When Donna Summer joined Geffen Records in 1980 after roughly five years on Casablanca, she brought along Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, the producers of her era-defining hits such as "I Feel Love," "Hot Stuff," and "Dim All the Lights." The trio was off to an auspicious start at Geffen with the release of The Wanderer, and planned to follow it up with an album entitled I'm a Rainbow. Yet weeks before a scheduled October 5, 1981 release date, David Geffen opted to shelve the album.
It's a Dead Man's Party: Rubellan Plans CD, Vinyl Reissues for Oingo Boingo
Halloween's coming a little early this year, thanks to Rubellan Remasters. The label is licensing expanded editions of the first four Oingo Boingo albums from Universal Music Group for release this September. The mind-bending ska/New Wave group from Los Angeles, formed from an experimental theater troupe that appeared on The Gong Show, was led by a charismatic frontman named Danny Elfman. Boingo's nervous energy, horn-infused rock and lyrics that thumbed the noses of polite society made for
In The Meantime: Real Gone's July Slate Includes Reissues of "The Endless Summer" Soundtrack and Spacehog's Debut
Our friends at Real Gone Music have another packed month in July. We've already told you about the Toomorrow soundtrack out on Second Disc Records and Real Gone and the reissue of Eugene McDaniels' Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse. Now we've got the details for two more vinyl reissues, both due on July 9: the soundtrack to the film The Endless Summer by The Sandals and Spacehog's 1995 debut album Resident Alien. The road to the soundtrack album of the 1966 film The Endless Summer is a most
(Re-)Enter Sandman: Metallica Expands "The Black Album" to Epic Proportions, Releases All-Star Charity Tribute Album
Metallica's self-titled 1991 album - otherwise known as The Black Album - turns 30 this year, and the band isn't about to let that milestone go unnoticed. The Black Album gave the band its first chart-topping album in ten countries, including the U.S. where it spent four weeks atop the Billboard 200. It also yielded a string of singles led by "Enter Sandman," a No. 16 hit on the Hot 100. To date, Metallica remains the biggest-selling album in the history of Nielsen's SoundScan, a testament to
Get In The Swing: Waxwork Preps Soundtrack to Sparks Documentary "The Sparks Brothers"
Director Edgar Wright's new film The Sparks Brothers (in theatres now) rewrites the book on music documentaries. The film about cult band Sparks - a.k.a. brothers Ron and Russell Mael, long more popular in Europe than in the U.S. - doesn't have much in the way of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. As for what it does have of "rock and roll," it's something altogether more outré, not to mention endlessly inventive. The Sparks Brothers sheds little light on Ron and Russell Mael's personal lives and
The Second Disc Guide to Record Store Day Drop 1 TOMORROW!
Once again, Record Store Day here in the U.S. looks a little - make that a lot - different this year. The usual offerings have been split among two dates in 2021 with Drop 1 taking place tomorrow, June 12, at your local independent record retailer. Drop 2 then takes place on July 17. Every retailer is handling the Drop a bit differently thanks to the necessary accommodations for social distancing, smaller crowds, and better safety precautions. So please check in with your favorite store to
Be Aware: Barbra Streisand Reopens the Vaults for "Release Me 2"
Somewhere in the world, someone is cold/Be aware/And while you're feeling young, someone is old/Be aware/And while your stomach's full, somewhere in this world, someone is hungry/When there is so much, should anyone be hungry? On Sunday, March 14, 1971, CBS-TV aired Singer Presents Burt Bacharach. The composer's variety special welcomed Tom Jones, Rudolf Nureyev, and Barbra Streisand. After Bacharach and Streisand performed an intimate, close-up rendition of "(They Long to Be) Close to
Walkin' on Air: Second Disc Records, Real Gone Music Reissue Olivia Newton-John's "Toomorrow" Soundtrack on Vinyl
Long before she was Sandy, the good girl of Rydell High, or Kira, the Olympian muse of the roller disco Xanadu, Olivia Newton-John was just plain Livvy, the girl singer with dreams of the big time in the 1970 sci-fi movie musical Toomorrow. On July 30, the film's cult classic soundtrack is returning to vinyl for the very first time from Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records. The little-known motion picture directed by Val Guest (Casino Royale, Up the Creek) was the brainchild of music
Long Promised Road: Beach Boys' "Feel Flows" Box Set for July Release
