Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up!

The Beach Boys, Becoming The Beach Boys: The Complete Hite and Dorinda Morgan Sessions (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This 2-CD set, a tie-in with Jim Murphy’s recent book Becoming The Beach Boys 1961-1963,  chronicles the earliest years of America’s Band.  Featuring 62 tracks (over 40 previously unreleased), Omnivore’s CD is released in conjunction with The Beach Boys’ Brother Records, and features all of the extant session material and masters for the band’s earliest recordings (including embryonic versions of “Surfin’,” “Surfer Girl” and “Surfin’ Safari”).  Watch for Joe’s review later today, and view the whole tracklisting here!

Dusty Springfield, Reputation: Deluxe Expanded Collector’s Edition (Cherry Red/SFE) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Cherry Red/Strike Force Entertainment’s 2-CD/1-DVD “Expanded Collector’s Edition” of Dusty Springfield’s 1990 LP Reputation features the original album alongside its various 12″ mixes and B-sides (including the Disco Mix of “What Have I Done to Deserve This?” as a bonus track), as well as the bonus tracks from EMI Gold’s Reputation and Rarities reissue from 1997.  The package is rounded out with a DVD of promo videos and liner notes featuring insights from Dusty, session singer Simon Bell and Tris Penna of EMI, who helped oversee the original release.  Read more here!

The Monkees, 50 (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Monkees 50 features 50 tracks on 3 CDs spanning The Monkees’ entire career from “(Theme From) The Monkees,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Take a Giant Step” and “Papa Gene’s Blues” on 1966’s The Monkees right up through “She Makes Me Laugh” and “You Bring the Summer” on Good Times!  Both familiar tunes and lesser-known selections alike are included on this new collection.

The Monkees, Forever (Rhino)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

The compact Monkees Forever is available as a single-CD or single-LP set offering fourteen highlights of the band’s career including classic hits like “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” “Daydream Believer” and “I’m a Believer,” as well as “She Makes Me Laugh” and “Porpoise Song.”  (You won’t find “(Theme From) The Monkees” here, however!)  You’ll find the full tracklistings of both Forever and 50 right here!

Twisted Sister, The Best of the Atlantic Years (Atlantic/Rhino)  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

A new Twisted Sister compilation celebrates their loudest hits as they celebrate their fourth decade together with one last tour.  The Best of The Atlantic Years, a 19-track compilation containing their best ’80s tracks (plus an unreleased cover of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild,”) accompanies their “Forty and Fuck It” Tour, one last major touring trek with Snider, Ojeda, French, Mendoza and former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy (replacing A.J. Pero, who died of a heart attack in 2015).  Read more here!

Todd Rundgren, An Evening with Todd Rundgren: Live at the Ridgefield

CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Todd has a new live album out as a CD/DVD set via Cleopatra/Purple Pyramid.  Live at the Ridgefield captures his recent concert of December 15, 2015 in Ridgefield, CT.  The CD has 18 tracks while the DVD has 26; both discs feature classics like “I Saw the Light,” “Hello It’s Me,” “Can’t We Still Be Friends” and “Bang the Drum All Day” while the DVD exclusive songs include “Soothe,” “God Said” and “I’m So Proud/Ooo Baby Baby.”  Also available in a vinyl highlights edition with 10 tracks.

Barbra Streisand, Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway (Columbia) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Barbra Streisand goes “Back to Broadway” (again!) with this new duets album.  On this 10-song set, Streisand is joined by an eclectic array of talents including Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Melissa McCarthy, Chris Pine, Daisy Ridley and Anne Hathaway on songs by Marvin Hamlisch, Stephen Sondheim, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe and others.  The Target-exclusive edition (also available from Amazon U.K. here and Canada here) boasts four solo bonus tracks.