The Purpose Music Vaults are open! Purpose Music Group is introducing a new player in the reissue field, something that always brings us a great deal of excitement here at The Second Disc. But how about we sweeten the pot by telling you that the first three releases from Purpose Music Vaults are all rare soul classics from the Sony Music Entertainment library, all feature new-to-CD material, and all are newly remastered by engineers including Vic Anesini and Sean Brennan? On top of that, all
Open Your Eyes: The Move's "Live at the Fillmore 1969" Coming From Right Recordings
Can you hear the grass grow? An oft-circulated set by Birmingham's legendary Move is finally receiving an official release courtesy of Right Recordings! Live at the Fillmore 1969 chronicles the band's stand at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore Auditorium on October 16-19 of that year; The Move joined Joe Cocker and the Grease Band and Little Richard on the bill! The new 2-CD set is being released thanks to the cooperation of Sue Wayne, the widow of late singer Carl Wayne, and arrives in the
UPDATE: Doris Day Opens The Vaults For “My Heart” and There's Plenty For Beach Boys Fans, Album Gets U.S. Release
The vault has finally been opened! Sony Music U.K. has confirmed a release date and track listing for singing legend Doris Day’s long-awaited My Heart, on which your humble correspondent first reported in August 2010 and revisited back in November! Thanks to the fine folks at Doris Day Tribute for spreading this news! My Heart marks Doris’ first album of original studio material in some seventeen years, since The Love Album, and it features a number of tracks that will be of interest to the
Of Wizzards and Electric Light Orchestras: Roy Wood Opens His "Music Book" and ELO Goes "Essential"
Electric Light Orchestra may not have been the first band to merge a classical sensibility with the power of rock, but the group was undoubtedly the most successful. Yet the group of “Mr. Blue Sky” and “Evil Woman” began as a decidedly different aggregation, born out of the ashes of Birmingham, England’s The Move. When lead singer Carl Wayne departed The Move, his bandmate Roy Wood invited one Jeff Lynne, of The Idle Race, to join him. This revitalized line-up of The Move produced two
EMI U.K. Opens Up a "Box O' Snakes"
Here they go again: EMI is releasing a hefty box of the earlier works of acclaimed rock band Whitesnake, according to Classic Rock. While most remember Whitesnake for the leadership of onetime Deep Purple vocalist David Coverdale - the sole original member of the band, as it stands - and the 1987 smash hit "Here I Go Again" (aided by that oft-referenced music video featuring Tawny Kitaen slithering on the hood of a Jaguar) - the band in fact traces their roots to 1978, in what began as the
Aretha Opens "The Great American Songbook"
Can't wait for that massive 11-CD/1-DVD box set, Take a Look: Aretha Franklin Complete on Columbia? Or maybe you're just looking for the perfect Valentine's Day gift? Either way, Legacy may have the disc for you. Next Tuesday, February 1, will see the under-the-radar release of Aretha Franklin's The Great American Songbook from Columbia/Legacy, compiling 18 of the tracks from that massive box set on one CD. Oddly, this release features the same cover art as the upcoming box, not due for
Open Forum: A Holiday Head-Scratcher from WHAM! (UPDATED 12/7)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8gmARGvPlI] Here's a Christmas conundrum that's stumping this catalogue correspondent: are there more than two versions of WHAM!'s "Last Christmas"? A year ago this author bought a copy of The Essential NOW That's What I Call Christmas (UMG Recordings B0011941-02, 2008). Only this year did I open the disc and discover a mix of "Last Christmas," WHAM!'s perennial holiday chestnut, that I don't believe I've ever heard before. Most WHAM! fans can tell you
The Doves Cry Because The Vault's Not Open Yet
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eObzOkRXUZw] Music aggregator The Daily Swarm made a heck of a discovery today: seven YouTube videos of Prince rehearsing some of the hits, B-sides and rarities from the Purple Rain era in 1984. Given that Prince has famously come down on YouTube like a ton of bricks - threatening legal action against a mother who posted a video of her baby dancing to a few seconds of "Let's Go Crazy" - this definitely falls under the "get it while it's hot"