Unfolding enveloping missiles of soul/Recall senses sadly/Mirage like soft blue like lanterns below/To light the way gladly... The Beach Boys' spellbinding 1971 song "Feel Flows" may be the most famous obscure song in the band's catalogue. Cameron Crowe adopted it for the closing credits of his coming-of-age film Almost Famous (soon to receive a mega-expansion on CD and vinyl), and it's also featured on the soundtrack to the new Apple Music documentary 1971. The Mike Love-led Beach Boys are
Oh What a Night for Love: Mint Audio Continues Peter Skellern Anthology Series with "The Complete Island and Mercury Recordings"
When Mint Audio Records left Peter Skellern on The Complete Decca Recordings, the British singer-songwriter-pianist had completed his 1972-1975 tenure at Decca Records after three studio albums and one odds-and-ends collection. Now, Mint has continued the Skellern story with the release of a new 3-CD set, The Complete Island and Mercury Recordings, covering 1975-1982 via six full albums and a handful of bonus tracks. This beautiful anthology chronicles his path from singer-songwriter to
Ah! Sweet Mystery of Life: Stage Door Preps Second Volume of RCA's "Show Time" Series of Classic Musicals
By 1953, RCA Victor already boasted a considerable number of Broadway classics in its catalogue - from original cast recordings of Brigadoon and Paint Your Wagon to studio cast renditions of South Pacific and Finian's Rainbow. But the label was eager to build up its musical theatre repertoire and compete with the likes of Columbia and Decca. To that end, the Show Time series was launched - a collection of 16 EPs, each dedicated to four songs from a beloved musical or operetta. The EPs were
Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dancer: Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" Soundtrack Gets Mega-Expansion
Cameron Crowe, in association with Universal Music, has done the (near-) impossible. On July 9, the writer-director will revisit the soundtrack to his 2000 instant classic Almost Famous in greatly expanded, near-complete form, including five - yes, five! - Led Zeppelin songs plus tracks by other typically difficult-to-license artists including Simon and Garfunkel, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, and Stevie Wonder. That's not to mention new Rock and
Precious, Precious: Omnivore Unearths Rarities from Steve Goodman, Alex Chilton
Memphis' Beale Street is one of the most famous musical thoroughfares in America, known for the sounds of rhythm and blues, jazz, soul, and rock-and-roll that pulsate through its shops, restaurants, and bars. On the first weekend every May, The Beale Street Music Festival is staged, celebrating the city's diverse musical legacy. While COVID-19 sadly has kept the Festival once again from taking place, it's already set for 2022. And Omnivore Recordings has looked back on a special performance
Another Chance: Morello Collects Four Tammy Wynette Albums From The Early 1980s on New 2-CD Set
Since 2015, Cherry Red imprint Morello Records has been exploring the Epic catalog of country legend Tammy Wynette, releasing nine collections spanning 19 albums for the label. They have just released a new entry in the series, a 2-CD set featuring the albums Only Lonely Sometimes, Soft Touch, Good Love & Heartbreak and Even the Strong Get Lonely which saw Wynette enter the 1980s. The latter half of the 1970s were a turbulent time personally for Tammy Wynette. She divorced George Jones
The Spell: Jon Anderson's "Animation" Returns from Cherry Red, Esoteric
The early 1980s marked a time of constant change for Jon Anderson. He departed the band he co-founded in March after sessions with Roy Thomas Baker (Queen, Dusty Springfield) failed to click and tensions rose with his bandmates Chris Squire, Steve Howe, and Alan White. (Rick Wakeman left Yes at the same time.) He was finding more creative freedom when he joined the electronic music pioneer Vangelis as "Jon and Vangelis." Their debut Short Stories, released in January 1980, was a top five
Everybody Cut Loose: Sony's RSD Line-Up Features Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Prince, Miles Davis, Kenny Loggins, More
After last week's initial announcement, we'll be periodically continuing our look at the releases for the upcoming Record Store Day events on June 12 and July 17. Today, we're focusing on our friends at Legacy Recordings. The label has a robust slate for both Drops with many familiar faces including Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, Kenny Loggins, Prince, Miles Davis, and the legendary artists and musicians of Philadelphia International Records. Visit RecordStoreDay.com for a list of participating
Happiness Is: Craft Readies Baseball-Themed Reissue of "A Boy Named Charlie Brown" and RSD Tie-In Single
