If ever a group lived up to its name, that group was Change. The brainchild of French-Italian music impresario and producer Jacques Fred Petrus, in collaboration with Italian-based producer/arranger Mauro Malavasi and bassist Davide Romani, Change released six albums between 1980 and 1985. Built on infectiously danceable rhythms, melodic hooks and sublimely soulful vocals, the sound of Change was primarily created by a rotating cast of Italian-based musicians and America-based vocalists.
Ain't It The Truth: Robinsongs Collects The Undisputed Truth's Post-Motown Albums
When producer-songwriter Norman Whitfield departed Motown Records in 1975 to form his own Whitfield label at Warner Bros., he had already left his mark on Hitsville, USA with such immortal songs as "Too Many Fish in the Sea," "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" and "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)." Whitfield had been instrumental in bringing "psychedelic soul" to Motown, incorporating rock and funk into his spacey yet socially-conscious soul jams. In 1971,
Big Ace Records Round-Up, Part One: "Georgie Fame Heard Them Here First" and "The Birth of Surf, Volume 3"
Welcome to the first part of our Ace Records late 2015 round-up spotlighting two of the label's recent releases: Georgie Fame Heard Them Here First and the third volume of The Birth of Surf. 2015 was a good year for fans of Georgie Fame. The British singer, who has blended rhythm and blues, jazz, ska, beat, and soul into his own formidable style for over 50 years, was celebrated with BGO Records' collection of his CBS recordings (Georgie Does His Thing with Strings/Knock on Wood/The CBS As
Release Round-Up: Week of January 8
Welcome to our first Release Round-Up of 2016! The Mamas and the Papas, The Complete Singles: The 50th Anniversary Collection (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Real Gone Music has 53 tracks on 2 CDs of pure pop pleasure from The Mamas and the Papas - as a group and solo - with this first-ever collection of their complete singles, just in time for their 50th anniversary! Full details here. J.D. Souther, John David Souther (Expanded Edition) (Omnivore)
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough: Michael Jackson's "Off the Wall" To Be Reissued with New Spike Lee Documentary
We're barely a week into 2016 and we're already seeing a lot of reissue news for this new year! The latest comes from Legacy Recordings, who yesterday announced a massive Elvis Presley box set. Now they've got a new reissue featuring another legendary performer: Michael Jackson. Due to be released on February 26 is a new edition of Jackson's landmark 1979 solo Epic Records debut Off the Wall. The album is being paired with Spike Lee's new documentary Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to
Rhino Charges Into January with New Colored Vinyl Titles, CD Box Sets
Rhino Records has quite the cure for the usual January doldrums that hit the release calendar, announcing more than a dozen new and reissued titles available exclusively through participating physical stores. The "Start Your Ear Off Right" initiative, featuring titles available January 19, encompass some of the best-known names in Rhino's back catalogue, including The Grateful Dead, The Monkees, Devo, The Cars and The Replacements. From colored vinyl variants to CD box sets, there's virtually
Hail to the King: RCA/Legacy Announces 60-Disc Elvis Presley Albums Box Set [UPDATED WITH TRACK LISTING]
This Friday marks what would have been Elvis Presley's 81st birthday. To coincide with this date, RCA/Legacy Recordings has just announced the first major box set of 2016: a 60-disc collection entitled Elvis Presley: The Album Collection due to be released on March 18, 2016. Presley, of course, needs no introduction. He is among a short list of performers who could be among the most influential performers of the 20th century and beyond. This new set follows similar sets Legacy has released
The Year In Review, Part 2 - More Of The Best Of 2015
The Second Disc is continuing its celebration of 2015's finest with today's column by Ted Frank! Stop, do not pass GO and do not collect 200 dollars if you haven't already read our Sixth Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards summation of the year's greatest releases. Here, Ted presents his very own, alternative year in review with titles new and old! I make records ... I really don't want to be about singles or anything. -Adele, The Tonight Show In recent years, the download/stream-heavy music
Cherry Red's él Label Offers Rod McKuen, Wally Stott, Bobby Scott Rarities
Cherry Red's él imprint has a trio of recent releases continuing its commitment to truly eclectic sounds of the pre-1964 era. Two of these are musical odes to the big city life of London and New York, from arrangers Wally Stott and Bobby Scott, respectively; the third reissues and expands a compilation from the late Rod McKuen. Singer-songwriter-poet-author-renaissance man McKuen, who died earlier this year, was recently the subject of Varese Vintage's Reflections: The Greatest Songs of Rod
