If you received any gift cards for Christmas or a December birthday and are looking for something music-related to spend them on, the following ideas are highly recommended.
The lowdown: Although it primarily featured unfinished
tracks worked up during studio sessions for “Goat’s Head Soup,” “Black and
Blue,” “Some Girls” and “Emotional Rescue,” the 18th American studio
album by the legendary rock band is still among their best. Mick Jagger added lyrics
and new vocals and the end result gelled together well as this excellent new 40th
anniversary edition with newly-remastered sound attests.
Not only did the original release win a Grammy for Best
Album Package, it topped the U.S. album chart, went quadruple platinum here and
spawned three top 20 singles at pop radio: “Start Me Up,” “Waiting on a Friend”
and “Hang Fire,” plus a top 10 rock radio charter in “Little T&A.”
What’s inside: The super deluxe heavyweight 180-gram vinyl
box set comes in a red lift off box with a cool lenticular cover that switches
between the centered cover image and the one of a “tattooed” Keith Richards
from the back original album cover. A 2LP gatefold includes the original album
and nine “Lost & Found Rarities.” A 3LP “Still Life: Wembley Stadium 1982” (with
new cover art) includes the top 30 hit cover of The Miracles’ “Going to a Go
Go” and the band’s rousing takes on other hits by The Temptations, Eddie Cochran the
Big Bopper.
A 124-page red hardback book is chock full of rare images from the “Tattoo You” tour as well as photos of handwritten lyrics and studio session sheets. There are four interesting chapters: The Unorthodox Making of a Rolling Stones Classic, A Classic Stones Cover with a Modern Twist with photographer Hubert Kretzschmar, Solving the Mystery of Tattoo You with co-producer Chris Kimsey and The Stones on the Road.
The lowdown: This fine box set combines the New York
singer/pianist’s initial half dozen 1970s solo albums and his first official live
album “Songs from the Attic” (which this writer bought on LP upon release in
1981 on the strength of the Ronnie Spector-inspired radio hit “Say Goodbye to
Hollywood”). Each of the studio albums, with the exception of debut “Cold
Spring Harbor,” went platinum or beyond. Together they spawned the top 40 pop
chart hits “Piano Man,” “The Entertainer,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Movin’
Out,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “She’s Always a Woman,” “My Life” “Big Shot”
and “Honesty.” And although not an official chart hit, “She’s Got a Way” from
“Cold Spring Harbor,” became a fan favorite and early concert staple.
What’s inside: All the albums were sourced from the
original album tapes, mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound and come housed
in a traditional slide out box. The real treat is an exclusive pressing
of “Live at The Great American Music Hall - 1975,” a previously unreleased
concert recording available for the first time in this box set as a double
12" vinyl album. The live LP includes “New York State of Mind,” ‘The
Ballad of Billy the Kid,” “The Entertainer” and snippets of Joe Cocker, Elton
John and Leon Russell songs. “Music Hall” is exclusive to the box set. An accompanying
12x12 booklet has archival photos, an essay by veteran Rolling Stone
scribe/author Anthony DeCurtis, Joel's personal recollections on his songs and
albums, lyrics, his appreciation for longtime crew members, plus tributes from Garth
Brooks, Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Sting, Roger Daltrey, Steven Tyler, P!nk,
Don Henley and John Mayer.
The lowdown: The experimentalism that inhabited 1984’s
“The Unforgettable Fire” was taken to amazing extremes when the Irish rock band
re-teamed with producers Brian Eno, Daniel Lanois and Steve Lillywhite in
Berlin and Dublin for seventh studio album “Achtung Baby.”
Inspired by late Eighties funk, hip-hop, industrial and the
burgeoning dance-inspired Madchester music scene then making waves in Britain, the
group crafted a landmark album that snagged two Grammy Awards and become its
second biggest seller to date. “Achtung” spawned four top 40 pop singles (and
five top 10s at alternative radio): “The Fly,” “One,” “Mysterious Ways,” “Even
Better Than the Real Thing” and “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses.”
What’s inside: In celebration of the 30th anniversary, standard black vinyl and deluxe color LPs (2018 Remaster) have been released. A 50-track digital box set includes the Uber Remixes, Unter Remixes and B-Sides – remember this was a period when acts would routinely offer several CD singles of the same song with different bonus cuts. More than 20 of the 50 had never been available digitally before.
Ever since “The Joshua Tree,” U2 became known for putting out B-sides that often rivalled what appeared on the official albums. The B-sides for “Achtung” continued that tradition. If digital is your preferred medium, I would suggest getting the digital box set just to have U2’s cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black,” Velvet Underground’s “Satellite of Love” and CCR’s “Fortunate Son” as well as “Lady with the Spinning Head,” “Salome,” “Where Did it All Go Wrong” and “Down All the Days.”