The 1964 Fantasy Records release of The Vince Guaraldi Trio's A Boy Named Charlie Brown has been regularly reissued around the world in what seems like every format imaginable: LP, CD, SACD, cassette, FLAC, and so on. The latest iteration of this classic album for kids of all ages hits stores July 16 from Craft Recordings, followed by a Record Store Day tie-in single the following day for RSD's second Drop. This version, unlike the 50th anniversary reissue which restored the original 1964
Wake Up You Sleepy Head: "Oh! You Pretty Things" Collects 66 Glam Rock Nuggets
Oh! You Pretty Things: David Bowie's 1971 song became an anthem for the glam era: "Don't you know you're driving your mothers and fathers insane? Let me make it plain, you gotta make way for the homo superior..." Bowie's alien persona - androgynous, dangerous, sexy, and flamboyant - connected with youth and caused a stir among their parents. The song's title has now been adopted by a new 3-CD box set from Cherry Red's Grapefruit imprint. Alas, "Oh! You Pretty Things" doesn't appear anywhere
Feelin' Groovy: Cherry Red, El Collect Harpers Bizarre's "Complete Warner Bros. Recordings"
When Harpers Bizarre made their debut on Warner Bros. Records in spring 1967, they joined an eclectic roster of pop stars (Petula Clark, The Association), folksingers (Chad Mitchell, Peter Paul and Mary), comedy titans (Bob Newhart, Allan Sherman), MOR artists (The Anita Kerr Singers, Rod McKuen), and one forward-thinking psychedelic rock band (Grateful Dead). The group defied easy categorization, and over the course of four albums merged pop, MOR, rock, and even dashes of folk and comic whimsy
Saturday Night Special: Lynyrd Skynyrd Announces "Live At Knebworth '76" on Blu-ray, DVD, CD, and Vinyl
Turn it up! It's not just the opening salvo to Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama," it's also what you'll want to do when you hear the band's new archival release, Live At Knebworth. Arriving on April 9 from Eagle Rock in CD/Blu-ray, CD/DVD, and 2LP/DVD configurations, Live At Knebworth '76 presents Lynyrd Skynyrd's landmark performance at the 1976 festival, fully restored for the first time. The concert film and album document Skynyrd's classic lineup as they rose to international
The Weekend Stream: March 13, 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're introducing a new Saturday feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Watch this: not a whole
Release Round-Up: Week of March 5
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Neil Young, Archives Vol. 2: 1973-1976 (Reprise) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Neil Young's second Archives box set arrives in a wide commercial release, dropping the oversized packaging and expansive book in favor of a slimmer package. The 10-CD box is sequenced chronologically to spotlight the astonishingly prolific period lovingly referred to as the Ditch Years. The box contains 131 tracks from Neil's personal archive. Of
'Ninja Turtles' Sequel Score Oozes to Life from Waxwork
After doing a bodacious job with its predecessor, Waxwork Records will debut John Du Prez's butt-kicking score to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. Released in 1991, a year after the first film became a surprise blockbuster, Turtles II featured the comic book superheroes learning more about the mutagen that resulted in their creation...and have to contend with their old foe Shredder, who obtains some of the ooze to create a pair of fearsome henchmen. While Turtlemania
I'll Be On Your Side: Neil Young Sets Release For Early Live Show "Young Shakespeare" on CD, DVD and Vinyl
Today, Neil Young and Reprise Records announced another exciting treasure from the vault, continuing Neil's ongoing excursions through his past. On March 26, he'll release Young Shakespeare, a long-awaited live album and movie that documents the earliest known filmed live concert footage of Neil Young, in an array of formats. The previously unreleased, solo acoustic show was filmed in Stratford, Connecticut in 1971, as Young was preparing his commercial breakthrough, Harvest, and just two
Release Round-Up: Week of February 5
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Dusty Springfield, The Complete Atlantic Singles 1969-1971 (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Complete Atlantic Singles 1968-1971brings together Dusty Springfield's 24 U.S. single sides released during her tenure at Atlantic. These tracks have been remastered from the original mono tapes by Mike Milchner at Sonic Vision, and all but the eight sides pulled from Dusty in Memphis have never before appeared on CD in
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