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Top 10 disappointments of 2014

By Paul Sinclair

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253

purplerainPurple Rain wasn’t reissued.

Warner Bros. Records announced in April this year that they had signed a new agreement with Prince that, among other things, would “see the release of long-awaited, previously unheard material” including a reissue of his 1984 album Purple Rain. To be fair, it wasn’t promised for 2014 but with the announcement in the spring of the anniversary year, the implication was pretty clear. However since then, not much appears to have changed as far as the purple one is concerned. He has been pleasing himself, having fun with his Hit and Run tour and then releasing two new albums (with mixed critical response). Despite the announcement, it seems that delivering an expanded and remastered deluxe edition of Purple Rain isn’t anywhere near the top of his list of priorities.

atdWe are not amused. The wait for Waters’ solo album reissue continues.

Almost two years after being announced, the vinyl and SACD reissue of Roger Waters‘ 1992 album Amused to Death STILL hasn’t been released. In April this year we got confirmation that the SACD had changed from stereo to 5.1 (good news) and the work was apparently in the can, but eight months later the Analogue Productions’ release still has ‘Arrival date to be announced’ on the Acoustic Sounds website.

dreaming_delKate Bush fails to celebrate live triumph with reissues or compilation. 

Okay, it’s probably churlish to complain about a lack of Kate Bush reissues or a new compilation in the year that she finally followed up her 1979 Tour of Life with Before The Dawn, but sometimes you wish she’d just – for once – do what normal artists do. Timing is everything and an updated version of the now 28-year old The Whole Story hits set with a companion DVD would have been a licence to print money if released in September. Fans have long been crying out for it, but did it happen? No. With no new compilation to soak up the public demand people simply bought all the old records and all ten of her studio albums and The Whole Story were in the UK top 50 at the same time at the end of August. Only Elvis and The Beatles have surpassed that particular record. It hasn’t been officially confirmed but Before the Dawn is definitely being issued on DVD/Blu-ray and we can at least expect that at some point in 2015.

Cyndi Lauper / "She's So Unusual" 30th Anniversary CelebrationCyndi Lauper’s She’s So Unusual reissue.

What could have been – scrub that –  should have been, a fantastic celebration of Cyndi Lauper’s debut album turned into a large and annoying missed opportunity. This seemed to be a case of don’t-let-the-artist-take-control-of-a-reissue with Lauper apparently forgetting about her 40+ male fans with a package more in line with a Frozen pre-teen demographic. It had elaborate packaging with a “reusable sticker set”, vinyl cut-outs of Lauper’s outfits and a “3D fold-out backdrop” of the bedroom featured in the Girls Just Want To Have Fun video. That would have been forgivable if the music has been a comprehensive round up of period remixes and B-sides, but the fact that the standard twelve-inch remix of Girls Just Want To Have Fun was missing tells you all you need to know. In fact one SDE reader listed nine versions of that track that had been issued back in the 1980s and none of them appeared on the 30th Anniversary reissue. To rub salt in the wound, three ill-advised newly commissioned remixes were included. A very nice vinyl picture disc was the only thing good to come out of this fiasco.

letitbeLet It Be still not available to buy on home video.

The Beatles’ official canon was re-presented four times in 2014, first as the US Albums box, then as the Meet the Beatles Japan set. Autumn brought the mammoth Beatles in Mono vinyl box and this month saw the stereo CDs reissued as Japanese mini-LP SHM-CDs. This is all well and good but it’s ridiculous that 1970 documentary Let It Be is still not officially available almost 45 years after release. The opportunity was there in 2003 when Let It Be Naked was released but if we were to hazard a guess, Paul McCartney doesn’t want to remove his rose-tinted spectacles and promote a warts-and-all document of a band falling apart.

fortheloveofEurythmics’ 1984 (For The Love Of Big Brother) remains a neglected work.

Up there with 1987’s Savage as the Eurythmics‘ finest work (yes, really), 1984 (For The Love Of Big Brother) is best known for the hit single Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-four). The album was issued on Virgin Records and as such was omitted from the 2005 reissues of the RCA material. 2014 would have been a perfect anniversary year to reissue the moody, atmospheric soundtrack to Michael Radford’s film, but whether there is still a sour taste in the mouths of Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox (unbeknownst to them, it turned out that Radford wanted an orchestral score and there was internal wrangling) or the music is just mired in legal issues, a deluxe reissue hasn’t emerged. Even though the extended Ministry Of Love (B-side to Julia 12-inch) is the only commercially released track not-on-CD, one suspects that there’s plenty of unreleased outtakes sitting in a vault somewhere.

diamondNo Diamond Life deluxe.

Sade‘s Diamond Life is an iconic release from 1984 and launched the career of a certain Helen Folasade Adu. Despite this, no red carpet was rolled out in 2014 and no 30th anniversary celebrations ensued. B-sides like Love Affair With Life, Spirit and Should I Love You are still unreleased on CD along with tracks like the extended Smooth Operator/Red Eye. One suspects Sony would put this out in a heartbeat, so we are left to draw our own conclusions.

storytoneNeil Young vinyl pricing.

If you want to pick up the two-CD version of Neil Young‘s latest album Storytone you can expect to pay around £13 on Amazon UK. If you’d prefer the two-LP vinyl edition you are being asked to part with £75. That’s simply absurd. Amazon UK haven’t just picked that figure at random, the double vinyl must have a very high dealer price and Warner Bros. Records should hang their head in shame – it’s pure exploitation. Bruce Springsteen’s High Hopes – also released in 2014 – was a double vinyl set too, which unlike Storytone also came with a CD, and that can easily be bought for less than £20.

makeitbigWham! Does George Michael give a damn?

George Michael‘s 1984 was STUNNING. He wrote and produced two transatlantic number one singles (Wake Me Up Before You Go Go, and Careless Whisper), had another UK number one (Freedom) and a US number one (Everything She Wants) and then finished the year with a UK number two (Last Christmas) that was such a big hit it perversely outsold all of the previous number ones. Not only is that track the bestselling British number two of all time, only five UK singles in the 30 years since its release have outsold Last Christmas. The Make It Big album also reached number one in the UK and the US – never has an album title been more appropriate. Despite all this, the only release to even acknowledge these arguably unsurpassed achievements in the last 12 months was a US-only Black Friday coloured vinyl reissue of Last Christmas. Who knows what is going on, but someone needs to give George a shake and point out that he should be really proud of that immense 12-month period. He really needs to authorise a expansive archival reissue of Make It Big that takes in all the remixes and variants and perhaps delves even further into the archive.

Oasis / Definitely Maybe chasing the sun reissue and deluxe box setOasis Definitely Maybe super deluxe box

Oasis’ 1994 debut was reissued as a decent three-CD deluxe edition in 2014, but the super deluxe set was a complete insult. It failed to include rare tracks featured on the cheaper Japanese edition and in addition to the vinyl and triple CD version came with what we succinctly described as a ‘load of crap’ – including ‘tote’ bag, badges, key-ring, postcards etc. It was also priced at £100 or over. Can’t wait for Be Here Now next year…

What were YOUR biggest disappointments of 2014. Leave a comment and let us know…

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253 Comments

253 thoughts on “Top 10 disappointments of 2014”

  1. One good thing though, the three disc set for the Cure’s “Wish” was stellar. The punky take on “Friday, I’m in Love” (a la early cure) was a real romping fun time. The two remix s of the big hand show that it really would have been a great standalone single. And the DVD with the cure play out was a great surprise…

    Missing prince reissues sucked.

  4. So. My take a bit late, and I am never annoyed,if things do not happen, just disappointed – but guess we cannot have everything. Would love to have endless funds, to get all the reissues, for sure, like others – but on my wishlist, would be the long anticipated and promised {at one stage by Siobhan}, deluxe versions of both Shakepsears Sister albums, Hormonally Yours and Sacred Heart. Another couple of albums I would love to see surface as reissues, are both from the first incarnation of Kissing The Pink. “Naked”, which did get a release with an added e.p. awhile back, but missed the wonderful b side to Mr Blunt – “Water in My Eye” and not sure if it ever had a CD release, but “What Noise” from 1984. Yes I agree Paul, that SAVAGE is my fav Euyrthmics album, love the video album, which would be wonderful to get released on DVD and I also agree about 1984 {For the Love of Big Brother}, deserve a deluxe treatment, and I was disappointed it did not get a look-in, in the Box set, from a few years back, but yeah different labels!!!!

  5. Echoing previous comments, no Tango and Mirage reissues :(

    Was very annoyed to hear that the King Crimson 40th anniversary CD/DVD-A reissues of Beat and Three of a Perfect Pair have been delayed yet again! Let’s just hope they will be released in 2015!

    Also disappointed with no Sade, Alison Moyet, General Public or Passions reissues.

  8. So glad to hear that Kate’s ‘before the dawn’ is being mixed. Hearing the ninth wave in surround at Hammersmith was mind blowing. Best sound ever at a live concert. Will there ever be a 5.1 of never forever (probably not) or the dreaming (I’ll keep dreaming)

    Disappointed that the 3rd Wendy and Lisa album hasn’t been remastered and released by cherry like the first two.

    Also biggest eternal disappointment is that the shelved W&L/ Trevor Horn collaboration has and probably will never be completed. Such a fine collection of songs.With all the desire for hires audio etc it’s ironic that the album I love and listen to the most is a 2nd generation rip from a dodgy cassette with bad eq. Always reminds me that at the end of the day it’s the music that matters.
    Does anyone else have a favourite album that’s majorly compromised on sound quality?

  9. Biggest disappointment: the deluxe edition of The Blue Nile’s ‘Peace At Last’ ruined by the remastering cock-up on Family Life – of all tracks to be blighted by ”clip” it had to be this one, where it’s most painfully obvious. File Under: First world problems, eh?

