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/ Pop

Raven Has Folk and Funk With Melanie and Mother's Finest

January 4, 2016 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Melanie Raven

Raven Records' most recent pair of CDs certainly showcase the label's eclectic leanings!  From singer-songwriter Melanie Safka, the label has a three-for-one release of her much-loved albums Candles in the Rain, Leftover Wine and Gather Me.  The Melanie release is joined by a four-for-one title from pioneering funk-rockers Mother's Finest collecting the band's self-titled LP plus Mother's Finest Live, Another Mother Further and Mother Factor. Raven's release from Melanie follows the Morello

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Disco/Dance, Folk, Funk, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: Melanie, Mother's Finest

WE HAVE OUR WINNERS: SECOND DISCMAS PRIZE PACKS!

January 1, 2016 By Joe Marchese 7 Comments

Second Disc Christmas

CONGRATULATIONS! The following entrants have been randomly selected to win one of our Second Discmas surprise CD grab bags!  If you see your name on the list below, sit back and relax - your prize pack will shortly be on the way to the address you provided!  Please let us know when your package arrives - and ENJOY! We were completely overwhelmed by the amount of responses to Second Discmas 2015.  Thanks to all of you who entered - and to all of you reading this - for making The Second Disc

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Categories: Giveaways! Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul

The Year in Review - The 2015 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z

January 1, 2016 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Happy New Year, and welcome to The Second Disc's Sixth Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! As with every year's awards, our goals are simple: to recognize as many of the year's most essential reissues and catalogue titles as possible, and to celebrate as many of those labels, producers and artists who make these releases happen in an increasingly-challenging retail landscape.  The labels you'll read about below have, by and large, bucked the trends to prove that there's still a demand for physical

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Vinyl Genre: Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Gold Bonus Disc Awards

The Red Bird Girls: Very First Time in True Stereo 1964-1966

December 29, 2015 By

Red Bird Girls in True Stereo

One of Real Gone's earliest releases is reissued in a new jewel case edition (the prior release was housed in a digipak), featuring true stereo versions of classics from Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller's Red Bird label.

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Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul

John David Souther (Expanded Edition)

December 29, 2015 By

John David Souther

J.D. Souther's eponymous 1971 album was co-produced by Souther and Fred Catero, and arrived on the Asylum label.  It introduced "How Long," revived by Eagles on 2007's Long Road Out of Eden.  Souther was joined by an all-star cast including Glenn Frey, Ned Doheny and John Barbata for the album which will be expanded by Omnivore with seven previously unissued bonus tracks including demos of "How Long" and "Run Like a Thief," covered by Bonnie Raitt.

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Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop

Here Comes The Sun! Beatles Catalogue to Stream Worldwide

December 23, 2015 By Mike Duquette 8 Comments

beatles rubber soul1

While some Beatlemaniacs will be eagerly anticipating the newly revised 1+ compilation under the tree, with remixed audio and hours of rare video performances, The Fab Four have one more present to give the world: starting December 24, the band's bestselling catalogue will be available for streaming across nine major services. The Beatles' entry into the digital landscape is, like so many events befitting the most popular rock band of all time, often an event unto itself. In 2010, a year

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Categories: News Formats: Digital Download Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: The Beatles

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A CD PRIZE PACK! IT'S TIME FOR SECOND DISCMAS!

December 23, 2015 By Joe Marchese 6 Comments

Second Disc Christmas

Christmas is almost upon us!  And here at The Second Disc, Mike, Randy, Ted and I would all like to thank you, our readers, for making our fifth year our most spectacular yet!  In 2015, we redesigned our website, welcomed new writers and new readers, and launched Second Disc Records.  And our plans for 2016 are even bigger! We believe that the holiday season is the perfect time to do what we love to do best: share the gift of music. We call our annual tradition - what else? - Second

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Categories: Giveaways! Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul

How Long: Omnivore Reissues and Expands Three Albums by JD Souther

December 22, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

John David Souther

Omnivore Recordings is kicking off 2016 with a trio of titles from one of The Second Disc's favorite singer-songwriters, the one and only JD Souther.  The label will celebrate the Michigan-born, Texas-raised and California-associated Songwriters Hall of Fame member with deluxe, expanded reissues of three unjustly-neglected classics of the SoCal scene: John David Souther, Black Rose and Home by Dawn. Though best known for the string of classics he co-wrote with his Eagles friends, including

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: JD Souther

Three Cheers and Dammit, C'est La Vie: Elaine Paige Celebrates 50 Years on "I'm Still Here"

December 22, 2015 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Elaine Paige Im Still Here

Each evening from the first preview on August 7, 2011 to the closing performance on January 22, 2012, audiences at Broadway's Marquis Theatre were treated to the sight of one of the First Ladies of the London stage making a rare appearance across the Atlantic belting one of Stephen Sondheim's most famous songs.  The show was Follies, the star was Elaine Paige, and the song was "I'm Still Here."  Now, that anthem of showbiz survival provides the title for the superstar actress-singer's new live

