Rubber Soul Gets the Deluxe Treatment, Country Radio Honors Dolly, and a Big Birthday for Stevie Ray
Written by Jarvis Prime on October 3, 2026
Your Saturday, October 3 music roundup from Pretoria Fields Radio: a new Beatles box, a stack of Friday releases, an anniversary for The Who, and country radio honoring one of its own.
Good morning, South Georgia, and happy Saturday. Pour another cup of coffee, because there's a lot going on in music this week. Here's what's worth knowing.
We'll start with the Fab Four. Yesterday The Beatles put out an expanded edition of their 1965 album Rubber Soul, with new stereo mixes by Giles Martin and Sam Okell. It comes in several formats, from a 4CD box to vinyl to a Blu-ray audio disc. Ultimate Classic Rock says it includes 20 previously unreleased takes and three home demos that have never been released before. Fifty years on, there's still more to hear from "Norwegian Wood" and "In My Life."
Friday was a big day for releases in general. Elvis Costello's debut My Aim Is True came back in an expanded 5CD edition with more than 65 previously unreleased recordings. On the country and Americana side, Miranda Lambert released Crisco, Wynonna Judd put out The Hard Truth, and Lee Brice released Sunriser. Flatland Cavalry and Rising Appalachia had new records too, and The Chicks marked 20 years of Taking the Long Way with an anniversary edition. Johnny Marr also released a new solo album, The Age of Everything.
Today is a fitting day for Who fans. The Who by Numbers came out on October 3, 1975, and next Friday, October 9, it returns as a super-deluxe 5CD and Blu-ray box set with 92 unreleased tracks and mixes from Pete Townshend. If you like your riffs heavy, Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi has a rare solo album, From the Dark, coming October 23 with guest appearances from Queen's Brian May and singer Jorn Lande.
There are some other October 3 milestones too. Bruce Springsteen started his tour for The River on this date in 1980, and Keith Richards released his first solo album, Talk Is Cheap, on this date in 1988. Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac was born on October 3, 1949. So was Texas guitar legend Stevie Ray Vaughan, in 1954. Tonight would be a good night to turn up "Pride and Joy."
Some news from the radio world that's close to our hearts: Country Radio Broadcasters announced that Dolly Parton will receive the 2027 Artist Humanitarian Award posthumously at Country Radio Seminar in Nashville, set for March 17 to 19. The award recognizes her work for childhood literacy, wildfire relief and medical research. CRB says she was told earlier this year that she had been chosen. Dolly died in August at 80. It's a fitting tribute to someone who gave so much, on the air and off it.
Also around the industry, Nebraska radio stations held their 14th annual Team Jack Radiothon and raised more than $210,000 for childhood brain cancer research. It's a good reminder of what local radio can do when a community comes together.
Meanwhile, The Rolling Stones have released a new video for "Mr Charm" starring actor Alexander Skarsgård. If you're up late tonight, Turnstile, who won the Grammy for Best Rock Album, is the musical guest on Saturday Night Live.
That's the news for now. Thanks for spending your Saturday with us, and stay tuned to Pretoria Fields Radio.
— The Pretoria Fields Radio news desk