    Does anyone know if this issue was corrected and new stock issued, or do we have to wait another span of geological time? (No change there, then; to love the BN is to know the meaning of ‘patience’.) Maybe next time their catalogue gets the reissue treatment we’ll finally get the other lost tracks and extravagances such as liner notes…?

    1. DJ, yes it was eventually corrected. Universal did a whole new pressing of CD1, which sounds perfect..as it ought to have done in the first placem of course. You just need to get in touch with the customer service team at Universal Music, and they’ll mail you one out (just the disc in a plain sleeve/case) for free.

        1. Same issue here, Eric. I’d love to receive a corrected CD1.
          Which is the exact e-mail address to ask Universal a replacement? Do I need to send them the receipt (I bought it from Amazon)?
          Thank you very much!

          1. MK Customer Services: [email protected]

            Or you can contact them by post at…

            Universal Music Operations, Chippenham Drive, Kingston, Milton Keynes, MK10 0AT

            I enclosed a scan of my HMV receipt, but I don’t know if it was necessary!

        2. You’re welcome…in case direct e-mail addresses don’t show up, anyone who needs a correct CD1 can e-mail them at “mk (dot) customerservices (at) umusic (dot) com”.

          1. Thank you again for your precious help!
            I wrote to the address you mentioned and they’ve already answered me, telling me that “they will arrange for a replacement to be sent as requested”.

  10. She’s spent most of the year in Vegas, but we still haven’t got any of the classic album releases from Olivia Newton-John. Many of her multi-million selling albums from the 70s & 80s are decades out-of-print, and I’m quite sure there are tons of tracks from the era that have never been released. Her fans have been expecting a box-set now for nearly 20 years, and we have nothing. It’s truly a crime that these albums have not been re-issued.

  11. I love the early Innocence Mission records. However, I’d be surprised if there was enough interest from any record company to do any sort of deluxe reissues. I’d love to be proven wrong. The first album will always be my favorite.

  12. I don’t know if this one has been mentioned, but for me the biggest disappointment was no King Crimson – Beat, or Three Of A Perfect Pair 40th anniversary by Steven Wilson. As for “Beat”, that one WAS announced, and it’s been ready for years now. Heard all kinds of rumours for the delay, but the frustration remains.

    Also:
    – Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile 5.1 (done years ago, too)
    – The Cure – Wish Deluxe

    On a side-note, I’ve send Don and Karen Paris an e-mail about a 20th anniversary Deluxe for The Innocence Mission’s “Glow” (1995). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glow_(The_Innocence_Mission_album). Produced by Dennis Herring, this one will I think with the right kind of promotion sell a lot better than executives might expect. Not zillions, though. Who’s with me?

  13. We need an anniversary edition of “Make It Big” and also Culture Club’s Waking Up With The House On Fire. Celebrate the 80’s in a big way. Keep smiling and grooving.

  14. And my biggest musical disappointment is that 2014 was the first year since “Experience Hendrix” took over the Jimi Hendrix catalog, that EH didn’t release one note of unreleased music, though it was hinted that an expanded audio & video reissue of the Atlanta Pop 1970 show would be released. And also, Sony Music(present-day licensee for EH) isn’t keen on letting EH continue the “Dagger” label official bootleg series.(the existing titles remain in print, but only one new title has been released since the license to Sony began.)

  15. There is a slight skipping at 2:45 in Magneto and Titanium Man (“to gather our force and run” / between “out” and “Force”) on disc 1 that manufactured in China bought from Amazon Canada. You will not notice it, unless it hears it carefully, because it is a very trifling instant. There is the same faulty point also as Japanese pressing SHM-CD. Downloded High-Res,i-Tunes and Vinyl have no faulty point. I contributed comparison of the faulty point to You Tube. If you watch this video,You will notice the gap of sound.
    http://youtu.be/PdOfyyTh5do

  16. For me, it has to be my wish, nay need, for The Division Bell on blu ray, only to have the price-gouging bastards at EMI bundling it with vinyl (ugh!) And CDs that I neither want nor need then rendering it devoid of any alternative demos, in progress variants (which the other box sets had) and putting it out at a stupidly expensive price in comparison to DSOTM, WYWH and The Wall.

  17. Got a horrible feeling that this time next year I’ll be disappointed (but not surprised) that the powers that be didn’t capitalise on Dead Or Alive’s 30th anniversary of ‘You Spin Me Round’, by reissuing ‘Youthquake’, with all the extra goodness that came out at the time. Just to have all of the mixes (even just official) in one place would be worth the dosh alone.

    As it stands, there’s probably more chance of me sailing into the sunset on Pete Burns’s lips… :/

  19. Would love to see 30th anniversary edition of david grant
    ‘Hopes & dreams’ which has never been released on cd.
    I was a big linx fan, but wasn’t keen on his debut solo album.

  20. Just remembered that we still did not get a release of the concert film / CD audio that Ultravox recorded in Europe on the Brilliant tour a couple of years ago. Last time I heard it was fears of cost v recoup delaying it.

  21. My biggest disappointment is yet again not having sufficient funds to buy all the rereleases I want as well as keeping up with any worthwhile new releases

  22. Can I just say what a great site you run her, Paul!

    Anyway, the Wishbone Ash back catalogue still remains a bit of a muddle in terms of remasters / reissues and…

    REM…surely there must be loads of rare tracks in the vaults, when all we get are live versions and DVDs?

  23. One more disappointment I’ve yet to see here: no Tom Petty Wildflowers reissue. When Hypnotic Eye was first announced, a Wildflowers deluxe release was promised before the end of the year, perhaps along side a new live album, also MIA.

  24. Predicted Biggest Disappointment of 2015:
    No Kate Bush Hounds of Love 30th anniversary superdeluxe box with at least two CDs of b-sides and rarities (like both versions of Be Kind,) a Blu-ray of all the videos, various concert and tv appearances and a making-of, and a book.
    Of course, maybe Before the Dawn will be out before the end of 2015…

  25. …I’m also getting excited about Kevin Shields considering an “everything” box set version of My Bloody Valentine’s 1991 epic ‘Loveless’ to celebrate its 25th Anniversary in 2016 – which will include (but not be limited to):-

    2 x CD versions (including all remasters)
    2 x Vinyl LP
    7 x 7″ Single
    DVD Audio
    Blu-Ray Audio
    Memory Stick
    Cassette Tape
    Reel-to-Reel Tape
    24-Bit Digital Download
    Edison Cylinder Record
    DAT
    DCC
    Photo Album
    Lock of Bilinda Butcher’s hair
    “The Making of Loveless” Blu-Ray
    Piece of Kevin Shields’ smashed electric guitar
    Autographed “Autonific” Vacuum-Sealed Box
    Numbered Edition of 1000

    …possibly??!!

  26. Well, as a Cure-Fan you get used getting disappointed by Robert Smith and his announced “soon-to-be-come”-releases.
    Nonetheless it hurts every year getting no DVDs of (the filmed) Sydney-Trilogy, the (filmed) Paris-Show or reissues of the old VHS-goodies.
    And, of course, the stop of the deleuxe-series (wish etc.) is a pain in the arse as well. Not to mention the missing BBC-Boxset (like Siouxsie got years ago).
    Also, the Siouxsie & The Banshees-remasters have been a disappointment this year.

  27. I keep quietly hoping that Talk Talk will see fit to release ‘Spirit Of Eden’ as a 3 x 12″ box set – preferably including random ‘golden tickets’ in 50 of the boxes which offer the chance to see the band perform the album live at a one-off performance in London.

    I’ve tentatively pencilled it in for 2043…

    Perhaps…

    1. Paul –

      Regarding TT. I’ve heard from pretty reliable sources that Steven asked Mark Hollis directly if he could remix the TT albums for 5.1, and MH simply said “no” – he doesn’t want the material touched. So, there’s that.

  28. Not Really complaining about what could/should have been. More of a wishlist for 2015.

    Prince – Purple Rain (As said many times before)
    Fleetwood Mac – Tango In The Night (Also on many peoples minds)
    Matt Bianco – Who’s side are you on?
    Matt Bianco – Matt Bianco
    Matt Bianco – Indigo (More into the 2 above, but would be nice also)
    Genesis – Invisible touch (With all 12” mixes)
    Madonna – You Can Dance (Unmixed with all 7”edits and dubs) if only
    Wham! of course but I don’t hold my breath
    OMD – Crush
    OMD – Pacific The Age
    OMD – Sugar Tax (on top of my wishlist)
    Pet Shop Boys – Futher listening

    If They all happen I think I get in trouble with my wife, but wouldnt it be good?

  30. Well curated career spanning boxsets have gone out of fashion it seems, but theres two artists I’d love to see given the love and attention: Jonathan Richman and Iggy Pop. Richman’s catalogue is all over the place and it would be just brilliant to see someone pull it together at some point – whilst Iggy’s eighties and nineties material is much better than you’d think by how hard it is to find – some kind of boxset or reissue series would be very welcome.

  32. The big question for 2015 is, what format will be dropped? If any.
    Let us see what we have here. Well, there is still vinyl, cd, sacd, 2 different blu-ray audio,, streaming, download, and some dvd audio. So how about bringing back minidisc? I can still play them.

  33. Disappointments:

    No releasing of Cure deluxe editions for Wish.

    No releasing of Pavement deluxe editions for classic albums : Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain.

    No releasing of Hole deluxe editions for Live through this,which i hope can include MTV unplugged live BD-Ray.

  34. Disappointed by no Purple Rain. Queen Forever was a damp squib: yet another compilation with 3, frankly, not very good new tracks tacked on. And Inside The Pleasuredome not getting a CD release.

    Positives: The Clash Sound System (thanks for the deal advice, Paul!), The Endless River (I actually like it!) and, on Christmas morning, the TFF Big Chair box (thank you, mum!)

  35. Disappointing the two Yaz albums remasters are not available anymore. Only in a limited run overpriced box set?
    And the Alison Moyet solo albums need to be redone.
    And the three Berlin albums (Pleasure Victim, Love Life, and Count Three and Pray)
    And a big Wham box with all the remixes, singles, and megamixes.

