The Byrds - The Second Disc

The Weekend Stream: April 12, 2025

April 12, 2025 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Stream 2025

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. By now, you might have hit your participating local shop for Record Store Day – and happily, we’re kicking off this Saturday’s column to share material from five exclusive vinyl titles that are getting a second life in the streaming and download world too. It’s a great way to check out some titles if you missed them, or weren’t sure if you wanted to add them to your…

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Record Store Day 2025: The Best of the Rest

April 2, 2025 by The Second Disc | 7 Comments

RSD 2025 best of rest

Next Saturday, April 12, is certainly one of the most packed Record Store Days in recent memory. Since the list was announced, we drilled down on titles from Craft Recordings, Legacy Recordings, Rhino Records, Universal Music Group, Real Gone Music, Omnivore Recordings, BMG, Cooking Vinyl and Demon Music Group, as well as some notable titles that were getting later general releases on CD. Well, if you thought that was it, you’re wrong! We pored and pored over the list and are here to share with you more than four dozen one-offs, archival…

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Box Sets, Vinyl

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Blues, Classic Rock, Folk, Funk, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock, Soundtracks

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A Tribe Called Quest, Adam and The Ants, Alex Chilton, Annie Lennox, Ariana Grande, Art Blakey, Beck, Bob Geldof, Boomtown Rats, Brad Fiedel, Brian Wilson, Bryan Adams, CHVRCHES, Cannonball Adderley, Cat Stevens, Charles Mingus, Cissy Houston, Clarence White, Cockney Rebel, Cynthia Erivo, Dave Stewart, Dead or Alive, Dusty Springfield, Elton John, Emmylou Harris, Eric Clapton, Eurythmics, Freddie Hubbard, George Harrison, Gloria Jones, Graham Parker, Gram Parsons, Grant Green, Jeff Bridges, Jerry Garcia, Jerry Garcia Band, Kenny Dorham, Little Richard, Maurice Jarre, Nick Lowe, Ohio Players, Parliament-Funkadelic, Paul Hardcastle, Pete Townshend, Peter Gabriel, Propaganda, Record Store Day, Roger Daltrey, Roger McGuinn, Scott Weiland, Shane MacGowan, Sinead O'Connor, Sly Stone, Sly and the Family Stone, Stephen Schwartz, Steve Harley, Suzi Quatro, Terry Hall, The 13th Floor Elevators, The Art of Noise, The Beach Boys, The Blasters, The Byrds, The Colourfield, The Everly Brothers, The Fall, The Hives, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Meters, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Tina Turner, Tom Waits, Van Morrison, Vince Guaraldi, Wall of Voodoo, Wang Chung, Wayne Shorter, Wes Montgomery, Wynton Kelly, Yusuf

RSD Round-Up: Spotlight on Omnivore, Iconoclassic, Friday Music, Dark Horse, Light in the Attic, and More

February 27, 2024 by The Second Disc | 1 Comment

Nancy Sinatra How Does That Grab You

Our look at this year’s Record Store Day releases continues with a look at the lineups from Omnivore Recordings, Iconoclassic Records, Friday Music, Light in the Attic, and more of our favorite labels! All titles here are due on April 20, and all descriptions are taken directly from the labels. If you are interested in any of these titles, they will be available at your local record store on April 20. Head over to recordstoreday.com for a list of participating retailers. U.K. readers, please visit recordstoreday.co.uk and Canadian readers, please visit recordstoredaycanada.ca. Watch this space close to…

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Classic Rock, Disco/Dance, Funk, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks

Let’s Go to Heaven In My Car: Ace Collects Productions and Songs of Gary Usher

August 15, 2022 by Joe Marchese | 4 Comments

Gary Usher Happy in Hollywood

Ace’s long-running Songwriters and Producers series has recently yielded two stellar entries celebrating two gentlemen equally versed in both crafts: Gary Usher and Bob Crewe. Part One of our Ace Round-Up today looks at Happy in Hollywood: The Productions of Gary Usher. Gary Usher (1938-1992) would have gone down in pop history as one of his neighborhood pal Brian Wilson’s earliest collaborators, penning lyrics for both a popular hot rod tune (“409”) and one of Wilson’s most introspective, personal statements (“In My Room”). But he was arguably even more influential as one…

