Welcome to today’s Release Round-Up!

Taking Back Sunday, Twenty (Craft Recordings)

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

This 21-track anthology, available on single CD, double LP, and digital formats, celebrates 20 years of Taking Back Sunday drawing on all seven of the band’s studio albums as well as newly-recorded material.  Watch for more coverage of this title later today!

The Flying Burrito Bros., Burrito Deluxe (LP) (Intervention Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Links TBD)

This deluxe, 180-gram vinyl reissue of The Flying Burrito Brothers’ sublime sophomore LP, remastered by Kevin Gray and featuring a Stoughton jacket,  is shipping now directly from the label.  Those wishing to shop from Amazon will have to wait until February 8!  A hybrid stereo SACD edition is also expected to arrive this spring.

Lead Belly, Easy Rider (LP) (Smithsonian Folkways) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Lead Belly’s Easy Rider was originally released in 1953, compiled by Folkways’ founder Moses Asch from recordings from the early-to-mid-’40s.  The material, including “Bourgeois Blues,” “Jim Crow,” and “Hitler Song,” largely focuses on Lead Belly’s observations of hate and discrimination that permeated the culture at the time.   The packaging for this new vinyl reissue has been lovingly redesigned using the original prints, materials, and photographs. The music has been remastered from the original analog master tapes by Grammy-winning sound engineer Pete Reiniger.  So enjoy this classic music in its original format, down to the iconic black, textured, tip-on jacket and always-detailed liner notes book.

Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry Sing (LP) (Smithsonian Folkways) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Originally released in 1958, Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry Sing was their first Folkways album.  It showcases the pair’s talent for combining a rich blues repertoire with classic American ballads and folk songs, the lyrics for which are included in this new vinyl package.  Expect remastering by Pete Reiniger, liner notes, and deluxe packaging.

Dave Van Ronk, Ballads, Blues and a Spiritual (LP) (Smithsonian Folkways) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Dave Van Ronk’s Ballads, Blues, and A Spiritual was the debut album by the legendary figure of the folk music revival who went on to be dubbed “The Mayor of MacDougall Street.”  Here, Van Ronk accompanies himself on guitar while singing, in his trademark gravelly tone, fourteen traditional folk and blues tunes.  From “In The Pines” and “Careless Love” to John Henry” and “Betty and Dupree,” the material on Ballads, Blues, and A Spiritual cemented Dave Van Ronk’s reputation as a unique and talented interpreter of all types of songs.  As with the above two releases, this vinyl reissue will be housed in high-quality packaging with liner notes and remastered sound.  Read more about all three Smithsonian Folkways titles here!

The Doors, Waiting for the Sun: 50th Anniversary Edition (Elektra/Rhino)

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

The contents of last year’s Waiting for the Sun 2CD/1LP box set are being released individually as a 2CD set and a 1LP vinyl album.   The CD set has the original stereo album and bonus tracks, while the vinyl release has the stereo album only.

Jeff Rougvie, Moritat & Casey Silver, Gunning For Hits #1 (Image Comics)

Last but not least, here’s something new for music and comics fans! Gunning For Hits is a new series about an ’80s A&R exec with a mysterious past, penned by one of our favorite music gurus: Jeff Rougvie, who produced David Bowie’s Rykodisc reissues and co-founded the Supermegabot label. Get it at your local comic book store or check the Amazon/comiXology link above!