Bob Dylan began recording 1975’s Blood on the Tracks in much the same manner he had begun 1962’s Bob Dylan: inside the studio at 799 Seventh Avenue, New York City, alone at the microphone with just his guitar, a harmonica, and the song. In ’62, the facility was Columbia Studio A, in ’75 it was A&R Studios. In ’62, John Hammond was the producer, in ’75 Phil Ramone (the R in A&R) was manning the controls as engineer. Dylan, of course, was a much-changed man, but upon his return to Columbia Records…
Release Round-Up: Week of November 2
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Melissa Manchester, Mathematics: The MCA Years (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music bring Melissa Manchester’s 1985 MCA album to CD for the very first time in an expanded 2-CD deluxe edition! Mathematics: The MCA Years features the original Mathematics (produced by George Duke, Brock Walsh and Robbie Nevil, Trevor Veitch and executive producer Quincy Jones!) on the first CD, while the second disc boasts 13 bonus tracks including every period remix, the non-LP…
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If You See Her, Say Hello: Bob Dylan’s Next Bootleg Series Offers “More Blood, More Tracks”
Fresh off a two-record stint with Asylum, Bob Dylan returned to Columbia Records in 1975 with one of the most acclaimed records of his career. Blood on the Tracks found Dylan reinvigorating the “confessional” singer-songwriter genre, even as he repeatedly insisted that the album’s songs had no relation to his own life and then-recent marital turmoil. Whatever the truth, Blood on the Tracks was painfully raw, vulnerable, and altogether exquisite, boasting such all-time classic compositions as “Tangled Up in Blue,” “Simple Twist of Fate,” and “Shelter from the Storm.” The making of…
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Review: The Band, “Music from Big Pink: 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition”
The house on Parnassus Lane, formerly Stoll Road, in West Saugerties, New York might be one of rock and roll’s least likely landmarks, with its unassuming residential façade distinguished only by its pink siding. But the colorful house bore witness to the birth of some of the greatest songs in American pop history when Bob Dylan and his band – soon to be The Band – recorded “The Basement Tapes” there. When Capitol Records subsequently signed Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko, and Richard Manuel, the group made a request:…
Release Round-Up: Week of July 27
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Bob Dylan, Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances from the Copyright Collections (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The new 2-CD set Live 1962-1966: Rare Performances from the Copyright Collections draws on Dylan’s previously issued limited edition “copyright extension” collections to offer a sampler of Dylan onstage, from a pair of songs recorded on April 16, 1962 at Gerdes Folk City in New York (“Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Corrina, Corrina”) to “Ballad of a Thin Man” from May 20, 1966 at Edinburgh’s ABC Theatre. Many of his most famous songs are…
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Baby Let Me Follow You Down: Rare Live Dylan Coming in July from Legacy
As a result of E.U. public domain laws, so-called “copyright extension” collections have been proliferating for the past number of years for such top-tier artists as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, and the remarkable Motown roster. Bob Dylan has been no exception. Each year since 2012, Sony has released a “copyright collection” for Dylan to assert the label’s rights to previously unreleased recordings that would otherwise fall into the public domain. But unlike some of the readily-available copyright collections (most released digitally), the Dylan releases have been highly coveted. Only 100 original…
The Second Disc’s 2018 Record Store Day Must-Haves
Welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year’s Record Store Day event! Once you’re through reading, let us know what you’re most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent retailer! Our list features just a sampling of our favorites from our friends at Legacy Recordings, Varese Sarabande, Rhino Records, Real Gone Music, Demon Music Group, Walt Disney Records, Omnivore Recordings, and more! Joe’s kicking things off with five essential picks (in alphabetical order)! The Beau Brummels, Bradley’s Barn [Expanded Edition] (Run Out Groove) Before Abbey Road…
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Land of a Thousand Dances: Ace Salutes Music of 1965, Plus Rock Instrumentals and Spanish Pop
Ace Records rightfully has a reputation for its top-notch collections, and three recent releases are no exception to that rule. Jon Savage’s 1965: The Year The Sixties Ignited follows previous releases compiled for Ace by historian Savage covering the years 1966 and 1967. This latest volume, with 48 tracks on 2 CDs, explores how the various strains of pop music came together to awaken the culture: whether the power of Motown (the label had six number ones) or Bob Dylan (who inspired an onslaught of imitators and cover artists), just to name…
Keep It Thoro: Legacy Announces Record Store Day Slate with Dylan, Cash, Mathis, Elvis, Pink Floyd, More
Record Store Day is a little over a month away – Saturday, April 21 – and record labels large and small are celebrating in high style. Legacy Recordings is looking to make this the biggest and best RSD yet, with a line-up of nearly 30 titles in genres including classic rock, pop, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, comedy, and beyond. Many of the label’s heavy hitters are represented, including Johnny Cash (an expanded vinyl box set of Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison: Legacy Edition), Jimi Hendrix (a new 7-inch single with an unreleased side),…
No Time To Lose: Music Pioneer Ralph Peer Celebrated with Box Featuring Bing, Desi, Buddy, Ray, Elvis, Bob, Nat and Others
The history of commercial recorded music stretches back over 100 years and has encompasses the stories of many artists and talents. One of the biggest figures in this early history was Ralph S. Peer. The A&R (Artists and Repertoire) and publishing pioneer might not be a household name today, but he made major contributions to many varied musical genres including blues, country and Latin. Sony Music Latin has recently released a wide-ranging, eclectic 3-CD box set entitled The Roots of Popular Music: The Ralph S. Peer Story celebrating his career and legacy….
