Ace Records is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary with special releases as well as concerts and a pop-up shop in London. Over the course of those decades, the label has established a number of long-running series including their Songwriters and Producers lines. A recent release in the Songwriters series celebrates two of the all-time greats in both categories: Philadelphia’s Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. Love Train: The Gamble and Huff Songbook brings together 24 songs from the Philadelphia International Records duo who also formed two thirds of Mighty Three Publishing along with…
The Weekend Stream: November 16, 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. Iconic Seattle punk, a new Elton John single and fresh Duran Duran remixes kick things off – plus another round of esoteric Christmas cheer! The Gits, Frenching the Bully / Enter: The Conquering Chicken / Kings & Queens / Seafish Louisville (2024 Remasters) (Sub Pop) Frenching: iTunes / Amazon / Bandcamp Enter: iTunes / Amazon / Bandcamp Kings: iTunes / Amazon / Bandcamp Seafish: iTunes / Amazon / Bandcamp Though their punk sound was much rawer and…
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Relight My Fire: Edsel’s ‘Dance Masters’ Series Continues with John Luongo Box
Demon/Edsel’s Dance Masters series only just released its second volume this summer – but a third one is on the way this fall, spotlighting the work of acclaimed remixer John Luongo. The Arthur Baker-presented series follows generous box sets on Shep Pettibone and Baker himself with a new overview of John “T.C.” Luongo, who parlayed working in and around the Boston club scene into more than a decade of 12″ remix work, first for some of the greatest R&B artists crossing over into disco, and then fusing cutting edge dance sounds to…
UPDATE: “Summer of Soul” Soundtrack, Out Now on CD and Digital, Coming to Expanded Vinyl in June
Last summer, as some music lovers took tentative steps in getting back to concertgoing amid the early vaccinations against COVID-19, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson gifted audiences with an incredible display of live performance some 50 years in the past. Summer of Soul is The Roots drummer’s debut documentary, concerning a little-seen arts festival in Harlem that took place before, during and after that year’s Woodstock Music & Art Fair – with some of the greatest soul, blues and jazz performers of the late ’60s gracing the stages. On January 28, Legacy Recordings made…
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Release Round-Up: Week of January 28
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Summer of Soul (…or When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised): Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Legacy Recordings delivers a soundtrack to Questlove’s acclaimed 2021 documentary Summer of Soul, chronicling the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. Live recordings are featured from headliners including The 5th Dimension, Nina Simone, David Ruffin, Sly & The Family Stone, Gladys Knight & The Pips, B.B. King, The Chambers Brothers, and more. Available on CD and digital formats, with the digital edition adding one bonus cut…
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Winter of ‘Summer of Soul’: Soundtrack to Acclaimed Music Doc Coming in January
Last summer, as some music lovers took tentative steps in getting back to concertgoing amid the early vaccinations against COVID-19, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson gifted audiences with an incredible display of live performance some 50 years in the past. Summer of Soul is The Roots drummer’s debut documentary, concerning a little-seen arts festival in Harlem that took place before, during and after that year’s Woodstock Music & Art Fair – with some of the greatest soul, blues and jazz performers of the late ’60s gracing the stages. On January 28, 2022, Legacy Recordings…
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The Weekend Stream: October 9, 2021
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! Madonna, Madame X – Music from the Theater Xperience (Boy Toy/Warner) (iTunes /…
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Release Round-Up: Week of October 16
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Tom Petty, Wildflowers & All the Rest (Warner Records) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4CD Deluxe Edition (above plus Home Recordings & Wildflowers Live): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 7LP Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5CD Super Deluxe Edition (above plus Finding Wildflowers): TomPetty.com 9LP Super Deluxe Edition: TomPetty.com 9LP Ultra Deluxe Edition: TomPetty.com (Sold out during pre-order period) The late Tom Petty’s long-awaited box dedicated to the gestation of his classic Wildflowers album is finally here. Wildflowers & All The Rest rounds up the original 1994 album alongside several bonus discs of…
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A Miracle Happened: “A Cellarful of Motown” Returns with Gems from The Temptations, Martha and The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye, Kim Weston, Blinky, and More
