Here's an under-the-radar release for you on this ridiculously snowy day: a new compilation for '80s dance-rock band Scritti Politti from EMI/Virgin. Founded by singer/songwriter Green Gartsdale in Leeds in the late 1970s, Scritti Politti began as a left-leaning post-punk outfit championed by John Peel and signed to Rough Trade and spent the '80s evolving into a funky, synth-based ensemble. "Wood Beez," "Absolute," "The Word Girl" and "Oh Patti" were some of the band's Top 20 singles in their
La La Land to Get a "Clue" in February
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHEpuz_gUGM] The mystery has finally been solved: it was La La Land Records, on the Internet, with a batch of CDs. Well...in other words, it's been confirmed that one of the label's most hotly-anticipated releases is happening soon: the world-premiere release of John Morris' score to Clue (1985). Clue, of course, comes from a simpler time when movies based on board games and television shows weren't the only ideas circulating throughout Hollywood. In
Kinks Reissues Get Klearer
The other day we'd mentioned that The Kinks' first three U.K. albums were being expanded across the pond. Amazon's U.K. pages had track listings for the double-disc sets, but there wasn't much in the way of annotations. If a song popped up twice, was it an alternate mix? A live version? A demo? We didn't know, so we didn't say much. Now, U.K. site Spin CDs has put up track listings for Kinks, Kinda Kinks and The Kink Kontroversy, and while there's still a small bit of speculation to be had, the
Getz Set for New Box from Hip-o Select
Hip-o Select kicks off 2011 with a new set of early works by Stan Getz. Quintets: The Clef & Norgran Albums is three discs of Getz in his first recordings for Verve founder Norman Granz's earliest labels. Five 10" LPs are represented here, alongside some single and EP tracks and three previously unreleased alternate takes. If you can believe it, the set marks the CD debut of much of this material as well. Order the set from the label now and have a look at the track lists after the jump.
Come and Get Them: Upcoming Releases Due from DeShannon, Nelson and More
Britain's Ace family of labels is kicking off 2011 in a big way! Mike filled you in Tuesday about Kent's upcoming I'll Do Anything: The Doris Troy Anthology 1960-1996, and today we turn the spotlight on three more releases due in the U.K. on January 31. Jackie DeShannon remains one of the most beloved voices of the 1960s. DeShannon not only broke barriers as a rare female songwriter in an era when it simply wasn't common, but she was equally comfortable in front of the microphone as a
Rock Hall Gets It Right
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its inductees earlier this evening, and the results are actually quite exciting. The artists inducted are Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Dr. John, Darlene Love and Tom Waits. Leon Russell is getting the Award for Musical Excellence (formerly known as the Sidemen category) while the Ahmet Ertegun Award will go to Jac Holzman (founder of Elektra Records) and Art Rupe (founder of Specialty Records, the label that gave us Little Richard and "Tutti
"Icon" Series Gets More Iconic
Universal is prepping another batch of Icon compilations for the first week of 2011. Now, we've been hard on this series before, but there's actually a lot to like about these new sets. While previous Icon sets have been bashed by The Second Disc for either shamelessly repackaging previous compilations or offering fewer CD-based rarities than, say, Legacy's Playlist series (more on that tomorrow), this new batch of Icon sets collate artists who haven't had much in the way of compilations yet
Rhino to Get Warm and Tender for Percy Sledge in New Box Set (UPDATED 11/26)
Rhino Handmade's next big title is a box set devoted to Percy Sledge's tenure with Atlantic Records. Before he was the "King of Country Soul," Sledge was an Alabama-born former hospital worker, playing with a soul combo on weekends. In 1966 he signed to Atlantic, and, following a break-up with a longtime girlfriend, recorded a simple, heartfelt single, "When a Man Loves a Woman." The impassioned, off-the-cuff delivery (an entirely honest one - Sledge improvised the lyrics on the spot) helped
