The Lee Mendelson family continues its series of debut releases from the Peanuts animation library with this premiere audio release of the score for 1975’s Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown. The 50th anniversary release includes Vince Guaraldi’s complete 22-cue score plus eight never-before-heard bonus tracks. Guaraldi was joined on the sessions by Seward McCain on electric bass and Vince Lateano on drums for such treats as “Heartburn Blues” and an updated version of “Linus and Lucy.” The album has been sourced from the original 2″ session tapes as transferred to a 192kHz/24bit…
Quartet’s First Film Music Release of 2025 is Barry, Barry Good
As if the feast of John Barry expanded film scores, from James Bond to Out of Africa, hasn’t been exciting enough, Quartet Records kicked off the new year with the announcement of more rarities from the celebrated British composer. The label has issued The Polydor Years, a 3CD collection that brings together re-recordings of classic themes, unique arrangements and original music released on albums, singles and compilations in the mid-’70s in Europe. 1972’s The Concert John Barry, 1974’s Play It Again and 1976’s unique Americans have been exceedingly rare to come by on CD, released only in…
The Weekend Stream: December 21, 2024 – and a Merry Discmas to All!
Welcome to 2024’s final edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! With no Release Round-Up this Friday and a few weeks of peace and quite from (and for!) us until 2025, we’ve got a few more treats for you under the tree from Wham!, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis, Archie Bell & The Drells and so much more! Wham!, Last Christmas (Epic/Legacy/Sony Music U.K.) (iTunes / Amazon) For its 40th anniversary, Wham!’s holiday classic was reissued on various physical…
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Soundtrack Watch: Intrada’s Last 2024 Score Reissues Include ‘Out of Africa,’ ‘The Old Man and the Sea’ and More
If the holidays are a time to release the biggest archival film scores on CD, Intrada certainly got the memo! Among their last reissues of 2024 include an expanded version of an Oscar winner by John Barry, a premiere release of a Maurice Jarre favorite, a reissue of a stalwart album by Jerry Goldsmith and a new recording of a beloved work from Dimitri Tiomkin – plus a soundtrack to a documentary on one of the better-known songwriters/scorers of the ’70s. While Barry certainly gets accolades for his work with the James…
It Had Better Be Tonight: Quartet Records Celebrates Henry Mancini with “Pink Panther” Premiere Plus “Darling Lili” and More
April 16, 2024 marked what would have been the 100th birthday of Henry Mancini (1924-1994). With over 125 films and 90 albums to his credit (not to mention television shows, stage productions, and more!), the late composer’s richly melodic music is still very much a part of the American cultural tapestry. Spain’s soundtrack specialist label Quartet Records wasn’t about to let the Mancini centennial go unnoticed. The label has delivered four new Mancini releases just in time for the holidays, all of which look to be deserving of the composer’s great legacy….
The Weekend Stream: December 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. We’ve got Christmas cheer from The Damnwells and Jody Miller, a Record Store Day reissue from Tegan and Sara, mid-’70s fun from The Flying Burrito Brothers to Freddie Prinze and a new spin on a John Williams classic. Plus, a way to help a dear friend and collaborator of the TSD team. The Damnwells, Xmas Eve (Poor Man/Pasadena Records) (iTunes / Amazon) Cult-favorite Brooklyn-bred quartet The Damnwells put out one…
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Holiday Gift Guide Review: ‘Mary Poppins: 60th Anniversary Collection’
I. In Every Job That Must Be Done, There is An Element of Fun When you’re a child – no matter where you’re from, or how perceptive you may be about such things – it’s easy to get a sixth sense about something you watch or read and just feel is different from the rest of what you’ve watched or seen. The Wizard of Oz is that way for many people. So too is Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers’ series of books about a magical nanny that was adapted into a colorful musical film by Walt…
The Weekend Stream: December 6, 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. Elton John’s most recent recording gets a remix, plus some rare Prince-produced ’90s R&B, a comeback track from one of 2010s pop’s most underrated performers, and some Christmas curios you’ll have to hear to believe. There’s even a tearjerker music video from…Coldplay? Check it all out! Elton John, “Never Too Late” (Acoustic Version) (Mercury/EMI) (iTunes / Amazon) Elton’s recently released team-up with Brandi Carlile, which closes the documentary…
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Release Round-Up: Week of December 6
