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.
Taana Gardner, When You Touch Me: The West End Recordings (SoulMusic/Cherry Red/The Second Disc) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
SoulMusic Records teams with TSD to revisit dance superstar Taana Gardner's classic West End album as a 2CD set. When You Touch Me: The West End Recordings opens with Taana Gardner in its original form and mix for the very first time on CD including Larry Levan's 1979 mixes. Producer Kenton Nix's extended mixes of "When You Touch Me," "Just Be a Friend," and "Work That Body" have been appended to Disc One. The second disc features ten singles and remixes including two promotional versions of "When You Touch Me" which make their commercial CD debuts here; and club mixes by the illustrious likes of Larry Levan, Tom Moulton, Masters at Work, Nicky Siano, Angel Moraes, and Gomi. A 24-page full-color booklet designed by Paul Bevoir features in-depth liner notes by reissue producer Tim Dillinger which draw on quotes from Taana Gardner, Larry Levan, and West End's Mel Cheren. Nick Robbins has remastered the audio for this release. Read more here!
Barry Manilow, Live in Britain (Amazon U.K. / Manilow Store)
Live in Britain captured Barry Manilow during his Royal Albert Hall stand of January 1982 alongside musical director Victor Vanacore. The 12-track album featured a number of staples still in his setlists today ("It's a Miracle," "Even Now," "I Made It Through the Rain," "Copacabana," "Could It Be Magic," "Mandy") along with unique material. In the latter category, the singer performed "Stay" from his then-new album Here Comes the Night; melded "It's a Miracle" with "London" (from 1980's Barry); shared Kenny Nolan's "Lonely Together" (also from Barry); and treated the London audience to "Bermuda Triangle" (the Barry single which went to the top 20 in the U.K.). A medley combined "Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed" from 1979's One Voice with "Break Down the Door" from 1981's If I Should Love Again, and "We'll Meet Again" found Barry saluting London with the 1939 Vera Lynn classic. The result is a live album unlike any other in Manilow's extensive catalogue, and one which has never been reissued in the United States or outside of Europe. U.S. customers can order the newly remastered CD via Amazon U.K. or directly from Manilow's online store. Read more here.
Pink Floyd, Animals 2018 Remix - Dolby Atmos [Blu-ray] (Pink Floyd Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Pink Floyd's Animals 2018 Remix - Dolby Atmos Blu-ray includes hi-resolution stereo and 5.1 surround mixes alongside the 1977 stereo mix. The album artwork has been reimagined by Aubrey 'Po' Powell from Hipgnosis for this release and it's all presented in a digipak with a 16-page booklet, a sticker, and a postcard.
Davy Jones, Incredible! (7a Records)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Davy Jones' "lost" album, Incredible!, is finally seeing a wide, authorized release from our friends at 7a Records on both CD and limited edition, 180-gram, LP pressed on blue vinyl. The self-released 1988 album was recorded in various studios as Jones hit the road with The Monkees. Among the varied material, he revisited "Valleri" for the album and covered Chan Romero's "Hippy Hippy Shake." The whole, well, incredible story of the album is told on 7a's new, deluxe reissue, the CD version of which includes a 36-page booklet with detailed liner notes by Monkees historian Mark Kleiner and previously unpublished photos by Henry Diltz and Michael G. Bush. Seven bonus tracks have been added to the original ten, for the fullest exploration of Incredible! yet. Out today in the U.K. and next Friday, May 24, in North America. Read more here.
Max Bygraves, Discolongamax (Stage Door Pop) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Stage Door)
Today, Stage Door Records has released perhaps the most unexpected reissue of the year - and almost certainly the campiest! Fans of kitsch (and you know who you are!) will doubtless find much to enjoy in Stage Door's CD premiere of Discolongamax from the late British entertainer Max Bygraves (1922-2012). Discolongamax was part of Bygraves' long-running series of LPs that began with 1971's Sing Along with Max and continued with entries dedicated to party songs (Singalongapartysong), Christmas music (Singalongaxmas), showtunes (Singalongabroadway), movie themes (Singalongamovies), Latin music (Viva! Congalongamax), and more. Produced by Terry Brown and arranged by veteran Frank Barber in a light disco style, Discolongamax primarily drew on the classic standards favored by Bygraves and his audience, including "Autumn Leaves," "Moonlight Serenade," and "Won't You Come Home, Bill Bailey," with detours to classic Broadway (My Fair Lady's music hall-flavored "Get Me to the Church on Time"), contemporary pop (Morris Albert's once-ubiquitous "Feelings"), and Bygraves' own back catalogue ("You Need Hands," "Love Is a Song," "Tulips from Amsterdam"). It's all been newly remastered for this CD premiere. Read more here.
Don McLean, American Boys (BFD/Audium Nashville) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
The "American Pie" and "Vincent" troubadour returns with his first new studio album since 2020. American Boys features thirteen new songs including the title track with guests Home Free. Available on CD, LP, and digital/streaming.
New Kids on the Block, Still Kids (BMG)
CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Deluxe CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Taylor Dayne and DJ Jazzy Jeff join Jordan Knight, Jonathan Knight, Donnie Wahlberg, Joey McIntyre, and Danny Wood on the group's first full studio album in 11 years. Available on CD, deluxe CD with enhanced packaging (including a 64-page book), vinyl, and digitally.
Here We Are: Original Cast Recording (Concord Theatricals) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
Here's one of the most hotly-anticipated cast recordings of the season: Here We Are, the final musical to feature music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. (David Ives penned the book.) Bucking the recent trend of most cast recordings releasing digitally in advance of physical availability, both the CD and digital album arrived today. (A vinyl edition is due in September.) The album features David Hyde Pierce, Steven Pasquale, Denis O'Hare, Rachel Bay Jones, Francois Battiste, Tracie Bennett, Bobby Cannavale, Micaela Diamond, Amber Gray, Jin Ha, and Jeremy Shamos, plus Alex Gemignani conducting a 14-piece orchestra playing Jonathan Tunick's orchestrations. As the final time we'll hear a new Sondheim score, this beautifully-produced album is a poignant preservation of a singular show.
Days of Wine and Roses: Original Cast Recording (Nonesuch) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)
2024 Tony Award nominees Brian D'Arcy James and Kelli O'Hara star in Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel's searing musical adaptation of Days of Wine and Roses which played a short run earlier this year at Broadway's Studio 54. This recording preserves Guettel's intricate, jazz-inflected score.
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