Review: Roy Orbison, "The MGM Years 1965-1973"
The Big O is back with a big box set. The MGM Years 1965-1973, recently arrived from Roy's Boys, LLC and Universal Music Enterprises, chronicles over the course of 13 CDs (or 14 LPs) the least well-known period of the late vocal titan's career. Orbison joined MGM Records riding the crest of the "Oh, Pretty Woman" wave; the composition which he wrote with Bill Dees was a U.S. and U.K. chart-topper at the height of the British Invasion in 1964 for Fred Foster's Monument Records. Enticed by
Raven Has Folk and Funk With Melanie and Mother's Finest
Raven Records' most recent pair of CDs certainly showcase the label's eclectic leanings! From singer-songwriter Melanie Safka, the label has a three-for-one release of her much-loved albums Candles in the Rain, Leftover Wine and Gather Me. The Melanie release is joined by a four-for-one title from pioneering funk-rockers Mother's Finest collecting the band's self-titled LP plus Mother's Finest Live, Another Mother Further and Mother Factor. Raven's release from Melanie follows the Morello
The Year in Review - The 2015 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z
Happy New Year, and welcome to The Second Disc's Sixth Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! As with every year's awards, our goals are simple: to recognize as many of the year's most essential reissues and catalogue titles as possible, and to celebrate as many of those labels, producers and artists who make these releases happen in an increasingly-challenging retail landscape. The labels you'll read about below have, by and large, bucked the trends to prove that there's still a demand for physical
John David Souther (Expanded Edition)
J.D. Souther's eponymous 1971 album was co-produced by Souther and Fred Catero, and arrived on the Asylum label. It introduced "How Long," revived by Eagles on 2007's Long Road Out of Eden. Souther was joined by an all-star cast including Glenn Frey, Ned Doheny and John Barbata for the album which will be expanded by Omnivore with seven previously unissued bonus tracks including demos of "How Long" and "Run Like a Thief," covered by Bonnie Raitt.
Three Cheers and Dammit, C'est La Vie: Elaine Paige Celebrates 50 Years on "I'm Still Here"
Each evening from the first preview on August 7, 2011 to the closing performance on January 22, 2012, audiences at Broadway's Marquis Theatre were treated to the sight of one of the First Ladies of the London stage making a rare appearance across the Atlantic belting one of Stephen Sondheim's most famous songs. The show was Follies, the star was Elaine Paige, and the song was "I'm Still Here." Now, that anthem of showbiz survival provides the title for the superstar actress-singer's new live
Sister Golden Hair Surprise: America Opens Its "Archives" On New Release
The vaults are open! The legacy of the enduring band America has received a long-overdue celebration with the recent release on compact disc and digital download of Archives Vol. 1. Featuring the versatile, original trio of Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and the late Dan Peek (as well as the talented musicians and producers who contributed mightily to the band's earliest albums), Archives is a 15-track, non-chronological collection of previously unreleased alternate versions, early mixes, demos,
Release Round-Up: Week of December 18
Well, Christmas is almost upon us, and the onslaught of new releases has turned into a trickle as we head right into last-minute shopping territory! Still, selections are choice! Enjoy, and remember - you'll see our next Release Round-Up in the New Year! John Williams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada) Today is all about Star Wars...and we're just as thrilled as could be about a brand-new score by the
Review: "International Pop Overthrow: Volume 18"
We're welcoming back Ted Frank to The Second Disc for a look at the latest offering - Volume 18 - from the fine folks at International Pop Overthrow! Producer/curator David Bash, graphic designer Steve Stanley and their team have created another instant classic with their latest and greatest collection of the best, most diverse and most delicious pop music circa 2015! In the year that saw the Numero Group's superb Ork Records Collection, Omnivore Recordings' immediately indispensible Power
May the Force Be With You: Sony Re-Releases "Star Wars" Soundtracks in CD and LP Box Sets, "The Force Awakens" Soundtrack Out Today
Today sees the release of the hotly-anticipated Star Wars: The Force Awakens in theaters (well, technically, yesterday at 7 PM). As the film seems poised to break several box office records, a deluge of Star Wars products has hit the shelves. Among these offerings released today is the soundtrack CD featuring John William's seventh score for the iconic franchise. To tie in with all of the Star Wars happenings, Sony Masterworks recently announced that the label will be releasing two box sets
International Pop Overthrow Vol. 18
This new entry in the annual series features 68 songs over 3 CDs showcasing the diversity of modern independent pop artists - what's not to love?
