Last year, The Second Disc had nothing but good things to say about Dearly Beloved: A Prince Songbook, Cherry Red's triple-disc tribute to the music of Prince. The set told a story of The Artist's massive impact on pop, rock and soul by way of songs he gave others to record and a galaxy of genre-bending covers. In a year of considerable challenges in Prince fandom, it was a veritable oasis in a desert. Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of speaking with Adam Mattera, the curator and
Sheena Easton's latest reissue collaboration with Cherry Red covers familiar ground in a slightly new way. Modern Girl: The Complete EMI Recordings, Vol. 1 is a 5CD set that will cover the bulk of the Scottish singer's first five albums - Take My Time (1981), You Could Have Been with Me (1981), Madness, Money and Music (1982), Best Kept Secret (1983) and the Spanish-language hits album Todo Me Recuerda a Ti (1984) - while also premiering more than two dozen unreleased tracks. The set, available
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! A new charity cover from Def Leppard, reissues of classic albums by Simple Minds and Sheena Easton, and a mess of vintage jazz is on the menu today - plus a heads-up for a forthcoming way to help the ongoing California wildfire relief effort. Def Leppard, Stand by Me (Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury/UMe) (iTunes / Amazon) While also a single
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
With 1984's A Private Heaven, Sheena Easton successfully followed in the footsteps of Olivia Newton-John in shedding her "girl next door" persona - so much so that future U.S. Second Lady Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center "honored" Sheena's Prince-penned "Sugar Walls" with a slot on its "Filthy Fifteen" list. No wonder Gore and co. were threatened by the success of "Sugar Walls;" A Private Heaven became the singer's most successful album to date. How to follow it up? Enter Nile
Between the muted 40th anniversary celebration of Purple Rain and the bizarre drama over an estate-sanctioned Netflix documentary on his life and career, Prince fans could probably use a win lately. A new compilation from Cherry Red looks like it might finally offer one. Dearly Beloved - A Prince Songbook is an unexpectedly robust-looking 3CD set that will pay tribute to the Minneapolis icon as a songwriter - one whose classic hits have become pop standards, with so much talent overflowing
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases. First Choice, Love Having You Around: The Gold Mind Recordings (1977-1980) (SoulMusic/Second Disc) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) SoulMusic Records and The Second Disc celebrate Philadelphia girl group First Choice with Love Having You Around: The Gold Mind Recordings (1977-1980). This 4CD collection features
Cherry Red's Cherry Pop arm began its association with Sheena Easton with the 2021 release of The Definitive Singles 1980-1987. The 3-CD, 51-song collection brought together the Scottish singer's A-sides including both 7- and 12-inch singles during that period. Since then, Cherry Pop has refreshed much of Easton's discography including expanded editions on CD of Madness, Money, and Music, Take My Time, and A Private Heaven, and the first-time release of Live at the Palace, Hollywood in audio
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. This week brings live tracks from The Boss, rarities from Sheena Easton and a new album from one half of rock's biggest (defunct) duo - plus, as you'd expect, so much more! Bruce Springsteen, The Live Series: Songs from Around the World Vol. 2 (Columbia/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) With Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band currently
Sheena Easton's formidable catalogue has been enjoying an overhaul from Cherry Red's Cherry Pop imprint which has so far encompassed lavish expanded editions of Take My Time and A Private Heaven, the debut of Live at the Palace, Hollywood; an EMI singles collection; and more. Now, Easton's third album - 1982's Madness, Money, and Music - has received the deluxe CD/DVD treatment, shedding some much-needed light on this often-overlooked LP. Madness, Money, and Music, titled for the edgy lament
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! The Replacements, Tim: Let It Bleed Edition (Sire/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Replacements have teamed up with Rhino for their fourth mega-box set edition of a classic album from their catalogue. After heavy-duty expansions of debut Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, Pleased to Meet Me and a reorganized version of Don't Tell a Soul called Dead Man's Pop,
Sheena Easton's debut album was called Take My Time, but truth to tell, the Scottish singer didn't need to take much time to leave international audiences spellbound. Now, the original version of that 1981 album - it had been retitled as Sheena Easton for the North American market, resequenced and sans two tracks - has returned in a splendid CD/DVD Deluxe Edition from Cherry Red's Cherry Pop imprint. Long before reality television was de rigeur, the teenaged Sheena captivated U.K. audiences
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today. Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, The Songs of Bacharach and Costello (UMe) 4CD/2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / ElvisCostello.com 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP with Lithograph: ElvisCostello.com Elvis Costello is looking back at his 25 years of music with the late Burt Bacharach on this lavish new
