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 Queen's "A Night at the Opera." |
Now that the holiday rush is over -- and the music biz is licking its wounds after one of the least profitable years in recent memory -- you might have noticed that there aren't a whole lot of new CDs on the stands. And to make things worse, if you're a music fan, we're willing to bet you've got a gift card burning a hole in your wallet. What to do?
Well, you could always skip the new release wall and pick up one of the jillion reissues on the racks. We spent the first few days of the year rooting through all these new oldies from the vaults.
Here's our guide of the biggest and best of the bunch:
AC/DC
Ballbreaker
(Epic/Sony BMG)
YEAR: 1995.
LOWDOWN: Most of the rest of the Aussie rockers' back catalog was reissued a couple of years ago. For some reason, this Rick Rubin-produced title was ignored until now.
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HIGHLIGHTS: Opener Hard As a Rock is decent; the rest of it is AC/DC by the numbers. Guess that's why nobody was in a hurry to reissue this.
EXTRAS: No new tracks -- but like the rest of the series, it has a colour booklet with plenty of pics and liner notes.
SUN RATING: 3 (out of 5)
Long John Baldry
It Ain't Easy/Everything Stops for Tea
(Stony Plain/Warner)
YEARS: 1971/1972.
LOWDOWN: The unsung hero of British blues put out more than a dozen discs in his four-decade career, but these are his best-known -- and arguably his best, period. Not only was the gruff vocalist at the height of his powers; he got by with help from VIP friends like Elton John and Rod Stewart (who split production duties), along with their assorted bandmates. These expanded editions are long overdue -- and were completed shortly before Baldry's untimely death last summer.
HIGHLIGHTS: It Ain't Easy has the one-two punch of Conditional Discharge / Don't Try to Lay No Boogie Woogie on the King of Rock and Roll, followed by covers of Leadbelly's Black Girl, Willie Dixon's I'm Ready, Elton's Rock Me When He's Gone and more. Everything Stops for Tea sprinkles traditional folk numbers (think Rod's Every Picture Tells a Story) between blues chestnuts like Seventh Son and You Can't Judge a Book.
EXTRAS: Easy has seven leftovers, including alternate takes and bluesy acoustic numbers; Tea has a live cut, a couple of duets with Joyce Everson and radio spots.
Easy: SUN RATING: 4.5 (out of 5)
Tea: SUN RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)
Jackson Browne
Running on Empty
(Rhino/Warner)
YEAR: 1977.
LOWDOWN: Somewhere between a concept album and a concert album, Running on Empty was the California singer-songwriter's romantic ode to rock's endless road. Recorded onstage, backstage and back in the hotel, these tales of groupies, drugs, roadies, soundmen and the beauty of the encore add up to Browne's most focused, consistent, immediate and satisfying work.
HIGHLIGHTS: The title cut was the hit, but The Road, You Love the Thunder, the onanistic Rosie and the closing duo of The Load-Out and Stay are gems.
EXTRAS: A DVD with a 5.1 mix, lyrics, two inessential leftovers and a slew of tour photos. Where's the live video?
SUN RATING: 4.5 (out of 5)
Mariah Carey
The Emancipation of Mimi: Platinum Edition
(Island Def Jam/Universal)
YEAR: 2005.
LOWDOWN: Yes, it just came out in April. But it was the grand slam of comeback CDs. So naturally, her label figured fans who shelled out for it once would be happy to repeat the experience for this new extended version. What? You think this CD became the highest-selling disc of 2005 by itself? Silly rabbit.
HIGHLIGHTS: It's Like That, Shake it Off and We Belong Together are the singles, though we're partial to the funky Get Your Number.
EXTRAS: Four new songs, including the single Don't Forget About Us; a DVD with four videos of Mariah prancing around in various stages of undress.
SUN RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)
Coheed & Cambria
The Second Stage Turbine Blade
(Equal Vision)
YEAR: 2002.
