While 1979's anthemic "We Are Family" broke Sister Sledge into the mainstream, Kathy Sledge and her older sisters Debbie, Joni, and Kim were hardly overnight sensations. They paid their dues, and had been recording for Atco Records since 1973 when all four members were still teenagers. Now, Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint has compiled all of the Sledges' recordings for Atco, its parent Atlantic, and sister imprint Cotillion into one tidy 6-CD box set. Thinking of You: The
In Memoriam: John Prine (1946-2020)
Last evening, we learned of the passing of John Prine, 73, from COVID-19 complications. Though initially branded by the press as one of the "new Dylans," it wasn't long before the singer-songwriter transcended that label - and most others. With wit, humor, anger, empathy, and social conscience, the onetime "singing mailman" delivered mordant observations and poignant character studies over a career spanning five decades. Prine burst onto the scene with his 1971 self-titled release on Atlantic
Review: Donna Summer, "Encore"
I. Try Me, I Know We Can Make It Donna Summer's first studio album was entitled Lady of the Night, after its retro-styled galloping pop song composed by Giorgio Moroder and the album's producer Pete Bellotte. Following the release of her next LP, Summer would own the night as an international superstar. But there was much more to the so-called Queen of Disco than just the remarkable string of hits that crossed over from the dancefloor to the mainstream pop consciousness, among them "Love to
Review: Joni Mitchell's "Shine" Arrives on Vinyl
This Friday, Craft Recordings will release the vinyl debut of Joni Mitchell's most recent studio album, Shine. With excellent music that carries even more weight in 2020, RTI-pressed 180-gram vinyl, and beautiful packaging, this LP is one for Joni's many fans to treasure. Mitchell's artistry proved prescient on Shine, originally released in 2007 on the Hear Music label. Thematically, Shine is not far removed from Dog Eat Dog, her searing critique of Reagan-era policies and corporate greed.
Review: Matt Monro, "Stranger in Paradise: The Lost New York Sessions"
After years of exhaustively mining the late singer's catalogue for a series of definitive releases, the Matt Monro estate has turned up a new chest of buried treasure - and it's a collection that's both required listening for longtime fans and an ideal introduction for new ones. Stranger in Paradise: The Lost New York Sessions from Capitol Records/UMC takes listeners back to the Big Apple circa 1966 when the British singer joined with a quintet of jazz pros to record a different kind of album.
Legacy's RSD Lineup Has Something For Everyone
Sony Music's Legacy Recordings division has announced the titles they'll be releasing for the annual Record Store Day festivities. Hitting shelves April 18 will be a slew of genre- and decade-spanning albums from Miles Davis, Cheap Trick, TLC, Judas Priest, Tyler the Creator, Pink Floyd and more! Here's the official word from Legacy! Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, today announces another sensational line-up of vinyl for release on Record Store Day (April
Craft Recordings' Record Store Day Lineup Includes Fania Classics, White Whale Rarities, Camille Yarbrough, So Solid Crew, and More
Craft Recordings has announced a typically eclectic slate of releases for Record Store Day, all of which should be available at your favorite local independent record store on Saturday, April 18 (while supplies last). This year's batch includes long out-of-print albums from blues-rockers Parish Hall and performance artist Camille Yarbrough; another treasure from the Fania Records catalogue; a rare EP from British hip-hop groundbreakers So Solid Crew, and two themed '60s compilations certain to
What a Buzz! La-La Land Premieres Goldsmith's 'The Swarm,' Expands Williams' 'Far and Away'
La-La Land Records kicks off March with a killer pair of archival score releases by two of the most famous film composers of all time! The label will premiere Jerry Goldsmith's oft-requested The Swarm (1978) and expand John Williams' underrated Far and Away (1992) this month. Having kicked off a disaster movie craze in the '70s by producing The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno (both of which featured scores by Williams that were recently given deluxe treatment in a box set from
Review: Frank Zappa, "The Hot Rats Sessions"
What is jazz-rock? The label has been applied to the work of diverse artists such as Chicago, Blood Sweat & Tears, Miles Davis, Steely Dan, and Santana (and that's just to name some of the most well-known exponents) not to mention an entire cadre of fusion artists like the groups Weather Report and Return to Forever. In the jazz-rock canon, the name of Frank Zappa certainly stands tall. The multi-faceted artist delivered one of the genre's earliest and most seminal albums with 1969's Hot
