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 Discovery Edition): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
CD/BD/Vinyl box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Bon Jovi, New Jersey: Deluxe Edition (Mercury/UMe)

The New Jersey rockers celebrate the 25th anniversary of their fourth album (and their 30th anniversary as a band) with an expanded edition of the record that gave us “Bad Medicine,” “I’ll Be There for You” and others. Rarities include a bonus disc of demos and a DVD of rare video content.

1CD remaster: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD/1DVD Super Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, The Classic Albums Box / Frankie Valli, Selected Solo Works / Various Artists, Audio with a G: Sounds of a Jersey Boy – The Music of Bob Gaudio (Rhino)

Following up the release of the soundtrack to the Jersey Boys film last week, Rhino is releasing two box sets of The Four Seasons’ complete albums and most of Valli’s solo efforts (his Motown works are omitted), plus a compilation of the best of Four Seasons member/co-writer Bob Gaudio’s lengthy discography.

The Four Seasons: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Frankie Valli: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Bob Gaudio: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

The Jayhawks, Sound of Lies / Smile / Rainy Day Music: Expanded Editions (American Recordings/UMe)

The alt-country group’s full studio discography from 1997 to 2003 is remastered and expanded on CD with rare and unreleased bonus tracks.

Sound of Lies: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Smile: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Rainy Day Music: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Jethro Tull, A Passion Play: An Extended Performance (Chrysalis/Rhino)

Jethro Tull’s sixth album, released in 1973, get the deluxe treatment with new stereo and surround mixes from Steven Wilson plus unreleased sessions and video content.

2CD/2DVD box set: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
LP (Wilson stereo mix of original album): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Spanky & Our Gang, The Complete Mercury Singles / Lulu, The Atco Sessions 1969-1972 / Gal Costa, Gal Costa / Ronnie Dove, The Complete Original Chart Hits 1964-1969 / X, More Fun in the New World: Expanded & Remastered Edition / The New York Community Choir, Make Every Day Count: Expanded Edition / Grateful Dead, Dick’s Picks Vol. 17 — Boston Garden 9/25/91 (Real Gone Music)

The latest Real Gone slate features a little something for everyone, from harmonic ’60s pop (Spanky & Our Gang) to ’70s R&B (The New York Community Choir) to ’80s punk (X) – and some Grateful Dead, for good measure.

Spanky & Our Gang: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Lulu: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Gal Costa: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Ronnie Dove: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
X: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
The New York Community Choir: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
The Grateful Dead: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

The The, Soul Mining: 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Legacy)

The The’s breakthrough 1983 album plus seven bonus tracks, pressed on 180-gram vinyl. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Brain Salad Surgery: 40th Anniversary Edition (U.S. Release) (Razor and Tie)

Reissued some time ago in the U.K., ELP’s show that never ends is a three-disc affair featuring the remastered album in stereo, and alternate album assembly plus a DVD of old and new stereo mixes. (Amazon U.S.)

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 non-consecutive weeks on Billboard‘s charts, second only to Pink Floyd‘s Dark Side of the Moon. Its most recent reissue was in 2002, featuring all 14 tracks (including two cassette bonus tracks, “Easy Skanking” and “Punky Reggae Party”) in their original album versions. (A double-disc deluxe edition added a baker’s dozen of 12″ remixes.)

The 30th anniversary edition of Legend features a new variant on the 14-track album, with the live version of  “No Woman, No Cry” being replaced by its album version from 1973’s Natty Dread. The cassette bonus tracks have also been replaced by previously unreleased alternate versions. That playlist will be available in one set on both CD and Blu-Ray Pure Audio, featuring a new 5.1 surround mix by legendary mixer Bob Clearmountain. The 28-page casebound book package promises new liner notes (including forewords from the likes of Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder) and unseen photos. For the vinyl enthusiast, a double LP will also be pressed on tri-colored red, yellow and green wax.

The Legend continues on July 1, and you can get your copies after the jump.

Release Round-Up: Week of June 25

The Beatles, Help! (Blu-Ray Disc) (Capitol/Apple)

The Fab Four’s second film gets the hi-def disc treatment. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

The Three O’Clock, The Hidden World Revealed (Omnivore)

Early works by power-pop legends The Three O’Clock shine on this new compilation, featuring cuts from their early works on Frontier Records and 10 unreleased tracks. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Omnivore)

Released on limited colored vinyl for Record Store Day this year, the soundtrack to this new Big Star documentary features 21 unreleased outtakes and new mixes of favorites from the legendary cult heroes.

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

The Moody Blues, Timeless Flight (UMe)

Released in the U.K. earlier this month, this new anthology from the Moodies comes in two-disc, four-disc or 17-disc CD/DVD editions. Nothing like freedom of choice, right?

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
11CD/6DVD box: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Various Artists, Scared to Get Happy: A Story of Indie Pop 1980-1989 (Cherry Red)

A new five-disc anthology that’s basically the Nuggets of its genre, from Creation to Rough Trade, The Jesus & Mary Chain to The Stone Roses. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Allman Brothers Band, Brothers and Sisters: 40th Anniversary Edition (Mercury)

Four decades after “Ramblin’ Man” was an immense pop hit, the Allmans’ 1973 album comes back as a super-deluxe box featuring a disc of unreleased outtakes and a complete show from the Winterland Ballroom.

4CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

James Brown, Best of ‘Live at the Apollo’ 50th Anniversary (Polydor/UMe)

A single-disc compilation of the best of JB’s three King/Polydor live albums from the famed New York venue, along with two unreleased tracks from an unreleased fourth volume of material. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Devo, Hardcore Vols. 1 & 2 (Superior Viaduct)

Long out-of-print, these compilations of early Devo works make their debut on vinyl; a reissued CD edition with extra tracks will be released in two weeks.

Volume 1: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Volume 2 (2LP):  Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Steve Earle, The Warner Bros. Years (Shout! Factory)

This new box features Steve Earle’s three Warner albums from 1995 to 1997, plus two unreleased concerts on CD and DVD. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Elvis Presley, King Creole / Yes, Going for the One (SACDs) (Audio Fidelity)

Yes’ 1977 album, the first with Rick Wakeman since 1973, and Elvis’ 1958 soundtrack album (featuring “Hard Headed Woman”), are the latest to get the Audio Fidelity SACD treatment, mastered by Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray respectively.

King Creole: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Going for the One: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Sylvester, Mighty Real: Greatest Dance Hits (Fantasy)

The legendary disco performer is celebrated with a new compilation featuring his most classic hits and a new remix of “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real).”

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
LP: Amazon U.S.

Dio, Magica: Deluxe Edition (Niji Entertainment)

A new two-disc edition of the 2000 Dio album. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Bob Marley and The Wailers, Legend Remixed (Tuff Gong/Island/UMe)

New remixes of classic reggae favorites.

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Release Round-Up: Week of April 23

Bob Marley & The Wailers, Kaya: 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Island/Tuff Gong/UMe)

A newly-remastered deluxe version of Marley’s follow-up to Exodus, featuring the bonus track “Smile Jamaica” and an unreleased live show. A vinyl edition includes the regular album and the bonus track.

2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Electric Light Orchestra, Zoom / Live / Jeff Lynne, Armchair Theatre (Frontiers)

ELO’s 2001 album Zoom, and a subsequent set from a tour to promote the album, will be reissued on CD alongside band frontman Jeff Lynne’s solo album from 1990. All three will include unreleased bonus tracks.

Zoom: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Live: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Armchair Theatre: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Smile Jamaica! Bob Marley’s “Kaya” to Be Expanded with Unreleased Live Show

Bob Marley & The Wailers’ legendary repertoire for Island Records has been the focus of many reissues and celebratory packages, from the Legend compilation – the best-selling reggae album of all time, to new packages like dub compilations and the soundtrack to the recent documentary Marley. Next month, Island/UMe will celebrate another one of Marley’s memorable albums, expanding 1978’s Kaya.

While the material on Kaya is largely of a certain vintage – many of the tracks were Wailers standards in their early days on Trojan Records, and the album was recorded during the same sessions that yielded the previous year’s Exodus – that’s not to say it wasn’t fresh. It also wasn’t as politically charged as some of the band’s previous work, leading some critics to accuse him of softening his message in favor of easygoing songs about love and herb.

Few could doubt Marley’s commitment to his political beliefs that year, however. Having survived an assassination attempt in his native Jamaica in late 1976, Marley found himself returning to the island in the spring of 1978 for the One Love Peace Concert, which famously climaxed with him bringing Jamaican political rivals Michael Manley and Edward Seaga onstage to shake hands. (This portion of that concert was chronicled on the aforementioned Marley compilation.)

