Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up!  Today might be Friday the 13th, but when it comes to catalogue music, it’s a lucky day!

Bobby Darin, Go Ahead & Back Up: The Lost Motown Masters (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Naturally, we’re most excited about this release – our landmark 25th title on Second Disc Records, and certainly the most rarities-packed!  Go Ahead & Back Up: The Lost Motown Masters premieres a never-before-heard Bobby Darin album in the raw, stripped-down style of his stage shows of the period; a return to standards as only Bobby could have recorded; and an entire album’s worth of stunning, surprising tracks written and produced by Motown’s cream of the crop including Smokey Robinson, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, The Corporation, Jerry Marcellino and Mel Larson, and Mike Randall.  TSD’s Joe Marchese has co-produced with Motown’s Andrew Skurow, and everything has been mastered by Kevin Reeves from the original Motown tapes.  A deluxe 28-page booklet designed by John Sellards includes liner notes, track-by-track annotations, and rare, never-before-published photos!

Grateful Dead, Anthem of the Sun: 50th Anniversary Edition (Grateful Dead/Rhino)

2CD Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Picture Disc (1971 Mix Only): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Anthem of the Sun: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition includes two versions of Grateful Dead’s original album, both of which have been newly remastered: first, the original 1968 mix, and second, the 1971 remix. Both mixes of the albums were remastered by Grammy-winning engineer David Glasser from the original analog master tapes. The second disc boasts a previously unreleased complete live show recorded on October 22, 1967 at San Francisco’s Winterland.  It’s been newly  remastered by Jeffrey Norman and marks the first known recording of the Dead with Mickey Hart, who joined the band in September 1967.  A picture disc vinyl edition features the remastered 1971 mix only. Read more here!

Ben Folds Five, The Complete Sessions at West 54th (Real Gone Music)

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

This week brings a release from another longtime TSD favorite!  Real Gone Music has the audio debut of Ben Folds Five’s June 9, 1997 performance for PBS’ Sessions at West 54th of 15 songs including “Brick,” “Kate,” and “Battle of Who Could Care Less.”  Available on CD and double vinyl.  More details can be found here!

The Rolling Stones, From the Vault: No Security – San Jose 1999 (Eagle Rock)

2CD/SD-Blu-Ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
DVD: Amazon U.K.

The Rolling Stones revisit a 1999 performance from their No Security tour which extended from the band’s Bridges to Babylon outing.  This title will be released on DVD, 2CD/SD (Standard Definition) Blu-ray, 2CD/DVD, 3 LP, and digital audio and video platforms.  Whew!  (The 1998 concert album entitled No Security featured tracks culled from the Bridges to Babylon tour.)  Read more here!

Willie Nelson,

[/caption]Willie Nelson, Things to Remember: The Pamper Demos (Real Gone Music)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
2-LP Red Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Real Gone Music journeys to the beginning of Willie Nelson’s remarkable career with this historic collection of 28 publishing demos recorded by Willie for Ray Price’s Pamper Music company including such seminal future standards as “Crazy,” “Night Life,” “Pretty Paper,” “Funny (How Time Slips Away),” and “Hello Walls.”  Available on 1 CD and 2-LP vinyl.  Read more here!

Timi Yuro, The Lost ‘6

[/caption]Timi Yuro, The Lost ’60s Recordings (Jasmine) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Jasmine has an archival release from the late, great Timi Yuro.  This 20-track anthology, authorized by Yuro’s estate, features 20 rare and previously unreleased tracks from her Mercury and Liberty tenures, with all but one track derived from the original masters.  Three songs make their true stereo debuts: “Don’t Keep My Lonely Too Long,” “You Took My Happy Away,” and “Turn the World Around the Other Way.”  Yuro’s close friend and musical executor Mike Iannarelli provides the new liner notes for what is certain to be another exciting addition to the Yuro oeuvre.  (Note that Jasmine has recently switched to releasing CD-Rs rather than pressed silver CDs on most titles, but Timi is happily a pressed silver CD.)  Amazon U.K. is currently showing an August 3 release date for this title.

Chicago: Music from the Mira

[/caption]Chicago: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Give ’em the old razzle dazzle: Real Gone Music has the first-ever vinyl reissue of the original soundtrack to 2002’s Academy Award-winning musical Chicago, starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, and Queen Latifah, and featuring a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb with Danny Elfman.  It’s pressed on 2 LPs, in black and gold, and is limited to 1,500 units.  Get more info here!

The Statler Brothers, Sing the Cla

[/caption]The Statler Brothers, Sing the Classics (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone reissues The Statler Brothers’ rare 1995 album of standards, originally released on Heartland Music. The album features version of such beloved songs as “Memories Are Made of This,” “She Still Thinks I Care,” “Love Letters in the Sand,” “Unchained Melody,” and “The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane.”  New liner notes and photos round out the package.  Read more here!

Jason Isbell, Sirens of the Ditch: Delux

[/caption]Jason Isbell, Sirens of the Ditch: Deluxe Edition (New West) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Country superstar Jason Isbell’s debut album, recorded at the legendary FAME studios with guest appearances from Spooner Oldham and David Hood, among others, gets expanded with four previously unreleased session outtakes!  Available on CD, 2-LP vinyl, and digital platforms.