    On a positive note, got both TFF boxes this year —- WOW. Such a great job on both!

  36. first off in the article on The Beatles, there was typo, it was mentioned that the box sets were released in 2015, also we dont all know the legal reasons and time reasons why certain things havent been reissued.
    Alot goes into putting something out, plus these artists are currently working on other things as well.
    Just because an artist talks bout plans to release certain deluxe sets/box sets, it still takes time to make all that happen.

    1. Thanks for pointing out about the typo. I think everyone is aware that a lot goes into these reissues (or at least *should* go into them). Doesn’t make it any less disappointing if something doesn’t happen. I can assure you Wham! isn’t mired in legal issues, GM simply doesn’t want to do it. Warners announce there will be a Purple Rain reissue and then 9 months later nothing has emerged and there is no further official comment. I think we are allowed to be disappointed at that. As someone who has worked on a few reissue projects with major labels I’m well aware of the work involved. I was on and off on the Songs From The Big Chair Tears for Fears project for 8 or 9 months!

  37. The Oasis box sets were some of the worse ideas yet in deluxe releases, mostly because of the crazy suggested retail price.
    If you have patience they’ll drop.
    I picked up the super box of “Definitely Maybe” off of Amazon US for $50 around Christmas time. At that price I can live with the goofy tote bag, etc.

  39. Biggest disappointment from stuff that has been released, I’ll present the award to Depeche Mode for the crap Live in Berlin package.

    Disappointment: no 25th anniversary issue of Erasure’s ‘Wild’ as deluxe edition with additional DVD (Docklands Arena 89 + Milton Keynes 90).
    Still no further ‘Further listening’ by Pet Shop Boys.
    If it comes to The Cure, I guess one is more than used to numerous releases being announced/talked about by Robert but in the end, nothing ever happens (Trilogy Sydney Blu-ray, further deluxe editions, BBC Box,…).
    Would have loved to finally see some Berlin reissues (Pleasure Victim expanded + dvd of videos + US Festival or sth similar).
    Still no videocompilations on DVD of Thompson Twins, A Flock Of Seagulls, China Crisis,…
    And I could surely go on and on….

  40. Great article Paul;i was baffled by Kate’s non updating of ‘The Whole Story’…would love to see the collected works of Floy Joy released one day,does anyone remember ‘Into The Hot’?
    Always look forward to your posts;thanks.

    1. I remember Floy Joy well, count me in for a reissue of their album(s), or just a compilation…something! Things already reissued in the 90s or 00s appear to be getting bunged out yet again, while never-on-CD stuff from the 80s gets overlooked.

  41. Albums / Expanded releases I’d like to see (eventually):

    Heart – Dreamboat Annie (Deluxe / 5.1)

    Van Morrison – Astral Weeks (Deluxe / 5.1?

    Fleetwood Mac – Mirage (Deluxe / 5.1)

    Lori Carson – Shelter (Any release on CD or Vinyl would be nice) Seems like it was deleted over 20 years ago.

    Wishbone Ash – Wishbone Ash (Deluxe /5.1)

    Stevie Nicks – Both of the first two Solo albums Expanded

    The Call – Reconciled (in any updated format)

    Jethro Tull – Stormwatch, Heavy Horses, Songs From The Wood (Expanded / 5.1)

    Renaissance – Anything/All reissues in 5.1

    The Sundays – Anything on vinyl

    Rush – Hemispheres (Deluxe / 5.1)

    Roxy Music – Avalon (Deluxe / 5.1)

    Billy Joel – The Nylon Curtain (Deluxe / 5.1)

    A Rhino compilation of 70’s Late Night Radio Cult hits in the vein of Circus Maximus – The Wind, A Beutiful Day – White Bird, etc. (probably just very wishful thinking)

    I’m sure there anre many others I could add if I thought about for a while but these have been missing (seemingly) for ever.

  42. Spot on with George Michael and Prince!! To think I actually got excited when I read the press release in April. Silly me, I should have known better! As for George–for you fans if not yourself!! Cheers and hope for a good 2015!

  43. 1994 was a great year in music. I think these albums could have deserved a deluxe treatment and/or vinyl issue/reissue:
    Adorable – Fake
    Autechre – Amber
    Global Communication – 76:14
    David Gray – Flesh
    Grant McLennan – Horsebreaker Star
    Moose – Honey Bee
    The Mutton Birds – Salty
    Orbital – Snivilisation
    Saint Etienne – Tiger Bay (I’ve read vinyl reissues of all albums are forthcoming)

    Here’s the 20-year anniversary reissues I’m wishing for in 2015:
    The Boo Radleys – Wake Up
    The Charlatans – The Charlatans
    Carl Craig – Landcruising
    Kenny Larkin – Metaphor
    Morrissey – Southpaw Grammar
    Mouse on Mars – Iaora Tahiti
    Supergrass – I Should Coco
    Teenage Fanclub – Grand Prix
    Tindersticks – Tindersticks II
    The Verve – A Northern Soul
    Paul Weller – Stanley Road

    1. Nathan, I’m sure there was a Global Communication re-issue a few years back but I expect it’s OOP again now.

      Personally I’m happy with the Saint Etienne CD re-issues, all seem reasonably comprehensive.

      Cherry Red issued a 3CD version of ‘Wake Up!’ that’s still available on their website.

      Tindersticks II was reissued (in 2014!) with the ‘Live at Bloomsbury Theatre’ disc as a bonus. Would like to see some kind of Tindersticks collection tidying up all the non-album stuff.

      Would there be much to add to the existing ‘Stanley Road’ deluxe edition?

      Agree on ‘Grand Prix’.

        1. Hey Michael, for most of those, I’m really looking for a vinyl reissue. There are a lot of 90s releases that are incredibly expensive on vinyl, or were never pressed on it.

    2. I know this comment is a month old now, but Tindersticks II was re-issued on vinyl in 2012. I have an original vinyl Grand Prix and it sounds bloody awful (because of the pressing of course, the music is great).

  44. Steve Miller Band reissues: Back in 2013, Edsel was “proud to announce the continuation of its reissue programme of the legendary Capitol albums by the Steve Miller Band, following on from our successful reissues of the first five albums.” The Joker, Rock Love and Recall The Beginning … A Journey From Eden were all scheduled for re-release but release dates got put back several times (the most recent being in February 2014) before apparently disappearing altogether. Any news?

  45. 1. Bit bummed my (stupidly expensive) 2LP of Storytone, which was posted over two weeks ago, still hasn’t arrived from the U.S.

    2. Still waiting for MoFi to put out John Wesley Harding on 45 speed vinyl.

    3. Would like to see a Van Morrison reissue program and archive/bootleg scheme on a par with the Dylan and Neil Young programs/schemes.

    4. Would likely buy a boxset of the complete Police catalogue on deluxe edition vinyl if it became available.

    Quite amazed at the level of love shown here for mid-80s English pop. That was my heyday too, but I never want to hear most of it again as long as I live. Surprised no one’s been pleading for any Go West reissues. Ugh.

  47. 1)The non existent Prince Purple Rain release
    2) Depeche Mode wasn’t released as a blu-ray??
    3) The Oasis releases was well overpriced for what you actually never got?? (wtsmg has been crying out for a Knebworth dvd

  48. Now lets get back to the deluxe edition of Bowie’s Tonight album….can anyone remind me of the b sides to the singles…especially the 12″s.

  49. Let It Be is number 1 on my wishlist for any reissue.

    Having watched the movie on youtube, there are no aspects that show The Beatles at each others throats or wallowing in misery. If anything, they seem to be enjoying playing with each other in a lot of the scenes! The only contentious scene is the ‘argument’ between George and Paul, and that clip has already been officially released as part of the Anthology! So many fans want this, they need to just get on and release it. It really would have made perfect sense to release it in 2003 along with Let It Be Naked, as was the original plan.

  50. Still no SACD 5.1 releases of Elton Johns’ Greg Penny mixed Blue Moves, Dont Shoot Me, Caribou and Rock of the Westies (although at least the last was reissued on AudioFidelity Gold CD) – why oh why UMG??? – They have been mixed and are ready to go apparently.

  51. What about the Donna Summer’s Casablanca years ? That i’ve seen on amazon, for a november 2014 release. No news, no release. I’m dying for her disco albums having the same treatment, than her 80’s albums box set which will includes her first 1974 album Lady of the night, The dance collection, and of course She works hard for the money among albums like Once upon a time (the best disco album ever !!!), Love to love you baby, A love trilogy, Four seasons of love, I remember yesterday, Live & more, On the radio vol. I& II, Bad girls. I own all the mini LP replica of these albums. But i want more of Donna Summer.

    Could it be magic !!

    1. Sadly, Universal does NOTHING with her catalog (if you doubt of it, look at the poor “She Works Hard For The Money” reissue with strictly nothing more than the usual album in it).
      I wonder when these f***s are going to listen to people who are still buying records…

      1. I know Universal done nothing, with Donna Summer’s back catalogue of her disco years, i’d bought she works hard for the money from culture factory, the sound is good, but no bonus, just like the japanese mini LP. Fortunately Universal Japan & culture factory did something.
        So still hoping.
        By the way in french music, i will love to see all the Niagara’s albums remastered and expanded they really worth it.

  52. Police: There are some concerts possible… I miss the “Rockpalast”-concert (Germany) 79/80. One of my early favorites.

    “De do do do” (spanish version)…

    Is it not time for a re-mastering? “Message in a box” is from the early 90s…

  54. My wish would be for a stand-alone collection of all the cover versions made by Pet Shop Boys…along with an all-new PSB covers album. Not quite SDE material, but a fella can dream…

  55. Adrian Maben let loose on “Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii” again? No no no!!!

    Even before Hyde Park, we might have expected a 40th Anniversary deluxe box set of ELO’s “Eldorado”, which would have promised exciting things in the years ahead. “Out Of The Blue…Naked” with all the vocoder stripped off?

