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.

Bob Dylan, Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1976 Live Recordings (Columbia/Legacy)

39CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP (Fort Worth Concert): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1976 Live Recordings arrives, with 39 CDs containing professionally-recorded shows from nearly every stop of the legendary tour’s second (and final) leg.  It all adds up to 381 tracks, only ten of which have ever been previously released. Dylan’s fast and furious sets in ’76 were broad-ranging, encompassing such favorites as “Visions of Johanna,” “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Maggie’s Farm,” “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” “Lay, Lady, Lay,” “Isis,” and “One Too Many Mornings,” among other classics.  A number of the dates here feature Dylan’s duet set with Joan Baez featuring “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Railroad Boy,” and other guests throughout include Roger McGuinn (“Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” “Gotta Travel On”), Kinky Friedman (“Gotta Travel On”), Willie Nelson (“Gotta Travel On,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken” in Houston), Joni Mitchell (“Gotta Travel On” in Fort Worth), Allen Ginsberg (“Gotta Travel On” in Fort Collins), and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott (various vocals during the Fort Collins show).  The complete 22-track Fort Worth show will also be released as a standalone 3LP vinyl set today.  Read more here. Watch this space for our full review! 

Dusty Springfield, Home Again: The Complete United Artists Recordings (Real Gone Music)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music
2LP (Violet PET Plastic Edition): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Real Gone Music
2LP (Orange with B&W Inksplosion Edition): Real Gone Music

Following such past releases as the “lost albums” Longing and Faithful, The Complete Atlantic Singles 1968-1971, A Brand New Me: The Complete Philadelphia Sessions, and Come for a Dream: The U.K. Sessions 1970-1971, Real Gone Music returns to the late Dusty Springfield’s discography with a new 2-CD or 2-LP set.  Home Again, The Complete United Artists Recordings collects the albums It Begins Again and Living Without Your Love as well as a host of bonus tracks from this fascinating, transitional period in the singer’s extraordinary career. Home Again features liner notes, in both formats, by TSD’s Joe Marchese drawing on new interviews with Steve Dorff and Melissa Manchester.  Rare and previously unseen photos are also included. Mike Milchner at SonicVision has remastered, with many tracks sourced from the original American master tapes for the first time on CD.  The 2LP edition is pressed on Violet PET Plastic vinyl, while a Real Gone webstore-exclusive Orange with B&W “Inksplosion” edition is available, too, while supplies last. Read more here.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Origins 1971-1978 (UMe)

4CD/DVD/Blu-ray: Tom Petty Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
5LP/DVD/Blu-ray: Tom Petty Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
Limited 5LP/DVD/Blu-ray Uber Deluxe: Tom Petty Store
1LP (No Sleep ‘Til LA): Tom Petty Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
1CD (No Sleep ‘Til LA): Tom Petty Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
1LP Zoetrope Vinyl (No Sleep ‘Til LA): Tom Petty Store / Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 

UMe celebrates the birth of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Origins 1971-1978, a new 4CD/1DVD/1BD or 5LP/1DVD/1BD box set.   (An “Uber Deluxe” vinyl edition limited to just 500 copies will also be available.)  The set shines a spotlight on the period that led to the formation of the Heartbreakers as well as their earliest years including collaborations with the illustrious likes of Al Kooper, Leon Russell, and Emory Gordy as they explored various sounds and styles.  It opens with No Sleep Til L.A., also available as a standalone LP, CD, and limited-edition Zoetrope vinyl LP.   Its twelve songs chronicle the period between Mudcrutch’s earliest recordings and the founding of the Heartbreakers, with recordings made in Miami, Tulsa, and Los Angeles.  Seven of its twelve tracks are previously unreleased while the remaining five songs have been newly remixed.  The set then continues with longtime Petty associate Ryan Ulyate’s new remixes of the band’s 1976 self-titled debut album (featuring “American Girl” and “Breakdown”) and their 1978 follow-up, You’re Gonna Get It! (with “I Need to Know” and “Listen to Her Heart”).  A number of the tracks have been extended by Ulyate by restoring material from the original tapes.  Live from the Record Plant 1977 revisits an oft-bootlegged radio broadcast in its entirety for the first time.   The Cut-Out Bin samples a further five tracks from the solo Petty working with session musicians; one tune (described in the press release as a “yacht rock track”) features Leon Russell.  “Cry to Me,” its lone previously released cut, has been remixed here.  Finally, a DVD offers the Heartbreakers’ 1978 performance on the BBC’s The Old Grey Whistle Test.  Get the track listing and more here.

