For this week’s new releases, there is a lot of live music from some of the biggest names in rock history, and also a new album that promises to be the biggest selling record of 2015… and perhaps even 2016. Here’s what’s on my radar:
Adele – 25
What can I say about Adele? Her first single from her third studio album has dominated the airwaves since the day it was released in October. (Can you believe that “Hello” has only been a part of our world for less than a month?) With the release of “25,” we can be assured that, as 2015 was the year of Taylor Swift, 2016 will be the year of Adele. Since streaming the album won’t be an option, you’re gonna have to buy it if you want to get your fix. True fans will want to be sure to pick the album up at Target. They’ve got an exclusive version with three extra songs you won’t find anywhere else.
Roger Waters The Wall
It’s no surprise that Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters would release a live album for his incredible touring production of The Wall, although I’m surprised it took him so long to do so. I saw the show in St. Louis in 2010 and was blown away by the sheer scale of the production. The DVD and BluRay concert film comes out December 6, but you can get the 2CD soundtrack today.
Beach Boys’ Party! Uncovered and Unplugged
For the casual fan, the Greatest Hits and “Pet Sounds” will pretty much get you everything you need from the Beach Boys. This new release could make an interesting addition to any music collection, though. Originally recorded in 1965 and released with fake crowd sounds added to simulate a live “party” recording, this album is a mix of Beach Boys hits along with cover versions of The Beatles, Bob Dylan and others. This two CD reissue drops the crowd noise and delivers a whopping 81 tracks, many of which have never been released before.
The Rolling Stones – From The Vault: Roundhay Park: Live In Leeds 1982
Eagle Rock continues its series of DVD/CD combo releases of live Rolling Stones recordings “From The Vault.” This release captures the band at their commercial peak, touring behind what is arguably their last great record, “Tattoo You.” Like the previous Vault releases, this is available in multiple configurations to fit your CD/LP/DVD/BluRay preference. For my part, I appreciate the standard CD size packaging this series has been using for the DVD/CD combo packs, which fit perfectly in the rest of my music collection.
Grateful Dead – Fare Thee Well
If you’re a true Dead Head, you probably already bootlegged these concerts several months ago. But now we have the official CD/DVD release of the “final” concerts by this legendary band. Recorded in Chicago during the July 3-5 shows, sets are available in multiple formats, including a 3 CD/2 BluRay version and a 2 CD “best of” version.
