Nina Simone 2 - The Second Disc

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Blu-Ray Audio, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Folk, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Andy Williams, Joni Mitchell, Marvin Gaye, Nina Simone, Robbie Basho, Stephen Schwartz, Steve Goodman, The Alan Parsons Project, The Monkees, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt

I Sing To Know I’m Alive: Lost Nina Simone Classic Reissued on CD, LP in April

February 27, 2020 by Sam Stone | 2 Comments

Few singers could conjure as much emotion through words and tone as Nina Simone. While many of her best-known albums from the ’60s and ’70s have become widely available in recent years, music from her ex-U.S. years have been much harder to find. Among the most sought-after is Fodder On My Wings, a 1982 album originally released on the French label Carrere. Decades out-of-print on a major label, the album will be re-released by Verve and UMe – complete with new cover art – on April 3. Whether you prefer CD, vinyl,…

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CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul

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Release Round-Up: Week of August 9

August 9, 2019 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Elvis Presley, Live 1969 (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) RCA and Legacy celebrate Elvis Presley’s triumphant return to live performing at Las Vegas’ International Hotel with a new 11-CD box set. All of The King’s exhilarating performances from August 21 to August 26, 1969 will be presented on Legacy’s new box . Some of the concerts have been previously issued in the last decade on various BMG and Follow That Dream collections and box sets (not to mention the August 23rd dinner…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Blues, Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Folk, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Tags:

Anthony Perkins, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley, Filter, Janie Fricke, Jefferson Airplane, Nina Simone, Rodgers and Hart, Steve Goodman, The Strangeloves

In The Tower of Song: Leonard Cohen Covers Collected on “Hallelujah,” New Ace Records Compilation

April 1, 2019 by Sam Stone | 4 Comments

VA Hallelujah TheSongsofLeonardCohen Ace plain

With his acumen for gripping poetry, inimitable baritone, and trademark Spanish-influenced fingerpicking, Leonard Cohen married his talents for poetry and song-craft to create some of the most enduring music of the singer-songwriter era and beyond. Like every great songwriter, Cohen’s work continues to inspire an array of cover versions. Sure, there’s the million-and-one covers of “Hallelujah,” but even before the 1967 release of his debut Songs of Leonard Cohen, early supporters like Judy Collins and Buffy Sainte-Marie helped propel his words into the public consciousness. Years later, Cohen reflected on the joys…

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Classic Rock, Country, Folk, Rock

Release Round-Up: Week of February 23

February 23, 2018 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Concert for George [Various Formats] (Craft Recordings) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/2DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/2BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD/2DVD/2BD/4LP Limited Online Exclusive Box Set: George Harrison Shop The star-studded 2002 concert celebration of the life of George Harrison – featuring Paul McCartney, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and other luminaries – returns in a variety of formats (with some previously unreleased music and bonus features) from…

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Formats:

Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, DVD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Country, Gospel, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

Belinda Carlisle, David Bowie, Edgar Winter, George Harrison, Glen Campbell, Hawkwind, Isaac Hayes, Neil Young, Nina Simone, Precious Wilson, Rupert Holmes, The Doors, Todd Rundgren

Review: Nina Simone, “Mood Indigo: The Complete Bethlehem Singles”

February 14, 2018 by Joe Marchese | 2 Comments

Listeners experiencing 2018 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Nina Simone’s debut recordings for the first time might be taken aback at the ferocity and determination which mark these fourteen sides, compiled for the first time in complete form on CD as Mood Indigo: The Complete Bethlehem Singles (BMG 538320282). Those qualities distinguished this remarkable artist throughout a long and fiery career, but were thrillingly present at her very first sessions. Pianist-singer Simone began her recording career at the jazz-oriented Bethlehem Records label at the age of 25 in 1958. Her…

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Reviews

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CD, Vinyl

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Release Round-Up: Week of February 9

February 9, 2018 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Stax Singles Vol. 4: Rarities and Best of the Rest (Stax/Craft) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Craft Recordings boxes up a fourth volume of rare singles from the Stax vaults. Volume Four lives up to its subtitle, collecting odds and ends from Stax and its various imprints by artists including not just the label’s usual heavy hitters but also Big Star, Billy Eckstine, Delaney and Bonnie, and others. 80 pages of liner notes accompany this 6-CD treasure trove. Watch for our…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

