Happy Valentine's Day! 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. Melanie, Ace o' Diamonds: The Lost Broadway Musical (Cleopatra) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) In the early 1980s, singer-songwriter Melanie lent her talents to the score of a new musical intended for Broadway. Ace o' Diamonds, with a book by Ed Kelleher and Seymour Vall, revolved around the
The Warner Recordings 1985-1994
5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP: Rhino.com Diamond Dave's got a whole new shine, thanks to a new box set from Rhino. David Lee Roth's The Warner Recordings 1985-1994 includes the four LPs (and one EP) the iconoclastic singer released outside of his concluding tenure as the vocalist for Van Halen. All of the albums have been newly remastered (though no bonus tracks are appended), and will be available at general retailers as a 5CD set. (Rhino's official store will
Live in the U.S.A. 1978 [Various Releases]
3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Live at South East Music Hall, Atlanta, GA - 1/5/1978 Red LP (February 28): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Live at Longhorns Ballroom, Dallas, TX - 1/10/1978 White LP (March 28): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Live at The Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, CA - 1/14/1978 Blue LP (April 25): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Sex Pistols' Live in the U.S.A. 1978 will mark the first complete and official releases of
The Weekend Stream: February 1, 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! A new charity cover from Def Leppard, reissues of classic albums by Simple Minds and Sheena Easton, and a mess of vintage jazz is on the menu today - plus a heads-up for a forthcoming way to help the ongoing California wildfire relief effort. Def Leppard, Stand by Me (Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon) While also a single
Live in Japan 1974
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rhino's ongoing refresh of the WAR catalogue continues with its first release of 2025: a set of previously unheard live material from the band's tour of Japan, more than half a century ago and featuring the band's classic line-up. Live in Japan 1974 is available worldwide as a 2CD or 2LP set. The concert includes 14 tracks (three less on the vinyl) culled from sets in Shizuoka, Tokyo, Osaka, and
Release Round-Up: Week of January 31
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. Dwight Twilley, Scuba Divers: Blueprint Edition (Iconoclassic) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The road to Dwight Twilley's second album, 1982's Scuba Divers, was a long one. Now, Iconoclassic Records is expanding that 10-track album with a whopping 15 bonus tracks (11 of which are previously unreleased) chronicling
In Memoriam: Marianne Faithfull (1946-2025)
It was clear from the start that Marianne Faithfull was no ordinary artist. The chanteuse, who died today at the age of 78, established her long and remarkable career on a dual track. Following the success of her singles "As Tears Go By" and "Come and Stay with Me" (gifted to Marianne by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards and Jackie DeShannon, respectively), Decca wanted her to record a pop album. Marianne wanted to record a folk album. The result was that not one, but two, LPs were released in
1975 to 1987
5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com (with bonus 12") Fleetwood Mac's 1975 to 1987 is exactly what it states: a box set of Fleetwood Mac (1975), Rumours (1977), Tusk (1979), Mirage (1982) and Tango in the Night (1987) - available as a 5CD set or a 6LP crystal-clear vinyl box. (D2C orders from Rhino will add an additional reissue of a promotional 12" on crystal clear vinyl, offering stereo and mono versions of Rumours-era
In Memoriam: Garth Hudson (1937-2025)
This morning, it was announced that Garth Hudson, 87, had died in a Woodstock, New York nursing home. Hudson was the last surviving member of The Band, and with his passing, an era has come to a close. Though best known for his virtuosic organ playing, Hudson was a multi-instrumentalist who brought various colors to The Band's rootsy, organic brand of Americana. Hudson's sound tapped into the many veins of American popular music and could, by turns, conjure a raucous revival, a whimsical
What's It All About: Verve to Release Long-Lost 1967 Concert from Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald ushered in 1967 with a new label affiliation; she had decamped Verve for the Capitol label where she would release two albums - one of hymns, and the other of traditional Christmas carols - that year. In concert, Ella was in a period of transition. While rewarding her audiences with the classic standards they expected, she was also experimenting with newer material from the pop-rock songbook. On February 28, Ella's once and future home of Verve will release The Moment of
The Weekend Stream: January 18, 2025
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! This week, we're heavy on the classic rock plus a vintage soundtrack, a dash of modern classical, and more! Fleetwood Mac, Live from the Record Plant (December 15, 1974) (Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) Coinciding with its standalone vinyl debut as part of Rhino's Start Your Ear Off Right, this vintage pre-Buckingham/Nicks Fleetwood Mac concert hit digital
Release Round-Up: Week of January 17
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. Vince Guaraldi, Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown: Original Soundtrack Recording (Lee Mendelson Productions) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Lee Mendelson family continues its series of debut releases from the Peanuts animation library with this premiere audio release of the score for 1975's Be My Valentine, Charlie
The Weekend Stream: January 11, 2025
Welcome to 2025's first edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! We're catching up on some of our favorite artists adding albums to stream and download, plus country soul and remixes aplenty - as well as a list of resources to help our friends and family in the music business affected by the California wildfires. The Damnwells, One Last Century / No One Listens to the Band Anymore (Poor
Release Round-Up: Week of January 10
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Rosanne Cash, The Essential Rosanne Cash (Rumble Strip) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) After a website-exclusive release, The Essential Rosanne Cash hits retail today. This newly-curated set brings together 40 of Cash's most treasured recordings - half from her tenure on Columbia Records and the other from mostly
In Memoriam: Peter Yarrow (1938-2025)
When Bob Dylan famously took the stage at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival and "plugged in" - an event dramatized at the climax of the Golden Globe-nominated film A Complete Unknown - the friendly face serving as emcee tried mightily to calm the fiercely divided crowd. Though his screen time in director James Mangold's film is minimal, Nick Pupo makes an impression as that beleaguered host: one Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul, and Mary. The folk trio was part of the same managerial stable as Dylan
The Weekend Stream: December 21, 2024 - and a Merry Discmas to All!
