The last few months were positively packed with soundtrack reissues - not one, but two Black Friday-sized batches from La-La Land, and a generous array of in-demand titles from Intrada, as well. Well, if you can believe it, those roll-outs could have been even bigger - and La-La Land and Intrada are proving it with their first releases of 2025 (for LLL, all titles that were meant to release last year). There's something for everyone: music from a Jim Henson cult classic, an action-packed sequel
Maestro Around the World: John Williams' Late-Period Concert Albums Set for Vinyl Box
Last Sunday, August 11, John Williams added another honorific to his already incredible career: Disney Legend. The iconic film composer, whose nine Star Wars film scores and five for the Indiana Jones series are now part of the Mouse House's company portfolio thanks to its 2012 acquisition of Lucasfilm, was honored at the latest D23 Expo by Dr. Jones himself, actor Harrison Ford, and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who's produced many of the films that Williams has done scores for. (The
Release Round-Up: Week of July 12
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. John Lennon, Mind Games: The Ultimate Collection (Capitol/UMe) 6CD/2BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 9LP/6CD/2BD Super Deluxe Box: Official Store 2CD (includes contents of CD 1 and 6, below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (includes contents of CD 1 and 6, below): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Billy Joel, "The Vinyl Collection Vol. 2"
On July 25, 2024, Billy Joel will play his 150th lifetime show at New York's Madison Square Garden. It will be the 104th show of the first-of-its-kind residency which began in 2014. Remarkably yet unsurprisingly, his final ten shows are already sold out. More remarkably - but just as unsurprisingly to anyone who's followed the singer-songwriter over the past 30 years - he's filled the cavernous arena 100+ times over the past decade without introducing a single new song. (His last two pop
Release Round-Up: Week of December 1
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. The Sound of Music: Super Deluxe Edition (Craft Recordings) 4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Craft Store (picnic meadow green) This remarkable new 4CD/1BD box set invites listeners to hear The Sound of
Iconoclassic Update: David Sancious, Duke Jupiter, Vinyl Added to Reissue Label's Release Schedule
The fall/winter reissue rush isn't just for the major catalogue labels! Iconoclassic Records is working hard to finish 2023 strong with a quartet of titles in October and November - including a world premiere CD, an expansion of an '80s curio and the label's first-ever vinyl titles. One of the most exciting additions to the Iconoclassic catalogue is Dance of the Age of Enlightenment, a very rare album from David Sancious and Tone. Sancious, a talented keyboardist, first gained prominence as a
Review: Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello, "The Songs of Bacharach and Costello"
And so this had to be/painted from memory... The news broke on the morning of February 9, 2023 that Burt Bacharach had died at the age of 94. That evening, his longtime friend and musical partner Elvis Costello opened a 10-evening residency at New York's Gramercy Theatre which ultimately saw him perform 239 unique songs from every far-flung corner of his wide-ranging catalogue. The residency became a grand tribute to Bacharach. The pre-show music piping throughout the theatre each night
Everybody Loves You Now: Legacy's RSD Slate Includes Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Miles Davis, Carole King, More
The Record Store Day list is out, and the announcements are pouring in! This year, Legacy Recordings will mark the April 22, 2023 event at independent record stores everywhere with more than a dozen titles from many of the biggest names in classic pop, rock, jazz, hip-hop, reggae, country, and beyond. (One release, from Pearl Jam, will see a CD release in addition to the expected vinyl.) You'll find the entire list below, with descriptions provided by the label. Visit RecordStoreDay.com
Too Hot: Edsel Compiles Second Album Box for Kool & The Gang
In 2024, Kool and the Gang will celebrate 60 years of music-making. Though the band has weathered the passing of key personnel in recent years including founding members Ronald Bell a.k.a. Khalis Bayyan and Dennis "D.T." Thomas, Robert "Kool" Bell and George "Funky" Brown keep the fusion of soul, R&B, dance, funk, and jazz alive and well. Earlier this year, Demon Music Group's Edsel label released Kool and the Gang's The Albums Vol. 1: 1970-1978 collecting their first dozen LPs plus a disc
Intrada's Spell is Cast with New Expansion of James Horner's 'Willow' Score
Intrada's newest archival soundtrack release is an exciting one for fans of the late, great James Horner: the label has remastered and expanded his heroic and timeless work for the 1988 fantasy epic Willow. Sort of a Lord of the Rings for beginners (parts were even shot in New Zealand), Willow takes place in a lush fantasy world ruled by the merciless sorceress Bavmorda. She seeks to stop a prophecy that promises her defeat at the hands of Elora Danaan, the infant Princess of Tir Asleen. The
Release Round-Up: Week of June 3
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, highlighted by our newest Second Disc Records release and featuring a selection of the week's other new titles! Stoney and Meatloaf, Everything Under the Sun: The Motown Recordings (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) Stoney and Meatloaf's Everything Under the Sun: The Motown Recordings from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music is the ultimate celebration of late rock superstar
Find Someone to Love: Real Gone's Friday Slate Includes Max Roach, Alan Vega, Grateful Dead, Rare Soul, and More
Real Gone Music has another eclectic array of release hitting store shelves this Friday, June 3. In addition to the deluxe 2-CD set from Stoney and Meatloaf, Everything Under the Sun: The Motown Recordings on Second Disc Records, Real Gone has several vinyl reissues in a variety of genres from jazz to soul to punk/electronic plus another entry in the label's series of Grateful Dead CD reissues. We've got all of the details on this bountiful slate below. Little needs to be said about Max
The Weekend Stream: March 19, 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! From hard-rockin' brothers to non-stop dance vibes, you've got quite a selection this week. Nelson, Imaginator / Silence is Broken / Brother Harmony / Life / Like Father, Like Sons / Before the Rain / Perfect Storm (After the Rain World Tour 1991) / Lightning Strikes Twice (Stone Canyon/UMe) Imaginator: iTunes
