Roberta Flack - The Second Disc

Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack

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Box Sets, CD

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R&B/Soul

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Soundtrack Watch: Varese, La-La Land, Quartet Wrap Up the Year with Goldsmith, Bernstein, Mancini, Zimmer and More

January 12, 2026 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

The last calendar page of the year (and, in this case, even the first!) means a bounty of soundtrack reissues! La-La Land Records, Varese Sarabande and Quartet have all recently planned some exciting expansions for your favorite score collector. La-La Land may have claimed that they were “serving coal” this year, with a lot of their typically big end-of-year titles stuck in approval delays – but they still prepared two late-period favorites from two classic film composers (plus an exciting vinyl title for James Bond fans) before kicking off January with two…

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CD, Vinyl

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Soundtracks

Q’s Cues: New ‘Écoutez Le Cinéma’ Box Celebrates the Music of Quincy Jones

December 2, 2025 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

When Rhino released Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones – a 4CD, 74-track collection – in 2001, it was a valiant attempt to tell a story that was still being written. The gifted bandleader, composer and producer, who passed away at the age of 91 in 2024, had an enduring way with sound, be it jazz, pop, R&B, rock or even film and television scoring. His decades of work with the 20th century’s greatest luminaries made him a tremendous (if controversial) raconteur, with countless stories to tell and luminaries to work alongside….

The Weekend Stream: October 4, 2025

October 4, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 1 Comment

Welcome to another edition of The Weekend Stream, The Second Disc’s review of notable catalogue titles (and some new ones, too!) making digital debuts. From the Foo Fighters entering Bandcamp for a cause to a Record Store Day rarity by Rage Against the Machine, the dream of the ’90s is very much alive here…plus much more from other decades, too! Are Playing Where??? Vol. I by Foo Fighters Foo Fighters, Are Playing Where??? Vol. 1 (Roswell) (Bandcamp) After kicking off a season of drummer exodus – sacking session drummer Josh Freese, who’d join…

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Electronic, Folk, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Bob Mould, Dave Grohl, David Longworth Wallingford, Donal Leace, Foo Fighters, Gary Numan, Gavin Creel, Jennifer Lopez, Joan Baez, King Creosote, Rage Against the Machine, Roberta Flack, Sugar

The Weekend Stream: September 27, 2025

September 27, 2025 by Joe Marchese | 4 Comments

Welcome to another relaxing journey down The Weekend Stream featuring a classic anthem from Barry Manilow and the late Peter Allen; a moving farewell for a great cause from Ozzy Osbourne and his friends in Judas Priest; classic pop from The King Family; a host of jazz, R&B, and country reissues; a dash of Christmas cheer from an old friend; and more! Barry Manilow, Once Before I Go (Stiletto) (Apple / Amazon) Fans attending Barry Manilow’s concerts of the last couple years have occasionally heard him pull out a very special encore:…

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Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Holiday, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock

In Memoriam: Roberta Flack (1937-2025)

February 24, 2025 by Mike Duquette | 7 Comments

Even Robert Christgau couldn’t get it right all the time. The self-professed “dean of American rock critics” sniffed at Roberta Flack’s Quiet Fire in 1971 thusly: “Flack is generally regarded as the most significant new black woman singer since Aretha Franklin, and at moments she sounds kind, intelligent, and very likable. But she often exhibits the gratuitous gentility you’d expect of someone who says ‘between you and I.’” At this juncture, Flack was three albums into a tenure with Atlantic Records and only about to reach sensational heights in her storied career. Her…

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Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack

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CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, R&B/Soul

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Makes Me Feel Fine: Rhino’s New Quadio Batch Includes Seals and Crofts, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Hot Tuna

May 3, 2024 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Not long after the release of Joni Mitchell’s Quadio box set – making her the third artist to have an entire Quadio box dedicated to her, after Chicago and The Doobie Brothers – Rhino has just announced the fourth round of Blu-ray titles in the four-channel surround format Donny Hathaway’s Extension Of A Man, Hot Tuna’s Burgers, Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly, and Seals & Crofts’ Summer Breeze are all available now, as newly remastered from the original four-channel quadraphonic master tapes. Every title contains the four-channel mix as well as the…

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Blu-Ray Audio

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Blues, Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul

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Donny Hathaway, Hot Tuna, Roberta Flack, Seals and Crofts

The Weekend Stream: October 28, 2023

October 28, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 3 Comments

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. A beloved Madonna ballad, a new Journey remix and a benefit compilation for Ukranian relief all get center stage today, plus a few unheard gems for country and electronic fans alike. Madonna, You’ll See (The Remixes) (Warner/Rhino) (iTunes / Amazon) This emotional 1995 ballad, a collaboration between the Queen of Pop and David Foster, was the lead single off a terrific…

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Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock

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Brinsley Schwarz, Crowded House, Dave Stewart, Doris Day, Jackson Browne, Jethro Tull, Journey, Madonna, Marc Almond, Marianne Faithfull, Richard Thompson, Roberta Flack, Steve Perry, Stevie Nicks, The Waterboys

The Message is Love: Demon Preps Box Set of Arthur Baker Remixes

May 4, 2023 by Mike Duquette | 3 Comments

Demon Music Group scored a real coup in 2021 with the release of Dance Masters: Shep Pettibone (The Classic Master Mixes), a box set devoted to the stellar late ’80s and early ’90s remixer. The branding on the set indicated that Dance Masters was to be a series, presented by another remixing great: American DJ/producer Arthur Baker. Now, two years later, another Dance Masters set is forthcoming, focused on the work of Baker himself. Dance Masters: Arthur Baker (The Classic Dance Remixes), due July 7, will bring Baker’s work behind the mixing…