LOWDOWN: Just as Star Wars was the fourth chapter in that sci-fi saga, this debut disc from adventurous New York emo-prog mathletes Coheed & Cambria is the sophomore stage of their convoluted, continuing comic-book epic about a couple in a mystical world who kill their children to save the universe from collapse. Or so we are told. To us, it sounds like emo geeks updating 2112 for the Vans Warped tour.
HIGHLIGHTS: You gotta love a band that writes epic-length tunes with titles like Time Consumer and Neverender.
EXTRAS: Two demos and a B-side.
SUN RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)
John Coltrane
One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note
(Impulse/Universal)
YEAR: 1965.
LOWDOWN: OK, technically this isn't a reissue -- but it's been bootlegged for so long, it's hardly a new release. Tapes of these historic gigs by the sax god and his A Love Supreme band have been circulating almost since they were broadcast live on the radio. This two-disc ressisue ain't pristine -- there are tons of tiny dropouts -- but the high-wire acrobatics of fire-breathing Trane, charging drummer Elvin Jones, pianist McCoy Tyner and bassist Jimmy Garrison more than make up for the technical glitches.
HIGHLIGHTS: Coltrane's 25-minute solo on the opening title cut is a monster. And he's just warming up.
EXTRAS: A book of liner notes.
SUN RATING: 5 (out of 5)
D.O.A.
War on 45
(Sudden Death/Koch)
YEAR: 1982.
LOWDOWN: The original EP was one of Canadian punk icon Joey Keithley's stronger and more commercial efforts, thanks to the undeniable might of the band (anchored by late great drummer Dimwit), the oomph and clarity of Thom Wilson's production and some of Joey's most pointed and hooky songwriting.
HIGHLIGHTS: Liar for Hire, America the Beautiful, I'm Right You're Wrong and I Hate You are all classics -- but the reggaefied War in the East and the definitive cover of Edwin Starr's War are the icing on the cake.
EXTRAS: 11 odds 'n' sods from throughout their career, including covers of Dylan's Masters of War, Barry McGuire's Eve of Destruction and CCR's Fortunate Son. Are you sensing a theme here?
SUN RATING: 4 (out of 5)
Dungen
Stadsvandringar
(Astralwerks/Universal)
YEAR: 2002.
LOWDOWN: Swedish "psychfolkrock" guru Gustav Ejstes bent some ears in indie circles last year with the Tull-meets-Who-meets-Move freak attack of his third disc Ta Det Lugnt. Catch up on his backstory with this mellower, trippier and slightly less exciting second CD Stadsvandringar (translation: City Walks).
HIGHLIGHTS: The wonderfully wiggy Fest, which toggles 'twixt strummy folk and thundercrunch rock like an ADD-addled teen channel-flipping.
EXTRAS: Lyrics -- in Swedish, natch.
SUN RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)
Ian Dury
New Boots & Panties!!
(True North/Universal)
YEAR: 1977.
LOWDOWN: The comically Cockney pub rocker never managed to top this debut disc of lighthearted new wave ditties. Then again, almost nobody else has managed to top it either. Hoist a pint and sing along, you tosser. (But beware, iTunes users: This set sent our Mac into seizures.)
HIGHLIGHTS: Wake Up and Make Love With Me, Billericay Dickie, Clevor Trever, My Old Man.
EXTRAS: Four singles (including the essential Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll) and a second disc of demos, backing tracks and alternate takes.
SUN RATING: 4 (out of 5)
Esquivel
The Sights & Sounds Of
(Bar None/Koch)
YEAR: 1974.
LOWDOWN: To promote a six-month gig at La Margarita Mexican restaurant in Chicago, the king of Space Age Bachelor Pad music and a small combo reportedly cut this 38-minute set live in the studio, then dubbed in applause. We don't know if that's true -- but we do know this is a satisfying set of the eclectic eccentric's loopy lounge-lizard jazz.
