Release Round-Up: Week of November 7
Welcome to this week’s Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Wings, Wings [Various Formats] (MPL/Capitol/UMe)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
On November 4, Paul McCartney released Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run, an oral history of the superstar’s other band. The hardcover tome, created in collaboration with film director Morgan Neville and editor Ted Widmer, tells Wings’ story through text, photographs, a timeline, a gigography, a discography, and more. But the book is missing one thing: the music. Macca has that covered, too: Today, MPL, Capitol, and UMe release the simply-titled Wings in a variety of formats. Wings supersedes 1978’s perennial Wings Greatest as the go-to compilation for the band’s works. (2001’s Wingspan: Hits and History, despite its title, chronicled Macca’s solo material as well as that of the band.) A 32-track iteration arrives on 2 CDs, 2 LPs, or a Blu-ray (with Dolby Atmos, 5.1, and high-resolution stereo mixes) while a “highlights” version has 12 songs on 1 CD or 1 LP. All of the physical formats are accompanied by a booklet with an introduction from McCartney; the 3LP and 2CD editions have an expanded booklet (32 pages) adding photographs, artwork, and more. McCartney oversaw the package art with Aubrey ‘Po’ Powell of Hipgnosis, the same studio that designed artwork for such Wings releases as Band on the Run, Venus and Mars, and Wings Over America. Powell has also contributed album-by-album notes to the expanded booklet while Pete Paphides and Humphrey Ocean add text and original artwork, respectively. Get the full track listing and more here.
Brian Wilson, Live at the Roxy Theatre (Oglio)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Brian Wilson’s triumphant April 2000 solo shows on the Sunset Strip at the Roxy return to CD and vinyl in these 25th anniversary expanded editions which also feature fully remastered audio and new artwork. 3LP, 2CD, and digital formats are all available. Read more here.
Jeff Larson with Gerry Beckley (Melody Place Records)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Two of TSD’s favorite singer-songwriters – longtime friends and collaborators Jeff Larson and America co-founder Gerry Beckley – have teamed up for a new collaborative album from Melody Place Records. Jeff Larson and Gerry Beckley has all of the melodic and production hallmarks of classic California pop-rock with a contemporary sensibility and a deep commitment to songcraft. TSD’s Joe Marchese provides the liner notes for this beautiful album which is available on CD, LP, and digitally.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Bold as Love (Experience Hendrix/Legacy)
4CD/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
5LP/Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Axis: Bold As Love is getting a little bolder this holiday season. Experience Hendrix and Legacy Recordings will partner once again to issue a new deluxe edition of The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s seminal second album from 1968. Retitled simply Bold As Love and available on four CDs or five LPs and a Blu-ray, the box set will include the original album in its original stereo and mono mixes (as well as newly created Atmos mixes by original engineer Eddie Kramer and Chandler Harrod), along with a wealth of rare outtakes and live tracks from the period (28 of which are previously unreleased). The package features new liner notes by David Fricke and the estate’s longtime historian John McDermott, as well as a new cover art sourced from a drawing of a dragon Hendrix made as a child, personally selected by his sister Janie. Read more here.
The Cranberries, MTV Unplugged (Island/MTV/UMe)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / uDiscover Music (white LP with lithograph)
The Cranberries are partnering with UMe for the debut release of their 1995 performance on MTV Unplugged. Recorded at the Brooklyn Academy of Music with a string section during the promotion of No Need to Argue, the broadcast featured favorites from the new album (“Zombie,” “Ode to My Family”), the already-sterling “Linger,” a few songs that would appear on their next album, 1996’s To the Faithful Departed (“Free to Decide,” “I’m Still Remembering”), and the fan favorite “Yesterday’s Gone,” which never made any of their albums but was beloved enough to be licensed for inclusion on the last expansion of No Need to Argue. Available on CD, LP, and digitally. Get more details here.
Nina Simone, A Single Woman: The Complete Elektra Recordings (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Omnivore has generously expanded the legendary Nina Simone’s final album on CD and 2LP. The remastered A Single Woman contains eleven bonus tracks, four of which are previously unissued; David Nathan of SoulMusic Records has penned the new liner notes for this definitive reassessment of the High Priestess of Soul’s final, crowning achievement.
Hüsker Dü, The Miracle Year (Numero Group)
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
The Numero Group kicked off their 200 line of titles in 2017 with Savage Young Dü, an unprecedented archival dive into the early works of Minneapolis punk trio Hüsker Dü. Fifty entries later in that chapter of the label’s discography, Numero has a new Dü title that takes a special look at what may be their most pivotal year as a band. 1985: The Miracle Year is a 2CD or 4LP set that chronicles the group’s biggest gambles yet, through the filter of their blistering live shows. Kicking off with a powerful 23-song local set at First Avenue not even a month into that year and following through with another 20 tracks recorded around the globe over the next nine months, The Miracle Year offers an alternate path through the year that saw the group issue third and fourth albums New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig and commit to a major-label deal, from indie SST Records to the hallowed halls of Warner Bros. Records. Portions of the release have been meted out through the summer as digital EPs ahead of its full release on November 7; all physical editions come with 36 pages of liner notes. Get the track listing and more here.
