The new book about Paul McCartney, and more specifically Wings, now has some official artwork.
Announced back in February, we are told that WINGS: The Story of a Band on the Run will be “a landmark account of Paul McCartney’s triumphant musical reinvention in the 1970s and the subsequent rise of one of the decade’s most iconic bands – told by Paul and the people who were there”. The cover art features a black and white version of a photo taken by Linda McCartney in Spain, 1972 (see below).
The cover art of the new Wings book (click image to enlarge)
in America, they appear to have gone a very different route. You can see that artwork at the bottom of this post. Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run is published by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Press and is edited by Ted Widmer, who also provides and introduction. The 528-page hardcover book will be published on 4 November 2025.
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McCartney, Paul
Wings: The Story of a Band on the Run - The must-read autobiographical account of McCartney's musical reinvention after The Beatles
Duran Duran’s 1998 ‘best of’ Greatest will be issued on vinyl for the first time in June.
The 19-track collection features hits from the band’s first eight albums (issued between 1981 and 1997) as well standalone singles such as Bond theme ‘A View To A Kill’ and UK number one Is ‘There Something I Should Know?’.
This compilation was released on CD, cassette, minidisc and VHS back in the day, but not vinyl. A DVD edition followed later. Greatest superseded 1989’s Decade compilation, but despite now being almost 27 years old it remains the latest official Duran ‘best of’.
New 2LP white vinyl of Greatest
The new edition is pressed on white vinyl across two LPs and has an embossed front cover. A CD version is also being made available (with an embossed cover).
Greatest will be released on 20 June 2025, via Parlophone.
Metallica’s sixth album, Load, will be reissued across a number of formats in June, including a massive super deluxe edition box set.
Produced by Bob Rock, the band’s 1996 album includes ‘Until It Sleeps’, ‘Hero of the Day’ and ‘King Nothing’. The 2025 remaster (by Reuben Cohen) features, for the first time ever, the original extended version of ‘The Outlaw Torn’ that was originally edited due to manufacturing limits.
Top of the range, in terms of the physical sets, is a super deluxe edition that includes 15 CDs, six vinyl records, four DVDs and the usual tour laminates, poster, patch, print, guitar picks, lyric sheets (in a folder) and a 128-page hardcover book.
Load super deluxe edition (click image to enlarge)
The big box includes an insane amount of content with 301 tracks in total with 245 previously unreleased. There’s five CDs of demos an outtakes (under a ‘Shadowcast’ moniker), a CD of B-sides and rarities, two CDs of live performances (‘Escape from the Studio ’95), a Club Shows & Rehearsals disc and then even more live material from ’96-’97 (full tracklistings for all discs are below).
There’s also a 3CD deluxe edition with 41 tracks across the three discs with CD 2 being highlights from the demos and outtakes and CD 3 being a compilation of live material. The discs are housed in a digipak with an embossed cover and this comes with a 36-page booklet.
A 2LP vinyl edition (album only) with vinyl lacquers cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering. This comes in a gatefold jacket with two printed inserts and is available on black or ‘Poor Twisted Orange’ coloured vinyl.
ABBA’s self-titled album from 1975 will be reissued in June for its 50th anniversary.
The album features the iconic singles ‘Mamma Mia’ and ‘SOS’, as well as ‘I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do’ and ‘So Long’.
The reissue formats will be familiar to fans by now, with this coming as a 2LP half-speed mastered gatefold package, pressed at 45RPM. Miles Showell at Abbey Road has been responsible for the half-speed mastering.
The four singles listed above will also be issued as individual seven-inch picture discs featuring images from the original era and complete with the original B-side. There’s also a box set of coloured vinyl seven-inch singles.
These will all be released on 13 June 2025, via UMR. The seven-inch box set is available only via D2C channels (as usual).
Following on from the RSD 3LP vinyl (featured in the SDE video preview), Rhino will issue a 3CD deluxe edition of War’s 1975 studio album Why Can’t We Be Friends?.
The album features ‘Low Rider’, ‘So’ and of course the title track ‘Why Can’t We Be Friends?’ and this deluxe edition features the new remaster by Bernie Grundman and exactly the same bonus tracks and unedited mixes as per the 3LP vinyl collector’s edition.
Why Can’t We Be Friends? will be reissued as this 3CD deluxe set on 6 June 2025, via Rhino.
Pink Floyd/Pink Floyd at PompeiiCD, Vinyl, Blu-ray
Pink Floyd’sLive at Pompeii, the legendary 1972 concert film directed by Adrian Maben, has been visually restored, with audio newly remixed, and is reissued on audio and video formats
NOW Music will issue a second volume under their ‘Now That’s What I Call An Era’ banner.
