Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!

Neil Young, Official Bootleg Series Vol. 1: Carnegie Hall 1970 (Reprise/Shakey Pictures Records)

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

The Neil Young Official Bootleg Series launches with Carnegie Hall 1970, featuring Young's debut at the venerable venue on December 4, 1970 (the early show).  Carnegie Hall 1970 will arrive on double vinyl, double CD, and digital formats (including high resolution), with the promise of five more Bootleg titles coming in 2022.  The solo performance was captured on analog multitrack tape and mixed for this release by Young and Niko Bolas.  It was the first of two shows that evening; the second began at midnight on the morning of December 5.   The midnight show has been bootlegged numerous times over the years, but the "lost" early show is considered by Young to be the stronger of the two.  Songs include "Ohio," "Old Man," "Only Love Can Break Your Heart," "Southern Man," "Helpless," "Cinnamon Girl," and Buffalo Springfield's "On the Way Home," "Flying on the Ground Is Wrong," "I Am a Child," and "Expecting to Fly."  Read more here.

Various Artists, Arthur Baker Presents Dance Masters: The Shep Pettibone Master Mixes (Demon)

LP Part One (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / PopMarket / Rough Trade U.K. - Exclusive Signed Edition / Rough Trade U.S. - Exclusive Signed Edition)
LP Part Two (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / PopMarket)
4CD Box Set (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. - Exclusive Signed Edition / PopMarket)

Arthur Baker Presents Dance Masters: The Shep Pettibone Master Mixes is an expansive salute from one legendary remixer to another.  Available on 4 CDs (47 songs in one box set) or 2 LPs (32 tracks across two releases), the collection inaugurates the Dance Masters series and brings together vintage Pettibone 7- and 12-inch mixes of classic songs by a true "Who's Who" including Whitney Houston, George Michael, Duran Duran, Cyndi Lauper, Belinda Carlisle, Elton John, Lionel Richie, The Salsoul Orchestra, and Sananda Maitreya (the former Terence Trent D'Arby).  Read more here.

Grateful Dead, Fox Theatre St. Louis, MO 12/10/71 (Grateful Dead/Rhino)

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

Grateful Dead revisits a classic concert on 3 CDs or 5 LPs.  This show is also being included on the 20-CD limited edition Listen to the River: St. Louis '71 '72 '73 box set.  The 5-LP set is limited to 12,000 units and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl.  Read more here.

Black Sabbath, Technical Ecstasy: Super Deluxe Edition (Warner/Rhino)

4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
5LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Rhino is going Super Deluxe with Black Sabbath's 1976 album Technical Ecstasy.  The band's seventh album, the Gold-certified Technical Ecstasy arrives in 4CD and 5LP box set editions featuring the remastered original album, a brand-new Steven Wilson stereo remix, and over 90 minutes of previously unheard bonus material.  Read more here.

Walter Bishop, Jr., Keeper of My Soul (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone Music continues its Black Jazz reissue series with 1973's Keeper of My Soul, Walter Bishop Jr.'s second album for the label after 1971's Coral Keys.  While that first album was in a soul-jazz style, Bishop Jr. went in a more spiritual direction with this album after his studies with yogi Parmahansa Yogananda.  His band for Keeper included flautist/saxophonist Ronnie Laws, bassist Gerald Brown, drummer Bahir Hassan, percussionist Shakur M. Abdulla, and vibraphonist Woody Murray.  The styles range from freeform ("Those Who Chant") annd Latin (Kenny Dorham's "Blue Bossa") to a funky reworking of a standard ("Summertime" from Porgy and Bess).  This would be Bishop Jr.'s final album for Black Jazz.  Available on CD and vinyl.

Rudolph Johnson, The Second Coming (Real Gone Music)  (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The second Black Jazz entry from 1973 is Rudolph Johnson's The Second Coming.  Saxophonist Johnson recorded Spring Rain for the label in 1971 and returned two years later with this five-song set.  He is joined by Kent Brinkley on bass, Douglas Sides on drums, and Kirk Lightsey on piano.  Unlike the sound of most Black Jazz records, this one is more in a free, improvisational style.  This was also Johnson's final album for Black Jazz.  Get the track listings and more here!

Various Artists, Home Alone Christmas (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

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 re-pressing this joyful LP on Clear with Red and Green Swirl "Christmas Party" Vinyl.  Get the full track listing here.

Little Willie John, The Complete R&B Hit Singles (Yellow "Fever" Vinyl Edition) (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone's new vinyl compilation from the R&B legend (based on a more expansive 2-CD release from 2012) gathers all 17 of John's songs to hit the charts during his tenure at King Records including "Fever" and "Need Your Love So Bad."  It features notes by Bill Dahl and comes on yellow "fever" vinyl.

