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/ The Velvet Underground

August 28, 2024 By Mike Duquette 4 Comments

Lou Reed Pickwick

For most people - let's say the 30,000 or so people who started a band after buying their debut - The Velvet Underground was the band that introduced the world to the uncompromising rock energy of Lou Reed. As the latest archival title of his released by Light in the Attic Records will illustrate, Reed's talents were first put on record in a possibly more unusual place than with The VU. Why Don't You Smile Now: Lou Reed At Pickwick Records 1964-1965 will serve as the first official anthology

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: John Cale, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground

January 4, 2024 By The Second Disc 5 Comments

Three Amigos OST

Rhino is once again inaugurating the new year with a Start Your Ear Off Right campaign, launching this Friday in brick-and-mortar independent record stores (and if the past is any indication, at Barnes and Noble locations across the United States).  The vinyl-only slate, which is spread out over the next four release weeks, concentrates on classic rockers (The Doors, Foghat, America, Grateful Dead, Velvet Underground, Black Sabbath, Stevie Nicks, Yes) with a healthy dose of R&B legends (Ray

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Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Country, Funk, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: America, Black Sabbath, Curtis Mayfield, Eddie Rabbitt, Foghat, Grateful Dead, Randy Newman, Ray Charles, Stevie Nicks, The Doors, The English Beat, The Velvet Underground, Yes, Zapp and Roger

February 27, 2023 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Velvet Underground Loaded

Rhino has a Loaded slate for March.  On the 24th, the label will revisit and reconfigure The Velvet Underground's fourth studio album for a deluxe 9-LP vinyl presentation.  Loaded: Fully Re-Loaded Edition is based on the 6CD/1DVD box from 2015.  This new vinyl iteration will include: The original 1970 album in both its stereo and promotional mono mixes; The "Full-Length" version of the album with extended versions of "Sweet Jane," "Rock and Roll," and "New Age," all debuting on vinyl;

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Rock Tags: Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground

January 9, 2023 By The Second Disc 3 Comments

Rhino Start Your Ear Off Right 2023

We're into the second week of January, and it wouldn't be a new year without Rhino's annual Start Your Ear Off Right campaign.  This year's slate encompasses eighteen vinyl reissues across the rock, soul, and jazz spectrum, the majority of which were released on Friday at independent record stores and most Barnes and Noble locations (and online). The following titles are in stores now: Billy Cobham, Spectrum [Clear Vinyl, remastered by Kevin Gray] John Coltrane, Ole Coltrane [Clear

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Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Jazz, R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: Billy Cobham, Chicago, Curtis Mayfield, Dire Straits, Genesis, Gerry Rafferty, Hot Tuna, John Coltrane, Johnny Thunders, Otis Redding, Ramones, The B-52's, The Cure, The Velvet Underground, Warren Zevon, Yes, ZZ Top

June 8, 2022 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

Lou Reed Words and Music May 1965

"I was working for a record company as a songwriter," Lou Reed remembered in 1972, "where they'd lock me in a room and they'd say, 'Write ten surfing songs,' ya know, and I wrote 'Heroin' and I said, 'Hey, I've got something for ya.'  They said, 'Never gonna happen, never gonna happen.'"  Reed wasn't able to introduce "Heroin" to the world until March 1967 when the Verve label released The Velvet Underground & Nico.  The VU's debut album disappointed commercially but became greatly

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, Cassette, CD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock Tags: John Cale, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground

October 15, 2021 By The Second Disc 1 Comment

Beatles Let It Be 50 Cover

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Beatles, Let It Be: 50th Anniversary Edition [Various Formats] (Apple/Capitol/UMe) 5CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The Beatles' final album, Let It Be, arrives in deluxe editions to coincide with Peter Jackson's multi-part

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Blu-Ray, Books, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Country, Holiday, Jazz, Latin, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Billy Joe Shaver, Bob Dylan, David Crosby, Kelly Clarkson, Kinky Friedman, Louis Armstrong, Lucinda Williams, Nick Lowe, Norah Jones, Santana, The Beatles, The Bellamy Brothers, The Velvet Underground, Tommy Womack, Tony Bennett

