CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. More than 40 years after it was recorded, legendary pub rock outfit Brinsley Schwarz’s final studio album It’s All Over Now is finally hitting record stores! Recorded in 1974, the album sat unreleased as the band’s members went their separate ways. But now, U.K. label Mega Dodo, which released a live collection from the band in 2015, will release an official version of It’s All Over Now with ten previously unreleased tracks plus the…
California: Deluxe Edition
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Blink-182’s 2016 album California gets a quick reissue – but it amounts to a bonus of a complete new album! California will be expanded with a 12-track bonus disc, including the new single “Parking Lot,” a Japanese bonus track (“Hey I’m Sorry”) and an acoustic rendition of “Bored to Death.” It’s available on CD and vinyl, and color LP variants are available through the band’s official store.
Gotta Be Cruel to Be Kind: Brinsley Schwarz’s Final Album Released This Spring
More than 40 years after it was recorded, legendary pub rock outfit Brinsley Schwarz’s final studio album It’s All Over Now is finally hitting record stores in the spring. The venerable London quintet, comprised of Nick Lowe (vocals/bass), Ian Gomm (vocals/guitar), Brinsley Schwarz (guitar), Bob Andrews (keyboards) and Billy Rankin (drums), had endured their share of trials and tribulations throughout the 1970s. A disastrous pre-release publicity campaign in America, ending with a disastrous gig opening for Van Morrison in New York City, curtailed much of their Stateside success, though British audiences would…
Got Love If You Want It: More Record Store Day 2017 Essentials
Record Store Day’s 10th anniversary couldn’t be anything less than big. And with articles devoted to April 22’s RSD releases from David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Pink Floyd, Omnivore Recordings, Legacy Recordings, Prince, Warner Music Group and Real Gone Music, you might wonder what there’s left to say before the big day. But you’d be wrong! We’ve scoured the list to find another 23 must-have titles hitting the vinyl racks at fine independent music stores next month. Which of these favorites are on your list? The Art of Noise, Moments in Love/Beat Box…
Helium Discography Rising with New Vinyl Reissues
More than two decades after ’90s noise-pop outfit Helium disbanded, Matador Records is celebrating their influence with a pair of vinyl reissues and a new rarities compilation due this spring. Formed in Boston, Helium underwent a variety of lineup shifts before signing to Matador, where the group was comprised of vocalist/guitarist Mary Timony, a singer in the fantastic tradition of Deborah Harry and Kim Gordon; bassist Ash Bowie, and former Dumptruck drummer Shawn King Devlin. Catchy singles like “Pat’s Trick” and “Superball,” driven by fuzzy guitars and soft, ghostly keyboards, netted them…
A Lot of Respect: Erasure to Issue PledgeMusic Box Set As Wide Release
If you missed out on Erasure’s enormous box set released through PledgeMusic last holiday, it doesn’t have to be–it’s being made available to the general public this week. From Moscow to Mars: An Erasure Anthology is a treasury of riches from the seminal British synthpop duo, covering their first three decades together. This 12CD/1DVD set includes a variety of hits and rarities, including: Three discs of the band’s complete single A-sides Two discs of the group’s personal favorites, one compiled by singer Andy Bell and one by Vince Clarke Two discs of…
Warner Music Plans Record Store Day Bonanza
Record Store Day has been an institution for a decade now, so leave it to this year’s 10th anniversary event to be one of the biggest! We’ve already shone the spotlight on releases by David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Prince, Omnivore Recordings and Legacy Recordings; now, it’s time to take a look at Warner Music’s incredibly generous lineup. Over 30 titles will be featured from the label group at independent record stores on Saturday, April 22. There’s really something for everyone: vintage 12″ singles from the likes of Madonna, Jane’s Addiction and Deee-Lite;…
Hot Thing: Seven Prince Singles Coming for Record Store Day
As faithful Prince fans await more detail about this summer’s long-anticipated Purple Rain reissue, a group of Prince vinyl titles will arrive in stores for Record Store Day, a year and a day after his passing. Seven singles from The Artist’s near-unstoppable run of hits in the ’80s will be represented. Six are “RSD-First” titles, to be made available to general retail in the future, while one highly-collectible picture disc from Prince’s early chart run is coming back just for the 10th annual event on Saturday, April 22. Exclusive to the RSD…
All Together Now: Springsteen, Hendrix, Nilsson, Mathis, Cash Headline Legacy’s Record Store Day Slate
Record Store Day is turning 10 years old on Saturday, April 22, and Legacy Recordings isn’t one to miss out on the fun! The Legacy team has unveiled more than 20 exclusive releases on 7- and 12-inch vinyl that will be available at your local independent record retailer. Many of the label’s heaviest hitters and longtime favorites are represented here – including Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, Harry Nilsson, Johnny Mathis, Ben Folds, Santana, and The Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson. Legacy is also using RSD to introduce a new brand, Certified Classics, celebrating…
