What’s a Matter Baby: RPM Rounds Up Timi Yuro Rarities
The late Rosemary “Timi” Yuro, a.k.a. “the little girl with the big voice,” is still fondly remembered today by music aficionados for her full-throated rendition of “Hurt,” a No. 4 Pop/No. 2 Easy Listening hit in 1961. Signed at first to Liberty Records, Timi went on to record a number of other hits including Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “The Love of a Boy” (No. 44 Pop, 1962) and producer Clyde Otis and Joy Byers’ “What’s a Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You?)” (No. 12 Pop, 1962). Through two stints at the…
Release Round-Up: Week of January 27
Johnny Mathis, You Light Up My Life/Mathis Magic and The Best Days of My Life (Funky Town Grooves) You Light Up My Life/Mathis Magic: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. The Best Days of My Life: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Funky Town Grooves has not one, but two, releases from the legendary Johnny Mathis! You Light Up My Life (1978) joins the never-before-on-CD Mathis Magic (1979) on one disc, while FTG’s The Best Days of My Life expands the 1979 album with five bonus tracks, two of which are previously unreleased. The…
Soul Spotlight: Linda Jones, Barbara Lynn Get Complete Treatment from Real Gone, SoulMusic
Of all the great labels famous for soul and R&B, few could boast the pedigree of Atlantic Records. Atlantic’s commitment to quality soul music extended beyond just the famous names such as Aretha Franklin or Solomon Burke. An Atlantic label on an artist was a stamp of quality. SoulMusic Records and Real Gone Music have recently released collections from two underrated artists from the Atlantic family of labels. Linda Jones scored only one hit in her too-short 28 years: 1967’s “Hypnotized,” on Warner Bros. subsidiary Loma. You’ll find the No. 4 R&B/No….
Harmless Readies Massive 10-Disc “Northern Soul Time Capsule”
Hot on the heels of the 2014 release of the film Northern Soul and its soundtrack, Demon Music Group’s Harmless Records imprint is celebrating the R&B subgenre with what’s likely its most exhaustive chronicle ever: the 8-CD/2-DVD box set The Odyssey: A Northern Soul Time Capsule. This massive set, due on February 16, has been co-compiled by Harmless’ chief and 1970s Northern Soul DJ Ian Dewhirst, and features diverse tracks from artists including The Spinners, Chuck Jackson, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, Bunny Sigler, Paul Anka,…
RPM Round-Up: Label Collects Mick Fleetwood’s Early Days with Bo Street Runners Plus Mark Wirtz, Pelican
As three recent titles prove, Cherry Red’s RPM label leaves no stone unturned in its pursuit of rare pop music to issue on CD, living up to its credo “By Collectors – For Collectors.” Much like The Artwoods (also recently the subject of a compilation from RPM), The Bo Street Runners were among the exciting mod R&B revivalist bands that London had to offer in the mid-sixties. However, The Runners – like The Artwoods, The Action and so many others – never attained the top tier of commercial success. Today, the band…
Review: The Kinks, “Muswell Hillbillies: Legacy Edition”
Ted’s checking in today with a look at one of the finest reissues of the last quarter of 2014: the CD/DVD Legacy Edition of The Kinks’ Muswell Hillbillies! – JM For God’s sake…Wanna have a cuppa tea with The Kinks…?! It’s the dead of winter and what better way to warm up these days then to spend some quality time with Ray Davies and company’s take on Americana, glam rock, and a touch of vaudeville on their 1971 classic album, Muswell Hillbillies? Taking its name from The Kinks’ cosmopolitan hometown section of London, Muswell…
Something Good: Legacy Expands “The Sound of Music,” Classic Soundtrack Also Comes to SACD and Vinyl
The hills are alive again! On March 10, Legacy Recordings will reissue RCA Victor’s chart-topping 1965 soundtrack to Rodgers and Hammerstein’s five-time Academy Award-winning The Sound of Music in a new 50th anniversary edition to coincide with the golden anniversary release on Blu-ray. Collectors will note that expanded CD reissues of the classic musical soundtrack starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are as inevitable as raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens; editions have arrived in time for the beloved film’s 35th, 40th and 45th anniversaries. But this 50th anniversary release –…
Unbroken Chain: Rhino Celebrates 50 Years of Grateful Dead with New 2-CD Anthology
“What a long, strange trip it’s been,” asserted the Grateful Dead on 1970’s American Beauty. It’s doubtful that the band members could have imagined that the long, strange trip would still be continuing in 2015 – 45 years after “Truckin’” and 50 years after Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Ron “Pigpen” McKernan and Bill Kreutzmann first came together. 50th anniversary plans have recently been revealed including a documentary from director Amir Bar-Lev and executive producer Martin Scorsese and most excitingly, a reunion of Weir, Lesh, Kreutzmann and Mickey Hart (who joined…
Magnificent! Esoteric Revisits The Moody Blues’ Debut With Lavish 2-CD Expanded Edition
Fifty years ago this coming July, Decca released the modestly-titled The Magnificent Moodies, the first long-player from Birmingham band The Moody Blues. It would prove to be the only album release for the original quintet, but the Moodies – including founding member Graeme Edge – are still going strong today. The group’s landmark 50th has recently been marked by Cherry Red’s Esoteric Recordings imprint with the reissue of The Magnificent Moodies in a deluxe, 2-CD mini-box set format. The most comprehensive chronicle yet of The Moody Blues’ first line-up, Esoteric’s reissue boasts…
