Release Round-Up: Week of March 27

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!

Donna Summer, Encore (Crimson Productions) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The ultimate Donna Summer box set, Encore bring together the late superstar's complete albums on 33 CDs, including 8 discs of 7″ and 12″ mixes, single edits, non-album cuts, and other rarities. It totals a staggering 329 tracks, truly the most comprehensive tribute to Summer ever collected. Christian John Wikane provides the new liner notes. The set is limited to 1,500 copies and out today in the United Kingdom (and next Friday in North America). Read more here!

Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, The Best of the Columbia and RCA/Vik Years (1956-1959) (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone releases a 2-CD anthology of drummer extraordinaire Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers' late-'50s output - The Best of The Columbia & RCA/Vik Years (1956-1959). The 17 tracks are a veritable trove of historic recordings from the group that's been called jazz music's greatest incubator. There's material from Jazz Messengers (1956), Drum Suite, and Hard Bop; interpretations of Lerner and Loewe; Blakey's first recording of "A Night in Tunisia," which he'd record commercially eleven times in his storied career; plus a clutch of live recordings from the era. The Best of The Columbia & RCA/Vik Years (1956-1959) was compiled by Grammy-winning jazz historian Richard Seidel (who also contributes liner notes), remastered by Maria Triana at Battery Studios, and illustrated with period photos of the group in a deluxe booklet designed by John Sellards. Get more details here.

James Taylor, Greatest Hits [Remastered Edition] (Warner Bros./Rhino)

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

Last year's release from James Taylor of The Warner Bros. Albums featured a beautifully remastered set of his LPs from the label, but one core release was missing: 1976's best-selling Greatest Hits, featuring a handful of exclusive tracks including his WB re-recordings of "Carolina in My Mind" and "Something in the Way She Moves" and a live "Steamroller." Now, that album is coming back to CD and vinyl in newly remastered form (overseen by Peter Asher) to complement the box set's studio albums.

Jimi Hendrix, Band of Gypsys: 50th Anniversary Edition [LP] (Capitol/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Color Vinyl)

The anniversary edition of Jimi Hendrix's seminal Band of Gypsys features an all-analog chain, remastered from the original tapes by Eddie Kramer and pressed onto 180-gram vinyl at QRP. In addition to the standard black vinyl pressing, there will be a limited-edition cream, red, yellow, and green color swirl vinyl available via AuthenticHendrix.com. Every copy of the new anniversary LP will come with an 8-page booklet with rare photos from the original concerts plus an essay from John McDermott at Experience Hendrix. If that's not enough, the gatefold presentation also includes a 24″x36″ replica of Capitol's original promotional poster for Band of Gypsys. Read more about it here.

Cat Stevens, Matthew & Son [De-Mixed Edition] (Decca/UMC) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Cat Stevens' 1967 debut featuring "I Love My Dog" and "Portobello Road" returns to vinyl in a new "de-mixed" edition which enhances and amplifies the original vocals and bass, respectively.

Cat Stevens, New Masters [De-Mixed Edition] (Decca/UMC) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Cat Stevens' 1967 sophomore LP with "The First Cut Is the Deepest" and "The Laughing Apple" is back on vinyl in a "de-mixed edition" emphasizing and amplifying the original vocals and bass, respectively. Read more about both titles here.

Paris Hilton, Paris [Maroon & Blonde Vinyl] (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone Music gives discerning listeners a chance to reevaluate the 2006 pop debut of hotel heiress Paris Hilton on a limited edition maroon and blonde vinyl release. Give the record a spin and you'll hear from all twelve of the album's producers, including Scott Storch, J. R. Rotem, Dr. Luke, and Rob Cavallo, who worked with the socialite to deliver a pop album that matches anything from her contemporaries. The result, apparently, was pretty popular: the original CD shot up to No. 6 on the charts and sold 600,000 copies. Turn it up: there's more info here!

Grateful Dead, Road Trips Vol. 3, No. 2: Austin 11/15/71 (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This 2-CD set presents a smoldering show performed not long after Keith Godchaux joined the band. Maybe it was the location, or maybe it was the unique transitional period the band was enjoying, but Road Trips Vol. 3, No. 2: Austin 11/15/71 finds the group balancing their earlier psych-rock jams with country-inspired fare from a reinvented "Dark Star" incorporating Marty Robbins' "El Paso" to "You Win Again." Mastered for HDCD by Jeffrey Norman and with a roadmap written by Blair Jackson, Real Gone's new issue of this Road Trips volume brings the long-out-of-print recording to regular retail for the first time ever. It's worth noting, though, that the bonus disc that appeared with first editions of the 2010 release is not replicated on the new version.