The lowdown: A classic debut album, “Pretenders” announced the unique talents of singer/songwriter/guitarist Chrissie Hynde to the world in 1980 like a rocking clarion call. Alongside Martin Chambers (drums), James Honeyman-Scott (guitar) and Pete Farndon (bass), Hynde and the band attracted immediate attention with the raucous, attitude-laden “Precious,” “Tattoed Love Boys” and “The Wait,” plus melodic, more sensitive songs like a cover of The Kinks’ “Stop Your Sobbing,” “Kid” and “Private Life.” International hit single “Brass in Pocket” and racing closer “Mystery Achievement” were equally enthralling. The album went platinum in America.
A year and a half later, the follow up “Pretenders II” arrived. The final batch of songs by the original lineup was highlighted by album rock radio hits “Message of Love” and “The Adultress,” not to mention “I Go to Sleep” (another Ray Davies cover) and fan fave “Talk of the Town.”
What’s inside: Curated by Hynde, both albums are presented as 12x12 3CD deluxe sets, with high-quality soft cover books of new liner notes by journalist Will Hodgkinson and rare photos. The CDs are embedded in slide out cardboard sleeves. Remastered by original producer Chris Thomas, there are demos, rarities, BBC Sessions, live 1980 concert recordings from the Paradise Theater in Boston (“Pretenders”) and Central Park in New York City (“Pretenders II”) and a 1981 one from the Santa Monica Civic in L.A. (“Pretenders II”). Both albums are available on limited edition red and white vinyl respectively and special, numbered print based on the "Brass In Pocket" single cover limited to 500 copies worldwide, exclusively available at Rhino.com. Among the “Pretenders” B-sides standouts are the riveting “Cuban Slide” and the fiery guitar maelstrom of “Porcelain.” Much of the bonus material is previously unreleased or making its debut on CD.
The lowdown: During his time in The Beatles, Harrison would be lucky to get one or two songs on the bands’ albums. When it came time to record and co-produce “All Things Must Pass” with famed Wall of Sound producer Phil Spector, the singer/guitarist had a stockpile of strong songs dating back to 1966. A few “Pass” tracks were even worked on during the “Let it Be” sessions.
Harrison was joined in the studio by an all-star assemblage of drummers including Ringo Starr, Ginger Baker (Cream) and Alan White (Yes), bassist Klaus Voormann, keyboardists Billy Preston, Gary Wright and Gary Brooker (Procol Harum), guitarists Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton and Dave Mason, saxophonist Bobby Keys (Rolling Stones), plus rhythm guitars and percussion by Badfinger, among others.
The first-ever triple studio album released, the critically-acclaimed “All Things Must Pass” topped the Billboard 200 chart upon release in November 1970, eventually was certified six times platinum in America and became his most successful release to date. It spawned the platinum, No. 1 pop chart, double-sided single “My Sweet Lord/Isn’t it a Pity” and top 10 “What is Life,” plus album rock radio staple “If Not for You.”
What’s inside: To commemorate the 50th anniversary, “All Things Must Pass” was remixed from the original tapes and sounds crisper than ever. Dhani Harrison executive produced the music and oversaw the package design and creative direction, while his mother Olivia Harrison curated the booklet. Grammy-winning engineer Paul Hicks (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, John Lennon) did an exemplary remix and production in Dolby Atmos and Stereo.
The Super Deluxe Edition is a lift off box set presented on 8LP (180g) or 5CD + 1 Blu-ray audio disc, with 47 (42 previously unreleased) demos and outtakes. Each CD comes in a different sleeve color and garden gnome image.
The Blu-ray has the main album in high-res stereo, 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos mixes. The vibrant 60-page scrapbook curated by Olivia Harrison contains rare imagery, memorabilia from the era, handwritten lyrics, diary entries, studio notes, tape box images, a comprehensive track-by-track and more. A replica of the original album poster folds out.
Additionally, there are digital configurations, a 5LP or 3CD Deluxe Edition that pairs the main album with the sessions outtakes and jams. The main album is available as 2CD, 3LP or limited edition 3LP color vinyl.
The lowdown: The first Pink Floyd album not to feature Roger Waters found David Gilmour taking the reigns as fellow founding members Richard Wright and Nick Mason made nominal contributions on keyboards, backing vocalist and drums. Notable session musicians included bassist Tony Levin (King Crimson), drummers Jim Keltner (John Lennon) and Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge) and synth player Patrick Leonard.
