"For two-and-a-half years, I had the Friday night show at Bunjies Coffee Bar, and it became a residency for me," Al Stewart remembered in an interview with this author for the recent collection of his U.S. singles. "After a while, I got another residency right around the corner at a club called Les Cousins." The Greek Street venue was a focal point of the London folk scene. Nick Drake, Cat Stevens, Alexis Korner, John Renbourn, and a young American named Paul Simon all passed through its
It's a Jolly Holiday: 'Mary Poppins' Vinyl Box Announced for 60th Anniversary
When Richard M. Sherman, one half of the legendary songwriting team The Sherman Brothers, passed away last month, The Second Disc was quick to pay tribute to all the duo's great works for Walt Disney films and elsewhere. But their most towering achievement is probably the song score to the whimsical Mary Poppins. This summer, to celebrate the film's 60th anniversary, Disney will release a limited edition vinyl box set collecting the film's original soundtrack, rare archival material and no less
The Weekend Stream: June 22, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. More EPs from Duran Duran, rarities from Alanis Morissette and a tribute to an '80s jukebox musical are part of the fun this Saturday morning! Duran Duran, My Own Way / Hungry Like the Wolf / Save a Prayer / Rio EPs (Parlophone/Rhino) My Own Way: iTunes / Amazon Hungry: iTunes / Amazon Save a Prayer: iTunes / Amazon Rio: iTunes /
Purple Drain: What's Going On with the Prince Estate?
In his too-brief life and vastly influential music career, Prince was known for every trait associated with genius: eclectic, kinetic musical ideas; a restless creative spirit; and of course, a mercurial side - known to change his own mind or direction at the slightest whims. In the eight years since his untimely passing, it seems the custodians of his affairs have got the mercurial part right, and that sometimes seems about it. A series of surprising successes and near-misses today in
Release Round-Up: Week of June 21
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. Joni Mitchell, The Asylum Albums 1976-1980 (Rhino/Asylum) 5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com 6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Rhino.com The Asylum Albums (1976-1980) arrives on 5 CDs, 6 LPs, and digital formats, completing the Asylum period of Mitchell's extraordinary career. Whereas
I'm with the Band: Country Vocal Group Little Big Town Plans Greatest Hits Album Ahead of New Tour
Streaming might have rendered the greatest hits album a comparative rarity in today's discographies, but country quartet Little Big Town are bucking the trend, planning a new collection of popular singles (and a few re-recordings) ahead of a tour this fall. The Alabama foursome, comprised of singers Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook (all of whom perform in rich harmony, with no de facto lead singer), have been together for 25 years, but started to take off
The Tragically Hip's 'Up to Here' Goes Up to There in New Box Set
Beloved Canadian rockers The Tragically Hip planned a year devoted to opening the archives (like a live set released for Record Store Day this spring) and celebrating the 40th anniversary of their founding. This fall, they'll put out a greatly expanded version of Up to Here, their first full-length album, originally released in 1989. Available November 8 on three CDs or four LPs and a Blu-ray Disc, the Up to Here box includes the original remastered album, audio and video of a beloved live
Review: David Bowie, "Rock 'N' Roll Star"
"So Long, '60s," David Bowie proclaims on the first track of the new 5CD/1BD Parlophone box set Rock 'N' Roll Star. Strumming his 12-string at a San Francisco Holiday Inn, the future superstar was embracing the new decade and its immense possibilities: "I'll kick you in the ass, you rascal, you!" Its verse melody and the barest wisp of the lyric ("keep your mouth shut!") would make it to a new composition, "Moonage Daydream," the third song on his fifth album. That LP was The Rise and Fall of
Country Survivor: Iconoclassic Preps Another Unreleased Jimi Jamison Album, in a Different Genre
Iconoclassic Records will celebrate the life of former Survivor and melodic rock singer Jimi Jamison with its second release of previously unreleased material this summer: a country-flavored recording from 2007, entitled Jimmy Wayne Jamison. For much of rock band Survivor's tenure - particularly a stellar run from 1984 to 1989 - Jimi Jamison was its voice: melodic and expressive, bringing gravitas and tenderness to pop hits like "I Can't Hold Back," "High on You," "The Search is Over,"
Promised Land: 'Memphis' Box Set Celebrates Elvis' Connection to a Legendary Rock City
On July 18, 1953, an 18-year-old truck driver from Tupelo, Mississippi named Elvis Presley walked into the Memphis Recording Service at Sun Records. He paid $3.98 to record a double-sided acetate, allegedly a belated birthday gift for his mother. Thus began not only an incredible singing career that changed the edifices of popular music, but a relationship with Tennessee's second most-populous city - one that would last the rest of his life. This summer, a new box set from Legacy Recordings will
Road to 'Sugarland': La-La Land Records Premieres John Williams' First Score for a Steven Spielberg Film
Legendary composer John Williams' personal and professional relationship with director Steven Spielberg has yielded 30 film scores, including Oscar-winning soundtracks to JAWS (1975), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and Schindler's List (1993), three of Williams' five Academy Award wins in a career that's seen more nominations than anyone currently alive and only less total than Walt Disney. But Williams' first score in Spielberg's filmography was fairly infamous among collectors and fans as
Release Round-Up: Week of June 14
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. David Bowie, Rock 'n' Roll Star (Parlophone/Rhino) 5CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada This new 5CD/1Blu-ray collection from the late David Bowie follows 2019's Conversation Piece (which shed light on the 1968-1969 David Bowie/Space Oddity era) and 2022's Divine
Not the Only One: Sam Smith's Debut Expanded for 10th Anniversary
More than a decade after becoming a sensation in both the U.K. and the U.S., Sam Smith's debut album is getting reissued for its 10th anniversary. In the Lonely Hour will be re-released August 2 as a 2CD set including a bonus disc of a dozen rare tracks, including guest collaborations and other singles. (A 4LP equivalent, pressed on silver vinyl with signed art card will be available through the singer's official store.) For general retailers, a new 13-track pressing of the album will be