A Man Could Get Lost: Soft Cell to Expand 'Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing' with Rare Remixes
After expanding their debut album for a box set in 2023, Soft Cell will revisit the next entry in their discography: the remix album Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing. Available June 20, the collection comes back to two CDs or two LPs with a host of bonus material, including vintage non-LP singles and remixes plus a host of rare promo remixes issued in the last decade. (While UMC's solicitation notes three of the 12 tracks on the set's bonus disc are unreleased, our research puts it at one, with the
Sign In Stranger: Steely Dan's "The Royal Scam" Returns in June
Are you gonna do it without the fez on? 1976's The Royal Scam, Steely Dan's fifth album, is returning on June 6 in a variety of formats to conclude the band's reissue campaign which began in November 2022 with Can't Buy a Thrill. Like the past titles in this series encompassing the Dan's ABC/MCA discography, The Royal Scam will be reissued on 180-gram vinyl from Geffen/UMe while an audiophile-aimed UHQR 45 RPM, 200-gram vinyl edition and a hybrid stereo SACD (playable on all CD players) will
The Weekend Stream: April 25, 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. Strap in for a killer line-up of titles this week: two more Record Store Day debuts, an incredible posthumous collaboration between two '80s icons, the return of one of glam's most beloved bands, new music by some of our favorite pop girls, a hotly anticipated new take on a Broadway favorite, exciting moments in gospel/soul, an exciting new song
Wowie Zowie: Frank Zappa's "Cheaper Than Cheep" Premieres Lost Concert Film, Soundtrack
All has been quiet on the Frank Zappa front since the release last fall of the 50th anniversary super deluxe edition of his album Apostrophe ('). That lull ended today, though, with the announcement of a multi-format release filled with audio and video goodies. Cheaper Than Cheep arrives May 9 as an online exclusive release available at Zappa.com, uDiscoverMusic.com, and Sound of Vinyl, presenting audio and video from a long-lost television special that's been housed in the Zappa archives for
Release Round-Up: Week of April 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. Neil Young, Oceanside/Countryside (Reprise/NYA) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Neil Young is unveiling another once-lost album with the release of Oceanside Countryside which arrives on CD today following its vinyl release.The LP was recorded from May to December 1977; the first side comprised solo Young performances,
Everything Delightful: Rhino Celebrates 60 Years of the Dead with "Gratest Hits"
Grateful Dead's 60th anniversary keeps on truckin'; we've already filled you in on the mammoth May 30 release Enjoying the Ride, with 450 tracks on 60 CDs, and its slimmed-down 3CD or 6LP highlights volume, The Music Never Stops, which arrives on the same date. Now, Rhino has announced Gratest Hits (spelling intentional), a single-CD or -LP collection due June 13 which brings together many of the core favorites that a casual fan or Deadhead-in-training would expect on such a set in their
A Tale Untold: Robin Trower's "For Earth Below" Gets 50th Anniversary Expansion
Last year, Chrysalis reissued Bridge of Sighs, Robin Trower's second album following his departure from Procol Harum, in an expanded edition timed to its 50th anniversary. Now, the label is turning its attention to the guitar hero's third solo set and highest-charting album in the U.S., 1975's For Earth Below. The upcoming expanded edition, due on June 27 in 4CD, 2LP, and digital formats, is built around the newly remastered original album. Produced by Trower's old Procol Harum bandmate
Oooh, This I Need: Adam Mattera Talks 'Dearly Beloved: A Prince Songbook'
Last year, The Second Disc had nothing but good things to say about Dearly Beloved: A Prince Songbook, Cherry Red's triple-disc tribute to the music of Prince. The set told a story of The Artist's massive impact on pop, rock and soul by way of songs he gave others to record and a galaxy of genre-bending covers. In a year of considerable challenges in Prince fandom, it was a veritable oasis in a desert. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Mattera, the curator and
