Release Round-Up: Week of October 21

Ray Parker Jr. & Run-DMC, Ghostbusters: Stay Puft Edition Super Deluxe Vinyl (Legacy)

The Marshmallow Man is back!  The Stay Puft Super Deluxe Edition Vinyl is a limited edition collectible that every Ghostbusters fan will want to take home!  Co-produced by The Second Disc’s Mike Duquette, this set contains the No. 1 hit single “Ghostbusters” by Ray Parker Jr. and the “Ghostbusters” rap by Run-DMC for the film’s hit sequel, with both tracks on a white 12” single in a deluxe, puffy, package that smells like marshmallows!

Suzi Quatro, The Girl from Detroit City (Cherry Red) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Cherry Red has a 4-CD, 82-track overview of the glam rock icon (and Happy Days star)’s career, including her early, 60s pop sides, her prime hitmaking period, and even her forays into musical theatre!  Joe will have a full review up soon!

The Hollies, 50 at Fifty (Parlophone/Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

This new 3-CD Hollies anthology, marking the harmony purveyors’ 50th year of recording, arrived in the U.K. last month but today gets its American release from Rhino.

Mike Oldfield, The Studio Albums 1992-2003 (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Rhino boxes up eight Oldfield albums in one CD box set, including three Tubular Bells variations.

Spandau Ballet, The Very Best of Spandau Ballet: The Story (Rhino)

The New Romantic hitmakers behind “True” look back on their career with this set, available in 1-CD and 2-CD iterations.

1-CD: Amazon U.S.  / Amazon U.K.

2-CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 

Ian Hunter, All-American Alien Boy (Varese Sarabande) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Varese is restoring the second solo album from Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter to print in the U.S. with the six bonus tracks first appended to the 30th anniversary edition.  The 1976 album features personnel including Jaco Pastorius, David Sanborn, Lew Soloff, Auyn and the members of Queen!  Watch this space for an exciting opportunity to WIN a copy of this reissue!

Gavin DeGraw, Finest Hour: The Best of Gavin DeGraw (RCA) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

The singer-songwriter and Dancing with the Stars contestant has an 11-track compilation, featuring producer Max Martin’s previously unreleased version of “In Love with a Girl” and a new version of “Finest Hour.”

Neil Diamond, Melody Road (Capitol) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Neil Diamond returns with his 32nd studio album and first for Capitol, and its 12 songs in the artist’s vintage style add up to a warmly nostalgic trip for longtime fans.  Target has an exclusive edition with two bonus tracks which may be outtakes from his 2010 covers project Dreams: renditions of George Harrison’s “Something” and Harry Nilsson’s”Remember,” and this edition is also available as an import at this link.  Look for my review of Melody Road soon!

Earth, Wind & Fire, Holiday (Legacy) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

The venerable R&B outfit offers its first-ever holiday album, with favorites like “Winter Wonderland” and “Sleigh Ride” alongside reworked versions of “September” (yup, it’s “December”!) and “Happy Feelin'” – which this joyous celebration just might give you!

Scott Walker and Sunn O))), Soused (4AD) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

The sixties pop crooner-turned-avant garde hero Scott Walker teams up with California drone metal band Sunn O))) for a 5-track, 50-minute record that pushes the envelope for both artists.  We’re marking this unusual release this week with a look back at the entirety of Walker’s career in a special two-part Back Tracks retrospective beginning tomorrow!

Aretha Franklin, Sings the Great Diva Classics (RCA) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

The Queen of Soul reunites with Clive Davis for her latest studio album, a tribute to her fellow divas – then and now – including Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross, Dinah Washington and Adele!

Billy Idol, Kings and Queens of the Underground (Kobalt) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Billy Idol is back with his rebel yell and sneer intact on his first album since 2005, produced by Trevor Horn and Greg Kurstin!

Annie Lennox, Nostalgia (Blue Note) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Annie Lennox usually hasn’t been one to bask in nostalgia, but here she is, bringing her own spin to such Great American Songbook standards as “Summertime” and “God Bless the Child.” The Amazon U.S.-exclusive edition has a bonus disc featuring a Lennox interview and a live version of blues staple “I Put a Spell on You.”

