Holiday

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Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Folk, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Reggae, Rock

Christmas and You

December 15, 2025 by Joe Marchese

Looking for something new this Christmas season? Vocalist/songwriter Anthony Nunziata, who’s played venues from Cafe Carlyle to Carnegie Hall, has delivered a gift that’s perfect for under the tree or as a stocking stuffer. Recorded with producer Ryan Prewett in Nashville, Christmas and You brings Nunziata’s rich, warm tenor to a baker’s dozen of original holiday songs running the gamut from traditional pop to country, soul, classical, and folk. These originals, co-written with an array of pop and country tunesmiths, are festive, heartfelt, and spirited. Nunziata is currently touring the U.S. with…

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Holiday, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal

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The Weekend Stream: December 5, 2025

December 5, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 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. You’ve been good so far this Christmas season, so we’re giving you this present a day early – with new tracks from Guns N’ Roses, live tracks from The Hooters and one of our favorite bands for Bandcamp Friday! The Hooters, 45 Alive – Keswick Live in Concert (self-released) (Apple / Amazon) Philly band The Hooters – perhaps best known for the melodica-augmented 1985 hit “And We Danced” among its…

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Classic Rock, Comedy, Country, Disco/Dance, Holiday, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Aerosmith, Charles Fox, Frank Wess, Grateful Dead, Guns N' Roses, Kenny Burrell, Kylie Minogue, Mal Waldron, No Jersey, O.A.R., Olivia Newton-John, Puddles Pity Party, Squeeze, Thad Jones, The Hooters, Theory of a Deadman

Release Round-Up: Week of December 5

December 5, 2025 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles out today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Judy Collins, The ’60s Singles (Second Disc/Real Gone) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music Judy Blue Eyes Vinyl LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music Judy Collins’ The ’60s Singles brings together, for the first time, the remarkable array of 45s on which the singer’s discography was built. With songs by Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Randy Newman, Sandy Denny, Eric Andersen, and Joni Mitchell – including the international smash “Both…

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Features, Holiday Gift Guide

Formats:

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

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Folk, Funk, Holiday, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock, Soundtracks

THE SECOND DISC’S 2025 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!

December 1, 2025 by The Second Disc | 3 Comments

Well, today is Cyber Monday, which means one thing at Second Disc HQ: it’s time to launch our annual Holiday Gift Guide, featuring (more than) a few of our favorite things for the music enthusiast in your life. Sure, we might not have included raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but we’ve filled the guide with over 50 essential selections: sprawling box sets and deluxe vinyl editions, as well as noteworthy releases on CD from favorite artists that just might make great stocking stuffers. So just click here or visit the handy red…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Blues, Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Classical/Opera, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Funk, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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The Weekend Stream: November 29, 2025

November 29, 2025 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. Our Black Friday bonanza offers the return of Let’s Active, a new Stranger Things mini-mixtape, an unlikely team-up between two recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, and one Record Store Day title that dropped yesterday. Plus, a tribute to a Minneapolis legend who was always on Time. Let’s Active, Afoot / Cypress / Big Plans for Everybody / Every Dog Has His Day (I.R.S./Capitol) Afoot: Apple / Amazon Cypress: Apple / Amazon Big Plans: Apple…

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Country, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Bill Quateman, Carrie Underwood, Dizzy Gillespie, Eminem, Isaac Hayes, Jack White, Kyle Mooney, Let's Active, Michael Jackson, Mitch Easter, Mongo Santamaria, The Psychedelic Furs, The Time, The xx, Tiffany, Yello

Release Round-Up: Week of November 21

November 21, 2025 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. The Beatles, Anthology Collection (Capitol/Apple/UMe) 8CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store 12LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store The Beatles’ Anthology Collection premieres remastered editions of the original three collections of rarities and outtakes compiled by George Martin and released through 1995 and 1996, available across six CDs or nine LPs. Martin’s son Giles, who remastered those albums for this release, also curates a new collection, Anthology 4, across a further two CDs or…

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Formats:

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

Genres:

Blues, Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Aerosmith, Alan Menken, Ariana Grande, Bill Evans, Bing Crosby, Cynthia Erivo, Dr. John, Eric Clapton, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Kurt Weill, Lainey Wilson, Prince, Ray Charles, Rufus Wainwright, Smashing Pumpkins, Stephen Schwartz, The Beatles, The Blues Brothers, The Replacements

