Elvis Costello has sung jazz with The Charles Mingus Orchestra and pianist Marian McParland, explored hip-hop textures with The Roots, recorded with classical artists The Brodsky Quartet and Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, penned an album with R&B titan Allen Toussaint, and written and recorded with Paul McCartney. Yet of his many rich, felicitous collaborations, the most celebrated may well be with legendary composer Burt Bacharach. Now, that partnership which has spanned over
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! Liza Minnelli, Live in New York 1979 (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music Liza Minnelli's remarkable album of her record-breaking 1979 Carnegie Hall stand receives its first-ever release to wide retail in two distinctive editions from Second Disc Records and
In his 2015 memoir Unfaithful Music and Disappearing Ink, Elvis Costello recalled an early gig at the British Legion Hall "on the posh side of Birkenhead Park" in Birkenhead, Merseyside. "I can't say my set was a triumph," he wrote. "I went off to a round of feeble applause from a handful of pensioners supping mild beer and a smattering of teenagers in army petticoats drinking cider. However, once I found a singing partner in Allan Mayes, my performances became a little more controlled and
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! Georgia Satellites, Lightnin' in a Bottle: The Official Live Album (Cleveland International/Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) Recorded at Cleveland club Peabody's at the end of 1988 - two years after their only hit, the No. 2 smash "Keep Your Hands to Yourself," had fallen off the charts - this blistering set showcases
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Costello and The Imposters, The Boy Named If (Capitol/EMI) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Elvis Costello and The Imposters are back with a new, rip-roaring rock album. The band previewed many of the songs on The Boy Named If during its last concert tour; if those tunes (including lead single "Magnificent Hurt") are any indication, this set returns Costello to his spiky roots. Available on CD, LP, cassette, digital platforms,
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! Aaliyah, Aaliyah
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Chicago, Chicago at Carnegie Hall: Complete (Rhino) (Rhino.com) For the first time, Rhino brings together all eight of Chicago's concerts between April 5-10, 1971 at New York's Carnegie Hall in one deluxe, 16-CD box set. The original 4-LP box Chicago at Carnegie Hall was a commercial smash, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard 200. This set features every note played by the band as newly restored by the band's Lee Loughnane and engineer Tim
Elvis Costello cheekily titled his 1978 sophomore album This Year's Model. But while the artist may have borrowed Presley's name and Buddy Holly's glasses, he wasn't just that year's model...he was built to last. Now, after a year in which he already reimagined several tracks from his 2020 studio album Hey Clockface into French for the EP La Face de Pendule à Coucou, the ever-adventurous, fiercely original artist has taken his international explorations one giant step forward. On September 10,
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Mary Wilson, Mary Wilson: Expanded Edition (Motown/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Just days before her sudden passing, Mary Wilson promised that her 1979 Motown solo debut would finally see reissue. Universal Music and Wilson's estate have made good on that promise with this new digital release. Mary Wilson: Expanded Edition will include the original Mary Wilson album produced by Motown great Hal Davis; three single versions of the album's
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Neil Young, Young Shakespeare (Reprise) [Various Formats] CD/DVD/LP box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Greedy Hand CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Greedy Hand LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Greedy Hand DVD: Greedy Hand Digital: Neil Young Archives (Streaming) / XStream (Digital Download) / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Young Shakespeare documents the earliest known filmed live concert footage of
"Hey Clockface, keep those fingers on the dial," Elvis Costello implored on the jaunty, jazz-flavored title track of his 2020 album. "You said you'd be a friend to me, but time is just my enemy and it is hurting me so..." Despite his pleas, time has been rather good to Costello's artistry. Though initially branded an "angry young man" - and indeed, he channeled the punk zeitgeist early on with his fast and furious compositions - Costello has been able to travel wherever his muse takes him.
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Armed Forces: Super Deluxe Edition (UMe) uDiscoverMusic Store: black / color Elvis Costello is revisiting his 1979 album in super-sized format. Armed Forces arrives today as a deluxe, slipcased 9-disc vinyl set with three 12-inch LPs, three 10-inch LPs, and three 7-inch singles including 23 previously unreleased live tracks and the complete contents of the previous Rhino/Edsel deluxe edition (with many
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Joni Mitchell Archives - Volume 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) (Rhino) 5-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5-CD + Lithograph bundle: Joni Mitchell Online Store The first in a series of box sets, Joni Mitchell Archives - Volume 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) features nearly 6 hours of unreleased material - 119 tracks across 5 CDs - all from the period prior to the commencement of the legendary singer-songwriter's recording career.
