Are you thinking you should take a chance on Ace Records’ supremely soulful duo of releases from The Apollas and Eddie Holland? If so…you’re absolutely right! For The Apollas’ Absolutely Right: The Complete Tiger, Loma and Warner Bros. Recordings (Kent CDKEND 365, 2012) and Holland’s It Moves Me: The Complete Recordings 1958-1964 (Ace CDTOP2 1331, 2012) both belong on the shelf of any serious fan of classic soul and R&B. If you haven’t heard of The Apollas, you’re forgiven. This Bay Area
Hooked
As the above image shows, it's finally true: La-La Land Records is releasing an expanded edition of John Williams' stirring score to Steven Spielberg's 1991 adventure film Hook, a modern updating of the Peter Pan mythology, on March 27. In my excitement last night, I sent an e-mail to the LLL staff thanking them for putting this release together; Joe rather brilliantly suggested that the letter would find a good audience among our dear readers, who no doubt know the feeling of excitement when
Groovy Kind of Reissue: Bear Family Expands Early Mindbenders Album
By the time Eric, Rick, Wayne, Bob was released by Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders in 1965, the band was essentially a defunct unit. Wayne Fontana (the former Glyn Geoffrey Ellis) had dreamed of solo stardom from the start, and he wasn’t shy about those aspirations. Eric Stewart, later of Hotlegs and 10cc, recalled in 1994 that Fontana “just walked off stage [during an October 1965 show] one night. I remember he said, ‘It’s all yours.’ And we actually carried on and did the regular show
Double-O Vision: Burt Bacharach's "Casino Royale" Expanded and Remastered...Again!
Seven James Bonds at Casino Royale/They came to save the world and win the gal at Casino Royale! Six of them went to a heavenly spot, the seventh one is going to a place where it’s terribly hot… Hal David’s lyric captures just a small fraction of the insanity of Charles K. Feldman’s 1967 Casino Royale, the big-budget comic extravaganza that was “too much…for one James Bond!” And so, David Niven as James Bond was joined by 007s of all shapes and sizes (and genders!), and even by his nephew,
Welcome Back, My Friends: ELP Licenses Catalogue to Razor & Tie for New Expansions, Compilation
Legendary prog-rock supergroup Emerson, Lake & Palmer have signed a new deal with Razor & Tie Records to distribute their catalogue, kicking things off with a new compilation. One of the early supergroups in rock history, comprised of keyboardist Keith Emerson of The Nice, King Crimson bassist Greg Lake on guitar and vocals and drummer Greg Palmer of Atomic Rooster, ELP were a defining force in progressive rock music, melding traditional rock statements with jazz and classically-inspired
And Here's To You, Art Garfunkel: "The Singer" Anthology Coming From Legacy
UPDATE (2/21): A representative from Legacy has confirmed that this title is currently "on hold." Stay tuned for more information as it develops. When the singer’s gone, let the song go on… How lucky we are that Arthur Garfunkel is still very much with us. Jimmy Webb wrote those words for the unlikely rock star, a former architecture student endowed with a purity of tone and the ability to pierce the heart. Garfunkel, of course, was the yin to Paul Simon’s yang, the Tom to his Jerry. And so,
Review: Judy Garland, "The Historic Concert Remastered"
The applause started even before Mort Lindsey lifted his baton to conduct the Overture. By the time Judy Garland took the stage at Carnegie Hall on April 23, 1961 for "When You're Smiling (The Whole World Smiles with You)," it didn't seem too far-fetched that the whole world was smiling, even beyond the corner of New York's 57th Street and 7th Avenue. Such was the power of Judy Garland. Only the greatest of live albums, in any genre, can translate the grip of a performer on his audience. Judy at
Read 'Em and Weep: Motörhead Plan Collector's Mega-Box in the U.K. (UPDATED 2/21)
Add another name to the super-deluxe-box set pile in 2012: Motörhead. London's biggest badasses, through Sanctuary Records in the U.K., are prepping a 16-disc collector's set - one that's heavy on artifice, if not necessarily revelatory in terms of content. The Complete Early Years features CDs of all the band's major releases from 1977 to 1984, from their iconic albums (Motörhead (1977), Overkill (1979), Bomber (1979), Ace of Spades (1980), the live No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith (1981), Iron
The Art of the 12-Inch, Part Deux: Unheard Paul McCartney Collaboration Included Among ZTT Treasures
