I. Art Decade Keep Up with David's Changes, read an insert from the David Bowie Fan Club packaged in original pressings of the artist's 1977 album Low and painstakingly replicated on the edition included in the new 11-CD (or 13-LP) box set A New Career in a New Town 1977-1982. Indeed, it was no small feat to follow the restless artist's many transformations. 1975's Station to Station saw the formal introduction of The Thin White Duke, a nattily-dressed but rather unpleasant fellow; who
Sweet Country Music: Craft Recordings Collects Rarities on "Stax Country"
Encompassing artist anthologies, box sets, compilations and more, the Stax 60th anniversary campaign has explored the label's history from various angles. So far, all releases have concentrated on its rich legacy of southern soul; now, Craft Recordings is turning its attention to the twangy side of Memphis with Stax Country. Due on October 20 on CD and digital platforms with a vinyl edition to follow on November 10, this new collection brings together rare and previously unreleased country
Release Round-Up: Week of October 13
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Who, Tommy: Live at the Royal Albert Hall (Eagle Rock) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 3LP Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Blu-ray: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. In spring 2017, in support of the Teenage Cancer Trust, The Who played the classic Tommy in full, plus an encore set of seven greatest hits at London's historic Royal Albert Hall. This release includes every song from
Such a Lovely Place: Rhino Expands Eagles' "Hotel California" In November
The doors to the Hotel California are opening anew. On November 24, Rhino will deliver a new 2-CD/1-Blu-ray Audio set of the 1976 Eagles classic that includes the remastered album, ten previously unreleased live recordings, as well as hi-res stereo and 5.1 mixes. Hotel California: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is housed in an 11x11 hardbound book offering rare and unseen photos from the era, a replica tour book, and an 11x22 poster. Additionally, a 2-CD Expanded Edition (with both of the
Release Round-Up: Week of October 6
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Carol Burnett, Carol Burnett Sings: Expanded Edition (Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Real Gone celebrates the 50th anniversary of The Carol Burnett Show with the comedy legend's third solo album and first for RCA Victor. A tie-in to the groundbreaking variety show, Carol Burnett Sings features four songs performed on early episodes: "Georgy Girl," "Enter Laughing," "I Believed It All" and "There's No Business Like Show
Review: Brian Wilson, "Playback: The Brian Wilson Anthology"
There have been many great second acts in rock, but perhaps none so momentous as Brian Wilson's. The Beach Boys' leader's triumphant return to health and happiness after a lifetime of tragedy was captivatingly portrayed in the recent biopic Love and Mercy, but the real legacy of the reinvigorated Brian Wilson remains with his music. With Wilson near the conclusion of his acclaimed, sold-out Pet Sounds: The Final Performances world tour, the time has never been better to revisit his solo
Release Round-Up: Week of September 29
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! David Bowie, A New Career in a New Town (1977-1982) (Parlophone) 11CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. 13LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. The third release in Parlophone's series of chronological box sets dedicated to the music of David Bowie, A New Career in a New Town (1977-1982) closes the book on the legendary artist's RCA career. It follows 2015's Five Years (1969-1973) and 2016's Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976),
That's What Friends Are For: Clive Davis Soundtrack Features Barry, Whitney, Dionne, Aretha, More
This past April, New York's Radio City Music Hall hosted a prestigious premiere. The film was Clive Davis: The Soundtrack of Our Lives, and the screening was accompanied by an all-star concert featuring Barry Manilow, Dionne Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Carly Simon, and others celebrating the life of the music legend. Beginning on October 3, Apple Music will exclusively stream the Chris Perkel-directed documentary, and today, September 27, Legacy Recordings has digitally released an exclusive
Love Me Two Times: The Doors' "Strange Days" Celebrates 50 Years in Mono and Stereo
Earlier this year, the self-titled 1967 debut album by The Doors arrived in a 50th anniversary box set presenting the original album on CD in both mono and stereo plus the mono version on vinyl. Much as The Doors followed that debut months later with Strange Days, Rhino is following up the reissue of The Doors with a 50th anniversary presentation of that sophomore album, due on November 17. Strange Days: 50th Anniversary Edition will be released in two configurations: a 2-CD set with the mono
Release Round-Up: Week of September 22
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Rolling Stones, Their Satanic Majesties Request: 50th Anniversary Special Edition (ABKCO) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The Rolling Stones' controversial 1967 immersion into psychedelia, Their Satanic Majesties Request, gets a 50th anniversary box set from ABKCO containing the original album in mono and stereo on both 180-gram vinyl and hybrid SACD (playable on all CD players) as newly remastered by Bob Ludwig, plus restored
Hallelujah: Johnny Mathis Releases New Album of Current Songs, Confirms Date of Career-Spanning Box Set
For more than sixty years, the voice of Johnny Mathis has been synonymous with romance, class, and sophistication. He's performed songs by everyone from Richard Rodgers to Burt Bacharach, and worked with world-class musicians like Percy Faith, Ray Conniff, Henry Mancini, Thom Bell, Nelson Riddle, and Don Costa. Now, the eternally youthful singer is turning to a new repertoire for his latest studio album. On September 29, Columbia Records will release Johnny Mathis Sings the Great New American
Release Round-Up: Week of September 15
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Doors, The Singles (Elektra/Rhino) 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. 2CD/1BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. Vinyl box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K. Singles compiles all 20 of the singles from The Doors' official discography. This not only includes every A and B-side from their core studio albums, but several albums recorded and released after the passing of frontman Jim Morrison, including
