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SDE’s favourite reissues of 2021

Box sets and reissues we love from this year

By Paul Sinclair

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89

Happy New Year to you! Before we get started with 2022, let’s look back at SDE’s favourite reissues of the last 12 months. There were many great box sets and reissues this year, of course, so let’s hear what your picks would be, via the comments section.

John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band deluxe reissue

Reissue of the year: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (super deluxe)

A forensic examination of John Lennon’s best solo album, the 6CD+2xblu-ray super deluxe edition offers you everything you could possibly want AND MORE. The album is remixed into both stereo and Dolby Atmos and examined from different perspectives with the goals varying, from highlighting how the ideas and recording progressed (Evolution Mixes) to showcasing a specific aspect/instrument on the multi-track (Elements Mixes). There are also outtakes, demos, raw studio mixes and jams. The 130-page hardcover book does an amazing job of making sense of all this material and the packaging is excellent. Probably overkill for most records, but for an ex-Beatle’s first solo album, it’s warranted and very welcome. These Lennon super deluxe editions don’t comes with a silly price tag and are now the yardstick by which others are judged.

Read the original SDE review of John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band reissue

Level 42 / The Complete Polydor Years 1985-1989 10CD box set

Level 42 / The Complete Polydor Years (10CD box sets)

After years of missed opportunities (Running in the Family box set, anyone?) the two Complete Polydor Years Level 42 box sets issued this year finally delivered fans something comprehensive. There’s 10 CDs of albums, remixes, B-sides and rarities in each box and these are band-approved with contributions in the booklets from Mark King, Mike Lindup et al. Well-priced and smartly packaged, these come highly recommended.

Watch the SDEtv unboxing video of The Complete Polydor Years 1985-1989

Marillion / Fugazi deluxe edition

Marillion / Fugazi (3CD+blu-ray super deluxe)

The Marillion reissue campaign continues to impress. This year, four years on from the 2017 reissue of Misplaced Childhood, the band’s second album, 1984’s Fugazi, was re-released. The 3CD+blu-ray package offers so much for around the £30 mark, including new stereo and 5.1 remixes, a live concert, bonus tracks, documentary and a great book. The packaging is excellent and pleasingly consistent with what has come before.

Read more about Marillion on SDE.

Dance Masters: Shep Pettibone The Classic Master-Mixes (4CD set)

A brilliant four-CD compilation featuring the work of legendary producer/remixer Shep Pettibone. The variety of acts Shep worked with makes this so interesting, so amongst the relatively obvious selections – Level 42, New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Thompson Twins – are things like Pia Zadora, Elton John, The Psychedelic Furs, George Benson and The Flirts! No Madonna, which seems ludicrous, but welcome to the wonderful world of licensing, where labels simply refusing often innocuous requests BECAUSE THEY CAN.

Read the SDE’s interview with Arthur Baker on remixing in the ’80s

Cat Stevens / Teaser and the Firecat (4CD+blu-ray super deluxe edition)

These Cat Stevens reissues are admittedly rather expensive (at least initially) but they really are quality packages and of course the music speaks for itself. With this particular reissue Universal Music gave fans so much choice in terms of physical packages and actually offered TWO different super deluxe editions one of which was ‘just’ 4CD+blu-ray without the vinyl. This set is what SDE highlights in this list since it offers a crazy amount of content and is still well presented in a large format package and a softcover book. There’s 50 bonus tracks including demos, ‘Live on Air’ and Live in Montreux. The blu-ray not only contains a hi-res stereo mix but a wealth of videos and TV appearances.

Watch SDEtv unbox the Teaser and the Firecat super deluxe edition

Garbage / Beautiful Garbage reissue

Garbage / Beautiful Garbage (3CD set)

Third time lucky for Garbage. After rather perfunctory 2CD ‘deluxe’ editions of their first two albums, they’ve finally GOT IT RIGHT with the reissue of 2001’s Beautiful Garbage. In terms of audio, this 3CD set is perfect, with the remastered album on CD 1, a generous selection (19 tracks) of B-sides and demos/rough mixes on CD 2 and then 16 remixes on CD 3. Packaging is improved too, as this comes in clamshell box form, although the booklet is rubbish with no indication that this is a reissue and absolutely no words or notes from the band about the recording of what is a rather underrated album.

Watch the SDEtv unboxing video of Beautiful Garbage

David Bowie / The Width of a Circle (2CD set)

The Brilliant Live Adventures fiasco was probably the nadir of Warner’s ongoing David Bowie reissue programme – a campaign that seems to delight and annoy fans in equal measure. But amongst the endless picture discs, ‘random’ coloured vinyl pressings and empty boxes for sale, the label do occasionally hit the sweet spot with their physical packages. In 2020, the brilliant Conversation Piece deluxe set deservedly won plaudits and this year it was The Width of a Circle. The 2CD package (a companion to Metrobolist, the Tony Visconti-remixed version of The Man Who Sold The World) has everything going for it: It includes plenty of unreleased tracks and the packaging is wonderful, and not overblown. It’s presented as a DVD-sized bookset which includes fantastic notes/commentary and is full of fascinating images and scans of documents/letters. Best of all, The Width of a Circle is really good value at under £20. More like this, please.

Read the original SDE review of The Width of a Circle

Howard Jones at the BBC (5CD set)

The super deluxe editions of Howard Jones‘ first two albums included great bonus audio but were very expensive while not feeling particularly ‘deluxe’. However, from One to One onwards, Cherry Red have been doing a fantastic job, putting out wonderful 3CD+DVD deluxe editions of Jones’ solo records, that offer great value. Now the Warner-era studio album reissues have reached an end, the label have turned to the BBC archive and issued a this superb 5CD set. It’s a revelation listening to these early live sessions (some from before the first album was released) with Jones describing them both as “terrifying” and “the most stressful performances to do”. There’s a rough, almost punk-ish vibe to the early Kid Jensen and Janice Long (RIP) sessions and it’s great to hear different, sometimes embryonic, versions of the familiar early singles. Virtually everything here is unreleased and it’s hard to disagree when Howard describes this set of radio sessions and live concerts as “a really valuable, historical document”.

Read more about Howard Jones at the BBC

Lloyd Cole / Antidepressant reissue reviewed

Lloyd Cole / Antidepressant

Sometimes a reissue’s job is just to highlight a great ‘lost’ album and that is very much the case with Lloyd Cole’s 2021 re-release of Antidepressant, which comes with just one the bonus track. There is quiet style and class with this reissue of the 2006 album, with the CD coming in a gatefold card wallet with inner sleeve and slightly rejigged version of Susan Logoreci’s artwork. ‘Coattails’ is appended to the original track listing, but the vinyl version delivers it as a bonus seven-inch single.

