It took time for audiences to come around to Harold and Maude. The 1971 film, written by Colin Higgins (9 to 5, Foul Play) and directed by Hal Ashby (Shampoo, Being There), depicted the unlikely but ultimately powerful relationship between young, death-obsessed Harold (Bud Cort) and elderly, free-spirited Maude (Ruth Gordon). Its blend of dark comedy and ironic uplift initially underwhelmed most critics and moviegoers. Slowly but surely, however, it earned cult classic status. One of the
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Joni Mitchell, "Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971)"
Last evening in Washington, DC, Joni Mitchell joined the 44th class of Kennedy Center Honorees alongside Bette Midler, Berry Gordy, Lorne Michaels, and Justino Diaz. The singer-songwriter who has blurred the lines of folk, pop, rock, and jazz was celebrated by friends and admirers including Brandi Carlile, Herbie Hancock, Ellie Goulding, Norah Jones, Brittany Howard, Dan Levy, and Cameron Crowe. President Joe Biden, also in attendance, had earlier summed up the thoughts of many when he
The Weekend Stream: December 4, 2021
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! This week we've got a U2 digital box set, soulful rarities from The Isley Brothers and Ramsey Lewis, and the return of a cute Christmas favorite. U2, Achtung Baby (30th Anniversary Edition) (Island/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon / Spotify) Alongside a new vinyl pressing of the album that hurtled U2 into the '90s and
Out of This World: Decca Celebrates John Williams' 90th Birthday with New Box Set
On February 8, 2022, John Williams will turn 90. Over the course of an extraordinary career, he's earned 25 Grammy Awards, five Oscars (out of 52 nominations, second only to Walt Disney), four Golden Globes, and three Emmys. Rather than resting on his considerable laurels in recent years, he's remained prolific, most recently scoring 2019's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and serving as Music Consultant for longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg's highly-anticipated remake of West Side Story.
Release Round-Up: Week of December 3
Welcome to the first Release Round-Up of the last month of 2021! The Doors, L.A. Woman: 50th Anniversary Edition (Elektra/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com) The sixth and final studio album from The Doors featuring Jim Morrison gets a 50th anniversary expansion from Rhino on 3 CDs and 1 LP. The original stereo album (newly remastered by Bruce Botnick) is present on both CD and LP while the bonus discs have more than two hours of previously unreleased
Classical Goes Rock: Prog "Peter and the Wolf" Featuring Manfred Mann, Brian Eno, Phil Collins, Stephane Grappelli Returns to CD from Cherry Red, Esoteric
Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf in 1936 as "a symphonic fairy tale for children." As conceived, the narrator tells a story for children in which every character is musically "played" by a different instrument, i.e., the bird is a flute, the duck is an oboe, the cat is a clarinet, the grandfather is a bassoon, the Wolf is French horns, the hunters are woodwinds and trumpets, and Peter is string instruments. Prokofiev's composition earned the attention of Walt Disney
Sunrise, Sunset: La-La Land Wraps 2021 with Score Titles from Williams, Newman, and More
Like the consumption of Thanksgiving turkey and waiting in line for Record Store Day exclusives, La-La Land's Black Friday announcements of their final (and often biggest) archival soundtrack releases of the year is a holiday tradition. In 2021, the label did not disappoint, unveiling five rare, unreleased and expanded score titles from across five separate decades. From horror classics to brilliant stage musical adaptations and even a stunning Golden Age score, there's really something for
Sweet Season: Real Gone's December Releases Include Final Black Jazz Reissues and Eddie Hazel on Vinyl
Our friends at Real Gone Music have a few jazz and funk reissues on the way, beginning this Friday, December 3. The label is concluding its series of Black Jazz album reissues with sets from Calvin Keys and Doug Carn and also bringing back into print the only solo album from Funkadelic's guitarist Eddie Hazel. First up is guitarist Calvin Keys' Proceed with Caution! from 1974. It was Keys' second album for Black Jazz after 1971's Shawn-Neeq, his debut as a leader. In the 1960s, Keys backed
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Billy Joel, "The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1"
By his own account, Billy Joel stumbled into the singing part of the singer-songwriter equation. He explained of his 1971 debut Cold Spring Harbor, "I wrote this album not as a singer-songwriter, but as a songwriter. I was thinking of other people doing the material on this album. But the advice I got from people in the music business was, 'Well, if you want people to hear your songs, make an album. And then you go out on the road and you do shows and you promote your album. I thought,
THE SECOND DISC'S 2021 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE IS HERE!
