Hot on the heels of the 40th anniversary vinyl reissue earlier this year of Rush’s debut album, the Canadian prog-rock legends are celebrating their four decades of making music with a new career-spanning live box set coming soon from Concord Music Group and Rounder Records. R40, available in both DVD and Blu-ray formats on November 11, brings together live performances by Rush from each decade of the band’s long career. The box includes five videos first released between 2003 and 2013: Rush
Sound Chaser: Steven Wilson Revisits Yes, Jethro Tull In Stereo and Surround
When it comes to new surround-sound mixes, one name has become closely associated with the format: Steven Wilson. Keeper of the progressive-rock flame and frontman for Porcupine Tree, Wilson has in recent years created definitive 5.1 remixes for artists like King Crimson, Yes, XTC, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Gentle Giant, and Jethro Tull. It was recently announced that Wilson would be extending his talents to an upcoming reissue from (non-prog!) rock band Tears for Fears, and we can also confirm
He's Your Man: Leonard Cohen's "Live in Dublin" Captures Full-Length Concert
Canadian poet-troubadour Leonard Cohen’s most recent album, issued earlier this year, was entitled Popular Problems, but one of Cohen’s problems is not a lack of available material for his fans. Following that LP as well as the Mastered-for-iTunes release of his studio album catalogue, Cohen has announced the December 2 release of Live in Dublin via Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings. His first full-length high definition concert film, Live in Dublin will be available in 3-CD/1-DVD and
Release Round-Up: Week of October 14
Diana Ross, Why Do Fools Fall in Love / Silk Electric / Ross / Swept Away / Eaten Alive / Red Hot Rhythm and Blues (Expanded Editions) (Funky Town Grooves) Why Do Fools Fall in Love: Expanded Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Silk Electric: Expanded Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Ross: Expanded Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Swept Away: Deluxe Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Eaten Alive: Deluxe Edition (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Red Hot Rhythm and Blues: Deluxe
Swinging On A Star: November Is Bing Crosby Month With Deluxe CD, DVD, BD Releases Coming
It can be fairly said that any singer today owes a debt to Bing Crosby. The late vocalist was among the first performers to conversationally and intimately sing as an extension of speech; he also pioneered the technique of the microphone so a singer wouldn’t have to belt to the rafters. In his lifetime, Crosby was at the vanguard of recording techniques. He left behind over 2,000 commercial recordings, and introduced countless standards including the yearly radio perennial “White Christmas,”
Simply Deluxe: Edsel Expands and Remasters Simply Red In New Multi-Disc Sets
Edsel has gone red – Simply Red, that is – on its recent series of deluxe CD and DVD editions from the British pop-soul band. By the time of Simply Red’s breakup in 2010, founding member and lead vocalist Mick Hucknall was the last man standing, but the legacy left behind by the group - and its songs including “Holding Back the Years” and revivals of “If You Don’t Know Me By Now” and “You Make Me Feel Brand New” - remains strong. Edsel’s new Simply Red series encompasses three 2-CD/1-DVD sets
Release Round-Up: Week of August 25
The Kinks, Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround: Deluxe Edition (Sanctuary/BMG, 2014) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) The Kinks' 1970 classic is expanded with a second album - 1971's Percy - plus an array of bonus tracks (many previously unreleased) on a new 2-CD set! Mary Poppins: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - The Legacy Collection (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. ) Walt Disney Records' deluxe Legacy Collection unveils its second release - a
Release Round-Up: Week of July 22
The Beatles, The Japan Box (Apple/UMe) Stereo remasters, mono remasters, U.S. albums...and now, the first five albums from Japan on CD! What will they think of next? (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Herbie Hancock, The Warner Bros. Years: 1969-1972 (Rhino) UPDATE: This title has been delayed to August 5. Three Warner Bros. albums (released before Herbie prolifically joined Columbia), each expanded with rare and unreleased promo single versions. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Jim Croce, Lost Time
Release Round-Up: Week of July 1
