Today's Black Friday shopping will likely look a little different thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. But one thing will remain the same: Record Store Day's yearly event. It's been a packed year with RSD Drops in the months of August, September, and October. Now, they're going out with a bang. Labels big and small will release limited-edition vinyl with the collector in mind. Whether you're after new music from legends, reissues of sought-after recordings, or unreleased rarities from the vault,
Skating on Thin Ice: Cherry Red, Esoteric Reissue Procol Harum's "Something Magic" in Expanded Edition
Procol Harum titled their 1977 album Something Magic, and indeed, magic was what the English band hoped for when they headed to Criteria Studios in Miami, Florida to record it. Now, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings imprint has revisited Something Magic as a 2-CD expanded edition with three bonus tracks and a BBC Radio One concert. After Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, producers of 1975's Procol's Ninth, were unavailable to reteam with the band, Procol turned to Criteria and in-house
Playing in the Band: Real Gone Music Announces "Blue Oyster Cult Live '83" CD and Grateful Dead "Road Trips" Reissues
If you're like us at The Second Disc, you're probably yearning for the day that live music is allowed again. Plans have shifted and events have been postponed in these past eight months of lockdown, but one thing remains the same: the thrill of a concert. Real Gone Music is allowing listeners to go back in time with two exciting live albums due January 8, 2021. There's a set from Blue Oyster Cult recorded in 1983 (previously announced as a Record Store Day Black Friday vinyl release, now coming
A SECOND DISC INTERVIEW: All I Need In Just A Song - Dave Mason Reflects on 50 Years With "Alone Together Again"
Magic was in the air in 1970 and it certainly reached Los Angeles' Sunset Sound, where Dave Mason, along with an array of new friends and some of the top session musicians around, recorded Alone Together. Though only 24 years old, Mason had plenty of experience under his belt. The multi-instrumentalist made a name for himself as part of Traffic, penning some of their best crossover material ("Hole in My Shoe," "Feelin' Alright?"). He also participated in sessions with The Rolling Stones
Some People Want It All: Vinyl Me, Please Announces Color Vinyl Reissue of "The Diary of Alicia Keys"
"Everything means nothing, if I ain't got you..." The refrain was inescapable in 2003, when Alicia Keys' instant classic "If I Ain't Got You" dominated the radio and reached a cross-section of audiences that had rarely been seen before. The track is a highlight among many on her second album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. The chart-topping, Grammy-winning album defied the concept of the sophomore slump. It stayed on the Billboard Albums listing for 88 weeks and has been certified 5x-Platinum
Toasts of the Town: Stage Door Reissues, Expands David Heneker's "Jorrocks" Musical on CD
Composer-lyricist David Heneker (1906-2001) remains best known today for his joyful score to the 1963 West End musical Half a Sixpence which transferred to Broadway in 1965, yielded a 1967 film version, and inspired a 2016 London revival. But Heneker wrote numerous other musicals with equally tuneful scores including Charlie Girl (1965), Phil the Fluter (1969), and Jorrocks (1966). Now, the latter is coming to CD from Stage Door Records with an expanded release of its 1966 London Studio Cast
Spill The Wine: Rhino Reunites with Avenue Records, Announces Record Store Day Black Friday Reissue of WAR's "Greatest Hits"
After ten years away, Avenue Records has reunited with Rhino Entertainment, bringing recordings from WAR, Eric Burdon, Jimmy Witherspoon, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Redbone, Circle Jerks, Funkadelics, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, and more back to the imprint of Warner Music. Central to the new worldwide deal are WAR's complete master recordings dating back decades, beginning with the band's first album Eric Burdon Declares "WAR" - which introduced listeners to the band's irresistible blend
Review: Joan Armatrading's Self-Titled Album Shines on Intervention's Vinyl Reissue
