• Blog

• All

Nov 23, 2016 By Mark Redfern (Except Where Noted)

Older family friends and relatives keep telling me at family gatherings they hear vinyl has been making a comeback. Well, as you likely know, it’s been making that comeback for the last decade. This has opened up a new angle for record labels who specialize in reissues. As many of the classic works of the second half of the 20th century, even albums from the ‘90s, have already been remastered and reissued on CD with bonus tracks, the labels have also turned their attention in recent years to reissuing classic albums on vinyl again. They are often issued on 180-gram vinyl and collected in decade spanning box sets. This first part of Under the Radar‘s 2016 Holiday Gift Guide centers on many of these fabulous vinyl reissues. But that’s not to say there aren’t some fantastic CD reissues and box sets included as well. The artists range from ‘60s and ‘70s classic rock mainstays to jazz legends to ‘90s Britpop heroes and current superhero soundtracks.

Over the next week we’ll also be posting more gift guides relating to collectibles and toys, board games, DVDs and Blu-rays, books and graphic novels, and technology and apparel. And don’t forget that Under the Radar subscriptions also make a great gift. From Friday, November 25 at 12:01 AM to Monday, November 28 at 11:59 PM we are having a Black Friday Sale with 35% off all print subscriptions and 50% off all back issues and digital subscriptions. More info can be found here. If you’d like to support Under the Radar in other ways you can sign up to our crowd-funding Patreon page.

So read on to get lost in some deep vinyl grooves. Just don’t feed it after midnight.

Music Box Sets, Reissues, and Vinyl:

Air: Twentyyears (Parlophone)

SRP: $24.98

Have Air really been around for two decades now? Apparently so, as this new two-CD best of illustrates. Twenty Years pulls tracks from the French duo’s various albums and releases, starting with early EP and compilation tracks from the late ‘90s and extending to their last album, 2014’s limited edition vinyl-only release Music for Museum. Completists will be happy with a handful of rare tracks (including two previously unreleased), but really this is a better gift for Air novices who have yet to cuddle up to the seductive tones of “La femme d’argent,” “Cherry Blossom Girl,” “Kelly Watch the Stars,” “Playground Love,” and “Sexy Boy,” and that’s just the first five tracks of disc one! (Buy it here.)

David Bowie: Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) (Parlophone)

SRP: $149.98

The David Bowie reissue campaign was already in full swing when the icon passed away in January. Who Can I Be Now? (1974-1976) is the follow-up to the 2015 box set Five Years (1969-1973). It’s amazing how prolific musicians used to be. There are exceptions, such as Ty Segall and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, but most notable artists these days take anywhere from two to five years in between albums, sometimes even longer. But in the two year span that was 1974 to 1976 Bowie released three classic studio albums: Diamond Dogs in May 1974, Young Americans less than a year later in March 1975, and Station to Station less than a year after that in January 1976. There was also a live album released in October 1974, simply titled David Live. This collects all of those albums, with Station to Station in both its original mix and a 2010 one and David Live in both its original mix and a 2005 one. There’s also another live album, Live Nassau Coliseum ‘76 that was originally included as part of the 2010 reissue of Station to Station and the new compilation Re:Call 2 that collects various non-album singles, single versions, and B-sides. The most headline-worthy disc on here, however, is the previously unreleased album The Gouster. The album eventually morphed into Young Americans, with later versions of some of the tracks appearing on there and other tracks being released later as singles and bonus tracks, but the album has never been presented in full until now. The extensive booklet includes a fascinating Rolling Stone article from 1974 where Bowie and author William S. Burroughs interview each other. The next one in the reissue series should also be a real a classic as it’ll presumably collect the Berlin Trilogy of Low, “Heroes”, and Lodger. And can you believe that Low and “Heroes” were both released in the same year, 1977? Seriously, is there a current artist capable of releasing two such mammoth works in the same year? (Buy it here.)

