For Meat Loaf, going all the way was just a start. The larger-than-life superstar brought passion and power to everything he recorded, fiercely commanding epic songs that would have easily devoured lesser performers. Earlier this morning, it was reported that Meat Loaf passed away at the age of 74. Born Marvin Lee Aday in Texas in 1947, Meat Loaf would be in his teens before he would come to be known as his famous stage name. Though he gave several accounts over the years as to how he came
Release Round-Up: Week of January 21
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! John Williams and The Boston Pops, The Complete Philips Recordings (Decca) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Decca will celebrate John Williams' 90th by turning the clock back to 1980 when the famed composer-conductor took the baton from the legendary Arthur Fiedler to lead The Boston Pops Orchestra into a new era. John Williams and The Boston Pops: The Complete Philips Recordings boasts 21 CDs and 22 albums originally released on
The Sound of Liberation Hall: Label Announces Slate Through April Featuring Flamin' Groovies, The Troggs, Tony Hazzard, Kim Fowley, More
Since its formation in late 2020, the Liberation Hall label has delivered a wide variety of releases ranging from a Dr. Demento-curated collection of novelties to a campaign from the vaults of San Francisco indie label 415 Records. Now, the label has announced a bounty of upcoming releases scheduled between now and April. The eclectic slate encompasses reggae (Peter Tosh), blues (Chicago Blues Reunion), psychedelic and garage rock (The Moving Sidewalks, The Flamin' Groovies, Kim Fowley, The
Heartaches By The Number: Morello Reissues Four 1960s Waylon Jennings Albums on Two CDs
When Waylon Jennings passed away in 2002, he was rightfully hailed as one of country music's first true "Outlaws" alongside such artists and fellow Highwaymen as Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson. But Jennings paid his dues on the Nashville scene before "crossing over" to superstardom with such landmark records as Dreaming My Dreams (1975), Are You Ready for the Country (1976), Ol' Waylon (1977), and I've Always Been Crazy (1978). Cherry Red's country-focused Morello label has
Ballad of the Garment Trade: Stage Door Expands Streisand Debut "I Can Get It For You Wholesale"
Today, Harold Rome and Jerome Weidman's 1962 Broadway musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale is best-remembered as the debut of Barbra Streisand. The then-teenaged star portrayed secretary Yetta Tessye Marmelstein, best known as "Miss Marmelstein," and stopped the show nightly with the song of that name. "The evening's find is Barbra Streisand," wrote Howard Taubman in The New York Times, "a girl with an oafish expression, a loud, irascible voice, and an arpeggiated laugh. Miss Streisand is a
The Weekend Stream: January 15, 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 features early works by John Denver, TV works by Jan Hammer and Giorgio Moroder, live stuff from Tegan and Sara and a real throwback of a compilation album. Denver, Boise & Johnson / The Mitchell Trio, Leaving on a Jet Plane: John Denver (Warner Records) (Amazon / Spotify) John Denver's career
Release Round-Up: Week of January 14
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Costello and The Imposters, The Boy Named If (Capitol/EMI) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Elvis Costello and The Imposters are back with a new, rip-roaring rock album. The band previewed many of the songs on The Boy Named If during its last concert tour; if those tunes (including lead single "Magnificent Hurt") are any indication, this set returns Costello to his spiky roots. Available on CD, LP, cassette, digital platforms,
In Memoriam: Ronnie Spector (1943-2022)
Whoa-oh, a-whoa-oh-oh-oh! Of all the great examples of rock and roll onomatopoeia, perhaps none was as sweet, alluring, and powerful as the cry with which Ronnie Spector opened "Baby, I Love You." The second single by The Ronettes on Philles Records - the first was the epochal "Be My Baby" - "Baby, I Love You" exuded youthful romance: uninhibited, unequivocal, and positively steamy! Fronting the trio she had formed with her sister Estelle Bennett and cousin Nedra Talley, Ronnie Spector
Soundtrack Watch: Varese, La-La Land, Intrada Kick Off 2022 with Killer Scores
