Release Round-Up: Week of December 11

This week's Release Round-Up is slimmer than most of late, but still filled with some ideal stocking stuffers...

Joe Cocker, The Life of a Man: Ultimate Hits 1968-2013 (UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

UMe celebrates the life and career of the late, great Joe Cocker with this new 3-CD, 36-track anthology with greatest hits and deeper cuts including a live version of "With a Little Help from My Friends" never before released in the United States. This set was previously released in the U.K. by Sony.

Miles Davis, The Last Word (Warner Bros./Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Miles Davis' Warner Bros. output has been newly remastered for this deluxe box set which includes the studio albums Tutu, Amandla and Doo-Bop, the Dingo and Siesta soundtracks, the live sets Miles and Quincy Live at Montreux and Live Around the World, and a Nice Jazz Festival performance from 1986 previously released on the Tutu deluxe edition. The clamshell box with mini-vinyl replica CDs also contains a 60-page booklet with new liner notes by Ashley Kahn and photographs.

Judy Collins, Colors of the Day: The Best of Judy Collins (Quadraphonic Hybrid SACD) (Audio Fidelity) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Audio Fidelity brings Judy Collins' 1972 compilation to hybrid SACD (playable in stereo on all CD players) including the 4.0 surround presentation of the album. Features "Both Sides Now," "Suzanne," "In My Life," "Amazing Grace" and more.

Alice Cooper, Muscle of Love (Quadraphonic Hybrid SACD) (Audio Fidelity) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Alice Cooper's 1973 Muscle of Love arrives on hybrid SACD (playable in all CD players). The 4.0 quadraphonic presentation is playable on all SACD players.

Rumer, Love is the Answer (Night Owl) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

One of our favorite current singers returns this week with a new, four-song EP of some beloved covers including Carole King's "Being at War with Each Other," Hall and Oates' "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)," William DeVaughn's "Be Thankful for What You Got" and Todd Rundgren's title track. No doubt this EP will bring many smiles until Rumer's next project, an entire album of Bacharach and David songs, is released! Available today in the U.K. and shipping next week in the U.S. and Canada.

Neil Finn and Paul Kelly, Goin' Your Way (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

Finn and Kelly joined forces in 2013 for a tour, and their performance at the Sydney Opera House was recorded and released in Australia as Goin' Your Way. This souvenir of a memorable evening reached the Top 5 on the charts and earned a Gold certification, but it hasn't been available outside of Australia and New Zealand...until now! Omnivore has it on 2 CDs or DD.

Brian Hyland, The Philips Years and More 1964-1968 (Teensville/Rare Rockin' Records) (Amazon U.S.)

The Australian Teensville label collects Hyland's 45s on Philips Records released between 1964 and 1967 (in stereo where possible) and throws in key original album tracks from the same era. As an added bonus, three of Hyland's rare post-Philips singles on Dot are included, many of which have not previously seen legitimate reissue on compact disc per the label. Includes "The Joker Went Wild" and "Run Run Look and See." Of 32 tracks, 15 are in stereo, and a 12-page booklet contains new liner notes and more.

Various Artists, It's My Life: Roger Atkins Songbook 1963-1969 (Rare Rockin' Records) (Amazon U.S.)

RRR also turns its attention to underrated songwriter Roger Atkins with this first-ever compendium of his works. If you don't know his name, you know his songs - The 5th Dimension's "Workin' on a Groovy Thing," Barbara Lewis' "Make Me Your Baby" and The Animals' "It's My Life," to name three. Those are joined by 28 other tracks including rare demos on this compilation produced with Atkins' cooperation. Other artists include Betty Everett, Jerry Butler, Neil Sedaka, Ron Dante, Gene Pitney and many more.

Marty Balin, Good Memories (Buckjoy Productions) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada)

The Jefferson Airplane/Starship singer-songwriter looks back at his 50-year career with this newly-recorded collection of tunes new and old.

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.