The first volume – The Sound of the Suburbs – focused on music from the late 70s, whereas this new collection – The Albums 1980 > 1984 – is concerned with music from the early part of the decade we like to call ‘the 1980s’ – but with a twist: None of the tracks were released as UK singles – they are all album tracks or ‘deep cuts’ as some people like to call them.
So… favourite artists, familiar sounds, often best-selling albums, but not the tracks you’d normally expect on compilations. From Wham!’s first album, Fantastic!, there’s ‘A Ray of Sunshine’ and from Make It Big the song ‘Hearbeat’ is selected. ‘Frankie’s First Affair’ is picked from Sade’sDiamond Life album, while from Alison Moyet’sAlf, ‘Where Hides Sleep’ is selected.
Deluxe 4CD set
The superb title track of Paul Young’sNo Parlez earns a place on merit, as does a pair of tracks from Duran Duran’s first two albums: ‘Is There Anyone Out There?’ and ‘The Chaffeur’.
In 4CD deluxe hardcover book form, The Albums 1980 > 1984 features 72 tracks in this vein, including Paul Simon’s ‘Hearts and Bones’, Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s ‘Black Night White Light’, Tears For Fears’ ‘The Hurting’, The Police’s ‘When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What’s Still Around’ and many more.
The deluxe 4CD includes a 28-page booklet with a track-by-track guide, just like the Yearbooks. A 40-track 3LP vinyl version features each LP pressed on blue, white and pink vinyl
Now That’s What I Call An Era: The Albums 1980 > 1984 will be released on 30 May 2025.
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Various Artists
The Albums 1980 - 1984 - 4CD deluxe hardcover book
Soft Cell’s 1982 remix album Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing has been expanded for reissue on 2CD and 2LP coloured vinyl, in June.
Issued just seven months after their 1981 debut Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret, the ‘mini-album’ originally comprised of six tracks, including remixes of older material and a new song, a cover of Judy Street’s 1966 single ‘What’ (the band’s last UK top 10 hit if you exclude the ’91 re-release of ‘Tainted Love’).
New 2CD set
Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing has been expanded before, namely in 1998 when six extended versions were appended to the album. The new 2CD set goes much further adding additional seven-inch mixes to CD 1 and then including 12 remixes on CD 2, some unreleased, some promo-only, some available previously on the 6CD box set of Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret and a few from the 2008 remix compilation, Heat – The Remixes.
A 2LP coloured vinyl edition of Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing pairs the original album with a bonus LP of selected remixes.
Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing will be reissued on 20 June 2025, via UMR/Mercury. The band have confirmed that a reissue of 1983’s The Art Of Falling Apart will happen later this year.
Steely Dan’s fifth album, The Royal Scam, will be reissued on vinyl in June.
The 1976 long-player features the tremendous ‘Kid Charlemagne’ and ‘The Fez’. Another single, ‘Haitian Divorce’ was a surprise top 20 hit in the UK, the only time the band achieved this feat.
The Royal Scam concludes Universal’s Steely Dan vinyl reissue campaign which started a few years ago. All seven albums, issued between 1972 and 1980, have been made available on black vinyl.
The Royal Scam is reissued on vinyl on 6 June 2025, via UMR.
The weekend before last, SDE was in Den Bosch in The Netherlands for Record Planet’s biannual record fair – the biggest in the world.
What’s it like, how big actually is it and what kind of bargains and collectibles can you pick up? All that and more is answered in this SDEtv video which explains where it is, how to get there (from the UK) and takes you through SDE’s purchases from 12-13 April. Enjoy and feel free to leave any questions in the comments. A year ago I published my Den Bosch Diary which will also give you a further insight into the record fair.
Quick pre-order link. Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel’s The Best Years of Our Lives also announced on SDE exclusive blu-ray today!
Mike Oldfield’s 1974 album Hergest Ridge – his follow up to Tubular Bells – will be issued on SDE exclusive blu-ray audio in June.
Released in August ’74, the album topped the UK charts for three weeks and like its predecessor, has two long instrumental movements: ‘Part One’ and ‘Part Two’.
Hergest Ridge was demo’d in 1974, then recorded and released in the same year. It was then remixed in Quad for the 1976 ‘Boxed’ set and in 2010 remixed again by Mike Oldfield in both 5.1 surround sound and stereo. David Kosten has recently completed new mixes in Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and stereo. Incredibly, all EIGHT of these versions of the album are included on the SDE exclusive blu-ray, with the Atmos Mix available additionally as a ‘Binaural’ version for headphones-only (compatible with all headphones).
