Release Round-Up: Week of June 7 - The Second Disc (2024)

Welcome to this week's Release Round-Up, featuring a selection of the new titles available today! As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Dwight Twilley, Jungle: Expanded Edition (Iconoclassic) (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K./Amazon Canada)

Iconoclassic's deluxe expanded edition of power pop hero Dwight Twilley's third solo album boasts six bonus tracks including the outtakes "Forget About It, Baby," "You Can Change It," and "Don't You Love Her," and Twilley's demos of "Long, Lonely Nights," "To Get to You," and the title track. Ken Sharp has contributed a new essay based on his interviews with the late artist (who passed away in October 2023 at the age of 72); it can be found in the 12-page booklet which also features previously unseen photos from the original cover shoot. These photos were recently uncovered by original art director Zox. Rounding out this splendid package, Maria Triana has remastered the audio from the original tapes. Get more details here!

Fanny, Live on Beat Club '71-'72 (Real Gone Music)

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

Real Gone Music has unearthed a rarity from Fanny, the first all-female rock band signed to a major label (Reprise). Live on Beat Club '71-72 contains eleven songs from two appearances by the band on the West German music television show which ran from 1965 to 1972 and hosted many of the most famous pop and rock acts from over all over the world. Their material for these two sets draws from their second and third albums,Charity BallandFanny Hill. The release has been mastered by Mike Milchner at SonicVision from hi-res mono files taken from the original videotape. The package contains new liner notes with contributions from Alice de Buhr, Jean Millington, and June Millington. It is available in two formats: on a peach-colored vinyl and on CD. The CD contains an exclusive bonus track of the soundcheck for one of the appearances.

Luther, This Close to You: Expanded Edition (Legacy/Primary Wave)

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

Everybody rejoice! Legacy and Primary Wave restore both albums by Luther - the legendary Vandross' quintet featuring Anthony Hinton and Diane Sumler (both from the group Shades of Jade), Theresa V. Reed and Christine Wiltshire (of disco outfits Class Action and Phreek) - to print in CD, LP, and digital editions.Luther(1976) andThis Close to You(1977) were originally issued by the Cotillion label but near impossible to find after Vandross found solo success in the 1980s and bought the rights to both releases back. With 2024 poised to be a big rediscovery year for the late icon - the documentaryLuther: Never Too Muchrecently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival - both albums will be issued on vinyl, CD and digital, the latter two formats graced with four unreleased instrumentals and outtakes between each release.Luther has been out sice April 19, while This Close to You streets today; both titles and related merch are available at Vandross' official store. Read more here!

Starlight Express: Original London Cast Recording [Zoetrope Edition] (UMR) (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K./Amazon Canada)

To coincide with a revival of the roller-skating sensation Starlight Express to London, Universal Music Recordings is reissuing a 1-LP "highlights" package of the original London cast recording on zoetrope vinyl. This recording of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Richard Stilgoe musical preserves the performances of Stephanie Lawrence (Pearl), Frances Ruffelle (Dinah the Dining Car), Jeff Shankley (Greaseball), Ray Shell (Rusty), Jeffrey Daniel (Electra), Lon Satton (Poppa), and soul queen P.P. Arnold (Belle the Sleeping Car), among others. The complete 1984 recording featured 28 tracks, 11 of which are reprised on this single-LP release. A twelfth song, "Crazy," has been appended from 1992's The New Starlight Express, a much-publicized revision to the London production. (When the combined London run of the original and new versions ended in January 2002,Starlight Expresshad run for 7,409 performances.) Read more here!

APB, The Radio 1 Sessions (Liberation Hall) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Liberation Hall has a set from Scottish post-punk band APB culled from their BBC Radio performances for such DJs as John Peel, David Jensen, and Peter Powell. Fifteen of the nineteen tracks here have never previously appeared on an APB album. Available on CD and digital/streaming.

Skeeter Davis and NRBQ, She Sings, They Play: Expanded Edition (Omnivore) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Omnivore revisits and expands the 1985 collaboration between country crossover chanteuse Skeeter Davis ("The End of the World") and genre-defying band NRBQ. She Sings, They Play has gained six previously unissued bonus cuts on CD (four live tracks and two studio outtakes) and two on LP. John DeAngelis provides new liner notes for this deluxe package which also contains updated artwork and rarely-seen photos.

Tom Verlaine, Warm and Cool (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone has teamed with the estate of late Television frontman/guitarist Tom Verlaine to release Tom's last three solo albums on LP, starting with his 1992 instrumental set Warm and Cool, which has never been released on vinyl in the United States. Incorporating textures of rock, jazz, country, and surf, all rendered in Verlaine's distinctive style, Warm and Cool has been newly mastered by Verlaine's longtime collaborator Patrick Derivaz, who also played bass on the album. His life partner Jutta Koether has penned the new liner notes. It's pressed on pink vinyl.

Israel Vibration, Strength of My Life (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S./Amazon U.K./Amazon Canada)

Real Gone's reissue of Jamaican reggae group Israel Vibration's Strength of My Life is the first time the album has appeared on vinyl since its initial release; it comes in a few varieties. The regular black vinyl LP is available at all retailers. A marijuana green vinyl is available exclusively from Real Gone's website, limited to around 100 hand-numbered copies. You can also purchase an exclusive bundle from their website, featuring the two vinyl editions and a test pressing of the reissue.

Smoking Popes, Born To Quit (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone's new vinyl reissue of Smoking Popes' 1994 sophom*ore album Born To Quit marks the album's 30th anniversary and comes on pink and white "sunburn" vinyl. The album's signature song, "Need You Around," would be placed on the soundtrack to the film Clueless, giving Smoking Popes their biggest exposure. In fact, several songs from the album would show up in films: "My Lucky Day" in Tommy Boy, "Mrs. You & Me" inAngus, and "Gotta Know Right Now" inBoys. "Need You Around" proved to be the group's biggest hit, charting at No. 35 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks survey. The album peaked at No. 37 on the Heatseekers chart.

Stina Nordenstam, This Is Stina Nordenstam (Real Gone Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Real Gone's vinyl reissue of This Is Stina Nordenstam from the Swedish singer-songwriter marks the 2001 album's debut in the format. It comes in several editions: a clear vinyl edition available at all retailers, a co*ke clear with black swirl variant which is limited to around 100 copies available from Real Gone's website and in a bundle with those two editions and a test pressing, also available from Real Gone's site. Get the track listings and more for all of today's Real Gone Music releases here.

Robert Hunter, Tales of the Great Rum Runners: Deluxe Edition (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Rhino launches an archival series for Grateful Dead lyricist/collaborator Robert Hunter, beginning with this deluxe 2CD or 2LP reissue of his 1974 solo debut. The newly remastered original album is expanded with 16 previously unreleased recordings including alternate takes and session outtakes.

Robin Trower, Bridge of Sighs: 50th Anniversary Edition (Chrysalis) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Bridge of Sighs, Robin Trower's second album following his departure from Procol Harum, returns in a 3CD/1Blu-ray expanded edition timed to its 50th anniversary. This set contains the remastered original album, along with a newly-mixed version of the album in stereo and Dolby Atmos. The new mix features unedited versions of tracks from the album, which were originally edited down to fit a side of a vinyl and presented here in full for the first time. Additionally, the set contains a selection of previously unreleased outtakes and alternative versions and a full concert from the Record Plant in 1974 across 2 CDs. The Blu-ray contains the full 2024 Unedited Atmos version of the album, a hi-res 96/24 version of the original 1974 mix, an instrumental version of the album, Record Plant 1974, and outtakes not featured on the CDs. The DVD-style hardcover book package has a 24-page booklet with David Sinclair's interviews of Robin Trower and producer Matthew Fisher along with testimonials from Bryan Ferry, Robert Fripp, Steve Lukather, Clive Bunker, and Andy Parker.

Great Women of Song: Blossom Dearie / Helen Merrill (Verve/UMe)

Blossom Dearie: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada
Helen Merrill: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada

UMe continues its series of CD and LP compilations dedicated to great ladies of the American Songbook with new entries for Blossom Dearie (1924-2009) and Helen Merrill (born 1929). Blossom's volume has her renditions of such standards as "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," "Someone to Watch Over Me," "I Won't Dance," "If I Were a Bell," and "I Walk a Little Faster," while Merrill's offers "Anything Goes," "Falling in Love with Love," "By Myself," "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," and "'S Wonderful." While these collections are limited to a mere dozen tracks, they're solid samplers for those listeners still waiting to be acquainted with these truly great women of song.

Bing Crosby, Rarities from the Hollywood Studios 1933-1958 (Sepia) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

This 2CD set premieres previously unreleased tracks which have been sourced from studio playback and movie exploitation discs or alternative versions of movie tunes from 1933 to 1958, spanning 25 years of the legendary Bing Crosby's career. As the material on these CDs was produced by and for the movie studios for differing uses in the making of the films and was never intended for public consumption, this collector-oriented set adds further luster to the immense Crosby discography.

Camarata, The Happy Wanderer in Europe / Interprets the Music of Walt Disney's Cinderella and Bambi (Sepia) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Salvatore "Tutti" Camarata was hand-picked by Walt Disney himself to head up the fledgling Disneyland Records label. From 1956-1972, Camarata recorded some 300+ albums for Disney including this charming 1958 album of happy European folk songs (and even some ringers from the score to Brigadoon - why not?). Sepia has added an entire second album - 1957's Camarata Interprets the Music of Walt Disney's Cinderella and Bambi - and a host of bonus tracks. As so much of the Disneyland catalogue remains dormant today, this is a most felicitous release, indeed. Both Sepia titles are made available via current U.K. public domain laws.

Bon Jovi, Forever (Island) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

Bon Jovi is back with the band's sixteenth studio album and first since 2020, which has already yielded the singles "Legendary" and "Living Proof." Target has exclusive CD and LP editions with alternate cover artwork; the track listing also promises a bonus track, "Hollow Man," though that's not reflected on the artwork and can't be confirmed as of this writing. Two exclusive editions have been released in Japan: an SHM-CD/Blu-ray combo with two audio bonus tracks and behind-the-scenes footage and music videos on Blu-ray; and an SHM-CD with the bonus tracks, sans Blu-ray. The standard U.S. edition is available on CD, LP, and digitally.