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
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
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
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Joni Mitchell, "The Asylum Albums (1972-1975)"
2022 has been Joni Mitchell's year. Following a triumphant surprise appearance in July at the Newport Folk Festival, the singer-songwriter announced a return to the stage for a full-length Joni Jam in June 2023 at Washington's Gorge Amphitheatre; tickets were quickly snapped up by ardent fans who had waited roughly two decades to see Mitchell in concert once again. More recently, she attended her first-ever Broadway musical, Cameron Crowe and Tom Kitt's Almost Famous - and made her Broadway
Dream Starts: Grapefruit Collects Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera on New Anthology
The Five Proud Walkers weren't the only British blues 'n soul band to go psychedelic, but they were certainly one of the finest. As Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera and then just plain Velvet Opera, the group recorded two well-received albums in the late 1960s before splintering. Cherry Red's Grapefruit imprint has recently collected and expanded those LPs on 3 CDs as Long Nights of Summer: The Elmer Gantry's Velvet Opera Anthology. Lead singer Dave Terry - who took the name of Elmer Gantry, the
This Girl's in Love: Mercury Studios Premieres Ella Fitzgerald's "Montreux 1969" on CD and LP
Following in the footsteps of such titles as Ella at the Hollywood Bowl: The Irving Berlin Songbook (2022), The Lost Berlin Tapes (2020), Ella at the Shrine (2018), and Ella at Zardi's (2017), the team at Mercury Studios has unveiled another previously unreleased concert from the late Ms. Fitzgerald. On January 20, 2023, the label will release Live at Montreux 1969. While the performance from the early years of the Montreux Jazz Festival (founded in 1967) was seen on DVD in 2005, the upcoming
Review: The Beatles, "Revolver" (2022)
I took a ride, I didn't know what I would find there... George Harrison's snarling takedown of the "Taxman" opened The Beatles' Revolver with a powerful sting. The so-called Quiet Beatle took on the first-person role with the relish of (and a musical nod to) a Batman villain. Though 1965's folk-rock-influenced Rubber Soul had seen the Fab Four's songwriting grow by leaps and bounds, Revolver matched the songwriting strides with revelatory studio processes including ADT (Artificial Double
Too Hot: Edsel Compiles Second Album Box for Kool & The Gang
In 2024, Kool and the Gang will celebrate 60 years of music-making. Though the band has weathered the passing of key personnel in recent years including founding members Ronald Bell a.k.a. Khalis Bayyan and Dennis "D.T." Thomas, Robert "Kool" Bell and George "Funky" Brown keep the fusion of soul, R&B, dance, funk, and jazz alive and well. Earlier this year, Demon Music Group's Edsel label released Kool and the Gang's The Albums Vol. 1: 1970-1978 collecting their first dozen LPs plus a disc
Release Round-Up: Week of September 9
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! The Kinks, Muswell Hillbillies / Everybody's in Show-Biz - Everybody's a Star (BMG) 6LP/4CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Muswell Hillbillies 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Muswell Hillbillies 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Everybody's in Show-Biz 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon
Release Round-Up: Week of July 22
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of new titles available today! Bob Marley and The Chineke! Orchestra (Island/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This 10-song set, recorded at Abbey Road Studios under the aegis of producer Nick Patrick, merges Bob Marley's original vocal tracks with new orchestrations played by The Chineke! Orchestra, an adventurous ensemble dedicated to increasing diversity in music. The album features many of the reggae
Suffer Never: Finn Brothers' Debut Album Set for Expanded Vinyl Package
Two of the best-loved songwriters of the Antipodes are celebrating their brotherly partnership in a new deluxe vinyl package. Finn, the first album credited to the Finn Brothers, will debut on vinyl this summer as part of a double LP that also includes Neil and Tim Finn's extraordinary demos from 1989 - which birthed another classic album from the duo. At the time Finn was released in 1995, Tim was enjoying some of the biggest success of his solo career with 1993's Before & After and the
Wait a Minute: Cherry Red, Esoteric Expand Blossom Toes' "If Only for a Moment" with Guest Spots from Frank Zappa, Brian Auger
Though Blossom Toes only recorded two albums, the band is still remembered today as a leading exponent of psychedelic pop-rock in the late 1960s. Guitarist Jim Cregan went on to play with Cockney Rebel and become one of Rod Stewart's major collaborators while Brian Godding, also on guitar, forged a path in jazz and progressive rock. Earlier this year, Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings reissued Blossom Toes' 1967 debut We Are Ever So Clean as a 3CD deluxe edition comprising the original album, a
Cat's in the Cradle: Cherry Red Celebrates Harry Chapin on "Story Book: The Elektra Albums 1972-1978"
It's fair to say that when Harry Chapin's debut single "Taxi" peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100, the ballad didn't sound like much else on the chart. The top spot was held by Sammy Davis, Jr.'s bouncy ode to "The Candy Man" while the upper reaches also featured gospel-tinged R&B (The Staple Singers' "I'll Take You There"), pristine pop (Neil Diamond's "Song Sung Blue," Carpenters' "It's Going to Take Some Time"), driving funk (Billy Preston's "Outa-Space"), raunchy rock-and-roll
The Weekend Stream: April 30, 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 discover! This week's got live favorites from The Boss, a Record Store Day rarity, a '90s tribute album to some rock legends and much more. Bruce Springsteen, The Live Series: Songs of Location (Columbia/Legacy) (Apple Music / Amazon) The Thrill Hill Archives have occasionally made some themed Bruce Springsteen