Tags:

Chris Hillman, Mitch Miller, Nina Simone, Oscar Peterson, Ringo Starr, The Nazz, Todd Rundgren, Toto

Sugar In My Bowl: Bethlehem, Rhino Plan Singles Collections Honoring Nina Simone

January 24, 2018 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

Few artists have had the impact on pop, soul, rock and jazz as the iconoclastic Nina Simone. Simone (1933-2003) played by her own rules in life and art, recording some of the most electric and eclectic music imaginable in any genre. It wasn’t uncommon on a Simone album to find politically charged protest music alongside popular Broadway hits and reworkings of contemporary rock songs. This April, she will enter the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though she preferred to call her singular fusion of genres “black classical music.” Throughout her long…

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Formats:

CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Blues, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul

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Super Strut: Cherry Red Collects Best of Creed Taylor’s CTI Label on “Cool Heat”

September 6, 2017 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Cherry Red’s Robinsongs imprint is turning up the Cool Heat with a new 2-CD, 25-track collection celebrating The Best of CTI Records and featuring many of the classic jazz label’s most renowned artists including instrumentalists George Benson, Freddie Hubbard, Hubert Laws, and Stanley Turrentine, and vocalists Nina Simone, Patti Austin, and Esther Phillips. Chances are, if you think of a jazz artist, it wouldn’t take many degrees of separation to reach Creed Taylor. The esteemed producer began his career at Bethlehem Records overseeing a roster including Herbie Mann, Charles Mingus, Carmen McRae,…

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Disco/Dance, Jazz, R&B/Soul

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Bob James, Esther Phillips, Eumir Deodato, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, Nina Simone, Stanley Turrentine, Various Artists

Spicks and Specks: Ace Collects “Songs of The Bee Gees” From Lulu, Nina Simone, Percy Sledge, Others

May 12, 2017 by Joe Marchese | 7 Comments

With a recent Grammy Awards salute, a new catalogue deal, and the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever, the music of the Bee Gees has been front and center in 2017. Ace Records has joined the celebration of the brothers Gibb with a new entry in the label’s long-running Songwriters Series. To Love Somebody: The Songs of The Bee Gees 1966-1970 pulls into focus the early professional years of Barry, Robin, and Maurice, with 24 choice cover versions of songs both familiar and lesser-known. These performances, in particular, underscore the deep affection…

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Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul

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Al Green, James Carr, Lulu, Nina Simone, Percy Sledge, The Bee Gees, The Staple Singers, Various Artists

Ace Collects Classic Beatles Covers On “Let It Be: Black America Sings Lennon, McCartney and Harrison”

October 18, 2016 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

If there was ever any doubt as to the versatility, adaptability and endurance of the songs of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, it would certainly be dispelled by Ace’s new release of Let It Be: Black America Sings Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. The latest volume in the label’s Black America Sings series (also encompassing volumes dedicated to Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, and the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David) and the second dedicated to the music of The Beatles, Let It Be features a staggering array of…

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Pop, R&B/Soul

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Aretha Franklin, Bill Withers, Dionne Warwick, Mary Wells, Nina Simone, The Beatles, The Four Tops, The Supremes, The Temptations, Various Artists

Release Round-Up: Week of July 15

July 15, 2016 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Little Richard, Mono Box: The Complete Specialty and Vee-Jay Albums (Concord/Specialty) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This new, 5-LP vinyl box set collects all of the studio albums that Little Richard recorded for both the Specialty and Vee-Jay labels between 1957 and 1965. The mono albums, each replicating the original label and jacket art, have been remastered from analog tapes. A 16-page booklet featuring new liner notes by Bill Dahl, plus era-specific photos, rounds out the collection. Read more here! Diana Ross, Diana Ross…

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Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Classic Rock, Folk, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Diana Ross, Frank Zappa, Jeff Beck, Little Richard, Marvin Gaye, Maynard Ferguson, Nina Simone, Sonny and Cher, The Hollywood Brats

Lovely Day: Aretha, Sly, Andy, Marvin and Billie Headline “The Brazil Connection”

