WIN! WIN! WIN! Mad Season’s “Above: Deluxe Edition” from Legacy Recordings Can Be YOURS!

CONGRATULATIONS TO JONATHAN PLUMMER, WINNER OF OUR MAD SEASON GIVEAWAY!

Release Round-Up: Week of October 24/25

It’s Tuesday, but most of the new music this week has already been out for a day. But assuming you were too busy to get out to the shops, here’s a look at what’s new. And there’s quite a bit!

Various Artists, Phil Spector Presents The Philles Album Collection (Phil Spector Records/Legacy)

Six of the first seven Philles albums presented in mono, along with a bonus disc of those delightfully out-there instrumental B-sides. Seriously, have you heard any of them? They’re crazy. In a good way, that is.

Diana Ross & The Supremes, The 50th Anniversary Collection 1961-1969 / The Temptations, The 50th Anniversary Collection 1961-1971 (Hip-o Select/Motown)

Two new triple-disc sets capture two of Motown’s greatest groups at their peak, with every A- and B-side from the listed periods contained therein.

Paul Simon, One Trick Pony / Hearts and Bones / Graceland / The Rhythm of the Saints / Songwriter (Legacy)

The first four are the 2004 Rhino reissues in jewel cases instead of digipaks (although Graceland is re-remastered), the last is a two-disc compilation handpicked by Simon himself with a big thick booklet for your persual. (Have you read Joe’s great review? You really should.)

Pearl Jam, Pearl Jam 20 (Sony Music Video)

Cameron Crowe’s celebratory documentary, now available for home viewing.

Various Artists, The Bridge School Concerts: 25th Anniversary Edition (Reprise)

Two new sets – a 3-disc DVD box and a double-disc CD set – capture 25 years of one of the best known (and, let’s face it, best) benefit concert series of all time. Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, The Who, Simon and Garfunkel, Paul McCartney, Sonic Youth and a host of other rock luminaries appear.

Howlin’ Wolf, Smokestack Lightnin’: The Complete Chess Masters 1951-1960 (Hip-o Select/Chess)

Four CDs of vintage blues goodness from The Wolf – including some tracks making their Stateside debut.

Mumford & Sons, Sigh No More: Deluxe Edition (Glassnote)

The great British roots-rockers’ major label debut, expanded with a bonus track, a live disc and a DVD documentary.

The Monkees, Head (Rhino)

A shiny new vinyl reissue of the cult classic album.

The Mamas and The Papas, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears / Strawberry Alarm Clock, Incense and Peppermints (Sundazed)

The original, classic albums in mono, on CD! (There are a few other notables coming from Sundazed for you ’60s fans, too.)

Yes, 9012Live: The Solos – Expanded Edition (Friday Music)

The first-ever domestic CD release of Yes’ overlooked live album/side project, with two live bonus tracks for good measure.

Deftones, The Vinyl Collection 1995-2011 (Reprise)

A limited edition collection of the alternative band’s studio albums, plus an album of non-album covers, previously only available as a Record Store Day exclusive. (It’s sold out online, but I’m sure it’s still up for grabs here and there.)

Nirvana, Nevermind: Super Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe)

Previously a Best Buy exclusive, it’s worth noting that this title is now available everywhere. Hooray!

Bruce Springsteen, Tony Bennett, Bob Dylan, Metallica Join Neil Young For “Bridge School Concerts” CD/DVD

Who but Neil Young could have brought The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Sonic Youth, Ben Harper, Eddie Vedder, Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, and Los Lonely Boys together on the same stage?  Though Young is an easy target for what can appear as a capricious attitude towards his back catalogue – announcing, then delaying or cancelling titles with alarming frequency – one aspect of the man’s great legacy cannot be in dispute, and that is his philanthropy.  Since 1986, Young and his wife Pegi have offered annual support for The Bridge School, an organization dedicated to the education of children with severe speech and physical impairments.  That was the year Mr. and Mrs. Young created The Bridge School Benefit Concert. 