Ace Round-Up, Part Two: Spotlight on Merseybeat Girls, "Jon Savage's 1969-1971" and "Deep Soul Treasures"
Today, we're looking at another trio of recent releases from the team at Ace Records! If you missed Part One of our Ace Round-Up, click here! While The Beatles are no doubt Liverpool's most famous musical export, Merseyside - spanning 249 square miles (or 645 square kilometers) bordering Lancashire to the northeast, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south and southeast, and The Irish Sea to the west - yielded an abundance of groups like The Cryin' Shames, Gerry and The
Review: The Band, "The Band: 50th Anniversary Edition"
How to top Music from Big Pink? Wisely, The Band didn't even try. Ditching the Dylan co-writes and the covers, The Band returned with their self-titled sophomore LP in fall 1969. Late in 2019, Capitol Records and UMe remixed and expanded that now-classic effort for its 50th anniversary in the style of 2018's Big Pink campaign with releases in a variety of formats - most notably, a 2-CD/2-LP/1-BD/1 -7" single super deluxe edition. The so-called "Brown Album" was recorded about as far from New
A Really Good Time: Bryan Ferry's "Live at the Royal Albert Hall 1974" Arrives on Friday
Bryan Ferry surely took some fans by surprise when, in 1973, he released his first solo studio album. These Foolish Things was named after the 1935 standard, quite a far cry from the original music he was recording as frontman of Roxy Music. The all-covers LP was a journey through Ferry's record collection, featuring his reimagined versions of songs by Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Lesley Gore, Smokey Robinson, and others. He followed up These Foolish Things in 1974
Release Round-Up: Week of January 31
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Rod McKuen, New Ballads (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Real Gone celebrates the late Rod McKuen with a slate of releases this week. For the 1970 album New Ballads, the singer-songwriter teamed with renowned arranger-conductor Don Costa for this remarkable collection of songs including "As I Love My Own," the dramatic Jacques Brel collaboration "I'm Not Afraid," "Thank You for Christmas," and a composition which
Release Round-Up: Week of January 24
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elton John, Live from Moscow 1979 (Mercury/UMe) 2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2019 marked the 40th anniversary of Elton John's landmark tour of Russia, where he stunned audiences as the first rocker to perform in the country. His concerts there were intimate events where he performed alongside percussionist Ray Cooper. Now, Elton brings his May 28, 1979 concert in Moscow to
Affirmative Yes: Real Gone Announces Vinyl Reissues of The Bonniwell Music Machine, The Donnas, and Little Beaver
Real Gone Music is at it again with a slate of overlooked classics due for reissue on vinyl this February and March. First up, there's The Donnas' Gold Medal, a power-pop favorite from 2004 that features the radio hit "Fall Behind Me." The Butch Walker-produced album marked a new direction for the band as they embraced a '70s-inspired psychedelic sound evoked visually by the very groovy artwork. Due on February 28, Real Gone's black-and-gold splatter vinyl edition will reproduce all the
Release Round-Up: Week of January 10
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Laura Nyro, More Than a New Discovery [Limited Violet Vinyl Mono Edition] (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Today's the day! We're so proud to reissue, for the first time ever on vinyl (and in homage to the artist's favorite color), Laura Nyro's 1967 debut More Than a New Discovery in a violet vinyl limited edition of 1,250 copies. This edition features the original, long out-of-print (and
The Year in Review: The 2019 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z
Happy 2020 and welcome to The Second Disc's 10th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! It's time once again to recognize this year's cream of the crop - those exemplary reissues and box sets big and small that proved to be truly outstanding products for music lovers worldwide. There was no shortage of great reissue titles in 2019; in fact, by our count, we covered over 700 releases in all! And after much deliberation, we're excited to unveil our favorites. This isn't your run-of-the-mill Top 10,
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Nat King Cole, "Hittin' the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943)"