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Categories: News Formats: CD, DVD Genre: Cast Recordings, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Elaine Paige

Sister Golden Hair Surprise: America Opens Its "Archives" On New Release

December 21, 2015 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

America Archives

The vaults are open!  The legacy of the enduring band America has received a long-overdue celebration with the recent release on compact disc and digital download of Archives Vol. 1.  Featuring the versatile, original trio of Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and the late Dan Peek (as well as the talented musicians and producers who contributed mightily to the band's earliest albums), Archives is a 15-track, non-chronological collection of previously unreleased alternate versions, early mixes, demos,

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD, Digital Download Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: America

Release Round-Up: Week of December 18

December 18, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Star Wars The Force Awakens

Well, Christmas is almost upon us, and the onslaught of new releases has turned into a trickle as we head right into last-minute shopping territory!  Still, selections are choice!  Enjoy, and remember - you'll see our next Release Round-Up in the New Year! John Williams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada) Today is all about Star Wars...and we're just as thrilled as could be about a brand-new score by the

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Electric Light Orchestra, John Williams, Maynard Ferguson, Pantera

Review: "International Pop Overthrow: Volume 18"

December 18, 2015 By Ted Frank 2 Comments

IPO 18

We're welcoming back Ted Frank to The Second Disc for a look at the latest offering - Volume 18 - from the fine folks at International Pop Overthrow!  Producer/curator David Bash, graphic designer Steve Stanley and their team have created another instant classic with their latest and greatest collection of the best, most diverse and most delicious pop music circa 2015! In the year that saw the Numero Group's superb Ork Records Collection, Omnivore Recordings' immediately indispensible Power

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Various Artists

International Pop Overthrow Vol. 18

December 18, 2015 By

IPO 18

This new entry in the annual series features 68 songs over 3 CDs showcasing the diversity of modern independent pop artists - what's not to love?

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Formats: CD Genre: Pop

Won't You Dance With Me: Real Gone Goes Country with Barbara Mandrell, Ralph Stanley, Marty Robbins and Doug Sahm with Bob Dylan and Others

December 17, 2015 By Randy Fairman 13 Comments

Barbara Mandrell This Time

Real Gone is in a country mood this February, with the majority of their slate devoted to the country and western genre.  But that is not all you will find on the label's mix of CDs and vinyl for the month. Kicking things off is collection drawn from Barbara Mandrell's tenure at Columbia Records: This Time I Almost Made It - The Lost Columbia Masters.  This CD features liner notes by our very own Joe Marchese based on a fresh interview with Mandrell, and is centered around Mandrell's final

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Barbara Mandrell, Bob Dylan, Circle Jerks, Doug Sahm, Grateful Dead, Marty Robbins, Ralph Stanley, The Ides of March

Along Comes "1966": Ace Anthology Features The Supremes, The Who, Velvet Underground, Bowie, More

December 16, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Jon Savages 1966

Was 1966 the greatest year ever in popular music?  The case could certainly be made for its significance - and Jon Savage has done just that in his new book 1966: The Year the Decade Exploded.  Savage's book looks at the events and culture of the year in twelve essays, each one built around one 45 RPM record.  Naturally, such a book deserves a soundtrack, and Ace Records has seen to it that it receives one with the companion volume of the same name.  Jon Savage's 1966: The Year the Decade

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, The Association, The Supremes, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Various Artists

Fun, Fun, Fun: Two Unreleased Beach Boys Concerts from 1965 Released from the Vaults

December 14, 2015 By Randy Fairman 23 Comments

Beach Boys Live in Chicago 1965

Over the past several years since copyright laws were changed in the EU, it has become a tradition at the end of the year for record labels to release "copyright extension" releases featuring unreleased material from their biggest artists to protect their interests in said material.  Hot off the heels of a compilation of Motown unreleased material from 1965 comes another release in this vein from a group who has made this a yearly tradition:  The Beach Boys.  This last Friday, Capitol put up

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Categories: News Formats: Digital Download Genre: Pop Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

A SECOND DISCMAS GIVEAWAY: Rod McKuen's REFLECTIONS From Varese Vintage!

December 14, 2015 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Rod Reflections

Varese Vintage recently celebrated a singular career when the label released Reflections -The Greatest Songs of Rod McKuen.  This definitive overview of McKuen's work as a singer-songwriter features 24 of his most famous compositions including "If You Go Away," "Jean," "Seasons in the Sun," "A Man Alone" and "Love's Been Good to Me."  I was proud to pen the liner notes for this collection, and now, Varese and I would like to give you a chance to WIN THIS NEW RELEASE!   Though a self-professed

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Categories: Giveaways! Formats: CD Genre: Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Rod McKuen

Couldn't I Just Tell You: Todd Rundgren and Utopia Concert From 1978 Arrives On CD

December 11, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Todd Rundgren Old Waldorf

