Well, this is it - the final big release week of the year!  While next week will see releases slow to a trickle, this week is packed with exciting box sets and much more!

Bruce Springsteen, The Ties That Bind: The River Collection (Columbia)

4-CD/3-DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada
4-CD/2-BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada

This 4-CD/3-DVD or 4-CD/2-BD set celebrating The Boss' seminal album The River features a treasure trove of previously unreleased material across its 53 audio tracks plus four hours of never-before-seen video footage.  Read the full track listing and more here!

Fleetwood Mac, Tusk (Various Editions) (Warner Bros./Rhino)

Deluxe Edition box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada
Expanded Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada
Original Remastered Album: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada

Rhino expands Fleetwood Mac's 1979 magnum opus as a 5-CD/1-DVD-A/2-LP Deluxe Edition box set or a 3-CD Expanded Edition, while also offering a single-CD remastered edition of the original album only.  Full details can be found here!

Roy Orbison, The MGM Years and One of the Lonely Ones (Roy's Boys/UMe)

The MGM Years CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada
The MGM Years LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada
One of the Lonely Ones CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada

UMe and Roy's Boys, LLC have joined forces for this new box set chronicling Roy Orbison's eight-year tenure at MGM Records beginning in 1965.  The MGM Years is available in 13-CD, 14-LP and DD editions.  The MGM Years boasts Roy's 11 original studio albums, the long out-of-print soundtrack to The Fastest Guitar Alive and a newly-created compilation album called MGM B-Sides & Singles that contains all 12 non-album singles and B-sides that otherwise weren't included in any album; the box contains, in all, 152 tracks - all newly remixed and remastered.  All of these albums including B-Sides & Singles are available individually along with the previously unreleased 1969 album One of the Lonely Ones which is NOT included in the box set.  (It is available on LP and CD as well.)

The Allman Brothers Band, Idlewild South: Super Deluxe Edition (Polydor/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

The 3-CD, Super Deluxe Edition adds 12 tracks not included on the original release of The Allman Brothers' classic sophomore album which yielded one of the band's signature songs, "Midnight Rider." Bonus tracks are a combination of live tracks from Ludlow Garage in 1970, studio alternates, outtakes and even a mono single version of "Revival (Love is Everywhere)." The entire album and four additional tracks are also presented in 5.1 Surround and high resolution stereo on the Blu-ray.  Idlewild South is also available in 1-CD and 2-CD editions!

Beatles, 1 (Remixed/Remastered Vinyl) (Apple/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

The 27 remixed No. 1 hits which recently premiered on The Beatles' 1 and 1+ CD releases have made their way to 180-gram vinyl for this lavish release.  The gatefold 2-LP package includes four art cards and a poster of global single sleeves. The poster is printed on 170gsm gloss art paper and measures 33′ H x 22′ W. The poster comes folded within the LP sleeve.  The art cards are printed on 180gsm white board, and each image measures 11′ H X 8.5′ W.

Rod McKuen, Reflections: The Greatest Songs of Rod McKuen (Varese Vintage) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Varese Vintage celebrates the life and singular career of Rod McKuen with this new collection. Reflections brings together 24 of the late songwriter's own interpretations of his most famous compositions including "If You Go Away," "Seasons in the Sun," "Love's Been Good to Me," "A Man Alone" and many more.  TSD's own Joe Marchese has written the liner notes for this new overview of McKuen's storied legacy in song.

The Dictators, Go Girl Crazy! 40th Anniversary Remastered and Expanded Edition (Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone is serving up a newly remastered version of the The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! album plus nine bonus tracks! And among those bonus tracks are four newly discovered, previously unreleased The Dictators Go Girl Crazy! outtakes, two of the outtakes that premiered on the Black Friday Record Store Day-exclusive Next Big Thing EP, two of that release's Andrew W.K. remixes, and the unreleased single mix of "(I Live for) Cars and Girls." Dictators songwriter Andy Shernoff contributes liner notes!

Nat "King" Cole, Stardust: The Rare Television Performances (Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Nat "King" Cole's Stardust-The Rare Television Performances includes more than two dozen of the rarest performances from television's The Nat King Cole Show, coupled with nearly 30 minutes of additional music from a 1963 appearance on Australian television being released for the very first time in America.  Nelson Riddle, Billy May and Gordon Jenkins are all among the arrangers on this set of "King" Cole's finest!

King Curtis, The Complete Atco Singles / Jeremy Spencer, Jeremy Spencer: Expanded Edition / Grateful Dead, Dick's Picks Volume 3 - Pembroke Pines, FL 5/22/77 (Real Gone)

King Curtis: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada
Jeremy Spencer: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada
Grateful Dead: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada

Real Gone rounds out its December slate with a complete 2-CD accounting of sax man King Curtis' original mono singles for Atco - and out of 66 tracks, more than two dozen are new to CD - plus an expanded edition of Fleetwood Mac member Jeremy Spencer's cult classic LP (featuring guest appearances from his Mac bandmates!) and a Grateful Dead live reissue!

The Supremes, Merry Christmas: Expanded Edition (Digital Download) (Amazon U.S.)

It's a Merry Christmas indeed with this newly-expanded and remastered edition of The Supremes' classic 1965 holiday album!  You'll hear the entire album in mono and stereo plus a generous helping of ten bonus tracks (two previously unreleased - and all in brand-new mixes)! This is one reissue sure to make your spirits bright!