June 26, 2014 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Well, summer is officially upon us! Already there’s talk about which songs will be anointed the perfect summer jams for 2014 – songs by artists like Ariana Grande, Iggy Azalea and the ubiquitous Pharrell Williams. If those names don’t set your pulse racing, however, Legacy Recordings has an alternative that’s bound to conjure up images of tropical sunsets, refreshing drinks and summer breeze. Studio Rio Presents The Brazil Connection makes over 12 pop classics from the Sony vaults by melding the original vocals with new bossa nova and samba arrangements written and/or…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming

Genres:

Pop

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Andy Williams, Bill Withers, Marcos Valle, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, Sly & The Family Stone

Ace’s “Black America Sings Bacharach and David” Features Dionne, Aretha, Cissy, Nina and More

April 30, 2014 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

In retrospect, it might be telling that Burt Bacharach’s first recorded song, “Once in a Blue Moon,” was cut in 1952 by Nat “King” Cole. From those earliest days, Bacharach and his lyrical partner Hal David saw their songs recorded by a host of African-American artists: Johnny Mathis, Gene McDaniels, Joe Williams, Lena Horne, and Etta James among them. Once the duo began to change the sound of American music with their ultra-cool, sophisticated pop-soul compositions, those songs were most frequently interpreted by African-Americans: The Shirelles, Jerry Butler, Lou Johnson, The Drifters,…

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R&B/Soul

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Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, Nina Simone, The Drifters

Starbucks Goes Hip and Jazzy On Venti Release Slate

February 17, 2014 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

If you’re looking for a little music to go with your grande toffee nut latte, Starbucks has recently unveiled a number of new audio offerings to kick off 2014. In addition to its annual Sweetheart disc – an anthology of new(ish) artists playing old(ish) love songs including, this year, songs by John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Harry Nilsson – the coffee giant has curated a selection of Music for Little Hipsters, sets dedicated to Women of Jazz and When Jazz Meets Guitar, and an Opus Collection volume for the one and only…

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Lena Horne, Nina Simone, Sarah Vaughan, The Beach Boys

Release Round-Up: Week of August 27

August 27, 2013 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

The Beach Boys, Made in California (Capitol/UMe) Six discs of career-spanning tunes – hits and rarities aplenty – from the best band to come out of Hawthorne, California. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Bob Dylan, Another Self Portrait (1969-1971): The Bootleg Series Vol. 10 (Columbia) Revisit one of the most polarizing periods of Dylan’s career with the latest Bootleg Series entry, featuring outtakes from Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait and New Morning. A deluxe version includes Dylan and The Band’s complete Isle of Wight performance and a remastered version of Self Portrait, and a vinyl version also exists. 2CD standard edition: Amazon U.S….

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News, Release Round-Up

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Box Sets

Genres:

Soundtracks

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Bob Dylan, Mario Lanza, Naked Eyes, Nina Simone, Robert Palmer, Sly & The Family Stone, The Band, The Beach Boys, Vinyl

Naxos To Reissue Bethlehem Catalogue, Titles Promised From Nina Simone, John Coltrane, Mel Tormé

August 26, 2013 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Another chapter is soon to be written in the story of the classic jazz label Bethlehem Records. The label, founded in 1953 by Gus Wildi, will soon be relaunched by classical specialist label Naxos in association with Bethlehem’s current owner, Verse Music Group. Titles are planned to roll out in six batches, from August 27 of this year through July 29, 2014. Bethlehem played a major part in establishing the careers of such prime vocalists as Chris Connor, Nina Simone and Julie London, and at one time or another, its roster of…

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Come to the Pop Market: Complete Collections Due From ELO, EWF, Cohen, Simone, Desmond and More

September 22, 2011 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

And the (complete) hits just keep on comin’. Sony’s PopMarket site has become a must-visit destination for many music fans, not only due to daily deals on existing box sets and back catalogue titles but also due to a line of new boxes under the Complete Albums Collection umbrella. Initial recipients of this treatment were Sam Cooke, The Byrds. Stan Getz and Return to Forever. A second wave offered collections from John Denver, Grover Washington Jr., Kansas and Wayne Shorter. Another eight titles have recently been announced, and like their predecessors, these…

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