HIGHLIGHTS: It's tough to top Introducing the Band by Esquivel! ("Oh boy, that's really sexy, you know! I like it. I like it!"), but the groovy version of Delta Dawn just might do it.
EXTRAS: Just some liner notes.
SUN RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)
Eurythmics
In the Garden/Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)/Touch/Be Yourself Tonight/Revenge/Savage/We Too Are One/Peace
(RCA/Sony BMG)
YEAR: 1981 - 1989.
LOWDOWN: To celebrate their 25th anniversary and recent reunion, the British synth-pop duo's entire studio catalog has been remastered, revamped and reissued. It's also been repackaged en masse in the eight-disc set Boxed -- but if you're not that much of a fan, you can pick any or all of the discs a la carte.
HIGHLIGHTS: Sweet Dreams has the timeless title cut; Touch has Here Comes the Rain Again, Right By Your Side and Who's That Girl?; the rocking Be Yourself Tonight includes Would I Lie to You, There Must be an Angel and Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves; Revenge features Missionary Man and When Tomorrow Comes.
EXTRAS: Each set comes with about half a dozen B-sides, remixes, outtakes and live cuts. Best of all, though, are the closing unreleased covers (Sweet Dreams has a spacey version of Satellite of Love; Touch revamps Fame; Be Yourself delivers an electro-pop remake of Hello, I Love You; Revenge includes a swirly update of My Guy; Savage features a bouncy synth-pop take on Come Together; and We Too ends with a heartfelt rendition of The Smiths' Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loves Me.
Series: SUN RATING: 4.5 (out of 5)
Bill Hicks
Salvation: Oxford
(Ryko/Outside)
YEAR: 1992.
LOWDOWN: Fans of the scathing social satirist might recognize some of these political rants from previous posthumous CDs like Shock and Awe. This two-disc contains the entire two-hour U.K. set that was chopped up to make those albums. Warning: Not for the squeamish, the humourless, the religious or the conservative.
HIGHLIGHTS: Pieces on the Gulf War and the Bush administration aren't just darkly brilliant -- they're almost alarmingly timely.
EXTRAS: Nothing.
SUN RATING: 4 (out of 5)
The Highwaymen
The Road Goes on Forever: 10th Anniversary Edition
(Capitol/EMI)
YEAR: 1995.
LOWDOWN: The Road Goes on Forever was the third and final album from the country supergroup of Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings. Pity this overproduced set (thanks again, Don Was) was also their blandest and least engaging disc.
HIGHLIGHTS: Willie's honkytonker The End of Understanding; covers of Steve Earle's The Devil's Right Hand and Stephen Bruton's It Is What It Is.
EXTRAS: One leftover and a handful of acoustic rehearsal tapes that have more personality than the finished product.
SUN RATING: 3 (out of 5)
The Jam
At the BBC
(Polydor/Universal)
YEAR: 1977 - 1981.
LOWDOWN: First, the bad news: Originally issued as a three-disc box in 2002, At the BBC has now been whittled down to two CDs. Now the good news: It's still incredible. Compiled from live radio performances, this 38-song set captures singer-guitarist Paul Weller and his mod-punk cohorts at the top of their game, tearing through nearly all their finest tracks with a fiery passion that never quite made it to their studio CDs. Indispensible.
HIGHLIGHTS: A slew of keepers like In the City, The Modern World, Eton Rifles, Saturday's Kids, A Town Called Malice, Pretty Green, Start and Boy About Town.
EXTRAS: The spot-on cover of Sweet Soul Music is worth the price on its own. The 24-page booklet of liner notes and pics is nice too.
SUN RATING: 5 (out of 5)
The Killers
Hot Fuss: Limited Edition
(Island Def Jam/Universal)
YEAR: 2004.
LOWDOWN: That's Limited as in: 'Limited to the number of suckers we can get to pony up another $20 by adding 10 minutes of foreign B-sides to the same album they bought 18 months ago.'
