There'll be joy and there'll be laughter/Something big is what I'm after now... As frontman, songwriter and saxophonist of Paul Revere and the Raiders, Mark Lindsay had experienced his fair share of joy and laughter, but as 1969 rolled around, the band behind such garage-pop anthems as "Kicks," "Just like Me" and "Hungry" was beginning to fracture. Jack Gold, head of A&R at Columbia Records, however, saw something big in Mark Lindsay's future. According to the singer, Gold had stumbled on
The Knack (And How to Get It): Omnivore Offers Knack EP, Rare Buck Owens Coloring Book For Record Store Day
We’re less than two months away from Record Store Day, and with that means the promise of major limited edition releases from many of the labels you read about each day here at The Second Disc. Los Angeles’ Omnivore Recordings, one of our favorite new labels of 2011, is leading the pack with its announcement of two unique titles to be made available on April 21 for Record Store Day. The more unusual of the two is, believe it or not, a coloring book! Yes, Omnivore is offering a 2,500-copy
Colourbox, in a Box
In honor of their 30th anniversary this year, 4AD and Beggar's Archive will release a four-disc box set compiling the work of British electronic music pioneers Colourbox. Formed by brothers Steven and Martyn Young (the latter of whom compiled this set), Colourbox stood apart, sonically, from fellow labelmates This Mortal Coil and Dead Can Dance, relying on a wide palette featuring reggae rhythms and sample-heavy riffs. Not much has been heard from the group since their 1987 split, which
Reissue Theory: Van Halen, "The Best of 1978-1984"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. As Van Halen prepares to take Second Disc HQ by storm, we reflect on a compilation that almost was, and how it could've been done, TSD-style... Van Halen are mere hours away from their second show at Madison Square Garden in New York City, part of their latest tour in support of their first album in 13 years (and first with lead vocalist David Lee Roth since 1984), A
Come Rain or Shine: Legendary Diana Ross Concert Debuts on DVD
Time and taste have been kind to Diana Ross, recent recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award. From the moment The Supremes broke into the national consciousness, it was clear there was something special about that pretty lead singer with the unmistakable voice. And believe it or not, nothing can stop her - not even the elements, as a classic 1983 live event, bowing on DVD this spring from Shout! Factory, is quick to prove. On July 21, 1983, Miss Ross - at the time, two years into a
Flyin' the Flannel, Again: Reunited fIREHOSE to Reissue Two Albums
California alt-rock legends fIREHOSE are reuniting for a tour this spring, and to celebrate, Legacy is releasing their last two albums on one set with rare and unreleased bonus tracks. fIREHOSE was the musical progression for bassist/singer Mike Watt and drummer George Hurley of The Minutemen, after that band's guitarist and longtime friend, D. Boon, was killed in a car accident in 1986. Watt and Hurley were all but ready to cease playing altogether, but were convinced otherwise by an unlikely
Wes Montgomery's Lost Recordings Discovered On "Indiana Avenue"
Though Wes Montgomery died in 1968 aged just 45, the Indiana-born jazz guitarist made such an impression that his body of work has influenced an entire generation of guitar players, from George Benson to Pat Metheny, Jimi Hendrix and everyone in between. In a period of roughly ten years, Montgomery had three distinct periods at different labels: Riverside (1959-1964), Verve (1964-1966) and A&M (1967-1968), the latter two under the aegis of producer Creed Taylor. Maverick producer Taylor
Take a Bow: Warner U.K. Preps Madonna Albums Box, Vinyl Reissues
As the calendar turns over into March, Madonna fans are predictably going into overdrive thanks to the release of MDNA, her latest studio album, on the 26th. It's going to be her first effort not distributed by Warner Bros.; she left the label to sign an all-encompassing deal with Live Nation in 2007, and while Warner distributed her live Sticky & Sweet Tour set in 2010, Universal's Interscope Records will distribute MDNA. Her rich back catalogue is very much in Warner Music's archives,
Un homme et une Femme: Classic Francis Lai Score Reissued, Plus Billy May, Maurice Chevalier and More
Johnny Mathis, Robert Goulet and Engelbert Humperdinck sang it. Ella Fitzgerald sang it. Claudine Longet even sang it in its original French! The song was “A Man and a Woman,” or “Un Homme et une Femme,” from the 1966 film of the same name. The Francis Lai composition was a favorite of pop singers and jazz musicians alike, and was quite ubiquitous; as Kritzerland’s Bruce Kimmel asks, “Is there a person anywhere in the world who was around in the 1960s and 1970s who could not instantly
In Memoriam: Hey, Hey, It's Davy Jones!