You'll Be Doin' All Right: New Compilation Features Elvis Presley Christmas Classics with New Orchestral Backing
Even though the fall season has yet to officially begin, kids are back at school and we are already looking ahead to winter. Of course, that also means Christmas and it is time to start kicking off the announcements of Christmas recordings for this year. RCA and Legacy Recordings have just announced a new Elvis Presley project for this yuletide season: Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, due on October 6. As you may have guessed from the title, this new project
It's Time for Mistletoe and Holly: Capitol Releases Sinatra's "Ultimate Christmas"
Summer may still be in its final days, but when it comes to music, Christmas is just around the corner! Today, Capitol/UMe announced a new collection from Frank Sinatra set for release on October 6. Ultimate Christmas collects 20 of the Chairman's seasonal standards from both his Capitol and Reprise periods, spanning 1954 to 1991, including collaborations with his children Frank, Tina, and Nancy. This collection will be available in CD, digital, and 180-gram 2-LP black vinyl editions, as well
Release Round-Up: Week of September 8
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Melissa Manchester, Through the Eyes of Love: The Complete Arista 7" Singles (Second Disc/Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) The timeless songs of Melissa Manchester are collected on a new, comprehensive anthology from Second Disc Records and Real Gone Music. Through the Eyes of Love: The Complete Arista 7″ Singles brings together 43 songs and 157 minutes of beautiful music on two CDs, including such all-time hits and
Release Round-Up: Week of September 1
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Carole King, Tapestry: Live at Hyde Park (CD/DVD) (Legacy/Rockingale) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) This new CD/DVD release features Carole King's 45th anniversary performance of her seminal 1971 classic Tapestry, performed live in front of 65,000 fans in London's Hyde Park on July 3, 2016. The setlist, preserved on both CD and DVD, includes the entire original album plus numerous highlights from King's illustrious songbook both
Release Round-Up: Week of August 25
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Alex Chilton, A Man Called Destruction: Expanded Edition (Omnivore) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP Vinyl: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada In 1995, the late Big Star and Box Tops frontman Alex Chilton returned to Memphis' Ardent Studios, the site of his classic work with Big Star, to record A Man Called Destruction. Blending original songs with a host of eclectic covers from the likes of Chris Kenner ("Sick and
Review: Howard Jones, "Best 1983-2017"
Howard Jones is more than his synths. The British keyboardist dominated his home country's charts in the '80s (and flirted with success on American shores more than a few times in the same period) with fascinatingly busy, seriously catchy slices of synthpop with more than a little R&B influence. But peel back the hooks and riffs and you'll find the work of a man who is searching--for what, it's not always clear, but the search is there. Best 1983-2017 (Cherry Red Records PCDTRED 707), an
Release Round-Up: Week of August 11
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Jo Stafford, It Had to Be You: Lost Radio Recordings (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Jo Stafford's It Had To Be You: Lost Radio Recordings features 24 performances from the legendary vocalist's stint as co-host (with crooner Tony Martin) of The Carnation Contented Hour on CBS Radio from 1950-1951. With songs by mainstays of the Great American Songbook like Harold Arlen ("I've Got the World on a String"), Rodgers
Short Takes: Barbara Cook, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones and Marshall Crenshaw
Farewell, Barbara Cook: The legendary original star of Broadway's The Music Man, Candide, and She Loves Me has passed away at the age of 89. Cook's enchantingly pure soprano made her a favorite ingénue of the Broadway stage, and her indelible performances in the above musicals as well as Flahooley, Plain and Fancy, The Gay Life, The Grass Harp, Follies in Concert, and others - including her final Broadway appearance in 2010's Sondheim on Sondheim - are happily preserved on original cast
Review: Santana and The Isley Brothers, "Power of Peace"
In 1965, Hal David first made the observation, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love...it's the only thing that there's just too little of." Over fifty-two years later, there's still just too little love, and it's a situation which Carlos Santana has aimed to remedy. The guitar hero was inspired by seeing the velvet-voiced Ron Isley, longtime lead singer of The Isley Brothers, performing with Burt Bacharach in a 2004 television special promoting their collaborative album Here I Am.
Release Round-Up: Week of July 28
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elvis Presley, A Boy From Tupelo - The Complete 1953-55 Recordings (RCA/Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon Canada / Amazon U.K.) A Boy From Tupelo: The Complete Recordings 1953-1955 journeys back to the birth of rock-and-roll to feature, on three CDs and digitally, every known Elvis Presley Sun Records master and outtake. In addition, the collection also contains Elvis' four earliest, privately-pressed sides, and vintage radio and concert
Release Round-Up: Week of July 21
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,
Release Round-Up: Week of July 14
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Dusty Springfield, A Brand New Me: The Complete Philadelphia Sessions (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Dusty Springfield's 1970 A Brand New Me LP (her follow-up Atlantic effort to the landmark Dusty in Memphis) found Dusty traveling to Sigma Sound in Philadelphia to work with Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, architects of the orchestrated soul known as "The Philadelphia Sound." Springfield would have a #3 AC
I'm Goin' Back Someday: Linda Ronstadt's "Simple Dreams" Gets Expanded In September
Trivia: What album replaced Fleetwood Mac's Rumours on top of the Billboard Album Chart after its 29-week stay? The answer: Linda Ronstadt's Simple Dreams. Ronstadt's eighth studio album, it became one of her most successful and most beloved. Now, on the occasion of its 40th anniversary, the Grammy Award-winning Simple Dreams is receiving an expanded edition from Rhino Records. It's due on CD, vinyl LP, DD, and streaming platforms on September 22. The multi-platinum smash was Ronstadt's