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Carly Simon's long-awaited memoir, Boys in the Trees, has just arrived in book stores, and joining it at record retailers is companion piece SONGS FROM THE TREES (A MUSICAL MEMOIR COLLECTION). With 31 tracks spread across two discs, the new Rhino compilation ranges from her musical debut as half of folk duo The Simon Sisters to her meteoric solo career, focusing primarily on Simon's releases for Elektra and Warner Bros. from 1971 to 1983. Though the set includes such Top 40 singles as “Anticipation,” “Mockingbird” and "You're So Vain," it's not simply a greatest hits collection. Featuring two unreleased tracks (1979 outtake “Showdown” and the brand new "I Can't Thank You Enough"), SONGS FROM THE TREES is a glimpse inside Carly's life and creative process. As the acclaimed singer-songwriter puts it, “This is a special album that serves as an additional way to look at my stories. Most of these songs are precursors to what eventually became the book.”

The Monkees were on a commercial roll when they went into the studio to cut PISCES, AQUARIUS, CAPRICORN AND JONES LTD; the quartet had outsold The Beatles and The Rolling Stones in the preceding year. Micky, Davy, Mike and Peter were also at their artistic peak, and the resulting record stands proudly with the best of the era. A showcase for superb singing and playing from all four members, PISCES, AQUARIUS, CAPRICORN AND JONES LTD features such outstanding songs as “Love Is Only Sleeping,” “Words,” “What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday.” Like its predecessors, the album was a million-seller, going to No.1 in the U.S. on this day in 1967. And as with the first three Monkees albums, archivist Andrew Sandoval has dug deep into the vaults to come up with a disc's worth of bonus material for the Deluxe Edition of this classic album.

Musical revolutionary Jaco Pastorius forever changed the way the bass guitar is played and viewed, giving what had been a background instrument a solo and orchestral spotlight. The new two-disc compilation ANTHOLOGY: THE WARNER BROS. YEARS draws largely from his three releases for the label – the 1981 studio set WORD OF MOUTH, live big band recording THE BIRTHDAY CONCERT and INVITATION, which was cut during a 1982 tour of Japan. Alongside boundary-pushing album selections, the set’s 22 songs include “Okonkole’ Y Trompa” from a Japanese-only release, Jaco’s guest performances on Airto Moreira's and Mike Stern’s albums, and an unreleased 1981 version of Charlie Parker’s bebop anthem “Donna Lee.” Jaco Pastorius was born on this day in 1951, and we'll remember the influential fretless-bassist with ANTHOLOGY: THE WARNER BROS. YEARS.

U.K. indie favorites Happy Mondays helped lay the groundwork for contemporary EDM with a string of wiggy, sample-rich floor-fillers (when they weren't on ecstasy-fueled all-night benders). The Mondays have split and reformed several times, most recently in 2012, prompting the release of DOUBLE DOUBLE GOOD: THE BEST OF. Frontman Shaun Ryder helped compile the 17-track collection, making it a perfect encapsulation of the group's anarchic party ethos, with signature songs including “Step On,” “Kinky Afro” and “Loose Fit” joined by an otherwise unavailable 1985 single (“Delightful”) and fine comeback covers like “The Boys Are Back in Town.” On this day in 1989, Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses both made their debuts on U.K. TV's Top Of The Pops, and that's reason enough for us to celebrate the music of “Madchester” with DOUBLE DOUBLE GOOD.

Tina Turner's PRIVATE DANCER was one of the greatest comeback albums of the 1980s – or perhaps “coming out” is a more appropriate description for the set that once and for all pulled the performer from the shadow of former husband/musical partner Ike Turner. As inspiring as the backstory of female empowerment is, the collection's huge success (it was certified 5x platinum in the U.S. alone) was all about the music. The 1984 release shows Turner embracing slicker pop/rock production without sacrificing any of her passion as a singer, and such songs as “What's Love Got To Do With It,” “Better Be Good To Me,” “Let's Stay Together” and the title track all became Top 40 hits. The new PRIVATE DANCER - 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION includes the original album remastered along with a second disc of 12" mixes, B-sides, three non-album singles and a duet with Bryan Adams ("It's Only Love"), and it's the ideal way to celebrate Tina's birthday today.

