With the run-up to Christmas approaching full speed, the holiday's musical queen is looking to take back her crown. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Carey's Merry Christmas and its unforgettable, cross-generational hit single "All I Want for Christmas is You," the Elusive Chanteuse will deliver an expanded version of the album on vinyl, featuring material from its most recent reissue and a 24-page booklet in a hardbound package with some holiday surprises. To boost "All I Want for
Got You Where I Want You: Dwight Twilley, Max Werner Reissues Arrive This Friday from Iconoclassic
This Friday, November 15, Iconoclassic Records will release its two latest titles - the third album in its ongoing Dwight Twilley reissue series and a long-lost gem from Kayak drummer-singer Max Werner. Twilley, the power pop hero's first solo album following two acclaimed albums with The Dwight Twilley Band, originally arrived in 1979 on Arista Records in the United States. The late singer-songwriter (1951-2023) was joined by a core band including Bill Pitcock IV on lead guitar, Jim Lewis
The Weekend Stream: November 9, 2024
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 brings new remixes from Pet Shop Boys, old remixes from INXS, plus rare folk, jazz and alt-rock favorites - plus another bounty of unusual Christmas albums and EPs! Pet Shop Boys, New London boy / All the young dudes EPs (x2/Parlophone) Standard: iTunes / Amazon Remixes: iTunes / Amazon A new double A-side single from Pet Shop
Release Round-Up: Week of November 8
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. Whitney Houston, The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) (Arista/Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Legacy Recordings, in collaboration with Whitney Houston's estate, will release the late artist's The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban). The CD and
Sugar Town: Light in the Attic Reissues, Expands Nancy Sinatra's "Sugar" and "Country, My Way"
Light in the Attic is accelerating its Nancy Sinatra Archival Series with the November 29 reissue of the singer's fourth and fifth studio albums, both from 1967: Sugar and Country, My Way. Both of these expanded editions will be available on CD, LP, and digitally. Sugar capped off an incredibly prolific year for Sinatra. The fourth album she recorded in 1966, Sugar was nominally named for the sweet and seductive, Lee Hazlewood-penned "Sugar Town," a top 5 Pop/No. 1 AC hit. Though album
Fortuosity: Stage Door Pop Brings Rare Tommy Steele Recordings to CD in November
Tommy Steele may be best remembered today for his starring role on both sides of the Atlantic as Arthur Kipps in the 1963 musical Half a Sixpence - one which he repeated for its film adaptation - or for such motion pictures as Finian's Rainbow and Walt Disney's The Happiest Millionaire. Considered to be Britain's first teen idol, the London native with the toothy grin and big talents scored such early rock-and-roll hits as "Rock with the Caveman," "Butterfingers," "Water, Water," "Nairobi,"
In Memoriam: Quincy Jones (1933-2024)
Quincy Delight Jones was just 14 years old when he introduced himself to Ray Charles. Though the pianist-singer was just two years older, he was already an inspiration to the younger musician. Charles had the gift of synthesizing the various strains of music - jazz, folk, country, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, and gospel, among them - into a sound both wholly new and wholly American. Jones was struck by how Charles overcame adversity, and their shared ethos became one which shaped young
The Weekend Stream: November 2, 2024
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 all the usual stuff you'd expect - reissues from Usher, rarities from The Alan Parsons Project, and another unique Daryl Hall-related EP - and some stuff you might not, like truly unusual Christmas collections and a new app from one of the best places for music in video games! Nintendo Music app One genre the Second Disc team has
Release Round-Up: Week of November 1
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. Elvis Costello, King of America and Other Realms (UMe) 6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 140-gram Black LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 140-gram Gold Nugget LP: Official Store / uDiscover Music / The Sound of Vinyl Elvis Costello is looking back on his tenth
So Amazing: Companion Album to Luther Vandross Documentary Features Unreleased Songs
One of this year's documentary darlings at the Sundance Film Festival, a look at the life and career of Luther Vandross, makes its theatrical debut in select cities this week. Ahead of its wider, planned streaming release in 2025, Legacy Recordings will issue a new double-disc anthology of his work, accompanied by several rare and unreleased tracks. Never Too Much: Greatest Hits, available December 13, offers 20 tracks on two CDs that represent the cream of Vandross' solo career. In addition
The Weekend Stream: October 26, 2024
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
In Memoriam: Jack Jones (1938-2024)
Music was Jack Jones' birthright. The singer's singer - best-known for "Wives and Lovers," "Lollipops and Roses," "The Race Is On," and, yes, the theme to The Love Boat - was born to actors Allan Jones and Irene Hervey in 1938 and grew up in the world of show business, eventually reaching its heights himself. Jones has died at 86 after a battle with leukemia, and while his passing closes another chapter of The Great American Songbook, his extraordinary body of work will continue to
Release Round-Up: Week of October 25
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. Blue Magic, Stop to Start: The Atco and WMOT Recordings (SoulMusic/The Second Disc) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Cherry Red) Let the sideshow begin! SoulMusic Records and TSD are proud to unveil a new 6-CD box set dedicated to the sweet 'n funky soul stylings of Philly quintet Blue Magic ("Sideshow," "Three Ring
Can You Dig It? Yes, I Can: Chicago's "Live at 55" Features Steve Vai, Robert Randolph, Chris Daughtry, Judith Hill, More
