Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!

Jethro Tull, Stormwatch: 40th Anniversary Edition (Chrysalis) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Jethro Tull continues its long-running box set series with a new 4CD/2DVD expansion of 1979's Stormwatch, the final Tull album to feature the "classic" line-up of Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, John Glascock, John Evan, David (now Dee) Palmer, and Barriemore Barlow.  The new edition features:

• The original album and associated recordings newly remixed by Steven Wilson;
• A complete concert from the Netherlands recorded in March 1980;
• The original album and 13 associated recordings mixed in to 5.1 DTS and AC3 Dolby Digital surround;
• A flat transfer of the original 1979 mix at 96/24 LPCM stereo;
• 15 associated recordings mixed to 96/24 LPCM stereo and five original mixes at 96/24 LPCM stereo; and
• Presented in a hardcover DVD book filled with an extensive history of the album, track-by-track annotations by Anderson and Palmer, rare photographs and more.  Read more here!

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Marvin Gaye, What's Going On Live (Motown/UMe)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP (Turquoise): The Sound of Vinyl

What's Going On Live features one of Marvin Gaye's only performances in the wake of his immortal 1971 album, recorded at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in the spring of 1972 after a four-year absence from the stage.  This release marks the first standalone release of the concert (originally issued in 2001 on the What's Going On 30th anniversary edition), and for the occasion it's been completely remixed by John Morales.  New liner notes by David Ritz are also part of the package.  Read more here.

Various Artists, The Bakersfield Sound: Country Music Capital of the West 1940-1974 (Bear Family) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Bear Family (who else?) has the ultimate, 10-CD celebration of The Bakersfield Sound - that back-to-basics, honky-tonk country style popularized by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard out of Bakersfield, CA.  The Bears' box also features luminaries like Don Rich, Ferlin Husky, Dallas Frazier, Wynn Stewart, Jean Shepard, David Frizzell, Clarence White, The Gosdin Brothers, and many others to comprehensive chronicle the city's towering legacy in music.  A 200-page book accompanies the 307 tracks, including demos, radio recordings, and previously unreleased live and studio recordings.  In short - a must-have!

Stone Temple Pilots, Purple: 25th Anniversary Edition [Various Formats] (Atlantic/Rhino)

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

Rhino celebrates 25 years of Stone Temple Pilots' Purple with a new box set.  The 3-CD/1-LP super deluxe box brings together a newly remastered edition of the classic album on CD and LP,  plus unreleased rarities, alternate versions, and live tracks from the era.  There are a number of early versions, demos, and acoustic takes of the beloved album tracks, along with a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Dancing Days," a previously unreleased demo of The Beach Boys' "She Knows Me Too Well," and an acoustic Christmas set that sees them performing an unplugged "Christmastime is Here" alongside tracks from Purple.  The third CD (exclusive to the box) features a previously unreleased recording from Stone Temple Pilots' 1994 stop, captured on their New Haven, CT stop.  The 17-song set includes both electric and acoustic material, many tracks from Purple, hits from Core and a number of covers.  The set is also available in a 2-CD version minus the concert, and a 1-CD remastered edition of the original album.  Get more info here!

a-ha, Minor Earth | Major Sky: Deluxe Edition (Rhino)

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

The 2000 comeback album from a-ha gets the 2-CD deluxe treatment from Rhino. Minor Earth | Major Sky will be remastered, and supplemented with 16 additional demos, outtakes, alternate mixes, and live recordings.  An album-only 2-LP vinyl reissue will also be released.

a-ha, Lifelines: Deluxe Edition (Rhino)

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

On Lifelines, a-ha adopted a more segmented writing process, with each member presenting new compositions.  The recordings were helmed by six producers and Anneli Drecker provided vocals.  As a result of their new approaches to writing and production, Lifelines is considered one of a-ha's most richly varied recordings.  Rhino's giving it a 2-CD deluxe treatment with over 20 early mixes, alternate versions, demos, and songs that didn't make it onto the album.  A 2-LP remastered version of the original album only will also be available.  Get the full tracklisting for both a-ha titles here.

Marin Mazzie and Jason Danieley, Broadway and Beyond: Live at Feinstein's/54 Below (Broadway) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

When Marin Mazzie passed away from cancer in September 2018, musical theatre lost one of its most luminous lights.  Now, Broadway Records is releasing the final joint appearance of Marin and her husband, Jason Danieley, at 54 Below.  Recorded in May 2017,  Broadway and Beyond features the duo revisiting many of their biggest triumphs from musicals including The King and I, Curtains, The Visit, Kiss Me, Kate, and Ragtime.  Proceeds from the album will benefit The Actor's Fund Cancer Support Community and Tina's Wish.

