Release Round-Up: Week of November 13

The Beatles, Stereo Vinyl Box Set (Capitol/EMI)

The Fab Four’s 2009 stereo remasters have been painstakingly pressed on vinyl. The whole box set will set you back considerably, but you can get the ones you want on their own (and, if you’re in New York City or Los Angeles, can do so through the roving pop-up shop/double-decker buses that’ll be cruising each city). (Vinyl box: Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.)

The Rolling Stones, GRRR! (Rolling Stones/UMe)

The Stones’ 50th anniversary is commemorated with this multi-format compilation, featuring all their hits, two new tracks and, in some cases, some tunes from the vault:

• 3CD compilation: Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.
• 3CD compilation – deluxe packaging: Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.
• 5CD box set with unreleased demos disc and unreleased BBC session 7″: Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.

Elvis Presley, Prince from Another Planet / Elvis: As Recorded At Madison Square Garden – Legacy Edition (RCA/Legacy)

Elvis’ two triumphant MSG shows in the summer of 1972 (the latter released as Elvis: As Recorded At Madison Square Garden a week after the shows and the former released as An Afternoon in the Garden in 1997) have been remixed and paired up as a Legacy Edition (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.), or as a deluxe 2CD/1DVD box set (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) featuring rare footage of the afternoon show as well as the King’s press conference in the Big Apple. (Elvis: As Recorded At Madison Square Garden is also getting a double-vinyl reissue, available at Amazon U.S. and Amazon U.K.)

Marvin Gaye, Trouble Man: 40th Anniversary Expanded Edition (Hip-O Select/Motown)

Marvin’s underrated film soundtrack album – the last of his ’70s albums to get the deluxe treatment – is expanded with session outtakes, and for the first time, the original film score as heard in the Trouble Man film, meticulously recreated from the original tapes. (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.)

Whitney Houston, I Will Always Love You: The Very Best of Whitney Houston (Arista/RCA)

The dearly departed diva is paid tribute through this new single-disc overview of her career, featuring two unreleased tracks. The U.K. edition is two discs, just with more hits and album cuts. (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.)

Mel Brooks, The Incredible Mel Brooks: An Irresistible Collection of Unhinged Comedy (Shout! Factory)

A five-DVD/one-CD box set treasury from one of the undisputed kings of comedy. (Amazon U.S.)

Sonic Youth, Smart Bar Chicago 1985 (Goofin’)

An unreleased live show from the Sonic Youth archives, on CD (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.) or vinyl (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K.).

Various Artists, A MusiCares Tribute to Barbra Streisand (Amazon U.S. Blu-Ray / Amazon U.S. DVD)

The legendary chanteuse is celebrated by the likes of Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, Jeff Beck and Leona Lewis on this new DVD/BD release.

Original London Cast Recording, Cabaret (Sony Masterworks) (Amazon U.S. MP3)

Judi Dench, currently on the big screen as M in James Bond blockbuster Skyfall, made a splash in the West End as London’s original Sally Bowles in Cabaret!  The long-OOP cast recording returns digitally and as a disc-on-demand from Masterworks Broadway.

Percy Faith, The Complete Music of Christmas (Real Gone) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Real Gone revisits the lush orchestral stylings of Percy Faith with this 2-CD set dedicated to some of the bandleader’s greatest holiday music.

Shoes, One in Versailles (U.S./U.K.) / Bazooka (U.S./U.K.) / Black Vinyl Shoes (U.S./U.K.) / Present Tense Demos (U.S./U.K.) (Numero)

Power-pop group Shoes see vinyl reissues of four of their albums.

The B-52’s, Cosmic Thing / Bob Dylan and The Band, The Basement Tapes (Mobile Fidelity)

The B-52’s pop crossover album (on vinyl – Amazon U.S./U.K.) and The Bard’s highly sought-after collaboration with The Band (on hybrid SACD – Amazon U.S./U.K.) are the latest hi-def offerings from Mobile Fidelity.

Rebbie Jackson, Reaction: Expanded Edition (U.S./U.K.) / Champaign, Modern Heart/Woman in Flames (U.S./U.K.) / Black Ivory, Black Ivory/Hangin’ Heavy (U.S./U.K.) / Kashif, Condition of the Heart: Expanded Edition (U.S./U.K.) / Love Changes: Expanded Edition (U.S./U.K.) (Funkytowngrooves)

Lana Del Rey, Born to Die: The Paradise Edition (Interscope)

Yes, her. LDR’s major-label debut with a disc of new material (Amazon U.S./U.K.), also available separately (U.S.).

Sonic Youth to (Sort of) Return with 1985 Live Set

The future may be incredibly uncertain for iconic alt-rockers Sonic Youth, following last year’s separation of founding members Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon. But fans will certainly be satiated with a forthcoming release of an archival concert from the band.

