The weather is warming up around Second Disc HQ, and as our way of celebrating, we're giving away a "hot" disc from our friends at Legacy Recordings. Released in Australia last fall and in stores in the U.S. today, Hell in a Handbasket is the 12th and latest album by rock icon Meat Loaf. Produced by Meat Loaf's longtime lead guitarist Paul Crook, the disc features 12 new recordings (including a cover of The Mamas & The Papas' "California Dreamin'") and guest appearances by Public Enemy's
Release Round-Up: Week of March 12
Earl Van Dyke, The Motown Sound: The Complete Albums & More (Hip-o Select/Motown) Two discs of classic instrumentals and rare single sides from Motown's legendary Funk Brothers - their first and some of their only recordings to be credited just to them. Big Brother and The Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin, Live at the Carousel Ballroom 1968 (Columbia/Legacy) From the archives of late engineer Owsley "Bear" Stanley, an unreleased show featuring Joplin and band at the legendary San
Ring Them Bells: Liza Minnelli's Triumphant "Live at the Winter Garden" Expanded For CD Premiere
Liza Minnelli turns 66 today, and could rightfully relax, look back and celebrate over six decades in show business. But the daughter of Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, who made her first onscreen appearance as a baby in 1949's MGM extravaganza In the Good Old Summertime, has never been one to rest on her considerable laurels. Minnelli is still touring, recording and doing what she does best: entertaining, whether on the big screen (Sex and the City 2), the small screen (Arrested
Natural Woman: Hear Music Unveils Carole King's "Legendary Demos" At Long Last
Some years back, I was attending a performance of Carole King’s Living Room Tour at New York’s theatre-in-the round then known as the Westbury Music Fair, its cozy environs just perfect for King’s intimate show. Midway through the set, a fan shouted to the stage, “Release your demos, Carole!” King smiled knowingly. “Talk to the publisher!” she replied. It clearly wasn’t the first time she had heard the request; indeed, legendary isn’t too strong a word for the original vocal-and-piano tracks
About "Last Night": Expanded Trans-Siberian Orchestra Album to Be Released on Tour
Christmas isn't anywhere near our minds at Second Disc HQ, but a band typically associated with the season has a reissue coming out next week. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the successful symphonic rock band whose guitar-heavy versions of traditional carols are radio staples at Christmas, have released two non-holiday albums in their almost 20-year history: 2000's Beethoven's Last Night and 2009's Night Castle. Now, with the group playing Beethoven's Last Night in its entirety on a tour that
Wear Your Love Like Heaven: New "Essential Donovan" Arriving From Legacy
I’m just mad about Donovan, and while I don’t know whether Donovan’s mad about me, you just might be mad about The Essential Donovan! Though a single-disc compilation of that name arrived from Epic Records and Legacy Recordings in 2004, the 2012 edition does it one (or a few, actually) better. Slated for April 17, the new Essential Donovan coincides with Donovan Leitch’s long-overdue induction next month into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It features 36 songs on two discs, including every
Eight More ICON Sets for You to Briefly Consider
What you will see after the jump are eight more of Universal's generic ICON titles, released this past Tuesday. There are two country acts, two Motown acts, two Motown compilations, one from Dean Martin and one from pop/rock band Fall Out Boy. A stranger collection you'll rarely find. I'd give a halfhearted recommendation to the Motown ones if you want to spend a little money on someone who has the distinct displeasure of never having heard any Motown song, ever. If you have more money to spend,
Carefree Highway: Rhino Offers Rare "Moments" With Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot’s stands at Toronto’s Massey Hall have become a cherished tradition over the past forty years, with the Canadian troubadour having taken the stage more times than any other artist in the Hall’s 117 year history. Last May 25, 2011, Lightfoot performed his 150th concert there, and as he prepares for this year’s stand in November, Rhino Records is reminding fans of his rich legacy there with the April 17 release of Massey Hall Moments - All Live. Why not just plain Live?