Bob Marley, Legend: 30th Anniversary Edition (Tuff Gong/Island/UMe) The best-selling reggae album of all time is back with two unreleased studio rarities and, on Blu-ray, a new 5.1 surround mix. CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Pink Floyd, The Division Bell: 20th Anniversary Edition (Parlophone) The 20th anniversary of the last Pink Floyd album means an Immersion-level box set with a new 5.1 surround sound mix on Blu-ray and bonus vinyl pieces. CD (2011
Release Round-Up: Week of June 24
The Beatles, A Hard Day's Night: The Criterion Collection (Criterion) The first Beatles film gets the luxe treatment for its 50th anniversary - sounds pretty fab! Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Three Dog Night, Three Dog Night: Expanded Edition (Iconoclassic) Iconoclassic remasters and expands the debut album from the band fronted by Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells! Bonus tracks include two mono single sides and "Time to Get Alone" written and
Release Round-Up: Week of June 17
Dave Matthews Band, Remember Two Things: Expanded Edition (Bama Rags/RCA/Legacy) The DMB's 1993 mostly-live, self-released debut netted them enough exposure for a major-label deal some 20 years, six consecutive No. 1 studio albums and countless tours ago. Now, it's back on CD with unreleased photos and two unheard studio bonus tracks; plus, for the first time, it's being released on vinyl (with the bonus tracks available as a download). CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon
Release Round-Up: Week of June 10
Various Artists, Chicago Hit Factory: The Vee-Jay Story 1953-1966 (Charly) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) This import box set tells the story of great R&B label Vee-Jay Records via a whopping 10 discs, 269 tracks (including 112 hits) by more than 120 different artists, and a 72-page book. Artists include Jerry Butler, The Four Seasons, The Beatles, Gene Chandler, Little Richard, Betty Everett, The Dells and The Standells! Jazz, gospel, blues and doo-wop all figure prominently along with the
Release Round-Up: Week of June 3
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin I / Led Zeppelin II / Led Zeppelin III: Deluxe Editions (Swan Song/Atlantic) Anyone ever heard these albums? Interesting stuff. I don't know about you, but I'd predict big things for these guys. Led Zeppelin 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 2CD/3LP Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Led Zeppelin II 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 2CD: Amazon
Every Little Thing's Gonna Be Alright: Classic Bob Marley Set Remixed in Surround
The biggest reggae album of all time is getting bigger - 5.1 channels bigger. Island/Tuff Gong/UMe will reissue Bob Marley & The Wailers' Legend for its 30th anniversary. The posthumous compilation album (Marley had died of cancer three years earlier at only 36) has been a stalwart of catalogue music since its release in 1984, becoming the highest-selling reggae album of all time (15 million copies certified shipped by the RIAA alone, and some 27 million worldwide) and spending 992
Release Round-Up: Week of May 19
Oasis, Definitely Maybe: Chasing The Sun Edition (Big Brother/Ngrooves) Oasis' debut album is remastered and expanded; the first in a planned series of multi-format reissues from the legendary Britpop band. 1CD remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.2LP remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.3CD deluxe edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.3CD/2LP/1 x 7″ box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Billy Joel, A Matter of Trust: The Bridge to Russia (Columbia/Legacy) The Piano Man's 1987 sojourn to the USSR is
Release Round-Up: Week of April 22
Joe Satriani, The Complete Studio Recordings (Epic/Legacy) The guitar whiz's complete studio output from 1986 to 2013 is collected in a 15-disc box set or chrome-domed USB head! (Amazon U.S. /Amazon U.K.) ABBA, ABBA Gold: Greatest Hits - 40th Anniversary Edition (Polydor/UMe) Two best-selling ABBA compilations, 1992's ABBA Gold and its 1993 sequel More ABBA Gold, are paired up with a third disc of single B-sides. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Yes, The Yes Album (Panegyric) The prog group's
It's 5:15 Again: The Who Revisit "Quadrophenia" In New Live Box, Release 5.1 Surround of Original Album
For fans of The Who, Christmas is coming early this year. The band has taken, in recent years, to marking the holidays with super-sized box sets dedicated to such classic albums as Live at Leeds, Tommy and Quadrophenia. The latter, Pete Townshend’s 1973 mod rock opera, was celebrated in 2011 via a multitude of releases including a 4-CD/1-DVD box set with the original album, two discs of demos, and a DVD of selected songs in surround sound. This June, Townshend and Roger Daltrey will follow up
