It's What's Happening, Baby! That's the name of the 1965 television special hosted by influential New York disk jockey Murray Kaufman, a.k.a. Murray The K. Over the course of 90 minutes, the jocular, hep-talking Murray (who christened himself The Fifth Beatle as an early friend and supporter of the Fab Four) shared musical performances by the day's biggest pop and soul acts including The Supremes, Dionne Warwick, Ray Charles, The Righteous Brothers, The Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Johnny Rivers,
Mary Wilson...our world is empty without you. When Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard (along with their friend Barbara Martin) first came to Motown, they were known as The Primettes. Before their first single's release, they had been rechristened The Supremes. While there was initial skepticism of the name, any such doubts clearly dissipated when "Where Did Our Love Go" reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 on August 22, 1964. It was the first of a staggering twelve No. 1s The
Can it be? Christmas season already? It seems like just yesterday it was March! Well, a time-bending pandemic isn't going to keep holiday cheer away, at least not when it comes to new yuletide reissues! Real Gone Music has a trio of them coming your way in November and December. We told you about Season's Greetings: The Fantastic Strings of Felix Slatkin back in July when it was issued as an online-only product. If you missed out, fear not! The Vatican-endorsed Christmas classic will
Nobody - no, nobody was gonna rain on Diana Ross and The Supremes' parade. With new member Cindy Birdsong joining Miss Ross and Mary Wilson, the group released no fewer than five albums in 1968, all of which showcased their extraordinary versatility. One of those LPs was to be their only full-length tribute to a classic Broadway score - and what a tribute it was from three of Motown's "greatest stars." Diana Ross & The Supremes Sing and Perform "Funny Girl" featured the group's dynamic
Have you caught the Christmas spirit yet? If not, things are very likely to change on Saturday, November 16. That's when TJL Productions debuts a new special on PBS that's sure to get you ready for the holiday season. A Classic Christmas, part of T.J. Lubinsky's acclaimed My Music series, presents an array of yuletide favorites from an all-star roster of legendary artists. Hosted by Marion Ross (Happy Days) and Gavin MacLeod (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, The Love Boat), A Classic Christmas is
With the lead-up to Record Store Day Black Friday in full swing, it's time to take a look at what Universal Music Group has prepped for the semi-annual vinyl bonanza. The label's eight major catalog vinyl releases are familiar to longtime RSD consumers. Some celebrate an iconic anniversary (as is the case for titles by U2, Frank Sinatra and Frank Zappa), one complements a general catalog title (an unreleased live James Brown album), and some just feature great music in rare
The Motown news just keeps on coming! In April, vinyl subscription outlet Vinyl Me, Please featured Blue Note Records for the first volume in their immersive, multimedia series Vinyl Me, Please Anthology. Now, the label has announced their next installment: Vinyl Me, Please Anthology: The Women of Motown. VMP promises "an immersive journey into the storied label told through the music of the women who made it legendary." Subscriptions for the Anthology program will open on September 19 with
Here's your Release Round Up for the week ahead. Various Artists, Country Music -- A Film By Ken Burns: The Soundtrack (Legacy Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) 5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Walmart.com Filmmaker Ken Burns has tackled many subjects over the years, from the Civil War to baseball. His documentaries have garnered numerous awards over the years.