The Cars: The Elektra Years | 1978-1987 (Elektra)

SRP: $39.98

Time to shake it up and get just what you needed with this new 6-CD box set that collects all of The Cars’ studio albums, bar their most recent one, 2011’s Move Like This. Be prepared for lots of New Wave hits (including 1984’s “Drive,” which was nicely covered this year by Britta Phillips) and iconic album covers featuring mainly pretty girls and cars. (Buy it here.)

Eric Clapton: The Studio Album Collection 1970-1981 (Polydor)

SRP: $151.98

This handsome vinyl box set collects Eric Clapton’s first seven solo albums, as well as Derek and the Dominos’ only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Songs, on 180g vinyl, with 1970’s debut solo album, Eric Clapton, and Layla and Other Assorted Songs being remastered for this collection. Of course Clapton already had a successful career in the ‘60s in a variety of important bands, including The Yardbirds, Cream, and Blind Faith, and would have continued relevance into the ‘90s with his Unplugged album. “Layla” is probably his best-known song on here. It wasn’t a hit when it was first released in 1970, but did better on the charts when it was re-released in 1972 and then the Unplugged version was a success in 1992. The instrumental piano ending of song was also memorably used in Martin Scorsese’s 1990 mobster film Goodfellas, so stick on the nicely remastered vinyl and picture dead bodies in dumpsters. (Buy it here.)

John Coltrane: The Atlantic Years - In Mono (Atlantic/Rhino)

SRP: $68.98

If you’re one of those guys (or gals) who prefer your classic jazz in the original mono, rather than stereo, then this box set is for you. The Atlantic Years - In Mono collects six classics in mono: Giant Steps, Bags & Trane (with Milt Jackson), Olé Coltrane, Coltrane Plays the Blues, The Avant-Garde (with Don Cherry), and The Coltrane Legacy. (Buy it here.)

Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance - The Bootleg Series Vol. 5 (Legacy)

SRP: $39.95

This 3-CD collection is a good one for those jazz-heads who like to dig deep. Once an artist’s albums have already all been reissued with bonus tracks, the next jump down the reissue rabbit hole is to present entire recording sessions in their entirety and that’s what you’ve got here. Freedom Jazz Dance includes every recorded take for 1966’s Miles Smiles album. There’s also the entire session reel for the song “Nefertiti” and other material. It takes a true Miles Davis fan to want to dive into every rehearsal, partial take, and alternate take. But you also get to hear Davis’ signature raspy voice between takes, illuminating his recording process. (Buy it here.)

The Decemberists: The Crane Wife 10th Anniversary Vinyl Box Set (Capitol/UMe)

SRP: $125.00

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since The Decemberists released The Crane Wife, arguably their most fully realized album. I remember it like yesterday when we did a photo-shoot with the band at the historic Pittock Mansion in Portland, OR when they appeared on Under the Radar‘s cover for the album. We were recreating the board game Clue and fittingly the band recently raised a ton of crowd-funded money to produce their own original board game. This reissue includes five red vinyl LPs and features the original album, B-sides, bonus tracks, outtakes, and demos. It also comes with a Blu-ray disc with a 2006 concert filmed at Washington DC’s 9:30 Club. Plus the liner notes include a new essay by actor/writer/composer Lin-Manuel Miranda (the star and creator of the Broadway sensation Hamilton, who is also a big fan of the band). (Buy it here.)

DJ Shadow: Endtroducing… (20th Anniversary Endtrospective Edition) (Mercury)

SRP: $132.99

Josh Davis has somewhat being living in the shadow of Endtroducing…, his acclaimed 1996 debut album as DJ Shadow. It took him six years to follow it up with 2002’s sophomore album, The Private Press, and none of his albums since have been as wildly received as his debut. But that’s because Endtroducing… is such a landmark, made over the course of two years entirely of samples, likely the first album to be made that way. This nicely packaged 6-LP reissue includes the original album, various alternate takes and mixes, and a live set from 1997. Also included are new remixes by Clams Casino, Prince Paul, Hudson Mohawke, and others. (Buy it here)

Fleetwood Mac: Mirage (Deluxe Edition) (Warner Bros.)

