If you’re still looking for something to buy the music enthusiast on your holiday gift list (or simply expand your own collection), below is a roundup of noteworthy physical 2022 box sets and classic reissues. Some can be purchased at Amazon, Walmart or Target with expedited shipping, but will likely arrive after the holidays.
Unlike 1970’s frequently hard rocking The Man Who
Sold the World, these songs were written on piano as opposed to guitar,
giving them more of a pop/rock feel. Bowie’s new record label RCA did little to
promote Hunky Dory and its single “Changes” because they figured he would
be adopting a new persona soon. Sure enough, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy
Stardust and the Spiders from Mars arrived seven months later.
Once the latter album became successful on the heels
of Bowie’s first UK top 10 single “Starman,” people realized that Hunky Dory
was actually a great batch of songs, and it became a hit retroactively. The
same thing happened with The Man Who Sold the World. Mick Ronson, Woody
Woodmansey, Trevor Bolder and future Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman all played on
Hunky Dory, which is among Bowie’s best regarded works.
Divine Symmetry contains
48 previously unreleased tracks or demos from the era, plus co-producer Ken
Scott’s new alternative mixes of the album.
The five discs (each with a different Hunky Dory
session pose sleeve) slide into pockets amid the stellar 100-page hardback book.
It comprises a 1971 Bowie timeline, several rare or unseen images including Brian
Ward’s “pharoah” photo sessions and Bowie at the piano in Haddon Hall (England),
various pull quotes from the musician, handwritten lyrics (“Oh! You Pretty
Things”), single and studio box images, cover session outtakes, production
notes from Scott (who reiterates his famous quote that the vocals are all basically
first takes), period articles from NME and LA music monthly Phonograph Record
and other memorabilia.
Bowie’s friends Geoff MacCormack and George Underwood,
singer Dana Gillespie, guitarist Mark Pritchett, concert promoter David Stopps,
publisher Bob Grace and photographer Louanne Richards provide some interesting recollections.
Besides the main remastered album which sounds crisper
than ever in hi-res stereo on Blu-ray, there is a June 1971 David Bowie and
Friends performance (in both mono and stereo) before a live studio audience during
BBC Radio in Concert.
DJ John Peel describes what is happening on each of
the songs. Onstage, Bowie prefaces a solo acoustic “Kooks” by explaining he’d
been inspired by a Neil Young album and the birth of his new baby son in
writing it.
BBC Radio Session and Live, includes the seven-song “Sounds
of the ‘70s” appearance with DJ Bob Harris. But the real highlight (despite
wavering quality at one point) is the Live Friars, Aylesbury concert from
September 1971.
Bowie starts by warning that he doesn’t play many gigs
and then does two covers by American comedian Biff Rose. He prefaces a spirited
take on early hit “Space Oddity” by admitting, “We get this over with as soon
as possible.” Halfway through, the rest of the band joins Bowie and guitarist
Ronson for a vigorous “Oh! You Pretty Things,” “Changes,” covers by Chuck Berry
and the Velvet Undergound (“Round and Round,” “Waiting for The Man”) and more.
Elsewhere, the box set has alternative mixes, singles
and versions and a reproduction booklet of Bowie’s journal with lyrics,
proposed album running orders, doodles, tour expense figures, song chord
changes, etc.
Also available: Brilliant Adventure 1992-2001, the next installments in a series which combines all of Bowie’s studio output from that period along with rarities; Toy Box is devoted to the 2000 sessions for the shelved album Toy, where Bowie revisited tunes he’s originally recorded from 1964-71.
Life Thru a Lens
(UMe/Island Records)
Robbie Williams’ solo album after leaving the British boy band sensation Take That was one of 1997’s best debuts. It is available as an impressively expanded release to mark its 25th anniversary.
Spawning five UK top 20 singles – including the
international hit ballad “Angels” – Life Thru a Lens reached No. 1 on
the UK chart and eventually sold more than 2 million copies in that territory. Most
of the songs were co-written by Williams and Chambers (then primarily known for
his work with World Party; he also co-produced).