Back in March, we filled you in about Universal Japan's plans for Motown's 60th anniversary campaign, which included a series of reissues and a 3-CD, 60-song collection. We recently reviewed the U.S.' reissue of the definitive Motown: The Complete No. 1s box set. Now, the U.K. is getting into the act with a different 3-CD, 60-song anthology of its own. Motown: Greatest Hits arrives on August 16. Like the Japanese set, it boasts 60 classics from the label on three CDs, but the selection is
Smokey Robinson's mama famously told the young singer-songwriter that he'd better shop around, but happily, those looking for the definitive chronicle of Smokey and Diana and Mary and Flo and Martha and Marvin and Stevie and co. need shop around no more. To mark the label's 60th anniversary, Motown: The Complete No. 1s is back in print in a slightly-expanded edition, and this 11-CD box set is, simply, one-stop shopping. Impressively housed within a sturdy replica of 2648 West Grand Boulevard
For its 60th anniversary year, Universal Music Enterprises has begun reminding fans that "Motown Did It First"; now, the label that launched The Sound Of Young America is revisiting a box set that was released in celebration of its 50th anniversary a decade ago. Motown: The Complete No. 1s is being reissued and expanded on June 28. Motown: The Complete No. 1s featured more than 200 international chart-toppers, plus a handful of bonus masters that went to No. 1 through cover versions or
Motown Did It First! That's the campaign slogan for Universal Japan's ongoing program celebrating the venerable label's 60th anniversary. And indeed, the influence of Motown - still the most successful African-American-founded record label of all time - can't be underestimated when considering the current music scene. A number of physical releases have already been released in Japan to mark the anniversary, most of which are available as affordable imports and include titles not commonly
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Supremes, Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland: Expanded Edition (Motown/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Supremes' smash 1967 album featuring "You Keep Me Hangin' On" and "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" gets a must-have 2-CD deluxe treatment, including the original mono and stereo albums, rarities, outtakes, remixes, and a live set from The Copacabana in 1967 featuring one of the last joint performances of Diana Ross, Mary
Love is here... On June 15, Motown/UMe will celebrate the legacy of The Supremes with a new 2-CD Expanded Edition in the long-running series. 1967's The Supremes Sing Holland-Dozier-Holland will be expanded from 12 tracks to a whopping 52, incorporating rarities, outtakes, live performances, and much more. The Supremes' final album to be completely written by the team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland (with a little help on two songs from "Indiana Wants Me" tunesmith R.
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
Given the speed and frequency with which the Motown label made recordings during its heyday, the company's vaults are known to be vast. Large amounts of unreleased material have been added to compilations and reissues over the years, while still other collections have been solely devoted to never-before-heard tracks from the label's superstars. Due to European copyright laws that allow unused recordings to enter the public domain, Motown has been releasing digital-only copyright-extension
Usually it takes 60 years to get to a diamond anniversary, but what's a few years early to celebrate Diana Ross! The R&B legend will be honored with a lifetime achievement award at the American Music Awards on November 19, and a new digital compilation will be released that weekend (Friday, November 17) to get the celebration started. Diamond Diana: The Legacy Collection is a breezy 15-track non-chronological trip through Miss Ross' unprecedented career. Focusing primarily on her solo
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
TOMORROW, Friday, November 3, is the day we've been waiting for here at Second Disc HQ - when we can finally unveil our new, and biggest ever, Second Disc Records slate of Christmas releases to you! Tomorrow, we're joining Real Gone Music for a trio of titles beginning with The Supremes' The Ultimate Merry Christmas, a deluxe 2-CD, 50-track celebration of Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard's 1965 Merry Christmas. This is one ultimate collection we're confident will live up to its
Saturday, October 14, marked 40 years since the passing of one of America's legendary vocalists, Bing Crosby. The famed crooner could fairly be recognized as the father of pop singing, treating the microphone and the studio of essential components of his art, and bringing intimacy to the form. On December 8, Bing Crosby Enterprises will team with UMe for new two titles in the Bing Crosby Archive Collection. New Tricks: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition and Among My Souvenirs: More Treasures
Longtime readers know that Christmas is our favorite time of the year here at Second Disc HQ, and this year, we're celebrating with our most lavish release yet: The Supremes' The Ultimate Merry Christmas! Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are counting down the days until November 3, when we proudly present one of the greatest Christmas albums of all time - from the world's number-one girl group - in an edition that's years in the making! Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, and Florence Ballard
Get ready! A new, rarities-packed edition of The Supremes' chart-topping The Supremes A' Go-Go is headed to stores this spring! Released late in the summer of 1966, the ninth album by Motown's powerhouse vocal trio (Diana Ross, Florence Ballard and Mary Wilson) reads like a who's-who of pop and Detroit soul, with a slew of covers (mostly from the Holland-Dozier-Holland songwriting team) given that Supremes treatment. Here, you'll find versions of The Isley Brothers' "This Old Heart of Mine
As has become commonplace over the past several years due to the copyright laws in the U.K. and Europe, a couple of "copyright extension" releases came out at the end of 2016 to come in right at the deadline for 1966 recordings. While sometimes these collections have taken physical form like the two large Bob Dylan box sets that have been released over the past couple of years, they are more often than not digital-only releases. And in keeping with the traditions of the past several years,
If there was ever any doubt as to the versatility, adaptability and endurance of the songs of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, it would certainly be dispelled by Ace’s new release of Let It Be: Black America Sings Lennon, McCartney and Harrison. The latest volume in the label’s Black America Sings series (also encompassing volumes dedicated to Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, and the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David) and the second dedicated to the music of The Beatles,
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