Here at Second Disc HQ, spring can’t come fast enough – but leave it to our friends at Omnivore Recordings to help us beat the winter blues with a giveaway you won’t want to miss! Today, Omnivore continues its celebration of the late Scott Miller’s band Game Theory with a 30th anniversary reissue of Real Nighttime, produced by Mitch Easter (R.E.M.) on expanded CD and a limited edition red vinyl LP of the original album with a download card of the entire expanded CD program! To make it even
Release Round-Up: Week of March 17
This week's Release Round-Up has box sets and deluxe editions a-plenty... The Pretty Things, Bouquets from a Cloudy Sky (Snapper) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) This box set is much in the style of last year's Small Faces set Here Come the Nice, and contains 11 studio albums on CD with 42 bonus tracks, two rarities CDs with 45 previously unreleased tracks, 2 DVDs including a new documentary by Reelin' in the Years Productions, a 10-inch replica acetate disc, posters, an art print, and a
Legacy's Record Store Day Slate Includes Simon and Garfunkel, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, More
Today was the big announcement day for Record Store Day 2015, scheduled for Saturday, April 15 at the finest independent retailers across the U.S. and beyond! A press conference was held at Brooklyn’s outpost of Rough Trade giving the details on the many titles to expect next month. We’re kicking off our coverage with a look at the releases due from Legacy Recordings; watch this space for more news as it comes! Legacy’s eclectic line-up has some of the label’s heaviest hitters – Bruce
Release Round-Up: Week of March 3
Welcome to the Release Round-Up for the week of March 3! The Staple Singers, Freedom Highway Complete: Recorded Live at Chicago's New Nazareth Church (Epic/Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. The Staple Singers' 1965 LP celebrating that year’s historic civil rights marches from Montgomery to Selma, Alabama is generously expanded to complete form on Legacy's new reissue available on both CD and vinyl. Watch for a review here soon! The J. Geils
Review: Ron Nagle, "Bad Rice"
Rare is the "cult album" that actually lives up to its mystique. But rare is Ron Nagle's Bad Rice. This artifact from the Mystery Trend leader and acclaimed ceramic sculptor, originally released on Warner Bros. Records circa 1970, has recently been given new life by Omnivore Recordings in a deluxe 2-CD edition that's an early candidate for Reissue of the Year. One part David Ackles, one part Randy Newman and the rest pure Nagle, Bad Rice likely wasn't helped all those decades ago by its
Reviews: Two From Real Gone - John Hall and Ray Kennedy
It’s telling that John Hall’s Wikipedia page identifies him as “John Hall (New York politician).” For despite a career that saw him found Orleans, pen such instantly identifiable pop hits as “Dance with Me” and “Still the One,” and organize the 1979 No Nukes concerts alongside such heavy hitters as Jackson Browne, Graham Nash and Bonnie Raitt, Hall may be best known today as a member of the House of Representatives for New York between 2007 and 2011 and as a longtime environmental activist. Real
Hang On Sloopy! "The Bert Berns Story Volume 3" Features Van Morrison, Lulu, Drifters
Here comes the night…again! Even if you don’t know the name of Bert Berns, chances are you know the songs he wrote (“Twist and Shout,” “I Want Candy,” “Hang On, Sloopy,” “Piece of My Heart”), produced (“Under the Boardwalk,” “Baby I’m Yours,” “Brown-Eyed Girl,” “Here Comes the Night”) and oversaw as head of Bang Records (“Cherry, Cherry,” “Solitary Man” and the rest of Neil Diamond’s earliest recordings). Though Berns died in the final days of 1967 at just 38 years of age, a year hasn’t gone by
Spirit in the Night: Closing Night of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" Tour Comes To Archive Series
Bruce Springsteen is continuing his live Archive Series of CDs which began last year with the release of the Apollo Theater, New York City concert of March 12, 2012 and the Agora Theatre, Cleveland show of August 9, 1978 (from The Darkness on the Edge of Town tour). The newest release, for which pre-orders began Tuesday, takes fans back to the Tower Theatre, Philadelphia, on December 31, 1975 when Springsteen and the E Street Band held the stage for an electrifying night. The last night of
Review: Judy Garland, "Swan Songs, First Flights: Her First and Last Recordings"
"Forget your troubles, come on, get happy!" exhorts the song by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. Ruth Etting, "America's Sweetheart of Song," introduced the anthem in 1930 as the finale of Broadway's short-lived The Nine Fifteen Revue. But as soon as a svelte Judy Garland performed the song against a painted backdrop of white clouds on a pink sky for 1950's MGM musical Summer Stock, "Get Happy" belonged to no one else. After all, Koehler's lyrics could have been written for Garland, epitomizing her
Too Hot to Stop It: Funky Town Reissues, Expands The Manhattans, Phyllis Hyman, James Brown
Funky Town Grooves is planning on a busy February and March with a heaping helping of music from soul royalty including The Manhattans, Phyllis Hyman and Soul Brother No. 1 himself, James Brown. FTG recently reissued four titles from The Manhattans’ long-neglected-on-CD Columbia discography: There’s No Good in Goodbye (1978), After Midnight (1980), Black Tie (1981) and Forever by Your Side (1983). Now, the label has recently announced the addition of three more of the group’s Columbia albums
