Following collections devoted to Foreigner, Christopher Cross, Otis Redding and Yes, the U.K.’s Music Club Deluxe label (a member of the Demon Music Group family) continues its exploration of the Warner Music Group catalogue with new compilations focusing on the long, diverse careers of Dionne Warwick and Chicago. Either of these esteemed acts would be solid candidates for our Greater Hits feature, in which we compare an artist’s “greatest hits” output. Both certainly have been the subjects of countless compilations over the years. Music Club’s The Essential Dionne Warwick and Chicago –…
Big Break’s Full Summer Slate Includes Isleys, Pointers, Prince Partners
The fine folks at Big Break Records have got another large batch of new titles for release in the U.K. on July 25, and we figured now was a good time to share not only the track lists and details with you, but look ahead at some of the huge titles they’re prepping for next month. There are a few really great, underrated titles from some big-name acts in next week’s batch, including expansions of The Isley Brothers’ Between the Sheets (1983) and I Can See Clearly Now (1972) by Johnny Nash. But…
Review: “Our Lives Are Shaped By What We Love: Motown’s Mowest Story 1971-1973”
The sound is familiar but different. The harmony is spellbinding if a bit woozy. You’ve only given me a flower/I wish I had the whole bouquet… The track, led by acoustic guitar and gently funky percussion, is spare and raw. If I should ask you for an hour/Is there a chance that you would stay/And maybe spend the day? The falsetto is recognizable but eerily haunting. The song is “You’re A Song (That I Can’t Sing)” performed by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons for the album Chameleon, the group’s first effort…
He’s Got What It Takes: Marv Johnson’s Motown Years Coming from Kent
Had Marv Johnson (1938-1993) accomplished nothing else, he would still go down in history as the first artist heard on a Motown single. The very first release to come out of Berry Gordy’s mighty empire in January 1959, Tamla 101, was Johnson’s “Come to Me” b/w “Whisper,” both sides of which were written by Gordy and the artist. Thankfully, Johnson did accomplish much more musically, and as a testament to his legacy, Ace’s Kent label will release I’ll Pick a Rose for My Rose: The Complete Marv Johnson at Motown 1964-1971 as…
Reissue Theory: Aretha Franklin at Arista
The music industry is littered with careers that crashed after a second chance at the spotlight. This could have easily befallen even a legend like Aretha Franklin; the Queen of Soul had in fact risen on a second chance at Atlantic after a largely unsuccessful career with Columbia, but by the late 1970s, Aretha’s attempts to fall in with the trends of rhythm and blues were frequently derided, and ultimately she would sever her ties with the label. Against all odds – not counting the fact that she’s Aretha Franklin – the…
Review: Jackie DeShannon and Doris Troy, Anthologized by Ace
It may have been sheer coincidence that Ace dropped I’ll Do Anything: The Doris Troy Anthology 1960-1996 and Jackie DeShannon’s Come and Get Me: The Complete Liberty and Imperial Singles Volume 2 on the same day. But different though these two singers may be, their similarities are striking. Both were pioneering female songwriters, with Troy penning her biggest hit, “Just One Look,” and DeShannon offering up the likes of “When You Walk in the Room” and “Put a Little Love in Your Heart.” Both had great success recording in England and both…
Reissue Theory: Bobby Darin, Compiled: “The Motown Years”
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on great albums and the reissues they could someday see. At the time of his untimely death in 1973, Bobby Darin was signed to Motown Records, where he recorded one solo LP and enough material for a posthumous second LP. Despite their high quality, Darin’s Motown recordings have long been unavailable. Today’s Reissue Theory takes us back to 1970 and the final chapter in the life of the great Bobby Darin. Bobby Darin was so much more than just “Mack the Knife.”…
Dionne, Natalie, Nancy Reissues Coming from Soulmusic Label
Cherry Red’s got soul. Mike and I reported last week on the impressive slate planned by Cherry Red’s Big Break Records label. A smaller yet equally rich line-up is on the way from another Cherry Red division, Soulmusic.com Records.On February 14 in the U.K. and one week later stateside, the label will reissue five classic albums from a trio of accomplished vocalists: Nancy Wilson, Dionne Warwick and Natalie Cole. Perhaps most exciting is the two-on-one CD release of Wilson’s 1974 Capitol LP All in Love is Fair and its follow-up, 1975’s Come Get to This….
Doris Troy to Be Rediscovered on New Compilation
Interest in Doris Troy was piqued late last year, when her one LP for Apple Records was included in EMI’s series of Apple reissues. Now, U.K. label Kent is offering fans another step in discovering the “Just One Look” singer on CD: I’ll Do Anything: The Doris Troy Anthology 1960-1996. This heavily-packed single-disc anthology includes an equal amount of hits and rarities, from Troy’s early years as a little-known soul singer on many small labels, to her beloved time on Atlantic in the mid-’60s (with stints on Cameo-Parkway and Capitol), to her…
Gold Reissues Coming Soon for Collins, Taylor, Wonder
Audiophile specialist label Audio Fidelity has announced its initial trio of 24K Gold CD reissues for 2011, and it is comprised of three familiar names, all of whom have previously had titles reissued on the label: Phil Collins, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder. Already having tackled the gold CD of Collins’ 1981 solo debut Face Value, Steve Hoffman returns to remaster the artist’s 1985 breakthrough, No Jacket Required. Spawning four U.S. Top 10 singles, No Jacket Required was the former Genesis drummer’s third solo LP (Audio Fidelity has revealed no plans yet to…
The Great Purple Freak-Out
It’s no secret that The Second Disc HQ holds a lot of love for Prince – remember our weeklong blitz for The Artist back around his birthday this past June? – so this bit of news is, to put it mildly, rather massive. After the jump, learn what an Australian podcast got His Royal Badness himself to say about the potential future remastering of the Prince catalogue.
And They Just Can’t Hide It: Big Break Records to Reissue Two Pointer Sisters Classics
If you’re a reader of The Second Disc and you’re about to lose control, then we think you’ll like this story: Cherry Red’s Big Break imprint is reissuing two classic albums by The Pointer Sisters: Special Things (1980) and So Excited! (1982). The Pointer Sisters were instantly recognized as a unique R&B group with their self-titled debut LP in 1973. Their voices were strong and their style was distinctively retro, dealing heavily in jazz and be-bop. They even decked themselves out in costumes of the period, to boot. But by 1977, Bonnie…
New Review – Whitney Houston: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition
Need a cure and tonic from the truly dismal Grammys, currently invading airspace across the East Coast? The inimitable Matt Rowe at MusicTAP has been kind enough to post another catalogue review of mine. This time it’s Legacy’s neat reissue of Whitney Houston’s 1985 debut LP. While I can’t yet confirm if I “might just be the next MusicTAP,” as Matt very kindly speculates, I am more than happy to try. To that end, check out the review here and keep reading The Second Disc for all the expanded and remastered news you…
- « Previous
- 1
- …
- 84
- 85
- 86
