Madness' "Our House" is just one of those songs that's impossible to forget. From that opening hook to the singalong chorus, you can recognize "Our House" from a mile away - even if you don't know Madness was, first and foremost, a ska outfit. And if you didn't know that, there's a new compilation coming from Salvo Records to fill in the gaps for you. Forever Young: The Ska Collection focuses on the tunes that made Madness a staple of the 2 Tone movement in the late 1970s as well as the tracks
The Knack (And How to Get It): Omnivore Offers Knack EP, Rare Buck Owens Coloring Book For Record Store Day
We’re less than two months away from Record Store Day, and with that means the promise of major limited edition releases from many of the labels you read about each day here at The Second Disc. Los Angeles’ Omnivore Recordings, one of our favorite new labels of 2011, is leading the pack with its announcement of two unique titles to be made available on April 21 for Record Store Day. The more unusual of the two is, believe it or not, a coloring book! Yes, Omnivore is offering a 2,500-copy
Colourbox, in a Box
In honor of their 30th anniversary this year, 4AD and Beggar's Archive will release a four-disc box set compiling the work of British electronic music pioneers Colourbox. Formed by brothers Steven and Martyn Young (the latter of whom compiled this set), Colourbox stood apart, sonically, from fellow labelmates This Mortal Coil and Dead Can Dance, relying on a wide palette featuring reggae rhythms and sample-heavy riffs. Not much has been heard from the group since their 1987 split, which
Listen, Whitey! Incendiary New Compilation Features Bob Dylan's Rare "George Jackson" and Much More
In her 1989 autobiography And a Voice to Sing With, Joan Baez recalled once asking Bob Dylan what was the difference between them. It was simple, he replied: she thought she could change things, and he knew that no one could. But one could argue that music did indeed, change things. Youth were politically engaged as never before, and awareness was raised of many crucial issues still debated today. Author Pat Thomas recalls “those turbulent years (approximately 1967 to 1974) when revolutionaries
Reissue Theory: Van Halen, "The Best of 1978-1984"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. As Van Halen prepares to take Second Disc HQ by storm, we reflect on a compilation that almost was, and how it could've been done, TSD-style... Van Halen are mere hours away from their second show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, part of their latest tour in support of their first album in 13 years (and first with lead vocalist David Lee Roth since 1984), A
Come Rain or Shine: Legendary Diana Ross Concert Debuts on DVD
Time and taste have been kind to Diana Ross, recent recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. From the moment The Supremes broke into the national consciousness, it was clear there was something special about that pretty lead singer with the unmistakable voice. And believe it or not, nothing can stop her - not even the elements, as a classic 1983 live event, bowing on DVD this spring from Shout! Factory, is quick to prove. On July 21, 1983, Miss Ross - at the time, two years into a
Flyin' the Flannel, Again: Reunited fIREHOSE to Reissue Two Albums
California alt-rock legends fIREHOSE are reuniting for a tour this spring, and to celebrate, Legacy is releasing their last two albums on one set with rare and unreleased bonus tracks. fIREHOSE was the musical progression for bassist/singer Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley of The Minutemen, after that band's guitarist and longtime friend, D. Boon, was killed in a car accident in 1986. Watt and Hurley were all but ready to cease playing altogether, but were convinced otherwise by an unlikely
Wes Montgomery's Lost Recordings Discovered On "Indiana Avenue"
Though Wes Montgomery died in 1968 aged just 45, the Indiana-born jazz guitarist made such an impression that his body of work has influenced an entire generation of guitar players, from George Benson to Pat Metheny, Jimi Hendrix and everyone in between. In a period of roughly ten years, Montgomery had three distinct periods at different labels: Riverside (1959-1964), Verve (1964-1966) and A&M (1967-1968), the latter two under the aegis of producer Creed Taylor. Maverick producer Taylor
Take a Bow: Warner U.K. Preps Madonna Albums Box, Vinyl Reissues
As the calendar turns over into March, Madonna fans are predictably going into overdrive thanks to the release of MDNA, her latest studio album, on the 26th. It's going to be her first effort not distributed by Warner Bros.; she left the label to sign an all-encompassing deal with Live Nation in 2007, and while Warner distributed her live Sticky & Sweet Tour set in 2010, Universal's Interscope Records will distribute MDNA. Her rich back catalogue is very much in Warner Music's archives,
Un homme et une Femme: Classic Francis Lai Score Reissued, Plus Billy May, Maurice Chevalier and More
Johnny Mathis, Robert Goulet and Engelbert Humperdinck sang it. Ella Fitzgerald sang it. Claudine Longet even sang it in its original French! The song was “A Man and a Woman,” or “Un Homme et une Femme,” from the 1966 film of the same name. The Francis Lai composition was a favorite of pop singers and jazz musicians alike, and was quite ubiquitous; as Kritzerland’s Bruce Kimmel asks, “Is there a person anywhere in the world who was around in the 1960s and 1970s who could not instantly
In Memoriam: Hey, Hey, It's Davy Jones!