Read SDE’s original review of the Antidepressant reissue

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89 Comments

89 thoughts on “SDE’s favourite reissues of 2021”

  2. Sorry – a bit late to this, but my favourites this year were:
    1. Brilliant Adventures – David Bowie: I really enjoy this period of Bowie and remember at the time when Black Tie came out that this was Bowie on the comeback trail. There is an awful lot to enjoy in this box [great book again], but even after all these years I still struggle with Earthling.
    2. Fugazi – Marillion: in 1983 Marillion were first ‘proper’ band that I saw live and they opened with Assassing – to this day that song and the album Fugazi have stayed with me. These first four Marillion albums are really how-to-do re-releases.
    3. Live at Lighthouse – Lee Morgan: a superb value box set of just fantastic music – musicians really at the very top of their game. great stuff.
    4. I really enjoyed the Now 83 and 84 releases. these years are bang in at the tail end of my teenage years and they just [mostly] hit the right notes. great nostalgia, really nicely put together, some different selections for a change and inexpensive.

    Biggest disappointment has to be REM and New Adventures. I suppose as this album was done ‘on the road’ it was unreasonable to expect demos as extras, but even so it was a disappointing release. The vinyl though was stunning.

  3. For me the best reissue was Benefit by Jethro Tull. Amazing set with 2 live sets including one with video. Huge upgrade on the 2013 edition. Very reasonably priced. These box sets are simply unbeatable.

  4. In my opinion cat stevens’ teaser and the firecat was easily the reissue of the year, though these others were also all extremely well done: stone temple pilots tiny music, John Lennon plastic Ono band and the stones tattoo you. Also these are all older reissues of course but since I just got them this year I’d like a special mention to be made for queen’s platinum collection box set remastered in 2011 which is arguably all the Queen one could ever need, and since I just started my Tom Waits education this year I’d like to mention the so far three remastered albums of his I’ve gotten, closing time and the heart of Saturday night from 2018 and bad as me from 2017.

  5. The 2 Super-Bands were my favourite reissues of the year; Super Furries’ Rings Around The World & Supergrasses In It For The Money (long may their campaigns continue till all their albums are reissued in a similar fashion) along with the excellent Who Sell Out reissue, brilliant…

  6. Underwhelmed by the art work, but we were gifted 5 lengthy CDs from Sunflower and Surfs Up sessions that allowed full exploration of this fertile period of The Beach Boys. So my SDE of the year , by a lot, is

    The Beach Boys “Feels Flows”

    And as a slight U turn, anyone that can grab the Rhino RSD CD or vinyl issue of Little Feat’s “Electrif Lycanthrope” should do so. It’s a marvelous master of a bootleg much sought after from the mid 70s which carried stories of Lowell George selling it behind The Hammersmith Odeon. Lowell went early, Little Feat never achieved the fame that they deserved but this very generous reissue rocks. Perhaps not an SDE but one heck of a formal release of a bootleg.

  7. Another one to add to the list is the reissue of Loreena Mckennitt’s The Visit. Incredible value at £30 for 4x CDs & 1x Bluray with Atmos mix.
    Another vote for Lloyd Cole, fingers crossed will be seeing him for the first time since the early 90’s on his much delayed tour in February.
    Happy new year all.

  8. Paul, I fully agree with your list. I don’t know Antidepressant but will give that a listen. I do have the two Lloyd Cole box sets which are excellent. The Garbage reissue is nice but the two first albums where they really missed the mark are far superior so that remains a colossal shame. I absolutely love the Shep Pettibone box. Unless Demon prints more, this box is already out of print. I’m looking forward to the next remixer box they do.

    I would add the following reissues to the best of 2021 list:

    -Kim Wilde “Pop Don’t Stop” box. They did a great job with a disc of rare remixes (very little overlap with the remixes on the individual album reissues), and another disc with (rare) B sides plus all videos for the video fans. Of course it also gives an overview of all her hits and best tracks from beginning till end.
    -Supergrass “In It For The Money”. I love the “Research & Development” disc. They were still able to dig up interesting music after their massive career spanning 19 disc “Strange Ones” box.
    -Lee Morgan “Complete Live At The Lighthouse” box. This is not a jazz site but perhaps there are plenty of jazz lovers on SDE.com. The music here is simply incredible.
    -Air “10,000 Hz”, not so much for the bonus cd but for the outstanding Atmos 5.1 surround sound blu ray. It’s a great mix with beautiful sound.
    -Al Stewart “Year Of The Cat” and “Time Passages. Again, the bonus cd’s are nice but not essential, the Alan Parsons mixed 5.1 surround sound DVD (unfortunately not a blu ray) is absolutely outstanding. The sound and mix are superior and make the albums a much better listen. Alan Parsons really gives Steven Wilson a run for his money as far as who is the best 5.1 remixer. I wish he would do more 5.1 mixes.
    -Yello “40 Years” box. The disc with rare and unreleased remixes is great and I love the “Mellow Yello” disc with a collection of their more mellow career spanning tracks. Essential box for synth fans.
    -Tina Turner “Foreign Affair”. The box includes everything you wish for and only misses two (inferior) remixes from the era, all at a great price. This reminds me of how bad the “Private Dancer” reissue was and what could have been. Hopefully “Break Every Rule” is next and gets the “Foreign Affair” treatment.
    -Art Of Noise “Noise In The City”. This is a great quality live album. The Art Of Noise live, who would have thought but it’s excellent. Very nice little gem.

    Disappointments:
    -David Bowie “Brilliant Adventures”. No remixes at all. I hope this means they are going to do a remix only box at some point soon. They also missed many essential remixes in the “Loving The Alien” box and there is much demand for these mixes so don’t let them go to waste in the archives please.
    -R.E.M. “New Adventures In Hi-Fi”. Again a new format, now all R.E.M. reissue boxes have a different look and shape. It makes no sense. What else makes no sense? After leaving off the B sides from their previous reissue boxes, they now suddenly include them but leave the demos off. Who makes these ridiculous decisions? When will we get both demos and B sides in one box, in 2031?
    -Depeche Mode 101. After reissuing all previous albums in surround sound, they include all sorts of DVD and blu rays in this box except a 5.1 surround disc. Again, it makes no sense, who makes these decisions? Of course the download is ridiculous too. You pay $100 for a physical box but have to download one of the most important reissue parts.
    -Donna Summer “I’m a Rainbow Recovered & Recoloured”. For starters this is an inferior album, if you reissue an album why not some of her Casablanca albums which are superior in quality and in bad need of being remastered. Then they reissue only certain songs of the album, not all of them. Why oh why? They left off some of the best songs of the album (in my humble opinion). The remixes are not bad, that’s a plus. They were very respectful to the original versions and all were done in good taste but a bad song is a bad song even after you remix it so all in all a disappointing effort.
    -Classix Nouveaux “Liberty Recordings”. This box is really excellent but the disappointment is that they included 3 versions of their biggest hit “Is It A Dream” but not the extended version. Who makes these decisions? Unbelievable.
    -Rolling Stones “Tattoo You”. With “Goats Head Soup” we finally got a Stones surround sound disc and a year later with “Tattoo You” they already ditched that and go back to the much hated CD/Vinyl combo. Terrible.

