Violent Femmes, Hallowed Ground (LP):

Hallowed Ground is the follow up to the Violent Femmes’ legendary self-titled 1983 debut. As with the first album, all of the songs were written by lead singer Gordon Gano while still in high school. This second album, however, pushed the band in new directions and made sure they did not rest on their laurels – featuring “Country Death Song” and the Lou Reed-inspired “Sweet Misery Blues,” as well as the popular songs “Jesus Walking on the Water” and “Black Girls.” This RSD-exclusive dark green vinyl edition was mastered at Capitol Mastering from the original stereo tapes, and is limited and numbered to 2,000 copies.

Track Listing:

Side A:
1. Country Death Song
2. I Hear The Rain
3. Never Tell
4. Jesus Walking On The Water
5. I Know It’s True But I’m Sorry To Say

Side B:
1. Hallowed Ground
2. Sweet Misery Blues
3. Black Girls
4. It’s Gonna Rain

Bingo Hand Job, Live at the Borderline, 1991 (2-LP):

Myth or legend…? The members of Bingo Hand Job played hundreds of shows over the course of a decade without ever releasing an album. Their reputation as troubadours of the American South extended across the States, eventually to England and Europe, and even South America, Asia and Australia. But how? The two-night stint at London’s Borderline, oversold and overwhelmed, proved to be the band’s final known performances. The second night – March 15, 1991 – is captured here, officially released for the very first and only time. Available exclusively for Record Store Day, as a 2-LP wide-spine package.

A blistering set from a group described by Record Collector as “a band at the terrifying height of its popularity, caught in the spotlight between college rock integrity and Unplugged stardom.”

Track Listing:

Side A:
1. World Leader Pretend
2. Half A World Away
3. Fretless
4. The One I Love

Side B:
1. Jackson / Dallas
2. Disturbance At The Heron House
3. Belong
4. Low

Side C:
1. Love Is All Around
2. You Are The Everything
3. Swan Swan
4. Radio Song

Side D:
1. Perfect Circle
2. Endgame
3. Fall On Me
4. Get Up
5. Moon River

Various Artists, Poppies: Assorted Finery from the First Psychedelic Age (translucent red vinyl):

This new compilation showcases the breadth of music touched by psychedelia in the late 1960s whether it be pop, folk or rock. This eclectic mix of psychedelic masters is drawn from the Vanguard, Original Sound and Stax catalogs, offering tracks from cult-classic artists such as Buffy Sainte-Marie, Southwest F.O.B., the Serpent Power, and many more. The collection includes the previously unreleased song “When Will You Happen to Me” by The Human Jungle, as well as many other rarities in their mono incarnations. The package includes detailed liner notes from GRAMMY®-nominated writer and producer Alec Palao. This will be the first of a planned series of rarities that will include future volumes dedicated to 1960s garage rock and sunshine pop.

Track Listing:

Side A:
1. Poppies – Buffy Sainte-Marie
2. Smell Of Incense – Southwest F.O.B.
3. Sorcerella – Jefferson Lee
4. Redeemer – The Gospel
5. Stand In The Shadows – The Frost
6. Say It Isn’t So – The Sot Weed Factor

Side B:
1. In 1582 We – The Honey Jug
2. Flower Eyes – The Paternak Progress
3. Bright Light Lovers – Circus Maximus
4. Open House – The Serpent Power
5. When Will You Happen To Me – The Human Jungle
6. Oracle – Chapter VI
7. Why Come Another Day – Erik

Albert King, Born Under a Bad Sign (Mono) (180-gram vinyl):

This is Albert King’s legendary first album for Stax Records, featuring Booker T. & The MGs and the Memphis Horns. The Indianola, Mississippi-born “King of the Blues Guitar” cemented his legacy with this early-career set. While he’d recorded for labels like Vee-Jay, Parrot and Bobbin, it was his chemistry with the Stax team — label executives Al Bell, Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, songwriters Booker T. Jones and William Bell, and backing from Booker T. & the MGs and the Memphis Horns — that put King on the blues map. King’s first Stax recording was “Laundromat Blues,” included on this album. The album has been inducted into the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame and included in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Track Listing:

Side A:
1. Born Under A Bad Sign
2. Crosscut Saw
3. Kansas City
4. Oh, Pretty Woman
5. Down Don’t Bother Me
6. The Hunter

Side B:
1. I Almost Lost My Mind
2. Personal Manager
3. Laundromat Blues
4. As The Years Go Passing By
5. The Very Thought Of You

Various Artists, Stax Does The Beatles (2-LP):

The influence of The Beatles on popular music of the 1960s can’t be overstated — spreading not only throughout the rock world, but also extending to soul music. The men and women writing and recording songs at Stax Records were no more immune to the Beatles’ charm than the rest of the United States. From the mid-1960s onward, numerous Beatles covers were laid down for the label, the output peaking around the late 1960s and the early 1970s. Released on vinyl for the first time, the 15-track, 2-LP set includes vocal and instrumental performances that deliver an eclectic cross-section of soulful Beatles covers by legendary Stax Records artists, including Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MGs, Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas, David Porter, the Mar-Keys, Reggie Milner and John Gary Williams.

Track Listing:

Side A:
1. Day Tripper – Otis Redding
2. Help! – David Porter
3. Got To Get You Into My Life – Booker T. & The MGs
4. With A Little Help From My Friends – Steve Cropper
5. Yesterday (Live) – Carla Thomas

Side B:
1. Eleanor Rigby – Booker T. & The MGs
2. Let It Be – The Mar-Keys
3. Something – Isaac Hayes

Side C:
1. Yesterday – The Bar-Kays
2. Michelle – Booker T. & The MGs
3. And I Love Her – Reggie Milner
4. With A Little Help From My Friends – The Bar-Kays

Side D:
1. Lady Madonna – Booker T. & The MGs
2. My Sweet Lord – John Gary Williams
3. Hey Jude – The Bar-Kays

Various Artists, Boy Meets Girl: Classic Stax Duets (2-LP):

In 1969, Stax Records paired their best male and female singers for hits penned by the label’s top writers. The result was an undeniably soulful example of the Stax sound! This 50th anniversary reissue is back on wax for the first time since its original 1969 release. Featuring vocals by William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Cleotha Staples, Mavis Staples, Pervis Staples, Johnnie Taylor and Carla Thomas, it’s a veritable who’s who of Memphis soul and a historic marker of Stax’s emergence as a powerhouse independent label.

Track Listing:

Side A:
1. Soul-A-Lujah – Johnnie Taylor, Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Pervis Staples, Carla Thomas, Mavis Staples, Cleotha Staples
2. I Ain’t Particular – William Bell, Mavis Staples
3. Just Keep On Loving Me – Johnnie Taylor, Carla Thomas
4. Ain’t That Good – Eddie Floyd, Mavis Staples
5. I Can’t Stop – William Bell, Carla Thomas
6. I Thank You – William Bell, Mavis Staples

Side B:
1. Love’s Sweet Sensation – William Bell, Mavis Staples
2. I Need You Woman – William Bell, Carla Thomas
3. Never, Never Let You Go – Eddie Floyd, Mavis Staples
4. Hold On This Time – William Bell, Mavis Staples
5. That’s The Way Love Is – Johnnie Taylor, Mavis Staples

Side C:
1. It’s Our Time – Eddie Floyd, Carla Thomas
2. It’s Unbelievable – Pervis Staples, Carla Thomas
3. Piece Of My Heart – Eddie Floyd, Mavis Staples
4. Leave The Girl Alone – William Bell, Mavis Staples
5. I’m Trying – Pervis Staples, Carla Thomas
6. Don’t Make Me a Storyteller – Eddie Floyd, Carla Thomas

Side D:
1. Strung Out – William Bell, Mavis Staples
2. My Life – Johnnie Taylor, Carla Thomas
3. It’s Too Late – Eddie Floyd, Cleotha Staples
4. I’ve Just Been Feeling Bad – Johnnie Taylor, Carla Thomas
5. All I have To Do Is Dream – William Bell, Carla Thomas