May 2023 New Music Releases
Some of rock's biggest names return with new material and intriguing looks back. The May 2023 list of new music releases also offers a symphonic twist.
Riding a sudden creative high, Yes makes a quick return with Mirror in the Sky, which they began working on almost immediately after recording The Quest. That 2021 LP was the group's first-ever with their late co-founding bassist Chris Squire. Neal Schon's Journey Through Time offers a career-spanning look back at Journey classics and deep cuts from a sold-out 2018 concert in the group's San Francisco hometown.
Paul Simon's new album Seven Psalms is intended to be listened to as one continuous piece and was recorded entirely on acoustic instruments, mostly performed by Simon. Def Leppard's Drastic Symphonies presents some of the band's classic songs as classical pieces.
Graham Nash's deeply personal Now follows 2016's This Path Tonight and the 2022 live album, Graham Nash: Live - Songs for Beginners/Wild Tales. Joe Perry's Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII features alternate vocal appearances and mixes from the album's first incarnation.
Winger's Seven is their first album since 2014's Better Days Comin' and marks their 35th anniversary as a band. Meanwhile, expanded reissues of Scott Weiland’s 12 Bar Blues will commemorate the 25th anniversary of his solo debut.
More information on these and other new rock-related efforts can be found below. Remember to follow our continuously updated list of 2023 New Music Releases for details on projects issued throughout the year.
May 5
Winger, Seven
Smashing Pumpkins, ATUM
May 12
Bruce Cockburn, O Sun O Moon
Detective [Michael Des Barres], Detective
Rick Springfield, Springfield (deluxe-edition reissue)
Scott Weiland, 12 Bar Blues (digital-deluxe reissue)
May 19
Dave Matthews Band, Walk Around the Moon
Def Leppard, Drastic Symphonies
Ghost, Phantomime EP
Graham Nash, Now
Neal Schon, Journey Through Time
Paul Simon, Seven Psalms
Various artists, Gary Crowley’s Punk & New Wave Vol. 2 (4CD box with the Clash, Ramones, Devo, the Cure, the Jam, Psychedelic Furs, Generation X, XTC and others)
Various artists, We're an American Band: A Journey through the USA Hard Rock Scene 1967-73 (3CD set with ZZ Top, Alice Cooper, Blue Oyster Cult, Steppenwolf, Vanilla Fudge, Blue Cheer and others.)
Yes, Mirror to the Sky
May 26
Alan Parsons Project, The Turn of a Friendly Card (Blu-ray edition)
Chris Squire, Fish Out of Water (vinyl edition)
Hanoi Rocks, The Days We Spent Underground 1981-84 (5CD clamshell box)
Joe Perry, Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII
June and Beyond
Black Sabbath, Live Evil: 40th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition
Hollywood Vampires, Live in Rio
Ratt, The Atlantic Years 1984-1990 (5CD box)
Gov't Mule, Peace ... Like a River
Stewart Copeland, Police Deranged for Orchestra
Steve Lukather, Bridges
Eric Clapton, The Definitive 24 Nights
Greta Van Fleet, Starcatcher
Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense (expanded reissue)