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/ R&B/Soul

Release Round-Up: Week of August 4

August 4, 2017 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Robin Hood Legacy Collection

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Legacy Collection: Robin Hood (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.) Disney's Legacy Collection returns with a first-ever complete soundtrack release for the 1973 animated classic Robin Hood.  Disc 1 of this 2-CD set includes the original songs and score from the film (28 tracks overall), penned by writers including Roger Miller, George Bruns, Floyd Huddleston, and Johnny Mercer. Disc 2 spotlights 13 tracks of

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets, CD, Vinyl Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Def Leppard, Henry Mancini, Jaguar, Jimmy Reed, Randy Newman, Roger Miller, Samson, The Rain Parade

Hard-Hitting "Sweet Sweetback" Returns To Vinyl For Stax 60th Campaign

August 3, 2017 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Sweet Sweetback Vinyl

Upon its release in 1971, there was nothing quite like Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song.  The low- budget, independently-made film - written, directed, edited, composed by and starring Melvin Van Peebles, and rated X "by an all-white jury" as its tagline proclaimed, ushered in the blaxploitation genre in shocking and often graphic fashion.  Prior to the film's release, the multi-hyphenate Van Peebles realized that the best way to spread the word about his groundbreaking work was via music.  And

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: Vinyl Genre: R&B/Soul, Soundtracks Tags: Earth Wind and Fire, Melvin Van Peebles

Review: Santana and The Isley Brothers, "Power of Peace"

July 31, 2017 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

image004

In 1965, Hal David first made the observation, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love...it's the only thing that there's just too little of."  Over fifty-two years later, there's still just too little love, and it's a situation which Carlos Santana has aimed to remedy.  The guitar hero was inspired by seeing the velvet-voiced Ron Isley, longtime lead singer of The Isley Brothers, performing with Burt Bacharach in a 2004 television special promoting their collaborative album Here I Am. 

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: Santana, The Isley Brothers

Review: Arthur Alexander, "Arthur Alexander [Expanded Edition]"

July 31, 2017 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Arthur Alexander

If the influence of Arthur Alexander on rock-and-roll is ever in doubt, one need only look at the list of artists who have recorded his songs - a list that includes The Beatles and The Rolling Stones just for starters.  Though the R&B singer-songwriter ("You Better Move On," "Anna (Go to Him)") never became a household name in the vein of Otis or Sam or The Wicked Pickett, he nonetheless left behind a treasure trove of varied recordings.  Now, the Alabama native's 1972 self-titled Warner

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: Arthur Alexander

Release Round-Up: Week of July 28

July 28, 2017 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Boy From Tupelo LP

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Presley, A Boy From Tupelo - The Complete 1953-55 Recordings (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.) A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete Recordings 1953-1955 journeys back to the birth of rock-and-roll to feature, on three CDs and digitally, every known Elvis Presley Sun Records master and outtake.  In addition, the collection also contains Elvis' four earliest, privately-pressed sides, and vintage radio and concert

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul Tags: 10cc, Alice Cooper, Arthur Alexander, Elvis Presley, Emerson Lake and Palmer, Herb Alpert, Jessica Molaskey, John Pizzarelli, Pet Shop Boys, Santana, The Cars, The Delfonics, The Isley Brothers

A Brand New Me: Aretha Franklin with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

July 27, 2017 By

Aretha and the Philharmonic

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Aretha Franklin's arrival at Atlantic Records in 1967 after departing Columbia Records.  Her twelve year-tenure there would produce some of the most iconic soul and R&B recordings of all time.  To celebrate this anniversary, Rhino Records is taking a cue from the Elvis Presley playbook and combining her classic vocals with new orchestral backing tracks.  A Brand New Me: Aretha Franklin with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will hit stores on November

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Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul

Tell Me This is a Dream (Expanded Edition)

