Pop 3 - The Second Disc

This is Not a Review of Prince’s ‘Timeless.’ Here’s Why

September 2, 2026 by Mike Duquette | 15 Comments

Until yesterday, this was going to be a pretty standard review of Timeless (NPG/Paisley Park 19958 44929-2), the newest posthumous Prince project, arriving just over a decade after his tragic passing. You would read about how unusual it is at this juncture to release a short compilation of unrelated outtakes from the Minneapolis icon’s storied vault, one not curated by him or guided by his examples, one that reminds you of projects we’d love to have on our shelves – a pre-1999 deep dive, a complete presentation of his final concerts (or any…

Categories:

News, Reviews

Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

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

Tags:

Prince

Ben Folds Five: 30th Anniversary Edition

September 1, 2026 by Joe Marchese

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Piano-pounding alternative trio Ben Folds Five have revisited their first album – both versions of their first album – for a new expanded edition. The group’s self-titled debut has been remastered and expanded, one year after its 30th anniversary mark. This 2CD or 180-gram 2LP release pairs that original album, featuring seminal tracks like “Underground” and “Philosophy,” with a mostly unreleased “Shelved First Attempt” featuring many of the same tracks (and a few others) recorded in an earlier session. Both sets offer expanded liner…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, Rock

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Back to Black: 20th Anniversary Edition

September 1, 2026 by Joe Marchese

3CD: 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 Zoetrope LP: Official Store UMe reissues the late Amy Winehouse’s 2006 triumph Back to Black on October 23 (the Friday before its official anniversary on October 27) in a variety of formats, most notably 3CD and 3LP sets packed with more than two dozen bonus tracks. (In a coup for CD buyers, five B-sides and three live cuts will not be on the 3LP set, which is pressed on clear vinyl.) Additional pressings of the original album will be available, including a…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

The Quiet Celebration Concert

September 1, 2026 by Joe Marchese

Paul Simon came out of live retirement for his acclaimed Quiet Celebration tour, reflecting his acknowledged hearing loss with new arrangements of classic favorites alongside a full presentation of his Seven Psalms album. This live album recorded at Seattle’s McCaw Hall features both acts of the concert, including Seven Psalms, “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” “The Boxer,” “Homeward Bound,” “Graceland,” and more. (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop, Rock

Tags:

Let Me Entertain You: On the Road with Davy

September 1, 2026 by Joe Marchese

U.S. Customers: ImportCDs.com(opens in new tab) (Recommended) / Amazon U.S. U.K. Customers: Amazon U.K. Let Me Entertain You: On the Road with Davy boasts two dozen concert recordings from the late Davy Jones spanning 1979-2003 from venues in the United States, United Kingdom, and Japan. The set features his live interpretations of Monkees songs both expected (“Daydream Believer,” “I Wanna Be Free,” “Valleri,” “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You”) and somewhat less expected (“Papa Gene’s Blues,” “Listen to the Band,” “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone”) as well as solo classics (The Brady Bunch…

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Formats:

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop

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The Weekend Stream: August 29, 2026

August 29, 2026 by The Second Disc | 5 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. New singles from U2 and Peter Gabriel, expanded reissues from OK Go and The New Christy Minstrels, SuperVisible surprises and some new cast albums – you’ll find them all here, plus tributes to the many, many artists we lost this week. U2, “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” (Rubyworks) (Apple / Amazon TBD) The boys of U2 are fully roused for a new…

Categories:

The Weekend Stream

Formats:

Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Reggae, Rock

Tags:

A Certain Ratio, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Eddy Grant, Fania All-Stars, Lori Yates, OK Go, Peter Gabriel, Post Malone, Rachel Zegler, Shane MacGowan, The New Christy Minstrels, U2, Walt Mink, Ween

Release Round-Up: Week of August 28

August 28, 2026 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. Prince, Timeless (NPG/Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S.(opens in new tab) / Amazon U.K.(opens in new tab) / Amazon Canada(opens in new tab) LP: Amazon U.S.(opens in new tab) / Amazon U.K.(opens in new tab) / Amazon Canada(opens in new tab) / Official Store(opens in new tab) (140-gram Purple Marbled Vinyl) Ten years after his tragic passing, a newly-curated release from Prince’s vault offers 10 unreleased tracks spanning his entire recording career – mostly unconsidered, in their respective forms, for any formal versions…

Categories:

Release Round-Up

Formats:

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

Genres:

Classic Rock, Funk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Reggae, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Bananarama, Bob Marley, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Engelbert Humperdinck, Genesis, Gerry Beckley, Joan Jett, Klaus Nomi, Marco Beltrami, Prince, Sara Bareilles, The Stooges

In Memoriam: Dolly Parton (1946-2026)

August 26, 2026 by Mike Duquette | 4 Comments

The Second Disc joins the myriad voices of musical enthusiasts stunned by the news of Dolly Parton’s passing on August 25, 2026. Mike remembers an enduring icon who may have been the most universally beloved person on the planet. Joe’s tribute will run later this week. Ten years removed from a year when it felt like a shocking amount of musical luminaries passed away – and knowing full well that time only moves forward to make us bid others farewell – Dolly Parton’s passing at the age of 80 still stuns. In…

Categories:

Features, News

Formats:

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

Genres:

Country, Pop

Tags:

Dolly Parton

She Was Trouble: UMe Celebrates 20th Anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s ‘Back to Black’ with Deluxe Edition

August 25, 2026 by Mike Duquette | 2 Comments

Twenty years after it became a worldwide blockbuster – and more than 15 years since her passing broke the hearts of fans everywhere – Amy Winehouse’s final album will be reissued with a host of bonus material, including unheard demos and an unreleased live set. UMe will reissue 2006’s Back to Black on October 23 (the Friday before its official anniversary on October 27) in a variety of formats, most notably 3CD and 3LP sets packed with more than two dozen bonus tracks. (In a coup for CD buyers, five B-sides and three…

Categories:

News

Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

Amy Winehouse

The Weekend Stream: August 23, 2026

August 23, 2026 by The Second Disc | 4 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. We’re mostly looking at albums dug up from the crates of 1976, but there’s also some unreleased goodies from Peggy Lee and David Allan Coe, plus plenty more. Peggy Lee, My Guitar à la Lee (Capitol/UMe) (Apple / Amazon) A new digital EP celebrates the 60th anniversary of the late songstress’ 1966 album Guitars à la Lee…sort of! My Guitar…

Categories:

The Weekend Stream

Formats:

Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Blues, CCM, Country, Disco/Dance, Everything Else, Folk, Gospel, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Soundtracks

Tags:

Candi Staton, David Allan Coe, Engelbert Humperdinck, Eric Andersen, Jimmy Reed, Moe Bandy, Peggy Lee, Quincy Jones, Skip James, The Chuck Wagon Gang

Release Round-Up: Week of August 21

August 21, 2026 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 B-52’s, Ancient Culture: Mesopotamia Revisited (Sire/Rhino) (Amazon U.S.(opens in new tab) / Amazon U.K.(opens in new tab) / Amazon Canada(opens in new tab)) The B-52’s are returning to Mesopotamia. The band has revisited their 1982 David Byrne-produced EP on Ancient Culture: Mesopotamia Revisited, a new and generously expanded 3CD/1LP box set premiering outtakes, alternate mixes, and a previously unreleased concert from the era. The new “Full-Length Version” of Mesopotamia featured on CD and LP in Ancient Culture reassembles the…

Categories:

Release Round-Up

Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Classical/Opera, Comedy, Disco/Dance, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Alex Chilton, Anthony Hopkins, Bob Dylan, Ella Fitzgerald, Gustavo Dudamel, Jack Kerouac, John Williams, KISS, The B-52's, The Cramps, Various Artists

It’s Nice to Be with You: 7A Readies Davy Jones’ “Let Me Entertain You: On the Road with Davy” Live Album

August 20, 2026 by The Second Disc | 4 Comments

Both solo and with The Monkees – and various permutations thereof – Davy Jones spent decades on the road sharing the music he loved all over the world. While a Monkees setlist would be painstakingly constructed, the solo Jones was far more freewheeling, incorporating new and old songs and crossing genre lines with abandon. Now, on September 11, 7A Records celebrates the late singer’s legacy with a new live compendium. Let Me Entertain You: On the Road with Davy boasts two dozen concert recordings spanning 1979-2003 from venues in the United States,…

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News

Formats:

Genres:

Pop

Tags:

Davy Jones

You Are The Magnet: Edsel Collects Walter Egan’s Early Albums On “The Collection”

August 19, 2026 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

Walter Egan’s first album was titled Fundamental Roll, and, indeed, the New York-born singer-songwriter was certainly on a roll. Egan and Duane Scott co-produced the 1977 album with Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham and Steve Nicks – fresh off the release of Rumours – and the Buckingham/Nicks duo returned for 1978’s Not Shy, bringing along Richard Dashut. Not Shy yielded Egan’s signature hit, “Magnet and Steel,” which went to the U.S. top ten. Now, Edsel has celebrated the first chapter of Egan’s solo career with the new 4CD box, The Album Collection 1977-1980,…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop, Rock

