Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!
The Cure, Mixed Up: Deluxe Edition (Universal (U.K.)/Elektra/Rhino (U.S.))
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Mixed Up 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Torn Down 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Postponed from last week: The Cure revisits its 1990 remix album as a 3-CD deluxe edition. The first disc of the new set contains the original Mixed Up album, as newly remastered by Smith. The second disc, Remixes 1982-1990: Mixed Up Extras 2018, has eleven remastered period remixes, and the third disc, Torn Down: Mixed Up Extras 2018, has sixteen new remixes by Smith. This disc was previously available on vinyl for Record Store Day 2018. A single-CD and 2-LP remaster is also available of the remastered Mixed Up only, plus a 2-LP general release of Torn Down. Read more here!
Garbage, Version 2.0: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Stunvolume/PIAS)
2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Garbage is revisiting its 1998, Grammy-nominated sophomore album in a variety of formats including a 2-CD deluxe edition (with a second disc of 10 B-sides) and a 2-LP orange vinyl edition of the album only. A vinyl box set takes in three black vinyl LPs comprising the contents of the CD deluxe edition plus swag like a poster, stickers, and a condom (!). Note, however, that numerous remixes and rarities originally included on the band's singles of the era have not been included in this reissue.
Tom Fogerty, Excalibur [Vinyl] (Fantasy/Craft Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
1972's Excalibur is the late Tom Fogerty's second of nine solo albums. Reissued on 180-gram vinyl, it features a band including Jerry Garcia and Merl Saunders on guitar and keys, respectively, plus John Kahn on bass and Bill Vitt on drums. While Excalibur is the only title from John Fogerty's older brother to receive a physical release today, his albums Tom Fogerty (originally released in 1972), Zephyr National (1974), Myopia (1974), and Deal It Out (1981) are all now available on streaming and high-resolution digital platforms.
Doug Clifford, Doug "Cosmo" Clifford [Vinyl] (Fantasy/Craft Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Doug "Cosmo" Clifford is the CCR drummer's only solo album to date. The 1972 LP features both original songs and covers of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream," The Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About a Mover," and The Spencer Davis Group ("I'm a Man"). CCR's Stu Cook joined on rhythm guitar, Stax legend Donald "Duck" Dunn sat in on bass, John McFee played lead guitar, and The Tower of Power horn section added their mighty brass. The Walter Hawkins Singers provided the background vocals. The 180-gram vinyl release is housed in an old-school tip-on jacket.
Miles Davis, Ascenseur pour l'échafaud [60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition] (Fontana/Verve/UMe)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Miles Davis' atmospheric soundtrack to director Louis Malle's 1958 French crime drama (known in English as Elevator to the Gallows) returns to CD and vinyl in greatly expanded deluxe editions. This new reissue premieres one previously unreleased track and adds a further 16 session alternates. Available on 2 CDs or 3 ten-inch LPs. The CD version boasts a 60-page booklet of notes in both French and English.
Plus, we have a couple of titles newly available for pre-order from the Kritzerland label...
Various Artists, Leonard Bernstein Revisited (Kritzerland)
Kritzerland is continuing its trawl through the vaults of the late Ben Bagley's Painted Smiles label with this all-star tribute to Leonard Bernstein, as performed by Chita Rivera, Nell Carter, Estelle Parsons, John Reardon, Jo Sullivan (Loesser), and Arthur Siegel. The troupe gamely sings some of the Maestro's rarest compositions including music from the ill-fated 1976 musical 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, cut songs from Wonderful Town, and hidden gems from Candide. For this reissue, sound has been remastered, and three bonus tracks have been added from the 1961 London studio cast recording. Limited to 500 copies, this release coincide with the 100th anniversary of the legendary Bernstein's birth.
Lenox Avenue: The Music of William Grant Still (Kritzerland)
Bruce Kimmel of Kritzerland is celebrating another great composer: William Grant Still. The first African-American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, Still was also the first to have a symphony played by a major orchestra and the first to have an opera performed on national television; he was the very first American to have an opera premiere at New York City Opera. Portions of this new release were issued on the Bay Cities label in 1991. The performance of "Lenox Avenue" on this disc is from 1938 with the CBS Symphony Orchestra conducted by Howard Barlow, with narration by Juano Hernandez. Also included is the rare orchestral version without narration, conducted by William Grant Still himself. Chris Malone has restored this rare material for this release which is limited to 500 copies.
kurt says
Excited about Kritzerland reissuing some Painted Smiles, especially with their commitment to improved sound.