The first voice you hear on Resonance Records' exhilarating new box set Nat King Cole - Hittin' the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) isn't that of the famous artist. Rather, it's his older brother and bassist Eddie Cole warbling teenaged Nat's sprightly composition "Honey Hush." Nat, of course, is the one tickling the ivories with confidence, grace, and an already sure sense of swing. Although he hadn't yet formed his famous trio (and the lineup here credited as "Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers" is
Holiday Gift Guide Reviews: Cherry Red's Esoteric and Grapefruit Imprints Offer Diverse Box Sets
Cherry Red's ongoing series of small clamshell box sets filled with big content make for the perfect stocking stuffer! Here's a look at three more titles you might have missed... Climax Blues Band's The Albums 1973-1976 is the second such box set released this year by Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint, following The Albums 1969-1972. This 4-CD set contains the following albums, culminating in the biggest commercial triumph for the band that began its life as The Climax Chicago Blues
UPDATE: Things That Come Back Again: Cat Stevens "Back To Earth" Box Set and Vinyl Reissues Announced
UPDATE: It's been nearly a year since our initial coverage of the Cat Stevens Back To Earth box set featuring a new remaster done at Abbey Road and a wealth of rare audio and visual material. Since then, lots of changes have affected how the box will reach listeners. Now that Pledge Music is out of the equation, BMG and their new Cat-O-Log division will release the elaborate set more conventionally on April 10. The box won't have all the bells and whistles described last year - just the discs
Quartet Records Unveils Holiday Slate with Soundtracks from Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, Quincy Jones, More
Following La-La Land Records' recently-announced mega-slate of Black Friday releases, Spain's Quartet Records label has revealed its own impressive line-up of end-of-the-year reissues. The label has brought out the heavy hitters - including Jerry Goldsmith, Henry Mancini, Ennio Morricone, and Quincy Jones - for an exciting group of limited edition soundtracks. Below, you'll find Quartet's own write-ups for each title, with pre-order links to the label as well as to Screen Archives
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Bear Family Explores "The Bakersfield Sound" on New Box Set
Get Along Down to Town Bakersfield, California is a long way from Nashville - a little under 2,020 miles west, actually. But the distance isn't quite as great when one considers how much significant country music came out of the city in Kern County. Recent years have seen numerous reissues from legendary Bakersfield artists like Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, as well as a fine exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame. But now Bear Family Records has delivered the ultimate tribute to the
Deluxe Edition of Howard Jones' 'One To One' Rolls Right Up From Cherry Red
In 2017, Howard Jones took his scintillating synthpop catalogue from Warner Music to U.K. indie Cherry Red Records, releasing a new compilation as well as expanded editions of his first two albums. After releasing the new album Transform earlier this year, Jones will continue revisiting his discography alongside the label early next year with a deluxe edition of his third LP One To One. Released at the end of 1986, One To One followed Jones' biggest-ever hit in America: a re-recording of the
The Second Disc's Picks for Record Store Day Black Friday 2019
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. Record Store Day Black Friday is now almost upon us, so we thought we'd spotlight a few particularly exciting releases arriving to your local brick-and-mortar record shop! Here's our round up of RSD BF must-haves! We're kicking off with Sam's list, and then we'll follow with Randy and Joe's! Aretha Franklin, The Atlantic Singles Collection 1968
Blowin' Away: Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music Bring Laura Nyro's Debut To Vinyl in January
Over two years ago, Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music released A Little Magic, A Little Kindness: The Complete Mono Albums Collection from the late Laura Nyro. The centerpiece of that two-disc anthology was the world premiere CD release of the original mono version of Nyro's Verve Folkways debut, More Than a New Discovery. Now, that rare and superior mix is making its way to limited edition vinyl as our first release of 2020. Seldom has the title of a debut album been more apt than the
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