Though he passed away at far too young an age in 2016, the late Glenn Frey remains a looming presence as the Eagles embark on a new North American tour that will take the reconstituted band - now featuring Frey's son Deacon as well as country superstar Vince Gill - on the road through October.  Now, even as his music is being sung nightly by his bandmates, Geffen Records is celebrating his career with a new box set.  The 3-CD/1-DVD Above the Clouds: The Collection arrives on May 11, highlighting key tracks from Frey as well as the long-awaited, official CD premiere of Longbranch/Pennywhistle, his early collaboration with friend J.D. Souther.

The first disc (also set to be released as a standalone edition), The Very Best of Glenn Frey, collects 15 tracks including his solo hits "The Heat is On," "The One You Love," and "You Belong to the City," plus other successful chart entries like "Sexy Girl," "Smuggler Blues," "Soul Searchin'," and "Part of Me, Part of You."  This disc also nods at Frey's Eagles oeuvre with a closing medley of "Lyin' Eyes" and "Take It Easy" from Dublin, Ireland's The Stadium.  Above the Clouds continues with The Very Rest of Glenn Frey, a disc of sixteen selections looking beyond Frey's signature songs.  These include cuts from all three of his MCA solo albums, and no fewer than seven tracks from his final solo studio album, 2012's After Hours.  That Universal Music release saluted the Great American Songbook ("The Shadow of Your Smile," "For Sentimental Reasons") as well as his musical heroes like The Beach Boys ("Caroline, No").

Most tantalizing to collectors may be the CD/digital premiere of the first and only album from Longbranch/Pennywhistle.  The 1969 album on Jimmy Bowen's Amos Records label (also home to Don Henley's early band Shiloh) was self-titled after the Frey/Souther duo and featured a raw version of the country-rock that both Frey and Souther, individually and collectively, would perfect in the years to come.  Naturally, both halves of the duo wrote songs for the album (solo and together), and they were supported by the A-list of Los Angeles musicians including James Burton, Ry Cooder, Larry Knechtel, Jim Gordon, and Joe Osborn.   Souther would revisit the album's "Kite Woman" on his own solo debut, John David Souther.  This is the first authorized appearance of Longbranch/Pennywhistle on CD.

Above the Clouds is rounded out by Strange Weather/Live in Dublin on DVD.  The concert was recorded on September 15, 1992, and its seventeen performances include Eagles favorites "New Kid in Town," "Heartache Tonight," and "Desperado" as well as Frey's own hits.  Live in Dublin had previously been released on VHS only, making for a welcome upgrade here.

This first-time box set for the late Glenn Frey is housed in a book-style package.  It arrives via Geffen Records/USM on May 11.  You can peruse the track listing and pre-order links below!

Glenn Frey, Above The Clouds: The Collection (Geffen/UMe, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)

Disc 1: The Very Best of Glenn Frey (available separately - Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada TBD)

1. The Heat is On
2. Call On Me
3. Part of Me, Part of You
4. You Belong to the City
5. Smuggler's Blues
6. Sexy Girl
7. The Allnighter
8. Soul Searchin'
9. Same Girl
10. The One You Love
11. Strange Weather
12. I've Got Mine
13. River of Dreams
14. Love in the 21st Century
15. Lyin' Eyes/Take It Easy (Medley - Live @ the National Stadium, Dublin, Ireland / 1992)

Disc 2: The Very Rest of Glenn Frey

1. Let's Go Home
2. I Got Love
3. This Way to Happiness
4. Common Ground
5. After Hours
6. Rising Sun (Instrumental)
7. The Shadow of Your Smile
8. Better in the U.S.A.
9. Brave New World
10. Caroline, No
11. For Sentimental Reasons
12. It's Too Soon To Know
13. Worried Mind
14. Lover's Moon
15. Route 66
16. True Love

Disc 1, Track 1 from Beverly Hills Cop: Music From the Motion Picture Soundtrack (MCA, 1984)
Disc 1, Track 2 and Disc 2, Tracks 3-4 from Solo Collection (MCA, 1995)
Disc 1, Tracks 3 and 11-14 and Disc 2, Tracks 6 and 9 from Strange Weather (MCA, 1992)
Disc 1, Track 4 from Miami Vice: Music From the Television Series (MCA, 1985)
Disc 1, Tracks 5-7 and Disc 2, Tracks 1-2, 8 and 14 from The Allnighter (MCA, 1984)
Disc 1, Track 8 and Disc 2, Track 16 from Soul Searchin' (MCA, 1988)
Disc 1, Track 9 and Disc 2, Tracks 5, 7, 10-13 and 15 from After Hours (UMe, 2012)
Disc 1, Track 10 from No Fun Aloud (Asylum, 1982)
Disc 1, Track 15 from Glenn Frey Live (MCA, 1993)

Disc 3: Longbranch/Pennywhistle (Amos Records AAS 7007, 1970)

1. Jubilee Anne
2. Run Boy, Run
3. Rebecca
4. Lucky Love
5. Kite Woman
6. Bring Back Funky Women
7. Star-Spangled Bus
8. Mister, Mister
9. Don't Talk Now
10. Never Have Enough

DVD: Strange Weather - Live In Dublin (released on laserdisc as MCA Music Video ID2276MS, 1993)

1. Long Hot Summer
2. Peaceful Easy Feeling
3. New Kid in Town
4. The One You Love
5. Strange Weather
6. I've Got Mine
7. Lyin' Eyes/Take It Easy
8. Wild Mountain Thyme
9. River of Dreams
10. True Love
11. Love in the 21st Century
12. Livin' Right
13. Smuggler's Blues
14. The Heat is On
15. Heartache Tonight
16. Party Town
17. Desperado