Ace Records has had quite a 2021, from collections spotlighting the songs of Lou Reed and Donovan through this past week’s releases from Petula Clark, late producer Norman Whitfield, and the ladies of Motown. Today, we’re taking a look at a pair of recent releases from the venerable label. Lincoln Wayne “Chips” Moman (1937-2016) may never have become a household name, but the music he helped create certainly did. A guitarist, producer, songwriter, and engineer, Moman pioneered the sound of Stax Records before forming his own American Sound Studio in Memphis. Ace…
Get Back: The Beatles Remix, Expand ‘Let It Be’
More than 50 years after its May 1970 release, The Beatles’ Let It Be – the Fab Four’s final original studio album – remains anything but the last word on the band. While the LP topped the charts in multiple countries including the U.S. and U.K., and included such beloved now-standards as “The Long and Winding Road,” “Across the Universe,” “Get Back,” and the title track, the road to its release was anything but a smooth one. It was previously announced that the story would be chronicled this fall in director Peter…
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Paul McCartney, John Lennon, The Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Diana Ross, and More Feature on “1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything” Soundtrack
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’ On, The Who’s Who’s Next, The Beach Boys’ Surf’s Up, Black Sabbath’s Master of…
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Release Round-Up: Week of April 23
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! John Lennon, Plastic Ono Band (Capitol/UMe) 6CD/2BD: 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 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The 6-CD/2-BD John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band: The Ultimate Collection contains everything recorded by John and Yoko during the sessions for John’s 1970 Plastic Ono Band LP, totaling 159 tracks on CD and 131 on Blu-ray, or 11 hours of music, all completely remixed from the original multitracks. (The Blu-rays include both new stereo and 5.1 surround mixes.) This set follows the 2018 release of Imagine: The Ultimate Collection and the 2020 release…
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The Weekend Stream: March 13, 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’re introducing a new Saturday feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! Watch this: not a whole lot of off-the-hook digital releases to mention, but wanted to…
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I Found Out: John and Yoko’s “Plastic Ono Band” Box Due in April
The July 1969 single release of John Lennon’s “Give Peace a Chance” marked the first time that the name of the Plastic Ono Band appeared on a record label. Lennon and his new wife Yoko Ono – they’d married in March – resolved to use the flexible band handle for whichever group happened to be playing with them; the onstage document Live Peace in Toronto 1969 was credited to the band, as was the harrowing single “Cold Turkey.” “Instant Karma!” modified the name slightly to “John Lennon and Yoko Ono with the…
Rumbling in the Skies: David Bowie’s Unreleased Covers of John Lennon and Bob Dylan Collected on New 7″ Single
On January 8, Parlophone will celebrate what would have been David Bowie’s 74th birthday with a special 7″ single featuring his covers of John Lennon’s “Mother” and Bob Dylan’s “Tryin’ To Get To Heaven.” “Mother” had been prepared for a Tony Visconti-led John Lennon tribute album that went unreleased, while “Tryin’ To Get To Heaven” was recorded at Sony Music Studios during the mixing sessions for the LiveAndWell.com compilation (itself recently announced for release, find out more here). The Dylan cover will be featured on the physical edition, appropriately enough, in a…
Call Any Vegetable: Soundtrack to “Zappa” Documentary Includes Classics, Rarities, Unreleased Tracks, and Original Score
Today sees the streaming release of the documentary film Zappa from director (and Bill in the Bill & Ted series of films) Alex Winter. Taking into account the many sides of the late, iconoclastic artist – from musician to activist, from boundary-breaking rock-and-roller to innovative composer – the movie has already received widespread acclaim. Fully authorized by the Zappa Family Trust, Winter’s portrait of the artist incorporates rare archival footage alongside interviews with key family members and collaborators such as the late Gail Zappa, Steve Vai, Ian Underwood, Mike Keneally, Pamela Des…
Release Round-Up: Week of October 9
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! John Lennon, Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes [Various Formats] (Capitol/UMe) 2CD/Blu-ray Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Today would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday. To mark the occasion, Capitol and UMe have released a new multi-format collection entitled Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes after his still-relevant 1971 protest single of that name. But this set – out on John’s birthday – won’t resemble the 2010 box of nearly the same…
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Watching The Wheels: Kenneth Womack’s New Biography “John Lennon: 1980” Offers A Comprehensive Look At The Artist’s Later Days
John Lennon has been in the news a lot lately, and with good reason. 2020 marks what would have been the musician’s 80th birthday and, sadly, it’s also the fortieth year since his death. But there’s more to that final year of John’s life than the tragic events of December 8, 1980. In his new biography, John Lennon: 1980 – The Last Days in the Life, Beatles expert Kenneth Womack tracks that period of creativity and reinvention, writing in a way that’s simultaneously approachable yet authoritative and thorough. But to say it’s…
The Second Disc Guide to Record Store Day Drop 1 TOMORROW!
