Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Elton John, Live from Moscow 1979 (Mercury/UMe) 2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2019 marked the 40th anniversary of Elton John's landmark tour of Russia, where he stunned audiences as the first rocker to perform in the country. His concerts there were intimate events where he performed alongside percussionist Ray Cooper. Now, Elton brings his May 28, 1979 concert in Moscow to
For many years, fans of power pop had their Magna Carta of a CD: Fantasy Records' two-fer of Big Star's #1 Record and Radio City, the primary records issued by the legendary Memphis band. Various vinyl reissues of the individual albums have come and gone, too, most notably the 2014 reissues on the Stax label. Now, both #1 Record and Radio City are coming back to vinyl on January 24 from Craft Recordings. Both albums will be newly remastered - all-analog! - by Jeff Powell at Memphis' Take Out
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! The Kinks, Arthur, or The Decline and Fall of the British Empire [Various Formats] (BMG) 4CD/4-seven-inch single box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Kinks Official 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Kinks Official 2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / The Kinks Official The Kinks' 1969 concept album continued in the quintessentially British vein of The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation
It's that time of year -- the temperatures are falling, the leaves about to change color. And that can only mean one thing: Record Store Day Black Friday announcements! You've seen Rhino, Universal and Craft's line-ups; now, take a look at what Omnivore Recordings and Real Gone Music have each unveiled for this year's celebrations. Let's take a look! Alex Chilton, My Rival (Omnivore) Omnivore Recordings invites listeners into an "alternate universe" with their 10" EP of previously unissued
Omnivore Recordings has a reputation for being one of the most diverse reissue labels around. What other label could be home to Big Star and Mister Rogers? Well, omnivorous listeners have reason to delight, as Omnivore has announced new reissues from both legendary talents due for release in October! It's been more than fifty years since the celebrated children's show Mister Rogers' Neighborhood first aired, yet Fred Rogers' name remains in the public eye thanks in no small part to the
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Big Star, Live on WLIR (Omnivore) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada 2-LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Omnivore has Live On WLIR, a newly restored and remastered version of Big Star's legendary 1974 radio broadcast. The 15-track collection is available on CD and 2-LP. The release marks the vinyl debut of this raw, live set. Read more here! Love Actually: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Real Gone
Few bands from the 1970s have seen as much resurgence in popularity as Big Star. Anchored by Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens, the Memphis-based power-pop group didn't make much of a commercial splash during their original years together, but their cult following has grown over the years. That's thanks in no small part to a series of fine reissues by Omnivore Recordings. In January, Omnivore will release Live On WLIR, a new, remastered version of Big Star's legendary 1974 radio broadcast. The
UPDATE (3/30): These three previously reported expansions are now available to pre-order directly from Omnivore, with Amazon links coming soon! ORIGINAL POST (1/3/2018): Power pop masterminds The Posies will celebrate their 30th anniversary this year by teaming up with Omnivore Recordings and PledgeMusic for reissues of three albums recorded for DGC Records in the mid-'90s. Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, the core members of the group, released the first Posies album, Failure, in 1988.
Stax Records is rightfully renowned for its catalogue of deep southern soul straight from the heart of Memphis. But, like its famous Detroit competitor Motown, the label founded by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton released music in a variety of sounds and styles. The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (released in 1991 and reissued by Rhino in 2016 was the first major archival box to begin to address the Stax legacy in record-by-record fashion. It was followed by The Complete Stax-Volt Soul
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Dionne Warwick, Odds and Ends: Scepter Records Rarities (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) From 1962 to 1971, Dionne Warwick, working primarily with songwriters/producers Burt Bacharach and Hal David, notched over twenty Top 40 hits on the Scepter label and garnered two Grammy Awards. Yet while there have been numerous reissues of Warwick's work at Scepter, some material has been overlooked. This new collection
Power pop masterminds The Posies will celebrate their 30th anniversary this year by teaming up with Omnivore Recordings and PledgeMusic for reissues of three albums recorded for DGC Records in the mid-'90s. Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, the core members of the group, released the first Posies album, Failure, in 1988. (That self-released title was reissued by Omnivore in 2014.) Signing to Geffen's rock subsidiary in 1990 (where they'd count Nirvana and Weezer as labelmates), the group's
Craft Recordings has been doing great things with the Stax Records catalogue in honor of its 60th anniversary (check out our most recent review of the new Isaac Hayes box set for proof!) - and now, they're continuing a beloved box set series with a new collection of the label's singles. Continuing the trend established by The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968 (released in 1991 and reissued by Rhino in 2016), The Complete Stax-Volt Soul Singles, Vol. 2: 1968-1971 (1993, reissued 2014) and
