I'm not a betting man, but if I were, I'd bet that there are two big questions that reissue producers and catalogue compilers get from fans. There's "What about a proper reissue/expansion of such-and-such an album?" and "Why did you miss/forget that one track?" I've been thinking about that last query lately - and I'll bet you've thought about it at some point, too. Oh sure, to some of your friends and fellow fans it sounds crazy - why on Earth would someone obsess over one stupid little
Reissue Theory: Ben Folds Five, "Ben Folds Five"
In Reissue Theory, The Second Disc researches and drafts a box set, compilation or reissue that would be worth pursuing by a label. Lots of catalogue enthusiasts are older folks, there's no getting around that. Those who grew up with great rock and roll and consumed it on compact discs as adults are probably the lion's share of people reading sites like this. But regardless of what you perceive the quality of more recent music to be, it needs to be looked after as well by catalogue
Catalogue Gold at the Grammys
Those who tuned into last night's Grammy telecast may have been shaking their head at the oddity of it all - I know I was. But The Second Disc would be remiss in not posting the winners in several catalogue categories. Their victories weren't televised, of course, but they deserve all the commendation in the world. First, a big hand for Neil Young's Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972) for winning Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. The trophies go to the art directors of the project, which
Arcadia's "So Red the Rose" Fumbling Toward a Release Date
(UPDATE 10:40 a.m.) Duran Duran's representative Katy Krassner responded with lightning speed to the inquiry about the press release: "There is no set release date...we will update the site when there is one. This was just EMI's updated press materials on the release." So while fans have to wait a bit for the scoop, know that it'll be here soon enough. Thanks to Katy for her response! Duran Duran fans who've spent years fighting to defend the worthiness of the New Wave quintet enjoyed something
J is for What Now?
Among the many releases on MusicTAP's calendar today is a new Motown title for The Jackson 5, rather simply titled J is for Jackson 5. What could this possibly entail? My educated guess comes from elsewhere in the Universal Music Group back catalogue. Last summer, UMe released B is for Bob, a kid-friendly compilation of newly-remixed Bob Marley songs supervised by Ziggy Marley. (Fear not, purists: four of the tracks were presented in their original mixes.) J is for J5 might go over easier
Release Info: The Miracles "City of Angels"
More info has come through on last week's mention of the reissue of City of Angels, a "lost" 1975 album by The Miracles. City of Angels, the fourth Miracles LP with vocalist Billy Griffin (who'd replaced Smokey Robinson in 1972), was a smash thanks to its huge No. 1 hit "Love Machine (Part 1)." But amazingly, it's never gotten a proper CD release until now. Hip-O Select, Universal Music Enterprises' boutique label, has reissued the disc with its original album art, a new essay written by soul
News Roundup: ZTT and All That
Awhile back there'd been talk of classic label ZTT - the label that gave us Art of Noise, Frankie Goes to Hollywood and Propaganda - reissuing some of its classics with unreleased material from the vaults. Now it seems the first pieces of that plan are coming to fruition! ZTT have recently announced The Element Series, currently comprised of six releases by ZTT artists and associated acts. After the jump, have a go at the titles, track lists and all that.
This is It (Part 2)
Now that I've gotten all my gripes out about the This is It soundtrack, I'm more than happy to pen some thoughts on the actual film, now out on DVD and Blu-Ray from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. For years after Michael Jackson rose from a nasty string of legal troubles in 2004, I had been ruminating on what could become of one of my favorite pop entertainers. His rumored forays back into the recording studio always left me cold; why would he collaborate with will.i.am or Akon when he had
Conan Addendum
I found this funny enough to warrant its own post: I spent the weekend debunking some rumors about the presence of the original master of The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" on one of the last episodes of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien. What I almost completely overlooked was another back catalogue-oriented news story that sprung up from the last episode. Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, drummer for The Roots (a great R&B group in their own right and the house band for Late
Industry Primer: Conan Seeks Satisfaction Elsewhere, or The Bugatti Veyron Mouse That Roared
Light years away from the world of back catalogue music projects, the entertainment press has been abuzz with the recent furor over the late night talk show lineup on NBC. This past Friday, Conan O'Brien exited The Tonight Show after a too-brief seven-month tenure, leaving Jay Leno able to leave his low-rated primetime show and take back control of the show he agreed to cede to O'Brien almost six years ago. One of the delights during the whole mess was seeing O'Brien - in my opinion, one of the
Double Dip: Won't Get Fooled Again
Here's a feature I'd like to make as regular as possible: in Double Dip, I look at a catalogue title - perhaps a frequent re-release or a new compilation - and try to deconstruct its content. Think of it as a buyer's guide for the newest releases. This week, in anticipation of their upcoming Super Bowl gig, Geffen and Universal Music Enterprises have released a new compilation by The Who, Greatest Hits Live, exclusively on iTunes. The press release excitedly touts the set as "22 recordings of
Lennon Reissues to Shine On in October?
The latest bit of reissue news around the water cooler is that John Lennon's catalog, owned by EMI, is set to get the deluxe treatment this year, likely timed around what would have been his 70th birthday on Oct. 9. It seems like a great time for EMI to do so; The Plastic Ono Band recently announced a gig in Brooklyn next month. Plus there's been a lot of hoopla over The Beatles' catalogue lately. Perhaps you've noticed. The bummer note thus far is I can't get much of a confirmation on any
News Roundup: Rhino Releases, Ray Davies and More - 1/13/2010
Anyone worried about last year's report on the seeming demise of Rhino Entertainment can rest a little easier. Not only are they still afloat, but Rhino handmade, their specialty boutique arm, is actually offering a poll to bring back into print one of several limited edition sets. Speaking of Rhino, there are a few neat new online-only titles up for sale. There's Rod Stewart's Once in a Blue Moon, a semi-"lost" album of covers intended for release in 1993; an exhaustively comprehensive Wilson
At a Glance: Motown Never Can Say Goodbye to The Jackson 5
In posts marked "At a Glance," I'm going to try to assess any particular movement among a particular artist's back catalogue. To start, here's a look at one of the most recently popular catalogue artists - Michael Jackson - as seen through his early work for Motown. It is now nearly seven months since Michael Jackson died. His passing shocked the world enough to pay attention to his prodigious discography - the compilations Number Ones and The Essential Michael Jackson, both released by Epic,
More Hendrix to Experience
My last post touched on the impending Jimi Hendrix Experience reissue campaign from Legacy Recordings, who recently gained distribution rights of the catalog. (The catalog proper is owned by the guitarist's family company, Experience Hendrix, who had previously licensed the material to MCA/Universal in 1997.) Now, thanks to Billboard, some more information has sprung up regarding the first wave of material. In addition to the previously mentioned CD/DVD reissues of Are You Experienced, Axis:
Looking Forward, Looking Back: 2010 Reissue Preview
We're less than two weeks into a new year and a new decade, but 2010 is already shaping up to be a great year for back catalogue enthusiasts. What follows is a round-up of the best and brightest reissues already slated for the new year. An obligatory note on release dates: they're as always set to change. I base my reports on the excellent work at Pause & Play, the best resource for any music release dates you might be looking for. Hit the jump for some news on catalog titles by Elvis
In With the Old: 2009 in Reissues
Good evening and welcome to The Second Disc! Assuming you've taken a look at the page where I've explained this blog, I'd like to present a list of some of the best catalogue titles released to the public during the past year. This year was just as full of complaints about the demise of the music industry as ever (I guess part of this can be blamed on the general economic malaise gripping us all), but this really seemed to be a great year for reissues and box sets of all sorts. Two notes before