Keep on Doin’ the Hump: Digital Underground’s ‘Sex Packets’ Expanded for CD, LP
For old-school hip-hop heads, there’s a reissue better than getting busy in a Burger King bathroom coming this spring: an expansion of Digital Underground’s debut LP Sex Packets. Released (a bit late, c’est la vie) for its 35th anniversary on March 20, the remastered album has been sequenced on two CDs or LPs to mirror the original running order of the CD. It’ll also feature multiple bonus tracks depending on format: all versions have the cassette bonus tracks “A Tribute to the Early Days” and the unedited version of album cut “Gutfest ’89,”…
Transdermal Celebration: Ween Get New CD Box Set, Vinyl Reissues, Live Albums from Rhino
Things are certainly looking brown at Rhino, who’ll be releasing five CD and vinyl titles related to Ween in the coming months. Following a deluxe edition of 1994’s Chocolate and Cheese and a Record Store Day vinyl pressing of rarities compilation Shinola, Vol. 1, the label will release Brown Box, a 10CD set of the band’s complete studio albums; color vinyl editions of late ’90s and early ’00s albums White Pepper and Quebec; and a new archival live album, Bring Out the Foos: Live 1996. All four titles will be available April 10. A week later, for Record…
Oh, My Word! “Doctor Who: The Wheel in Space” Arrives on Vinyl
While fans around the world are impatiently waiting for the return of Doctor Who on Christmas 2026, Demon Music Group is keeping the time-traveling hero busy on records. The label recently announced the upcoming Record Store Day release of The Rescue, a 1965 story starring William Hartnell as The First Doctor, and has just released another classic serial to vinyl: The Wheel in Space. The Wheel in Space originally aired over six episodes from April 27, 1968–June 1, 1968. It is the final serial of Doctor Who’s fifth season and stars Patrick…
Hold These Threads: Weezer Revisit “Color” Albums on Vinyl Box, Plan Archival Set for Record Store Day
One of the most familiar visual tropes of Weezer’s discography – the self-titled albums known by the color of their covers – is being celebrated in an intriguing way with a new vinyl box the band is putting out this spring. The same month it reaches fans, an archival LP for Record Store Day will celebrate the history of the group’s origins leading up to that first of six “color” albums. Coloring Book gathers those albums as originally issued over 25 years, from their 1994 debut Weezer (The Blue Album) to 2019’s Weezer…
The Weekend Stream: February 14, 2026
Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. New remixes from James Brown and Tears for Fears, uncovered rarities from Peggy Lee, new songs from MUNA and Bleachers and a whole lotta Ween will keep you busy for the rest of the day! MUNA, “Dancing on the Wall” (Saddest Factory) (Apple / Amazon) One of pop’s best current bands is back for more! Queer-friendly trio MUNA have built a considerable fan base through catchy, electronics-and-guitar-driven albums –…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 13
It may be Friday the 13th, but this week’s releases are hardly a scary lot! Here’s a selection of some of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The Beach Boys, We Gotta Groove: The Brother Studio Years (Capitol/UMe) 3CD/3LP: Official Store / uDiscoverMusic 3 SHM-CD: CDJapan Over three years after the release of Sail On Sailor: 1972, The Beach Boys’ long-running archival series is back in full force with a new box set available today (with new orders scheduled to ship on March 20). We Gotta Groove: The…
Jive Talkin’: Bee Gees’ Extended Dance Mixes Reissued on New Box Set
This morning, Universal unveiled a limited edition 4LP box set rounding up fourteen extended dance versions of Bee Gees classics. You Should Be Dancing: The 12″ Collection is available for pre-order now exclusively through the Bee Gees’ and Universal Music’s online storefront and is limited to 1,000 units only. It will ship on or around February 27. Alas, much like the last time the group’s extended mixes were reissued (2015’s Extended EP, on Rhino), this collection will be unavailable on compact disc. You Should Be Dancing features the original Disco Mixes of…
NOW WITH LINKS! TSD, Cherry Red Collect Leon Russell’s Paradise Recordings on New Box Set
By 1976, Leon Russell was already an industry veteran. The onetime Wrecking Crew pianist had already written and arranged hit singles for Gary Lewis and The Playboys, launched two record labels (Viva and Shelter), built his own recording studios, joined Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, served as the bandleader of Joe Cocker’s storied Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, recorded his own hit albums, and written or co-written such instant American standards as “A Song for You,” “Superstar,” and “This Masquerade.” Tension with co-founder Denny Cordell led Russell to depart Shelter Records in…
Landslide: Craft Recordings’ RSD Slate Features Fleetwood Mac Tribute, Miles Davis, Violent Femmes, More