Them, The Complete Them 1964-1967 (Exile/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Legacy has teamed with Van Morrison's Exile Productions and producer Andrew Sandoval to curate a 3-CD, 79-song anthology collecting the music of Morrison's early band Them.  20 previously unreleased tracks make their premiere on this set which also includes every single and album track released by Them between 1964 and 1967.

Judy Garland, The Best of "Lost Tracks" (JSP) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

The Best of Lost Tracks 1929-1959 is based on the JSP label's 2010 box set Lost Tracks which received international acclaim for its presentation of 100 rare tracks from the late superstar - 55 of which (including her two earliest solo recordings) were previously unissued. This release presents22 highlights from the box set, selected from all four of its discs: The Decca Tests (1935) and Early Radio (1935-1939); Young Judy on the Radio (1940-1944); The Radio Years (1944-1953); and On Stage (1940-1959) and The Gumm Sisters (1929). In addition, it adds five bonus tracks not on the original box set, four of which are new to CD!  In addition, sound has been upgraded throughout - making this a must-purchase for Garland fans and collectors alike.  Read more here!

Bette Midler,  A Gift of Love (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

A Gift of Love focuses on the romantic side of The Divine Miss M's repertoire, culling eighteen tracks from nine albums originally released on the Atlantic and Warner Bros. labels between 1976 and 2014 including "The Rose," "From a Distance," "Wind Beneath My Wings," "To Deserve You" and more.  Read the full track listing and more here!

Peggy Lee, Live in London (Polydor/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

This new 3-CD/1-DVD box set chronicles Peggy Lee's studio recordings and live performances in London, 1977 (including previously unreleased material), plus a 1981 BBC television special making its commercial video premiere.  Read the full track listing and more here.

Johnny Cash, Man in Black: Live in Denmark 1971 (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

In 1971, Johnny Cash took the stage in Denmark, bringing his singular brand of what's now called Americana to that country.  His revue was an expansive one - featuring his friend Carl Perkins, The Tennessee Three (Marshall Grant, W.S. "Fluke" Holland and Bob Wootton), The Carter Family (Mother Maybelle, Helen, Anita and of course, June) and The Statler Brothers (Harold Reid, Don Reed, Phil Balsley and Lew DeWitt).  The setlist drew on The Man in Black's recent country and pop favorites (such as three tracks from Kris Kristofferson's pen), rockabilly classics, deeply-felt gospel and beyond, including three duets with June, solo spotlights for all of his guests, and even a grand finale with all performers joining for "Children Go Where I Send Thee."  Cash's performance was preserved on DVD in 2006 but until now has never been available in an audio format.  This CD edition, remastered by Vic Anesini, follows the Record Store Day vinyl release.

George Delerue, The Pick-Up Artist/Rapture (Kritzerland)

Kritzerland pairs two scores from composer George Delerue that deserve more attention!  Both were previously released on Intrada as individual releases and are long out-of-print!  The Pick-Up Artist is remastered in stereo from the original masters housed in the Fox vaults, while the mono tape for Rapture was provided to Intrada by Colette Delerue and remastered for this reissue!

Simple Minds, Once Upon a Time: Super Deluxe Edition (Virgin) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Simple Minds' 1985 breakthrough album is expanded to six discs (five CDs and a region-free NTSC DVD) on this new super deluxe edition.  Containing the hit singles "Alive And Kicking," "All The Things She Said," "Sanctify Yourself" and "Ghostdancing," this chart-topping album built on the success of "(Don't You) Forget About Me."  The bonus discs include numerous additional tracks including the original and extended versions of "(Don't You) Forget About Me," single edits, 12-inch mixes, B-sides, previously unreleased tracks and the two-disc Live In The City Of Lightconcert. The DVD includes an audio version of the album with a high-res 96/24, 5.1 surround mix plus all the promo videos, as well a 36-page booklet with rare photos, new interviews with Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill and track-by-track notes.  Also available as a 2-CD highlights edition, a Blu-Ray Audio version, and a 1-CD straight album remaster.

Cream, The Singles: 1967-1970 (Polydor/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Ten 7-inch U.S. and U.K. singles from the legendary power trio of Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and the late Jack Bruce are reissued in their original mono versions and picture sleeves for this new deluxe vinyl box set.  Includes: "Wrapping Paper" b/w "Cat's Squirrel," "I Feel Free" b/w "N.S.U.," "Strange Brew" b/w "Tales of Brave Ulysses," "Spoonful Part 1" b/w "Spoonful Part 2," "Anyone for Tennis" b/w "Pressed Rat and Warthog," "Sunshine of Your Love" b/w "SWLABR," "White Room" b/w "Those Were the Days," "Crossroads" b/w "Passing the Time," "Badge" b/w "What a Bringdown" and "Lawdy Mama" b/w "Sweet Wine."

Bryan Ferry, Avonmore: Deluxe Edition Box Set (BMG) (Amazon U.S.)

Bryan Ferry expands his most recent album, 2014's Avonmore, to epic proportions on this new box set.  The Deluxe Edition, limited to 1,500 units, features the original album on both vinyl and CD plus one vinyl LP and 2 CDs of remixes, as well as a DVD with three music videos.  It's all housed in a hardbound book-style set.