The Weekend Stream: November 15, 2025

November 15, 2025 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. We got comebacks aplenty: new songs from Squeeze and Robyn, old favorites from Art in America, Jim Reeves and Outkast; a whole ton of jazz and a toast to an unsung hero of the early rock and roll years. Squeeze, “Trixies, Pt. 1” (Love/BMG) (Apple / Amazon) As speculated last week, Squeeze have a new album coming through BMG! Trixies, due March 6, is a loose concept album…

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Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Everything Else, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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Art Pepper, Art in America, Blink-182, Jim Reeves, Jimmy Smith, Lionel Hampton, Madi Diaz, Motley Crue, Outkast, Queen, Robyn, Roy Ayers, Squeeze, Stan Getz, The Champs, Wes Montgomery, Yellow Snow

Release Round-Up: Week of November 14

November 14, 2025 by The Second Disc | 3 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. Nicolette Larson, Look in My Direction: The Warner Bros. Recordings (Cherry Red/Lemon/Second Disc) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Cherry Red) Look in My Direction: The Warner Bros. Recordings from Cherry Red’s Lemon imprint and TSD presents all of the late Nicolette Larson’s original studio and live albums for Warner Bros. Records on 4 CDs, produced by Ted Templeman (The Doobie Brothers, Van Halen) and singer-songwriter Andrew Gold (“Thank You for Being…

Release Round-Up: Week of November 7

November 7, 2025 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. Wings, Wings [Various Formats] (MPL/Capitol/UMe) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada On November 4, Paul McCartney released Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, an oral history of the superstar’s other band. The hardcover tome, created in collaboration with film director Morgan Neville and editor Ted Widmer, tells Wings’ story through text, photographs, a timeline, a gigography,…

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Formats:

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

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Blues, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

Step Into Christmas: UMe Preps Holiday Singles Box, Expansion of Connie Francis’ Holiday Album

November 6, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 9 Comments

With the spookiest holidays of the fall now in the rear view mirror (that’s right: Halloween and Election Day!), there’s nothing wrong with looking ahead to the Christmas music season and checking out a pair of now-available titles from Universal Music Group spotlighting some of their classic holiday hits and an album by one of catalogue’s biggest success stories this year. UMe is selling a nifty collection of more than a dozen seasonal 7″ singles in a collectible carrying case. This Classic Holiday Singles Box features Christmas perennials spanning from the ’40s to…

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News

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

Genres:

Blues, Classic Rock, Country, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Bing Crosby, Bobby Helms, Brenda Lee, Burl Ives, Chuck Berry, Connie Francis, Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald, Elton John, Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, Nat King Cole, Paul McCartney, The Beach Boys, The Jackson 5, Yoko Ono

Release Round-Up: Week of October 24

October 24, 2025 by The Second Disc | 2 Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles out today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Bruce Springsteen, Nebraska ’82 (Columbia/Legacy) 4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada It’s no surprise that, as Hollywood recounts the story of Bruce Springsteen’s most striking solo release with the film Deliver Me from Nowhere (out today), a box set tells the tale of the (literal) tape. Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings are releasing Nebraska ’82, a new box set showcasing the start-to-finish journey of Bruce’s most…

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

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Classic Rock, Country, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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America, Bon Jovi, Brandi Carlile, Bruce Springsteen, Carl Perkins, Dion, Elton John, Frank Zappa, Hazell Dean, Horace Silver, Jackdawg, KISS, Little Feat, Neil Young, Pulp, Ray Charles, The Blasters, The Pogues

Release Round-Up: Week of October 17

October 17, 2025 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. Randy Newman, Trouble in Paradise: Expanded Edition (Warner/Rhino) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rhino Reserves LP: Rhino.com We Love It! Rhino reissues Randy Newman’s seventh studio album, Trouble in Paradise, as a 2CD expanded edition featuring previously unreleased demos and a rare concert performance. With such classics as “I Love LA” and “Real Emotional Girl,” Trouble remains one of Newman’s most beloved LPs. This generous release adds the singer-songwriter’s largely…

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

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Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Funk, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Alison Brown, Boz Scaggs, Chrissie Hynde, Connie Francis, David Gilmour, James Taylor, Kool and the Gang, Randy Newman, Simple Minds, Steve Martin, The Alan Parsons Project, The Meters