    1. Or even “Eldorado” or “Out of the Blue” remixed to 5.1. I’d be in line for weeks in the freezing rain to buy either of those without a complaint.

  56. I’m surprised on one mentioned the Led Zep reissues. The bonus discs are not that great. They have been going down hill with each release. I would like to hear a demo or alternate version of stairway, not a different mix. I can’t tell you the last time I played the companion disc to houses of the holy. I’m wondering what physical graffiti is going to be like.

  57. I’d also vote for Fleetwood Mac’s TITN remastered and expanded reissue, along with the equally long-awaited Buckingham/Nicks reissue.
    And, why not, a double or triple Live CD of Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms tour, which sounded so good… LLAP

  58. I don’t mind so much no Purple Rain reissue. I’d much rather see a proper compilation of Prince’s classic 12-inch singles and their b-sides (up through the Lovesexy material, since he wouldn’t be able to use any of the Batman soundtrack stuff), many of which have not been released on CD or in any other digital format.

  59. Such an engrossing thread!

    I’m not surprised about Purple Rain. Even the announcement that Prince was working with WB again was no guarantee. We all know how fickle Prince is. I still don’t see it happening. If Prince is to oversee it, we may have the same problem as the Cyndi reissue (though I doubt Prince would want stickers included). He may veto a lot of stuff.

    1984 was an AMAZING year for music so I am surprised there were not as many 30th anniversary editions as I expected.

    It’s a shame that Dead or Alive, Kate Bush, Alison Moyet, the ’80s Fleetwood Mac material remain unissued, but I still have hope. I never thought that Diana Ross or Donna Summer’s ’80s material would be reissued and both received proper deluxe reissue treatment.

    I would love to see Phil Collins get the reissue treatment. I hope No Jacket Required gets a 30th anniversary edition, a la the TFF and Bryan Adams box sets, both of which are superb.

    The Pretenders reissue series was a nice surprise so let’s hope more surprises keep coming.

  60. @ Paul Sinclair says:
    December 27, 2014 at 16:43

    Hi Paul,

    Fair point about Anthology – but I have a counters to it! As with everything on those films, each Beatle/estate had to agree the content – so Paul would have okayed what Ringo and George said.

    We also have to remember that we are talking about an interview that was conducted from around 1992-94 about a time when he was pretty isolated in the group – hardly a fun time to talk about and some of those matters were still raw and unresolved.

    Twenty years on and things are different. It was Paul who pushed for LIB…N, he was very open about that period in the McCartney reissue, recent setlists have included nearly every song of his from the LP and we know he has talked to Michael Lindsay-Hogg about the film.

    Lest we also forget that John was hardly a fan of the film/project, so – for all we know – it could be Yoko holding back on releasing something that he didn’t like. Not aiming to bash Yoko, as it would be a perfectly understable position given what we know of John’s views.

    I’d still love for a deluxe set of the film to appear – it was a dark period in the Fabs’ career but is one that makes sense in context and provides a necessary insight into how they were as people. Nothing could ever detract from the sheer and utter joy they brought to the world, especially when even in their darkest moments they could produce I’ve Got a Feeling, Don’t Let Me Down and Get Back.

    1. All good points. I’m not saying it’s a ‘fact’ that Paul doesn’t want it, rather my feeling, but obviously that may not be the case. The main thing is we are agreed it should happen while everyone is still alive to enjoy it!! Thanks for the comments!

  61. Regarding Cyndi:

    A few months ago, she did a AMA on reddit and explained that she wanted to use the deluxe edition to showcase her team back then:

    “I guess the album was a kind of a trying to give back to the people that the album meant a lot to. I tried my best to put stuff on there that would make you smile, and understand the process a little bit, that it’s not always just the guy in the front, it’s the team you’re with and that was my team.”

    There was also this tidbit:

    “I neva did the visual of a whole album, and I tried to find the first one, on the Fun Tour from ’84, but all of it was disintegrated in their vaults, because, they basically, I guess they didn’t think it was important to save correctly! I shoulda bought it from them, that’s all, but they wouldn’t sell in those days…”

  62. Rory Gallagher Irish Tour box was terrible quality as is the BluRay version of Allman Brothers Fillmore Concerts. Both made from poor quality materials and poorly designed. Mine both were ‘flattened’ in the post.
    On another level the Queen Live 1974 deluxe box set was packaged in a magnificent box even a special postage box provided from the record company.

  63. I really wished the Pink Floyd Immersion boxset would have continued but let’s face it: James Guthrie is a complete snail. Granted, things always have been slow in the Pink Floyd camp, but this is getting completely ridiculous. There is The Wall (movie in BluRay, album in 5.1, original 1981 concert footage to be edited) that wont be released ever. I bet I will see Let It Be released in my lifetime, but as anything Pink FLoyd related, I just lost all hopes.

    They could have celebrated Live in Pompeii, released 30 years ago (1974) . The visual restoration have been done by Adrian Maben, audio to be remixed by James “Slow” Guthrie. What is taking so long James?

    1. Out of interest what would a new box set of the Police actually contain?

      I have the ‘Message in a Box’ set which seems pretty complete (is there anything truly worthwhile missing?).
      The main problem with it (to my mind) is the way the albums are split across CDs.

      P.S. Definitely would love to see Visage’s eponymous album get the deluxe treatment. Even Classix Nouveau have had their albums reissued on CD with extra tracks…

      1. Only one Police song I know of not in the Police box. Truth Hits Everybody re- recording which is a b-side to a Synchronicity II single that I have.

        1. The re-recording of De Do Do Do De Da Da Da which features on the 5.1 layer of the Police Every Breath You Take SACD is also not part of the box. Don’t Stand So Close To Me ’86 is also the extended version, so the standard seven-inch is missing.

  65. I wonder if the whole concept of reissues and deluxe editions has been thrown off-track by the appearance of Blu-Ray audio/video and the renewed interest in (or cashing in on) vinyl formats. Until about 2013, everything seemed to be going along quite sensibly. Genuinely classic albums were getting 2-disc remasters, obscure stuff was being issued regularly…but now it’s all a bit of a mess. And far too many errors on everything!

  66. @Popkid

    I emailed Cherry Red a few years ago about expanded versions of TFC’s ‘Grand Prix’ and ‘Songs from Northern Britain’ collecting up all the b-sides. They replied at the time but nothing’s happened since so may not have been a go-er (they’ve handled other Sony/Creation stuff such as Slowdive and Boo Radleys). Think I have most of the b-sides now.

  67. My biggest disappointment has been the absence, yet again, of the appearance of a Deluxe Edition of ‘Wish’ by The Cure. This was promised years ago, but it STILL hasn’t appeared!

  68. On regards McCartney/Beatles: Everything about McCartney reissues is disappointing. They could be simply better, more demos, more stuff that shows the recording process. I do not understand the lack of Blu-ray option for the video material in the super deluxe edition. Even the re-release of the album NEW sounds like a rip-off without a blu-ray and without the full “Early days” 30 minutes jamming that has been available in YouTube. I love Paul McCartney but he has not been as generous with loyal fans as he could.
    Let it Be (the movie) is a piece of history that deserves the proper treatment, no matter Paul likes it or not. Someone with the Beatles estate will have to understand it this way sooner of later. The bootleg videos that are around show several hours of good stuff that could be inserted in the movie or just added as bonus material as part of the extras (actually one of those bootlegs shows all the material in chronological order in a mix of color and B&W film). At this point even the Anthology videos or DVDs do not look very generous either.
    The Beatles albums started turning their 50th anniversary in 2013. That would have been a good opportunity to start releasing super-deluxe editions for each individual album with all the extra takes, studio rehearsals and jams that we all know exist. Maybe at the time of the 75th or 100th anniversary it will happen (lucky my son who will be able to enjoy those if they ever happen).
    In addition to the Beatles, I want to thank Paul Sinclair (I ignored who he is) but I have been enjoying this site for a couple of years already, including when I read information about artists that I do not follow or I do not like. I like to see how different artists get their legacy treated and cured for the rejoice of fans and the industry too. I wish all my favorite artists and recordings have the same luck.
    Happy 2015 to everyone!
    Rodolfo Martin
    Jacksonville, FL USA

  69. Good point, Craig. And those of us who don’t want to give money to Apple didn’t even get last year’s Cheepnis video or this year’s birthday bundle, such as it was. Another shockingly poor year for Zappa fans. Now that Gail has repossessed the catalog and shown at least a little willingness to go against her husband’s wishes (for example, by finally releasing uncontaminated CDs of the original “Sleep Dirt” etc — though there’s still work to do on that score, “Uncle Meat” for example), you’d have thought she’d cleanse our palates of the bad aftertaste of the Roxy By Proxy debacle with some deluxe box sets. If there’s one man with a MASSIVE unreleased back catalog, it’s Zappa. The ZFT is a disgrace in my opinion. Sigh, here’s my depressed expectation for 2015: one more “Road Tapes” and another of those patchy “Joe’s xxxage” releases. Can’t we put Robert Fripp in charge of the Vault?

  70. They never released the Small Faces box set in North America, and at a reasonable price. Also, (for Paul) it was a big disappointment that they never melted down every existing copy of McCartney 2 and burn the master tapes (lol).

    1. The Small Faces box set wasn’t released in the UK due to copyright issues, well not directly from the official Small Faces website.
      Fortunately I got a good price pre-release price from US Amazon and it did become available from UK Amazon.
      Anyone still wanting the box set, a 2nd issue is available from the Small Faces website but not to addresses in the UK!

  71. Disappointed that the two Beach Boys archive re-issues not released on physical formats (cd/lp).
    As for classic albums awaiting “de-luxe” editions, there are still hundreds of great albums still awaiting actual cd re-issues. How about starting with a series of Rocket Records releases (Lulu, Kiki Dee, Randy Edelman etc) and maybe some of Lani Hall’s A&M albums?