With unauthorized live releases proliferating in the E.U. drawn from radio broadcasts of variable quality, it's refreshing to see Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint continue its Todd Rundgren Archive Series featuring concert performances in excellent sound.  The latest such release, Live at the Old Waldorf, is drawn from Rundgren and Utopia's Saturday, August 5, 1978 concert at the San Francisco venue.  Recorded for KSAN-FM, this release has been remastered from the original ¼-inch stereo

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Todd Rundgren, Utopia

Release Round-Up: Week of December 11

December 11, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Joe Cocker The Life of a Man

This week's Release Round-Up is slimmer than most of late, but still filled with some ideal stocking stuffers... Joe Cocker, The Life of a Man: Ultimate Hits 1968-2013 (UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada) UMe celebrates the life and career of the late, great Joe Cocker with this new 3-CD, 36-track anthology with greatest hits and deeper cuts including a live version of "With a Little Help from My Friends" never before released in the United States.  This set was previously released in

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download Genre: Classic Rock, Folk, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Alice Cooper, Brian Hyland, Joe Cocker, Judy Collins, Marty Balin, Miles Davis, Neil Finn, Paul Kelly, Roger Atkins, Rumer

Real Gone Celebrates Christmas With The Soulful Strings, John Gary, Four Seasons

December 10, 2015 By Randy Fairman 1 Comment

Four Seasons Greetings

Real Gone Music is this year's source for classic Christmas reissues - including two from our own Second Disc Records imprint!  Here, we're taking a look at three more titles from the label's Christmas feast! At first glance, The Soulful Strings might appear to be just another of those ubiquitous sixties instrumental studio outfits, delivering MOR versions of the day's popular hits.  Yet, a closer look at Cadet Records' Soulful Strings - and most of its brethren, truth be told - reveals some

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Holiday, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Frankie Valli, John Gary, The Four Seasons, The Soulful Strings

Two From Captain Fingers: Robinsongs Reissues Lee Ritenour's "Rit" and "Rit 2"

December 9, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Lee Ritenour Rit and Rit 2

In a solo career now numbering five decades and counting, California's Lee Ritenour - a.k.a. Captain Fingers - remains one of music's most virtuosic and prolific guitarists.  An in-demand session guitarist who has played for artists including Johnny Mathis, Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin, Ritenour released his first recording as a leader in 1975 with First Course; his most recent, A Twist of Rit, was issued earlier this year.  Now, Cherry Red's Robinsongs imprint has looked

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Jazz, Pop Tags: Bill Champlin, David Foster, Eric Tagg, Lee Ritenour

Review: "The Classic Christmas Album" Series 2015

December 8, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Classic Christmas 80s

Since 2011, Sony's Legacy Recordings has offered a crop of ideal stocking stuffers with the Classic Christmas Album series.  This year's quartet of releases has a decidedly more modern bent, featuring artists associated with the '70s (Earth, Wind & Fire), '80s (a various artists compilation), '90s (Sarah McLachlan) and 2000s (Celtic Thunder). Three of these titles are actually expanded editions of previously released albums.  Earth, Wind and Fire's Classic Christmas entry reprises last

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: Celtic Thunder, Earth Wind and Fire, Sarah McLachlan, Various Artists

Wonderful Crazy Night: Deluxe Edition

December 8, 2015 By

Elton Wonderful Crazy Night

Elton John returns to his unmistakable brand of uptempo piano pop-rock with this new studio album featuring his longtime band, co-produced by T Bone Burnett and co-written, of course, by Bernie Taupin.

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Formats: CD, Digital Download, Vinyl Genre: Pop, Rock

"The First Bobby Hart Solo Album" OUT TODAY From 7a Records!

December 7, 2015 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Bobby Hart First Solo Album

UPDATED 12/7: The 7a Records label made a big splash earlier this year with its first-ever release.  The MGM Singles Collection brought together Micky Dolenz's rare MGM Records sides in a lavishly designed and annotated presentation that was a fan and collector's dream.  Now, we're thrilled to report that the Monkees specialists at 7a have turned their attention to another key figure in Monkees lore with the first-ever CD release today of 1980's aptly-titled The First Bobby Hart Solo

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop Tags: Bobby Hart, Boyce and Hart, Teddy Randazzo, The Monkees

Made For Walkin': Lee Hazlewood's MGM Albums Are Newly Reissued By Light in the Attic

December 7, 2015 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Lee Hazlewood Something Special

Since 2012, the Light in the Attic label has been mining producer-creative maverick Lee Hazlewood's LHI label for gems recorded by Hazlewood himself as well as artists like Honey Ltd. and The Kitchen Cinq.  A 2013 reissue turned its attention to Hazlewood' 1963 cult-classic Mercury LP Trouble is a Lonesome Town, and now, LITA is looking in the direction of his MGM recordings originally released between 1966 and 1968.  The label has just reissued all three of Hazlewood's MGM Records albums on CD

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Vinyl Genre: Pop Tags: Lee Hazlewood, Suzi Jane Hokom

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