Omnivore, Rhino, Varese Gear Up For Black Friday 2014

Our Black Friday Record Store Day shopping list has just gotten a little longer! Following our recent announcement of Legacy Recordings’ slate for November 28, we have news of the offerings coming your way from Omnivore Recordings, Rhino and Varese Sarabande!

For the gang at Omnivore, it’s all about amazing indie pop! The label recently reissued Game Theory’s debut album Blaze of Glory, and on November 24, the Omnivores will unveil the first U.S. release of the band’s compilation Dead Center. That French release (which will gain 11 bonus tracks in Omnivore’s edition) featured new music along with selected tracks from the EPs Pointed Accounts of People You Know and Distortion (produced by Michael Quercio of The Three O’Clock and featuring Earl Slick on guitar!). On Black Friday, listeners will have the chance to experience those two EPs in complete form, as originally heard. Both will be reissued on 10-inch vinyl, with an Omnivore twist: the latter will be on green vinyl, and the former on clear vinyl. Joining Game Theory is the band Sneakers, out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, featuring Chris Stamey, Mitch Easter and Will Rigby. The original, self-released Sneakers EP is presented on 10-inch clear vinyl with an expanded track list of 9 songs! A download card is also included in this new release. All three titles are limited to 1,500 units.

A new stereo LP pressing of Genesis’ From Genesis to Revelation is on the Black Friday horizon from Varese Sarabande. This release marks the first time this album has been released on vinyl since its original U.S. release in 1974, and Varese’s reissue features a replica of the original inner sleeve with full lyrics. The LP boasts the original core Genesis line-up of Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Anthony Phillips, and Peter Gabriel, and is limited to 3,500 units.

The team at Rhino has nine limited edition releases set for Black Friday 2014 including colored vinyl, multi-LP sets, and even a picture disc! The Rhino line-up has such heavy hitters as The Afghan Whigs, The Doors, Grateful Dead, Hüsker Dü, Iron Butterfly (in mono!), New Order, Ramones (as curated by the irrepressible Morrissey!), Ronnie James Dio and the Velvet Underground!

Hit the jump for all of the details on every title mentioned above! All releases can be found on Friday, November 28 at your participating local independent record store!

Release Round-Up: Week of January 15

New Order, The Lost Sirens (Rhino) (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.)

A cadre of outtakes from the Waiting for the Siren’s Call sessions, this marks the last New Order material with original bassist Peter Hook.

Johnny Mathis, A Special Part of Me: Expanded Edition (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) (Funkytowngrooves)

FTG’s latest R&B expansion has a Michael Jackson connection: the future King of Pop co-wrote for Mathis “Love Never Felt So Good” with Paul Anka!

Talk Talk, Natural History: The Very Best of Talk Talk 1982-1988 (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) / Natural Order 1982-1991 (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) (Virgin/EMI)

Not only a CD/DVD reissue of Talk Talk’s first compilation, but a new set, assembled by frontman Mark Hollis, featuring lesser-known and rare tracks from the band.

Eddie Money, Eddie Money (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) / Life for the Taking (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) / Playing for Keeps (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) / No Control (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) (Rock Candy)

Available in the U.K. now and Stateside next week: the Money Man’s first four Columbia albums, newly remastered and repackaged by Rock Candy.

Marcos Valle, Marcos Valle (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) /Garra (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

This pair of 1970 and 1971 albums found the Brazilian bossa nova legend exploring new sonic terrain.  Light in the Attic tells the whole story with these remastered deluxe reissues!

The Jackson 5, The Jackson 5ive: The Complete Series (Classic Media) (Amazon U.S.: DVD, Blu-Ray)

The entirety of the (probably ridiculous) Rankin-Bass J5 cartoon comes to DVD and, for some reason, Blu-ray!

Getting Away with It: Sumner and Marr’s “Electronic” Gets a Confusing Expansion

It’s not enough for Johnny Marr to be one of the greatest guitarists of the modern era (one with a solo album bowing today in the U.K.); this March, his acclaimed foray into dance music with Bernard Sumner will be reissued. But brace yourself, fans: it’s a little weird.

Frustrated by New Order’s resistance to a more synth-based direction, Sumner began work on the Electronic by himself, but called longtime friend Marr – whose departure from The Smiths caused the band to dissolve – to collaborate. Their first single, “Getting Away with It,” a U.K. Top 20 hit in 1988, featured additional star power in the form of co-writing and vocals by Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys. (Tenant and his bandmate Chris Lowe wrote album cut “Patience of a Saint” with Sumner and Marr.)

The band’s self-titled debut LP took a year to record (not counting additional time supporting Depeche Mode on their World Violation Tour) and was released by Factory Records in 1991. (Parlophone would handle all future releases, including reissues of Electronic, after Factory folded.) Sumner, Marr and Tennant collaborated again on the band’s 1992 single “Disappointed” (their biggest hit), but subsequent albums did not enjoy the same critical success. 1999’s Twisted Tenderness would be their final full-length release, with Sumner and Marr amicably moving on to other projects.

