new compilation available this week. Highway of Diamonds: Black America Sings Bob Dylan, available January 30 in Ace’s native U.K. (and a week later in America), offers 20 compositions from the Nobel Prize-winning songwriter recast for soul, blues and gospel acts including The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, Harry Belafonte, Billy Preston, Natalie Cole, Solomon Burke, Merry Clayton, Sarah Vaughan, Aaron Neville and more. The collection, available on CD or two LPs, includes informative song/track…

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CD, Vinyl

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Folk, Gospel, R&B/Soul

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Aaron Neville, Bettye LaVette, Billy Preston, Bob Dylan, Cassandra Wilson, Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Scott, Merry Clayton, Natalie Cole, Nina Simone, Odetta, Sarah Vaughan, Solomon Burke, The Staple Singers

OUT TOMORROW! Dionne Warwick’s “Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971” Arrives from SoulMusic, Second Disc

July 31, 2025 by The Second Disc | 30 Comments

Today’s the day when we can finally share Dionne Warwick’s Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971 with our readers! Though today is the official release date and copies should be shipping within the U.K., Amazon U.S. currently shows August 15 as the release date stateside. To our American friends, we hope you will find this set worth the wait! Here are the full details on this release. “I am so very thrilled about this wonderful collection of my recordings! It is truly something that I myself would buy.” –…

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BJ Thomas, Burt Bacharach, Chuck Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Hal David, Leslie Uggams, Sacha Distel

Oooh, This I Need: Adam Mattera Talks ‘Dearly Beloved: A Prince Songbook’

April 21, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 4 Comments

Last year, The Second Disc had nothing but good things to say about Dearly Beloved: A Prince Songbook, Cherry Red’s triple-disc tribute to the music of Prince. The set told a story of The Artist’s massive impact on pop, rock and soul by way of songs he gave others to record and a galaxy of genre-bending covers. In a year of considerable challenges in Prince fandom, it was a veritable oasis in a desert. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Mattera, the curator and producer of Dearly Beloved. For…

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Interviews

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Blues, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Funk, Gospel, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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Amanda Palmer, Andre Cymone, Crystal Waters, Dead or Alive, Herbie Hancock, Kenny Rogers, Maceo Parker, Martika, Patti Labelle, Paula Abdul, Prince, Robyn, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, Sheena Easton, Stephanie Mills, The Bangles, The Pointer Sisters, Valerie Carter

NOW WITH LINKS! (Don’t) Walk On By: Dionne Warwick’s “Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971” Due in June on 12 CDs from SoulMusic, Second Disc

April 17, 2025 by The Second Disc | 9 Comments

UPDATED 4/17 WITH PRE-ORDER LINKS: “I am so very thrilled about this wonderful collection of my recordings! It is truly something that I myself would buy.” – Dionne Warwick, 2025 For more than six decades, Dionne Warwick has been synonymous with musical excellence. The six-time Grammy Award winner, 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and Kennedy Center Honoree remains one of the most-charted vocalists of all time, with a whopping 56 singles having made the Billboard Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998 and over 100 million records sold worldwide. The New Jersey-born…

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BJ Thomas, Burt Bacharach, Chuck Jackson, Dionne Warwick, Hal David, Leslie Uggams, Sacha Distel

Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971

April 16, 2025 by Joe Marchese

SoulMusic Records and Second Disc Records are proud to present Dionne Warwick’s Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971, a 12CD box set with 280 tracks encompassing every one of the music legend’s original Scepter albums and single releases plus over 60 rare bonus tracks – 16 of which are previously unreleased (both in the studio and in concert) – for a total of over 14 hours of music. This set has been produced by Joe Marchese (of The Second Disc) and Jim Pierson, and executive-produced by The British Ambassador of Soul, David…

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Release Round-Up: Week of November 22

November 22, 2024 by The Second Disc | 8 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today including a Christmas classic from Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music and a whole bunch of massive box sets! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Sings Christmas Carols (Expanded Edition) (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) Over the past decade, we here at TSD have happily partnered with Real Gone Music on an array of Christmas releases from such evergreen artists as Johnny Mathis, The Supremes, Chet Atkins,…

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Blu-Ray, CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Everything Else, Gospel, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

The Weekend Stream: October 26, 2024

October 26, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 4 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. We’re positively packed this Saturday: posthumous tracks from Van Halen, Luther Vandross and DMX; a great deluxe live set from Linda Ronstadt; plus some Halloween and Christmas surprises…and, to top it all off, a call to action to aid one of our favorite power-pop acts of the last 40 years. Edward & Alex Van Halen, “Unfinished (Between Us Two)” (self-released) (official site) Alex Van Halen just released Brothers, a heartfelt…

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Gospel, Holiday, Jazz, Poetry, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Brenda Lee, Bruce Springsteen, DMX, Danny Elfman, Linda Ronstadt, Liz Story, Luther Vandross, Matthew Sweet, Outkast, Prince, Robert Lamm, Sade, Simple Plan, Stephen Sondheim, The Beatles, Van Halen, Wendy & Lisa

