In an extraordinary career spanning seven decades, director and "godfather of black cinema" Melvin Van Peebles (1932-2021) only made one studio film. 1970's Watermelon Man shattered conventions with its bitingly satirical story about a white couple, intolerant and obnoxious insurance salesman Jeff Gerber (Godfrey Cambridge) and his seemingly liberal wife Althea (Estelle Parsons). One morning, Jeff awakens to discover that his skin color has changed from white to black-and it's not a result of
Open My Eyes: Ace Celebrates Todd Rundgren and Gus Dudgeon in Label's Producers Series
In recent weeks, Ace Records has made two new additions to its ongoing Producers Series, and both titles spotlight the versatility of the respective talents, Todd Rundgren and Gus Dudgeon. The Studio Wizardry of Todd Rundgren is, in many senses, an update of Rhino's 1992 compilation An Elpee's Worth of Productions. Like that set, it paints a portrait of the singer-songwriter largely in service of others' songs, though a handful of his own compositions appear, too. Ace's collection spans
Vinyl Me, Please Releases Lavish "Story of Philadelphia International Records" Anthology
The legacy of Philadelphia International Records is as mighty as the famous three men most associated with the label: co-founders and songwriter-producers Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and songwriter-producer-conductor-arranger Thom Bell. The three men didn't do it alone, though; the PIR story involves the dozens of talented artists, musicians, songwriters, producers, and arrangers who passed through the doors of engineer Joe Tarsia's Sigma Sound Studios on North 12th Street in Philadelphia,
Wicked As It Seems: Keith Richards Reissues "Main Offender" for 30th Anniversary
BMG is continuing its ongoing reissue series from Keith Richards' solo catalogue on March 18 with a 30th anniversary edition of the Rolling Stone's 1992 LP Main Offender. The reissue follows BMG's similar expansions of Richards' solo debut Talk Is Cheap and the X-Pensive Winos' concert album Live at the Hollywood Palladium, and will be available in the following formats: 2CD/3LP Super Deluxe Edition; 2CD Mediabook; 1CD Standard Edition; 1LP Black or Limited Edition Red Vinyl;
A Second Disc Special Feature: David Lasley and Rosie
The Second Disc is thrilled to welcome Charles Donovan for a very special guest post. In addition to being one of the finest music journalists working today, Charles has curated some of our favorite releases in recent years including Rupert Holmes' Songs That Sound Like Movies: The Complete Epic Recordings, Pamela Polland's Pamela Polland/Have You Heard the One About the Gas Station Attendant?, and Maxayn's Reloaded: The Complete Recordings 1972-1974. Today, Charles brings his knowledge,
Sweet Seasons: Third Man Premieres Carole King's 1973 Central Park Concert as Part of Vault Series
Third Man Records, Sony Music, and Ode Records are proving that it's never too late, baby, with the audio and video premiere release of Carole King - Home Again, a live concert recorded in Central Park on May 26, 1973. Home Again will be exclusively released on 2-LP vinyl and DVD as part of Third Man's ongoing Vault Series (#51 in the series). Sign-up to subscribe to the Vault Series and receive this title is open through January 31 at Midnight (Central Time). King took the stage of Central
The Weekend Stream: October 2, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we've introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Public Enemy, Apocalypse 91: The
Release Round-Up: Week of September 3
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Bob Marley and The Wailers, The Capitol Session '73 (Tuff Gong/Mercury Studios) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP Green Marble Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Five days after Bob Marley and The Wailers' landmark Burnin' hit stores in October 1973, producer Denny Cordell (Leon Russell, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers) took the band into Hollywood's Capitol
Can't Hold Back: Real Gone Reissues Out Tomorrow Include Richard Thompson, Cee Lo Green, Junkyard, and Ill Niño
Due out tomorrow, September 3, is a quartet of new vinyl reissues from our friends at Real Gone Music. The albums are from four different decades and encompass a wide variety of genres with two of the albums making their vinyl debuts. First up, from 1989, is the self-titled debut album from Junkyard. This Los Angeles-based band was founded in 1987, but had a different lineup by the time they gathered to record this first album for Geffen. The group by then consisted of lead singer David