For the 35th anniversary of the record, Kaya will be expanded with not only one bonus track (the non-LP B-side “Smile Jamaica,” which has been appended to the album on previous reissues) but an unreleased concert from Rotterdam’s Ahoy in the summer of 1978. The album will also be reissued on vinyl with “Smile Jamaica” added, too. Featuring a 23-page booklet with lyrics, liner notes and unseen photos, you can find this new edition of Kaya in stores April 23.

Check out the full specs and order your copies after the jump!

Lively Up Yourself: Marley’s Dub Mixes Released on CD by Island

In a year which saw a new Bob Marley compilation with some rare material surface (to tie in with the recent Marley documentary film, due on DVD and Blu-Ray next Tuesday), Universal has again gone into the reggae legend’s vaults for a new compilation focusing on Marley and The Wailers’ dub mixes.

Dub, a subgenre of reggae with an emphasis on rhythm tracks, would enjoy heavy crossover appeal by the middle of the 1980s. But during The Wailers’ heyday, dub was consigned to some of the more innovative studio musicians of Jamaica, from King Tubby to Lee “Scratch” Perry. The Wailers’ dub mixes were often hard to find, rarely appearing outside of local dub plate singles on Marley’s Tuff Gong Records; some were never even released until the deluge of reissues and anthologies following Marley’s unexpected death in 1981.

As it stands, about seven of the 11 tracks on In Dub, Volume 1 have never been before released on a physical album. (This set was released as a digital download in 2010.) One newly-created mix, “Lively Up Your Dub,” has been created by noted reggae producer Scientist just for this set. And physical consumers rejoice! In Dub, Volume 1 (the promised first in a series) is available now on CD or vinyl. Hit the jump to order your copies and have a look at the track list.

Release Round-Up: Week of April 17

Janis Joplin, The Pearl Sessions (Columbia/Legacy)

Essentially a new double-disc deluxe edition of Joplin’s final album, with mono single mixes and a heap of mostly unreleased session outtakes as bonus tracks.

Little Richard, Here’s Little Richard (Specialty/Concord)

One of the cornerstone albums of modern rock is newly remastered and expanded with two demos, video content and an interview with Specialty label founder Art Rupe.

Bob Marley & The Wailers, Marley: The Original Soundtrack (Tuff Gong/Island)

It won’t supplant Legend, but this new two-disc compilation (to tie in with the new film) features hits, early obscurities and an unreleased live version of “Jammin'” from the historic One Love Peace concert.

Aretha Franklin, Who’s Zoomin’ Who? Deluxe Edition (Funky Town Grooves)

The Queen of Soul’s legendary ’80s comeback, expanded with every mix and edit of hit singles like “Freeway of Love,” “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” and the title track.

Cowboy Copas/Little Willie John/The Ad Libs, Complete Hit SIngles As & Bs (Real Gone Music)

The latest from Real Gone compiles singles from pioneers of their genres (country for Cowboy Copas, doo-wop for The Ad Libs and R&B for Willie John).

Grand Funk Railroad, Mark, Don & Mel 1969-71 (Iconoclassic)

This classic GFR compilation has been released by Iconoclassic before, but previous copies were plagued with mastering issues. Now, they’ve all been cleared, and if you buy now, you’ll get a good one.

Luther Vandross, Hidden Gems (Epic/Legacy)

In honor of what would have been the late crooner’s birthday, a new single-disc compilation highlighting lesser-known album tracks and soundtrack rarities.

Donovan/Brooks & Dunn/Alan Jackson/Mariah Carey, The Essential (Legacy)

Four double-disc Essential sets from Legacy, but only one (from recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Donovan) isn’t a repackaging of a prior compilation.

Get Up, Stand Up: “Marley” Soundtrack Chronicles Reggae Legend in Song

With the impending release of Marley, a new documentary chronicling the life and work of Jamaica’s favorite son, Universal is releasing a new compilation of tunes featured in the movie, featuring a few rare and unreleased goodies.