UPDATE 2/29/12: Today at The Second Disc, we join music fans all over the world in mourning the loss of Davy Jones, who died this morning at the age of 66. The worlds of music, stage and screen all lost an icon with the passing of the actor, singer, comedian and beloved Monkee. Davy brought a little of the British Invasion to the California band, as well as lot of talent, sweetness, heart and chutzpah. New York DJ Cousin Brucie Morrow took the airwaves on Sirius/XM satellite radio early
Good Lovin': Felix Cavaliere Teams with Todd Rundgren, Laura Nyro, Leslie West, Dino Danelli On Bearsville Reissue
The union of singer/songwriter Felix Cavaliere and producer Todd Rundgren might have seemed like a marriage made in heaven, with Cavaliere having specialized in blue-eyed soul with The Rascals, and the wunderkind Rundgren no slouch in that field, either. But in fact, it was more like a shotgun wedding. You can hear for yourself, as Cavaliere’s Rundgren-produced, self-titled 1974 album for Bearsville Records has just been coupled with its follow-up, Destiny (1975) on a stellar new two-for-one
The Road to Utopia: M. Frog and Roger Powell of Rundgren's Classic Band, Reissued
Bearsville is back! Even as Edsel Records has been tackling Todd Rundgren's catalogue, both solo and with Utopia, the enterprising label hasn’t stopped there. This month has brought two releases related to the Rundgren mystique but still capable of standing on their own considerable merits. Roger Powell may be the most well-known of Utopia’s keyboard/synthesizer players, but he was actually preceded in the band by Jean Yves “M. Frog” Labat. Both Labat and Powell recorded solo albums at
Pantera's Second Album Gets More "Vulgar" in May
As previously reported, Pantera's blistering Vulgar Display of Power is getting the deluxe treatment from Rhino for its 20th anniversary. From the iconic album cover image of a face in mid-punch, it was clear that Pantera's second album for ATCO Records was going to be something different. With tracks like "Mouth for War," "Walk" and "F---ing Hostile," the last of which was famously used as theme and background music on MTV's Headbangers Ball, Vulgar Display is rightfully known as a classic of
Review: Pink Floyd, "The Wall: Immersion Box Set"
By the way, which one’s Pink? A record executive poses that wry musical question of Pink Floyd in “Have a Cigar,” a brief, humorous respite on the band’s elegiac 1975 album Wish You Were Here. The ever-ambitious group would actually answer that wry question with The Wall, 1979’s sprawling double album. The psychedelic Dark Side of the Moon and reflective Wish You Were Here both invited listeners to create their own stories in service of the albums’ impressionistic concepts, largely dealing
Intrada Spotlights "Undiscovered" Scores
Intrada's two newest archival soundtrack releases take listeners from the deepest reaches of Arthurian legend to space (the final frontier). First up, it's an unlimited, expanded pressing of Cliff Eidelman's score to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. The sixth Trek film has several notable "lasts" to its credit: the last to feature the original series' cast its entirety (1995's Generations and the 2009 series reboot featured several of the major players), the second and last film in the
Release Round-Up: Week of February 28
Pink Floyd, The Wall: Experience and Immersion Editions (Capitol/EMI) The latest Pink Floyd box, featuring live tracks and demos from the vault will make you lose your marbles! (Editor's note: I am so sorry for typing that.) The Ventures, The Ventures Play Telstar and The Lonely Bull / "Surfing" / (The) Ventures in Space / The Fabulous Ventures / Walk, Don't Run Vol. 2 (Sundazed) Five classic Ventures albums, remastered in stereo on CD and vinyl. Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, Live at
Hip-o Select Spotlights The Funk Brothers on "That Motown Sound"
Sure, now The Funk Brothers, Motown Records' legendary in-house band, are notable names to pop and soul aficionados, thanks in large part to 2002's Standing in the Shadows of Motown documentary and its Grammy-winning soundtrack. But for nearly the entire golden age of the Detroit label, the group was kept away from the spotlight. Hip-o Select's newest title collects, for the first time on CD, the sole exception to that rule. In 1965, Motown quietly released That Motown Sound, an album credited
Review: Carole King, "The Carole King Collection: Simple Things, Welcome Home, Touch the Sky, and Pearls"