SRP: $99.98

In 1979, Fleetwood Mac released Tusk, an ambitious double album that broke from everything people expected from the band that vaulted to pop rock royalty on the success of its previous album, Rumours, which went on to sell 40 million albums. Tusk, with its New Wave sound and schizophrenic sequencing, confounded many at the time, and as a result, Fleetwood Mac attempted a return to the formula with which they found so much success with Rumours. The resulting album was 1982’s Mirage, reissued here in both double CD and box set formats. Of course, when bands consciously try to return to past glory, attempting to write in a manner akin to previous works in order to reclaim a base, it seldom works to the degree it’s intended. To the end that Mirage is a return to Fleetwood Mac’s halcyon days of songwriting, it is a success.

Much, although not all, of the bonus material on this reissue is worthy of the package. “If You Were My Love,” which recently surfaced in more polished form on Stevie Nicks’ 24 Karat Gold: Songs from the Vault, would have been one of Mirage‘s standout tracks if included at the time. Nicks’ other outtake on this set, “Smile At You,” which eventually resurfaced on the band’s 2003 reunion album Say You Will, is presented here as a piano-driven ball of anger and frustration that may not have fit on Mirage as it was configured but remains one of her stronger tracks on this reissue. Elsewhere, Christine McVie’s “Wish You Were Here” is present in an alternate version that is a fully orchestrated beauty. The live album included in the deluxe box, recorded in Los Angeles on the band’s 1982 U.S. tour, is full of a vim and vigor that belies Mirage’s studio album sheen. Mirage might not be one of Fleetwood Mac’s strongest efforts, but re-examination is more than worthwhile. Let’s hope Warner Bros. keeps the reissue project going. By Frank Valish (Buy it here.)

Marvin Gaye: Volume Three 1971-1981 (Motown)

SRP: $129.99

“Crime is increasing/Trigger happy policing/Panic is spreading/God knows where we’re all heading.” These are not the lyrics to the latest Black Lives Matter anthem or a reflection on the Trump election. Instead they’re lines from “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler),” the final track on Marvin Gaye’s 1971 masterpiece What’s Going On, which, with its tackling of wealth inequality, environmental issues, and race relations, is just as relevant today. It opens this new vinyl box set that collects all of Gaye‘s albums from 1971 to 1981: What’s Going On, his soundtrack to the 1972 Blaxploitation film Trouble Man, 1973’s Let’s Get It On and Diana & Marvin (a duets album with Diana Ross), 1976’s I Want You, 1978’s Here, My Dear, and 1981’s In Our Lifetime. He left Motown and signed with Columbia in 1982, so 1982’s Midnight Love, his final album before his untimely death in 1984 is alas not included. (Buy it here.)

Kris Kristofferson: The Complete Monument & Columbia Albums Collection (Legacy)

SRP: $139.98

This 16-CD box set collects Kris Kritofferson’s studio albums released between 1970 and 1981, years before the folk singer was helping Wesley Snipes slay vampires in the Blade movies. Also includes are three live albums and various demos and extras. (Buy it here.)

Led Zeppelin: The Complete BBC Sessions (Swan Song/Atlantic)

SRP: $24.98

Back in 1997 BBC Sessions was released. It collected all the BBC sessions Led Zeppelin did in which recordings still existed. This new 3-CD edition adds an extra disc that includes a previously lost March 1969 session that has since been discovered and features “Sunshine Woman,” which the band never officially released. (Buy it here.)

Mondo Vinyl

- Gremlins Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Composed and Conducted by Jerry Goldsmith (SRP: TBD)

- Marvel’s Daredevil Season One Original Soundtrack - Music by John Paesano (SRP: $25.00)

- Marvel’s Jessica Jones Season One Original Soundtrack - Music by Sean Callery (SRP: $35.00)

- Marvel’s Luke Cage Original Soundtrack - Original Score Composed by Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad (SRP: $35.00)

- Naked Lunch - Complete Original Soundtrack - Score by Howard Shore, Ornette Coleman, and London Philharmonic Orchestra (SRP: $35.00)

- Planet of the Apes Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - Score by Jerry Goldsmith (SRP: $35.00)

- Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Original Soundtrack - Music Composed and Conducted by James Horner (SRP: $35.00)

The fine folks at Mondo did some beautiful vinyl reissues of all three Back to the Future soundtracks last year and they are back with more soundtracks, both classic and contemporary. The record that’s gotten the most headlines is the reissue of Jerry Goldsmith’s score for 1984’s Gremlins. The artwork by Phantom City Creative plays off the rules of what you’re not supposed to do with Gremlins: there are hidden messages when the gatefold jacket is exposed to daylight and additional artwork is revealed when the packaging is exposed to a damp cloth. Mondo has also reissued the classic scores to 1982’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (by James Horner) and 1968’s original Planet of the Apes (by Jerry Goldsmith). In the more contemporary vein, the soundtracks for all three of Marvel’s excellent Netflix shows thus far have been released on vinyl, with wonderful new illustrated artwork for each cover done by Matthew Woodson. Luke Cage‘s soulful score by Adrian Younge and A Tribe Called Quest’s Ali Shaheed Muhammad channels 1970s Blaxploitation classics, with one track featuring verses by Method Man. Sean Callery’s opening titles music for Jessica Jones won the Emmy Award this year for best original main title theme. Mondo has also reissued a number of David Cronenberg soundtracks: beyond Naked Lunch there’s also Dead Ringers and Crash. (Buy it here.)

The Monkees: Classic Album Collection (Rhino)

SRP: $59.98

The Monkees are one of the few bands manufactured for a TV show to actually be good. At one point they were even outselling The Beatles. Their first two albums (The Monkees and More of the Monkees, both released in 1966) were tightly controlled by the show’s producers and featured mainly session musicians, rather than the actual actor/musicians, beyond the vocals of course. But the band wrestled enough creative control to record 1967’s Headquarters themselves. By the time 1968’s Head came along things got weirder. Head was the soundtrack to the group’s only theatrical film (which was co-written by a young Jack Nicholson) and the took the band in an even more freeform direction than their initial boy-band hits. The film was a flop at the time, but is a cult classic now. This 10-CD box set collects all of their first nine studio albums, which are also all of their albums released in the 1960s and ‘70s, along with a bonus disc of non-album tracks. The band returned this year with a new album, Good Times!, that featured songs written by Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, among others, making this a great time to revisit the classics. (Buy it here.)

Oasis: Be Here Now (Chasing the Sun Edition) (Big Brother)

SRP: $19.99

Oasis knocked it out of the park with their first two albums, 1994’s rough and ready Definitely Maybe and 1995’s more refined (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, but they struggled a bit with their third album, 1997’s Be Here Now. The album was a big hit, but is somewhat regarded as an over-produced product of rock ‘n’ roll excess. And that’s what makes this 3-disc deluxe reissue all the more interesting, as the third disc features 14 demos recorded on Mustique Island, a Caribbean island, in 1996. They are appropriately labeled the “Mustique demos” and give an interesting window into the album that could’ve been. There’s also a new mix of the album’s lead single and best song, “D’You Know What I Mean?,” by guitarist/singer/main songwriter Noel Gallagher which is being tagged as “NG’s 2016 Rethink” and included on the second disc, along with all the B-sides, some other demos, and a few live tracks. Gallagher had intentions of doing new mixes of the whole album, but gave up after “D’You Know What I Mean?” (Buy it here.)

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: The Complete Studio Albums Volume 1 (1976-1991) (MCA)

SRP: $234.64

Tom Petty has one helluva greatest hits collection, but you can go beyond “Free Fallin’” and “Learning to Fly” and further into their album tracks with this new vinyl box set that collects Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ first eight albums, from 1976’s self-titled album to 1991’s Into the Great Wide Open, along with Petty’s first solo album, 1989’s Full Moon Fever. (Buy it here)

Pink Floyd: The Early Years 1965-1972 (Legacy)

