It didn't take long for The Monkees to realize that they'd experienced a level of success far beyond their wildest dreams. Far from being mere actors on a television show portraying a band, they'd been thrust in front of capacity crowds in stadiums, arenas, and large auditoriums - a de facto band that, in reality, wasn't yet calling the shots on their own careers and music. That changed when Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork demanded creative freedom from impresario Don
Commit to Love: SoulMusic's New Box "I'm for Real" Collects Howard Hewett's Elektra Albums
As we await the February 17 release of Dionne Warwick's Sure Thing: The Warner Bros. Recordings (1972-1977) box set from SoulMusic Records and Cherry Red, the time is right to revisit the label's two final packages of 2022. Today, a 4-CD package from soul man Howard Hewett takes the spotlight, with the next installment featuring a 6-CD box from the group Starpoint. Howard Hewett's I'm for Real: The Elektra Recordings (1986-1992) brings together the vocalist's four albums for the label, all
(Not So) Hard to Explain: 10 Singles by The Strokes Packed Into Vinyl, Digital Box Set
More than 20 years after The Strokes helped usher in a New York rock revival of sorts, the group will look back with a set of singles and rarities available on vinyl and digital. The Singles - Volume 01 chronicles the best of The Strokes' material from around their first three albums: breakthrough Is This It (2001) and follow-ups Room on Fire (2003) and First Impressions of Earth (2006). The set faithfully replicates a batch of 7" singles, complete with picture sleeves, that came out in the
Stolen Secrets: Quartet Expands Harold Faltermeyer's "Thief of Hearts," Includes Melissa Manchester Songs
Hot on the heels of such releases as Ron Goodwin and Henry Mancini's scores to Frenzy and John Barry's to Mary, Queen of Scots, the Quartet Records label is turning its attention to an eighties score from a modern master. Quartet is now shipping the first-ever complete, 2-CD edition of Harold Faltermeyer's score to 1984's thriller Thief of Hearts, featuring all the cues composed by Faltermeyer for the film as well as the remastered, original Casablanca Records soundtrack album complete with
The Weekend Stream: January 14, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. Today, we've got more Madonna, Peggy March in German and easy-listening versions of Neil Diamond hits - plus a way you can help out a local venue! Madonna, Madame X (International Deluxe) (Boy Toy/Live Nation/Interscope) (iTunes / Amazon) As rumors of a Madonna 40th anniversary tour heat up,
Deep in the Motherlode: Genesis Detail 'BBC Broadcasts' Box
Though the exhaustive archival work that accompanied Genesis' 2007 touring did not extend to the group's latest (and likely last) outing in 2021 and 2022, this year brings a new box set for fans of the prog-turned-pop/rock icons: a collection of their live material as recorded by the BBC. BBC Broadcasts, curated by founding keyboardist Tony Banks and longtime engineer Nick Davis, offers a trove of concert audio from all the major eras of Genesis from 1970 to 1998. The earliest material, taken
Four Hearts Beat As One: U2 Revisit Tracks on 'Songs of Surrender'
With 40 years, countless honors, some of the highest-grossing tours of all time, one album that irrationally annoyed a lot of people and - perhaps - less and less to prove, what is left for U2 to do? The Irish legends - fresh from Kennedy Center Honors last year, end a five-year gap between albums by revisiting their vast discography for a new project. Songs of Surrender takes its name from the speaking tour undertaken last year by frontman Bono, tied to his memoirs. While writing those, he -
In Memoriam: Jeff Beck (1944-2023)
Almost two months ago to the day, on November 12, 2022, Jeff Beck took the stage at Reno, Nevada's Grand Sierra Resort. Performing with his friend Johnny Depp, Beck ran through a setlist of fan favorites and covers. The guitar virtuoso made every song his own, with razor-sharp precision, an elegant tone, and a spellbinding touch. Little did anyone in attendance know that the concert would be Beck's last. After a short battle with bacterial meningitis, Jeff Beck has passed away at the age of
