If you're a reader of The Second Disc and you're about to lose control, then we think you'll like this story: Cherry Red's Big Break imprint is reissuing two classic albums by The Pointer Sisters: Special Things (1980) and So Excited! (1982). The Pointer Sisters were instantly recognized as a unique R&B group with their self-titled debut LP in 1973. Their voices were strong and their style was distinctively retro, dealing heavily in jazz and be-bop. They even decked themselves out in
Fourth "Alien" Score Now Twice as Nice
One of the most notable catalogue releases that planted the idea for The Second Disc happened back in 2007, when Intrada released a two-disc set of all the music recorded by Jerry Goldsmith for the 1979 sci-fi/horror masterpiece Alien. That set was an eye-opener in terms of what indie soundtrack labels could release, and the results have only gotten bigger as time moves on. Three years later, La La Land Records has continued that tradition by releasing the complete score to the last entry in
Back Tracks: Morrissey
When discussing the increasing amount of catalogue projects and compilations surrounding one Steven Patrick Morrissey, it's easy to turn his words against him. "Reissue! Repackage!" he sings with derision on The Smiths' "Paint a Vulgar Picture." "Re-evaluate the songs/Double-pack with a photograph/Extra Track (and a tacky badge)." Would the man who wrote and sang that song in 1987 have contempt for the man who, on this day, has reissued his first solo compilation, Bona Drag, 20 years on, with
Conun-Duran-drum: Should EMI Finish Reissuing the Duran Duran Catalogue?
If you read The Second Disc regularly, or carry on any kind of regular conversation with me (and I do apologize if the latter is the case), you probably know enough about the ongoing saga of EMI's reissuing of the Duran Duran catalogue. On the same day as The Beatles remasters were announced, EMI also sent a release out detailing another one of their British all-boy pop bands, Duran Duran, would get their second (and arguably best) album, Rio, expanded to a two-disc set. This set would not only
Friday Feature: "The Karate Kid"
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDi3an8WgN4] There's probably no worse reminder of your own mortality than the idea of remaking a movie. "How long has it been since they made the original?" you wonder in silent horror. "Was it that long ago? Have people forgotten that quickly? Am I that old?" There's no accurate litmus test to determine when the best elapsed time between originals and remakes is. George Clooney's Ocean's 11 came out in 2001, 41 years after the original Rat Pack
Reissue Theory: General Public, "...All the Rage"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. Today, a department store ad unleashes an earworm from the New Wave days. The music industry will never be desperate enough to reissue albums based on certain tunes appearing in commercials, but if they did it would save a lot of headaches for this author. If you watch enough television in the U.S., you've probably noticed those innocuous ads for Target,
The Burton-Elfman Monolith Emerges
It's not every day you get to talk about two major box sets in a 24-hour span. And this one makes the U.K. Black Sabbath box look like something thrown into a digipak. The Danny Elfman & Tim Burton 25th Anniversary Music Box is ready to order. Sixteen CDs, a DVD, a 250-page book and a collectible USB drive, all loaded with a heap of unreleased music, demos, rarities and other jaw-dropping stuff. And it's literally enormous. Check out the size of it in this video; it looks like a box for
In Which We Keep Fishin' for Weezer Catalogue Info
With the track list for Geffen/UMe's deluxe reissue of Weezer's Pinkerton announced, the question still stands: where's the rest of the track lists? It's been confirmed time and again that Universal has two more sets of Weezer rarities and ephemera due, possibly by the end of the year. Death to False Metal is the long-gestating outtakes compilation spanning the band's Geffen years, while another set of frontman Rivers Cuomo's demos, set to cover the time surrounding the making of Pinkerton, is
In Case You Missed It: Midge Ure Reissues Coming Up
