Same Old Blues Again: John Lee Hooker’s Late-Period ‘Boom Boom’ Gets Reissued
A late-period work from blues legend John Lee Hooker has recently been reissued on CD and vinyl. 1992’s Boom Boom, part of a late-career resurgence for the Detroit-forged guitarist, was re-pressed on CD last week with two bonus tracks first released on a reissue of the album by Shout! Factory in 2007. (The slightly re-designed booklet also retains the track-by-track credits for each song, plus an essay by writer Jas Obrecht.) BMG, the label behind this release, has also gone back to the original analogue master tapes to cut a new lacquer for…
Now We’re Gonna Get the Whole Story: A Deep Dive Into Billy Joel’s Documentary Soundtrack
If you thought the dust had settled after watching all five hours of the documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes (both halves are now streaming on HBO Max), you may be…wrong! Legacy Recordings has dropped an incredible digital trove of music as a companion piece to the film: a seven-hour, 155-track anthology that’s packed with more than 60 unreleased tracks and available to stream or download! As we’d previously reported in our chat with John Jackson, Joel’s archive director, a soundtrack was in the works alongside the release of the film. “If we…
The Weekend Stream: July 26, 2025
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. Billy Joel fans have it good this week, with seven hours of hits and rarities from his new documentary. If you’ve got room after that, there’s an anniversary reissue for literally the last five decades in a few different genres, too! Billy Joel, And So It Goes (The Musical Companion to the HBO Documentary Film) (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) If you’ve watched all five hours of the new two-part Billy…
Release Round-Up: Week of July 25
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings and Food: Deluxe Edition (Rhino) 3CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rough Trade (Red) / D2C Exclusive (2LP/4×7″) 4LP: D2C Exclusive (and 4LP/2×7″) Rhino is taking Talking Heads fans to the river with a new deluxe edition: a 3CD/Blu-ray edition of the group’s 1978 sophomore album More Songs About Buildings and Food. The box includes the remastered original album alongside a bonus disc of rare studio material…
Hi, How Are You: Daniel Johnston Box Set Coming to Cassette in October
One of the most striking figures in 20th century alternative rock will be the subject of a new box set in the fall, featuring replicas of the cassettes he used to distribute featuring his one-of-a-kind tunes. Daniel Johnston’s In the 20th Century, due from Joyful Noise Recordings October 31, offers 16 of those original tapes made between 1981 and 1998. They’ve all been newly remastered by longtime Johnston associate Mark Kramer, using sources provided by Stress Records founder and Johnston’s then-manager Jeff Tartakov. (A mix of home recordings, some studio sessions and the…
Night Flight: Led Zeppelin’s “Live EP” Celebrates 50 Years of “Physical Graffiti”
Led Zeppelin’s Physical Graffiti, originally released in February 1975, arrived almost two years after the band’s last album, Houses of the Holy. Unsurprisingly, it was Zeppelin’s most sprawling effort to date. The double-LP set showcased every side of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham’s increasingly varied repertoire. It turned 50 earlier this year, and now Rhino is marking the occasion with a new Live EP due on 180-gram 12″ vinyl, CD, and digital/streaming services on September 12. On the same date, the label will reissue 2015’s Deluxe Edition on…
He’s Got a Way: An Interview with John Jackson, Billy Joel’s Archive Director
Even if you think you know everything about the Piano Man, the new documentary Billy Joel: And So It Goes, is sure to shine a light on one of pop/rock’s most enduring singer/songwriters–and not just through the revelations therein. Tucked in every corner of the two-part feature (the second part premieres Friday, July 25 alongside the already-available first on HBO Max) is a trove of rare, unseen or brilliantly restored material from Joel’s formidable career: session outtakes, candid behind-the-scenes video, hard-to-track-down interviews, promotional films and concerts aplenty. If you’ve followed Joel’s career…
Long Distance Winner: After More Than Half a Century, ‘Buckingham Nicks’ Comes Back to Print
In just over 15 years of reporting at The Second Disc, it’s a sentence we never thought we’d write: Buckingham Nicks is getting its first-ever reissue. The 1973 album from Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks – recorded and released two years before their pivotal acceptance into British rock band Fleetwood Mac – will be released on CD, vinyl and digitally on September 19 from Rhino. Unavailable since its original release, this straight reissue of the album marks the first significant professional thaw since Buckingham was dismissed from Fleetwood Mac in 2018. Speculation ran…
In Memoriam: Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025)
