The last few weekends have seen moviegoers pouring back into theaters thanks to the head-to-head blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer. Their dual openings made for one of the highest-grossing non-holiday weekends ever, and the talents of Greta Gerwig (co-writer/director of the zingy comedy based on the popular doll) and Christopher Nolan (writer/director of the epic biopic about the man who spearheaded America’s creation of the atomic bomb) have already netted a cumulative $1 billion at the box office worldwide. (Perhaps some of that can go toward the striking writers and actors!) In the…
The Weekend Stream: August 5, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. From New Age to New Wave to creepy sound effects, children of famous songwriters and a whole lot more, there’s a lot to enjoy. ABC, The Lexicon of Love (Steven Wilson Stereo and Instrumental Remixes) (Mercury/UMC) (iTunes / Amazon) The 40th anniversary vinyl box of The Lexicon of Love is finally available – but if you just wanted to…
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The Weekend Stream: June 24, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. This week, we’re changing things up with a triplicate of great new songs out digitally, from favorite bands, up and comers and living legends alike – plus the latest digital catalogue and Joe’s tribute to a Broadway original. John Williams & Anne-Sophie Mutter, Helena’s Theme (for Violin and Orchestra) (Walt Disney Records) (iTunes / Amazon) Next Friday, Disney releases…
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The Weekend Stream: June 18, 2023
Welcome to The Weekend Stream, a relaxing review of notable digital-only catalogue titles. There may be no CD or vinyl, but there’s plenty of great new/old music to float you into the weekend. Our latest round-up brings you deep cuts from Pat Boone, rarities from Nat “King” Cole and a brand-new series diving deep into the works of Duke Ellington. Duke Ellington, Ellington in Order, Volume 1 (1927-1928) (Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) A century ago this year, pianist Edward Kennedy Ellington played his first gigs as a bandleader; by the end of…
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The Weekend Stream: May 13, 2023
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. Two soul legends, a soundtrack from one of Hollywood’s greatest composers, and a never-before-heard single from the ZTT vaults are all ready for you to hear! Diana Ross, Last Time I Saw Him (Deluxe Edition) (Motown/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon) To commemorate 50 years of Diana Ross’ sixth solo album – an anything-goes affair that blended pop, soul and…
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In the Moonlight: La-La Land Returns with New Williams Expansion, Unused Score Releases
Not long after La-La Land Records issued one of their best archival soundtrack batches for Black Friday 2022, they made a stunning proclamation: after one release in January, the label would take a long break. Any third-party music licensing post-COVID has been a challenge, and the label sought to take a breather, offer some great sales, restock some old favorites and let the rights and clearance pipelines unclog with time. And unclog they have! The label’s first batch of titles in nearly five months includes a special expansion of an underrated score…
Here They Come: Classic ‘Star Wars’ Recording Gets a New Surround Mix on SACD
Fans of John Williams’ sweeping scores to the nine Star Wars films released between 1977 and 2019 must have the patience of a Jedi Knight. While archival-quality expansions of the original trilogy’s soundtracks were released in 1997 for the series’ 20th anniversary and special edition reissues, the balance of the other six scores remain mostly preserved in their original album forms. In 2018, the series’ new owner, The Walt Disney Company, sort of went back to formula on the original and prequel soundtracks, rebuilding and remixing those original LP programs for CD…
The Year In Review: The 2022 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z – Part Two
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 many delays caused by…
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The Year In Review: The 2022 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z – Part One
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 many delays caused by…
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An Offer You Can’t Refuse: La-La Land’s 2022 Black Friday Batch May Be Their Best
Black Friday isn’t just a day for holiday sales and Record Store Day’s second event of the year – it’s also the day La-La Land Records announces their final (and often biggest) soundtrack reissues of the year. And it might not get bigger than 2022’s batch of titles, which feature two underrated scores from a pair of legendary composers, two massive franchise favorites with rich themes, and the soundtrack to what some consider the greatest American film ever made. Up first is one of those works from a great composer: perennial favorite…
The Second Disc’s Guide to Black Friday Record Store Day 2022: Our Essential Picks
From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. Of course, from this day which conjures nostalgic and warm feelings comes a celebration of a different kind with this year’s annual Black Friday Record Store Day event. In keeping with tradition, Mike, Randy, and Joe have once again selected some essential picks of the roughly 200 titles being released tomorrow at independent record stores everywhere. With so many shoppers at the mall and…
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I’ll Be Right Here: ‘E.T.’ Celebrates 40 Years on Earth with New CD, LP Reissues
Steven Spielberg’s magical masterpiece E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial was the highest-grossing movie of all time for more than a decade after its release in 1982, and inspired a new kind of kid-focused, often fantasy-oriented adventure films. The picture also features one of the most enduring scores by legendary composer John Williams, a multiple award winner in its time. As part of a long-running 40th anniversary campaign that’s included a terrific making-of book, apparel, a theatrical IMAX reissue and a new Ultra-HD Blu-ray release, two labels are releasing Williams’ E.T. soundtrack in some very…
‘Jurassic’ World: La-La Land Revives a Trio of ’90s Scores (and More) on CD
La-La Land Records has three killer early ’90s score expansions on their release schedule this month – and there’s another much-desired title from the ’80s also available to order from the label! First up, La-La Land readies a new remastered and expanded edition of John Williams’ classic score to Jurassic Park. Steven Spielberg’s thrilling adaptation of Michael Crichton’s novel – an action-packed sci-fi flick about a theme park full of cloned dinosaurs that invariably goes wrong – is a modern classic. In addition to a dazzling, Oscar-winning blend of animatronic life-size dinosaurs…
Presumed Excellent: Two Underrated John Williams Scores Get Expanded