    Paul, I’m looking forward to your predictions and expectations for the 2022.

    1. Dear Mr. Kauwgompie

      Donna Summer’s Cacablanca albums have already been remastered as part of the Encore box-set released by Driven By The Music in 2020, and as stand alone albums in the Japanese Disco Fever series released by Universal Japan in 2018. The latter being inferior to the box-set imho.
      But I agree with your views on the I’m a Rainbow release, the Tattoo You release and The Complete Live At The Lighthouse release.

    2. Agree with your assessment of the R.E.M. and Rolling Stones disappointments.
      The R.E.M. decision to include b sides and rarities on this after not including any of them on the expanded editions of the previous 9 albums is truly bizarre.It really casts doubt on the future release of a b sides/rarities box unless.I’m sure the different packaging shapes for each of the Concord reissues -as well as the BBC box-is a deliberate design statement by Michael who works on these.Take a guess now at what packaging format,shape,dimension etc they will use for the Up reissue.
      At the time of the release of the Radio Free Europe packages the press release promised “lots of exciting” releases for 2021 which was the 40th anniversary of the band’s formation.Their definitions of “lots” and “exciting” deserve examination.

  9. Marillion’s Fugazi was the best release for me. Never mind £30, I bought it twice, once at £21 for myself, and once at £16 as a gift.

    The mix of the album is notably different and enjoyable. It was always acknowledged by all involved, including the man who mixed it, Simon Hanhart, that the original mix was poor, so it’s no surprise to hear this alternative version.

    The live show is excellent. The only negative is having the additional audio, like b sides, only on the Blu Ray.

    If all SDE’s were done like this, at this price point, there’d be nothing to debate. I’m not a Jethro Tull fan, but both of these bands must have sold more SDE’s because of their approach to marketing them in this fashion.

    The Dance Masters Shep Pettibone SDE was also great, and I’m not a major fan of 12″ singles.

    Box sets I got for Christmas, but have yet to play and hope to enjoy: Joni Mitchell’s Archives volume 2, Beach Boys Feel Flows.

    A new release I forgot to mention is Laura Mvula’s Pink Noise. A short and really enjoyable pop album.

    One book I also forgot to mention was Duane Tudhal’s book covering the Parade and Sign O The Times Period of Prince.

  10. It has to be The Who Sell Out SDE.Simply fantastic.
    I’m looking forward to a few this year.
    Again, The Who, Who’s Next.
    The start of The Madonna Deluxe editions
    Guns N Roses, Use your illusions Deluxe(apparently).
    So, starting to save from now l guess.

  11. Hello,
    Thank you for the summary of 2021. I must say tha the reissue I enjoy the most were “Van der graaf Generator – the charisma years”. Listening to Still life and Godbluff again was delightful. I managed to catch VdGG (Hammill, Evans, Banton) in convert in Sweden in October. I must say, they still have the power to perform the songs from the 70-ties all the way to their latest songs from a couple of years ago. They ended with Refugees, the perfect entry song to VdGG. To continue; The Beach boys “Feel flows” are my second choice and The Band “stage fright” SDE. I managed to secure the Band at a reasonable price due to Super Deluxe Edition.
    My hopes for 2022; Roy Harper (please Madfish, follow the Gentle Giant , Caravan sets), Neil Young Archives 3, a complete oveerview of Talk Talk. And of course Who´s next. Best regards Hans

  12. Thanks Paul once again for a great year of news, reviews, unboxing, wit and wisdom (and speaking truth to power when required!). The sets I’ve most enjoyed this year include both those superb Level 42 boxes – looked good, sounded good and gathered together some rarities I’d waited years to hear; Bowie’s ‘Width of a Circle’ for the reasons you give – and Brilliant Adventure; Let it Be; and another great year from Cherry Red on Howard Jones’ catalogue – the BBC set is brilliant and the In The Running deluxe was everything I’d always hoped it might be and gave me lots of extra insight into and enjoyment from his somewhat ‘mystery’ final album of his Warners contract (‘mystery’ because there was very little fanfare, media activity or interviews around it at the time and I always like to immerse a bit in the behind the scenes context of albums I like). Slight disappointments of 2021? No sign of the rumoured PSB ‘Please’ super deluxe (if such a thing is really on its way) yet, and as a massive supporter of Erasure, the I Say I Say I Say deluxe in November offered only a handful of rare or unreleased stuff – I’ve said before , they are nicely packaged and very reasonably priced sets but I’d happily pay more for more. Bince Clarke has confirmed they are continuing with their 1995 self-titled LP – my all time fave of theirs – so I hope that one is done justice like they did for Chorus 2 years back. Hopes for 2022 – Mark Moore revealed a comprehensive career-spanning box set of S’Express has been licensed by either Demon or Edsel -I forget which – loved their stuff as a teen so looking forward to that. Hoping to see Macca release one or both of London Town and Back to the Egg SDEs, and I’m intrigued by what the first Madonna sets will bring. Happy new year everyone!

  13. Nothing I might cheer for went unmentioned here, except for the grand conclusion of Be-Bop Deluxe’s reissue series, the joy-in-overkill version of Live! In The Air Age, which gives BBD freaks a chance to hear every pro-recorded show from the 1977 tour in one collection. While the setlists don’t vary much, keen listeners will spot variations in the performances that are downright exciting, especially when Bill Nelson pins the needle on the jammed-out ending of “Blazing Apostles.” it’s all too good to get boring even in repetition, and I couldn’t be more thankful that more than 40 years after the band’s all-so-brief career, their catalog was given such primo treatment in the last half-decade or so. In ’22, watch for the deluxe version of the coda: Nelson’s next foray, coulda-been-Be-Bop-but-wasn’t Red Noise and that band’s only release, the terrific Sound-On-Sound. Bill faces some real challenges these days. But he’s the living definition of cottage industry, still turning out truckloads of quite personal solo work for the faithful niche, maybe too much to absorb in full, but too rewarding to ignore.

  14. The only reissues released in 2021 that I bought last year were the 2 Level 42 boxes – which are great, with excellent books and attention to detail; some audiophiles have complained about them in Discogs, but they sound fine to me – the 2CD version of Since I Left You by The Avalanches which I haven’t listened to yet and “This Is Serious Mum” by Melbourne band TISM, a reissue on vinyl/CD of a tape they made in 1984 (I bought it in the far western Melbourne suburb of Werribee and the album has a song called I Go To Werribee, referencing I Go To Rio by Peter Allen and Werribee’s sewerage treatment facilities).
    I’d like to get reissues of Live In Rio by Pet Shop Boys, Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones and Knebworth 1996 by Oasis.