The Phantom of the Opera: The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix (The Other Songs)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2CD (Amazon Exclusive Artwork): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Andrew Lloyd Webber Store
6LP: Andrew Lloyd Webber Store

The Phantom of the Opera: The Andrew Lloyd Webber 2026 Mix was created by the composer from the original analogue multitrack tapes to the musical’s original cast recording.  In addition to remixing the album starring Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman with current technology – and, at least in the case of the title track, emphasizing the rock rhythm section – Lloyd Webber has restored previously unheard material originally cut for length.  (While tracks with added material have not been revealed, several titles are new to the release.)  He’s also added three bonus tracks: “Andrew’s Phantom Demo,” “Box Five,” and the original demo of “Masquerade.”  All tracks are available on 2 CDs or 3 LPs.  A limited box set (of 2,026 copies) entitled “A Collector’s Piece Indeed” features the remixed cast recording, the film soundtrack, and Masquerade: The Orchestral Score (only otherwise available at the New York theatre) plus a hand-numbered art print and replicas of the original script, sheet music, and poster. Read more here.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane, The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961 (Columbia/Legacy)

6CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
9LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Miles Davis and John Coltrane’s 2000 box set The Complete Columbia Recordings 1955-1961 and a 2001 best-of will be re-pressed, with the larger set available once more on six CDs or nine LPs and the highlights set as a double vinyl. This box offered 58 studio and live performances of the pair together – including the entireties of legendary albums ‘Round About Midnight, Milestones and Kind of Blue – as well as then-unreleased alternate takes and a complete assembly of their 1958 set at the Newport Jazz Festival. While the packaging for the box will be simpler than its original “steel-spine” construction, it will likely retain the original Grammy-winning liner notes by Bob Blumenthal.  You’ll find more details here.

John Coltrane, The Tiberi Tapes (Impulse!/UMe)

3CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
4LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

The Tiberi Tapes, a legendary collection of the near-mythic amateur recordings of John Coltrane experimenting on stage in the early ’60s, arrives in 3CD and 4LP highlights packages.  (The complete set of more than 100 performances from 86 reels is available on USB format only.)  These live recordings were made by fellow saxophonist Frank Tiberi, later the leader of the Woody Herman Orchestra after the clarinetist’s passing (and still, at 97, a professor at the Berklee College of Music).  With a small lapel mic and a reel-to-reel recorder concealed in a cloth satchel – changing tapes in the dark as quickly as he could – Tiberi captured rudimentary recordings of Coltrane, typically in quartet arrangement (eventually landing on his classic ensemble of pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, though fellow sax player Eric Dolphy sat in on several dates). He did so for the purpose of studying and transcribing Coltrane’s exemplary sound – so while the recordings assembled here were not intended for release (albeit painstakingly restored from the original reels by Kevin Reeves), they provide a fascinating, extremely raw glimpse at one of the most singular musicians in jazz history.  Read more here!

Various Artists, Where the Soul Never Dies: Celebrating 80 Years of the Stanley Brothers (Compass) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The late Dolly Parton (in one of her first posthumous recordings to arrive in a physical format) is joined by Willie Nelson, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Billy Strings, Rhiannon Giddens, Steve Martin, Dierks Bentley, Ralph Stanley II, and others on this tribute to the legendary bluegrass duo of Ralph Stanley and Carter Stanley. Available on CD, LP, and digitally.

George Martin and His Orchestra, Off the Beatle Track / Help! / …And I Love Her (Parlophone/Rhino)

Off the Beatle Track: CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

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

…And I Love Her: CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 

Sir George Martin would have turned 100 earlier this year, on January 3.  Warner Music UK celebrates the legacy of the producer-arranger-composer-conductor today with a trio of reissues: 1964’s Off the Beatle Track, 1965’s Help!, and 1966’s And I Love Her arrive on vinyl and streaming everywhere, and on CD in the United Kingdom.  The first two albums feature Martin’s lush orchestral renditions of Beatles favorites, while the third blends Beatles songs (including the title track) with other hits of the day.  All three of these long out-of-print releases have been newly mastered under the supervision of Sir George’s son Giles Martin.  Read more here!