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Brian Wilson, Curt Boettcher, Gary Usher, Keith Allison, Sagittarius, The Byrds, The Castells, The Hondells, Various Artists

Grapefruit’s “Heroes and Villains” Collects L.A. Sounds of 1965-1968 From The Beach Boys, Mamas and Papas, Monkees, Zappa, More

July 20, 2022 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

Heroes and Villains The Sound of Los Angeles 1965 68

Though Heroes and Villains is the title of Grapefruit’s new 3-CD anthology chronicling The Sound of Los Angeles 1965-68, that famous Beach Boys song isn’t among its 90 selections. Not that Brian Wilson and co. are absent; the compilation instead presents another SMiLE tune, “Do You Like Worms (Roll Plymouth Rock)” as part of its portrait of a place and time in music history when it truly seemed anything was possible. U.K.-based compiler David Wells persuasively makes the case here that L.A. replaced England as the epicenter of the American pop scene…

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Classic Rock, Pop

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Buffalo Springfield, Frank Zappa, Lee Hazlewood, Love, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Sonny and Cher, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Grass Roots, The Mamas and The Papas, Tim Buckley, Various Artists

Swinging Doors: Grateful Dead, Emmylou, Dolly, Dino, More Celebrate “The Merle Haggard Songbook”

May 23, 2019 by Joe Marchese | 2 Comments

Merle Haggard Songbook

Along with Buck Owens – with whom he shared a musical history and a wife – Merle Haggard (1937-2016) defined The Bakersfield Sound of country music: authentic, raw, rooted in honky-tonks. But unlike the Texas-born and Arizona-raised Owens, Haggard was actually born in Bakersfield and raised just across the river from that California town. “Hag,” as he preferred to be known, rocketed to superstardom thanks to “Okie from Muskogee,” his controversial 1969 song that was either a scathing indictment of the younger generation or of the smalltown, heartland folk criticizing them. (Hag…

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

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Dean Martin, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Grateful Dead, Jerry Lee Lewis, Merle Haggard, Tammy Wynette, The Byrds, The Everly Brothers, Various Artists

Release Round-Up: Week of February 22

February 22, 2019 by The Second Disc | No Comments

Curtisayfield KeepOnKeepingOn 2

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! We kick off with not one, but two, releases from The Zombies! The Zombies, The Complete Studio Recordings (Varese Vintage) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The 2019 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are being celebrated this week with two comprehensive vinyl box sets – one for the U.S., and one for the U.K. market. The 5-LP, 61-track U.S. version, from Varese Vintage, includes the band’s two American albums in mono – She’s Not There/Tell Her No and I Love You, plus…

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

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

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Curtis Mayfield, Engelbert Humperdinck, Greenslade, Ian Hunter, Judy Garland, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, REO Speedwagon, Ray Charles, Renaissance, Santana, Tangerine Dream, Tear Gas, The Byrds, The Flamin' Groovies, The Zombies, U2

On The Frontier: Esoteric Announces Renaissance “Ashes Are Burning,” Byrds’ Self-Titled Reissues, 1968 Box Set, and More

January 15, 2019 by Sam Stone | 2 Comments

Eso Renaissance AshesAreBurning

February promises to be a packed month for music fans, as Esoteric brings listeners a new, expanded reissue of Renaissance’s 1973 classic, Ashes Are Burning, as well as a reissue of The Byrds, the reunion album by the legendary folk-rock group. Also on the way are reissues of Tear Gas’s self-titled album, an expanded edition of Greenslade’s Time and Tide, and a new 3-CD set called Revolution: Underground Sounds of 1968. Meanwhile, Esoteric’s Reactive imprint will issue a 4-CD set entitled Tangerine Dream: The Blue Years Studio Albums 1985-1987, celebrating their Jive Electro era. All these…