  15. Spanish label Quartet records continued releasing remastered and expanded 60s & 70s Italian soundtracks. Usually limited editions of between 300 – 500 copies, they’re quite easy to get hold of (if they were vinyl, they’d be gone in the blink of an eye). 2021 highlights included:

    Colpo Rovente (Expanded Edition) – Piero Piccioni
    Il Dio Sotto la Pelle (Expanded Edition) – Piero Piccioni
    Vergogna Schifosi (Expanded Edition) – Ennio Morricone

    Some box set highlights (the last two are in wooden boxes!):

    I Shall Wear a Crown – Pastor T.L. Barrett & The Youth for Christ Choir
    1971-1974 – Faust
    Feel Flows – The Beach Boys
    Dimensioni Sonore – Ennio Morricone / Bruno Nicolai
    The Complete AYNA sessions 72-76 – Egisto Macchi

    And a couple of V/A compilations that stood out:

    Intervisions: East European Visions of Groovy Sound (1969-1982)
    Utopic Cities: Progressive Jazz In Belgium 1968-1979

    1. Ordered “Colpo Rovente”, and it’s a fantastic expanded soundtrack with four different developed themes.
      Without comparing the musical quality, “Vergogna Schifosi” has only one (but wonderfully declined).
      Thank you for reporting these outings.

  16. My favorite for 2021 is “Ten Years After 1967-1974” box set: great sound and excellent booklet, with lots of interesting psychedelic
    visuals (these partly trace their historical development, imho).
    I have to thank SDE for pointing out this reissue which I missed in 2018.

    For 2022, I really wish the Apple Venus reissue from XTC by Steven Wilson.

    Happy New Year everyone .

  17. I love the Plastic Ono Band Deluxe edition. But the only thing that let it down for me was the surround mix. In truth, it felt like a enhanced stereo mix. And for that reason alone, I would have went for the George Harrison- All Things Must Pass Deluxe set as my standout out of the year. Although the packaging isn’t as good as the John Lennon- POB deluxe set, the surround mix is far superior, especially the Atmos mix.

  18. The reissues I was the most excited about last year were Debbie Gibson’s first two albums. :)
    Roxette’s Joyride- 30th Anniversary was fun, but they included the wrong US promo mix of Joyride, again! Oh well, the demos are great fun, and to get unreleased demos with Marie Fredriksson is so wonderful.
    Also, Howard Jones at the BBC is irresistible, and I’ll order it after Madonna starts her reissue campaign.
    And that’s what I’m super excited about this year! I’ve hoped for reissues from Madonna for so many years, and now it’s finally happening.
    And that’s probably why she said no to including a remix in the Shep Pettibone compilation. She’s saving them for herself.
    I’m also hoping that the SDEs of classic Prince albums will continue this year. I loved PR, 1999 and SOTT, and can’t wait to see what they’ll release next.

    1. I like how you made the artists names in bold in your post, that looks great and is very attractive.
      I have to say that this is probably my first and last Roxette reissue. I bought the CD, color LP and LP Box set and I’m quite disappointed in that the only additional tracks are demos (always have been, in their reissues). Not only was I really looking forward to hearing multiple early takes on Things Will Never Be The Same, which is I think the only reason I immediately placed my orders, but aside from being underwhelmed by them, there was no Marie singing at all.
      To top it off, the artwork seems like it’s been xerox and they don’t have the original photos and artwork, and worst of all, the fact that what would usually be a hype sticker has been actually printed on the sleeve.

      As for Madonna and Shep, her tracks are always absent from compilations so while we know that there are reissues planned, she has been releasing complete singles digitally for a while now so I don’t think that’s the reason.
      That said, I really hope she includes them all.

    2. I have Debbie Gibson‘s Out of the Blue deluxe (thanks to Paul’s article from August) but was unaware that Cherry Red followed it up with a deluxe of Electric Youth. Thanks, PerZ, I now have it ordered!

    1. Lee Morgan – The Complete Live At The Lighthouse (Blue Note): 8 cd’s with 12 sets of topnotch improvisational musicianship, not a wrong in sight or hearing, during the weekend of July 10 – 12th, 1970. Beautifully presented and annotated, with attention to detail and lots of period photographs. On the same stratospheric level as Miles’ Plugged Nickel and Coltrane’s Village Vanguard recordings.
    2. Roy Brooks – Understanding (Reel To Real): a double cd, recorded admirably in November 1970 on an Akai home tape deck by a well known amateur sound engineer, of 2 long sets of stunningly explosive music by the quintet of this unjustly forgotten master drummer, with Woody Shaw and Harold Mabern, who, significantly, plays also on 1. confirming his formidable improvisational powers.
    3. Alice Coltrane – Kirtan: Turiya Sings (Impulse!) – These devotional Sanskrit songs were recorded in 1981, and initially released on a privately pressed cassette for her students. Rereleased by Impulse!, this edition is stripped back with the original overdubbed synthesizer and string backings removed. Not for every ear, but very rewarding for connoisseurs.

    I wish everybody many sonic delights in the next 12 months !

    1. Dear Mr. Misterious

      Of course the Lee Morgan box-set! I have to delete Cat Stevens from my list to make room for this classic. And I think that I have to give the Alice Coltrane a listen too.

      Thank you and many sonic delights to you too.

  21. Just a few wishes for 2022 from me to add to the mix….. a couple more likely than the other.

    Blondie box set to FINALLY see the light of day.

    The Prince Estate to continue their phenomenal box sets of his legendary 80’s albums. Personally I’d much prefer Dirty Mind, Around The World, Parade or Lovesexy than Diamonds and Pearls.

    Finally, and I know its unlikely in the extreme….. ABBA to finish Rikky Rock ‘n’ Roller, Hamlet III, Rubber Ball Man and Just Like That, in the same way they did with Just A Notion for Voyage. Would make a great 4 track CD promotion release prior to Voyage Live. Just a thought if you’re reading Benny and Bjorn. :)

    Heres to a happy and healthy 2022 to you Paul, and all the SDE readers out there. Let’s hope its a year full of nice Little Things. :)

  22. Firstly, do the Taylor Swift re-records count as ‘Reissues’? Or new albums? Red (Taylor’s Version) was certainly a highlight for me this year, with many of the ‘Vault’ tracks surpassing some of the originally released material. Surprised these have never been mentioned on the site, even if it’s just the uniqueness of the project that Taylor is doing?