The very first line-up included Young with his friends Crosby, Stills and Nash, Nils Lofgren, Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley, Tom Petty and Robin Williams; the 2004 concert offered the diverse group including Bennett and McCartney.  This year’s shows, on October 22 and 23, will continue the generally all-acoustic ethos, and will offer faces both old and new.  Bennett and Vedder are to join Diana Krall, Dave Matthews, Arcade Fire, Foo Fighters, Los Invisibles featuring Carlos Santana, Beck, Jenny Lewis, and Mumford and Sons.

Held yearly at Mountain View, California’s Shoreline Amphitheatre, The Bridge School Benefit Concerts have welcomed artists including David Bowie, Willie Nelson, Sarah McLachlan, Elton John, Leon Russell, Sheryl Crow, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Brian Wilson, The Who, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and Bob Dylan.  All of those names (and many more!) appear on The Bridge School Concerts: 25^th Anniversary Edition, due on October 24 from Reprise Records in 2-CD and 3-DVD formats.  There has been one prior Bridge School CD (1997’s The Bridge School Concerts Vol. 1) and a number of digital-only offerings, but these sets mark the most comprehensive package of music from the Bridge School’s archives.

Though there is some overlap among the CD and DVD releases (which will be sold separately), each features a unique selection of music.  Contributions from David Bowie, Patti Smith, Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Simon and Garfunkel, Tom Waits and Billy Idol only appear on the DVD set.  No Doubt, Jack Johnson, Sonic Youth, Willie Nelson, Tony Bennett, Nils Lofgren, Norah Jones and Jonathan Richman are among those artists only appearing on CD.  Both formats include tracks from Elton John and Leon Russell (“My Dream Come True”), Bruce Springsteen (“Born in the USA”), Brian Wilson (“Surfin’ USA”), Fleet Foxes (“Blue Ridge Mountains”), Metallica (“Disposable Heroes”), The Who (“Won’t Get Fooled Again”) and Paul McCartney (“Get Back”).  Neil Young himself is represented on CD with “Country Feedback” with R.E.M. and “Love and Only Love” with Crazy Horse.  “Country Feedback” reappears on the DVD, along with a Young solo performance of “Crime in the City.”

Whereas the first two DVDs in the set are exclusively devoted to performance footage, the third disc contains bonus material: two documentaries, Backstage at the Bridge School Benefit and The Bridge School Story, along with artist and student interviews.

Hit the jump to watch the video trailer, as well as for the complete track listing and pre-order links!  The Bridge School Concerts: 25^th Anniversary Edition hits stores on October 24 from Reprise, and it’s important to note that “all profits from this release go directly to The Bridge School.”  The label has set up an official site for the project here!

Spin the Black Circle: “PJ20” Soundtrack to Feature Live Cuts, Unreleased Demos

Last week, Joe reported that the double-disc soundtrack to Pearl Jam’s upcoming documentary would be released on September 20. Thanks to our friends at Ultimate Classic Rock, we now have a track list to go with the set.

The double-disc set, tied to the band’s new Cameron Crowe-directed film chronicling the band’s two decades together, is primarily comprised of live cuts from the band’s history, from early performances in Seattle before the release of the group’s landmark debut Ten to current arena-fillers around the world. Additionally, nine unreleased demos and outtakes will also be included, including one from the band’s famous early iteration/alter ego Temple of the Dog, with Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell on lead vocals.

Check out the track list after the
jump!

Weekend Wround-Up: The Smiths, The Beatles, Pearl Jam and More!

Happy Friday!  We’ve got some tidbits to tide you over till we return on Monday, with much, much more!

• If you’re eagerly awaiting that complete Smiths box set but are worried about the falling American dollar, worry no more!  Thanks to fine folks at MusicTAP for the heads-up that Rhino will be releasing The Smiths – Complete in the U.S. on October 18!  The American edition will be available in the same configurations as in the U.K.: a gigantic Limited Edition Super Deluxe Box set, a vinyl LP box, and a CD-only set.  In all forms it includes all eight of The Smiths’ long-players:  studio albums The Smiths (1984), Meat is Murder (1985), The Queen is Dead (1986) and Strangeways, Here We Come (1987); non-LP singles compilations Hatful of Hollow (1984), The World Won’t Listen (1987) and the U.S.-only Louder Than Bombs (1987) and the live album “Rank” (1988).  Read our full post here and mark your calendar for October 18, just a few weeks after the U.K. release date!