New U.K. Sister Sledge Comp is Another Way to Get Your CHIC On
If you love Rhino France's new CHIC box set as much as we do here at The Second Disc HQ (expect a review up in a few days or so), here's another title you'll probably enjoy: the Music Club Deluxe label in the U.K. is releasing a new two-disc compilation for Sister Sledge. Sister Sledge, indeed comprised of Philadelphia-based sisters named Sledge (Kim, Debbi, Joni and Kathy), were a moderately successful R&B/dance group in the Atlantic label group (first signing to Atco, then Cotillion) that
Nine Inch Nails Get "Pretty" Again
Trent Reznor may be considered a music industry maverick among most fans and critics, but even he can't resist a good old-fashioned reissue. The musician best known as the sole brain trust behind Nine Inch Nails, is reissuing his first, frequently out-of-print album under the NIN banner, 1989's Pretty Hate Machine, as a joint venture between The Bicycle Music Company and his former label group at Universal. Reznor was a janitor at Right Track Studios who used unassigned time at the studio to
Odd Budget Comps Coming Your Way from Universal
Two unusual listings have appeared from Universal's U.K. arm: budget-priced, double-disc compilations for ABC and Tears for Fears. They're certainly appealing to the collector of either band, but they sure are strange; the sets don't have any cohesive order about them. They're all singles, album cuts and some B-sides just sort of mixed up. Odd. In any case, they might be fun if you haven't purchased any deluxe editions or other sets with these tracks. So have a look after the jump for track
Stage and Screen: John Barry, Steve Lawrence Get Reissued
Kritzerland continues to mine the MGM/UA soundtrack library for its latest release, a two-for-one CD. The disc, a limited edition of 1,000, contains the score to Bryan Forbes' 1967 thriller The Whisperers composed by the legendary John Barry as well as Richard Rodney Bennett's score to Sidney Lumet's 1977 adaptation of Peter Shaffer's play Equus. (Barry's very different score to The Deep has already enjoyed a terrific reissue earlier this year, courtesy our friends at Intrada, and it's been
Get the Party Started! Pink to Release First Compilation
Not all tunes at The Second Disc headquarters are vintage cuts. Matter of fact, one of the neatest compilations from a modern pop artist was just announced yesterday: Greatest Hits...So Far!!!, the first compilation by pop singer Pink. Emerging from a short-lived R&B group called Choice, Pink was given a solo contract on LaFace Records in 2000, the age of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. Much to her resentment, she was quickly labeled as an edgier version of those singers. Undeterred,
Mini-Exclusive: A Small Treat for Lennon Fans at Target
Thinking about next week's John Lennon reissues and where to buy them? If you like Target, it may be the place to get a hold of at least some of the sets. We've confirmed that those who purchase the new deluxe edition of Double Fantasy (with the "Stripped Down" bonus disc) and the Power to the People compilation at the Bullseye will receive a $5 gift card with purchase. Sure, it's not extra tracks, but it might be a minor incentive if you have other purchases to make at the retailer - and it's
Come and Get It, In One Shot: The Apple Box Set Announced
After months during which EMI kept us all guessing, official specs were finally released for the Apple Records reissue campaign, and The Second Disc duly reported that information back on August 5. As with most projects related to The Beatles and/or Apple Corps, however, there were as many questions as answers, even after the “final” information had been posted on the official Apple website. For one thing, why downloads? Fans were sharply divided as to how they felt about the practice of
We Gotta Have...You Get the Idea
Sony Music inches ever closer to uncovering what this new reissue of George Michael's Faith is going to have - but doesn't actually say much of anything. A press release issued today says the reissue "will be available in multiple special formats including [a] Limited Edition Numbered Collectors box set." Wow. Who'd have thought, all those years ago? So my guess is we're getting closer to getting this monkey off our backs.
