Reissue! Repackage! Repackage! We’ve occasionally used that tag here at The Second Disc to signify that rare breed of reissue, the kind that simply regurgitates extant material in one dizzying configuration after another. And few titles have been repackaged more times than the set variously known as The Beatles’ First!, In the Beginning, Savage Young […]
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Well before she was French kissin' in the U.S.A., Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry made a big splash with her 1981 solo debut Koo Koo, produced by the ever-busy CHIC Organization team of Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards. Thirty years later, the Gold Legion label, the same team behind those upcoming Grace Jones reissues, is […]
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After a blowout week of catalogue titles last Tuesday, you can almost hear the crickets chirp. There's some seasonal stuff on the horizon, though, so keep your eyes peeled. John Coltrane, The Impulse! Albums Volume 5 (Hip-o Select/Verve) Five of 'Trane's posthumous albums, boxed. (Hip-o Select) Joss Stone, The Best of 2003-2009 (Virgin) A simple overview for […]
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Can’t get no satisfaction waiting for Mick, Keith and the boys to drop Some Girls on November 21? Well, whether you’re a Stones completist who simply must own every reissue or a casual fan looking for some quick slam-bang classics, you might want to take a drive over to your local Wal-Mart. The retailer is exclusively offering […]
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It finally happened. After around 20 months at the helm of The Second Disc, I think I've finally stumbled over a reissue that feels...dare I say it...misguided. Not entirely misguided, mind you, but misguided enough that it took me far longer than anticipated to bang out some thoughts on the title at hand, to understand […]
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With so many eyes lately fixated on the manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, it’s perhaps appropriate that Epic Records is turning the spotlight back where it belongs for fans of the late Michael Jackson: back on his music. On November 21, the label will release Immortal, the “musical tapestry,” or soundtrack recording, to Cirque […]
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As if the revelation of a new U.K. compilation for today's birthday boy Johnny Mathis (with an unreleased track from the CHIC-produced I Love My Lady, no less) wasn't exciting enough, Edsel's Music Club Deluxe imprint has also announced a similar set for CHIC themselves - and rarity-seekers are going to be excited. Magnifique! The […]
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Though Buck Owens made his name in Bakersfield, California, his adopted hometown from the age of 21, he was a familiar face to audiences across America as co-host of Hee Haw, the country music variety show that launched in 1969 and lasted until 1992. (Owens remained with the show until 1986.) Despite the silliness of […]
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The rock world may be getting a bit quieter next year, with the planned hiatus of alt-metal group Disturbed. But for longtime fans and collectors, they're at least going out with a bang, releasing a compilation of B-sides and unreleased material as a going-away present. The Lost Children collates 16 tracks from the Chicago-based band, many […]
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How to encapsulate the career of Johnny Mathis into one compilation? John Royce Mathis of Gilmer, Texas began his recording career at Columbia Records in 1956, nearly 21 years of age, and with the exception of a 1963-1966 stint at Mercury, he’s remained at the label ever since. Mathis has embraced jazz, traditional pop, so-called […]
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