Today, The Second Disc remembers Clive Davis. Mike kicks things off… It was not entirely hubris that spurred Clive Davis to title his second memoir The Soundtrack of My Life in 2013 (which, in turn, inspired the career-spanning documentary on him to be named The Soundtrack of Our Lives). Here was a man who, with very few peers, was the sort of self-styled “record men” that fueled phases of incredible music industry growth in the back half of the 20th century. Next to perhaps only Berry Gordy, Davis’ label tenures at Columbia, Arista and…
Eternity: Cherry Pop Reissues Sheena Easton’s “No Sound But a Heart”
Following the deluxe 2CD expansion of Do You earlier this year, Cherry Pop has continued its upgrade and overhaul of Sheena Easton’s discography with a remastered vinyl edition of her 1987 album No Sound But a Heart. For her eighth album and final set with EMI, Easton turned to the prevailing “multiple producers” approach so prevalent in the 1980s. As those producers included Narada Michael Walden, Phil Ramone, Nick Martinelli, and Keith Diamond, the Scottish singer was in good hands on 1987’s No Sound But a Heart. While the album isn’t one…
Marshmallow World: Legacy Reissues Christmas Classics from Andy, Perry, Dean, Elvis, Johnny, Kenny and Dolly, and More
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 vaults of Columbia, RCA, Arista, and more. On…
Reservations for Two: SoulMusic Adds Kashif, Tom Browne to “Anthology” Series
Earlier this year, Cherry Red’s SoulMusic Records imprint continued its series of artist anthologies with another two titles in the series, this time spotlighting the late singer-songwriter-musician-producer Kashif, and jazz fusion artist-trumpeter Tom Browne. Help Yourself to My Love: The Arista Anthology collects 30 tracks on 2 CDs from Kashif, the artist born Michael Jones, whose smooth grooves helped define the sound of eighties R&B. A native New Yorker, Kashif first rose to fame as a member of B.T. Express while still a teenager; though he played keyboards and occasionally composed for…







