Holding the Music in Your Hands ®
Paul McCartney will reissue the 1975 Wings album Venus And Mars and the 1976 follow-up Wings At The Speed Of Sound in September.
Both albums will be available across a number of formats including a deluxe book edition similar to those issued for Band On The Run and McCartney / McCartney II as well as 2LP gatefold vinyl and two-CD editions.
Continue reading “McCartney: “Venus And Mars” and “Speed Of Sound” reissues announced”
The Allman Brothers Band 1971 Fillmore East Recordings 6CD set dropped a few times in the last few months but the three blu-ray audio version has never been that cheap. In the USA it’s around $100 which is equates to nearly £60 but it is currently available for significantly less than that on the UK Amazon site.
At the time of writing you can pick this up for around £45 – that’s about £10 cheaper than the single blu-ray + DVD CSNY 1974 set if you’re looking for a benchmark. Also, this is confirmed as having a 5.1 mix (unlike the CSNY set) so you’re getting some bang for you’re buck!
The 1971 Fillmore East Recordings is out now (track listing here).
This John Mellencamp 1978-2012 career overview was originally released back in December 2013 but seemed to be around only briefly before becoming unavailable. Six months later is seems to be back in stock at various Amazon sites and my copy turned up a few days ago (having been ordered in January 2014!).
I don’t know whether the long wait had raised expectations with regards to this set but upon opening it, it was quickly clear to me that this is one of the worst packaging jobs on a music box I’ve ever seen.
Continue reading “Overpriced and underwhelming: Mellencamp box not worth the wait”
This Allman Brothers Band Fillmore East Recordings set is available as a 6CD box, a 3x blu-ray audio set or a 4LP collection. 
Our advice is to opt for the blu-ray audio version of Tom Petty‘s new album, it’s the only place you’ll find a 5.1 surround sound mix.
Universal Music will issue a five-disc Paul Weller Classic Album Selection box set in September.
It will contain Weller’s first five solo records; Paul Weller (1992), Wild Wood (1993), Stanley Road (1995), Heavy Soul (1997) and Heliocentric (2000).
Continue reading “Paul Weller / Classic Album Selection: 5CD box set”
Universal Music will issue a trio of Big Country deluxe editions next month.
The Seer, Peace In Our Time and No Place Like Home are all two-CD sets packed with bonus material that includes B-sides, demos, twelve-inch remixes, seven-inch edits and even some unreleased songs. Full track listings below.
Continue reading “Big Country / The Seer, Peace In Our Time and No Place Like Home: 2CDs”
Having tackled deluxe editions of the four Virgin/MCA albums earlier this year (and the Anthology and Collection sets), Edsel Records have turned their attentions to Belinda Carlisle‘s other three studio albums which will all be reissued in September as deluxe editions.
Continue reading “More Belinda Carlisle deluxe editions coming soon from Edsel”
Universal Music will release Status Quo Live! a new four-CD box set box set in September.
The 35-track collection centres around the mid-1970s with the first two discs recreating the Live! album issued in 1977, while disc three offers Tokyo Quo, a Japan-only release, which only saw an official UK issue this year for a limited Record Store Day vinyl. The recordings for these gigs were made at Sunplaza Hall in Tokyo during the same 1976 tour, less than a month after the Glasgow gigs that formed the basis of the Live! album.
Continue reading “Status Quo / Live! 4CD box set”
Fred Vigdor – the saxophonist of the Average White Band – is your guide, as he lifts the lid on the All The Pieces – The Complete Studio Recordings 1971 – 2003 the newly released 19CD anthology from Edsel Records. More details on this box can be found here.
We described the Meet The Beatles! Japan box set as a ‘costly curio for collectors’ in our review, but if you slash a third off the purchase price it’s then becomes a more attractive deal, and that’s just what Amazon UK have done.
Continue reading “Deal Alert / The Beatles Japan Box”
Union Square have confirmed today exactly how limited the forthcoming Frankie Goes To Hollywood Inside The Pleasuredome box set will be.
Continue reading “Frankie: “Inside The Pleasuredome” box set numbers confirmed”
As part of The Who‘s 50th anniversary celebrations (which include a 2014 British Tour) a new compilation will be issued later this year.
Continue reading “The Who Hits 50 / new compilation”
Next week sees the release of Eric Clapton‘s The Breeze – An Appreciation of J.J. Cale.
Clapton has gathered a group of like-minded friends and musicians and recorded 16 Cale tracks as his tribute to the guitarist/songwriter. This new record features performances by Mark Knopfler, John Mayer, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Derek Trucks and Don White, as well as Clapton himself.
The standard CD and 2LP vinyl editions are widely available but Surfdog Records in the US have created two special deluxe box sets, exclusive to their site.
Continue reading “Eric Clapton & Friends / The Breeze – An Appreciation of J.J. Cale box set”
Prog rock band Gentle Giant‘s 1974 album has been reissued in remastered/remixed form with Steven Wilson stereo and 5.1 mixes on blu-ray accompanied by Ray Shulman created visuals.
Two-CD deluxe edition of Echobelly’s second album sees a host of B-sides and unreleased tracks (compiled by the band) on the bonus disc. On was originally issued in 1995 and features the singles Dark Therapy, King Of The Kerb and Great Things. The band’s debut is also reissued.
Two items high on many a Zang Tumb Tuum fan’s wish-list are being issued together via the Japanese arm of the now 30-year old label, this month.
The CD+DVD combo package consists of the 1985 compilation Sampled – on CD for the first time – and the DVD debut of The Value of Entertainment, the video presentation of 1985 ZTT London ‘showcase’ where the Art Of Noise infamously ‘jilted’ Paul Morley, leaving him on-stage with some dancers but sans band (Gary Langan explained more about this to SDE here).
Continue reading “ZTT Japan release “Sampled” & “The Value of Entertainment” combo set”
Sony/Legacy’s 10-disc, 156-track boxed celebration of Elvis Presley‘s 1970 album and documentary That’s The Way It Is has dropped in price dramatically on Amazon UK.
Continue reading “Deal Alert / Elvis Presley: Thats The Way It Is super deluxe box”
Sony/Legacy will reissue their 2011 Elvis box set, Young Man with the Big Beat, in September.
This five-CD set – which celebrated 1956, that whirlwind year for the young Elvis – was originally a very lavish and expensive affair and included memorabilia items (ticket stubs, poster reproductions, promo photos etc) as well as a great large format booklet which took you through The King‘s schedule in 1956.
Continue reading “Elvis / Young Man With The Big Beat: reissue and repackage”
As if to underline the marketing opportunity of Record Store Day, Rhino will release the RSD-only R.E.M. Unplugged 4LP vinyl edition as two separate double-LP sets in September.
Continue reading “Separate vinyl R.E.M. “Unplugged” releases on the way”
At last! After almost a month at over £100 on UK Amazon, the Queen Live at the Rainbow super deluxe is finally dropped to a sensible price.
Nearly £45 has been lopped off the four-disc set (2CD+DVD+Blu-ray) which comes with a 60-page book and lots of memorabilia items.
Continue reading “Deal Alert / Queen Live at the Rainbow super deluxe edition”
The Virgin Years 1980 – 1985 is a new John Foxx five-CD box set that features the albums Metamatic, The Garden, The Golden Section and In Mysterious Ways.
Each CD features bonus tracks including B-sides and out-takes with more gathered on a fifth CD, Fusion/Fission (see full track listing below).
Continue reading “John Foxx / The Virgin Years 1980-85”
