October 2024 New Music Releases

October promises deep dives into key moments in rock history, the return of a seminal punk band and some exciting live recordings.

Queen's 1973 debut album has been renamed and expanded for a six-CD/1-LP collector's edition reissue. Now dubbed Queen I, the set boasts a revised track listing featuring "Mad the Swine," which was originally omitted, along with demos, sessions, live cuts and a previously unreleased recording from Queen’s first-ever live performance in London. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' 1982 album Long After Dark also returns with a new mix and extras taken from performances on French TV.

The Bob Ezrin-produced Heavy Lifting marks seminal punk band MC5's first studio record in 53 years. The project was spearheaded by founding guitarist Wayne Kramer and features original MC5 drummer Dennis Thompson. Both have since passed away. Meanwhile, Rick Wakeman is giving "Yessonata" a wider release. This 30-minute instrumental featuring Yes themes has only been available to purchase on vinyl at the shows. The Smile is back with their third album, Cutouts, after sharing a long series of cryptic social media messages.

A previously unreleased concert from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young showcases a performance at New York's Fillmore East from just weeks after Woodstock. Joni Mitchell's latest archival release focuses on her output from 1976-1980 with Asylum Records, including Hejira, Don Juan's Reckless Daughter and Mingus. Among the other highlights are tour recordings from Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue.

Motley Crue's new Cancelled EP includes a cover of Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right," a set list staple in recent years. These are the first Motley Crue songs to feature Mick Mars' replacement John 5. Jerry Cantrell of Alice in Chains is also set to release the solo album I Want Blood, with contributions from Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses, Robert Trujillo of Metallica and Mike Bordin of Faith No More, among others.

More information on these and other pending rock albums can be found below. Remember to follow our continuously updated list of new music releases for details on records issued throughout the year.

Oct. 4
Don Henley, Building the Perfect Beast (40th anniversary vinyl reissue)
Fleetwood Mac, Heroes Are Hard to Find (clear vinyl reissue)
Foreigner, Head Games (translucent red vinyl reissue); Turning Back the Time (2LP vinyl reissue)
Jefferson Starship / Starship, Now Playing (vinyl edition)
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision (3CD/5LP/Blu-ray box)
Joni Mitchell, Archives, Vol. 4: The Asylum Years (1976-1980) (4LP box)
Motley Crue, Cancelled (three-song EP)
Neil Young, Freedom; Ragged Glory; Weld; Arc (vinyl reissues)
Peter Gabriel, So (vinyl reissue)
Rick Wakeman, Yessonata (12-inch vinyl edition)
Stone Temple Pilots, Purple (white/purple splatter vinyl reissue)
T. Rex, Now Playing (vinyl edition)
Talk Talk, It's My Life: 40th Anniversary Half-Speed Master
The Smile, Cutouts
Various artists, He Took Us By Storm: 25 Lost Classics From the Bob Dylan Folk-Rock Revolution Era (with Lou Reed, Bob Seger, David Crosby, Boz Scaggs, Leon Russell, others)

Oct. 11
Beach Boys, Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys (sea blue 2LP vinyl reissue)
Def Leppard, One Night Only Live at the Leadmill Sheffield
Duran Duran, Danse Macabre: De Luxe (download with bonus tracks)
Jimmy Buffett, Songs You Know by Heart: Jimmy Buffett’s Greatest Hit(s) (red vinyl reissue)
John Lennon, Mind Games: The Meditation Mixes (3LP vinyl edition)
King Crimson, Red (2CD/2 Blu-ray 50th anniversary reissue)
Myles Kennedy [Slash], The Art of Letting Go
Rory Gallagher, The BBC Collection (3LP vinyl reissue)

Oct. 18
Bill Bruford, The Best of Bill Bruford: The Winterfold and Summerfold Years (3CD box)
Bon Jovi, Greatest Hits (tiger eye vinyl reissue)
Guns N' Roses, Greatest Hits (translucent red/black splatter vinyl reissue)
Hawkwind, Space Ritual (2LP remastered vinyl reissue)
Jerry Cantrell [Alice in Chains], I Want Blood (with Duff McKagan, Robert Trujillo, others)
The Kinks, Sleepwalker; Misfits (remastered vinyl reissues)
MC5, Heavy Lifting
Mick Fleetwood [Fleetwood Mac] and Jake Shimabukuro, Blues Experience
Nilsson, Nilsson Sings Newman (vinyl reissue)
Pete Townshend, The Iron Man: The Musical; Psychoderelict (debut vinyl reissues)
Tom Petty, Long After Dark (expanded 2LP/2CD/Blu-ray deluxe reissue)
The Tubes, Young and Rich (reissue)
The Waterboys, Fisherman’s Blues (yellow vinyl reissue)

