The Second Disc is proud to announce the first Second Disc Records/Real Gone Music release of 2021 – and it’s one that’s been years in the making! Michael Nesmith has always travelled to the beat of a “Different Drum”-whether as the writer of that classic hit for Linda Ronstadt and The Stone Poneys, the wool hat-clad member of The Monkees, or one of the earliest progenitors of the country-rock genre. In recent years, Nesmith has penned the critically acclaimed autobiography Infinite Tuesday, reformed the First National Band to sold-out audiences, and both…
Take a Giant Step: 7a Reissues and Expands Peter Tork’s Solo Album on CD, Vinyl
7a Records has already delivered a treasure trove of releases from Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Michael Nesmith on CD and vinyl. Is anyone missing from that list? Now, 7a has just announced its first release from the late Peter Tork: the first-time reissue of his only solo album, 1994’s Stranger Things Have Happened, in a deluxe, expanded edition. It’s due on December 4 in the U.K. and December 11 in the U.S., and will feature a generous nine bonus tracks on CD – including several seeing their first release in the…
Here They Come: Run Out Groove Reissues, Remasters, and Expands The Monkees’ Debut on Limited Edition Vinyl
The Monkees are coming back to vinyl with the next release from Run Out Groove! Today, the label announced that its next fan-voted title will be the 1966 debut of Micky, Davy, Michael, and Peter. It will arrive as a deluxe 2-LP set featuring an entire disc of new-to-vinyl bonus tracks (including two previously unissued tracks and four previously unissued mixes). Kevin Gray and Andrew Sandoval have cut the lacquers directly from the original analog master tapes. Though The Monkees didn’t organically come together as a band, they ended up as one…
Excitable Boy: Warren Zevon’s “Stand in the Fire” Is Expanded by Run Out Groove; The Monkees and Lenny Kravitz Among Next Titles in Fan Vote
Get ready to howl! Run Out Groove has announced its latest fan-voted release, and it’s from the late singer-songwriter Warren Zevon. The label will press a limited and numbered Deluxe Edition of Zevon’s live album Stand in the Fire – Recorded Live at The Roxy in a generously expanded format. The original LP was originally released at the tail end of 1980 and was recorded over a five-night stand in August of that year at the famed West Hollywood venue. It boasted ten tracks – including mordant favorites “Werewolves of London,” “Poor,…
Review: Micky Dolenz, “Live in Japan” [CD/DVD Edition]
Even today, the name Kodak is synonymous with photography. But in 1980 Japan, Kodak was synonymous with The Monkees. The venerable company had scored a popular commercial there with the group’s recording of “Daydream Believer,” leading to a fresh wave of Monkeemania. Word spread, and soon, Davy Jones and Peter Tork were touring the country as solo acts. Micky Dolenz was third to arrive, having comfortably reestablished himself as not only a stage star but a theatrical and television director. Early 1982 saw him make the trip – his very first as…
Release Round-Up: Week of July 10
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Grateful Dead, Workingman’s Dead: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Grateful Dead/Rhino) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Often hailed as one of Grateful Dead’s most accessible albums along with its follow-up, American Beauty, Workingman’s Dead placed its focus on tighter songcraft in a country/folk-oriented vein that would later be described as “Americana.” It introduced the group’s first chart hit, the timeless “Uncle John’s Band,” as well as the favorite “Casey Jones” which has received substantial…
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Release Round-Up: Week of April 3
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! Andy Williams, Emperor of Easy: Lost Columbia Masters 1962-72 (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Real Gone Music has the first-ever collection of never-before-heard music from Andy Williams’ Columbia Records years. Emperor of Easy: Lost Columbia Masters 1962-72 boasts 20 selections direct from the Columbia vault encompassing 16 previously unreleased studio outtakes and four rare singles. Every track on Emperor of Easy is new to CD including Andy’s renditions of “Two for the Road,” “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’,” “Ruby Don’t…
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I’m a Believer: 7a Records Brings Micky Dolenz’s “Live in Japan” to CD, DVD, and LP
Last year, 7a Records – the label dedicated to all things Monkees – chronicled the early 1980s rise of Monkeemania in Japan with the release of Davy Jones’ Live in Japan. On May 8, 7a will celebrate another Monkee solo tour from that era with Micky Dolenz’s own Live in Japan. Like Davy’s entry, Micky’s release will be available in CD/DVD and vinyl LP formats. Early 1982 saw Dolenz make the trip to Japan where he embarked on his first tour as a solo artist. Much as Jones had adopted the Japanese…
The Second Disc’s Picks for Record Store Day Black Friday 2019
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. Record Store Day Black Friday is now almost upon us, so we thought we’d spotlight a few particularly exciting releases arriving to your local brick-and-mortar record shop! Here’s our round up of RSD BF must-haves! We’re kicking off with Sam’s list, and then we’ll follow with Randy and Joe’s! Aretha Franklin, The Atlantic Singles Collection 1968 (Atlantic/Rhino) Last year, fans were treated to a singles…
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Just May Be The One: Monkees Live Album Coming Ahead Of New Tour Dates
Hey hey, a live album from the latest tour from Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz of The Monkees is coming from Rhino Records – and more live dates are on the way, too! The triumphant third (but who’s counting?) act of The Monkees has been a treat for classic pop and rock fans. In 2016, the three surviving members of the beloved group – Dolenz, Nesmith and Peter Tork – came together for Good Times!, an improbably great record to mark their 50th anniversary. Part archival exercise (with songs based on outtakes…
Stop Your Sobbing: Monkees, Aretha, Pretenders and More On Rhino’s Record Store Day Black Friday List
And what does Rhino have planned for this year’s Record Store Day Black Friday festivities? Warner’s catalog music arm has eight vinyl titles coming to indies on November 29. Expect a few vinyl debuts, some stalwarts of the label (The Monkees, Devo, The Doors) and some newly-available holiday material, appropriate for the end of the year! Learn all about it ahead. Alice Cooper, Billion Dollar Babies Live (Warner) Originally released on a deluxe edition of Alice Cooper’s bestselling 1973 album, this concert from Houston, Texas features live versions of “No More Mr….