Virgin Records Celebrates “40 Years of Disruptions” with New Compilation, Picture Discs

Virgin Records, one of England’s most iconic labels, turns 40 this year – and they’re celebrating with a new compilation full of hits from their storied existence.

The Virgin label was largely the brainchild of one young businessman named Richard Branson. The London-born Branson began his career selling records by mail order and later opening a shop on Oxford Street. The Virgin label was blessed with early success thanks to a willingness to sign acts that major U.K. labels were keen to dismiss. This netted them a smash hit with their very first release, Mike Oldfield’s captivating instrumental “Tubular Bells,” as well as a place in cultural history as the label who’d ultimately made the strongest commitment to punk band The Sex Pistols, after EMI and A&M each dropped the band. (It was Virgin who’d pressed the commercial version of their No. 2 hit “God Save The Queen” as well as their sole studio album, Never Mind The Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols.)

The decades to come found Virgin succeeding with all sorts of genres: MTV-ready pop/rock (Culture Club, The Human League, The Spice Girls), groundbreaking alt-rock and New Wave (Simple Minds, XTC), multi-generational rock (Genesis and its two most famous frontmen, Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins; The Rolling Stones, for a time) hip-hop and dance (Soul II Soul, Neneh Cherry, Daft Punk, Massive Attack) and more, all the way up to the present (recent critical and commercial hits include tracks by Swedish House Mafia, Emili Sandé and CHVRCHES).

Branson would ultimately sell Virgin to EMI in 1992 to keep other parts of his business empire afloat; the iconoclastic entrepreneur found success in everything from air travel to publishing to music festivals (Europe’s V Festival) to record stores (the late Virgin Megastores) to mobile phones to…well, even more interesting stuff (Branson plans to be aboard the inaugural Virgin Galactic flight – a commercial space trip – this year.) The label continues to exist, now of course under the Universal Music Group family.

Virgin Records: 40 Years of Disruptions plans to honor the label’s indomitable spirit across two discs, along with a bonus EP of current Virgin artists covering some classic tracks, including cuts by John Lennon, Peter Gabriel, Massive Attack and others. The set is in stores today, amid a swath of exhibitions in honor of the label around the U.K. area. The label is also selling a handful of their most beloved titles, including singles and albums, as limited edition vinyl titles (many of which are picture discs). The full list is available at Universal’s Uvinyl page.

As always, you can check out the track list and buy the set after the jump.

Release Round-Up: Week of September 3

Rod Stewart, Rarities (Mercury/UMe)

It’s Rod at his rarest: two discs of outtakes, non-LP singles and other good stuff, including two unreleased BBC session tracks. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Jefferson Starship, Live in Central Park NYC May 12, 1975 / Claudia Lennear, Phew! / Ponderosa Twins Plus One, 2+2+1=Ponderosa Twins Plus One / Jo Ann Campbell, All the Hits—Her Complete Cameo Recordings / Joanie Sommers, Come Alive!—The Complete Columbia Recordings / Stonewall Jackson, Original Greatest Hits / The Paley Brothers, The Complete Recordings (Real Gone Music)

The latest releases from the folks at Real Gone Music, all of which you can read about here.

Jefferson Starship: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Claudia Lennear: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Ponderosa Twins Plus One: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Jo Ann Campbell: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Joanie Sommers: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Stonewall Jackson: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
The Paley Brothers: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Mike Oldfield, Five Miles Out / Crises: Deluxe Editions (Mercury/UMC)

The latest in the Mike Oldfield reissue series includes a triple-disc version of his seventh album from 1982 and a five-disc version of the 1983 follow-up.

Five Miles Out CD: Amazon U.K.
Five Miles Out 2CD+DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Five Miles Out LP: Amazon U.K.
Crises CD: Amazon U.K.
Crises 2CD: Amazon U.K.
Crises 3CD+2DVD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Crises LP: Amazon U.K.

