As has become a yearly tradition for the past several years, Motown released a "copyright extension" compilation of previously unreleased tracks at the very end of 2017, only a couple of weeks after last year's similar set got a physical release. Motown Unreleased: 1967 gathers 89 tracks across the equivalent of 4 CDs, all previously unheard treasures from the seemingly inexhaustible Motown vaults. Like the collections of the past couple of years, there is a wide range of Motown talent on
The Year In Review - The 2017 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z
Happy New Year, and welcome to The Second Disc's Eighth 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 the current 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 catalogue
Shake Your Body: "The John Luongo Disco Mixes" Features Jacksons, Mathis, Labelle, Sly Stone, and More
Can You Feel the Force? asks the title of Groove Line Records' new compilation of The John Luongo Disco Mixes. The force is undeniable on this 2-CD, 21-track selection of some of the finest floor-fillers crafted by the Boston DJ-turned-pioneering disco mix master. Luongo had a vision for disco that extended beyond the expected; hence, this dynamite set mostly drawn from the Sony vaults features an eclectic array of artists from the realms of R&B (The Jacksons. Gladys Knight and the Pips,
Holiday Gift Guide Review: "The Stax Vinyl 7s Box"
When it comes to Stax Records' 60th anniversary celebration, why should CDs have all the fun? The vinyl release of The Stax Vinyl 7s Box from Concord and UMC (STX 00252) brings fourteen rare tracks from across the Stax family of labels to seven 45 RPM singles, all emblazoned with the familiar yellow, finger-snapping logo. Compiler Richard Searling's raison d'etre is a simple one, as he sets forth in the liner notes: "I've selected the content based on my experience of featuring these songs in
I'm So Glad You're Back: Stax Plans Fourth Volume of Singles Box Set Series
Craft Recordings has been doing great things with the Stax Records catalogue in honor of its 60th anniversary (check out our most recent review of the new Isaac Hayes box set for proof!) - and now, they're continuing a beloved box set series with a new collection of the label's singles. Continuing the trend established by The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (released in 1991 and reissued by Rhino in 2016), The Complete Stax-Volt Soul Singles, Vol. 2: 1968-1971 (1993, reissued 2014) and
Full Time: Omnivore Acquires Nighthawk Reggae Catalogue, Celebrates Ru-Jac R&B
Omnivore Recordings continues to grow with news of the acquisition of the Nighthawk Records label, joining Ru-Jac Records as part of the Omnivore family. Omnivore has acquired rights to the master catalogues of both labels, as well as the respective publishing catalogues of each. Upcoming releases include Full Time by Gladiators and Ethiopian & His All Stars' previously unissued album The Return of Jack Sparrow, both via Nighthawk, due this Friday, December 15, 2017, and Something Got a
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Isaac Hayes, "The Spirit of Memphis 1962-1976"
From its humble beginnings in a Memphis garage sixty years ago to its present-day role as part of the Concord Music Group, Stax Records has persevered through numerous ups and downs to be rightfully recognized as one of the most important labels of the 20th century. After early records concentrated on pop, country, and rockabilly, Stax (so named for founders Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton) found its niche in R&B, launching the careers of soul legends like Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Sam &
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Johnny Mathis, "The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection"
I. Wonderful, Wonderful "A new sound in popular music," heralded the back cover of Johnny Mathis' 1956 debut album. That self-titled release on Columbia Records introduced a voice that's now instantly familiar: expressive, rich, creamy, seductive, and tender, with a clarion, controlled vibrato that set it apart from any other tone in the golden age of American song. As Columbia's George Avakian realized, Mathis' natural instrument was perfect for jazz - capable of navigating the form's
Release Round-Up: Week of December 8
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Debby Boone, You Light Up My Life: 40th Anniversary Expanded Edition (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Finally, the platinum LP containing the biggest hit of the 1970s arrives on CD! Real Gone's new edition expands Debby Boone's original You Light Up My Life album by a whopping thirteen tracks, tracing Debby's career back to her earliest recordings with her sisters as The Boone Girls. You'll hear their effervescent