KISS, Rock and Roll Over: 50th Anniversary [Various Formats] (UMe)

4CD/BD: Official Store Links TBD
6LP/BD: Official Store Links TBD
1CD (Eddie Kramer Mix): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1LP (Eddie Kramer Mix): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

KISS celebrates 50 years of Rock and Roll All Over with a new box set available in 6LP (180-gram black vinyl) + Blu-ray Audio and 4CD/Blu-ray Audio formats.  Both sets feature 130 tracks with 100 previously unreleased tracks and mixes.  The boxes contain both Bernie Grundman’s remaster of the 1976 stereo mix and Eddie Kramer’s new 2026 mix from the multitrack masters, plus 22 previously unreleased demos, alternate mixes, and outtakes (including nine Gene Simmons demos that evolved into the album’s final songs and an unfinished instrumental called “Queen for a Day”).   KISS’ April 1977 Tokyo concerts provide the basis of a live album newly mixed by Kramer, who originally recorded the shows in 1977.  A 104-page hardcover book includes liner notes by Ken Sharp incorporating new interviews with Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eddie Kramer, and Peter Criss along with “kollectible” items such as a trading card set, posters, glossy photos, album cover hanging mobile, a magnet set, an enamel pin, and more. The Blu-ray Audio Disc includes new Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround mixes of the original 1976 mix by David Frangioni along with Kramer’s new 2026 album mix and Grundman’s remaster of the 1976 original, both in high-resolution. Various 1LP and 1CD editions with Kramer’s new remix are also available.

George Michael, The Faith Tour (Columbia/Legacy)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP (black): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
2LP (clear): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Official Store exclusives: 2CD/3LP box set / 2LP (blue marble vinyl) / 2LP (picture disc)

George Michael’s The Faith Tour, the first full-length live release from the singer/songwriter’s first solo tour in 1988, was recorded over two nights at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy at the end of May 1988.  It features a hits-packed set featuring the many hits from Faith (“I Want Your Sex,” “Faith,” “Father Figure,” “One More Try,” “Monkey”), takes on the Wham! favorites “Everything She Wants,” “Careless Whisper,” and “I’m Your Man,” and covers of Stevie Wonder (“Love’s in Need of Love Today”), Labelle (“Lady Marmalade”) and Wild Cherry (“Play That Funky Music”). Chris Porter has mixed the audio for this release.  It accompanies a film release of the same name. Captured on 35-millimeter film from the same shows on the album, the project is newly restored by co-directors David Austin (Michael’s longtime friend and creative collaborator) and Andy Morahan (who directed most of Wham! and Michael’s best-known music videos). Its theatrical release will be preceded by the new short Finding Faith; directed by Mary McCartney (Paul’s daughter), it combines behind-the-scenes footage from the “Faith” video, archival interview audio from Michael, and unseen photos taken by Herb Ritts. Read more here.

Spice Girls, The Singles Collection (Virgin) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The Spice Girls’ singles are collected on this new box consisting of 14 CDs and 160 tracks. The set promises “all original singles, complete B-sides, and rare remixes” as well as additional “Step to Me” and “Tell Me Why” CDs plus an exclusive bonus disc with four previously unreleased recordings (including the early “Do You Think About Me”).  The set is rounded out with swag including a limited, numbered card; five art cards; an acrylic charm; and a 32-page booklet with messages from all five Spice Girls.  Also available digitally.

Roxy Music, For Your Pleasure: Super Deluxe Edition (Republic)

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

Roxy Music’s 1973 sophomore set, produced by Brian Eno, returns in a new deluxe edition.  The 3CD/DVD set features the original album alongside rarities, instrumentals, previously unheard songwriting demos, rehearsals, and live sessions. The DVD includes TV and live performances from 1972-1973. A 116-page book boasts new essays and rare photography.  Also available in 2CD and 2LP “cut down” editions.

Motorhead, Orgamastron: 40th Anniversary Edition (BMG)

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
1LP (Transparent Violet Vinyl): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

Motorhead’s 1986 Orgasmatron – recorded by the lineup of Lemmy, Phil Campbell, Wurzel and Pete Gill – found the group moving into darker, heavier territory.  This new 40th anniversary edition features the remastered original album, a new remix by Cameron Webb, studio rehearsals, outtakes from the 1985 sessions, and the complete BBC Radio 1 Friday Rock Show session from 1986.  Neil Perry provides new liner notes.  Available in various physical and digital formats.