Carole King was ready for a fresh start in 1977. She had recently split from manager/producer Lou Adler’s Ode Records, the label with which she had signed back in 1968 as the lead singer of The City. It was, of course, at Ode where King triumphed with Tapestry, and over the years introduced a parade of memorable songs like “It’s Too Late,” “So Far Away,” You’ve Got a Friend,” “Sweet Seasons,” “Been to Canaan” and “Jazzman.” Yet the four albums recorded by King at Capitol between 1977 and 1980
Eat It: Humble Pie Reissues Coming Soon From Lemon
There's plenty of buzz over here about Universal U.K.'s upcoming Small Faces remasters, but another project of Small Faces frontman Steve Marriott is also getting some reissue love. Marriott left the Small Faces in late 1968 to join Peter Frampton, Greg Ridley and Jerry Shirley in Humble Pie, free of the pop expectations of his former band. Signed to Andrew Loog Oldham's Immediate label, also home to the Small Faces, Humble Pie launched its career with 1969's As Safe as Yesterday Is. For its
Weekend Wround-Up - The Diva Edition: Midler, Streisand Releases Coming Soon
Welcome to today’s Weekend Wround-Up: The Diva Edition! Nobody – no, nobody! – is going to rain on Barbra Streisand’s parade. Columbia Records, the singer’s home since 1963, has announced that Streisand will remain with the label that guided her to stardom. Speculation had arisen some months back that the singer might decamp for a new artistic residence, but those rumors have now officially been set to rest. "From the day [legendary Columbia President] Goddard Lieberson signed me almost 50
Review: Tony Bennett, "Isn't It Romantic?"
Isn’t it romantic? The titular phrase from a song by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart could apply to much of Tony Bennett’s musical career, now in roughly its 65th year. It’s also the title of a new compilation aimed at the casual Bennett fan from Concord Music Group. Isn’t It Romantic? (CRE-33463-02) repackages 15 prime cuts from the singer’s work at his own short-lived Improv label, with a smattering of tracks from a Fantasy Records LP thrown in for good measure. Though Bennett’s artistic
Talk Talk to Be Reissued on CD and Vinyl
If you've found yourself wanting to hip yourself to British rockers Talk Talk, EMI is giving you a chance to do so this spring, when they will release straight reissues of most of the band's output. Known primarily as a trio consisting of singer Mark Hollis, bassist Paul Webb and drummer Lee Harris (though featuring keyboardist Simon Brenner from 1981 to 1983 and unofficial fourth member/keyboardist/producer/songwriter Tim Friese-Greene afterward), Talk Talk started as a band in the New
From Motown to the Bay Area! The Apollas' "Absolutely Right!" and Eddie Holland's "It Moves Me: The Complete Recordings 1958-1964" Available Now
Are you thinking you should take a chance on Ace Records’ supremely soulful duo of releases from The Apollas and Eddie Holland? If so…you’re absolutely right! For The Apollas’ Absolutely Right: The Complete Tiger, Loma and Warner Bros. Recordings (Kent CDKEND 365, 2012) and Holland’s It Moves Me: The Complete Recordings 1958-1964 (Ace CDTOP2 1331, 2012) both belong on the shelf of any serious fan of classic soul and R&B. If you haven’t heard of The Apollas, you’re forgiven. This Bay Area
Hooked
As the above image shows, it's finally true: La-La Land Records is releasing an expanded edition of John Williams' stirring score to Steven Spielberg's 1991 adventure film Hook, a modern updating of the Peter Pan mythology, on March 27. In my excitement last night, I sent an e-mail to the LLL staff thanking them for putting this release together; Joe rather brilliantly suggested that the letter would find a good audience among our dear readers, who no doubt know the feeling of excitement when
Double-O Vision: Burt Bacharach's "Casino Royale" Expanded and Remastered...Again!
Seven James Bonds at Casino Royale/They came to save the world and win the gal at Casino Royale! Six of them went to a heavenly spot, the seventh one is going to a place where it’s terribly hot… Hal David’s lyric captures just a small fraction of the insanity of Charles K. Feldman’s 1967 Casino Royale, the big-budget comic extravaganza that was “too much…for one James Bond!” And so, David Niven as James Bond was joined by 007s of all shapes and sizes (and genders!), and even by his nephew,
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