Back in 2018, Legacy Recordings released Forever Words, a collection of new songs featuring previously unheard lyrics by Johnny Cash. The 16-track set offered new melodies and performances by a "Who's who" of artists including Elvis Costello, Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson, Jewel, John Mellencamp, Brad Paisley, The Jayhawks, Robert Glasper, Cash's daughter Rosanne Cash, and his stepdaughter Carlene Carter. Now, Legacy is expanding the original album with a further 18 tracks (16 of which
Elvis Costello is hardly resting on his laurels this fall. He's prepping for the October 30 release of his latest studio album, Hey Clockface, and is in the middle of a 50 Songs for 50 Days online campaign in which he showcases a different - and often politically relevant - song each day until the U.S. election. Now, he's announced his biggest project yet for 2020: a deluxe 9-disc vinyl Super Deluxe Edition of Armed Forces with three 12-inch LPs, three 10-inch LPs, and three 7-inch singles
Over the past few days, two rock legends dished on some upcoming catalogue projects while discussing their latest musical works. On Friday, in a new interview with Billboard, Elvis Costello talked about next month's Hey Clockface, releasing October 30 - but also let slip some details about another series of reissues around his first decade of material: Recently I went to a meeting at a record company for the first time since the '90s [at Universal, which last year renewed its global license
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Creedence Clearwater Revival, Cosmo's Factory [Half-Speed Master] (Craft Recordings) LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP/merch bundle: Craft Recordings Online Shop Craft Recordings reissues Creedence Clearwater Revival's hit-filled fifth album - featuring "Lookin' Out My Back Door," "Run Through the Jungle," "Who'll Stop the Rain," "Travelin' Band," and "Up Around the Bend" - on 180-gram half-speed mastered vinyl (from
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Grateful Dead, Workingman's Dead: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Grateful Dead/Rhino) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Often hailed as one of Grateful Dead's most accessible albums along with its follow-up, American Beauty, Workingman's Dead placed its focus on tighter songcraft in a country/folk-oriented vein that would later be described as "Americana." It introduced the group's
By the middle of the '80s, Roy Orbison was primed for a comeback. In 1986, his epic ballad "In Dreams" was placed prominently in David Lynch's film Blue Velvet, which sparked renewed interest in the velvet-voiced crooner and rocker. The following year, The "Big O" staged the ultimate comeback concert with a remarkable lineup of guests including Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, J.D. Souther, k.d. lang, and Jennifer Warnes. The star-studded group had
Elvis Costello and the Imposters have been in the news a lot lately. They are set to embark on a U.S. tour this summer co-headlining with Blondie and recently released a new EP, Purse. The four-song set features all unreleased tracks, including previously unrecorded lyrics from Johnny Cash ("If You Love Me") and Bob Dylan ("Down in the Bottom" featuring Rebecca and Megan Lovell). Purse also features co-writes with Paul McCartney ("The Lovers That Never Were") and Burt Bacharach ("Everyone's
Looking for our usual Release Round-Up? Alas, there's not much new in the way of catalogue music this Friday (and we've already filled you in on Billy Paul and Leon Russell!), but for a very good reason: tomorrow sees releases a-plenty as part of Record Store Day! Without further ado, welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year's RSD event! Once you're through reading, let us know what you're most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent
In recent years, Cherry Red Records has made waves with their box set celebrations of music eras gone by. From late-'70s Scottish independent releases and '60s Baroque pop, to '80s shoegaze and even the avant-garde sound explorations of Edgard Varese and Karlheinz Stockhausen, the label has a reputation for their meticulous deep-dives into music subcultures. In November, Cherry Red put the spotlight on the late-'70s U.K. pop-rock scene with Harmony In My Head: UK Power Pop & New Wave,
This 3-CD set is a musical exploration of the development of British New Wave. While in the U.S. "new wave" was a lose term applied to pretty much any pop that came out in the late '70s and early '80s, U.K. purveyors used the term to refer to their deliberate reaction to, if not rejection of, the punk musical aesthetic. It eventually mutated into the Mod Revival--members of which drew greatly from the melody-driven pop of the '60s--and later to another unique British psychedelic strand in the
Among the credits for Elvis Costello and The Imposters' Look Now is a simple acknowledgment: In Memphis - Mary Isobel O'Brien. The onetime Ms. O'Brien, of course, is better known as Dusty Springfield, and the credit from Declan MacManus and his band makes clear the inspiration for this stunning assemblage of what the artist, correctly, deems "uptown pop." Dusty in Memphis is one of the benchmarks of that style: pop with a dash of soul, or is it soul with a dash of pop? It doesn't hurt that
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! David Bowie, Loving the Alien (1983-1988) (Parlophone) 11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 15LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The fourth annual volume of Parlophone's ongoing series of box sets dedicated to the late David Bowie, Loving the Alien (1983-1988), arrives on 11 CDs or 15 vinyl LPs. This lavish set is filled with more exclusive material than any of its predecessors, as only three studio albums are