Oct. 25
Al Stewart, Year of the Cat (translucent red vinyl reissue)
Allman Brothers Band, Final Concert 10-28-14 (3CD set)
America, Live at the Palladium (deluxe limited edition 3LP reissue)
Boz Scaggs, Silk Degrees (translucent blue vinyl reissue)
Bryan Ferry, Retrospective: Selected Recordings 1973-2023
Crosby Stills Nash and Young, Live at Fillmore East, 1969
David Coverdale, Into The Light: The Solo Albums (6CD box)
Duran Duran, Danse Macabre: De Luxe (compact disc release with bonus tracks)
Graham Parker, Deepcut to Nowhere (vinyl reissue with bonus 7-inch single)
Green Day, American Idiot (20th anniversary red/black splatter 2LP vinyl reissue)
Ian Hunter, You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic; Short Back N' Sides (expanded 2CD/LP reissues)
Motorhead, We Take No Prisoners: The Singles 1995-2006 (2CD set)
Mountain Featuring Leslie West and Corky Laing, Live in the UK (6CD box)
Mr. Big, The Big Finish Live (2CD set)
Pat Benatar, In the Heat of the Night; Get Nervous (vinyl look-a-like CD reissues)
Queen, Queen I: Collector's Edition (expanded 6CD/1LP reissue)
Ratt, Out of the Cellar: 40the Anniversary Edition
Rick Wakeman [Yes] and Gordon Giltrap, From Brush and Stone (limited edition 180-gram clear vinyl reissue)
Tears for Fears, Songs for a Nervous Planet
Warrior Featuring Vinnie Vincent [Kiss], The Complete Sessions (3CD box)

Coming in November
Elvis Costello, King of America & Other Realms (6CD box)
T. Rex, Bolan Boogie: The Best of T. Rex (2CDs or 2LPs)
George Harrison, Living in the Material World (expanded 50th anniversary reissue)
Iron Maiden, Powerslave (40th anniversary zoetrope picture-disc vinyl reissue)
Beatles, 1964 U.S. Albums in Mono
Smashing Pumpkins, Aghori Mhori Mei (vinyl edition)
Eric Clapton, Crossroads Guitar Festival 2023

15. Sheryl Crow, 'Evolution'

On her 12th LP, Sheryl Crow returns to the breezy pop-rock she regularly supplied to radio at the turn of the century. There's not much reinvention or progression here, despite Evolution's title; this is well-crafted, hook-filled music made by a singer-songwriter who's rediscovered the joy of making records. Unlike her past few efforts, Evolution doesn't have extra baggage or a unifying theme to stick to - just good songs.

14. Melvins, 'Tarantula Heart'

Twenty-seven albums into their career, Melvins are still finding new ways to navigate the often unkempt and discordant noise rock they've toiled in for more than three decades. Tarantula Heart includes only five tracks, but the depth the band brings to them expands the album into territories both familiar and new. For a group that often releases more than one record a year, Melvins rarely waver in their consistency.

13. Ian Hunter, 'Defiance Part 2: Fiction'

The second act to Hunter's 2023 album Defiance Part 1 once again finds him collaborating with his many disciples and friends: Queen's Brian May, Def Leppard's Joe Elliott, Johnny Depp, and the late Jeff Beck and Taylor Hawkins, among them. At 84, the former Mott the Hoople frontman isn't out to change the rulebook: Defiance Part 2: Fiction continues along the path Hunter has charted since the late '60s with brimming confidence.

12. Slash, 'Orgy of the Damned'

The Guns N' Roses guitarist's "blues" album is more plugged-in tribute to familiar songs than a purist's dream project (think Cream's "Crossroads," not Robert Johnson's). Collaborators Chris Robinson, Gary Clark Jr., Billy Gibbons and Iggy Pop bring the star wattage, but it's Slash's piercing solos that give Orgy of the Damned its thrust, though nothing here replaces the originals or even the second-generation copies.

