Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! Frank Zappa, Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana (Zappa/UMe) (Zappa Official Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Zappa '75: Zagreb/Ljubljana captures The Mothers' first and only concerts in Yugoslavia. Zappa referred to the dates as "The Mothers of Invention Yugoslavian Extravaganza," and the performances lived up to that mighty moniker. The shows were staged in Zagreb and
When Roy Orbison unexpectedly died of a heart attack on December 6, 1988 at the age of 52, the world mourned the loss of the rock and roll pioneer. At the time of his death, he'd been enjoying a career revival thanks to his friends George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, and Jeff Lynne - all of whom regarded him as an inspiration and were thrilled to call him their bandmate in the Traveling Wilburys. 1989's Mystery Girl was The Big O's first posthumously released album, having been completed a
Ace Records' two most recent entries in its Songwriter Series of collections both spotlight artists who bucked tradition to forge their own paths at the end of the 1960s and the dawn of the 1970s: Leon Russell and Kris Kristofferson. As we wrote upon his passing in 2016 at the age of 74, Leon Russell was an extraordinary talent unlike any other: A true renaissance man and an extraordinary talent as composer, musician, arranger, producer, and artist, The Master of Space and Time led many
Johnny Cash is coming to town (again)! When the legendary Man in Black was unceremoniously dropped by his longtime home of Columbia Records in mid-1986 - "the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life," opined then-label chief Rick Blackburn - he wasn't yet finished. Mercury Records stepped up to sign Cash, beginning a relationship that lasted for five years and six albums. Now, that fertile 1986-1991 period of rebirth is being revisited by Mercury and UMe in a multi-platform
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,
By the middle of the '80s, Roy Orbison was primed for a comeback. In 1986, his epic ballad "In Dreams" was placed prominently in David Lynch's film Blue Velvet, which sparked renewed interest in the velvet-voiced crooner and rocker. The following year, The "Big O" staged the ultimate comeback concert with a remarkable lineup of guests including Tom Waits, Jackson Browne, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Elvis Costello, J.D. Souther, k.d. lang, and Jennifer Warnes. The star-studded group had
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Jethro Tull, Stormwatch: 40th Anniversary Edition (Chrysalis) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Jethro Tull continues its long-running box set series with a new 4CD/2DVD expansion of 1979's Stormwatch, the final Tull album to feature the "classic" line-up of Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Glascock, John Evan, David (now Dee) Palmer, and Barriemore Barlow. The new edition features: The original album and associated recordings
Elvis and Dino took on hypocrisy. Dion lamented the senseless deaths of Abraham, Martin, and John. Johnny "Poetry in Motion" Tillotson cast a spotlight on the poor treatment of veterans returned home from war. Bing Crosby wondered "What Do We Do with the World" and Paul Anka observed that "This crazy world has come undone." Such are the moments captured on Ace's thoroughly captivating new collection Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present State of the Union: The American Dream in Crisis
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Fleetwood Mac, 50 Years: Don't Stop (Warner Bros./Rhino) 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada In celebration of its 50 years, Fleetwood Mac is issuing a new career-spanning collection featuring 50 songs on either 3 CDs or 5 LPs. These include hits, favorites, and a smattering of rarities such as the CD premiere of 2013's "Sad Angel"
Last November, the late Roy Orbison followed in the footsteps of his fellow Sun alumnus Elvis Presley when his original recordings were given the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra treatment on the set entitled A Love So Beautiful. On November 16, a little over a year after that successful release, the Orchestra has returned to the Orbison songbook with an all-new collection. Unchained Melodies: Roy Orbison with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra presents another 15 selections from the famously
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Supremes, The Ultimate Merry Christmas (Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are joining Motown Records to unwrap a celebration of The Supremes' 1965 perennial Merry Christmas. The Ultimate Merry Christmas features the album in three distinctive versions: the original 1965 mono and stereo mixes, as well as a brand new, never-before-heard 2017 mix premiering
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! George Harrison, The Vinyl Collection (Apple/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) George Harrison - The Vinyl Collection includes newly-remastered editions of 13 albums, from Wonderwall Music (1968) to the posthumously released Brainwashed (2002). Each album has been remastered at Capitol Studios from the original tapes and pressed onto 180-gram vinyl. The albums are all packaged in replica sleeves, and the entire set comes in one
Over the past several years, Roy's Boys, the company founded by Roy Orbison's sons to administer his catalogue, have put together several reissue projects celebrating the immense legacy of the late artist. These have included a comprehensive box set of his years on the MGM label for Universal and a one-disc career-spanning greatest hits from Legacy Recordings. They are teaming up with Legacy again to celebrate one of Orbison's landmark performances with Black &White Night 30, due to be
