For someone so obsessed with image, it's kind of unusual that Madonna has such an uneven back catalogue preservation behind her. In 2001, her first three albums - Madonna (1983), Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) - were remastered with a pair of bonus tracks each (all 12" dance singles). Nothing from that point on, including her crowning achievement Like a Prayer (1989), has been given even a remastering. As for her hits, they can be found on one of a few compilations. There's The
Back Tracks: The Who
Were you left cold by The Who's straightforward, inoffensive performance at The Super Bowl last night? Did you hear will.i.am's pointless remix of "My Generation" and think about a time in which that song actually meant something? This installment of Back Tracks takes you through the deluxe editions of The Who's discography, so you can focus on the glory days and not Roger Daltrey's incredibly silly get-up. And take heart: The Who's back catalogue is probably one of UMe's grandest war horses.
Another Date Change: Bowie in April
Yet another move on the calendar: Decca/UMe's deluxe edition of David Bowie's first LP - that truly wacky effort on Deram Records - has been set for an April 6 release date, a month back from its intended March release. But those of you who can't wait long enough for the set - consisting of the original LP in mono and stereo as well as new mixes and BBC sessions not included on the collector's set The Deram Anthology from 1997 - note that Universal has already released the set in the U.K., so
Stayin' Alive
Those of you who were debating the merits of Mythology, the upcoming four-disc Bee Gees box set, now have a lot of time to decide to buy it. The box, originally slated for release last November before being pushed back to the spring, is now due on November 16, 2010. Update your calendars accordingly. The set is a retrospective look at the collective careers of the brothers Gibb, with one disc each devoted to Robin, Barry, Maurice and Andy Gibb. The track list (presented after the jump) features
New Release: Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, "Greatest Hits" (UPDATED FEB. 7)
Looks like Hip-O Select isn't the only label catering to the upcoming surge of interest in The Runaways. The influential girl-punk group's most famous member, Joan Jett, is prepping a new solo compilation set for release March 9, less than two weeks before the release of the new biopic of the band. The Amazon pre-order page - as of yet, one of the only public sources of info for the compilation (there's not even a mention on the official sites for Jett or Blackheart Records, her label) - has a
The LP Stands for Lame Product
We catalogue enthusiasts are an odd bunch. The music industry at large is horrified about consumers not buying as much physical music as they used to - but a lot of reissue buyers, interested in the preservation of our collections and their sound quality, are still scouring record stores for purchases. Labels releasing new music have to recontextualize what constitutes "strong sales" now that albums rarely pass 250,000 copies in their first week - but our favorite reissues are lucky to have
News Roundup: Demos C'est Chic, Paying Up in a Land Down Under
Funk legend Nile Rodgers, a frequent user of Twitter, has spent the past few weeks talking about his ongoing process to locate and catalogue the many demo tapes he's found over the years. While a firm release plan has yet to be implemented, I'm getting the impression he's going to release some of them for free. So if you do that whole Twitter thing, follow him so you can get the scoop when it happens. (Of course I'll be posting when anything is released, too.) This isn't particularly
One Track Mind
I'm not a betting man, but if I were, I'd bet that there are two big questions that reissue producers and catalogue compilers get from fans. There's "What about a proper reissue/expansion of such-and-such an album?" and "Why did you miss/forget that one track?" I've been thinking about that last query lately - and I'll bet you've thought about it at some point, too. Oh sure, to some of your friends and fellow fans it sounds crazy - why on Earth would someone obsess over one stupid little
Reissue Theory: Ben Folds Five, "Ben Folds Five"
In Reissue Theory, The Second Disc researches and drafts a box set, compilation or reissue that would be worth pursuing by a label. Lots of catalogue enthusiasts are older folks, there's no getting around that. Those who grew up with great rock and roll and consumed it on compact discs as adults are probably the lion's share of people reading sites like this. But regardless of what you perceive the quality of more recent music to be, it needs to be looked after as well by catalogue
Reissue Theory: It's Time to Play the Music
The recent announcement of E1's Sesame Street Old School Volume 1 has got me excited, but for a slightly different reason. I am sentimental toward the Sesame Street Muppets (despite not having been much of a viewer as a child), but my favorite Muppets were always the ones in The Muppet Show - those loveable felt and fur actors singing pop standards, blowing things up and causing all sorts of mayhem. Perhaps more than any other youth-oriented entertaiment of the 1970s (aside from, say, School
Back Tracks: The Supremes
Introducing Back Tracks, a new feature where we take an upcoming release and introduce you to some of the other reissued works from the same group. Today, we start with The Supremes, whose first album, 1962's Meet The Supremes, is scheduled for reissue by Hip-O Select on May 18 (credit where it's due to MusicTAP for the date). The trio is much loved by Motown fans and staff alike. As such, Hip-O Select has dug lots of their treasures from the vault. Hit the jump to take a look at nine Supremes
Sunny Days Indeed
It may be snowing in my part of the world, but catalogue fans should prepare themselves to be on their way to where the air is sweet. That's right, kids (and kids at heart): E1 Records is releasing Sesame Street Old School Volume 1, a box set collating three classic albums by the Sesame Street Muppets. The box features Sesame Street: The Original Cast Recording (1970), Big Bird Sings (1974) and Bert & Ernie Sing Along (1975), all of which are making their CD debuts with remastered sound and
Girl You Know It's True...Don't You?