The 4CD 63-track box set includes bonus tracks, B-sides,
previously unreleased demos, rehearsal recordings, rare remixes, and Williams’
non-album debut single cover of George Michael’s “Freedom” (UK No. 2, August
1996). It is featured in both the exciting single edit and an instrumental
dance remix.
Even more enticing for longtime fans is the first
audio release of a full concert recorded at London’s Forum in June 1998
(originally released as “Live in Your Living Room” on VHS tape but
never reissued). Williams provides humorous introductions at every turn and is
in fine vocal form. He takes a fan request to perform The La’s “There She Goes,”
nearly gets drowned out by fans singing along to “Angels” and he does an odd encore
of his No. 1 hit with Take That, “Back for Good,” with a heavy metal-tinged
chorus.
(On a personal note: the original versions
of the last two songs still make this writer stop in his tracks when they randomly
pop up somewhere in public.)
The square lift off singles box contains the original
12 songs spread over seven 7-inch vinyl singles, plus hidden CD track “Hello,
Sir” and bonus seventh single “Freedom” with “Average B-Side” (the first time
the song has actually been a B-Side as it was previously a CD bonus track).
Each single is in an individual picture sleeve and the
labels have different photos. The accompanying eight-page color booklet contains
song lyrics, Andy Earl photos and credits. The main album is also available in 1LP
clear vinyl and digital download formats.
In addition to the solid Life Thru a Lens album,
the 4CD slide out box set highlights are plentiful: All the rocking, funky
versions of “Freedom,” the sinewy, organ-drenched “Better Days,” a cover of
XTC’s “Making Plans for Nigel” with searing electric guitar, a nice acoustic guitar
take on David Bowie’s “Kooks,” the nearly Nirvana-esque “Teenage Millionaire,” a
piano ballad cover of Cole Porter’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” (predating his
own major foray into standards), the exciting full-length “Let Me Entertain
You,” a suitably sublime turn on Pet Shop Boys’ “I Wouldn’t Normally Do This
Kind of Thing” and a fun 1998 golden oldies duet with Tom Jones from the London
Forum as heard in the “The Full Monty” film soundtrack: “Come Up and See Me
(Make Me Smile)/Leave Your Hat On/Land of A Thousand Dances.” All four CDs are trifolds,
and the booklet has the original 7-inch picture sleeve images.
The Virgin Years
(UMe/Virgin)
One of the more influential electronic-based pop acts to emerge from England during the late Seventies, The Human League achieved moderate success at home with its first two albums.
But the third time proved to be the charm when Dare was released in October 1981. Lead singer Phil Oakley was joined in the studio by then-new vocalists Susan Sulley and Joanne Catherall, and they created memorable (and somewhat unusual) harmonies together. Meanwhile, producer Martin Rushent and the rest of the band crafted arresting synthpop sounds.
“Don’t You Want Me” reached the pole position on both
sides of the Atlantic and became a signature song not only for The Human
League, but the decade in music. The group landed three more top 15 UK hits off
Dare: “Love Action (I Believe in Love),” “Open Your Heart” and “The
Sound of the Crowd.” Dare is still a new wave classic.
The Virgin Years, a special limited edition colored
vinyl box set chosen by the band, collects the four Human League albums from 1981-90
in addition to the Fascination! EP. All the box set LPs are packaged in
tip-on sleeves, housed in a sturdy large box and pressed on turquoise, lime,
yellow, red and clear vinyl. They have the original artwork. All have lyrics
except Fascination! and all are gatefolds except Romantic? and Fascination!
The six-track Fascination! collection from 1983
contained more career-defining hits in the effervescent "(Keep Feeling)
Fascination" and "Mirror Man," which evoked Motown girl
groups from the 1960s.
For 1984’s Hysteria, produced by Hugh Padgham
(The Police) and Chris Thomas (Roxy Music), The Human League added more organic
instrumentation into their trademark sound. The plaintive ballad “Louise,” a
nice “Life on Your Own” and the compelling, politically minded “The Lebanon”
all reached the UK top 20.
