The title of the 1979 debut album from Joe Grushecky and The Iron City Houserockers proclaimed Love's So Tough. The Pittsburgh native and his band captured their city's blue-collar milieu, recalling a harder-edged E Street Band. The group took their sound an expansive step further with 1980's Have a Good Time But Get Out Alive!, a bar-band classic which welcomed guests including Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson, and Stevie Van Zandt. That album introduced "Pumping Iron" which quickly became the band's
The Weekend Stream: April 27, 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. More late period Prince is released from The Vault, plus a new Barbra Streisand single, future Bandcamp Friday favorites, cuts from new Broadway cast recordings and more! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Prince, "Magnificent" (NPG/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) The Musicology 20th anniversary celebration continues with
King of the Monsters: Universal Japan to Reissue More Than 20 Godzilla Film Scores for Franchise's 70th Anniversary
Seven decades ago, the mighty Godzilla first rose from the sea to become one of Japanese film's most legendary characters. This summer, with interest in the character still at an all-time high, Universal Music Group's Japanese arm will reissue nearly two dozen classic soundtracks from the film series. UMG will newly remaster and repress on SHM-CD the scores to the 15 Shōwa-era Godzilla films released between 1954 and 1975, as well as the seven Heisei-era pictures which came out between 1984
Release Round-Up: Week of April 26
Welcome to this week's post-Record Store Day Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Tina Turner, What's Love Got to Do with It: 30th Anniversary Edition (Parlophone) 4CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Just months after the career-spanning compilation The Queen of Rock and Roll,
Rolling Stock: "Starlight Express" Returns to Vinyl to Celebrate New London Production
Andrew Lloyd Webber first became interested in adapting Reverend W. Aubry's Thomas the Tank Engine stories in 1974. A pilot episode for a proposed television series was produced but ultimately not picked up. But the Jesus Christ Superstar and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat composer didn't give up on the idea of musicalizing a story with trains. He took a step towards that goal with the 1977 single "Engine of Love" for American singer Earl Jordan, and then developed an animated
Slow Dancin': Cherry Red, Esoteric Return to Anthony Phillips' "Slow Dance"
If you missed out on the 2017 Esoteric/Cherry Red expanded reissue of founding Genesis guitarist Anthony Phillips' 1990 Slow Dance, you're in luck. The label has just reissued Slow Dance as a 2CD set, dropping the DVD component but otherwise replicating the earlier package at a lower price. Slow Dance, a two-part orchestral suite, was recorded by Phillips in 1988 and 1989. The follow-up to Tarka, his collaborative album with Harry Williamson, Slow Dance became Phillips' first "proper" solo
Feats Don't Fail Me Now: Deluxe Edition
3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Last year, Rhino reissued Little Feat's seminal second and third albums, Sailin' Shoes (1972) and Dixie Chicken (1973), as deluxe, expanded editions. Now, the label is following those with a similar presentation of the California group's fourth LP, 1974's Feats Don't Fail Me Now, on 2 CDs or 3 LPs. Both versions feature a remastered edition of the original album plus rare and previously unreleased
Africa 80
In 1980, the legendary Staple Singers were engaged in a tour of Africa sponsored by the U.S. government. The set opened with Charlie Smalls' rousing "Ease on Down the Road" from his Broadway musical The Wiz (which, as of this writing, is once again packing houses on Broadway) and continued with a clutch of Staples favorites including "Let's Do it Again," "Respect Yourself," and "Touch a Hand, Make a Friend." The group also brought their singular style to such varied standards as "Will the
