Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!
Chicago, Chicago II: Steven Wilson Remix (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Chicago's second album gets a fully remixed edition from producer Steven Wilson, created from the original 16-track multitrack tapes and sure to highlight previously unheard or overlooked elements of this rock classic! Available on CD, with an LP edition to follow later in the year. Read more here!
Cream, Fresh Cream: Super Deluxe Edition (Polydor/UMC) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
The super deluxe edition of Cream's debut album Fresh Cream offers three CDs and one Blu-ray Audio disc with a treasure trove of extras. In addition to mono and stereo mixes of the original U.K. album, the set includes a myriad of mono single and EP material (including two ultra-rare French mono EPs), seven brand-new stereo remixes of album tracks and ten unreleased outtakes, and four complete and unedited BBC session appearances in 1966 and 1967. The Blu-ray Audio features 24/96 KHz high-resolution mixes of the U.S. album running order in stereo and mono, plus U.K. album track "Spoonful" and non-LP tracks "Wrapping Paper" and "The Coffee Song," also in stereo and mono. This new edition is packed in a gatefold slipcase with a 64-page hardcover book featuring liner notes written by David Fricke. (The outer slipcover features the U.K. design of the album front, while the inner package features the slightly altered U.S. cover.) Read more here!
Carly Simon, Have You Seen Me Lately/Letters Never Sent (Floating World) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
The U.K. Floating World label has a two-fer of Carly Simon's Arista albums Have You Seen Me Lately (1990) and Letters Never Sent (1994). Have You Seen Me has the hit "Better Not Tell Her," while Letters was inspired by her mother Andrea Simon and friend Jackie Onassis, and features appearances by Ben Taylor, Dave Stewart, Rosanne Cash, Taj Mahal, and Marc Cohn. The label promises that this package has been approved by Carly, and features new liner notes by Alan Robinson as well as lyrics.
Brewer and Shipley, The Karma Collection (Floating World) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Floating World also has four albums from the duo Brewer and Shipley on two CDs, all originally released on the Kama Sutra label. Weeds (1969) featured guests Jerry Garcia, Mike Bloomfield and Nicky Hopkins. Tarkio (1970) gave the duo its most enduring hit with "One Toke Over The Line." Shake Off The Demon (1971) welcomed David LaFlamme (It's A Beautiful Day), Spencer Dryden (Jefferson Airplane) and John Cippolina (Quicksilver Messenger Service). Rural Space featured appearances from Billy Mundi (The Mothers Of Invention) and Buddy Cage (New Riders Of The Purple Sage).
The Move, Magnetic Waves of Sound: The Best of The Move (Cherry Red/Esoteric) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Cherry Red's Esoteric imprint continues its trawl through the catalogue of Birmingham's legendary Move! This CD/DVD set features 21 tracks on CD including "I Can Hear the Grass Grow," "Flowers in the Rain," "Blackberry Way," "California Man," and "Do Ya" from the psych-rockers, while the DVD has another 21 live performances including promotional films, footage from the BBC's Top of the Pops and Colour Me Pop, and Germany's Beat Club! This release drops in the U.K. today, with the U.S. release to follow next Friday. Watch this space for a full rundown!
Joe Cocker, Joe Cocker! Hybrid Stereo SACD (Audio Fidelity) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Joe Cocker's sophomore album features his indelible, full-throated takes on such classics as "Something," "Darling Be Home Soon" and "Delta Lady," and boasts appearances by an all-star cast including Rita Coolidge, Bonnie Bramlett, Merry Clayton, "Sneaky Pete" Kleinow, Clarence White, and Cocker's Grease Band: Chris Stainton, Henry McCullough, Bruce Rowland, Alan Spenner, Paul Humphries, plus Leon Russell and Milt Holland! This hybrid stereo SACD remastered by Kevin Gray is playable on all CD players.
Grand Funk Railroad, Shinin' On Hybrid Stereo SACD (Audio Fidelity) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Grand Funk's eighth album, 1974's Shinin' On, was produced by Todd Rundgren and yielded the chart-topping cover of "The Loco-Motion." It comes to hybrid stereo SACD (playable on all CD players) this week from Audio Fidelity! This release comes with 3D glasses to view the original 3D cover!
Zubb says
It is a shame that Floating World could not gather any unreleased tracks as a bonus for the Carly Simon 2/fer CD reissue. I have both of these albums on CD already.