The Record Store Day rollout continues with a slate of titles arriving from Craft Recordings. The label’s nine offerings range from jazz (Abbey Lincoln, Miles Davis) to rock (Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac, Violent Femmes) and soul (Stax: Killer B’s). All of these titles are due at brick-and-mortar independent stores on Saturday, April 18. Head over to RecordStoreDay.com for the complete list of participating stores in the U.S. and RecordStoreDay.co.uk if you’re in the U.K., and below you’ll find details for all of Craft’s releases! We’ve included the label’s…
Coming Up: Paul McCartney’s “Man on the Run” Soundtrack Due Later This Month
Later this month, on February 19 only, director Morgan Neville’s documentary Paul McCartney: Man on the Run will enjoy a limited theatrical release. Then, on February 27, the film arrives on Prime Video for home streaming. At a running time of almost two hours, it chronicles McCartney’s artistic rebirth in the 1970s in the aftermath of The Beatles’ breakup, including the rise of Wings, via archival footage, Linda McCartney’s photographs, and new interviews with Paul and the McCartney family as well as Sean Ono Lennon, Mick Jagger, Chrissie Hynde, and others. Coinciding…
The Weekend Stream: February 7, 2026
Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. New tracks from old favorites, deep cuts, good causes, a fun recent Grammy winner, and the triumphant return of The Muppets? What more could you possibly ask for?! The Muppets, The Muppet Show Theme (2026) (Walt Disney Records) (Apple / Amazon) It’s time to play the music! The Muppet Show made a triumphant return to television this week: a special episode that aired on ABC and Disney+, produced by…
In Memoriam: LaMonte McLemore (1935-2026)
In an interview late last year with TSD, Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis, Jr., and Florence LaRue shared memories of their lifelong friend and co-founder of The 5th Dimension, LaMonte McLemore (1935-2026). “He loved music and he was a very accomplished photographer,” remembered Marilyn. “He knew Berry Gordy and did very well with his photography in Jet Magazine. If you ever look up Jet’s Beauty of the Week, he was always featuring the young black girls in Los Angeles. His work was good and Motown used him for some of their photography. LaMonte…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 6
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. Roberta Flack, With Her Songs: The Atlantic Albums 1969-1978 (Atlantic/Rhino, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Roberta Flack’s With Her Songs: The Atlantic Albums 1969-1978 brings together the late artist’s first eight studio albums in one compact 8CD package. Albums include First Take, Chapter Two, Quiet Fire, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, Killing Me Softly, Feel Like Makin’ Love, Blue Lights in the Basement, and Roberta Flack. No bonus material is featured, but Discs 4-8 are newly remastered for this collection. …
“Sea.Hear.Now” What Legacy’s Planning for Record Store Day 2026
Legacy Recordings is only spotlighting eight artists for Record Store Day 2026, but they’re making it count. Sony Music’s catalogue arm will showcase mostly live recordings – classics, out-of-print favorites and even some recent ones – on their vinyl selections for the annual retail holiday. And best of all, three of them will also be available on CD! Incredibly, only one of these titles has been on vinyl before: 1978’s Nite Flights, the striking final album by The Walker Brothers. Indeed, from pop (Tony Bennett and Jeff Buckley) to classic rock (Judas Priest,…
What’s That, My Boy? Demon Announces RSD Slate Including “Doctor Who,” “Bluey,” Pixies, Stewart Copeland, T. Rex, More
The Record Store Day rollout continues with a slate of titles arriving worldwide from Demon Music Group. All of these titles – from television favorites (Doctor Who and Bluey) to classic rock heroes (T Rex, Pixies, and Stewart Copeland) and more – are due at brick-and-mortar independent stores in the U.K., U.S., and around the world on Saturday, April 18. Head over to RecordStoreDay.com for the complete list of participating stores in the U.S. and RecordStoreDay.co.uk if you’re in the U.K., and below you’ll find details for all of Demon’s releases! We’ve…
Let Him Run Wild: Rhino’s Record Store Day Slate Includes Brian Wilson, David Bowie, The Doors, Talking Heads, Black Sabbath, Joni Mitchell, More
Today’s the day! The Record Store Day list is here, ramping up anticipation for the annual event which takes place at brick-and-mortar stores on Saturday, April 18. As expected, Rhino is leading the RSD pack with a whopping slate of over 50 titles scheduled to arrive in independent shops everywhere. The label has brought out many of its heaviest hitters, including David Bowie, The Doors, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Grateful Dead, Rod Stewart, Talking Heads, and Brian Wilson, among others. Head over to RecordStoreDay.com for the complete list of participating stores (and…
The Devil Cried: Dio’s Heaven & Hell Era Revisited on New Box Set
A reunion of classic rock legends under a different name – and a final curtain for their second best-known lead singer – is the focus of Rhino’s latest box set, devoted to the late-period work of Black Sabbath under the name Heaven & Hell. Breaking Out of Heaven 2007-2009 includes the complete studio recordings from the reunion of singer Ronnie James Dio, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Vinny Appice (including the album The Devil You Know and a trio of tracks recorded for a Dio-era Sabbath compilation that kicked off the…