Blink-182 Go Back to “California” This Summer
We’ve all dealt with bands reissuing an album with a track or two a year or so later; that feeling of re-purchasing is a familiar pain indeed. But Blink-182 are easing the blow a little bit on a reissue of their latest album, California, offering fans essentially another whole album! The power-pop-punk trio turned heads with their seventh studio album last year, the first recorded without founding member and singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge after a relatively bizarre public breakup in 2015 (a decade after the group’s “indefinite hiatus” from 2005 to 2009). Co-founding…
Into the Flood Again: Legacy To Release 25th Anniversary Edition of “Singles” with Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Paul Westerberg
In 2000, writer/director Cameron Crowe dug into his personal memories as a writer for Rolling Stone for Almost Famous, the story of a reporter on tour with the fictional band Stillwater. The film would garner great critical acclaim, winning a Golden Globe for Best Film – Musical or Comedy and winning the Academy Award for Best Screenplay. The soundtrack album would win a Grammy. But this was certainly not Crowe’s first film to include the music industry nor his first to have a prominent soundtrack album. Released in 1992, Singles took place…
You Want It, Too: McCartney-McManus Demos Coming to Cassette for Record Store Day
As controversial as the Paul McCartney Archive Collection’s approach to Flowers in the Dirt has been, the official release of demos from McCartney’s fruitful writing sessions with Elvis Costello has made for some excitement around Second Disc HQ. Some of those fateful “McCartney/McManus” demos are now slated for an exclusive Record Store Day piece, it was announced yesterday. Three unheard cassette demos, part of the much-maligned download-only portion of the deluxe box set (which will also feature previously released B-sides and remixes, instead of this content on a physical disc), have been…
We Want Action: Two Nick Lowe Albums Head Back to Print
Six years after Yep Roc Records put Nick Lowe’s long-unavailable Labour of Lust on CD, the label is making two more exceptionally rare entries in his discography available once again. This spring, the label will repress Nick the Knife (1982) and The Abominable Showman (1983) on LP and CD–the first appearance of either album on the latter format in more than 25 years. Both arrive ahead of Yep Roc labelmate Los Straitjackets’ new album What’s So Funny About Peace, Love and…Los Straitjackets, a collection of 13 covers from Lowe’s songbook by the…
Release Round-Up: Week of March 10
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Elliott Smith, Either/Or: Expanded Edition (Kill Rock Stars) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Kill Rock Stars label has a new remastered, expanded reissue of Elliott Smith’s 1997 Either/Or on 2 CDs or 2 LPs. The bonus material includes five live tracks, the unreleased tune “I Figured You Out,” a new mix of B-side “I Don’t Think I’m Ever Gonna Figure It Out,” and alternate versions of tracks “New Monkey” and “Bottle Up and Explode!”…
Luminous Times: U2 Expand “The Joshua Tree” for 30th Anniversary
For the first time ever, U2 are taking a year to look back. The summer will see them tour North America and Europe to mark 30 years of their bestselling album The Joshua Tree–and today, on the exact anniversary of its release, the group has announced a new super deluxe edition of the album for release in June. The Joshua Tree found the band on the precipice of earning the mantle of biggest rock band in the world–Europe had been conquered not long after a definitive performance at London’s Wembley Stadium for…
Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live…and More
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) 2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) 2CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) Big Star’s cult classic Third is revived in front of a live audience in 2016 on this new concert film and soundtrack, featuring original drummer Jody Stephens joined by The Posies’ Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Mitch Easter of Let’s Active, and Chris Stamey of The dB’s, plus a host of special guests including Jeff Tweedy and Pat Sansone (both of Wilco), Robyn Hitchcock, Dan Wilson (Semisonic), Benmont Tench…
Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds 1984-2014
Standard 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) Standard 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) 3CD/1DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (TBD) A new multi-format compilation curated by Nick Cave and Mick Harvey serves as an introduction to the group’s output over a thirty-year period. Lovely Creatures will be available in several formats: A 2CD and 3LP set features 21 tracks from the group’s discography in non-chronological order; A deluxe set includes 45 chronologically arranged tracks (including a handful of non-album B-sides) on three CDs,…