The year has barely started, yet three beloved soundtrack reissue labels are bringing the heat to 2022's score reissue slate. Between a horror-packed box set from Varese Sarabande and a trio of expanded releases by James Horner, there's much cause for celebration. That is, if Varese doesn't kill you first! The label continues 25 years of superb scares with a new box set of soundtracks devoted to the horror franchise Scream. This zingy, gory picture, written by Kevin Williamson and directed
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
The Weekend Stream: January 8, 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! Our first release weekend of 2022 features heavy hitters, from legends of pop, rock, jazz and...space disco? David Bowie, Shadow Man (Parlophone) (Amazon / Spotify) David Bowie would have turned 75 today, and fans are celebrating over the new release Toy:Box, an official and expanded version of his "lost" 2001
My Cup Runneth Over: Kritzerland Reissues More from Ben Bagley, "I Do! I Do!" Cast Album, and "Alfred the Great" Soundtrack
Kritzerland has announced its first slate of releases for 2022. Leading off the trio is the latest volume in the label's long-running reissue series from Ben Bagley's Painted Smiles Records. Harold Arlen and Vernon Duke Revisited Vol. 2, first released in 1980 and expanded in 1991, celebrated the two composers' oeuvres with a typically eclectic Bagley cast including jazz singer Blossom Dearie; stage and screen stars Sandy Duncan, Helen Gallagher, Dolores Gray, and Tammy Grimes; and
Sweet Seasons: Third Man Premieres Carole King's 1973 Central Park Concert as Part of Vault Series
Third Man Records, Sony Music, and Ode Records are proving that it's never too late, baby, with the audio and video premiere release of Carole King - Home Again, a live concert recorded in Central Park on May 26, 1973. Home Again will be exclusively released on 2-LP vinyl and DVD as part of Third Man's ongoing Vault Series (#51 in the series). Sign-up to subscribe to the Vault Series and receive this title is open through January 31 at Midnight (Central Time). King took the stage of Central
Until the End: Omnivore Reissues, Expands The Left Banke's Final Album, "Strangers on a Train"
The Left Banke burst onto the scene in 1966 with the exquisite single "Walk Away Renee." A No. 5 Pop hit, it was subsequently covered by the likes of The Four Tops, Linda Ronstadt, Eric Carmen, and Frankie Valli while remaining an oldies radio staple. Though the band only notched one more top 20 hit, the delicate "Pretty Ballerina," their two original albums on the Smash label established The Left Banke as progenitors of the baroque pop sound. Primary songwriter/keyboardist Michael Brown left
Review: The Band, "Cahoots: 50th Anniversary Edition"
From the first seconds of the opening "Life Is a Carnival," it was clear that Cahoots was no ordinary album by The Band. The quintet's first three albums had established them as major proponents of the rootsy genre that would later be called "Americana." But now, the sound blasting from the speakers was one of sheer funk: simultaneously dark and joyful, aggressive yet inviting. In what might have been considered a heretical move by some, the group was bolstered by three saxophones, two
The Year In Review: The 2021 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z - Part Two
Happy 2022! Welcome, friends, to Part Two of The Second Disc's 12th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! Once again, we've all faced unprecedented challenges over the past twelve months. A year that began with hope and promise has ended with further uncertainty for many of us. But music continues to fill a significant role in our lives, providing solace, comfort, and escape in a time unlike any other. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2021's cream of the catalogue
The Year In Review: The 2021 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z - Part One
Happy 2022! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc's 12th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! Once again, we've all faced unprecedented challenges over the past twelve months. A year that began with hope and promise has ended with further uncertainty for many of us. But music continues to fill a significant role in our lives, providing solace, comfort, and escape in a time unlike any other. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2021's cream of the catalogue music crop -
Have Yourself a Merry Little Discmas...