Artillery, By Inheritance (Vinyl Edition) (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone also has the U.S. vinyl debut of the third album by Danish thrash metal group Artillery.  1990's By Inheritance features the Brothers Stützer, Michael and the late Morten, on guitars, with Flemming Rønsdorf on vocals, Peter Thorslund on bass, and Carsten Nielsen on drums.   It featured a cover of Nazareth and is considered by many thrash metal fans to be a classic of the genre.  Real Gone's reissue includes an inner sleeve featuring lyrics and comes on blue with red splatter vinyl.

Mighty Fine: An Austin City Limits Tribute to Walter Hyatt (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Walter Hyatt of Uncle Walt's Band tragically died in a plane crash in 1996 at the age of 46 years old - but the troubadour's legacy of powerful, rootsy Americana lives on.  Omnivore gives wide release to an Austin City Limits tribute from that year featuring such friends, bandmates, and fans as Lyle Lovett, Willis Alan Ramsey, Marcia Ball, Champ Hood and David Ball of Uncle Walt's Band, Shawn Colvin, and many others.  Omnivore has added six songs performed that night but never aired.  Michael Graves has remastered.  The 16-page booklet has numerous photos as well as an introduction from Walter's widow Heidi Hyatt and liner notes from Thomas Goldsmith.

Toni Braxton, Libra (Blackground) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Toni Braxton's sixth studio album and first for Blackground achieved top 5 status on the Billboard 200; it's returning from the newly reactivated Blackground label in physical and digital formats.

Buena Vista Social Club: 25th Anniversary (BMG)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD/2LP: Official Store

The Grammy-winning 1997 phenomenon, featuring the music of Cuba and produced by Ry Cooder, returns for its 25th anniversary in new, expanded CD, digital, and vinyl editions as remastered by Bernie Grundman.  The standard 2CD edition has 12 bonus tracks and the standard LP edition has 5; a Super Deluxe 2LP/2CD edition has 19 bonuses.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Love for Sale (Interscope)

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

Tony Bennett recently celebrated his 95th birthday by taking the stage at Radio City Music Hall with his friend Lady Gaga for a triumphant evening of song.  Now, the crooner - currently battling Alzheimer's - and the pop diva have reunited for their second studio album which is also being billed as Bennett's last.  Love for Sale is a tribute to the music and lyrics of Cole Porter and features both solos and duets from the two superstars.  Available on CD, LP, cassette, digitally, a Target-exclusive CD and LP with two bonus tracks, a Walmart-exclusive picture disc LP, and a Barnes & Noble-exclusive vinyl box set.

Metallica, The Metallica Blacklist (Blackened Recordings)

4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
7LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Metallica continues the Black Album celebration with a second box set, The Metallica Blacklist.  Over 53 tracks, artists of various genres and generations celebrate the legacy of The Black Album with their own reinterpretations of its twelve songs.  The release groups the songs together in the original album order; in other words, the album begins with six versions of "Enter Sandman," continues with seven interpretations of "Sad But True," and so on.  Artists include Weezer, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, St. Vincent, Biffy Clyro, The Neptunes, Phoebe Bridgers, Mickey Guyton, My Morning Jacket, Darius Rucker, Chris Stapleton, Imelda May, Kamasi Washington, and Miley Cyrus featuring WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, current Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, and Chad Smith.  The Metallica Blacklist will be available in multiple formats including a 4CD box set; a limited edition 7LP vinyl box; and download/streaming.  Profits from the release will be divided evenly between charities of the artists' choice and Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation.  Get more details here.

Brandi Carlile, In These Silent Days (Elektra/Low Country Sound) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Brandi Carlile releases her seventh studio album.  In These Silent Days was co-produced by the artist with Shooter Jennings and country uber-producer Dave Cobb (Oak Ridge Boys, Chris Stapleton) who previously collaborated with Carlile and The Highwomen.  Available on CD, LP, and digitally.

Melissa Etheridge, One Way Out (BMG) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Melissa Etheridge has dug up a trove of songs written in the late 1980s and early 1990s which, for one reason or another, never made it to an album.  Those songs form the basis of her new studio album, One Way Out.  It's available on CD, LP, and digitally.

Roger Taylor, Outsider (UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Queen's Roger Taylor's new solo album was primarily recorded during COVID lockdown and features Taylor reflecting on isolation, mortality, and the feeling of being an outsider.  He performed almost all of the instrumentation himself.  Available on CD, LP, and digitally.

Loveland Duren, Any Such Thing (Edgewood Recordings)

Memphis musicians Vicki Loveland and Van Duren have teamed for this new album, their third together.  Any Such Thing was recorded at two renowned Memphis sites - Ardent Studios and Royal Studios - and takes in the city's rich and varied musical tapestry including R&B, power pop, rock, and soul.  Guest musicians include drummer Ian Duren, bassist Adam Holton, pedal steel guitarist Richard Alan Ford, pianist Liam Grundy, and organist Rev. Charles Hodges; Probyn Gregory and The BTM Horns added brass, and Jessie Munson and Jana Misener contributed violin and cello, respectively.  Available on CD and 180-gram vinyl with download card directly from the artists.