What do you do? No one else can dance like you! So what's all the fuss? There ain't nobody that spies like us! It’s not often that we get the opportunity to write about Paul McCartney, forever fab, and Art of Noise, pioneering British synth-pop duo, in the same sentence. But Salvo Records and ZTT are giving us just that chance with this week's U.K. release of The Art of the 12-Inch, Volume Two. Okay, it’s not that much of a stretch, as Art of Noise’s Anne Dudley contributed synthesizer to
Release Round-Up: Week of February 21
Various Artists, ZTT: The Art of the 12": Volume Two (ZTT/Salvo) A double-disc set of rare and unreleased dance mixes of vinyl classics, with a few rarities thrown in for good measure - and, as our post later today will explain, at least one Beatle! Simple Minds, Simple Minds x5 (EMI) The first five Simple Minds LPs - all pre-The Breakfast Club - expanded with vintage B-sides and remixes. Gilbert O'Sullivan, Back to Front: Expanded Edition (Union Square Music/Salvo) Gilbert's 1972
Presidents Day Special Reissue Theory: Walt Disney World's "The Hall of Presidents"
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we focus on notable album and the reissues they could someday see. Today's special holiday entry pays tribute to the 40th anniversary of a classic LP and beloved theme park attraction. Welcome to the Hall of Presidents! "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty
Welcome to New York: Kid Creole Side Project Rediscovered by Hot Shot Records
In the early-to-mid-1980s, August Darnell was one of the more esoteric dance music makers in the industry, touring with a comical, colorful, big band and Latin-inspired combo as Kid Creole and The Coconuts. The group was, somewhat improbably, a briefly successful outfit, earning three U.K. Top 10 hits in 1982, appearing on Saturday Night Live and collaborating with everyone from Barry Manilow to Prince. But Creole was far from the only musical shapeshifting personality that Darnell had invented
Elvis Costello is Stealing Our Job (UPDATED 2/17)
UPDATE 2/17: Hey, remember this whole uproar? The CD, DVD and CD/DVD editions of this pseudo-nightmarish box can now be pre-ordered on their own, with a release date of April 3. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxardpBReQc] Original post (11/29/2011): Man, Elvis Costello is a pretty awesome guy. He's had a pretty good handle on his own already-solid back catalogue, giving it a good solid two run-throughs (unfortunately, two out of three, which still ain't bad, as they say). His revival
Goin' For High Coin: Harpers Bizarre's "Anything Goes" Returns in Expanded Mono Edition
In olden days, a glimpse of stocking was looked on as something shocking! Now heaven knows, anything goes...Good authors, too, who once knew better words now only use four-letter words writing prose! Anything goes! When Cole Porter wrote "Anything Goes" in 1934, could he have had any idea that his commentary would prove just as relevant more than thirty years later, and indeed, even today? In 1967, three years after the esteemed songsmith's passing, the members of Harpers Bizarre unleashed
Hooked on a Feeling: Real Gone Readies Complete B.J. Thomas, Frankie Avalon, The Tubes, a "Rock Messiah" and More
Raindrops might be falling on your head, but there’s one thing I know: the March slate of releases from Real Gone Music will assuredly keep those blues at bay! Featuring both returning favorites from the old Collectors’ Choice label as well as artists and recordings new to the Real Gone family, there’s something for everyone! Joining B.J. Thomas’ The Complete Scepter Singles on March 27 will be Frankie Avalon’s Muscle Beach Party: The United Artists Sessions, The Tubes’ Young & Rich/Now,
Cowboy in Sweden: Light in the Attic Preps Lee Hazlewood Retrospective, Plus Rare Stax Recordings of Wendy Rene Collected
Though he had many chapters in his career, there was only one Barton Lee Hazlewood. The man who famously taught Nancy Sinatra to “sing like a 16-year old who goes out with 45-year old truckers” also played a pivotal role in the career of Duane Eddy and produced hits by Dean Martin, Dino (Martin), Desi (Arnaz, Jr.) and Billy (Hinsche), and the Chairman of the Board himself. But Hazlewood continued to create works of both eccentricity and beauty long after he departed Reprise Records in the
Viva Morrissey! U.K. Singer's First Album and Single Gets Reissued
Inifintely brilliant, often fickle rock icon Morrissey is reissuing one of his most beloved albums this spring - but it's another one of those situations where fans are going to want to hold on to their old copies, too. Semi-official fansite True to You posted a news release today for a reissue of Viva Hate, Morrissey's debut solo album from 1988. Released just six months after the breakup of The Smiths and featuring longtime Smiths engineer/producer Stephen Street, Viva Hate was a