    Also, Paul could you explain how the titles on the site work, i.e. ‘SDE Reader’, ‘SDE Fanatic’ etc work? Is it number of comments of length of time?

    Happy New year all!

  23. Just been thinking of the 8 years I have been hanging around this joint. Thinking of all the dreams we have had. The quote that springs to mind is “Despair? I can cope with despair…. It’s the hope that kills you”

    Going back to January 2015 and there was so much hope, after Before the Dawn, that Kate would rise from her slumbers and sort out some SDEs of her earliest albums. This hope slowly dwindled until after the 2018 re-issues and in January 2019 we were hopeful that, finally, Kate would be elegantly roused from her Chaise Longue, munching digestives as she goes to finally sort out her first 5 albums into a coherent set of real SDEs. I guess, with Kate, nothing ever happens until you have lost hope and slip into that despair phase. So I am happily going in to 2022 in merry despair that it will never happen in her lifetime (conspiratorial wink).

    Of things that might happen, and should happen because we know the work has been done, I cannot wait to see what has been done with “Cocksure” or “Because We Love You” as it eventually appeared. It would be an interesting other bookend to “I Love My Friends” which was another major Duffy album that was hobbled by label interference and pressure to conform. It would be superb if handled well by Needle Mythology as Pete Paphides has the right musical ethos to do it justice.

    Happy New Year everyone, lets keep hoping or despairing.

    2. Chris to Kate:

      I know you’ve got a little life in you left
      I know you’ve got a lotta strength left
      I know you’ve got a little life in you left
      I know you’ve got a lotta strength left
      I should be cryin’ but I just can’t let it show
      I should be hopin’ but I can’t stop thinkin’

      Kate to Chris:
      
      All the things we should’ve said that are never said
      All the things we should’ve done that we never did
      All the things we should’ve given, but I didn’t
      Oh darlin’, make it go
      Make it go away

  24. Here goes :
    The Beatles – Let It Be
    George Harrison – All things Must Pass
    Radiohead – Kid A Mnesia
    Travis – Invisible Band
    David Bowie – Brilliant Adventures

    Yeah I went mainstream but all those packages include tons of stuff from my favorites artists.
    Biggest let down, Achtung Baby. Such a masterpiece deserves more than what was offered, even if the 20th was massive… there’s always room for unreleased stuff (live, remixes and so on)

  25. Read this and then listened to Antidepressant for the first time in years… what a gem of an album! (Oh, and my favourite reissue was The Width of a Circle). Happy New Year Paul and SDE readers!

  26. I agree with many of the choices Paul and others have listed. I’m surprised that nobody mentioned Chicago’s complete Carnegie Hall concerts SDE. Chicago was a great band until and including Chicago V and this set documents them at the peak.

    Happy New Year Paul. Thank you for all of your efforts. SDE is the best website!

  27. My favourites:

    Beach Boys – Feel Flows. This was a lovely vinyl boxset (especially as I got the limited coloured vinyl) – but of course the main bugbear was the silly vinyl formatting decision which meant having the songs from the album at the start of each side and the extra tracks/demos at the end – just have the albums and then the extras on separate vinyls please – I hope this doesn’t give other people ideas.

    The Beatles – Let it Be. I know there was controversy around this but I was happy with the vinyl boxset – especially as they finally included the big book with it. Don’t know why they didn’t figure out that Beatles vinyl buyers would want this earlier with the White Album/ Abbey Road boxes. Of course it was a great companion piece to the brilliant Peter Jackson docs too, even though it is still overall an uneven Beatles album.

    Bowie – Brilliant Adventure. I do think this is an interesting Bowie era, when he was getting his mojo back after his mostly terrible 80s efforts after Let’s Dance, and I loved the vinyl boxset overall ( although didn’t love the price tag – ouch).

    Grandaddy – The Sophtware Slump 20th anniversary deluxe . Right at the start of the year this brilliant package of one of this century’s greatest albums was released after a few delays, which thematically predicted how this century would go in terms of communication and technology/ social media etc. Also included a re-recorded version of it on a wooden piano which was wonderful. David Bowie’s favourite band back then if you want a further recommendation.

    The Fall Sound Archive. Cherry Red’s great ongoing reissue of the Fall’s back catalogue in beautiful coloured splatter vinyls – fantastic tribute to the late, great Mark E. Smith, one of music’s greatest characters and writers. If I’m a bit drunk and feeling mischievous I’ll happily argue that the Fall are objectively the greatest British band in history. Certainly very influential too if you look at the current crop of post – punk bands such as Fontaine’s DC.

    Prince – Welcome 2 America. A nice vinyl set and an interesting album. I didn’t buy the hype of it being a lost masterpiece – uneven overall with some good stuff but nice to have it out there. The Orwellian conceit was a bit laboured and a lot of lyrics were a bit heavy- handed, but he still had the funk.

    2022 – wish list
    Beatles – Rubber Soul and Revolver super deluxes would be very welcome. Don’t know if they are considering going back to the start with these sets.

    Bowie – possibly too much to ask after the Era 5 delays but the Era 6 box to finish off the story. It was a great final act to his career with the Next Day and Blackstar and I really liked Heathen. As there are only four proper albums left I’m not sure how they would pad out the rest of the box, especially with his quiet decade from 2004 to 2013.

    Prince – back to the proper boxsets. There’s been rumours for a while of Diamonds and Pearls which, outside of the singles, is a very weak album. Let’s have Around the World in a Day or Parade please.

    Husker Du – how about a collected albums boxset to plug the gap between the excellent Bob Mould sets and the Savage Young Du set.

    Wilco – we are at Yankee Hotel Foxtrot after the Summerteeth deluxe last year . I think YHF is their greatest album (one of this century’s best) so I’m all in for a full-on vinyl box. They missed the 20th anniversary in 2021 which was a shame – let’s have it in ‘22.

    Have a great 2022 folks.

    1. Hell with freeze over before Greg Ginn relinquishes the master tapes for Husker Du’s SST output. It was attempted for the box set but just proved to be impossible. There is the belief that SST actually recorded over the masters for other bands. Sad to think that Zen Arcade has been wiped in favour of Overkill LA.

    2. I have heard that they have completed track selection and compilation for the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot box.The other Wilco boxes have been year end releases so expect it in around 10 months.Unless of course they want a full vinyl big box version with simultaneous release and the rest of us have to wait another year.

