This morning, Omnivore Recordings announced its Record Store Day slate, boasting a trio of limited edition vinyl editions from Big Star, NRBQ and the Art Pepper Quartet. These will be available at your favorite local independent record store on Saturday, April 22 as part of this year's RSD festivities. The 1957 album The Art Pepper Quartet, featuring alto saxophonist Pepper, bassist Ben Tucker, pianist Russ Freeman and drummer Gary Frommer, marks its 60th anniversary this year. Omnivore
CONTEST EXTENDED! ENTER NOW to WIN Muhammad Ali's "The Greatest" Featuring George Benson, Michael Masser
When Muhammad Ali died on June 3, 2016 at the age of 74, his immortality had already been long guaranteed. President Barack Obama summed up the feelings of many when he proclaimed, "Muhammad Ali was America. He will always be America. What a man. What a spirit. What a joyous, mighty champion." It was no accident that history's only three-time lineal heavyweight champion, the man born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., was nicknamed "The Greatest." That moniker also was used for the title of the
WIN! WIN! WIN! Muhammad Ali's "The Greatest" Featuring George Benson, Michael Masser
When Muhammad Ali died on June 3, 2016 at the age of 74, his immortality had already been long guaranteed. President Barack Obama summed up the feelings of many when he proclaimed, "Muhammad Ali was America. He will always be America. What a man. What a spirit. What a joyous, mighty champion." It was no accident that history's only three-time lineal heavyweight champion, the man born Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., was nicknamed "The Greatest." That moniker also was used for the title of the
Where The Good Times Are: Ace Collects "Beat Girls"
We recently filled you in on the ninth volume of Ace Records' long-running series, Where the Girls Are. Today, we spotlight two companion volumes dedicated to Beat Girls of the 1960s! Pye Records, home of Petula Clark and The Kinks, practically defined the British "big beat" sound of girl-pop with its urbane, sophisticated productions. Scratch My Back! Pye Beat Girls 1963-1968 offers a cross section of the label's brashest sounds with 24 well-selected nuggets from artists both familiar and
Review: The Turtles, "Complete Original Album Collection" and "All the Singles"
Prepare to be shell-shocked! Manifesto Records and FloEdCo have, at long last, given fans of The Turtles deluxe sets befitting the band's happy (and happily subversive!) musical legacy. The 6-CD Complete Original Album Collection and 2-CD All the Singles round up, in truly definitive fashion, the original band's recordings between 1965 and 1970 as first released on White Whale Records. Though The Turtles have long been recognized as top-flight purveyors of classic 45s, a journey through their
Now, Voyager: Big Break Collects Dexter Wansel's "Philadelphia International Records Anthology"
Are you ready to blast off? With the August 5 release of Dexter Wansel's Stargazer: The Philadelphia International Records Anthology 1976-1980, Big Break Records is headed for the stars. Wansel was one of the brightest lights of PIR's "Mk. II" period, releasing four criminally underrated LPs on the label. His work as an artist, songwriter, arranger and producer pushed the envelope of Philly soul, bringing in elements of jazz fusion and even progressive rock. Stargazer brings together all of
Release Round-Up: Week of July 1
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! We've got the latest release from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music as well as plenty more that we know you won't want to miss! Eddy Arnold, Each Road I Take: The Lee Hazlewood and Chet Atkins Sessions 1970 (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Our newest release brings together two seminal, never-before-reissued albums by Eddy Arnold on one CD, both from 1970. Love and Guitars captured Arnold
At The Groovy Cellar: RPM Reveals "Another Splash of Colour: New Psychedelia in Britain 1980-1985"
Mention psychedelia and chances are you're transported to a certain patchouli-scented period in the late 1960s, a hazy period of high times and boundary-breaking musical creativity. The spirit of psychedelia didn't die with the advent of glam, hard rock or disco, however, though it may have been submerged for a time. In 1981, the 13-track album A Splash of Colour chronicled Great Britain's "New Psychedelia" with '60s-influenced cuts from The Mood Six, Miles Over Matter, The High Tide, The
From Memphis To New Orleans: Ace Collects Stax, DeLuxe Rarities