Joy in Repetition: Cherry Red’s ‘Dearly Beloved’ Pays Tribute to Prince, the Songwriter

September 10, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 4 Comments

Between the muted 40th anniversary celebration of Purple Rain and the bizarre drama over an estate-sanctioned Netflix documentary on his life and career, Prince fans could probably use a win lately. A new compilation from Cherry Red looks like it might finally offer one. Dearly Beloved – A Prince Songbook is an unexpectedly robust-looking 3CD set that will pay tribute to the Minneapolis icon as a songwriter – one whose classic hits have become pop standards, with so much talent overflowing from his person that he penned more than a few massive hits…

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Blues, Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Funk, Gospel, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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Paul Robeson’s Glorious Voice Gets Its Due on New Box Set

September 3, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 6 Comments

As an actor, singer, linguist and political thinker, Paul Robeson was one of the most accomplished Black men in America. A newly-released box set will finally give him the attention his work deserves. Voice of Freedom: His Complete Columbia, RCA, HMV and Victor Recordings is a lavish 14CD box set that serves at the definitive account of Robeson on record: a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance whose expressive bass-baritone preserved scores of American spirituals and folk songs, and a versatile actor whose stage presence anchored the most successful Broadway production of…

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Cast Recordings, Everything Else, Folk, Gospel, Soundtracks

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Paul Robeson

Voice of Freedom: His Complete Columbia, RCA, HMV, and Victor Recordings

August 27, 2024 by Joe Marchese

This lavish 14-CD box collects all of the late singer-activist’s major label recordings, spanning 1925-1947. Voice of Freedom includes the first release of Robeson’s groundbreaking Victor recordings on CD (16 recordings reissued for the first time, 5 previously unreleased); the first restoration of Robeson’s acclaimed 1944 Othello stage production with Uta Hagen and José Ferrer from the original 33 master disc sides; his complete remastered Columbia albums (Songs of Free Men, Popular Favorites, Spirituals); and the first release of his historic 1958 concerts at Mother A.M.E. Zion Church, New York, and Royal…

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Holiday Gift Guide

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Blues, Everything Else, Gospel, Popular Standards/Vocal

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The Weekend Stream: July 27, 2024

July 27, 2024 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. Live cuts from two of the hardest-working rockers around, more Disney punk(?!) and the debut album from a future Disney legend are mixing it up this Saturday! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, The Reunion Tour ’99 (Columbia/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) 25 summers ago, Bruce Springsteen took The E Street Band back on the road for their first full-scale tour…

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Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Gospel, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Aloe Blacc, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Jennifer Lopez, Julie Andrews, Larnelle Harris, Magnolia Park, Tevin Campbell

The Weekend Stream: July 13, 2024

July 13, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. This week, there’s rare jazz, country, pop standards and gospel, plus remixes of a Madonna hit and one of the most unexpected Disney covers you’ll ever hear. Madonna, Who’s That Girl EP (Warner/Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) ¿Quién es esa niña? Madonna’s international chart-topping 1987 single – the title track to her first soundtrack album from the film of the same name, which she also co-starred in – is now available as…

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Country, Disco/Dance, Gospel, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Soundtracks

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Elton John, Eric Gale, Freddie Hubbard, Hank Snow, Herbie Hancock, Jack DeJohnette, Jaye P. Morgan, Madonna, Perry Como, Ron Carter, Simple Plan, Stanley Turrentine, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Tim Rice

The Weekend Stream: June 1, 2024

June 1, 2024 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. Remixes from icons in Ireland and Australia, a rare gospel classic and a new, catchy tune from a Disney theme park are part of our latest round-up! U2, If God Will Send His Angels (Island/UMO) (iTunes / Amazon) The latest in U2’s digital backfill campaign is – surprise! – another single from Pop, backed with a handful of B-sides including a guest appearance from Willie Nelson. (There is still one more…

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Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Folk, Gospel, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Disneyland, Elephant's Memory, INXS, James, Leo Kottke, Reba Rambo, U2

Release Round-Up: Week of May 10

May 10, 2024 by The Second Disc | No Comments

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. Queen, Queen Rock Montreal (Hollywood/EMI) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Queen Online Store 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Queen Online Store (Exclusive – Blue) 4K UHD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Queen Online Store Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Queen Online Store Queen’s electrifying 1981 Montreal concert returns in a variety of formats. Queen Rock Montreal, recently released to IMAX cinemas, arrives in 2CD;…

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Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Classic Rock, Gospel, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Jerry Lee Lewis, John Entwistle, Keane, Queen, The Staple Singers, Todd Rundgren