One Step Ahead: Cherry Pop Reissues, Expands Debbie Gibson's "Anything Is Possible"
Cherry Pop has continued its series of reissues from Debbie Gibson's Atlantic catalogue with a deluxe 2-CD expanded edition of the singer's 1990 album Anything Is Possible. The original 16-song album has gained 17 bonus tracks in its most comprehensive presentation yet. The singer-songwriter burst onto the scene with 1987's Out of the Blue, yielding a number of worldwide hits including Billboard top 10 entries "Foolish Beat" (No. 1), "Only in My Dreams" (No. 4), "Out of the Blue" (No. 3),
Review: David Bowie, "Brilliant Adventure [1992-2001]"
Putting on the black tie, cranking out the white noise... David Bowie wasn't one to look back. But when he announced Black Tie White Noise, many fans collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Might the "old" David Bowie be returning? The 1993 album was his first in six years, following three albums (two studio and one live) with his hard rock band, Tin Machine. It also reunited him with Nile Rodgers, producer of his all-time best-selling album Let's Dance, and with Ziggy Stardust-era
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Joni Mitchell, "Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971)"
Last evening in Washington, DC, Joni Mitchell joined the 44th class of Kennedy Center Honorees alongside Bette Midler, Berry Gordy, Lorne Michaels, and Justino Diaz. The singer-songwriter who has blurred the lines of folk, pop, rock, and jazz was celebrated by friends and admirers including Brandi Carlile, Herbie Hancock, Ellie Goulding, Norah Jones, Brittany Howard, Dan Levy, and Cameron Crowe. President Joe Biden, also in attendance, had earlier summed up the thoughts of many when he
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Billy Joel, "The Vinyl Collection, Vol. 1"
By his own account, Billy Joel stumbled into the singing part of the singer-songwriter equation. He explained of his 1971 debut Cold Spring Harbor, "I wrote this album not as a singer-songwriter, but as a songwriter. I was thinking of other people doing the material on this album. But the advice I got from people in the music business was, 'Well, if you want people to hear your songs, make an album. And then you go out on the road and you do shows and you promote your album. I thought,
The Weekend Stream: November 6, 2021
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we've introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Hank Williams, Sings / Moanin' the
A Man For All Seasons: Cherry Red, Esoteric Reissue and Expand Al Stewart's "Time Passages"
1978's Time Passages concluded British singer-songwriter Al Stewart's trilogy of albums with producer-engineer Alan Parsons which began with 1975's Modern Times and continued with the following year's Year of the Cat. During this purple patch, Stewart earned his first hit singles in the United States, transitioning from folk troubadour at home to bona fide pop star abroad. And while Year of the Cat, the album, charted higher than Time Passages, the latter's title track was a bigger hit in the
Release Round-Up: Week of November 5
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Billy Joel, The Vinyl Collection Vol. 1 (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This 9LP slipcased box set collects Billy Joel's first six solo studio albums plus his first live album and a box set-exclusive pressing of Live at The Great American Music Hall - 1975, a previously unreleased concert recording on 2 LPs from the famed San Francisco venue. All of the albums have been sourced from the original master tapes and
Sweets for My Sweet: Cherry Red, SoulMusic Collect The Sweet Inspirations' Atlantic Recordings on "Let It Be Me"
In its 1960s heyday, Atlantic Records was the destination for deeply-felt soul. Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Solomon Burke, and Wilson Pickett were just a handful of the artists there who defined the sound of soul music. Lesser-known but no less significant were The Sweet Inspirations. Today, the vocal quartet might be best-remembered as Elvis Presley's preferred onstage backup group, but The King was just one of a staggering number of artists they supported - including the
Review: The Beach Boys, "Feel Flows: The Sunflower and Surf's Up Sessions 1969-1971"
Like a Companion for Your Lonely Soul Those placing the needle on The Beach Boys' Sunflower upon its release in 1970 might have been taken aback by the sheer drive of its opening track. The lusty "Slip on Through" - co-written, produced, and primarily sung by Dennis Wilson - rocked harder than just about anything else in the band's discography to that point. The song announced that Sunflower was not just The Beach Boys' first album on a new label but the beginning of a new chapter
Time Captives: Cherry Red, Esoteric Collect Complete Albums, More from Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come
I am the god of Hellfire and I bring you...Fire! With those words, Arthur Brown introduced "Fire," his unhinged single that shot to No. 1 in the U.K. and Canada and No. 2 in the U.S. in 1968. While "Fire" has endured, Brown's band The Crazy World of Arthur Brown didn't. The group dissolved in June 1969 after recording just two albums, one of which was shelved for two decades. Brown, the charismatic and outrageous frontman, moved on and formed a new band: Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come. Now,
You Know How to Love Me: A Closer Look at Phyllis Hyman's "Old Friend: The Deluxe Collection 1976-1998"
UPDATED AUGUST 2021: "Phyllis sat right in my class. I can still see the pigtails." In a 2016 interview with The Second Disc, Thom Bell shared his earliest memories of the late Phyllis Hyman (1949-1995). The songwriter-arranger-conductor-producer would cross paths numerous times over the years with his childhood friend: first via Phyllis' hit recordings of his "Betcha By Golly Wow" and "Loving You - Losing You," and later, his own productions and songs for her. "She was a lonely individual,"
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