Warner Waxes Nostalgic for Record Store Day
Believe it or not, Record Store Day is almost upon us. (It's April 21 - just over a month away!) We've been anxiously awaiting word from the labels on what's coming out this year, and it looks like Warner Music Group is one of the first to the scene. While there's not much in the way of unreleased goodies on the catalogue side of things - there are certainly plenty new or unearthed songs from current acts, which you can read about here - there are a couple of vintage and contemporary classics
Ooh Wah, Ooh Wah, Cool Cool Kitty: Grateful Dead, Ad Libs, Eddie Rabbitt Coming From Real Gone Music
Yee-haw! Real Gone Music has announced its late April/early May slate of releases, and you can count on plenty of country plus helping heapings of R&B, pop and, well, The Grateful Dead! On April 17, the label will release the Complete Hit Singles As and Bs from soul legend Little Willie John as well as a vintage Complete Hit Singles As and Bs collection for “Cowboy” Copas. Then on May 1 comes The Complete Blue Cat Recordings of The Ad Libs, straight from the vaults of Leiber and
Here They Go Again: The Hollies Reveal BBC "Radio Fun"
2011 was a good year to be a Hollies fan, and it seems that 2012 might follow in its footsteps! Last year, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees saw a plethora of releases on both CD and vinyl from labels like EMI, Sundazed and BGO, reissuing individual albums and offering comprehensive new compilations. This May, a heretofore-unreleased area of the band's history will be rediscovered when EMI issues Radio Fun, a 32-track compilation of some of the classic group's best BBC radio
I'm Sticking with You: The Velvet Underground's Moe Tucker Gets Career-Spanning Anthology
She may have been a self-described “schlep from Levittown,” but Maureen “Moe” Tucker of The Velvet Underground always beat to the sound of her own drum. Tucker shed her suburban roots when she joined with Lou Reed, John Cale and Sterling Morrison in The Velvet Underground, replacing drummer Angus MacLise. (His tenure was a brief few months.) It’s fair to say that The Velvets changed the sound of rock and roll forever, breaking long-held lyrical taboos and musically drawing from both
Release Round-Up: Week of March 6
Mark Lindsay, The Complete Columbia Singles (Real Gone) Joe calls this collection of the Paul Revere and The Raiders frontman's solo single sides "one of (Real Gone's) finest and most consistently enjoyable releases to date." If that doesn't get your catalogue muscles moving, it may be time to check your pulse! Clannad, Timeless / The Essential Clannad (RCA/Legacy) Alternately given both titles (the package has the latter while the sticker atop the disc has the former), this double-disc
Review: Mark Lindsay, "The Complete Columbia Singles"
There'll be joy and there'll be laughter/Something big is what I'm after now... As frontman, songwriter and saxophonist of Paul Revere and the Raiders, Mark Lindsay had experienced his fair share of joy and laughter, but as 1969 rolled around, the band behind such garage-pop anthems as "Kicks," "Just like Me" and "Hungry" was beginning to fracture. Jack Gold, head of A&R at Columbia Records, however, saw something big in Mark Lindsay's future. According to the singer, Gold had stumbled on
World Party Dig Deep on New Box Set
Acclaimed British alt-rocker Karl Wallinger will release the first-ever box set for his long-running project, World Party, next month. Arkeology collates 70 unreleased tracks, featuring B-sides, live cuts, demos, outtakes and other ephemera across five discs. The set will be uniquely packaged with a 142--page "Any Year Diary," featuring liner notes, rare photos and memorabilia from Wallinger's archives as well as a day calendar for fans to use however they please. “The reason it’s all inside an
One Step Beyond: New Compilation Honors Nutty Band's Ska Roots
Madness' "Our House" is just one of those songs that's impossible to forget. From that opening hook to the singalong chorus, you can recognize "Our House" from a mile away - even if you don't know Madness was, first and foremost, a ska outfit. And if you didn't know that, there's a new compilation coming from Salvo Records to fill in the gaps for you. Forever Young: The Ska Collection focuses on the tunes that made Madness a staple of the 2 Tone movement in the late 1970s as well as the tracks
The Knack (And How to Get It): Omnivore Offers Knack EP, Rare Buck Owens Coloring Book For Record Store Day
We’re less than two months away from Record Store Day, and with that means the promise of major limited edition releases from many of the labels you read about each day here at The Second Disc. Los Angeles’ Omnivore Recordings, one of our favorite new labels of 2011, is leading the pack with its announcement of two unique titles to be made available on April 21 for Record Store Day. The more unusual of the two is, believe it or not, a coloring book! Yes, Omnivore is offering a 2,500-copy
Colourbox, in a Box
In honor of their 30th anniversary this year, 4AD and Beggar's Archive will release a four-disc box set compiling the work of British electronic music pioneers Colourbox. Formed by brothers Steven and Martyn Young (the latter of whom compiled this set), Colourbox stood apart, sonically, from fellow labelmates This Mortal Coil and Dead Can Dance, relying on a wide palette featuring reggae rhythms and sample-heavy riffs. Not much has been heard from the group since their 1987 split, which
Come Rain or Shine: Legendary Diana Ross Concert Debuts on DVD
Time and taste have been kind to Diana Ross, recent recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. From the moment The Supremes broke into the national consciousness, it was clear there was something special about that pretty lead singer with the unmistakable voice. And believe it or not, nothing can stop her - not even the elements, as a classic 1983 live event, bowing on DVD this spring from Shout! Factory, is quick to prove. On July 21, 1983, Miss Ross - at the time, two years into a
In Memoriam: Hey, Hey, It's Davy Jones!
