Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!

Bob Dylan featuring Johnny Cash, Travelin' Thru, 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 (Columbia/Legacy)

3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings chronicle Dylan's 1967-1969 recordings in Music City - including those made with a very special guest - on the latest volume of the artist's long-running Bootleg Series. Bob Dylan (featuring Johnny Cash) - Travelin' Thru: 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series Vol. 15 boasts dozens of previously unreleased recordings from the Nashville Skyline period and even some John Wesley Harding session takes.  It's available in 3CD, 3LP, and digital configurations.  Read more here, and watch for our full review!

The Doors, The Soft Parade: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Elektra/Rhino)

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

The Soft Parade is turning 50 with a new box set limited to 15,000 individually numbered copies, including the original studio album - and the non-LP B-side of "Wishful Sinful," "Who Scared You" on CD - as newly remastered by Bruce Botnick on CD and 180-gram vinyl plus new liner notes by rock journalist David Fricke. 15 rarities including 13 previously unreleased tracks are spread across Discs 2 and 3, including stripped-down "Doors Only" mixes.  The set additionally features three of those stripped-down versions with new guitar parts added by Robby Krieger. Among the three studio outtakes collected on the set's final disc is much-bootlegged, hourlong jam "Rock Is Dead," which appears on this set in its entire, surviving form for the first time ever.  Also available on a single CD with the original album only.  Read more here!

The Rolling Stones, Let It Bleed: 50th Anniversary Limited Deluxe Edition (ABKCO) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

ABKCO has a 50th anniversary set for The Rolling Stones' multi-platinum 1969 classic Let It Bleed. Produced by Jimmy Miller and featuring "Gimme Shelter" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want," Let It Bleed arrives as a 2-LP/2-Hybrid SACD set remastered in both stereo and mono by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering.  In addition to the original mono and stereo mixes on hybrid SACD (playable in all CD players), the collection also includes a reproduction of the 1969 7-inch mono single of "Honky Tonk Women" / "You Can't Always Get What You Want" in a picture sleeve. Also featured in the new box are three 12″ x 12″ hand-numbered replica-signed lithographs printed on embossed archival paper and a full-color 23″ x 23″ poster with restored art from the original 1969 Decca Records package. An 80-page hardcover book boasts an essay by David Fricke and previously unseen photos by Ethan Russell. The remastered stereo version will also be available as a standalone CD or LP, as well as digitally.  Get more details here!

Nat "King" Cole, Hittin' the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) (Resonance)

7CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
10LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

The career of Nat "King" Cole has been exceedingly well-represented in the CD era, whether via numerous, expanded original album reissues or the hefty box sets released by the Bear Family and Mosaic labels.  But one period of King Cole's career has been rather overlooked: the recordings he made prior to signing with Capitol Records, the label with which he would spend more than two decades.  Now, Resonance Records is addressing that situation with a remarkable, comprehensive new box set that ranks as the jazz label's most ambitious project yet.  Hittin' the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-1943) is a 7-CD or 10-LP box set exploring that all-but-unknown period of the artist's career with previously unreleased and new-to-commercial-release rarities and tracks culled from transcription discs and private collectors' sources.  Read more here!

R.E.M., Monster: 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Craft Recordings)

5CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP (contains contents of CD 1 & 3): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD (contains contents of CD 1 & 3): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

This 5-CD/1-BD box includes R.E.M.'s original 1994 album (featuring "What's the Frequency, Kenneth" and "Bang and Blame"), a new 2019 remix from original Monster producer Scott Litt, a CD of previously unreleased demos from the album, and a complete live 1995 performance recorded in Chicago. The Blu-ray will present Monster in both high-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround sound alongside additional video content: the 90-minute film Road Movie, which documents R.E.M.'s 1995 tour, and all six music videos from Monster.   For those interested in a less expansive option, an expanded edition of Monster offering the original album and the 2019 remix will also be available on two 180-gram vinyl LPs or two CDs, both featuring reimagined cover art by longtime R.E.M. designer Chris Bilheimer. The remastered album will also be available as a standalone 180-gram vinyl LP, with Bilheimer's original Monster art. Digital iterations of the album will mirror the complete deluxe audio content - remastered, remixed and live-across all streaming and download platforms.  Read more here!

Various Artists, Home Alone Christmas [Holly Green Vinyl Edition] (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The big Real Gone Christmas rollout begins today!  Darlene Love, Southside Johnny, Tom Petty, Mel Tormé, and legendary composer John Williams are among those featured on Home Alone Christmas, the collection of songs drawn from the first two films in the Home Alone series.  Now, Real Gone is debuting a new vinyl edition of this joyful LP, limited to 1,500 copies and pressed on "holly green" vinyl.  

