On March 25, 2012, Aretha Franklin will turn 70 years old. That hardly means she's ready to slow down, however. 2011 found the Queen of Soul looking trim and sounding vibrant as she returned to the concert stage and released a new studio album. Surely her landmark birthday will be celebrated with countless airings of her 1960s golden hits like "Respect," "Natural Woman" and "Chain of Fools." But Legacy Recordings and Arista Records are seeing to it that a latter-day hitmaking period for the
May Your Days Be Merry and Bright
As another year of amazing catalogue reissues and expansions comes to a close, and we gather around our loved ones to celebrate both a year gone by and a new one full of promise on the horizon, it seemed right to stop and take a moment to wish the same glad tidings to all of our treasured readers at The Second Disc. Since starting the site in January of 2010 - can you believe it's almost going on two years? - I've always worried about a lot of things, but none more potent than the idea that,
Holiday Gift Guide Review: "Brunswick Lost Soul Vols. 1 and 2"
Welcome back to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we’re spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! The annals of popular music are littered with lost souls, which isn’t surprising for a business that can turn the street of dreams into the boulevard of broken dreams. But thanks to two recent releases from Brunswick Records, we can appreciate 30
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Tony Bennett, "The Complete Collection"
Welcome back to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we're spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! Tony Bennett's heart may be in San Francisco, but his soul can be found in a case measuring roughly 11 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches. For within those modest dimensions is housed some 65 years of music, spanning 1946 to 2011, over 73 CDs and 3 DVDs. And
Take It to the Bridge: Squeeze Frontman Releases New Set of Vintage Demos
Here's a treat for any of you British pop fans out there: another series of demos from Squeeze songwriter Glenn Tilbrook. When Daylight Appears: The Demo Tapes 1985-1991 spotlights Squeeze at one of their most underrated stages in a wildly underrated career. In 1985, the band ended a three-year breakup, reuniting singers/songwriters guitarists Tilbrook and Chris Difford, keyboardist Jools Holland (increasingly known outside of Squeeze for his burgeoning television host career on The Tube),
"Chimes of Freedom" Flashing for Bob Dylan and Amnesty International
Let's face it, Bob Dylan tributes aren't exactly uncommon. That said, one of the most ambitious albums of its kind is coming down the pike, set for January 24 release. Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan is a specially-priced 4-CD set containing 73 Dylan songs in renditions from an incredibly broad array of artists. Most of the tracks were recorded specifically for this project, but since a handful are previously unreleased tracks of an older vintage (and Dylan's own 1964 released take of
Peter Gabriel Makes It "So" for 2012, With Your Help
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-huvkhTChQE] With the pretty-great release of orchestral reinterpretation record New Blood under his belt, Peter Gabriel is looking back again by planning a reissue of his excellent 1986 album So - scheduled for 2012, a year after its 25th anniversary - and he wants your help. The in-development reissue is being worked on by Gabriel and his team; in the December installment of his Full Moon Updates, the singer revealed he's working with footage that was
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Leonard Cohen, "The Complete Columbia Albums Collection"
Welcome to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we’re spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! It’s hard to believe that Leonard Cohen was once tarred with the infamous “New Dylan” brush, even though he was in rather rarefied company alongside other “New Dylans” like Loudon Wainwright III and even Bruce Springsteen. Sure, both Mr. Cohen and the
Intrada Ends Banner Year, Boldly Goes Where Few Have Gone Before
Intrada knows how to another great year of soundtracks: with three oft-requested and legendary soundtracks, all expanded and mostly unlimited. By far the biggest news for contemporary score fans is the news of another expanded score from the Star Trek universe. The past few years have seen expanded scores for four Trek films (1982's The Wrath of Khan, 1984's The Search for Spock, 1989's The Final Frontier and 2009's reboot of the franchise) and two collections of music from the beloved The Next
