On Tuesday, June 5, The Beach Boys release their long-awaited new studio album, That's Why God Made the Radio. Here at Second Disc HQ, we're counting down to its release. We're kicking off our mini-celebration of the California legends with a look at a duo intertwined with The Beach Boys' history, Jan and Dean! With The Beach Boys currently touring their acclaimed 50th Anniversary reunion concerts, the time has never been better to revisit the entire surf-and-sun legacy of these California
Review: Albert King, "I'll Play The Blues For You"
It wasn’t that Albert King couldn’t play music other than the blues…but even when crooning in his most velvety-rich style, there was just something inherently lived-in, worldly, and commanding about that voice…in other words, something bluesy. And though that underrated voice would be enough for a lesser artist, King’s greatest gift was as a guitarist. Perhaps the best display of both of those titanic talents was the 1972 Stax album with the apt title of I’ll Play the Blues for You, just
Baby Elephant Walking: Henry Mancini's "Charade," "Hatari!" Soundtracks Premiere on CD
Around these parts, we know that good things do come to those who wait. The old adage has been proven again, yet it might this time be amended to great things do come to those who wait. For the Intrada label has just announced the first-time-ever release of Henry Mancini’s original score tracks for Charade (1963) and Hatari! (1962). Why is this such a big deal? Most of Mancini’s original film scores from his prime period have never seen the light of day; instead the prolific recording artist,
Dedicated Follower of Kinksdom: BBC Sessions Box Coming For The Kinks [UPDATED 5/29 WITH TRACK LISTING]
Another Kinks-size box is on the way. Following the recent, well-received series of deluxe album reissues and the limited-edition Kinks in Mono box set, Universal U.K. and Sanctuary Records have announced the latest project celebrating the quintessentially English rockers. Due on August 13, the 5-CD/1-DVD box set The Kinks at the BBC isn't the first survey of the band's BBC live recordings, but it's by far the most comprehensive. It has been compiled from all of the existing recordings made
Review: The Critters, "Younger Girl: The Complete Kapp and Musicor Recordings"
In those heady, pre-American Idol days, the route to success had many paths. For New Jersey’s Critters, the path was local, with the band making a name for itself in the tree-lined suburbs of Westfield, Scotch Plains and Princeton, gigging at high schools, colleges, and Knights of Columbus halls. Though they were proficient at covering the days’ hits, The Critters also boasted some formidable songwriters at a time when recording one’s own songs was becoming de rigeur. Before long, The
Have You Checked The Children? "When a Stranger Calls" Joins Fifties Double Feature On CD
Though a holiday weekend is soon to kick off here in the U.S., the Kritzerland label isn’t resting on its laurels. The soundtrack specialists have just announced two new releases featuring three wild (and wildly different) film scores. One of the most successful thrillers of 1979, When a Stranger Calls, featured the second ever film score by Dana Kaproff (Cagney and Lacey, The Bionic Woman, Falcon Crest). Kritzerland released Kaproff’s first (1977’s Empire of the Ants) so it’s only
Martinis and Bikinis, with a Side of T-Bone: Sam Phillips' 1994 Classic Coming to CD and Vinyl
How to describe the career trajectory of Sam Phillips? Leslie Ann Phillips first made a splash in the music world recording contemporary Christian pop in 1983, took the name “Sam,” moved to the mainstream in the late 1980s with then-husband T Bone Burnett at the production helm, and even threatened Bruce Willis as an onscreen nemesis (albeit a mute one!) in Die Hard with a Vengeance! Sam Phillips continues to write and record today, focusing her efforts on a digital subscription service of new
From Mississippi and Alabama: New Volume of "The Ace Story" Joins "Hall of Fame" Soul Rarities
Two classic labels from the American south have received the deluxe treatment from Ace Records, and for lovers of classic R&B and soul, releases don’t come much better than this. The Ace Story Volume 4 is the latest installment dedicated to Ace’s namesake, the pioneering R&B label out of Jackson, Mississippi that helped launch the careers of artists including Dr. John, Huey “Piano” Smith and Frankie Ford. Just one state over in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Rick Hall’s Fame Studios welcomed
Back Tracks, In Memoriam: Robin Gibb
