Everyone knows the story: at the stroke of midnight on August 1, 1981, the new cable station Music Television (MTV) first aired, playing a steady stream of heretofore little-seen "music videos" that redefined pop music for the rest of the decade. Their first, of course, was The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star": a prescient choice, though not even a single from the '80s (it topped the U.K. charts and dented the U.S. Top 40 in 1979!) - and, as a new collection from Cherry Red underlines, The
The Weekend Stream: September 21, 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. Some socially minded rock is on the digital docket, as well as more than a dozen releases from one of England's best-known frontmen. Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, The Live Series: Songs of Conscience (Columbia/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Who but The Boss to offer a selection conscientious tunes with a whole new spin? These tracks
Release Round-Up: Week of September 20
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. Bob Dylan, The 1974 Tour Recordings (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) In 1974, Bob Dylan embarked on an extensive tour with his old backing band. Now, they, too, were universally known - as The Band - and the double bill hit indoor arenas across North America for 40 concerts over 30 dates and 21
Try Some, Buy Some: George Harrison's "Living in the Material World" Gets Expanded For Its 50th
As the studio follow-up to his landmark triple album All Things Must Pass, George Harrison further explored his spiritual and physical selves on 1973's leaner Living in the Material World. On November 15, the album will return from Dark Horse and BMG in a belated 50th anniversary edition comprising 2 CDs, 2 LPs, and a Blu-ray. It's limited to 5,000 units worldwide. The original album, newly remixed by Paul Hicks, will also be available in 2LP & 2CD Deluxe Editions, Limited Edition color
In Memoriam: JD Souther (1945-2024)
"We always said our motto was 'we're building to last.' We really spent a lot of time on the songs. The other motto was, 'no filler.' You don't make a single and then put a bunch of filler on an album. You make an album and hope you have a single," JD Souther shared with me earlier this year. The singer-songwriter's extraordinary body of work, one of the cornerstones of the Southern California rock sound, reflected that ethos: "You're Only Lonely." "Faithless Love." "Her Town Too." "Best
Love Will Save the Day: Whitney Houston's First South African Concert Set for Release in November
The power of Whitney Houston's live performance - in service of a celebration of international freedom - will be chronicled in a new album and film release from Legacy Recordings. The label, in collaboration with Houston's estate, will release The Concert for a New South Africa (Durban) on November 8, a CD and double vinyl release chronicling Whitney's first of three concerts in South Africa in the fall of 1994 - just a few short months after the first democratic election was held in the
The Weekend Stream: September 14, 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 songs from two of our '80s favorites, a reissue from a rock supergroup, the first release from a hard-working film composer and a new stand-up comedy album with a little something extra. Duran Duran, "New Moon (Dark Phase)" (Tapemodern) (iTunes / Amazon) Friday the 13th was a perfect day for this to drop! Duran Duran
Tops of the Pops: Verve Releases New Louis Armstrong Hits Collection
On October 16, A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical begins previews at Broadway's Studio 54, starring Tony Award winner James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin's Genie) as the titular legend. Told from the perspective of his four wives, the musical chronicles the life of one of the most significant and enduring figures in the entirety of American popular music. Today - roughly one month before the show hits New York - Verve and UMe have celebrated Armstrong's legacy with the release of
Release Round-Up: Week of September 13
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. Louis Armstrong, Wonderful World: The Best of Louis Armstrong (Verve/UMe) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada This 13-song sampler draws on Satchmo's 1951-1967 recordings for the Decca, Verve, Kapp, and ABC-Paramount labels and includes many of his most beloved songs as
Donna Summer's Classic 'On the Radio' Collection Gets Turned Up
At the end of the '70s, to cap an incredible run as one of disco's biggest divas, Donna Summer issued On the Radio: Greatest Hits Volume I & Volume II, a double album collecting more than a dozen of her biggest singles to date. This fall, Summer's reissue label Driven by the Music will revisit that set in a whole new way, creating a career-spanning, radio-ready overview of her complete career. On the Radio: Greatest Hits (Expanded), due out November 15, is a 2CD set offering 40 of
All Their Loving: New Mono Vinyl Box Set Celebrates The Beatles' First American Albums
This year's Beatles catalogue title will showcase the albums that introduced American audiences to the sound of the Fab Four. 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono will include new vinyl remasters of six albums distributed by Capitol Records within the first year of the British band's arrival in New York City. Uniquely drawn from the first four Beatles albums in the U.K. and other single and EP material, these albums will be pressed on 180-gram vinyl and housed in faithful reproductions of their original
Return of the Acid Queen: Rhino Brings Tina Turner's Early Works Back to CD, Vinyl
A half-century after her solo career began, the late, great Tina Turner's earliest albums will come back into print this fall - including the premiere CD release of her first solo album. Rhino, who digitally reissued Tina's four solo albums for United Artists last year, will press Tina Turns the Country On! (1974), Acid Queen (1975), Rough (1978) and Love Explosion (1979) on CD and vinyl. It's the first time the latter three have been in print in more than 20 years. The LP of Tina Turns the
Joy in Repetition: Cherry Red's 'Dearly Beloved' Pays Tribute to Prince, the Songwriter