September 27, 2021 By Joe Marchese 4 Comments

Velvet Underground OST

Director Todd Haynes has long emphasized music in his filmography.  One of his first works to garner significant attention was 1987's controversial and unauthorized Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story; four years later, his evocation of the glam rock era in Velvet Goldmine made more commercial waves.  More recently, he's been attached to direct Michelle Williams in the forthcoming Peggy Lee biopic Fever.  But before Haynes tackles Peggy, he's returning to a different Velvet: The Velvet

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming Genre: Classic Rock, Soundtracks Tags: John Cale, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground

September 24, 2021 By The Second Disc Leave a Comment

Steely Dan Northeast Corridor

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Steely Dan, Northeast Corridor: Steely Dan Live (UMe) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada The first Steely Dan live album since 1995's Alive in America, Northeast Corridor was recorded on the group's last tour at venues including New York's Beacon Theater, The Met Philadelphia, and others.  (The band's nine-show Beacon residency in 2018 featured themed shows including performances of

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Categories: News Formats: CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl Genre: Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Holiday, Jazz, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Al Green, Anthony Perkins, Blossom Dearie, Cab Calloway, Carrie Underwood, Chick Corea, Donald Fagen, Dorothy Loudon, Edie Adams, Jack Cassidy, Joan Rivers, John Sebastian, Ringo Starr, Sex Pistols, Steely Dan, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Velvet Underground, Vernon Duke, Vincent Youmans

July 2, 2019 By Sam Stone 1 Comment

VelvetUnderground CompleteMatrixTapes 8LP

The Complete Matrix Tapes is a legendary document of The Velvet Underground's residency at The Matrix in San Francisco from fall of 1969.  The group played the first show of their residency on November 11 and plans were made for club owner Peter Abram to record some of the shows.  By this point, the band had released their self-titled third album featuring a new incarnation of the band, with Doug Yule replacing John Cale as bassist and keyboardist. With the tape rolling, Yule, Lou Reed,

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Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock Tags: The Velvet Underground

January 7, 2016 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

Monkees Cereal Box Singles

Rhino Records has quite the cure for the usual January doldrums that hit the release calendar, announcing more than a dozen new and reissued titles available exclusively through participating physical stores. The "Start Your Ear Off Right" initiative, featuring titles available January 19, encompass some of the best-known names in Rhino's back catalogue, including The Grateful Dead, The Monkees, Devo, The Cars and The Replacements. From colored vinyl variants to CD box sets, there's virtually

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock, Soundtracks Tags: Bad Company, Devo, Grateful Dead, The Cars, The Monkees, The Replacements, The Velvet Underground

December 16, 2015 By Joe Marchese 3 Comments

Jon Savages 1966

Was 1966 the greatest year ever in popular music?  The case could certainly be made for its significance - and Jon Savage has done just that in his new book 1966: The Year the Decade Exploded.  Savage's book looks at the events and culture of the year in twelve essays, each one built around one 45 RPM record.  Naturally, such a book deserves a soundtrack, and Ace Records has seen to it that it receives one with the companion volume of the same name.  Jon Savage's 1966: The Year the Decade

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Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, The Association, The Supremes, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Various Artists

November 20, 2015 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Beach Boys Party Uncovered and Unplugged

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up which continues this autumn's tradition of having each week packed with box sets from heavy hitters - in this case, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Queen, Grateful Dead, Frank Sinatra, and they're still not all!  Plus: CD and vinyl reissues, anthologies, and much more! The Beach Boys, Beach Boys' Party: Uncovered and Unplugged (Capitol) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) The first disc of this 2-CD, 81-track set features the

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Blu-Ray, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, DVD, Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Jazz, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: Carly Simon, Frank Sinatra, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Jo Jo Gunne, John Coltrane, Lee Michaels, Love, Queen, Roger Waters, The Beach Boys, The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Timi Yuro, Weather Report