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles out today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Laura Nyro, Hear My Song: The Collection 1966-1995 (Madfish) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Madfish) Over three years after the release of its 8LP vinyl box set American Dreamer 1967-1978, the Madfish label is returning to the discography of late singer-songwriter Laura Nyro for the 19CD box set Hear My Song: The Collection 1966-1995. This collection includes every one of Nyro’s original studio albums, six live albums (two of which are previously…
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Wicked: The Soundtrack
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Target (with fold-out poster) / Barnes & Noble (alternate cover) 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Target (split green/pink) What else can we say? Wicked just might be the most highly-anticipated film of the year, and here’s the soundtrack (featuring the songs heard in Act One of the long-running Broadway musical…fans of Act Two will have to wait until the next movie!). Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, and Michelle Yeoh are among the stars, along with a few surprise voices that you’ll find out if you seek out the track list on…
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The Man with the Golden Gun / Moonraker
La-La Land is closing out 2024 with an amazing pair of expanded releases: lovingly-restored John Barry scores to James Bond films The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and Moonraker (1979), both reissued for their 50th and 45th anniversaries. Golden Gun, Roger Moore’s second go-round as Ian Fleming’s Agent 007, featured a Barry score with its now-standard pop song heard in the film’s opening title sequence: a melodramatic number with lyrics by Don Black sung by “To Sir, with Love” singer Lulu. (Barry dismissed it as one of his weaker efforts.) Nonetheless, this film and score…
Soundtrack Watch: Varese and La-La Land Bow Their Final Score Surprises, from Blade to Bond
When La-La Land Records announced a bunch of big archival score titles for the beginning of November instead of their usual calendar-closing Black Friday announcement, it was safe to assume there were no more surprises coming from the label this year. Once again, that turned out to be quite untrue: in a reprise of last year’s Christmas Day shocker and a follow-up to their reissue of Goldfinger in October, the label has announced two more titles for 2024: a pair of lovingly-restored John Barry scores to James Bond films The Man with the…
The Weekend Stream: November 30, 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. The Christmas season means favorites (quite) old and (sort of) new, plus Wang Chung’s first album and a rock and hip-hop packed slasher film soundtrack. Band Aid, Do They Know It’s Christmas? EP (Band Aid Trading Limited/UMC) EP: iTunes / Amazon Single Version: iTunes / Amazon Extended Version: iTunes / Amazon Just over four decades from its original recording and release, Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas” returns for a…
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The Second Disc’s Guide to Record Store Day Black Friday 2024
From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. (And with plenty of delicious food, too!) Now, Record Store Day’s annual Black Friday event is upon us, so we’re spotlighting a dozen of the most eagerly anticipated releases arriving to your local independent brick-and-mortar record shop! Here are our personal picks for RSD BF must-haves; visit Record Store Day’s official website for a list of participating retailers. Happy Listening, and have a great…
The Weekend Stream: November 23, 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. We’ve got Beach Boys covers with some fascinating history related to the band, a tribute to one of the greatest musical icons we lost this year, a new single from a legend of R&B and much more – plus a call to action to help a family in need. California Music, Don’t Worry Baby EP (RCA) (iTunes / Amazon) One of the most unusual branches of the sprawling family tree…
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Release Round-Up: Week of November 22
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today including a Christmas classic from Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music and a whole bunch of massive box sets! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Sings Christmas Carols (Expanded Edition) (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) Over the past decade, we here at TSD have happily partnered with Real Gone Music on an array of Christmas releases from such evergreen artists as Johnny Mathis, The Supremes, Chet Atkins,…
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Ike’s Mood: Isaac Hayes’ “Hot Buttered Singles 1969-1972” Arrives from Ace
Who’s the black private dick that’s a sex machine to all the chicks? If you answered “Shaft,” you’re damn right! When Isaac Hayes picked up the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1972 for the “Theme from Shaft,” he was only the third African-American to win an Oscar – and the first in the field of music. Shaft remains the best-selling album in the Stax Records catalogue and one of the most successful soundtracks of all time; for Isaac Hayes, it was a triumph that built on the commercial success he’d…