July 25, 2017 By

Delfonics Tell Me This is a Dream

Funky Town Grooves U.K. has an expanded edition of The Delfonics' fourth album - their first with Major Harris in the line-up, and first without Thom Bell at the helm.  It includes favorites such as "Hey Love" and "Walk Right Up to the Sun" and has been expanded with four bonus tracks: singles of non-LP side "Think It Over" (arranged by Norman Harris and Vince Montana), the rare "Delphonics" Arista single "Don't Throw It All Away" b/w "I Don't Care What People Say," and the 45 version of the

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Formats: CD Genre: R&B/Soul

Roll with the Punches

July 25, 2017 By

Van Morrison Roll with the Punches

Van Morrison's 37th studio album, Roll with the Punches finds the Caledonia soul man covering some of his favorite R&B classics (by the likes of Bo Diddley, Mose Allison, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Lightnin' Hopkins among others) alongside five new, original songs.  Chris Farlowe, Georgie Fame, Jeff Beck, Paul Jones and Jason Rebello join Van for this new release.  Available on CD, LP, and DD.

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Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock

Give Your Propers: New Aretha Franklin Project Combines Classics with New Orchestral Backing

July 25, 2017 By Randy Fairman 14 Comments

Aretha and the Philharmonic

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Aretha Franklin's arrival at Atlantic Records in 1967 after departing Columbia Records.  Her twelve year-tenure there would produce some of the most iconic soul and R&B recordings of all time.  To celebrate this anniversary, Rhino Records is taking a cue from the Elvis Presley playbook and combining her classic vocals with new orchestral backing tracks.  A Brand New Me: Aretha Franklin with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will hit stores on November

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Vinyl Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: Aretha Franklin

Tickle Me: Edsel Reissues The Alan Price Set's Decca Recordings, Featuring Early Randy Newman Songs

July 25, 2017 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Alan Price Set Twice the Price

Alan Price's early accomplishments with The Animals would have been enough to ensure the keyboardist-composer-arranger's place in the rock and roll pantheon, but happily, Price's solo work has endured just as strongly over the years.  Price publicly announced his departure from the group on May 5, 1965, and just a few months later in September, he introduced his new band, The Alan Price Set.  Edsel has recently restored the early recordings of The Alan Price Set into print on a 3-CD

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Alan Price, Randy Newman, The Alan Price Set

See Clearly Now: SoulMusic Anthologizes Johnny Nash, Labelle, Teena Marie, Angela Bofill

July 21, 2017 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Labelle Anthology

SoulMusic Records, in association with Cherry Red Group, has recently continued its Classic Artist Anthology Series with another round of titles from bona fide R&B legends including Labelle, Angela Bofill, Johnny Nash, and the late Teena Marie. Before reinventing themselves as purveyors of funky cosmic soul, Patti LaBelle, Sarah Dash, and Nona Hendryx had comprised three-fourths of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles, alongside future Supreme Cindy Birdsong.  In 1971, the streamlined trio

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Angela Bofill, Johnny Nash, Labelle, Teena Marie

Release Round-Up: Week of July 21

July 21, 2017 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

Leave Home

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Ramones, Leave Home: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Sire/Rhino) 3CD/1LP box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. 1CD remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.  A new  3CD/1LP edition of Ramones' 1977 sophomore album boasts the album in original and newly-remixed form, as well as a 33-track disc loaded with previously unreleased session material and a 1977 CBGBs concert recording! In addition to the above material on CD,

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Categories: News Formats: Blu-Ray, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: 10cc, Billy Ocean, Eric Stewart, Johnny Rivers, Marillion, Ramones, The Beach Boys, The Stylistics

Those Dreamin' Eyes: D'Angelo's Debut to Be Expanded

July 17, 2017 By Mike Duquette 2 Comments

brown sugar1

A dip into the Second Disc Archives shows us one of our earliest Reissue Theory posts was a look at D'Angelo's 1995 debut Brown Sugar. A lot has changed since that post was written--not only here at The Second Disc, but with D'Angelo's career. At the tail end of 2015, the man born Michael Archer ended a 15-year silence with the release of Black Messiah, an emotionally charged old-school soul album that earned a rapturous response from critics. And with D'Angelo back in the spotlight, UMe has