Robert Nestor Marley remains one of the definitive forces in the reggae genre. From his early works as a member of The Wailers alongside fellow legends Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer, to his reinvention of the group as a backing band for his increasingly beautiful, rhythmic and socially-conscious records in the mid-1970s, Marley remains a pioneer who is arguably responsible for the Western world taking any interest in the genre. (The 1984 compilation Legend, released three years after the singer passed away, remains the biggest-selling album of the genre.)

While the Marley soundtrack (to be released over two compact discs and three vinyl albums) features Marley and The Wailers’ biggest hits, including “Stir It Up,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Get Up, Stand Up,” “Three Little Birds” and “One Love/People Get Ready,” there are a few surprises to be had. In addition to the inclusion of a great deal of early Wailers material, much of which was released in the mid-’60s on Jamaican labels like Upsetter, Beverley’s and Marley’s own Wail’n Soul’m, and only belatedly introduced to American audiences on collectors’ sets like 1992’s Songs of Freedom box set, there is one completely unreleased track: a live version of “Jammin'” at the One Love Peace Concert held in Kingston in 1978. The concert, intended to quell political and social unrest in Marley’s home country, was the singer’s first live appearance there since surviving an assassination attempt two years earlier. During this performance, Marley invited Prime Minister Michael Manley and his rival, Jamaican Labour Party leader Edward Seaga, to the stage and held hands with them both – a striking gesture of Marley’s tireless efforts for peace.

The soundtrack is available Tuesday, April 17, and the full track list is after the jump.

Bob Marley & The Wailers, Marley: The Original Soundtrack (Tuff Gong/Island B0016736-02, 2012)

Disc 1

1. Corner Stone
2. Judge Not
3. Simmer Down
4. Small Axe
5. Mellow Mood
6. Stir It Up
7. Concrete Jungle
8. Crazy Baldhead
9. Natty Dread
10. Trenchtown Rock (Live @ The Roxy, West Hollywood – 5/26/1976)
11. Get Up, Stand Up
12. Work

Disc 2

1. Jammin’ (Live @ The National Stadium, Kingston, Jamaica – 4/22/1978)
2. Exodus Dub (Kindred Spirit Dub Mix)
3. No Woman, No Cry (Live @ The Lyceum, London – 7/18/1974)
4. War/No More Trouble (Live @ The Rainbow, London – 6/4/1977)
5. I Shot the Sheriff (Live @ The Lyceum, London – 7/18/1974)
6. Roots, Rock, Reggae
7. Three Little Birds
8. Real Situation
9. Could You Be Loved
10. One Love/People Get Ready
11. Redemption Song
12. High Tide, Low Tide

Disc 1, Track 1 from Soul Rebels (Upsetter/Trojan, 1970)
Disc 1, Track 2 released on Beverley’s single, 1962
Disc 1, Track 3 from The Wailing Wailers (Studio One, 1965)
Disc 1, Tracks 4 and 11 from Burnin’ (Tuff Gong/Island, 1973)
Disc 1, Track 5 released on Wail’n Soul’m single, 1966
Disc 1, Tracks 6-7 from Catch a Fire (Tuff Gong/Island, 1973)
Disc 1, Track 8 and Disc 2, Track 6 from Rastaman Vibration (Tuff Gong/Island, 1976)
Disc 1, Track 9 from Natty Dread (Tuff Gong/Island, 1974)
Disc 1, Track 10 from Natural Mystic (Tuff Gong/Island, 1995)
Disc 1, Track 12 and Disc 2, Tracks 8-9 and 11 from Uprising (Tuff Gong/Island, 1980)
Disc 2, Track 1 previously unreleased
Disc 2, Track 2 released on Tuff Gong/Island 12″ single (U.K.), 1992
Disc 2, Tracks 3 and 5 from Live! (Tuff Gong/Island, 1975)
Disc 2, Track 4 from Exodus: Deluxe Edition (Tuff Gong/Island, 2001)
Disc 2, Tracks 7 and 10 from Exodus (Tuff Gong/Island, 1977)
Disc 2, Track 12 first released on Songs of Freedom (Tuff Gong/Island, 1992)

Legacy Plans Artist Collections, Themed Sets for New “Playlist” Batch

Brace yourselves, compilation collectors: Legacy’s got another batch of Playlist titles out next week.