Two years later, Crash – produced and partially
co-written by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis (Janet Jackson, Morris Day & The
Time) – saw the Human League delve into more of an R&B/New Jack Swing direction.
It yielded “Human,” the band’s second US chart topper and the lovely “Love is
All That Matters” is another standout.
Romantic?
emerged in 1990. The ladies’ vocals took more prominence, especially on glorious
main track “Heart Like a Wheel,” a top 40 hit in England and America. “Let’s
Get Together Again” is a second highlight. Definitely a must-buy for new wave
vinyl lovers.
The Vinyl Album Box Set
(Polar/UMe)
Thanks to the “Mamma Mia!” Broadway and national
touring stage productions and two popular feature films released over the past
20+ years, the enduring music of ABBA has never strayed far from popular
culture. It is also omnipresent at parties, wedding receptions, feature film
soundtracks, television shows and elsewhere.
After Voyage, the first new ABBA album since
1981, arrived in November ‘21 to international success (and a Grammy
nomination), focus on the most successful pop group ever to emerge from Sweden
only intensified.
Now, new fans who have recently rediscovered the back
catalog can get The Vinyl Album Box Set or The CD Album Box Set. They
round up all nine ABBA studio albums (including Voyage) for the first
time, in addition to a bonus tracks disc featuring the singles “Fernando,” “Gimme!
Gimme! Gimme!” and various B-sides. The LPs are pressed on 180-gram vinyl. An
accompanying glossy 40-page booklet contains album credits and career-spanning photos.
The CD set comes in a slide out holder with mini cardboard cover replicas. All
except Voyage are imprinted with the Polar Records logo.
The multiple major hit singles across the collection
include “Waterloo,” “SOS,” “Mamma Mia,” “Dancing Queen,” “Money Money Money,”
“Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “The Name of the Game,” “Take a Chance on Me,” “Chiquitita,”
“Does Your Mother Know,” “The Winner Takes it All,” “Super Trouper” and others from
the 1970s-‘80s – plus the recent top 20 UK/Sweden hits “I Still Have Faith in
You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down.” More than a few are probably embedded in your
brain.
All told, these albums show why the music and voices
of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad left
an indelible imprint on pop music.
Live At The El Mocambo
(UMe/Polydor)
There are a ton of live albums in the Stones catalog.
Many are memorable for one reason or another, but Live at The El
Mocambo is really special. This is the first official appearance of
two infamous secret concerts at the 300-capacity Toronto club in March 1977. A
local radio contest gave away tickets to see Canadian rock band April Wine,
supported on the marquee by an unknown band called “The Cockroaches.” April
Wine ended up being the opening act.
Available on double CD and 4LP black vinyl, they
include the full set from the March 5 show and three bonus tracks from the
March 4 gig. Previously, four of the performances were featured on the Love
You Live album in September 1977 that had tracks from The Stones’ 1975-76
tours. The full El Mocambo set was never heard before.
The stellar sound here was newly mixed by Bob
Clearmountain. The CD edition is packaged in a pink/blue/yellow trifold with a nifty
perforated tongue logo cover (you can change the color by flipping over the
booklet). UK music journalist Paul Sexton wrote the interesting liner notes
that detail what led up to the secret shows and how they progressed with
archival quotes he did with members of the band and others.
Blues covers by Muddy Waters (“Mannish Boy“), Bo
Diddley (“Crackin' Up“), Willie Dixon (“Little Red Rooster“) and Big Maceo
(“Worried Life Blues“) are part of the sets, which marked the live debut of
“Worried About You,“ later to arise on 1981's Tattoo You.