Keep It Greasy: "Zappa '80" Premieres Concerts from New York City, Munich
Following in the footsteps of last year's Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana, Zappa Records and UMe have rescued another two concerts from the late artist's storied Vault. On March 3, the labels will release the 3-CD set Zappa '80: Mudd Club/Munich, boasting two very different shows: one from New York's tiny, 240-capacity Mudd Club, and other from Munich's 12,000-seat Olympiahalle arena. Both shows feature the short-lived lineup of Zappa, vocalist Ike Willis and Ray White, bassist Arthur Barrow,
Vinyl Box Watch: Clapton, a-ha, Neutral Milk Hotel All Prep Big Sets on LP
For nearly no other occasion would you see these three bands in the same sentence, but it's true: vinyl box sets are all forthcoming from blues-rock legend Eric Clapton, Norwegian popsmiths a-ha, and '90s indie-folk darlings Neutral Milk Hotel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdl2I1spS8M This week, on January 13, Clapton readies The Complete Reprise Studio Albums - Volume II from Rhino Records. This 10LP set picks up where last year's first set left off, offering new remasters of Clapton's
The Weekend Stream: January 7, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. And we're ringing in the new year with new music from Peter Gabriel, old music from Madonna and a call to help out an old soul hero! Peter Gabriel, Panopticon (Bright Side Mix) (Real World) (iTunes / Amazon) Our first digital item of 2023 isn't catalogue, but it's certainly of interest to
Way Over Yonder: Carole King's 1973 Central Park Concert Coming to Theatres, Streaming
When Carole King performed "Home Again" at Central Park's Great Lawn on May 26, 1973, the title held additional meaning. Though she was one of music's most famous New Yorkers, Carole's move to southern California inspired her transformation from Brill Building tunesmith to full-fledged solo singer-songwriter. Much as her songs such as "The Loco-Motion," "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" defined the sound of the 1960s, "It's Too Late," "You've Got a
The Year In Review: The 2022 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z - Part Two
Happy 2023! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc's 13th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! A lot has happened in the last twelve months, but as we look to a new year with optimism and a hopeful spirit, we recognize the many roles music has played in our lives. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2022's cream of the catalogue music crop - those exemplary reissues and box sets, big and small, that proved to be truly outstanding for music lovers worldwide. Despite the
The Year In Review: The 2022 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z - Part One
Happy 2023! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc's 13th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! A lot has happened in the last twelve months, but as we look to a new year with optimism and a hopeful spirit, we recognize the many roles music has played in our lives. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2022's cream of the catalogue music crop - those exemplary reissues and box sets, big and small, that proved to be truly outstanding for music lovers worldwide. Despite the
Merry Discmas to All, and to All a...See You Next Year!
It remains wild to consider that The Second Disc is celebrating its 12th Christmas, and is about to celebrate its 13th anniversary in just a few weeks! I've never done anything that long on the Internet, except tell silly jokes and geek out about music. As always, I will do a little of both in our typical end-of-year shingle that we hang up before resting, recharging, listening to plenty of box sets and getting started on another year of catalogue music coverage. "Where are reissues today?"
