Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!

Herb Alpert, Herb Alpert Is... (Herb Alpert Presents)

3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Herb Alpert Is...a trumpeter, songwriter, producer, artist, entrepreneur, philanthropist.  The list goes on.  To tie in with director John Scheinfeld's documentary of that name premiering this fall, Alpert's own Herb Alpert Presents label is releasing a 3-CD or 5-LP deluxe box set tracing his career from the birth of A&M Records (which he founded with Jerry Moss) to the present day.  The collection has been curated by Herb's nephew Randy "Badazz" Alpert and features liner notes by Bud Scoppa.  Get more details here!

Frank Zappa, Halloween 81 (Zappa/UMe)

6CD Box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1CD Highlights plus "Strictly Genteel": Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Frank Zappa's 1981 Halloween concerts at New York's late, lamented Palladium are collected on this new box set from Zappa Records/UMe. The 6-CD set is housed in a costume box with a Count Frankula mask as well as a red and black cape, natch.  It's been produced by Ahmet Zappa and Vaultmeister Joe Travers, while the concerts have been newly remixed from the original 2-inch, 24-track analog masters by Craig Parker Adams.  A 40-page booklet documents the event via liner notes by touring band member Robert Martin, Joe Travers, and super-fan Gary Titone, plus rare photos taken by John Livzey.  Read more here!

A 1-CD "highlights" disc titled Halloween 81: Highlights From The Palladium, New York City will also be released.  It offers performances from all three concerts plus an exclusive performance of "Strictly Genteel" from November 1 which is not included on the box set. It's not yet clear whether the track was excised from the box for timing or other reasons.  The standard jewel-case release has new liner notes by Joe Travers.

Mariah Carey, The Rarities (Columbia/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Mariah Carey's continuing her #MC30 campaign with a new collection of rare and unreleased studio and live material, as well as vinyl reissues of her whole catalogue.  The Rarities presents the flipside of the pop idol's incredible blockbuster career (one that's produced an impressive 19 chart-topping singles in the U.S. - just one less than The Beatles) through B-sides and outtakes as well as the premiere audio release of a full live set from 1996.  The Japanese exclusive edition has a bonus Blu-ray.  Click here for more on this release as well as the ongoing series of Carey reissues on vinyl!

Robert Plant, Digging Deep: Subterranea (Es Paranza) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

To coincide with the third season of his podcast Digging Deep with Robert Plant, the rock god has curated a new solo anthology with 30 tracks on two CDs (or streaming/digital) including three previously unreleased tracks.  Read more here.

New Order, Power, Corruption and Lies: The Definitive Edition (Rhino)

CD/LP/2DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Blue Monday b/w The Beach: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Confusion / Confused Beats b/w Confusion (Instrumental) / Confusion (Rough Mix): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Thieves Like Us b/w Lonesome Tonight: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Murder b/w Thieves Like Us (Instrumental): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

One of New Order's most celebrated albums is getting the expanded treatment.  Rhino will issue a "Definitive Edition" of the band's sophomore release, 1983's Power, Corruption & Lies. The box will feature the album on CD and LP with the first-ever mastering from the original analog tapes; a bonus disc of unreleased session outtakes and the band's 1982 live set for John Peel's BBC radio program; and two DVDs offering three complete live shows, a host of additional concert clips and television appearances, and the band's tongue-in-cheek Channel 4 documentary Play At Home.  The definitive Power, Corruption & Lies is due October 2; the same day, the band's four 1983-1984 12″ singles will also be repressed. (As with the Movement deluxe campaign, those tracks - included on a 2008 reissue of the album - will not be available in the box set.)  Links to all singles and the box can be found above.  Read more here.

Ella Fitzgerald, The Lost Berlin Tapes (Verve/UMe)

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

Ella Fitzgerald's March 25, 1962 Berlin concert (during which she was supported by the trio of pianist Paul Smith, bassist Wilfred Middlebrooks, and drummer Stan Levey) at the city's Sportpalast was recorded by her producer-manager Norman Granz, but never issued...until now.  Verve/UMe has it on both CD and LP, with seventeen swingin' songs including "Jersey Bounce," "Hallelujah, I Love Him So," "Angel Eyes," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Taking a Chance on Love," "Summertime," "C'est Magnifique," and "Cheek to Cheek."  Read more here.

Nickelback, All the Right Reasons: 15th Anniversary Edition (Roadrunner/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Love them or loathe them, Canadian rockers Nickelback were prevalent forces on the charts and on the radio throughout the first decade of the new millennium - and a new expanded reissue of one of their bestselling albums will put that popularity into context.  All The Right Reasons, the band's fifth album, will be reissued for its 15th anniversary as a 2-CD set, collecting the remastered album, four rare B-sides from European CD singles (including a cover of Queen's "We Will Rock You" and three acoustic tracks, and the audio debut of a live set at the Buffalo Chip campground in Sturgis, South Dakota. (The concert was released on DVD in 2008.)  Get more info here.