Won't You Dance With Me: Real Gone Goes Country with Barbara Mandrell, Ralph Stanley, Marty Robbins and Doug Sahm with Bob Dylan and Others
Real Gone is in a country mood this February, with the majority of their slate devoted to the country and western genre. But that is not all you will find on the label's mix of CDs and vinyl for the month. Kicking things off is collection drawn from Barbara Mandrell's tenure at Columbia Records: This Time I Almost Made It - The Lost Columbia Masters. This CD features liner notes by our very own Joe Marchese based on a fresh interview with Mandrell, and is centered around Mandrell's final
Dance Yeah Dance: "Motown Unreleased 1965" Premieres Songs By Stevie Wonder, Spinners, Four Tops, Smokey Robinson
1965 was a key year for The Sound of Young America. In a tumultuous twelve-month period which saw the Selma to Montgomery marches, the United States' escalation of military forces in South Vietnam, and the assassination of Malcolm X, the music of Motown was a cultural touchstone that spread unifying messages of love and togetherness. Berry Gordy's label scored five Pop chart-toppers in 1965: The Supremes' "Stop! In the Name of Love," "Back in My Arms Again" and "I Hear a Symphony," The
Couldn't I Just Tell You: Todd Rundgren and Utopia Concert From 1978 Arrives On CD
With unauthorized live releases proliferating in the E.U. drawn from radio broadcasts of variable quality, it's refreshing to see Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint continue its Todd Rundgren Archive Series featuring concert performances in excellent sound. The latest such release, Live at the Old Waldorf, is drawn from Rundgren and Utopia's Saturday, August 5, 1978 concert at the San Francisco venue. Recorded for KSAN-FM, this release has been remastered from the original ¼-inch stereo
Real Gone Celebrates Christmas With The Soulful Strings, John Gary, Four Seasons
Real Gone Music is this year's source for classic Christmas reissues - including two from our own Second Disc Records imprint! Here, we're taking a look at three more titles from the label's Christmas feast! At first glance, The Soulful Strings might appear to be just another of those ubiquitous sixties instrumental studio outfits, delivering MOR versions of the day's popular hits. Yet, a closer look at Cadet Records' Soulful Strings - and most of its brethren, truth be told - reveals some
Review: "The Classic Christmas Album" Series 2015
Since 2011, Sony's Legacy Recordings has offered a crop of ideal stocking stuffers with the Classic Christmas Album series. This year's quartet of releases has a decidedly more modern bent, featuring artists associated with the '70s (Earth, Wind & Fire), '80s (a various artists compilation), '90s (Sarah McLachlan) and 2000s (Celtic Thunder). Three of these titles are actually expanded editions of previously released albums. Earth, Wind and Fire's Classic Christmas entry reprises last
Koncert V Praze (In Prague Live)
Johnny Cash's Koncert V Praze (In Prague Live) captures the 1978 Prague concert with Cash, The Carter Family and the Tennessee Three held in front of about 50,000 people over 4 shows that sold out in 2 days. Koncert V Praze wouldn't be released in Czechoslovakia until 1983 by Supraphone Records, and it didn't see an American release until it was included in the 2012 Complete Columbia Album Collection box. It now, finally, receives a standalone release.
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