For fans of John Williams, the legendary composer’s 90th birthday has marked a fruitful year. A live concert from Berlin recorded in 2021 was released to considerable acclaim, and two studio albums have since followed: A Gathering of Friends, reuniting the composer with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and the New York Philharmonic; and the new Violin Concerto No. 2 and Selected Film Themes, a concert hall collaboration with violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. He’ll next be heard on screen scoring The Fabelmans, a long-awaited semi-autobiographical drama co-written and directed by longtime collaborator Steven Spielberg, and…
Release Round-Up: Week of June 3
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, highlighted by our newest Second Disc Records release and featuring a selection of the week’s other new titles! Stoney and Meatloaf, Everything Under the Sun: The Motown Recordings (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music) Stoney and Meatloaf’s Everything Under the Sun: The Motown Recordings from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music is the ultimate celebration of late rock superstar Meat Loaf’s singular collaboration with the extraordinary, Grammy-nominated Shaun Murphy (who went on to sing for more than four decades with Bob Seger…
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The Weekend Stream: May 28, 2022
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 features digital debuts from a country legend, a new theme from a galaxy far, far away and some 21st century hip-hop for your consideration. Roger Miller, A Trip in the Country / Making a Name for Myself / Roger Miller (Capitol Nashville/UMe) A Trip: iTunes / Amazon Making: iTunes / Amazon Miller: iTunes / Amazon A digital rollout big enough…
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Hooray for Hollywood: New Box Set Celebrates 100 Years of The Hollywood Bowl with Sinatra, Bernstein, Doors, Newman, Dudamel, More
2022 marks 100 years of The Hollywood Bowl. The famous amphitheater nestled in the Hollywood hills has hosted luminaries of every genre of music from classical to rock in its instantly familiar bandshell (actually two bandshells, as the first one from 1929 was demolished in 2003 and replaced with a larger model). The Bowl has been featured in movies including the original A Star Is Born, Double Indemnity, Xanadu, and Beaches and cartoons starring Bugs Bunny, Tom and Jerry, and The Pink Panther. Now, its resident orchestra – the prestigious L.A. Philharmonic…
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The Weekend Stream: April 16, 2022
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! Ben Folds, It’s the Small Things, Charlie Brown (Apple TV+ Original Soundtrack) (Peanuts Productions) (iTunes) Ben Folds has been sort of quiet lately. While the piano-pounding alt-rocker has been livestreaming and podcasting along with being an advocate for orchestras in recent years, he’s only released a handful of singles since 2015’s So There, a collaboration with chamber-pop ensemble yMusic. But that’s about…
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Soundtrack Watch: La-La Land Goes ‘Top Secret,’ Varese Unveils New Titles, John Williams Teams with Anne-Sophie Mutter Again
The last few weeks have seen some fine deluxe soundtrack reissues from two of our favorite film score labels – as well as another album project from the genre’s greatest living luminary. La-La Land Records has aimed for the funny bone with a brilliant new expansion of Maurice Jarre’s score to Top Secret! The 1984 comedy from the Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams – only their second big screen effort as writer-directors after the blockbuster Airplane! four years earlier (plus the brilliant ill-received Police Squad!, later adapted into The Naked Gun trilogy)…
The Weekend Stream: March 5, 2022
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’s got some choice soundtracks plus rock, hip-hop, country, and classic vocalists. Depeche Mode, Construction Time Again | The 12″ Singles (Warner/Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) Rhino continues its series of 12″ single releases from the Depeche Mode catalogue. This offering gathers up the extended mixes from the band’s third album, originally released in 1983. David Crosby, Oh Yes I Can (A&M/UMe) (iTunes…
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Save the Rebellion, Save the Dream: ‘Rogue One’ Complete Score Gets Vinyl Box from Mondo
A heavily armored box set with enough firepower to destroy an entire wallet is coming from Mondo this week. Michael Giacchino’s score to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – recently surprise-released as a generous digital expanded edition – will get an 4LP release from the venerated collector’s label/imprint, featuring all of the soundtrack material issued in 2016 along with an hour of unreleased and alternative material. (Fans will surely keep hoping for a CD edition; after all, rebellions are built on hope.) One of the first significant expansions of Star Wars…
The Weekend Stream: February 12, 2022
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! Michael Giacchino, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack/Expanded Edition) (Walt Disney Records) (iTunes / Amazon) A genuine, out-of-nowhere surprise: a generous expansion of Oscar-winner Giacchino’s score to the first Disney-era Star Wars spin-off in 2016, about the ragtag group of Rebels who stole the plans for the Death Star right before the original movie. The composer subtly mixes…
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Release Round-Up: Week of January 21
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! John Williams and The Boston Pops, The Complete Philips Recordings (Decca) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Decca will celebrate John Williams’ 90th by turning the clock back to 1980 when the famed composer-conductor took the baton from the legendary Arthur Fiedler to lead The Boston Pops Orchestra into a new era. John Williams and The Boston Pops: The Complete Philips Recordings boasts 21 CDs and 22 albums originally released on Philips between 1980 and 1990, at which point the Pops switched affiliations to Sony Classical. (The Sony Classical era…
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The Year In Review: The 2021 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z – Part One
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 – those exemplary reissues and box sets big and…
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We Don’t Wanna Grow Up: Mondo Issues John Williams’ ‘Hook’ on Vinyl for 30th Anniversary
This weekend, iconic filmmaker Steven Spielberg finally achieved his dream of directing a musical, with a stunning new version of the Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim classic West Side Story. Longtime observers of Spielberg’s filmography know that musicals have been a hidden passion of sorts: not only is his work so intrinsically tied to song (notably the scores of John Williams, who’s done one for nearly all of his films), but he’s flirted with musical numbers in films before, from the opening adaptation of Cole Porter’s “Anything Goes” in Indiana Jones and The Temple…