Omnivore Recordings has long been the destination for all things Big Star--and next year, the label will release one of the band's few official live concerts outside of the box set it debuted in. Live At Lafayette's Music Room, to be released January 12, showcases the legendary power pop band kicking off 1973 at the acclaimed Memphis venue. Co-founder Chris Bell had recently departed the group, leaving singer/guitarist Alex Chilton, bassist Andy Hummel and drummer Jody Stephens to continue as
As we continue to make our way through the offerings for this year's Black Friday Record Store Day event coming on November 24, let's now look at what Omnivore Recordings has on tap with its three releases. First up is the 6-LP The Complete Chris Bell. This set, consisting of the solo output of the Big Star co-founder, reconfigures the material from earlier Omnivore CD releases: July's Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star and September's I Am The Cosmos: Deluxe Edition. As a bonus, the
Omnivore Recordings has kept the flame for Big Star burning brightly in recent years as the label continues to plumb the depths of the cult band's story from various angles. Two recent releases shed light on the solo works of Big Star's late musical heroes Alex Chilton and Chris Bell: an expanded reissue of Chilton's 1995 solo album A Man Called Destruction; and an updated, expanded version of Bell's I Am the Cosmos. The second album since Chilton's 1993 solo "comeback" Clichés, A Man Called
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
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
Omnivore's Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star Featuring Chris Bell was the first of several planned releases from the Grammy Award-winning label showcasing the talents of Big Star co-founder Bell, who passed away in 1978. The label recently announced their next two Bell projects: a new expanded edition of the quintessential Bell collection I Am The Cosmos, and a definitive archive of his work as a 6LP box set. Prior to Rykodisc's I Am The Cosmos in 1992, only two of the tracks (the title
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! David Bowie, Cracked Actor: Live in Los Angeles 1974 (Parlophone/Rhino) (Amazon U.S./ Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada) Cracked Actor: Live in Los Angeles 1974 is the first authorized release of Bowie's Philly Dogs Tour show at Los Angeles' Universal Amphitheatre, from September 1974. First released earlier this year on vinyl only, some of this performance was featured in Alan Yentob's BBC documentary also known as Cracked Actor. The original tapes
UPDATE 5/24/17 TO ORIGINAL POST OF 3/6/17: If you do as Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg says and "never travel far without a little Big Star," some new products related to the legendarily underrated Memphis rockers may find a place on your shelves. Set for release on June 16 from Stax Records and Craft Recordings, the new compilation The Best of Big Star tidily collects (on one CD, digitally, or 2 LPs playable at 45 RPM) 16 tracks from the legendary band's #1 Record, Radio City and
Though Chris Bell's life and career ended far too soon after a car accident days after Christmas of 1978, the Big Star co-founder is getting his due in a series of projects with Omnivore Recordings, the label that's released a veritable treasure trove of Big Star archival material over the years. The first, announced today, is Looking Forward: The Roots of Big Star, a 22-track collection gathering Bell's material from the late '60s and early '70s, before recruiting Alex Chilton, Andy Hummel
Welcome to our annual rundown of Must-Haves for this year's Record Store Day event! Once you're through reading, let us know what you're most looking forward to picking up tomorrow at your favorite local independent retailer! Our list features just a sampling of our favorites from our friends at Legacy Recordings, Varese Sarabande, Rhino Records, Walt Disney Records, Real Gone Music, Omnivore Recordings, and many more! Mike's kicking things off... This year's Record Store Day offerings
Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up! Various Artists, Honeybeat: '60s Groovy Girl-Pop (Real Gone Music) CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada Honeybeat: Groovy 60s Girl Pop, curated by Sheila Burgel from the Sony archives and released on Real Gone Music, features 19 songs from nine different labels, nearly a third of which have never been released on CD. While some tracks come from known artists such as Little Eva, Skeeter
This morning, Omnivore Recordings announced its Record Store Day slate, boasting a trio of limited edition vinyl editions from Big Star, NRBQ and the Art Pepper Quartet. These will be available at your favorite local independent record store on Saturday, April 22 as part of this year's RSD festivities. The 1957 album The Art Pepper Quartet, featuring alto saxophonist Pepper, bassist Ben Tucker, pianist Russ Freeman and drummer Gary Frommer, marks its 60th anniversary this year. Omnivore
If you do as Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg says and "never travel far without a little Big Star," some new products related to the legendarily underrated Memphis rockers may find a place on your shelves. Concord Bicycle Music recently announced the springtime release of Thank You, Friends: Big Star's Third Live...and More. This exciting set pays tribute to the legendary power pop band's "lost" third album, recorded in 1974 but shelved until 1978, after the band broke up. In 2010,