The classic Motown vaults are, once again, open. This Friday, the U.K.’s Caroline label will release the long-anticipated fifth volume of A Cellarful of Motown, the rarities series which last saw a volume in 2010. But this 2-CD, 43-song collection promises to have been worth the wait as it features previously unreleased and new-to-CD tracks from such household name artists as Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Gladys Knight and The Pips, and The (Detroit) Spinners as well as cherished favorites including Chuck Jackson, Barbara McNair, Billy Eckstine, Brenda…
Magic Moments: Demon Collects Perry Como, Gladys Knight and The Pips, David Soul on New “Gold” Collections
Today, we’re looking at another three of Demon Music Group/Crimson Productions’ Gold collections! Almost two decades after his death on May 12, 2001, Perry Como remains one of the most cherished voices in American popular song. Over the course of five decades at RCA Victor, the mellow crooner scored 131 chart hits in the U.S. alone, over 20 gold records, multiple Emmy and Grammy Awards, a Kennedy Center Honor, and sales of over 100 million records between 1945 and 1970. Perry’s entry in the Gold series boasts 60 non-chronologically-sequenced songs on 3…
Ace Round-Up, Part Two: Spotlight on Merseybeat Girls, “Jon Savage’s 1969-1971” and “Deep Soul Treasures”
Today, we’re looking at another trio of recent releases from the team at Ace Records! If you missed Part One of our Ace Round-Up, click here! While The Beatles are no doubt Liverpool’s most famous musical export, Merseyside – spanning 249 square miles (or 645 square kilometers) bordering Lancashire to the northeast, Greater Manchester to the east, Cheshire to the south and southeast, and The Irish Sea to the west – yielded an abundance of groups like The Cryin’ Shames, Gerry and The Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and The Dakotas, The Merseybeats,…
Let’s Do It Again: Playback Records Returns with Curtis Mayfield, Timi Yuro Collections
Australia’s Playback Records label returned to the scene in 2019 with a pair of new releases and the promise of more to come. Today, we’re looking at those new titles from Curtis Mayfield and Timi Yuro! As a writer, producer, and artist – both solo and with The Impressions – Curtis Mayfield (1942-1999) was one of the foremost exponents of Chicago soul. He penned such favorites as Jan Bradley’s “Mama Didn’t Lie” and Major Lance’s “The Monkey Time,” not to mention such Impressions hits as “Gypsy Woman.” But his deep social conscience…
Return To West Grand Boulevard: ‘Motown: The Complete No. 1s’ Box Gets Expanded Reissue
For its 60th anniversary year, Universal Music Enterprises has begun reminding fans that “Motown Did It First“; now, the label that launched The Sound Of Young America is revisiting a box set that was released in celebration of its 50th anniversary a decade ago. Motown: The Complete No. 1s is being reissued and expanded on June 28. Motown: The Complete No. 1s featured more than 200 international chart-toppers, plus a handful of bonus masters that went to No. 1 through cover versions or samples. And the packaging was a delight: the discs…
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Motown Did It First: Japan’s Motown 60 Campaign Reissues Supremes, Temptations, Four Tops, Gladys, Martha, Brenda, and More
Motown Did It First! That’s the campaign slogan for Universal Japan’s ongoing program celebrating the venerable label’s 60th anniversary. And indeed, the influence of Motown – still the most successful African-American-founded record label of all time – can’t be underestimated when considering the current music scene. A number of physical releases have already been released in Japan to mark the anniversary, most of which are available as affordable imports and include titles not commonly available on the CD format. This first wave of titles is anchored by the compilation Motown 60, featuring…
I Feel A Song: Gladys Knight and The Pips, Regina Belle Anthologies Arriving From SoulMusic
SoulMusic Records’ anthologies of contemporary and classic R&B and soul bring together hits, rarities, and deep cuts to showcase the careers of overlooked and legendary performers. Today (or next Friday, February 22 in the U.S.), the label continues the trend with a new Gladys Knight and The Pips collection, On And On: The Buddha/Columbia Anthology and a compilation of Regina Belle’s ’80s and ’90s material called Show Me The Way: The Columbia Anthology. On And On is a hit-packed 2-CD set featuring Gladys Knight and The Pips’ post-Motown work on Buddah (on Disc One)…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 15
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Elvis Presley, The Best of the ’68 Comeback Special (RCA/Legacy) Standard CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Walmart Exclusive CD/DVD: Walmart.com The celebration of Elvis Presley’s legendary 1968 NBC television special continues. The Best of the ’68 Comeback Special features highlights from Legacy’s recent ’68 Comeback Special box set with performances culled from both of the “stand-up” and “sit-down” shows recorded in June, 1968 for the special. This new, single-disc release also includes the single versions of “Memories,” “Suspicious Minds,” and “Burning Love.” While only “Memories” was included in the original program, all three…
