"Wow, he's got a great face!" That was Madonna's first reaction to then-model, future pop star Nick Kamen. She recollected, "I never knew he could sing. And the next thing I know, Seymour Stein calls me up and says, 'would you be interested in writing a song for his album?' So he sent me a tape and the Levi's commercial and a demo video that he had done, and I said, 'Wow, this guy's got everything.'" Now, fans of Kamen can have everything, too, as Cherry Red has just released The Complete
Cherry Pop will compile the works of U.K. model-turned-singer Nick Kamen this summer. Available July 24, the 6CD The Complete Collection offers remastered versions all four albums Kamen recorded for Warner Music between 1987 and 1992, plus dozens of bonus tracks and remixes, many of them previously unreleased or new to CD. (The label notes that 20 mixes are previously unreleased, though we suspect this number is higher.) Two never-before-heard tracks are also available: covers of The Everly
Today, Rhino announced its offerings for the 2019 Record Store Day celebration, taking place at your local brick-and-mortar shop Saturday, April 13. Rhino's 33 releases highlight several genres of music - soul, rock, rap, comedy, disco, pop, jam bands, prog, and more - on an array of formats including LPs, CDs, picture discs, colored vinyl, and even cassette tapes. Here's the run-down on all their RSD titles! a-ha, Hunting High and Low: The Early Alternate Mixes - 1 LP - 6,000
In their first-ever digital-only box set, the music lovers at Rhino have curated That's Aught: The '00s Pop Culture Box, a 150-song collection that celebrates the many sides of that decade of music. From pop and hip-hop, country, pop-punk, soul, dance, and underground music, the selections are as diverse as the decade was. The staff at Rhino have sequenced the selections in more-or-less chronological order, beginning with *NSYNC's "Bye Bye Bye" before continuing on to iconic hits from music
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 shopping extravaganza - and Record Store Day's miniature cousin to April's yearly event. In keeping with TSD tradition, Joe, Randy, and Sam have elected our top picks of the numerous titles being released
As we continue to look at the offerings for this Black Friday Record Store Day on November 23, here is a peek at the twelve titles Rhino will be releasing. As always, these will be available exclusively at all finer independent music shops on Black Friday! The B-52's - Cosmic Thing The group's fifth album from 1989, featuring the hits "Love Shack" and "Roam." Limited edition of 4,500 copies on 140-gram rainbow colored vinyl. Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! Devo's debut album,
Welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year's Record Store Day event! Once you're through reading, let us know what you're most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent retailer! Our list features just a sampling of our favorites from our friends at Legacy Recordings, Varese Sarabande, Rhino Records, Real Gone Music, Demon Music Group, Walt Disney Records, Omnivore Recordings, and more! Joe's kicking things off with five essential picks (in
Since September 25, 1979, there hasn't been a day when an Andrew Lloyd Webber melody hasn't been heard on Broadway. That was the opening night of Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita. Before it ended its run in June 1983, Lloyd Webber's musical Cats had opened, launching a record-breaking run through September 2000. But on January 26, 1988, the show opened which would eclipse them all: Phantom of the Opera. It today celebrates 30 years (marked with a special gala earlier this week) and is
Record Store Day has been an institution for a decade now, so leave it to this year's 10th anniversary event to be one of the biggest! We've already shone the spotlight on releases by David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Prince, Omnivore Recordings and Legacy Recordings; now, it's time to take a look at Warner Music's incredibly generous lineup. Over 30 titles will be featured from the label group at independent record stores on Saturday, April 22. There's really something for everyone: vintage 12"
Tomorrow, Saturday, April 16, music fans and collectors will flock to their local independent record stores worldwide to celebrate both the sounds on those familiar round black platters and the cherished opportunity to shop for music in a physical retail environment. To many of us, both are a way of life. Each year around this time, we here at Second Disc HQ take a few moments to count down the titles to which we're most looking forward to picking up! Our very own Mike Duquette kicks things
We've already filled you in on Rhino's upcoming Record Store Day releases from the late David Bowie, but the label has now confirmed the rest of its vinyl offerings for the April 16 event! This year's crop of 25+ titles is a diverse one, with a number of vinyl premieres, new entries in the label's longtime "Side by Side" series, and more! You'll find all details just below. a-ha - Hits South America 12-inch 180-gram vinyl Limited edition of 3000 copies, $14.98 AIR - Casanova
Nick Kamen's career as a singer was a short-lived one, spanning just four LPs between 1987 and 1992. But the former Levi's model - best known for his role in the denim company's "Launderette" television advertisement in which he walks into a laundromat and removes his shirt and 501s - scored considerable success in that period including a U.K. Top 5 hit co-written and produced by none other than Madonna. Cherry Red's Cherry Pop label has recently reissued Nick Kamen, the debut album from the
If you can get over the shock of a good amount of holiday CDs available on the shelves at Target, you'll find a surprise new exclusive: a reissue of the classic 1987 compilation A Very Special Christmas with a brand new DVD about the long-running holiday benefit series. Produced by acclaimed engineer-turned-label impresario Jimmy Iovine, A Very Special Christmas featured the brightest stars in pop music, from Springsteen to Madonna, recording new versions of classic carols (plus one modern