• The only surprise about Apple and EMI’s Beatles 1 remaster is that it took so long to happen!  But for those interested, September 13 will bring a reissue of 2000’s massively successful Beatles 1 compilation utilizing the 2009 remasters from Abbey Road Studios.

Items on Pearl Jam and Jefferson Starship are waiting for you after the jump!

Hip-o Select Goes Grunge on Newest Release

In 1980, Andrew Wood, his brother Kevin and drummer Regan Hagar formed a band named Malfunkshun in the Woods’ native Bainbridge Island, Washington. They only released two tracks in their existence, but the outfit is considered one of the forefathers of the burgeoning grunge movement that blossomed from the Seattle area in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Now, in a year that’s already full (or conceivably full) of commemorative grunge projects, Hip-o Select is releasing a three-disc set chronicling the short but influential career of Malfunkshun and the short but influential life of Andrew Wood. The singer/songwriter struggled with drug abuse throughout his time on Earth, even as he reached a new plateau of success as frontman for Mother Love Bone in the early ’90s (featuring Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, who would later join Pearl Jam after Wood’s passing). A documentary about Wood was completed and screened in 2005 and gets its debut release on DVD in this package.

The set also contains two discs’ worth of audio goodness. One is a reissue of Return to Olympus, a posthumous compilation of Malfunkshun material which Gossard helped release in 1995 and appended with the two released tracks from the band on the C/Z Records compilation Deep Six (1986). The other is another disc of unreleased solo and interview material composed by Wood, culminating with a previously-unreleased track that Wood produced for his former roommate, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell.

This limited edition set (topped out at 5,000 copies) is yours to order here. The full track breakdown is after the jump.

Release Round-Up: Week of March 29

Derek and The Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs: 40th Anniversary Edition (Polydor/UMe)

Unbeknownst to us at Second Disc HQ, a lot of weird stuff has been going on with this deluxe edition. It seems that, for whatever reason, the 2-CD edition of this set is retailing only at Best Buy until April 26, at which point it’ll be released more widely. No extra material seems to be present, just a lengthy lead time in terms of exclusivity. Weird, man. And of course there’s that super-deluxe box set, too. (Amazon: Deluxe Edition, Box Set)

Pearl Jam, Vs. / Vitalogy: Expanded Editions (Epic/Legacy)

The Seattle rock legends expand their second and third albums with bonus tracks. A box set collects those three albums with an (almost-complete), widely-sought after live show. A bigger box adds an insane amount of stuff on vinyl, cassette (cassette? cassette!) and more. (Official site)

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, Let Love In / Murder Ballads / The Boatman’s Call / No More Shall We Part: Deluxe Editions (Mute)

Another batch of CD/DVD editions from the British singer/songwriter. B-sides, videos and surround mixes abound. (Official site)

The Contours, Dance with The Contours (Ace/Kent)

Do you love it? An unreleased album by one of Motown’s earliest chartbusters! (Ace)

Pete Yorn, Musicforthemorningafter: 10th Anniversary Edition (Columbia/Legacy)

A two-disc deluxe edition of Yorn’s seminal debut, featuring unreleased studio and live material. (Amazon)

Billy Squier, Essential Billy Squier (EMI/Capitol)

A new hits disc from Mr. Stroke himself. (Amazon)

Teddy Pendergrass, Live in ’82 (Shout! Factory)

It’s a love T.K.O.! The late, great soul singer is immortalized in concert on DVD – one of his last before an injury altered his career. (Shout! Factory)

Florence + The Machine, Between Two Lungs (Universal Republic)

An expanded import of the band’s impressive debut Lungs comes to American shores. (Official site)

Various Artists, Mad Men: A Musical Companion (1960-1965) (Hip-O/UMe)

Though the critically-acclaimed show has an uncertain future, fans can use this compilation, featuring classics of the period, to pass the time. (Amazon)

Various Artists, The Music Never Stopped: Music from the Motion Picture (Rhino)

Rhino temporarily comes out of hiding for this film soundtrack, featuring several unreleased Grateful Dead live tracks. (Amazon)

Coming to a Record Store Near You…

Mark your calendars if you haven’t already, music fans: April 16 is the fourth annual Record Store Day! What started as a small declaration of independence for brick-and-mortar, mom-and-pop record stores in the face of industry decline has blossomed into a worldwide celebration with goodies provided by major and independent labels.

