One could certainly make a case that the 1960s was the prime time for the rock instrumental, with The Ventures, The Marketts, Booker T. & The MGs and The Fireballs just some of the groups behind the decade’s hit melodies. Of the music-making individuals who were, well, instrumental in sending wordless tunes up the charts, […]
Continue ReadingIn today’s reviews, we’re looking at three albums from two true legends of soul. What do they have in common? Each title has been reissued by Big Break Records, and each found its respective artist conquering new terrain: the pop music world of the 1980s! Aretha Franklin, Jump to It (Arista AL-9602, 1982 – reissued […]
Continue ReadingFor a while, they were the biggest names in hip-hop, and their crossover success made many power players of the genre hungry for similar mainstream acceptance. Who else could prompt two eating puns in that sentence but The Fat Boys, whose debut album is coming out next month in a unique deluxe package. First known […]
Continue ReadingAt The Second Disc, we're (literally) all about reissues! But none of the titles we cover daily would be possible without the efforts of the producers who select the bonus tracks, commission the liner notes, oversee the remastering and pull the packaging together. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! We have endeavored to […]
Continue ReadingIf you've ever felt it might be a daunting task to "get into" jazz, Concord Music Group just might have the perfect releases for you. Concord is home to many of the genre's greatest labels, including Prestige, Contemporary, Riverside, Milestone, Fantasy and Pablo. With the new series simply titled The Very Best Of, the Concord team has […]
Continue ReadingThis week's soundtrack reissue offerings include two fantastical scores from one label and another pair of Jerry Goldsmith titles from a label that's done a fantastic job on recent releases from the late, great composer. Over at Intrada, they've released one of their more-requested titles: Charles Bernstein's score to the comedy Love at First Bite. The […]
Continue ReadingHaving treated fans last year to lavish expanded versions of the Smashing Pumpkins' first two LPs, Gish and Siamese Dream, Billy Corgan is again working with EMI to release a deluxe edition of the band's Pisces Iscariot compilation. Released at the end of 1994, after the band's wave of success off the Top 10, quadruple-platinum Siamese Dream through 1993 […]
Continue ReadingMuch like the train Johnny Cash so often sang about, the celebration of what would have been his 80th birthday year rolls on. Following the issue of Bootleg IV: The Soul of Truth earlier this year, Legacy Recordings has just announced the CD/DVD and Blu-ray releases of We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny […]
Continue ReadingThe late, great Donny Hathaway was rather beautifully celebrated by Rhino France some time ago with the release of a career-spanning box set. While U.S. audiences had no such luck with a similar compilation, Shout! Factory is picking up the slack and releasing a two-disc set containing both of the soul legend's long out-of-print live […]
Continue ReadingWhat's the contender for the title of Longest-gestating Music Box Set? That dubious honor would have to go to Neil Young's Archives, Volume 1, bandied about since the 1980s and not released until 2009. Available as 10 Blu-rays, 10 DVDs or 8 CDs, Archives provided an immersive journey deep into Young's vaults, and it picked […]
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