Midnight Special: Folkways Celebrates Lead Belly With New Box Set
Happy Birthday to Huddie Ledbetter, a.k.a. “Lead Belly,” born today in 1888! How many songwriters could say that their songs have been recorded by The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Nirvana? Had he lived longer, Huddie William Ledbetter (1888-1949) could have. Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, endured a difficult life – including various stays in jail – to introduce or adapt to the Great American Songbook tunes that are still well-known today such as “The Midnight Special,” “Goodnight, Irene,” “Black Betty” and “Cotton Fields.” On February 24, Smithsonian Folkways releases Lead Belly:…
Review: Jellyfish, “Bellybutton” and “Spilt Milk” Deluxe Editions
Omnivore Recordings has come out swinging in 2015! With the long-anticipated deluxe reissues of Jellyfish’s two studio albums finally here, the label has set a high bar for sheer pop ecstasy. While the band is often tagged as “power pop” – which is not altogether inaccurate – these two 2-CD sets make a strong case that Jellyfish was so much more. In his liner notes for this deluxe revival of 1990 debut Bellybutton (OVCD-5), author Ken Sharp points out that “everyone from Queen to Henry Mancini, ABBA to sprawling prog-rock, and KISS…
Release Round-Up: Week of January 20
Jellyfish, Bellybutton and Spilt Milk (Omnivore) Bellybutton: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Spilt Milk: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Here are the deluxe editions that fans of the cult ’90s pop revivalists have been waiting for! A total of 51 bonus tracks are spread across these freshly-remastered reissues of Jellyfish’s two studio albums. Look for Joe’s review later today! Universal Togetherness Band, Universal Togetherness Band (Numero Group) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) The Numero Group has excavated eight tracks, recorded between 1979 and 1981, from a soulful Chicago collective that may be the…
Ella, Satchmo, Aretha, Miles and The Merm Featured On Starbucks’ “Fascinating Gershwin”
When The Library of Congress established a Prize for Popular Song in 2007, one name was affixed to it: Gershwin. With no disrespect to Messrs. Berlin, Porter, Rodgers and company, George and Ira’s surname is synonymous with the gold standard in American popular song. The recipients of the award to date – Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Carole King and Billy Joel – have all followed in the Gershwins’ footsteps of marrying smart, sophisticated and incisive lyrics to unabashedly melodic, sweeping musical statements. Starbucks’ recent compilation…
Souvenirs: Raven Compiles Best of Foghat, Four Albums from John Prine
The Raven Records label closed out its 2014 with a pair of double-CD sets reliving the seventies – one, a retrospective of Foghat’s first decade, and another, a complete collection of John Prine’s first four albums. Foghat’s Drivin’ Wheels: Best of 1972-1982 brings together 32 tracks from the FM radio titans, spanning the period of 1972-1982 and culled from ten studio and live albums. The blues-rock band was founded in Manchester, England in 1971 by three Savoy Brown expatriates – vocalist/rhythm guitarist “Lonesome” Dave Peverett, bassist Tony Stevens and drummer Roger Earl…
Taken By Love: Numero Rediscovers Universal Togetherness Band’s Funky Sounds
Numero Group – the top purveyors of obscure yet irresistible pop, rock, soul and beyond – kicks off 2015 with a January 20 release from Chicago’s Universal Togetherness Band. The self-titled release (Numero No. 057) will arrive on CD and vinyl, and as a digital download. The label has explained the story behind frontman Andre Gibson’s Universal Togetherness Band. Between 1979 and 1982 – a time of sweeping change for R&B, with lush disco ceding to lithe, electronic sounds – the group “tracked unearthly portions of their sprawling songbook for bewildered students…
Sunshine Special: Now Sounds Collects “The Best of The GoldeBriars”
Late in 1963, The GoldeBriars recorded “Sunshine Special,” the group’s adaptation of the traditional train song. Curt Boettcher – the male vocalist in the line-up and also its major creative leader – would later make sunshine a specialty; his shimmering California-pop productions for the likes of The Millennium, The Ballroom and Sagittarius have all gone on to attain cult status. There’s not much of that baroque psych-pop sound on Now Sounds’ Walkin’ Down the Line: The Best of The GoldeBriars (CRNOW52), the first-ever retrospective for the short-lived folk unit. But this compelling…
Varese Vintage Round-Up: Label Reissues Seals and Crofts, Danny Elfman, Bill Medley, More
Today, we’re spotlighting a number of reissues you might have missed from the Varese Sarabande label which arrived in the final weeks of 2014! The 1977 coming-of-age drama One on One starred young Robby Benson as high school basketball star Henry, who must overcome obstacles – both romantic and academic – to get through his freshman year of college. The score was provided by Charles Fox (“Happy Days,” “Ready to Take a Chance Again”) who also collaborated on a number of songs for the movie with Paul Williams. The film’s songs were…
Real Gone’s March Slate Boasts Peggy Lee, Perry Como, Foghat, J. Geils Band – and Second Disc Records, Too!
