Our friends at Funky Town Grooves have recently announced a pair of new reissues restoring to catalogue three LPs by two deeply soulful ladies: Thelma Houston and Eloise Laws. Earlier this year saw Soulmusic.com's reissue of Houston's 1969 baroque soul classic, Sunshower, and now Houston's fans can rejoice with the reissue of two RCA LPs dating from 1980 and 1981: Breakwater Cat and Never Gonna Be Another One. While neither made much of an impression on the album charts, both boast Houston's
In Case You Missed It: More Hendrix Details
A few days ago we mentioned a second wave of Jimi Hendrix reissues and an upcoming box set, West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology. Hendrix's Web site issued a press release on Monday adding some more detail regarding those releases. There will be a CD/DVD edition of the posthumous compilation Blues (1994), featuring an extended version of the Hendrix sequence from the Martin Scorsese-produced documentary The Blues. There's also a 2-CD/1-DVD reissue of the acclaimed BBC Sessions
More Boz Scaggs Reissues That We Apparently Missed
There are a few more Boz Scaggs reissues coming from Friday Music this month. The label had four CD reissues of Boz Scaggs titles listed on their Web site, and your humble catalogue correspondent had wrongfully assumed that the top two listings were much more recent than the bottom two. So there is more to report on than the two mentioned last week. These titles sit back-to-back in Scaggs' discography, placed right after the singer/songwriter/guitarist's first album on Columbia Records, Moments
New at La La Land: "Gunmen" and a Beach Party
La La Land announced their next batch of titles yesterday (their only two for the month), and they're a pair of appealing titles from the vault. In a bit of a teaser to October's planned box set of music from The X-Files, the label is prepping an offering of TV soundtracks composed by the same man (Mark Snow) for the same producer (Chris Carter). This CD (LLLCD 1135) will feature music from the short-lived X-Files spinoff The Lone Gunmen and the even more short-lived sci-fi series Harsh Realm.
Catching "Pac-Man Fever" Once More
It was one of the most unusual novelty records of the decade - not to mention one of The Second Disc's first Reissue Theory posts - and now it looks like it's coming back out on CD. That's right: Fuel 2000 is reissuing Buckner & Garcia's Pac-Man Fever. Such was the mania for the classic arcade game in 1981 that Columbia released this most unusual of singles, which hit the Billboard Top 10 in 1982. An LP of other game-oriented novelty tracks followed. What added to the kitsch value was the
EMI Sees Red and Blue
For casual buyers who didn't get swept up in Beatlemania with the massive remaster/reissue project last year, EMI will reissue The Beatles' 1962-1966 and 1967-1970, arguably two of the most recognizable compilations of The Fab Four in history. Known to many as the "Red" and "Blue" albums, these double-disc sets provided a concise anthology of John, Paul, George and Ringo's hits and notable album sides. (We wouldn't be surprised if some of our younger readers cut their teeth on these sets.) While
Tartare Mega-Post: 20 More Titles Now Available
You've got to hand it to the folks at Collectors' Choice Music: when they launch a new catalogue initiative, they don't mess around. After an initial offering last month of 10 releases on the new Tartare imprint, CCM has just announced a further 20 titles to bolster the budding Tartare lineup. The genres covered in this batch are incredibly diverse: from folk songs to groovy psychedelia, polkas to 1990s jangle pop, deep soul to disco, jazz to country. In short, there really is something for
Quite a Leap of "Faith"
This morning we come closer to unraveling the mysteries of Legacy's upcoming reissues of George Michael's Faith. The Limited Collector's Box Set edition was made available to order today, and if you like George a lot, this might be the set for you. The set includes: The original album, remastered A CD of remixes and B-sides A DVD featuring a vintage Channel 4 special, George Michael and Jonathan Ross Have Words, the original EPK entitled Music Money Love Faith and seven promo videos A
Mining Audiophile Treasures: Coming Soon from Audio Fidelity and MFSL
