Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!

Elvis Presley, Back in Nashville (RCA/Legacy)

4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP Colored Vinyl: Graceland Official Store

Elvis: Back in Nashville boasts 82 recordings on 4 CDs (or digitally) from The King's final Nashville sessions in 1971.  With country, folk, holiday and gospel songs, pop, and rock and roll, these seminal tracks represent some of the most richly diverse in Elvis' storied catalogue.  Like its predecessor From Elvis in Nashville, this collection features all new, stripped-down remixes by Matt Ross-Spang.  A 2-LP highlights release is available on black vinyl (at general retail) or colored vinyl (exclusively from the Graceland store).  Many of these songs would be utilized by RCA - often with orchestral and vocal overdubs - on such albums as Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas (1971), the Grammy Award-winning He Touched Me (1972), Elvis Now (1972), and 1973's Elvis.  Read more here, and watch for our Holiday Gift Guide Review soon!

Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2: The Reprise Years (1968-1971) (Reprise/Rhino)

5CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
10LP: JoniMitchell.com Store

Joni Mitchell Archives Vol. 2 follows the format of last year's acclaimed first volume.  (See TSD's interview with Archives co-producer Patrick Milligan here.)  Over 5 CDs or 10 LPs (with the latter format not due until next February due to the industrywide delays in vinyl pressing) and nearly six hours of previously unreleased studio, live, and home recordings, it chronologically traces Mitchell's musical journey in the period that yielded her first four albums: Song to a Seagull (1968), Clouds (1969), Ladies of the Canyon (1970), and Blue (1971).  Those albums have recently been collected in a companion box set, The Reprise Albums 1968-1971. Once again, Cameron Crowe's conversation with Mitchell about this era will be included in the box's booklet.  Read more here, and watch this space for our Holiday Gift Guide Review!

Nirvana, Nevermind: 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe)

5CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
8LP/7″: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1LP/7″: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Geffen/UMe reissues Nirvana's Nevermind in a variety of 30th anniversary formats including two editions of a super deluxe box set: an 8-LP version with a bonus 7-inch single, and a 5-CD version with a Blu-ray.  All formats feature the original album remastered from the original half-inch stereo analog tapes.  Both the 8-LP and 5-CD boxes add four complete concerts to the package.  The 5-CD set adds a Blu-ray of the film of the Live in Amsterdam, Netherlands concert while the 8-LP version adds a bonus 7-inch single of "Endless, Nameless" (a hidden track on the original album) b/w "Even In His Youth" and "Aneurysm."  All in all, there are 70 unreleased tracks.  Both sets also include a 40-page hardcover book with unreleased photos.  A single LP of the original album with the 7-inch and 2-CD version (featuring a selection of tracks from the concerts on the second disc) are also available together with digital formats.  Get all of the specs right here.

Joni Mitchell, Live at Carnegie Hall 1969 (Rhino)

Live at Carnegie Hall 1969 3LP (Black Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Live at Carnegie Hall 1969 3LP (White Vinyl): JoniMitchell.com Store

Joni Mitchell's landmark February 1, 1969 Carnegie Hall show (part of the Archives Vol. 2 box set) featuring "Chelsea Morning," "Both Sides Now," "The Fiddle and the Drum," "Morning Morgantown," and "The Circle Game" arrives from Rhino as a standalone 3LP set pressed on black vinyl; a white vinyl variant of this set (limited to 3,000 copies) will be available at JoniMitchell.com.

Eagles, Live at The Forum '76 (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Eagles' Live at The Forum '76, previously available on CD and digitally as part of 2017's Hotel California 40th Anniversary Edition, comes to vinyl for the first time as a 2-LP set.  The 10 tracks (including "Hotel California," "Take It Easy," "Take It to the Limit," "New Kid in Town," and "One of These Nights") are pressed on three sides of vinyl, with the fourth featuring an etching.

War, Greatest Hits 2.0 (Rhino/Avenue)

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

Greatest Hits 2.0, out today in 2CD and 2LP formats, brings together 24 tracks on CD and 20 tracks on vinyl from the group which fused funk, jazz, blues, soul, and Latin sounds into a propulsive whole.  The slightly expanded CD version spans the period 1970-1994 including two tracks (the U.S. No. 3 hit "Spill the Wine" and a cover of "Tobacco Road") from the original group, Eric Burdon and WAR, and such later hits as "The World Is a Ghetto," "The Cisco Kid," "Why Can't We Be Friends," and "Low Rider."  Read more here.

She & Him, A Very Merry She & Him Christmas: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Merge) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

She & Him, a.k.a. Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, celebrate 10 years of their festive Christmas album with this new LP edition pressed on silver vinyl.  It adds a bonus 7-inch single of Madonna's "Holiday" b/w Wham!'s "Last Christmas" plus a digital download of the Meredith Willson standard "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas."  The single will also be released separately on evergreen-colored vinyl.

