Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring Second Disc Records’ first release of the year plus another incredible slate from Real Gone Music, box sets, anthologies, and more!

Various Artists, The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Expanded Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music are tipping off 2017 with the first-ever CD release of Thom Bell’s soulful soundtrack to 1979’s The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh, featuring an all-star line-up including The Four Tops, The Spinners, Bell and James, Phyllis Hyman, The Delfonics’ William “Poogie” Hart, and The Sylvers, plus country superstar Loretta Lynn, ragtime legend Eubie Blake, and the one and only Doc Severinsen.  This edition, newly remastered by Sean Brennan at Sony’s Battery Studios, features three rare bonus tracks and Joe Marchese’s new liner notes drawn from an extensive interview with Thom Bell!

Delaney & Bonnie and Friends, Motel Shot (Expanded Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Motel Shot, released in 1971, was Delaney and Bonnie’s fourth studio album and third overall album on Atco.  Real Gone has given it an expanded reissue with eight recently-discovered tracks from the album’s original 1970 sessions.  Featuring Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Duane Allman, Gram Parsons, and Bobby Whitlock, among others, the album has never previously appeared on CD outside of Japan.  It has been remastered by Bill Inglot and features liner notes by Pat Thomas with quotes from Bonnie Bramlett, Bruce Botnick, Jac Holzman and Bobby Whitlock.

Lesley Gore, Love Me by Name (Expanded Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone Music brings Lesley Gore’s sole album for A&M Records, 1975’s Love Me By Name, to CD for the very first time anywhere in the world!  Love Me By Name reunited Lesley with producer Quincy Jones, and featured an A-list of guests including Herbie Hancock, Tom Scott, Toots Thielemans, Dave Grusin, and The Brothers Johnson as it touched on pop, disco, jazz, and funk.  This newly-remastered reissue adds two bonus tracks – the unique single versions of “Immortality” and “Give It To Me, Sweet Thing” – as well as liner notes from TSD’s own Joe Marchese!

Lynn Anderson, The Definitive Collection (2-CD Set) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone has collected 40 tracks – including 38 chart hits – from the late country superstar Lynn Anderson on the 2-CD The Definitive Collection (previously issued online as a volume of The Essential series).  Remastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios and annotated by TSD’s own Joe Marchese, this set draws from Lynn’s Chart and Columbia sides, including “Ride, Ride, Ride,”  “You’re My Man,” “How Can I Unlove You,” “What a Man, My Man Is,” “Keep Me in Mind,” “Mother, May I” (a duet with her mother, Liz Anderson), “That’s a No No,” “Cry,” “Listen to a Country Song,” “Fool Me,” and of course, “Rose Garden.”

Larry Coryell, Coryell (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone remasters and reissues a jazz-rock gem from guitarist Larry Coryell.  1969’s Coryell offers a blend of improvised and arranged pieces, with an all-star cast of sidemen that includes Ron Carter, Bernard Purdie, Albert Stinson, Chuck Rainey, and Free Spirits bandmate Jim Pepper.  This reissue features Bill Kopp’s new liner notes featuring quotes from Coryell himself.

Jim Kweskin, Relax Your Mind (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Folk bandleader Jim Kweskin led his Jug Band during the 1960s and recorded several albums for Vanguard records during the decade, recording primarily pre-World War II music.  For his third album on Vanguard, however, Kweskin decided to record a solo album and only used two members of the Jug Band for backing.  Released in 1965, Relax Your Mind features various styles from folk to African music.  It makes its U.S. CD debut here from Real Gone.

Alice Babs & Duke Ellington, Serenade to Sweden (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Here’s a Duke Ellington album so rare that’s never been on CD or seen digital release!  In 1963, Duke teamed up with Swedish singer Alice Babs for this Reprise album featuring “Satin Doll,” “I’m Beginning to See the Light,” and “Serenade to Sweden.”  Real Gone’s reissue has new liner notes as well as a fresh remastering!

Soft Machine, Live at the Paradiso (Limited “Soft” Purple Vinyl Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Early prog-rock band Soft Machine was formed in 1966 in the U.K.  The group opened for Jimi Hendrix on this 1968 North American tour and actually broke up during that time.  But they reformed due to contractual obligations to record their second album, Volume 2, released in September 1969.  A little earlier than that, in March 1969, they performed at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.  That concert has been available before on CD but Real Gone is putting out the first vinyl edition of Live at the Paradiso.  The new “soft purple” vinyl is limited to 1,000 copies only.

 

Vangelis, Delectus: The Polydor and Vertigo Recordings 1973-1985 (UMC) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Vangelis’ new box set Delectus features 13 albums released between 1973 and 1985 for the Vertigo and Polydor labels. This includes studio creations like Earth (1973), China (1979), See You Later (1980), Soil Festivities (1984) and Mask (1985) plus soundtrack albums like the nature documentaries L’Apocalypse des animaux (1975), Opera Sauvage (1979) and Antarctica (1983) and the Oscar-winning dramatic score to 1981’s Chariots of Fire. The box also includes all three albums recorded with Yes vocalist Jon Anderson (as Jon and Vangelis), released between 1979 and 1983.  Four bonus tracks are also included in the box: See You Later features sides of a 1980 non-LP single plus the previously unreleased track “Neighbors Above,” while Jon and Vangelis’ Private Collection (1983) includes a non-LP B-side. All 13 albums have been newly remastered under the supervision of Vangelis himself.  Read more here!

Judas Priest, Turbo 30 (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Judas Priest revisits its tenth album, 1986’s Turbo, in a turbo-charged 30th anniversary edition.  The original, remastered album has been expanded with two additional discs of bonus material on this reissue, and the reissue is also available on DD and sans bonus tracks in a new 150-gram vinyl pressing.  Read more here!

Black Sabbath, The Ultimate Collection (Rhino/Warner Bros.)

2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2-CD with Card Wallet: Amazon U.K. (Exclusive)
4-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

The Ultimate Collection (released last year in the U.K.) sees a domestic release today.  This new compilation gathers 31 tracks from the eight studio albums Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward released from 1970 to 1978. Hits and fan favorites include “Iron Man,” “Changes,” “War Pigs,” “Paranoid,” “N.I.B.,” “Snowblind,” and many more.  You’ll find more details here!