What are you doing New Year's Eve? As we count down to that big celebration, we've been holed up at Second Disc HQ readying another year's Gold Bonus Disc Awards for you! We consider our annual awards a companion piece to Mike's round-up over at Popdose (essential reading, I might add!) and we endeavor to recognize as many of the year's most amazing reissues as possible as well as to celebrate those labels, producers and artists who have raised the bar for great music throughout 2011. These
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 20 (#5-1)
Welcome to the grand finale to our reissue rundown of the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time, as selected by Rolling Stone. It may be telling that the entirety of our Top 5 comes from the period between 1965 and 1967. Three of these albums are the work of the same band, while the other two artists had careers that have intersected in various ways with the members of those bands. Yes, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys found inspiration from each other, and might even have felt a keen
Holiday Gift Guide Review: "Brunswick Lost Soul Vols. 1 and 2"
Welcome back to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we’re spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! The annals of popular music are littered with lost souls, which isn’t surprising for a business that can turn the street of dreams into the boulevard of broken dreams. But thanks to two recent releases from Brunswick Records, we can appreciate 30
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Tony Bennett, "The Complete Collection"
Welcome back to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we're spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! Tony Bennett's heart may be in San Francisco, but his soul can be found in a case measuring roughly 11 x 5.5 x 5.5 inches. For within those modest dimensions is housed some 65 years of music, spanning 1946 to 2011, over 73 CDs and 3 DVDs. And
Take It to the Bridge: Squeeze Frontman Releases New Set of Vintage Demos
Here's a treat for any of you British pop fans out there: another series of demos from Squeeze songwriter Glenn Tilbrook. When Daylight Appears: The Demo Tapes 1985-1991 spotlights Squeeze at one of their most underrated stages in a wildly underrated career. In 1985, the band ended a three-year breakup, reuniting singers/songwriters guitarists Tilbrook and Chris Difford, keyboardist Jools Holland (increasingly known outside of Squeeze for his burgeoning television host career on The Tube),
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 17 (#20-16)
We're in the Top 20 of Rolling Stone's Greatest Albums of All Time list, going through the various reissues and expansions of each one! This time, we have a Boss, a champion of a '90s rock revolution, a poet of the '60s - and starting right now, the King of Pop himself. Read on! 20. Michael Jackson, Thriller (Epic, 1982) Nine disparate songs, helmed by a producer of straightforward jazz and R&B, and performed by a 24-year-old former child star-turned-gawky but dedicated perfectionist. It
Analogue Launches Audiophile Reissue Series for Prestige Label with Davis, Rollins, Coltrane
With a brand-new decade just around the corner, and his finger on the pulse of the bustling, inventive New York City jazz scene, Bob Weinstock must have been reasonably confident that day in 1949 when he christened his record label "New Jazz." But he set his sights even higher when he renamed the label "Prestige" a year into its operations. That lofty moniker, of course, proved prescient when Prestige became home to the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Thelonious Monk and
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 16 (#25-21)
We're nearing the Top 20 of our 100 Greatest Reissues list, taking Rolling Stone‘s list of the greatest albums of all time and investigating their many pressings and expansions as the catalogue industry has grown. Today, journey to the past with a quintet of California rock heroes, one of rock-and-roll's early pioneers and the once-and-always Mr. Dynamite! Plus: a Beatle and a star of the Motown stable make intensely personal statements on their own! 25. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (Warner Bros.,
Kritzerland Wraps Up 2011: Orson Welles on "Trial", and Les (Baxter) Is More
2011 may be coming to a close, but the Kritzerland label still has a couple of surprises up its sleeve. The label this morning announced its final two releases of the year, and both are offbeat gems: Lex Baxter's scores to two Edgar Allan Poe offerings (Roger Corman's 1963 The Raven and the Vincent Price-starring 1970 television special An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe) and Jean Ledrut's score to Orson Welles' 1962 film The Trial, described by the Citizen Kane director as "the best film I ever
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 15 (#30-26)
It's time for another installment of our 100 Greatest Reissues list, taking Rolling Stone's list of the greatest albums of all time and investigating their many pressings and expansions as the catalogue industry has grown. Today, enjoy selections from three of the most beloved bands of all time, a pioneer in the blues field and our first selection, a singer/songwriter extraordinaire who proved that rock is not just for the guys. 30. Joni Mitchell, Blue (Reprise, 1971) To read the entries
Catch a Wave! Reunited Beach Boys Confirm 50th Anniversary Concerts, Reissues and New Studio Album
2011 was, undoubtedly, the year of SMiLE. 2012, though, will bring an even bigger smile if you're a fan of The Beach Boys. What once seemed impossible is, indeed, happening. Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks will reunite for a new studio album, concert dates and a series of catalogue reissues from Capitol and EMI, including a career-spanning box set. The celebration will start with an April performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, kicking
"Chimes of Freedom" Flashing for Bob Dylan and Amnesty International
Let's face it, Bob Dylan tributes aren't exactly uncommon. That said, one of the most ambitious albums of its kind is coming down the pike, set for January 24 release. Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan is a specially-priced 4-CD set containing 73 Dylan songs in renditions from an incredibly broad array of artists. Most of the tracks were recorded specifically for this project, but since a handful are previously unreleased tracks of an older vintage (and Dylan's own 1964 released take of
The Third Day of Second Discmas
It's the third day of Second Discmas, and what could be better than two copies of some Ben Folds rarities or three Spector compilations? How about five, count 'em, five Piano Men? Well, it's only one Piano Man; specifically, it's Piano Man by Billy Joel. But we're giving away five copies of Joel's legendary debut for Columbia Records, featuring the hits "Piano Man" and "Captain Jack." This remastered Legacy Edition also features, for the first time anywhere, Joel's 1972 performance at Sigma