When You Touch Me: The West End Recordings
SoulMusic Records teams with TSD to revisit dance superstar Taana Gardner's classic West End album as a 2CD set. When You Touch Me: The West End Recordings opens with Taana Gardner in its original form and mix for the very first time on CD including Larry Levan's 1979 mixes. Producer Kenton Nix's extended mixes of "When You Touch Me," "Just Be a Friend," and "Work That Body" have been appended to Disc One. The second disc features ten singles and remixes including two promotional versions of
Hungry Freaks, Daddy: Zappa and The Mothers of Invention's 1968 Whisky A Go Go Show Arrives in June
Fans of the early days of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention have good reason to, well, freak out! On June 21, Zappa Records and UMe are heading back to those heady days on the Sunset Strip for Whisky A Go Go, 1968, a new collection available on three CDs or five 180-gram black vinyl LPs as well as in 2LP "highlights" form. The complete release will also be available digitally in high-resolution. Even in the relatively early days of his recording career, Frank Zappa was thinking
That's The Word: SoulMusic Teams with TSD for Taana Gardner's "When You Touch Me: The West End Recordings"
1979 was a landmark year in disco, with Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Anita Ward, and Sister Sledge all conquering the Billboard charts. But the prominence of the dance genre led to a so-called backlash - and it happened in the blink of an eye. On July 21, 1979 - nine days following the Disco Demolition Night held by controversial Chicago disk jockey Steve Dahl and others - the genre dominated the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, with six records. By September 22, there were no disco songs at
The Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2024: Our Essential Picks
Tomorrow, Record Store Day is once again upon us! It's that time of year where music lovers and vinyl flippers get together at their favorite physical music retailers and wait in line to snag some treasured albums - almost all of which are pressed on vinyl instead of CD (or, you know, sold on secondary marketplaces for above their retail value). This year, the list tops out at over 350 titles, so there's very nearly something for everybody. It wasn't easy to narrow our choices down to around
Release Round-Up: Week of April 19
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. With Record Store Day events taking place tomorrow, this is one of the biggest weeks in recent memory - so if you hit up your local indie store tomorrow, remember: there's plenty of non-exclusive releases to check out, too. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. TSD also mourns the passing of Dickey Betts, 80. As a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and founding member of The
Shadows and Light: Joni Mitchell's Asylum Albums Go Quadio
Joni Mitchell has had quite the year, stopping the show at the Grammy Awards (did anybody watching not shed a tear?), reinventing "I'm Still Standing" at the Gershwin Prize celebration of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and preparing for her Los Angeles concert return with sold-out, hotly-anticipated Joni Jams at the Hollywood Bowl in October. Today, Rhino announced one more jewel in Mitchell's crown. Her 2022 box set The Asylum Albums (1972-1975) has been reissued with a twist: all four albums
Pride of Cucamonga: Grateful Dead's "From The Mars Hotel: The Angel's Share" Offers Outtakes, Alternates
Late last month, Rhino announced the upcoming 50th anniversary of Grateful Dead's From the Mars Hotel, arriving on June 21. Today, the label surprised with a new volume of The Angel's Share, the Dead's digital-only vault series comprising album session recordings. From the Mars Hotel: The Angel's Share is available now on all digital services, featuring 16 newly-discovered recordings from San Francisco's Coast Recorders from Spring 1974 as the Dead crafted Mars Hotel over a two-month period.
