Release Round-Up: Week of June 3

Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin I / Led Zeppelin II / Led Zeppelin III: Deluxe Editions (Swan Song/Atlantic)

Anyone ever heard these albums? Interesting stuff. I don’t know about you, but I’d predict big things for these guys.

Led Zeppelin
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
3LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD/3LP Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Led Zeppelin II
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD/2LP Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Led Zeppelin III
1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
1LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
2CD/2LP Super Deluxe: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Soundgarden, Superunknown: 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (A&M/UMe)

This grunge-pop classic comes back with a vengeance as a bonus-filled box set featuring demos, outtakes, rare tracks and a surround mix on Blu-ray.

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

Morrissey, Vauxhall and I: 20th Anniversary Definitive Master (Parlophone/Rhino)

It would appear that Moz and I share the same opinion of this record: so good, the track list doesn’t need to be played with. Add an unreleased live show from 1995 on a bonus CD, and this is a heck of a set for the discerning fan.

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

The 5th Dimension, Earthbound/ Vikki Carr,  Love Again – The Lost Columbia Masters / Vikki Carr, The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face) (Expanded Edition) / Robert Bearns & Ron Dexter, The Best of the Golden Voyage / The Sweet Inspirations, The Complete Atlantic Singles Plus / Faith Hope & Charity, Faith Hope & Charity (Expanded Edition) /Fanny, Charity Ball (Expanded Edition) / Linda Martell, Color Me Country / The Grateful Dead, Dick’s Picks Vol. 18 – Dane County Coliseum, Madison, WI 2/3/78 Uni-Dome, University of N. Iowa, Cedar Falls, IA 2/5/78 (Real Gone Music)

Another great Real Gone slate features two titles with liner notes from our own Joe Marchese – The 5th Dimension’s Earthbound and Vikki Carr’s The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face)!

The 5th Dimension: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Vikki Carr/Love Again: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Vikki Carr/The First Time Ever (I Saw Your Face): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Robert Bearns & Ron Dexter: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
The Sweet Inspirations: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Faith Hope & Charity: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Fanny: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Linda Martell: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Grateful Dead: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

Nat “King” Cole, The Extraordinary Nat “King” Cole (Capitol)

This new compilation – available as a two-disc deluxe edition with a host of rare and newly-discovered tracks – does a pretty darn good job of living up to its name.

Standard 1CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Deluxe 2CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Blu-ray Audio: Analogue Productions

Elvis Presley, Bossa Nova Baby: The Ultimate Elvis Party Album (RCA/Legacy)

A new Elvis compilation for your summer party features some of the usual hits plus a few tracks from the Cirque du Soleil Viva Elvis show to rediscover. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Carol Williams & The Salsoul Orchestra, ‘Lectric Lady: Expanded Edition (Big Break)

An expanded version of the debut album by Carol Williams, the first female solo act signed to the Salsoul label! (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

UMe’s Record Store Day Slate Features Nirvana, Frank Zappa, Classic Blue Note, Motown Funk and More

With Public Enemy’s Chuck D engaged as the Record Store Day Ambassador for 2014, it’s only appropriate that one of his own records is arriving this Saturday as a special limited edition vinyl platter. The new reissue of Public Enemy’s It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back will be joined on RSD by a host of other vinyl goodies from Universal Music Enterprises (UMe).   Previously unreleased music from Frank Zappa (previewing the upcoming 40th anniversary reissue of Apostrophe) and the seventies Motown pair of Rick James and Teena Marie will arrive from Universal, along with replicas of the first two releases ever from the venerable Blue Note Records, currently celebrating its 75th anniversary. New Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Nirvana make their mark on RSD with the first-ever seven-inch release of “Pennyroyal Tea” b/w “I Hate Myself and Want to Die,” originally scheduled for release in 1994 but pulled off the schedule in the wake of Kurt Cobain’s suicide. Universal also has a special vinyl box, Superunknown: The Singles, commemorating the 20th anniversary of Soundgarden’s Superunknown.

Hit the jump for the full specs on each title courtesy of Universal’s original press release!

Won’t You Come: Soundgarden Announce “Superunknown” Box Set

Grunge legends Soundgarden will honor their most successful album, 1994’s Superunknown, with a sprawling five-disc box set.