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Sunny Day: Warner Licenses Sesame Street Catalog for Digital, Streaming, and Future Physical Reissues
Warner Music Group and Sesame Workshop have recently announced a joint effort that marks the relaunch of Sesame Street Records, the label that released over 60 classic originalSesame Street albums from 1970 to 1984. To celebrate 50 years since the program first aired, the extensive Sesame Street music catalog, including original titles and newer collections from Golden Music, Koch and Sony Wonder, has finally joined the streaming age. As of this writing, a whopping 119 titles–many previously unavailable in the digital domain–have been added to streaming services and digital download retailers. The effort is…
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Yesterday’s Dreams: UMe Releases “Motown Unreleased: 1968” and “In Loving Memory: Expanded Edition” Copyright Extension Collections
In a winter tradition that’s as reliable as any, UMe has released the latest in the annual copyright extension series, entitled Motown Unreleased: 1968. The two-part compilation will arrive to digital download and streaming services today, December 14. Between the two volumes, there’s a whopping 88 tantalizing, previously unreleased gems from the Motown vault! Motown heavy-hitters, soul superstars, and fan favorites abound on these two collections. There’s a wealth of Stevie Wonder rarities, for example, from his cover of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and rare original recordings, to live…
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Baby, They’ve Got It! Ace Raids Motown Vaults for “More Motown Girls”
Back in 2013, Ace Records launched its first collection of Motown Girls, spotlighting previously unreleased tracks from the legendary ladies of Motown Records. A second installment arrived in 2015, and now, we’re finally the recipient of a third volume in the series. The 24-song anthology Baby I’ve Got It! More Motown Girls boasts 16 previously unreleased tracks, with the remaining eight drawn from the Motown Unreleased compilations (all of which have been digital-only except for the one covering 1966). This exciting new collection kicks off with a true landmark: the very first…
I Hear a Rhapsody: “Motown Unreleased: 1967” Features Marvin Gaye, Four Tops, Temptations, Mynah Birds
As has become a yearly tradition for the past several years, Motown released a “copyright extension” compilation of previously unreleased tracks at the very end of 2017, only a couple of weeks after last year’s similar set got a physical release. Motown Unreleased: 1967 gathers 89 tracks across the equivalent of 4 CDs, all previously unheard treasures from the seemingly inexhaustible Motown vaults. Like the collections of the past couple of years, there is a wide range of Motown talent on display here. Unlike, however, say last year’s compilation, the set is…
The Soulful Shack: “Motown Unreleased 1966” Box Set Comes to Limited Edition CD
Given the speed and frequency with which the Motown label made recordings during its heyday, the company’s vaults are known to be vast. Large amounts of unreleased material have been added to compilations and reissues over the years, while still other collections have been solely devoted to never-before-heard tracks from the label’s superstars. Due to European copyright laws that allow unused recordings to enter the public domain, Motown has been releasing digital-only copyright-extension compilations for the past several years beginning with multiple Motown Unreleased 1962: Guys, Girls, Jazz, and Gospel volumes. Last…
This Is The Love (I’ve Been Waiting For): Ace Releases “More Motown Girls”
Rarely is the sequel ever the equal – but Ace Records has handily disproved that with Love and Affection: More Motown Girls, a recent trawl through the vaults of Hitsville, USA. And not only is this follow-up to 2013’s Finders Keepers – Motown Girls the equal of its predecessor, it might be its better. Whereas that volume featured both previously unreleased music and rarities, every one of the 25 tracks on Love and Affection is never-before-heard (save for five songs culled from last year’s digital-only Motown Unreleased 1964 collection, all of which are new to…
Take the Midnight Train to Eight New Gladys Knight and the Pips Reissues from FTG
Funkytowngrooves is leaving on the midnight train to Georgia with a series of six expanded reissues from the catalogue of Gladys Knight, both solo and with the Pips. September 16 and 30 are the dates to mark for the label’s reissues of four vintage albums originally released on Buddah (Imagination, I Feel a Song, 2nd Anniversary and The One and Only…), one on Bell (In the Beginning) and three on Columbia (Gladys Knight, Visions and Life). It’s a good time to be a fan of Gladys’ ouevre; the U.K.’s winning Big Break…