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: D'Angelo

Release Round-Up: Week of July 14

July 14, 2017 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Dusty Springfield Brand New Me Complete

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Dusty Springfield, A Brand New Me: The Complete Philadelphia Sessions (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Dusty Springfield's 1970 A Brand New Me LP (her follow-up Atlantic effort to the landmark Dusty in Memphis) found Dusty traveling to Sigma Sound in Philadelphia to work with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, architects of the orchestrated soul known as "The Philadelphia Sound."  Springfield would have a #3 AC

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Everything Else, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: Dusty Springfield, Eagles, k.d. lang, Lifehouse, Nick Lowe, The Grateful Dead, Yoko Ono

Ace Throws a Philly Soul "House Party" with The Delfonics, Len Barry, Jerry Butler, More

July 13, 2017 By Joe Marchese 1 Comment

Nothing But a House Party

What is the sound of Philadelphia?  As Kent Records' exciting compilation Nothing But a House Party: The Birth of The Philly Sound 1967-1971 readily admits, there were many such sounds - the sound of teen idols Fabian and Frankie Avalon; of "South Street" and "The Mashed Potato" and Cameo-Parkway Records; of the doo-wop of The Dreamlovers, and before that, of Italian-American singers like Mario Lanza and Al Martino.  But the sound of Philadelphia referenced here is the one with capital letters -

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: Archie Bell and the Drells, Gamble and Huff, Jerry Butler, The Delfonics, The Intruders, Thom Bell, Various Artists

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere: Ace Collects Shel Talmy Productions From The Who, David Bowie, More

July 7, 2017 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Making Time A Shel Talmy Production

An advertisement reprinted in Ace Records' splendid new collection Making Time: A Shel Talmy Production reads, "Artistes Shel Talmy Has Recorded: The Kinks, The Bachelors, The Who, Chad and Jeremy" and so on.  Add to that list Manfred Mann, The Creation, The Fortunes, Trini Lopez, Lee Hazlewood, and a certain David Bowie, and you have an idea of the scope of this first-of-its-kind collection dedicated to the work of the producer-engineer-impresario.  Though born in Chicago, Talmy made his name

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: David Bowie, Shel Talmy, The Creation, The Who, Various Artists

Release Round-Up: Week of July 7

July 7, 2017 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Laura Nyro A Little Magic A Little Kindness

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up featuring our latest Second Disc Records title and much, much more! Laura Nyro, A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are proud to present, for the first time on CD, the ultra-rare, original mono mixes of Laura Nyro's first two albums: More Than a New Discovery (Verve Folkways, 1967) and Eli

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Charley Pride, Chris Bell, Del Shannon, Delegation, Eddy Arnold, Keely Smith, Laura Nyro, Radiohead, Rosanne Cash, Tim Buckley, Weather Report

Review: The Beach Boys, "1967: Sunshine Tomorrow" and "Wild Honey" (Stereo LP)

July 3, 2017 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

Beach Boys Sunshine Tomorrow

There's nothing quite nice as a kiss of wild honey... Carl Wilson - the angelic voice from on high of "God Only Knows" - unleashed his inner soul man with a fury on "Wild Honey," the title track of The Beach Boys' second album of 1967.  The funky, Theremin-driven ode to a "girl with the sweetness of a honey bee" opened the LP which turned out to be one of the most singular in the band's storied catalogue.  Its fusion of pulsating R&B and raw rock-and-roll, anchored by nine Brian

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: The Beach Boys

Review: Prince and The Revolution, 'Purple Rain: Deluxe Expanded Edition'

June 26, 2017 By Mike Duquette 13 Comments

purple rain prince

Dearly Beloved It exists. It really exists. That may be the most astounding thing about the deluxe expanded edition of Prince's masterpiece Purple Rain (Warner Bros./NPG Records 547374-2). And believe me, there's a lot to be astounded by. This set features the first remaster of any Prince album in the compact disc era, a fully-stocked disc of officially unreleased tracks from the vault, a complete offering of sides (edits, remixes and B-sides) from all five singles released from the