What makes this forthcoming expansion of Electronic frustrating is the haphazard nature of the bonus material on the second disc. “Disappointed,” its B-side “Idiot Country Two” and the instrumental of “Getting Away with It” are featured, but the remaining tracks are unreleased mixes or (in most cases) edits of tracks from subsequent Electronic projects. Compare that to the dozen period B-sides and remixes included on a U.K.-only, digital-only expansion of the album in 2007, and you have quite an unusual situation, indeed.

But for the curious, it’s out on March 11 in England. (Thanks to super-reader Don for the tip!) Here’s what you’ll get:

Electronic: Special Edition (EMI Catalogue (U.K.), 2013)

(Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Disc 1: Remastered LP (originally released as Factory FACT 290 (U.K.)/Warner Bros. 26387, 1991)

1. Idiot Country
2. Reality
3. Tighten Up
4. The Patience of a Saint
5. Getting Away with It
6. Gangster
7. Soviet
8. Get the Message
9. Try All You Want
10. Some Distant Memory
11. Feel Every Beat

Disc 2: Bonus material

1. Disappointed (Stephen Hague 7” Version) (single A-side – Parlophone R-6311, 1992)
2. Second to None (Edit) *
3. Lean to the Inside (Edit) *
4. Twisted Tenderness (Guitar/Vocal Mix) *
5. Idiot Country Two (12” Version) (B-side to “Disappointed” – Parlophone 12R-6311, 1992)
6. Free Will (Edit) *
7. Until the End of Time (Edit) *
8. Feel Every Beat (Edit) *
9. Getting Away with It (Instrumental) (CD single B-side – Factory FACD 257, 1989)
10. Turning Point (Edit) (B-side to “Second Nature” – Parlophone CDR-6455, 1997)
11. Visit Me (Edit) *
12. Twisted Tenderness (Instrumental) *

* denotes previously unreleased edit/mix. Original versions of Tracks 2-3 were B-sides to “Feel Every Beat” (Factory, 1991). Original versions of Tracks 4 and 12 from Twisted Tenderness (Parlophone, 1999). Original version of Track 6 was a B-side to “Get the Message” (Factory, 1991). Original version of Tracks 7 and 11 from Raise the Pressure (Parlophone, 1995). Original version of Track 8 from original LP.

Test of True Faith: New Order End Peter Hook Era with Outtakes Album

It looks like it finally may be time to end the classic chapter of alt-rock icons New Order, with the upcoming release of a set of outtakes from the band’s 2005 album Waiting for the Sirens’ Call, their last album with original bassist Peter Hook.

Recent years have been tough for longtime fans of the band. The British outfit formed out of improbable circumstances – the tragic suicide of Ian Curtis, frontman for Joy Division, caused the band to rename itself and shift direction toward danceable, explicitly electronic music – and enjoyed a wave of success in their native land (and occasionally abroad) for most of the ’80s and ’90s.

Their late-’90s return from hiatus, which yielded two albums in 2001 and 2005, was seemingly cut short years later, when Hook repeatedly divulged to media outlets that he and singer/guitarist Bernard Sumner had severed their musical partnership. Sumner and drummer Stephen Morris repeatedly denied the rumors of a New Order split as Hook continued to tell all those interested that the band was essentially through.

While Sumner finally admitted that New Order looked done in an interview with The Guardian last summer, the band announced their reformation (without Hook, naturally) in September, with live dates ongoing through December. Days before that announcement, Hook spoke to Slicing Up Eyeballs about releasing a handful of outtakes from their last album as a way of delivering closure to the band’s semi-dissolution. Now, it seems that those outtakes, under the title Lost Sirens, will come out next month.

Almost all of the eight tracks on the album are unheard, except for “Hellbent,” the lone new track on Total, the Joy Division/New Order compilation released earlier this year. Interestingly, retailers indicate that the set will be available on CD and vinyl in the same package, with no separate versions available.

Amazon’s U.K. pre-order link indicates a December 12 release. Until then, read the track list after the jump.

Release Round-Up: Week of June 7

Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On: 40th Anniversary Edition (Motown/UMe)

Two CDs feature the original album and a host of rarities, single mixes, and all the best outtakes leading up to the making of this R&B classic (almost a dozen of which are unreleased). The deluxe package is rounded out by the great Detroit mix of the album on vinyl. (Check out our two-part interview with Harry Weinger on the set!) (Amazon)

Paul Simon, Paul Simon / There Goes Rhymin’ Simon / In Concert: Live Rhymin’ / Still Crazy After All These Years (Columbia/Legacy)

The Rhino reissues (plus Simon’s first live album with two unreleased tracks, which was never released when Warner reissued his catalogue) are back in print, only on Legacy instead. Plenty of worthwhile stuff if you missed it the first time around, and not a total loss thanks to Live Rhymin’. (Official site)

Frank Sinatra, Ring-a-Ding-Ding! Expanded Edition (Concord)

The Chairman’s first release for his own label, Reprise, comes out on Concord with two bonus tracks (including the unreleased “Have You Met Miss Jones?”). (Joe has a review coming up later today.) (Official site)

INXS, INXS Remastered (Universal U.K.)