Sopwith Camel, The Miraculous Hump Returns from the Moon (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The Bay Area psych group Sopwith Camel notched their first hit in 1967 with "Hello, Hello." Five years later, the band returned with a new album that took them in a completely different direction. No more Lovin' Spoonful-esque pop. Instead, the band combined influences of prog, jazz, Krautrock, ragas, and even Broadway for an eclectic record that sounds timeless. Limited to 750 copies, The Miraculous Hump returns to shops, complete with its original gatefold design and pressed on "marbled smoke" vinyl.

Martha Velez, Fiends and Angels (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

On Fiends and Angels, Martha Velez is backed by the cream of the crop of British blues-rock. You'll no doubt pick out Eric Clapton, Brian Auger, and Mitch Mitchell, and you'll also hear Jim Capaldi and Chris Wood of Traffic, Jack Bruce, Paul Kossoff later of Free, Christine McVie, and Johnny Almond. With those heavy hitters assisting on a helping of exciting soul covers, a Dylan cover, and some exciting originals, it's a wonder why the album never got the push it deserved. Now, Real Gone presents the first LP reissue in nearly five decades, on gorgeous purple vinyl housed in a replica gatefold sleeve. With only 700 copies pressed up, vinyl aficionados will certainly want to secure a copy of this lost classic! Get the track listings for this last group of three Real Gone titles right here.

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The Allman Brothers Band, Early Allman reissue campaign (Allman Brothers Band Recording Company)

Duane and Gregg Allman, Duane and Gregg (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Allman Joys, Allman Joys (Early Allman Featuring Duane and Gregg Allman) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Hour Glass, Hour Glass (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Hour Glass, Power of Love (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The Allman Brothers Band Recording Company brings out four pre-ABB titles from the brothers Duane and Gregg: 1966's Allman Joys, two LPs from The Hour Glass first released in 1967 and 1968, and 1973's Duane and Gregg, featuring 1968 demos for the group The 31st of February. All four of these long out-of-print titles will be available on CD and vinyl on the band's own label.

Shoes, Elektrafied: The Elektra Years 1979-1982 (Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This 4-CD anthology of the classic power poppers features all of the band's Elektra recordings including three full albums, outtakes, demos, alternate versions, and live tracks. It's rounded out with a 32-page booklet. Watch this space for more on this title!

Mojo Nixon, The Mojo Manifesto: The Original Album Collection (Manifesto) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Manifesto Records has the ultimate celebration of cult rocker Mojo Nixon, who sprang out of the '80s college rock scene with such memorably offbeat tunes as "I'm in Love with Your Girlfriend," "Stuffin' Martha's Muffin," "Elvis Is Everywhere," "Don Henley Must Die," "Bring Me the Head of David Geffen," and "Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child." This set has Nixon's ten albums originally released between 1985 and 2009 (including the Christmas set Horny Holidays), all newly remastered by Bill Inglot and Dave Schultz, plus a bonus DVD of seven music videos and a 40-page booklet with album-by-album notes. Read more here!

The Everly Brothers, Down in the Bottom: The Country Rock Sessions, 1966-1968 - Albums (Hit Sound/Sing/Roots), Singles & Demos (Cherry Red/RPM, 2020) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This new collection chronicles The Everly Brothers' journey through various pop and country-rock styles under the aegis of producers Dick Glasser and Lenny Waronker in the mid-1960s. It collects three full albums plus 15 demos, session recordings and a half-dozen non-album singles (all previously issued). You'll hear the brothers' trademark tight harmonies on interpretations of Bacharach and David, Goffin and King, Jimmy Webb, Glen Campbell, Randy Newman, and even Neil Young. All 58 tracks in the collection have been remastered by Simon Murphy at Another Planet Music.

Jim Capaldi, Open Your Heart: The Island Recordings, 1972-1976 (Cherry Red Records/Esoteric Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This 3-CD/DVD clamshell box set from the late Traffic drummer and songwriter brings together the trio of albums recorded in the interim or wake of Traffic, each supplemented with an extra track or two. Though the star-studded Oh How We Danced (listen for Kossoff, Winwood, Wood, and Mason) and the classic Whale Meat Again were previously issued with contemporaneous B-sides by Esoteric in 2012, the expanded Short Cut, Draw Blood and the DVD of BBC-TV appearances will be new to listeners.

