It's not even Memorial Day yet, but we're already looking ahead to the heart of summer for upcoming reissues and now we've got Real Gone's slate due just after Independence Day on July 7. As is usually the case with this label, it's an eclectic group of releases. You've already heard the news about Second Disc Records and Real Gone's A Little Magic, A Little Kindness from Laura Nyro, with notes by our very own Joe Marchese, but Joe's notes are also featured in two other Real Gone releases in
Still Crazy: Paul Simon's "Concert in Hyde Park" Coming in June
As Paul Simon is launching a summer tour on June 1 in St. Petersburg, Florida, Legacy Recordings is looking back to one of the famed troubadour's recent performances from across the pond. The Concert in Hyde Park will arrive from the label on Friday, June 9, in 2CD/DVD or Blu-ray packages, as well as via digital audio and video downloads and streaming. Simon's July 15, 2012 Hyde Park concert, closing night of the Hard Rock Calling Festival, spanned the entirety of Simon's career through his
Groove Is In The Heart: Cherry Red Expands Titles From Deee-Lite, Jermaine Stewart, The Adventures
Today, we're looking at three recent releases from Cherry Red and Cherry Pop! With 1990's World Clique, Deee-Lite proved that "Groove is in the Heart." The lead-off single from the house/club group's debut record became an international hit, reaching the top 5 in the United States and United Kingdom, and topping the U.S. Dance chart. Cherry Pop has expanded World Clique, a top 20 entry on the Billboard 200, into a 2-CD set with a bonus disc of remixes. Vocalist Lady Miss Kier from
Release Round-Up: Week of April 14
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Michael Nesmith, Infinite Tuesday: Autobiographical Riffs - The Music (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Rhino Records offers a 14-track companion CD to Michael Nesmith's memoir Infinite Tuesday - An Autobiographical Riff (due on April 18). This collection has tracks from Nesmith solo as well as The Monkees and The First National Band, charting his singular and often-trailblazing work over the decades. Read more here! The
Here They "A' Go-Go"! Classic Supremes Album To Be Expanded in April
Get ready! A new, rarities-packed edition of The Supremes' chart-topping The Supremes A' Go-Go is headed to stores this spring! Released late in the summer of 1966, the ninth album by Motown's powerhouse vocal trio (Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson) reads like a who's-who of pop and Detroit soul, with a slew of covers (mostly from the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team) given that Supremes treatment. Here, you'll find versions of The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine
A Lot of Respect: Erasure to Issue PledgeMusic Box Set As Wide Release
If you missed out on Erasure's enormous box set released through PledgeMusic last holiday, it doesn't have to be--it's being made available to the general public this week. From Moscow to Mars: An Erasure Anthology is a treasury of riches from the seminal British synthpop duo, covering their first three decades together. This 12CD/1DVD set includes a variety of hits and rarities, including: Three discs of the band's complete single A-sides Two discs of the group's personal favorites,
Another Heart: Ace Collects 1960s Sylvie Vartan In English
With more than fifty albums to her credit between 1962 and the present day, Sylvie Vartan remains one of music's great survivors. One of France's most popular yé-yé girls, Vartan became one of RCA Victor's most prolific recording artists, said to be second in worldwide sales to only Elvis Presley. The Bulgarian-born French singer-actress is, of course, best known for her recordings in the French language, but she also recorded a number of sides in English. Ace's late-2016 compilation En
It's Too Late To Stop Now: Ted's Year in Review, And A Look Ahead
In the early days of the New Year, we've announced our annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards, and have also shared Mike's selections for the Reissues of the Year! Today, Ted takes a turn with a look at his own, wide-ranging personal music diary, or Best of 2016 - plus a look at what he's most anticipating in the months to come! We hope you'll discover a favorite of your own! You'll find selected links below for further reading. 2016 was a richly diverse year for music. But before taking a look at
The Year In Review - The 2016 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z
Happy New Year, and welcome to The Second Disc's Seventh Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! As with every year's awards, our goals are simple: to recognize as many of the year's most essential reissues and catalogue titles as possible, and to celebrate as many of those labels, producers and artists who make these releases happen in today's unpredictable retail landscape. The labels you'll read about below have, by and large, bucked the trends to prove that there's still a demand for physical
Pray Them Bars Away: Lee Hazlewood's "Cowboy in Sweden" Coming to CD and LP
2016 has been a good time to be a fan of Lee Hazlewood. The maverick artist's work has already been celebrated this year on Ace Records' collection Son-of-a-Gun and More from the Lee Hazlewood Songbook; here at Second Disc Records, we premiered his productions for country legend Eddy Arnold on our anthology Each Road I Take: The Lee Hazlewood and Chet Atkins Sessions 1970. Now, Light in the Attic is continuing its Hazlewood Archive Series with the November reissue of another 1970
Do You Hear What I Hear? Jack Jones, Eddy Arnold, Mitch Miller Coming TOMORROW From Second Disc Records!
