STE Best Reissues of 2022
STE Best Reissues of 2022
Lots of live sets and Bob Stanley comps make the grade in 2022.
I find my choice for the best reissue of 2022 as dull as you do but let’s face facts: Revolver is the quintessential pop album and the reissue offers real insight into how it was made. Ideas other bands would spin into albums or even phases are tossed out ruthlessly, direct inspirations—witness the first draft of "And Your Bird Can Sing," which is the Byrds by any other name—become the seed of inspiration, not the catalyst for pastiche. It’s astounding to hear such creativity in such a concentrated burst.
Divine Symmetry—aka the box that captures the era when David Bowie figures out how to be David Bowie—provides similar thrills of discovery but so many reissues this year merely offer a lot more of the expected. For instance, it's wonderful to have several full Little Feat concerts from the tour that brought us the landmark Waiting for Columbus but these don't quite qualify as fresh is sublime but fresh insights are few. Not that I'm complaining: that Feat set, along with similar live boxes from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and the Rolling Stones, deliver consistent, reliable entertainment, which is not nothing.
I also continue to be a big, big fan of the compilations Bob Stanley assembles for Ace Records; the Sammi Smith disc hides "Help Me Make it Through the Night" through most of its 24 tracks, helping shift focus to the whole of her career, while Fell From the Sun (which he compiled with Pete Wiggs) draws a vivid portrait of the dawn of the 1990s, when a blissful electronic future seemed imminent.
Generally, I feel like the output of reissues is slowing across the board: there are specialty labels like Ace and Cherry Red in England, then the major box sets, and very little in between. This is perhaps inevitable but it's still a bit dismaying, especially since I don't think the trend will reverse any time soon.
(Note: These are all physical products as I can't keep up with streaming reissues unless they're re-releases of Roger Miller records that never made it to CD.)
The Beatles—Revolver [Super Deluxe]
David Bowie—Divine Symmetry: An Alternative Journey Through Hunky Dory
Pavement—Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal
Little Feat—Waiting for Columbus [Super Deluxe]
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers—Live at the Fillmore 1997
The Rolling Stones—Live at the El Mocambo
Fell From the Sun: Downtempo
Ornette Coleman—Round Trip: Ornette Coleman on Blue Note
Sammi Smith—Looks Like Stormy Weather 1969-1975
Happy In Hollywood: The Productions of Gary Usher
Stereolab—Pulse of the Early Brain: Switched On, Vol. 5
Jon Savage's 1977-1979: Symbols Clashing Everywhere
Blondie—Against the Odds
Earl's Closet: Lost Archive of Earl McGrath
The Beach Boys—Sail on Sailor—1972
Jeannie C Riley—Tell the Truth and Shame the Devil: On the Honky Tonk Highway
PJ Harvey—B-sides, Demos and Rarities
The Studio Wizardry of Todd Rundgren (1968-1990)
Lou Reed—Words & Music, May 1965
The Smithereens—The Lost Album
Madonna—Finally Enough Love: 50 Number Ones
Frank Sinatra—Watertown
Prince & the Revolution—Live
Neil Young—Citizen Kane Jr Blues
The Clash—Combat Rock + The People's Hall
The Left Banke—Strangers on a Train
Godley and Creme—Frabjous Days: The Secret World of Godley & Creme
Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood—Nancy & Lee
Neil Young & Crazy Horse—Toast
The Kinks—Muswell Hillbillies/Everybody's in Show-Biz
Jon Brion—Meaningless
Daryl Hall—Before After
Trip on Me: Soft Psych & Sunshine 1966-1969
Guns N Roses—Use Your Illusion I and II [Super Deluxe]
Charlie McCoy—Screamin', Shoutin', Beggin', Pleadin': The Rock n Soul Recordings of Charlie McCoy
John Barry—The More Things Change: Film, TV & Studio Work 1968-1972
Donald Byrd—Live: Cookin' with Blue Note at Montreaux
Billy Jack Willis—Gonna Shake This Shack Tonight
Bill Evans—Morning Glory: The 1973 Concert at the Teatro Gran Rex, Buenos Aires
Lou Reed—I'm So Free: The 1971 RCA Demos
Elvin Jones—Revival: Live at Pookie's Pub
Neil Young—Original Release Series Discs 13, 14, 20 & 21
Do it Again! The Songs of Brian Wilson
New York City Blues
Whatever You Want: Bob Crewe's 60s
William Bell—Never Like This Before: The Complete Stax "Blue" Singles 1961-1968
Girls With Guitars: Gonna Shake!
Clowns Exit Laughing: The Jimmy Webb Songbook
Keith Richards—Main Offender [Deluxe Edition]
Destination Jurassic Land
Wrap It Up: The Isaac Hayes and David Porter Songbook
Mavis Staples & Levon Helm—Carry Me Home
Terry Allen—Bloodlines/Smokin' the Dummy
Norah Jones—Come Away With Me [Super Deluxe]
You Showed Me: The Songs of Gene Clark
Paul Weller—Will of the People
Ladies Sing the Boss
Destination Lust: Chicksville, USA!
Joni Mitchell—The Asylum Albums (1972-1975)
Neil Young—Noise & Flowers
Joe Strummer—Joe Strummer 02
Wilco—Yankee Hotel Foxtrot [Super Deluxe Edition]
Neil Young—Harvest 50th Anniversary