Back to the Garden: Jimi Hendrix's "Both Sides of the Sky" Premieres Unreleased Tracks, Features Stills, Winter
Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings are opening the Jimi Hendrix vaults once again for a new release intended as the third installment in the trilogy that began with Valleys of Neptune in 2010 and continued with People, Hell and Angels in 2013. Both Sides of the Sky will arrive in stores on March 9 in CD, vinyl, and digital formats, featuring 13 songs recorded between January 1968 and February 1970 - ten of which are previously unreleased. The recordings on Both Sides of the Sky evince
Ace Records Spotlight: Wilson Pickett, Chuck Jackson, Judy Henske, and "The Unexpected"
From folk to space-age pop and heartrending soul, Ace Records and its Kent Records imprint have got collectors covered with a number of recent releases. Wilson Pickett Sings Bobby Womack on Kent Records traces the many meetings of the two soul titans - 17 tracks, in fact, all recorded between May 1966 and September 1968 and culled from The Wicked Pickett's tenure at Atlantic Records. Although Womack's time as an artist at the New York label was short (just one 1966 single, "Find Me Somebody"
The Soulful Shack: "Motown Unreleased 1966" Box Set Comes to Limited Edition CD
Given the speed and frequency with which the Motown label made recordings during its heyday, the company's vaults are known to be vast. Large amounts of unreleased material have been added to compilations and reissues over the years, while still other collections have been solely devoted to never-before-heard tracks from the label's superstars. Due to European copyright laws that allow unused recordings to enter the public domain, Motown has been releasing digital-only copyright-extension
Release Round-Up: Week of December 1
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Alan Parsons Project, Eye in the Sky: 35th Anniversary Edition (Arista/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The eye in the sky is still looking at you...Legacy Recordings has a 35th anniversary box set celebrating The Alan Parsons Project's 1982 best-seller Eye in the Sky. The album, which yielded the APP's biggest hit single with its title track as well as the classic instrumental "Sirius," will be enhanced for this lavish
Who Ya Gonna Call? Big Break Anthologizes Best of Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio
It would be a mighty task to distill the career of Ray Parker, Jr. - singer, songwriter, guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, arranger, and more - into one collection, but Big Break Records has boldly done just that with the enticing anthology entitled For Those Who Like to Groove: The Essential Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio. The Cherry Red imprint has collected 32 hits and rarities on 2 CDs from the period of 1978-1987, proving there's a whole lot more to the artist than just his
THE SECOND DISC'S 2017 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!
We wouldn't want you to be left out in the cold today for Cyber Monday, so we're proud to present our annual Holiday Gift Guide featuring more than 50 essential selections for the music enthusiast in your life! We've filled the guide with box sets (such as the Bob Dylan title to your right!) as well as archival releases and holiday music favorites that make great stocking stuffers. So just click here to access this year's top picks, reflecting the diversity of music released this year in
Release Round-Up: Week of November 24
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! "Weird Al" Yankovic, Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic (Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The world's premier parodist celebrates his discography with a box set unlike any other: all 14 of his original albums, newly remastered; Medium Rarities, a bonus album of rare and unreleased material; and a 100+ page book of rare photos and memorabilia--all packaged
With a Bang! Legacy Recordings Brings "The Bert Berns Story" Soundtrack to Vinyl
Even if you don't know the name of Bert Berns, chances are you know the songs he wrote ("Twist and Shout," "I Want Candy," "Hang On, Sloopy," "Piece of My Heart"), produced ("Under the Boardwalk," "Baby I'm Yours," "Brown-Eyed Girl," "Here Comes the Night") and oversaw as head of Bang Records ("Cherry, Cherry," "Solitary Man" and the rest of Neil Diamond's earliest recordings). Though Berns died in the final days of 1967 at just 38 years of age, a year hasn't gone by since when his songs haven't