  72. There should have been a complete Grace Jones campaign. Too good to languish in Universal’s vaults. Nightclubbing is not enough. And I must say I am not too fond of the Uni deluxe packages. I would prefer paper slipcases to those fat digipack things. The Fairport and Marianne Broken English slim versions were actually a good idea.

  73. Bangles released an early rarities compilation which was download only, Mp3 !!….

    I’ve been waiting forever for their 1982 EP to get a full CD release, and was overjoyed to read of 2014’s “Ladies And Gentlemen…The Bangles!”….. Until I found it was blooming download only. The heartbreaking thing is that I guess the chance of CD has now gone forever…

  74. “Let it Be”: Paul, Ringo, and the rest of those making decisions on this could get additional footage and just re-edit the film if they don’t want unpleasant moments being shown. I know these things unpleasant moments happen, but that doesn’t mean I want to see it. I never liked the unpleasant moments on this film. I hope we get a re-edited version like with the “Naked” album, and one that is more enjoyable to watch. I seriously don’t want to see people argue and other crap. If I want to watch things like that, I would watch reality T.V.

  76. I have to agree most strongly about no Kate Bush remasters. Simply ridiculous. Also, I would have loved to have seen some Portishead reissues. Seems about time for those. I’m also a bit put off by the cost of The Kinks Anthology. Sure, it’s a big set, but most of the music ended up on the Sanctuary doubles and the BBC box. A drop in price will get me to buy it, but not at it’s current price. I’ve got the old singles/EPs boxes from the Castle period, and those are great, still. Lucky enough to have the Japanese mini LP CD doubles, too. Finally, more 4AD, please! A nice Wolfgang Press box would easily cover the works!

    1. The 12″ remix of Big Love by Arthur Baker is quite a pivotal version, as it helped the track do well in the UK. Admittedly, some of the “bonus beat” type mixes that filled the original 12″ vinyls of Family Man and Big Love aren’t to everyone’s taste, but there were a few non-album B-sides (You & I, Part 1, Ricky, Book of Miracles etc) which would be great to have on CD.

      2. I was not aware of that with the Big Love mix. I heard it in the last year or so, possibly for the first time, and didn’t think it was a good listen. The synth bass put on the Little Lies 12″ really changed and lost the feel of the song for me.

  78. I’ll name few artist with tons of material for cd – and time is running out (fans interest in physical releases are wanishing):
    Madonna
    Pet Shop Boys
    Prince
    even Michael Jackson still has material to put it finally in one box
    so there is probably hundreds of ideas – I hope some will get Tears For Fears treatment.

  79. Sorry to sound negative…but after reading all the wishes for 30th anniversary reissues it made me realize what a disappointing year 1984 was in music! I’m a massive David Bowie fan and what was his most disappointing release…’Tonight’…which came out in 1984!
    Love the website and the passion shown by other music lovers who comment on this site…If we all liked the same thing life and music would be boring.

    1. I sympathize, Kris. I’d say a good 95% of the music requested or highlighted by this site just aren’t things I’m remotely interested in (I’m busy trying to forget most of it. LOL)

      But there does seem to be a market for it, and every now and then something will come up that is stellar. I’m a strong believer that music only has value when it’s heard – I intensely dislike that music gets lost, or isn’t treated respectfully. People seem to want more Beatles, and endless 80’s pop music – so it’s good some in the industry is looking to give them what they want, even if I’d not buy it myself.

      And then there’s that small percentage that DOES excite me…….

  80. What about a 5.1 deluxe treatment of Phil Collins’ Face Value?
    Wouldn’t that be a nice one?
    But i guess we will have to wait until 2016 (35th Ann.)…

  81. So many classic albums desperately in need of the deluxe treatment…

    Sinead O’Connor – The Lion and the Cobra
    Berlin – Pleasure Victim, Love Life
    Alphaville – Forever Young, Afternoons in Utopia
    The Creatures – Boomerang
    The Beloved – Happiness, Conscience
    Stacey Q – everything
    Xymox – Twist of Shadows
    The B-52’s – everything
    Erasure – Wild!, Chorus
    Dead or Alive – everything
    Lush – Gala
    Wham! – everything
    The Sisters of Mercy – Some Girls Wander by Mistake
    Alison Moyet – Alf, Raindancing, Hoodoo, Essex
    The Cure – Wish, Mixed Up
    Shakespear’s Sister – Sacred Heart
    Kon Kan – Move to Move
    Visage – Visage
    Fad Gadget – everything
    The Human League – Romantic?

    I am really hoping to be able to check some of these off my list in 2015. Fingers crossed.

    2. The Beloved, oh man, The Beloved. These are crying out for reissues! Fantastic albums and yet they’ve been ignored completely. I noticed Jon Marsh actually uploaded a whole lot of unreleased stuff (including a whole unreleased album from 1987!), which goes to show there’s lots of material that could be included.

      Erasure, Wham!, Alison Moyet, Visage and The Human League are all on my list too.

  82. REM Chronic Town on CD plus remasters of Out of Time & Automatic for the People. Greg Ginn must have to pay legal fees so a Husker Du box or remasters should have been a possibility. Sub Pop re-releasing their Screaming Trees catalogue. Teenage Fanclub remasters. Jane’s Addiction Nothing’s Shocking. Peepshow was amateurish.

  84. It hasn’t been said yet, but we got next to nil from the Zappa Family Trust after they proclaimed 2014 the Year of Zappa. We got a ton of stuff at the end of last year, a Mothers day dual single and the RSD single, then nothing, Then at the very tail end we get a measly 3 tracks and a video. All very good mind, but Zappa heads are still waiting for Roxy dvd/blu ray, Dance Me This and Venice 1988 dvd we were told was eminent. Very disappointing.

    Also no Neil Young Archives #2. Again. I guess he’s waiting for PoNo to blow up. Or his divorce to finalize.

  85. I’d love to see the Wang Chung back catalog finally get the deluxe treatment including the Huang Chung debut. Wonderful b-sides, remixes, and live tracks have been stranded on vinyl for decades and need to be properly assembled.

  86. 2014 Disappointments For Me.
    Nothing By The Way Of Prince Remasters
    Beatles U.S. Box not actually U.S. Recordings
    No Let It Be On Blu-Ray
    No Buckingham/Nicks Reissue
    The 4 Seasons Box Screw Ups (still not fixed)
    Price of the Kiss Vinyl Box (I have way better things to do with $1749.00)

  88. By the time I quickly read the comments and reached the bottom, there were another five new comments upon refreshing! Everyone has a lot to say about this year’s disappointments and next year’s hopes! :)

  89. my wish for 2015 is an expanded version of paul hardcastle’s 19 with the german and the spanish version (7” and 12”’) and ofcourse the final story etc…..

    Besides that, a frankie cassetted cd wpould be nice with all cassette versions together, a grace jones slave to the rythm expanded edition, the much more requested wham re-issues, and eventhough originalle from 1986, I hope for a UB40 ‘rat’ reissue with the 12” and b-sides versions of our own song/ rat in mi kitchen/ watchdogs/ all I want to do etc. As far as I know, never released on cd

    1. Regarding 19, that’s not going to happen. I was actually in discussions with Paul Hardcastle a few years back and was hoping to put out a 3CD set of 19 that was going to be CD 1: Original mixes/remixes CD 2: International Mixes CD 3: Best of ‘new’ remixes. This was scuppered because EMI couldn’t locate ANY of the masters for the foreign language remixes. I thought the product was too compromised without the second CD so didn’t pursue it any further. However I still think my running order for CD 3 was really good! I might do a post about this actually.

  90. Thanks for the wonderful article, Paul. And I would appreciate many of the suggestions of the other readers, especially Bananarama and China Crisis.

    But what I’m really waiting for is a release of Silent Running’s “Shades Of Liberty” album in an expanded version. This was never released on CD. I’ve been contacting Cherry Red for several years now, and all they answer is that they are trying to get the rights for it. It still is one of my favourite albums of all time.

    Also it would be great to finally get all the Dead Or Alive 12″ versions on CD, like it was announced some years ago. Or, even better, deluxe versions of ALL albums, some of which were only released in Japan. That would make my day!

  91. ABOUT WINGS BOX SET…..VERY DISAPPOINTMENT !! THE PRICE AND THE QUALITY…..over all if you compare with RAM BOX SET or WINGS OVER AMERICA ….I got all McCartney Archives and I like so much At Spped of Sound and Venus and Mars but the true is that I prefer the style like McCartney , BOTR, RAM, MC II with “Tweed” and the photo in the middle ….

  92. Biggest disappointment/rip-off? Led Zeppelin. Having to but all the albums again just to get an average of 40 minutes of out-takes, demos etc.
    It’s not happening, not in this house….
    Also how about a box set of all of Neil Young’s albums to date, like the Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, Johnny Cash Columbia boxes.

  93. THE BEATLES “LET IT BE BLU RAY”” The film’s original D irector Michael Lindsay-Hogg was quoted a couple of years ago, in an interview with radio station WNYC-FM, as saying, “We have been working on it pretty much every year for the last couple of years. And the plan is, at the moment, to have it come out, I think, in 2013. [Also] when we first put Let It Be out, I had to cut out a lot of stuff that I really like and wanted to stay in there. The stuff in the new DVD has a lot of the stuff that had to be cut out. So for me, it’s like the egg is now complete.” WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT ???

  94. @kiki: I fully agreetings with jean-Jacques Goldman. I do have all his CDs which was hard enough to get for someone living outside France. A real reissue would be great. There are remastered CDs available but without any bonus.

