Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!

Hootie & The Blowfish, Cracked Rear View: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Atlantic/Rhino)

3-CD/DVD Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2-CD Expanded: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1LP Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Hootie and the Blowfish are revisiting their 21x platinum smash Cracked Rear View with a new 3-CD/DVD Deluxe Edition and 2-CD Expanded Edition. The Deluxe Edition includes a new remaster of the album, plus rare and unreleased studio recordings on CD 2, a live show from Pittsburgh in 1995 on CD 3, and a DVD with music videos, 24-bit/96kHz high resolution bonus tracks, and a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album. Among the rare studio recordings are early versions of their classics, recorded in 1990 and 1991 and released on cassette at the band's gigs. Also featured is their 1993 EP Kootchypop and various outtakes and B-sides from the Cracked Rear View sessions. The Expanded Edition has the first two discs of the Deluxe Edition.  A vinyl LP of the original album is also available.  Read more here!

Buck Owens, The Complete Capitol Singles 1971-1975 (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Omnivore Recordings' third and final volume in their comprehensive series of Buck Owens' Capitol singles includes every side that the legendary country picker and singer recorded for the label until the end of his tenure there - 42 tracks in all across two CDs!  All of the tracks have been remastered and the package also includes new liner notes from Scott B. Bomar.  Read more here, and don't forget to visit Omnivore to check out the label's stash of original, sealed Owens LPs from the artist's own collection!

Atlanta Rhythm Section, The Polydor Years (Polydor/Caroline) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The Polydor Years is an 8-CD set that brings together many of ARS' best-loved albums and biggest hits.  Inside you'll find Third Annual Pipe Dream (1974), Dog Days (1975), Red Tape (1976), A Rock and Roll Alternative (1976), Champagne Jam (1978), Underdog (1979), Are You Ready? (1979) and The Boys From Doraville (1980) plus a selection of single versions and edits as bonus tracks.  Read more here!

King Crimson, Heaven and Earth [Various Formats] (DGM)

Heaven and Earth (24-disc box) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
The ReconstruKction of Light (40th Anniversary Series) (CD/DVD-A) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
The Power To Believe (40th Anniversary Series) (CD/DVD-A) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

King Crimson has a truly staggering box set assembled: 24 discs - 18 CDs, 4 Blu-rays, and 2 DVD-As - celebrating the band's work during the period of December 1997 to August 2008.  Too much to handle?  KC is also offering more digestible CD/DVD-A versions of studio albums The ReconstruKction of Light (in its newly remixed form) and The Power To Believe as part of the same campaign.  Read our full article for a complete breakdown of the contents of these impressive, collector-oriented sets.

Various Artists, Soul Explosion (Stax/Craft) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

In just a few months during 1969, Stax and its artists released a staggering 27 albums and 30 singles during what's been called the "Soul Explosion," which is also the name of a 1969 compilation arriving on vinyl for the first time since its original release. The 28-song, 2-LP sampler brings together hits from the likes of The Staple Singers, Albert King, Eddie Floyd, and The Mad Lads.  These are paired with rarer songs, some of which are exclusive to this collection. The lacquers for the 2-LP edition were cut by Jeff Powell at the Memphis-based Take Out Vinyl and pressed locally at Memphis Record Pressing.  The discs are housed in a deluxe gatefold sleeve.  The collection will also be released digitally for the first time, including in high-resolution at 24-bit/96kHz or 24-bit/192kHz formats.  Read more here!

Various Artists, Lost Broadway: 1961 (Stage Door Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Stage Door Records launches a new series celebrating musicals year-by-year: Lost Broadway.  The first volume focuses on the year 1961, shining a new light on all-but-forgotten or infrequently-revived shows including 13 Daughters, The Conquering Hero, Milk and Honey, Subways Are for Sleeping, Sail Away, Carnival, and more.  The 2-CD, 57-song collection features original cast performances on Disc One from artists such as Barbara Cook, Jerry Orbach, and Elaine Stritch, and a treasure trove of pop covers and rare versions on Disc Two from a line-up including Doris Day, Judy Garland, and Nat "King" Cole.  Available today in the U.K. and next Friday in North America.  Read more here!

Susan Boyle, Ten (Syco/Columbia) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Britain's/America's Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle celebrates 10 years of music with a new collection featuring 17 tracks - 13 favorites (including "I Dreamed a Dream," "Hallelujah," and "Wild Horses") and 4 new songs including the duet "A Million Dreams" with stage star Michael Ball.

Depeche Mode, Black Celebration - The 12" Singles / Music for the Masses - The 12" Singles (Sony U.K.)

Black Celebration - The 12" Singles: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Music for the Masses - The 12" Singles: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Depeche Mode continues its series of 12″ singles box sets with two new collections: Black Celebration: The 12″ Singles and Music For The Masses: The 12″ Singles. Released in 1986 and 1987, respectively, the two albums saw Depeche Mode shifting directions into darker musical territory and reaching a wider audience than ever before. To supplement the albums, the band also released several 12″ singles that included rare mixes, extended versions, and exclusive live recordings of their songs: Black Celebration 's corresponding 12″ singles included various versions of "A Question of Lust" "A Question of Time," and "Stripped," while Music For The Masses was promoted with "Strangelove" (the group's first #1 US Dance Chart hit), "Never Let Me Down Again, "Behind the Wheel," and "Little 15." Both boxes boast audio remastered from the master tapes and pressed onto audiophile-quality vinyl, plus restored album artwork, and box set iconography inspired by the original releases.

Rory Gallagher, Blues (Chess/UMC)

1-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2-LP black vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2-LP blue vinyl: UDiscover Store
3-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Irish guitar legend Rory Gallagher led a movement back to the roots of the blues that began with his band Taste and continued on throughout his solo career from 1971 to 1994. To commemorate 50 years since Gallagher began recording, UMC has released a new collection mining the vaults of the celebrated singer and instrumentalist.  Blues, with a wealth of unheard content, is available in 3-CD, 1-CD, 2-LP, and digital formats.  Watch this space for a more detailed look soon!

Four Tops, 4 for the Road (Sunset Blvd.) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Sunset Blvd. brings a 1996 concert from the original Four Tops to CD for the first time, as the show (from Las Vegas' MGM Grand) was previously available only on DVD.  Available today in North America and next Friday in the U.K.!

Phil Collins, Other Sides / Remixed Sides (Atlantic/Rhino)

Other Sides (iTunes U.S. / Amazon U.S.)
Remixed Sides (iTunes U.S. / Amazon U.S.)

Today, Phil Collins releases two digital-only compilations featuring the odds and ends left out of his recent physical reissue program. Other Sides collects hard-to-find singles, instrumentals, demos, and soundtrack recordings originally released between 1981 and 2003, all of which are making their digital debut on the collection. Remixed Sides brings together classic extended versions, dub remakes, and other contemporaneous remixes of Phil Collins favorites from the '80s and '90s.