It’s Got What It Takes: Rhino Expands ‘5150,’ Van Halen’s First Album with Sammy Hagar, for 40th Anniversary
Four decades ago, Van Halen entered a surprising new era of rock and roll – and they’re exploring it with a new deluxe edition from Rhino. 5150, the band’s first album with vocalist Sammy Hagar at the fore, will be released in several formats on March 27. The centerpiece is a 3CD/Blu-ray/LP version featuring the original remastered album (overseen by the band’s longtime engineer Donn Landee in 2023 for The Collection II box set), a disc of rare non-LP edits and mixes, and the premiere release of audio from the band’s bestselling…
Woo-oo! Intrada Debuts Music from Disney Animated Favorite ‘DuckTales’
Life is like a hurricane, here in Duckburg… For animation fans of a certain age, those lyrics immediately conjure the globetrotting adventures of a certain Scottish duck who’s tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties…who made his money square. Over the course of 100 episodes originally aired between 1987 and 1990, Walt Disney Television Animation’s DuckTales vividly brought to life the adventures of Uncle Scrooge McDuck. Introduced by writer-artist Carl Barks in the 1947 comic book story “Christmas on Bear Mountain,” Uncle Scrooge quickly became one of pop culture’s most…
The Weekend Stream: January 31, 2026
Welcome back to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. Looks like some well-known songwriters on each side of the Atlantic have something to say about current events; plus, unearthed tracks and reissues from The Cure, Sia and more. Bruce Springsteen, “Streets of Minneapolis” (Columbia) (Apple / Amazon) If you weren’t happy about TSD saying anything about ICE’s presence in Minneapolis in last Saturday’s column, you’re probably not going to like this. Hopefully one little angry protest song…
Who Loves The Sun: Rhino High Fidelity Reissues Velvet Underground, Stooges Classics
Rhino High Fidelity, the label’s audiophile-standard line of vinyl reissues, has announced its first releases of 2026: two classic rock milestones from the dawn of the 1970s. Limited to 5,000 units each, The Velvet Underground’s Loaded and The Stooges’ Fun House are both available now exclusively from Rhino.com. Each album has been cut from the original master tapes by Kevin Gray and pressed on 180-gram black vinyl at Optimal in Germany. Both titles are housed in sturdy, glossy “tip-on” jackets and contain newly-penned liner notes. Despite the tumultuous period surrounding the birth…
Release Round-Up: Week of January 30
Welcome to our final Release Round-Up of January, with a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The Monkees, The A’s, The B’s, and The Monkees (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The A’s, The B’s and The Monkees, at long last, brings together on 2 CDs all of the band’s commercial singles originally released between 1966 and 1970, from “Last Train to Clarksville” b/w “Take a Giant Step” through “Oh My My” b/w “I Love You Better.” It’s arranged with its 15 A-sides on…
In the Mood for You: Ace’s ‘Highway of Diamonds’ Collects Black Voices Taking on Bob Dylan
Ace Records’ ongoing Black America Sings series gets a second helping of classic tunes by Bob Dylan on a new compilation available this week. Highway of Diamonds: Black America Sings Bob Dylan, available January 30 in Ace’s native U.K. (and a week later in America), offers 20 compositions from the Nobel Prize-winning songwriter recast for soul, blues and gospel acts including The Staple Singers, Nina Simone, Harry Belafonte, Billy Preston, Natalie Cole, Solomon Burke, Merry Clayton, Sarah Vaughan, Aaron Neville and more. The collection, available on CD or two LPs, includes informative song/track…
“Four” and More: Craft Plans Prestige Compilation for Miles Davis’ Centennial
With a Miles Davis live box set recently back in print to celebrate his centennial, another label, Craft Recordings, is preparing a new compilation to mark the same occasion this spring. The Best of Miles Davis, to be released on vinyl March 13, is a simple eight-track compilation drawing from Miles’ mid-’50s sessions with his “first great quintet,” released through the rest of that decade on the Prestige label. Primarily comprised of pop and jazz standards (Rodgers and Hart’s “My Funny Valentine,” Thelonious Monk’s “‘Round Midnight” and “Well, You Needn’t,” Sonny Rollins’…
Advance Romance: Zappa and Beefheart’s “Bongo Fury” Returns as 50th Anniversary Box Set
Zappa Records is rolling out its first archival release of 2026, and in doing so, is belatedly celebrating the 50th anniversary of one of Frank Zappa’s landmark releases. Bongo Fury, The Mothers of Invention’s 1975 collaboration with fellow iconoclast Don Van Vliet a.k.a. Captain Beefheart, is returning on March 20 in a variety of formats including a 5CD/1Blu-ray box; 2LP expanded edition; and 1LP original album. Bongo Fury is notable not only as the final original album to be released by Zappa and The Mothers but also as a transitional album featuring…