    1. Yes , and I’ m not sure they are remasters at all, just a re release in a box set! Even the first box he did had a bonus CD with some 12” and rare tracks… But then it all have disappeared from the newer editions !
      I did checked and all of these could fit in 1 or 2Cds editions…

  96. I was disappointed about many bad vinyl rips on the Jimmy Somerville/Bronski Beat/The Communards “Dance & Desire” compilation this year.
    for example: “77 Great Escape” was released as bonus track on the
    “Never Can Say Goodbye” MCD back in 1987 but they took
    the song now from a vinyl – really bad work!!
    I love the “Another Place And Time” 3CD re-release by Donna Summer. That is my highlight from 2014.
    ( only missing are the instrumental versions of the title track
    and the later replaced original instrumental of “breakaway”.
    Hope they will gave the fans the opportunity to buy these versions
    through i-tunes or amazon.

    Eurythmics:
    As far as i know there is a different version of “Julia”
    at the end credits of the “1984” movie. ( not the TV version )

    My wish for 2015?
    A 2 or 3 CD package of
    Human League’s “Love And Dancing”.
    Martin Rushent spoke in an interview ( years ago )
    about ” 100 different versions
    in the vaults” of the dub mixes from this great re-mix album.
    That would be my highlight in 2015.

  98. Agree totally re Eurythmics 1984 though I too have read so much about the fallout around the album and politics re the film soundtrack that maybe it’s too much of a hot potato – be a real shame though as it is an incredible album and shows a very different side to the band – it would sound even more remarkable remastered. Whilst on the subject of Eurythmics they have many unreleased b sides and remixes previously unavailable on CD

  99. Bee Gees ESP not having the Arthur Baker mixes of ESP included, which doesnt bode well for any Tango in the Night reissue. Emi for not getting The Wedding Album out (duran for not getting #14 out).

  101. 2014 did have plenty of worthwhile releases, and like most of you I have unending wants list. Frankly, I had a job keeping up (and catching up) with what IS out there, so the current pace of releases suits me fine.
    I am hopeful that New Order’s recent signing to Mute Records will allow them to revisit the back catalogue and issue the singles with the correct content (as they did so expertly for Depeche Mode and Erasure).
    Still plenty to look forward to – my music collection will never be “complete”!!!

  103. What 1985 albums are folk looking forward to, as new expanded/cleaned up releases in 2015 then? Personally, some of the albums I would be happy to see Cupid & Psyche 85 (Scritti Politti), Steve McQueen (Prefab Sprout) and Dog Eat Dog (Joni Mitchell).

  104. I totally agree with the eurythmics sad case. Evethough 1984 had not be re released, the previous reissues of their album were very poor and did not even included their only remix album ! Let’s hope Edsel could have a look to their catalogue and do something brilliant with it !

    cindy’ first album reissue was juste a f** thing, just as Sony used to do nowadays (they completely wrecked the “Bad” and “thriller” reissues with sucking new remixes, and no 7” and 12” versions or B sides !)

    I’m still wondering about Kim Wilde’s reissues (Love Moves, Love Is, Now & Forever); Paula Abdul’s catalog is still not there; and one the biggest selling artist : Janet Jackson !!! Universal (or any record company such as edsel) could do some great work with her!

    As it was said upper, Roxette’s reissues were scrappy, and needs to be totally redone, with box sets such as TFF ! The same thing about the Queen’s reissues, that does not contain all the 7” and 12” versions – while there was enough space in each CD2 !)

    A thing that I know that will never come (but I would die for it) is some singles box set of the PSB, including this time the WHOLE work of the band, that means each and every edits, 12” versions and remixes… there are still a lot to do with them! they could have start with the first period (1982 – ’till “Please”) and release it prior to the new album coming in 2015….

    Ahead of that, let me say one thing : I’d like to say that I’m happy with most of the 80’s album reissues coming, BUT not any major wants to do the same thing for our french market ! We have loads of artists that had their success in the 80’s, such as Marc Lavoine, Jakie Quartz, Rose Laurens, Desireless, François Feldman, Vanessa Paradis, Jean-Jacques Goldman, etc. Most of their album are not available anymore, and absolutely NO decent complete (more or less) reissue never come out! It’s a total shame !

    1. Re: previous Roxette reissues ~ These were never intended to be for the fans; they came about because the Rox catalog was out-of-print and the 2009 rereleases put them back into circulation at budget prices.

      It WOULD be great to get true deluxe Rox issues, but I doubt that will ever happen. See my long post above about why, and how the highly recommended Per Gessle Archives box set is as close as we’re likely to come to a deluxe Roxette release.

  105. Biggest disappointments: no Purple Rain anniversary edition and the fact that Universal stopped releasing physical product of Motown remasters (Diana Ross’ “Baby It’s Me”, all of Rick James’ remasters etc).

    On-going disappointments: still no Neneh Cherry and Boy George (the solo years) compilations!

    1. I’d definitely be interested in a reissue set of Boy George’s albums. I’d also be curious to see what they’d do with Tense Nervous Heartache and Boyfriend (release them separate or together). The Martyr Mantras could do with a reissue as well.

  106. The The: Soul Mining is another example of a reissue Helmed by the artist and not the record company. Vinyl Only, and so many period remixes and B-sides not included, even if we ignore the Tracks tacked on the original UK cassette, which are taken from “The pornography of despair” album that may still see the light of day someday; God or Matt Johnson willing,
    but what about the 12″ versions, Promo edits etc all sorely missing on this much anticipated reissue.

    Grace Jones – nightclubbing was indeed superb, but secretly i was hoping they would tuck the DJ Hell remixes of Libertango (Not from the original 12″ but still related and never issued on CD) . There were also other language versions of the track that could have been included.

    And I sincerely Echo the wish for further Bananarama re-issues, A Remixes and rarities compilation with the mixes left off (Like “Love Truth And Honesty and other 1988 period mixes, as well as the Jolley and Swain Single mix and “Tricky” remix of ‘Trick Of The Night’ that were never issued on Cd, to name a few.

    and Whatever Duran Duran Reissue next they should definitely find some excuse to tuck those elusive recently discovered “View to A Kill” remixes onto it
    same goes for Belinda Carlisle and the recently discovered master for “in My Wildest Dreams” that was unfortunately discovered after the Anthology was compiled and not available anywhere, With so much repackaged and re-released it may not be too late to find it a home
    even as a bonus tracks on the upcoming CD/DVD live set which is basically a re-packaged “Runaway Live”. adding this one as a bonus would give fans some added value here (Edsel, I hope you are reading this!).

    Hope 2015 will bring about much craved re-issues at an affordable prices to say the least.

  107. Fantastic lookback at some of 2014’s biggest disappointments indeed, Paul! Got nothing to add at all.
    I can only hope things will be better in 2015.
    In 2015, I’d like to see Cabaret Voltaire’s “Code” (1987) and “Groovy, Laidback And Nasty” (1990) getting deluxe 2CD/DVD reissue treatments the most.
    Kim Wilde’s 1990 “Love Moves” album should get as the same 25th anniversary reissue treatment as it did “Close” (1988) in 2013. The rest of her ’90s output “Love Is.” (1992) and “Now & Forever” (1995) in the years ahead too. (Good news is that the lady promised to release a DVD of all the videos in 2015!)
    Some of the compilations like the Sisters Of Mercy’s “A Slight Case Of Overbombing…Greatest Hits Volume One” (1993) and The The’s “45 RPM: The Singles Of The The” (2002) should be re-released with accompanying DVDs of promo videos as well.
    Fingerprintz’s brilliant debut “The Very Dab” from 1979 that has never been released on CD just seeks to get its premiere CD release.
    And where are the complete promo video DVD collection sets – Blancmange, The Cure, Depeche Mode, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Thompson Twins…etc. etc.
    I could go on forever like this…
    So much back catalogue to spend money on.

  108. Greetings to all,

    Thanks Paul, and contributors. I agree with David on the SACD issue. All the American and British masters should be made in the U.S. and G.B. The Japanese do a commendable job, although Queen should’ve had the Mini Vinyl replicas; not the jewel case. The yen is making them go from (USD-$47-$52) from several years ago, down to a reasonable (USD-$29-$35) .
    I’m not a business major, so I don’t know why they refuse (knowing there is a continuing demand) to sell them for $13 like the Rolling Stones/Bob Dylan from over 10 years ago. They want to keep the prices at $30ish or more ; like Mobile Fidelity and Analogue Productions charge. They want less sales at a higher price, instead of low prices and more volume. Most players can play multiple formats. Especially-OPPO.
    Cheers everyone

  110. Paul, I can’t thank you enough for including Eurythmics on this list. I agree with every word you said and I feel that “1984” is second only to “Savage” as their best work.
    When the remasters came out back in 2005 I was so upset that “1984” wasn’t included that I wrote a letter of complaint to their PR person. LOL! He was kind enough to inform me it was a licensing issue. I’m not sure who dropped the ball on that, but I have my wallet in my hand ready to throw money at the first person who gives me what I want.

  111. Agree on the Bowie comments. We were blessed with a new Bowie album – but the “Special Edition” wasn’t announced until a couple months after the first release, which was shocking, imo. I don’t want to buy the whole thing again – I should have had the choice up front.

    Worse – Bowie’s back catalog continues to be largely ignored. No Special Editions of Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory, Scary Monsters, Outside, Low, Heroes, Lodger etc. We just keep getting Ziggy, Aladdin Sane, and Diamond Dogs discs….

    Slightly more esoteric: Still no CD releases of John Cale’s “Caribbean Sunset” and Toni Basel’s “Word of Mouth”. Both are great albums, and neither has seen a silver disc yet.

    A few years ago we got fantastic Surround Sound remixes of all the Talking Heads albums – and it sure would have been nice to have the rest of David Byrne’s catalog treated the same way. Catherine Wheel, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, Rei Momo would be fantastic.

    On the plus side – kudos, confetti, and congrats on the Jethro Tull reissues. Those getting the Super Deluxe sets have had issues, but since I buy the book sized releases (which is a fantastic format, by the way) I’ve been nothing but happy. More please (and I never thought I’d say that about Tull given how good their last reissue program was).