2025 David Kosten Dolby Atmos Mix* (48/24)
2025 David Kosten 5.1 Surround Mix* (96/24)
2025 David Kosten Stereo Mix* (96/24)
2020 David Kosten Binaural Mix [Headphones only]* (48/24)
2010 Mike Oldfield 5.1 Surround Mix
2010 Mike Oldfield Stereo Mix
1976 Quad Mix
1974 Original Stereo Mix
1974 Demo
*Only available physically on this product
The SDE exclusive blu-ray ships with the collectible SDE Surround Series slipcase
The blu-ray is presented in a clear amaray blu-ray case and will ship with a collectible SDE Surround Series slipcase.
This Hergest Ridge release is a region-free blu-ray audio and is #41 in the ongoing SDE Surround Series. Don’t miss out. This product is a limited edition and the pre-order window closes on 6 May 2025. Availability cannot be guaranteed after that date, so secure your copy today by pre-ordering at the SDE shop, either directly via this link or using the special SDE shop buy button below. We ship worldwide.
As well as the SDE exclusive blu-ray a half-speed mastered 2LP vinyl set is available that pairs the original 1974 mix, remastered by Miles Showell and for the first time on vinyl Mike Oldfield’s 2010 stereo mix.
This Mike Oldfield Hergest Ridge blu-ray release is a collaboration between SDE and UMR and will be released on 27 June 2025. Please note that #42 in the SDE Surround Series is also announced today: Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel’s 1975 album The Best Years of Our Lives. Two blu-ray bundles are available.
Tracklisting
Hergest Ridge Mike Oldfield/SDE exclusive blu-ray
2025 David Kosten Dolby Atmos Mix*
2025 David Kosten 5.1 Surround Mix*
2025 David Kosten Stereo Mix*
2020 David Kosten Binaural Mix [Headphones only]*
2010 Mike Oldfield 5.1 Surround Mix
2010 Mike Oldfield Stereo Mix
1976 Quad Mix
1974 Original Stereo Mix
1974 Demo
Quick pre-order link. Mike Oldfield’s Hergest Ridge also announced on SDE exclusive blu-ray today!
Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel’s 1975 album The Best Years of Our Lives will be reissued on SDE exclusive blu-ray audio, in June.
Recorded at Abbey Road and Air Studios in late 1974, and produced by Harley and Alan Parsons, the album features the UK number one single ‘Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)‘ and it’s top 20 follow-up, ‘Mr. Raffles (Man, It Was Mean)’.
Cockney Rebel (this was the first album where Harley added his name before the band) were Jim Cregan on guitar, George Ford on bass, Ducan Mackay on piano/keyboards and Stuart Elliot on drums. Tina Charles and Linda Lewis were amongst the five backing vocalists.
Alan Parsons has revisited this album and created brand new Dolby Atmos, 5.1 and Stereo mixes, as well as an instrumental mix. All four audio streams include ‘Make Me Smile’ B-side ‘Another Journey’. A non-limited Miles Showell 2025 remaster of the original mix features on this exclusive blu-ray, as does 14 tracks from a Hammersmith Odeon live performance in 1975.
Audio streams on the SDE exclusive blu-ray of The Best Years of Our Lives:
2025 Alan Parsons Dolby Atmos Mix*
2025 Alan Parsons 5.1 Mix (96/24)*
2025 Alan Parsons Stereo Mix (96/24)*
2025 Alan Parsons Stereo Instrumental Mix* (96/24)
1975 Original Stereo Mix (Non-limited 2025 Remaster by Miles Showell) (96/24)
Live at Hammersmith 1975 (96/24 stereo)
*Only available physically on this product
The SDE exclusive blu-ray ships with the collectible SDE Surround Series slipcase
The blu-ray is presented in a clear amaray blu-ray case and will ship with a collectible SDE Surround Series slipcase.
The Best Years of Our Lives release is a region-free blu-ray audio and is #42 in the ongoing SDE Surround Series. Don’t miss out. This product is a limited edition and the pre-order window closes on 6 May 2025. Availability cannot be guaranteed after that date, so secure your copy today by pre-ordering at the SDE shop, either directly via this link or using the special SDE shop buy button below. We ship worldwide.
As well as the SDE exclusive blu-ray a 2CD+DVD deluxe edition (in mediabook packaging) will be available. This offers the new Alan Parsons stereo remix on CD 1, a disc of unreleased outtakes & rarities on CD 2 and rare video content on the DVD. There is also a half-speed mastered vinyl edition of the original mix of the album.
This Best Years of Our Lives blu-ray release is a collaboration between SDE and Chrysalis and will be released on 20 June 2025. Please note that #41 in the SDE Surround Series is also announced today. It’s another 70s classic, Mike Oldfield’sHergest Ridge. Two-blu-ray bundles are available.
