Roy Orbison’s catalogue has been the subject of some interesting reissues of late from Legacy Recordings: the label recently reissued In Dreams: The Greatest Hits, a 1987 compilation of newly recorded versions of his old classics, and will reissue all three of his Monument Records albums (with a bonus “fourth,” posthumously assembled by his family) in a vinyl box set for Record Store Day. Legacy now adds two more latter-day archival projects to the schedule: a DVD reissue of the 1988 special A Black & White Night and a newly-expanded CD/DVD edition of…
Review, “Released! The Human Rights Concerts 1986-1989” On DVD and CD
Sex, drugs and rock and roll have been closely linked since, well, the dawn of rock and roll itself. But those who have been lucky enough to make a living in the rough-and-tumble world of rock have also frequently given themselves over to more noble pursuits. George Harrison’s 1971 Concert for Bangla Desh wasn’t the first time a rock superstar had performed for charity, but The Quiet Beatle’s star-studded event is rightfully considered the first benefit concert of such stature. Since then, there have been numerous other events bringing together rock’s biggest…
Release Round-Up: Week of November 5
David Bowie, The Next Day: Extra (ISO/Columbia) The year’s biggest comeback album is now available as a 2CD/1DVD set featuring B-sides, remixes, unreleased songs and four music videos. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Bob Dylan, The Complete Album Collection Vol. One (Columbia/Legacy) Dylan’s “official” albums discography from 1962 to 2012 is collected on this 47-disc set, featuring studio and live titles, 14 newly remastered albums and a two-disc compilation of non-LP material. CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Collector’s USB (features full discography in 320 kbps MP3/FLAC): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Jimi Hendrix Experience, Miami Pop Festival / Hear…
Merry Christmas, Baby! “A Very Special Christmas” Reissued with New DVD at Target Stores
If you can get over the shock of a good amount of holiday CDs available on the shelves at Target, you’ll find a surprise new exclusive: a reissue of the classic 1987 compilation A Very Special Christmas with a brand new DVD about the long-running holiday benefit series. Produced by acclaimed engineer-turned-label impresario Jimmy Iovine, A Very Special Christmas featured the brightest stars in pop music, from Springsteen to Madonna, recording new versions of classic carols (plus one modern classic, Run-D.M.C.’s “Christmas in Hollis”). Nearly all of its 15 tracks have become staples of…
Back to “The Labyrinth”: Sting’s Lute Album Revisited with Live Tracks
It’s likely the first time in history a “450th anniversary edition” of an album will ever be released! Universal is repackaging Sting’s esoteric 2006 outing Songs from the Labyrinth to commemorate the anniversary of the birth of the 16th century English composer to which Sting paid tribute on the album. Even for a fellow as intensely…Sting-like as the man born Gordon Sumner, you could be forgiven for seeing Songs from the Labyrinth as a tough sell. Working solely with Bosnian lutenist Edin Karamazov, Sting sang the melancholy works of Dowland (1563-1626), who earned contemporary accolades…
Release Round-Up: Week of October 22
Tears for Fears, The Hurting: Deluxe Edition (Mercury/UMe) The landmark debut album from the U.K. hitmakers celebrates its 30th anniversary with a new double-disc deluxe edition stocked with rare single-only material and a deluxe box set version with a bonus disc of John Peel sessions and the In My Mind’s Eye live concert film on DVD. 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 3CD/1DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Van Morrison, Moondance: Expanded Edition (Warner Bros./Rhino) Though Van would rather you not buy this box, it features his classic 1970 album (newly remastered and in a new 5.1 surround sound…
They Shall Be “Released”: Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Joni Mitchell, U2, Peter Gabriel, Miles Davis on Amnesty International Box
Since its founding in 1961, Amnesty International has endeavored “to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated.” The Nobel Peace Prize-winning international human rights organization has, naturally, attracted a number of high-profile supporters over the years. In 1988, a number of those men and women took the road to spread Amnesty’s message and raise funds via the Human Rights Now! world tour. The 25-city trek was headlined by Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Peter Gabriel, Tracy…
Release Round-Up: Week of September 24
Nirvana, In Utero: 20th Anniversary Edition (DGC/UMe) The grunge icon’s final album is greatly expanded in numerous formats for its two-decade mark, with B-sides, a new mix of the album and the band’s Live and Loud concert feature from MTV on CD and DVD. Check the post above to figure out which one suits you best! 1CD Standard remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 1CD Expanded remaster: Target (U.S.) 2CD Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 3CD/1DVD Super Deluxe Box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Live and Loud DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. The Waitresses, Just Desserts: The Complete Waitresses (Omnivore)…