Release Round-Up: Week of March 25
Johnny Cash, Out Among the Stars (Columbia/Legacy) This new album of newly-discovered mid-'80s outtakes is perhaps better than what was released at the time. Gorgeous and, at times, haunting, the way Johnny Cash albums should be. CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: 40th Anniversary Edition (Mercury/Rocket/UMe) Elton's classic double album comes back to glorious life with several lavish editions, featuring new covers of songs from
Perpetual Change: Steven Wilson Takes "The Yes Album" To 5.1 Surround and Beyond with Unheard Music
Say Yes! Prog-rock hero and surround-sound guru Steven Wilson has just confirmed the near-imminent release of the second title in his series of expanded and remixed Yes classics. On April 14, the Panegyric label will reissue 1971’s landmark The Yes Album in CD/DVD-Audio and CD/Blu-ray packages loaded with bonus material and new stereo and surround mixes. Yes’ third studio LP, The Yes Album welcomed guitarist Steve Howe to the band following the departure of Peter Banks. Howe immediately made
And We Love Them: "A Hard Day's Night" Added to Criterion Collection for 50th Anniversary
Despite the insistence of punk rock saint Joe Strummer, Beatlemania seems no closer to biting the dust in 2014. Apple Corps have made quite the big deal out of this year's 50th anniversary mark of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr making their first trip to America in 1964, branding a generation with their blend of highly original, mania-inducing pop/rock. November saw the release of a second volume of recordings for the BBC and a copyright-busting,
Review: Bob Dylan, "The 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration: Deluxe Edition"
Bob Dylan’s 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration, held on October 16, 1992 at New York’s Madison Square Garden to mark Dylan’s Columbia Records debut, could have been a valedictory. The 51-year old honoree and participant was nearly at the halfway point of a self-imposed sabbatical from writing and recording original songs; it would last seven years, from 1990 to 1997. He had not had an album reach the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 since 1983’s Infidels and hadn’t cracked the Top 5 since 1979’s
Release Round-Up: Week of March 4
Little Feat, Rad Gumbo: The Complete Warner Bros. Years 1971-1990 (Warner Bros./Rhino) The eclectic rock band's near two-decade run on Warner Bros. is celebrated in this new box set, featuring all the band's original studio albums, an expanded edition of the live Waiting for Columbus and a bonus disc of recordings sourced from the band's 2000 box set Hotcakes & Outtakes. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) The Grass Roots, The Complete Original Dunhill/ABC Hit Singles / Irma Thomas, Full Time
Glory Days: Bruce Springsteen Issues "High Hopes" Outtakes For RSD, MusiCares Tribute Hits DVD and BD
When Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 this January, the iconic artist earned his eleventh chart-topping album. That was enough to make him the No. 3 all-time champ in that department, just behind The Beatles (19) and Jay-Z (13). The eclectic recordings used to assemble High Hopes divided many of Springsteen’s devotees, as did the contributions of Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. But par for the course with any Bruce-related release, the songs heard
Say Hello, Hello: UMe Pays Lavish Tribute to Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"
It's an odd irony that Elton John began his seventh and most ambitious studio album with a piece he imagined would play in the event of his death. The singer-songwriter-pianist was one of the most alive rockers on the planet at that point; with a dazzlingly theatrical stage presence, a cracking live band and an increasing string of successes (his most recent album at that point, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player, was released at the top of 1973 and was both his second No. 1 album in the
Play A Song For Me: Bob Dylan's 30th Anniversary Concert Is Expanded On CD and DVD/BD
Since its opening on February 11, 1968, Madison Square Garden at Manhattan’s Pennsylvania Station has hosted some of the most memorable events in music history, from The Concert For Bangla Desh in 1971 to The Concert for New York City in 2001. For sheer star wattage, one of the most notable of MSG’s many special events was the 1992 evening remembered simply as “Bobfest.” It was a night for friends, contemporaries and younger artists to pay tribute to an American great for whom a first-name