Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up!

Frank Sinatra, Sings for Only the Lonely: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Capitol/FSE/UMe)

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

On Frank Sinatra’s 1958 Capitol concept album masterwork, he sang for Only the Lonely.  But now, 60 years on, that classic is being revisited for everyone in a new 2-CD anniversary edition.  Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely: 60th Anniversary Deluxe Edition features the original 1958 mono album mix, a new 2018 stereo remix by Larry Walsh, and four mono bonus tracks (two previously unreleased, including Sinatra’s stabs at “Lush Life” in their official debut).  The release will also be available in 1-CD and 180-gram, 2-LP iterations featuring Walsh’s remixed stereo album only.  Read more here!

Various Artists, Stax ’68: A Memphis Story (Stax/Craft) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This comprehensive 5-CD set contains the A- and B-sides of every single released under the Stax Records banner in the tumultuous year of 1968, including the company’s sub-labels, for a total of 120 tracks.  Some tracks are by soul legends like Isaac Hayes, The Staple Singers, William Bell, Booker T. & The M.G.’s and Johnnie Taylor and some come from the deeper Stax catalogue, featuring artists such as Linda Lyndell, The Soul Children and The Mad Lads.  The set includes a 56-page book with liner notes by Andria Lisle, Robert Gordon, and Steve Greenberg, as well as rare and previously unseen photos.  It’s available as a 5-CD set and as a digital download.  Read more here, and watch this space for our full review!

Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody: The Original Soundtrack (Hollywood (U.S.)/Virgin EMI (U.K.))  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The soundtrack to the upcoming Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody boasts 22 tracks: hits, fan favorites, and 11 previously unreleased cuts including the band’s Live Aid set, a movie mix of “We Will Rock You,” a previously unreleased live version of “Fat Bottomed Girls” from Paris 1979, a new recording of “Doing All Right” with the original pre-Queen lineup of the band Smile (Roger Taylor, Brian May, and Tim Staffell) and much more.  Get the full track listing and more here!

R.E.M., At The BBC [Various Formats] (Craft Recordings)

8CD/1DVD Box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

R.E.M. at The BBC, collecting the band’s performances from 1984=2008, will be available as a super deluxe 8CD/1DVD box set as well as in 2-CD and 2-LP formats.  These sets have been curated from the archives of both the band and the BBC, and are chock full of rare and previously unreleased live and studio recordings of such favorites as “Man on the Moon,” “Losing My Religion,” and “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?”  Get all of the details here!

Barenaked Ladies, Stunt: 20th Anniversary Edition (Reprise/Rhino)

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

Barenaked Ladies revisit the band’s 1998 breakthrough album Stunt in a new CD/DVD edition with three audio bonus tracks (the outtakes “She’s On Time” and “Long Way Back Home,” first heard as hidden tracks on the limited edition version of the album, plus “Get in Line” from the soundtrack to the animated television series King of the Hill).  The DVD includes The Stunt Tour and Barenaked in America, the 1999 documentary directed by longtime fan and Beverly Hills 90210 star Jason Priestley.  The film features approximately 90 minutes of live and behind-the-scenes footage from the tour.  This release marks its North American DVD debut.  A vinyl version adds only the two outtakes.  Read more here!

The Cranberries, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?: 25th Anniversary Edition (Island/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The Cranberries’ debut album turns 25, and Island is marking the occasion with new deluxe editions.  The 4CD box has five demos previously available only on a 300-unit limited edition cassette plus 30 unreleased tracks (demos, live tracks, radio sessions, and more) and single B-sides.  The 2-CD edition has one disc of outtakes, B-sides, demos, and the band’s first EP.  The 1CD iteration has the original remastered album only.  All versions have been remastered at Abbey Road under the supervision of the band’s Noel Hogan.

Whitesnake, Unzipped: Super Deluxe Edition  (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Rhino has a 5CD/1DVD set revisiting some of Whitesnake’s best acoustic performances over the years.  This new box brings together unplugged and acoustic performances recorded over the past 20+ years, including rare and unreleased studio and live recordings, demos, videos, interviews and more. Unzipped is also available in three other formats: 1CD, 2CD, and 2LP, plus digital download and streaming.

Various Artists, Shuffle Along of 1950 (Harbinger) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Harbinger celebrates the legendary Eubie Blake by presenting, for the first time, the original demo recording for the proposed Broadway musical Shuffle Along of 1950.  Blake and co-writer Noble Sissle sing their own score on this exciting archival excavation.  Richard Carlin and Harbinger’s Ken Bloom, Grammy winners for their liner notes to 2016’s Sissle & Blake Sing Shuffle Along, repeat their duties here.

Herb Alpert, Music Vol. 3: Herb Alpert Reimagines The Tijuana Brass (Herb Alpert Presents) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Herb Alpert follows up 2017’s Music Vol. 1 with a third volume (no word yet on the whereabouts of Vol. 2!).  This time, the prolific trumpeter is revisiting his classic Tijuana Brass songbook with new arrangements of such favorites as “The Lonely Bull,” “Spanish Flea” (in a medley with his solo “Rise”) and of course, “A Taste of Honey.”  Available on CD and digitally.

CHIC, It’s About Time (EMI (U.K.)) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Nile Rodgers welcomes Elton John, Janelle Monae, Lady Gaga, Craig David, Hailee Steinfeld, and others to the newest CHIC album!

Various Artists, Appleseed’s 21st Anniversary: Roots and Branches (Appleseed) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Bruce Springsteen, Donovan, Tom Morello, and Jesse Winchester are among the artists who have contributed new recordings to this 3-CD, 57-track celebration of stalwart folk label Appleseed Recordings.