Bruce Springsteen, The Promise: The Darkness on the Edge of Town Story (Columbia/Legacy)
Bruuuuuuuuce celebrates one of his most acclaimed albums in a big way. Darkness will be augmented with two discs' worth of outtakes and three(!) DVDs, including the new making-of documentary The Promise. (The outtakes are available as their own double-disc set as well.) (Official site)
Jimi Hendrix, West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology / BBC Sessions / Live at Woodstock / Blues / Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (Experience Hendrix/Legacy)
The latest chapter of the Hendrix reissue campaign from Sony includes a new box set of rare and unreleased material (available on CD or vinyl) that features a neat overview of Hendrix's early days as a sideman with other rock and soul acts. (A single-disc compilation will feature the best of the outtakes, and will also be sold as a double-disc set with the new documentary DVD from the box.) The same date will see CD/DVD versions of BBC Sessions and Blues alongside new reissues of Hendrix's Woodstock set and collector-favorite Christmas EP.
Billy Joel, The Hits (Columbia/Legacy)
The Piano Man's first-ever single-disc compilation - geared to entice casual fans into partaking in next year's Billy Joel catalogue blitz - is a very straightforward (and very debatable) release, but one that's worth buying, especially if you like Billy Joel. (Note: it is this writer's opinion that it is easy to like Billy Joel. Results may vary.) (Amazon)
The Stooges, Have Some Fun: Live at Ungano's / 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions (Elektra/Rhino Handmade)
Orders begin shipping this week on two new Stooges sets: an unreleased live show from 197o and the reissue of the out-of-print seven-disc box set version of The Stooges.
This four-disc box set, featuring an overview of all of the Gibbs (including Andy) and including three unreleased tracks, was supposed to come out last holiday season. Better late than never? (Amazon)
Supertramp, Breakfast in America: Deluxe Edition (A&M/UMe)
It's only logical that this popular LP should get the deluxe treatment, featuring remastered sound and a bonus disc of unreleased live recordings. (Amazon)
Smokey Robinson, The Solo Albums Volume 3 (Hip-o Select/Motown)
The latest volume in the solo Smokey series collates Deep in My Soul (1977) and the Big Time soundtrack from the same year, and adds the 12" mix for "Pops, We Love You," a star-studded tribute single cut with Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder in honor of Motown founder Berry Gordy's late father. (Hip-o Select)
Dave Brubeck, Legacy of a Legend (Columbia/Legacy)
In honor of the jazz legend's 90th birthday, a double-disc compilation that's the perfect accompaniment to taking five. (Amazon)
Heatwave, The GTO Singles Collection (7Ts)
Every U.K. single side for the much-acclaimed disco/funk band on two discs, further increasing the amount of catalogue gold from the band in the past year. (7Ts)
The Grateful Dead, Road Trips Vol 4. No. 1 (Grateful Dead)
Shipping today, the latest installment in the live Dead series is a show from the Big Rock Pow Wow in 1969. (Official site)
Jerry Garcia Acoustic Band, Almost Acoustic / Ragged But Right (Rhino)
A reissue of the Dead man's 1988 acoustic foray, along with a new CD of vault tracks from the same shows that gave us Almost Acoustic. (Official site)
Five Star, Luxury of Life: Expanded Edition / Silk & Steel: Expanded Edition (Cherry Pop)
The first two hit British albums by Five Star, a group of R&B-performing siblings (the Jackson 5 comparisons are obvious), are reissued on the Cherry Pop label with the usual 12" remixes as bonus tracks. (Cherry Pop)
Pink, Greatest Hits...So Far!!! (LaFace)
One of contemporary pop's best female singers gets her first compilation, with three new tracks. (The import has a nice bonus of her take on "Whataya Want from Me," a hit song she wrote for Adam Lambert.) (Amazon)
Nelly Furtado, The Best of Nelly Furtado (Geffen)
The folky starlet-turned-dancehall queen also gets her first compilation this week, with three new tracks of her own. (Amazon)
Shaun says
VERY easy to like Billy Joel. No need for me to buy "The Hits" though. I hope the reissues in 2011 offer more value. Then again, I'd just like the dude to find his muse and start writing songs again.
There's enough out there that I want to buy though... The Bruce box, the Grateful Dead and Garcia releases, and more. Good thing the holidays are coming.