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Blues, Classic Rock, Rock

The Second Disc’s Picks for Record Store Day Black Friday 2018

November 23, 2018 by The Second Disc | 3 Comments

Bobbie Gentry Ode to Billie Joe

From all of us here at Second Disc HQ to all of you, we hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving in the company of beloved family and friends. Of course, from this day which conjures nostalgic and warm feelings comes a celebration of a different kind with this year’s annual Black Friday shopping extravaganza – and Record Store Day’s miniature cousin to April’s yearly event. In keeping with TSD tradition, Joe, Randy, and Sam have elected our top picks of the numerous titles being released tomorrow from many of our favorite labels, including…

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Blues, Classic Rock, Country, Disco/Dance, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Soundtracks

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Al Jardine, America, Bobbie Gentry, Duke Ellington, Guns N' Roses, Harry Nilsson, Herbie Hancock, Madonna, Paul Williams, Record Store Day, Roy Buchanan, Soul Asylum, Sun Ra, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Mamas and The Papas, Todd Rundgren

Rare Power: Legacy Announces Record Store Day Black Friday Slate with Hendrix, Byrds, Joan Jett, More

October 15, 2018 by Joe Marchese | 1 Comment

Joan Jett Bad Reputation

Seven is Legacy Recordings’ lucky number for this Black Friday’s annual Record Store Day event. On November 23, the label will release seven titles on limited edition vinyl in a variety of genres reflecting the diversity of the Sony vaults. The offerings are highlighted by an EP of mono mixes from Jimi Hendrix; the vinyl debut of the Legacy Edition of The Byrds’ Sweetheart of the Rodeo, coinciding with Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman’s current tour celebrating the album; and more vinyl premieres of rare material from Iggy and The Stooges and…

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Blues, Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Rap/Hip-Hop, Rock

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Iggy and the Stooges, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Jett, Muddy Waters, Outkast, Rage Against the Machine, The Byrds

Land of a Thousand Dances: Ace Salutes Music of 1965, Plus Rock Instrumentals and Spanish Pop

April 4, 2018 by Joe Marchese | 5 Comments

Jon Savages 1965

Ace Records rightfully has a reputation for its top-notch collections, and three recent releases are no exception to that rule. Jon Savage’s 1965: The Year The Sixties Ignited follows previous releases compiled for Ace by historian Savage covering the years 1966 and 1967. This latest volume, with 48 tracks on 2 CDs, explores how the various strains of pop music came together to awaken the culture: whether the power of Motown (the label had six number ones) or Bob Dylan (who inspired an onslaught of imitators and cover artists), just to name…

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Classic Rock, Pop

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Bob Dylan, Bobby Darin, Duane Eddy, James Brown, The Byrds, The Supremes, The Ventures, Various Artists

This Could Be The Night: Shout! Factory To Release “T.A.M.I. Show” and “The Big T.N.T. Show” on Blu-ray

September 23, 2016 by Randy Fairman | 8 Comments

TAMI Show and Big TNT Show

While we normally concentrate on CD reissues here at The Second Disc, we do occasionally like to highlight other titles which we think may be of interest to our readers. One such project, just announced from Shout! Factory, certainly qualifies: a 2-disc Blu-ray set entitled the T.A.M.I. Show/The Big T.N.T. Show Collector’s Edition due out on December 2. Directed by Steve Binder, T.A.M.I. Show (meaning either “Teenage Awards Music International” or “Teen Age Music International”) was filmed on October 28 and 29, 1964 in California and released in December of that year. …

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Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul

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Donovan, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Petula Clark, Ray Charles, Roger Miller, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes

You’re Welcome: Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie Curates Mix Featuring Beach Boys, Byrds, Dion, More

