From “Last Christmas” To “Blue Xmas”: Legacy’s Black Friday Slate Features Wham!, Miles Davis, Hendrix, Kinks, Elvis, More

It’s that time of year again!

Announcements are finally coming in for Record Store Day’s annual Black Friday event happening on Friday, November 28. Rather than storming malls and big box stores, maybe you’ll want to pay a visit to your favorite local independent record store for an assortment of exclusive vinyl goodies.  Legacy Recordings certainly hopes you will; the label’s roster for Black Friday’s RSD event includes titles from heavy-hitters including David Bowie, Joe Satriani, Miles Davis, Dave Matthews Band, Elvis Presley, The Kinks and Jimi Hendrix!

And that’s not all! Longtime readers know that Christmas is our favorite time of the year at Second Disc HQ!  We’ve already filled you in on Joe’s two holiday-themed projects due on November 4 from Real Gone Music – Robert Goulet’s Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings and the long-awaited reissue of The Williams Brothers Christmas Album featuring Andy and his brothers – and today, it’s Mike’s turn!  Fresh from his work on a pair of exciting Ghostbusters-related projects – the sold-out glow-in-the-dark EP of Ray Parker Jr.’s immortal title song and a brand-new, Stay Puft super deluxe marshmallow-scented (yes, you read that right!) vinyl release from Ray Parker, Jr. and Run-DMC – Mike is delivering a little Wham! for the holidays as co-producer of a 12-inch red and green vinyl single featuring both the classic “Last Christmas” and a previously unreleased instrumental mix!  Trust me – no Christmas party will want to be without this one!

Hit the jump to explore Legacy’s full slate of Black Friday Record Store Day titles, all of which will be available at a participating RSD retailer on Friday, November 28! And watch this space for more announcements coming soon!

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 breakthrough third LP gets expanded and remixed in surround by Steve Wilson, who worked similar magic on Close to the Edge and XTC’s Nonsuch.

CD/DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
CD/BD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

XTC, Skylarking: Corrected Polarity Edition (Ape House)

Speaking of XTC, the band’s Todd Rundgren-produced 1986 effort, presented with intended album art and running order (with “Dear God” integrated into the track list), was remastered for vinyl in 2010; now, that superior presentation makes its way to CD. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Toto, Toto / Hydra / Turn Back (Rock Candy)

Get ready to “Hold the Line” with these new remasters from Rock Candy of Toto’s first three albums (their debut includes a 12″ mix of “Georgy Porgy”).

Toto: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Hydra: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Turn Back: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Various Artists, Porky’s Revenge: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Varese Sarabande)

The third, flop installment in the Porky’ franchise nonetheless had a killer soundtrack assembled by Dave Edmunds and featuring contributions from George Harrison, Jeff Beck, Willie Nelson and more. Joe’s full article will run later today! (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Still Surfing: Joe Satriani’s “Complete Studio Recordings” Collected on New Box Set

Close your eyes and think about Joe Satriani.  Chances are if you’re not picturing the guitar hero himself, you’re picturing his sophomore album, 1987’s Surfing with the Alien.  The artwork adorning the album, majestically drawn by Marvel Comics legend John Byrne for a 1982 comic book, depicts Marvel Comics’ noble Silver Surfer astride his surfboard as he travels through the farthest reaches of space.  Though Satriani hasn’t explored any new galaxies (yet), he has traveled many sonic avenues.  And for the very first time, you’ll be able to hear all of them in one place thanks to Epic Records and Legacy Recordings’ upcoming release of Joe Satriani: The Complete Studio Recordings.  This 15-CD box set due on April 22 houses each one of the axeman’s studio LPs between 1986’s Not of This Earth and 2013’s Unstoppable Momentum in newly-remastered editions.  To sweeten the pot, an exclusive bonus disc will round up an array of Satriani rarities.

 The New York native, born in 1956, made his solo debut on the Relativity label in 1986 with Not of This Earth, but broke through to the mainstream the next year with Surfing with the Alien.  Not only did three hit singles emerge from the album (the title track, “Satch Boogie” and the radio-only single “Always with Me, Always with You”) but the album peaked in the Top 40 of the Billboard 200 and eventually went platinum.  Satriani also received his first two Grammy nominations for Surfing; to date, he has fifteen such nods and, unbelievably, no wins.  Six-string master Satriani has continued to record regularly, but has also found time for extracurricular pursuits as a sideman and as a founding member of the rock supergroup Chickenfoot.  He’s played lead guitar live for Mick Jagger and Deep Purple, and has toured alongside the likes of Steve Lukather, Brian May, Robert Fripp, and Steve Vai.  Satriani shares a special connection with Vai, who was one of Satriani’s students from his days as a guitar teacher.  Among Satriani’s other past students are Kirk Hammett (Metallica), Larry LaLonde, David Bryson (Counting Crows) and Charlie Hunter.

What can you expect to find on the new box set?  Just hit the jump for more info including the complete track listing for the bonus disc!

Chickenfoot’s Debut Gets New Legs on Double-Disc Set

It only saw release a few years back, but hard-rock supergroup Chickenfoot is reissuing their out-of-print debut album with a nice amount of extra tracks.

The incredible pedigree of the band – featuring former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony on vocals and bass, respectively, along with guitarist Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith – earned a heavy amount of media attention upon first release, particularly as Hagar and Anthony’s former bandmates in Van Halen re-recruited David Lee Roth to join them on tour. Don’t expect VH clones on Chickenfoot’s self-titled debut, though. Smith’s kinetic drumming and Satriani’s always-virtuosic six-string licks kept hard rock traditions alive while marking new territory for the quartet.

Amazingly, despite its A-list status (and, for a modern rock album, impressive gold record from the RIAA for over 500,000 copies shipped), the album fell out of print in recent years. To remedy this, the group acquired the masters are partnering with the eOne label (who released the band’s sophomore disc, Chickenfoot III, in 2011) to expand and reissue the disc.

The double-disc set will feature newly-heard live tracks recorded during the group’s Different Devil Tour, in support of Chickenfoot III – all of which seem to be songs from that album – as well as “Bitten by the Wolf,” a studio bonus track on import pressings and digital editions of the original album. (No word as to whether or not the new pressing will retain the neat original cover, printed with heat-sensitive ink.)

Hit the jump to pre-order your copy and view the track list. (A hat tip to Ultimate Classic Rock for getting the scoop on this set!)