And because lots of record store fans are also big into catalogue stuff like you and me, a lot of the RSD exclusives focus on reissues or anniversary repressings in both single and album form. Yesterday, the full list of exclusives was finally released by the RSD committee – but we’ve pored through the list to bring you the biggest, brightest and best of catalogue Record Store Day exclusives.

We’re so excited, we’re not even going to put in a jump. Here’s the best of the best below.

AC/DC (Columbia): a 7″ of Back in Black favorite “Shoot to Thrill” backed with “War Machine” from the band’s most recent album, Black Ice (2008).

Big Star (Omnivore): a “test pressing” edition of Third, recreating the original 14-track test pressing of the album in 1975, down to the master tape box and tracking sheets. (Five copies of original, un-recreated test pressings will be mixed into the 1,000 copies pressed, each signed by Jody Stephens and original engineers Larry Nix and John Fry.)

Kate Bush (Audio Fidelity): 1,000 copies of The Hounds of Love will be pressed on limited edition, 10″ pink vinyl.

John Mayall and Eric Clapton (Sundazed): a 1,000-copy reissue of the 1966 non-LP single “Lonely Years” b/w “Bernard Jenkins.” This single was issued a month after the iconic Blues Breakers album.

Deftones (Warner Bros.): Covers captures some of the Sacramento band’s most beloved studio covers, from Sade and Lynyrd Skynyrd to Duran Duran and The Cars. 3,000 copies will be pressed.

Derek and The Dominos (Polydor/UMe): a 7″ single of “Got to Get Better in a Little While” b/w “Layla” will be released to commemorate the upcoming Layla box set. 2,500 copies will be made.

Dio (Niji): The late singer’s own label will reissue 2002’s Killing the Dragon on 2,000 vinyl picture discs.

Bob Dylan (Columbia/Legacy): a vinyl version of Live at Brandeis University 1963 will be exclusively available at RSD-participating outlets for four weeks; it makes its own CD debut (after being the bonus disc with Amazon orders of the latest Bootleg Series entry) earlier that week.

Foo Fighters (RCA): Medium Rare, a compilation of covers, will be released on 120-gram vinyl as a nice companion piece to the band’s forthcoming album, Wasting Light.

Jimi Hendrix (Experience Hendrix/Legacy): a vinyl single of the alternate version of “Fire” from the West Coast Seattle Boy box backed with an unreleased track, “Touch You,” will be one release (“Cat Talking to Me,” the B-side of last year’s “Valleys of Neptune,” appears on the CD single). Another CD single will feature Cee Lo Green’s “Foxey Lady” and Santana’s “Spanish Castle Music,” from the Power of Soul compilation alongside an unreleased live version of “Purple Haze” by Robert Randolph and The Slide Brothers.

Michael Jackson (Epic): a 7″ of tracks from 2010’s Michael will be pressed, featuring new single “Hollywood Tonight” and “Behind the Mask.”

Jimmy Eat World (ORG): a 10th anniversary triple-vinyl edition of 2001’s Bleed American will be released with B-sides and other rarities added to the mix. 1,500 copies will be available. (This may be the same track list as the deluxe edition released on CD in 2008.)

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts (Blackheart Music): 1,000 copies of a limited clear-vinyl edition of the I Love Rock & Roll album will be released.

Nirvana (Geffen/UMe): the rare 1992 EP Hormoaning, released in Australia and Japan, will be repressed 4,000 copies strong.