Last November 17 and 18, Chicago celebrated the 55th anniversary of debut album Chicago Transit Authority at Atlantic City's Ovation Hall (within the massive Ocean Casino Resort) with two marathon concerts touching on every facet of the band's long career. Now, the film of those concerts - featuring a number of special guests including Steve Vai, Robert Randolph, and Judith Hill - is coming to a variety of formats almost one year to the day, on November 22, 2024. Mercury Studios will release
A Special One for You: 'Christmas Once More' Offers New Mixes of Carpenters Holiday Classics
Christmas music was a vital part of the Carpenters canon from the very beginning. In 1970, Richard and Karen contributed their own standard to the yuletide canon with "Merry Christmas Darling," the first of three holiday singles released by the brother-and-sister duo. Richard set to music the lyric written by Frank Pooler, choir director at the Carpenters' alma mater of California State University - Long Beach (today the home of the Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center), and in
Funny the Way It Is: Dave Matthews Band Celebrate Rock Hall Induction with New Vinyl Compilation
Having just earned a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Dave Matthews Band will release a new compilation early next year. Where Are You Going: The Singles, available February 7, is a new double-vinyl set collecting 22 of the group's best-known songs over their three decades of studio albums, from major-label breakthrough Under the Table and Dreaming (1994) to last year's Walk Around the Moon. Seven of those 10 albums, from 1998's Before These Crowded Streets to 2018's Come Tomorrow,
Discs for Groovy Children: Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Rage Against the Machine Lead Legacy's Record Store Day Black Friday Slate
Legacy Recordings has prepped an eclectic state of mostly classic rock and hip-hop titles to be released on vinyl for Record Store Day Black Friday. The long-running spinoff event to the big April bonanza takes place November 29 at participating independent outlets - and below is an alphabetical look at what Sony Music's catalog arm will be releasing. More than 50 years after her tragic passing, singer Janis Joplin continues to find new fans - and Legacy's first Black Friday title highlights
Release Round-Up: Week of October 18
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. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Long After Dark: Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe) 2CD/Blu-ray Audio: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/Blu-ray Audio (with Amazon-exclusive stickers): Amazon U.S. 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Tom Petty Store (Exclusive) Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' fifth studio
Rhino's Record Store Day Black Friday Lineup Includes Phil Collins, Doors, Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, Steve Martin, Yes, More
TSD kicks off our look at this year's Record Store Day Black Friday releases, due at participating independent record stores on November 29, with a packed slate coming from Rhino. With over 20 titles, Rhino has brought out the heavy hitters including The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Grateful Dead, Yes, Stevie Nicks, Todd Rundgren, and more. And that's not all. There are special treats for fans of animation classic (The Carl Stalling Project) and contemporary (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie) and a
Mama, Cradle Me Again: Madfish Collects Laura Nyro Albums, Rarities on New CD Box
Over three years after the release of its 8LP vinyl box set American Dreamer 1967-1978, the Madfish label is returning to the discography of late singer-songwriter Laura Nyro for the December 6 release of Hear My Song: The Collection 1966-1995. Whereas American Dreamer chronicled Nyro's first decade of music, the 19CD Hear My Song is a career-spanning appreciation of the artist who influenced such talents as Elton John, Barry Manilow, Todd Rundgren, Stephen Schwartz, Rickie Lee Jones, Melissa
The Weekend Stream: October 12, 2024
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. The Christmas creep may continue, but we've got plenty more where that came from: a new spin on a John Lennon classic, rare remixes from David Bowie, a live triumph from Céline Dion, some thrills and chills from the Alien universe - and first off, a charitable compilation built for a good cause in the wake of our country's severest storms of
Release Round-Up: Week of October 11
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. Duran Duran, Danse Macabre: De Luxe (Tapemodern/BMG) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP Box Set: Official Store Duran Duran has reissued their 2023 album on CD and digitally with three new recordings: an original instrumental, "Masque of the Pink Death," that now opens the album; a cover of Electric Light
Ace Round-Up: Label Celebrates John Barry, Jackie DeShannon, Thom Bell, Paul Williams, Holland-Dozier-Holland
Today, we're rounding up five releases from Ace Records, all of which were released within the past few months by the U.K. label. Ace has followed up its 2022 collection dedicated to the oeuvre of composer John Barry, The More Things Change: Film TV, and Studio Work 1968-1972, with a new volume of the film maestro's works. Something's Up! Film, TV, and Studio Work 1964-1967 (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) hardly plays like a collection of runners-up, however. Barry crafted so
A "Runaway" Hit: Bon Jovi Prep Physical Deluxe Edition of Debut Album
Earlier this year, UMe celebrated the 40th anniversary of Bon Jovi's debut album with an extras-packed digital deluxe edition. Just in time for Christmas, that set is getting a physical 2CD release. The self-titled effort from the New Jersey rockers sports nine extra tracks, including previously unreleased early versions of debut single "Runaway" and new mixes of previously released live material from the band's longtime engineer Obie O'Brien. The set is packaged in a standard jewel case and
Release Round-Up: Week of October 4
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. Joni Mitchell, Archives Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) (Rhino) 6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) features six CDs (also available as a "highlights" set on four LPs) chronicling the Canadian icon's trek