Bring on the B-sides! Despite its title, the massive, indispensable box set The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1964-1968 concentrated on A-sides, presenting only a fraction of the labels' valuable flips. The box left many worthy B-sides overlooked in the CD era, but Ace Records' Kent imprint has redressed that situation with the release of The Other Side of the Trax: Stax-Volt 45 RPM Rarities 1964-1968. All but one of the 24 tracks on this new compilation are all making their official CD
When I Say Groove: Ace Explores "Detroit Soul," "South Texas Rhythm 'n' Soul" On Recent Compilations
When it comes to chronicling the various regional iterations of rock and soul, Ace Records has few equals. The U.K. label's Kent imprint has two recent, rarities-packed collections touching on two American locales and their contributions to popular music. Dave Hamilton's Detroit Soul Volume Two brings together 24 tracks spanning the 1960s-1980s from Hamilton's small but prolific Motor City studios. Hamilton had been a presence on the Detroit musical landscape since the late 1940s, and
Heat It Up: Groove Line Tells "The Salsoul Orchestra Story: 40th Anniversary Collection"
The title of The Salsoul Orchestra's second album said it all - Nice 'n' Naasty. The soul-disco orchestra, originally under the baton of MFSB alumnus Vincent Montana Jr., could serve up nice, shimmering and lushly elegant soundscapes...and naasty floor-filling grooves that practically demanded you hit the dancefloor! Happily, the group has recently received a lavish tribute in the form of a sizzling 3-CD collection from Groove Line Records (the label responsible for the recent, definitive
This Is The Love (I've Been Waiting For): Ace Releases "More Motown Girls"
Rarely is the sequel ever the equal - but Ace Records has handily disproved that with Love and Affection: More Motown Girls, a recent trawl through the vaults of Hitsville, USA. And not only is this follow-up to 2013's Finders Keepers - Motown Girls the equal of its predecessor, it might be its better. Whereas that volume featured both previously unreleased music and rarities, every one of the 25 tracks on Love and Affection is never-before-heard (save for five songs culled from last year's
Release Round-Up: Week of October 30
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Packed with over 30 titles including highly-anticipated reissues, a slew of box sets, collections and more, it just may be the mightiest of the year! The Velvet Underground, Loaded: Re-Loaded 45th Anniversary Edition (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) The Velvet Underground's 1970 album - and Lou Reed's swansong with the band - gets the deluxe expanded treatment from Rhino in this new box set featuring the original stereo and mono
All Aboard! Ace Collects "London American Label: 1966" and "25 Train Tracks"
Ace is saying "All Aboard!" with a pair of recent releases spotlighting the label's pursuit of the diverse sounds of music. The London American Label Year by Year: 1966 continues Ace's long-running survey of the American sides issued on London Records in the U.K. between the 1950s and the 1970s while All Aboard! 25 Train Tracks Calling at All Musical Stations spotlights (you guessed it!) "train songs." The eleventh volume of Ace's The London American Label series is here, with 28 selections
Bernard Herrmann's "Hangover Square" Soundtrack Expanded On New Two-For-One CD
Fresh off its successful Indiegogo campaign, Kritzerland has returned to the music of Bernard Herrmann (Psycho, Taxi Driver) for its latest soundtrack release. Two Herrmann scores - 1945's Hangover Square and 1952's 5 Fingers - have been paired on one CD. Though both have been previously released on CD, they have been newly transferred for Kritzerland by our friend Mike Matessino, and Hangover Square (a favorite score of none other than Stephen Sondheim) has been expanded by sixteen
Jim Peterik, Don Dixon, Jules Shear, Justin Currie, Julian Velard Fight Cancer on "You Can't Live on Love Alone"
Many of you reading this might know Popdose as one of your favorite pop-culture hangouts on the Internet. Recently, our good friends at Popdose have curated a special digital-only release that not only features an array of remarkable artists, but helps a great cause, too. You Can't Live on Love Alone: Songs for the Fight Against Multiple Myeloma arrived on Amazon last week, on June 2. This 19-track compendium is headlined by artists ranging from veterans (Jim Peterik of The Ides of March
The Second Disc's 2015 Record Store Day Must-Haves
Tomorrow, Saturday, April 18, music fans and collectors will flock to their local independent record stores to celebrate both the sounds on those familiar round black platters and the cherished opportunity to shop for music in a physical retail environment. To many of us, both are a way of life. Each year around this time, we here at Second Disc HQ take a few moments to count down the titles to which we're most looking forward to picking up! Our friend and founder, Mike Duquette, returns to