Yes, High Vibration SACD Box (Warner Music Japan)

A new hybrid SACD box set includes every Yes album from 1969 to 1987, plus a 12-track disc of bonus non-LP tracks and remixes. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Various Artists, The Rocky Horror Show: Album Box Set (Salvo)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show box set, released on CD in 1990, is replicated on this new set from Salvo. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

The Breeders, LSXX (4AD/Beggars Archive)

Already available on CD, this expanded edition of The Breeders’ Last Splash comes as a seven-disc vinyl box. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Kim Wilde, Close: Remastered Expanded Edition (Universal U.K.)

One of Kim Wilde’s most successful albums gets the double-disc treatment. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Various Artists, Monterey International Pop Festival (Salvo)

Four discs of performances from the acclaimed 1967 festival. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Gilbert O’Sullivan, By Larry / Every Song Has Its Play (Salvo/Union Square Music)

O’Sullivan’s 1994 and 1995 albums are the latest to be reissued by Salvo, with new sleeve notes (and a bonus track for Larry).

By Larry: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Every Song Has Its Play: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Poco, Pickin’ Up the Pieces / Rush, Hemispheres (Hybrid SACD-DSD) (Audio Fidelity)

The latest SACDs from Audio Fidelity: Poco’s 1969 debut, mastered by Steve Hoffman, and a Kevin Gray-mastered version of Rush’s sixth album.

Poco: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Rush: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Mike Oldfield Remaster Campaign Continues with “Crises,” “Five Miles Out”

Universal’s Mike Oldfield expanded remaster campaign begins with reissues of two of his more pop-friendly records: 1982’s Five Miles Out and 1983’s Crises, both of which will come packed with extras in September.

While both albums featured their share of ambitious and complex pieces like “Taurus II” and Crises‘ title track, there was an increasing presence of keyboards on both albums, notably the Fairlight CMI and Oberheim OBX synthesizers. On Five Miles Out, Oldfield made rare vocal appearances alongside Scottish singer Maggie Reilly, who’d first collaborated with Oldfield on 1980’s QE2 and would work with him throughout the 1980s. Crises, meanwhile, features vocals from Reilly, British vocalist Roger Chapman and Jon Anderson of Yes.

While Crises yielded Oldfield’s most successful single in Europe with “Moonlight Shadow,” Five Miles Out yielded what is technically his most successful song in the U.S.: “Family Man,” which was taken to No. 6 in 1982 by Daryl Hall & John Oates.

And what extras await you on the expanded editions of these albums? Find out after the jump!

Release Round-Up: Week of August 14

Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (Mobile Fidelity)

Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab is issuing newly-remastered stereo hybrid SACDs of classic Bob Dylan albums, and today’s release is the 1963 Freewheelin’, Dylan’s second long-player.  Read more here.

Incubus, HQ Live (Legacy)

Incubus’ Summer 2011 live concert performances are preserved on this deluxe set, available in single-CD + DVD, double-CD + DVD and exclusive Best Buy editions.  Read more here.

Kinks, At the BBC (Universal U.K.)

This komprehensive, kink-size box set offers 5 CDs and 1 DVD of live, klassik Kinks dating between 1964 and 1994.  Read more here!

Gilbert O’Sullivan, Off Centre / Life & Rhymes (Salvo)

The beloved Irish troubadour’s 1980 and 1982 albums are reissued and expanded by Salvo Music as part of the label’s ongoing deluxe series!

Mike Oldfield, Platinum / QE 2 / Two Sides (Universal U.K.)

The Tubular Bells artist is celebrated by Universal U.K. with expanded editions of Platinum and QE2, respectively Oldfield’s last album of the 1970s and first of the 1980s, plus a new double-disc overview, Two Sides: The Very Best of Mike Oldfield.  Read more here.

Original Cast Recording, Call Me Madam (RCA Victor/Masterworks Broadway)

Irving Berlin’s 1950 Broadway musical starred Ethel Merman, but Decca Records wouldn’t release the Merm from her recording contract to appear on RCA’s original cast album.  So Merman recorded her own Madam set opposite Dick Haymes, and the rest of the cast joined Dinah Shore for RCA’s album.  This digital/CD-R release is the first authorized reissue of the Shore album in the CD era.  Read more here.