What went into your mind when you heard the news that Ozzy Osbourne passed away? Was it the bat? The dove? The tousled visage cooking breakfast in his kitchen? The bewildered man in a mansion, navigating contrived-for-camera family dramas to audiences in the millions? Or the wounded soul defiantly bringing the crowd one last bellow from hell, less than two weeks ago, with his Black Sabbath brethren (complete once more) from the stage at Villa Park in Birmingham, where the group once formed? It could’ve been all those and more, and no…
No Time for Tears: Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Potemkin’ Score Set for Reissue
A lesser-known detour in the Pet Shop Boys’ discography is being reintroduced this year: the duo’s score penned for the legendary film Battleship Potemkin. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s compositions for Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 silent picture, first performed in 2004 and released a year later, will be remastered on CD (as well as released for the first time on vinyl) on September 5. The release will follow a theatrical exhibition of the film in the U.K. beginning August 22; a Blu-ray release from the British Film Institute will also be available alongside the…
The Music Never Stopped: Grateful Dead’s “Blues for Allah” Is Expanded for 50th Anniversary
Grateful Dead’s 50th anniversary reissue program is truckin’ on with the September 12 reissue of the band’s Blues for Allah, originally released on September 1, 1975. A deluxe, expanded 3CD edition will arrive alongside a digital version and a 1LP remaster of the original album available in black vinyl, picture disc, and Dead.net-exclusive colored vinyl pressings. In addition, a Blu-ray will premiere surround, Dolby Atmos, stereo, and instrumental mixes by the prolific Steven Wilson. Blues for Allah came on the heels of the Dead’s self-imposed (and ultimately) brief hiatus which began in…
Turning to Gold: Ronnie Wood Looks Back on “Fearless: The Anthology,” Features Rod Stewart, Faces, Rolling Stones
Ronnie Wood is celebrating 60+ years in music with a new anthology, comprising solo tracks as well as key cuts from his time playing with the illustrious likes of The Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, and Jeff Beck as well as his earliest recordings with The Birds and The Creation. Fearless: The Anthology 1965-2025 is due from BMG on September 26 in 2CD and 2LP formats, with 38 tracks on the CD set including four all-new recordings exclusive to this collection. Fearless kicks off with a pair of recordings from the Middlesex native’s…
The Weekend Stream: July 19, 2025
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. We’ve got a gem from Linda Ronstadt’s vault, a new update of a Disney classic and a fascinating sit-down with one of folk’s most important matriarchs – plus tributes to artists we lost this week and a potential hint at a very exciting reissue from one of the pivotal duos in ’70s rock. Linda Ronstadt, “How Do I Make You” / “Rambler Gambler” (Asylum/Rhino) (Apple / Amazon) This week, song…
The Right Thing to Do: Rhino’s New Quadio Batch Features Carly Simon, Bread, Judy Collins, The New Seekers
We recently filled you in on Elektra’s 75th anniversary vinyl campaign which sees a variety of titles arriving this month. Now, the celebration is continuing with four new Quadio releases on Blu-ray Audio, all greatest-hits collections drawn from the Elektra catalogue. These four-channel surround titles from Carly Simon, Bread, Judy Collins, and The New Seekers are all available now, exclusively from Rhino.com. Every one of these titles boasts both the original quadraphonic mix with a high-resolution 192 kHz/24-bit stereo mix, both sourced from the original analog four-track quad master tapes. 1972’s Colors…
Release Round-Up: Week of July 18
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Scissor Sisters, Scissor Sisters: 20th Anniversary Edition (Republic) 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Scissor Sisters’ 2004 debut gets a (slightly belated) 20th anniversary expansion offering the album in a digipak alongside two bonus discs of B-sides, remixes, and seven previously unheard tracks. A truncated offering of the B-sides and outtakes will be included on a double vinyl edition. “Take Your Mama” to get the…
Omigod, You Guys! Ghostlight Brings “Legally Blonde: The Musical” To Vinyl For the First Time
Omigod, you guys! Ghostlight Records is giving another beloved Broadway cast album a vinyl debut. This time the show is Legally Blonde and the 2-LP set hits store shelves tomorrow, July 18. In 2000, author Amanda Brown was working on a manuscript to turn her experiences at Stanford Law School into a novel. She met with producer Marc Platt who helped her accomplish that while also selling the idea for a film version. Eventually titled Legally Blonde, the screenplay was written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith. Directed by Robert Luketic,…
A Walk in the Sky: Cherry Red, Grapefruit Collect Flower Pot Men’s Psych-Pop on “Midsummer Dreaming”
Three years ago, Cherry Red’s Grapefruit imprint saluted the career of singer and songwriter John Carter (“Beach Baby,” “Little Bit o’ Soul,” “Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat,” “Winchester Cathedral”) on the 4CD set My World Fell Down: The John Carter Story. Now, the label is turning to one of Carter’s studio outfits, The Flower Pot Men, for the comprehensive, new 3CD collection Midsummer Dreaming: An Anthology 1967-1970. Naturally, the set opens with “Let’s Go to San Francisco,” the Summer of Love homage written and produced by Carter and Ken Lewis which went…