  28. Happy New Year Everyone! I really enjoyed the HoJo BBC 5 disc set and have a few below released/purchased last year [warning: I’m all over the place with my listening/collecting :) ]

    Black Francis “07-11” 9 CD box set with limited edition signed print [if you don’t recognize the name, he’s the Pixies frontman]
    The Replacements “Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash” 4 CD + LP box set (thank you Rhino for the LP I’ll never play)
    Whitesnake “Restless Heart – 25th Anniversary Edition” 4CD/1 DVD box set
    Pet Shop Boys “Discovery / Live In Rio” CD/DVD
    New Order “Education Entertainment Recreation” 2 CD/Blu-Ray
    Violent Femmes “Why Do Birds Sing?” Craft Recordings 2 CD Reissue
    Oingo Boingo: “Only A Lad” / “Nothing To Fear” / “Good For Your Soul” / “Dead Man’s Party” Rubellan Remasters remastered + expanded CDs [these were also available on LP and have since sold out]

    Best Deal Alert of 2021 and this deserves another thank you to Mr. Sinclair: Lou Reed’s “New York” 3 CD/DVD/LP Deluxe Editon via Amazon U.S. for $38.25 – scored mid-March of last year. We don’t get many here in the States, but this one was outstanding.

    A forgotten add on to my Top Best Albums of 2021… “Jupiter 13” by Kilbey Kennedy. I somehow failed to mention this release in my earlier comment but it is really one of my very favorite releases from last year. Steve Kilbey is many things- probably best known as the vocalist/bassist for The Church and Martin Kennedy is an amazing pianst and composer in his own right. I don’t have the words to describe this release…it’s simply brilliant and hits on the likes of Pink Floyd +David Bowie all the way through to Ride + Cocteau Twins. I purchased the CD with the hi-res download via Bandcamp. Give it a stream at least if you’re remotely curious :)

      1. @Shawn C. – good to hear you enjoyed it! I was chasing after some of Steve Kilbey’s early 1987-1990 solo titles on CD and read quite a few favorable reviews on this/didn’t know anything about it as there wasn’t much coverage of the release. I also picked up their 2017 “Glow and Fade” release while I was at it.

  29. First, Very Best Wishes to all who hang around the S.D.E. Forum and especially to Paul and his helpers without whom the S.D.E. wouldn’t exist.

    Second, here’s my reissues of ‘21:

    Beach Boys: Feel Flows
    Redskins: Neither Washington Nor Moscow
    Beau Brummels: Turn Around The Complete Recordings 1964-1970
    Waterboys: The Magnificent 7
    Doors: LA Woman
    Bob Dylan: Springtime In New York
    Neil Young: Way Down In The Rust Bucket
    George Harrison: All Things Must Pass
    Mercury Rev: Snowflake Midnight
    The Who: The Who Sell Out
    Hawkwind: Dust Of Time
    Gene Clark: Collected

    All of the above are the S.D.E.’s apart from Gene Clark which is both a 3CD Set & 3LP Set and typical of ‘Music On Vinyl’ Collected Series. There are also 3/4 of those Psychedelic 60’s Box Sets released via Cherry Red.

  30. Great choices Paul. Here are mine

    TOP 10 REISSUES
    01 The Who – The Who Sell Out
    02 Andrew Lloyd Webber – Jesus Christ Superstar
    03 David Bowie – Brilliant Adventure 1992-2001
    04 The Beatles – Let It Be
    05 John Lennon – Plastic Ono Band
    06 Bob Dylan: The Bootleg Series Volume 16: Springtime In New York 1980-1985
    07 The Replacements – Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash
    08 Level 42 – The Complete Polydor Years Volume 1
    09 Al Stewart – Time Passages
    10 Beach Boys – Feel Flows: The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971

    TOP 10 COMPILATIONS
    01 Gary Crowley Lost ’80s Volume 2
    02 Caught Beneath The Landslide: The Other Side Of Britpop & The ’90s
    03 Think I’m Going Weird: Original Artefacts From The British Psychedelic Scene 1966-1968
    04 The Sun Shines Here: The Roots Of Indie Pop 1980-1984
    05 Musik Music Musique 2.0: 1981 The Rise Of Synth Pop
    06 Arthur Baker Presents Dance Masters: The Shep Pettibone Master Mixes
    07 Staring At The Rude Boys: The British Ska Revival 1979-1989
    08 Almost Famous: Music From The Motion Picture (Super Deluxe Edition)
    09 Choctaw Ridge: New Fables Of The American South 1968-1973
    10 Now Yearbook 1983

  32. Dear Mr. Sinclair

    Off topic I know, but would it be possible to get automatic notifications on email (if one choses too), when someone reply with an answer to a comment you’ve made? As in follow an already excisting and ongoing conversation that you are part of. A kind of a “Get Notifications” button, if you know what I mean?

    1. Hi. I think this already exists? When you post a comment, next to the ‘POST COMMENT’ blue box here’s a greyed out bell? Click that & then when someone comments you get an e-mail notification?

  33. I don’t think there’s ever been more high quality reissues than in 2021.So much for the death of physical music.
    My list of favourites is
    1-Neil Young Archives Volume 2
    2-John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band 6cd+2Bluray version
    3-Way Down In The Rust Bucket-Neil Young and Crazy Horse
    4-Listen To The River St Louis ‘71 ‘72 ‘73-The Grateful Dead
    5-Carnegie Hall 1970-Neil Young
    6-The Who Sell Out 5cd version
    7-Joni Mitchell Archives Volume 2
    8-Young Shakespeare-Neil Toung
    9-Live At The Shoals Theatre-Mike Cooley,Patterson Hood and Jason Isbell
    10-The flawed 4.Terrific box sets with 1 fatal flaw
    Deja Vu-Hate it when they combine vinyl that is a frisbee to me with cds.Great content and the friend I gave the vinyl to really loves it but….
    All Things Must Pass-Packaging shouldn’t matter so much but when you compare this to the Lennon or Beatles boxes or indeed anything else around this price point what was served up for the 5cd+Bluray version was rubbish.
    Springtime In New York-Having no desire to listen to a whole disc of Like A Rolling Stone or 8 takes in a row of Buckets Of Rain I have always been happy with the smaller versions of the Bootleg Series.However here Sony Australia priced the 5cd version so that it sold for considerably less than half the price of everywhere else in the world so I couldn’t resist.What I found out is that there is a lot of pretty weak stuff on it.I have actually programmed the 2cd version track listing and played it that way once.That would make my favourites list.The big version shows that more can be less.
    Let It Be-Why no complete roof top concert?Just why?
    Just want to thank you Paul for running this fantastic site.It is a daily visit.

  35. My favourite reissues of 2021:

    Marian Anderson “Beyond The Music – Her Complete RCA Victor Recordings”
    Connie Smith “Latest Shade Of Blue – The Columbia Recordings 1973-1976”
    Beach Boys “Feel Flows – The Sunflower & Surf’s Up Sessions 1969-1971”
    Giuseppe Di Stefano “Complete Decca Recordings”
    Lee Morgan “The Complete Live At The Lighthouse”
    Elvis Presley “Back In Nashville”
    Bill Evans “Everybody Still Digs Bill Evans”
    Ray Charles “True Genius – Deluxe”
    John Lennon “Plastic Ono Band – Super Deluxe”
    George Harrison “All Things Must Pass 50th Anniversary – Super Deluxe”

    My favourite Universal Japan Reissues of 2021:

    Julie London “The Paper Sleeve Editions”
    Tal Farlow “UHQ-CD Verve Releases”
    Various “Hard-to-get hidden Jazz masterpieces series” (Count Basie, McCoy Tyner, Grant Green, Lou Donaldson AO).
    Various “Brazil’s Treasured Masterpieces 1950s-2000s” (Astrud Gilberto, Antonio Calos Jobim, Laurindo Almeida, Luiz Bonfa, Baden Powell AO).
    Various “SHM-CD Christmas Classics” (Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Smith, AO).

    My favourite book about music, of 2021:

    Brian Morton and Riccardo Del Fra “The Making of Chet Baker Sings” (Book with CD).

    Thank you for all your hard work Mr. Sinclair and a very Happy New Year to you and your family and to everybody of the SDE community.
    Our New Year’s Night was great! We had to throw the lobster in the bin because it had gone bad but the Bollinger was excellent. The “Now Disco Classics Boogie Nights” compilation was the perfect soundtrack and Griff’s “One Foot in Front of the Other” album proved to be the perfect choice for the wife’s pole dancing. So we had fun and are looking forward to having a lot of more fun with the SDE website and y’all in 2022. Thank you for 2021.

  37. As an ageing soul boy,kudos go to Cherry Red and their Real Thing ‘The Anthology 1972-1997’,a 7 cd box set with virtually everything recorded by the premier UK black soul group, especially big in the 1970s

  38. Bruce Springsteen No Nukes was the best release for me in 2021, Vinyl 2cd & Blu-ray for £20 ( a DVD version also available) & the double vinyl for £25, I can live without an exotic big box when the quality is this great, I like a pick n mix option. It’ll be interesting to see if Hunky Dory & Ziggy Stardust get the big box sets they deserve this year.

  39. The pick for me has been the Philadelphia International box sets. Some great albums which now sound better than ever. Looking forward to the next, expecting at least 3 in next 12 months. Do wish they would sort out the price on it though. A couple of others from the last 12 months were the 2nd Gary Crowley Lost 80s set and the Shep Petttibone remix set.

    3. I haven’t gone for these, but would if the price dropped.

      What I am looking forward to is the forthcoming Teddy Pendergrass set on 25th February: John Morales Presents Teddy Pendergrass – the Voice – Remixed With Philly Love.

      If anyone hasn’t seen the Teddy Pendergrass documentary If You Don’t Know Me, it’s well worth seeing.

  40. Some of my 2021 favorite re-issues: London Boys “Requiem. The London Boys Story” 5CD Box, Sonia “Everybody Knows – The Singles Box Set” 6CD, Alphaville “Afternoons in Utopia” & “The Breathtaking Blue” vinyl & expanded CDs, Falco “Emotional” 3CD+DVD, Shakespeare’s Sister “Sacred Heart” & “Hormonally Yours” vinyl & 2CD editions, Modern Talking vinyl re-issues from Music On Vinyl, The Communards “Communards” vinyl & 2CD.

  41. My wishes for 2022 :

    – The complete Birthday Party recordings, with unreleased bonus tracks. For reasons I ignore, their recorded legacy is neglected. It seems like no one cares, which is a shame.

    – The early Kraftwerk recordings, featuring the only Organisation album, and the first three Kraftwerk records, with, as a bonus, a remastered live album of the era. That would be a dream come true.

    1. Since Ralf does not want that material officially released and does not want to release new music, I think they should rerecord those 4 records digitally like the redid the Catalogue a few years ago. That would be interesting.

  42. A nod from me for ‘A’ (1980), the latest deluxe album set in the Jethro Tull series, and for the upgrade of ‘Benefit’ (1970) into a 6-disc ‘book set’ (from a previous release as a smaller-format 3CD set). I was thrilled when Robert Fripp’s ‘Music For Quiet Moments’ year-long series (2020-21) of weekly streaming tracks drawn from 2004-2009 live performances were released recently as a physical (8CD) set. In my view (and I’m aware this is probably a minority view), Robert’s ambient music is his greatest gift to mankind – astoundingly beautiful. I don’t have much interest in King Crimson – except a sort of casual fascination (I’m happier to read about KC than listen to them).

    An expanded reissue of ‘Bon Voyage: Live at Dallas Brooks Hall’ (1974) by Australian jazz-rock instrumentalists MacKenzie Theory, on Aztec Records, was a delightful surprise. Another gem, in my world, falls somewhere between a reissue/archive release and a ‘new’ release – the rather eccentrically titled mini-album ‘Ken Wheeler, Some Gnu Ones’ by British jazz double bassist Chris Laurence (with a variety of collaborators), on the fabulous (archive specialising) not-for-profit Jazz In Britain label is not only a glorious labour of love from all involved but really memorable, delightful music. The late Canadian/British trumpet legend / composer Ken Wheeler had written two pieces for Chris Laurence (C-Man and Baroque Piece) that he had recorded in the past and was working on a long, wonderfully quirky concerto, ‘Piece for Double Bass and Low Strings’, when he died. Two out of three parts were complete, with sketches for the rest. Chris Churchill finished it and this luxuriantly recorded 28-minute album brings together the new suite with the two previous Laurence/wheeler works. (Go to Jazz In Britain’s Bandcamp page to hear it all…)

    I was involved in curating several box sets this year, some of which were released within 2021, and I’m delighted to have helped them into public view – Repertoire’s Pretty Things ‘Live at the BBC’ (6CD) and Nucleus ‘Live at the BBC’ (13CD) being two. Expect further CH-involved box sets in 2022 via Repertoire, Earth, Madfish and Cherry Red, including one colossal one that will be unveiled in March. :-)

    1. “I’m happier to read about KC than listen to them”… Well, that made my day ! And yes, the ambient Fripp work is really important, I especially love the Fripp/Eno album that inspired every important artist of the 70’s (Bowie, even Iggy Pop).
      As for the mammoth reissue campaign, is it related to Bert Jansch ??

  43. Happy New Year everyone. I enjoyed The Width of a Circle as well, and despite the awful execution, Brilliant Live Adventures. I’ve not started listening to the era box, Brilliant Adventures, which was a Christmas present, but it’s definitely on my best of 2021 list, since I know most of the source material. My other favourites were Feel Flows, The Who Sell Out and Joni Mitchell Archives 2.

  45. Big-time highlights for me in 2021:

    HOWARD JONES
    Finishing up the Cherry Red Howard Jones SDEs. I love looking at my shelf and seeing the first five albums, and the new BBC box, all lined up. Howard was a huge part of my late high school and early college days.