Wow! And just like that, another year has flown by. Just a few weeks before The Second Disc hits its 12th anniversary(!), this Christmas Eve it is our custom to look back on the last 12 months and take some time to think fondly of the music, magic, memories and friends that made our lives worth living. As if last year wasn't unconventional enough, 2021 packed more pop, clicks, skips and distortion than the most misguided vinyl pressings. We got vaccinated, we got boosted, we tentatively
Holiday Gift Guide Spotlight: Belinda Carlisle, "Live Your Life Be Free: 30th Anniversary Edition"
Following a well-received Go-Go's reunion in 1990, Belinda Carlisle returned to the studio to record her fourth studio album, Live Your Life Be Free. Likely the jaunt with her old bandmates inspired her, as the 1991 LP returned the singer to the sixties-inspired, girl-group milieu. Although Live Your Life failed to chart in the U.S., it hit the top ten in the U.K. and yielded four charting singles including the brisk and lusty "Do You Feel Like I Feel" which remains Carlisle's final U.S. hit
I Wish U Heaven: 12 Prince Titles Reissued on CD, LP in 2022
In 2021, Prince's estate continued its evolving relationship with Sony Music, with much of The Artist's Warner Bros.-era albums getting digital distribution through Legacy Recordings. Now, 12 physical reissues of classic Prince albums will come into print through Legacy this winter. These CD and vinyl titles, to be released February 4, make up the bulk of the Minneapolis icon's '70s and '80s recordings, as well as a select handful of his early '90s work. (Warner Music distributes in
Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Doors, "L.A. Woman: 50th Anniversary Edition"
"Well, I've been down so goddamn long that it looks like up to me..." Jim Morrison knew of what he spoke. When The Doors entered Sunset Sound in November 1970 to record what would become their sixth studio album, L.A. Woman, the quartet was ready for a reboot. In September, Morrison had been convicted on profanity and indecent exposure charges related to a March 1969 concert in Miami. With an appeal in place, he was free on bail. But some radio stations had banned The Doors, and even concert
Red Letter Days: B.J. Thomas Rarities Premiere on "Love Songs and Lost Treasures" from Real Gone Music
B.J. Thomas first reached the U.S. top 10 in 1966 with a heartfelt cover of his father's favorite Hank Williams song, the plaintive ballad "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." The Oklahoma-born, Texas-raised artist had his sights beyond just the country genre, however. His always authentic and altogether compelling voice was equally at home in the genres of pop, R&B, rock and roll, contemporary Christian, bossa nova, and gospel. He became a songwriter's singer, bringing to vivid life the music
The Weekend Stream: December 18, 2021
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! A quiet week before Christmas offers a new Bowie remix, rare soundtracks from Tangerine Dream and The Simpsons, plus a legendary funk label on Bandcamp. David Bowie, Changes (2021 Alternative Mix) (Parlophone/Rhino) (Spotify) Alongside a newly-announced 50th anniversary picture disc of Hunky Dory, slated for
Deep In The Darkest Night: Cherry Red, Esoteric Reissue and Expand Strawbs' "The Broken-Hearted Bride"
Cherry Red's Esoteric Recordings arm has continued its series of Strawbs reissues with a new expanded edition of the British rock band's 2008 album The Broken-Hearted Bride. Strawbs' seventeenth studio album, The Broken-Hearted Bride featured the line-up that first was assembled in 1973: founding member David Cousins (vocals/guitar/keyboards), Dave Lambert (lead guitar/vocals), Chas Cronk (bass), John Hawken (keyboards), and Rod Coombes (drums). This group recorded the LPs Hero and Heroine
Release Round-Up: Week of December 17
Welcome to our final Release Round-Up of 2021! There are very few new releases scheduled for the next two weeks, but we'll be back in 2022! Frank Zappa, 200 Motels: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 50th Anniversary Edition (Zappa Records/UMe) 6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD (Original Soundtrack Only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP Black Vinyl (Original Soundtrack Only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP Red Vinyl (Original
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