Tags:

Fleetwood Mac, Lindsey Buckingham, Stevie Nicks, Walter Egan

Throw That Beat in the Garbage Can: The B-52’s Expand ‘Mesopotamia’ EP with Outtakes, Remixes and More

August 18, 2026 by The Second Disc | 6 Comments

The B-52’s are returning to Mesopotamia. This Friday, August 21, the band will revisit their 1982 David Byrne-produced EP on Ancient Culture: Mesopotamia Revisited, a new and generously expanded 3CD/1LP box set premiering outtakes, alternate mixes, and a previously unreleased concert from the era. Following two back-to-back albums (1979’s self-titled debut and 1980’s Wild Planet), The B-52’s were creatively tapped out. Moving the group into a house in upstate New York to concentrate on writing only inflamed tensions further. A compilation, Party Mix!, was issued in 1981 as a stopgap measure to…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop, Rock

Tags:

David Byrne, The B-52's

The Weekend Stream: August 15, 2026

August 15, 2026 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. A lot of new singles from some old favorites, from Stephen Bishop to Jimmy Webb – plus even more outtakes from Ween, remixes from Whitney Houston, rare finds for country, comedy, hard rock and soundtrack lovers, and a must-read story about a fan letter to one of our most missed singer/songwriters. Stephen Bishop, “I Don’t Know You Anymore” (Life’s a Bish) (Apple…

Categories:

The Weekend Stream

Formats:

Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Classic Rock, Comedy, Country, Disco/Dance, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

The Shel Talmy Recordings

August 14, 2026 by Joe Marchese

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Official Store (180-gram red vinyl) The Shel Talmy Recordings collects 21 recordings the then-unknown David Bowie recorded with producer Talmy (The Who, The Kinks) during 1965, when he was a member of bands The Manish Boys and The Lower Third. Only four of these tracks were released at the time as singles, with another seven alternate and outtake versions turning up on compilations over the years; that makes a full 10 tracks debuting on this package, including lead track “I Want Your Love.” Some of…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

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

Tags:

Ancient Culture: Mesopotamia Revisited

August 14, 2026 by Joe Marchese

The B-52’s are returning to Mesopotamia. The band has revisited their 1982 David Byrne-produced EP on Ancient Culture: Mesopotamia Revisited, a new and generously expanded 3CD/1LP box set premiering outtakes, alternate mixes, and a previously unreleased concert from the era. The new “Full-Length Version” of Mesopotamia featured on CD and LP in Ancient Culture reassembles the track list as closely as possible to what was originally intended. Newly remastered versions of the original six EP tracks are joined by three outtakes: the previously unreleased recordings of “Big Bird” and the exotica-flavored “Adios Desconocida,” along with “Queen of…

Categories:

Formats:

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

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop, Rock

Tags:

Release Round-Up: Week of August 14

August 14, 2026 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 Monkees, Made for TV (Rhino) (Amazon U.S.(opens in new tab) / Amazon U.K.(opens in new tab) / Amazon Canada(opens in new tab) / Rhino.com(opens in new tab) / Monkees.com(opens in new tab)) Rhino celebrates Season 1 of The Monkees just in time for its 60th anniversary. This new 2CD/1LP/1Blu-ray multimedia box set brings together all of the music heard on Season 1 of the groundbreaking television series in one deluxe…

Categories:

Release Round-Up

Formats:

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

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Classical/Opera, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Carly Simon, Claibe Richardson, Dorothy Loudon, Everything But the Girl, Guy Haines, Jethro Tull, John Williams, Leo Sayer, Sparks, Stephen Cole, The Monkees

How Sweet It Is: Rhino’s New Quadio Batch Includes James Taylor, James Gang, David Gates, Herbie Mann

August 12, 2026 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Rhino’s Quadio series has recently announced its latest batch of four titles, and as usual, they comprise a quartet of eclectic titles from the 1970s. Two singer-songwriters – James Taylor and Bread’s David Gates – are joined by soul-jazz titan Herbie Mann and the rockers of The James Gang. Each Blu-ray Audio Disc in the Quadio series includes the original four-channel quadraphonic mix with a high-resolution 192/24 stereo mix, with both sourced from the original analog tapes. (The lone exception here is the Herbie Mann quad mix, which was sourced out of…

