New stuff (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| AC/DC | “Rock or Bust” (their first album in six years is also their first without ailing founding member Malcolm Young, who has officially retired; Stevie Young, nephew of Angus and Malcolm Young, plays rhythm guitar; producer: Brendan O’Brien; first single: “Play Ball”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Columbia) |
| Mary J. Blige | “The London Sessions” (collaborations with such U.K. talent as Sam Smith, Disclosure, Eg White, Emeli Sandé, Naughty Boy, Sam Romans; first single: “Therapy”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Capitol) |
| Girlpool (L.A. duo) | “Girlpool” (seven-song EP; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Wichita Recordings) |
| Tracy Lawrence | “Greatest Hits: Evolution” (the country star recorded updated versions of his past hits; Hear here; MP3) | (Lawrence Music Group) |
| Willie Nelson and Sister Bobbie | “December Day: Willie’s Stash Vol. 1” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Legacy Recordings) |
| Parkay Quarts (“alter-ego” of Parquet Courts) | “Content Nausea” (Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (What’s Your Rupture?) |
| Collin Raye | “Everlasting” (covers album; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Cleopatra) |
| She & Him | “Classics” (guests: Chapin Sisters; Hear here; Read here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (Columbia) |
| Sundy Best (country duo) | “Salvation City” (producer: RS Field; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (eOne Music) |
| Walk the Moon | “Talking Is Hard” (first single: “Shut Up + Dance”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (RCA) |
| Wu-Tang Clan (feat. RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa and Cappadonna) | “A Better Tomorrow” (first single: “Ruckus in B Minor”; Hear here; MP3; iTunes) | (Warner) |
More CD/Vinyl Releases for the Week of Dec. 2, 2014
New stuff (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Beacon (Brooklyn-based duo) | “L1” (five-song EP; Hear here; Vinyl; iTunes) | (Ghostly International) |
| Client Liaison | “Live at Central Library” (seven-song EP; first single: “Feed the Rhythm”; Hear here) | (Dot Dash Recordings) |
| Edwyn Collins | “The Possibilities Are Endless” (music from the documentary film about Collins’ post-stroke recovery; featuring collaborations with Carwyn Ellis and Sebastian Lewsley; Hear here; See/read here; iTunes) | (AED) |
| Kim Ann Foxman (dance music artist, formerly of Hercules and Love Affair) | “It’s All About You / Steal My Secrets [iTunes]” (Hear here) | (Firehouse / The Vinyl Factory, Dec. 1) |
| Kanude | “Best Christmas Ever” (producer: Chris Knudson; Hear here) | (Lightstone) |
| The Lost Patrol | “Picture Show” (six-song EP; Hear here) | (Filter, Dec. 1) |
| The Slow Readers Club (Manchester-based indie electro band) | “Live at Central Library” (first single: “Forever In Your Debt”; Hear here) | (Extenso, Dec. 1) |
| Ryan Troughton Effect | “Naturally Selected” (producer: Drew Beck; guest: Beck; first single: “Pray For the Prey”; Hear here; iTunes) | (Ryan Troughton Effect) |
| Victoria+Jean (Swedish-Belgian avant-pop duo) | “V+J E.P.” (four-song EP; Hear here; See here) | (Victoria+Jean, Dec. 1) |
More Digital Releases for the Week of Dec. 2, 2014
Reissues (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Theodore Bikel | “Theodore Bikel’s Treasury of Yiddish Folk & Theatre Songs” (26-song set includes his albums “Theodore Bikel Sings Yiddish Theatre & Folk Songs,” “Theodore Bikel Sings Jewish Folk Songs” and “More Jewish Folk Songs”) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart | “I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonite?” (1968 album; remastered) | (Japan – Universal, Dec. 1) |
| Hadley Caliman | “Hadley Caliman” (1971 album; remastered; Hear/read here) | (U.K. – Boplicity / Ace, Dec. 1) |
| The Cascades | “Rhythms of Their Reign 1962-1966” (33 tracks, including their Valiant and RCA years; Track list) | (Teensville) |
| Leonard Cohen | “Live in Dublin [CD/DVD]” (three CDs, one DVD; recorded at Dublin’s O2 Arena in September 2013; CD/Blu-ray; iTunes) | (Columbia / Legacy) |
| The Miles Davis Quintet featuring John Coltrane | “All of You: The Last Tour 1960 [Box set]” (four CDs; Track list; iTunes) | (Acrobat) |
| The Dells | “The Dells: The Early Years – The Complete Singles As & Bs: 1954-62” (29 songs; Track list; iTunes) | (Acrobat) |
| Bonnie Dobson | “She’s Like a Swallow” (14 tracks; Hear/read here) | (U.K. – Big Beat / Ace, Dec. 1) |
| The Five Stairsteps | “Our Family Portrait / Stairsteps” (1968, 1970 albums on one CD; remastered, with three non-album singles) | (SoulMusic Records / Real Gone Music) |
| Red Foley | “Red Foley: The Complete US Country Hits 1944-59” (three CDs, 61 songs; Track list; iTunes) | (Acrobat) |
| Grateful Dead | “Dick’s Picks Vol. 14: Boston Music Hall 11/30/73 & 12/2/73 [Box set]” (four CDs) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Jay & The Techniques | “The Best of Jay & The Techniques” | (Japan – Universal, Dec. 1) |
| Linda Jones | “The Complete Atco-Loma-Warner Brothers Recordings” (21 songs) | (Real Gone Music) |
| King Crimson | “The Elements of King Crimson [Box set]” (two CDs of extracts, elements from studio recordings, alternate takes, live tracks, rehearsals and finished recordings from 1969-2014, much of it previously unreleased on CD; with 24-page booklet) | (DGM) |
| Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis | “You’re Gonna Get Next to Me: The Complete Claridge Recordings” (16 tracks; Hear/read here) | (U.K. – Kent / Ace, Dec. 1) |
| Blue Mitchell | “Blue Mitchell” (1970 album; remastered; Hear/read here) | (U.K. – Boplicity / Ace, Dec. 1) |
| New Colony Six | “The Mercury Years” | (Japan – Universal, Dec. 1) |
| Houston Person | “Houston Person ’75 / Get Out’a My Way!” (1974, 1975 albums on one CD; remastered; Hear/read here) | (U.K. – Westbound / Ace, Dec. 1) |
| Pixies | “PIXIES: Doolittle 25” (1989 album; remastered, with two CDs of bonus B-sides, Peel Sessions and demos; Read here; Vinyl; MP3; iTunes) | (4AD) |
| Todd Rundgren | “Todd Rundgren At the BBC 1972-1982” (four-disc clamshell box set; Read here) | (U.K. – Esoteric Recordings / Cherry Red, Dec. 1) |
| Donna Summer | “Donna: The CD Collection” (seven-disc box set contains her albums “The Wanderer,” “Donna Summer,” “Cats Without Claws,” “All Systems Go,” “Another Place and Time,” “Mistaken Identity” and “I’m a Rainbow,” with a free download card; Read here; iTunes), “Donna: The Vinyl Collection” | (U.K. – Driven By the Music / Crimson, Dec. 1) |
| B.J. Thomas | “Home Where I Belong / Happy Man” (1976, 1978 albums on one CD; remastered, with bonus tracks), “You Gave Me Love / Miracle” (1979, 1982 albums on one CD; remastered, with bonus tracks) | (Real Gone Music) |
| The Unforgiven | “The Unforgiven (Expanded Edition)” (1986 album; remastered, with two bonus tracks; Read here) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Various artists | “Follow Me Down: Vanguard’s Lost Psychedelic Era 1966-1970” (18 tracks; Hear/read here) | (U.K. – Vanguard / Ace, Dec. 1) |
| Various artists | “Hang On Sloopy: The Bert Berns Story Volume 3” (26 songs; Hear/read here) | (U.K. – Ace, Dec. 1) |
| Various artists | “NOW That’s What I Call a Party” (three CDs, 63 songs; Read here) | (U.K. – NOW, Dec. 1) |
| Various artists | “Speak Easy: The RPM Records Story Volume 2 1954-57” (two CDs, 56 songs; Hear/read here) | (U.K. – Kent / Ace, Dec. 1) |
| Sarah Vaughan | “A Time in My Life” (1971 album; remastered; Hear/read here) | (U.K. – Boplicity / Ace, Dec. 1) |
| Dionne Warwick | “No Night So Long (Expanded Edition)” (1980 album; remastered, with four bonus tracks), “How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye (Expanded Edition)” (1983 album, produced by Luther Vandross; remastered, with six bonus tracks), “Finder of Lost Loves (Expanded Edition)” (1985 album; remastered, with six bonus tracks, including three previously unreleased; Hear here) | (Funky Town Grooves) |
| Mary Lou Williams | “The Mary Lou Williams Collection 1927-59” (two CDs, 51 songs; Track list) | (Fabulous / Acrobat) |
| Yo La Tengo | “Extra Painful!” (deluxe reissue of 1993’s “Painful,” with 15 bonus tracks; Vinyl; MP3) | (Matador) |
More CD/Vinyl Releases for the Week of Dec. 2, 2014
Reissues (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Powder | “Ka-Pow! An Explosive Collection: 1967-68” (26 tracks; Hear/read here) | (Big Beat / Ace) |
| Various artists | “Syrian Orthodox Church: Antioch Liturgy,” “Syrian Orthodox Church: Tradition of Tur Abdin in Mesopotamia” | (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings / Auvidis-UNESCO) |
More Digital Releases for the Week of Dec. 2, 2014
DVD / Blu-ray
| Artist: | Title: | Label/studio: |
| Bing Crosby | “American Masters: Bing Crosby Rediscovered [DVD]” (PBS special premieres nationwide on Dec. 2; See/read here) | (PBS Home Video) |
| Bob Marley | “Bob Marley: The Lost Tapes [DVD]” (PBS special premieres nationwide on Dec. 2; See/read here) | (Bealeave Pictures) |
| Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal, et al | “The Hundred-Foot Journey [DVD]” (2014 film; Blu-ray; iTunes) | (Walt Disney) |
| One Direction | “Where We Are: Live from San Siro Stadium [DVD]” (filmed at the end of June 2014; Blu-ray) | (Columbia) |
| Gary Oldman, Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, et al | “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes [DVD]” (2014 film; Blu-ray) | (20th Century Fox) |
| Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, et al | “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington [Blu-ray]” (75th anniversary edition of the 1939 Frank Capra classic) | (Sony) |
| Various artists | “Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years [DVD]” (hosted by Jeff Bridges and Sheryl Crow; lineup includes Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Lyle Lovett, Foo Fighters, Jimmie Vaughan, etc.; See here) | (PBS) |
| Various artists | “A Charlie Brown Christmas: 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition [DVD]” | (Warner Home Video) |
| Various artists | “Jack Bruce – Rockpalast: The 50th Birthday Concerts [DVD]” (recorded Nov. 2-3, 1993, at the E-Werk in Cologne, with guests Ginger Baker, Bernie Worrell, Gary Moore, Clem Clempson, Mary Reilley, Dick Heckstall-Smith, Simon Phillips, Gary Husband; See here; CD; MP3) | (Made in Germany Music / MVD) |
More DVD/Blu-ray Releases for the Week of Dec. 2, 2014
Music books
| Subject/ Author(s): | Title: | Publisher: |
| Leonard Bernstein | “The Leonard Bernstein Letters [Paperback]” (author: John Byrne Cooke) | (Yale University Press) |
| Disco Patrick & Patrick Vogt | “Disco: An Encyclopedic Guide to the Cover Art of Disco Records [Kindle]” (co-author: Robert Ashton) | (Soul Jazz Books, Nov. 30) |
| Michael Garnice | “The Ultimate Guide to Great Reggae: The Complete Story of Reggae Told Through Its Greatest Songs, Famous and Forgotten [Hardcover]” | (Equinox Publishing, Nov. 30) |
| Kevin Prested | “Punk USA: The Rise and Downfall of Lookout! Records [Kindle]” | (Microcosm Publishing, Dec. 1) |
| Michael Sanchez | “Fiddle for Dummies [Paperback]” (Kindle) | (For Dummies, Dec. 3) |
More Book Releases for the Week of Dec. 2, 2014