While the 1980s have become synonymous with pop/rock music that allegedly valued image, craft and style above the emotional rush of the music itself, one of the decade's most popular entertainers had an image as rough-hewn and rugged as they could come: John Mellencamp. The Indiana-bred musician earned his keep making tuneful rock steeped in the traditions of the genre as well as the vision of the average, working-class middle American. And with a list of hits that includes "Jack and Diane,"
Cherry Red, RPM Are "Looking Good" On New Girl Group Box
What is “femme mod soul,” you might ask? Cherry Red’s RPM imprint has the answer with a new 3-CD box set, Looking Good: 75 Femme Mod Soul Nuggets. This set aims to chronicle the girl group sound “from and for the underground.” As Lois Wilson points out in an introductory essay, the box doesn’t paint a full picture of the girl group era. Not only have there been countless compilations on the theme, but Rhino’s four-CD box set One Kiss Can Lead to Another: Girl Group Sounds Lost and Found
"Taxi" Driver Bob James' Funky Fusion Celebrated On New 2-CD Anthology
Every day, somewhere in the world, someone is watching Taxi – and hearing the catchy yet wistful theme song composed by Bob James. The television comedy, created by Mary Tyler Moore Show alumni James L. Brooks, Stan Daniels, David Davis and Ed. Weinberger, ran from 1978 to 1983 and netted eighteen Emmy Awards. But the original music of Taxi is just one of the many credits of jazz great Bob James. His spellbinding ouevre has just been compiled by the Decision Records label in association with
Lose Yourself to Dance: Daft Punk's New Album Reissued as Mega Box Set
French dance duo Daft Punk is up all night to get lucky (and to reward deep-pocketed fans) with a lush deluxe box set version of their brilliant newest album, 2013's Random Access Memories. Though Random Access Memories doesn't entirely fit the catalogue description that usually guides discussion here at The Second Disc, you might not know that when you hear it. Guy Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, known for their quirky, catchy dance tracks and identity-clouding robot costumes,
Say It Loud, Say It Clear: New Mike + The Mechanics Compilation Stacks Hits and Rarities (UPDATED 10/24)
UPDATE (10/24/2013): This set has been pushed back to January 20, 2014 (and duly retitled) to better coincide with some more Mike + The Mechanics events in the coming year, including a U.K. tour in the winter of 2014, a forthcoming memoir from Rutherford and a planned reissue of The Living Years for its 25th anniversary. Original post (9/12/2013):Although Phil Collins was the one member of Genesis it was impossible to escape during the '80s, thanks to an increasingly popular solo career and
Sweet Blues: Guitar Legend Mike Bloomfield Celebrated On New Box, Bob Dylan Tracks Debut on Set
The time was 1965, the place was Columbia Records' studios on Seventh Avenue in New York City between 52nd and 53rd Streets, the occasion was the recording of Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited. Al Kooper - he of the famed organ riff that propelled "Like a Rolling Stone" - recalled, "Suddenly Dylan exploded through the doorway with this bizarre-looking guy carrying a Fender Telecaster guitar without a case. It was weird, because it was storming outside and the guitar was all wet from the rain. But
All These Things: "Classified," From New Orleans Piano Great James Booker, Is Remixed, Remastered and Expanded
When it comes to New Orleans, there’s something about a piano. The Louisiana city has been home to some of the most famous players of that 88-keyed instrument: think Allen Toussaint, Dr. John, Jelly Roll Morton, Professor Longhair, Harry Connick, Jr. or Fats Domino. But ask Dr. John or Connick to single out one N’awlins piano influence, and either might be likely to name one James Booker. The good Doctor – a.k.a. Mac Rebennack – described Booker as “the best black, gay, one-eyed junkie piano
Virgin Records Celebrates "40 Years of Disruptions" with New Compilation, Picture Discs
Virgin Records, one of England's most iconic labels, turns 40 this year - and they're celebrating with a new compilation full of hits from their storied existence. The Virgin label was largely the brainchild of one young businessman named Richard Branson. The London-born Branson began his career selling records by mail order and later opening a shop on Oxford Street. The Virgin label was blessed with early success thanks to a willingness to sign acts that major U.K. labels were keen to dismiss.
