It wouldn't be summer without cold beers, meat on your barbecue, kids splashing in swimming pools...or a 25-foot-long, three-ton great white shark intent on devouring your local bustling summer community. Okay, that last one's a stretch in literal practice, but the 1975 blockbuster film JAWS, based on Peter Benchley's best-selling novel, is a summertime staple, in fact kicking off the notion of huge crowd-pleasing flicks grabbing for audience members as the temperature heats up. The movie was
I Feel Good (All Over): Dance All Weekend Long with Kent's "Cleethorpes Northern Soul Weekender"
Though we've come to expect delightful and deeply soulful compilations from Ace's Kent label, one of Kent's latest is a particular trip: a trip, in fact, to the Cleethorpes Northern Soul Weekender. The 6Ts Rhythm and Soul Society has been throwing these bashes on a yearly basis since 1993, offering up plenty of dancing and some of the best names in soul music, among them Doris Troy, Barbara Lewis, Tommy Hunt, Bettye LaVette and Maxine Brown. Kent's The Cleethorpes Northern Soul Weekender,
The Long and Short of Sparks: Two Compilations Coming from Pop Icons
Calling all fans of eclectic rockers Sparks: two compilations are coming from Repertoire Records, both collecting their late '70s and early '80s single output in two different ways. On August 13, the German label will release Shortcuts: The 7 Inch Mixes (1979-1984) and Extended: The 12 Inch Mixes (1979-1984), a pair of two-disc sets chronicling every side released by the group, in every size, on every label the band were signed to around the world. The brothers Mael - Ron and Russell, from
A Heart in New York: Art Garfunkel Anthology "The Singer" Due In August with Two Unreleased Tracks
When the singer’s gone, let the song go on… Jimmy Webb wrote those words for the unlikely rock star by the name of Arthur Garfunkel, a former architecture student endowed with a purity of tone and the ability to pierce the heart. And thankfully, both the singer and the song remain very much alive today. Garfunkel, of course, was the yin to Paul Simon’s yang, the Tom to his Jerry. It’s most appropriate, then, that he will bookend his old friend with a new anthology coming on August 28 from
You Just Can't Walk Away: The Dells Come "One Step Closer" On New Reissue
It can be fairly said that no group in popular music has had a run quite like that of The Dells. The mighty Chicago group, founded in 1952, can boast a line-up of five – Mickey McGill, Verne Allison, Marvin Junior, Chuck Barksdale and Johnny Carter – that didn’t change between 1960 and 2009, the year of Carter’s passing! Such longevity has meant that The Dells have prospered through numerous musical trends, only altering the instrumentation around their velvet vocals. Cherry Red’s SoulMusic
Men of Colours: More Icehouse Expansions Coming from Universal Australia
Following up on last year's successful expanded reissue of Australian band Icehouse's debut LP Flowers, as well as a new compilation, frontman Iva Davies will again partner with Universal Music Group's Australian arm to put the band's catalogue back into print, as well as release new expanded editions of two of the group's most beloved works. Davies' Diva Records and Universal will release expansions of the remainder of the group's back catalogue (Primitive Man (1982), Sidewalk (1984), Measure
Review: Jellyfish, "Live at Bogart's"
When Jellyfish's Live at Bogart's was recorded on February 21, 1991, did anybody realize that neither the band nor the venue were long for this world? On December 2, 1993, The Los Angeles Times lamented the closure of the Long Beach, California club, calling it a "mighty blow" to the local music community. Yet Bogart's actually outlasted the first iteration of the band that hailed from miles up north in the San Francisco Bay Area. Andy Sturmer (drums/vocals), Roger Joseph Manning Jr.
Release Round-Up: Week of July 3
Jellyfish, Live at Bogart's (Omnivore) A fine 1991 gig from the criminally underrated power pop band, captured on CD and three sides of vinyl. Bob Dylan, Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits (Audio Fidelity) The Bard's first compilation gets the 24K gold disc treatment. Elton John, Classic Album Selection (Universal U.K.) Elton fans have a neat little budget compilation of studio albums to look forward to (from 1970's self-titled album to 1973's Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player). Small
Let There Be Drums, Again: Sandy Nelson Invites You To A "Big Sixties Frat Party!!!"
One could certainly make a case that the 1960s was the prime time for the rock instrumental, with The Ventures, The Marketts, Booker T. & The MGs and The Fireballs just some of the groups behind the decade’s hit melodies. Of the music-making individuals who were, well, instrumental in sending wordless tunes up the charts, few are as beloved as Sandy Nelson. Ace Records has previously anthologized the drummer’s explosive work on Rock ‘n’ Roll Drum Beat (Ace CDCHD 586) and Sandy Nelson’s
Review: Aretha Franklin and James Brown, Reissued By BBR
In today’s reviews, we’re looking at three albums from two true legends of soul. What do they have in common? Each title has been reissued by Big Break Records, and each found its respective artist conquering new terrain: the pop music world of the 1980s! Aretha Franklin, Jump to It (Arista AL-9602, 1982 – reissued Big Break Records CDBBR 0154, 2012) Each era of Aretha Franklin’s long and remarkable career has gotten some catalogue love lately, from the artist’s first days at Columbia
All You Can Eat: The Fat Boys' Out-of-Print Debut Gets Super-Sized
For a while, they were the biggest names in hip-hop, and their crossover success made many power players of the genre hungry for similar mainstream acceptance. Who else could prompt two eating puns in that sentence but The Fat Boys, whose debut album is coming out next month in a unique deluxe package. First known as The Disco 3, the Brooklyn-based Fat Boys - Mark "Prince Markie Dee" Morales, Damon "Kool Rock-Ski" Wembley and Darren "Buff Love" Robinson - were at first glance the latest in a
Review: "Album Produced By: More Of My Roller Coaster Life" by Bruce Kimmel
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.