Categories:

News

Formats:

Blu-Ray Audio

Genres:

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

Tags:

David Gates, Herbie Mann, James Taylor, The James Gang

The Weekend Stream: August 8, 2026

August 8, 2026 by The Second Disc | 3 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. An unexpected return from a ’90s one-hit wonder, a team-up of two pop queens, and plenty of odds and ends from 1976 will satisfy your Saturday. Various Artists, One Night Only (Music from the Motion Picture) (Back Lot Music) (Apple / Amazon) The new comedy from director Will Gluck (Easy A) involving a meet-cute on the one day non-marital sex is legal…

Categories:

The Weekend Stream

Formats:

Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Country, Disco/Dance, Everything Else, Gospel, Latin, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Ben Folds Five, Brenda Lee, Fania All-Stars, General Johnson, Henry Mancini, Jim Reeves, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, New Birth, New Radicals, The Anita Kerr Singers, The Presidents of the United States of America

Release Round-Up: Week of August 7

August 7, 2026 by The Second Disc | 6 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. Tom Tom Club, Let There Be Love (Warner/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Rhino assembles most of the Talking Heads offshoot group’s discography on a new 6CD or 7LP box set. Let There Be Love contains Tom Tom Club (1981), Close to the Bone (1983), Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom (1988), Dark Sneak Love Action (1991), The Good, the Bad, and the Funky (2000), and Downtown Rockers (2012). Get the detail on what’s included on what’s not by clicking here. Whitney…

Categories:

Release Round-Up

Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

Bing Crosby, Elephant's Memory, En Vogue, Primal Scream, Strawberry Alarm Clock, The Hollywood Stars, Tom Tom Club, Various Artists, Whitney Houston

The Weekend Stream: August 1, 2026

August 1, 2026 by The Second Disc | 3 Comments

Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles making digital debuts, plus new works from legacy acts and even some personally curated favorites. It’s an alt-rock weekend to start, with a Southern country/rock rarity from the ’80s that’s worth checking out and a pop-punk favorite from the ’00s. And that’s only the start… Velvet Elvis, Velvet Elvis (Expanded Edition) (self-released) (Apple / Amazon) Velvet Elvis combined college rock with country in the late ’80s, tapping producer Mitch Easter of Let’s Active for their second…

Release Round-Up: Week of July 31

July 31, 2026 by The Second Disc | 5 Comments

Alice Cooper The Studio Albums 1975 1978

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available this week. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Alice Cooper, The Studio Albums 1975-1978 (Warner/Rhino) 5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rhino celebrates the early years of shock rock legend Alice Cooper with a new 5CD or 5LP box set. The Studio Albums 1975-1978 begins with 1975’s Welcome to My Nightmare, his first proper solo album, and continues with Alice Cooper Goes to Hell (1976), Lace and Whiskey (1977), and From the Inside (1978). The collection is rounded out with a…

Categories:

Release Round-Up

Formats:

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

Genres:

Blues, Classic Rock, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Alice Cooper, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac, Green Day, Joan Jett, Neil Sedaka, The Kinks, Wang Chung, War, Yes

Comes In Waves

July 30, 2026 by Joe Marchese

Carly Simon returns for her first album of all-original material since 2008′s This Kind of Love and first studio album since 2009’s Never Been Gone. The highly personal Comes in Waves arrives in the wake of the singer-songwriter’s revelations of a Parkinson’s diagnosis and recent skin cancer treatment. The album is currently available on CD and digitally, while a vinyl edition will follow. (As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.)

Categories:

Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Pop, Rock

Tags:

Review: Joni Mitchell, Dusty Springfield, and Cher in Rhino High Fidelity

July 30, 2026 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Rhino High Fidelity, the label’s series of deluxe audiophile reissues, continues to prove its bona fides with a latest batch of limited-edition vinyl releases from three great women of song: Joni Mitchell’s Court and Spark, Cher’s 3614 Jackson Highway, and the late Dusty Springfield’s Dusty in Memphis. Joni Mitchell embraced pop on her sixth studio album, 1974’s Court and Spark, while continuing to develop her jazz stylings and maintaining her singular voice as both a singer and songwriter. Produced by Mitchell, collaborating with engineer Henry Lewy, Court and Spark epitomized the sound of the Southern California musical…

Categories:

Reviews

Formats:

Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul

Tags:

Cher, Dusty Springfield, Joni Mitchell

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