Quick - think of your favorite Blake Edwards movie. Okay, now be honest: when conjuring up an image of one of Edwards' signature comic set pieces, didn't you automatically start hearing a famous theme? If you did, chances are it was composed by Henry Mancini. Edwards and Mancini worked hand in hand for some 30 […]
Continue ReadingZTT Records has taken to iTunes to uncover their latest vault find: a reissue of Ca$h, the 1988 album by dance-rock outfit Nasty Rox Inc. The U.K. quintet, featuring CJ Mackintosh of short-lived dance legends M|A|R|R|S, were one of the most prominent U.K. bands to mix house/club music with straightforward rock. Their single "Escape from New […]
Continue ReadingIf you're a British compilation hunter or fan of imports, it's tough to go wrong with Demon Music Group's Music Club Deluxe label. The relatively inexpensive double-disc sets the label turns out might look simple or quickly assembled, but they're in fact often packed with a few rarities for your buck. In recent weeks, Music […]
Continue ReadingOklahoma-born Michael Brewer and Ohio native Tom Shipley found fame on Missouri's mythical Tarkio Road, thousands of miles away from Hollywood's La Brea Avenue and the headquarters of A&M Records. But before they took one pivotal toke over the line into stardom, Brewer and Shipley recorded an album for Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss' label […]
Continue ReadingPaul Simon was back. With a vengeance. The sixties wunderkind and one-half of Simon and Garfunkel had greeted the 1980s uneasily. The film One-Trick Pony, for which he served as writer, star and composer in 1980, was tepidly-received. An underperforming LP (Hearts and Bones) followed in 1983, his first solo album since 1965 not to […]
Continue ReadingWhat do Paul McCartney, Dave Brubeck and Little Richard have in common? All three will be recipients of exclusive, limited edition Record Store Day releases from our friends at Concord Records. Since its founding in 2007, Record Store Day has become an institution at many independent shops, and has even gone global with the participation […]
Continue ReadingIt's a doubly monumental day for soundtrack collectors, with two hotly-anticipated expansions of monumentally popular soundtracks unleashed today by La-La Land Records. The first almost doesn't need an introduction - so excited have we been at Second Disc HQ, long before and after its advance announcement - but John Williams' score to Steven Spielberg's Hook is […]
Continue ReadingBy the time of 1964’s Muscle Beach Party, Philadelphia-born Frankie Avalon had already racked up some 31 hits on the U.S. Billboard charts, including two at Number One, “Why” and “Venus.” On the urging of his Chancellor Records mentor Bob Marcucci, Avalon had welcomed the 1960s by diversifying his talents into film, appearing opposite John […]
Continue ReadingWhile Bob Mould has gained rock immortality as one third of the criminally underrated alt-rock outfit Hüsker Dü, his work as frontman for alt-rockers Sugar in the 1990s deserves its own recognition. In May and June, the hard workers at Demon/Edsel will give Sugar its due in the form of expanded, remastered editions of their […]
Continue ReadingIt’s time to get Righteous…at least if you’re in Japan, that is, or willing to shell out big bucks from an import retailer. Though they have eluded U.S. CD release to date, The Righteous Brothers’ three long-players from Phil Spector’s Philles label will be reissued on April 3 as limited edition SHM-CDs from Universal Music […]
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