The Bloodhound Gang, Hooray for Boobies (UMe)

Clear 2LP: uDiscoverMusic
Digital: Amazon U.S. / Spotify

UMe's new reissue of the hit 1999 album arrives on 2 LPs, pressed on clear vinyl. This edition adds one bonus cut, "The Bad Touch (Bully Mix)," adding a hard-rock edge to the band's most popular tune. It originally appeared on a 12-inch single. While a CD is not in the offing, a digital edition adds eleven more bonus tracks including various remixes (including The Pet Shop Boys' "Mope") and "Jackass" from the soundtrack of writer-director Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

Rod McKuen, Beatsville (Sundazed/Modern Harmonic) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The late Rod McKuen's 1959 cult favorite beatnik LP, blending poetry and jazz, returns to vinyl from Sundazed and Modern Harmonic. This new reissue has been pressed on red vinyl at Third Man Records in Detroit.

Various Artists, Lost Broadway 1960 (Stage Door Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Stage Door Records)

Stage Door Records has the latest volume in its ongoing Lost Broadway series. The first disc features excerpts from cast recordings of 1960's lesser-known musicals (including Wildcat with Lucille Ball, Do Re Mi with Phil Silvers, and Christine with Maureen O'Hara) while the second disc has the complete studio cast recording of Clara a.k.a. Beg, Borrow, or Steal plus pop covers from favorites like Jack Jones, Perry Como, Rosemary Clooney, Bobby Darin, and Jo Stafford. Out today in the U.K. and next Friday in North America.

Linda Lavin, Love Notes (Club 44) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The multi-faceted star of television (Alice, The Good Wife), stage (It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Superman, Gypsy), and screen (Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase) returns with a delightful (and delightfully intimate) new album on which she's supported by Billy Stritch and a jazz combo. Lavin brings her distinctive vocals to an eclectic variety of songs from composers including Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Cy Coleman, Don Henley, Steely Dan, and Michel Legrand.

Matthews Southern Comfort, The New Mine (Made in Germany Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Iain Matthews returns with this new album from the revived Matthews Southern Comfort, featuring his blend of British folk-rock and Americana influences. The album includes originals penned by band members as well as a cover of Joni Mitchell's "Ethiopia," harkening back to Matthews Southern Comfort's chart-topping interpretation of Mitchell's "Woodstock."

Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real, Naked Garden (Fantasy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real revisit their acclaimed 2019 album Turn Off the News (Build a Garden) with this companion volume featuring outtakes and early, unreleased, extended, and acoustic versions.

Pearl Jam, Gigaton (Monkeywrench) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Pearl Jam updates their grunge sound on their first album in seven years, taking pointed aim at America circa 2020. Available on CD, LP, and digital platforms.

Kandace Springs, The Women Who Raised Me (Blue Note) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The singer-pianist and Prince protégé pays tribute to the influential women who inspired her. Larry Klein has produced this LP featuring Springs' new interpretations of classic songs by Billie Holiday, Roberta Flack, Bonnie Raitt, Ella Fitzgerald, Lauryn Hill, and others.

From all of us at The Second Disc to all of you, we wish you health, safety, and comfort during this difficult time. - Joe, Mike, Sam, and Randy

Comments

Mark Cook says

March 27, 2020 at 7:54 pm

I also see there’s a new Chaka Kahn product, ‘Homecoming’!

- Joe Marchese says
  
  March 27, 2020 at 11:08 pm
  
  Thanks for the heads-up, Mark! It appears to be a live CD of the program of the same name which appeared on PBS last year, featuring Chaka in concert at Chicago's Harris Theatre.
  
Randall Anthony says

March 29, 2020 at 2:47 pm

On "The Best Of James Taylor" (https://amzn.to/2vW5m9t), they censored "Steamroller Blues" - you know, that part at the end where JT drops an F-bomb...

Anybody know if that's the case here? Sure hope not!

- Joe Marchese says
  
  March 29, 2020 at 11:09 pm
  
  I've heard the new remastered CD version of "Greatest Hits" (which sounds terrific), and JT's original expletive is most definitely there. 🙂
  
  - Randall Anthony says
    
    March 30, 2020 at 8:11 pm
    
    Well, @%?&#!!!

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Release Round-Up: Week of March 27

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