Among its many exciting releases, Omnivore has a trio of albums due soon from three very different rock artists: Chris Hillman, pre-Raspberries band The Choir, and NRBQ.

Last year, Chris Hillman (veteran of groups including The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers, The Desert Rose Band, and supergroup The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band) released the acclaimed album Bidin' My Time - only his seventh solo album.  Produced by Tom Petty (one of the late superstar's last projects), the LP reaffirmed Hillman's deserved place in the pantheon.  Omnivore is now reissuing his first two solo albums, Slippin' Away (1976) and Clear Sailin' (1977) on one CD.  The Asylum Years returns both of these country-rock classics into print.  Slippin' Away welcomed an all-star cast including members of Poco, Buffalo Springfield, The Turtles, and Booker T. and the MG's for a set of songs primarily composed by Hillman.  "Down in the Churchyard" was penned by Hillman and Gram Parsons, while Hillman's Manassas bandmate Stephen Stills offered "Witching Hour."  Clear Sailin' was recorded with a less flashy but no less stellar band, and featured original songs as well as covers of Danny O'Keefe ("Quits") and even Carole Bayer Sager and David Wolfert ("Heartbreaker," later recorded by Dolly Parton).  The Asylum Years, featuring new liner notes by Scott Schinder based on an interview with Chris Hillman, is due on February 9.

On February 16, Omnivore delivers Artifact: The Unreleased Album from the pre-Raspberries group The Choir.  The Cleveland rock 'n' rollers made their first splash with a 1966 single ("It's Cold Outside") on the Canadian-American label which earned them national attention when it was re-released on Roulette.  The band released a couple more 45s on Roulette through early 1968, but Omnivore has a real treat: a completely unreleased album from 1969 recorded by one of the last iterations of the group.  (The short version: when the remains of Cyrus Erie and The Choir came together, the result was The Raspberries.) These ten ultra-rare recordings have been restored for this release by the team of Tommy Allen and Ducky Carlisle (The Raspberries' Pop Art Live), and Choir fan Eric Carmen has provided liner notes along with Al Kaston and Choir members Denny Carleton and Phil Giallombardo.  Rare photos and a Choir family tree round out this essential package available on CD and DD.

One month later, on March 16, comes a CD premiere from NRBQ, the eclectic group celebrated by Omnivore on the 2016 box set High Noon: A 50-Year Retrospective.  (The label also issued their new EP, Happy Talk, in 2017.)  The New Rhythm and Blues Quartet began recording with Jimi Hendrix engineer Eddie Kramer and signed with Columbia Records in 1969 for a two-record deal that began with their self-titled album.  Despite a truly eclectic array of material (anticipating the varied and imaginative directions the band would continue to take for decades to come) - including covers of Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody" and Bruce Channel's "Hey! Baby" as well as Sun Ra's "Rocket No. 9" and a co-write between the band's Terry Adams and experimental/free jazz composer-pianist Carla Bley - NRBQ has never been reissued either on CD or digitally.  This first-ever reissue of an album unlike any other will arrive on CD, as a gatefold LP, and on digital platforms.  (The LP does not include a download card, however.) It's been fully authorized by the band, and feature rare photos as well as new liner notes by Jay Berman.

You'll find pre-order links for all three titles below!

Chris Hillman, The Asylum Years (Omnivore OV-261, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Step on Out
2. Slippin' Away
3. Falling Again
4. Take It on the Run
5. Blue Morning
6. Witching Hour
7. Down in the Churchyard
8. Love is the Sweetest Amnesty
9. Midnight Again
10. (Take Me In Your) Lifeboat
11. Nothing Gets Through
12. Fallen Favorite
13. Quits
14. Hot Dusty Road
15. Heartbreaker
16. Playing the Fool
17. Lucky in Love
18. Rollin' and Tumblin'
19. Ain't That Peculiar
20. Clear Sailin'

Tracks 1-10 from Slippin' Away, Asylum 7E-1062, 1976
Tracks 11-20 from Clear Sailin', Asylum 7E-1104, 1977

The Choir, Artifact: The Unreleased Album (Omnivore OV-263, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Anyway I Can
2. If These Are Men
3. Ladybug
4. I Can't Stay in Your Life
5. David Watts
6. Have I No Love to Offer
7. For Eric
8. It's All Over
9. Boris' Lament
10. Mummer Band

NRBQ, NRBQ (Columbia LP CS 9858, 1969 - reissued Omnivore OV-264, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. C'mon Everybody
2. Rocket No. 9
3. Kentucky Slop Song
4. Ida
5. C'mon If You're Comin'
6. You Can't Hide
7. I Didn't Know Myself
8. Stomp
9. Fergie's Prayer
10. Mama Get Down Those Rock and Roll Shoes
11. Hymn No. 5
12. Hey! Baby
13. Liza Jane
14. Stay with Me