Personality Crisis: "Lipstick, Powder and Paint" Reveals New York Dolls' Inspirations
“While I was layin’ in a hospital bed/A rock ‘n’ roll nurse went to my head/She says, ‘Hold out your arm, stick out yo’ tongue/I got some pills, boy, I’m ‘a give you one!” It was no surprise that The New York Dolls – crown princes of debauchery, seventies-style – would include a cover of Bo Diddley’s oddly jaunty 1961 single “Pills” on their 1973 debut album. While The Dolls – lead vocalist David Johansen, rhythm guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, bassist Arthur “Killer” Kane, lead guitarist Johnny
The Discs (Are Out Tonight): Bowie's Newest LP Expanded to Three-Disc Set
Of all the comeback stories in 2013, perhaps none may have been more intriguing than the master of comebacks, David Bowie. The legendary rocker kicked off his 66th year with a surprise announcement: his first album of new material in a decade. Recorded in secret over a two-year period with producer Tony Visconti, The Next Day was met with critical acclaim - our own Joe Marchese called it "an angry, electric exploration of where he is now, where he was then, and where he will likely be...not a
It's a New Reissue, Charlie Brown! Classic Christmas LP Expanded Again (and Reissued Again!)
UPDATE (9/27/2013): If you missed this remaster of A Charlie Brown Christmas (which we later reviewed) last year, fear not: it's being released again - same disc, same master - with special "Snoopy Doghouse" packaging on October 22, 2013. That version can be bought by clicking the image above. ORIGINAL POST (8/23/2012): Around Second Disc HQ, it's hardly a Christmas season without good friends and family, beautiful decorations, and classic holiday music. For this holiday, a new CD edition of
RPM Rescues "The Sixties Sounds of Tim Andrews" On New Anthology
Will the real Chris Andrews please stand up? Well, that’s easier said than done. Singer/songwriter Chris Andrews is known for penning hits such as Sandie Shaw’s “Girl Don’t Come” and “Long Live Love,” but there’s another Chris Andrews who rose to prominence during the same era – and also did so in Swingin’ London. This man of the same name recorded with The Gremlins and The Fleur de Lys, and sang the lead on the 1967 hit U.K. single “Reflections of Charles Brown,” issued under the name of
Everything is (More Than) Everything: Unreleased Donny Hathaway Works Compiled on New Box Set (UPDATED 9/26)
UPDATE (9/26/2013): After initially posting this was to be released in France, we were pleased to receive confirmation that this box, in fact, will be released stateside as well! We have amended the release date and pre-order links accordingly. AMENDED POST (9/23/2013): Several years after a great career-spanning box set from France, Rhino is releasing another new box by the late soul legend Donny Hathaway, with two discs of unreleased studio and live content. Never My Love: The Anthology
American Tunes: Legacy Announces Complete Paul Simon Box, New Single-CD Anthology [UPDATED 9/24]
UPDATED 9/24/13 [UPDATES IN BOLD TO ORIGINAL POST OF 8/19]: And here’s to you, Mr. Simon. There isn’t much that Paul Simon hasn’t accomplished in his 50+ years as a professional musician, singer, and songwriter. Born in Newark, New Jersey and raised in Queens, New York, Simon has racked up 12 Grammy Awards, an Emmy, a Kennedy Center Honor, the first-ever Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, and Academy Award, Golden Globe and Tony nominations. That’s not to mention being one-half of the most
TLC Celebrate 20 Years with New Compilation
More than two decades after their breakout success, and in advance of a new TV movie about the short-lived but incredibly popular group, Epic Records will release a new compilation of hits by R&B trio TLC. Of course, 20 is kind of a misnomer on several counts: the group's first album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip, was released in 1992. And the set only includes 14 tracks, including the group's new single "Meant for Me." But it's as good a time as any to remember the successes enjoyed by
Stamp of Genius: New Ray Charles Compilation Coming to the Post Office (and Beyond)
Tomorrow sees the release of a new compilation of tunes by the late, great Ray Charles, to commemorate his latest posthumous achievement: a stamp from the United States Postal Service.Ray Charles Forever is far from your typical hits-packed compilation; the biggest "hits" of note are Charles' takes on "America the Beautiful" and Leon Russell's "A Song for You," for which Ray won a Grammy for Best R&B Male Vocal Performance in 1993. The songs on display run the gamut of his entire discography
Slaves to the Rhythm: ZTT Celebrates 30 Years with New Two-Disc Compilation (UPDATED 9/17)