Lalo Schifrin Casts a Spell On Two New Reissues From Tabu Label
It’s never been easy to pigeonhole Lalo Schifrin. The four-time Grammy-winning Argentinian composer created one of the most memorable television themes of all time with his “Mission: Impossible,” recorded jazz albums for labels including Verve and Creed Taylor’s CTI, worked with Count Basie, Cannonball Adderley and Sarah Vaughan, and scored innumerable films, racking up six Oscar nominations in the process. Now, Demon Music Group has reissued two lost gems of the Schifrin oeuvre, both originally
RPM Round-Up: Label Collects Mick Fleetwood's Early Days with Bo Street Runners Plus Mark Wirtz, Pelican
As three recent titles prove, Cherry Red’s RPM label leaves no stone unturned in its pursuit of rare pop music to issue on CD, living up to its credo “By Collectors – For Collectors.” Much like The Artwoods (also recently the subject of a compilation from RPM), The Bo Street Runners were among the exciting mod R&B revivalist bands that London had to offer in the mid-sixties. However, The Runners – like The Artwoods, The Action and so many others – never attained the top tier of commercial
Midnight Special: Folkways Celebrates Lead Belly With New Box Set
Happy Birthday to Huddie Ledbetter, a.k.a. "Lead Belly," born today in 1888! How many songwriters could say that their songs have been recorded by The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Nirvana? Had he lived longer, Huddie William Ledbetter (1888-1949) could have. Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, endured a difficult life – including various stays in jail – to introduce or adapt to the Great American Songbook tunes that are still well-known today such as “The Midnight Special,” “Goodnight, Irene,”
Varese Vintage Round-Up: Label Reissues Seals and Crofts, Danny Elfman, Bill Medley, More
Today, we’re spotlighting a number of reissues you might have missed from the Varese Sarabande label which arrived in the final weeks of 2014! The 1977 coming-of-age drama One on One starred young Robby Benson as high school basketball star Henry, who must overcome obstacles – both romantic and academic – to get through his freshman year of college. The score was provided by Charles Fox (“Happy Days,” “Ready to Take a Chance Again”) who also collaborated on a number of songs for the movie
The Cryan' Shames' "Sugar and Spice" Goes Mono In Now Sounds' Expanded Reissue
When the venerable Goddard Lieberson, President of Columbia Records, announced the ascendancy of Clive Davis to a veep position at the label in 1965, the promotion of the younger man heralded for a new sound at Columbia. Lieberson had made Columbia the leader in the fields of classical and Broadway cast recordings, and was looking to position the label at the vanguard of rock, too. A number of new signings followed. Among those acts signed to the industry leader was The Cryan’ Shames, favorites
Let's Pretend: Edsel Unveils Deluxe Multi-Disc Reissues For Pretenders' Catalogue
Edsel isn’t just playing pretend. On February 16, 2015, the Demon Music Group label will reissue all eight albums from The Pretenders as originally released by the Warner Bros. family of labels between 1979 and 1999 as deluxe editions. (Or: that’s to say 8/10, or 4/5, of the entire Pretenders discography! Only two albums have arrived since 1999, in 2002 and 2008.) Every one of the eight titles is housed in a digipak, with six of the titles as 2-CD/1-DVD sets and two as 1-CD/1-DVD
The Year In Reissues: The 2014 Gold Bonus Disc Awards
Welcome to The Second Disc’s Fifth Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! As with every year’s awards, our goals are simple: to recognize as many of the year’s most essential reissues and catalogue titles as possible, and to celebrate as many of those labels, producers and artists who make these releases happen in an increasingly-challenging retail landscape. The labels you’ll read about below have, by and large, bucked the trends to prove that there’s still a demand for physical catalogue music
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Judy Garland, "The Garland Variations: Songs She Recorded More Than Once"
Judy Garland opens JSP Records’ new 5-CD box set The Garland Variations: Songs She Recorded More Than Once (JSP 975) with “Everybody Sing,” the kind of rousing showstopper she was practically born to sing. Sessions for the song from MGM’s Broadway Melody of 1938 began when Garland was on the cusp of just fifteen years old, but the power of her vocal instrument was already in place. But even when belting with a force to rival the mighty Merman, there was always something unfailingly intimate – or
Cherry Red's él Label Revisits Henry Mancini, Esquivel and Piero Piccioni On New Anthologies
The latest crop of titles from Cherry Red Group’s él label criss-cross the globe from the U.S.A. to Mexico to Italy with releases from American legend Henry Mancini, bandleader Esquivel, and composer Piero Piccioni. Fans of Henry Mancini’s cool jazz and lounge stylings are the target audience for Playboy Themes, a collection of the great maestro’s music recorded between 1958 and 1962. This 28-track compilation takes in both Mancini’s own compositions as well as those he recorded by others.