Some of rock’s finest will be receiving the deluxe treatment from audiophile specialist labels Audio Fidelity and Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab (MFSL) in the coming months: The Beach Boys, The Band, Gram Parsons, Deep Purple, Foreigner, The Pretenders and Billy Joel. The earliest release in this bunch is also one of the most exciting. The Beach Boys' Today! was released in 1965 and is generally remembered as one of the first albums on which Brian Wilson displayed the sensitive studio wizardry that
Syl Johnson Box Set Coming (Not Because He's Black)
A hat tip to Record Racks (who are contributing a neat guest post later this week that I'm quite excited for) for passing this one along: Numero Group is prepping a box set due October 19 devoted to unjustly forgotten soul survivor Syl Johnson. Johnson was a soul musician in the James Brown or Al Green mold. He toured with Magic Sam and Howlin' Wolf, cut tracks for the Federal label (the same one that put out "Please, Please, Please," James Brown's first hit) and had a socially conscious Top 20
Wake Up, Everybody: Edsel Reissues Seven from Philadelphia International
When Sony Music Entertainment reacquired the rights to the full Philadelphia International Records (PIR) catalog in 2007 (after losing control of the post-1976 output in 1984 to EMI), hopes were high that much of that storied hit factory’s catalogue would finally be reissued on CD. Arguably the 1970s’ answer to Berry Gordy’s Motown empire, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff’s label boasted a top-notch roster: Lou Rawls, The O’Jays, Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes, Teddy Pendergrass, The Three Degrees
News Round-Up: More Morrissey, Live Dio, A Change at Disney and More
Our inimitable alt-rock flame-keeper friends at Slicing Up Eyeballs point us toward a trail of additional Morrissey rarities leading up to the 20th anniversary reissue of his excellent compilation Bona Drag. It seems that early single "Everyday is Like Sunday" is going to be reissued on CD and 7-inch vinyl, and will include some interesting bonus tracks. Both vinyl singles include live renditions of "Sunday" from the Hollywood Bowl in 2007 and The New York Dolls' "Trash" from 1991, while the CD
At What Price?
If there are any readers of The Second Disc from outside America, I'd like you to do us a favor. Go to iTunes or Amazon and download the bonus tracks included on the digital versions of the a-ha deluxe reissues. And enjoy them, please. Because American fans cannot. Not long after the release of the Web-exclusive deluxe editions of Hunting High and Low and Scoundrel Days, a-ha's official site announced that the digital editions of each title would include four additional bonus tracks, including
A Sign of Good "Faith"
This week's tease about the upcoming reissue of George Michael's Faith helps prove that the '80s, often thought to be an era of musical detritus, has its share of defining moments worth revisiting through catalogue titles. Of course, as time marches on, labels will continue to revisit the '80s for reissues and box sets, which will alternately confuse and delight listeners. Dozens of bands - Genesis, a-ha, Duran Duran, Michael Jackson, Tears for Fears, The Police, Bon Jovi and scores more - have
Back Tracks: The Buggles
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiJ9AnNz47Y] Famed U.K. producer Trevor Horn has done so much in his lengthy career, but his next step looks to be a revisiting of one of his most discreetly influential projects: The Buggles. Horn announced on his Web site that The Buggles - a synth-pop duo consisting of Horn and Geoff Downes - are returning in some capacity on September 28. The announcement may have been best time on August 1, a date which they will be forever identified with; on the
Friday Feature: "Footloose"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsCO-YkDgnY] This week's theatrical release of Step Up 3D proves that young people everywhere still embrace the notion of defying authority by shaking one's ass on the dance floor. It's nothing new, of course; ever since Columbia Pictures turned Twist Around the Clock onto a dance-crazy culture in 1961, dance pictures have become a generational touchstone. Whether they're good, crowd-pleasing films (Saturday Night Fever (1977), Flashdance (1983)) or
New Hendrix Box, More Reissues Slated for October?