October 30, 2015 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

Velvet Underground Loaded Box

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!  Packed with over 30 titles including highly-anticipated reissues, a slew of box sets, collections and more, it just may be the mightiest of the year!   The Velvet Underground, Loaded: Re-Loaded 45th Anniversary Edition (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) The Velvet Underground's 1970 album - and Lou Reed's swansong with the band - gets the deluxe expanded treatment from Rhino in this new box set featuring the original stereo and mono

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Categories: Release Round-Up Formats: Blu-Ray Audio, Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, DVD, SACD, Vinyl Genre: Disco/Dance, Folk, Holiday, Pop, R&B/Soul, Rock Tags: Alanis Morissette, Amy Winehouse, Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas, Cilla Black, Doc Watson, Elvis Presley, Frank Zappa, Gentle Giant, Joan Osborne, Lou Reed, Otis Redding, Pete Seeger, Roger McGuinn, Sly and the Family Stone, The Rolling Stones, The Salsoul Orchestra, The Velvet Underground, The Who, Tony Orlando, Van Morrison, XTC

August 25, 2015 By Joe Marchese 8 Comments

Velvet Underground Loaded

Rhino has a fully loaded slate for this fall...make that a fully Loaded slate.  On October 30, the same date as the recently-announced 20th anniversary edition of Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill, the label will give the deluxe treatment to The Velvet Underground's fourth studio album.  Loaded: Re-Loaded 45th Anniversary Edition will follow in the footsteps and format of the deluxe sets previously released by UMe for the VU's first three albums The Velvet Underground and Nico, White

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD, DVD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground

November 24, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

simon and garfunkel albums cover

Simon and Garfunkel, The Complete Albums Collection (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) This 12-CD box includes all five of Simon & Garfunkel's stereo studio albums released between 1964 and 1970, newly remastered from first-generation analog sources plus first-time remasters of The Graduate soundtrack and 1981's The Concert in Central Park; 1972's Greatest Hits album (which contained some unique performances unavailable elsewhere); and the live concert albums from 1967, 1969

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, Popular Standards/Vocal, Soundtracks Tags: Bing Crosby, Bryan Adams, Neil Diamond, Simon and Garfunkel, The Velvet Underground

October 31, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

game theory distortion

Our Black Friday Record Store Day shopping list has just gotten a little longer! Following our recent announcement of Legacy Recordings’ slate for November 28, we have news of the offerings coming your way from Omnivore Recordings, Rhino and Varese Sarabande! For the gang at Omnivore, it’s all about amazing indie pop! The label recently reissued Game Theory’s debut album Blaze of Glory, and on November 24, the Omnivores will unveil the first U.S. release of the band’s compilation Dead Center.

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Categories: News Formats: Vinyl Genre: Classic Rock, Pop, Rock Tags: New Order, Record Store Day, Ronnie James Dio, Sneakers, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, The Ramones, The Velvet Underground

October 1, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

vu box

For the third year in a row, a classic album by The Velvet Underground will receive the super deluxe treatment from Polydor and Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). On November 24, 2014, the label will release The Velvet Underground – 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition, a 65-track, 6-CD hardcover book-style box set, following 2012’s release of The Velvet Underground and Nico and 2013’s White Light/White Heat.  The 1969 release of The Velvet Underground introduced Doug Yule to the band,

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets, CD Genre: Classic Rock Tags: Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground

June 25, 2014 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

bowie heard them here first

David Bowie did the unthinkable in this media-obsessed age when, on the date of his sixty-sixth birthday (January 8, 2013), he managed to catch the world off-guard to announce his first new album in a decade.  Bowie and his cohorts had kept The Next Day a secret, proving that the iconoclastic artist could still do things his way.  In six decades, from the 1960s through the present, David Bowie has kept his fans guessing what might come next.  And while Bowie's sound is one of the most

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Categories: News Tags: Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Paul Revere and The Raiders, Scott Walker, The Velvet Underground

April 10, 2014 By Joe Marchese 2 Comments

everly brothers roots

With April 19's Record Store Day a little more than a week away, it might be time to start making those checklists! We've already filled you in on exciting releases from Legacy Recordings, Real Gone Music, Sundazed, Omnivore Recordings, Varese Sarabande and many others, but today it's all about Rhino! The Warner Music Group catalogue arm has a bumper crop of more than 25 exclusive offerings from some of the biggest names classic rock, vintage R&B and beyond - including The Doors, Grateful