Roy Orbison (Monument/Legacy): a 7″ single of “Only the Lonely” b/w an unreleased live version of “Pretty Woman” will be pressed.

Ozzy Osbourne (Epic/Legacy): the ambassador for this year’s Record Store Day will see the vinyl reissues of Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman into independent stores, about a month before expanded CD editions come out.

Pearl Jam (Epic/Legacy): Single and double-vinyl editions of Vs. and Vitalogy (to be released in a deluxe box next week).

Queen (Hollywood): the “Long Lost Retake” of “Keep Yourself Alive” will be released as a 7″ single to promote the new reissues. It will be backed with “Son and Daughter.”

Sonic Youth (Geffen/UMe): another Geffen artist with an Australian EP (with a similar name, even). 1993’s Whores Moaning will also receive a 4,000 copy reissue.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band (Columbia/Legacy): two outtakes from The Promise on 10″ vinyl: “Gotta Get This Feeling” and “Racing in the Street (’78).”

Television (Rhino): a white double-vinyl version of the 1978 show at San Francisco’s Old Waldorf (released by Rhino Handmade in 2003), limited to 3,000 units.

The Beach Boys (EMI/Capitol): to capitalize on the forthcoming Smile box, a double 10″ 78 RPM set will be released, with one disc containing the original “Good Vibrations”/”Heroes and Villains” sides and the other containing alternate takes. There will be 5,000 copies of this one.

The Flaming Lips (Warner Bros.): the Heady Nuggs box set, limited to 5,790 copies, features the band’s first five Warner Bros. LPs on vinyl.

The Velvet Underground (Sundazed): latter-day outtakes on a 7″ single: “Foggy Notion” b/w “I Can’t Stand It.” Limited to 1,000 copies.

The Yardbirds (Sundazed): a reproduction of 1968 single “Goodnight Sweet Josephine” b/w “Think About It,” limited to 2,000 copies.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (Reprise): 2,500 copies of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers (1976) on white vinyl and another 2,500 of You’re Gonna Get It! (1978) on blue vinyl.

Various Artists (Kill Rock Stars): the grunge classic Kill Rock Stars compilation will be repressed for its 20th anniversary.

Pearl Jam’s Orpheum Track List Revealed

Among the many treasures of Pearl Jam’s forthcoming reissue of Vs. and Vitalogy is a bonus disc of the band’s set at Boston’s Orpheum Theater in Boston on April 12, 1994. That set is heralded by hardcore PJ fans as one of the best they ever did, and its inclusion was simultaneously a source of excitement and trepidation – the latter condition thanks to a fear that the show in all its glory would be trimmed down for CD. Those fears were confirmed when it was revealed that deluxe editions would have a download code to get six of the live tracks as a digital download.

Now, with about a week to go before the reissues hit stores, this seemed like a good time to pass along the track list for that third disc, as included in the deluxe and super deluxe packages. And, from the looks of it, hardcore fans who were hoping for the whole show being presented will probably have something to yell about. Come on in for the rundown.

Are Two Discs Better Than One for Pearl Jam Live Show?

The reissue conundrum of the week was figuring out how many discs of bonus material were going to figure into Pearl Jam’s upcoming reissues of Vs. and Vitalogy. The deluxe edition combines both albums with a much-requested live set at Boston’s Orpheum Theater in 1994; that set is also featured on CD and vinyl in the inevitable super-deluxe box.

But the deluxe edition listed three CDs worth of additional material, while the super-deluxe box listed four. And the deluxe CD, when pre-ordered on the band’s official Web site, promises a further six digital bonus tracks from the live show. What’s going on here? We inquired with Legacy Recordings and got this response:

Three discs is correct. Initially it was thought that the Orpheum concert would be on two discs, but it ended up fitting on one.

So it looks like every version will have three compact discs. It remains to be see if the concert will be cut down, and by how much; Pearl Jam’s emphasis on preservation will certainly make or break fans’ expectations, as the full set list is preserved on their official Web site. Hopefully those bonus tracks will feature elsewhere than just pre-orders for the deluxe set – particularly for the sake of anyone who’s going to buy the box.