Tracklisting
The Best Years of Our LivesSteve Harley & Cockney Rebel/SDE exclusive blu-ray
2025 Alan Parsons Dolby Atmos Mix*
2025 Alan Parsons 5.1 Mix (96/24)*
2025 Alan Parsons Stereo Mix (96/24)*
2025 Alan Parsons Stereo Instrumental Mix* (96/24)
1975 Original Stereo Mix (Non-limited 2025 Remaster by Miles Showell) (96/24)
Introducing “The Best Years”
The Mad, Mad Moonlight
Mr Raffles
It Wasn’t Me
Panorama
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)
Back To The Farm
49th Parallel
The Best Years Of Our Lives
Another Journey (B-side)
Live at Hammersmith 1975 (96/24 stereo)
The Mad, Mad Moonlight
Hideaway
Panorama
Sweet Dreams
Sebastian
Mr Raffles
Back To The Farm
49th Parallel
Death Trip
Judy Teen
Mr Soft
The Best Years Of Our Lives
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)
Tumbling Down
CD 1: Alan Parsons Stereo Mix
Introducing “The Best Years”
The Mad, Mad Moonlight
Mr Raffles
It Wasn’t Me
Panorama
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me)
Back To The Farm
49th Parallel
The Best Years Of Our Lives
Another Journey (B-Side)*
CD 2: Outtakes & Rarities
Another Journey (Early Version) *
It Wasn’t Me (Outtake) *
The Mad, Mad Moonlight (Rehearsal Version) *
Back To The Farm (Instrumental Rehearsal) *
49th Parallel (Rehearsal) *
Panorama (Vocal Run Through) *
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) (False Start) *
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) (Rough Mix) *
Another Journey (Acoustic Demo) *
The Best Years Of Our Lives (Rehearsal Version) *
The Best Years Of Our Lives (Acoustic Demo) *
*Previously unreleased
DVD
Between The Lines Documentary – Live at Hammersmith Odeon, 14th April 1975
Star Rider – Live at Hammersmith Odeon, 14th April 1975
Make Me Smile (Come Up And See Me) – Promo Video / TOTP
Live at Hammersmith Odeon, 14th April 1975 – Audio
Prince’stimeless 1984 album Purple Rain has been mixed in Dolby Atmos and is released on blu-ray audio. An exclusive SDE edition with a specially-designed slipcase is available via the SDE shop.
The Cure will release Mixes of a Lost World in June, an album of remixes of songs from last year’s acclaimed Songs of a Lost World.
Standard 2CD and 2LP editions will feature brand new remixes from the likes of Four Tet, Paul Oakenfold, Orbital and more. Both discs feature all eight tracks from the album in remixed form. Deluxe three-disc sets (3LP and 3CD) add additional remixes and reworks from Chino Moreno (Deftones), Mogwai and 65daysofstatic, among others. The third bonus disc adds all eight tracks from the album, giving you three versions of the record in remixed form.
Mixes of a Lost World 3CD deluxe edition
The 3LP set is half-speed mastered and comes with a poster, as does the 3CD edition. Both versions (two-disc and three-disc) are available on cassette, which is exclusive to The Cure’s shop.
Mixes of a Lost World will be released on 13 June 2025 via Polydor. All The Cure’s recording royalties will benefit the WarChild charity.
Bryan Ferry’s 13th studio album, Olympia, will be reissued next month on CD and vinyl.
Originally released in 2010, Olympia includes contributions from Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay, David Gilmour and Nile Rodgers. The single ‘You Can Dance’ was co-written with Dave A. Stewart of Eurythmics fame. Bryan told SDE earlier this year that Dave was “a real character. But he’s very throw away in his approach… whereas I want to get it finished. When we did ‘You Can Dance’, it started off as a country and western kind of track and I turned it into something with a different feel altogether”.
The album features model Kate Moss on the front cover and at the time of release was available in various editions including a CD+DVD deluxe with two bonus tracks and some video content. A large format super deluxe added a bonus CD of remixes. A Vinyl Factory pressed 200g deluxe vinyl was also available.
Olympia available on 180g red vinyl
For 2025, the new CD edition effectively replicates the old deluxe but loses the DVD. So the two bonus audio tracks are the same: ‘Whatever Gets You Thru The Night’ and ‘One Night’. A new LP version is pressed on 180g red vinyl. Bryan Ferry has overseen updated artwork for both formats (this appears to be minor).