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 14 (#35-31)
Welcome to Part 14 of our look at the many reissues of the 100 greatest albums of all time, as selected by Rolling Stone in 2003! We’ll explore the various versions of these classic albums on compact disc, letting you know which audio treasures can be found on which releases. In today’s group, we meet a guitar-playing alien, bring it all back home with Bob Dylan and his Band, and let it bleed with Mick and Keef! 35. David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars
Frank's Triumphant "Concert Sinatra" Reissued, Remixed and Expanded
When Frank Sinatra took the microphone at Stage 7 of the Samuel Goldwyn Studio in Hollywood, California, on February 18, 1963, it wasn't for a film shoot. Sinatra selected the one-time home of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford for its fine acoustics and natural reverberation as he prepared to record his ninth album on the Reprise label, The Concert Sinatra. The title wouldn’t refer to an actual Sinatra concert, but rather Sinatra singing with a full concert orchestra. Nelson Riddle would be
UPDATE 12/15: Amazing Grace: Glen Campbell's "Jesus and Me" Anthology Reissued and Expanded, Joined by "Home for the Holidays"
In a career spanning nearly fifty years, there's little musical ground that Glen Campbell hasn't covered. He's explored bluegrass, country and pop, played on many of the most famous records of all time as a session guitarist and "Wrecking Crew" member, and even served a brief stint as a Beach Boy. A steady stream of reissues has reminded listeners of Campbell's mightiest accomplishments, and despite the admission of an Alzheimer's diagnosis, the singer recently recorded an acclaimed new album
Reissue Theory: R.E.M., "Holiday"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable albums and the reissues they may someday see. It's the most wonderful time of the year, as you likely know, and we're celebrating with a recently-departed group of rock legends who made a few nights not-so-silent with a long running assortment of Christmas-oriented giveaways. Not too long ago, I took part in a lively chat with my fellow Popblerd! writers/occasional co-podcasters Mike Heyliger and Zack Stiegler about
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 13 (#40-36)
It's the lucky thirteenth part of our look at the many reissues of the 100 greatest albums of all time, as selected by Rolling Stone in 2003! We’ll explore the various versions of these classic albums on disc, letting you know which audio treasures can be found on which releases. In today's group, we get the blues, meet the Brits, head to Laurel Canyon and fall in Love! 40. Love, Forever Changes (Elektra, 1967) Welcome to the Top 40! Released just months after the so-called Summer of Love,
Short Takes: Digital Vault Surprises from Metallica and Duran Duran
Today, we have a pair of vault releases from two acts with rich catalogues coming your way over the Internet. If you're a hard rock fan, the news of Metallica's recent 30th anniversary concerts, where they played hours of hits and rarities over four star-studded shows at San Francisco's Fillmore West, have probably got you really excited. (They have us excited at Second Disc HQ, too, thanks to a perfectly logical assumption that any celebration of a band this beloved is bound to lead to some
Holiday Gift Guide Review: Leonard Cohen, "The Complete Columbia Albums Collection"
Welcome to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we’re spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! It’s hard to believe that Leonard Cohen was once tarred with the infamous “New Dylan” brush, even though he was in rather rarefied company alongside other “New Dylans” like Loudon Wainwright III and even Bruce Springsteen. Sure, both Mr. Cohen and the
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 11 (#50-46)
And so starts the second half of our 100 Greatest Reissues feature! We've taken Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of all time from 2003 and scoured the history of each one on compact disc, making note of masterings, packaging and bonus tracks wherever possible. These next five are some of the definitive statements in their respective genres, from rock to rap to reggae to jazz; we're sure there's something for everyone in this entry! 50. Little Richard, Here's Little
Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Rolling Stones, "Some Girls: Deluxe Edition"
Welcome to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we’re spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! In a vintage clip that brings one of the biggest laughs in Martin Scorsese’s 2008 concert film Shine a Light, Mick Jagger tells an interviewer that he doesn’t anticipate getting old as a Rolling Stone…yet, nearly fifty years after the band first formed,
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 10 (#55-51)
In Part 10 of our TSD Buyers Guide, which counts the reissues of the albums in Rolling Stone‘s 100 greatest albums of all time (as selected in 2003), we pay homage to early rock-and-roll and rhythm-and-blues pioneers, look at two very different albums from 1970, and head down for Memphis for some seductive soul! 55. Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley (RCA Victor, 1956) Well, it’s one for the money, two for the show, three to get ready, now go, cat, go! With such words was a revolution born! Those
The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 9 (#60-55)
We're nearing the halfway point of our list of all the reissues of Rolling Stone's list of the 100 greatest albums of all time. How many do you have? What are your favorites? Which ones need reissues? Don't be afraid to sound off! Today's installment has a few of my own favorite albums, and all-around classics to boot. 60. Sly & The Family Stone, Greatest Hits (Epic, 1970) Including tracks from Dance to the Music, Life and Stand! - three excellent '60s funk albums - was impressive
Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Who, "Quadrophenia: Super Deluxe Edition"
Welcome to our Second Disc Holiday Gift Guide, in which we review some titles we might have missed over the past few weeks! The titles we're spotlighting in this occasional series just might be candidates on your own holiday shopping list! It was a most unusual moment on June 6, 1993 when the winners of the Tony Award for Best Score of a Musical were announced. John Kander and Fred Ebb, the Broadway legends behind Cabaret, Chicago and “(Theme From) New York, New York,” picked up the statuettes
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