Roger C. Reale and Rue Morgue, The Collection (Rave On) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Rave On Records has a special release from singer-songwriter-bassist Roger C. Reale and Rue Morgue, the studio group that featured, during its 1978-1979 existence, a killer line-up of musicians including guitarists Mick Ronson, G.E. Smith, and Jimmy McAllister, and drummer Hilly Michaels.  The Collection has two complete albums: Radioactive (originally released on Big Sound Records but including the two tracks added for its U.K. Decca/London issue) and the previously unreleased Reptiles in Motion.  The former album has Reale, Smith, Michaels, and McAllister on it, while the latter boasts Reale, McAllister, Michaels, and Ronson.  A dozen unreleased tracks featuring Mick Ronson circa 1979 - who could ask for anything more?  The Collection is out today on CD and digital platforms, while Reptiles in Motion receives a standalone LP, as well!  Watch this space for a full review soon.

Roy Orbison, Black & White Night 30 Vinyl (Legacy Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The 1987 all-star concert featuring The Big O backed by a "Who's Who" of rock-and-roll including Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Jackson Browne, Tom Waits, and Jennifer Warnes comes to vinyl today in its 30th anniversary edition originally released by Legacy on CD in 2017.

Dionne Warwick and The Voices of Christmas (S-Curve) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

For her second full-length Christmas album (or third if you count the collaborative Celebration in Vienna with Placido Domingo) and second studio album of 2019, legendary songstress Dionne Warwick is joined by such luminaries as Johnny Mathis, The Oak Ridge Boys, Michael McDonald, Dianne Reeves, and ex-Chicago singer Jason Scheff.

The Muffs, No Holiday (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The music biz was rocked earlier this month by the October 2 death of The Muffs' vocalist-guitarist-songwriter Kim Shattuck at the age of just 56.  Fortunately, Kim left behind a new studio album recorded with her bandmates Ronnie Barnett and Roy McDonald.  No Holiday features songs written by Shattuck between 1991 and 2017, showcasing the many facets of the band.  Omnivore Recordings, who reissued The Muffs' first three albums, is releasing No Holiday on CD, digital, and 2-LP vinyl (with a laser-etched fourth side).  Shattuck commented, "I wrote the songs between 1991 and 2017.  We decided to have a long album and use songs that had been in my arsenal but were weeded out for super concise albums.  They were all great songs and we didn't want them to go to waste.  No way!"  No Holiday is, ultimately, a powerful celebration of Kim Shattuck's life and artistry.

Stephen Bishop, We'll Talk About It Later in the Car (BMG) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Something's telling me it must be...Stephen Bishop!  Bish is back with 13 new songs on We'll Talk About It Later in the Car.  Available on CD and digitally.

Jimmy "Duck" Holmes, Cypress Grove (Easy Eye Sound) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

72-year-old blues great Jimmy "Duck" Holmes has teamed with Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys for this new LP capturing a typical Saturday night at Holmes' Blue Front Café in Bentonia, Mississippi - America's oldest surviving juke joint!  Cypress Grove melds Holmes' raw Delta sound with Auerbach's ear for modern productions rooted in the traditions of the past.  Available on CD, digital, and LP.

Fastball, The Help Machine (33-1/3 Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Following up their 2017 album Step Into Light, the Austin, TX-based trio ("The Way") has The Help Machine, featuring eleven new tracks.  The musicianship of Tony Scalzo, Miles Zuniga, and Joey Shuffield is as tight as ever on new songs like "The Girl You Pretend to Be" and "Holding the Devil's Hand."  Available on CD, digital, and LP.

Idina Menzel, Christmas: A Season of Love (Craft Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Before Frozen II hits theatres, Broadway star (and voice of Elsa) Idina Menzel returns with her second Christmas album.  Christmas: A Season of Love features both classic songs and original compositions.  Guest duet partners include Emmy, Tony and Grammy Award winner Billy Porter, Ariana Grande, Frozen co-star Josh Gad, and Menzel's husband, Aaron Lohr.  Available today on CD and digitally, with an LP to follow on November 22.  An exclusive colored vinyl will be out that day from Barnes and Noble.

The Carter Family, Across Generations (Reviver Entertainment) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Produced by John Carter Cash, Across Generations brings together successive generations of the legendary country music family.  Available on CD, digital formats, and LP, the album features vocals by Sara Carter, Carlene Carter, Dale Jett (grandson of A.P. and Sara Carter), and Adrianna Cross (great great granddaughter of Sara and A.P. Carter).  Previously unheard recordings from June, Helen, and Anita Carter make their debut here, and Johnny Cash even makes an appearance.  All told, 32 Carter Family members are featured on Across Generations, from the first through fifth generations, on classics like "Farther On," "I Never Will Marry," and of course, "Will the Circle Be Unbroken?"

Elton John, Me (Henry Holt) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The superstar looks back on his life in this engrossing, reflective, and yes, dishy new autobiography.

Julie Andrews, Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years (Hachette) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Julie Andrews has released her second volume of memoirs, covering her years in Tinseltown and roles in such films as Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music as well as her 41-year marriage to director-writer Blake Edwards.