Our reliable release date gatekeeper Pause & Play put up a pre-order link to a new Jimi Hendrix set. West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology, slated for release October 19 from Experience Hendrix/Legacy, is said to be a five-disc set (four CDs and a DVD), likely with some rare and unreleased content. No other information has surfaced, although that same date has an Amazon listing for reissues of The Jimi Hendrix Experience's live set from Woodstock (first released in 1999 when MCA
Apple Announcements and Additions
Apple has announced the full, final specs for its upcoming swath of reissues, and they've managed to include some surprises that weren't previously known about. The Second Disc posted a rundown last month of some planned bonus tracks based on a beta version of Apple Records' Web site. Now, the site offers a full press release and track list details for every one of the upcoming releases. Not only does nearly every reissue now contain bonus tracks (including the James Taylor and Jackie Lomax
News Round-Up: Springsteen's "Darkness" Doc, Motown Treasures and Porcupine Tree Rarities
A new Springsteen documentary, to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, is the latest piece of The Boss' upcoming Darkness on the Edge of Town box set. The Promise: The Making of "Darkness on the Edge of Town," directed by Thom Zimny (who directed the documentary in the Born to Run box), will feature unseen footage from the album sessions in 1976-1978 and has been confirmed to be a part of the box, which is due in time for this Christmas. Here's a fine surprise: Motown
The Second Disc Interview #2: From Hollywood, It's Bruce Kimmel!
Producer, director, writer, actor, composer, lyricist, raconteur – any and all of those words could be used to describe Bruce Kimmel. After helping to launch the Varese Sarabande label over thirty years ago and christening its still-ongoing soundtrack series with his score to The First Nudie Musical (which he also wrote, co-directed and acted in), Kimmel founded the Bay Cities label. Between 1989 and 1993, he and his Bay Cities colleagues were among the very first to reissue classic film
We Gotta Have...You Get the Idea
Sony Music inches ever closer to uncovering what this new reissue of George Michael's Faith is going to have - but doesn't actually say much of anything. A press release issued today says the reissue "will be available in multiple special formats including [a] Limited Edition Numbered Collectors box set." Wow. Who'd have thought, all those years ago? So my guess is we're getting closer to getting this monkey off our backs.
"Other Roads" Less Traveled: Friday Music Preps Boz Scaggs Reissues
Friday Music has added some more titles to their ongoing series of Boz Scaggs reissues. The label will expand two Columbia LPs from the singer/songwriter/guitarist with remastered sound and packaging. First, there's Moments, Scaggs' debut for Colubmia which featured production by Glyn Johns and a minor hit with "We Were Always Sweethearts." (Listen for a young Rita Coolidge on backing vocals on the track "Near You"!) This set includes two mono single mixes and a pair of rare EP tracks. Other
Review: Danny Elfman, "Batman: Expanded Archival Collection"
It's a safe guess that your enjoyment of La La Land's new expansion of Danny Elfman's score to Batman (1989) (LLLCD 1140), like so many soundtracks, hinges on your enjoyment of the film itself. That sentiment, in turn, hinges on how much you can separate the idea of a fun movie from a good one. The blockbuster - drawn from the immortal DC Comics superhero - never falls short on action, thrills or compelling visuals. But it is too long and bloated, with thin characterization and a
The '90s Revival Continues: Soundgarden Best-Of Planned (UPDATED WITH TRACK LIST)
Influential grunge rockers Soundgarden - set to take center stage at Lollapalooza this weekend - have announced a new compilation due for a fall release. Telephantasm: A Retrospective, as it's called, will feature songs from all of the band's albums and EPs, plus a new vault track, "Black Rain," recorded during the Badmotorfinger sessions in 1991. The set will be included as a bonus disc with the upcoming video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, to be released September 28, and will be
Coming Tomorrow: Adventures in Kritzerland!
A most excellent heads-up to readers of The Second Disc: at noon tomorrow we'll be posting our second interview. This one's done by our very own Joe Marchese, and will feature a dialogue with Bruce Kimmel. The longtime record producer/writer/director known in some circles for his catalogue work through the Kritzerland label (and in others for cult classics like The First Nudie Musical!) will chat with us about his work, past, present and future. It should be a good read, and it'll be here in
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