To mark their three wild, wonderful decades on the bleeding edge of U.K. pop and rock, ZTT Records will release a new two-disc compilation in October. The Organization of Pop: Music from the First Thirty Years of ZTT Records collects 28 tracks that run the gamut of ZTT's influence, from Frankie Goes to Hollywood to Propaganda, 808 State to The Buggles, Grace Jones to Seal, The Art of Noise to The Frames. The huge hits - Seal's "Kiss from a Rose," Frankie's "Relax," The Art of Noise's "Moments
Lamb of God's "Palaces" Burn Brighter with New Anniversary Edition
If you're a fan of metal band Lamb of God, here's some good news about them that doesn't involve the legal system: their third album, As the Palaces Burn, is getting the deluxe treatment for its 10th anniversary this November. The Richmond, Virginia-based, thrash/groove metal-inspired quintet recorded two albums in 1999 and 2000 (the first under the name Burn the Priest) before engaging with audiences on the road for two years. At the end of their tour, they harnessed that burgeoning live
Special Review: Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb Conjure Old Ghosts On Two New Releases
Since 1967, it’s been difficult to think of Glen Campbell without thinking of Jimmy Webb – and vice versa. When the ace session guitarist interpreted the young songwriter’s “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” on the album of the same name, the result wasn’t just a Grammy-winning hit single, but the beginning of a partnership that’s survived through six decades. Campbell scored successes with a string of Webb’s songs in the late 1960s (“Wichita Lineman,” “Galveston,” “Where’s the Playground, Susie”),
Kritzerland Requests The Pleasure of Your Company For Classic Newman Score
Film legend Alfred Newman – that’s “Brother” to Lionel and Emil Newman, “Uncle Al” to Randy Newman, and “Dad” to Thomas and David Newman! – has long had a home at the Kritzerland label. 2013 alone has seen Kritzerland release Newman’s scores to Leave Her to Heaven (paired with his Take Care of My Little Girl) and How Green Was My Valley, and now, those titles are being followed up by another CD premiere release which is now available for pre-order. Director George Seaton’s The Pleasure of His
Out of the Shadow(s): Morton's Story Features Shangri-Las, Vanilla Fudge, New York Dolls
A scrappy street fighter with a knack for teenage melodrama, George “Shadow” Morton lived with a “self-invented mythology,” in the words of Jerry Leiber. But his work with The Shangri-Las, Janis Ian, The New York Dolls and many more solidified Morton’s place as a real-life “leader of the pack.” Ace’s new anthology Sophisticated Boom Boom: The Shadow Morton Story (CDTOP 1369) brings the songwriter and producer out of the shadow and into the (spot)light. In a 1968 Time Magazine blurb:, Morton
Buck 'Em! Omnivore Rides High With New Owens Anthology
Omnivore Recordings is saying, “Buck, yeah!” to the legacy of the late Mr. Owens. Though the Bakersfield, California country-and-western legend died in 2006, his autobiography will arrive on November 5 from Backbeat Books and Hal Leonard Books. Colorfully entitled Buck ‘Em!, it’s co-written with Randy Poe, author of Skydog: The Duane Allman Story. And Omnivore is at the ready with the perfect soundtrack. Buck ‘Em! The Music of Buck Owens (1955-1967) hits stores the very same day as the book,
Hot Stuff: Donna Summer's Legacy Celebrated with New Remix Album
The sudden passing of Donna Summer in 2012 had fans old and new flocking to her music to hear some of the finest disco music imaginable. This fall, Verve Records will bring that legacy into a new era with Love to Love You Donna, a set featuring new remixes of her most enduring tracks. Happily, Love to Love You Donna features more than its share of enduring remixers to give Summer's hits the respect they deserve. Electronic funk duo Chromeo tackles her 1982 hit "Love is in Control (Finger on
"The Bells Ring," Again: New Wave Outfit Swimming Pool Q's Reissue A&M Works on Deluxe Compilation
Here's a surprising treat from earlier in the summer: New Wave outfit The Swimming Pool Q's recently re-released their two albums for A&M Records with a host of bonus content. The Atlanta-based quintet - anchored by multi-instrumentalist Jeff Calder and guitarist Bob Elsey (the band's principal songwriters) and singer/keyboardist Anne Richmond Boston - enjoyed local success on the DB Records label (alongside acts like Pylon and Love Tractor) before making the jump to the majors with their
Mario Lanza Is "The Toast of Hollywood" On New Set From TCM, Sony
In the 1950 film of the same name, Mario Lanza was anointed The Toast of New Orleans. According to the fine folks at Turner Classic Movies and Sony Masterworks, however, the Pennsylvania-born, Italian-American tenor is also The Toast of Hollywood. TCM and Masterworks are following up their 2012 release of Doris Day’s With a Smile and a Song with a new, similarly-designed 2-CD set dedicated to the late Hollywood singing star Lanza. The rich-voiced singer may have perished in 1959 at just 38
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