Kid in the Street: Justin Townes Earle Memorialized on Forthcoming Rarities Set
The Americana world was shaken in 2020 by the death of Justin Townes Earle, the talented country/folk/blues musician following in the footsteps of his father, alt-country hero Steve Earle. His songs were rich in guitar, organ and horns (the first two of which he'd played in his father's band) and featured evocative, personal lyrics inspired by his own personal demons and the stark realities of life in general. His last album, 2019's The Saint of Lost Causes, was an affecting critique of the
Over to That Sunnyside Road: Cat Stevens' "Foreigner" Returns to CD, LP, Digital
For his seventh studio album, 1973's Foreigner, Yusuf a.k.a. Cat Stevens made a major departure. It was the first album solely produced and written by the artist, and his first to somewhat jettison his folk-influenced acoustic sound in favor of a more expansive R&B style. Stevens traveled to Kingston, Jamaica to record the LP, enlisting an international array of musicians to join him. On July 26, A&M/UMe will release a remastered edition of Foreigner on CD, vinyl (standard 180-gram
What a Wonderful World: Verve Premieres Louis Armstrong's "Louis in London" on CD, LP
Well, hello, Louis! On July 12, Verve Records will release Louis in London on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. This previously unreleased performance was recorded live on the BBC on July 2, 1968 while the legendary musician and singer was riding high thanks to the chart-topping success in Great Britain of "What a Wonderful World." The 13-song set naturally includes that evergreen anthem penned by Bob Thiele and George David Weiss. Armstrong - a pioneer not only as a jazz trumpeter and
Live at the Opera House
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Craft Recordings revisits Sylvester's landmark March 11, 1979 concert at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House, an evening in which he was presented with the key to the city. The concert, during which Sylvester was joined by the electrifying duo of Martha Wash and Izora Rhodes Armstead, a.k.a. Two Tons o' Fun, was recorded by Fantasy Records and released in truncated form as the album Living
Synchronicity: Limited Edition
6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Official Store 1LP Picture Disc: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada More than 40 years after the release of their final album, The Police offer a massive expansion of their fifth studio effort, 1983's blockbuster Synchronicity. The set will be available in multiple formats, each showcasing a wealth of rare studio and live bonus content.
Dreams Do Come True: George Benson Meets Robert Farnon
The superstar guitarist-singer debuts a previously unreleased album from 1989 in CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Dreams Do Come True: When George Benson Meets Robert Farnon paired Benson with the Canadian composer-conductor-arranger whose most famous clients include Frank Sinatra (Sinatra Sings Songs from Great Britain), Tony Bennett (Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album), and Lena Horne (Lena: A New Album). Benson, on guitar and vocals, joined Farnon and his orchestra for a selection of
Definitely Maybe: 30th Anniversary Edition
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada For its 30th anniversary, Oasis' Definitely Maybe returns a 2CD or 4LP set that pairs the remastered album with more than a dozen unreleased tracks. These primarily include the album's scrapped 1993 sessions at Monnow Valley Studio in Wales with producer David Batchelor and subsequent work at Cornwall's Sawmills studio. Creation Records co-founder Alan McGee and journalist Hamish MacBain have
Mr. Look-So-Good Is Back! Cherry Red, Robinsongs Collect Richard "Dimples" Fields' Boardwalk, RCA Albums
Richard "Dimples" Fields was one of the most unusual figures on the soul music landscape: a self-proclaimed feminist who portrayed himself as a two-timing ladies' man, whose quirky ballads were alternately earnest and humorous - sometimes uncomfortably so. Fields made his gambit for mainstream success under the patronage of Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart. He brought the soul man onto his eclectic Boardwalk Records roster alongside such artists as Joan Jett, Ringo Starr, Carole Bayer
The Weekend Stream: June 8, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc's review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. This week is jam-packed with practically something for everybody, especially if you love the '80s: live cuts from one of the biggest touring bands of the decade, B-sides and remixes from that same decade's biggest British band and a rediscovered female country hitmaker - plus rare soundtracks, early favorites from a Latin-pop icon and so much
Heart to Hang Onto: Seven Out-of-Print Pete Townshend Live Albums Released in New Box Set
A long out-of-print trove of Pete Townshend live shows is coming back into print in one deluxe box set. Live in Concert 1985-2001, available July 26, brings together more than 15 years' worth of shows from the legendary songwriter/guitarist for The Who. These sets, recorded in America and England and arranged chronologically, were all originally released in the early years of the millennium on Townshend's short-lived Eel Pie label. For this set, available as a 14CD set or a digital product,
Release Round-Up: Week of June 7
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. Dwight Twilley, Jungle: Expanded Edition (Iconoclassic) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Iconoclassic's deluxe expanded edition of power pop hero Dwight Twilley's third solo album boasts six bonus tracks including the outtakes "Forget About It, Baby," "You Can Change It," and "Don't You Love Her," and Twilley's demos of
Summer Song: Real Gone's June Slate Includes Live Music from Fanny Plus More from Israel Vibration, Smoking Popes, and Stina Nordenstam
Real Gone's slate for June has an international flavor to it featuring recordings from Germany and artists from Jamaica and Sweden. All four of these projects are hitting store shelves tomorrow, June 7. Read on for all of the details. First up is Live on Beat Club '71-'72 from Fanny. When Richard Perry signed the group to Reprise in 1969, they became the first all-female rock band signed to a major label. The foursome (June Millington - guitar, Jean Millington - bass, Alice De Buhr -
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