The music of Johnny Mathis has been a constant here at Second Disc HQ. Our very first Second Disc Records release in conjunction with Real Gone Music was Johnny's Life Is a Song Worth Singing: The Complete Thom Bell Sessions back in 2015, which inaugurated a series encompassing nearly two dozen Mathis albums and compilations to date including a multi-disc Christmas music collection and the standalone CD premieres of two "lost" albums, I Love My Lady and The Island. Joe had the privilege of
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 pre-Thanksgiving feast includes three legendary women of rock, a summit of country icons, and some unexpected live gems from an alternative '80s outfit - plus so much more. Tina Turner, Tina Turns the Country On! / Acid Queen / Rough / Love Explosion (Parlophone) Country: iTunes / Amazon Acid
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! Johnny Mathis, Christmas Time Is Here (Legacy/Real Gone/Second Disc) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada "Christmas Tree Green" Vinyl LP: RealGoneMusic.com / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada "Holly Red" Vinyl LP: BarnesandNoble.com Johnny Mathis is back with his first album since 2017 and his first yuletide set in a decade. Christmas Time Is Here boasts ten
Here at Second Disc HQ, tomorrow is all about the holidays! We've teamed with Real Gone Music for a pair of new releases - one looking forward to Christmas, and another that's ideal for a wild Halloween. First up is the new studio album from the legendary Voice of Romance, Johnny Mathis. His very first holiday album, 1958's Merry Christmas, sold over five million copies and remains one of the biggest-selling Christmas albums of all time. Now, he's back with his first album since 2017 and
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,
Johnny Mathis is known the world over as The Voice of Romance, but the legendary vocalist deserves another title, as well: The Voice of Christmas. Mathis' very first holiday album, 1958's Merry Christmas, sold over five million copies and remains one of the biggest-selling Christmas albums of all time. Now, Mathis is back with his first album since 2017 and his first yuletide set in a decade. Christmas Time Is Here arrives on October 13 in CD and digital formats from Legacy Recordings 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 usher you into the weekend. The latest features new and old soundtracks, EPs and holiday favorites and much more! "Weird Al" Yankovic, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story - Original Soundtrack (Ear Booker/Roku/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) This weekend sees the release of "Weird Al" Yankovic's second foray into feature film: a
Although he's one of the voices most closely associated with Christmas, Nat "King" Cole only recorded one full-length Christmas LP in his lifetime. Now, Capitol Records and UMe are out to change that with a "new" yuletide album from the legendary vocalist who died in 1965 at just 45 years of age. A Sentimental Christmas with Nat "King" Cole and Friends: Cole Classics Reimagined arrives October 29 on CD, vinyl, and digital platforms. In addition to reorchestrated solo performances, the album
By the time Atlantic Starr signed to the Warner Bros. family of labels, the R&B group had already begun its ascent to crossover stardom. At Warner, the band recorded its biggest album to date - 1987's All In the Name of Love - and scored its biggest hit, "Always." Now, All In the Name of Love and the two albums which followed it have been reissued by Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint in a compact new 3-CD box set appropriately entitled Always: The Warner/Reprise Recordings
Let's hear it for Deniece Williams. Since making her first big splash 45 years ago with debut album This is Niecy, the daughter of Gary, Indiana has scored 27 Billboard R&B hits and 14 Pop successes including two crossover Number Ones, won four Grammy Awards (and amassed another nine nominations), and recorded over fifteen albums blurring the lines between soul, pop, and gospel. Between 1976 and 1988, Williams made Columbia Records her home, both with Maurice White's ARC imprint and with
While The Bee Gees have never truly faded from the popular consciousness, it's fair to say the group founded by Barry Gibb and his late brothers Maurice and Robin is currently experiencing a renaissance. Director Frank Marshall's documentary How Can You Mend a Broken Heart earned acclaim for its candid chronicle of the group's ups and downs while Barry has reaffirmed his legacy with the new album Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook Vol. 1. On the latter, he's joined by an array of country
October is upon us, and while 2020 hasn't given us much to rejoice about, the holiday season is almost here. Before the month is out, radio stations will begin switching to seasonal formats, and television will begin showing yuletide movies. With a never-ending barrage of bad news, "we need a little Christmas right this very minute" has hardly seemed more apt. Sony's Legacy Recordings is getting a head start on Christmas this year with the release on vinyl of 10 favorite albums from the
After having previously celebrated two of his musical inspirations - Burt Bacharach and Teddy Randazzo - with their own volumes, Ace's Songwriters and Producers series is turning its attention to legendary soul maestro Thom Bell. On June 26, the label's Kent imprint will release Ready or Not: Philly Soul Arrangements and Productions 1965-1978. As the title indicates, all 23 tracks were either produced or arranged (or both!) by the multi-hyphenate musician-composer-producer-arranger-conductor who
The ongoing series of budget-priced 3-CD Gold compilations from Demon Music Group's Crimson Productions continues with a pair of releases from artists for whom "legendary" is no understatement: Johnny Mathis and the late George Jones. Curating a representative sampling of Johnny Mathis' singular career in under 50 tracks is no small task, and this set is indeed decades-spanning from his first commercially released single (1956's pairing of "Wonderful! Wonderful!" and "When Sunny Gets Blue")
Johnny Mathis has recorded many romantic albums over the past seven decades, but none quite like The Island. Recorded in 1989 but unreleased for decades, The Island transported listeners to Brazil, with all of its mystique and magic. Today - appropriately enough, on Valentine's Day - this lost classic arrives in its first-ever release on standalone CD from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music. Renowned producer Sergio Mendes of Brasil '66 fame and arranger-guitarist Dori Caymmi joined
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Johnny Mathis, The Island (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The 1989 "lost" album by Johnny Mathis is lost no more! Renowned producer Sergio Mendes of Brasil '66 fame and arranger-guitarist Dori Caymmi joined Mathis on The Island to subtly modernize the classic sounds of bossa nova and samba. He delivered some of his most sensual vocals ever for ten smoldering songs by Caymmi, Mendes, Ivan Lins,
Johnny Mathis has recorded many romantic albums over the past seven decades, but none quite like The Island. Recorded in 1989 but unreleased for decades, The Island transported listeners to Brazil, with all of its mystique and magic. On February 7, this lost classic arrives in a new deluxe edition - its first-ever release on standalone CD - from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music. Renowned producer Sergio Mendes of Brasil '66 fame and arranger-guitarist Dori Caymmi joined Mathis to
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Various Artists, The Great Songs of Christmas: Classic Carols and Pop Favorites (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music proudly present the first new volume of The Great Songs of Christmas in nearly 50 years bringing many of the exclusive tracks featured on Goodyear's original 1961-1970 series together. Expect to hear rarities from Percy Faith, Andre Kostelanetz, Johnny Mathis,
Between 1961 and 1970, households across America delighted in an annual series of Christmas releases available exclusively through Goodyear locations. 900,000 copies of the first volume of The Great Songs of Christmas were pressed - and proved so successful that, by December 1, 1961, Goodyear ordered all advertising to stop as the album had already sold out. The following year's order was for 1.5 million albums, and 2 million for 1962. By 1966, the series' astounding order was for 3 million LPs.
Have you caught the Christmas spirit yet? If not, things are very likely to change on Saturday, November 16. That's when TJL Productions debuts a new special on PBS that's sure to get you ready for the holiday season. A Classic Christmas, part of T.J. Lubinsky's acclaimed My Music series, presents an array of yuletide favorites from an all-star roster of legendary artists. Hosted by Marion Ross (Happy Days) and Gavin MacLeod (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat), A Classic Christmas is
The busy members of The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra are decking the halls with boughs of holly for their latest, all-star release. Christmas with The Stars and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, due as a digital-only title in the U.S. on Friday, November 29, brings the acclaimed orchestra together with some of the biggest names in the classic Columbia and RCA Victor constellations for newly-arranged symphonic versions of Christmas favorites. Featured artists include Elvis Presley, Tony Bennett,
Last week, Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music announced our first release of the Christmas season: Chet Atkins' The Complete RCA Victor and Columbia Christmas Recordings, due on November 8. Today, we're excited to announce two more titles coming your way this holiday season! Between 1961 and 1970, households across America delighted in an annual series of Christmas releases available exclusively through Goodyear locations. 900,000 copies of the first volume of The Great Songs of
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Johnny Mathis, Different Kinda Different: Expanded Edition (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Johnny Mathis' first album of the 1980s, Different Kinda Different, arrives today in an expanded edition from TSD & Real Gone Music. Mathis ushered in the decade with one of the most romantic and sensual albums in his extensive discography. Different Kinda Different teamed him once more with Jack Gold
Tomorrow, Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music continue our celebration of Johnny Mathis' remarkable discography with another pair of expanded releases encompassing three classic albums from The Voice of Romance. 1976's I Only Have Eyes for You and 1977's Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me both reunited Mathis with a pair of his favorite collaborators, producer Jack Gold and arranger Gene Page, for silky renditions of the day's pop smashes as only Mathis could deliver them. Page brought the same
Mark your calendars for September 13: that's when Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music will continue celebrating Johnny Mathis' remarkable discography with another pair of expanded releases encompassing three classic albums from The Voice of Romance. 1976's I Only Have Eyes for You and 1977's Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me both reunited Mathis with a pair of his favorite collaborators, producer Jack Gold and arranger Gene Page, for silky renditions of the day's pop smashes as only Mathis