Africa 80

April 23, 2024 by Joe Marchese

In 1980, the legendary Staple Singers were engaged in a tour of Africa sponsored by the U.S. government. The set opened with Charlie Smalls’ rousing “Ease on Down the Road” from his Broadway musical The Wiz (which, as of this writing, is once again packing houses on Broadway) and continued with a clutch of Staples favorites including “Let’s Do it Again,” “Respect Yourself,” and “Touch a Hand, Make a Friend.” The group also brought their singular style to such varied standards as “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” “Come Go with Me,” and…

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Gospel, R&B/Soul

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Let’s Do It Again: The Staple Singers’ “Africa ’80” Coming from Omnivore

April 8, 2024 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Fans of The Staple Singers are in for a treat. On May 10, Omnivore Recordings will reissue Africa 80, the live album from the legendary gospel-soul group documenting their first-ever tour of the continent. Roebuck “Pops” Staples, daughters Cleotha, Mavis, and Yvonne, and son Pervis raised their voices in song to celebrate the Lord, but also to crusade for civil rights and share musical messages of power and positivity around the world. In the 1960s, the group transitioned from pure gospel and blues to soul and R&B, setting the stage for their…

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Gospel, R&B/Soul

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The Staple Singers

The Weekend Stream: March 23, 2024

March 23, 2024 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. This week’s lineup includes something for everyone: pop, rock, hip-hop, classic vocals, country, cast recordings, and more! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Howard Jones, Celebrating Together (The 40th Anniversary EP) (Cherry Red) (iTunes / Amazon) Cherry Red continues its long association with Howard Jones (whose former catalogue for Warner is now in the U.K. label’s repertoire) with a new EP of hits (“Things Can Only Get…

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Cast Recordings, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Gospel, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Howard Jones, Jim Nabors, Matt Dennis, Matthew Sweet, Max-a-Million, Michael John LaChiusa, Olivia Rodrigo, The Browns, Trillion

Release Round-Up: Week of March 15

March 15, 2024 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

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 Young, No Parlez: 40th Anniversary Edition (Edsel) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Edsel revisits Paul Young’s 1983 debut LP in a 2CD deluxe gatefold edition. The first disc features the original LP while the second disc has 14 bonus cuts including 7- and 12-inch single versions and remixes. Barbara Mandrell, Precious Memories (Gaither/Capitol Christian) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Gaither Music…

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CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Country, Gospel, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Barbara Mandrell, Cock Robin, Doris Troy, Nina Simone, Paul Young, Quarterflash

Precious Memories

February 22, 2024 by Joe Marchese

Gaither Music Group and Capitol Christian reissue country queen Barbara Mandrell’s 1989 album Precious Memories: 20 Hymns and Gospel Classics on CD and digital formats. The double-record set was originally issued by the mail-order Heartland Music label, and heavily promoted on radio and television at the time. It was produced by Barbara’s longtime collaborator Tom Collins who had helmed 19 albums and such hits for her as “Standing Room Only,” “Sleeping Single in a Double Bed,” “Years,” and “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool.” Precious Memories was an album close to the…

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Country, Gospel

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Peace in the Valley: Barbara Mandrell’s “Precious Memories” Returns to CD

February 12, 2024 by Joe Marchese | 8 Comments

Though Barbara Mandrell retired from performing and recording in 1997, the country superstar remains beloved. In 2022, she made a rare public appearance to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her induction into the Grand Ole Opry; an all-female lineup of artists including Carrie Underwood, Suzy Bogguss, Linda Davis, Connie Smith, Mandy Barnett, and CeCe Winans paid tribute. Mandrell offered her warm appreciation but did not sing; for the past 25 years, she’s restricted any singing activities to church. Though much of her catalogue arrived on digital services in recent years, physical releases…

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Country, Gospel

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Barbara Mandrell

Release Round-Up: Week of December 15

December 15, 2023 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As the next two Fridays will bring few, if any, new releases, this will be the final Release Round-Up of 2024, but we’ll continue to have news and reviews all next week. We’ll be back with another Release Round-Up in 2024! As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Happy Holidays to all! Rosanne Cash, The Wheel: 30th Anniversary Edition (RumbleStrip Records) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP (Vinyl Me, Please Exclusive: Clear…

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Blu-Ray, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Blues, Cast Recordings, Country, Gospel, Holiday, Jazz, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Johnny Winter, Josh Groban, Laufey, Norah Jones, Rosanne Cash, Stephen Sondheim, The Black Crowes, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, Willie Nelson

Release Round-Up: Week of October 20

October 20, 2023 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the many titles being released today as we inch closer to the holiday shopping season! As an Amazon associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Nancy Sinatra, Keep Walkin’: Singles, Demos, and Rarities (1965-1978) (Light in the Attic) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Standard Black 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Zodiac Blue 2LP: Nancy’s Bootique Highway Song Yellow 2LP: Nancy’s Bootique “Sugar Me” Pink Splatter 2LP: Spotify Abridged 4-Track Tape: Nancy’s Bootique Abridged 8-Track Tape: Nancy’s Bootique Following the release of the anthology Start Walkin’ 1965-1976 and expanded editions of Boots, Nancy and Lee,…

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