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD, DVD Genre: Classic Rock, Funk, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: Prince

Release Round-Up: Week of June 16

June 16, 2017 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

David Bowie Cracked Actor

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! David Bowie, Cracked Actor: Live in Los Angeles 1974 (Parlophone/Rhino) (Amazon U.S./ Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Cracked Actor: Live in Los Angeles 1974 is the first authorized release of Bowie's Philly Dogs Tour show at Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheatre, from September 1974.  First released earlier this year on vinyl only, some of this performance was featured in Alan Yentob's BBC documentary also known as Cracked Actor.  The original tapes

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, SACD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Big Star, Blue Cheer, Cheap Trick, David Bowie, Randy Newman, Rosebud, Spirit, The Commodores, The Dustbowl Revival, The Rolling Stones

Get Busy: Sean Paul Releases Greatest Hits Collection

June 14, 2017 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

Dutty Classics Collection

If you've been on a dance floor since the start of the millennium, there's a good chance you've heard the intoxicating dancehall riddims of Sean Paul. A recently released greatest hits compilation from Rhino Records puts those dancefloor classics in full focus. Born Sean Paul Henriques in Kingston, Jamaica, the singer was discovered in his mid-20s, with a flow compared favorably to dancehall pioneer Super Cat. A cameo in music video director Hype Williams' big-screen bow, the urban crime

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Disco/Dance, Everything Else, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Beyoncé, Busta Rhymes, DMX, Sean Paul

Release Round-Up: Week of June 9

June 9, 2017 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Glen Campbell Adios

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Glen Campbell, Adios (UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Glen Campbell's final recordings, produced by his longtime band member Carl Jackson, comprise this release.  Selections include the lead-off single "Everybody's Talkin'," and four songs by Jimmy Webb (including the touching title track as well as "Postcard from Paris," "Just Like Always" and "It Won't Bring Her Back"), plus compositions from Bob Dylan, Jerry Reed, Dickey Lee,

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Blues, Classic Rock, Folk, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Christine McVie, Chuck Berry, Del Shannon, Glen Campbell, John Coltrane, Lee Hazlewood, Lindsey Buckingham, Lynn Castle, Paul Simon, Third Eye Blind

BREAKING! A Song Worth Singing: Johnny Mathis Special Airs This Saturday, New Box Set Arrives

June 8, 2017 By Joe Marchese 9 Comments

Mathis 60th 1

Johnny Mathis is currently touring the U.S. on his Voice of Romance tour - and indeed, for over 60 years, that appellation has been apt.  This Saturday evening, June 10, Mathis is coming to your own city, courtesy of Public Television and TJ Lubinsky's TJL Productions' popular and long-running My Music series.   Yes, this Saturday is Johnny Mathis Night, because that's when Public Television stations nationwide will air Wonderful! Wonderful!, a concert film featuring all of Mathis' beloved

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul Tags: Angela Bofill, Deniece Williams, Dionne Warwick, Henry Mancini, Jane Olivor, Johnny Mathis, Thom Bell, Yolanda Adams

The Beat Goes On: Ace Collects Rock and Soul of "1967: The Year Pop Divided"

June 6, 2017 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Jon Savages 1967

Late in 2015, Ace Records released the compilation Jon Savage's 1966: The Year The Decade Exploded to coincide with the publication of the author-historian's book of the same name.  Now, Ace and Savage have followed that CD release with another volume - 1967: The Year Pop Divided.  The 2-CD collection's mission statement is clearly set out: "MOR ballads were rife in the U.K. charts in 1967, but thankfully not on this dynamic collection of rock, soul, pop, and incipient funk and psych the teenage

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross and The Supremes, James Brown, The Four Tops, The Monkees, Various Artists

Power of Peace

June 5, 2017 By

image004

The Isley Brothers and Santana team up for an all-new studio album in which the legendary artists reflect on classic rock, pop, soul, and R&B standards such as "Higher Ground," "Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)," "God Bless the Child," and "What the World Needs Now is Love."

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Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: R&B/Soul

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