    PYLON
    I missed out on the Athens explosion back in the day, but this amazing box set (the CD version) makes me feel like I was there. Bring on a box for Love Tractor, please!

    REM
    Speaking of Athens, I took the plunge and got the SDEs for “Out Of Time” and “Automatic For The People”. I’m not really into live tracks, but the demos are always interesting. And I love a nice, thick booklet to read as I listen.

    SMASHING PUMPKINS
    I’ve spent the past year (and a decent chunk of change) adding all the Pumpkins’ SDEs to my collection. The only one I can’t find for less-than-extortion prices is “The Aeroplane Flies High”, but I am a patient man. I was hoping for a “MACHINA” SDE announcement this past year, but apparently vinyl shortages caused a delay for the release. (And many others, apparently.)

    MY HOPES FOR 2022:
    The aforementioned “MACHINA” SDE… the announced Steven Wilson remix of XTC’s “Apple Venus”… hopefully more Wilson-infused Ultravox remasters/SDEs (I want a “Lament” box SO BAD)… the long-overdue B-52’s box set… and hopefully a few surprise box sets (*cough*Velocity Girl*cough)… Oh, and most importantly: for a large segment of the world’s population to get with the program so we can improve things for everyone.

    Happy listening, everybody! And thanks again to Paul for another fantastic year of music news and reviews!

    3. I don’t think there will ever be enough vinyl in the world for that MACHIA reissue alongside all the other mooted SP forthcoming releases. Billy Corgan alongside Robert Smith are just little teasers.

      1. I’m a fan of both bands and will say that, to date, the Pumpkins’ huge super deluxe editions blow away those tiny little 2 and 3 CD expanded editions The Cure have released. My money is on “MACHINA” before a “Wish” deluxe set…although I’d be more excited to finally own all that “Wish” cassette/vault/outtake material.

  47. Happy New Year Paul. Totally agree re: the Garbage and HoJo sets, both great additions. Here’s four more for the list…

    PYLON / PYLON BOX
    Technically a 2020 release but the CD edition wasn’t made available until early this year here in the UK. Just four CDs mop up much, but not quite all, of the band’s brief first act, but it’s the accompanying heavyweight book that makes this such an essential purchase for fans. It’s a detailed, carefully curated biography that not only celebrates a truly singular cult band but also beautifully captures a unique moment in time. Stuffed with engaging recollections, richly illustrated with period ephemera, it really is exemplary work from EastWest. Exhibit A in the case for arguing that, far from CD being a ‘dying format’, it’s actually enjoying a golden age of quality presentation.

    GANG OF FOUR / 77–81
    This CD set from Matador shares much in common with the Pylon box above, in terms of capturing a very special, fast-moving time through the lens of a band on the rise and at peak powers. Famous fans queue up to pay homage, and, with the sad passing of Andy Gill the accompanying book’s narrative becomes all the more bittersweet, celebrating something that’s now suspended in the amber of time and cannot be regained. And the music? A timely reminder of why this band is so revered. They absolutely rocked. A pity those extra demo recordings were download-only, though.

    THE THE / THE COMEBACK SPECIAL
    The box set edition was pricey but lavish. And it’s not just a document of the 2018 ‘return of’ live performance – it’s also a poignant reflection of Matt Johnson’s unique canon of work and a remarkable, questing life. There are few artists who have addressed grief so directly and affectingly, something that’s underscored by the circumstances around the staging of the RAH gig. Some of the new arrangements of old favourites may not be everyone’s cup of tea but there’s a maturity, confidence and strength here that can only make fans anticipate the next album more keenly. 

    WHIPPING BOY / HEARTWORM
    It’s official: I’m in love with Needle Mythology. We didn’t get the promised Lilac Time set in 2021 after all, but bringing this lost classic back into the light was an unexpected pleasure. I loved this album when it was first released in 1995, and time hasn’t dimmed it’s raw, bleak poetry one bit. The second disc of b-sides and demos is all equally essential, high-quality material; further demonstration that this neglected band were on fizzing, killer form – a dark counterpoint to all the Britpop shenanigans. They deserve to be heard by more people. Which is, I guess, what Needle Mythology is all about.

    2. I have been a fan of Whipping Boy for many years and bought my copy of Heartworm back in 1995. Blue vinyl LP from Virgin. Here was a real opportunity to gather up all the period material (B-sides, live tracks & single edits) but instead we got rather incomplete release which only included just over half of the relevant bonus tracks. Instead of maximising the storage capacity of two CDs, the content decision seems to have been dictated to by vinyl running times. Anything more and they would have needed a third LP which would have pushed the price north of €50. If it was up to me, I would have reissued the album on vinyl with no bonus material and also put out a double CD with as many extra tracks as possible.

      1. Agreed on all counts. This phenomenon affected the reissues of Geneva’s two albums as well — b-sides were omitted and some even faded out so that the CDs would match the vinyl running time. What a missed opportunity.

  48. Nice list, Paul. Another vote here for Beach Boys – Feel Flows. Also, Gary Crowley – Lost 80s (Volume 2), Paul Haig – Warp Of Pure Fun, Sheena Easton – Definitive Singles 1980-87 plus a brilliant new discovery for me – Linda Smith. Her Till Another Time compilation blew me away.

  49. I have been enjoying the quality of the Bowie “Brilliant Adventure” box. It has some of my favourite albums and they are treated well.

    I found the This Is Telex comp to be. really great

    A new compilation of Yukihiro Takahashi’s 1980s work called Grand Espoir came out this year, which I really enjoy.

    The Yello 40 (Yell40) 4 cd book is nicely presented and I get good use out of that.

  50. Hello and happy New year to you Paul and everybody here ! I posted my choices on your previous thread. The Feel flows boxset is my favorite of the year. The only selection we have in common is the Lennon reissue, which is the one boxset to rule them all.
    I was a little bit disappointed by Archives vol. 2, because of the odd choice of including previously released material.

  51. Rory Gallagher 50th Anniversary SDE and an honorable mention for “outstanding Gene Simmons effect” goes to Destroyer 45 SDE.
    Again, I can not get enough of Plastic Ono Band and George Harrison SDE. Let It Be SDE pales in comparison.
    Next Stop Seasons End by Marillion, please.
    Happy New Year to all the readers and Paul and his Family.

  53. Your choices are fine, Paul. I would add that the Beach Boys’ superb “Feel Flows” finally arrived and proved to be well worth waiting for, while the second volume of Joni Mitchell’s “Archives” was, similarly, everything we hoped it would be. The only disappointments for me in an otherwise good year for reissues were the non-appearance of Bruce Springsteen’s expected “Tracks 2” and (yet again) the Complete Blondie box set. Hopefully both will come out in 2022!

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