With Halloween now in the rearview window, decorations springing up everywhere and yuletide tunes on the radio, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas everywhere you go. Here at Second Disc HQ, we're no exception. Tomorrow, November 4, we're thrilled to spread some holiday cheer with three Second Disc Records releases as part of Real Gone Music's amazing 10-strong (yes, 10 titles!) Christmas line-up! All three titles feature new-to-CD tracks, copious liner notes, original album and label
You Bet Your Love: Robinsongs Reissues Funky Sets From Herbie Hancock, Zapp
Today, we're spotlighting a pair of funk-drenched new releases from Cherry Red's Robinsongs imprint! When Herbie Hancock's The Joni Letters received an Album of the Year Grammy Award in 2008, it became the first jazz album to take the trophy since 1965 - underscoring the legendary pianist's enduring relevance in his fifth decade as a recording artist. Since Takin' Off in 1962 with his Blue Note debut of the same name, Hancock had pushed the envelope of jazz, including a period in the late
Review: "Unsung Sherman Brothers: Song Scores from Three That Got Away"
How often does one get the opportunity to hear a never-before-released score from one of the most beloved songwriting teams of all time? How about three unreleased scores, then? And what if one of those scores featured seven never-before-heard performances from Sammy Davis, Jr.? Indeed, such opportunities are rare...making Kritzerland's new release of Unsung Sherman Brothers all the more special. This delectable and tuneful collection premieres rare demo recordings of three unproduced scores
Friday's Child: Lee Hazlewood Meets Indie Rock On Ace's New "Son-of-a-Gun"
Ace has previously surveyed the singular oeuvre of musical iconoclast Lee Hazlewood on a number of releases including Califia: The Songs of Lee Hazlewood and, more recently, Shazam! and Other Instrumentals Written by Lee Hazlewood. Now, on Son-of-a-Gun and More from the Lee Hazlewood Songbook, the label has returned to the territory of Califia with a twist. Whereas that compilation focused on Lee’s vivid, quirky songs as performed by Nancy Sinatra, Dusty Springfield, Ann-Margret, Dino, Desi
Never Say Die: Black Sabbath's "Ultimate Collection" Chronicles Classic Era
As Black Sabbath reach the end of their final world tour--prepping a brief trek of North and South America in November and December and a final European trek in January and February--BMG in Europe will chronicle the group's classic lineup with a new compilation. The Ultimate Collection gathers 31 tracks from the eight studio albums Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward released from 1970 to 1978. Hits and fan favorites include "Iron Man," "Changes," "War Pigs," "Paranoid,"
Behind The Wall of Sleep: Rhino Expands Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" To Four Discs
Upon its release in September 1970, Black Sabbath's sophomore album Paranoid helped make clear the transition from "hard rock" to "heavy metal" and remains one of the most essential albums of the metal canon. On November 11, Rhino will revisit Paranoid in a 4-CD Super Deluxe box set edition. Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward followed up their self-titled debut album of early 1970 with Paranoid, recording it in London in June. Whereas Black Sabbath placed impressively at
Oh By Gosh, By Golly: Second Disc Records Celebrates Christmas with Jack Jones, Eddy Arnold and Mitch Miller
The most wonderful time of the year is upon us once again, and as longtime readers know, The Second Disc is always excited to spread the holiday spirit! This year is a particularly special year for us, as we're thrilled to bring not one, not two, but three new releases to CD on November 4 via Second Disc Records in association with the premier label for holiday tunes, Real Gone Music! First up is the CD debut one of the most-demanded holiday albums of all time. For more than six
Cash, Robbins, Jones, Arnold Feature On Ace's "More Country Hits"