Stranger Than Kindness: Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds Prep New Compilation
In January, an aspiring young New Zealand comedian posed a humorous question on Twitter trying to ascertain the identity of a certain celebrity he encountered. Of course, that striking visage is none other than alt-rock icon Nick Cave–but if you’re looking to learn more about him, a new compilation will cover your needs. Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds this week announced Lovely Creatures: The Best of Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds 1984-2014, a new, multi-format compilation designed to introduce the new fan to the group’s generous catalogue from 1984 to…
Thank You Friends: New Big Star Tribute Set, Compilation Coming in April
If you do as Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg says and “never travel far without a little Big Star,” some new products related to the legendarily underrated Memphis rockers may find a place on your shelves. Concord Bicycle Music recently announced the springtime release of Thank You, Friends: Big Star’s Third Live…and More. This exciting set pays tribute to the legendary power pop band’s “lost” third album, recorded in 1974 but shelved until 1978, after the band broke up. In 2010, Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, the sole surviving member of the classic…
Release Round-Up: Week of March 3
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Ann-Margret, The Definitive Collection (Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Real Gone has a new compilation from the one and only Ann-Margret. The Definitive Collection features 30 of the flame-haired singer/actress’s songs from her 1961-1966 tenure on RCA Records and includes standards, pop, soundtrack recordings and collaborations with Al Hirt and Elvis Presley! This title was previously issued as a digital-only entry in Sony’s Essential series. The Second Disc’s Joe Marchese provides the new liner notes! The Rascals, The Complete Singles –…
One Shot Deal: Over 20 Frank Zappa Titles Arrive On CD in March
March 24 might as well be declared Frank Zappa Day. On that date, retailers are reporting that Zappa Records and UMe will unveil CD reissues of more than twenty Zappa titles from his storied discography. These posthumous releases from the late composer-bandleader (1940-1993) were previously available as limited edition mail order/online exclusives from Vaulternative and Zappa Records between 1994 and 2015, and drew upon his vast archive of previously unheard material from both the studio and the concert stage. Among these offerings from the prolific artist are compilations, audio documentaries for classic…
New Looks: Real Gone’s April Slate Includes B.J. Thomas, David Allan Coe, Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg
As the winter season draws to a close, we now look ahead to spring. Real Gone Music has just announced its titles for the first full month of the season. Due on April 7, the new slate features country and spoken word projects together with a few limited vinyl repressings. First up is a release featuring notes by our very own Joe Marchese. The single disc New Looks from an Old Lover – The Complete Columbia Singles from B.J. Thomas gathers up all of the A and B sides the singer recorded for…
“Tomorrow’s” Here! New Reissue Shines Light on The Modulators
When news came through that Brooklyn label Manufactured Recordings was reissuing Tomorrow’s Coming, the sole full-length LP by cult power-pop group The Modulators, we at Second Disc HQ knew we couldn’t just do an ordinary news post. It’s not just the music–although the music, a sugary-sweet blend of Raspberries-esque dream pop and Marshall Crenshaw-ian jangle-crunch, is thoroughly worth your time. Ultimately, our interest is piqued by the original label that released Tomorrow’s Coming: Vintage Vinyl Records, the boutique label of New Jersey’s largest independent record store and the place both myself and…
Reissue Theory: Martini Ranch
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on great albums and the reissues they could someday see. The passing of a beloved actor leads to a discovery of the New Wave band you might not have known he was in! The loss of Bill Paxton today resonates hard among moviegoers of the ’80s and ’90s. The Texan actor, who appeared in films like The Terminator, Weird Science, Aliens, Near Dark, Tombstone, Apollo 13, Twister, Titanic and Nightcrawler, passed away at 61 due to complications from surgery. His penchant for…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 24
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! George Harrison, The Vinyl Collection (Apple/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) George Harrison – The Vinyl Collection includes newly-remastered editions of 13 albums, from Wonderwall Music (1968) to the posthumously released Brainwashed (2002). Each album has been remastered at Capitol Studios from the original tapes and pressed onto 180-gram vinyl. The albums are all packaged in replica sleeves, and the entire set comes in one sturdy slipcase.While all of the LPs will be available individually, the box set will also contain exclusive 12-inch…