SRP: $699.98

This incredibly impressive box set includes 12.5 hours worth of audio material and 15 hours worth of video material across various CDs, DVDs/Blu-rays, and 7-inch vinyl records. There is TV recordings, BBC Sessions, 20 unreleased tracks, outtakes, and demos, including the complete soundtrack to Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1970 movie Zabriskie Point. The staggering amount of material on display here could be overwhelming, but the stark black & white packaging helps ground the collection. (Buy it here)

Elvis Presley: The Album Collection (Legacy)

SRP: $349.98

There’s a whole lotta whole lotta whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on on this box set, enough to register on the Richter scale. It includes all of the albums Elvis Presley recorded and released in his lifetime, every studio album, soundtrack, and live album. There are 60 CDs in all, including some new compilations of rare and previously unreleased tracks. (Buy it here.)

R.E.M.: Out of Time 25th Anniversary Edition (Concord Bicycle)

SRP: $59.92

In 1991, R.E.M. released the album that cemented their status as the former college radio favorites who became, for a few years, the biggest band in the world. With the help of producer Scott Litt, who also produced their 1988 Warner Brothers debut Green, and the hit lead single “Losing My Religion,” the album became a smash. Months before Nirvana’s landmark Nevermind was released, it was instrumental in helping to expose the masses to underground music. Twenty-five years later, it’s reissued with several bonus discs.

The deluxe 4-disc CD set includes the album in both CD and Blu-ray format along with a disc of demos and another disc containing a live appearance on Mountain Stage. The demos make a case for what the album would’ve sounded like had it been released when they were on I.R.S. and furthermore, some songs (most notably “Texarkana”) have totally different lyrics. The Mountain Stage show includes appearances by Billy Bragg, Robyn Hitchcock, and Clive Gregson on a cover of “Dallas.” By Matthew Berlyant (Buy it here.)

Lou Reed: The RCA & Arista Album Collection (Legacy)

SRP: $146.69

Lou Reed passed away on October 27, 2013, at age 71. His final project was putting together this box set. In June and July 2013 Reed personally oversaw the remastering of all of the albums he made for Arista and RCA. This CD box set collects his first 16 solo albums, including 14 studio albums and two live albums. 1972’s Transformer alone is one of the greatest albums of the 1970s and is almost a greatest hits collection (“Perfect Day,” “Walk on the Wild Side,” and “Satellite of Love” are all on there). And then there’s 1975’s Metal Machine Music, which was panned and misunderstood at the time but is now seen as a forerunner of industrial music and noise rock. The box set also includes an 80-page book of rare photos and artwork, along with interviews with Reed from over the years. Plus there are five frame-able 8x10 prints and a reproduction of a rare RCA promotional poster. (Buy it here.)

The Sisters of Mercy: Vision Thing Vinyl Box Set (Warner Music Group)

SRP: $64.98

Simon Pegg’s Gary King character in the 2013 sci-fi comedy The World’s End was forever trapped in his early ‘90s high school years. Hence throughout the movie he wore a T-shirt for British 1980s Goth rockers Sisters of Mercy. He would’ve loved this new vinyl box set that collects the band’s third and final studio album, 1990’s Vision Thing, along with three 12-inch singles from 1990 and 1991: More, Doctor Jeep, and When You Don’t See Me. Nostalgia never ends. (Buy it here.)

Sting: The Studio Collection (A&M)

SRP: $170.99

Sting’s later solo albums might be a bit MOR, but the former Police frontman’s 1980s and early ‘90s solo work is solid. This vinyl box set collects his first seven solo albums, from 1985’s The Dream of the Blue Turtles (featuring the classic pop single “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free”) to 2003’s Sacred Love, along with 2013’s The Last Ship. What’s missing are the three classical albums he did for Deutsche Grammophon and his latest album, this year’s 57th & 9th. Cold War commentary “Russians,” from The Dream of the Blue Turtles, is strangely relevant again with our current tensions with Russia, with Sting worrying about the threat of a nuclear war (“I hope the Russians love their children too,” he sings). (Buy it here.)

