At The Second Disc, we're (literally) all about reissues! But none of the titles we cover daily would be possible without the efforts of the producers who select the bonus tracks, commission the liner notes, oversee the remastering and pull the packaging together. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! We have endeavored to spotlight the protean work of this select group of individuals, and have been grateful for the opportunity to conduct interviews with some of the finest in the business,
"The Very Best Of" Jazz: Concord Launches New Series With Davis, Rollins, Coltrane and More
If you've ever felt it might be a daunting task to "get into" jazz, Concord Music Group just might have the perfect releases for you. Concord is home to many of the genre's greatest labels, including Prestige, Contemporary, Riverside, Milestone, Fantasy and Pablo. With the new series simply titled The Very Best Of, the Concord team has offered an affordable, entry-level look into five of the most influential musicians of all time: Miles Davis (trumpet), John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Sonny
Soundtrack Corner: La-La Land Has More Goldsmith, Intrada Has "Bite"
This week's soundtrack reissue offerings include two fantastical scores from one label and another pair of Jerry Goldsmith titles from a label that's done a fantastic job on recent releases from the late, great composer. Over at Intrada, they've released one of their more-requested titles: Charles Bernstein's score to the comedy Love at First Bite. The 1979 film starred George Hamilton as a spooky but ultimately light-hearted Dracula, displaced from Transylvania to modern-day New York City.
Short Takes: Neil Young's Budget Box Set, The Latest from Heart, and Incubus Goes Live
What's the contender for the title of Longest-gestating Music Box Set? That dubious honor would have to go to Neil Young's Archives, Volume 1, bandied about since the 1980s and not released until 2009. Available as 10 Blu-rays, 10 DVDs or 8 CDs, Archives provided an immersive journey deep into Young's vaults, and it picked up a Grammy Award for Art Direction in 2010. In conjunction with the massive box (supposedly the first of five such sets), Young has branded a number of his catalogue
Don't Cry For Julie Covington: Baroque-Pop "Beautiful Changes" Remastered and Reissued
Before Elaine Paige, before Patti LuPone, there was Julie Covington. The singer/actress was the first to sing the role of Evita in the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical, introducing “Don’t Cry For Me, Argentina” on the 1976 concept album and scoring a No. 1 single in the U.K. the following year with the song. Musical theatre aficionados might also know Covington from her roles in Godspell and Guys and Dolls or even another concept album, War of the Worlds. But Covington also recorded some
Linkage: Catalogue Encounters from Around the Internet
While The Second Disc tries to be your No. 1 source for cool news and views on stuff around the catalogue music scene, it can't hurt to give it up for others that are doing great things in the same field. Here's a little catch-up on some nice things in that area: The Quietus has a lengthy interview with Everything But the Girl's Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt on their career and the great new reissues that are out now. The pair have some nice things to say about Edsel - things that are hard to
Baby, It's Burt: Cherry Red's Él Label Collects Early Bacharach On "Long Ago Last Summer"
Although Burt Bacharach had been composing songs at least since 1952, when he kicked off a long career with the instrumental “Once in a Blue Moon” for Nat “King” Cole, the Burt Bacharach “sound” didn’t truly crystallize until the early 1960s. Prior to his reshaping of the sound of adult R&B, Bacharach teamed with a variety of lyricists to craft songs in virtually every genre imaginable: rock-and-roll, rockabilly, country, pop balladry, jazz, even the novelty song. Naturally, the earliest
Review: Omnivore's Legends of Music and Comedy, Buck Owens and Ernie Kovacs
In the pantheon of American comedy legends, you’d likely find Ernie Kovacs, the gifted, gone-too-soon (1919-1962) personality who carved out a niche in the early days of American television. Joining Ernie in that esteemed company might well also be Buck Owens (1929-2006), the influential guitarist and songwriter who made a second career out of joking, a-pickin’ and a-grinnin’ on the cornpone television variety show Hee Haw. However different these two gentlemen are, however, Omnivore
Soundtrack Bi-fecta: Goldsmith, Grusin and More Arrive from Intrada, FSM
After a quiet month for soundtracks, save the score reissue to little-seen art-house flick Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the past week has seen three releases from Intrada and Film Score Monthly readied for film music aficionados. Intrada's first title did an excellent job of satiating anyone's post-Trek desire for more Jerry Goldsmith; it's the unreleased, unused score to 1996's 2 Days in the Valley. A twisty thriller with a solid cast (Charlize Theron, Eric Stoltz, James Spader, Teri Hatcher
Positively 4th Street: Bob Dylan's First "Greatest Hits" Goes Gold
When Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits first appeared on record store shelves in March 1967, it was Dylan’s first offering since the previous year’s Blonde on Blonde double-LP opus and subsequent, well-publicized motorcycle accident. Although the 10-track Columbia Records set has since been superseded by numerous other compilations from the Bard of Hibbing, Dylan’s first ever Greatest Hits captures the moment in time when there was arguably no more influential songwriter. On July 3, the original Dylan
Review: The Beatles, "Yellow Submarine" on Blu-Ray and DVD
Picture yourself in a boat on a river…with tangerine trees and marmalade skies… Now, picture the evocative imagery of The Beatles’ most mind-bending lyrics transferred to a silver screen world where imagination and wonder run rampant. The result might be something like the 1968 animated film Yellow Submarine. Out of print for some time on DVD, Yellow Submarine has just returned to DVD and Blu-Ray (5099962146098) in a painstakingly restored new edition from Apple Corps and
Review: Deluxe Editions from Everything But The Girl
The band’s name is Everything But The Girl, but the reissue campaign might as well be titled Everything But the Kitchen Sink. Over the course of four 2-CD sets, the Edsel label has crafted a comprehensive, definitive retrospective of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt’s early years as merchants of cool, sophisticated and literate pop. EBTG’s first four albums, originally released on the Blanco Y Negro label, have each been granted the deluxe treatment with an additional disc of non-LP singles, B-sides,
Contest: Would You "Like" to Win a "Graceland" Box Set?
Hey, we've said it a million times, but let's say it again: The Second Disc has some of the best readers out there. The idea that so many of you like catalogue music as much as Joe and I do, and the idea that so many of you come back to read our news and musings, day in and day out...well, it just makes me feel good. And we've done a solid job (we hope!) of reaching out to every fan old and new across the Internet, be it Facebook or Twitter or even in the comments section of the site. As I type
Before He Met "Mrs. Jones": Billy Paul's "Ebony Woman" Reissued By BBR
It’s inevitable that Billy Paul will be best remembered for that thing he had going on with a certain Mrs. Jones. But that ode to a steamy extramarital affair hardly told the whole story of Billy Paul. “A lot of people don’t even know I’m a jazz singer. That’s what I want to be known for,” Paul tells Andy Kellman in the liner notes to Big Break Records’ must-have reissue of the singer’s second album, Ebony Woman. Though produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, Ebony Woman wasn’t issued on
Review: The Supremes, "The Supremes at the Copa"
The building on New York’s East 60th Street might between 5th and Madison Avenues might not have looked like much from the outside. But within the walls of 10 E. 60th, it was a different story altogether, as that address housed the fabled Copacabana. Lyricist Fred Ebb asserted of New York City itself, “If you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere,” but he could have been writing of The Copacabana. And Berry Gordy wanted to make it there. More accurately, the Motown Records chief wanted
Review: The Association, "The Complete Warner Bros. and Valiant Singles Collection"
“Everyone knows” the answer to the musical question of Who’s trippin’ down the streets of the city / Smilin’ at everybody she sees? But here’s another one: what’s the record label reaching out to capture a moment, bendin’ down to give us a rainbow? Everyone (at least everyone reading The Second Disc!) knows it’s Now Sounds. The Cherry Red-affiliated label has recently released the latest in its ongoing series of deluxe reissues of The Association’s catalogue, and it’s the most impressive
Friday Feature: "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"
When The Second Disc started two years ago, it didn't take long to realize that catalogue soundtrack coverage was going to be well met on the site. Joe and I love the power and beauty of film music, and admire the work of those awesome individuals who are preserving it on disc for future generations. Today marks the 30th anniversary of my all-time favorite film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a film with a powerful soundtrack if ever there was one. Recounting the tale of the music of E.T. is one
Review: Paul Simon, "Graceland: 25th Anniversary"
When Paul Simon travelled to Graceland, he was aware of the mighty contradictions: “And I may be obliged to defend every love, every ending/Or maybe there’s no obligations now…” Those days of miracle and wonder took place in 1986, and now some 25 years later, the restless artist is still defending Graceland. The path to Graceland was a circuitous one, with stops in New York, Los Angeles, London, Louisiana and most crucially, Johannesburg. Though the multi-platinum record picked up Grammy
Hooked On A Feeling (Again): B.J. Thomas "Complete Singles" Back On Schedule, Plus Germs Update
Longtime readers of The Second Disc know that Real Gone Music is one of our favorite reissue labels. And the level of dedication from the Real Gone team brings a silver lining to what would otherwise be an update as to a long-delayed title. Back in February, the Real Goners announced the March 27 release of The Complete Scepter Singles of B.J. Thomas, the “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head” and “Hooked on a Feeling” hitmaker. March, of course, came and went, and as of June 6, this
Review: Heart, "Strange Euphoria"
You’ve gotta have Heart. For over forty years, sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson have been rocking and rolling, singing and strumming, and did I mention rocking? Often considered the female answer to Led Zeppelin, Heart has outlived that famous band, incorporating Zeppelin’s furious attack into music also influenced by pop and folk. The new 3-CD/1-DVD set Strange Euphoria (Epic/Legacy 88691 93736 2, 2012) is the first collection of Heart’s catalogue selected by the Wilsons and the band’s first
Almighty Fire: Five Lost Aretha Franklin Albums Reissued, Expanded For First Time On CD
The old Second Disc Crystal Ball is back in action! We've looked back to March 30, 2011, when our Reissue Theory column was dedicated to a hypothetical box set containing Aretha Franklin's five "lost" Atlantic albums, all released between 1974 and 1979. Now, over a year later, we don't have to imagine any longer, for a reissue of all five albums is upon us! Roger Friedman has broken the news at Showbiz 411 and Forbes.com that Franklin's label, Aretha's Records, has entered into a deal with
Once Is Just Not Enough: The Dynamic Superiors' Motown Disco Classics Arrive on CD
The old adage that “good things come to those who wait” certainly applied to The Dynamic Superiors. Founded in Washington, DC in 1963, the vocal quintet didn’t receive their first major recording contract until 1974; their previous experience on record had been a lone single for New York’s Sue Records. That major contract was with Motown Records, no longer the Sound of Young America but still a vital force in popular music. SoulMusic Records reissued the first two albums by The Dynamic
Catch A Wave! Special Review: The Beach Boys' "That's Why God Made The Radio"
In Part One of our special two-part series, we recalled the ups and downs of The Beach Boys and the band’s chief musical architect, Brian Wilson. Today, in Part Two, we turn the spotlight over to That’s Why God Made the Radio, the new album in stores today from America’s Band! Brian Wilson is still a cork on the ocean floating over the raging sea. But is that a whiff of contentment I hear running through The Beach Boys’ “reunion” album, That’s Why God Made the Radio? Despite the ups and
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
Reviews: First Family of Soul - Rare Albums From Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, Cissy Houston Reissued and Expanded
If there's such a thing as a First Family of Soul, it might as well be the combined Houston/Warwick clan. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1933, Emily "Cissy" Drinkard sang gospel with her family as part of The Drinkard Singers, which counted Cissy's sister Lee Warrick among its members. Marie Dionne Warrick was born in 1940 to Lee and her husband Mancel; Delia Mae "Dee Dee" Warrick followed in 1942. Though The Drinkard Singers remain an important part of the history of gospel music, said to
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