May 2017 New Music Releases
The Beatles' 50th anniversary edition of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band tops our list of May 2017 new music releases – but that expanded set is just the beginning of the month's great sounds.
Todd Rundgren has invited a series of big names for his first studio effort since since 2015's Global – including Donald Fagen, Joe Walsh, Joe Satriani and others. Blondie's new album also features a diverse group of collaborators, including Johnny Marr, TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek and Nick Valensi of the Strokes, to name two
A highlight of May's live stuff is Olé Olé Olé! A Trip Across Latin America, a Rolling Stones concert film documenting the 2016 tour that featured their first-ever show in Havana. Elsewhere, the jam-packed schedule of reissues includes classic albums from Bad Company and Jethro Tull, a huge haul from remastered offerings of Iron Maiden and Max's Kansas City 1976 & Beyond – a 40-track compilation that's a whopping four times larger than the original release.
Foreigner are offering both something old and something new. Their 40th anniversary-themed collection features a slew of their familiar radio favorites, as well as two tracks recorded especially for this set. "The Flame Still Burns," a song released on a vinyl EP last year, also makes its CD debut.
More information on these and other classic-rock releases can be found below. And remember to look at our updated list of 2017 New Music Releases for details on music issued throughout the year.
May 5
Arthur Lee and Love, Complete ‘Forever Changes’ Live
Blondie, Pollinator
Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Betty’s Self-Rising Southern Blends, Vol. 3
Chuck Berry, The Complete Chess Singles As & Bs 1955-61
Grateful Dead, Cornell 5/8/77
Little River Band, The Big Box (six-CD set)
Pearl Jam + others, Cover Stories: Brandi Carlile Celebrates 10 Years of The Story – An Album to Benefit War Child
Rare Earth, Dreams / Answers; Willie Remembers (reissues)
Robin Trower, Time and Emotion
The Turtles, It Ain’t Me Babe; You Baby/Let Me Be; Happy Together; The Turtles Present the Battle of the Bands; Turtle Soup; and Wooden Head (reissues)
U2, U218 Singles (vinyl)
Various artists, Max’s Kansas City 1976 & BeyondMay 12
Bob Dylan, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan; The Times They Are A-Changin’; Another Side of Bob Dylan; and Highway 61 Revisited (reissues)
Neil Young, Official Release Series Discs 5-8 (four-CD box set); Official Release Series Discs 8.5-12 (five-CD box set)
Todd Rundgren, White Knight (with Donald Fagen, Trent Reznor, Daryl Hall, Joe Walsh, Joe Satriani, others)
Warrant, Louder Harder FasterMay 19
Chris Cornell, Paul Westerberg, Mudhoney, Mike McCready and others, Singles: Deluxe Edition
Iron Maiden, No Prayer for the Dying, Fear of the Dark, The X Factor, and Virtual XI (reissues)
Jethro Tull, Songs From the Wood: 40th Anniversary Edition, The Country Set
Little Steven, Soulfire
Peter Cetera, The Very Best of Peter Cetera
Rob Halford, The Complete Albums Collection (14-CD set)May 26
Bad Company, Run with the Pack; Burnin' Sky (reissues)
The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 50th Anniversary Edition
Blue Cheer, Vincebus Eruptum (reissue)
Danzig, Black Laden Crown
Fandango [Joe Lynn Turner], The Complete RCA Albums 1977-1980 (four-CD set)
Foreigner, 40
Grateful Dead, Long Strange Trip
Mark Slaughter, Halfway There
Rolling Stones, Olé Olé Olé! A Trip Across Latin America
Spirit, Spirit (reissue)June and Beyond
Robert Lamm [Chicago], Time to Chill: A Retrospective
Roger Waters, Is This the Life We Really Want?
U2, The Joshua Tree: 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
The Who, Live at the Isle of Wight 2004
Chuck Berry, Chuck
Lindsey Buckingham and Christine McVie, Buckingham McVie
Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Live in Birmingham 2016
Styx, The Mission
Riverdogs [Vivian Campbell], California