The first voice you hear on Resonance Records' exhilarating new box set Nat King Cole - Hittin' the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) isn't that of the famous artist. Rather, it's his older brother and bassist Eddie Cole warbling teenaged Nat's sprightly composition "Honey Hush." Nat, of course, is the one tickling the ivories with confidence, grace, and an already sure sense of swing. Although he hadn't yet formed his famous trio (and the lineup here credited as "Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers" is
Let It Snow: Omnivore Breaks Away with Murry Wilson and Snow EP
With its latest release, Omnivore Recordings might as well as be singing "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" The intrepid label has unearthed a true rarity for a new digital EP: four previously unreleased songs produced in 1969 by Murry Wilson for an all-but-unknown harmony-pop outfit named Snow. Freshly unearthed from The Beach Boys' vault, Murry Wilson & Snow: The Break Away EP features Snow's lush and fully-produced and orchestrated renditions of two songs from Brian Wilson's
Release Round-Up: Weeks of December 20 and 27, and January 3
Welcome to our final Release Round-Up of 2019! This edition covers today's releases as well as those of the next two weeks, the quietest time of the year for new releases. The weekly Release Round-Up will be back on January 10. In the meantime, Happy Holidays to all! Frank Zappa, The Hot Rats Sessions (Zappa/UMe) 6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada This 6-CD box set explores Frank Zappa's 1969 primarily instrumental solo
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Mariah Carey, "Merry Christmas: Deluxe Anniversary Edition"
Sitting atop the Billboard Hot 100 this week is a song which took a quarter-century to reach that peak: Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You." The song achieved a couple of milestones with that ranking: it now holds the record for the longest time between a song's debut and its reaching the top of the charts, and it's the first Christmas song to reach the peak in 60 years since The Chipmunks did it in 1959. Before this new milestone for Carey's tune, the song and the album of its
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Margaret Whiting, "Let's Fall in Love: The Lost Recordings Vol. 2"
Three years ago, Sepia Records and My Ideal Music celebrated the late, great Margaret Whiting with Dream: The Lost Recordings, a 2-CD collection of rare radio performances. Now, the long-awaited follow-up has arrived. Let's Fall in Love: The Lost Recordings Vol. 2 has been worth the wait. Like the first volume, the recordings premiering on Let's Fall in Love - a whopping 56 songs, complementing the 57 on Volume 1 - have been culled from The Barry Wood Show, a syndicated radio program for
Holiday Gift Guide Reviews: Cherry Red's Esoteric and Grapefruit Imprints Offer Diverse Box Sets
Cherry Red's ongoing series of small clamshell box sets filled with big content make for the perfect stocking stuffer! Here's a look at three more titles you might have missed... Climax Blues Band's The Albums 1973-1976 is the second such box set released this year by Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint, following The Albums 1969-1972. This 4-CD set contains the following albums, culminating in the biggest commercial triumph for the band that began its life as The Climax Chicago Blues
Extravagant Gestures: Cherry Red, SoulMusic Box Up Dionne Warwick's Arista Albums on New 12-CD Set
Over 40 years ago, Dionne Warwick left Warner Bros. Records and signed to Clive Davis' Arista label to begin a new chapter in her remarkable career - a career which happens to be going as strong as ever today. Now, Cherry Red's SoulMusic imprint has announced a 12-CD box celebrating Warwick's Arista period. Due on February 28, 2020, Déjà Vu: The Arista Recordings (1979-1994) collects all of her acclaimed albums for the label and rounds up over two dozen previously released bonus
Holiday Gift Guide Review: David Bowie, "Conversation Piece"
The new David Bowie box set is entitled Conversation Piece - and it's an apt one, as this set is certain to inspire conversations punctuated with cheers. Quite simply, this slipcased, hardcover-book style collection featuring five CDs of material recorded by the late superstar in 1968-1969 is one of the year's best boxes: an exquisite, museum-quality release that exceeds all expectations. Necessity may indeed be the mother of invention, as the set ostensibly exists because of the desire to
In the Street: Big Star Classics Return to Vinyl in January