January 21, 2016 by Joe Marchese | 3 Comments

Bobby Gillespie Sunday

Among Ace Records’ recent releases is a collection that just might make you scream – make that “Primal Scream” – with elation. Bobby Gillespie Presents Sunday Morning Comin’ Down is a mix CD curated by Primal Scream founder/Jesus and Mary Chain drummer. The Glasgow-born singer/songwriter/musician has selected 20 of his favorite tracks for Ace, and the result is a set that not only illuminates Gillespie’s influences as an artist but stands on its own with thematic and sonic coherence. In Gillespie’s remarkable musical world, soundtracks sit alongside haunting psychedelia, California pop, Texas…

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Classic Rock, Country, Pop, Rock

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Dion, John Barry, Kris Kristofferson, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Monkees, Various Artists

To Everything There Is A Season: Raven Reissues “The Byrds”

December 16, 2014 by Joe Marchese | 6 Comments

byrds1

When the album simply entitled Byrds arrived on David Geffen’s Asylum label in 1973, it had been only about a year-and-a-half since the last record from the California folk-rock heroes. But the original line-up of Gene Clark, David Crosby, Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke hadn’t recorded a complete album together since 1965. Byrds would be the group’s first long-player for a label other than Columbia Records – and the final Byrds album to date. Australia’s Raven Records label has recently remastered and reissued Byrds, with two bonus tracks from the…

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High Moon Rising: Reissues From Gene Clark and Arthur Lee’s Love Now Available For Pre-Order

January 3, 2014 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

love black beauty1

At long last, High Moon is rising. Yesterday, on January 2, the long-aborning record label revealed on its Facebook page that pre-orders were being taken for the label’s CD releases of Gene Clark’s Two Sides to Every Story and Love’s Black Beauty. We’ve closely followed the High Moon story here at The Second Disc, from the label’s initial announcements in Spring 2011 through an optimistic status update almost two years ago on January 30, 2012. Deluxe, 180-gram vinyl LPs arrived for both titles in 2013, but until now, the promised CD releases…

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Love, The Byrds

Ace Boldly Goes To “Outer Space” and The Bay Area On Two New Themed Collections

August 15, 2013 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

greatest hits from outer space

Ace Records is Going Wild!…not just with a rip-roaring rock-and-roll compilation of that name, but with a journey to the farthest reaches of the galaxy! Yes, the London-based label is travelling from the Bay Area to the Milky Way with two of its latest releases: Greatest Hits from Outer Space and Going Wild! Music City Rock ‘n’ Roll. Based on the 24 tracks of Ace’s Greatest Hits from Outer Space, the final frontier engaged a wide variety of artists in every conceivable musical genre. On this zany set compiled by Tony Rounce,…

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Les Baxter, The Byrds, The Ventures, Thelma Houston

The Fantastic Expedition of Gene Clark: Omnivore Unveils Previously Unheard Demos from Late Byrd

February 7, 2013 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

Though Gene Clark first made his mark as an original member of The Byrds, where he penned such classic folk-rock songs as “Feel a Whole Lot Better,” he left behind as rich a legacy as a solo artist as he did with The Byrds. Clark’s tenure as a Byrd wasn’t a long one; though the group rose to prominence with its 1965 Columbia debut Mr. Tambourine Man, Clark left the band in early 1966 amid interpersonal strife and a dislike of touring. He re-emerged quickly on a 1967 Columbia set with The…

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Gene Clark, The Byrds

Do You Remember Rock and Roll Radio? “The Ramones Heard Them Here First” Arrives

September 26, 2012 by Joe Marchese | 2 Comments

the ramones heard them here first

Ace Records is cheering “Gabba gabba hey!” with the recent release of The Ramones Heard Them Here First, an overview charting the influences behind New York’s seminal punk pioneers. Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee and Tommy didn’t exactly try to hide their inspirations when they included a cover of Chris Montez’ 1962 hit “Let’s Dance” on their debut long-player Ramones in 1976 and over the years, they continued to tip the hat to rock and roll heroes from The Ronettes to The Beach Boys. The new compilation includes the original versions of twenty-four…

