It's fair to say that when Harry Chapin's debut single "Taxi" peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100, the ballad didn't sound like much else on the chart. The top spot was held by Sammy Davis, Jr.'s bouncy ode to "The Candy Man" while the upper reaches also featured gospel-tinged R&B (The Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There"), pristine pop (Neil Diamond's "Song Sung Blue," Carpenters' "It's Going to Take Some Time"), driving funk (Billy Preston's "Outa-Space"), raunchy rock-and-roll
In Memoriam: Frank Ursoleo of Iconoclassic Records
Frank Ursoleo, a longtime music industry professional who founded reissue label Iconoclassic Records, died unexpectedly last week (May 5). The recently reactivated label has posted a touching tribute to him, which you can read above. Jeremy Holiday, Iconoclassic's vice president of business development and artist services, was effusive - both in our recent interview and in other conversations - in his praise of Ursoleo as a friend, mentor and music lover guided by tastes, instinct and
The Weekend Stream: May 7, 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 discover! Truly something for everyone this week, from classic rock to live jazz and folk to...Christmas albums? Whitesnake, Greatest Hits (2022 Remix) (Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) Ahead of their farewell tour, David Coverdale has yet again revisited the Whitesnake catalogue through a series of remixes, this time pertaining
Release Round-Up: Week of May 6
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles out today including a very special pair from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music! Melissa Manchester, Live '77 (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music proudly present the premiere release of Melissa Manchester's Live '77, recorded by Arista Records in October 1977 at Gainesville, Florida's Great Southern
OUT TOMORROW From Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music: Melissa Manchester and Darlene Love
Tomorrow's a big day here at Second Disc HQ as we unveil two new releases on CD. Melissa Manchester's Live '77 is the renowned singer-songwriter's first and only live album, recorded by Arista Records in October 1977 at Gainesville, Florida's Great Southern Music Hall but unreleased until now! The 21 songs on Live '77 include Manchester's hits "Midnight Blue," "Better Days," and the song Bob Dylan admired, "Just You and I," as well as the now-standard "Come in from the Rain," fan favorites
A Day In Rio: This Friday, May 6, Real Gone Reissues Les Baxter's "Soul of the Drum" and Expands Savage Republic's "Tragic Figures"
This coming Friday, May 6, sees two releases on Second Disc Records through Real Gone Music: The Complete Reprise Recordings Plus! from Darlene Love and Live 1977 from Melissa Manchester. But joining those two on Real Gone's slate are another two reissues: a new vinyl version of Les Baxter's Soul of the Drums and, on CD and LP, an expanded version of Savage Republic's 1982 debut album: Tragic Figures. First up is 1963's Soul of the Drums by Les Baxter and his Orchestra. Along with Martin
So Nice: Madonna Celebrates 40 Years of Hits on 'Finally Enough Love'
Madonna has more than earned the title of Queen of Pop - and a new collection, her first in a planned series of catalogue titles through Warner Music Group celebrating her four decades as a seminal recording artist - will highlight her influence on the dance floor. The new compilation Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones tracks every one of Madonna's record-setting singles to reach the top of Billboard's dance charts, from 1982 debut "Everybody" to "I Don't Search I Find," one of four tracks
The Weekend Stream: April 30, 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 discover! This week's got live favorites from The Boss, a Record Store Day rarity, a '90s tribute album to some rock legends and much more. Bruce Springsteen, The Live Series: Songs of Location (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple Music / Amazon) The Thrill Hill Archives have occasionally made some themed Bruce Springsteen
Endless 'Summer': 21st Century Beach Boys Compilation Expanded for Group's 60th Anniversary
On October 1, 1962, The Beach Boys released their album debut Surfin' Safari on Capitol Records, beginning an extraordinary musical odyssey that continues to this day. Since then, brothers Brian Wilson, Dennis Wilson, and Carl Wilson; cousin Mike Love; and friend Al Jardine - along with fellow travelers including Bruce Johnston, David Marks, Blondie Chaplin, and Ricky Fataar, and dozens of key collaborators including Gary Usher, Roger Christian, Tony Asher, Van Dyke Parks, Billy Hinsche,
Right Where He Belongs: Brian Wilson's "Long Promised Road" Soundtrack Comes to CD in June
Long Promised Road, director Brent Wilson's 2021 documentary film about Beach Boys visionary Brian Wilson (no relation) was described by Variety as "affectionate and satisfying...sentimental at times but often stirringly insightful." The Hollywood Reporter called it "a portrait of friendship and love as much as it's about music." American Songwriter noted that it was "flush with pathos and poignancy...a remarkable documentary that is, at once, both heartbreaking and heartwarming." By
The Weekend Stream: April 23, 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 discover! Return from your Record Store Day binge and kick back with some exciting finds, from charity rarities to new mixes of old favorites and even a surprising soundtrack find or two! Various Artists, EarthPercent Earth Day Initiative (Bandcamp) Though Bandcamp Friday is back in two weeks, the beloved digital service
The Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2022: Our Essential Picks and More!