Unreleased Jacko Report Gets Wacko
If you're one of the few dozen people who still reads Rolling Stone's Web site, the late-breaking "exclusive" that a new Michael Jackson compilation of outtakes is due in November sounds like a great bit of news. But oops! Looks like RS got beaten to the punch by a four-month-old press release. But they've got quotes, so it's legit, right? What's that? The quotes were taken from articles from 2009? Oh. Whoops. It's sad that Roger Friedman has to be the closest to a journalistic authority in
Unforgettable - I Think
For someone with such an iconic tune in "Unforgettable," there seems to be a lot of Nat "King" Cole's discography that gets lost in the shuffle. While he's known for his work as founder of The Nat "King" Cole Trio, and later a pop crooner with few equals, for Capitol Records starting in 1943 (indeed, the label's famous Hollywood offices are informally called "the house that Nat built"), he did a great deal of work for other labels - not only with The King Cole Trio, but as a piano man for other
Double Dip: Won't Get Fooled Again
Here's a feature I'd like to make as regular as possible: in Double Dip, I look at a catalogue title - perhaps a frequent re-release or a new compilation - and try to deconstruct its content. Think of it as a buyer's guide for the newest releases. This week, in anticipation of their upcoming Super Bowl gig, Geffen and Universal Music Enterprises have released a new compilation by The Who, Greatest Hits Live, exclusively on iTunes. The press release excitedly touts the set as "22 recordings of
Voices, Another Sound: Duran Duran Bow 'Greatest' on Vinyl
Duran Duran will bring their latest - and, appropriately, greatest - compilation to vinyl for the first time this summer. 1998's Greatest - a tidy summary of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers' most commercially successful period in the '80s and '90s - will be pressed as a double album on white vinyl - featuring a newly cut master created at Abbey Road Studios - with sleek packaging including an embossed front cover (recalling the companion DVD release of the band's biggest videos) and
Reissues...and Stuff Like That! Classic Quincy Jones Titles Due on Vinyl, SHM-CD This Summer
A cadre of titles from the discography of the late Quincy Jones - spanning nearly 25 years of his storied career - are coming back into print on physical formats thanks to the shared efforts of Universal' Music Group's teams in America and Japan. Coming June 6 are new SHM-CD pressings of seven of Jones' LPs: This is How I Feel About Jazz (1957), The Quintessence (1962), Big Band Bossa Nova (1962), Walking in Space (1969), Body Heat (1974), Mellow Madness (1975), Sounds...and Stuff Like
Sign In Stranger: Steely Dan's "The Royal Scam" Returns in June
Are you gonna do it without the fez on? 1976's The Royal Scam, Steely Dan's fifth album, is returning on June 6 in a variety of formats to conclude the band's reissue campaign which began in November 2022 with Can't Buy a Thrill. Like the past titles in this series encompassing the Dan's ABC/MCA discography, The Royal Scam will be reissued on 180-gram vinyl from Geffen/UMe while an audiophile-aimed UHQR 45 RPM, 200-gram vinyl edition and a hybrid stereo SACD (playable on all CD players) will
The Weekend Stream: April 25, 2025
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. Strap in for a killer line-up of titles this week: two more Record Store Day debuts, an incredible posthumous collaboration between two '80s icons, the return of one of glam's most beloved bands, new music by some of our favorite pop girls, a hotly anticipated new take on a Broadway favorite, exciting moments in gospel/soul, an exciting new song
Wowie Zowie: Frank Zappa's "Cheaper Than Cheep" Premieres Lost Concert Film, Soundtrack
All has been quiet on the Frank Zappa front since the release last fall of the 50th anniversary super deluxe edition of his album Apostrophe ('). That lull ended today, though, with the announcement of a multi-format release filled with audio and video goodies. Cheaper Than Cheep arrives May 9 as an online exclusive release available at Zappa.com, uDiscoverMusic.com, and Sound of Vinyl, presenting audio and video from a long-lost television special that's been housed in the Zappa archives for
Didn't Miss a 'Step': New Kids on the Block Celebrate 35th Anniversary of Third Album
New Kids on the Block will revisit their blockbuster Step by Step with a new expanded edition this summer. The 35th anniversary package will be available in a handful of physical and digital formats, with some exclusive variants and bonus tracks throughout. The 1990 release will be available on CD with two tracks from the vault and four mostly promo-only remixes. A pressing of the CD at Target will have an extra track - a recent live version of the cut "Where Do I Go from Here?" - which will
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