The first band of the Seattle explosion to sign with a major label, A&M Records, in 1988, Soundgarden broke through the commercial mainstream with the release of third album Badmotorfinger in 1991, arguably the holy trinity of the genre alongside fellow 1991 albums Nevermind by Nirvana and Ten by Pearl Jam. Superunknown saw the band experimenting with an expanded sonic palette, trying on unorthodox tunings and time signatures. But the songs still remain accessible and catchy, thanks to singles like “Spoonman,” “Black Hole Sun” (the band’s first and biggest Top 40 hit) and “Fell on Black Days.” In 1995, “Spoonman” and “Black Hole Sun” won Grammy Awards for Best Metal and Best Hard Rock Performance, respectively, while the album received a nomination for Best Rock Album.

The band – singer Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, bassist Ben Shepherd and drummer Matt Cameron – would split a year after the release of follow-up album Down on the Upside in 1997, after which Cornell pursued a solo career and Cameron joined his friends in Pearl Jam. Happily, they reunited in 2010, issuing two archival projects, the compilations Telephantasm and Live on I-5, in 2010 and 2011; a new album, King Animal, was released in 2012.

Superunknown will be expanded in two forms: a double-disc expanded edition pairing the remastered album with a disc of demos, rehearsal takes and B-sides (10 of which are unreleased), and a five-disc box set including the album, a disc of 16 B-sides, a further two bonus discs of demos and rehearsals and a Blu-Ray disc featuring the album mixed in 5.1 surround sound. David Fricke pens new liner notes, while the band’s creative director Josh Graham provides newly redesigned, lenticular artwork.

A 200-gram double vinyl edition with a gatefold sleeve will also be made available, as will a 10″ box set of Superunknown-era singles as a Record Store Day exclusive – including several original B-sides actually not featured on the super deluxe box.

The expanded Superunknown is available June 3. Pre-order links are not yet available, but the full track list for all formats is after the jump.

Release Round-Up: Week of November 26

The Animals, The Mickie Most Years and More / Tower of Power, Hipper Than Hip: Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow – Live on the Air & in the Studio 1974 / Lisa Fischer, So Intense / The Alabama State Troupers, Road Show / The Obsessed, The Church Within (Real Gone Music)

An Animals box set and a compilation of unreleased Tower of Power greatness head off Real Gone’s slate for the end of the year!

The Animals: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Tower of Power: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
Lisa Fischer: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
The Alabama State Troupers: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.
The Obsessed: CD (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.) LP (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Badfinger, Timeless: The Musical Legacy (Apple)

A new single-disc compilation devoted to the would-be Beatle heirs, the first to be derived from Apple’s 2010 remasters. (Amazon U.K. / Amazon U.S.)

Big Star, Playlist: The Very Best of Big Star (Legacy) / Nothing Can Hurt Me (Magnolia)

A double dose of Big Star today: a new compilation in Legacy’s Playlist line that marries some of the band’s classic early recordings with latter-day live tracks from their mid-’90s reunion, and a new feature-length documentary on the band.

Playlist: Amazon U.S. /Amazon U.K.
Nothing Can Hurt Me: DVD (Amazon U.S.) BD (Amazon U.S.)

Thelonious Monk, Paris 1969 (Blue Note)

An unreleased live set from later in Monk’s career, available in multiple formats (including an equally unseen video!).

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

Soundgarden, Screaming Life/Fopp (Sub Pop)

An expanded remaster of the Seattle grunge icons’ debut EPs.

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

Barbra Streisand, Back to Brooklyn (Columbia)

Barbra takes Brooklyn – specifically, the new Barclays Center – by storm in these shows, recorded in October 2012.

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

Various Artists, It’s a Scream How Levine Does the Rhumba (Idelsohn Society)

Subtitled “The Latin-Jewish Musical Story 1940s-1980s,” this double-disc set (featuring performances by Carole King, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente and more) is a fun, occasionally wacky musical archaeology session that’ll keep you amused and informed. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Wicked: Original Broadway Cast Recording 10th Anniversary Special Edition (Verve/UMe)

Defy gravity with this deluxe two-disc version of the Tony-winning musical about the witches of Oz. (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

Soundgarden’s Sub Pop Years to Be Remastered and Expanded

Acclaimed grunge outfit Soundgarden are revisiting their years on the Sub Pop label with a new remastered compilation due in November.

Before they burst onto the national scene with 1991’s Badmotorfinger, the Seattle quartet (featuring vocalist Chris Cornell, guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron and – at first, bassist Hiro Yamamoto, ultimately replaced by Ben Shepard in 1990) started off their career with a pair of EPs for the famed local label. 1987’s Screaming Life, recorded with producer Jack Endino, featured six raw original tunes and was met with rave reviews.

