Eric Clapton's most transformative late-career work will be itself transformed this spring. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer will reissue an "enhanced" edition of 1992's live album Unplugged, boasting a slightly reorganized and expanded 2CD or 2LP sequence, a brand-new mix and highlights from a never-before-heard audio interview with Clapton discussing the songs in his set shortly before playing them in that session. It'll be available May 9 through Surfdog Records, to which Clapton has been
Release Round-Up: Week of January 24
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. Badfinger, Head First: 50th Anniversary Edition (Y&T) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Head First, originally intended to be Badfinger's eighth album and third for Warner Bros. Records, was recorded in 1974 but shelved until 2000. That release presented a rough mix by Apple Studios engineer Phil McDonald; now, 25
Madness is the Gift: Disturbed Celebrate 25 Years of Debut Album with New Box Set
One of the first big metal debut albums of the 2000s will be expanded for its 25th anniversary: Disturbed's The Sickness. The Chicago group's breakthrough (previously reissued for its 10th anniversary just around when The Second Disc was getting started!) will be repackaged as a deluxe 3CD/1LP box set featuring seven unheard demos, three soundtrack rarities, a new mix of "Glass Shatters" (a celebrated entrance theme for WWE superstar Stone Cold Steve Austin), and a live bonus disc featuring
In Memoriam: Garth Hudson (1937-2025)
This morning, it was announced that Garth Hudson, 87, had died in a Woodstock, New York nursing home. Hudson was the last surviving member of The Band, and with his passing, an era has come to a close. Though best known for his virtuosic organ playing, Hudson was a multi-instrumentalist who brought various colors to The Band's rootsy, organic brand of Americana. Hudson's sound tapped into the many veins of American popular music and could, by turns, conjure a raucous revival, a whimsical
Soundtrack Watch: Intrada, La-La Land Kick Off 2025 with a Bang
The last few months were positively packed with soundtrack reissues - not one, but two Black Friday-sized batches from La-La Land, and a generous array of in-demand titles from Intrada, as well. Well, if you can believe it, those roll-outs could have been even bigger - and La-La Land and Intrada are proving it with their first releases of 2025 (for LLL, all titles that were meant to release last year). There's something for everyone: music from a Jim Henson cult classic, an action-packed sequel
What's It All About: Verve to Release Long-Lost 1967 Concert from Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald ushered in 1967 with a new label affiliation; she had decamped Verve for the Capitol label where she would release two albums - one of hymns, and the other of traditional Christmas carols - that year. In concert, Ella was in a period of transition. While rewarding her audiences with the classic standards they expected, she was also experimenting with newer material from the pop-rock songbook. On February 28, Ella's once and future home of Verve will release The Moment of
The Village (Snap To It): JAY Records, Cherry Red Celebrate "Folk City" with New Concept Album
The name of Gerdes Folk City has long been synonymous with the halcyon era of the Greenwich Village music scene. Bob Dylan made his New York debut on its tiny stage and later debuted "Blowin' in the Wind" there. Peter, Paul, and Mary played their first official gig together at Gerdes. Simon and Garfunkel, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Doc Watson were the among the dozens of major artists who made Gerdes a home in the club's early days. Its later years saw a wide variety of artists including
Sex Pistols' American Epitaph Chronicled in New Box Set
The story of the Sex Pistols' final tour - and ultimate undoing - will be told in new releases coming from UMC in March. Live in the U.S.A. 1978 will mark the first complete and official releases of three of the punk quartet's seven American concerts in January 1978. Presented for the first time in sequence are the tour's opener at the South East Music Hall in Atlanta, Georgia on January 5, a particularly raucous performance at Dallas, Texas' Longhorns Ballroom five days later, and the
Ain't Nobody: Rufus' Final Albums Reissued in New Robinsongs Set
A forthcoming two-for-one set from Robinsongs will chronicle the last works of funk legends Rufus - including their powerful final bow with singer Chaka Khan. The label will release the 1983 studio album Seal in Red and live/studio hybrid Stompin' At The Savoy - Live as a 2CD set on March 14. The set will feature new liner notes by Lois Wilson of MOJO as well as three bonus tracks, including single versions of "Take It to the Top" and the smash hit "Ain't Nobody," as well as a rare remix of the
Total Mass Retain: Rhino Reissues Yes' "Close to the Edge" in Super Deluxe Set
Yes' fifth album, Close to the Edge, continued the band's early winning streak. The 1972 release - their final album of the decade to feature drummer Bill Bruford and first to feature the band's now-famous "bubble" logo type - featured just three songs (two of which had multiple movements). But they were sufficiently power-packed as to propel the LP to top five berths in both the U.K. and U.S. and eventual Platinum sales status. On March 7, Rhino will revisit Close to the Edge as a
Love Changes (Everything): Cherry Pop Expands Climie Fisher Discography
Two reissues by Cherry Red, separated by nearly a year, collect the brief but intriguing discography of late-'80s U.K. duo Climie Fisher - including a raft of rare and unreleased bonus material totaling seven discs between them. The wait is finally over for fans of the group when Climie Fisher's 1987 debut Everything gets a major expansion from the Cherry Pop imprint on March 21. The set features the remastered album and a whopping 51 bonus tracks: versions and remixes of singles "Love
A "Souvenir" from Sony Music Japan: An Expansion of Billy Joel's 'Streetlife Serenade'
Here's a belated 50th anniversary present for Billy Joel fans: a new, Japan-exclusive collector's edition of his third studio album, 1974's Streetlife Serenade. Available February 19, this lavish deluxe version - which follows a similar package for its predecessor Piano Man last year - includes many similar extras. The 7" cardboard packaging includes lyrics and liner notes in English and Japanese (including a CD-sized replica of the original booklet that came with the Japanese LP), replicas
Like a Beast: W.A.S.P. Box Set Coming to CD from Madfish
After not one but two pressings on vinyl over the last two years, Madfish Music will release their collection of heavy metal band W.A.S.P.'s major label material on CD this month. The 7 Savage 1984-1992 collects all six of the L.A. shock rockers' studio and live releases for Capitol Records, along with a newly-compiled assortment of 15 non-LP tracks (three more than the equivalent disc in the vinyl box). The slipcased set also features a CD-sized version of the 60-page hardcover book that
In Memoriam: Peter Yarrow (1938-2025)
When Bob Dylan famously took the stage at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival and "plugged in" - an event dramatized at the climax of the Golden Globe-nominated film A Complete Unknown - the friendly face serving as emcee tried mightily to calm the fiercely divided crowd. Though his screen time in director James Mangold's film is minimal, Nick Pupo makes an impression as that beleaguered host: one Peter Yarrow, of Peter, Paul, and Mary. The folk trio was part of the same managerial stable as Dylan
Quartet's First Film Music Release of 2025 is Barry, Barry Good
As if the feast of John Barry expanded film scores, from James Bond to Out of Africa, hasn't been exciting enough, Quartet Records kicked off the new year with the announcement of more rarities from the celebrated British composer. The label has issued The Polydor Years, a 3CD collection that brings together re-recordings of classic themes, unique arrangements and original music released on albums, singles and compilations in the mid-'70s in Europe. 1972's The Concert John Barry, 1974's Play
Rhino's 2025 Start Your Ear Off Right Campaign Features Fleetwood Mac, Ramones, Rush, More
We've already filled you in on details of Rhino's upcoming live release from WAR, but that's not all coming from the label. Rhino's annual Start Your Ear Off Right vinyl campaign has already commenced at independent retailers and select Barnes and Noble locations. This year's slate encompasses releases from Dream Theater, Ramones, Fleetwood Mac, ZZ Top, Grateful Dead, Rush, and others. Below, you'll find the complete list of SYEOR titles due this month, including those which arrived last
The Weekend Stream: December 21, 2024 - and a Merry Discmas to All!
Welcome to 2024's final edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts! With no Release Round-Up this Friday and a few weeks of peace and quite from (and for!) us until 2025, we've got a few more treats for you under the tree from Wham!, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Miles Davis, Archie Bell & The Drells and so much more! Wham!, Last Christmas (Epic/Legacy/Sony Music U.K.) (iTunes / Amazon) For
Holiday Gift Guide Review: 'Dearly Beloved: A Prince Celebration'
The holidays are a time of good cheer and gratitude, where we all (in theory) come together to share in a common joy. There has not been a lot of common joy if you're a Prince fan; we don't need to re-litigate it more than we did this summer, but it's worth noting that the quest to make intriguing, posthumous Prince projects under the current estate organization has maybe gotten worse than when we published our editorial. But there have been celebrations of The Purple One that honor his
1974: Kimono My House & Propaganda
1974 was a particularly prolific year for Sparks, with the Mael brothers releasing two LPs: Kimono My House and Propaganda. Now, Edsel has reissued them both in a deluxe 3-CD set in 7-inch packaging. Sparks made quite an impression on the U.K. audience, with "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" from Kimono reaching No. 2 on the Singles Chart and becoming the No. 30 hit of the year. They would follow it up with "Amateur Hour" from the same LP and then "Never Turn Your Back on Mother
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Alice Cooper, "Muscle of Love: Deluxe Edition"
Rare is the album that's better remembered for its packaging than its contents. But that may well be the case with the band Alice Cooper's seventh (and final) album, 1973's Muscle of Love. As it followed the Platinum-certified international chart-topper Billion Dollar Babies, hopes were high for the LP. It was greeted by lukewarm critical assessments, though, and "merely" reached No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and No. 34 on the U.K. Albums Chart. As such, it was inevitably considered a
Ship of Fools: The Island Albums
Cherry Red's Esoteric arm has revisited a key chapter in the Velvet Underground-related discography with a new box set containing John Cale's three Island Records albums, originally released in 1974-1975: Fear, Slow Dazzle, and Helen of Troy. Following his tenures at Columbia and Reprise, Cale was ready to embrace pure rock-and-roll, though he tempered any melodic accessibility with typically offbeat and often dark lyrics. Stylistically, these albums were all over the place with detours to
Ring the Bells and Sing: Progressive Sounds of 1975
Ring the Bells and Sing: with this new compilation, Esoteric Recordings takes a look at 1975 in progressive rock. By compiler Mark Powell's admission, "1975 is not often referred to as a year that produced a wealth of legendary music." He sets out to prove that assessment wrong with this 4-CD, 47-song compendium. The set stresses the international reach of prog as well as the art of the album as opposed to the single; while many of these artists weren't regular hitmakers, Powell stresses that
It Had Better Be Tonight: Quartet Records Celebrates Henry Mancini with "Pink Panther" Premiere Plus "Darling Lili" and More
April 16, 2024 marked what would have been the 100th birthday of Henry Mancini (1924-1994). With over 125 films and 90 albums to his credit (not to mention television shows, stage productions, and more!), the late composer's richly melodic music is still very much a part of the American cultural tapestry. Spain's soundtrack specialist label Quartet Records wasn't about to let the Mancini centennial go unnoticed. The label has delivered four new Mancini releases just in time for the holidays,
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Steve Martin, 'Steve in a Box'
At this point in time, CD box sets have been a going concern (especially around the holidays) for nearly 40 years. Thousands of them have been released, and with the unexpected shift toward listening on vinyl (who'd have thought?) and digital (particularly streaming, which has a near-total grasp on music consumption today), you've got to have a really strong angle to encourage fans to part with some extra money and add new titles to their shelves. What more can be done? you (and sometimes we at
Holiday Gift Guide Review: 'Mary Poppins: 60th Anniversary Collection'
I. In Every Job That Must Be Done, There is An Element of Fun When you're a child - no matter where you're from, or how perceptive you may be about such things - it's easy to get a sixth sense about something you watch or read and just feel is different from the rest of what you've watched or seen. The Wizard of Oz is that way for many people. So too is Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers' series of books about a magical nanny that was adapted into a colorful musical film by Walt Disney Studios in 1964.
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