Love Actually: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [2-LP Candy Cane Vinyl Edition] (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

With an endearing and clever plot featuring ten interlocking stories and star-studded cast of Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Liam Neeson, and many more, Love Actually has become one of the most acclaimed romantic comedies of the last twenty years.  But also key to its success and longevity is its remarkable soundtrack.  As director Richard Curtis put it:  "Without its music, Love Actually wouldn't work at all. I know-because I saw the film without the music, and it's a shocker."  The film's score features the likes of The Beach Boys, Eva Cassidy, Joni Mitchell, The Pointer Sisters, Maroon 5, Kelly Clarkson, Norah Jones, and Dido, among others.  For their new vinyl version, Real Gone has followed the track listing of the U.S. CD release, including three original, Christmas-themed bonus tracks by Billy Mack, Olivia Olson, and Otis Redding.  All the music is pressed two white-and-red "candy cane"-style LPs and housed in a gatefold sleeve featuring production stills from the film.

Cyndi Lauper, Merry Christmas...Have a Nice Life! (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Cyndi Lauper's Merry Christmas... Have A Nice Life! is a fresh spin on the time-honored tradition of the Christmas album. The album was partly inspired by motherhood; in fact, the story goes that Cyndi tracked most of the album at her home while her son slept, including the tribute "New Years's Baby (First Lullaby)."  In addition to traditional fare like "Three Ships" and "Silent Night," and more recent classics like "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," Cyndi offers up eight original Christmas-themed tunes. Real Gone's new reissue marks the album's debut on vinyl, and the label has gone all-out with the presentation.  Each of the 1,000 limited-edition units is pressed on season-appropriate green vinyl and will be housed in a newly designed gatefold jacket with lyrics so you and your family can sing along. Get the full track listing and more for all three Real Gone Christmas LPs here!

Garth Brooks, Legacy[Various Formats] (Pearl)

Collector's Set Bundle - Numbered: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Limited Edition - Numbered: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada​
Original Analog Edition - Numbered: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Digitally Remixed/Remastered - Numbered: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada​​​

The country superstar's new, massive box set called Legacy finally hits shelves today.  Legacy collects five of Brooks' albums in one place, on vinyl for the first time ever.  Fans will have three different configurations to choose from: the Limited Edition Numbered Series, the Original Analog Edition, and the Digitally Remixed/Remastered Edition (as well as a bundle with all versions in one package).  Each set brings together CD and LP editions (with bonus tracks on CD) of the albums and delivers a different way to experience five of Brooks' classics - No Fences, The Chase, In Pieces, Fresh Horses & Triple Live.  The new live collection was only previously available as a limited-time download last year and will now see its physical media debut.  Read here for details on the unique contents of each edition!

Van Halen, The Japanese Singles 1978-1984 (Warner/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This new 7″ singles box set collects replicas of the thirteen singles issued by Van Halen in Japan from the band's six smash albums originally released between 1978 and 1984.  The original album versions of each song are featured other than "Hot for Teacher," with a unique Japan-only single edit, and "(Oh) Pretty Woman" and "I'll Wait," both in single edits.  All told, there are 26 songs on 13 vinyl singles.  Whereas the standard box set is pressed on black vinyl, a special red vinyl edition is available exclusively via Rhino.com.

Uncle Walt's Band, An American in Texas (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Omnivore reissues the 1980 album from Austin outfit Uncle Walt's Band, expanding the original 12-track album to 25 songs with the addition of all eight songs from the group's cassette Six Twenty Six Seventy Nine plus five previously unreleased live and studio cuts.  The original album is also reissued on vinyl today, and everything is up digitally.

Mariah Carey, Merry Christmas: Deluxe Anniversary Edition (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The new 2-CD expanded edition of Merry Christmas has Carey's original, best-selling album plus the international bonus track "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" on Disc One, while the second disc is packed with 18 more holiday treats. These include the newly-recorded "Sugar Plum Fairy" in two versions, six live tracks recorded at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1994, five cuts from Carey's subsequent holiday releases Merry Christmas II You, The Star: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and bonus tracks and remixes added to past iterations of the album.  The Japanese edition has one additional bonus track, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" live at the Tokyo Dome.

Jeff Lynne's ELO, Out of Nowhere (Columbia) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Jeff Lynne's ELO returns with a new studio album following up 2015's Alone in the Universe.  Out of Nowhere once again has Lynne playing almost every instrument (engineer Steve Jay adds some percussion) and singing leads and layered harmony vocals on ten original songs.  Available in standard and deluxe CD editions with more lavish packaging on the latter, and on vinyl.

The Mavericks, Play the Hits (Mono Mundo Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Raul Malo and The Mavericks celebrate 30 years of music-making with a lively new album featuring their rearranged versions of the songs which have inspired them along the way.  Expect freewheeling reinventions of such classics as "Don't Be Cruel," "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," and "Hungry Heart," as well as tunes by Waylon Jennings and Hank Cochran, and a duet with Martina McBride on "Once Upon a Time," originally recorded by Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells.  Available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats.

Booker T. Jones, Note by Note (Edith Street) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The legendary Booker T. has recorded a new album revisiting many of his classic songs to coincide with the release of his memoir Time Is Tight.  Available on CD and digital platforms.