EMI continues its ongoing parade of reissued titles with two titles from Midge Ure, best known as the frontman for Ultravox, coming next week on October 4. The label will expand Ure's first two albums, 1985's The Gift and 1988's Answers to Nothing, in two-disc sets boasting the usual B-sides, remixes, live cuts and some unreleased material to boot. Both albums, released on either end of Ultravox's final album in 1986, boasted a few great singles, including the U.K. chart-topper "If I Was" and
Reissue Theory: Ben Folds Five, "The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. With a new album from a modern-day piano man released today, we take a look back at one of his best classic albums. Today is a day pissed-off geeky guys like myself love celebrating: Ben Folds has released a new album. Lonely Avenue makes one of his most intriguing LPs since going solo with Rockin' the Suburbs nine years ago. This time, the
U.K. Comps from En Vogue, Faith No More Arrive from Music Club Deluxe
Last week The Second Disc reported on a double-disc anthology from The Jesus and Mary Chain from Music Club Deluxe Records. It turns out that set was just the tip of the iceberg; the label, owned by Demon Music Group, has just put out some more double-disc sets aimed at collectors and anthologists. We're pleased to present to you their latest slate, including sets from En Vogue, Faith No More, All Saints and more. Though their reunion tour is about to come to an end, West Coast rockers Faith No
Back Tracks: The Jam
The Jam were easily one of the best things to come from the U.K. punk-rock scene. This is an unusual consideration, given that nothing about the band really screamed punk-rock. The members of The Jam were polished in appearance and musical experience, and they were clearly influenced by American rock and R&B acts from Motown, Stax and Atlantic. They were as mod as one could get without joining the cast of Quadrophenia. But their sound had an edge that bands like The Clash and The Sex Pistols
Let's Hope You Didn't Buy a-ha's "25" Just Yet
Because the compilation released almost everywhere but the U.S. is getting expanded a bit more, as a CD/DVD edition with the first-ever compilation of the band's videos. If you're a big a-ha fan - and let's face it: if you are, there's at least a 75% chance of you getting 25 in the first place - you'll want to wait until this version is released October 4. And please excuse the grumbling, but catalogue fans are this close, it seems, to abandoning the purchase of reissues and box sets from
Reissue Theory: Carl Douglas, "Kung Fu Fighter"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on well-known albums of the past and the reissues they could someday see. This installment concerns a hard-hitting novelty single that's still kicking after more than a quarter-century. Twenty-six years ago today, the top song in the United Kingdom was one of the most hilariously stereotypical songs of the 1970s, a funky little number called "Kung Fu Fighting." Rarely has anyone mimed some clumsy karate moves without thinking of
Mamma Mia! ABBA Reissuing "Gold" Compilation
For the ABBA fan who just can't get enough and has to have it all - and judging by the amount of quality reissues for a band that's been defunct for decades, there are a lot of such fans out there - here's something else to add to your collection. ABBA will reissue bestselling compilation ABBA Gold on November 29 with a DVD featuring previously unreleased material. With sales of over 28 million copies worldwide, ABBA Gold has been one of the highest watermarks of the Swedish pop hitmakers'
Jesus and Mary Chain Compilation Coming Next Week
Add another rock band to the late-in-the-year compilation pile: influential Scottish noise-pop band The Jesus and Mary Chain will release a two-disc compilation of tunes in the U.K. on September 27. The Jesus and Mary Chain, formed around a pair of brothers (Jim and William Reid), took the messy, noisy ethos of The Velvet Underground and The Sex Pistols and made it interesting for the U.K. indie scene. Bands like The Pixies, My Bloody Valentine and Dinosaur Jr. owe them some sort of a sonic
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y! Rollermania Strikes Again in October
S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y! For many readers, that chant will undoubtedly conjure up images of a group of tartan-clad Scotsmen, whose catchy, hook-filled 45s led hordes of screaming teenagers and teenyboppers to the dance floor (alongside adults with discerning taste in irresistible pop music, of course!). The history of The Bay City Rollers is being celebrated by the fine folks of the U.K.’s Salvo Records with the October 4 release of a deluxe four-disc anthology they’ve quite accurately called
A Little Bit o' Soul: A Busy Fall from Big Break and Superbird
Funky Town Grooves announced quite a lineup of soul classics to hit shelves this fall, as reported yesterday by The Second Disc, and we're happy to follow up with news of the latest exciting releases coming from two Cherry Red labels across the pond, Big Break Records and Superbird. First up, Big Break (BBR) delves further into the Philadelphia International (PIR) catalogue, dormant here in the United States but also being mined concurrently by the U.K.'s Edsel label. September 20 sees the
Reissue Theory: Linkin Park, "Hybrid Theory"
This week, rock band Linkin Park released their fourth studio album, A Thousand Suns. The results are, sad to say, not pretty; since 2007's Minutes to Midnight, the California rap-metal band has become more of an angsty Depeche Mode-lite with U2 aspirations and a guaranteed spot on every soundtrack to a Transformers film. Maybe it's the middle school nostalgia talking, but they were something else when they first burst onto the scene a decade ago. Chester Bennington, the throaty lead singer,
Funky Town Grooves Digs Up Treasure from Brick, Full Force and More
Here's a look at the upcoming slate from the R&B reissuers at Funky Town Grooves. September 30 will see three new titles added to the label's discography. First, there's a two-fer from jazz-funk hitmakers Brick, best known for 1976's "Dazz," a U.S. Top 5 hit. This set will put the band's last two albums for Bang Records - Summer Heat (1981), which included the band's last big hit, the Top 10 R&B single "Sweat (Till You Get Wet)," and After 5 (1982) - onto one remastered CD. Next up, we
Does the New Bon Jovi Comp Have a Prayer?
Island Def Jam's official pre-order page finally revealed the track list to Bon Jovi's upcoming Greatest Hits package, and - well, it's exactly what you might expect. A friend said it best: for Bon Jovi, the grunge-inspired These Days (1995) was a fork in the road for the band. They could either continue down the path of rock royalty, or they could follow the newest trends in pop-rock music, no matter what the cost to their sound. They chose the latter, and it led to things like having songs
How Does "West Coast Seattle Boy" Stack Up?
So, just in time for Christmas, Jimi Hendrix fans are getting rewarded for their patience (a good half-dozen or so CD/DVD reissues and only one compilation of unreleased material since Legacy Recordings took distributorship of the Experience Hendrix catalogue) with the full specs for West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology. This five-disc set includes a disc of rare tracks from Hendrix's days as an R&B sideman, three discs of what looks like almost entirely unreleased material
Back Tracks: Laura Nyro
Laura Nyro (1947-1997) never became as famous as her songs. In an all-too-short 49 years, Nyro provided major hits for a diverse array of artists from Three Dog Night and Blood, Sweat & Tears to Barbra Streisand and most famously, The Fifth Dimension. Yet her own albums never achieved mainstream success, with audiences largely preferring to hear her compositions performed by others. (In this respect, she could be compared to her contemporary Jimmy Webb.) Perhaps this was just as well for the
Reissue Theory: Max Q
This is an unusual segue for today's Reissue Theory, so please bear with me: Miss Disc recently lost a family member - one who knew well of my own passion for keeping catalogue music discussion alive. In an odd way, moments like these help put things in perspective; we all slump our shoulders in defeat when a catalogue title is delayed or mishandled, because it sucks. But at the end of the day, all of this - from the labels conceiving and releasing product to sites like The Second Disc or
You Must Remember This: Classic Gerhardt Titles Being Reissued
A surprise find on Amazon today: it looks like RCA is reissuing six classic film score compilations recorded by Charles Gerhardt and The National Philharmonic Orchestra. The American conductor, who made a name for himself as a producer/compiler of LP box sets sold through Reader's Digest, founded The National Philharmonic Orchestra, a crack team of London session musicians, in 1970. Within two years, the unit was earning high marks in the film world for "The Classic Film Scores" series,
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