A few days before the Grammys, USA Today ran a really intriguing piece on the only living person who can be described as an ex-Grammy winner. I refer, of course, to Fabrice Morvan, one-half of the dance-pop duo Milli Vanilli. Many hardcore music fans remember the story of Milli Vanilli, the critically-loathed commercial behemoths that scored five consecutive U.S. Top 5 hits and a Best New Arist Grammy before admitting later that year that they didn't sing a note on the record. The Grammy was
Reissue Theory: a-ha, "Hunting High and Low"
Here's a new feature I'm really excited about on The Second Disc. I'm calling it Reissue Theory (which was very nearly the title of this blog). Herein, I plot out what I think would be excellent plans to expand great catalogue titles. Using the best research skills I can muster, I'll try to put together the perfect playlist for that sorely missing deluxe title. First up is Hunting High and Low, the debut album by pop legends a-ha. Though their chart-topping "Take on Me" was the biggest
Catalogue Gold at the Grammys
Those who tuned into last night's Grammy telecast may have been shaking their head at the oddity of it all - I know I was. But The Second Disc would be remiss in not posting the winners in several catalogue categories. Their victories weren't televised, of course, but they deserve all the commendation in the world. First, a big hand for Neil Young's Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972) for winning Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. The trophies go to the art directors of the project, which
Arcadia's "So Red the Rose" Fumbling Toward a Release Date
(UPDATE 10:40 a.m.) Duran Duran's representative Katy Krassner responded with lightning speed to the inquiry about the press release: "There is no set release date...we will update the site when there is one. This was just EMI's updated press materials on the release." So while fans have to wait a bit for the scoop, know that it'll be here soon enough. Thanks to Katy for her response! Duran Duran fans who've spent years fighting to defend the worthiness of the New Wave quintet enjoyed something
New Review - Whitney Houston: The Deluxe Anniversary Edition
Need a cure and tonic from the truly dismal Grammys, currently invading airspace across the East Coast? The inimitable Matt Rowe at MusicTAP has been kind enough to post another catalogue review of mine. This time it's Legacy's neat reissue of Whitney Houston's 1985 debut LP. While I can't yet confirm if I "might just be the next MusicTAP," as Matt very kindly speculates, I am more than happy to try. To that end, check out the review here and keep reading The Second Disc for all the expanded
J is for What Now?
Among the many releases on MusicTAP's calendar today is a new Motown title for The Jackson 5, rather simply titled J is for Jackson 5. What could this possibly entail? My educated guess comes from elsewhere in the Universal Music Group back catalogue. Last summer, UMe released B is for Bob, a kid-friendly compilation of newly-remixed Bob Marley songs supervised by Ziggy Marley. (Fear not, purists: four of the tracks were presented in their original mixes.) J is for J5 might go over easier
Release Info: The Miracles "City of Angels"
More info has come through on last week's mention of the reissue of City of Angels, a "lost" 1975 album by The Miracles. City of Angels, the fourth Miracles LP with vocalist Billy Griffin (who'd replaced Smokey Robinson in 1972), was a smash thanks to its huge No. 1 hit "Love Machine (Part 1)." But amazingly, it's never gotten a proper CD release until now. Hip-O Select, Universal Music Enterprises' boutique label, has reissued the disc with its original album art, a new essay written by soul
Journey to "Neptune"
In case you missed it yesterday, AOL's Spinner music Web site posted a stream of the lead single and title track of Legacy's new Jimi Hendrix vault compilation, Valleys of Neptune. Me? I dig it quite a bit. It's a solid track, and not a patch on his greatest hits (that can sometimes be the trick with posthumous works, especially when they're released as singles). Hear it here, plus read a cool interview with Valleys co-producer/Hendrix historian John McDermott here. And check out the full track
News Roundup: ZTT and All That
Awhile back there'd been talk of classic label ZTT - the label that gave us Art of Noise, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Propaganda - reissuing some of its classics with unreleased material from the vaults. Now it seems the first pieces of that plan are coming to fruition! ZTT have recently announced The Element Series, currently comprised of six releases by ZTT artists and associated acts. After the jump, have a go at the titles, track lists and all that.
This is It (Part 2)
Now that I've gotten all my gripes out about the This is It soundtrack, I'm more than happy to pen some thoughts on the actual film, now out on DVD and Blu-Ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. For years after Michael Jackson rose from a nasty string of legal troubles in 2004, I had been ruminating on what could become of one of my favorite pop entertainers. His rumored forays back into the recording studio always left me cold; why would he collaborate with will.i.am or Akon when he had
This is It (Part 1)
One of the biggest catalogue-oriented titles this week is a DVD: Tuesday saw the release of Michael Jackson's This is It, the documentary comprised of tour rehearsal footage for the set of London concerts the King of Pop was working on right before his death in June. I've happily pored through 75 percent of my copy (I have a few features to sift through) and upon completion I'll be sure to post a review. But I'd also like to take a quick look at the other This is It product that's been on
I Am Spartacus
Film score fans have had a lot to sing about in the past year or so. Thanks to the Herculean efforts of independent soundtrack labels, a lot of highly sought-after soundtracks that major labels would never think to release have been put on disc to the delight of fans everywhere. The Intrada label recently scored an enormous coup by releasing Alan Silvestri's complete score to Back to the Future, La La Land Records recently pressed limited editions of James Newton Howard's music for the film
Conan Addendum
I found this funny enough to warrant its own post: I spent the weekend debunking some rumors about the presence of the original master of The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on one of the last episodes of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. What I almost completely overlooked was another back catalogue-oriented news story that sprung up from the last episode. Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, drummer for The Roots (a great R&B group in their own right and the house band for Late