The latest batch of set, due out January 31, skew mainly toward modern country and rootsier rock (Gretchen Wilson, Montgomery Gentry, solo works by Gregg Allman) with some wild cards thrown in for good measure (R&B from Charlie Wilson of The Gap Band and Wyclef Jean, contemporary pop-rockers Augustana, a set from The Hooters that was delayed from the last batch). In a nice change of pace, a few multi-artist themed compilations are present, too – one for February’s Black History Month and one of modern reggae tunes.

All the scoop on these sets is after the jump.

The Second Disc Buyers Guide: The 100 Greatest Reissues of All Time, Part 11 (#50-46)

And so starts the second half of our 100 Greatest Reissues feature! We’ve taken Rolling Stone‘s list of the 100 greatest albums of all time from 2003 and scoured the history of each one on compact disc, making note of masterings, packaging and bonus tracks wherever possible. These next five are some of the definitive statements in their respective genres, from rock to rap to reggae to jazz; we’re sure there’s something for everyone in this entry!

50. Little Richard, Here’s Little Richard (Specialty, 1957)

With a handful of nonsensical syllables – “A-wop-bop-a-loo-bop-a-lop-bop-bop” – Richard Penniman helped shape rock and roll forever. Two years of killer singles and definitive performances of the genre culminated in Here’s Little Richard, his first long-playing record. (Believe it or not, it was one of his only for Specialty Records; after another self-titled album the next year, he would turn his back on rock for gospel music, and would spend much of his career between the two.) In addition to “Tutti Frutti,” key tracks included “Rip It Up,” “Ready Teddy” and the equally iconic “Long Tall Sally.”

Despite its deserved status in the rock canon, Here’s Little Richard is sort of a subdued title on CD. First released by beloved U.K. label Ace in the late ’80s (CDCHM 128), that release remains in print. A Mobile Fidelity hybrid SACD release (UDSACD 2028, 2006) paired Here’s Little Richard with its self-titled follow-up; both are found together on CD in this set by the import Hoodoo label. (A Mobile Fidelity vinyl pressing – MFSL 1-287 – also exists.) Completists will want to check out two boxes entitled The Specialty Sessions that exhaustively chronicle this fertile period in rock history: a hard-to-find six-disc version by Ace (ABOXCD 1, 1989) and a slightly easier-to-find triple-disc set on Specialty 8508, released a year later.

49. The Allman Brothers Band, At Fillmore East (Capricorn, 1971)

On the surface, The Allman Brothers looked like your typical Southern-fried rock band. Digging deeper, though, they were a strong band with deep connections to each other onstage. Their work over two nights at the Fillmore East in March of 1971 suggests a jazz collective as much as good ol’ boys, and the subsequent live album, with its insanely prodigious extended jams (some stretching all the way to 20 minutes), was one to listen to no matter how much you liked country. The Fillmore shows also proved ripe for the group’s subsequent album, Eat a Peach – which featured extras from the shows (including the half-hour “Mountain Jam,” extended over two sides of vinyl!) – as well as the sound systems of fans everywhere, with the alternately mixed and edited quadrophonic pressings of the album serving as a treat to early adopter audiophiles.

The first CD release of At Fillmore East was a double-disc set in Europe on Polydor (823 273-2) in 1986. Dennis M. Drake receives digital mastering credit. In 1989, the Dreams box set (Polydor 839 417-2) featured two tracks from the original LP (“Whipping Post” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”), as remixed from the quadrophonic masters. It also included an unreleased track from those March 13-14 shows, “Drunken Hearted Boy.” The Fillmore tracks from At Fillmore East, Eat a Peach and Dreams, along with one other track (“Don’t Keep Me Wonderin’,” first released on 1972’s Duane Allman: An Anthology), were re-edited and remixed for 1992’s The Fillmore Concerts (Polydor 314 517 294-2); that same year, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab remastered the original album on two gold CDs (UDCD 2-558).

In 1997, the original album, remastered by Suha Gur, was released on CD as Capricorn 314 531 260-2. The next year, a DTS CD (DTS Entertainment 710215 4410 2 3) provided the first CD edition of the album with the original quadrophonic mix. Gur remixed and remastered the Fillmore material yet again for a Deluxe Edition (again, with one more track, “Midnight Rider” from Duane Allman: An Anthology II). That set (Mercury B0000401-02, 2003) was followed a year later by a hybrid SACD version (Mercury B0000400-36) of the original album – the final word, for now.

After the jump, it’s all about the rhythm and the rebel, in more ways than one!