A follow-up, Fopp (1988), was a bit more of a curve ball, featuring the titular cover of an Ohio Players tune as well as a take on “Swallow My Pride” by fellow Seattle rockers Green River. The band cut a full-length, Ultramega OK, later that year for SST, ultimately gaining the attention of A&M Records, who’ve had the band ever since. (Soundgarden, of course, were a dominant force in ’90s rock before splitting up in 1997; the band reunited in 2010, releasing a new compilation and a new LP, King Animal, in 2012.)

Screaming Life/Fopp was first combined into one long-player in 1990. This version, available on CD and double-vinyl, will also include one more track the band cut for Sub Pop, a winking tribute to the scene called “Sub Pop Rock City” and released on the Sub Pop 200 compilation in 1988. (That tune shared space with exclusive tunes by Green River, Mudhoney and Nirvana.)

The new reissue will be available on November 25. Hit the jump to pre-order your copies!

Hip-o Select Goes Grunge on Newest Release

In 1980, Andrew Wood, his brother Kevin and drummer Regan Hagar formed a band named Malfunkshun in the Woods’ native Bainbridge Island, Washington. They only released two tracks in their existence, but the outfit is considered one of the forefathers of the burgeoning grunge movement that blossomed from the Seattle area in the late ’80s and early ’90s.

Now, in a year that’s already full (or conceivably full) of commemorative grunge projects, Hip-o Select is releasing a three-disc set chronicling the short but influential career of Malfunkshun and the short but influential life of Andrew Wood. The singer/songwriter struggled with drug abuse throughout his time on Earth, even as he reached a new plateau of success as frontman for Mother Love Bone in the early ’90s (featuring Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, who would later join Pearl Jam after Wood’s passing). A documentary about Wood was completed and screened in 2005 and gets its debut release on DVD in this package.

The set also contains two discs’ worth of audio goodness. One is a reissue of Return to Olympus, a posthumous compilation of Malfunkshun material which Gossard helped release in 1995 and appended with the two released tracks from the band on the C/Z Records compilation Deep Six (1986). The other is another disc of unreleased solo and interview material composed by Wood, culminating with a previously-unreleased track that Wood produced for his former roommate, Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell.

This limited edition set (topped out at 5,000 copies) is yours to order here. The full track breakdown is after the jump.

Release Round-Up: Week of March 22

Aretha Franklin, Take a Look: Complete on Columbia (Columbia/Legacy)

Before she was the Queen of Soul on Atlantic, she cut her teeth in the genre on Columbia. Eleven CDs and a DVD tell the tale. (Official site)

Soundgarden, Live on I-5 (A&M/UMe)

The recently-reunited grunge band commemorates their 1996 tour on this disc. (Official site)

Sam the Sham and The Pharoahs, The MGM Singles (Sundazed)

Every A and B-side by the “Wooly Bully” band in remastered monaural sound. (Sundazed)

A Flock of Seagulls, A Flock of Seagulls / Dream Come True: Expanded Editions (Cherry Pop)

The first and last albums by the original lineup of the band are expanded with B-sides and remixes by Cherry Pop in the United Kingdom. The first one has the songs everybody loves, including “I Ran” and “Space Age Love Song.” (Cherry Pop)

Sir Douglas Quintet, The Mono Singles ’68-’72 (Sundazed)

Another Sundazed mono singles compilation for the week, compiling the Sir Douglas Quartet’s single sides on the Smash, Philips and Mercury labels, including hits “She’s About a Woman” and “Mendocino.” (Sundazed)

Suzi Quatro, Suzi Quatro / Quatro: Expanded Editions (7Ts)

The one-time Leather Tuscadero’s first two albums, produced by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn, are expanded by U.K. label 7Ts to include non-LP single sides and more. (7Ts)

Josh Turner/Billy Currington, ICON (MCA Nashville/Mercury/UMe)

Two modern country stars get their own entries in Universal’s budget compilation. (Amazon: Turner, Currington)

James Taylor, Walking Man: 24 KT Gold CD (Audio Fidelity)

One of Taylor’s lesser-known albums is remastered by Steve Hoffman. (Audio Fidelity)

Chicago, Chicago VI (Vinyl) (Friday Music)

A 180-gram audiophile reissue of the band’s 1973 album, featuring “Feeling Stronger Every Day” and “Just You N’ Me.” (Friday Music)

Soundgarden Go Vintage to Release First-Ever Live Album

Recently-reunited grunge rockers Soundgarden did well with last year’s Telephantasm compilation, which shipped platinum thanks to being included with every copy of the latest Guitar Hero game. Now, the band is going back to the vaults to release their first live album.