Straight to the Top: Southside Johnny Reissues Tom Waits Tribute "Grapefruit Moon"
At first glance, Southside Johnny Lyon and Tom Waits might seem at disparate ends of the musical spectrum. New Jersey native Lyon is a progenitor of the Jersey Shore sound with its brassy, party-time fusion of rock & roll and rhythm & blues. California's Waits came into prominence during that state's singer-songwriter boom, touching on folk before settling into a piano-based, jazz-influenced sound that he would ultimately jettison in favor of a more experimental and avant-garde
Shine It on Me: Cherry Red Celebrates Guitarist Ray Fenwick on New Anthology
In a career spanning eight decades, guitarist Ray Fenwick has played pop, prog, hard rock, rhythm and blues, rock-and-roll, and just about every genre conceivable. He's curated a new 3-CD compendium for Cherry Red's Lemon imprint appropriately entitled Playing Through the Changes: Anthology 1964-2020, bringing together 61 tracks (some previously unreleased and new to CD) on which his guitar is heard alongside The Spencer Davis Group, Roger Glover, Ronnie James Dio, David Coverdale, Bo Diddley,
Dance Tunes for The Underdog: Omnivore Remembers Mumps, "American Family" Icon Lance Loud with New Anthology
Before The Real Housewives, The Osbournes, and The Real World, there was An American Family. The twelve-part 1973 PBS documentary series chronicled the day-to-day life of the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California. It's now considered a prototype for modern-day reality television: its 300-plus hours of filming yielded footage of Pat Loud breaking up with her husband Bill after 21 years of marriage and of their son Lance's coming out as gay. Lance was the breakout star of the program, and
The Weekend Stream: February 27, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we're introducing a new Saturday feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Cheap Trick, Out to Get
Release Round-Up: Week of February 12
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Band, Stage Fright: 50th Anniversary Edition [Various Formats] (Capitol/UMe) 2CD/1BD/1LP/1-7″ single: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD (CD 1 & 2 of box set): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP (Remixed Album Only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Band slightly belatedly revisits 1970's Stage Fright for its 50th anniversary in a variety of editions anchored by Bob Clearmountain's stereo and
In Your Eyes: Mondo Expands 'Say Anything...' Soundtrack with Unreleased Material
Soundtrack vinyl label Mondo offers a killer new expanded release this week that'll make even the staunchest opponent to selling, buying or processing anything reconsider their position: the stirring soundtrack to 1989 romantic comedy Say Anything... Already lauded for his teenaged work as a journalist for Rolling Stone (which inspired his 2000 film Almost Famous) and the book-turned-'80s film classic Fast Times At Ridgemont High, screenwriter Cameron Crowe made his directorial debut with
Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Replacements, "Pleased to Meet Me: Deluxe Edition"
The Replacements' Pleased to Meet Me marked the moment when Minneapolis met Memphis. For their second major label album, fifth overall, first without founding member Bob Stinson, and lone offering as a trio, the 'Mats called upon Jim Dickinson. The producer and Memphis mainstay entered the picture after abortive demo sessions in the band's hometown during which time Bob had been dismissed from the band, leaving Paul Westerberg to pick up the lead guitar duties, Tommy Stinson on bass, and Chris
Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Doors, "Morrison Hotel: 50th Anniversary Edition"
For The Doors, 1970 should have been a new beginning. Upon the February 1 release of the band's fifth album, Morrison Hotel, Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore were still recovering from the events of the prior year. On March 1, 1969, Morrison famously (or infamously?) exposed himself onstage in Coconut Grove, Florida. The Lizard King's "indecent exposure" led to the cancellation of over two dozen concerts and some radio stations' refusal to play The Doors' music.