"A Momentary Lapse of Reason" was the English rock group's most successful release in America (now certified 4x platinum) since 1979's "The Wall." Three singles were all big hits at AOR radio: "Learning to Fly/Terminal Frost" and "On the Turning Away" (both No. 1), "One Slip" (No. 5). A true sonic wonder, Pink Floyd's trademark soundscapes and audio verite are intact. Standouts include the singles, an ominous "Dogs of War" with a wailing sax solo and the searing guitar solo on closer "Sorrow."
Back in 2019, ‘The Later Years’ project gave Gilmour and original producer Bob Ezrin an opportunity to return to some of Wright's original keyboard takes and re-record new drum tracks with Mason in order to restore a better creative balance on the album between the three Pink Floyd members.
What's inside: The 35th anniversary lift off box edition features the album remixed and updated from the original 1987 master tapes on vinyl, CD, DVD, Blu-ray and digitally with stereo and 5.1 mixes. Longtime fans will welcome the inclusion of artwork stickers and the booklet of rare photos and lyrics.
For the first time, the album is presented in 360 Reality Audio, a new immersive music experience that closely mimics the omni-directional soundscape of live musical performance for the listener using Sony’s object-based 360 Spatial Sound technologies. "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" was released in Dolby Audio and UHD in addition to 360 Reality Audio.
The remixed and updated "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" has a new album cover using an alternative beds photo by Robert Dowling from the original album cover shoot directed by the late Storm Thorgerson. Echoing the iconic original sleeve, the 2021 album artwork is designed and art directed by Aubrey Powell/Hipgnosis and Peter Curzon/StormStudios.
Among the bonus material on the DVD: music videos, album cover photo shoot, concert screen films, documentary on the cover shoot, three audio only tracks - all of the above in stereo PCM 48/16 - and surround sound audio. The 2x 180gm LP set was cut at half-speed at 45rpm for enhanced sound quality.
The lowdown: With the success of the "Xanadu" film soundtrack, which spawned three top 20 pop singles in the title track, "Suddenly" duet with Cliff Richard and chart topper "Magic" in 1980, Olivia Newton-John continued on an upward trajectory for 11th studio album "Physical." The singer tried some new vocal and sonic ideas, leaning heavily on a synthesizer-fueled dance-pop and Adult Contemporary sound. The double platinum album reached the top 10. The song “Physical” spent 10 weeks atop Billboard's Hot 100 and became the biggest hit of the 1980s. "Make a Move on Me" was also a top 5 charter.
What's inside: This 40th anniversary deluxe edition is a real treasure trove for fans. The 2CD+DVD edition has 31-tracks: the original album remastered, plus radio edits, remixes, extended and alternate versions, duets with Barry Gibb ("Face to Face") and John Travolta ("Take a Chance"), the hit "Twist of Fate" from her "Two of a Kind" reunion film with Travolta, a live cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and more. The DVD comprises the Grammy-winning "video album" of clips from every "Physical" song and an engaging Olivia: Live in Concert from 1982 in Ogden, Utah - presented in full instead of the edited network TV special. A limited-edition vinyl release of the original album is set for Spring 2022.
Also noteworthy are the following deluxe anniversary box sets typically featuring remastered sound, a slew or rarities, booklet and more.
The Beatles, Let it Be (Apple/Capitol/UME) - If you enjoyed the recent three-part "Making Of" documentary by Peter Jackson on Disney+ or are simply a major fan, this box set with new mixes in Stereo, 5.1 Surround, and Dolby Atmos, alternate takes, studio jams and chatter, a book (in the super deluxe edition) and more will be right up your alley. The real find is the previously unreleased 1969 "Get Back LP Mix" by producer Glyn Johns, who oversaw the initial sessions at Twickenham before Phil Spector entered the picture.
R.E.M., New Adventures in Hi-Fi (Craft Recordings) - The Athens, Georgia rock band's 1996 album topped the Billboard 200 chart and went platinum. Two songs were top 10 hits at alt-rock radio: the dark "E-Bow the Letter," with backing vocals by Patti Smith, and "Bittersweet Me." The poignant "Electrolite" became a concert favorite. The band's cover of Glen Campbell is included.
Travis, The Invisible Band (Craft Recordings) - Although the Glasgow pop/rock band had a large cult following in America during the late 1990s/early 2000s (enough to sell out the Universal Amphitheatre in L.A.), it was massive in the U.K. and Europe. Their third album in 2001 included the top 20 U.K. hits "Sing," "Side" and "Flowers in the Window." This collection has live tracks, BBC sessions and covers by Queen, Mott the Hoople and The Beatles.
Trash Can Sinatras, I've Seen Everything (Last Night From Glasgow) - Another "under-the-radar" alt-pop band from Scotland, these lads' second album had top 20 airplay on modern rock stations in Americas for "Hayfever."
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