Back in 2018, we wrote about an upcoming vinyl reissue of Joan Armatrading's self-titled album on Intervention Records. (It was actually your author's very first post on The Second Disc!) Intervention had been making a name for themselves as the new kid on the block of audiophile labels. This imprint has since become known for its attention to detail, commitment to superior audio, and deluxe presentations. We were no doubt thrilled to hear what was to come. Well, after a slight pause,
Reggae Pressure: Doctor Bird Reissues, Expands Classics from Delano Stewart, The Reggae Strings
Cherry Red's Doctor Bird imprint has reliably delivered Jamaican reggae and ska sounds from the vaults of Trojan Records. Today we're looking at two of its recent releases. First things first: the smiling woman on the cover of Delano Stewart's Stay a Little Bit Longer, to the left, is not the artist but rather a model. Winston Delano Stewart is the male singer of '60s rocksteady group The Gaylads, formed in Kingston, Jamaica when Stewart and his singing partner Harris "B.B." Seaton decided
It's Not Unusual: Run Out Groove Reissues Halestorm, Fear Factory, Belly on Deluxe Vinyl
As the year winds to a close, Run Out Groove is keeping busy as ever. The label has recently announced upcoming titles from Halestorm, Fear Factory, and Belly. Ten years ago, Philadelphia band Halestorm recorded a hometown show. The Atlantic Records release Live in Philly 2010 features Lzzy Hale [vocals + guitar], Arejay Hale [drums], Joe Hottinger [guitar], and Josh Smith [bass]. The band has performed with such varied and top-tier artists as Eric Church, Joan Jett, Avenged Sevenfold,
Bandcamp Friday for a Cause: System of a Down Reunite to Raise Awareness for Armenia
We're only sharing one release for Bandcamp Friday today - but it's a good one: rock band System of a Down has released their first new music in 15 years for a cause they've supported their entire lives. The new tracks "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz" mark the first time the quartet has released music since the albums Mezmerize and Hypnotize in 2005. The group went on a hiatus less than a year later, which ended in 2011 with a series of festival
Mary Poppins: The Definitive Supercalifragilistic 2020 Cast Recording
The hit West End revival of Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins was halted in March by COVID-19, but its live cast recording was thankfully preserved earlier. This new album stars Zizi Strallen as the magical nanny, Charlie Stemp as Bert, and the legendary Petula Clark as The Bird Woman. The stage version of the classic book and film features The Sherman Brothers' beloved movie tunes as well as George Stiles and Anthony Drewe's new songs in that joyful spirit. Available on CD and
Going, Going, Gone: Kritzerland Premieres John Barry and Alan Jay Lerner's "Lolita, My Love" on CD, Reissues Ben Bagley's "Irving Berlin Revisited"
Kritzerland has just announced two new titles today! A musical version of Vladimir Nabokov's 1955 novel Lolita hardly seemed like typical fare for the Broadway stage. Yet Alan Jay Lerner - lyricist-librettist of My Fair Lady, Camelot, and Paint Your Wagon - envisioned just that. Lolita had already been adapted by Nabokov himself for director Stanley Kubrick's 1962 film starring Sue Lyon, James Mason, Shelley Winters, and a scene-stealing Peter Sellers, but the author gave his blessing to
Whatcha Gonna Do for Me: Average White Band Releases "On the Strip: The Sunset Sessions," Reissues "Cupid's in Fashion"
The opening track of Average White Band's new/old release On the Strip: The Sunset Sessions couldn't have a more apropos title: "Let's Go Round Again." Following a successful run of albums with producer-arranger Arif Mardin, the funky big band outfit was re-establishing itself. 1979's Feel No Fret was a self-produced affair on which the band was joined by co-producer Gene Paul; it yielded hit singles in "Atlantic Avenue" and a revival of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Walk on By." For a
The Ultimate Christmas Collection
Canadian pop-country chanteuse Anne Murray has selected 22 of her favorite Christmas songs drawn from her 1981-2008 holiday albums and placed them on The Ultimate Christmas Collection. With traditional carols and pop tunes alike, the set will be available on 1CD, 2LP, and digital formats.