Just Let Love In: SoulMusic, The Second Disc Collect The Spinners' 1979-1984 Atlantic Era on "Keep On Keepin' On" Box Set
The Spinners - a.k.a. John Edwards, Henry Fambrough, Bobbie Smith, Billy Henderson, and Pervis Jackson - were at a crossroads when longtime producer-arranger-conductor Thom Bell confirmed that he would no longer be working with the group. Where would they go next? On June 28, SoulMusic Records and The Second Disc chronicle the next chapter of The Spinners' illustrious career with a new 7-CD box set. Keep on Keepin' On: The Atlantic Years (Phase Two: 1979-1984) picks up where last year's Ain't
I'm Doin' Fine Now: "Groove Machine: The Earl Young Drum Sessions" Spotlights Philly Legend
Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell might have been The Mighty Three, but dozens of musicians joined them in shaping The Sound of Philadelphia. That triumvirate's lush, lithe productions were brought to life by the loose aggregation of players known as MFSB, or the house band at Sigma Sound Studios. These are the same musicians who went on to form The Salsoul Orchestra under the baton of Vincent Montana, Jr., including Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, Bobby Eli, Ron Kersey, Lenny Pakula,
I Can't Wait: The Stereo Sonic Reissues, Expands Nu Shooz's "Poolside"
Following last year's expanded reissue of Company B's debut album, The Stereo Sonic is back with a new expansion: this time, of Nu Shooz's breakthrough album, Poolside. The 1986 Atlantic Records release of Poolside marked the culmination of years during which the group climbed the showbiz ladder. The husband-and-wife duo of John Smith (guitarist) and Valerie Day (vocalist/percussionist) were mainstays of a lineup that experienced many permutations, from a soul quartet to a big band
Release Round-Up: Week of April 12
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. Eagles, To the Limit: The Essential Collection (Rhino) 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com 3CD with replica tour pass: Target.com 6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com 2LP Highlights: Target.com To the Limit: The Essential Collection celebrates Eagles' current Long Goodbye
Sweet Dream: Jethro Tull Expands Live "Bursting Out" In New "Inflated Edition" Remixed by Steven Wilson
Jethro Tull's first live album, 1978's Bursting Out, hit stores in September 1978. It was recorded just a few months earlier as Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Glascock, John Evan, Dee Palmer, and Barriemore Barlow toured behind their eleventh studio album, Heavy Horses. On June 21, it will return from Rhino in a new 3CD/3DVD book-style edition featuring new remixes by Steven Wilson and an array of bonus material. Bursting Out: The Inflated Edition contains: CD 1: Jethro Tull Live:
No Small 'Feats': Rhino Announces New Little Feat Reissue with Rarities and Unreleased Live Material
Last year, Rhino reissued Little Feat's seminal second and third albums, Sailin' Shoes (1972) and Dixie Chicken (1973), as deluxe, expanded editions. Now, the label is following those with a similar presentation of the California group's fourth LP, 1974's Feats Don't Fail Me Now, on 2 CDs or 3 LPs. Due on June 14, both versions feature a remastered edition of the original album plus rare and previously unreleased outtakes and alternate versions, with all audio sourced from the original
Let's Do It Again: The Staple Singers' "Africa '80" Coming from Omnivore
Fans of The Staple Singers are in for a treat. On May 10, Omnivore Recordings will reissue Africa 80, the live album from the legendary gospel-soul group documenting their first-ever tour of the continent. Roebuck "Pops" Staples, daughters Cleotha, Mavis, and Yvonne, and son Pervis raised their voices in song to celebrate the Lord, but also to crusade for civil rights and share musical messages of power and positivity around the world. In the 1960s, the group transitioned from pure gospel
The Weekend Stream: April 6, 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. This week's lineup includes a rare Prince B-side, classic remixes by U2, a country icon taking on a rock legend and much more! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. Prince, "United States of Division" (NPG/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Late March marked the 20th anniversary of 2004's Musicology, Prince's first Top 10 album
Release Round-Up: Week of April 5
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. Garbage, Bleed Like Me: Deluxe Edition (Interscope/UMe (U.S.)/BMG (U.K.)) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Garbage closed a chapter of their career in 2005 with the release of their fourth album, Bleed Like Me, in 2005.
Stayin' With It: Edsel Continues Kiki Dee Box Set Series, Premieres "Two Sides to Every Story" Album
When Elton John played the final stop of his final U.S. tour at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium on November 20, 2022, Kiki Dee was right there by his side to sing their 1976 smash "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." While that duet remains a major part of the Kiki Dee story, there's plenty more to the Yorkshire-born singer-songwriter's discography. Thankfully, Edsel has chronicled that discography in depth on 2020's The Fontana and Motown Years (spanning 1963-1970) and 2019's The Rocket Years (spanning
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