Release Round-Up: Week of December 13
The Marvelettes, Forever More: The Complete Motown Albums, Volume 2 (Hip-o Select/Motown) A four-disc box presenting the last four of The Marvelettes' albums (two of which are in stereo and mono) alongside rare and unreleased gems from the storied Motown vaults. Smokey Robinson, The Solo Albums Volume 6: Warm Thoughts / Being with You (Hip-o Select/Motown) Smokey's early-'80s comeback, represented with these two LPs on one CD (Warm Thoughts bows on the format for the first time!) along with a
Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Rolling Stones, "Some Girls: Deluxe Edition"
Welcome to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we’re spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! In a vintage clip that brings one of the biggest laughs in Martin Scorsese’s 2008 concert film Shine a Light, Mick Jagger tells an interviewer that he doesn’t anticipate getting old as a Rolling Stone…yet, nearly fifty years after the band first formed,
Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Who, "Quadrophenia: Super Deluxe Edition"
Welcome to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we're spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! It was a most unusual moment on June 6, 1993 when the winners of the Tony Award for Best Score of a Musical were announced. John Kander and Fred Ebb, the Broadway legends behind Cabaret, Chicago and “(Theme From) New York, New York,” picked up the statuettes
Review: Neil Diamond, "The Very Best of Neil Diamond"
They don’t make ‘em like Neil Diamond any more. Then again, did they ever make ‘em like Neil Diamond? When the self-described solitary man of lean, tough Bang Records rockers like “Cherry, Cherry” and “Kentucky Woman” eventually gave way to the literally glittering superstar of such dramatic fare as “I Am…I Said” and “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” it became all too easy to forget the man’s C.V. as a singer, songwriter and producer. Diamond discovered world music some 15 years before his friend
Come to the Sunshine: Now Sounds Expands, Remasters Harpers Bizarre's "Feelin' Groovy"
Leon Russell might have been reluctant to return to his pop music roots when producer Lenny Waronker invited him to sit in the arranger's chair for Harpers Bizarre's 1967 debut album. But in retrospect, a Master of Time and Space must have been involved in any LP that listed among its credits Randy Newman, Van Dyke Parks, Paul Simon, Richard Rodgers and Sergei Prokofiev! The California quintet's Feelin' Groovy long-player is still one of the boldest, most imaginative and most fun debut albums
Release Round-Up: Week of December 6
Neil Diamond, The Very Best of Neil Diamond (Columbia/Legacy) A new single-disc greatest hits compilation that unites classic Columbia stuff with early works for Bang and Universal and the excellent, newer stuff he's been doing with producer Rick Rubin. The E.T. song, though? Not here. Watch for Joe's review later today! Amy Winehouse, Lioness: Hidden Treasures (Universal Republic) The late, lamented neo-soul singer memorialized with a posthumous album. Fred Wesley & The J.B.'s, The
Motown Magic: The Marvelettes, Smokey Robinson Album Anthologies Continue
There’s Motown magic in the air! Though the year is drawing to a close, the fine folks at Hip-o Select are making sure that there are plenty of sounds from the Motor City to fill the stockings of even the most discerning music collectors. The label has just announced the continuation of two series of comprehensive archival releases. The 4-CD set Forever More: The Complete Motown Albums Vol. 2 collects the remaining output of the marvelous Marvelettes, the first girl group to make a splash at the
Flashback With The Bee Gees' "Main Course"
When Warner Music Group’s Rhino arm announced its licensing of the Bee Gees catalogue in 2006, hopes were high, and the campaign’s initial release certainly didn’t disappoint. The Studio Albums: 1967-1968 contained expanded mono/stereo editions of the group’s first three “canon” albums with a generous amount of unissued tracks. The promise of more collections to come from the Brothers Gibb archives was particularly enticing. Then, the 30th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever came and went, with