Ease My Worried Mind: Clapton’s “Unplugged” Expanded with Rehearsal Takes
One of the unquestionable milestones of Eric Clapton’s career – his Unplugged live album – is set for an expanded CD/DVD reissue next month from the good folks at Rhino. When Clapton took to an intimate stage at Windsor’s Bray Film Studios in January 1992 for MTV’s Unplugged, he was already an unabashed master of his craft. But he was a man in transition: the ’80s saw him embracing mainstream pop on albums like August and Journeyman, and some quietly wondered if he’d ever revisit the blues tunes he so successfully introduced to the masses. Then…
Really Saying Something: Bananarama Reissues Coming from Edsel
“Hot summer streets and the pavements are burning, I sit around…” Summer may be over, but Edsel’s given Bananarama fans quite the reason to sing and dance: on October 22, they will reissue all six of the London girl group’s London Records albums as 2CD/1DVD sets. Known for their spunky, tomboyish image, powerful unison vocals and a style with one foot in both the past and the future – hits included covers of “Really Saying Something” by The Velvelettes, Steam’s “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” and Shocking Blue’s “Venus” (not…
Reissue Theory: “Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker”
Welcome to yet another installment of Reissue Theory, where we celebrate notable releases and the reissues they could someday see. On the King of Pop’s birthday, we remember one of the Bad era’s least-remembered but most captivating pieces of merchandise: Michael Jackson’s first feature film. The past year has seen quite the revival of interest in Michael Jackson’s 1987 album Bad. It’s hard to imagine an album that sold multiplatinum levels of records and spawned a record-setting five consecutive No. 1 hits might be considered “overrated” or “underrated,” but then again, how many albums…
Madness to Reissue “Take It or Leave It” on DVD
Madness may be all in the mind, but in October it’ll be on your TV screens thanks to a new reissue of the band’s film, Take It or Leave It, coming from Salvo Music in October. Directed by Stiff Records founder Dave Robinson and released in 1981, Take It or Leave It is a docudrama about the beloved British ska group, combining staged vignettes with live footage and other fun stuff. Released in conjunction with the band’s third album, 7, the film features various studio and live versions of songs from the band’s discography up to…
Back Tracks: John Mayer
This week saw the release of Paradise Valley, the sixth full-length album by singer/songwriter/guitarist John Mayer. The Connecticut-born performer remains one of the most intriguing figures in pop music since the dawn of the 2000s: educated at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, Mayer was the complete package for a generation – multifaceted in his musical talents (kind of an insane cross between James Taylor and Stevie Ray Vaughan), an unabashed encyclopedia of modern pop – and, as it happened, blessed with looks that would make ladies swoon and an off-the-wall sense of…
Nirvana to Serve the Servants with Anniversary Reissue of Final LP “In Utero” (UPDATED WITH TRACKLIST 8/13)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-uet7twNu0] The above video repurposes a vintage advertisement to tell fans that UMe is planning a 20th anniversary reissue of Nirvana’s final album, 1993’s In Utero, on September 24. In its own weird way, the video – featuring band members Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl being coached through a surreal lamaze class by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait – indicates how unusual the album was. In Utero was the polar opposite of 1991’s breakthrough Nevermind, with abrasive production by Steve Albini and considerably less accessible songs crafted by Kurt Cobain, who was clearly uncomfortable with his…
Tom Petty, The Clash, Dire Straits, Pat Benatar Featured On “The Best of Fridays”
When ABC-TV’s Fridays premiered on April 11, 1980, its agenda was not a hidden one: to grab a piece of the lucrative late-night comedy pie from NBC’s Saturday Night Live. Less than a year later, on March 10, 1981, The New York Times was trumpeting in a headline, “How ‘Fridays’ Beat ‘Saturday Night.’” Of course, Fridays’ domination didn’t last, and the program was off the air after just three seasons. The series has mainly lived on due to the infamous incident in which Andy Kaufman and Michael Richards got into a mock…
Grateful Dead’s “Sunshine Daydream” Offers Sought-After Live Show on CD, DVD, Blu-Ray
The Dead will rise in September with a new set from Rhino. Sunshine Daydream takes Deadheads back to one of the most sought-after shows in the band’s history – a blistering set in Veneta, Oregon in the dead of summer 1972 – on CD and video for the first time. Having just returned from a now-legendary tour of Europe (painstakingly chronicled by Rhino in one of the biggest box sets in recent memory), The Grateful Dead were in top form when they traveled to the Olde Renaissance Fairgrounds in Veneta, Oregon, to…
Then She Appeared: XTC’s “Nonsuch,” Newly Remixed and Ready for October Release