UPDATE 2/29/12: Today at The Second Disc, we join music fans all over the world in mourning the loss of Davy Jones, who died this morning at the age of 66. The worlds of music, stage and screen all lost an icon with the passing of the actor, singer, comedian and beloved Monkee. Davy brought a little of the British Invasion to the California band, as well as lot of talent, sweetness, heart and chutzpah. New York DJ Cousin Brucie Morrow took the airwaves on Sirius/XM satellite radio early
Good Lovin': Felix Cavaliere Teams with Todd Rundgren, Laura Nyro, Leslie West, Dino Danelli On Bearsville Reissue
The union of singer/songwriter Felix Cavaliere and producer Todd Rundgren might have seemed like a marriage made in heaven, with Cavaliere having specialized in blue-eyed soul with The Rascals, and the wunderkind Rundgren no slouch in that field, either. But in fact, it was more like a shotgun wedding. You can hear for yourself, as Cavaliere’s Rundgren-produced, self-titled 1974 album for Bearsville Records has just been coupled with its follow-up, Destiny (1975) on a stellar new two-for-one
The Road to Utopia: M. Frog and Roger Powell of Rundgren's Classic Band, Reissued
Bearsville is back! Even as Edsel Records has been tackling Todd Rundgren's catalogue, both solo and with Utopia, the enterprising label hasn’t stopped there. This month has brought two releases related to the Rundgren mystique but still capable of standing on their own considerable merits. Roger Powell may be the most well-known of Utopia’s keyboard/synthesizer players, but he was actually preceded in the band by Jean Yves “M. Frog” Labat. Both Labat and Powell recorded solo albums at
Pop Quiz, Hot Shot! La-La Land Celebrates 200th Release in Latest Batch
While there's a month to go before La-La Land releases the expanded soundtrack to Hook, they've got three great releases available to buy today - including their 200th title! First up is a reissue of Jerry Fielding's score to the cult classic The Mechanic, with Charles Bronson as the efficient hitman who takes the son of a recent contracted kill under his wing. Save a few audio tweaks, title changes and changes in sequence, this disc features the same material from Intrada's long out-of-print
To Japan and Back: New David Sylvian Compilation Available in the U.K.
If all you know of David Sylvian is his excellent work in the New Wave band Japan, some would say you have a lot to learn. Fortunately, a new compilation from EMI U.K. is here to help. A Victim of Stars 1982-2012 collates the best works of the erstwhile Japan frontman, from their biggest hit single "Ghosts" to the present day, with a new single, "Where's Your Gravity?" Along the way, there are a host of intriguing collaborations with some of the best avant-garde rockers in the business, from
Pantera's Second Album Gets More "Vulgar" in May
As previously reported, Pantera's blistering Vulgar Display of Power is getting the deluxe treatment from Rhino for its 20th anniversary. From the iconic album cover image of a face in mid-punch, it was clear that Pantera's second album for ATCO Records was going to be something different. With tracks like "Mouth for War," "Walk" and "F---ing Hostile," the last of which was famously used as theme and background music on MTV's Headbangers Ball, Vulgar Display is rightfully known as a classic of
Review: Pink Floyd, "The Wall: Immersion Box Set"
By the way, which one’s Pink? A record executive poses that wry musical question of Pink Floyd in “Have a Cigar,” a brief, humorous respite on the band’s elegiac 1975 album Wish You Were Here. The ever-ambitious group would actually answer that wry question with The Wall, 1979’s sprawling double album. The psychedelic Dark Side of the Moon and reflective Wish You Were Here both invited listeners to create their own stories in service of the albums’ impressionistic concepts, largely dealing
Intrada Spotlights "Undiscovered" Scores
Intrada's two newest archival soundtrack releases take listeners from the deepest reaches of Arthurian legend to space (the final frontier). First up, it's an unlimited, expanded pressing of Cliff Eidelman's score to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The sixth Trek film has several notable "lasts" to its credit: the last to feature the original series' cast its entirety (1995's Generations and the 2009 series reboot featured several of the major players), the second and last film in the