May 20, 2012: We're deeply saddened to report that Robin Gibb of The Bee Gees passed away this morning in England at 10:47 a.m. (5:47 a.m. ET) at the age of 62. Gibb's passing comes following a brave battle with cancer, courageously fought in the public eye. Robin Gibb will always be remembered for his great gift of song, with his angelic voice having provided comfort to so many of us in our saddest times and pure joy in our most upbeat moments. Robin, we will miss you. In honor of this
Review: A Quartet From BBR - The Pointer Sisters, Buddy Miles, Pharoah Sanders, Greg Phillinganes
Among the most recent reissues from Big Break Records is a 1974 album from Electric Flag founder and Jimi Hendrix drummer Buddy Miles entitled All the Faces of Buddy Miles. But one could easily title any given batch of music from the Cherry Red-affiliated label as All the Faces of BBR, so reliably diverse is each group of the label's releases. Today's capsule reviews look at four of the latest from the Big Break team! Buddy Miles, All the Faces of Buddy Miles (Columbia KC-33089, 1974 -
Under the Lavender Moon: Los Lobos' "Kiko" Gets Deluxe Reissue This Summer
Their first compilation may have humbly seen them described as "just another band from east L.A.," but Los Lobos have remained one of the most richly diverse bands in a nearly 40-year lifespan. And this August, one of their most acclaimed LPs is getting expanded by Shout! Factory. 1992's Kiko was released some years after the band burst onto the scene with How Will the Wolf Survive? (1984) and their breakthrough contributions to the soundtrack to La Bamba in 1987. But many critics and fans -
In Case You Missed It: A Compilation That Can't Be Kihn-tained
Here's a compilation that slipped through the cracks a few weeks back: Best of Beserkley '75-'84, a new disc covering the work of The Greg Kihn Band, for many years the flagship artist of Beserkley Records. The Berkeley, California-based indie label trafficked in power pop and alt-rock stylings, with early acts including Earth Quake, The Rubinoos and Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers. Kihn, a Baltimore-born singer/songwriter living in Berkeley was an early signee, as well; his debut
Just As He Was: Bill Withers' 1971 Debut "Just As I Am" Reissued By Big Break
Bill Withers titled his 1971 debut album Just As I Am, and the raw, simple and understated cover photo seemed to support that title. Withers, with an ingratiating smile on his face and a lunch pail in his hand, is standing against a brick wall at California's Webber Aircraft facility. The US Navy aircraft mechanic turned guitar-slinging singer/songwriter was somewhat of an anomaly on the music scene, and in his understated manner wrote on the album's jacket, "It matters not where I came from
Reissue Theory: Squeeze, "East Side Story"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. Today marks the just-over-three-decade mark on a classic British LP of the '80s that is practically screaming for a deluxe effort. If you were brave or foolhardy enough to label Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook the heirs to the throne of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, 1981 was truly the year to do it. The British singer/songwriters and their little New Wave band that could,
Needles and Pins: Searchers Box Set Finally Back on Schedule
Back on July 26, 2010, we reported on Sweets, Spice, Sugar, Pins and Needles, a 4-CD, 120-track boxed retrospective dedicated to The Searchers, the second-most famous band to emerge from Liverpool during the British Invasion! We wrote: One of the best and most successful bands to come out of Liverpool, The Searchers may have toiled in the shadow of that other band from Liverpool, but hits like “Sugar and Spice,” “Pins and Needles” and “When You Walk in the Room” remain some of the strongest
Never Say Die: New Black Sabbath Compilation Coming to U.K. in June
It's been a winding road for Black Sabbath fans, likely anxious over the band's somewhat perilous reunion late last year. Original members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward announced their plans late last year to tour and release a new album in 2012 - a plan that's been semi-sidelined by Iommi undergoing treatment for lymphoma and contractual disagreements with Ward. Only three dates have been announced for the band this year, including a pair of overseas gigs and a stint at
Cherry Pop Reissues Samantha Fox Titles, Needs Love Too
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-j5GOsRtlk] Here's some news fit for Page Three: '80s pop tart Samantha Fox is expanding her first four albums on Cherry Pop Records this summer. Touch Me (1986), Samantha Fox (1987), I Wanna Have Some Fun (1989) and Just One Night (1991) have all been digitally remastered and will be presented as double-disc sets featuring not only a heap of dance mixes, but a generous amount of rare and unreleased material from the vaults. Fox gained immediate
