Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!

Neil Diamond, 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition (Capitol/UMe)  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Neil Diamond revisits a 50+-year career with a new 6-CD, 115-song retrospective box set featuring hits, rarities, and 15 previously unreleased tracks including the original demos of "America" and "I Am...I Said."  Everything is packaged within a deluxe hardcover book-style format.  50th Anniversary Collector's Edition expands upon 2017's 3-CD 50th Anniversary set and is the first comprehensive Diamond career overview in more than 20 years.  Read the track listing here, and watch for Joe's review soon!

Elvis Presley, '68 Comeback Special: 50th Anniversary Edition (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Elvis' legendary 1968 TV special is reissued as a 5CD/2BD set for its 50th anniversary, adding a bonus CD of Wrecking Crew studio sessions to the material previously assembled for the 2008 box, and presenting an extended cut of the original broadcast with a host of special features on Blu-ray for a total of over 7.5 hours of video footage.  The box also includes an 80-page book featuring rare photographs and ephemera and a new oral history on the special.  This has been based on the new interviews conducted for director Thom Zimny's acclaimed 2018 documentary Elvis Presley: The Searcher.  Zimny also oversaw the remastered Blu-ray video.  View the track listing here, and watch for Joe's review later today!

Elvis Presley, The King in the Ring (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

For those who prefer their Comebacks on vinyl, Legacy brings this Record Store Day exclusive to general retail, featuring the King's live "sit-down" shows on two vinyl LPs!

Kate Bush, Vinyl Boxes 3 & 4 / CD Box 2 (Parlophone)

Vinyl Box 3  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Vinyl Box 4  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
CD Box 2   (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Today brings the second wave of releases comprising Kate Bush's complete albums discography.  The 6-LP Vinyl Box 3 and 4-LP Vinyl Box 4 are due today, with Vinyl Box 4 consisting exclusively of rare tracks (one LP of 12-inch mixes, two LPs of singles and B-sides, and a fourth of Kate's interpretation of other songwriters' compositions, from Gershwin to John and Taupin.)  The 11-disc CD Box 2 finishes up Kate's discography including the original mastering of Before the Dawn and all of the above bonus tracks.  Additionally, all of the individual studio albums will be available as standalone CDs.  The rarities collections are exclusive to the box sets.  Read more here!

David Bowie, Glastonbury 2000 (Parlophone)

2CD: 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 

Glastonbury 2000 documents David Bowie's epic festival performance from June 25 of that year, in multiple editions including 2CD, 2CD/DVD, 3LP, and standard and high-resolution digital.  It presents the late superstar's complete 21-song, hits-heavy set in both audio and video formats.  Previously, only 30 minutes of the show had been broadcast on television including "Heroes," which was seen in the recent David Bowie Is... museum exhibition.  Get more details here!

Big Brother & The Holding Company, Sex, Dope & Cheap Thrills (Columbia/Legacy)

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

Legacy Recordings has revisited the original sessions of Big Brother and The Holding Company's 1968 classic Cheap Thrills for a new collection entitled Sex, Dope, and Cheap Thrills - the LP's original name which was nixed by Columbia Records 50 years ago.  This 30-track 2-CD or 16-track 2-LP set features demos, outtakes and alternate takes, almost all of which are previously unreleased, illuminating the process by which Janis Joplin and Big Brother created some of the most indelible blues-rock ever recorded including "Piece of My Heart."  Read more here!

Badfinger, Badfinger: Expanded Edition (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone Music expands the original 1974 release of the band's Warner Bros. debut with 10 bonus tracks, highlighted by the unreleased song "Love My Lady" and featuring an additional nine "Work in Progress" mixes from the original album sessions.   Badfinger biographer Dan Matovina has remastered and written the new liner notes.

Badfinger, Wish You Were Here: Expanded Edition (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Badfinger's second and final Warner Bros. album, Wish You Were Here, marked the end of the classic iteration of the group.  Real Gone expands the underrated 1974 LP with 10 bonus tracks including the unreleased song "Queen of Darkness," and nine new alternate mixes from the featuring some different vocals and arrangements.  Badfinger biographer Dan Matovina has remastered the reissue, and penned new liner notes.  Read more about both Badfinger releases here!

Neil Young, Songs for Judy (Reprise/Shakey Pictures)

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

Neil Young, aided by filmmaker Cameron Crowe and archivist Joel Bernstein, has selected 23 solo acoustic tracks from his 1976 U.S. tour.  The album is released today on CD and digital, though a double-vinyl release will follow on December 14.  Its cover artwork is based on a photograph of none other than Judy Garland; Young reflected on the late star in the monologue which opens this release.  All the music has been mastered from the original analog tapes by Neil Young's go-to mastering engineer, Tim Mulligan, at 24bit/176.4kHz in preparation for the CD and vinyl releases.  The LPs have been cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles.  We've got the track listing and more here!

Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Studio Albums Collection (Fantasy/Craft) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Craft Recordings has a deluxe box set containing Creedence Clearwater Revival's complete seven-album studio discography.  The Studio Albums Collection contains new half-speed masterings of Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bayou Country, Green River, Willy and the Poor Boys, Cosmo's Factory, Pendulum and Mardi Gras.  Each album in the new box set has been mastered at half-speed by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, pressed on 180-gram vinyl, and housed in a tip-on-style jacket, replicating the look and feel of the original pressings.  Additionally, the box set contains an 80-page book with liner notes by journalist Roy Trakin, and numerous photos and memorabilia reproductions.  Read more here!

Kalapana, The Original Album Collection / Black Sand: The Best of Kalapana (Manifesto)

The Original Album Collection: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Black Sand: The Best of Kalapana: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Manifesto has two stellar collections from enduring '70s Hawaiian pop sensations Kalapana including a 20-track "best of" and a 7-CD albums collection spanning both studio and live albums released 1975-1983.  Read Joe's review of Black Sand right here!

The Bobby Fuller Four, Magic Touch: The Complete Mustang Singles Collection (Now Sounds/Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Now Sounds returns with a wonderful tribute to the late "I Fought the Law" man Bobby Fuller and his band.  Magic Touch has every one of Bobby's Mustang singles and more, for a total of 21 tracks in their sought-after original mono mixes.  It's all been beautifully put together by Steve Stanley and Andrew Sandoval.  Available next Friday in the U.S.!

Tower of Power, You Ought to Be Havin' Fun: The Columbia/Epic Anthology (SoulMusic/Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

SoulMusic Records anthologizes two different eras of Tower of Power: 1976-1979 at Columbia Records on Disc One, and 1991-1997 at Epic Records on Disc Two.  Expect plenty of punch from these Bay Area legends over these 35 tracks. Available next Friday in the U.S.!

Various Artists, Come Join My Orchestra: The British Baroque Pop Sound 1968-1971 (Grapefruit/Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This compact box set presents 80 tracks across 3 CDs chronicling the baroque sound of British pop music during the fertile period of 1968-1971.  Artists include The Strawbs, Tony Hazzard, Bert Jansch, Genesis, The Searchers, Barclay James Harvest, Mike Batt, Bill Fay, Procol Harum, Donovan, The Zombies, The Move, Harmony Grass, and many other favorites and soon-to-be favorites!  Available next Friday in the U.S.!

John Barry, The Mono Years 1957-1962 (El/Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The early years of celebrated film composer John Barry are anthologized on this 3-CD set.  The Mono Years has every A- and B-side from The John Barry Seven released between 1957 and 1962 in mono, plus the first appearance on CD of Barry's Stringbeat LP in mono and assorted singles and rarities including the many tracks from the Chappell Music Library.  92 tracks in total include music recorded for Parlophone, Columbia, and beyond from the future legend.  Out next Friday in the U.S.!

Procol Harum, Procol's Ninth: Expanded & Remastered Edition (Esoteric/Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Procol's Ninth (1975) teamed the British band with American songwriting and production greats Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.  The fruits of their unusual collaboration have been expanded with nine session outtakes on CD 1 (five of which are previously unreleased) and two concerts: one from NJ's late, lamented Capitol Theatre (October 17, 1975) and one from Leicester University (November 29, 1975) on CD 2 and CD 3, respectively.

Toby Keith, Shoulda Been a Cowboy: 25th Anniversary Edition (Mercury Nashville/UMe)

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

Should've Been A Cowboy: 25th Anniversary Edition expands Toby Keith's debut LP with remastered versions of all the songs from the original album, plus three rare bonus tracks from Keith's personal archive, refreshed cover art, and new liner notes with memories from the artist.  Read more here!

Def Leppard, The Story So Far: The Best Of (Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury/UMe, 2018)

1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP/7″: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

The Story So Far will be available in a variety of configurations, including 1-CD, 2-CD, 2-LP with 7″ single, as well as digital download and streaming.  All versions have the smash hits "Animal," "Photograph," "Rock of Ages," and "Pour Some Sugar On Me" plus favorites and rarities.

Def Leppard, Hysteria: The Singles  (Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury/UMe, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This limited-edition collection of ten 7-inch singles features all of the original singles from their landmark album in picture sleeves that, when presented together, show the original Hysteria album cover.  Two bonus singles -- "Excitable" / "Run Riot" (album version and "Love and Affection" / "Don't Shoot the Shotgun" are exclusive to the set.  Also included is a replica of the Spanish "Animal" single.  All of the discs are housed in a lift-off box which also includes a booklet with a full discography and introductory notes from Joe Elliott himself.  Read more about both Def Leppard titles here!

Howard Jones, Human's Lib and Dream Into Action [Various Formats] (Cherry Red)

Human's Lib: Deluxe Expanded Edition

Expanded CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
White Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3CD/2DVD/Picture LP/Cassette: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Dream Into Action: Deluxe Expanded Edition

Expanded CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Green Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3CD/2DVD/Picture LP/Cassette: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Cherry Red has two lavishly expanded editions of Howard Jones' chart-topping debut and its acclaimed follow-up.  These sets, produced in cooperation with Jones, feature rarities, unissued material, music videos, and more.  Read the full track listings here!  Available next week in the U.S.!