Come On: The Complete Ric and Ron Singles of New Orleans' Johnny Adams Are Collected By Ace
Of New Orleans’ many musical greats, few embodied the city’s spirited style of rhythm and blues as well as the late Johnny Adams (1932-1998). Though he charted just six R&B hits in a career spanning 40 years, New Orleans native Adams had one of the city’s most distinctive and dramatic voices. Ace has recently released the first-ever complete anthology of Adams’ singles for Ric and Ron Records with I Won’t Cry: The Complete Ric and Ron Singles 1959-1964. Ric and its sister label Ron were
Harmless Readies Massive 10-Disc "Northern Soul Time Capsule"
Hot on the heels of the 2014 release of the film Northern Soul and its soundtrack, Demon Music Group’s Harmless Records imprint is celebrating the R&B subgenre with what’s likely its most exhaustive chronicle ever: the 8-CD/2-DVD box set The Odyssey: A Northern Soul Time Capsule. This massive set, due on February 16, has been co-compiled by Harmless’ chief and 1970s Northern Soul DJ Ian Dewhirst, and features diverse tracks from artists including The Spinners, Chuck Jackson, Gladys Knight
Tony Joe White, George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Ray Kennedy Highlight Real Gone's February
From The Apollo to the swamps of Louisiana, Real Gone Music has a whirlwind musical tour planned for its February 3, 2015 slate! The centerpiece of the February batch just might be the first-ever complete collection of Louisiana man Tony Joe White's Warner Bros. recordings! Singer-songwriter White ("Willie and Laura Mae Jones," "Polk Salad Annie") has one of the most distinctive voices in southern soul, and Real Gone's new collection celebrates a major period his career with a new 2-CD set
Spend the Night in Bangkok: "Chess" Reissued for 30th Anniversary
Tim Rice had been thinking about writing a musical about the Cold War for some time in the late 1970s. Fascinated by the Soviet-U.S. chess rivalry of the time, the lyricist-librettist approached his longtime collaborator Andrew Lloyd Webber with the idea. Lloyd Webber, however, was not available, as he was too busy developing a little show known as Cats. A suggestion from a producer put Rice in touch with songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA. Looking to pursue some projects
Release Round-Up: Week of December 2
B.J. Thomas, Home Where I Belong/Happy Man (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) B.J. Thomas, You Gave Me Love/Miracle (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Linda Jones, The Complete Atco-Loma-Warner Bros. Recordings (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) The Five Stairsteps, Our Family Portrait/Stairsteps (Expanded Twofer Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) The Unforgiven, The Unforgiven (Expanded Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) Cowboy, 5’ll Getcha Ten (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Grateful Dead, Dick’s Picks
Better Be Fierce: Real Gone Reissues Two From Ronnie Dyson On "Phase 2/Brand New Day"
In the annals of underrated R&B vocalists, Ronnie Dyson (1950-1990) was among the greatest. A versatile singer equally comfortable with smooth soul, pure pop and showbiz pizzazz, Dyson left behind a small but rich catalogue for the Columbia and Cotillion labels. With the recent release of Phase 2 and Brand New Day from 1982 and 1983, respectively, Real Gone Music and SoulMusic Records have filled in two of the major holes in Dyson’s CD discography (RGM-0294). With the release of this stellar
Gentlemen, Please! Croydon Collects "Mid-Century Minx," "Soho Blondes" and Other Pop Pleasures
Bob Stanley’s Croydon Municipal label has carved out a niche as part of Cherry Red’s label roster with its eclectic compilations and album reissues from the 1950s and early 1960s focusing on dusty corners of classic American pop ripe for reevaluation. Three of Stanley’s latest projects continue that mission with the compiler’s usual flair for the unexpected. The anthology Mid Century Minx focuses on many of the lesser-known ladies of vocal jazz along with some still-beloved (if underrated)
Get Righteous! Label Serves Up Dick Dale, Jimmy Smith, Northern Soul
Cherry Red’s Righteous label celebrates “aching country, forgotten soul music and other strange exotica...from George Jones to Hank Snow’s immortal ‘When Tragedy Struck’ to the roots of Dylan’s twisted songwriting inspiration...” Three of the label’s recent titles aren’t too exotic, but certainly are righteous. Dancing by Myself: Lost in Northern Soul collects 26 obscure R&B floor-fillers, primarily from independent labels; The Search for Surf chronicles the formative years of the surf-music