Release Round-Up: Week of November 13
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elton John, Jewel Box (EMI/UMe) 8CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Deep Cuts 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Rarities & B-Sides 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada And This Is Me... 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Elton John is reaching deep into the vault with Jewel Box, a new, super-sized collection of rare and unreleased material. The British pop legend's deep dive into his
Yeah, Baby, Yeah! The Second Disc Guide to Record Store Day Drop 3, October 24
Like most things that have gone on this year, Record Store Day 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride. The result: three days of Record Store Drops. This Saturday, October 24, music fans will be joining the queue - whether in-person if it's safe to do so or online - for their chance at some limited-edition vinyl. Ahead of the event itself, we thought we'd break down what you can expect and detail some of the releases for which we're most excited. The main change from years past? Shorter lines and
Everybody's Smokin': NRBQ Collect Rarities, Unreleased Material on "in-frequencies"
Omnivore Recordings has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with The New Rhythm and Blues Quartet (NRBQ), from 2016's High Noon - A 50-Year Retrospective through subsequent reissues, new music, and collections. The latest, in frequencies, brings together 16 rarities from the band's long and diverse discography spanning 1968-2018, with all but four tracks previously unreleased. NRBQ has flourished over the years even as the personnel has shifted numerous times, with only keyboardist Terry
In The Shuffling Madness: Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" Receives Audiophile Treatment from Analogue Productions
In the world of audiophile music, Analogue Productions is known for top-drawer reissues on both SACD and high-quality vinyl. In recent years, they have developed a new formula for their special pressings and pressed classic titles under the banner UHQR, or Ultra High Quality Record. Analogue recently announced the latest in its UHQR series: Jethro Tull's Aqualung, due October 16. The 1971 album is one of the progressive rock group's most beloved albums and also their best-selling. With FM
Feel The Noize: New Slade Collection Due In September
One of England's most successful rock bands is compiling their hits for a new collection this fall. Cum On Feel The Hitz: The Best Of Slade collects more than 40 tracks across two discs from the Wolverhampton band, including 16 Top 10 hits released between 1970 and 1984. Six of them - the uniquely-spelled "Coz I Luv You," "Take Me Bak 'Ome," "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," "Cum On Feel The Noize," "Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me" and the holiday perennial "Merry Xmas Everybody" - all topped the chart,
I'm In Love, What's That Song: Replacements Expand 'Pleased To Meet Me' For New Box Set
On the heels of last year's revelatory Dead Man's Pop set exploring the making of Don't Tell a Soul, Rhino has announced a new box set from The Replacements celebrating another of the Minneapolis band's finest albums. On October 9, 1987's Pleased to Meet Me - the immediate predecessor of Don't Tell a Soul - will get the deluxe treatment as a 3-CD/1-LP set (also available digitally) featuring a whopping 29 previously unreleased tracks. The 'Mats' fifth studio album, Pleased to Meet Me is
Lose Your Mind and Play: Legacy Recordings Details Upcoming RSD Drop Releases From Pink Floyd, Judas Priest, Miles Davis, and More
As the world begins to slowly open up again, one thing that vinyl aficionados can look forward to is Record Store Day's RSD Drops. As we've previously reported, the organization opted to cancel their big day in April, and instead the titles will be released over three "drops" on August 29, September 26, and October 24. Legacy Recordings has announced their full, updated list of RSD Drops contributions from Cheap Trick, Tyler The Creator, Pink Floyd, Miles Davis, Toto, Manic Street Preachers,
Never Want It Badly Enough: The Second Disc's Top Tracks For Bandcamp Friday
Despite the challenges facing the music business amid the COVID-19 pandemic, there are some bright spots. On March 20, indie music service Bandcamp waived their share of revenue on all sales for 24 hours, allowing artists and labels to support themselves even more robustly. Thanks to impressive results ($4.3 million spent on music and merch, 15 times an average Friday's revenue), Bandcamp repeated the strategy not once, but thrice: the first Fridays of each month (May 1, which raised $7.1
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