Release Round-Up: Week of February 28
Pink Floyd, The Wall: Experience and Immersion Editions (Capitol/EMI) The latest Pink Floyd box, featuring live tracks and demos from the vault will make you lose your marbles! (Editor's note: I am so sorry for typing that.) The Ventures, The Ventures Play Telstar and The Lonely Bull / "Surfing" / (The) Ventures in Space / The Fabulous Ventures / Walk, Don't Run Vol. 2 (Sundazed) Five classic Ventures albums, remastered in stereo on CD and vinyl. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, Live at
Hip-o Select Spotlights The Funk Brothers on "That Motown Sound"
Sure, now The Funk Brothers, Motown Records' legendary in-house band, are notable names to pop and soul aficionados, thanks in large part to 2002's Standing in the Shadows of Motown documentary and its Grammy-winning soundtrack. But for nearly the entire golden age of the Detroit label, the group was kept away from the spotlight. Hip-o Select's newest title collects, for the first time on CD, the sole exception to that rule. In 1965, Motown quietly released That Motown Sound, an album credited
Short Takes: New Cash, Pistols Sets Coming in 2012
Yesterday, February 26, would have been the 80th birthday of Johnny Cash, and his family tells Rolling Stone that there are quite a few festivities planned - and that includes some catalogue activity. We already know about Legacy's Bootleg IV: The Soul of Truth in April, which collects rare and unreleased gospel material from the '70s and '80s. But the RS story also hints at a possible seventh volume of Cash's American Recordings series as well as a possible PopMarket-style box of "everything
Review: Carole King, "The Carole King Collection: Simple Things, Welcome Home, Touch the Sky, and Pearls"
Carole King was ready for a fresh start in 1977. She had recently split from manager/producer Lou Adler’s Ode Records, the label with which she had signed back in 1968 as the lead singer of The City. It was, of course, at Ode where King triumphed with Tapestry, and over the years introduced a parade of memorable songs like “It’s Too Late,” “So Far Away,” You’ve Got a Friend,” “Sweet Seasons,” “Been to Canaan” and “Jazzman.” Yet the four albums recorded by King at Capitol between 1977 and 1980
Eat It: Humble Pie Reissues Coming Soon From Lemon
There's plenty of buzz over here about Universal U.K.'s upcoming Small Faces remasters, but another project of Small Faces frontman Steve Marriott is also getting some reissue love. Marriott left the Small Faces in late 1968 to join Peter Frampton, Greg Ridley and Jerry Shirley in Humble Pie, free of the pop expectations of his former band. Signed to Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label, also home to the Small Faces, Humble Pie launched its career with 1969's As Safe as Yesterday Is. For its
Weekend Wround-Up - The Diva Edition: Midler, Streisand Releases Coming Soon
Welcome to today’s Weekend Wround-Up: The Diva Edition! Nobody – no, nobody! – is going to rain on Barbra Streisand’s parade. Columbia Records, the singer’s home since 1963, has announced that Streisand will remain with the label that guided her to stardom. Speculation had arisen some months back that the singer might decamp for a new artistic residence, but those rumors have now officially been set to rest. "From the day [legendary Columbia President] Goddard Lieberson signed me almost 50
Review: Tony Bennett, "Isn't It Romantic?"
Isn’t it romantic? The titular phrase from a song by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart could apply to much of Tony Bennett’s musical career, now in roughly its 65th year. It’s also the title of a new compilation aimed at the casual Bennett fan from Concord Music Group. Isn’t It Romantic? (CRE-33463-02) repackages 15 prime cuts from the singer’s work at his own short-lived Improv label, with a smattering of tracks from a Fantasy Records LP thrown in for good measure. Though Bennett’s artistic
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