Welcome to 2024's final edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! With no Release Round-Up this Friday and a few weeks of peace and quite from (and for!) us until 2025, we've got a few more treats for you under the tree from Wham!, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis, Archie Bell & The Drells and so much more! Wham!, Last Christmas (Epic/Legacy/Sony Music U.K.) (iTunes / Amazon) For
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Joni Mitchell, "Archives: Volume Four (1976-1980)" and "The Asylum Albums (1976-1980)"
Earlier this year, Joni Mitchell brought her now-famous Joni Jam shows to the Hollywood Bowl for two sold-out evenings. A little more than 45 years ago, Mitchell closed out her North American tour with a series of shows some fifteen minutes away from the Bowl at the Greek Theatre; a selection from that concert closes the fourth volume of the Joni Mitchell Archives series of box sets. The Bowl shows proved another triumph for the artist who's now widely recognized for the innovations that
1974: Kimono My House & Propaganda
1974 was a particularly prolific year for Sparks, with the Mael brothers releasing two LPs: Kimono My House and Propaganda. Now, Edsel has reissued them both in a deluxe 3-CD set in 7-inch packaging. Sparks made quite an impression on the U.K. audience, with "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" from Kimono reaching No. 2 on the Singles Chart and becoming the No. 30 hit of the year. They would follow it up with "Amateur Hour" from the same LP and then "Never Turn Your Back on Mother
1992
Though Leo Sayer didn't write or co-write one of his two Pop chart-toppers - the Carole Bayer Sager/Albert Hammond composition "When I Need You" - his songwriter bona fides are nonetheless impressive including "The Show Must Go On," "One Man Band," "Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" (all co-authored with David Courtney), "How Much Love" (with Barry Mann), and "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (with Vini Poncia and an uncredited Ray Parker, Jr.). Between 1990 and 2005, he didn't release any new
Ring the Bells and Sing: Progressive Sounds of 1975
Ring the Bells and Sing: with this new compilation, Esoteric Recordings takes a look at 1975 in progressive rock. By compiler Mark Powell's admission, "1975 is not often referred to as a year that produced a wealth of legendary music." He sets out to prove that assessment wrong with this 4-CD, 47-song compendium. The set stresses the international reach of prog as well as the art of the album as opposed to the single; while many of these artists weren't regular hitmakers, Powell stresses that
The Weekend Stream: December 14, 2024
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 Christmas cheer from The Damnwells and Jody Miller, a Record Store Day reissue from Tegan and Sara, mid-'70s fun from The Flying Burrito Brothers to Freddie Prinze and a new spin on a John Williams classic. Plus, a way to help a dear friend and collaborator of the TSD team. The Damnwells, Xmas Eve (Poor Man/Pasadena Records) (iTunes
Release Round-Up: Week of December 13
It's Friday the 13th, but it just might be your lucky day for reissues! Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Luther Vandross, Never Too Much: Greatest Hits (Epic/Legacy) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada In conjunction with a new documentary film, Legacy Recordings issues a new double-disc anthology of the
Twilights Time: The Complete 1960s Recordings
The Twilights formed in Adelaide, Australia in 1964 by guitarist Peter Brideoake, bassist John Bywaters, and Clem "Paddy" McCartney and future Little River Band co-founder Glenn Shorrock on lead vocals. Shortly after forming, lead guitarist Terry Britten (who would go on to co-write such hit songs as "What's Love Got to Do with It") and drummer Laurie Pryor would join up as replacements for Kevin Peek and Frank Barnard, respectively. Despite charting nearly a dozen successful singles in
I Like It! Anthology 1963-1966
Liverpool's own Gerry and the Pacemakers were key players in the Merseybeat and British Invasion scenes with such timeless George Martin-produced hits as "Ferry Cross the Mersey," "How Do You Do It," and "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying." The Gerry Marsden-led group was definitively chronicled in 2008 on the EMI box set You'll Never Walk Alone: The EMI Years 1963-1966, with 123 tracks on 4 CDs. But now, more than 15 years have passed, and that set has become long out-of-print. So Cherry
Pour a Little Sugar on It: The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971
Perhaps the most fun release of the year - and certainly the sweetest - is this entry in Cherry Red's ongoing series of themed compilations. Pour a Little Sugar on It: The Chewy Chewy Sounds of American Bubblegum 1966-1971, on the Grapefruit imprint, brings together 91 tracks from the golden age of bubblegum music. Naturally, there are plenty of songs with food allusions ("Yummy Yummy Yummy," "Candy Apple Cotton Candy," "Gingersnap," and, of course, "Chewy Chewy" among them)...and artists with