Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today. Elton John, Honky Château: 50th Anniversary Edition (Rocket/UMC) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Hot on the heels of his final U.S. live performances, Elton John is looking back with a 50th anniversary edition of his 1972 LP Honky Château. The reissue will feature the original album (boasting such classics as "Rocket Man,"
Though Elton John lavishly retired from touring with a run of shows at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last year - part of a tour that's set box-office records - you'd be right that it wouldn't be a long, long time before we heard from him in some way, shape, or form. Indeed: now comes word that his 1972 album Honky Château will be reissued just past its 50th anniversary with a trove of rare session demos and live tracks. If Madman Across the Water - reissued and expanded last year by UMe - was
Happy 2023! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc's 13th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! A lot has happened in the last twelve months, but as we 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 2022'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. Despite the
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. This week, it's hardly Thanksgiving leftovers thanks to some British Christmas favorites, a legendary dance duo and a killer rockabilly discovery. Elton John, Step Into Christmas (Rocket/Mercury/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon) He may have retired from performing, but Elton John is still in the release
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to usher you into the weekend. This week features a new version of a pop legend's most recent compilation, great proto-Motown soul, an expanded version of Robert Glasper's breakout album, Bon Jovi in Spanish(?) and a heap of early Christmas gifts. Check it out! Elton John, Diamonds (Deluxe) (Virgin/EMI) (iTunes /
As Elton John continues the final North American leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, another four gems from his discography have returned to vinyl following the recent reissues of The One and Peachtree Road. A Single Man arrived in 1978 and marked a turning point for the singer-songwriter following 1976's expansive double album Blue Moves. Despite the presence of the hit single "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word," Blue Moves had ended John's streak of chart-topping albums that began
As we here in the U.S. head into Labor Day weekend, we have a shorter Release Round-Up than usual! To all our readers - wherever you might be - please have a safe and happy weekend! Shania Twain, Not Just a Girl: The Highlights (Mercury Nashville/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Not Just a Girl (The Highlights), a new companion album to the documentary coming to Netflix, features 17 of Shania Twain's classic pop and country hits plus the new title track. Read more
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing weekly review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there's plenty of great new/old music to discover! This week, Marvin Gaye gets remixed, two pop icons from different generations join forces, an underrated Olivia Newton-John album resurfaces and more. Marvin Gaye, I Want You: The John Morales M+M Mixes (Motown/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon) Sort of the quiet masterpiece in Marvin Gaye's impressive '70s run, the
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles out today! George Michael, Older: Deluxe Edition (Legacy) 5CD/3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada George Michael's third solo album - and the one he believed to be his finest - returns from Legacy Recordings in a new 5CD/3LP edition and a 2LP set. This expansion of 1996's Older features both the remastered album and the EP Upper (included with
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the titles hitting stores today! Elton John, Madman Across the Water: 50th Anniversary Edition (Rocket/UMe) 3CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Elton John's 1971 Madman Across the Water receives a new 50th anniversary reissue. Available in three different formats, its most expansive is a 3CD/Blu-ray collection
Last year, Elton John surprised fans on Record Store Day with the premiere release of Regimental Sgt. Zippo, a complete studio album which he recorded prior to his first released LP, Empty Sky. Now, the once-lost psych-pop gem is seeing an even wider release. On July 8, Island/Mercury will debut the stereo version of Regimental Sgt. Zippo on 1CD and 1LP vinyl; the RSD vinyl edition was presented in mono. The CD version is promised to contain the full album in both mono and stereo. The
After a series of smaller "Drops" over the past two years, Record Store Day is (mostly) back to a one-day event, and the big day is tomorrow: Saturday, April 23. Over 250 titles will be available at independent stores everywhere - including some CD releases, too! That's plenty of albums in almost every genre imaginable, so visit RecordStoreDay.com in the U.S., RecordStoreDay.co.uk in the U.K., and RecordStoreDayCanada.ca in Canada for the complete list, and sound off below as to which titles