As previously reported, Nonsuch, the twelfth album by XTC, is getting reissued this year with a new surround mix by Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree and a host of audiovisual extras. Featuring production by early Elton John producer Gus Dudgeon and some of the best pastoral power-pop songwriting by band brain trust Andy Partridge and Colin Moulding, including the U.S. Modern Rock chart-topper “The Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead,” “The Disappointed,” “Wrapped in Grey” and many more, Nonsuch remains something of a bittersweet note for fans of the quirky trio. Fed up with what…
The Show Must Go On: Queen Plan “Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert” Blu-Ray, Vault Tracks with Michael Jackson
Queen and Eagle Rock Entertainment will release a newly-expanded edition of their unforgettable Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert this fall, on DVD and, for the first time, Blu-Ray Disc. Five months after the tragic passing of one of rock’s greatest frontmen from complications due to AIDS, surviving Queen members Brian May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor gathered dozens of famous collaborators and famous fans at London’s Wembley Arena on April 20, 1992. Some 72,000 people were in attendance, and worldwide broadcast audiences hovered around the billion mark. David Bowie, Annie Lennox, George Michael, Elton…
Release Round-Up: Week of July 23
Otis Redding, The Complete Stax/Volt Singles (Shout! Factory) A triple-disc set featuring every one of Otis’ single sides in mono – a striking statement on a short but iconic soul career. (Amazon U.S.) Smashing Pumpkins, The Aeroplane Flies High: Deluxe Edition (Virgin/UMe) The Pumpkins’ 1996 box set of Mellon Collie-era singles is massively expanded, with bonus tracks on each of the five original discs and an unreleased live CD and DVD. CD box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. LP box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Dionne Warwick, second wave of expanded reissues (Rhino/WEA Japan) This week, 11 Dionne Warwick…
Release Round-Up: Week of June 11
Paul McCartney and Wings, Rockshow (Eagle Rock) Macca’s newly-restored live show may not be in the Wings Over America box, but that means you can buy it for that much less now. (DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.; BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) ZZ Top, The Complete Studio Albums 1970-1990 (Warner Bros./Rhino) So not only are you getting all of ZZ Top’s London/Warner-era albums in one convenient box, but you’re getting a fair amount of them in their original mixes for the first time ever on CD. Win? Win. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) Various Artists, The…
Throw Off Your Mental Chains: Howard Jones Releases Music Video Anthology
New Wave hitmaker Howard Jones did a fantastic job remastering his catalogue through his own Dtox label with the help of Rhino U.K., releasing three great waves of remastered albums from his years on WEA/Elektra over the past three years. Now, he’s got one more package up his sleeve: a new anthology of music videos. The Video Collection will nicely collate not only all of Jones’ videos from his MTV years (with all the audio newly remastered), but four recent videos, taken mostly from the albums People (1998) and Ordinary Heroes (2009). (“Building Our Own Future,” the last…
What’s It All About: Burt Bacharach Celebrated On PBS, Lost Song Included on “Dionne Warwick Sings Burt Bacharach”
The first voice you’ll hear on My Music: Burt Bacharach’s Best, now airing on PBS stations nationwide, is that of The Maestro himself. “What’s it all about, Alfie?,” he sings in his familiar, quavering tone, finding the fragility in the Hal David lyric that he calls his favorite. Then comes “What the World Needs Now is Love,” sung by its composer with an assist from that International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers (Mike Myers). It’s appropriate that the solo Bacharach introduces this first-ever collection of complete archival performances drawn from the heyday of his…
WE HAVE OUR WINNERS! Judas Priest’s “Epitaph,” on DVD and Blu-Ray from Legacy Recordings, Are YOURS (and There’s More!)
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We Rock! “Sacred Heart”-Era Dio Show Remastered for CD, DVD, Blu-Ray
A reissue of Magica isn’t all Dio fans have to look forward to this summer on the catalogue front: Eagle Rock is remastering and expanding a 1986 live show from the legendary metal band across multiple formats. Finding the Sacred Heart: Live in Philly 1986 captures Dio’s full show from Philadelphia’s grand departed arena, The Spectrum, on June 17, 1986. The band’s most recent studio album, Sacred Heart, had been out for almost a year, but this leg of the tour featured the first of many lineup changes, with guitarist Craig Goldy replacing Vivian Campbell….
“Queen on Fire” Repressed by Eagle Rock in May
Eagle Rock Entertainment will release a straight reissue of the double-DVD set Queen on Fire: Live At The Bowl next month. Originally released in 2004, Queen on Fire captured the band during their Hot Space tour in 1982 – specifically, the last date on the European leg of the tour, at the Milton Keynes National Bowl on June 5, 1982. In addition to the complete concert, Queen on Fire also included a bonus disc featuring portions from two other shows on the tour – four cuts from a set at Vienna’s Stadthalle on May 12, 1982 and eight from…
Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention
September 25, 2026