UPDATE 2/29/12: Today at The Second Disc, we join music fans all over the world in mourning the loss of Davy Jones, who died this morning at the age of 66. The worlds of music, stage and screen all lost an icon with the passing of the actor, singer, comedian and beloved Monkee. Davy brought a little of the British Invasion to the California band, as well as lot of talent, sweetness, heart and chutzpah. New York DJ Cousin Brucie Morrow took the airwaves on Sirius/XM satellite radio early
Pop Quiz, Hot Shot! La-La Land Celebrates 200th Release in Latest Batch
While there's a month to go before La-La Land releases the expanded soundtrack to Hook, they've got three great releases available to buy today - including their 200th title! First up is a reissue of Jerry Fielding's score to the cult classic The Mechanic, with Charles Bronson as the efficient hitman who takes the son of a recent contracted kill under his wing. Save a few audio tweaks, title changes and changes in sequence, this disc features the same material from Intrada's long out-of-print
To Japan and Back: New David Sylvian Compilation Available in the U.K.
If all you know of David Sylvian is his excellent work in the New Wave band Japan, some would say you have a lot to learn. Fortunately, a new compilation from EMI U.K. is here to help. A Victim of Stars 1982-2012 collates the best works of the erstwhile Japan frontman, from their biggest hit single "Ghosts" to the present day, with a new single, "Where's Your Gravity?" Along the way, there are a host of intriguing collaborations with some of the best avant-garde rockers in the business, from
Pantera's Second Album Gets More "Vulgar" in May
As previously reported, Pantera's blistering Vulgar Display of Power is getting the deluxe treatment from Rhino for its 20th anniversary. From the iconic album cover image of a face in mid-punch, it was clear that Pantera's second album for ATCO Records was going to be something different. With tracks like "Mouth for War," "Walk" and "F---ing Hostile," the last of which was famously used as theme and background music on MTV's Headbangers Ball, Vulgar Display is rightfully known as a classic of
Review: Pink Floyd, "The Wall: Immersion Box Set"
By the way, which one’s Pink? A record executive poses that wry musical question of Pink Floyd in “Have a Cigar,” a brief, humorous respite on the band’s elegiac 1975 album Wish You Were Here. The ever-ambitious group would actually answer that wry question with The Wall, 1979’s sprawling double album. The psychedelic Dark Side of the Moon and reflective Wish You Were Here both invited listeners to create their own stories in service of the albums’ impressionistic concepts, largely dealing
Release Round-Up: Week of February 28
Pink Floyd, The Wall: Experience and Immersion Editions (Capitol/EMI) The latest Pink Floyd box, featuring live tracks and demos from the vault will make you lose your marbles! (Editor's note: I am so sorry for typing that.) The Ventures, The Ventures Play Telstar and The Lonely Bull / "Surfing" / (The) Ventures in Space / The Fabulous Ventures / Walk, Don't Run Vol. 2 (Sundazed) Five classic Ventures albums, remastered in stereo on CD and vinyl. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, Live at
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