11. Kings of Leon, 'Can We Please Have Fun'

After the self-aware heaviness of the past few Kings of Leon albums, they take note of Album No. 9 title and lighten up a bit, loosening both performances and their songwriting on Can We Please Have Fun. They still brandish some of the arena-rock moves they picked up more than a decade ago, but there's enough indie swagger and pop pacing to make this one of KOL's most enjoyable outings in years.

10. Ace Frehely, '10,000 Volts'

Original Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley's eighth solo album was suggested by its creator as somewhat of a return to the sound his former band steered to platinum sales during the later half of the '70s. There's certainly enough power and muscle here to fuel daydream visions of more carefree times. But 10,000 Volts isn't just stuck in the past; cocking his head to the skies, Space Ace is most inspired when searching for life on other planets.

9. Bruce Dickinson, 'The Mandrake Project'

The Iron Maiden singer's first solo album since 2005's Tyranny of Souls continues Dickinson's deep dive into heavy conceptual works that have only grown in heft on his band's recent projects. While challenging at points, The Mandrake Project doesn't skimp on what fans want from Dickinson: powerful metal riffs accompanied by even more powerful vocals. A fitting companion to the past couple of Maiden albums.

8. Mark Knopfler, 'One Deep River'

The first album in six years by the onetime Dire Straits leader finds Mark Knopfler on the same steady, sturdy path that has guided his solo career for decades now. Like other recent records, One Deep River is wistful for days gone by, with Knopfler's worn-in voice adding poignancy to the songs. It's expertly crafted, as to be expected, with everything in place, including his often subtle but powerful expressions of guitar brilliance.

7. Sebastian Bach, 'Child Within the Man'

Former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach's first album in a decade shows off a singer who's lost little of his vocal prowess over the years. Child Within the Man doesn't stray far from the late-'80s/early '90s Sunset Strip metal that polished Bach's earliest records. Lyrically, he doesn't try much new either - "Now I'm kicking ass and taking names" - but that isn't the point. Bach and his music have aged remarkably well in the 21st century.

6. Green Day, 'Saviors'

Dookie producer Rob Cavallo returns to assist the veteran pop-punks in summoning the ghosts and highlights of their past. Still sparking with youthful bite and energy, Green Day tosses 1990s-style bombs at targets both big and small. Putting aside the conceptual pieces that have weighed down some of their records over the past several years, the group fires 15 songs in a little more than 45 minutes. Punks until the end.

5. Pearl Jam, 'Dark Matter'

Pearl Jam's 12th album finds the band returning to the fruitful terrain that yielded some of their best albums during their first decade. Producer Andrew Watt went in to make a classic Pearl Jam album, and with the band operating at '90s-level energy, they've achieved something recalling their greatest work as they head into their 35th year. Dark Matter is the sound of a band finding purpose again: joyous, angry and righteous.

4. The Black Keys, 'Ohio Players'

With help from Beck and Noel Gallagher, the Black Keys' 12th album finds a compromise between back-to-basics garage rock and the experimental nature of more recent works. Leaning into the soul influences of later Keys albums and Dan Auerbach's side and solo ventures, Ohio Players rests in a comfort zone for a duo that has occasionally tried to shake the past. Here, they embrace it while finding new forms of expression.

3. Judas Priest, 'Invincible Shield'

Judas Priest hasn't lost much of their metal edge as they enter their 50th year as a recording band. Invincible Shield recalls some of their '80s triumphs in its mix of heavy riffs and Rob Halford's from-the-depths screams - not too many acts of this age and caliber can claim the same. Even the moments that sound like they were made by a group that can play this music in its sleep crackle with new-born excitement.

2. The Smile, 'Wall of Eyes'

The second album from Radiohead offshoot the Smile is a more organic record than the debut, no doubt encouraged by their live performances in support of the 2022 record. It's also a more complicated listen, filled with looping texture and the sort of repeat spins Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are used to with their main group. Wall of Eyes strikes a balance between orchestrated opulence and prog-like trickiness.

1. The Black Crowes, 'Happiness Bastards'

The reunited Robinson brothers sound renewed on their first studio album as the Black Crowes in 15 years. They rarely attempt to shake off their past - why would they? - blazing through 10 songs in 37 minutes, not like they have something to prove again but just to see if that old magic is still there. It is. Happiness Bastards swivels and sways like the band in its heyday, turning out riffs and nods to the classic rock and soul they fed into their music since the start. Connections renewed, let's hope this is the beginning of a glorious second act for the Robinsons and their band.

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