Simultaneously, with Olympia is a reissue of Ferry’s 1999 album As Time Goes By, a collection of cover versions of popular songs and jazz standards. Like Olympia this record was co-produced with Rhett Davies. No bonus tracks on CD this time, just the 15 songs that were originally on the album. The LP reissue is pressed on 180g ‘honey gold’ vinyl.
Olympia and As Time Goes By are reissued on 30 May 2025 via BMG.
After the apparent sacking of Who drummer Zak Starkey – much publicised a few days ago – the band have now confirmed that Zak “has not been asked to step down from The Who”.
Frontman Roger Daltrey had complained on stage at the band’s recent Teenage Cancer Trust shows at the Royal Albert Hall about the drums, stopping ‘The Song is Over’ saying: “To sing that song I do need to hear the key, and I can’t. All I’ve got is drums going boom, boom, boom. I can’t sing to that. I’m sorry guys.”
It sounded more like a sound mix problem in Daltrey’s ear monitor rather than Starkey doing anything wrong, but an explanation has been posted on The Who’s social accounts, written by Pete Townshend where he says that he “takes some responsibility for the confusion” adding “maybe we didn’t put enough time into the sound checks, giving us problems on stage”.
Zak isn’t let off the hook entirely, with Pete saying he “made a few mistakes and he has apologised”. Townshend also points out that “Roger and I would like Zak to tighten up his latest evolved drumming style to accommodate our non-orchestral line-up and he has readily agreed”.
In summary, Pete says: “We are a family, this blew up very quickly and got too much oxygen. It’s over. We move forward now with optimism and fire in our bellies”.
The Who’s next scheduled live dates are in Italy in August. Roger Daltrey is currently playing solo shows in the UK with Scott Devours on drums.
Robin Trower’s third album, For Earth Below, is being reissued for its 50th anniversary.
Released in 1975, it built on the success of his previous album Bridge of Sighs, reaching No 5 on the Billboard chart in the USA.
50th anniversary 4CD media book edition
In terms of the reissue, a 4CD media book edition features a remastered version of the original 1975 mix, a new unearth ‘extended’ stereo remix, a disc of outtakes and rarities and a newly mixed concert from LA available in its entirety for the first time. Notes are from David Sinclair including interviews with Robin Trower and Bill Lordan. A 2LP vinyl edition pairs the remastered original mix with the new extended stereo mix.
For Earth Below will be issued on 27 June 2025, via Chrysalis.
Horslips at the BBC is a forthcoming CD box set that comprises live performances, BBC TV footage and rare archival material.
The band emerged in the early 1970s, forging their ‘Celtic Rock’ sound, drawing from Irish traditional music and British/American rock. This new box set comprises 4CDs and a DVD starting in the early 1970s and including performances from the 2010s when the band were active again.
CD 1 includes performances from Radio 1’s In Concert, The Old Grey Whistle Test, Radio 1’s Sounds of the 70’s, 2nd House (BBC 2) and Radio 1’s John Peel Show
CD 2 largely focuses on a 1979 In Concert performance for Radio 1, but adds an unplugged ‘comeback’ session from 2010 and a BBC Northern Ireland performance of ‘Sideways To The Sun’ from 2019.
CD 3 showcases a 2011 performance with the Ulster Orchestra at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, in a previously unreleased BBC Radio Ulster ‘broadcast mix’.
CD 4 offers 1979 ‘working mixes’ of the album Short Stories, Tall Tales, recorded at Dublin’s Windmill Lane. Apparently recently discovered, these illustrate a band in transition, shifting from the US FM rock to a spikier, sharper British New Wave sound.
The final disc is a DVD that brings together clips from The Old Grey Whistle Test, 1974 documentary material and fan footage of two songs from the 2011 Waterfront Hall concert (synced to the official BBC audio).
This set comes as a hardcover book package with notes by Mark Cunningham, BBC producer Jeff Griffin and Colin Harper. Mastering comes courtesy of Eroc in Germany and band associate Cormac O’Kane who mastered 2023’s massive More Than You Can Chew box.
Horslips at the BBC will be released on 4 July 2025 (was 30 May), via Madfish.
This 8CD set features newly mastered albums released between 1994 and 2004 along with three bonus CDs of B-sides, remixes, edits and rarities. The albums in question are:
The Living Return (1994)
Shapes And Patterns (1997)
Filth And Dreams (1999)
Somewhere in the Night (2001)
Where Our Love Grows (2004)
This set has been compiled in conjunction with Corinne Drewery and Andy Connell and the booklet features notes from John Earls. The packaging will be the same as before and a third SOS box in this series has been confirmed!
Certain Shades Of Limelight will be released on 18 July 2025 (was 27 June), via Cherry Pop.
