Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up!
Ramones, Leave Home: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Sire/Rhino)
3CD/1LP box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.
1CD remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.
A new 3CD/1LP edition of Ramones' 1977 sophomore album boasts the album in original and newly-remixed form, as well as a 33-track disc loaded with previously unreleased session material and a 1977 CBGBs concert recording! In addition to the above material on CD, the new album mix by original engineer Ed Stasium is included on vinyl. Read more here, and watch for our review soon!
The Beach Boys, Wild Honey Stereo Vinyl LP (Capitol/UMe) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
The Beach Boys' 1967 R&B-inflected album Wild Honey got its first-ever presentation in stereo on the new CD collection Sunshine Tomorrow as well as on this new 180-gram vinyl issue! Read our review of both titles here!
Billy Ocean, Here You Are: The Music of My Life (Jive/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Billy Ocean is back in action with Here You Are, a collection featuring 10 new recordings and 5 classic hits from the pop-soul great. Influence and Inspiration - The New Recordings premieres Ocean's new "Here You Are" as well as soulful interpretations of "It Was a Very Good Year," "These Foolish Things," "A Change is Gonna Come," and "Love Train," among others. The second part of the release, Classic Hits, has the original recordings of "Caribbean Queen," "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car," and more. It adds up to a look at where Ocean's been, where he is now, and where he's going! (Note that Here You Are was released in the U.K. in 2016 in a more expansive form with 12 new songs and an entire "Best Of" disc, for those interested in even more Ocean!)
Johnny Rivers, Help Me Rhonda (BGO) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Johnny Rivers' 1975 Epic album finally arrives on CD from BGO. Help Me Rhonda includes Rivers' hit rendition of the Beach Boys classic as well as "Dancin' in the Moonlight," "It's the Same Old Song," and more!
The Stylistics, 5 Classic Albums / You Are Everything: The Essential Stylistics (Spectrum U.K.)
5 Classic Albums: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
You Are Everything: The Essential Stylistics: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Universal U.K.'s Spectrum division has two new releases from the legendary Philly soul group. 5 Classic Albums features their first two Thom Bell-produced classics The Stylistics and Stylistics 2 (released in the U.S. as Round 2) and the hard-to-find, Hugo and Luigi/Van McCoy-helmed LPs Let's Put It All Together, From the Mountain (released in the U.S. as Heavy), and Thank You Baby. This mini-box set (with each album in an individual paper sleeve) is a great way to pick up some of soul music's finest albums at a budget price. You Are Everything: The Essential Stylistics has 55 cuts on 3 CDs, boasting songs from those five albums and more.
Eric Stewart & 10cc, Anthology (Cherry Red/Lemon) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Cherry Red's Lemon imprint is assembling a 2CD set devoted mostly to the solo work of 10cc frontman Eric Stewart. This 2CD Anthology includes six tracks from the latter half of 10cc's career with Stewart and Gouldman at the helm (mostly drawn from their final album, 1995's MirrorMirror) plus material from Stewart's four solo albums recorded between 1980 and 2009, including tracks from 1980's Girls and 1982's Frooty Rooties making their debuts on CD. Read more details here, and read Eric Stewart's own take on this release in the comments.
Marillion, Misplaced Childhood: Deluxe Edition (Parlophone/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Marillion's third album (featuring "Kayleigh" and "Lavender") is expanded into a 4-CD/1-BD book-style box set featuring the remastered original album on Disc 1, Live at Utrecht 1985 on Discs 2 & 3, singles, B-sides, and demos on Disc 4, and new stereo and surround mixes by Steven Wilson on the Blu-ray along with music videos and a documentary. Whew!
Lawrence Schulman says
Also released today on Vinyl Passion is the 180-gram LP of Judy Garland's 1957 album, Alone. It can be purchased at:
http://www.elusivedisc.com/Judy-Garland-Alone-DMM-180g-Import-LP/productinfo/VINLP1927/
http://www.soundstagedirect.com/judy-garland-alone-plus-bonus-tracks-vinyl-records.shtml
All best.
Lawrence Schulman
Martin says
Great news about the Judy Garland vinyl. Thanks for the tip.
Sean Anglum says
Glad to see the Johnny Rivers' re-release. It's a shame BGO didn't two-fer it with the under-rated "Outside Help." album. The new release does contain one of Rivers' best overlooked cuts from the '70s, Ned Doheny's magnificent "Postcards from Hollywood," a superior song with a dynamic Rivers recording. Bravo!
Joe Marchese says
Ditto, Sean! Looking forward to this one myself, and perhaps OUTSIDE HELP will follow!