The best reissues, box sets, deluxe editions and other archival releases of the past three months were a slim lot. That’s to be expected, though, following the year-end rush by the record companies to issue many of last year’s greatest sets during the final few weeks leading to the holiday season.
Still, some great collections were released during these first few months of the new year, including the latest entries in a continued series of archival recordings and expanded versions of classic albums with bonus tracks featuring live songs, work-in-progress demos, studio outtakes and single edits.
The best of these reissues and archival recordings from the past few months includes budget-conscious editions of New Order‘s celebrated “Definitive Editions” that exclude the visual content found in the pricier box sets. Similarly, a Talking Heads set, first released as a Record Store Day offering, has been expanded to include additional demos and early recordings from when the group was still a trio.
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There’s also the latest box sets in reissue series from Yes and Frank Zappa. The former inflates the prog group’s 1973 double concept album Tales From Topographic Oceans to a whopping 12 CDs, featuring new mixes by series regular Steven Wilson and dozens of other extras. Meanwhile, Zappa’s 1975 mostly live collaboration with Captain Beefheart, Bongo Fury, gets an upgrade that features the album’s live shows in their entirety.
There’s also a box set edition of a punk classic, an anniversary edition of a Top 10 live album and a previously unreleased LP by a songwriter and singer that was shelved for nearly 50 years.
Reissue Roundup: Winter Sets From Yes, Frank Zappa and More
The best box sets, deluxe editions and rediscovered lost records of the past three months.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci
