New albums from Drake and Kanye might drop next week. Emphasis on might. Truth be told, I couldn’t care either way. One is a boring whiner and the other is just plain nuts. So all in all, I’d much rather listen to the new releases and reissues below. Here’s the lowdown:
Rory Gallagher
Rory Gallagher 50th Anniversary Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rory Gallagher’s eponymous 1971 debut solo album, here comes a five-disc deluxe box set. The Rory Gallagher 50th Anniversary Edition will include a brand-new mix of the original album, 30 previously unreleased outtakes and alternate takes, a six-song 1971 BBC Radio John Peel Sunday Concert, plus four 1971 BBC Radio Sounds of the Seventies session tracks, all mastered at Abbey Road Studios. Also included is a previously unreleased 50-minute DVD of Rory’s first solo concert which was filmed in Paris for the Pop Deux television show. The extensive box set package will also contain a 32-page hardback book with many rare and previously unseen photographs from British rock photographer Barrie Wentzell, memorabilia from the album recording including hand-written song lyrics by Rory, an exclusive limited-edition poster and liner notes written by his brother and manager Donal Gallagher, his longtime bass guitarist Gerry McAvoy (1970-1991), plus a full 1971 interview with Rory.”
Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers
Ramble In Music City: The Lost Concert
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “After 15 years of touring with the beloved Hot Band, Emmylou Harris formed The Nash Ramblers, a new acoustic all-star group, in 1990, featuring Sam Bush (fiddle, mandolin, vocals), Roy Huskey Jr. (bass), Larry Atamanuik (drums), Al Perkins (dobro, banjo, vocals), and Jon Randall Stewart (acoustic guitar, mandolin, vocals). The band played on the road for several months before making their Nashville debut at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Sept. 28, 1990. That concert was recorded and shelved, while another live run at the Ryman Auditorium the following spring was released as Emmylou Harris and the Nash Ramblers At the Ryman to great acclaim, winning a Grammy and spurring public interest in saving the beloved music hall. Now, more than 30 years later, Nonesuch releases Ramble in Music City: The Lost Concert for the first time. The TPAC set features entirely different songs from the Ryman album and includes music by A.P. Carter, Rodney Crowell, Ruth Franks, The Louvin Brothers, Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, Paul Simon, and Townes Van Zandt among others, as well as her own compositions.”
Imagine Dragons
Mercury Act 1
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Grammy-winning multi-platinum band Imagine Dragons teamed up with esteemed producer Rick Rubin to create Mercury Act 1, a candid album that abandons metaphorically charged lyrics and instead embraces emotional extremities, holding nothing back. The title draws inspiration from the word “mercurial.” The first single Wrecked is a powerful and raw outpouring about grief, loss, and moving forward. Singer Dan Reynolds started writing the song shortly after losing his sister-in-law, Alisha Durtschi Reynolds, to cancer.”
Iron Maiden
Sunjutsu
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Iron Maiden’s 17th studio album Senjutsu is their first set of new material in six years. Ot was recorded in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Maiden founder and bassist Steve Harris. Said Harris: “There’s some very complex songs on this album which took a lot of hard work to get them exactly as we wanted them to sound, so the process was at times very challenging, but Kevin is great at capturing the essence of the band and I think it was worth the effort! I’m very proud of the result and can’t wait for fans to hear it.” Bruce Dickinson said, “We’re all really excited about this album. The songs are very varied, and some of them are quite long. There’s also one or two songs which sound pretty different to our usual style, and I think Maiden fans will be surprised – in a good way, I hope!”
Manic Street Preachers
Ultra Vivid Lament
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Manic Street Preachers’ 14th studio album The Ultra Vivid Lament is both reflection and reaction; a record that gazes in isolation across a cluttered room, fogged by often painful memories, to focus on an open window framing a gleaming vista of land melting into sea and endless sky. The album’s 11 tracks perfectly marry introspection, quiet rage and sublime, irresistible tunes. The Ultra Vivid Lament is inspired by everyone from ABBA, post-Eno Roxy, The Bunnymen, Fables-era R.E.M. and David Bowie‘s Lodger, though the end result could only be the unique union of James Dean Bradfield, Nicky Wire and Sean Moore, collectively one of the U.K.’s most consistently brilliant rock ’n’ roll bands for over three decades.
Bob Marley & The Wailers
The Capitol Sessions ’73
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The scene is Hollywood. October 1973. International reggae pioneers Bob Marley and The Wailers were filmed in a closed door session at the Capitol Records Tower on Oct. 24 by famed producer Denny Cordell, who received the blessing from Marley to capture the band recording 12 songs. Shooting with four cameras and mixing “on the fly” to a colorized tape, this footage of the Capitol Session has been painstakingly restored, resulting in an incredible presentation of this unseen live session. The footage from this session was considered lost until a freelance researcher uncovered a few frames. For over 20 years, archives and storage units from New York and London to San Diego were tracked down and searched to retrieve fragments of the film, until it was fully unearthed, restored, and remastered.”
Super Furry Animals
Rings Around The World 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The isolated audio of Paul McCartney chewing carrots and celery was released by Super Furry Animals to announce the 20-year anniversary reissue of their acclaimed “maximalist,” fifth studio album, Rings Around The World. McCartney’s playful addition is one of 75 curiosities from the vaults — including unreleased outtakes, remixes, hidden sounds and demos appearing across the multi-format release. So vast is the reissue of Rings Around The World that the digital version will be split over two separate release dates. All physical versions and the first digital instalment will be released on Sept. 3, with a second digital collection being made available three weeks later on Sept. 24.”
https://youtu.be/rc82Qqcyha4
The Wildhearts
21st Century Love Songs
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Wildhearts’ 21st Century Love Songs is the followup to Renaissance Men, their highest-charting album since 1994’s P.H.U.Q. “Renaissance Men reminded me of our first album, Earth Vs The Wildhearts,” says frontman Ginger Wildheart. “No one knew how the fans and press would receive it, so it was balls-to-the-wall rock and fuck ’em if they don’t like it. 21st Century Love Songs naturally reminded me of our second album P.H.U.Q., where we got to flex our creative muscle and show everyone what we’re capable of. This time we let the songs simmer until absolutely ready. We let the theme of the album present itself. There’s a subtlety to this album, something that people don’t often associate with The Wildhearts, and a sense of adventure in the unorthodox arrangements of the songs. This is where I become a fan of the band when we ditch the rule book and just follow our instinct. Sarcastic, fun, angry, proud, experimental, and belligerent, all wrapped up in a big ‘fuck you, this is the sound of the band in their natural habitat.’ This time we’re in control.”