You Must Ask the Heart: Craft Recordings’ Record Store Day Black Friday Slate Includes Jonathan Richman, Vince Guaraldi, Alan Silvestri, More

October 8, 2025 by The Second Disc | 4 Comments

Today, we’re turning the spotlight onto Craft Recordings’ slate for Record Store Day’s Black Friday event which takes place on Friday, November 28. Click here for a list of participating retailers! All of the below descriptions and track listings have been provided directly by the label. Ray Barretto, Together (Fania) (180-gram LP; 1,800 copies U.S./2,000 copies worldwide) Ray Barretto’s 1969 Fania landmark roared out of New York with an irresistible blend of Latin jazz, boogaloo, Afro-Cuban, and hard salsa–an era-defining snapshot of the city’s pan-Latin sound. With Adalberto Santiago (vocals), Orestes Vilató (timbales), Louis…

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News

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Vinyl

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Holiday, Jazz, Latin, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Alan Silvestri, Creed, Dizzy Gillespie, John Debney, Jonathan Richman, Merl Saunders, Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, Record Store Day, Taking Back Sunday, Various Artists, Vince Guaraldi

The Chess Records Christmas Album

October 1, 2025 by Joe Marchese

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Chess Records Christmas Album offers 14 unique entries in the Christmas canon, from Chuck Berry’s “Run Rudolph Run” and The Moonglows’ “Hey Santa Claus” to obscure soul, jazz, and gospel fare from the likes of The Soul Stirrers, Kenny Burrell, The Meditation Singers, Rotary Connection, The Salem Travelers, and more. (A particular standout is an instrumental take on “The Little Drummer Boy” by the studio group Lenox Avenue, which featured session legends Chuck Rainey and Richard Tee. It’s one of four new-to-digital tracks…

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Blues, Holiday, R&B/Soul

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Chess Grand Masters: Classic Blues Label Celebrates 75 Years with Special Vinyl Reissues

October 1, 2025 by The Second Disc | No Comments

For all its influence, it sometimes feels like the Chicago blues label Chess Records doesn’t get the respect it deserves. That changes this fall with a series of new compilations and reissues of old ones, set for release from Universal Music Group to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the label’s creation. Polish immigrants Leonard and Phil Chess became ingratiated into the club scene on the south side of Chicago in the ’30s and ’40s. They were intrigued by the thriving local talent – many of them Black transplants from the Mississippi delta…

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News

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CD, Vinyl

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Blues, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Billy Stewart, Bo Diddley, Buddy Guy, Chuck Berry, Etta James, Fontella Bass, Gene Ammons, Howlin' Wolf, John Lee Hooker, Kenny Burrell, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush, Rotary Connection, The Dells, The Moonglows, The Ramsey Lewis Trio

Christmas in My Heart

September 30, 2025 by Joe Marchese

Universal reissues the late, great Connie Francis’ 1959 album Christmas in My Heart on CD with four bonus sides: 1961’s “Baby’s First Christmas,” 1962’s “I’m Gonna Be Warm This Winter,” 1964’s “Blue Winter,” and “Happy New Year, Baby,” unreleased until 1987. The vinyl LP reissue drops the latter two songs. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Holiday, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal

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James Taylor at Christmas

September 30, 2025 by Joe Marchese

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Legacy Recordings expands James Taylor at Christmas – which has already gone through numerous iterations since 2004 when it was first released as the Hallmark-exclusive A Christmas Album – to 15 tracks on CD by bringing together all of the songs from its various incarnations including “Deck the Halls” from the original release, “River” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” from 2006, and “Mon Beau Sapin” from 2012. The vinyl version has twelve…

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CD, Vinyl

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Holiday, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal

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The Weekend Stream: September 27, 2025

September 27, 2025 by Joe Marchese | 4 Comments

Welcome to another relaxing journey down The Weekend Stream featuring a classic anthem from Barry Manilow and the late Peter Allen; a moving farewell for a great cause from Ozzy Osbourne and his friends in Judas Priest; classic pop from The King Family; a host of jazz, R&B, and country reissues; a dash of Christmas cheer from an old friend; and more! Barry Manilow, Once Before I Go (Stiletto) (Apple / Amazon) Fans attending Barry Manilow’s concerts of the last couple years have occasionally heard him pull out a very special encore:…

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Holiday, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