Short Takes, Holiday Edition: "Beetlejuice" Offers Demos, Anne Murray Collects Christmas Favorites
Halloween might be over, but the party still continues: Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Legend has it that if you say his name three times, the demon - introduced on screen by Michael Keaton and then on Broadway by Alex Brightman - appears before you. While Beetlejuice: The Musical had its New York run curtailed by COVID-19 after 366 performances, you can't keep a good demon down. The Ghostlight Records cast recording starring Brightman, Sophia Anne Caruso, Rob McClure, Leslie Kritzer,
A SECOND DISC EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Joni Mitchell's Co-Producer Patrick Milligan Discusses New "Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1" Box Set
"I was born to take the highway / I was born to chase a dream / Any road at all is my way / Any place is where I've been." So sings a young Joni Mitchell on "Born to Take the Highway," one of her earliest compositions. The 1965 road song is one of a staggering 29 previously unreleased tracks unearthed for a once-unthinkable project: a deep-dive into her archives. The first installment in the series, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967), sees her chasing that dream. Out
Almond Kisses: Real Gone Music Reissues Spacehog, Bangles, and Kool and The Gang on Colored Vinyl
Are you in the market for Laurel Canyon-inspired power-pop? How about early '70s funk? Or maybe glam rock from the turn of the millennium is more your speed. Real Gone Music has you covered with new vinyl reissues due this December. This slate kicks off on December 4 with the vinyl debut of Spacehog's The Chinese Album. Fresh off the reissue of the band's debut Resident Alien for RSD, Real Gone now turns to the follow-up, which sees them pulling from power-pop and glam influences and features
Cherry Red, SoulMusic Round-Up, Part Two: Barbara Lewis and Carla Thomas' Complete Atlantic Recordings Collected
In recent weeks, Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint has launched a series of mini-box sets drawn from the Atlantic vaults including titles available now from Solomon Burke, Esther Phillips, Barbara Lewis, and Carla Thomas. Yesterday we explored the releases from Burke and Phillips, and today's spotlight is on Lewis and Thomas! If she had only recorded "Hello, Stranger" and "Baby I'm Yours," Barbara Lewis' place in the pop pantheon would have been assured. But there's much more to her
Yeah, Baby, Yeah! The Second Disc Guide to Record Store Day Drop 3, October 24
Like most things that have gone on this year, Record Store Day 2020 has been a rollercoaster ride. The result: three days of Record Store Drops. This Saturday, October 24, music fans will be joining the queue - whether in-person if it's safe to do so or online - for their chance at some limited-edition vinyl. Ahead of the event itself, we thought we'd break down what you can expect and detail some of the releases for which we're most excited. The main change from years past? Shorter lines and
Songs of Joy and Peace: Real Gone Music Announces 2020 Christmas Titles
Can it be? Christmas season already? It seems like just yesterday it was March! Well, a time-bending pandemic isn't going to keep holiday cheer away, at least not when it comes to new yuletide reissues! Real Gone Music has a trio of them coming your way in November and December. We told you about Season's Greetings: The Fantastic Strings of Felix Slatkin back in July when it was issued as an online-only product. If you missed out, fear not! The Vatican-endorsed Christmas classic will
Let's Do the Time Warp Again: Ode Reissues "Rocky Horror" For 45th Anniversary
Appropriately enough, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the movie that refuses to stay dead. Written off by audiences and critics upon its opening in summer 1975, the little movie with the $1.4 million budget has since earned some $170 million and counting worldwide - the longest-running movie release in history. Even with COVID-19 shutting cinemas everywhere, Rocky Horror marches on in Zoom screenings and tributes timed to its 45th anniversary. As part of that celebration, Ode Records has
Still Disturbing the Peace: New Liberation Hall Label Reissues Bay Area New Wave, Punk, Ska from 415 Records
The vaults of San Francisco indie label 415 Records have opened! 415 was founded in 1978 by rock promoter Howie Klein and record store owner Chris Knab. Together with friend and collector Butch Bridges, they built a powerhouse indie label focusing on young new wave bands such as SVT, The Uptones, and Pop-O-Pies. 415 was championed by Bay Area luminaries such as manager/Fillmore impresario Bill Graham and producer/studio owner David Rubinson. Columbia Records took notice of 415's activities,
I've Been on the Pinball: Cherry Red Collects Brian Protheroe's Chrysalis Albums on New 3-CD Set
This week, we're looking at two recent albums collections from Cherry Red's 7T's label from singer-songwriter Brian Protheroe and the band Pilot. Brian Protheroe's The Albums 1974-76 collects the three albums the English actor-singer (First Dates, the West End's Lord of the Rings) released on Chrysalis Records plus a smattering of bonus tracks. In 1973, Protheroe was touring in a production of playwright William Fairchild's Death on Demand - described in The Oxford Magazine as "not so much a
Fall Into The Sky: Real Gone Music Announces Reissues of Vanessa Carlton, Gavin DeGraw on Vinyl for the First Time
"Makin' my way downtown..." The words are part of a certain musical DNA of listeners from a certain generation. An inescapable earworm, a perfect oughties-pop track and - in recent years - a viral meme, Vanessa Carlton's "A Thousand Miles" is a cultural touchstone. So is Gavin DeGraw's hit single "I Don't Want to Be," a minivan-rock staple that was immortalized on the televisions series One Tree Hill. Real Gone Music will celebrate these multiplatinum singer-songwriter classics (we're coming
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