Features / Release Round-Up

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.

Neil Diamond, Wild at Heart (Capitol/UMe)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD: Walmart (with exclusive lithograph) / Target (with exclusive lithograph) / Amazon U.K.
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP (Bronze Elegance Edition): NeilDiamond.com
LP (Copper Nugget Edition): Barnes and Noble

A new album from Neil Diamond is out today…and it’s so good, so good, so good!  The superstar singer-songwriter’s Wild at Heart is composed of nine previously unheard outtakes recorded with producer Rick Rubin in 2007 for the Home Before Dark album (which was released the next year) plus an alternate version of that album’s “Forgotten.”  Diamond was joined on the original sessions by a stripped-down quartet consisting of keyboardist Benmont Tench and guitarist Mike Campbell (both of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers) as well as guitarists Smokey Hormel and Matt Sweeney.  Wild is out on CD (including a 2CD version with a disc of Diamond’s greatest hits), vinyl, and digital formats. Read more here.

The Knack, Knackology: The Zen Recordings (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore)

Omnivore Recordings reignites its long-running series of Knack releases with Knackology: The Zen Recordings, a 19-song collection from the archives of the label founded by the band’s main songwriter and lead singer, the late Doug Fieger.  The set boasts demos, live recordings, and studio rarities from the band that’s so much more than just “My Sharona” and “Good Girls Don’t.” It’s been mastered by Michael Graves and features liner notes by the compilation’s co-producer, Lee Lodyga.  With a cross-section of tracks spanning four decades, it serves as both an introduction to the band’s small but potent discography and a reminder that, well, “Rock & Roll Is Good for You.”  Read more here.

Peter Gabriel, Live at WOMAD 1982 / In the Big Room (Real World)

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

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

Released digitally last year, Peter Gabriel’s first performance at the World Of Music, Arts and Dance in England (which he founded) was a special treat for concertgoers, offering the live debut of nearly every track off his fourth album, released eponymously (and as Security in America) several months after this performance. The set features “San Jacinto,” “I Have the Touch,” “Shock the Monkey” and more.  Also available now: In the Big Room.  Recorded toward the end of Gabriel’s Growing Up tour in 2003, this special live-in-studio set from his Real World Studios was a treat for select members of his Full Moon fan club. Featuring cuts from the then-new Up (“More Than This,” “Darkness,” “Signal to Noise”) and fan favorites (“Games Without Frontiers,” “Digging in the Dirt,” “Shock the Monkey,” “In Your Eyes”), this physical version of a live set released digitally in 2025 is another worthy add to fans’ collections.  Get more details here.

Iain Matthews, Rhythm of the West: The Columbia Years (Cherry Red/Lemon) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Cherry Red’s Lemon Recordings imprint continues chronicling the career of singer-songwriter Iain Matthews with this beautiful new 6CD box. Rhythm of the West contains expanded editions of Matthews’ Columbia albums Go for Broke and Hit & Run as well as two live performances from Denver, Colorado with his bands Motion and The Falling Rock Band. The set is loaded with previously unreleased material from Matthews’ own archive including a compilation of concert tracks, Columbia Years Live 1979-2022.  Out today in the U.K. and next Friday in North America.

Pussycat Dolls, PCD: Extended Tracklist Edition (A&M/UMe)

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

Fans of Pussycat Dolls – the group fronted by Tony Award winner Nicole Scherzinger (Sunset Blvd.) – were disappointed earlier this week to find that they had cancelled their upcoming North American reunion tour stops.  However, their European dates will go forward, as will this Extended Tracklist Edition of their 2005 debut album which adds remixes, live cuts, and more to the CD iteration.  The original album is also reissued on vinyl.

Ween, Brown Box (Rhino)

10CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
White Pepper Green LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Quebec Pink 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

After a delay, Brown Box arrives today.  Rhino celebrates all things Ween with this collection of all nine of their studio albums released between 1990 and 2009 (plus the outtakes compilation Shinola, Vol. 1). Two of the early ’00s releases, White Pepper (2000) and Quebec (2003), also receive new colored vinyl pressings from the label.

Melanie and Melanie’s Children, Songs She Sang at Woodstock (Cleopatra) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Cleopatra’s long-running series of Melanie reissues continues with this new title from the late singer-songwriter.  Songs She Sang at Woodstock takes tracks recorded at a 2021 concert by Melanie and overdubs vocals from her children to recreate her famous performance at Yasgur’s Farm.

Josh Groban, Cinematic (Warner) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Josh Groban’s new studio album finds the crossover superstar tackling classic film songs, from Disney favorites (Pinocchio‘s “When You Wish Upon a Star,” The Lion King‘s “Can You Feel the Love Tonight,” Coco‘s “Remember Me”) to modern-day Bond anthems (“Skyfall”) and pop hits (“Against All Odds,” Ghost‘s adopted “Unchained Melody,” and an oldie that lent its title to a hit film, “Stand by Me”).  Available on CD, LP (including an Amazon-exclusive color pressing), and digitally.

Amy Grant, The Me That Remains (Amy Grant) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The CCM groundbreaker and pop superstar returns with a new set of original songs on which she reflects on her recent journey including heart surgery, a near-fatal accident, and the state of the world today.  She welcomes her husband Vince Gill and singer-songwriter Ruby Amanfu as well as producer Mac McAnally.  Available on CD, LP, and digitally.