A 10-disc boxset featuring straight remasters of all the band’s albums, from INXS (1980) toElegantly Wasted (1997). Don’t forget, though, that expanded reissues of some of these albums exist – and another reissue of Kick is allegedly in the works. (Official site)

Suede, Suede: Expanded Edition (Demon Music Group)

The Britpop band’s first album was reissued in the U.K. last week as a 2 CD/1 DVD package, and it’s now available on U.S. shores. The remainder of the band’s catalogue shall be expanded over the next month. (Official site)

Dean Martin, Classic Dino: The Best of Dean Martin / Dino: The Essential Dean Martin (Capitol/EMI) / Cool Then, Cool Now (Hip-O/UMe)

On the very day of Dino’s birth, three(!) compilations are released: a single-disc set, a double-disc reissue of Martin’s 2004 compilation (with an unreleased track), and another two-disc CD with book from Hip-O featuring some rarer tracks. (Official site)

Depeche Mode, Remixes 2: 81-11 (Mute)

A hefty collection of remixes old and new, including some mixes by Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder – essentially reuniting the band’s original lineup. (Official site)

Joy Division/New Order, Total: The Best of Joy Division and New Order (Rhino U.K.)

The first commercially-available compilation of both bands on one package. Outside of the one New Order track on the set, though, there isn’t much for anyone but brand new fans. (Rhino U.K.)

David Bowie, Golden Years (Digital EP) (Virgin/EMI)

Some new digital-only remixes of the Station to Station classic. (iTunes)

AC/DC, Let There Be Rock (Warner Bros.)

The DVD/Blu-Ray debut of the Aussie rockers’ 1980 concert film, shot in Paris at the end of 1979, mere months before original lead singer Bon Scott died. (Official site)

Iron Maiden, From Fear to Eternity: The Best of 1990-2010 (EMI)

Two discs of Iron Maiden from 1990 to now, including one rare live B-side. (Official site)

Black Sabbath, Born Again: Deluxe Edition (Sanctuary/UMC U.K.)

The only Sabbath album with Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan on lead vocals, this import reissue – already available in the U.K. – comes with an unreleased live show and a few outtakes. (Amazon U.K.)

Roger Waters, Roger Waters Collection (Sony Music U.K.)

Remasters of all of Roger Waters’ solo studio LPs plus the live CD/DVD set In the Flesh from 2000. Worth picking up if you’d like to catch up with all of the ex-Pink Floyd member’s solo work at once. (Official site)

Justin Bieber, My Worlds Acoustic (Island)

Nope, not making this one up! This cash-grab EP is making its debut to general retail, having been a Wal-Mart exclusive since last Christmas. (Official site)

Joy Division, New Order United for the First Time on New Comp (UPDATED 5/18)

UPDATE (5/18): Rhino has released the unreleased track “Hellbent” for your streaming pleasure! Listen to it here.

Original post: Can you believe, in this crazy world of music catalogue titles, that nobody’s ever thought to do this before? Rhino’s U.K. arm is releasing Total: From Joy Division to New Order next month, marking the first time a commercial compilation collates the best of both bands. (A 2001 New Order promo compilation tacked a few Joy Division songs on the end of its running time.)

Of course, the bands share an immense amount of musical DNA. The moody post-punk sound Joy Division – vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris – was intensely critically acclaimed in England, the darling of then-new indie label Factory Records. But Curtis, suffering from epilepsy and depression, took his life a day before the band was slated to embark on their first U.S. tour. Ultimately, later that year the band soldiered on as New Order – with Sumner taking on vocal responsibilities and keyboardist Gillian Gilbert added to the mix – and gained the kind of sustained commercial success Joy Division never earned on both sides of the Atlantic.

This new 18-track compilation also features a previously-unreleased New Order track, “Hellbent.” Featuring a cover by Peter Saville, the well-known former graphic designer for the Factory label, Total is out in the U.K. on June 6. (Thanks as always to Slicing Up Eyeballs for breaking this story.) Hit the jump for the track list!

New Order Box in the Cards?

+-, the new U.K. vinyl singles box from Joy Division, may be followed up with a New Order box set, drummer Stephen Morris said recently.

In an interview with The Quietus, Morris – a member of the short-lived post-punk outfit and its post-Ian Curtis New-Wave counterpart, oversaw the remastering of the new vinyl set, which collates 10 7″ singles from the band’s short tenure (some of them crafted just for this box). When asked about the possibility of a similar box for New Order, he had this to say:

Funny you should say that – yes, we are thinking of doing a complete New Order singles boxset. I still like the idea of doing just an empty box (a really nice empty box of course) and putting out absolutely everything as a series of records/CDs/downloads that you could choose to customise your box with. That’s my Pick and Mix idea – probably extremely expensive and a bit mad really. One of the problems that I find with box sets generally is that no matter what you do there is always something missing; leaving the final selection to the listener might get round that.

A New Order singles box should be as comprehensive as possible, but done in a way that is still listenable. It’s going to be quite a challenge but hopefully a lot of fun. It’s something that will take a lot of thought.

The “pick and mix” approach would be fun for a variety of artists, if crazily expensive for labels. Would you buy a box like this from your favorite artists? Sound off below.