With the nation still fighting COVID-19, Record Store Day here in the U.S. looks a little – make that a lot – different this year. The usual offerings have been split among three dates with Drop 1 taking place tomorrow, August 29, at your local independent record retailer. Drop 2 is September 26, and Drop 3 is October 24. Every retailer is handling the Drop a bit differently thanks to the necessary accommodations for social distancing, smaller crowds, and better safety precautions. So please check in with your favorite store to find…
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John Lennon 80 Campaign Kicks Off With New Box Set “Gimme Some Truth”
On October 9, John Lennon would have turned 80 years old. To mark the occasion, Capitol and UMe will be releasing a new multi-format collection entitled Gimme Some Truth: The Ultimate Mixes after his still-relevant 1971 protest single of that name. But this set – out on John’s birthday – won’t resemble the 2010 box of nearly the same title (celebrating his 70th). Instead, the Deluxe Edition release features 36 all-new mixes from the original multi-tracks of solo Lennon classics, remixed in stereo, 5.1 surround, and Dolby Atmos by Grammy Award-winning engineer…
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Dancing Again: What To Expect for Record Store Day’s RSD Drops Day 1, August 29
As the COVID 19 outbreak continues to impact our lives, it’s heartening to know that some things are returning to some semblance of “normal,” or as close as we can get to it during this unpredictable impasse. As we previously reported, Record Store Day has been split into three standalone “RSD Drop” days, occurring on August 29, September 26, and October 24. That’s not the only thing changing this time around. It’s been reported by Georgia-based shop Comeback Vinyl that the organization is open to “the possibility of selling the releases online…
Message to Love: Universal Prepares a Wealth of Rarities for RSD 2020
Here at Second Disc HQ, we’ve been thrilled by the news of amazing releases coming from all the labels this Record Store Day 2020, and UMe’s slate of 20+ titles is no exception. With a new definitive vinyl edition of Paul McCartney’s debut, a tenth-anniversary celebration of Ellie Goulding’s Lights, a Cat Stevens rarity making its vinyl debut, an expanded Elton John, a reissue of an impossible-to-find CTI Jazz album, and many more, fans will want to line up bright and early to secure their copies this April 18! Here’s the official word…
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From Them To You: The Beatles To Release New Vinyl Singles Box
It turns out the remixed, expanded Abbey Road isn’t the only piece of The Beatles’ catalogue getting reissued for the holidays. The group just announced the release of a box set gathering the band’s singles on vinyl, to be released November 22. The Singles Collection includes original singles and B-sides on 22 pieces of vinyl, plus a newly created 23rd single featuring “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” both single A-sides released to promote the multi-volume Anthology project in 1995 and 1996. The draw for collectors here is clearly the packaging: each…
Live As One: “Above Us Only Sky” Documentary Explores Creative Process Behind Lennon’s “Imagine”
Last year, John Lennon fans were treated to an extravagant box set celebrating one of he highlights of his career, the Imagine album. To promote it, the original 1972 film Imagine was released in theaters and paired with the documentary Gimme Some Truth for a DVD/Blu-ray release. Channel 4 in the U.K. and A&E in the U.S. screened a new film called John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky before it moved to Netflix. As Eagle Rock Entertainment’s CEO/Chairman Terry Shand says: “With exclusive access to the extensive Lennon video, audio and…
Salt of the Earth: ABKCO Revisits “The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus” With Expanded Deluxe Sets
The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus is one of those great time capsules of the rock and roll era. Filmed at the Intertel TV Studio in Wembley on December 11, 1968 and directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the movie was part rock show and part sideshow. The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus featured the original lineup of The Rolling Stones – Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Charlie Watts, and Bill Wyman – who served as the main music draw and the night’s hosts. They were joined by a diverse lineup…
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Release Round-Up: Week of March 22
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up. Here’s what’s on the way today, March 22! Aretha Franklin, Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings (Rhino/Atlantic Catalog Group) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Amazing Grace: The Complete Recordings presents Aretha Franklin’s iconic concerts at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles during January 1972 in full. Both the Thursday night and Friday night sets are accounted for, spread across four 180-gram LPs. For more about the Amazing Grace vinyl reissue, check out our post here! Aretha Franklin, Songs of Faith: Aretha Gospel (Geffen/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Songs…