Smart Bar, Chicago 1985 captures the band in the midst of touring behind their sophomore album, Bad Moon Rising, released earlier that spring. On August 11, 1985, the band played Chicago’s Smart Bar, armed with much of the new album in their set (“Death Valley ’69,” “Ghost Bitch,” “I Love Her All the Time”), some non-LP material (“Hallowe’en,” “Flower”) and some material from not only debut LP Sonic Death (“Kill Yr Idols,” “Brother James”) but two songs that would be released on 1986’s EVOL (“Secret Girl,” “Expressway to Yr Skull”). There’s also one never-before-released track, “Kat ‘N’ Hat,” in the set list.

The set, recorded live to four-track and mastered by the band, features new liner notes by Gerald Cosloy (who worked with the band during their tenure at Homestead Records, who released Bad Moon Rising) and band engineer Aaron Mullin. It’s set for release on the band’s own Goofin’ Records label as a CD, double-vinyl LP and download on November 14. May it hopefully be the first of several discussed Sonic Youth archival projects, including an unreleased 1986 concert film and deluxe reissue of 1987’s Sister.

Hit the jump for the full track list and keep an eye out for pre-order links as they come in.

Release Round-Up: Week of September 13

Jimi Hendrix, Winterland / Hendrix in the West / Blue Wild Angel: Live at the Isle of Wight Festival / The Dick Cavett Show (Experience Hendrix/Legacy)

Another wave of Hendrix catalogue titles from Legacy, all of a live nature. The Winterland set captures The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s legendary run at the venue of the same name over four discs (or one, if you’re into the whole brevity thing), while In the West provides an expanded, slightly alternate presentation of the posthumous live LP. The DVDs Blue Wild Angel and The Dick Cavett Show show Hendrix at his live prime, with some special features to boot. Look for reviews of all these sets – Joe’s take on the CDs and my look at the DVDs – very soon! (Official site)

The Beatles, 1 (Apple/EMI)

In case you weren’t one of the tens of millions of people who’ve picked up this compilation since 2000, it’s been remastered (from the 2009 remasters, naturally). (Official site)

Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band, Live Bullet / Nine Tonight (Capitol/EMI)

Two killer Seger live albums, remastered and expanded with one bonus track apiece. (Official site)

The Art of Noise, Who’s Afraid of The Art of Noise? (ZTT/Salvo)

The first full-length LP by the influential U.K. act is expanded with unreleased BBC sessions and a DVD of videos and other vault treasures. (Official site)

1991: The Year Punk Broke (Geffen/UMe)

A greatly-expanded presentation of this vintage documentary, spotlighting the rise of Nirvana, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr., as seen on the road and in the trenches. (Official site)

Motown Gold on The Ed Sullivan Show / The Best of The Supremes on The Ed Sullivan Show / The Best of The Temptations on The Ed Sullivan Show (Hip-O/Sofa Entertainment)

The Sound of Young America and the Toast of the Town, combined on three handy DVD packages. (Official site)

Sonic Youth Comp Goes from Starbucks to Stores Everywhere

Anyone who missed Sonic Youth’s last compilation, 2008’s Hits Are for Squares (released exclusively through Starbucks stores), have another chance to get it beyond last year’s vinyl release on Record Store Day. It’s being released to general retail this summer, reports MusicTAP.

The collection collates hits and favorite tracks from the New York City band’s extensive catalogue, stretching back from 1984’s EVOL to 2004’s Sonic Nurse. All the tunes were selected by famous fans of the band, including Beck, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam, Radiohead, The Flaming Lips, Flea of The Red Hot Chili Peppers and many more. There’s also a new track exclusive to this set, “Slow Revolution.”

The set is out on August 23. Hit the jump for all the track details.

“1991” Documentary Featuring Nirvana, Sonic Youth Revisited

Thanks to Slicing Up Eyeballs for this neat tip over the weekend: 1991: The Year Punk Broke is making its debut on DVD later this year.

This documentary of Sonic Youth and Nirvana’s European tour of 1991 – a precursor to the breakthrough Nirvana would experience with Nevermind some 20 years ago – was released on VHS and laserdisc many years ago, and featured performances by both bands as well as other luminaries of the age including Dinosaur Jr., The Ramones and more. The DVD will feature a host of new and unseen bonus material, including commentary by director Kim Markey and Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, a 2003 panel discussion held at Hollywood’s Arclight with Markey, Moore and bandmates Lee Ranaldo and Steve Shelley as well as Dinosaur Jr. frontman J. Mascis and – perhaps most exciting of all – a 42-minute bonus film, (This is Known As) The Blues Scale, with unseen performances and footage cut from the original film.

There’s no release date set for the DVD, but this link features both previews of Blues Scale as well as Markey’s road journals from the year of shooting the documentary. It looks to be a neat commemoration of an influential era in rock history. Keep it here for news on this release as it develops!