HIGHLIGHTS: Mr. Brightside, Somebody Told Me, All These Things That I've Done, Smile Like You Mean It.
EXTRAS: The Bowiesque Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll; the ploddingly crunchy Ballad of Michael Valentine; the chiming Under the Gun.
SUN RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)
Killing Joke
Pandemonium/Democracy
(True North/Universal)
YEARS: 1994/1996.
LOWDOWN: These hibernating industrial doom-rockers led by the one and only Jaz Coleman roared back to life in 2003 with an incendiary self-titled album. Now fans can fill the holes in their collection with their last two overlooked studio discs.
HIGHLIGHTS: Pandemonium benefits by adding some Middle Eastern influences to the oppressive stomp of its title track and Communion. Democracy gets back to the band's comfort zone with apocalyptic anthems like Savage Freedom and Prozac People.
EXTRAS: A couple of remixes and B-sides -- including an 18-minute soundscape of Democracy.
SUN RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)
Pat Metheny + Ornette Coleman
Song X: 20th Anniversary
(Nonesuch/Warner)
YEAR: 1985.
LOWDOWN: Sax legend / free-jazz pioneer Coleman and flashy '70s jazz-rock guitarist Metheny would seem strange bedfellows -- but their styles merged surprisingly well on this enjoyably adventurous set, which has been remixed, remastered and reintroduced.
HIGHLIGHTS: The skronky clatter of the title cut and Endangered Species can still separate the men from the boys.
EXTRAS: Six strong leftovers including the swirly Middle Eastern Veil, the Zappaesque mutations of Compute and the suitably boppy little sprint Word From Bird.
SUN RATING: 4 (out of 5)
Moistboyz
I & II
Sanctuary/EMI
YEARS: 1995/1996.
LOWDOWN: When guitarist Mickey Melchiondo isn't freaking people out with his bizarro rock duo Ween, he's pissing people off with his obnoxious rap-metal duo Moistboyz. This set compiles the pair's first EP and album, which were both fittingly issued on the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal imprint back in the day.
HIGHLIGHTS: The drunk driving ode 1.0 (F*ck No); the brilliantly titled Lazy and Cool; the distorted sludgefest Rock, Stock, Barrel; the speed-metal blast Crank.
EXTRAS: The previously unreleased My War, which is, sadly, not a Black Flag cover.
SUN RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)
Queen
A Night at the Opera
Hollywood/Universal
YEAR: 1975.
LOWDOWN: Sure, you've heard these songs a kajillion times. But Brian May promises you've never heard them like this. For this 30th anniversary reissue of Queen's crowning achievement, the original recordings were refurbished and remixed from top to bottom to create "the best version ever created." Whether that's true or not, this does sound pretty swell, with every instrument and vocal perfectly balanced and distinguishable in the mix. Thirty years from now, that guy from The Darkness will still be trying to match it.
HIGHLIGHTS: Death on Two Legs, You're My Best Friend, Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon and, of course, Bohemian Rhapsody. Figaro-oh-oh-oh-oh.
EXTRAS: A DVD with a spacious 5.1 mix and a 24-bit stereo mix set to two old videos and 10 new ones; commentary from all four bandmembers.
SUN RATING: 4.5 (out of 5)
DJ Shadow
Endtroducing ... Deluxe Edition
(Island/Universal)
YEAR: 1996.
LOWDOWN: Armed with a sampler, some turntables and a seemingly bottomless crate of obscure records, California's DJ Shadow -- the artist formerly known as Josh Davis -- single-handedly redefined hip-hop and electronica with this stunning soundscape. A decade later, it's been endlessly imitate, but never duplicated -- not even by Davis himself.
HIGHLIGHTS: The downtempo Barry White bass groove of What Does Your Soul Look Like (Part 4); the wah-wah guitar workout Napalm Brain / Scatter Brain.