Super Furry Animals: Zoom! The Best of Super Furry Animals 1995-2016 and Fuzzy Logic 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (BMG)

SRP: $29.47 for Zoom! and $16.99 for Fuzzy Logic

Super Furry Animals are perhaps the greatest Welsh band of all time. They came to the fore in the midst of Britpop, but stood out from that scene as cheeky innovators and experimentalists. This is after all a band that once traveled to British music festivals in their own tank and famously had Paul McCartney guest on one of their songs, by having him chew celery! 1996’s Fuzzy Logic may not stand as their very best album (that’s probably still 2001’s ambitious Rings Around the World), but it was an auspicious debut that’s now been reissued in honor of its 20th anniversary. The two-disc package includes a remastered version of the album and all the B-sides on CD-1, with CD-2 featuring two demo sessions and their live set at the 1996 Phoenix Festival. That’s a good gift for diehard SFA fans, but for those who have yet to be immersed in their wondrous sounds go for the career-spanning Zoom! The Best of Super Furry Animals 1995-2016. The double CD collection has 47 of their songs, culled from each of their albums. It also features the 2016 single “Bing Bong” and “The Citizen’s Band,” which was a hidden track at the beginning of 1999’s Guerrilla (you had to go to the start of the opening track and scan backwards, which wasn’t easy to do and didn’t work on computers, so it’s good to have it on here). It’s been seven long years since the band’s last album, 2009’s Dark Days/Light Years, but hopefully all this SFA activity (the band has also been touring recently, performing Fuzzy Logic and 1997’s Radiator in their entirety) means a new album from them might one day be forthcoming. (Buy Zoom! here. Buy Fuzzy Logic here.)

The Verve: A Northern Soul Deluxe Edition (Virgin)

SRP: $34.29

A Northern Soul is the sound of The Verve in transition. The British band left behind the shoegaze/space-rock sounds of their 1993 debut, A Storm in Heaven, with 1995’s A Northern Soul sporting a heavier, darker, and funkier alternative rock vibe. But only some songs (namely the string laden “History,” with opening lyrics adapted from a William Blake poem, and the sad ballad “On Your Own”) pointed to the more accessible direction they would go with 1997’s hit album Urban Hymns and their signature song “Bittersweet Symphony.” Alas A Northern, while critically acclaimed, was not a hit album. It was also a difficult album to make, a drug fueled endeavor often recorded in the middle of the night that led to much tension between guitarist Nick McCabe and the rest of the band. The band initially broke up after touring the album. The album’s third, and then final, single would be released after the breakup with a cover photo featuring the band standing in front of a run down theater with the words “All farewells should be sudden” written on the marquee. The band quickly reformed for Urban Hymns before breaking up again in 1999, reforming for 2008’s Forth, and breaking up for good in 2009. This deluxe reissue includes three CDs: a remastered version of the original album, a disc collecting all the album’s B-sides (many of which are excellent), and finally a CD of unreleased demos and BBC radio sessions. Disc 3 is likely of most interest to diehard fans for the seven demos. Most of the songs ended up being rerecorded and released later-“The Rolling People” and “Come On” on Urban Hymns, “Echo Bass” as a B-side to “Bittersweet Symphony,” and “Muhammad Ali” and “Mover” as Forth bonus tracks-but are still worth hearing. Also of value are the liner notes that include an oral history of the making of the album featuring all the members of the band bar vocalist Richard Ashcroft (so McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, drummer Peter Salisbury), along with producer Owen Morris. They give honest accounts of the highs and lows of recording A Northern Soul, with McCabe being particularly honest about the depression he suffered while making the record. A Storm in Heaven was also given a similar deluxe reissue treatment, but that’s alas only available to American fans as an import. (Buy it here.)

Jack White: Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016 (Third Man)

SRP: $25.00 for vinyl/$15.00 for CD

This new double LP (or double CD) collects acoustic songs from across Jack White’s career, including his solo work and with The White Stripes and The Raconteurs. It includes album tracks, B-sides, remixes, and alternate versions. The highlight for collectors is likely “City Lights,” a previously unreleased White Stripes track, which is especially nice to hear considering it’s been nine years since Jack and Meg’s final album, 2007’s Icky Thump. (Buy it here.)