The Weekend Stream: November 16, 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. Iconic Seattle punk, a new Elton John single and fresh Duran Duran remixes kick things off – plus another round of esoteric Christmas cheer! The Gits, Frenching the Bully / Enter: The Conquering Chicken / Kings & Queens / Seafish Louisville (2024 Remasters) (Sub Pop) Frenching: iTunes / Amazon / Bandcamp Enter: iTunes / Amazon / Bandcamp Kings: iTunes / Amazon / Bandcamp Seafish: iTunes / Amazon / Bandcamp Though their punk sound was much rawer and…
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An Ennio Morricone Score Expansion Worth ‘A Few Dollars More’
The Man with No Name is back! Following a recent deluxe expansion of Ennio Morricone‘s unforgettable score to Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, the Italian label Beat Records will follow suit with a generous CD and vinyl expansion of its predecessor and the second film in the “Dollars Trilogy”: 1965’s For a Few Dollars More. This hour-plus presentation offers both the original eight-cue soundtrack program issued by RCA Records in Europe on a double bill with selections from Morricone’s score to the series’ debut A Fistful of Dollars plus the original…
In Memoriam: Quincy Jones (1933-2024)
Quincy Delight Jones was just 14 years old when he introduced himself to Ray Charles. Though the pianist-singer was just two years older, he was already an inspiration to the younger musician. Charles had the gift of synthesizing the various strains of music – jazz, folk, country, pop, soul, rhythm and blues, and gospel, among them – into a sound both wholly new and wholly American. Jones was struck by how Charles overcame adversity, and their shared ethos became one which shaped young Quincy’s future – and that of popular music itself. …
Super Sequel Soundtracks Are La-La Land’s Black Friday Focus for 2024
Before announcing their typically grandiose year-end slate of archival soundtrack titles, there were rumblings in the film score fan community that La-La Land – whose release schedule offered everything from Star Trek to James Bond to the first Steven Spielberg-John Williams collaboration in 2024 – might do things a little differently. It turns out those rumors were correct: ahead of their usual Black Friday blowout, the label has instead announced three titles approved for license from major labels and studios and ready to manufacture for the top of November. All three are sequel…
The Weekend Stream: November 2, 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. We’ve got all the usual stuff you’d expect – reissues from Usher, rarities from The Alan Parsons Project, and another unique Daryl Hall-related EP – and some stuff you might not, like truly unusual Christmas collections and a new app from one of the best places for music in video games! Nintendo Music app One genre the Second Disc team has always wished had a stronger catalog presence:…
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Hogwarts Forever! Rhino Plans Massive Box Set of ‘Harry Potter’ Soundtracks
More than 20 years after the first Harry Potter novel was adapted into a film, Rhino is planning a little magic of its own with a heavy-duty vinyl box set of soundtracks to all eight of the films. Limited to 3000 copies worldwide on Rhino.com and other select retailers, Harry Potter: Original Motion Picture Soundtracks I-VII will feature the original album releases of the blockbuster franchise, as composed by John Williams, Patrick Doyle, Nicholas Hooper and Alexandre Desplat. The 16LP box set will be available in one of four box and vinyl colorways – red…
The Weekend Stream: October 26, 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. We’re positively packed this Saturday: posthumous tracks from Van Halen, Luther Vandross and DMX; a great deluxe live set from Linda Ronstadt; plus some Halloween and Christmas surprises…and, to top it all off, a call to action to aid one of our favorite power-pop acts of the last 40 years. Edward & Alex Van Halen, “Unfinished (Between Us Two)” (self-released) (official site) Alex Van Halen just released Brothers, a heartfelt…
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Soundtrack Watch: James Bond Back in Action At La-La Land, Varese Plots ‘Matrix’ and ‘RoboCop’ Vinyl
Following our round-up of soundtrack reissues from September, here’s a look at all the great CD and vinyl expansions and re-releases film score fans can expect from this month – and even a few in the next few weeks. From James Bond to RoboCop, there’s something here for just about anyone. Everything La-La Land Records touches turns to excitement! After the surprise expansions of Bond flicks Live and Let Die and Octopussy that kicked off the calendar year, the label has stuck again with a special 60th anniversary reissue of the soundtrack to the series’…