The Weekend Stream: February 12, 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! Michael Giacchino, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack/Expanded Edition) (Walt Disney Records) (iTunes / Amazon) A genuine, out-of-nowhere surprise: a generous expansion of Oscar-winner Giacchino's score to the first Disney-era Star Wars spin-off in 2016, about the ragtag group of
A Second Disc Special Feature: David Lasley and Rosie
The Second Disc is thrilled to welcome Charles Donovan for a very special guest post. In addition to being one of the finest music journalists working today, Charles has curated some of our favorite releases in recent years including Rupert Holmes' Songs That Sound Like Movies: The Complete Epic Recordings, Pamela Polland's Pamela Polland/Have You Heard the One About the Gas Station Attendant?, and Maxayn's Reloaded: The Complete Recordings 1972-1974. Today, Charles brings his knowledge,
Release Round-Up: Week of November 5
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Billy Joel, The Vinyl Collection Vol. 1 (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This 9LP slipcased box set collects Billy Joel's first six solo studio albums plus his first live album and a box set-exclusive pressing of Live at The Great American Music Hall - 1975, a previously unreleased concert recording on 2 LPs from the famed San Francisco venue. All of the albums have been sourced from the original master tapes and
Lay Down My Old Guitar: Craft Recordings Preps Career-Spanning Box for Doc Watson
In a career spanning seven decades, North Carolina native Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (1923-2012) brought the sounds of Appalachia to the world at large. A towering figure in Americana, the guitarist was dedicated to the sounds of folk, blues, gospel, bluegrass, and country. Now, a comprehensive collection will salute his remarkable legacy. On December 3, Craft Recordings will release Life's Work: A Retrospective. The anthology features 101 key tracks from his discography including
Stone Free: Rhino and Warner Announce Lineup for Rocktober 2020 Indie-Exclusive Vinyl Releases
There are some things you can just count on: taxes, death, trouble...add to the list the joy of listening to a bunch of new albums in October while supporting your favorite brick-and-mortar shop. Yep, it's back. Rhino's annual Rocktober campaign is back on, boasting a stellar line-up of lost gems and favorites from the Warner vault. From landmark albums by famed '90s rockers, a desirable compilation of John Prine's '70s work, reissues of DEVO and Talking Heads classics, a clutch of soundtracks,
The Second Disc's Guide To Record Store Day Drop 2, September 26!
2020 has been a bit of a rollercoaster and Record Store Day 2020 is no exception: once scheduled in April, it moved forward a few months, and is now spread out across three Saturdays in the summer and fall. The Record Store Day Drop in August proved a success and round two, set for tomorrow, September 26, is sure to please fans of all genres and eras. It's a diverse list full of exciting releases that you can only find through your local brick-and-mortar record store (or through their online
Chase Down That Crown: A Special Bandcamp Friday Shopping List
Bandcamp Friday is fast becoming as exciting a time as any other music street date. On March 20, as the COVID-19 pandemic was putting the world on pause, the indie music service waived their revenue share on all music and merch sold, allowing indie artists and labels a chance for some steadier income as concert tours began to halt. The event was a resounding success, and has been repeated on the first Fridays of May and June, with another to follow on July 3. This Friday, June 19, in
The Second Disc's Picks for Record Store Day Black Friday 2019
From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you've enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. Record Store Day Black Friday is now almost upon us, so we thought we'd spotlight a few particularly exciting releases arriving to your local brick-and-mortar record shop! Here's our round up of RSD BF must-haves! We're kicking off with Sam's list, and then we'll follow with Randy and Joe's! Aretha Franklin, The Atlantic Singles Collection 1968
Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Promises Gods and Monsters In October Release Slate
A defining classic of horror film and a late-period Spielberg-Williams collaboration are just two of La-La Land Records' recent archival soundtrack releases. The latest in the label's Universal Pictures Film Music Heritage Collection is rescued elements from a soundtrack that's more than 80 years old: Franz Waxman's score to The Bride Of Frankenstein. One of the first critically acclaimed blockbuster sequels, Bride continued the story of Universal's 1931 adaptation of the iconic Mary Shelley
A Second Disc Encore! July 4 Special Reissue Theory: "1776: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"
Happy 4th of July! Welcome to an encore installment of Reissue Theory, where we take a look back at notable albums and the reissues they could someday see. In 1969, a Broadway musical about a most unlikely subject became the toast of New York. Three years later, a movie mogul in the twilight of his years shepherded it to the big screen, and while the film has lived on, its soundtrack album has all but disappeared. This Reissue Theory, pulled from The Second Disc archives, imagines a
Release Round-Up: Week of May 24
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! America, Classic Album Collection: The Capitol Years (Capitol/Caroline) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) All six of America's Capitol albums are collected in one newly remastered box set. Classic Album Collection: The Capitol Years presents newly remastered versions of 1979's Silent Letter, 1980's Alibi, 1982's View from the Ground, 1983's Your Move, 1984's Perspective, and 1985's In Concert in one deluxe, affordable package complete
Singles Box Rising For The Fall At Cherry Red
John Peel famously summed up his favorite band, The Fall, as such: "They are always different; they are always the same." So it's little surprise that the Manchester post-punk group's complete singles output would take up a box set - a 7CD box released by Cherry Red Records this week. The Fall's The Singles 1978-2016 will collect the sides issued by the group during those years on a number of labels, most notably Rough Trade, Beggars Banquet and Cherry Red itself, the group's current label