EXTRAS: A second CD -- dubbed Excessive Ephemera -- with nearly an hour of alternate takes, demos, remixes, outtakes and live performances.
SUN RATING: 4 (out of 5)
Frank Sinatra
Duets & Duets II
(Capitol/EMI)
YEAR: 1993/1994.
LOWDOWN: The set list and arrangements are uninspired, Frank isn't in especially good voice, and despite the title, these aren't even true duets -- Sinatra recorded his parts solo and never even saw the other singers. But that didn't stop these comeback albums from becoming two of Old Blue Eyes' biggest hits, thanks to savvy marketing aimed at Gen Xers. And it hasn't stopped his label from combining them into this two-disc set.
HIGHLIGHTS: Tony Bennett gives Frank a run for his moolah on New York, New York; Bono tries (and fails) to outcroon the master on I've Got You Under My Skin; Chrissie Hynde purrs Luck Be a Lady; Willie Nelson warbles A Foggy Day; Jimmy Buffet slacks off for Mack the Knife. Note: All but the first are highlights in a comedic sense only.
EXTRAS: An unreleased version of My Way with -- for some reason -- Willie Nelson. Gad. Where's Sid Vicious when you need him?
Both: SUN RATING: 2 (out of 5)
Tall Dwarfs
Weeville
Cloud/Sonic Unyon
YEAR: 1990.
LOWDOWN: Chris Knox and Alec Bathgate were lo-fi psych-pop pioneers in their New Zealand homeland. On this side of the world, they're beloved by music geeks who shell out big bucks for imported albums. Make them jealous with this domestic reissue of their "first straightforward LP."
HIGHLIGHTS: The buzzy Skin of My Teeth; the fuzzy Pirouette; the folky Sign the Dotted Line; the hokey Mr. Brocoili.
EXTRAS: Nothing -- which seems kind of silly from a band with as many obscure recordings as these guys.
SUN RATING: 3.5 (out of 5)
T. Rex
The Slider/The Wax Co. Singles A's & B's
(Rhino/Warner)
YEAR: 1971 - 1977.
LOWDOWN: Sure, you know Bang a Gong. Everybody knows Bang a Gong. But there was plenty more to Marc Bolan and T. Rex than that hit. The archivists are Rhino know -- that's why they're in the middle of refurbishing and reissuing his catalog. Either of these two discs makes a decent entry point -- 1972's Slider was his most popular North American album, while Wax Co. compiles every single from '72 - '77. Which, FYI, does not include 1971's Bang a Gong.
HIGHLIGHTS: Slider also has Metal Guru, Telegram Sam and Baby Strange; Wax Co. has all of them, along with Children of the Revolution, Born to Boogie and 20th Century Boy.
EXTRAS: Slider includes three EP tracks and a second CD titled Rabbit Fighter, with surprisingly detailed demo versions of virtually all the tunes. Wax Co., as it promises, has a bonus disc of B-sides (including covers of Do You Wanna Dance?, Dock of the Bay and To Know Him is to Love Him). Both come with plenty o' liner notes.
Both: SUN RATING: 4.5 (out of 5)
War of the Worlds
Various Artists
(Columbia/Sony BMG)
YEAR: 1978.
LOWDOWN: Somewhere between Orson Welles' radio play and a symphonic rock opera, this musical retelling of H.G. Wells' alien invasion tale was composed, arranged, conducted and orchestrated by Jeff Wayne. And for grandeur and ambition, it makes The Wall seem piddly. But the real draw is a cast list that includes David Essex, The Moody Blues' Justin Hayward, Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott and Richard Burton.
HIGHLIGHTS: Lynott and Burton on the same track? We are so there.
EXTRAS: A 48-page colour book with lyrics, extensive liner notes and artwork. For the full monty, this reissue comes in multi-layered SACD format, which includes a Surround Sound mix.
SUN RATING: 4 (out of 5)