Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up!

Ben Folds, Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1996-2012 (Edsel) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The 13-CD box Brick: The Songs of Ben Folds 1996-2012 brings together nearly all of Folds’ core studio albums together with a live album and various other odds and ends.  It traces his career from the first Ben Five Folds record through his solo recordings to the Five’s reunion album in 2012, for a total of 194 tracks!  And yes – it’s shaped like a brick, in tribute to what’s arguably Folds’ most famous song!  Get all of the details right here!

The Alan Parsons Project, Eye in the Sky [Blu-ray Audio] (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S./ Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone has a standalone release of the Blu-ray Audio edition of The Alan Parsons Project’s 1982 hit album Eye in the Sky.  The Project’s sixth album (and fifth on Arista Records) employed a variety of musical styles within a radio-friendly soft-rock framework to address typically lofty themes.  This Blu-ray reissue boasts a high-resolution stereo version of the album alongside a new 5.1 surround mix, done by Parsons himself in April of last year.  This Blu-Ray was released last November as part of the 35th anniversary Super Deluxe box reissue of the album.  Real Gone’s release marks the first time the Blu-ray will be available separately.

The Doors, Hello, I Love You/Love Street (Elektra/Rhino) (Amazon U.S./ Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Prior to the September 14 release of the Waiting for the Sun box set, and 50 years to the day that the original 45 topped the Billboard pop chart, Rhino will release a 7-inch single of The Doors’ “Hello, I Love You” and its original B-side, “Love Street,” with the exclusive mono promotional mixes sent out to radio stations.  This version of “Hello, I Love You” was released last year on CD as part of The Singles, while the mix of “Love Street” is being issued on this single commercially for the first time.

Merry Clayton, Merry Clayton vinyl (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Merry Clayton’s self-titled 1971 Ode LP was produced by Lou Adler and featured arrangements by Billy Preston and labelmate Carole King.  The album features songs by Neil Young (“Southern Man”), Leon Russell (“A Song for You”), Bill Withers (“Grandma’s Hands”), and James Taylor (“Steamroller”).  Clayton would be rewarded with her highest R&B album chart placement at No. 36.  Now, Real Gone brings the super-charged voice of Merry Clayton back to vinyl in a limited edition of 1,200 copies pressed on maroon vinyl.

Electric Light Orchestra, Secret Messages [Deluxe 2-LP Vinyl Edition] (Epic/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

35 years after its first appearance, Electric Light Orchestra’s Secret Messages returns to vinyl in a new edition moving closer to founder Jeff Lynne’s original vision for the album.  Legacy Recordings will reissue Secret Messages on double 150-gram vinyl restoring all but one of the tracks which were cut from the original LP release.  Alas, that outtake – the near-legendary “Beatles Forever” – is still missing in action, but six more tracks have been reinstated in the album’s original running order.  Read more here!

Monk Higgins, Extra Soul Perception (Real Gone Music/Dusty Groove)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Real Gone and its Dusty Groove imprint (affiliated with the mighty Chicago retail store) returns saxophone great Monk Higgins’ oft-sampled 1968 album Extra Soul Perception to both CD and vinyl.  The CD reissue features liner notes by Skip Heller.  The vinyl version is limited to 1,000 copies and comes on translucent blue vinyl in a replica of the original “Unipak” jacket.  Both of these editions are the first-ever reissues of the album in time for its 50th anniversary.

Hampton Grease Band, Music to Eat (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone has a limited vinyl release of the cult classic double LP Music To Eat by Hampton Grease Band.  The group’s offbeat mix of Dadaist vocals and jazz/prog/psych instrumentation did not prove a hit with audiences, and the album is apocryphally said to be the second lowest-selling album in Columbia Records’ history, after only a yoga-instructional album.  Yet, the one-of-a-kind Music to Eat has gained a healthy following over the years, and Real Gone’s edition is the first vinyl reissue of the album.  The package replicates the original gatefold art and is pressed on peach vinyl, limited to 1,000 copies.  Get all of the details on Real Gone’s releases this week here!