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Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

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Disco/Dance, Electronic, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

The Weekend Stream: February 12, 2022

February 12, 2022 by Mike Duquette | 4 Comments

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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Country, Disco/Dance, Folk, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

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Barry White, , David Lasley, Doc Severinsen, Dr. John, Hank Williams, John Williams, Lobo, Meat Loaf, Meco, Michael Giacchino, Otis Redding, Richard Thompson, Roberta Flack, Shaun Murphy, Sting, Stoney and Meatloaf, Suzanne Vega

The Weekend Stream: July 2, 2021

July 2, 2021 by The Second Disc | No Comments

While The Second Disc prides itself on connecting people to reissues and box sets they can keep on their shelves, it’s no secret that listening audiences are also digital – catalogue music lovers, too – and our passion is connecting people to music from the past that they might adore. So we’ve introduced a new feature: The Weekend Stream, which focuses on hidden gems that recently made it to digital channels that might make your playlists a little brighter! And today’s is a bit super-sized, bringing together releases from this week, last…

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Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Donna Summer, Fleetwood Mac, Gamble and Huff, Lionel Richie, Lou Rawls, McFadden and Whitehead, Meco, Michael Jackson, Nas, Roberta Flack, Teddy Pendergrass, The Art of Noise, The Jacksons, The O'Jays, The Roots, The White Stripes

Give It Up! Rhino, Run Out Groove Celebrate Black Music Month in June with Charles Mingus, Roberta Flack, Curtis Mayfield, The Time, More

May 11, 2021 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

On June 7, 1979, President Jimmy Carter recognized June as Black Music Month. Thirty years later, President Barack Obama, the first African-American to hold the nation’s highest office, commemorated the designation. He noted that the rich legacy of black music had encouraged citizens “to dance, to express our faith through song, to march against injustice, and to defend our country’s enduring promise of freedom and opportunity for all.” This June and into July, Rhino and sister imprint Run Out Groove will celebrate Black Music Month (or African-American Music Appreciation Month) with a…

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Formats:

CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

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Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul

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Charles Mingus, Curtis Mayfield, Miles Davis, Milt Jackson, Ray Charles, Roberta Flack, The Drifters, The Time, Zapp and Roger

The Start of Something: Roberta Flack’s “First Take” Gets Expanded Reissue With Unreleased Material

January 30, 2020 by Sam Stone | 17 Comments

Roberta Flack’s inimitable voice has stirred listeners for over 50 years. She’s had hits in the pop, R&B, and traditional vocal fields; earned six gold records, and achieved a multi-platinum success with Killing Me Softly. In April, Flack will be honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for her lasting creative contributions. To mark the occasion, SoulMusic.com and Run Out Groove will release a special version of Flack’s debut on April 10. First Take: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is a 2CD/1LP set including a newly remastered version of the original album on CD…

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Nino Tempo, Roberta Flack

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Box Sets, CD, Vinyl

Genres:

Pop, R&B/Soul

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Roberta Flack

Deep Purple Saxophone: Omnivore Collects Nino Tempo’s Atlantic Jazz

April 17, 2018 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Nino Tempo is accurately described as a Purveyor of Balladry on Omnivore Recordings’ new compilation dedicated to his Atlantic recordings, but that’s just one facet of this all-too-underrated artist. Over a long career, Tempo has served as a writer, producer, arranger, singer, and (as on this set) musician. With his sister April Stevens, Tempo enchanted with the breezy “Deep Purple” and shimmering “You’ll Be Needing Me Baby,” and out-Righteous Brother’ed the Righteous Brothers on “All Strung Out.” A child actor and amateur hour winner, Tempo played with the illustrious “Wrecking Crew” on…

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News, Reviews

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Jazz

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Everything is (More Than) Everything: Unreleased Donny Hathaway Works Compiled on New Box Set (UPDATED 9/26)

September 26, 2013 by Mike Duquette | 3 Comments

UPDATE (9/26/2013): After initially posting this was to be released in France, we were pleased to receive confirmation that this box, in fact, will be released stateside as well! We have amended the release date and pre-order links accordingly. AMENDED POST (9/23/2013): Several years after a great career-spanning box set from France, Rhino is releasing another new box by the late soul legend Donny Hathaway, with two discs of unreleased studio and live content. Never My Love: The Anthology takes its name from the classic Donald and Richard Addrisi composition, taken to No….

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Box Sets

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Roberta Flack

SoulMusic Records Is “Born to Love” With Reissues from Peabo and Roberta, Nancy Wilson and Tavares

August 2, 2013 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

With its latest batch of reissues, including titles from Peabo Bryson and Roberta Flack, Tavares, and Nancy Wilson, Cherry Red’s SoulMusic Records imprint can truly be said to cover a wide swath of the soulful spectrum. Duets have long been staples of great R&B. Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, James Ingram and Patti Austin, and Otis Redding and Carla Thomas – just to name a few in the pantheon – all proved that “it takes two.” (That title, in fact, gave Gaye and Kim Weston a hit.) …

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Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul

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Nancy Wilson, Peabo Bryson, Roberta Flack, Tavares

Roberta Flack Compilation is Killing Us Softly from the U.K.

January 27, 2011 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

U.K. music fans, do you need some romance in your life? Rhino’s got you covered the forthcoming release of Love Songs, a new compilation by Roberta Flack. Flack is, of course, one of the most legendary artists on the Atlantic roster, scoring an impressive run of Top 5 hits (including three chart-toppers) through the 1970s. Her iconic “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly with His Song” were the first back-to-back Record of the Year Grammy winners by the same artist – and her voice, whether alone…

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