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You Get What You Need: Restored “Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus” Arriving to Theaters in 4K/Dolby Atmos in April
It’s been more than 50 years since The Rolling Stones and a host of friends converged at Intertel TV Studio in Wembley to film The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus, the concert film that featured the band alongside friends like The Who, Jethro Tull, The Dirty Mac (a supergroup featuring John Lennon, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, and Mitch Mitchell). The once-lost documentary has been newly restored and will be screened in select theaters throughout the United States in early April. Originally directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the film was conceived as a…
Take Me To The Pilot: Elton, Lennon, Queen Among Universal’s Record Store Day 2019 Offerings
Record Store Day 2019 is just under five weeks away. In anticipation of the April 13th celebration of vinyl, The Second Disc presents a round-up of Universal Music Group’s RSD selections! The Charlatans, Us and Us Only – LP, clear vinyl – 1,000 copies Originally released in 1999, Us and Us Only was the British alt-rock group’s sixth album. It will be reissued for the first time ever for Record Store Day, pressed on limited-edition transparent vinyl. Charlie Parker, Charlie Parker With Strings: The Alternate Takes – LP, blue vinyl – 2,500 copies Previously…
Let’s Hope For Peace: John and Yoko’s “Wedding Album” Back on CD and LP in March
Yesterday, on the occasion of her 86th birthday, avant-garde artist and musician Yoko Ono announced a new edition of Wedding Album, the third of her collaborative experimental albums with John Lennon. It will be released by Secretly Canadian and Chimera Music on March 22, just over 50 years after the pair’s marriage. The reissue is part of the ongoing Yoko Ono Reissue Series, which has so far brought Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins (1968), Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969), Plastic Ono Band (1970), Fly (1971), Approximately Infinite Universe (1973) and Feeling The Space…
Release Round-Up: Week of January 18
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Rush, In Rio [4-LP Vinyl] (Atlantic/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Recorded live during their 2002 “comeback” tour, Rush’s In Rio was originally released on CD and DVD in 2003. Now, the 28-song set featuring hits and deep cuts from across their career arrives on vinyl for the first time, across four 180-gram discs. The collection includes all 29 songs from the Rio gig, plus two bonus tracks recorded at other stops during the Vapor Trails Tour. “Between Sun & Moon” was recorded…
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Review: The Beatles, “The Beatles (The White Album): Anniversary Edition”
You Say You Want a Revolution Following the enormous, worldwide success of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles wouldn’t have been faulted had they re-entered Abbey Road Studios and created another album of robustly melodic, lavishly orchestrated songs of whimsy and wonder. But Messrs. Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr weren’t interested in repeating themselves. When The Beatles arrived on November 22, 1968, roughly one and one-half years after Pepper, one didn’t even have to play the record to know that it was something different. Not only was it the Fab…
Review: John Lennon, “Imagine: The Ultimate Collection”
You May Say I’m a Dreamer Much like the artist who created it, John Lennon’s Imagine has always been an album of contradictions. While its dreamy, idealized title track has become an anthem for generations, the same LP veers from heartbreaking vulnerability (“Jealous Guy”) and expressions of romance (“Oh My Love,” “Oh Yoko!”) to a withering, personal jab at a friend (“How Do You Sleep”) to powerfully pointed social commentary (“Crippled Inside,” “I Don’t Wanna Be a Soldier Mama I Don’t Wanna Die,” “Gimme Some Truth”). With 1970’s John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band,…
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Release Round-Up: Week of October 5
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Johnny Mathis, The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)/Song Sung Blue: Expanded Edition (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music have paired two 1972 albums from the legendary Johnny Mathis as an expanded 2-CD set. Both albums were produced by Jerry Fuller and make their standalone CD debuts here. The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) had not only Mathis’ rendition of the hit popularized by Roberta Flack but also classics introduced by…
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