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Louis Armstrong, Love, Motörhead, Ramones, The Beach Boys, The Byrds, The Ronettes

Short Takes, International Edition: INXS Celebrates 25 Years of “Kick” Plus The Byrds Go Mono and Stereo

July 16, 2012 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

byrds original singles1

Welcome to the working week! This morning’s Short Takes brings us to the U.K. for the 25th anniversary of a pop classic, and to Japan, where one of the 1960s’ greatest bands is getting the red carpet treatment! Though we’re reluctant to rush the summer away, it sure looks like this September’s going to be a month with kick! Kick, that is. It appears that Universal U.K. will be giving the full, Super Deluxe treatment to Aussie band INXS’ 1987 breakthrough album. The multi-platinum Kick yielded the band’s only American No. 1, “Need You…

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A Whole Lot Better: Sundazed Announces Singles Slate for Record Store Day

March 14, 2012 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

byrds rsd2

Sundazed Records, one of our favorite independent catalogue labels, has announced their exclusive titles for Record Store Day. This year, the label has prepped some killer cuts from some of the best ’60s folk and garage-rock ensembles – including a few rare tracks making vinyl debuts and even some unreleased treasures. The late, great Gene Clark is the standout artist in the batch, with a three appearances on Record Store Day – one with Doug Dillard (in which two non-LP A-sides are released on one vinyl platter) and two with The Byrds…

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Paul Revere and The Raiders, The Byrds, Vinyl

Tomorrow Is A Long Ways Away: The Byrds’ “Preflyte” Expanded For U.K. Reissue

January 20, 2012 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

byrds preflyte plus1

On November 10, 1964, The Byrds inked a deal with Columbia Records. Or more accurately, Jim (later Roger) McGuinn, Gene Clark and David Crosby signed to Columbia Records, with Michael Clarke and Chris Hillman officially joining the roster later. But before that auspicious major label signing, The Byrds’ bags were packed, pre-flyte, it was zero hour…and after that day, they were destined to be high as a kite…eight miles high. (Pardon the mixing of musical metaphors.) The band’s pre-Columbia days have been anthologized over the years almost as extensively as their “official”…

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Release Round-Up: Week of August 29

August 30, 2011 by Mike Duquette | No Comments

jill scott

Spin Doctors, Pocket Full of Kryptonite: 20th Anniversary Edition (Epic/Legacy) The “Two Princes” guys…hey, stop laughing…have their hit debut album remastered and expanded – cut that out! – with a bonus disc of demos and rarities. (Official site) Aerosmith, Celine Dion, The Byrds and Carole King, The Essential 3.0 (Columbia/Epic/Legacy) Four Essential compilations get the third-disc treatment. Note that the Celine Dion title is identical to 2008’s My Love: The Essential Collection and the Aerosmith set is identical to 2002’s O Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits. (Amazon: Aerosmith, Celine, Byrds, Carole) Jill Scott, The Original Jill…

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News, Release Round-Up

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The Association, The Byrds

Byrds, Cooke, Corea, Getz “Complete Album Collections” Coming from Legacy

May 24, 2011 by Joe Marchese | No Comments

complete byrds

This morning, Sony’s Legacy division kicked off a new catalogue initiative that’s sure to raise a few eyebrows! The Complete Album Collection box sets bring together an artist’s entire tenure at a label (in these cases, Columbia and RCA Victor) in one tidy box set, with albums in individual mini-LP sleeves. The first four artists to receive this treatment are The Byrds, Sam Cooke, Stan Getz and Return to Forever, and the boxes are available for pre-order now exclusively through PopMarket. While many of the titles included have been released on CD…

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Return to Forever, Sam Cooke, Stan Getz, The Byrds