Ace Records has recently continued its Golden Age of American Popular Music Series with another volume dedicated to the sounds of country-and-western. More Country Hits follows The Country Hits, released in 2008, and like that volume, presents a collection of country classics that crossed over to the pop side on the Billboard Hot 100. Many familiar names from the first collection show up here, too, including Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash, Faron Young, Ray Price, George Jones, Skeeter Davis, Marty
Release Round-Up: Week of July 1
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! We've got the latest release from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music as well as plenty more that we know you won't want to miss! Eddy Arnold, Each Road I Take: The Lee Hazlewood and Chet Atkins Sessions 1970 (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Our newest release brings together two seminal, never-before-reissued albums by Eddy Arnold on one CD, both from 1970. Love and Guitars captured Arnold
We Dig Anita and Ahmad! Cherry Red's él Label Collects Kerr and Jamal
Cherry Red's él imprint has previously celebrated the legendary career of Anita Kerr with various album reissues, and now the label is putting the spotlight on her prolific work in the studio supporting a host of music's most famous artists. We Dig Anita: The Oohs and Aahs of the Nashville Sound brings together 33 tracks from this multi-talented pioneer of the lush country-pop Nashville Sound - an accomplished singer, musician, arranger, producer and composer. All of the tracks on We Dig
Some Velvet Morning: Ace Salutes Lee Hazlewood on "Shazam!"
The title of Ace's new entry in its Songwriter Series - Shazam! - doesn't refer to Captain Marvel's magic word or Gomer Pyle's favorite expression. Rather, the new compilation CD is titled after Duane Eddy's (naturally) twangy western gallop "Shazam!" penned by Eddy and maverick producer Lee Hazlewood and released in 1960. (Okay, Duane and Lee likely did take its name from C.C. Beck and Bill Parker's popular comic book superhero!) Shazam! and Other Instrumentals Written by Lee Hazlewood is
Into the Void: Rhino Reissues International Black Sabbath Expansions Ahead of Final Tour
As Black Sabbath get ready to bid farewell with their The End Tour in 2016, Rhino will say hello to a set of deluxe Sabbath reissues available in the U.S. for the first time on January 22. The label will reissue the band's first three albums--Black Sabbath (1970), Paranoid (1970) and Master of Reality (1971)--as deluxe 2CD and 2LP sets, along with the 2002 live collection Past Lives. These collections feature the original albums, as remastered by Rhino in 2012, alongside bonus discs of rare
Made For Walkin': Lee Hazlewood's MGM Albums Are Newly Reissued By Light in the Attic
Since 2012, the Light in the Attic label has been mining producer-creative maverick Lee Hazlewood's LHI label for gems recorded by Hazlewood himself as well as artists like Honey Ltd. and The Kitchen Cinq. A 2013 reissue turned its attention to Hazlewood' 1963 cult-classic Mercury LP Trouble is a Lonesome Town, and now, LITA is looking in the direction of his MGM recordings originally released between 1966 and 1968. The label has just reissued all three of Hazlewood's MGM Records albums on CD
Tender Words: The Anita Kerr Singers, The Mike Sammes Singers Collected On él Label
A pair of recent releases from Cherry Red's él imprint shines a well-deserved spotlight on two famed groups of background vocalists, one from each side of the Atlantic: The Anita Kerr Singers and The Mike Sammes Singers. As a major pioneer of The Nashville Sound alongside producer-guitarist Chet Atkins, Anita Kerr led her distinctive choir on records by Patsy Cline, Jim Reeves, Brenda Lee, Eddy Arnold, Willie Nelson and Floyd Cramer. The Kerr Singers' distinctive harmonies were also heard
The Legacy Vault Opens For Christmas With Ray Price, Jerry Vale, John Davidson, More
Without a doubt, 2014 has shaped up to be another joyous year for fans of Christmas music. Sony Music's Legacy Recordings has been at the vanguard of delivering holiday music with a recent batch of titles from Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra and others as part of its Classic Christmas Album Series. Sony has also licensed festive titles from Robert Goulet, Rosemary Clooney, The Brothers Four and Frank DeVol and the Rainbow Strings to Real Gone Music. Those titles have recently been