After a series of smaller "Drops" over the past two years, Record Store Day is (mostly) back to a one-day event, and the big day is tomorrow: Saturday, April 23. Over 250 titles will be available at independent stores everywhere - including some CD releases, too! That's plenty of albums in almost every genre imaginable, so visit RecordStoreDay.com in the U.S., RecordStoreDay.co.uk in the U.K., and RecordStoreDayCanada.ca in Canada for the complete list, and sound off below as to which titles
Release Round-Up: Week of April 22
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles arriving in stores today! T. Rex, 1972 [Various Formats] (Edsel) 5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5CD Signed by Tony Visconti: Amazon U.K. 6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 6LP Signed by Tony Visconti: Amazon U.K. 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Edsel is looking back on Marc Bolan and T. Rex's prolific 1972 with a new box set available in 5 CD, 6 LP, and 2
He Shall Be a Good Man: Elton John's 'Madman Across the Water' Gets Deluxe Edition
Elton John's breathtaking piano pop conjured up powerful images thanks to the lyrics of Bernie Taupin - but the duo were often writing about things before they experienced them. The Americana of 1970's Tumbleweed Connection, for instance, was indeed a fantasy; only within the year would Elton get his first taste of America - and the results powered his next studio album, 1971's appropriately-titled Madman Across the Water. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rUarpBrfLI That album will be the
New Collection 'Songbird' Shows the Solo Side of Christine McVie
Christine McVie's association with Fleetwood Mac began in 1970 when the singer-songwriter born Anne Christine Perfect played and sang on the group's record Kiln House (and even provided its cover artwork). Though uncredited on Kiln House, McVie joined the band shortly thereafter, penning two songs and contributing to a third on 1971's Future Games. Her place in the group assured, she went on to write and sing many of the Mac's most cherished hits including "Don't Stop," "Everywhere," and
Strange Animals: BMG Reissues Five Albums from Sparks in New 21st Century Collection
Director Edgar Wright's 2021 documentary The Sparks Brothers brought much-deserved attention to cult rock heroes Ron and Russell Mael and their prodigious, singular output as Sparks. Now, BMG has announced the 21st Century Sparks collection: a series of deluxe CD and vinyl reissues encompassing Balls (2000), Lil' Beethoven (2002), and Hello Young Lovers (2006) arriving on Friday, April 29; and Exotic Creatures of the Deep (2008) and The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman (2009) following on Friday, May
The Weekend Stream: April 16, 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 discover! Ben Folds, It's the Small Things, Charlie Brown (Apple TV+ Original Soundtrack) (Peanuts Productions) (iTunes) Ben Folds has been sort of quiet lately. While the piano-pounding alt-rocker has been livestreaming and podcasting along with being an advocate for orchestras in recent years, he's only released a
Some Velvet Morning: Light in the Attic Reissues, Expands Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's "Nancy and Lee"
The next installment in Light in the Attic's ongoing Nancy Sinatra Archival Series is set for release on May 20: an expanded edition of 1968's Nancy and Lee, the singer's first full-length duet album with maverick singer-songwriter-producer Lee Hazlewood. Nancy and Lee will be reissued on CD as well as digitally, vinyl (with various color exclusives), cassette, and eight-track. 1965's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," produced and written by Hazlewood, launched Sinatra's musical career
The Weekend Stream: April 9, 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 discover! And after a week away, you better believe we're coming in hot! Billy Joel, 50 Years of the Piano Man (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple Music / Amazon) On the surface, this 50-track digital compilation-cum-playlist looks like a typical algorithmic survey of Joel's five-decade career, with all the great radio hits rising to
Spinning the Wheel: George Michael's 'Older' Prepped for Box Set Edition
The album George Michael called his "greatest moment" will get the deluxe treatment this summer: his third album, 1996's Older. Though the record came off a six-year gap between albums, the late British pop star was hardly idle. In the years since 1990's Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, he'd embarked on a tour comprised of mostly cover songs and had a few major critical and commercial hits with some, too; chiefly, the chart-topping "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" (a duet with its
Shoot the Moon: Blue Note Expands Norah Jones' "Come Away with Me" For 20th Anniversary
Since its release over 20 years ago on February 26, 2002, Norah Jones' Come Away with Me has become one of the biggest-selling albums of all time. With its fusion of jazz, folk, traditional pop, and blues, Come Away with Me crossed over to multiple audiences. The Blue Note album peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and received eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, as well as Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (all
One Step Ahead: Cherry Pop Reissues, Expands Debbie Gibson's "Anything Is Possible"
Cherry Pop has continued its series of reissues from Debbie Gibson's Atlantic catalogue with a deluxe 2-CD expanded edition of the singer's 1990 album Anything Is Possible. The original 16-song album has gained 17 bonus tracks in its most comprehensive presentation yet. The singer-songwriter burst onto the scene with 1987's Out of the Blue, yielding a number of worldwide hits including Billboard top 10 entries "Foolish Beat" (No. 1), "Only in My Dreams" (No. 4), "Out of the Blue" (No. 3),
Having the Time of Your Life: ABBA to Release New Box Set of Complete Albums
Perhaps the biggest musical surprise of 2021 was the release of a brand-new ABBA album - 40 years after they took their final bow with The Visitors. A chart-topper in many countries around the world (it "only" hit No. 2 in America), Voyage hardly sounded as if four decades had passed thanks to dramatic tracks like "I Still Have Faith in You" (a Grammy nominee for Record of the Year this weekend, the band's first-ever nod from the Recording Academy), "Don't Shut Me Down" and "Just a Notion." The
Release Round-Up: Week of April 1
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles arriving in stores today! Daryl Hall, BeforeAfter (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Daryl Hall is looking back with his first-ever solo anthology. BeforeAfter, curated by the artist, draws on all five of his acclaimed solo albums: the Robert Fripp-produced cult classic Sacred Songs (1980), Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine (1986, including the top five hit "Dreamtime" and top
How Does It Feel to Be Back: An Interview with Jeremy Holiday of Iconoclassic Records
Jeremy Holiday remembers it well: at four years old, he got his first "pop" record, Daryl Hall & John Oates' 1980 blockbuster Voices. That record set him on an incredible path that readers of The Second Disc will no doubt recognize: the journey to a fruitful career in catalogue music. For nearly 25 years, Holiday maintained an incredible tenure in the major label reissue business, working at BMG's Buddha and Heritage imprints, surviving a 2005 merger with Sony Music (and BMG's divestment
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