Birth of a Big Star: Omnivore Expands Alex Chilton's 1970 Recordings
Over a year and a half after his untimely passing in the spring of 2010, former Box Tops and Big Star frontman Alex Chilton's loss leaves a profound hole in the hearts of power pop lovers everywhere. Leave it to one of our favorite up-and-coming reissue labels, Omnivore Recordings, to memorialize him twice this year - first with a special vinyl reissue of Big Star's Third for Record Store Day, and now with Free Again: The 1970 Sessions, an expansive look at his songwriting work just before Big
Holiday Tunes Watch, Part 3: John Denver, Muppets Go "Urban" on Vinyl
Is the outpouring of love for the new Muppets film still not enough for you? Of course not! So you'll be happy to know that there's yet another great musical collectible (after Disney's fun reissue of the 2006 A Green and Red Christmas) that celebrates our fur and felt friends, not to mention one gone-but-not-forgotten pop favorite: a vinyl reissue of the beloved holiday album by John Denver and The Muppets. Maybe it was his just-offbeat-enough sensibilities in public - the onstage good-natured
Friday Feature: "An American Tail"
Let's get the opinions out of the way: An American Tail is not a great movie. I'm not even sure it's a good movie; I probably wouldn't even be writing this had it not been an early childhood favorite. But while the film doesn't quite pan out as a cohesive piece of work, there are some great parts - an interesting approach to plot and animation, and certainly a brilliant batch of soundtrack writing - that make the film worth writing about. The thing you have to remember about An American Tail,
Holiday Tunes Watch, Part 2: Andy Williams' Favorite Things Collected For 2011
Early in November, Andy Williams took the stage at his Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri and announced to the crowd that he is fighting bladder cancer. "I do have cancer of the bladder," Williams, 83, told the shocked crowd. "But that is no longer a death sentence. People with cancer are getting through this thing. They're kicking it, and they're winning more and more every year. And I'm going to be one of them." He received a standing ovation upon announcing his intention to return to
And the Catalogue Grammy Nominations Go To...
Safely tucked underneath a controversial slate of Grammy nominations in the major categories - seriously, Rihanna's Loud got an Album of the Year nod and Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy didn't? - there were a fantastic batch of reissue and box set-oriented nominations in this year's 54th annual ceremony. Without further pithy commentary, here they are: Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package Radiohead, The King of Limbs (ATO Records) Donald Twain & Zachariah Wildwood,
Soundtrack Round-Up: Intrada Commits "Robbery," La-La Land Bows Final Titles for 2011
The end of the calendar year is a boom time for all those working in reissues, especially the soundtrack labels. Today, six major titles go on sale that are certainly worth a look here at Second Disc HQ. Intrada's two latest sets, announced last night, are pretty major. One is a brand new reissue of the score to The Great Train Robbery, Jerry Goldsmith's classic soundtrack to the film directed by author Michael Crichton from his best-selling novel. Though the score is no stranger to CD, having
Release Round-Up: Week of November 29
Now begins the drought. A couple of respectable catalogue titles, but it's going to be shorter round-ups from here through 2011. The Monkees, Instant Replay: Deluxe Edition (Rhino Handmade) Three discs and 87 tracks worth of this underrated entry in The Monkees' catalogue, featuring stereo and mono mixes and session takes galore. Smashing Pumpkins, Gish / Siamese Dream: Deluxe Editions (Virgin/EMI) The first releases in a planned three-year reissue project for Billy Corgan and his Pumpkins,
Start Me Up: Rolling Stones' Digital Archive Unveils Vintage Concerts and More
Once famously reluctant to unlock their vault, The Rolling Stones are swinging those doors wide open. Following the deluxe, expanded editions of Exile on Main St. (1972) and Some Girls (1978), the world’s greatest rock and roll band has turned its attention to the aptly-titled Stones Archive, a digital repository of all things that Glimmer. The band’s official site promises fans “can listen to unheard music, view unseen photographs and films, and look at rare merchandise. Fans have the
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