  112. As for what didn’t come out; Neil Young CDs 5 – 8 as above, The Beatles Anthology and Let it Be Naked remastered and packaged in line with the 2009 format, Yoko Ono’s Apple era remastered and nicely packaged. As for what did come out, I thought Endless River (not technically a reissue) was bery dissapointing. As said elsewhere that should have been an extra disc in the Deluxe version of The Division Bell at the very most!

  113. I suppose for me it would be the lack of more Pink Floyd reissues:

    The Wall in 5.1
    The Wall live video (the teaser in the immersion set looked great)
    More album immersion sets (Animals, Meddle, etc.)
    The handling of the Division Bell release (all the vinyl, no new material, marketing The Endless River as a new album)

  114. RE: Queen
    I agree with all of you that ‘Queen Forever’ was a major disappointment, while ‘Queen at the Rainbow ’74’ was great. But 2014 also saw the 40th anniversary of one of their great classic albums, the fantastic ‘Sheer Heart Attack’ (Queen’s all-time best IMHO). They will most certainly give us a 40th anniversary edition of ‘A Night at the Opera’ next year, but forgetting SHA is a big letdown. Now let’s hope for 2024!!!

  115. My disappointment is seeing all these SACD’s being released in Japan using UK analogue masters. Why can’t they be manufactured in the UK so they don’t work out so expensive on import?

    Looking forward to the next XTC CD/Blu-ray reissue. Anyone know which album will be next for a 5.1 surround mix.

    CD’s 5-8 of Neil Young’s reissue programme. Hopefully the CD’s won’t be as expensive as the vinyl version.

    1. Andy has tweeted that the next XTC reissue will be Oranges and Lemons. At first he was worried that it might not be possible because when the multi-tracks were located they were in very bad shape. Fortunately though, they have been successfully repaired and are now in the capable hands of Steven Wilson being mixed into 5.1.

      Apparently many of XTC’s multi-tracks are missing so future reissues will be dependent on what tapes can be located. Last I read, they had located the multi-tracks for most of English Settlement but unfortunately the multi-tracks for “Senses Working Overtime” and “Ball and Chain” remain missing. Also, as of yet they have had no luck locating the multi-tracks for Skylarking, which is truly heartbreaking. Hopefully they will be located…..

  116. For me, biggest disappointment, although fixed eventually was the mess up of the Belinda Carlisle CDs.

    For me, I would be wishing for deluxe editions of Enya, The Corrs, ZZ Top, The Human League, Roxette and the remainder of INXS albums (Kick was done a while ago). A-ha also, but they are coming in 2015.

    Also, Mike Oldfield, it was alleged he was deluxe editioning Discovery and Killing Fields, but nothing

    Let’s hope for a deluxe 2015

    1. Re: Roxette ~ I’m as big of a Roxette fan as there is. However, as much as I’d love to see deluxe issues of their albums as a fan and collector, from a music standpoint there just isn’t that much material to add to make a reissue very deluxe. There aren’t many remixes outside of The Look, Wish I Could Fly, Stars and The Centre of the Heart and most of the true b-sides have appeared on multiple releases already.

      All that really leaves are demos and if that’s your cup of tea I STRONGLY recommend The Per Gessle Archives – a 10 cd, 1 vinyl box set just released in September. It features: 4 CDs of demos and unreleased tracks from Per’s solo career (many were intended for Roxette); 4 CDs & 1 vinyl of Roxette demos, most of which are new; 2 CDs of the demos from Per’s fantastic Swedish album Mazarin and follow-up En Handig Man.

      The Per Gessle Archives is probably as close as we’ll ever get to a deluxe Roxette issue and I can highly recommend it. And if you don’t care to pony up for the whole physical box, the 10 CDs are all available digitally on iTunes and other digital retailers.

      Hope this helps!

      2. I Do have this already ! A superb box indeed !
        There are loads of remixes in facts from the band, including single versions, that could do at least 2CDs quite full …
        Just speaking of their first album, the 1999 edition had 4 or 5 more bonus tracks than the 2009 one ! 3 mixes of neverending love, 4 of Soul Deep, and obviously the never released on CD “I Want You” (with Ratata and Eva Dalhgren)…

        6 or 7 mixes of the look, 3 or 4 mixes/edits of “Listen To Your Heart”, 4 or 5 of “Dangerous” etc… So there’s material for a TFF-Like expanded edition of the 80’s and 90’s albums at least !

    2. The Human League would be fantastic, but all Virgin seem to care about is reissuing Dare every few years. I’d love to see Romantic? get some love with a remastered edition + the William Orbit mixes.

      Same sort of story for INXS and Kick. There’s loads of material to include, especially for the 1990’s albums (I’m not really knowledgeable on the extra material from the 1980’s).

      One thing I wouldn’t mind seeing from Roxette is a CD release of Dance Passion. Or reissue Pearls of Passion with it included.

  117. Still disappointed that The Cure reissue campaign ended with Disintegration. I would have liked to see Wish delivered this year, but fingers crossed for 2015!

  118. When it comes to Queen, I am still waiting for a complete collection of their 12″ mixes, b-sides etc. Yeah, there was a boxset released back in ’92 and the singles – or most of them – has been re-released as boxsets (vol 1-4).

    But still…. a double or triple-disc compiling all of their 12″ mixes, instrumental versions, b-sides a.s.o. from 1973-1996 would be fantastic.

  120. Small issue in the scheme of things, but I was disappointed that King Creosote edited two tracks for the vinyl edition(s) of From Scotland With Love.

  123. I would also include the final 4 Siouxsie and the Banshees remasters in this list. With the exception of the deluxe version of The Scream, the whole remaster campaign has been a missed opportunity. Minimal packaging, subpar liner notes and lackluster bonus tracks. Where were all the remixes??? The final 4 were no different. One of the bright spots was that we finally got the 7″ of Song From the Edge of the World. The worst though was the “mastering error” on Peepshow. Even though it supposedly has been fixed and reissued, I have yet to buy it.

  124. Agree with the list above, great article Paul!
    At the very top of my wishlist…
    Trick Of The Light by Modern Romance
    Released in 1983 and contains 5 UK Top 20 singles.
    Never been out on CD, except in Japan…
    A 2CD with all single edits, remixes, extended versions & b-sides would be delightful.
    Someone please make this happen in 2015…
    Edsel?
    Cherry Pop?
    Paul Sinclair?
    Vinny Vero?
    Anyone?

  125. One of my favorite bands continues to disappoint me with their lack of continuation of reissues and their s-l-o-w-n-e-s-s in releasing new material. Duran Duran stopped their EMI reissue clamshell box series long ago completely neglecting the remainder of their catalog past “Notorious”. And where’s the new album? To be a Duran fan is to be a patient soul…

      1. Duran remasters were excellent in quantity/quality. Post ‘Big Thing’ (their crowning glory), ‘Wedding Album’ should at least follow – as to the others? Hmmmmmm . . . ‘Pop Trash’???
        As to the new album, great return on All You Need (missed opportunity re singles), but the fact that they’re now recording duets with Miley Cyrus for the new album screams ‘Red Carpet Massacre’!!!

  126. Overall, I was surprised at how few “30th Anniversary” deluxes or reissues we got of albums originally released in 1984.

    2014 saw an emphasis on oversized, over-ambitious, overpriced items that seemed to think the amount of content was like a willy-waving contest, a trend which looks likely to continue in 2015, sadly.

    I agree with the sentiments expressed above by Rob C.

  127. I agree Eurythmics 1984, China Crisis albums, Sade and Purple rain.

    Dissapointed not yet released: Shakespears sister’s Sacred heart

    Still wishing for:
    – Reissue Pet Shop Boys nightlife / further listening etc.
    – Tennant / Lowe A man from the future cd release
    – OMD crush & pacific age deluxe edition (hooray for deluxe edition junk culture)
    – Terence Trent d’Arby, introducing the hardline deluxe edition
    – Deee lite, world clique reissue
    – KLF, the white room reissue
    – Cherry red releases for Aneka (japanese boy),
    Yazz (wanted) or Steve Arrington (dancing in the key of life)

    1. I’d be all over that TTD re-release, but unfortunately the 30th anniversary isn’t until 2017. Just hoping that Sananda Francesco Maitreya agrees to the Deluxe treatment being applied to it, as he declared TTD dead in 2001!

  129. After the stellar reissues of The Beat and the Fine Young Cannibals catalogues over the last couple of years, I was super-hoping that somebody would get around to super-deluxing General Public, too.

    Twas not to be, I’m afraid.

  130. That the Brain Salad Surgery 3 disk set didn’t come with 5.1 when everybody (you guys included!) said it did. Got burned on that one…hence, last time I preorder anything.

  131. Will Edsel finish up the Bananarama re-issues? They hinted there was “more to come”, but it hasn’t. At least take care of the remaining re-mixes without resorting to vinyl rips.

  132. Well of the things listed only The Eurythmics 1984 would be of interest to me. I agree it is up there with Savage and would love to have a remaster with extra material created at the time.

    Have to agree with those that mentioned Bowie’s ‘Berlin’ trilogy – a nice boxed set with bonus material would be superb.
    China Crisis have a new album due soon but I would love to have their albums remastered and expanded (they do a great line in demos).

    Obscure but I would love to see Zeke Manyika’s first album ‘House of Memory’ available on CD. A great pop album featuring great guest spots from Thomas Leer, Edwin Collins, Dave Gregory and Camille Hinds. There is enough b-seide material to fill out a decent CD.

    Incidentally here are my favourite reissues of 2015:

    – Songs from the Big Chair : TFF (no explanation needed)
    – Nightclubbing : Grace Jones (sounds great, excellent bonus material)
    – Soul Mining : The The (a superb album worthy of the deluxe treatment – the fact that it is vinyl only is just further testament to Matt Johnson’s wilful nature)
    – Beatles in Mono : The Beatles (expensive but absolutely gorgeous)
    – The Virgin Years boxed set : John Foxx (a nice succinct summary of the talent that is John Foxx – the variants of the covers and the postcards are a nice bonus in this budget-priced set)

    1. Oops suddenly remembered that – Zeke’s album is called ‘Call and Response’ not ‘House of Memory’, serves me right for not checking the record before posting.