The Weekend Stream: April 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're pleased to kick things off with another four Record Store Day titles making their way to stream and download, followed by a classic, underrated R&B work and some new music we're digging today, as well. Neil Finn, Sessions At West 54th (Epic/Legacy) (Apple / Amazon) Well, that's Mike's Record Store Day sorted! This indelible
Release Round-Up: Week of April 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. Neil Young, Coastal: The Soundtrack (Reprise/NYA) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The concert film Coastal, documenting Neil Young's 2023 solo concert tour, was released to cinemas yesterday; today, its soundtrack album arrives on CD, LP, and digital formats. The 11-track album includes Young favorites such as "I Am a
The Spirit of Man: Madfish Preps Box Set Edition of Jeff Wayne's 'War of the Worlds' Concept Album
When H.G. Wells published The War of the Worlds as a serialized collection of stories in 1897 and a full novel a year later, he may not have known the groundbreaking work he was unleashing on the world. A sci-fi story that dared to look at the dark side of theoretical human-alien contact, War of the Worlds was a fantastical-yet-grounded story that imagined visitors from the planet Mars as anything but friendly. The book became fertile ground for adaptations, from Orson Welles' dramatic 1938
NOW WITH LINKS! (Don't) Walk On By: Dionne Warwick's "Make It Easy on Yourself: The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971" Due in June on 12 CDs from SoulMusic, Second Disc
UPDATED 4/17 WITH PRE-ORDER LINKS: "I am so very thrilled about this wonderful collection of my recordings! It is truly something that I myself would buy." - Dionne Warwick, 2025 For more than six decades, Dionne Warwick has been synonymous with musical excellence. The six-time Grammy Award winner, 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, and Kennedy Center Honoree remains one of the most-charted vocalists of all time, with a whopping 56 singles having made the Billboard Hot 100 between
Jubilee: Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky" Returns to Vinyl from Craft Recordings
Chances are if your local oldies station is airing a One Hit Wonders show, the name of Norman Greenbaum will be high on the countdown. Okay, it's not technically accurate; the Massachusetts-born singer-songwriter followed up his famous hit with "Canned Ham" (No. 46 on the U.S. Pop chart) in 1970 and "California Earthquake" (No. 93) in 1971. But Greenbaum's 1969 smash "Spirit in the Sky" remains the song with which the artist will be forever identified - an international chart-topper which
Back for Good: Take That's Breakthrough Gets Expanded Release
British boy band Take That attained considerable success throughout Europe in the early '90s. Sony Music U.K. will celebrate Nobody Else, the album that briefly made them international hitmakers, with a new deluxe edition this summer. The double-disc reissue of Nobody Else pairs the original album alongside eight bonus tracks, including the rare Japanese bonus track "All That Matters to Me," a cover of the Bee Gees' "How Deep is Your Love" that served as their last work for nearly a decade, a
One and Only: Mariah Carey Celebrates 20 Years of 'Mimi' with 5LP and Digital Reissue
Two decades ago, Mariah Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi was a dramatic comeback for the pop queen. This year, it's due for a comeback of its own with a heavy-duty deluxe edition. Available May 30, The Emancipation of Mimi (20th Anniversary Edition) arrives from UMe on five LPs offering a host of bonus material, including seven previously unreleased tracks and many more classic remixes. Billed as being "personally compiled" by Carey herself, the 45-track set comes with a 28-page booklet and a
The Weekend Stream: April 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. By now, you might have hit your participating local shop for Record Store Day - and happily, we're kicking off this Saturday's column to share material from five exclusive vinyl titles that are getting a second life in the streaming and download world too. It's a great way to check out some titles if you missed them, or weren't sure if you wanted
The Second Disc's Guide to Record Store Day 2025: Our Favorite 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 300 titles, so there's very nearly something for everybody. It wasn't easy to narrow our choices down to around