On June 4, 1984, Bruce Springsteen released Born in the U.S.A., his seventh studio album, and kicked his career into an unpredictable new gear. Augmenting his well-loved classic rock style and haunted lyricism with polished production and accessible pop melodies, the Jersey icon struck gold, platinum and diamond with Born in the U.S.A.: it was the best-selling album of 1985 (it was certified 17x platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in 2022), spun off seven Top 10 singles on
Happy 2024! Welcome, friends, to Part Two of The Second Disc's 14th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! As we yet again look to a new year with optimism and a hopeful spirit, we recognize the many roles music has played in our lives. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2023's cream of the catalogue music crop - those exemplary reissues and box sets, big and small, that proved to be truly outstanding for music lovers worldwide. After much deliberation, we're excited
The stockings are hung, the presents are wrapped, and the time is now to wish all of our readers at The Second Disc a wonderful holiday season before we enter a brief winter hibernation until the new year! 2023 was our 13th year as (we hope!) one of the more fun destinations for music reissues, box sets and catalogue releases. The business has certainly changed a lot in that time - maybe too much vinyl, maybe not enough CDs? - but labels big and small keep finding new, old and interesting
Wayne A. Dickson knows a thing or two about timing. The Scottish DJ, manager and compilation producer, perhaps best known for a staggering discography of soul and disco reissues for Cherry Red's Big Break Records label, recalled a passion for getting a proper collection of 12" mixes by CHIC and related artists on CD. "It was greenlit something like four times over six years, and then the project manager who'd greenlit it would get let go, and the project would die with it," Dickson recalled
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! Various Artists, Dance Masters: Arthur Baker (The Classic Dance Remixes) (Demon) 4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4CD with signed print: Amazon U.K. 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 6LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. (includes signed print) / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Dance Masters: Arthur Baker (The Classic Dance Remixes)
Demon Music Group scored a real coup in 2021 with the release of Dance Masters: Shep Pettibone (The Classic Master Mixes), a box set devoted to the stellar late '80s and early '90s remixer. The branding on the set indicated that Dance Masters was to be a series, presented by another remixing great: American DJ/producer Arthur Baker. Now, two years later, another Dance Masters set is forthcoming, focused on the work of Baker himself. Dance Masters: Arthur Baker (The Classic Dance Remixes), due
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Neil Young, Official Bootleg Series Vol. 1: Carnegie Hall 1970 (Reprise/Shakey Pictures Records) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Neil Young Official Bootleg Series launches with Carnegie Hall 1970, featuring Young's debut at the venerable venue on December 4, 1970 (the early show). Carnegie Hall 1970 will arrive on double vinyl, double CD, and digital formats (including high
Producer-DJ Arthur Baker has brought his magic touch to recordings by everybody from Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to Tina Turner and Diana Ross, turning pop, rock, and R&B hits into dance floor-fillers. Now, Baker is looking back and taking stock of his fellow Dance Masters with a new series from Demon Music Group. Arthur Baker Presents Dance Masters: The Shep Pettibone Master Mixes is an expansive salute from one legendary remixer to another. Available on 4 CDs (47 songs in one box
One of the most unique and eclectic debut albums of the late '80s, Neneh Cherry's Raw Like Sushi, will be celebrated with a 30th anniversary deluxe edition coming from Virgin/UMC in January. The deluxe Raw Like Sushi, packed in a 12" x 12" box set, will feature the original album alongside two discs of vintage remixes of hits like "Buffalo Stance" (an international Top 5 hit) and "Kisses On The Wind," a follow-up that reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in America. A who's who of