Don’t Think Twice: Ace Collects Rare Dylan Covers on “Take What You Need”
As one of the most influential songwriters of his generation – or any other – Bob Dylan’s music has long transcended borders, physical or otherwise. The Minnesota native’s music struck a chord in Britain, both on the concert stage (see: the famous “Judas!” concert) and on records, and his influence on British artists from The Beatles down can’t be underestimated. It’s no surprise that his songs were seized upon by British artists with a zeal equal to that of their American counterparts. Ace Records has recently collected 22 compositions by the former…
Bound for Glory: Dylan, Baez, Paxton, Havens, Collins Celebrate Woody Guthrie on New Bear Family Box
Bob Dylan once said that, upon hearing Woody Guthrie’s songs, “it was like I had been in the dark and someone had turned on the main switch of a lightning conductor.” Steve Earle opined that “Woody is my hero of heroes and the only person on earth that I will go to my grave regretting that I never met.” No less a literary eminence than John Steinbeck noted, “Woody is just Woody,” before explaining, “Harsh voiced and nasal, his guitar hanging like a tire iron on a rusty rim, there is nothing…
Review: Bob Dylan, “Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 / 1979-1981”
I. Gotta Serve Somebody Bob Dylan wasn’t mincing words. On the first track of the first album of what would later be referred to as his “gospel years,” the artist laid his message out with striking simplicity. “It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord,” Dylan admonished, “but you’re gonna have to serve somebody.” Suddenly, the same singer-songwriter who opined that “the answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind” had found the answer – and His name was Jesus Christ. Between 1979 and 1981, Dylan was galvanized by…
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Release Round-Up: Week of November 3
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! The Supremes, The Ultimate Merry Christmas (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are joining Motown Records to unwrap a celebration of The Supremes’ 1965 perennial Merry Christmas. The Ultimate Merry Christmas features the album in three distinctive versions: the original 1965 mono and stereo mixes, as well as a brand new, never-before-heard 2017 mix premiering previously unheard vocals and instrumentation. And that’s not all! The additional, previously unreleased bonus tracks include a Diana Ross/Florence Ballard duet on “Silent Night,” and a Diana/Mary Wilson duet on…
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Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door: Bob Dylan’s New Bootleg Series Volume “Trouble No More” Explores The Gospel Years
Bob Dylan’s acclaimed Bootleg Series is back, and for its newest volume, it’s taking aim at one of the most controversial, and misunderstood, periods of the Bard of Hibbing’s musical journey. Due from Columbia and Legacy on November 3, Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 / 1979-1981 focuses on Dylan’s so-called “gospel years,” during which time he crafted some of his most enduring songs in praise of a higher power. The Deluxe Edition features nine discs – 8 CDs and 1 DVD – and premieres 100 previously unreleased tracks, including…
Release Round-Up: Week of August 25
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Alex Chilton, A Man Called Destruction: Expanded Edition (Omnivore) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada In 1995, the late Big Star and Box Tops frontman Alex Chilton returned to Memphis’ Ardent Studios, the site of his classic work with Big Star, to record A Man Called Destruction. Blending original songs with a host of eclectic covers from the likes of Chris Kenner (“Sick and Tired”), Jan & Dean (“The New Girl in School”),…
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Release Round-Up: Week of March 31
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring some of the most hotly-anticipated sets of the year! Fleetwood Mac, Tango in the Night [Various Editions] (Warner Bros./Rhino) 3CD/1DVD/1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Fleetwood Mac’s 1987 album featuring “Little Lies” and “Everywhere” returns in a variety of formats including a 3-CD/1 DVD/1 LP version (with the original album on CD, high-resolution stereo DVD, and LP; a CD of outtakes; and a CD of rare single…
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“Tomorrow’s” Here! New Reissue Shines Light on The Modulators
When news came through that Brooklyn label Manufactured Recordings was reissuing Tomorrow’s Coming, the sole full-length LP by cult power-pop group The Modulators, we at Second Disc HQ knew we couldn’t just do an ordinary news post. It’s not just the music–although the music, a sugary-sweet blend of Raspberries-esque dream pop and Marshall Crenshaw-ian jangle-crunch, is thoroughly worth your time. Ultimately, our interest is piqued by the original label that released Tomorrow’s Coming: Vintage Vinyl Records, the boutique label of New Jersey’s largest independent record store and the place both myself and…