Elton John's breathtaking piano pop conjured up powerful images thanks to the lyrics of Bernie Taupin - but the duo were often writing about things before they experienced them. The Americana of 1970's Tumbleweed Connection, for instance, was indeed a fantasy; only within the year would Elton get his first taste of America - and the results powered his next studio album, 1971's appropriately-titled Madman Across the Water. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rUarpBrfLI That album will be the
In recent weeks, Ace Records has made two new additions to its ongoing Producers Series, and both titles spotlight the versatility of the respective talents, Todd Rundgren and Gus Dudgeon. The Studio Wizardry of Todd Rundgren is, in many senses, an update of Rhino's 1992 compilation An Elpee's Worth of Productions. Like that set, it paints a portrait of the singer-songwriter largely in service of others' songs, though a handful of his own compositions appear, too. Ace's collection spans
Happy 2022! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc's 12th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! Once again, we've all faced unprecedented challenges over the past twelve months. A year that began with hope and promise has ended with further uncertainty for many of us. But music continues to fill a significant role in our lives, providing solace, comfort, and escape in a time unlike any other. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2021's cream of the catalogue music crop -
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Rolling Stones, Tattoo You: 40th Anniversary Edition (Polydor/Interscope/UMe) 4CD + Tattoo You Picture Disc Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD (Album Remaster): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD (Album Remaster and Lost & Found): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP (Album Remaster): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (Album Remaster
Earlier today, Elton John announced a new album, his first new studio release since 2016's Wonderful Crazy Night. A spiritual successor to 1993's Duets, The Lockdown Sessions features Elton's collaborations with 16 diverse artists ranging from the late Glen Campbell and legendary Stevie Wonder and Stevie Nicks to current hitmakers including Lil Nas X, Miley Cyrus, and Nicki Minaj. The album was borne out of the many guest appearances Elton made on various records during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it's no secret that listening audiences are also digital - catalogue music lovers, too - and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we've introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Coldplay, LeftRightLeftRightLeft
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Almost Famous: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (UMe, 2021) Out today: 2CD Highlights: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP Black Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Stillwater Vinyl EP: uDiscoverMusic.com Out August 20: 5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 6LP Black Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5CD/7LP/1-7″ Super Deluxe Edition and color
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
David Hepworth's 2017 book Never a Dull Moment: The Year That Rock Exploded set forth the author's belief that the year crystallized the "rock era," producing more enduring recordings than any other year in the genre's history. It's difficult to argue with any year that yielded John Lennon's Imagine, The Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers, Carole King's Tapestry, Joni Mitchell's Blue, Elton John's Madman Across the Water, Carly Simon's Anticipation, Sly and the Family Stone's There's a Riot Goin'
Cameron Crowe, in association with Universal Music, has done the (near-) impossible. On July 9, the writer-director will revisit the soundtrack to his 2000 instant classic Almost Famous in greatly expanded, near-complete form, including five - yes, five! - Led Zeppelin songs plus tracks by other typically difficult-to-license artists including Simon and Garfunkel, The Who, Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, and Stevie Wonder. That's not to mention new Rock and
Amongst all of the many Record Store Day announcements, one of the most exciting has to be Island/Mercury's announcement of an unreleased Elton John album finally seeing the light of day: 1968's Regimental Sgt. Zippo, due on the June 12, 2021 RSD Drop. One of the best box sets of last year was Elton John's Jewel Box. Among its 8 CDs were three discs of rarities spanning 1965-1971. Perhaps the most intriguing tracks included were those intended for an unreleased album entitled Regimental
Ace Records' two most recent entries in its Songwriter Series of collections both spotlight artists who bucked tradition to forge their own paths at the end of the 1960s and the dawn of the 1970s: Leon Russell and Kris Kristofferson. As we wrote upon his passing in 2016 at the age of 74, Leon Russell was an extraordinary talent unlike any other: A true renaissance man and an extraordinary talent as composer, musician, arranger, producer, and artist, The Master of Space and Time led many
Motown's Rare Earth imprint intended to bring the sound of rock to the home of The Supremes, The Miracles, Martha and The Vandellas, The Temptations, and Four Tops. The imprint was named after a white rock band from Detroit and its artists were both home-grown and licensed from other parties. In the latter category was Toe Fat, a U.K. psych-rock band built around the talents of Cliff Bennett, formerly of the beat group Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers. Both of Toe Fat's albums - issued on