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 usher you into the weekend. Today sees digital reissues of Raw Power, The Chronic, rare Motown, unreleased music from a Cash family member and more. The Stooges, Raw Power (50th Anniversary Legacy Edition) (Columbia/Legacy) (iTunes / Amazon) Look out honey, 'cause he's using technology! The Stooges' seminal proto-punk
Happy 2023! Welcome, friends, to The Second Disc's 13th Annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards! A lot has happened in the last twelve months, but as we look to a new year with optimism and a hopeful spirit, we recognize the many roles music has played in our lives. With that spirit in mind, The Second Disc wishes to recognize 2022's cream of the catalogue music crop - those exemplary reissues and box sets, big and small, that proved to be truly outstanding for music lovers worldwide. Despite the
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles in stores today! Madonna, Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones (Warner/Rhino) 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP (silver): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 6LP: Official Store The first in a planned series of catalogue reissues through Warner Music Group, the new compilation Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones tracks every one of
Sheena Easton closed the first chapter of her career with Madness, Money, and Music, recorded in spring and released in autumn 1982. Easton's third studio album, it was her last to be produced by Christopher Neil who had guided the Scottish superstar's meteoric ascent with such songs as "Modern Girl," "9 to 5 (Morning Train)," and "For Your Eyes Only." The Grammy-winning Best New Artist of 1982 scarcely had any time to rest on her laurels; after recording the album at George Martin's AIR
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the week's best new titles! The Left Banke, Strangers on a Train (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Omnivore brings The Left Banke's 1978 reunion album - featuring Steve Martin Caro, Tom Finn, and George Cameron - to CD for the first time, and adds a previously unreleased 2001 session from Michael Brown, Caro, and Finn. Scott Schinder provides the liner notes, and Michael Graves has remastered the
Cherry Red's Cherry Pop arm began a new association with Sheena Easton with the 2021 release of The Definitive Singles 1980-1987. The 3-CD, 51-song collection brought together the Scottish singer's A-sides including both 7- and 12-inch singles during that period. This Friday, February 25, the label (once again in tandem with the owner of Easton's EMI discography, RT Industries) will release another generous set: a 2-CD expanded edition of Easton's fifth studio album, 1984's A Private Heaven.
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! This week features some new remixes for Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass, a revisit of Josh Groban's debut and some great rarities for soul and alt-rock fans. Marvin Gaye + SaLaAM ReMi, Save the World Remix Suite (Motown/UMe) (iTunes / Spotify / Amazon) From remixer SaLaAM ReMi - who helped organize Gaye's
Today, Cherry Red imprint Cherry Pop begins its exploration of Sheena Easton's time at EMI with the release of The Definitive Singles 1980-1987, a 3-CD, 51-track collection bringing together her A-sides for the label including both 7-inch and 12-inch singles. Easton was born in North Lanarkshire, Scotland in 1959. She attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow where one of her tutors encouraged her to audition for the BBC program The Big Time which chronicled subjects'
Tell Me Who in This House Know About the Quake Would a look into Prince's Crystal Ball ever have predicted this? For the third of its deluxe album reissues - following a 3CD/DVD expansion of Purple Rain and a 5CD/DVD deluxe box of 1999 - Warner Records and NPG have unveiled the most lavish archival project yet to emerge from the Prince archive. In terms of both physical size and its contents, the new Sign "O" The Times Super Deluxe Edition box set is larger in every sense than its
With a new James Bond film set to shake (not stir) audiences in November, a longtime compilation of the super-spy's famed film themes is getting a new iteration on November 20. The Best of Bond...James Bond offers a stellar 25-track overview of the pop themes that scored nearly all of the films based on Ian Fleming's famed British secret agent. There are 14 U.K. Top 10 hits and two Academy Award winners herein - altogether, a formidable, half-century-plus musical portrait of one of cinema's
It's one of the most acclaimed albums of all time by one of the most beloved musicians of the 20th century - and now, it's getting the deluxe treatment. Prince's 1987 masterpiece Sign "O" The Times will be remastered and reissued by Warner Records on September 25, kicking off 2020's box set season with considerable style. It'll be available in multiple formats: newly remastered double CD or double vinyl, a 3CD or 4LP set that includes all the original B-sides and single mixes, and a massive
Jimi Hendrix, People, Hell & Angels / The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced (200-Gram Mono Vinyl) / Axis: Bold As Love (200-Gram Mono Vinyl) (Experience Hendrix/Legacy) Not only does today see the release of a new posthumous Hendrix compilation, comprised of newly unearthed outtakes from the vaults, but the original mono mixes of his first two LPs (including both U.S. and U.K. editions of Are You Experienced) make their first appearances on vinyl since their initial releases.