After the 25th, we always have some Christmas cash and the stray gift card in our pockets. The question is what to spend this seasonal windfall on and the answer is music, of course. The holiday gift buying season is always the time of year for the record labels to comb through the back catalogs of their most legendary artists and to release lost gems along with remastered classics. This year is no exception. Here are five of the more noteworthy album re-releases of the year.
Nirvana - 'Nevermind' 20th Anniversary Edition Super Deluxe Box Set
What's In It:
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Four CDs include previously unreleased recordings, rarities, B-sides, BBC radio appearances, alternative mixes, rare live recordings and an unreleased concert in its entirety on DVD.
Why It's Worth Getting:
This box set is like a time capsule in recorded music form. It starts in the spring of 1990 during the first sessions with producer Butch Vig at Smart Studios in Wisconsin. The group, which at the time included Chad Channing on drums, recorded eight tracks at Smart Studio before running out of money. These tracks were used on the demo that landed them a deal with DGC. Another disc contains the spring of 1991 Boombox rehearsals, featuring replacement drummer Dave Grohl on eight new tracks. These were recorded onto a boombox for Vig to hear before entering the studio to record what would be "Nevermind." The most intriguing of the discs are the Devonshire mixes - an early version of "Nevermind" shelved in favor of bringing in Andy Wallace (Slayer - "Seasons In The Abyss") to remix the tracks. I realize this is probably some sort of rock sacrilege but to these ears the Devonshire mixes may actually be superior to the released version of "Nevermind." They are a true revelation.
Previously Unreleased Song Highlights: "Sappy," "Verse Chorus Verse," "Dive," the entire Devonshire mix version of "Nevermind."
What's Missing: More copies. There are only 10,000 available here in North America and 30,000 worldwide.
The Who - 'Quadrophenia' Super Deluxe Director's Cut Box Set
What's In It:
Eight-track 5.1 sound DVD, a deluxe hard-back book, unheard demos and memorabilia including handwritten lyrics, photographs as well as essays from those involved with the recording sessions. The Jon Astley remaster of the original vinyl mix and the 25 Pete Townshend demo tracks.
Why It's Worth Getting:
"Tommy" gets all the accolades but the Who's true rock opera masterpiece is this 1973 narrative concept album. It solidified Pete Townshend's songwriting genius and the Who's reputation as the thinking man's rock band. The cacophonous sounds emerging from Pete Townshend's guitar slashes, Keith Moon's drum fills and cymbal crashes, John Entwistle's four-string thunder and Roger Daltrey's arena- rock shout tell a story of a disaffected youth in early '60s UK. The somewhat autobiographical nature of the work also makes it among Townshend's most personal work for the band but he creates the persona of Jimmy to tell his story. What's odd about this boxset was the choice of remastering the 1996 remix of "Quadro- phenia" rather than using the original tapes. After listening to the director's cut, it remains a questionable decision. Two discs of Townshend-sung demos from the era show how developed these tracks were even before entering the studio with the band.
Previously Unreleased Song Highlights: Demo version of "The Real Me," "Get Inside," "We Close Tonight."
What's Missing: The full band version of songs like "Joker James," "We Close Tonight" and "Four Faces" as well as live tracks from the "Quadrophenia" tour and a pair of Keith Moon's drumsticks.
Jethro Tull - 'Aqualung' 40th Anniversary Collector's Edition Box Set
What's In It:
The limited collector's edition's contents include: 180g heavyweight LP, 2 CDs, a DVD, and a Blu-Ray, various unreleased materials, a new stereo mix, the original "Quad" mix, and 5.1 DTS and Dolby Digital Surround. A?12-inch-by-12-inch 48-page hardback book, rare photos and notes on the new mixes by producer Steven Wilson also are included.
Why It's Worth Getting:
The original release was always somewhat flat sounding. This remix brightens the sound and brings instruments like Martin Barre's guitar and Clive Bunker's drums to the fore. It's like listening to "Aqualung" with a fresh set of ears. "Aqualung" attacks the hypocrisy of modern-day society and organized religion with a bull's eye accuracy that still hits the mark today. The unreleased tracks reveal how prolific the band and Anderson's songwriting talents were at the time.
Unreleased Song Highlights: "Lick Your Fingers Clean," "Wind Up" early version, "Wond'ring Aloud, Again"
What's Missing: Live audio and video from the acclaimed 1971 tour. A replica of Anderson's flute for those wishing to play along with the album at home.
Rolling Stones - 'Some Girls' Super Deluxe
What's In It:
The original album remastered on CD, a bonus CD with extras unearthed by producer Don Was, a 7" Single, DVD, unseen photos by Helmut Newton and an essay by Anthony DeCurtis.
Why It's Worth Getting:
"Some Girls" was the album that shook the Stones out of their mid-70s malaise. Stirred to action by punk and Keith Richards' looming trial over his heroin bust the group assembled in Paris to record their comeback. A second disc consisting of a dozen outtakes from those voluminous recording sessions in France is included. These songs, with new vocals and overdubs added in 2011, create a sort of country and blues tinged alt-universe "Some Girls." Mick Jagger's ability in 2011 to sing pretty close to how he did in 1978 is fairly remarkable.
Previously Unreleased Song Highlights: "We Had It All," "Claudine," "Love You Too Much," "Do You Think I Really Care."
What's Missing: Long- available-on-bootleg gems like "Fiji Jim," "Misty Roads," "Dancing Girls," "I Need You." The banned original album art.
U2 - 'Achtung Baby' Super Deluxe Box Set
What's In It:
Seriously, what isn't in it! It's a 10-disc (six CDs + four DVDs) edition including the original "Achtung Baby" album, the follow-up album, "Zooropa," B-sides and re-workings of previously unheard material recorded during the "Achtung Baby" sessions. Four DVDs including "From The Sky Down," Zoo TV, all the videos from "Achtung Baby," plus bonus material also are included as well as a hardback book and 16 art prints.
Why It's Worth Getting:
The real revelation here is the "Kindergarten" disc of early versions of "Achtung Baby." Songs like "Zoo Station" are less abrasive, more ambient sounding, Bono is still struggling to find the vocal style for these new-styled U2 songs. The music is stripped down and features more acoustic guitar, particularly on the "Kindergarten" take of "One."
It's interesting for fans to watch the DVDs and see how the once super serious group opened up to absurdity and irony on their live tours at the time.
Song highlights: "Heaven And Hell," "Blow Your House Down," "Near The Island"
What's Missing: Maybe those horns Bono wore in his MacPhisto guise during the Zoo tour and those Fly sunglasses he wore on-stage but that's about it.