Dolly Parton, A Holly Dolly Christmas (12Tone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Dolly Parton is spreading the sunshine this Christmas with an all-new holiday album.  A Holly Dolly Christmas features her renditions of "A Holly Jolly Christmas," "Pretty Paper," and "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" alongside duets with Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Dolly's brother Randy Parton.  Available on CD and vinyl.

Various Artists, The Liz Swados Project (Ghostlight) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Composer-lyricist Elizabeth Swados may be best-known for her groundbreaking 1978 Broadway musical Runaways - a show for which she not only provided the score, but also the book, direction, choreography, and even the guitar in the band.  She went on to write one more Broadway show - an adaptation of the comic strip Doonesbury - but those two pieces are just the tip of the iceberg of the Swados oeuvre.  The newly-recorded anthology The Liz Swados Project arrives on CD today.  It draws on Runaways as well as other Swados works like The Beautiful Lady (1984), Alice in Concert (1981), Nightclub Cantata (1977), and more.  Her eclectic repertoire, ranging in styles from pop and rock to blues and classical-tinged art songs, has been interpreted for this release by such artists as Sophia Anne Caruso (Beetlejuice, Lazarus), Damon Daunno (Oklahoma!), Ali Stroker (Glee, Oklahoma!), Jo Lampert (David Byrne's Joan of Arc: Into the Fire), performance artist Taylor Mac, and composer-lyricists Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop) and Shaina Taub (the upcoming The Devil Wears Prada with Elton John).  The disc also features special appearances by Swados (1951-2016) and another composer-lyricist inspired by her, Michael Friedman (1975-2017).  Read our review here.

Rascal Flatts, Twenty Years of Rascal Flatts - The Greatest Hits (Big Machine) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Life is (still) a highway: Rascal Flatts brings together 20 of their greatest hits for 20 years on this new compilation including radio and single edits of "These Days," "Easy," "Come Wake Me Up," "Changed," and "Riot."  Available on CD, vinyl, and streaming.

Shania Twain, The Woman in Me: Diamond Edition (Mercury Nashville/UMe)

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

Country superstar Shania Twain is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her breakthrough album The Woman In Me with a multiformat reissue.  The Woman In Me: Diamond Edition will be available as a 2CD edition or 3CD box set, each packed with rare and unreleased tracks. Both versions feature a disc of rare single-only remixes and live tracks, both from earlier in her career (a pair of live B-sides from a 1998 concert in Dallas recorded for a DirecTV special) and from just a few months ago (five unreleased versions of tracks from the album, performed during her Let's Go! residency in Las Vegas last December). Exclusive to the box set is a "vocal mix" disc containing 11 unreleased early takes from the album sessions. The accompanying 48-page booklet will contain liner notes by Twain and a new essay by journalist Eve Barlow plus rare photos.  A new vinyl pressing will also be made available.  Read more here.

Roger Waters, US + THEM (Legacy)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

The film and soundtrack album documenting Roger Waters' ambitious 2017-2018 US + THEM tour were recorded in Amsterdam and feature a career-spanning 23-song set including gems from Pink Floyd's genre-defining albums Meddle, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall alongside new, politically charged material from his latest studio album, Is This the Life We Really Want? It's available in a variety of formats.  Get more details here.

Ace of Cups, Sing Your Dreams (High Moon Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The sixties' all-female band returns with an all-new album featuring special guests Jackson Browne, Bob Weir, and David Freiberg and contributions from Sheila E., Jack Casady, Wavy Gravy, Bakithi Kumalo, and more.  Available on CD, vinyl, and digitally.

Queen + Adam Lambert, Live Around the World [CD+BD] (Hollywood Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Queen releases its first album with the lead vocals of Adam Lambert.  This live set has 20 tracks from 2014-2020 including the complete Live Aid set from Fire Fight Australia earlier this year.  The album has been mastered at Abbey Road.  Also available on vinyl.

Bon Jovi, 2020 (Island) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Bon Jovi's 15th studio album 2020 reflects on the year that was - and is, including the leadoff single "Limitless."  Available on CD, vinyl, and digitally.

Last but not least, our friends at Real Gone Music have released a heaping helping of titles to get you into the Halloween spirit!

The Groovie Goolies, Groovie Goolies (Real Gone Music)

"Franken-Green" LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Your Local Record Shop

Real Gone has a reissue of the 1970 power pop soundtrack to the popular CBS-TV music-themed Saturday morning cartoon show produced by Filmation.  Each episode included two original songs: one from The Monster Trio (Drac, Frankie, and Wolfie - see the album cover!) and one from a rotating group of "bands" such as The Rolling Headstones, The Mummies and The Puppies, The Bare Bones Band, and The Spirits of '76.  In reality, these songs were performed by members of the surf-rock group The Challengers, as well as legendary session musicians like Larry Carlton and Ronnie Tutt.  It's available on CD and on a special "Franken-Green" color variant, limited to only 500 copies.  A pumpkin orange-hued edition will also be available exclusively at independent music shops.  This edition is also limited to just 500 copies.  The vinyl is available today and the CD next Friday, October 9.

Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The high-octane soundtrack to 1995's film Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight featured heavy metal bands like Pantera and Megadeth.  The album was released on CD worldwide, but the vinyl edition only came out in Europe.  Real Gone brings it to "demon eye" green vinyl for this new edition, limited to 400 copies.

The Munsters, The Munsters (Real Gone Music)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Limited Edition "Pumpkin Orange with Black Splatter" Vinyl:  Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Real Gone brings back the 1964 Decca tie-in album to TV's The Munsters on limited edition vinyl.  The album is not a proper soundtrack to the show but rather tries to say it is the Munster family singing new songs.  The cover proclaimed that they were "the newest teen-age singing group," but it was of course not the actors from the show.  Veteran producers Joe Hooven and Hal Winn recorded the album.  The music was performed mostly by The Wrecking Crew, including Glen Campbell and Leon Russell.  To perform the vocals, The Go-Gos were enlisted.  These Go-Gos were a male trio who had a lone LP on RCA, also in 1964.

Coven, Witchcraft Destroys Minds and Reap Souls (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Limited Edition "Pumpkin Orange with Black Splatter" Vinyl:  Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Real Gone brings back the 1964 Decca tie-in album to TV's The Munsters on limited edition vinyl.  The album is not a proper soundtrack to the show but rather tries to say it is the Munster family singing new songs.  The cover proclaimed that they were "the newest teen-age singing group," but it was of course not the actors from the show.  Veteran producers Joe Hooven and Hal Winn recorded the album.  The music was performed mostly by The Wrecking Crew, including Glen Campbell and Leon Russell.  To perform the vocals, The Go-Gos were enlisted.  These Go-Gos were a male trio who had a lone LP on RCA, also in 1964.

Zacherle, Zacherle's Monster Gallery (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The Cool Ghoul returns to vinyl!  In 1960, Zacherle recorded an album for Elektra entitled Spook Along with Zacherley, featuring comedy songs with spoken word segments. Elektra's budget imprint Crestview Records reissued the LP in 1963, giving it a new title and new cover art. This new art was provided by legendary MAD artist Jack Davis. While the original 1960 version has been released on CD (in 2001, by Collectors' Choice), the 1963 version with Davis' alternate art has never been reissued. Real Gone's new, re-pressed vinyl edition comes in  "Pumpkin" splatter color and is limited to 500 copies.

Charles Bernstein, Cujo: Original Soundtrack Album (Real Gone Music)  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Stephen King's tale of a killer dog hit the big screen in 1983 with a score by composer Charles Bernstein.  But Bernstein's music was cut up for the film's final edit, and the score never received a commercial release until last year, when Intrada presented the music as recorded by Bernstein for a CD reissue. The tracklisting for Real Gone's edition presents the complete film score as presented on CD by Intrada, dropping the five alternate cues which were also included. This new vinyl reissue is limited to 400 copies and comes on "pinto yellow with blood red splatter" vinyl.

Various Artists, The Return of the Living Dead: Original Soundtrack (Real Gone Music)  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone has a limited vinyl reissue of the soundtrack to 1985's The Return of the Living Dead. Return's history and legacy is a little complicated. George A. Romero and John Russo wrote 1968's classic Night of the Living Dead.  After its release, the two parted ways, with Russo retaining the rights to use the title "Living Dead."  Romero, meanwhile, began a series of sequels beginning with Dawn of the Dead in 1978 (four more films through 2009's Survival of the Dead would follow). Russo wrote a novel entitled The Return of The Living Dead and then wrote and produced a film of the same name in 1985 (the same year as Romero's second sequel, Day of the Dead). Return is a quasi-sequel to Night, but has many more comedic elements and exists in a continuity wholly separate from the Romero films and introduced the concept of zombies wanting to eat brains to the lore. Return itself would spawn four sequels through 2005's Return of the Living Dead: Rave To The Grave. Return's soundtrack featured many popular punk bands from around 1985 including 45 Grave, The Cramps, The Damned, T.S.O.L., The Flesh Eaters and The Jet Black Berries. Real Gone released several limited edition colored vinyl versions of this for Halloweens past. This year, the label is doing a clear with blood red splatter vinyl edition.

45 Grave, Sleep in Safety (Real Gone Music)  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Just in time for Halloween is a new vinyl re-press of Sleep In Safety, the first album from the deathrock/goth band 45 Grave. The group was formed in 1979 in California and initially consisted of Paul B. Cutler (guitar), Dinah Cancer (vocals), Rob Grave (bass) and Dan Bolles (drums). Their style was rooted in punk rock but contained elements of horror movies and, alongside Christian Death, the group is considered one of the first Gothic rock bands.  This edition is limited to 450 copies and comes in "Green and Black Marble Vinyl." Read more about all of these Halloween releases here!