Release Round-Up: Week of March 16

March 16, 2018 By Joe Marchese — No Comments

Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up!

Various Artists, Andrew Lloyd Webber: Unmasked – The Platinum Collection (Polydor/UMC)

4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Let the memory live again! Andrew Lloyd Webber celebrates his 70th birthday and provocative new memoir Unmasked with this 4-CD, 71-track box set of the same name. The career-spanning anthology features many of the composer’s most famed songs from Phantom of the Opera, Evita, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, School of Rock, and more, performed by artists including Barbra Streisand, Madonna, Elvis Presley, Alice Cooper, Tom Jones, The Everly Brothers, and the stars of his hit shows onstage such as Glenn Close, Donny Osmond, Elaine Paige, Sarah Brightman, and Michael Crawford. Previously unissued tracks from Beyoncé, Nicole Scherzinger, Gregory Porter, and Lana Del Rey round out the set. A 2-CD highlights version is also available. Get the track listing and more here!

Muddy Waters, Can’t Be Satisfied: The Very Best of Muddy Waters 1948-1975 (Chess/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Can’t Be Satisfied: The Very Best of Muddy Waters 1948-1975 presents 40 classic tracks from across the singer/guitarist’s tenure on the Chess label. Featuring both studio highlights and excerpts from live performances including the bluesman’s seminal set at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival, Can’t Be Satisfied also promises new liner notes and never-before-published photos from the Chess Records archive. Available today in Europe and next week in North America. Read more here!

NRBQ, NRBQ (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The 1969 Columbia Records debut of the New Rhythm and Blues Quartet (NRBQ) finally makes it way to complete CD in this newly remastered edition from Omnivore Recordings. Featuring an eclectic array of songs by Eddie Cochran, Bruce Channel, Sun Ra, Carla Bley, and others, this reissue of NRBQ has been authorized by the band. It features new liner notes by Jay Berman as well as rare photos. Available on CD, DD, and LP. Read all about it right here!

Spirit, It Shall Be: The Ode and Epic Recordings 1968-1972 (Esoteric/Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Esoteric has the complete Ode and Epic recordings from California psych-rockers Spirit between 1968-1972, including the CD debut of the mono mix of debut LP Spirit; the complete soundtrack to The Model Shop; the 1968 stereo mix of The Family That Plays Together; and the assorted outtakes and alternates that have appeared on compilations. Everything has been newly remastered, and the booklet contains archival interviews with Randy California and Ed Cassidy.

Cocteau Twins, Head Over Heels / Treasure vinyl reissues (4AD)

Head Over Heels: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Treasure: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

The second and third albums from the Scottish band arrive on heavyweight 180-gram vinyl, newly remastered from high definition sources transferred from the original analog tapes. Featuring ethereal tracks including “Musette and Drums” and “Sugar Hiccup,” Head Over Heels (1983) arrived from the duo of Elizabeth Fraser and Robin Guthrie, who weathered the departure of original bassist Will Heggie. By the time of Treasure (1984), the band gained guitarist Simon Raymonde, returning to its original format as a trio for such songs as “Persephone” and “Lorelei.” Both of these reissues come with MP3 download cards, and the tracks are also available on HD digital services!

The Oak Ridge Boys, 17th Avenue Revival (Lightning Rod) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The Oak Ridge Boys return to their roots – with a twist! – on this new album produced by superstar producer Dave Cobb at Nashville’s legendary RCA Studio A on 17th Avenue South. 17th Avenue Revival is the group’s blazing tribute to southern gospel and rock ‘n’ roll – and a perfect companion to Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music’s collection of the Oaks’ venerable line-up’s first recordings, When I Sing for Him, also available now at Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada!

Categories:

Release Round-Up

Formats:

Box Sets, CD, Digital Download, Digital Streaming, Vinyl

Genres:

Blues, Cast Recordings, Classic Rock, Country, Folk, Gospel, Pop

Tags:

Andrew Lloyd Webber, Muddy Waters, NRBQ, Spirit, The Oak Ridge Boys

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song and beyond, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with labels including Real Gone Music and Cherry Red Records, has released newly-curated collections produced and annotated by Joe from iconic artists such as Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross and The Supremes, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, The Spinners, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Meat Loaf, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Liza Minnelli, Darlene Love, Al Stewart, Michael Nesmith, and many others.

Joe has written liner notes, produced, or contributed to over 200 reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them America, JD Souther, Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, BJ Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, Petula Clark, Robert Goulet, and Andy Williams.

Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray.

Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.