Release Round-Up: Week of December 9
Frank Sinatra, London (UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) This 3-CD/1-DVD swingin’ affair spans 1953-1984 and features over 50 previously unreleased tracks on CD and DVD - all dedicated to Sinatra's performances in the great city. At its centerpiece is an expanded and remastered edition of Sinatra Sings Great Songs from Great Britain, the Chairman's only studio album recorded outside of the United States! Watch for Joe's full review soon! The Beatles, 1962-1966 / 1967-1970 / 1 /
Give 'Em a Spin: The Second Disc's Essential Back to Black Friday 2014 Release Guide
Yes, it’s that time of year again. Thanksgiving is here, and with each Thanksgiving comes another Black Friday, the day for consumers to start off the holiday shopping season on a mad, frenetic note. This year is just in the latest one in which numerous retailers in the U.S. have made headlines by blackening Thursday, or Thanksgiving Day itself, with sales starting on the holiday. So many might give thanks that the folks behind Record Store Day are waiting until the traditional Friday for the
Review: The Shirelles, "Happy and in Love/Shirelles"
It's an early "Happy New Year" from Real Gone Music, as the label has just announced its January 6 slate! Look for a full rundown soon on a super slate featuring two classic RCA albums from The Main Ingredient, the complete Atlantic recordings of Jackie Moore (Sweet Charlie Babe), a hilarious (and need we say profane?) comedy classic from Redd Foxx, a vintage 1981 Grateful Dead concert, and two soundtracks from the films of auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky! Full details are coming up, but we're first
If Everyone Was Listening: Supertramp's "Crime of the Century" Goes Deluxe
With the release of 1974’s Crime of the Century, the members of Supertramp finally got the big break for which they’d been waiting. Songwriter-vocalists Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies were the only two members remaining from the group’s 1970 debut, but with Bob Benberg, John Anthony Helliwell and Dougie Thompson on board, Crime of the Century firmly established the band at the vanguard of both pop and prog-rock. A No. 4 album in the U.K., it also cracked the U.S. Top 40 for the first time in the
Listen To What The Man Said: Paul McCartney and Wings' "Venus and Mars," "Wings at the Speed of Sound" ARRIVE TODAY!
Today just might be the biggest and most packed release date of the year, and two of the undisputed highlights are the latest additions to Paul McCartney's Archive Collection library! Venus and Mars adds fourteen bonus tracks, including various singles, tracks from the One Hand Clapping special, and "Let's Love," a song written by Macca for Peggy Lee. Wings at the Speed of Sound has seven additional audio tracks including demos of "Silly Love Songs" and "Let 'Em In," and "Beware My Love"
Review: Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, "The Complete Epic Recordings Collection"
It may seem unbelievable, but it’s been nearly 25 years since Stevie Ray Vaughan perished at the age of 35, victim of a helicopter crash. Yet it’s a testament to the guitar slinger’s blazing talent that his musicianship even today remains a high watermark for those playing his instrument. A six-time Grammy winner and inductee into the Blues Hall of Fame and Musicians Hall of Fame, the Texas native created music that is as vibrant and stirring today as when it was first committed to tape. The
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