Live on I-5 consists of 17 performances taken from the band’s final tour, in support of 1996’s Down on the Upside. (True to its name, all the performances were taken from venues along the West Coast, near the band’s native Seattle.) Happily, the track list (available, as always, after the jump) looks to devote equal attention to hits and lesser-known album cuts, not to mention covers of The Beatles and The Stooges.

The disc comes out on March 22 and can be ordered here.

Your Black Friday Wishlist

The more-or-less official start of the holiday shopping season kicks off next Friday, November 26. (You’ve probably seen decorations up in department stores by now. Even this huge Christmas fan can’t blame you for shaking your head.) But giving the gift of music is important. You probably know that, and your local indie music store knows that, too. That’s why this Black Friday will see a gaggle of special releases at all stores that participate in Record Store Day.

There’s a lot of neat vinyl stuff coming out for the collectors in your life, and while the entire list can be read here, The Second Disc wanted to give you a look at the reissues and other catalogue titles you might want to keep an eye out for. Check out special titles and singles from Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, George Harrison, Bob Dylan and more below.

Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, “Nowhere” b/w “Surrender” 7″ single (Geffen/UMe)

Two outtakes from the Damn the Torpedoes sessions in 1979 – also available on the recently-released Deluxe Edition of the album – are being pressed onto a 7″ single for you turntablists.

Soundgarden, “Telephantasm” b/w “Gun (Live)” 7″ single (A&M/UMe)

Telephantasm is the title of the recently-reunited grunge band’s new compilation, but it’s also the title of another previously unreleased outtake from the band’s early years. It’s being released on its own with a previously unreleased live take of “Gun,” from the band’s A&M debut Louder Than Love (1989).

The Black Keys, Brothers: Deluxe Edition (Nonesuch)

This reissue of the album The Black Keys released earlier this year is expanded with a bonus 10″ EP of live tracks.

The Doors, The Doors (Elektra/Rhino)

The Doors’ iconic 1967 debut album comes to record stores in its original mono mix on 180-gram vinyl.

George Harrison, All Things Must Pass: 40th Anniversary Edition (EMI/Capitol)

Another 180-gram vinyl reissue, this one of the classic solo album from the not-so-quiet Beatle.

Frank Sinatra, A Jolly Christmas from Frank Sinatra (EMI/Capitol)

The first vinyl release of The Chairman of the Board’s first holiday LP in more than 40 years will brighten your Christmas parties (and is a neat little consolation prize for those who can’t afford that box set).

Bruce Springsteen, “Save My Love” b/w “Because the Night” 7″ single (Columbia/Legacy)

Another sampler single from a deluxe reissue – in this case, two of the many tracks featured on The Boss’ expansive box set edition of Darkness on the Edge of Town.

Jimi Hendrix, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year (Experience Hendrix/Legacy)

Hendrix’s holiday EP, available on CD tomorrow, is available on 10″ green vinyl exclusively at indie record stores.

Bob Dylan, “The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Witmark Demo)” b/w “Like a Rolling Stone” 7″ single (Columbia/Legacy)

And another two tracks from a recent catalogue set. Dylan’s demo of “The Times They Are A-Changin'” comes from The Bootleg Series Volume 9: The Witmark Demos 1962-1964, while “Like a Rolling Stone” is the original mono mix featured on the new box set The Original Mono Recordings.

Pantera, Cowboys from Hell: The Demos (Atco/Rhino)

A sampling of the demo tracks released on this year’s deluxe reissue of Pantera’s commercial breakthrough.

The ’90s Revival Continues: Soundgarden Best-Of Planned (UPDATED WITH TRACK LIST)

Influential grunge rockers Soundgarden – set to take center stage at Lollapalooza this weekend – have announced a new compilation due for a fall release.

Telephantasm: A Retrospective, as it’s called, will feature songs from all of the band’s albums and EPs, plus a new vault track, “Black Rain,” recorded during the Badmotorfinger sessions in 1991. The set will be included as a bonus disc with the upcoming video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, to be released September 28, and will be available individually on October 5 in both standard and deluxe (double CD and DVD) packages. This is the band’s first product since 1997’s A-Sides, a compilation quickly assembled after the band’s breakup earlier that year. Lead singer Chris Cornell went on to head Audioslave and work on his own solo career before reuniting with his bandmates earlier this year.

UPDATE: Thanks to Anth for pointing us toward the track listing from Spin. Check it out after the jump.