Rhino U.K. is bringing disco back with a new triple-disc compilation of dance classics, and an updated reissue of a successful compilation released earlier this year. First up, Rhino's reissuing the new Nile Rodgers/CHIC compilation Up All Night. The double-disc set, originally compiled by Wayne A. Dickson of Big Break Records and mastered by Dickson and BBR engineer Nick Robbins, with liner notes from Christian John Wikane, was released in July to capitalize on Rodgers' highly enjoyable wave
Welcome to another installment of Reissue Theory, where we reflect on notable records and the reissues they could someday see. It's been three decades since one of the most popular and influential performers of the last 50 years released her first full-length album, and a new deluxe edition is long overdue. Here's a look back at the first album by Madonna. If you'll pardon the anachronism, it wouldn't have been unforgivable to look at Gary Heery's photograph for the cover of Madonna's first
When I was heavily ensconced in a retail job, I had the task of stocking new music and movie releases and sharing the new releases with the rest of the store on Tuesday morning. Without fail, every time a NOW That's What I Call Music! compilation came out, someone would marvel how many such compilations existed, prompting me to tell my co-workers that they should check out the NOW series as it originated in the U.K., back in 1983, where they were double albums and released with slightly more
Today, The Second Disc remembers Phil Ramone. The multiple Grammy-winning producer, 79, died on Saturday, leaving behind a legacy of song from artists ranging from Barbra Streisand to Paul McCartney, Barry Manilow to The Band. Yet unlike so many of his contemporaries, Phil Ramone didn’t have a signature style. Instead of molding a band or singer to a preferred sonic specialty, he was a true architect of sound, tailoring each production to the individual artist. Ramone was equally comfortable
When Sean Connery first uttered the immortal words “Bond…James Bond” fifty years ago in the film Dr. No, the template for the long-running movie series was already set. That soon-to-be-signature phrase was joined in the film by a piece of music that would quickly rival those three words for familiarity. John Barry’s arrangement of “The James Bond Theme” not only helped cement the silver screen icon of 007 but virtually became a genre unto itself, that of spy music. The spy film craze may have
As the calendar turns over into March, Madonna fans are predictably going into overdrive thanks to the release of MDNA, her latest studio album, on the 26th. It's going to be her first effort not distributed by Warner Bros.; she left the label to sign an all-encompassing deal with Live Nation in 2007, and while Warner distributed her live Sticky & Sweet Tour set in 2010, Universal's Interscope Records will distribute MDNA. Her rich back catalogue is very much in Warner Music's archives,
It's a crime that when you talk about CHIC, many of the players who made up arguably the greatest band of the disco era aren't alive to hear your words of praise. Bernard Edwards, CHIC's bassist and co-producer, died in 1997; drummer Tony Thompson passed away in 2003. Nile Rodgers, guitarist, co-producer and keeper of the CHIC flame, could easily have met the same early fate had he not been lucky enough to discover the cancer that he's been since late last year. (Rodgers, one of the best users
Twenty-six years ago today, on two different continents, the music world came together for a worthy cause: to raise awareness of famine in Ethiopia. Live Aid, a pair of concerts organized by Bob Geldof in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985 and broadcasted live on the BBC, ABC and MTV, was seen in person by some 172,000 people and on television by nearly 2 billion across the globe. And, if you can believe it, none of it has ever been released on LP or CD. Granted, it's not entirely
As a celebration of being cancer-free, CHIC guitarist and producer extraordinaire Nile Rodgers announced today that Warner Japan was releasing a new compilation of material that spans both his work with the legendary disco band and in the producer's chair. Everybody Dance!, billed as "a tribute to my longtime partner Bernard Edwards" on the front cover (it's approaching the 15th anniversary of the bassist's death), is a two-disc set full of hits, one new track - and one absolute oddity. Disc 1,
By now, you've likely heard the 1,000th No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 - Lady Gaga's new single "Born This Way." The dance anthem has come under a bit of fire for critics thanks to its striking similarity to another dance-pop icon's hit, Madonna's "Express Yourself." The Madonna-Gaga comparisons have been wildly obvious from the start - Italian-American, dyed blonde singers with decent if not fantastic voices, a flair for the visual and a desire to control every aspect of their iconography
Prince's influence has been discussed far and wide, from fashion to music videos to the actual, Hendrixian quality of his guitar playing. But it's always unusual when the mercurial purple genius decides to directly contribute to another artist's canon, particularly since one really never knows where he's going to end up next. What follows is a chronological list of ten of Prince's most interesting "guest appearances." Half of them are actual guest appearances, the other half either songs he
For someone so obsessed with image, it's kind of unusual that Madonna has such an uneven back catalogue preservation behind her. In 2001, her first three albums - Madonna (1983), Like a Virgin (1984) and True Blue (1986) - were remastered with a pair of bonus tracks each (all 12" dance singles). Nothing from that point on, including her crowning achievement Like a Prayer (1989), has been given even a remastering. As for her hits, they can be found on one of a few compilations. There's The