Original Cast Recordings, Candide (1956) / Children of Eden / Cinderella (1957) / Forever Plaid / Grease (1994) / The Most Happy Fella / On the Twentieth Century / Parade / Side Show

Sony’s Masterworks Broadway repackages an array of cast albums already on CD from the Columbia and RCA Victor catalogues.  Some may feature new artwork and/or photographs, but contents of the CDs are identical to past editions.  Still, if you’ve missed out on any of these titles, here’s your chance to pick them up again in new, specially-priced digipaks.

Various Artists, Joey’s Song, Volume 2 / Joey’s Song for Kids, Volume 2 (Omnivore)

Rosanne Cash, Mark Olson and Gary Louris are among the musicians fighting epilepsy with these new benefit compilations from Omnivore.  We’ll have the full rundown later today!

Various Artists, The Music City Sessions Volume One: Richmond Experience (Omnivore)

Lost funk from the Bay Area gets found on a new series of LPs beginning with today’s release of Richmond Experience!  We’ll have more on this entire series tomorrow!

Jaws (Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy)

Okay, this one doesn’t usually fall in our purview, but we’ve already covered the Blu-ray debut of everybody’s favorite shark here, and why not?  John Williams’ dark, suspenseful and altogether memorable score will surely sound better than ever on this edition celebrating Universal Pictures’ 100th Anniversary!

Mike Oldfield Celebrated in August with New Deluxe Reissues, Compilation

Mike Oldfield was always more than “Tubular Bells.” The 59-year-old multi-instrumentalist has continued to put out diverse, challenging music long after his signature tune was released nearly 40 years ago. In recent years, Universal Music Enterprises has done a great job of anthologizing Oldfield’s work with expanded editions of his early works for Virgin Records; on August 14, not only will two new deluxe editions be released, but a brand-new career spanning compilation will hit stores as well.

UMe will next expand Platinum and QE2, Oldfield’s last album of the 1970s and first of the 1980s, respectively. While Platinum saw Oldfield still pursuing progressive arrangements, as evidenced by the four-part suite on the first half of the record, he also started dabbling in reactions to popular sounds, including a cover of George and Ira Gershwin’s standard “I Got Rhythm,” the reactionary “Punkadiddle” and others. Oldfield would also have great success with non-LP singles, including disco track “Guilty” and the theme to the long-running British children’s program Blue Peter. (In America, Platinum was remixed and resequenced as Airborn.) The expanded Platinum features “Blue Peter” and unreleased versions of parts of the Platinum suite, as well as a live show from London’s Wembley Arena in 1980.

Follow-up album QE2 (named for the luxury ocean liner) furthers Oldfield’s straddling between prog and pop, with covers of ABBA’s “Arrival” and The Shadows’ “Wonderful Land” in the mix. This expanded edition also features two non-LP tracks (including the single version of “Wonderful Land”), a new reworking of the album cut “Sheba” and another live disc from the ambitious Adventure Tour in Europe.

Finally, the double-disc Two Sides: The Very Best of Mike Oldfield offers a thorough and diverse overview of Oldfield’s career, including hits for Virgin (“Tubular Bells,” “Guilty,” “Family Man,” “Moonlight Shadow”) and latter-day works released by Warner Bros. and Mercury.

You can order all three titles after the jump!

Universal Recites Oldfield’s “Incantations” on Three Discs

We have another Mike Oldfield record getting the deluxe treatment from Universal in the U.K. this summer.

Following expansive CD/DVD editions of Oldfield’s prog-instrumental masterpiece Tubular Bells and follow-ups Hergest Ridge and Ommadawn in 2009 and 2010, Oldfield’s Incantations, originally released on Virgin in 1979, will get the expanded treatment.

The four-movement piece, each of which took up a side of vinyl in its original release, will feature a bonus CD of single material and newly remixed selections from the album. A surround mix of those selections on Disc 2, along with vintage concert and video footage on DVD, will be included.

A single-disc remaster with one bonus track (the 1979 single “Guilty”) and double-vinyl edition (500 of which will be signed by Oldfield and available on his official site) will also be available. All packages will be released July 25.

Have a look at the track list after the jump. Thanks to MusicTAP for bringing this to light!