Since their founding in 1993, the San Francisco rock group Train has released ten studio albums and a number of iconic singles, like "Drops of Jupiter," "Hey, Soul Sister," and "Calling All Angels." On November 9, Train will commemorate 25 years as a band with their first-ever compilation album, simply entitled Greatest Hits. The 17-track […]
Continue ReadingLong before he was serenading fans with his expressive, distinctively smoky voice as a modern-day crooner, Steve Tyrell was moving and shaking behind the scenes at Scepter Records. When not producing singles for Maxine Brown, The Shirelles, Chuck Jackson, or B.J. Thomas, he was working in A&R and promotions alongside Scepter's superstar "triangle marriage" team […]
Continue ReadingOut today is a new 20th anniversary edition of Semisonic's breakthrough album Feeling Strangely Fine from UMe/Geffen Records which adds four bonus tracks to the original tracklisting. Hailing from Minnesota, Dan Wilson and John Munson were members of the band Trip Shakespeare. When that group broke up, the joined with drummer Jacob Slichter in 1995 […]
Continue ReadingThis spring, Intervention Records announced a highly anticipated new endeavor: a series of Matthew Sweet SACD and 2-LP reissues, encompassing his entire recorded output from 1991-1995. The Second Disc was able to hear the two-disc vinyl configuration of the release that kicked off the series: an expanded edition of Sweet's 1995 album, 100% Fun. Originally […]
Continue ReadingStop, children, what's that sound? For nearly half a century, the sound of The Staple Singers was one of tremendous power. Roebuck "Pops" Staples, daughters Cleotha, Mavis, and (sometimes) Yvonne, and son Pervis raised their voices in song to celebrate the Lord, but also to fight for civil rights and espouse messages of positivity and […]
Continue ReadingTalk about a well-kept secret... Throughout his too-short life, vocalist Warren Wiebe (1953-1998) never became a household name. Yet he was highly successful. As a background singer, he graced recordings by Johnny Mathis, Paul Anka, Taylor Dayne, and Air Supply. A true songwriter's singer - able to convey the heart and soul of a song […]
Continue ReadingThe renowned songwriter, singer, guitarist, and painter Joni Mitchell will turn 75 this November. The milestone is being marked by a recently announced pair of tribute concerts in L.A., a new photo book, and now, a limited-edition, 8-disc,180-gram vinyl box set of some of Joni's finest work--53 ruminations on love and all its complexities from […]
Continue ReadingJust in time for Halloween, Varese Sarabande has announced a new CD featuring arguably the greatest fictional horror character of all time: Dracula. Varese's latest entry in their CD Club is an expanded presentation of John Williams' score to the 1979 film version of Dracula. The 2-CD set Dracula: The Deluxe Edition is available for […]
Continue ReadingOn December 3, 1968, Elvis Presley electrified television audiences with the self-titled special that would come to be known, simply, as The Comeback Special. Nearly fifty years later, it remains the epitome of his artistry during a period when some would have written him off. At the time of the NBC-TV broadcast, his most recent […]
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