Smashing Pumpkins' "Pisces Iscariot" to Be Expanded with Bonus Discs, Cassette
Having treated fans last year to lavish expanded versions of the Smashing Pumpkins' first two LPs, Gish and Siamese Dream, Billy Corgan is again working with EMI to release a deluxe edition of the band's Pisces Iscariot compilation. Released at the end of 1994, after the band's wave of success off the Top 10, quadruple-platinum Siamese Dream through 1993 and 1994, Pisces Iscariot collated the best of the band's many non-LP B-sides (most of which were only available on import singles) as well as
They Walk The Line: Johnny Cash Celebrated By Crow, Nelson, Kristofferson, Plus Four New Compilations Due
Much like the train Johnny Cash so often sang about, the celebration of what would have been his 80th birthday year rolls on. Following the issue of Bootleg IV: The Soul of Truth earlier this year, Legacy Recordings has just announced the CD/DVD and Blu-ray releases of We Walk the Line: A Celebration of the Music of Johnny Cash. Due on August 7, these preserve the concert held on Friday, April 20, 2012 at Austin, Texas’ Moody Theater in which a wide-ranging roster of musicians paid homage to
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
Expanded "Green Onions" Coming From Booker T. & The MGs
Concord Music Group continues its Stax Remasters series by dipping into the label's early days with a bona fide R&B classic. The title track of Booker T. & The MGs' 1962 Green Onions is still instantly recognizable today from appearances in television (American Dad) and film (X-Men: First Class), and was in May 2012 inducted into the Library of Congress' prestigious National Recording Registry. On July 24, the original Green Onions album will be reissued and expanded with two bonus
Swing Out Sister's "Travel" Expansion Breaks Out with New Track List
Well, this certainly doesn't happen often: a previously-reported expanded edition of U.K. pop group Swing Out Sister's debut LP is undergoing some 11th-hour changes, actually picking up a few bonus tracks for good measure. When it was initially announced, the 25th anniversary edition of It's Better to Travel from Universal's U.K. arm featured the original nine-track LP and 11 bonus tracks over two discs. While there were plenty of B-sides and remixes to go around, many of them were previously
Cleveland (Still) Rocks: Ian Hunter "Complete Singles Collection 1975-83" Released By 7Ts
What do Great White, The Presidents of the United States of America and Barry Manilow have in common? Why, Ian Hunter, of course. The former Mott the Hoople frontman provided those three with enduring songs, respectively, “Once Bitten, Twice Shy,” “Cleveland Rocks” and “Ships.” The career of the singer and songwriter is being celebrated by Cherry Red’s 7Ts label with the release of Ian Hunter’s Singles Collection 1975-83. This 2-CD set compiles all 29 sides released by Hunter as a solo
Back on the Block: Jennifer Lopez Planning New Hits Set
Singer, actress, model, mogul - Jennifer Lopez has done all of these things in a surprisingly short span of time. And now, she's taking a look back at part of her career with her first ever greatest hits compilation, Dance Again...The Hits, to be released in July. From her early days as one of the "Fly Girls" dancing on FOX's In Living Color, Jennifer Lopez had quite the personality and the following. The Bronx-born performer gained critical and commercial acclaim with early film roles opposite
Release Round-Up: Week of June 26
The Beat, I Just Can't Stop It / Wha'ppen? / Special Beat Service: Deluxe Editions (Edsel) The Beat's discography is expanded in the U.K. by Edsel in fashionable 2 CD/1 DVD editions. (Don't forget: a similar five-disc box is coming out from Shout! Factory in the U.S. next month.) The Miracles, Renaissance / Do It Baby (Hip-o Select/Motown) The first two post-Smokey LPs by The Miracles on one CD. The Electric Prunes, The Complete Reprise Singles / The New Christy Minstrels, A Retrospective
Jiminy Cricket! Two Leigh Harline Scores Paired On New CD
Those who wished upon a star for more music from Leigh Harline are in luck. The Academy Award-winning composer of “When You Wish Upon a Star,” from Walt Disney’s 1940 Pinocchio, had a distinguished career in Hollywood until his death in 1969 at age 62. Kritzerland is celebrating Harline’s career with a new two-for-one CD of the great man’s scores. The Wayward Bus is making its world premiere, while The Enemy Below is returning to print after an absence of many years. Both titles are
Of Weasels, Hot Rats and Lumpy Gravy: Some Zappa Reissue Questions Answered
Ever since news broke of Universal's upcoming series of Frank Zappa reissues, there have been as many questions as answers regarding this hotly-anticipated catalogue campaign. Although the first thirteen titles, chronologically representing 1966's Freak Out! through 1971's Just Another Band From L.A., don't arrive until July 31, a trickle of information has already been released by Gail Zappa, Frank's widow and the representative of the Zappa Family Trust. Gail Zappa has taken to answering
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
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