The folk boom and the British Invasion of the 1960s are sometimes seen as distinct, but there was a point of intersection: The Seekers. Technically, the foursome was formed in Melbourne, Australia, though they got their big break in England, arriving there as cruise ship entertainers and eventually signing to EMI Records. THE BEST OF THE SEEKERS includes all of the group's U.K. charting singles, among them “I'll Never Find Another You,” “Georgy Girl” and “The Carnival Is Over,” which topped the British chart on this day in 1965. With well-crafted arrangements and the bright harmonizing of Athol Guy, Keith Potger, Bruce Woodley and Judith Durham, the 22-track collection remains a hugely enjoyable listen.

Sunshine pop rarely shone brighter than on the records of The Association. For their fourth album, BIRTHDAY, the sextet worked with producer Bones Howe and top L.A. session players to intertwine harmony vocals and intricate arrangements on 11 sparkling tracks including a pair of Top 40 hits: “Everything That Touches You” and “Time For Livin'.” While the Warner Bros. collection shows The Association moving farther afield from rock fashions (though “The Time It Is Today” touches on then-current psychedelia), the strong sense of melody gives these songs broad appeal; listeners willing to venture beyond the band's greatest hits will find much to enjoy here. We'll give BIRTHDAY another spin in honor of singer-guitarist Jim Yester, born on this day in 1939.

Emerging from New York City in the early 1970s, The Manhattan Transfer brought the sublime elegance of jazz vocals to a pop audience, winning armloads of awards and selling millions of records along the way. The quartet - Tim Hauser, Alan Paul, Janis Siegel and Laurel Massé, later replaced by Cheryl Bentyne – produced a string of sophisticated releases for Atlantic, the cream of which can be heard on THE VERY BEST OF THE MANHATTAN TRANSFER. The 16 tracks here include all the quartet's Billboard-charting singles (among them “Operator,” “Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone” and Top 10 “Boy From New York City”) along with Grammy-winners like “Birdland” and “Route 66.” Man Tran singer Alan Paul was born on this day in 1949; we'll cue up Rhino's THE VERY BEST OF compilation to wish him a happy birthday.

In the early 1960s, comedy records ruled the charts, and from that era emerged the clown prince of song parody, Allan Sherman. Originally a TV producer, Sherman's lovable Borscht Belt persona and clever phrasing produced a string of hilarious albums for Warner Bros. ending in 1967's TOGETHERNESS. Dispensing with the live audience format of his previous work, the performer and his musical director Peter Matz get good mileage out of the recording studio, bringing parodies like “Westchester Hadassah” (a take on the hit “Winchester Cathedral”) even closer to their marks. Greedy charities, childhood taunts and newly elected California governor Ronald Reagan are among the balloons deflated with gentle humor here. Allan Sherman passed away on this day in 1973, and we'll remember the comedy great with his final album, TOGETHERNESS.

Alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo split in 1994, giving birth to two fine groups in its wake: Wilco and Son Volt. Singer-guitarist Jay Farrar heads the latter, and Son Volt's debut, TRACE, is a stirring mix of rock and honky tonk. On 10 originals, plus a cover of Ronnie Wood's “Mystifies Me,” the quartet plays with intense focus and fire - to judge from Farrar's lyrics, the breakup of his old band still stings, which may be one reason this set has the power it does. Rhino's new two-disc Deluxe Edition of TRACE includes previously unreleased demos for eight album tracks including “Live Free,” “Windfall,” “Route” and minor hit “Drown” plus a concert recorded at New York’s The Bottom Line in February, 1996 that features performances of nearly every song on the album plus a few Uncle Tupelo gems.