Cyber Monday is upon us once again, which means one thing at Second Disc HQ: it's time to launch our annual Holiday Gift Guide, featuring a few of our favorite things for the music enthusiast in your life. Sure, we might not have included raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but we've filled the guide with more than 50 essential selections: box sets (such as the Fab set to your right!) as well as archival releases and even new CDs from favorite artists that just might make great stocking
The Weekend Stream: November 27, 2021
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! Despite the Thanksgiving holiday (and recovery period from Record Store Day Black Friday) there are some surprises for lovers of rock, soul and soundtrack obscurities - check it out below! Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Live, New York, 1981 (Blackheart/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon / Spotify) If you can believe
In Memoriam: Stephen Sondheim (1930-2021)
October 1999: It was a crisp fall afternoon when I first met Stephen Sondheim. Working on a production of his 1965 musical Do I Hear a Waltz? at New Jersey's George Street Playhouse, I was asked to greet the great man at the train station and accompany him back to the theatre. "Mr. Sondheim!" I called as I extended my hand to the familiar figure heading my way. "I'm Joe from the theatre!" His look suddenly turned to one of concern, and his response took me aback: "Are you okay?" I paused,
The Second Disc's Picks for Record Store Day Black Friday 2021
From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you've enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. (And with plenty of delicious food, too!) Now, Record Store Day's annual Black Friday event is upon us, so we're spotlighting a dozen of the most eagerly anticipated releases arriving to your local independent brick-and-mortar record shop! Here are our personal picks for RSD BF must-haves; visit Record Store Day's official website for a list of
Release Round-Up: Week of November 26
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! It's a smaller week than usual owing to the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday as well as to Record Store Day's slate of Black Friday releases! To all those who celebrated Thanksgiving, we hope it was a wonderful one! David Bowie, Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) (Parlophone) 11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 17LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Parlophone continues its career-spanning series of box sets for the late David
Ace Records Round-Up: Spotlight on Petula Clark, Norman Whitfield, and "More Motown Girls"
The soundtrack of director Edgar Wright's recent film Last Night in Soho features two interpretations of Tony Hatch's classic pop hit "Downtown" performed by star Anya Taylor-Joy: one perky and uptempo, one haunting and downbeat. But the Soho soundtrack isn't the only way to hear "Downtown" as you likely haven't heard it before. The irresistible ode to that place where you can "forget all your troubles, forget all your cares" can be heard in Italian as sung by its originator, Petula Clark, as
Leader of the Pack: Real Gone's Black Friday RSD Lineup Includes Dusty Springfield, The Shangri-Las, Roy Buchanan, and More
The Black Friday edition of Record Store Day is happening this Friday, November 26, and Real Gone Music has five titles premiering for the event. These LPs are a happily eclectic lot: the most comprehensive vinyl overview of 1960s girl group The Shangri-Las, a vinyl version of Dusty Springfield's complete Atlantic singles collection (which Real Gone released on CD earlier this year and includes comprehensive liner notes by our very own Joe Marchese), the vinyl debut of an initially
Spirit of Salvation: Cherry Red, Esoteric Collect Spirit's Mercury Years on New 8-CD Box Set
Back in 2018, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings arm anthologized the early, seminal albums from Los Angeles rock band Spirit. The group spun off from The Red Roosters, a group which included Randy California (real name: Randy Wolfe) on guitars and vocals, Mark Andes on bass, and Jay Ferguson on vocals and percussion. When California's stepfather Ed Cassidy and John Locke joined on drums and keyboards, respectively, the members rechristened themselves Spirits Rebellious, and finally, Spirit.
The Weekend Stream: November 20, 2021
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! This week features some new remixes for Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass, a revisit of Josh Groban's debut and some great rarities for soul and alt-rock fans. Marvin Gaye + SaLaAM ReMi, Save the World Remix Suite (Motown/UMe) (iTunes / Spotify / Amazon) From remixer SaLaAM ReMi - who helped organize Gaye's
In Memoriam: Keith Allison (1942-2021)
The Second Disc mourns the loss of singer-songwriter-musician-producer Keith Allison, 79, best known for his time as a member of Paul Revere and The Raiders. The Texas-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist had already toured with artists including Ray Peterson and The Crickets when he was plucked from the audience at the Whisky A' Go-Go and groomed for stardom on the weekday music show Where the Action Is. In a classic case of "right place, right time," busy session musician
Release Round-Up: Week of November 19
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts (Columbia/Legacy) 2CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts features newly remixed and restored audio and video footage from Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band's sets at Madison Square Garden in New York City in
Take The Red Pill: Real Gone Reissues "The Matrix" and "Vanilla Sky" Soundtracks on Vinyl In December
Adding to its eclectic slate, Real Gone Music has announced a pair of soundtrack vinyl reissues hitting stores in December: The Matrix: Music from the Motion Picture due on December 3 and Music from Vanilla Sky, due on December 10. To tie in with The Matrix: Resurrections, the somewhat unexpected fourth movie in the sci-fi franchise due in theaters on December 22, Real Gone is re-releasing a vinyl edition of the soundtrack to the original Matrix film on December 3. Real Gone first brought
The Magic Islands: Aloha Got Soul, Vinyl Me, Please Celebrate Exotica Pioneer Arthur Lyman's "Island Vibes"
Even today, the name of Arthur Lyman is synonymous with exotica. The late vibraphonist and marimba player (1932-2002), born in Oahu, recorded dozens of albums bringing his tropical style to everything from Broadway to folk, jazz, and pop hits. Now, Hawaii's own Aloha Got Soul label has reissued Lyman's final studio album, 1980's Island Vibes, including in a limited, foil-stamped and numbered edition from the Vinyl Me, Please record club pressed on translucent purple with pink vinyl. Arthur
I Can Make Tonight Forever: Cherry Pop Collects Bonnie Tyler's "EastWest Years" on New Collection
Back in 2017, Cherry Red's Cherry Pop imprint compiled Bonnie Tyler's Remixes and Rarities, a 2-CD collection drawing on the singer's Columbia/CBS, Epic, RCA, and Hansa recordings originally released between 1979 and 1994. Now, Cherry Pop is picking up the Bonnie Tyler story with a new 3-CD set. The EastWest Years 1995-1998 brings together her two albums for the Warner imprint plus a disc of single versions, edits, and remixes. By the time she joined East West, the distinctively
Lonely Boys: The Black Keys' "El Camino" Returns For 10th Anniversary with Expanded CD and LP Editions
The Black Keys, a.k.a. Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, are marking 10 years of El Camino with anniversary editions from Nonesuch Records: 5LP Black Vinyl Super Deluxe (limited to 3,500 units, available now); 3LP Black Vinyl Deluxe (available now); 3LP White Vinyl Deluxe (limited to 7,500 units, available now); 5CD Super Deluxe ("extremely limited availability," available December 3); and Digital/streaming. El Camino, the band's seventh album, was co-produced by Auerbach and
The Weekend Stream: November 13, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we've introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! John Coltrane, A Love Supreme: The
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