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Tags: Randy Newman, Record Store Day, REM, The Doors, The Everly Brothers, The Grateful Dead, The Pogues, The Ramones, The Velvet Underground, Vinyl

December 10, 2013 By Mike Duquette 1 Comment

ella the voice of jazz12

Eric Clapton, Give Me Strength: The '74/'75 Recordings (Polydor/UMe) One of Clapton's most prolific periods is revisited with this six-disc box, featuring expanded versions of 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974), There's One in Every Crowd (1975), a remixed and expanded double-disc version of live album E.C. Was Here (1975), a disc of sessions at Criteria Studios with blues legend Freddie King and a Blu-Ray featuring new 5.1 surround and original quadrophonic mixes.  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Ella

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Formats: Box Sets Tags: Neil Young, The Sherman Brothers, The Velvet Underground

October 8, 2013 By Mike Duquette Leave a Comment

electricity by candlelight  nyc 2 13 97

Tony Bennett, 

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Categories: News, Release Round-Up Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Barbra Streisand, Martina McBride, Neil Diamond, Talking Heads, Tammy Wynette, Television, The Kinks, The Police, The Stooges, The Velvet Underground, Tony Bennett

October 2, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

white light 2 cd

UPDATED 10/4: "No one listened to it.  But there it is, forever - the quintessence of articulate punk.  And no one goes near it."  So commented the rather articulate Lou Reed in a statement for Rolling Stone regarding Universal's upcoming 45th anniversary 3-CD box set of The Velvet Underground's sophomore effort, White Light/White Heat.  Due on December 3, the new set follows last year's 6-CD super deluxe edition of the band's debut Velvet Underground & Nico from Universal as well as the

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Tags: Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground

August 5, 2013 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

cbgb soundtrack

Though CBGB closed its doors at 315 Bowery on October 15, 2006 following a concert by Patti Smith, the legendary New York club never truly disappeared.  Though plans to open a new location in Las Vegas fell through - some might say, mercifully! - Hilly Krystal's famous club has survived in spirit.  CBGB Radio launched in 2010, the CBGB Festival of music hit the Big Apple in 2012, and the original awning even migrated to Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  This October, CBGB gets another

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Categories: News Genre: Soundtracks Tags: New York Dolls, Talking Heads, The Police, The Velvet Underground

December 28, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

the association complete singles

Wow!  Was it just over a year ago when a rather dubious report began circulating (that, shockingly, was picked up by many otherwise-reputable publications) that proclaimed the death of the CD was secretly scheduled by the major labels for 2012?  Well, 2012 has come and (almost) gone, and it might have been the most super-sized year in recent memory for reissues, deluxe and otherwise, from labels new and old.  Here at the Second Disc, we consider our annual Gold Bonus Disc Awards a companion

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Genre: Cast Recordings Tags: Barbra Streisand, Lee Hazlewood, Lionel Bart, Liza Minnelli, Lon and Derrek Van Eaton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mark Lindsay, Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, Matt Monro, Michael Jackson, Open Forum, Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Pink Floyd, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Ronnie Dyson, Salsoul Orchestra, Sam Phillips, Stephen Sondheim, The Association, The English Beat, The Jackson 5, The Kinks, The Spinners, The Velvet Underground

November 21, 2012 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

beach boys isnt it time single

Here in the U. S. of A., Black Friday is almost upon us: that unusual date following the prior day of giving thanks, in which consumers make a mad dash to the local big-box store, mall or shopping center to procure bargains for the holiday season ahead.  Retailers are controversially beginning Black Friday “festivities” even earlier than usual this year, with many sales starting on Thanksgiving Day itself and not even at midnight but in the early part of the evening.  For a number of recent

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Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Genre: Soundtracks Tags: Bob Dylan, Buck Owens, Lee Hazlewood, Leonard Cohen, Love, Marshall Crenshaw, Merle Haggard, Miles Davis, Nirvana, The Beach Boys, The Grateful Dead, The Rolling Stones, The Velvet Underground, Vinyl, Wanda Jackson

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