Emmylou Harris, Spyboy: Deluxe Edition (New West) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
ollowing its limited reissue earlier this year for Record Store Day, Emmylou Harris revisits the 1998 live album Spyboy on CD and wide-release LP with the same expanded track listing. Produced by Harris and Buddy Miller and featuring Miller on guitar and vocals, Brady Blade on drums, percussion, and vocals, and Daryl Johnson on bass, djembe, percussion, and vocals, the new Spyboy adds live versions of Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ “A Thing About You,” Bob Dylan’s “Every Grain of Sand,” Bill Monroe’s “Get Up John,” Lucinda Williams’ “Sweet Old World,” and the Harris/Kate & Anna McGarrigle composition “All I Left Behind.” The reissues boast updated artwork plus new liner notes written by Harris and Miller.
The Fabulous Thunderbirds, The Jimmie Vaughan Years: Complete Studio Recordings (The Last Music Company) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Blues band The Fabulous Thunderbirds – who had perhaps one of the least likely chart hits of the ’80s – will release a box set this year chronicling their most mainstream years and showcasing their original and best-known guitarist. The Jimmie Vaughan Years: Complete Studio Recordings presents seven complete albums over four CDs: the Chrysalis releases The Fabulous Thunderbirds (1979), What’s the Word (1980), Butt Rockin’ (1981) and T-Bird Rhythm (1982), and the CBS Associated albums Tuff Enuff (1986), Hot Number (1987) and Powerful Stuff (1989). As an additional treat, the set also includes 13 never-before-released tracks from a 1978 session, co-produced by rock legend Doc Pomus and Joel Dorn for an unreleased debut. The discs are packaged in a 12″ hardcover book-style package packed with rare photos and liner notes by Bill Bentley chronicling the band’s history. Read more here.
Various Artists, Opry 100: Country’s Greatest Songs (Opry Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
In celebration of the Nashville institution’s 100th year, Opry Music has brought together 22 live performances from its stages over the years including Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” (1962), Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” (1968), Don Schlitz and Vince Gill’s “The Gambler” (2025), Dolly Parton, Patty Loveless, and Marty Stuart’s “I Will Always Love You” (2007), The Oak Ridge Boys’ “Elvira” (1981), Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (1985), and Reba McEntire’s “Fancy” (2021). It’s out on 2 CDs (22 songs) or 2 LPs (20 songs).
Van McCoy and The Soul City Symphony, Disco Baby: 50th Anniversary Edition (Amherst) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Amherst revisits Van McCoy’s Disco Baby, featuring “The Hustle,” in a new edition with two bonus tracks: the Disco Mix and Super Hustle Mix of that chart-topping dance anthem. (Past reissues have offered more material, and there’s no information yet on remastering for this reissue.)
Willie Nelson, Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle (Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Willie Nelson spent much of the summer out on the road with the Outlaw Festival, so it’s only appropriate that his new studio album is paying tribute to a fellow Outlaw. Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle, available on CD, LP, and digitally, finds Young celebrating his late friend Merle Haggard, with whom he recorded three albums between 1983 and 2015. Willie’s 78th original album, Workin’ Man features a host of Hag favorites including “Okie from Muskogee,” “Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down,” “Today I Started Loving You Again,” “Mama Tried,” and “If We Make It Through December.” Produced by Willie and Mickey Raphael, the album also shares the final recorded performances of longtime Family members Bobbie Nelson and Paul English.
Herb Alpert, Christmas Time Is Here (Herb Alpert Presents) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Herb Alpert has been packing houses of late with a rare Tijuana Brass tour. Now, the legendary trumpeter, philanthropist, and A&M Records founder releases Christmas Time Is Here, his third Christmas album, on CD and digital formats. Along with a delightfully quirky, New Orleans-inspired recording of “Jingle Bells,” the classic which he first recorded on 1968’s TJB Christmas Album, the new set also offers fresh re-arrangements of “Winter Wonderland,” “Sleigh Ride,” and “My Favorite Things” from that seminal album. This is one cooking Christmas record!
Trisha Yearwood, Christmastime (Gwendolyn Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Trisha Yearwood is ringing in the season with a new, eclectic Christmas album featuring such diverse tunes as “Candy Cane Lane,” “It’s Just Another New Year’s Eve,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and “Cool Yule.” Available on CD, LP, and digitally, as well as a Home Shopping Network-exclusive CD with two bonus piano/vocal demos.
Melanie, Melanie’s Christmas Treasury (Cleopatra) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
The long-running Melanie series from Cleopatra continues with this collection of Christmas songs originally released between 2017 and 2024. Most made their first appearance on digital-only releases but a few songs have also been reprised from the 1996 CD Antlers. Available on CD, LP, and digitally.
Paul Kelly, Seventy (EMI/Cooking Vinyl) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Australian singer-songwriter-guitarist Paul Kelly (Paul Kelly and The Dots, Paul Kelly and The Coloured Girls/The Messengers) returns with Seventy, celebrating his landmark birthday this past January. Seventy is filled with Kelly’s trademark musical storytelling – it’s no coincidence that the opening track is entitled “Tell Us a Story” – including lead single “Rita Wrote a Letter” which serves as a sequel to his beloved 1996 tune “How to Make Gravy,” and even a full-band setting of a Yeats poem. On Seventy, Kelly deftly and elegantly addresses aging, mortality, art, and the matter of one’s legacy. Yet the album isn’t a farewell, but rather a statement of where the artist is today. Available on CD, LP, and digital/streaming.
Steve Ross, Sings Sondheim (With Friends) (Harbinger) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Cabaret great Steve Ross salutes another renowned Steve – Sondheim – with this collection of songs performed with Ross’ friends Laura LaVelle and Benjamin Weil. Available on CD and digital/streaming.
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No Tammy Wynette on Opry 100. First Lady of Country Music. Poor compilation.