  133. Disappointments:

    Still waiting on remastered expanded China Crisis albums – only Diary Of A Hollow Horse so far??? We did get a Very Best Of but…

    Still no reissues of Real Life’s back catalogue…or Kissing The Pink/KTP…or Comsat Angels (how about a box set like The Sound’s)…

    Where art thou Cure deluxe editions? No Wish, Mixed Up or Wild Mood Swings…will this ever happen?

    Level 42 reissues – once again, another instance of not completing the job as tracks were missing & True Colours only issued as a single disc? And why hasn’t Mark King/Mike Lindup’s Freedom single been added to any reissue so far? And since the band has released 2-disc sets, are they going to do the same for Level 42/Early Tapes/The Pursuit Of Accidents? How about improving World Machine?

    The The’s Soul Mining deluxe only receiving a vinyl reissue? Where’s the deluxe Cd set???

    Reissues of some of our fave 4AD acts nowhere in sight…Modern English, Lush, Pale Saints…

    How about Kitchens Of Distinction expanded reissues?

    Scritti Politti? Go West? Billy Idol? General Public? Oingo Boingo? Edsel or Cherry Red are you reading this??

    And the hordes of classic releases that have never been issued on CD…too numerous to mention.

  135. While this might be outside of any individual release, to me the biggest disappointment is any limited edition CD release (or re-release) that is un-numbered.

    Second is including material that did not exist at the time of the original release (i.e. remixes)

  137. Actual physical release: Martika’s debut album on Cherry Pop – truly awful in terms of missed opportunity for a comprehensive re-release.

    2014 should have been the 30th anniversary of some great 1984 albums (as Paul has listed) but also anything from Madonna i.e. the First album or Like a Virgin – a year or two out but all the same! This woman constantly moans about violation and digital stealing but she is probably sitting on extremely rare early demos/outtakes/mixes – sort it out woman and service your fans properly (not literally)!!!

    Also disappointing – the pushed back release date of Kylie’s re-issues, ok I know they are coming but I wish they had kept to the original release date

    1. Could you imagine the hefty price of madonna re-issues. With a huge back catalogue, her stuff is crying out for re-masters inc the cd singles inc all released mixes. Some of the mastering on those original cd’s are not that great.

      1. well, the price is a big deal, but also the setlist ! The Kylie’s reissues still miss original australian mixes (none of them are listed) and the final singles/mixes of the PWL era… the big boxes have totally NO interest, as they basically only add a big box and an original version of the LP (not a deluxe one with at least some of the bonus content!)

  138. “The opportunity was there in 2003 when Let It Be Naked was released but if we were to hazard a guess, Paul McCartney doesn’t want to remove his rose-tinted spectacles and promote a warts-and-all document of a band falling apart.”

    Don’t think that is fair on Paul as it seems that it is a mutual agreement within Apple – plus it only takes one of the four parties (Paul, Ringo and the estates of John and George) to nix it. For all we know, 75% of those involved want it out.

    Also, Paul has spoken often, and in-depth, about that period – even doing so with the McCartney reissue – so he can hardly be said to be trying to hide what happened.

    We also know Apple works slowly…it took a while for Help! and MMT to recieve proper releases as well. Whilst they were commerically available they were for long periods OOP. The multiple versions of the LPs that have come out over the last few years is an expcetion rather than the rule in the world of the Fabs. Whatother band would not have released deluxe box sets of albums like Revolver?

    1. You could be right, BUT if you watch the anthology programmes which is the only opportunity to compare attitudes, George and Ringo come across as straightforward and honest while Paul (as much as I love him) always seems as if he’s wearing his Beatles PR hat ‘they were a great little band’ etc. When Ringo talks from the heart about the Beatles he is the most moving by far.

  141. I found the McCartney reissues underwhelming content wise and over priced. The Dylan Basement Tapes was wonderful but over priced (thanks to Amazon Germany though for a reasonable price)

  142. For those who bought the recent Japanese Beatles SHM releases, there should have been a box to put them in. It could still be done and sold separately (although I suppose I’d then have to buy the superfluous Red and Blue albums).

  144. I am disappointed that the Japanese mini LP CDs aren’t going to get a UK release. I never liked the 2009 Stereo packages – the Mono and the recent US albums looked superb. In fact I think jewel cases would have been better for the 2009 Stereo issues. And don’t get me started on the mini documentaries been added to the album tracklist. Would also have been nice to use the US masters for the US albums. Happy Christmas (Rant Is Over)

  147. I also hate the fact that there hasn’t been a re-issue of Purple Rain. Other dissapointmens were Queen Forever with only 3 new tracks and the rest has been issued for a 1000th times. But let’s look at some joyfull releases. Queen brought us Live At The Rainbow ’74 which thrilled me with joy. Their best release since 1995’s Made In Heaven. Other releases which i’ve enjoyed were the Songs From The Big Chair super deluxe boxset and Pink Floyd’s The Endless River. Paul should be the executive of all future super deluxe editions by any band or artist.

  148. Nice article. Keep up the great work, SDE.

    Still waiting for the China Crisis back catalogue to be remastered and expanded, The Madness album from 1988, Fleetwood Mac’s Tango In The Night (deluxe edition) and a proper reissue of the Buckingham Nicks album.

    On the plus side, I’m looking forward to the first Go-Betweens box set next month, OMD’s 2-CD edition of Junk Culture, and there’s some a-ha reissues to look forward to in 2015 as well.

    1. Good calls. I’m predicting the Buckingham Nicks album to finally get reissued in 2015, to tie in with the FM tour.

      I’d also really go for a 5.1 mix of China Crisis’ Flaunt The Imperfection album…

    2. I’m disappointed the Go-Betweens has sold out already. I’m also flummoxed at how that one slipped by without me noticing, And I’m going to be even more deeply bummed when it turns up on Discogs for twice the price.

    3. I contacted the label that did the 2-cd Madness reissues and asked about the ‘The Madness’ reissue which they reserved a number on the spine for. They responded and told me that Virgin still had the rights to that album and it was a licensing issue and would likely not happen… :(

  149. I’m thinking that The Rolling Stones could have kicked off their Vault series of CD/DVDs with Brussels Affair, 1973, and not Hampton 1981, or LA 1975.

    I also wish that Animals by Pink Floyd should be reissued as a deluxe edition with extra tracks. Also that, hopefully, Joe Cocker’s 1970 Mad Dogs & Englishmen concerts be reissued in their entirety, and not be deleted as they are on Hip-O Select.

    Furthermore, that Richard and Linda Thompson’s Sunnyvista and First Light be reissued, and that a Kinks post 1972 box set be issued by Sony. Is it me, as I feel the 1964-1971 period is done to death ?

  150. Stuff the deluxe of Bowie’s Tonight (an album I am quite fond of) where are the deluxe editions of Low, “Heroes” and Lodger then maybe Scary Monsters and Let’s Dance. Ever since STS got a super deluxe I have been waiting for all the Berlin albums especially Low in 5.1 and as good as The Next Day was the reissue series needs to continue.

    1. Totally with you on Bowie’s Berlin period stuff not getting deluxed. I love STS and that reissue was nice, but Low, Heroes-long overdue. It’s as baffling as the lack of Kate Bush remasters. Heaven knows Beatles fans suffered for years with inferior transfers in the digital age, but at least they did finally see the light of day. I don’t get record company logic at the best of times, though.

    2. In September 2002 Bowie performed the complete “Low” album in Berlin with his “Reality” band. The concert was filmed (multiple cameras, cranes, etc.) for a projected DVD release (they even played some songs twice… probably to have the best version). One can only wonder what happened, or when it will see a release.

  151. My biggest disappointment was the tease that Ian Peel was compiling Super Deluxe Editions of China Records-era Art of Noise. Two disc versions of these three fine albums were eagerly awaited… only for the news to break that these release would no longer be happening. I feel so cheated about this. :(

  152. A top rate article! Keeping up the standards I have come to expect! Looking forward to more in 2015! Now about that deluxe edition of David Bowie’s Tonight…..

      1. James Guthrie? It wont happen then. Sad because Pink Floyd have great people working for them. Andy Jackson did a great mix of the 1974 live tracks, why not using him instead of the slowest mixer on earth?

    1. I agree with Crime of the century NO 5.1, and also no Tears For Fears new album (next year it seems).
      Also, Suede’s Dog Man Star deluxe boxset was a complete disappontment (similarly to Definitely Maybe), and Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road deluxe boxset might have been better, and who cares about the contemporary artists’ covers??

      1. I also forgot: Queen Forever! Let Me In is a great track so thanks Brian and Roger for unearthing it, but this was supposed to be a Made in Heaven vol.2 and to contain all three Freddie/M.Jackson tracks…..

      1. Here’s another vote for a deluxe Tango with all of the many remixes that were done. There’s probably too many to put all of the ones from Big Love and Family Man, but at least the main remixes would be more than welcome.

    2. I attended a meet and greet with Mick Fleetwood and during the Q&A session, I asked Mick if they were going to remaster and release deluxe versions of Mirage and Tango in the Night like they did for the White album, Rumours and Tusk and his response was that there is definitely something in the works for both and that it’s something that Rhino records is working on. He gave no release dates but it seemed like 2015 could be the year that this happens since it seemed, per another question asked regarding a new CD/Album, they will not be releasing new material until 2016 and that they were waiting on Stevie since she still wants to promote 24 Karat Gold, which I don’t know when that’d happen since FM will be touring all of 2015. Hope that helps!

  156. Just for me that Depeche Mode for once did not include the tour backdrop videos with the Berlin box set. This was the tour where Anton’s video’s were so spectacular that they absolutely should have been included as standalone items on the DVD. Sod’s law

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