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/ The Beach Boys

June 5, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

beach boys the the beach boys thats why god made the radio album cover1

In Part One of our special two-part series, we recalled the ups and downs of The Beach Boys and the band’s chief musical architect, Brian Wilson.  Today, in Part Two, we turn the spotlight over to That’s Why God Made the Radio, the new album in stores today from America’s Band! Brian Wilson is still a cork on the ocean floating over the raging sea.  But is that a whiff of contentment I hear running through The Beach Boys’ “reunion” album, That’s Why God Made the Radio?  Despite the ups and

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

June 4, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

beach boys the the beach boys thats why god made the radio album cover

Tomorrow sees the release of That's Why God Made the Radio, the long-awaited studio album from Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks: The Beach Boys. As the favorite sons of Hawthorne, California continue their enormously successful 50th Anniversary Tour and with the promise of catalogue projects to come later in 2012, we're looking at this new album and the legacy of these musical giants in a special two-part series beginning right now! Where did our long hair

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Categories: News Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

June 1, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

jan and dean surfs up

On Tuesday, June 5, The Beach Boys release their long-awaited new studio album, That's Why God Made the Radio.  Here at Second Disc HQ, we're counting down to its release.  We're kicking off our mini-celebration of the California legends with a look at a duo intertwined with The Beach Boys' history, Jan and Dean! With The Beach Boys currently touring their acclaimed 50th Anniversary reunion concerts, the time has never been better to revisit the entire surf-and-sun legacy of these California

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Categories: News Tags: The Beach Boys

May 1, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

greg phillinganes pulse bbr

George Harrison, Living in the Material World / Early Takes Vol. 1 (Hip-O/UMe) The big release in the U.S. today: Martin Scorsese's documentary about the esteemed Beatle on DVD and Blu-Ray, and a 10-track disc of entirely unreleased demos and outtakes. The Beach Boys, 50th Anniversary Collection 'ZinePak (Capitol/EMI) A new compilation/mini-booklet, available exclusively at Walmart stores in America, that features classic Beach Boys singles alongside the first-ever album appearance of the

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Tags: Lee Hazlewood, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Ad-Libs, The Beach Boys, The Grateful Dead

April 23, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

beach boys zinepak1

The Beach Boys are finally, officially ready to “Do It Again.”  America’s Band kicks off its 50th Anniversary Tour on Tuesday evening in Tucson, Arizona, and a new single, “That’s Why God Made the Radio,” should hit the airwaves imminently, with a promotional video already having been leaked to the public.  With the band’s as-yet-untitled new album currently listed on numerous retail sites for a June 5 release but as yet unconfirmed by Capitol Records, news is here about the first music release

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Categories: News Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

April 20, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

rhcp we salute you

How do the Red Hot Chili Peppers celebrate their graduation to legend status per their recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction? They pay tribute to the ones that came before on a new digital EP that includes a handful of B-sides paying tribute to their favorite fellow inductees. We Salute You, to be released May 1, includes covers of Dion and The Belmonts, The Ramones, The Stooges, Neil Young, The Beach Boys and David Bowie, all of which can certainly be argued as influences for the

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Categories: News Tags: Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beach Boys, The Ramones, The Stooges

April 5, 2012 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

al jardine postcard

Dennis Wilson did it in 1977.  Carl Wilson did it in 1981.  So did Mike Love.  Brian Wilson waited until 1988.  But it wasn't until 2010 that Al Jardine released his first solo studio album.  Entitled A Postcard from California, Jardine had to content himself with a limited release via Amazon's MOD (Made on Demand) system.  Now, with the surviving Beach Boys reuniting for a hotly-anticipated 50th anniversary tour beginning later this month and gearing up for the band's first studio album since

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Categories: News Tags: Brian Wilson, Neil Young, The Beach Boys

March 27, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

frankie avalon ua

By the time of 1964’s Muscle Beach Party, Philadelphia-born Frankie Avalon had already racked up some 31 hits on the U.S. Billboard charts, including two at Number One, “Why” and “Venus.”  On the urging of his Chancellor Records mentor Bob Marcucci, Avalon had welcomed the 1960s by diversifying his talents into film, appearing opposite John Wayne in The Alamo and Walter Pidgeon in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.  1963’s Beach Party, however, was something else altogether.  Directed by William

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Categories: News, Reviews Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