We hope that nobody missed yesterday’s big news of The Second Disc’s partnership with Real Gone Music to create Second Disc Records, launching March 10 with a pair of releases from Johnny Mathis and Bob Crewe! But that’s not all that Real Gone has on tap for March release. With a total of eight titles ranging from psychedelia to standards, this may be one of the label’s most eclectic release batches yet! Real Gone is kicking off the month on March 3 with two iconic classic rock albums on painstakingly-recreated replica vinyl…
Second Disc Records Label Kicks Off in March with Johnny Mathis’ “Complete Thom Bell Sessions,” Bob Crewe’s “Complete Elektra Recordings”
As The Second Disc enters its fifth year as your go-to destination for classic music news and reviews, we’re excited to share our biggest news yet: a partnership with one of our favorite labels, Real Gone Music, to create Second Disc Records! Since its founding in 2011, Real Gone has rescued music that might otherwise have languished in a dusty vault or relegated to digital download – music that lives up to the label’s name – in splendidly remastered and generously expanded editions. Real Gone embodies the same “something for everyone” spirit…
Presenting The Second Disc: Remastered!
Welcome to The (New) Second Disc – or, as we prefer, The Second Disc: Remastered! On January 11, 2010, The Second Disc published its first post: a look back from Mike Duquette at the best reissues of 2009, featuring titles from Elvis Costello, The Beatles and Michael Jackson. The same day, our first true news item was posted, about Legacy Recordings’ acquisition of the Jimi Hendrix catalogue. On January 31 came our first review, of Whitney Houston: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition. On April 3, 2010, Joe Marchese joined The Second Disc with…
Stage Door Revisits Anthony Newley’s “Good Old Bad Old Days” With Previously Unreleased Demo Recordings
Stage Door Records is taking another dip into the archives of the late, beloved entertainer Anthony Newley with its first release of 2015: an entire disc of Newley’s previously unreleased recordings of his own score to the 1973 musical The Good Old Bad Old Days! The January 26 release, produced in conjunction with the Anthony Newley Society, features never-before-issued 20 recordings, almost all of which were made during the development of the musical co-written by Newley and his longtime collaborator Leslie Bricusse. The partnership of Newley and Bricusse dated back to 1961…
Release Round-Up: Week of January 13
The Legacy Collection – Fantasia Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) This 4-CD presentation of Walt Disney’s animated masterwork features both the Leopold Stokowski and Irwin Kostal recordings of the complete score, plus bonus material, in a deluxe hardbound format. Johnny Winter, Remembrance – Volume One (Friday Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) Friday Music celebrates the late, great Johnny Winter with this new set licensed from his estate. Disc One culls tracks from the artist’s Live Bootleg Series, and Disc 2 presents the first-time CD release of…
Seeing Is Believing: Deluxe Edition of Mike + The Mechanics’ “Living Years” Coming Soon to U.S.
Way back in the fall of 2013, our very own Mike Duquette reported on the release of Mike + the Mechanics’ The Singles 1985-2014, a two-disc compendium for the band founded by Genesis’ Mike Rutherford. He teased, “This set has been pushed back to January 20, 2014…to better coincide with some more Mike + The Mechanics events in the coming year, including a U.K. tour in the winter of 2014, a forthcoming memoir from Rutherford and a planned reissue of Living Years for its 25th anniversary.” Well, that year-old anniversary reissue of Living Years…
The Cryan’ Shames’ “Sugar and Spice” Goes Mono In Now Sounds’ Expanded Reissue
When the venerable Goddard Lieberson, President of Columbia Records, announced the ascendancy of Clive Davis to a veep position at the label in 1965, the promotion of the younger man heralded for a new sound at Columbia. Lieberson had made Columbia the leader in the fields of classical and Broadway cast recordings, and was looking to position the label at the vanguard of rock, too. A number of new signings followed. Among those acts signed to the industry leader was The Cryan’ Shames, favorites on the Chicago live scene. The Shames –…
Wonderful World of Disney: “The Legacy Collection: Fantasia” Coming Soon
When considering the history of Walt Disney Studios, Mickey Mouse is always front and center. Lovably scrappy Mickey became a breakout smash with 1928’s Steamboat Willie, setting the company on the path to becoming the all-encompassing entertainment conglomerate it is today. The character himself, however, has had several ups and downs over the years. One of these down periods was during the late 1930s when Walt Disney felt that Mickey wasn’t reaching the same heights of popularity he had previously. To remedy this, Disney decided to go back to the format of…