Between the muted 40th anniversary celebration of Purple Rain and the bizarre drama over an estate-sanctioned Netflix documentary on his life and career, Prince fans could probably use a win lately. A new compilation from Cherry Red looks like it might finally offer one. Dearly Beloved - A Prince Songbook is an unexpectedly robust-looking 3CD set that will pay tribute to the Minneapolis icon as a songwriter - one whose classic hits have become pop standards, with so much talent overflowing
Weezer Awaken Ancient Feelings with Box Set Edition of Debut Album
Three decades after one of the quirkiest, catchiest rock albums of the '90s, Weezer will celebrate their self-titled debut with a box set packed with unreleased demos, studio and live material. Known the world over as "The Blue Album" - one of six self-titled albums the band has issued with color-coded covers - the debut will be reissued by UMe on November 1 as a 3CD set or vinyl equivalent spanning four LPs, a 10" EP and a 7" single. Both physical (and all digital) formats come with 40 bonus
The Story Behind The Album: The New Christy Minstrels' 'Live at Ledbetter's: The Complete Concert'
Last week, Legacy Recordings unveiled a special treat for fans of The New Christy Minstrels, the bestselling, Grammy-winning large folk ensemble. The digital release Live from Ledbetter's: The Complete Concert (iTunes / Amazon) was recorded at the Los Angeles venue in 1964 but remained on the shelf until rescued from the vaults in 1999. Now, a quarter of a century later, producer-historian Tom Pickles has returned to the Ledbetter's tapes for a brand-new, expanded presentation premiering three
The Weekend Stream: September 7, 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, there's new tracks from pop royalty (and rock court jesters), plus expansions and rarities from The 5th Dimension, The Alan Parsons Project, and a very exciting treat for fans of The New Christy Minstrels! Stevie Wonder, "Can We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart" (Republic) (iTunes / Amazon) A gentle, unifying acoustic number from
Shot Right Through with a Bolt of Blue: New Order Outline Definitive Edition of 'Brotherhood'
New Order will release the latest in their Definitive Edition series of album reissues: their fourth album, 1986's Brotherhood. Available November 22, Brotherhood (Definitive Edition) will follow the previous three release formats, offering the remastered album on CD and vinyl along with a bonus disc of material (including nine previously unreleased tracks) and two DVDs of unseen video footage, including live concerts and TV appearances. As with previous releases, the Definitive Edition will
Release Round-Up: Week of September 6
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. Neil Young, Archives Vol. III (1976-1987) (NYA/Reprise) 17CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 17CD/5BD Deluxe Set: Official Store This week's biggest release is the long-awaited third volume of Neil Young's long-running Archives series. Archives Vol. III (1976-1987), spans in its deluxe form a whopping 17 CDs and
The Ghostman Always Rings Twice: Real Gone Reissues Frankie Stein and His Ghouls and Vincent Price for Halloween
Halloween is just around the corner and Real Gone is getting into the spirt of things with several reissues hitting store shelves tomorrow, September 6. The first and most expansive release is Frankie Stein and His Ghouls: The Complete Ghoul-Lection which collects the five albums from the group released in 1964 and 1965. These albums were aimed at children and were released on Power Records, an imprint of Peter Pan Records. Aside from novelty records like these, Peter Pan and Power released
When All is Said and Done: ABBA Plot New Compilation with All the A-Sides
ABBA are set to release their latest - and as of a few years ago, truly - career-spanning compilation this fall. Available October 25 on two CDs or four LPs, The Singles (The First Fifty Years) updates the concept of 1982's The Singles (The First Ten Years), a double album which collected 23 of the group's A-sides (including new tracks "The Day Before You Came" and "Under Attack," effectively the final works from the group after members Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad as well as Björn
The Weekend Stream: August 31, 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. You're not hallucinating this week - there are more Daryl Hall and U2 EPs! - but there's also some great new soundtrack scores and vintage vocal jazz to peruse, too. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Daryl Hall, I'm in a Philly Mood (Epic) (iTunes / Amazon) Hall's third album, 1993's Soul Alone, was more than a
Release Round-Up: Week of August 30
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. Oasis, Definitely Maybe: 30th Anniversary Edition (Big Brother) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada "You'll never see them on a stage any time soon, but Oasis are putting out some unheard material on a new reissue of their debut album..." We've rarely been so happy to
Review: John Lennon, "Mind Games: The Ultimate Collection"
It's been quite a while since the last John Lennon "Ultimate" box set. Imagine arrived in 2018, followed by Plastic Ono Band in 2021; the multi-disc solo anthology Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes was released in between, in 2020. Anticipation justly ran high for this year's Mind Games: The Ultimate Collection, a 6CD/2BD set exploring every aspect of the solo Beatle's 1974 fourth album. (The politically-charged Some Time in New York City, a hybrid live/studio LP from John and Yoko, has
Light in the Attic Compiles Lou Reed's Earliest Work for Pickwick Records
For most people - let's say the 30,000 or so people who started a band after buying their debut - The Velvet Underground was the band that introduced the world to the uncompromising rock energy of Lou Reed. As the latest archival title of his released by Light in the Attic Records will illustrate, Reed's talents were first put on record in a possibly more unusual place than with The VU. Why Don't You Smile Now: Lou Reed At Pickwick Records 1964-1965 will serve as the first official anthology
The Weekend Stream: August 24, 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 sees digital reissues from some familiar names (Madonna, Daryl Hall and U2) as well as some new/old music from names you might not have expected, from '90s pop-whiz New Radicals(?!) to '50s piano player Cy Walter. Plus, a heartfelt recommendation for one of the week's best new albums! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- …
- 120
- Next Page »