March 16, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

jerry cole psychedelic1

If you've got guitars on the mind, look no further than a pair of new releases from those compilation experts at the Ace label!  Fender: The Golden Age 1950-1970 (Ace CDCHD 1315) is a new 28-track anthology that manages to be both comprehensive and the tip of the iceberg, where the famous guitar is concerned!  A new companion to the 2010 book of almost the same name (Fender: The Golden Age 1946-1970 by Martin Kelly), this set offers a rare chance to appreciate both the talent on the record label

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Buck Owens, Jerry Cole, Otis Redding, The Beach Boys, The Velvet Underground, The Ventures

February 14, 2012 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

kontiki

Barry White, Let the Music Play: Expanded Edition (Hip-o Select/Mercury) What's Valentine's Day without a little satin soul? Numerous bonus tracks abound on a new pressing of this underrated gem of an album. Captain Beefheart, Bat Chain Puller (Zappa) The original, intended edition of the Captain's lost album. Cotton Mather, Kontiki: Deluxe Edition (The Star Apple Kingdom) An underrated work of '90s power-pop, expanded with a bonus disc of rarities and unreleased materials that was funded

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Tags: Bryan Adams, Phoebe Snow, Pulp, The Beach Boys, Vinyl

December 29, 2011 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

smile shop open

What are you doing New Year's Eve?  As we count down to that big celebration, we've been holed up at Second Disc HQ readying another year's Gold Bonus Disc Awards for you!  We consider our annual awards a companion piece to Mike's round-up over at Popdose (essential reading, I might add!) and we endeavor to recognize as many of the year's most amazing reissues as possible as well as to celebrate those labels, producers and artists who have raised the bar for great music throughout 2011.  These

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Genre: Cast Recordings, Soundtracks Tags: Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, The Beach Boys, The Two Things in One

December 23, 2011 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

beatles rubber soul

Welcome to the grand finale to our reissue rundown of the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time, as selected by Rolling Stone.  It may be telling that the entirety of our Top 5 comes from the period between 1965 and 1967.  Three of these albums are the work of the same band, while the other two artists had careers that have intersected in various ways with the members of those bands.  Yes, The Beatles, Bob Dylan and The Beach Boys found inspiration from each other, and might even have felt a keen

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Categories: News Tags: Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, TSD Buyers Guide

December 16, 2011 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

beach boys 50th

2011 was, undoubtedly, the year of SMiLE. 2012, though, will bring an even bigger smile if you're a fan of The Beach Boys.  What once seemed impossible is, indeed, happening.  Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks will reunite for a new studio album, concert dates and a series of catalogue reissues from Capitol and EMI, including a career-spanning box set.  The celebration will start with an April performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, kicking

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Categories: News Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

November 29, 2011 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

doris day pic

The vault has finally been opened!  Sony Music U.K. has confirmed a release date and track listing for singing legend Doris Day’s long-awaited My Heart, on which your humble correspondent first reported in August 2010 and revisited back in November!  Thanks to the fine folks at Doris Day Tribute for spreading this news!  My Heart marks Doris’ first album of original studio material in some seventeen years, since The Love Album, and it features a number of tracks that will be of interest to the

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Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Popular Standards/Vocal Tags: Bruce Johnston, Doris Day, Terry Melcher, The Beach Boys

November 2, 2011 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

beach boys 1967

Welcome to the third and final part of our review series celebrating the release of The Beach Boys’ The SMiLE Sessions.  In Part 1, we revisited the history of the album, and in Part 2, we examined the music and lyrics of Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks that created the legend.  In today’s concluding chapter, we explore "the sessions" of The SMiLE Sessions and compare the various releases! What’s the biggest surprise of The SMiLE Sessions? It’s the sound of five young men optimistically

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

November 1, 2011 By Joe Marchese 6 Comments

smile box set1

Today sees the first release, after 47 years, of The Beach Boys’ SMiLE.  The Second Disc celebrates this event with a three-part review series dedicated to what was once the greatest lost album of all time.     In Part 1, we looked back at the story of SMiLE.  In today’s Part 2, we explore the most legendary aspect of the album: the music itself, created by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks, as recorded by The Beach Boys. The SMiLE Shop is finally open for business!  It’s only taken some 44

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Categories: Reviews Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

November 1, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

journey gh 2

Nothing important comes out today, right?      