Among the highlights: the searing slide guitar work on
“All Down the Line,” Billy Preston’s backing vocals and Ian Stewart’s piano
solo on “Hand of Fate,” Mick Jagger’s sarcastic quip (the first of many) before
the guys’ bluesy take on Bobby Troup’s “Route 66,” the lovely keyboards and Jagger’s
falsetto on “Fool to Cry,” the guitar interplay between Keith Richards and
Ronnie Wood amid “Dance Little Sister,” a slinky “Tumblin’ Dice,” as Jagger ad
libs a lyric, “Let's Spend The Night Together“ as the crowd gets boisterous,
the slightly revamped “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll (But I Like It)” a breakneck
“Rip This Joint” and totally rousing “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
21st Century Collection
(BMG)
Sparks have never gone away, but following a triumphant
appearance at Coachella 2013, a newfound appreciation for the influential
alt-pop sibling duo slowly gained momentum. Then the focus got even brighter. A
Steady Drip, Drip, Drip arrived in 2020 and was another solid entry in a career
that dates back to the 1970s. Last year, Edgar Wright’s acclaimed documentary The
Sparks Brothers made the film festival circuit, arrived at cinemas and
eventually home video. Ron and Russell Mael also wrote the story and music for
the award-winning movie musical Annette starring Adam Driver and Marion
Cotillard.
Here in America, the LA natives are best known for “Cool
Places,” the 1983 duet with Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s. But in England, they
scored a half dozen Top 20 hits including “This Town Ain’t Big Enough for the
Both of Us,” “Amateur Hour” and “Beat the Clock.”
Earlier this year, five Sparks catalog albums – some
out of print for years and sought after by collectors - were released
individually as CD and LP deluxe reissues for the 21st Century
Collection. They include Balls (2000), Lil’ Beethoven (2002),
Hello Young Lovers with guest Steven McDonald of Redd Kross on
additional bass (2006), Exotic Creatures of The Deep and its humorous
“Lighten Up, Morrissey” (2008) and The Seduction of Ingmar Bergman (2009).
The more recent Hippopotamus (2017) and A Steady Drip,
Drip, Drip round out the collection.
Among the mostly previously unreleased bonus material featured on all titles except Seduction: A Tony Visconti-produced version of “The Angels” on Balls, Ron’s liner notes on the 20-page booklet to Seduction and “We Are the Clash” on Hello.
Sail on Sailor – 1972
(Capitol/UMe)
Although the Beach Boys project Carl and the
Passions - So Tough was met with a lukewarm reception on the music
charts upon release in 1972 and the members later dismissed it as a lesser work
among the catalog, it has since become a cult favorite among fans and prominent
musicians such as Elton John and Saint Etienne. The Beach Boys even performed
the album’s single “Marcella” and “All This is That” on its 50th
anniversary reunion tour in 2012 with Brian Wilson.
Carl and the Passions - So Tough marked
the debut of new Beach Boys members Blondie Chaplin and Ricky Fataar and originally
came packaged as a twofer with a Pet Sounds reissue.
Holland - the first album
without Bruce Johnston since 1965 - emerged in early ’73 after the band’s
expensive relocation to a barn studio in the Netherlands. More successful than Passions,
the Chaplin-sung single “Sail on Sailor” was a modest hit and later became a
staple at FM classic rock stations.
Sail on Sailor – 1972, part
of a Beach Boys archival series to mark its 60th
anniversary, combines the freshly remastered albums Carl and the Passions -
So Tough and Holland. The 6CD Super Deluxe Edition includes the
“Mount Vernon and Fairway (A Fairytale)” EP from Holland and a
thoroughly enjoyable unreleased live concert recorded at Carnegie Hall on
Thanksgiving 1972 - the first full Beach Boys concert from the period
with the original setlist to be released.
The box set sports 105 tracks (80 previously
unreleased). There are alternate versions, alternate mixes, outtakes, isolated
backing tracks and a cappella versions. So Tough and Holland were
also mixed in Dolby Atmos.
Everything is packaged in a 12.5” x 10” hardback book.
The CD set has a 48-page booklet with liner notes by Howie Edelson, production
notes by Mark Linett, new and old interviews with The Beach Boys,
rare photos, images of recording studio artifacts, producers’ notes,
promotional memorabilia and more. Various other formats are also available.
Standout tracks include the smooth harmonies of “All
This is That” (more pronounced on an amazing a capella mix), “Marcella,” the
jaunty “Sail on Sailor” and the “California Saga Suite.” All a capella tracks
are fascinating.