Kylie Minogue, DISCO: Guest List Edition (BMG) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Kylie's 2020 album is expanded to 2 CDs with three new tracks featuring disco queen Gloria Gaynor, Jessie Ware, and Years & Years plus a trove of previously unreleased remixes.

E.Y. Harburg's Hold On To Your Hats (Kritzerland)

Kritzerland has two new reissues available now for pre-order, both from Ben Bagley's Painted Smiles catalogue.  Hold On To Your Hats was produced on Broadway in 1940 by Al Jolson, who also starred in the show.  Bagley revived the E.Y. Harburg/Burton Lane score for this recording with a cast of performers including Helen Gallagher and Carleton Carpenter.  Bagley's original CD added a host of Harburg songs sung by Blossom Dearie, Tammy Grimes, and others; those bonus tracks have been retained on this edition which is limited to 500 units.  CDs will ship by the first week of January but pre-orders from the label typically ship earlier.

Make Mine Manhattan + Great Revues Revisited (Kritzerland)

Also coming soon from Kritzerland: Make Mine Manhattan + Great Revues Revisited, preserving the Arnold Horwitt/Richard Lewine score plus selections from other favorite revues.  Performers include Helen Gallagher, Arthur Siegel, Estelle Parsons, Elaine Stritch, Dolores Gray, Lynn Redgrave, and others.  Limited to 500 units.  CDs will ship by the first week of January but pre-orders from the label typically ship earlier.

Rod Stewart, The Tears of Hercules (Warner) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Rod Stewart's 31st studio set, Tears of Hercules features nine original songs as well as three covers from the songbooks of Johnny Cash ("These Are My People"), Soul Brothers Six ("Some Kind of Wonderful"), and "Rhythm of My Heart" author Marc Jordan (title track "The Tears of Hercules").  The LP is co-produced by Kevin Savigar, a key Stewart collaborator since 1978 and the co-producer of his last three albums.  Savigar and Stewart co-wrote the lead single "One More Time" (streaming now on YouTube and all streaming services) as well as "Hold On," "All My Days," and "I Can't Imagine," the latter with guitarist Emerson Swinford.  "Born to Boogie (A Tribute to Marc Bolan)," celebrating Rod's late friend, was penned by Stewart and Swinford.  Available on CD, LP, and digitally.  Target has an exclusive CD edition with a bonus poster.

NRBQ, Dragnet (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

NRBQ returns with a new studio album - the band's first full-length LP since 2014.  Dragnet (featuring keyboardist Terry Adams, guitarist Scott Ligon, bassist Casey McDonough, and drummer John Perrin) includes ten original and typically clever and idiosyncratic songs plus a reworking of the famous television theme that gives the album its title. Available on CD, LP, and digital streaming/download.

Eric Clapton, The Lady in the Balcony: The Lockdown Sessions (Eagle Rock)

DVD/CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
BD/CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
4K UHD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. Link TBD / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD
DVD/BD/CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
CD: Target.com (U.S.) / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Link TBD

Given his outspoken anti-vaccine and anti-COVID lockdown statements (and songs), it's rather surprising - or perhaps, not! - that Eric Clapton has announced his own lockdown album.  The Lady in the Balcony, from Universal's Mercury Studios imprint, eschews the guitarist's recent musical screeds in favor of classic songs from his past including "Layla," "Tears in Heaven," and "After Midnight."  The intimate live performance will be available in multiple audio and video formats including DVD+CD; Blu-ray+CD; 4K UHD+Blu-ray; 2 LPs pressed on yellow vinyl; and a Deluxe Edition containing the DVD, Blu-ray & CD packaged in a 40 page 12" x 12" hardback photo book, digital video & digital audio. In addition, a CD-only version will be available exclusively at Target in the United States.  The Lady in the Balcony has been overseen by producer Russ Titelman and features Clapton supported by Steve Gadd, Nathan East, and Chris Stainton.

Taylor Swift, Red (Taylor's Version) (Republic) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Taylor Swift continues her unprecedented series of "spot the difference" re-recordings with a new take on 2012's Red, the singer-songwriter/pop superstar's 7x Platinum, chart-topping fourth studio album.  It features nine additional From the Vault tracks including collaborations with Phoebe Bridgers, Ed Sheeran, and Chris Stapleton; songs written by Taylor but not previously recorded by her; the one-off charity single "Ronan;" and the extended version of "All Too Well." Available on 2 CDs, 4 LPs, and digitally.  Target has an exclusive version of the 4LP box pressed on red vinyl.

Jake Shimabukuro, Jake and Friends (Music Theories Recordings) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Hawaiian-born, Japanese-American ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro is joined by an illustrious roster of friends on his new album, including Bette Midler ("The Rose"), Jimmy Buffett ("Come Monday"), Kenny Loggins ("Why Not"), Vince Gill and Amy Grant ("Something"), Michael McDonald ("Go Now"), Willie Nelson ("Stardust"), Jesse Colin Young ("Get Together"), and more.