Aces High! "The London American Label: 1957," "Mod Jazz Forever" and "Smash Boom Bang: Feldman-Goldstein-Gotteher" Available Now
Smash! Boom! Bang! The ace compilation experts at, well, Ace Records are offering up plenty of Smash, Boom and Bang (both in impact and in label name!) for your buck with their diverse slate of February releases. You'll find top-drawer pop, rock and soul for connoisseurs and beginners alike among the label's latest. Perhaps the most unexpected is the new entry in the label's long-running Songwriters and Producers series. Smash Boom Bang! The Songs and Productions of
Our Memories of Elvis: Presley Classics Expanded by Follow That Dream Label in March
Following December’s release of expanded editions of Elvis Sings The Wonderful World of Christmas, Promised Land and Elvis is Back!, the limited-edition Follow That Dream label has announced another trio of vintage Presley titles due in March. The On Stage: February, 1970 album (previously twinned with In Person by RCA and Legacy) will be a 2-disc, 7-inch digipak set with a 12-page booklet. In addition to the original album sequence, it will present all of RCA's recordings from three of the
Release Round-Up: Week of February 14
Barry White, Let the Music Play: Expanded Edition (Hip-o Select/Mercury) What's Valentine's Day without a little satin soul? Numerous bonus tracks abound on a new pressing of this underrated gem of an album. Captain Beefheart, Bat Chain Puller (Zappa) The original, intended edition of the Captain's lost album. Cotton Mather, Kontiki: Deluxe Edition (The Star Apple Kingdom) An underrated work of '90s power-pop, expanded with a bonus disc of rarities and unreleased materials that was funded
So Esoteric: Todd Rundgren's Lost "Disco Jets" and a Jim Capaldi Duo Coming Soon
Longtime Todd Rundgren fans are familiar with the renaissance man’s numerous genre excursions, from pop to rock and everywhere in between: psychedelia, soul, electronica, even metal. But comparatively fewer fans have heard Rundgren’s one and only full-blown excursion into disco. Shortly after completing 1976’s Faithful LP, the iconoclastic producer took the members of Utopia into the studio to create the album known as Disco Jets. Yet the album crafted by Willie Wilcox (drums), Roger Powell
The Need for Back-Up: Rock Hall Finally Inducts Classic Backing Bands
One of the many, many criticisms of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is their occasional neglect of certain bands in favor of other artists. From the first year of induction in 1987, when Smokey Robinson was inducted instead of all of The Miracles, it's been a legitimate concern. Today, the Hall attempted to alleviate some of that concern by announcing five such bands would be inducted alongside the five previously-announced members of this year's class. The additional bands are: The Blue
Katy Perry Will Do Anything for Another #1 Single, Reissues "Teenage Dream"
You'd think two Grammy nominations in 2012 and a tied record with one of pop music's biggest luminaries would be enough for Katy Perry. But the recently-divorced pop singer is treating herself to one last dessert with the March 27 release of Teenage Dream: The Complete Confection, an expanded edition of her hit 2010 album. Expectations were high for the 27-year-old Perry when Teenage Dream was released almost two summers ago. After a number of false starts in her musical career - an
Review: Frank Sinatra, "The Concert Sinatra" (2012)
There have been countless recordings of Frank Sinatra…but only one Concert Sinatra. So named for its full concert orchestra (and not for a live performance), the 1963 album remains a career triumph. It’s perhaps the pinnacle of Sinatra’s long association with conductor/arranger Nelson Riddle, a vivid display of the singer’s gifts as a dramatic actor, and the ultimate valentine to the American theatrical songbook. Make no mistake, The Concert Sinatra is serious symphonic music, and it’s back
Rock Round-Up: Expansions by KISS, Pantera on the Horizon
It's been great to say there's been no shortage of news from the catalogue world to report on at Second Disc HQ. For hard rock fans, reports have been coming in that two famed records will be joining the ranks of other expanded and remastered editions in the coming months. First up, one of the "open secret" titles of 2012, as reported last year: a deluxe edition of KISS' classic 1976 effort Destroyer. The iconic rockers released Destroyer in the wake of the release of concert album Alive! a
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 261
- 262
- 263
- 264
- 265
- …
- 310
- Next Page »