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Review: Davy Jones, “Live in Japan”
Everyone’s familiar with the initial wave of Monkeemania that swept America in the 1960s, not to mention the second wave spurred on by MTV’s reruns of The Monkees’ classic sitcom in the 1980s. But 7a Records – that tireless label dedicated to all things Monkee – has trained a well-deserved spotlight upon a lesser-known chapter of the Monkees phenomenon. The time was 1981 and the place was Japan. The late Davy Jones seized upon the popularity of a Kodak commercial there featuring “Daydream Believer” to take to the country’s pop charts and…
UPDATED WITH ORDER LINKS: Let The Sunshine In: Rhino Celebrates Woodstock Era With “Summer of ’69” Vinyl Reissue Series, New Woodstock Compilations
On the heels of their announcement of the expansive Woodstock 50 campaign, Rhino has announced a new series celebrating The Summer of ’69: Peace, Love, and Music. Beginning on July 9, the campaign will feature a three-week-long roll-out of limited-edition vinyl releases of classic recordings from the Woodstock era by the likes of Van Morrison; The Monkees; Grateful Dead; Crosby, Stills & Nash; and many more. These LPs will be available in participating brick-and-mortar stores only. Online shoppers may want to check out Bull Moose, the New England-based chain of independent record…
Review: “Music from Vanilla Sky” and “Orange County: The Soundtrack” LPs From Real Gone
Real Gone Music has recently given soundtrack lovers and vinyl aficionados something to talk about with two new color vinyl reissues of turn-of-the-millennium soundtracks: Music from Vanilla Sky (on “blue cloud” vinyl) and Orange County: The Soundtrack (on orange vinyl). The plots of both films are tied to the music within. The soundtrack for the far-out Vanilla Sky shifts moods and tones while maintaining some sense of cohesion as it takes listeners from classic rock to folk, trance and hip-hop. Meanwhile, Orange County‘s soundtrack is more of a music time capsule of the late-’90s and early ’00s rock and hip-hop…
Different Drummer: Edsel Collects Michael Nesmith’s RCA and Pacific Arts Years on New Box Set
And the Hits Just Keep On Comin’. Michael Nesmith titled his 1972 RCA album ironically – when it “bubbled under” the Billboard 200 at No. 208, it actually bested its predecessor by three slots – but the LP did feature the former and future Monkee’s rendition of one major favorite, “Different Drum.” The 1965 tune became an enduring hit for the Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt in 1967, establishing Nesmith outside of The Monkees. Since 1968, he’s released 16 albums. Now, 12 of them – every album from 1970-1994 including the compilation…
Rhino “Starts Your Ear Off Right” with New Vinyl Exclusives from CSNY, Joni, Monkees, Buffalo Springfield, More
Rhino’s popular “Start Your Ear Off Right” vinyl reissue campaign is returning to local independent record stores and Barnes & Noble locations beginning next Tuesday, January 8, and continuing through Tuesday, January 29, with a new batch of limited (and often colorful) vinyl reissues arriving each week. Each group features an eclectic line-up drawn from the Rhino archives. January 8 will see compilations from Aretha Franklin, Alice Cooper, and The Monkees, as well as a 1978 post-punk classic from Television, while January 15 brings music from ZZ Top, CSNY, The Jimmy Rogers…
Release Round-Up: Week of December 14
Welcome to another Release Round-Up. Here’s a look at what’s coming out today, December 14! Bruce Springsteen, Springsteen on Broadway [2CD] (Columbia) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Springsteen on Broadway captures songs and selected stories from The Boss’ acclaimed, Tony Award-winning engagement on the Great White Way. Mixed by Bob Clearmountain and mastered by Bob Ludwig, the album arrives one day before the closing show, and also just before it’s broadcast in full on Netflix. The streaming giant will premiere the production at 12:01 a.m. PT/3:01 a.m. ET on…
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Sweetness Follows: Real Gone Announces “Music From Vanilla Sky” and “Orange County” on LP
Last month, Real Gone Music announced the release of seven Christmas-related goodies, including a pair of joint releases with Second Disc Records. But, as temperatures fall, Real Gone plans to bring more than just holiday melodies to keep listeners warm this winter. On December 14, the label will release limited-edition, two-disc colored vinyl sets of two cult film soundtracks: Music From Vanilla Sky and Orange County: The Soundtrack. Vanilla Sky was Cameron Crowe’s seventh film. Based on Alejandro Amenábar’s 1997 psychological thriller, Abre los ojos (Open Your Eyes), it follows the reflections of a real estate magnate as he tries…
