Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up!

The Legacy Collection: Robin Hood (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.)

Disney’s Legacy Collection returns with a first-ever complete soundtrack release for the 1973 animated classic Robin Hood.  Disc 1 of this 2-CD set includes the original songs and score from the film (28 tracks overall), penned by writers including Roger Miller, George Bruns, Floyd Huddleston, and Johnny Mercer. Disc 2 spotlights 13 tracks of bonus material including previously unreleased demos and the entirety of Louis Prima’s Let’s Hear It for Robin Hood album.  It’s all packaged within a beautiful hardcover book featuring liner notes, lyrics, concept art, and more!  Read all about it right here.

Randy Newman, Dark Matter (Nonesuch) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The undisputed master of, well, dark matter returns with his first studio album of new material since 2008’s Harps and Angels…and it’s every bit as delicious as you’d expect.  Songs ranging from wickedly satirical to beautifully heartfelt include “Putin,” “Sonny Boy,” “Wandering Boy,” and “Lost Without You.”  A vinyl release arrives on August 18.

The Rain Parade, Emergency Third Rail Power Trip/Explosions in the Glass Palace (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone celebrates the legacy of Paisley Underground band Rain Parade with this new reissue.  It combines the band’s Emergency LP and Explosions EP on one CD, and includes the song “Look Both Ways” which was not included on the original U.S. version of the LP.  The CD has been newly remastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision and the remaster has been approved by Matt Piucci and Steven Roback.  It also features liner notes by Paisley Underground historian Pat Thomas with quotes from Piucci and Roback.

Samson, Shock Tactics (Limited Crimson Loincloth Vinyl Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone brings to limited-edition vinyl the 1981 album from the hard rockers of Samson featuring Bruce Dickinson (later of Iron Maiden).  Limited to 700 copies.

Jaguar, Power Games (Limited Green and Brown Camo Vinyl Edition) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The 1983 debut of the band Jaguar returns to vinyl from Real Gone in a limited edition pressing of just 700 copies!

Various Artists, The Matrix Original Soundtrack Album (Limited Red and Blue Pill Vinyl Edition) (2-LP) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The hard-hitting soundtrack to The Matrix – featuring music from Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, The Deftones, Rage Against the Machine, and more – comes to vinyl for the very first time from Real Gone.  This lavish, new 2-LP “Red and Blue Pill” edition is limited to 1,500 copies.  It comes in a newly designed gatefold package featuring stills from the film!

Def Leppard, Hysteria: 30th Anniversary Edition (UMC/Bludgeon Riffola)

5CD/2DVD Super Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.
3CD Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.
2LP remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.
1CD Vanilla Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. (TBD)

Exactly 30 years since it was first released, Bludgeon Riffola and UMC have released multiple expanded editions of Hysteria, including a new 3CD deluxe edition, a 5CD/2DVD box set (both boasting material not on the 20th anniversary deluxe edition released in 2007) and vinyl formats.  See all the specs for each edition right here!

Jimmy Reed, Mr. Luck: The Complete Vee-Jay Singles (Concord/Craft Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Jimmy Reed’s songs like “Big Boss Man” and “Baby What You Want Me to Do” became part of the classic blues lexicon, and his songbook has inspired covers by artists including Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, Etta James and Elvis Presley, just to name a few.  Now, Craft Recordings has collected Reed’s complete singles on the Vee-Jay label (88 sides in all) in newly remastered form on one complete box set.

Henry Mancini, The Great Race: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (3-CD) (La La Land)

Here’s a nice one we missed: La-La Land has generously expanded Henry Mancini’s richly melodic, fun-filled soundtrack to Blake Edwards’ The Great Race to epic proportions!  This 3-CD set features the complete original score on two CDs, including a handful of outtakes, while the third disc has a remastered version of Mancini’s original RCA soundtrack album, recorded specifically for home listening and emphasizing the score’s themes in compact arrangements.  A full-color 24-page booklet has Jeff Bond’s new essay and track-by-track annotations to place it all into perspective!  The Great Race has never sounded greater!

Various Artists, NOW That’s What I Call Music 63/NOW That’s What I Call Tailgate Anthems (Legacy)

Vol. 63: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Tailgate Anthems: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Legacy has two new volumes of the long-running, popular NOW series.  Vol. 63 has the expected current hits from artists including Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, The Chainsmokers, Katy Perry, Linkin Park, Miley Cyrus, and more.  Tailgate Anthems blends past and present with favorites from Survivor, Queen, KISS, and Bon Jovi alongside The Black-Eyed Peas, Pink, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, and Pitbull.