Release Round-Up: Week of September 26

September 26, 2025 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.’ Spike Jones in Stereo: A Spooktacular in Screaming Sound! (Omnivore) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore Recordings LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore Recordings The late, great Spike Jones’ side-splittingly spooky 1959 album In Stereo: A Spooktacular in Screaming Sound! returns from Omnivore Recordings in time for Halloween as freshly remastered from the original tapes. Led by an illustrious company including Paul Frees (Boris Badenov, The Haunted Mansion’s Ghost Host), Thurl Ravenscroft (“You’re…

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Formats:

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

Genres:

Blues, Classic Rock, Comedy, Country, Everything Else, Folk, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

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Annie Golden, Billy Joel, Cher, Frank Zappa, Genesis, Jeff Beck, Jeff Tweedy, Lady A, Mariah Carey, Robert Plant, Rod Stewart, Ronnie Wood, Spike Jones, The Rolling Stones, XTC

Spike Jones in Stereo: A Spooktacular in Screaming Sound!

August 21, 2025 by Joe Marchese

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore Recordings LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore Recordings The late, great Spike Jones’ side-splittingly spooky 1959 album In Stereo: A Spooktacular in Screaming Sound! returns from Omnivore Recordings in time for Halloween as freshly remastered from the original tapes. Featuring a company including Paul Frees (Boris Badenov, The Haunted Mansion’s Ghost Host), Thurl Ravenscroft (“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” Tony the Tiger), Loulie Jean Norman (Star Trek), and George Rock (“All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth”), the Spooktacular became a favorite of the likes of…

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Formats:

CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Comedy, Everything Else, Holiday

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Release Round-Up: Week of March 21

March 21, 2025 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Vince Guaraldi It's the Easter Beagle Charlie Brown

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. Tina Turner, Private Dancer: 40th Anniversary Edition (Parlophone/Rhino) 5CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Pearl LP with art card: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Picture Disc: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Tina Turner’s smash 1984 “comeback”album Private Dancer – featuring the hits “What’s Love Got to Do with It,” “Better Be Good to Me,” the scintillating title track and more – will be reissued as a 5CD/Blu-ray deluxe box packed with rare…

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Blues, Classic Rock, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Climie Fisher, Dave Mason, Mike + the Mechanics, Rush, The Alan Parsons Project, The Stylistics, Tina Turner, Vince Guaraldi

The Weekend Stream: December 21, 2024 – and a Merry Discmas to All!

December 21, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 11 Comments

Welcome to 2024’s final edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! With no Release Round-Up this Friday and a few weeks of peace and quite from (and for!) us until 2025, we’ve got a few more treats for you under the tree from Wham!, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis, Archie Bell & The Drells and so much more! Wham!, Last Christmas (Epic/Legacy/Sony Music U.K.) (iTunes / Amazon) For its 40th anniversary, Wham!’s holiday classic was reissued on various physical…

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Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Electronic, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Aphex Twin, Archie Bell and the Drells, Bruce Springsteen, Earth Wind and Fire, Elton John, George Michael, INXS, John Williams, Miles Davis, Wham!

The Weekend Stream: December 14, 2024

December 14, 2024 by Mike Duquette | 3 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’ve got Christmas cheer from The Damnwells and Jody Miller, a Record Store Day reissue from Tegan and Sara, mid-’70s fun from The Flying Burrito Brothers to Freddie Prinze and a new spin on a John Williams classic. Plus, a way to help a dear friend and collaborator of the TSD team. The Damnwells, Xmas Eve (Poor Man/Pasadena Records) (iTunes / Amazon) Cult-favorite Brooklyn-bred quartet The Damnwells put out one…

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Classic Rock, Comedy, Country, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Faith Hope and Charity, Freddie Prinze, J. Cole, John Williams, Reba McEntire, Tegan and Sara, The Damnwells, The Flying Burrito Brothers

Release Round-Up: Week of December 13

December 13, 2024 by The Second Disc | No Comments

It’s Friday the 13th, but it just might be your lucky day for reissues! Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Luther Vandross, Never Too Much: Greatest Hits (Epic/Legacy) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada In conjunction with a new documentary film, Legacy Recordings issues a new double-disc anthology of the late Luther Vandross’ work, accompanied by several rare and unreleased tracks. Never Too Much: Greatest Hits offers 20 tracks on two CDs that represent the…

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