Sing Out: New Cat Stevens Compilation to Accompany Memoir
The man they now call Yusuf/Cat Stevens has announced a new career-spanning compilation to tie with his forthcoming memoir this fall. On the Road to Findout: Greatest Hits will be available as a 1CD or 2LP highlights set, as well as a deeper-dive 2CD or 4LP collection on September 5. It’s the first time an album will feature both the cream of his work as one of the top British folk songwriters in the ’60s and ’70s, as well as music from his return to popular song styles after decades out of…
Jump to the Beat: Edsel Reissues “Disco Ladies” and “Disco Boogie” Collections
Late in 2023, Demon Music Group revived its Disco Discharge series on the Edsel label. Two recent 2CD volumes, Disco Ladies and Disco Boogie, continue presenting the series in a deluxe, oversized seven-inch format. These titles, chockablock with disco deep cuts and hits alike, were originally issued on the Harmless label in 2009 and 2010, respectively, and have been tweaked (likely due to licensing restrictions) for this go-round. Disco Ladies offers a cross-section of the many women with varied styles who ruled the dancefloor. As original compiler/annotator Alan Jones notes in his…
The Weekend Stream: July 12, 2025
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. This one has it all: Sting, a family named King, one Boss, two Deborahs, 311, ’00s power-pop nuggets, an actress with a killer voice singing on England’s hottest balcony – and a trailer for our most-anticipated music documentary of the month! Sting, The Dream of the Blue Turtles (Expanded Edition) (A&M/UMe) (Apple / Amazon) Concurrent to its SHM-CD release in Japan (alongside other previous digital-only deluxe editions), Sting’s 1985 solo…
Say You Love Me: Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 Self-Titled Album Arrives in Dolby Atmos, High Fidelity Vinyl
Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled 1975 album which introduced Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks to the band has been reissued over the years in various formats. Now, Rhino is bringing a new dimension to the classic, 9x Platinum-certified LP with its premiere on Blu-ray Audio in the immersive Dolby Atmos format. Additionally, a remastered edition will be available as part of the label’s High Fidelity series of audiophile-quality vinyl reissues. All formats are due on August 8. TSD went into detail about Fleetwood Mac for a previous reissue: Before the album that became Fleetwood…
Release Round-Up: Week of July 11
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Jethro Tull, Still Living in the Past (Parlophone/Rhino) 5CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Still Living in the Past reinterpret Jethro Tull’s original odds-and-ends compilation from 1972 as a 5CD/1 Blu-ray set boasting some 35 unissued mixes and versions alongside just about every one of the 21 original tracks that appeared on the original double album. Alongside the original mixes of the non-album material that comprised Living in…
Everybody Say Yeah: Real Gone’s July Slate Includes Vinyl Reissues of Mary Chapin Carpenter, “Kinky Boots,” Rusted Root, More
As summer heats up, Real Gone has another slate of six varied releases hitting store shelves, tomorrow, July 11. You’ll find a variety of genres here from Broadway to nu metal to rock to country to jazz. First up is a vinyl reissue of the Broadway cast album Kinky Boots. The 2013 show is based on the 2005 movie of the same title. The story revolves around Charlie, who inherits a failing shoe factory from his father. To turn the business around, he teams with drag performer Lola to begin manufacturing high-heeled…
Never Get Old: David Bowie’s Final Albums Boxed on “I Can’t Give Everything Away”
After a period of nearly four years, David Bowie’s series of “Eras” box sets is returning with a new, final volume. I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002-2016) arrives on September 12 from ISO Records and Parlophone, concluding the career-spanning chronicle of the shape-shifting superstar. The new 13-CD or 18-LP box picks up where 2021’s Brilliant Adventure (1992-2001) left off, capturing the final years of an artist who never stopped innovating. The set contains new pressings of: Heathen (2002); Reality (2003); A Reality Tour (recorded 2003, released 2010); The Next Day (2013); The…
Live Forever: Reunited Oasis Plan Albums Box Set
Less than a week after announcing a new, slightly expanded edition of sophomore album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Oasis are also announcing a box set collecting new pressings of all their studio albums. Ostensibly tied to the ongoing reunion tour (which kicked off in England to audience approval last week), Complete Studio Album Collection is exactly what it says: the band’s seven studio albums issued between 1994 and 2008, plus 1998 B-sides collection The Masterplan. With the exception of that rarities collection, which settled for No. 2, all of these releases topped the U.K. album…