The New York City concert sounds sharp thanks to a
then-new 16-track remote recording system. Alongside a backing group including
the pair who’d later break out on their own as The Captain and Tennille, the
band perform a 26-song set.
Among the highlights are Carl Wilson’s supple vocals
on “Darlin,” “Heroes and Villains,” “Don’t Worry Baby” (again with Carl’s
gorgeous falsetto; they hadn’t played it in years), a revamped “Help Me,
Rhonda” with boogie woogie piano work, the extended “Do it Again,” a rocking
“Fun Fun Fun,” and a ramshackle encore of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”
Use Your Illusion I & II
(UMe/Geffen)
Four years after the major success of its 1987 debut
album Appetite for Destruction, Guns N’ Roses released two true studio
follow ups simultaneously. Use Your Illusion I & II debuted in the
top two slots on the Billboard 200, sold more than half a million copies each during
Week 1 and have moved more than five million units since then.
The band expanded its hard rock sound and even the
length of some tunes, which broached the 10-minute mark. Across both releases are
the top 10 hits “Don’t Cry” and “November Rain,” plus popular album rock radio
faves “Yesterdays,” “Civil War” and “You Could Be Mine” as well as covers of
Paul McCartney & Wings’ “Live and Let Die” and Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on
Heaven’s Door.”
Nearly 100 tracks - 63 previously unreleased - make up
the Super Deluxe Use Your Illusion I & II box set. It is available as
a Super Deluxe 7CD/Blu-ray, a Super Deluxe 12LP/Blu-ray, 2CD Deluxe Editions,
standard 1CD and 2LP versions of the main albums separately.
In all formats, Use Your Illusion I and II have
been fully remastered for the first time from high-resolution 96kHz 24-bit
transfers from the original stereo 1/2-inch analog masters. All versions can be
purchased as digital downloads.
The box set features an anamorphic illusion picturing each
of the two covers at different angles. The 12LP box is pressed on 180-gram
heavyweight audiophile black vinyl with six premium tip-on gatefold jackets.
Both Super Deluxe Editions also include the complete live audio recording Live
In New York, taped at the Ritz Theatre on May 16, 1991, with sound newly mixed
from original multi-track tapes.
Live In Las Vegas 1992 has been newly mixed from the
original multi-track tapes. The bonus disc is a Blu-ray video of the complete concert
film, newly transferred from 35mm prints to 4K UHD and presented in 1080p 24fps
HD, in its entirety, along with audio mixed in Dolby Atmos, Dolby True HD 5.1
surround, and PCM 48kHz 24-bit stereo. The Blu-ray menu features the new live
music video “You Could Be Mine.” This is the first release of any complete
audio and video concerts from the Use Your Illusion-era GN’R.
The box sets are housed with a 100-page hardcover book
with unreleased photos, memorabilia and archival documents, Conspiracy Inc.
replica fan club folder with membership card, four Conspiracy Inc. 1991/1992
Use Your Illusion era replica fan club newsletters, 10 lithos that reveal 1 of
2 unique images when inserted into the supplied red & blue reveal sleeves,
seven band 8”x10” photo prints, four Use Your Illusion tour replica cloth
sticky backstage passes, a Ritz Theatre 5/16/1991 replica concert ticket (with
the original misprinted date of 5/15/1991) and a brand new 24”x36” band poster.
The limited edition 4LP set comes in a premium tip-on
gatefold jacket with a 12″x12″ insert and feature both original studio albums
fully remastered for the first time. Use Your Illusion I includes the debut of
“November Rain (2022 Version)” with a first-ever real 50-piece orchestra
conducted and arranged by Christopher Lennertz.
Both albums are housed in an exclusive foil-art
slipcase showcasing both Use Your Illusion I & II covers. The LPs are all pressed
on different colored vinyl, Exclusive to this set is a zoetrope turntable mat
that when combined with a strobing light effect animates the mat’s artwork
while spinning on a turntable.
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