Brian Robson Rankin of Newcastle-upon-Tyne moved to London while still a teenager, armed with a guitar and a dream. He adopted the name Hank Marvin, melding his childhood nickname of “Hank” with the first name of American country singer Marvin Rainwater, and put on a pair of glasses inspired by Buddy Holly’s. His school friend Bruce Welch joined him, and before long, the pair had met Cliff Richard’s manager. In 1959, Richard’s band then known as The Drifters became The Shadows, and Richard, Marvin, Welch, and Brian Bennett (who replaced drummer Tony…
The Weekend Stream: May 4, 2024
Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. The Alan Parsons Project’s biggest album gets a second look, plus new music from John Williams, Daryl Hall and the unexpected sort-of return of one of country music’s best-known voices. Alan Parsons Project, Eye in the Sky (Sessions) (Arista/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) The latest in Legacy’s Alan Parsons Project Sessions series, bringing together era-specific bonus material as discrete titles, is also one of the biggest: beyond blockbuster LP Eye in the Sky…
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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…
Release Round-Up: Week of September 8
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Melissa Manchester, Through the Eyes of Love: The Complete Arista 7″ Singles (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The timeless songs of Melissa Manchester are collected on a new, comprehensive anthology from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music. Through the Eyes of Love: The Complete Arista 7″ Singles brings together 43 songs and 157 minutes of beautiful music on two CDs, including such all-time hits and classics as “Midnight Blue,” “Come in from the Rain,” “Don’t Cry Out Loud,” “You Should Hear How She Talks About You”…
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The Thrill of the Hunt: Real Gone’s September Slate Begins with “Predator” on Vinyl Plus Duane Eddy RCA Singles and Grateful Dead
While we are now in the height of the summer heat, Real Gone is looking ahead to the fall. The label has announced the first part of its release slate for September of this year and it is another eclectic mix of titles. First up is a title from the artist most people consider to be the greatest rock-instrumentalist of all time: Duane Eddy. Guitar Star: The Complete RCA Singles A’s and B’s collects all 22 single sides Eddy recorded for RCA Victor in the early to mid-1960s on CD, and is…
Some Velvet Morning: Ace Salutes Lee Hazlewood on “Shazam!”
The title of Ace’s new entry in its Songwriter Series – Shazam! – doesn’t refer to Captain Marvel’s magic word or Gomer Pyle’s favorite expression. Rather, the new compilation CD is titled after Duane Eddy’s (naturally) twangy western gallop “Shazam!” penned by Eddy and maverick producer Lee Hazlewood and released in 1960. (Okay, Duane and Lee likely did take its name from C.C. Beck and Bill Parker’s popular comic book superhero!) Shazam! and Other Instrumentals Written by Lee Hazlewood is far from the first Ace release celebrating the Hazlewood oeuvre; the label has…
Can’t Help Falling In Love: Elvis Goes Orchestral On “If I Can Dream”
In advance of this Friday’s Legacy Edition reissue of Elvis Presley’s 1975 studio album Today, RCA and Legacy have announced another project to celebrate The King’s 80th birthday. If I Can Dream: Elvis Presley with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a new, 14-song collection due on October 30 featuring the artist’s iconic vocal performances accompanied by newly-created orchestral backings. Presley performances between 1956 and 1973 have been melded with new orchestral tracks recorded at Abbey Road in London for ballads (“Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling,” “Can’t Help Falling…
