Website Response – TheSecondDisc.com

Wednesday, October 6th, 2010

As part of the dying breed of listeners who still avidly desire owning their music on a physical disc and will repurchase albums multiple times to collect bonus tracks and expanded liner notes (today I picked up my fourth copy of John Lennon’s “Double Fantasy” to secure a “stripped down” remix), TheSecondDisc.com is a daily stop for me. The site is dedicated to remasters and reissues of classic and not-so-classic albums, with both news and historical content.

The bulk of the posts are written by Mike Duquette, whose passion for music is evident in each one. When a new reissue is announced, he intensively researches era-appropriate bonus tracks (e.g., B-sides, remixes, soundtrack contributions) to create the ideal package for fans. Alas, his lists often go above and beyond what the actual CD winds up containing.

The site perhaps could benefit from having more contributors. Duquette handles almost everything except posts about Broadway musical soundtracks, and while he clearly appreciates music from all genres and eras, he does tend to gravitate towards film scores and 80s music. Some additional perspectives might be useful to read.

Three articles worth checking out:

  • “Ben Folds Five” Reissue Theory. Sometimes Duquette doesn’t even need an announcement to pore over discographies. In the recurring “Reissue Theory” feature, he looks at albums not currently scheduled for re-release and proposes worthy tracklists should that change. This one looks at the debut album from Ben Folds Five and adds a live disc and bonus tracks to the mix.
  • Back Tracks: Paul McCartney. Another recurring feature is “Back Tracks,” which looks at an artist’s entire catalog and helpfully examines its state on CD/digital platforms. With a solo career spanning four decades and dozens of non-album tracks in that time, Paul McCartney fans would be well-advised to check it out.
  • Order in the Court. Sometimes Duquette posts discussion topics to get readers’ takes on various reissue-related things. This one centers around whether it matters if compilations are arranged chronologically.

If I were to write for the site, three articles I’d love to tackle:

  • A Reissue Theory for the Sundays’ discography. My second favorite band after the Beatles, the Sundays released just three albums in the 90s, but each has at least one uncollected B-side. I could dig through concert setlists and radio sessions to find even more bonus material. If you aren’t familiar with the Sundays, check out audio perfection in the form of “Here’s Where the Story Ends”:

  • A debate on how much is too much when it comes to reissues. Some fans want absolutely everything, but is anyone really going to listen to 11 remixes of one song from a Talking Heads side project? I’m curious to see, if push comes to shove, what people really expect from reissues. Should they focus on presenting the original album in the best way possible, or should they be mere dumpsters for any archive material from the era?
  • On the same token, an article celebrating superb reissues that should serve as blueprints. Rhino did a great job with “The Birds, the Bees and the Monkees” earlier this year, providing both the mono and stereo versions and over 30 bonus tracks in one terrifically packaged box. And last year’s Beatles remasters are as good as it gets.



Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »