New stuff (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Maya Angelou | “Caged Bird Songs” (vocals performed and lyrics by Angelou, mixed with hip-hop beats, with her blessing; it was one of the iconic poet’s final projects before her death in May 2014; producers: RoccStar, Shawn Rivera; Read here; MP3) | (Smooch Music) |
| Jonathan Antoine (formerly of the “Britain’s Got Talent” duo Jonathan and Charlotte) | “Tenore” (producer: Anna Barry; Hear here; limited-edition signed CD; Vinyl; MP3) | (Sony Classical) |
| Arca (aka 24-year-old Venezuelan Alejandro Ghersi) | “Xen” (first single: “Thievery”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Mute) |
| Eric Bibb | “Blues People” (guests: Taj Mahal, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Ruthie Foster, Michael Jerome Browne, Harrison Kennedy; Hear here; MP3) | (Stony Plain) |
| Black Clouds | “Dreamcation” (producer: J. Robbins; first single: “Some of Us Are Meant To Disappear”; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Collect) |
| Larry Carlton | “Four Hands & A Heart Christmas” (Read here) | (335 / MVD) |
| Clark (English electronic musician) | “Clark” (Hear here; Read here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Warp) |
| Deerhoof | “La Isla Bonita” (producers: Deerhoof, Nick Sylvester; first single: “Exit Only”; Hear here; MP3) | (Polyvinyl) |
| Ani DiFranco | “Allergic to Water” (her 20th studio album; Hear here; Read here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Righteous Babe) |
| The Doobie Brothers | “Southbound” (remakes of their biggest hits with such country stars as Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band, Sara Evans, Chris Young, Jerrod Niemann, Love and Theft, etc.; producer: David Lyndon Huff; Hear here; Read here; MP3) | (Arista Nashville) |
| Calvin Harris | “Motion” (guests: Gwen Stefani, Ellie Goulding, John Newman, Haim, Big Sean, Tinashe, All About She, R3HAB, Ummet Ozcan; first single: “Blame”; Hear here; MP3) | (Columbia) |
| Inspiral Carpets | “Inspiral Carpets” (the band’s first album of studio material in two decades; guest: John Cooper Clarke; new single: “Spitfire”; Hear here; Read here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Cherry Red) |
| Theophilus London | “Vibes!” (executive producer: Kanye West; guests: West, Leon Ware, Jesse Boykins III, Soko, Devonte Hynes; Hear here; See here; MP3) | (Warner) |
| Bette Midler | “It’s the Girls!” (her first album since 2006 pays homage to famous girl groups, from The Andrews Sisters to TLC; producer: Marc Shaiman; Hear here; Read here; MP3) | (Warner) |
| Newsboys | “Hallelujah for the Cross” (Hear here; Read here; MP3) | (Newsboys / Capitol Christian Distribution) |
| Over the Rhine | “Blood Oranges in the Snow” (the duo’s third holiday album includes a cover of Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December”; Hear here; MP3) | (Great Speckled Dog) |
| Psychostick | “IV: Revenge of the Vengeance “ (guests: Bill Manspeaker, founder of Green Jellÿ, Neil Patterson, Rob Nichols of Downtown Brown; Hear here; See here; MP3) | (Rock Ridge Music) |
| Raekwon | “Fly International Luxurious Art” (producers: Jerry Wonda, Roadsart; guests: Estelle, Akon, Melanie Fiona; Hear here) | (Ice H2O / Universal) |
| Spiders (Swedish rock quartet) | “Shake Electric” (producer: Mattias Glavå; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Spinefarm) |
| Alvin Stardust (’70s glam-rock singer died of cancer on Oct. 23) | “ALVIN” (his first album in 30 years; Hear here) | (U.K. – Conehead, Nov. 3) |
| Various artists | “A Merry Friggin’ Christmas: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack” (holiday film, which opens Nov. 7, stars Joel McHale and Robin Williams, in one of his final roles before his suicide in August; See/read here; MP3) | (Lakeshore) |
| Wild Smiles (U.K. rock trio) | “Always Tomorrow” (first single: “Never Wanted This”; Hear here; MP3) | (Sunday Best Recordings) |
| Neil Young | “Storytone” (recorded with a 92-piece orchestra and choir; Hear here; Vinyl; MP3; MP3 Deluxe Edition) | (Reprise) |
More Releases for the Week of Nov. 4, 2014
New stuff (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| The Cardboard Crowns | “Global Citizen [MP3]” (Hear here) | (The Cardboard Crowns) |
| Dirty South | “With You [MP3]” (first single: “Unbreakable”; Hear here; See here; MP3) | (Astralwerks) |
| Adam Hood | “Welcome to the Big World [MP3]” (producer: Rachel Loy; first single: “Trying to Write a Love Song”; Hear here) | (Adam Hood Music) |
| Jack Jeffery | “Enlightened Horizon [MP3]” (producer: Jeffery; first single: “The Road That Never Ends”; Hear here) | (Jack Jeffery, Nov. 1) |
| July A.D. | “Letting Go [MP3]” (producers: McCarthy/Cirillo; first single: “You Don’t Love Me”) | (DECCAGONE) |
“The first sessions began three years ago,” Mario Cirillo tells P&P, “then Hurricane Irene flooded our homes and after that Super Storm Sandy wiped us out. Through all of that we persevered, rebuilt our homes and lives to deliver a record we really believe in, from a place of profound heartache we found out who we are as a band and as friends who are more like brothers. Yes, we were pushed too far but not far enough to stop recording. This is our eighth studio album but one that is very satisfying because it almost didn’t happen.”
| Kid Runner (Columbus, Ohio, alt-pop band) | “Wake Up Now [MP3]” (six-song EP; producer: Michael Seifert; first single: “Move”; Hear here) | (Kid Runner) |
| Lia Mice (experimental pop project of Eleanor C Mice) | “I Love You [MP3]” (first single: “Memory Maps”; Hear here) | (Old Flame) |
| Magic Bronson (synth-rock duo) | “Wildlife [MP3]” (Hear here) | (War Cry) |
| Reverse Commuter (project of Los Angeles-based producer Kenneth James Gibson) | “Exposure [MP3]” (guests: Kelly Johnston, Douglas J. McCarthy; Hear here) | (Hallucienda) |
| Sundials (Richmond, Va., indie-rock trio) | “Kick [MP3]” (six-song EP; producer: Mike Bardzik; Hear here; Vinyl) | (Topshelf) |
| We Are the Willows | “Picture (Portrait) [MP3]” (the songs were inspired by letters written by frontman Peter Miller’s grandfather to his grandmother during World War II; first single: “Dear Ms. Branstner”; Hear here) | (The Homestead Records) |
More Digital Releases for the Week of Nov. 4, 2014
Reissues (CDs / vinyl)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| ABBA | “ABBA: The Collection [Vinyl box set]” (eight 180-gram vinyl LPs) | (Polydor / UMe) |
| Big Star | “Live in Memphis” (from Oct. 29, 1994; producers: Cheryl Paweski, Danny Graflind; Read here; Vinyl; DVD; MP3) | (Omnivore Recordings) |
| The Brothers Four | “Merry Christmas (Expanded Edition)” (1966 album; remastered, with two bonus tracks) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Glen Campbell | “The Early Years” (two-CD, 33-song compilation of his work in The Gee Cees, The Fleas, The Trophies and The Green River Boys and as the solo artist Billy Dolton; Read here) | (Jasmine, Nov. 7) |
| Chicago | “September 13th 1969: Recorded Live at the Toronto Rock N Roll Revival” | (Purple Pyramid / Cleopatra) |
| The Chills | “The BBC Sessions” (recorded during three Peel Sessions, from December 1985 to December 1988; Hear/read here; Vinyl; MP3) | (Fire) |
| Rosemary Clooney | “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas (Expanded Edition)” (1954 album; remastered, with seven bonus tracks, including a previously unreleased bonus duet between Clooney and Bing Crosby on “Silver Bells” from “The Bing Crosby for General Electric” radio show) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Judy Collins | “Both Sides Now: The Very Best of Judy Collins” (two CDs, 28 songs; MP3) | (Wildflower) |
| The Cryan’ Shames | “Sugar & Spice (Deluxe Expanded Mono Edition)” (1966 album; remastered, with six bonus tracks; Read here) | (U.K. – Now Sounds, Nov. 3) |
| Bobby Darin | “The Complete US & UK A & B Sides 1956-62” (60 tracks; MP3) | (Acrobat) |
| John Denver | “All of My Memories: The John Denver Collection [Box set]” (four CDs, 90 songs; MP3) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| Ian Dury | “The Complete Studio Albums Collection [Box set]” (all eight studio albums and a ninth disc of bonus material; Read here) | (U.K. – Edsel, Nov. 3) |
| Frank DeVol and the Rainbow Strings | “The Old Sweet Songs of Christmas” (1960 album; remastered) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Bob Dylan and The Band | “The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11 [Box set]” (six discs, 138 tracks; Vinyl; MP3), “The Basement Tapes Raw: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11” (two CDs; highlights from “The Basement Tapes Complete”; MP3) | (Columbia / Legacy) |
| Bill Evans | “12 Classic Albums: 1956-1962 [Box set]” (six CDs) | (Enlightenment) |
| Allan Ganley | “The Complete Quartet & Jazzmakers Sessions 1957-59” (16 tracks; MP3) | (Acrobat) |
| Robert Goulet | “The Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings” (29 tracks) | (Real Gone Music) |
| The Kingston Trio | “The Last Month of the Year” (1960 album; remastered) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark & Chris Hillman with David Crosby | “Live At The Boarding House: The Historic Radio Broadcast” (1978 recordings in San Francisco) | (All Access) |
| Ronnie Milsap | “The RCA Albums Collection [Box set]” (21 discs; MP3) | (RCA / Legacy) |
| Thelonious Monk | “‘Round Midnight: The Complete Blue Note Singles (1947-1952)” (two CDs, 47 songs) | (Blue Note) |
| The Platters | “The Complete A & B Sides 1953-62, Vol. 2” (24 tracks; MP3) | (Acrobat) |
| Lou Rawls | “The Rarest Lou Rawls: In the Beginning 1959-1962” (two CDs, 46 tracks; Read here) | (Jasmine, Nov. 7) |
| Scorpions | “Blackout [Hybrid SACD – DSD]” (1985 album; remastered) | (Audio Fidelity) |
| Silver Convention | “Madhouse” (1976 album; remastered, with two bonus tracks; Read here) | (U.K. – Big Break / Cherry Red, Nov. 3) |
| Michael Stanley | “The Solo Years 1995-2014” (three CDs, 43 tracks; MP3) | (Classic Music Vault) |
| The Statler Brothers | “The Complete Mercury Christmas Recordings” (featuring the albums “Christmas Card” and “Christmas Present”) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Three Dog Night | “Suitable for Framing” (1969 album; remastered, with two bonus tracks) | (Iconoclassic) |
| tobyMac | “Eye’M All Mixed Up: Remixes” (remixes of tracks off “Eye On It,” featuring Capital Kings, Soul Glow Activatur, Telemitry, etc.; Read here) | (ForeFront / UMe) |
| T-Pain | “T-Pain Presents Happy Hour: The Greatest Hits” (new single: “Drankin’ Patna”; MP3) | (Nappy Boy Entertainment / Konvict Muzik / RCA) |
| Various artists | “Forrest Gump: The Soundtrack [Vinyl]” (20th anniversary of the 1994 album; remastered; 32-song soundtrack is available on 180 Gram “All American” Red, White and Blue vinyl LPs) | (SRCVinyl) |
| Various artists | “LateNightTales presents Automatic Soul” (20-track collection of 1980s soul songs, compiled, re-edited and mixed by Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay; Vinyl) | (Night Time Stories) |
| Various artists | “Uncompromising Expression: The Singles Collection [Box set]” (five CDs; see related book below) | (Blue Note) |
| Dick Wagner (Lou Reed and Alice Cooper sideman) | “Dick Wagner” (1978 album; remastered) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Andy Williams and the Williams Brothers | “The Williams Brothers Christmas Album” (1970 album; remastered) | (Real Gone Music) |
| Wings | “Venus and Mars” (1975 album; remastered, with a second CD of demos and unreleased tracks; See here; Deluxe Book, with a hardback book and a DVD containing filmed material from around the time of each release; Vinyl), “Wings At the Speed of Sound” (1976 album; remastered, with a second CD of demos and unreleased tracks; See here; Deluxe Book, with a hardback book and a DVD containing filmed material from around the time of each release; Vinyl) | (MPL / Hear Music) |
| Timi Yuro | “I’m a Star Now: Rarities 1956-1982” (24 tracks; Read here) | (U.K. – RPM / Cherry Red, Nov. 3) |
More Releases for the Week of Nov. 4, 2014
Reissues (MP3s)
| Artist: | Title: | Label: |
| Billy Talent | “Billy Talent Hits [MP3]” (14 tracks) | (TAO Music) |
| Kudsi Ergüner | “Turkey: The Turkish Ney [MP3]” | (Auvidis-UNESCO / Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) |
| Kaki King | “Everybody Glows: B-Sides & Rarities [MP3]” (16 tracks; Hear here) | (Short Stuff) |
| Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs | “Under the Covers Vol. 2 [MP3]” (2009 album) | (Shout! Factory) |
| Various artists | “Syria: Islamic Ritual Zikr in Aleppo [MP3]” | (Auvidis-UNESCO / Smithsonian Folkways Recordings) |
| Andy Williams | “40 Christmas Classics [MP3]” | (Columbia / Legacy) |
More Digital Releases for the Week of Nov. 4, 2014
DVD / Blu-ray
| Artist: | Title: | Studio/label: |
| Scott Bakula, Dean Stockwell | “Quantum Leap: The Complete Series [DVD]” (27 discs) | (Universal Studios) |
| John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, et al | “The Blues Brothers [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (1980 film) | (Universal Studios) |
| Valerie Bertinelli, Betty White, et al | “Hot in Cleveland: Season Five [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (three discs) | (Paramount) |
| Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, et al | “The Big Lebowski [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (1998 film) | (Universal Studios) |
| Michael Cera | “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (2010 film) | (Universal Studios) |
| Eric Clapton | “Planes, Trains and Eric [DVD]” (new tour documentary; Read here; Blu-ray) | (Eagle Rock) |
| Bing Crosby | “Bing Crosby: The Television Specials – Volume Two, The Christmas Specials [DVD]” (two-disc set includes Crosby’s 1977 duet with David Bowie on “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy”) | (Universal) |
| John Denver | “The Christmas Gift [DVD]” (1986 film) | (Paramount) |
| Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, et al | “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (1998 film) | (Universal Studios) |
| Griffin Dunne, David Naughton, et al | “An American Werewolf in London [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (1981 film) | (Universal Studios) |
| James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, et al | “The Sopranos: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]” (28 discs) | (HBO Studios) |
| Genesis | “Three Sides Live [DVD]” (filmed in November 1981 on the “Abacab” tour of North America; fully restored from original 16mm film; Blu-ray) | (Eagle Rock) |
| Merv Griffin | “The Merv Griffin Show, 1962-1986 [DVD]” (12-disc anthology features 44 episodes, more than seven hours of bonus material, featuring more than 200 guest stars in entertainment, politics, music, art, sports, fashion and literature; See here) | (MPI Home Media) |
| Burl Ives, Billy Mae Richards, et al | “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition [DVD]” (Blu-ray) | (Anderson Merchandisers / Classic Media) |
| Jefferson Airplane | “Somebody to Love: The Music Story of Jefferson Airplane [DVD]” | (Laser Media) |
| Angelina Jolie | “Maleficent [DVD]” (2014 film; Blu-ray) | (Walt Disney) |
| The King Family | “A King Family Christmas [DVD]” (featuring four holiday TV specials; two discs; See here) | (Polly O. Entertainment) |
| Stanley Kubrick | “Stanley Kubrick: The Masterpiece Collection [Blu-ray]” (10-disc, Amazon-exclusive box set includes the films “Lolita,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “A Clockwork Orange,” “Barry Lyndon,” “The Shining,” “Full Metal Jacket” and “Eyes Wide Shut,” plus five documentaries and a 78-page hardcover photo book) | (Warner Home Video) |
| Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, et al | “Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Extended Edition [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (2013 film) | (New Line Home Video) |
| Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, et al | “Scarface [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (1983 film) | (Universal Studios) |
| Simon Pegg | “Shaun of the Dead [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (2004 film) | (Universal Studios) |
| Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh | “Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho [Blu-ray + Digital HD]” (1960 film) | (Universal Studios) |
| The Rolling Stones | “From The Vault – Hampton Coliseum – Live In 1981 [DVD]” (the show on Dec. 18 was the first music concert ever to be broadcast as a pay-per-view TV event; Blu-ray; CD) | (Eagle Rock) |
| Phil Silvers | “Sgt. Bilko – The Phil Silvers Show: The Complete Series [DVD]” (20 discs) | (Shout! Factory) |
| David Suchet | “Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Final Cases Collection [DVD]” (13 discs; Blu-ray) | (Acorn Media) |
| Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore | “The Dick Van Dyke Show: The Complete Series [DVD]” (25 discs) | (Image Entertainment) |
| Various artists | “Rockin’ the Wall: How Music Ripped the Iron Curtain [DVD]” (the documentary by Larry Schweikart and Marc Leif, marking the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, features interviews with David Paich, Robby Krieger, Mark Stein, Jimmy Haslip and Rudy Sarzo; See here) | (Lightyear Entertainment) |
More DVD/Blu-ray Releases for the Week of Nov. 4, 2014
Music books
More Book Releases for the Week of Nov. 4, 2014