Review: "Saturday Night Fever: The Original Movie Sound Track" [Super Deluxe Box Set]
Listen to the ground...there is movement all around... Saturday Night Fever didn't invent disco...but in many ways, it epitomized the genre. With the December 1977 release of the John Badham-directed drama and its soundtrack album, the onetime underground dance movement which had been rising to the mainstream since at least 1974 became the mainstream. Disco's alluring blend of the gritty and the glamorous gained a face in the form of John Travolta, whose tough yet tender Tony Manero of Bay
Release Round-Up: Week of November 17
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Queen, News of the World: 40th Anniversary Edition (UMC (U.K.) / Hollywood (U.S.) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.) Queen's sixth album, 1977's News of the World, is being generously expanded for its 40th anniversary in a new 3CD/1DVD/1LP box set. The original album is presented on CD and LP. The first bonus CD, the entirely unreleased Raw Sessions, presents an alternate version of the original album from demos, outtakes and live
Big Break Big Round-Up: Spotlight on Spyder Turner, Randy Crawford and Enchantment
Today, we're taking a look at three recent releases from Big Break Records that you just might have missed! Spyder Turner may be best remembered today for a novelty single. His 1967 reworking of Ben E. King's classic "Stand by Me" found him channeling his inner Rich Little or Sammy Davis, Jr. to impersonate such famous voices as James Brown, Sam Cooke, and Smokey Robinson. Love it or loathe it, Turner's "Stand by Me" made it all the way to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. But the West
Hail! Hail! Chuck Berry's 'The Great Twenty-Eight' Becomes Vinyl Box Set
One of the greatest compilations of all time is going deluxe thanks to the team at UMe. A five-disc vinyl version of Chuck Berry's The Great Twenty-Eight (1982) is due in stores in early 2018. The Great Twenty-Eight may have one of the most accurate titles in compilation history: more than two dozen of the Missouri-born rock legend's best-loved singles and B-sides from his most successful period on Chess Records from 1955 to 1965. Ten of the tracks were Top 40 hits on Billboard's Hot 100,
Release Round-Up: Week of November 10
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elton John, Diamonds [Various Formats] (UMe) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Elton John looks back on his extraordinary career with a new retrospective collection, available in 1-CD, 2-CD, 3-CD, and 2-LP formats. Get all of the details right here! R.E.M., Automatic for the
A Fine Romance: Verve To Release Unheard Ella Fitzgerald Live Gig
A previously unreleased pair of Ella Fitzgerald live sets are coming to CD next month, as part of a celebration of the iconic singer's centennial year! 1956 was a pivotal year for Ella Fitzgerald. She had recently become the first artist on her manager Norman Granz's brand-new label Verve Records. That year, she'd record and release Ella Fitzgerald Sings The Cole Porter Song Book, her first of eight albums over the next decade that would spotlight and celebrate various composers of what we
Happy Ending: Cherry Red Collects Albums from Yvonne Elliman and More on "Purple People Vol. 1"
Cherry Red Records has recently been cherry-picking a number of rare treasures from the archives of Purple Records, the label formed by Deep Purple. Between 1971 and 1979, Purple Records issued music not just from its namesake band, but by other artists both inside (Elf, Hard Stuff) and outside of the hard rock sphere. Highlights from these albums have been compiled before on a compilation entitled Purple People. Now, four of the label's most unexpected offerings have been collected on CD by
The Boss: Diana Ross Celebrated with New Digital Compilation
Usually it takes 60 years to get to a diamond anniversary, but what's a few years early to celebrate Diana Ross! The R&B legend will be honored with a lifetime achievement award at the American Music Awards on November 19, and a new digital compilation will be released that weekend (Friday, November 17) to get the celebration started. Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection is a breezy 15-track non-chronological trip through Miss Ross' unprecedented career. Focusing primarily on her solo
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