Classical music has long been a source of inspiration for pop. Just ask Barry Manilow ("Could It Be Magic"), Eric Carmen ("All By Myself," "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again"), Billy Joel ("This Night"), or Walter Murphy ("A Fifth of Beethoven"). Ace Records has recently collected 24 of these classical "crossovers" on the aptly-titled Classical Gassers: Pop Gems Inspired by the Great Composers. These tracks date between 1960 and 1971 and feature such hitmaking artists as Lesley Gore, Jay and the
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Roy Orbison, The Ultimate Collection (Roy's Boys/Legacy) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Legacy Recordings and Roy's Boys, LLC deliver a newly-remastered, career-spanning anthology for the late Roy Orbison. The Ultimate Collection has 26 tracks drawn from The Big O's halcyon years at Monument and MGM as well as his final solo recordings and collaborations with The Traveling
For today's special feature, we're taking a look back at the big stories we shared with you over the past week at The Second Disc, just in case you missed 'em the first time around! Review: Fleetwood Mac, Mirage: Deluxe Edition Joe takes a look at Rhino's 4-CD/1-LP/1-DVD Deluxe Edition of the Mac's 1982 pop gem! This Could Be the Night: Shout! Factory to Release T.A.M.I. Show and The Big T.N.T. Show on Blu-ray Two classic concert films - featuring a galaxy of stars including The
This last April marks what would have been Roy Orbison's 80th birthday had he not sadly died in 1988 at the age of 52. As one of the pioneers of rock 'n' roll, there have been numerous compilations and reissues devoted to Orbison's career. Just this last year, Universal released a 13-CD box set chronicling his tenure at MGM Records. But, despite all of the collections over the years, there hasn't been one that rounded up selections from most stages of his career from his time at Sun Records
A new business agreement will bring rock supergroup The Traveling Wilburys past the end of the line. The all-star quintet, consisting of George Harrison, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Jeff Lynne, is now represented by Concord Bicycle Music in a worldwide agreement that will include physical and digital reissues of the band's complete back catalogue--including, for the first time, streaming rights across Apple Music, Spotify and others--on June 3, as exclusively reported by
The Big O is back with a big box set. The MGM Years 1965-1973, recently arrived from Roy's Boys, LLC and Universal Music Enterprises, chronicles over the course of 13 CDs (or 14 LPs) the least well-known period of the late vocal titan's career. Orbison joined MGM Records riding the crest of the "Oh, Pretty Woman" wave; the composition which he wrote with Bill Dees was a U.S. and U.K. chart-topper at the height of the British Invasion in 1964 for Fred Foster's Monument Records. Enticed by
Well, this is it - the final big release week of the year! While next week will see releases slow to a trickle, this week is packed with exciting box sets and much more! Bruce Springsteen, The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (Columbia) 4-CD/3-DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada 4-CD/2-BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada This 4-CD/3-DVD or 4-CD/2-BD set celebrating The Boss' seminal album The River features a treasure trove of previously unreleased material across its 53 audio tracks
Fifty years ago, in the summer of 1965, Roy Orbison departed Fred Foster's Monument Records label for MGM Records, offshoot of the famed movie studio. In his eight-year tenure at MGM, Orbison released 11 studio albums, one film soundtrack and 27 singles. On December 4, all of The Big O's MGM recordings will be released for the first time in one package via Universal Music Enterprises in association with Roy's Boys, LLC, the company founded by Orbison's sons to administer their father's
Roy Orbison never intended Mystery Girl to be an epitaph. Yet The Big O never had the chance to enjoy the overwhelming success of the 1989 album, as he passed away almost two months to the day prior to its release. Still, as far as epitaphs go, Mystery Girl was – and is – a stunner, a parting gift from one of the most distinctive and resonant voices in rock and roll. Roy’s Boys, the company formed by Orbison’s sons, and Legacy Recordings have teamed for a 25th anniversary reissue of Orbison’s
Oasis, Definitely Maybe: Chasing The Sun Edition (Big Brother/Ngrooves) Oasis' debut album is remastered and expanded; the first in a planned series of multi-format reissues from the legendary Britpop band. 1CD remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.2LP remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.3CD deluxe edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.3CD/2LP/1 x 7″ box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Billy Joel, A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (Columbia/Legacy) The Piano Man's 1987 sojourn to the USSR is
Roy Orbison, a.k.a. The Big O, a.k.a. Lefty Wilbury, a.k.a. “the Caruso of Rock,” never did anything small. His big, booming voice gave life to a series of painfully heartbreaking yet irresistible ballads that sounded like nothing else in rock and roll or pop. Orbison brought an authenticity and urgency to the dramatic songs he wrote and recorded, but when he cut loose on an “Ooby Dooby” or “Oh, Pretty Woman,” his voice could also be the sound of freedom and lust and excitement. With the
Beachwood Sparks, Desert Skies (Alive Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) We missed this one last week - and didn't want you to miss it, too! The previously unreleased debut album from California psychedelic country-rockers Beachwood Sparks arrives on CD with bonus material, all circa the late 1990s. For fans of The Flying Burrito Brothers, Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, and the West Coast pop-rock sound. The Jones Girls, Coming Back (Expansion) (Amazon U.K.) The Jones Girls, best-known