In Memoriam: Thom Bell (1943-2022)
Yesterday, Philadelphia soul architect Thom Bell passed away at the age of 79, leaving an extraordinary legacy of music for such artists as The Delfonics, The Stylistics, The Spinners, Dionne Warwick, Johnny Mathis, Deniece Williams, and Elton John among his greatest and most enduring accomplishments. TSD's Joe Marchese got to know Thom in the last few years of his life, and shares his memories of, and an interview with, the legendary producer and songwriter. "Hello?" I picked up the
Holiday Gift Guide Review: David Bowie, "Divine Symmetry: An Alternative Journey Through 'Hunky Dory'"
MAGNIFICENT OUTRAGE. The phrase is emblazoned on the slipcase of David Bowie's new box set Divine Symmetry (An Alternative Journey Through 'Hunky Dory'). It was derived from an ad - reprinted as the first image in the 100-page tome housing the set's four CDs and one Blu-ray Disc - which noted, "That's what they're saying about David Bowie." Happily, no one would accuse this latest Bowie archival dig of being an outrage, though magnificent comes closer. Much like its 2019 predecessor
The Weekend Stream: December 18, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. And we've got a lot to cover today, from a massive Pink Floyd copyright dump to a new Whitney Houston soundtrack and some underrated Motown gold. Pink Floyd, Live at Southampton Guildhall, UK, 23 January 1972 / Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, 5 Feb 1972 / Live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, 17
Release Round-Up: Week of December 16
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the week's most notable new titles! As next week will see very few releases, this will be our final Release Round-Up of 2022...regular daily coverage will continue, though! See you in the new year! Frank Zappa, Waka/Wazoo (Zappa/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscoverMusic.com / Zappa Online Store) UMe and Zappa Records are chronicling Frank Zappa's 1972 in a new 4CD/1BD box set. The original
Elusive Dreams: Morello Continues Tammy Wynette Reissue Series with 2-CD, 4-Album Set Chronicling the Late 1960s & Early 1970s
For the past few years, Cherry Red imprint Morello Records has been reissuing the Epic Records catalog of county legend Tammy Wynette on a series of twofers (or more). With its latest release, out now, Morello is taking a look at the late 1960s and early 1970s with a 2-CD set featuring the four albums The Ways To Love a Man, Tammy's Touch, My Elusive Dreams and Inspiration. By the time she moved to Nashville in 1966, 23-year old Virginia Wynette Pugh had already experienced a lot of living.
Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Beach Boys, "Sail on Sailor: 1972"
I need a whole lot of sunshine to keep my sundial advancing... Who were The Beach Boys? Hawthorne, California's favorite sons might have been asking themselves that very question in 1972. Their creative leader was withdrawing further into himself and musical tastes were changing: where did that leave them? This period of adjustment was first chronicled on last year's superlative Feel Flows: The Sunflower and Surf's Up Sessions 1969-1971 box set. The story begun on that collection
The Weekend Stream: December 10, 2022
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. This week, a Madonna rarity makes a splashy debut, the daughter of a soul legend sings with her dad on his holiday classic, and Roger Waters emerges from lockdown - plus remixes old and new, and a World Cup throwback you might not believe is real. Madonna, Gambler (Warner/Rhino) (iTunes /
Respectable: The Rolling Stones Release Star-Studded 50th Anniversary Show on "GRRR Live!"
Ten years ago, The Rolling Stones named their tour 50 & Counting which turned out not to be an exaggeration at all, considering The World's Greatest Rock and Roll Band is still going strong today even after weathering the loss of drummer Charlie Watts. On February 10, Mercury Studios will commemorate a special night on that tour with the release of GRRR Live!, a 24-song set recorded at Newark, New Jersey's Prudential Center on December 13 and 15, 2012. The concert will be released in a
What a Surprise: Neil Sedaka Reissues His Four Elektra Albums on New 2-CD Set
Sedaka's Back was no understatement. Neil Sedaka's 1974 LP - in actuality, a compilation of tracks from his previous three albums issued only in the U.K. - yielded a No. 1 Pop and AC hit with the sparkling "Laughter in the Rain," earning the artist his first chart-topper since 1962. It also spun off another No. 1 AC with "The Immigrant," and a top ten AC/top thirty Pop hit with "That's When the Music Takes Me." That wasn't all; the album also contained the future standards "Solitaire" and
Just Being Herself: Dionne Warwick's Warner Bros. Recordings Collected on SoulMusic's "Sure Thing" Box
Between 1962 and 1971, Dionne Warwick put New York's Scepter Records on the map with over fifteen original albums and forty chart hits, more than twenty of which reached the top 40. Seven hit the top ten. Dionne earned her first two Grammy Awards during this period for "Do You Know the Way to San Jose" and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" - just two of the timeless songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David which she brought to stunning life. In 1971, though, Warwick made the move to Burbank,
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