For many years, fans of power pop had their Magna Carta of a CD: Fantasy Records' two-fer of Big Star's #1 Record and Radio City, the primary records issued by the legendary Memphis band. Various vinyl reissues of the individual albums have come and gone, too, most notably the 2014 reissues on the Stax label. Now, both #1 Record and Radio City are coming back to vinyl on January 24 from Craft Recordings. Both albums will be newly remastered - all-analog! - by Jeff Powell at Memphis' Take Out
UPDATE: Things That Come Back Again: Cat Stevens "Back To Earth" Box Set and Vinyl Reissues Announced
UPDATE: It's been nearly a year since our initial coverage of the Cat Stevens Back To Earth box set featuring a new remaster done at Abbey Road and a wealth of rare audio and visual material. Since then, lots of changes have affected how the box will reach listeners. Now that Pledge Music is out of the equation, BMG and their new Cat-O-Log division will release the elaborate set more conventionally on April 10. The box won't have all the bells and whistles described last year - just the discs
Unchained Melodies: Omnivore Premieres Bobby Hatfield's Lost Sessions with Richard Perry
Omnivore Recordings is getting righteous - make that Righteous - with an upcoming release. In 1971, Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers was on his own. He and partner Bill Medley had split in 1968, and while Medley quickly struck as a solo artist, Hatfield persevered as a Righteous Brother with the enlistment of The Knickerbockers' Jimmy Walker. But the new duo's Re-Birth album hadn't achieved much success, and Hatfield decided to go it alone (again; he had previously released a number of
Holiday Gift Guide Review: "A Voice of the Warm: The Life of Rod McKuen" by Barry Alfonso
"Come with me/What wonders we'll find," sings Rod McKuen to open his lilting waltz "Kaleidoscope" in his recognizable sandpaper voice. But the more revealing lyrics come later, when the poet-singer-songwriter asserts, "You'll look in my eyes and see you." Over a career spanning seven decades - but particularly during a purple patch in the late 1960s and early 1970s - McKuen's loyal legion of fans saw themselves in his deceptively simple art. His empathetic words conveyed the beauty of everyday
Giant Potatoes: Esoteric, Cherry Red Expand Spirit's "Potatoland" to Four CDs, Revisit "Two Sides of a Rainbow"
Last year, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint collected expanded editions of the Ode and Epic albums from the band Spirit as the box set It Shall Be: The Ode and Epic Recordings 1968-1972. Now, Esoteric has revisited Spirit but jumped into the future for a pair of releases: The Complete Potatoland and Two Sides of a Rainbow: Live at the Rainbow 1978. By the time of Spirit's final Epic album, 1972's Feedback, Randy California, Jay Ferguson, and Mark Andes had all departed the band,
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Pink Floyd's "The Later Years, 1987-2019" Will Leave You Lost For Words
Fans were no doubt lost for words when Pink Floyd and Legacy Recordings announced the December 13 release of The Later Years 1987-2019, the massive new set celebrating the David Gilmour-led era of the legendary band. Well, the set has landed at Second Disc HQ - nearly crushing the front porch in the process - and we're thrilled to include it as part of our Holiday Gift Guide. The Later Years is the ultimate celebration of this sometimes-maligned era, bringing together remixed studio albums and
Release Round-Up: Week of December 13
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Blinky, Heart Full of Soul: The Motown Anthology (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are proud to mark Motown's 60th anniversary with a collection that has truly been decades in the making. Heart Full of Soul: The Motown Anthology is the ultimate tribute to Sondra "Blinky" Williams, Motown's great lost superstar. Over two CDs and almost 50 songs, Blinky's Motown journey is
OUT TOMORROW! Blinky Is Free at Last on Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music's "Heart Full of Soul: The Motown Anthology"
The story of Sondra "Blinky" Williams has long been shrouded in mystery. The soulful singer came to Motown Records in 1967 following stints at Vee-Jay and Atlantic, bringing her passionate and powerful deep soul sound to Hitsville, USA. Despite recording dozens of tracks between 1968 and 1973, only a small handful saw release: a mere four 45s plus an album of duets with Edwin Starr, two live cuts, and a couple of one-off recordings, including a key moment on the best-selling soundtrack of Lady
Rock Gently: Real Gone Music Remembers Rod McKuen in January with New CDs, Digital Debuts