John Stewart, Midnight Wind: Classic RSO Recordings (Bear Family) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Bear Family bring two albums from John Stewart (“Daydream Believer,” The Kingston Trio) to CD.  Midnight Wind features Bombs Away Dream Babies (1979) and Dream Babies Go Hollywood (1980) plus two previously unreleased outtakes from Bombs Away sessions.

Gilbert O’Sullivan, On the Record (BMG) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The “Alone Again Naturally” and “Clair” singer-songwriter returns with a new studio album – his 21st! – filled with the quirky observations and warm melodies that have characterized his work for decades.  Available on CD, LP, and digital formats.

Bryan Adams, How’s It Goin’? (BAD Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Bryan Adams’ 17th studio album reflects on his native Canada with such songs as “How’s It Goin’,” “51st State,” and “The Ballad of Terry Fox.”  Available on CD, LP, and digitally, as well as a deluxe A4 hardback book/CD edition via Adams’ official store.

Steven Wilson, Requiem for a Village (Fiction) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Co-written with XTC’s Andy Partridge and featuring narration by David Tennant (Doctor Who, Time, Only Murders in the Building), Requiem for a Village is Wilson’s ninth studio album and features a dramatic blend of electronica, folk, and rock described as a “film for the ears.”  Available on CD, LP, digitally, and Blu-ray Audio (the latter with high resolution stereo, Dolby Atmos, and 5.1 surround mixes).

Nicolas King, No Bad Chords: Live in New York City – A Tribute to Mike Renzi (401 Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Cabaret sensation, Broadway star, and MAC Award winner Nicolas King returns with a new album paying tribute to his late mentor, arranger-pianist-music director Mike Renzi (1941-2021).  No Bad Chords celebrates Renzi’s legacy with arrangements he crafted for King as well as the legendary likes of Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, and Jack Jones.  King makes such standards as “She Loves Me,” “Where Is Love,” “Lucky to Be Me,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” all his own on this smooth, swinging set.  Available on CD and digitally/streaming.  Don’t miss Nicolas’ upcoming performance slate which includes dates in London (tomorrow!), New York City, Rhode Island, Florida, and Nevada, as well as a December 11 appearance at The Green Room 42 in NYC celebrating the music of Burt Bacharach for It’s Turkey Lurkey Time! A Snowy, Blowy Burt Bacharach Christmas (in person and livestreaming).  (It appears that Nicolas’ physical CD isn’t available yet via Amazon.com; it is, however, streaming everywhere!)

Voices of The Gilded Age: The Christmas Album (Concord Theatricals) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Any fan of Julian Fellowes’ HBO drama The Gilded Age knows its cast is stacked with Broadway veterans including Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, Carrie Coon, Denee Benton, Jordan Donica, Laura Benanti, Donna Murphy, and Kelli O’Hara, among (many!) others. Now, all of those talents (and more) have teamed up with producer-songwriter Desmond Child for Voices of the Gilded Age: The Christmas Album. The television show may be set in the Gilded Age, but the music on this album is decidedly more contemporary. And when doesn’t the world need some Christmas?  We’re here for it!  Available on CD, LP. and digitally.

Alanis Morissette, Good Weather for Immaculate Conception (Epiphany Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

The Jagged Little Pill singer-songwriter delivers her first-ever collection of holiday music, welcoming guests such as Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Brandi Carlile on a set of originals and covers (the latter including “What Child Is This,” “O Tannenbaum,” “Ave Maria,” “Happy Xmas (War Is Over),” and “The Little Drummer Boy”).  Amazon has an exclusive gift wrap cover for the CD. Available on CD and digital formats.

Sufjan Stevens, Worst Christmas Ever! (Asthmatic Kitty) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This new single-disc collection gathers highlights from Sufjan Stevens’ box sets Songs for Christmas and Silver & Gold. It includes fifteen selections as well as the newly released original song “On This Christmas (It Only Gets Better),” the singer-songwriter’s first new Christmas song in nearly fifteen years.  Available on CD and LP.