Is There Anyone Out There? Maroon 5 to Expand Debut Album Alongside Newest LP (UPDATE 5/11)
As crazy as it may sound, the debut album by pop-rock band Maroon 5 is turning 10 this year, and the band is picking a strange time to commemorate it. The band and their label, A&M/Octone, are partnering to release a double-disc expanded edition of 2002's Songs About Jane featuring "original demos, unreleased material and videos." The set will be released to general retail on June 5; a deluxe bundle, available on the band's website, also comes with a bonus lithograph "incorporating original
Be My Baby: Sundazed Preps Spector Reissues On Vinyl
It's once again time to go back to mono. Sundazed has just announced the vinyl reissue of four classic albums from Phil Spector's Philles label. On July 31, The Ronettes' Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica by the Ronettes; Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah by Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans; and The Crystals' Uptown and He's A Rebel will all receive the Sundazed treatment. All four albums were reissued on CD last year from Phil Spector Records and Legacy Recordings as part of The Philles
More Ventures in Summer from Sundazed
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRQljAZ9xlA] Following a successful reissue of five Ventures titles on LP and CD earlier this year, Sundazed has four more in the pipeline for June. The guitar-rock pioneers recorded with a frequent intensity that earned them the moniker of "The Band That Launched a Thousand Bands." These four albums, the live The Ventures on Stage, Wild Things!, Super Psychedelics and Hawaii Five-O, released between 1965 and 1969, feature a fantastic cluster of
You Can Do Magic: America, Burritos, Atlanta Rhythm Section Reissues Coming to CD From BGO
Whether you’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name, found some Rhythm in Atlanta or visited the gilded palace of sin, the United Kingdom’s BGO label just might have a reissue for you. On June 4, the label will introduce bring long-out-of-print titles from The Flying Burrito Brothers and Atlanta Rhythm Section to CD, and bring back a pair of hard-to-find albums from America. Though the group’s original incarnation was short-lived, The Flying Burrito Brothers remain a cornerstone of
Review: The Ad Libs, "The Complete Blue Cat Recordings"
Ooh-wah, ooh-wah, cool, cool kitty! Tell us about the boy from New York City… And indeed, much of America listened to the Ad Libs tell of that kinda tall, really fine guy in his mohair suit. The Top 10 hit turned radio’s attention from Swinging London back to New York City for a brief moment, but the group was never able to repeat the song’s success. It wasn’t for lack of trying, though, as Real Gone Music’s The Complete Blue Cat Recordings (Real Gone RGM-0500, 2012) proves. Though the Ad
No More Wire Hangers! Henry Mancini's "Mommie Dearest" Joins Christopher Komeda's "Rosemary's Baby" On CD (UPDATED)
Mother's Day is just around the corner, and La-La Land Records is celebrating with a couple of releases celebrating some, ahem, very unusual mothers. No, the world premiere of the soundtrack to Psycho isn't among the duo, but this pair just might be the next best thing. On May 8, the label will issue Henry Mancini's score to 1981's cult campfest Mommie Dearest and Christopher (Krzysztof) Komeda's score to 1968's horror classic Rosemary's Baby, both from the vaults of Paramount
Review: Shorty Long, "The Complete Motown Stereo Masters"
Frederick Long's nickname "Shorty" was ironic considering his surname, but the diminutive pianist, songwriter and vocalist was indeed a mere 5'1". Yet Shorty was Long on talent. Harvey Fuqua brought Long to Motown with him from Tri-Phi, and Long was eventually selected by Berry Gordy to inaugurate the new Soul label, designed to showcase the funkier side of the Sound of Young America. That single arrived in 1964, but Gordy didn't release a Long solo album until 1968, just one year before the
On The Right Track: Demick and Armstrong's Lost Country-Rock Classic Reissued By RPM
Rod Demick may be best-known as a top sideman, serving with such talent as Screaming Lord Sutch, Dr. John, The Strawbs and the David Essex Band. Herbie Armstrong has had a similarly long career, playing with Van Morrison and film composer Mark Isham, co-founding the band Fox, and even entering Britain’s Got Talent as a contestant. But Demick and Armstrong have shared a long association, dating back to their days in the clubs of Belfast where they played alongside Morrison and his early band,
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