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets Tags: Manic Street Preachers, The Association, The Beach Boys, U2, Vinyl

October 31, 2011 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

smile shop open

Tomorrow, November 1, marks the release of The Beach Boys’ SMiLE, the most legendary lost album of all time.  In recognition of this landmark, The Second Disc is launching a three-part series looking at the SMiLE mythos, including a review of the various editions of The SMiLE Sessions.  Before we begin to explore these collections, however, we’d like to offer a bit of perspective and back story on SMiLE: what was, what is, and what might have been.  Welcome to Part One: What’s Past is

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Categories: Reviews Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

October 4, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

jmc munki

After a blowout week of catalogue titles last Tuesday, you can almost hear the crickets chirp. There's some seasonal stuff on the horizon, though, so keep your eyes peeled. John Coltrane, The Impulse! Albums Volume 5 (Hip-o Select/Verve) Five of 'Trane's posthumous albums, boxed. (Hip-o Select) Joss Stone, The Best of 2003-2009 (Virgin) A simple overview for the British chanteuse. (Amazon) The Jesus and Mary Chain, Munki / Stoned and Dethroned: Deluxe Editions (Edsel) Another batch of

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets Tags: The Beach Boys, The Jesus and Mary Chain

August 27, 2011 By Joe Marchese 18 Comments

smile lp set

Surf's up. At long last, we can finally announce that SMiLE is coming to a shop near you.  On November 1, Capitol Records will release The Beach Boys' 1967 lost masterwork as The SMiLE Sessions in three editions: a 5-CD/2-LP/2 7-inch single box (yes, 9 discs!), a slimmer 2-CD version and a 2-LP set.  Where to start?  First, I recommend digging that artwork at your left.  Has it settled in that this set is becoming a reality?  Good.  Read on, friends. The saga of SMiLE, 2011, was becoming

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys, Van Dyke Parks

July 13, 2011 By Mike Duquette 16 Comments

live aid

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

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Categories: News Tags: Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Led Zeppelin, Madonna, Mick Jagger, Nik Kershaw, Open Forum, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Queen, Reissue Theory, Run-D.M.C., Sade, Status Quo, Sting, Tears for Fears, The Beach Boys, The Who, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, U2

May 25, 2011 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

chicago live 75

When they took the stage at Largo, Maryland’s Capital Centre in June, 1975, nostalgia was foremost on the minds of the members of Chicago.  Early in the set so immaculately preserved by Rhino on the new Live in ’75 (Rhino Handmade RHM2 526436, 2011), comments are made from the stage with a great deal of surprise: “[Here’s] another blast from the past!”  “Nostalgia is in nowadays.”  “We would like to be nostalgic.”  Would the Robert Lamm, Walter Parazaider, Lee Loughnane and James Pankow of 1975

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Categories: Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Chicago, The Beach Boys

May 23, 2011 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

pet sounds mfsl

“I figure no one is educated musically ‘til they’ve heard [Pet Sounds],” Paul McCartney once said of The Beach Boys’ classic, released 45 years and one week ago on May 16, 1966.  George Martin concurred: “Without Pet Sounds, Sgt. Pepper wouldn’t have happened.”  Brian Wilson poured his musical heart into the album’s thirteen tracks; in less than thirty-five minutes, he delivered an entire spectrum of emotions in a song cycle of striking beauty and sensitivity.  Pet Sounds may initially have been

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Categories: News Formats: SACD Genre: Pop Tags: Brian Wilson, The Beach Boys

May 13, 2011 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

We've got a pair of dueling release dates for you regarding the long-awaited release of The Beach Boys' legendary lost SMiLE set. Depending on what you've read, the sets - a two-disc "best of" from the sessions as well as a four-disc box set with a double-vinyl LP set, two vinyl singles and a hardbound book - will be released either July 12 or August 9. It seems that the source for both dates is a report from Direct Current Music, which has been duly picked up by several sources, including our

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Tags: The Beach Boys

April 20, 2011 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

the beach boys

Take it from one who knows: the Record Store Day-exclusive 78 RPM release of The Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" and "Heroes and Villains" wasn't easy to come by.  You've now got another chance, however, to own a special Beach Boys collectible vinyl single.  At the same time, you can help a great cause.  Among the highlights of Al Jardine's 2010 solo album A Postcard from California was "Don't Fight the Sea," a track reuniting Jardine with Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and even Carl

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Categories: News Tags: The Beach Boys, Vinyl

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