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Good Times! The Second Disc’s Essential RSD Black Friday 2016 Release Guide
From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you’re enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of family and friends. Of course, from this day which conjures nostalgic and warm feelings comes a celebration of a different kind with this year’s annual Black Friday – the day for consumers to start off the holiday shopping season on a mad, frenetic note. But 2016 is just in the latest year in which numerous retailers in the U.S. have made headlines by blackening Thursday, or Thanksgiving Day…
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Review: Bob Dylan, “The 1966 Live Recordings”
I. Play a song for me… Bob Dylan saw a very different future for folk music. His fifth studio album, Bringing It All Back Home, was released in March 1965, featuring one traditional acoustic side and one electric side. Underscoring the fact that his embrace of (gasp!) electric rock-and-roll was no fluke, Dylan plugged in at the Newport Folk Festival on July 25. From some appalled audience members came a chorus of boos. Others cheered. Dylan had electrified not only his own act, but folk music itself – ferociously melding it with…
Release Round-Up: Week of November 11
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! It’s another big week for box sets from classic rock’s heaviest hitters, and much, much more… Bob Dylan, The 1966 Live Recordings (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) 36 discs of music from Bob Dylan’s 1966 world tour – every recording of the tour known to exist – are brought together on this monumental new collection. Read our full review here! Bob Dylan, The Real Royal Albert Hall Concert (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K./ Amazon Canada) This two-CD set culled from the box set presents Dylan’s historic…
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Dylan, Hendrix, Run-D.M.C. Lead Off Legacy’s Record Store Day Black Friday Slate
The official list is here for this year’s Black Friday Record Store Day event – that’s Friday, November 25! – and as usual, an eclectic array of titles will be on offer to kick off the holiday shopping season. Legacy Recordings has tapped some of its heaviest hitters for this year’s limited edition vinyl releases including Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Run-D.M.C. and Alice in Chains…plus a disparate pair of animation favorites! Here’s the full list of Legacy’s Black Friday RSD releases, with accompanying descriptions provided by the label! All titles will be…
Life Is A Carnival: The Band Celebrates 40 Years of “The Last Waltz” With New Reissues
Forty years ago on Thanksgiving Day 1976, The Band took the stage at San Francisco’s Winterland for their final performance. Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Neil Diamond, Van Morrison, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters and others joined Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Garth Hudson and Richard Manuel for the concert event known as The Last Waltz. Director Martin Scorsese’s film of the evening was released in April 1978, setting a high bar for concert movies. On November 11, Rhino will mark this landmark anniversary of The Last Waltz with four new…
JUDAS! Dylan’s Electrifying 1966 Concerts Coming On Massive 36-CD Box Set
On the heels of last year’s groundbreaking 18-CD box set The Cutting Edge 1965-1966: The Bootleg Series Vol. 12, Legacy Recordings and Columbia Records are returning to that golden period of Bob Dylan’s storied discography with an even more massive set. Due on November 11, Bob Dylan: The 1966 Live Recordings is a staggering 36-CD box featuring every known recording from the troubadour’s 1966 concert tours of the U.S., U.K., Europe and Australia. This follows the digital-only release last year of his 1965 live recordings, distributed as a bonus gift to purchasers…
Release Round-Up: Week of May 20
Welcome to this week’s packed Release Round-Up! David Bowie, ChangesOneBowie (Parlophone/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) ChangesOneBowie returns from Parlophone in a 40th anniversary edition available on vinyl, CD and digital formats. Originally issued on RCA in May 20, 1976, ChangesOneBowie was the first key compilation album from superstar David Bowie. Collecting songs dating back to 1969, the 11-track album introduced the single “John, I’m Only Dancing” on LP alongside highlights from his remarkable string of releases: David Bowie(“Space Oddity”), Hunky Dory (“Changes”), The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and…
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