We've already filled you on a number of titles from Real Gone Music's January slate, including our Second Disc Records release of Laura Nyro's rare mono More Than a New Discovery on vinyl and the first-ever reissue of Miss Barbara Eden on CD and vinyl. Now, Real Gone has announced a pair of titles from a true iconoclast: the late Rod McKuen. On January 31, the label will premiere New Ballads, the singer-songwriter-poet's highest-charting Warner Bros. album, on CD alongside a newly-expanded
Showing Out: Cherry Red Collects Mel and Kim's Singles on New Box Set
Between 1986 and 1988, British pop duo Mel and Kim charted four top 5 entries on the U.K. Singles Chart, including one chart-topper there and two songs which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Dance survey. Sisters Melanie and Kim Appleby's career was cut short when Mel tragically died of cancer at just 23 years of age in 1990. But they left behind a vibrant body of work which has recently been celebrated by Cherry Red's Cherry Pop imprint on a new box set. Mel and Kim's The Singles Box Set collects all
Miss Barbara Eden
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Real Gone reissues the impossible-to-find 1967 Dot album from Barbara Eden, the legendary television star of I Dream of Jeannie. Miss Barbara Eden was arranged and conducted by Nashville veteran Bill Justis, and features a variety of songs in country and pop veins including the groovy dance novelty "Bend It." The LP reissue is pressed on pink vinyl and has been mastered at 45 RPM by Mike Milchner
Dreaming of Jeannie: Real Gone Brings "Miss Barbara Eden" to CD, LP in January
Since its network debut on September 18, 1965, I Dream of Jeannie has enchanted television audiences. That's in no small part to the magical presence of Barbara Eden as the title character. While Jeannie had the occasional musical moment on the show, few viewers knew at the time of the star's extensive background in music. In fact, Eden studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music - and in the wake of Jeannie's success became an in-demand headliner in musical theatre as well as in Las
Quartet Records Unveils Holiday Slate with Soundtracks from Henry Mancini, Jerry Goldsmith, Quincy Jones, More
Following La-La Land Records' recently-announced mega-slate of Black Friday releases, Spain's Quartet Records label has revealed its own impressive line-up of end-of-the-year reissues. The label has brought out the heavy hitters - including Jerry Goldsmith, Henry Mancini, Ennio Morricone, and Quincy Jones - for an exciting group of limited edition soundtracks. Below, you'll find Quartet's own write-ups for each title, with pre-order links to the label as well as to Screen Archives
I've Been Loving You: Vinyl Me, Please Spotlights Stax Classics in New VMP Anthology Box
Vinyl Me Please is at it again! Following their celebrations of Blue Note, Motown, and Ghostly International, the subscription service is set to release a new volume of their acclaimed VMP Anthology Series. This time, they're shining a light on the history of Stax Records. As with previous volumes, The Story of Stax Records will be told in four chapters. The eight albums included in the box will be wrapped in "secrecy sleeves" that can be unveiled at specific points in the journey. Though
Live from Moscow 1979
2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2019 marked the 40th anniversary of Elton John's landmark tour of Russia, where he stunned audiences as the first rocker to perform in the country. His concerts there were intimate events where he performed alongside percussionist Ray Cooper. Now, Elton brings his May 28, 1979 concert in Moscow to CD and wide release vinyl for the first time; the show was previously released for Record Store
One to One: Expanded Edition [Various Formats]
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3CD/1DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Translucent Blue LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Howard Jones' third album gets the deluxe treatment from Cherry Red. For this reissue, One To One is expanded as a 2CD or 3CD/1DVD set. The former offers all 12″ mixes and B-sides, as well as seven previously unreleased tracks, including remixes, live tracks and early versions. The deluxe set offers another 14 instrumental,
Holiday Gift Guide Review: MoFi Gives the Audiophile Treatment to Dylan's "Blood on The Tracks" and J. Geils' "The Morning After"
Over the years, Mobile Fidelity has cemented itself as one of the leaders in the audiophile re-issue realm. From deluxe 45rpm box set affairs to more bare-bones remasters, the label has been known to go the extra mile to make every album sound its best. Two of their recent reissues have arrived at Second Disc HQ: the extravagant 45rpm One-Step remaster of Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks and the slimmed-down remaster of J. Geils Band's The Morning After. Both titles are sure to please that
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