Release Round-Up: Week of October 12
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up! David Bowie, Loving the Alien (1983-1988) (Parlophone) 11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 15LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The fourth annual volume of Parlophone’s ongoing series of box sets dedicated to the late David Bowie, Loving the Alien (1983-1988), arrives on 11 CDs or 15 vinyl LPs. This lavish set is filled with more exclusive material than any of its predecessors, as only three studio albums are included, all in newly remastered editions: Let’s Dance (1983), Tonight (1984), and…
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Wonderful Christmastime: The Monkees’ “Christmas Party” Arrives In October
The Monkees are throwing a Christmas Party, and you’re invited! On October 12, the group’s first-ever Christmas album will be released via Rhino on CD, digital download, and streaming. Following in the acclaimed footsteps of 2016’s Good Times!, Christmas Party will feature production by Adam Schlesinger, new vocals by Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, and classic vocals from the late Davy Jones. On this festive set, The Monkees bring their distinctive sound to yuletide standards by Paul McCartney (“Wonderful Christmastime”), Roy Wood and Wizzard (“I Wish It Could Be Christmas…
Review: Michael Nesmith and The First National Band Redux, “Live at The Troubadour”
Michael Nesmith always traveled to the beat of a different drum. While serving as one-fourth of The Monkees, Nesmith was expanding his musical horizons beyond the group’s infectious Brill Building pop stylings. “I wanted beautiful music wherever I could find it,” he writes in the liner notes to his new release on 7a Records. “But if I wanted to sing it myself and write it myself, I had to have an understanding of what that music was, and how to get to it. So, the first place I looked was in my…
Different Drum: Michael Nesmith’s First National Band Releases Live Album On 7a Records
Before embarking with Micky Dolenz on the acclaimed, currently-playing The Monkees Present: The Mike & Micky Show, Michael Nesmith staged another remarkable event earlier this year. For five performances only in January, Nesmith reformed his pioneering country-rock group, The First National Band. The FNB didn’t venture out of California, but the sold-out concerts attracted worldwide attention. Now, everyone will have a chance to hear what they missed when 7a Records – the label dedicated to all things Monkees – issues Michael Nesmith and The First National Band Redux Live at the Troubadour…
Daydream Believing: 7a Records Celebrates Davy Jones with New Single “Rainbows”
Though it’s been over six years since his untimely passing at the age of 66, the music of Davy Jones still endures. 7a Records, the U.K.-based label devoted to all things Monkees-related, has just delivered another treat for longtime fans of the band and its charismatic, perennially boyish singer with the mop top. “Rainbows” b/w “You Don’t Have to Be a Country Boy to Sing a Country Song” is a limited edition (500 units) 7-inch, 45 RPM single pressed on red vinyl. Both sides of the single are perfectly matched for their…
Review: The Monkees, “More of The Monkees: Super Deluxe Edition”
January is barely over yet, but 2018 is already shaping up to be another banner year for The Monkees. Davy, Peter, Michael, and Micky have just met The Archies in a zany time-travelling comic book adventure, and fans have had the perfect soundtrack: the new, 3-CD/1-45 RPM single super deluxe box set edition of sophomore album More of The Monkees (Rhino Handmade R2 560125) – in time to mark 51 years since the LP was first released, in January 1967. This sixth installment of the long-running series may be the richest volume…
Release Round-Up: Weeks of December 22 and 29
Welcome to this end-of-year Release Round-Up! The Monkees, More of The Monkees: Super Deluxe Edition (Rhino) Rhino delivers a 3-CD Super Deluxe Edition of The Monkees’ 1967 sophomore album with mono and stereo versions of the album and a plethora of alternate takes, never-before-heard rarities, and a recently-discovered live recording! With 91 tracks (55 previously unreleased!), this set greatly expands upon the 2-CD iteration from 2006. Read all about it here! Herbie Mann, It’s a Funky Thing: The Very Best of Herbie Mann (Varese Vintage) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon…
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