Gift Guide: The Essential Reissues
If you’re still grieving over the shocking deaths of David Bowie, Prince and so many others … if you were riveted by Ron Howard’s Beatles film “Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years” … if you’re celebrating Bob Dylan’s surprising Nobel Prize … if you need sonic distractions from the most polarizing presidential election ever.
This Holiday Gift Guide is for you … a selection of the year’s top reissues. Keep these in mind when deciding what to get the music lover in your life.
ADAM AND THE ANTS
“Kings of the Wild Frontier (Deluxe Edition)” (1980 album; remastered; two CDs, 49 songs; Super Deluxe Edition; Epic / Legacy)
A-HA
“Time and Again: The Ultimate a-ha” (two CDs, 35 songs; Rhino / Warner)
THE BAND
“The Last Waltz (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)” (1976 album; remastered; six-LP box set; four-CD + Blu-ray box set; Rhino / Warner)
THE BEACH BOYS
“Pet Sounds (50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)” (1966 album; remastered; two CDs, 40 tracks; four-CD, Blu-ray Audio box set; Vinyl; Capitol / UMe)
BEASTIE BOYS
“Licensed to Ill (30th Anniversary Edition) [Vinyl]” (1987 album; cut from the original production masters; Def Jam)
THE BEATLES
“Live At The Hollywood Bowl” (first released in 1977, making its CD debut; performances from three shows in 1964-65, featuring previously unreleased songs; Vinyl; Capitol / UMe)
THE BEATLES
“Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years [DVD Deluxe]” (2016 documentary film, directed by Ron Howard; two discs; Blu-ray Deluxe; Apple / Universal)
BROOK BENTON
“Rainy Night in Georgia: The Complete Reprise & Cotillion Singles A’s & B’s” (two CDs, 31 songs; Real Gone Music)
BIG STAR
“Complete Third” (recorded in 1974 but not released until 1978; remastered; this three-CD set features 69 total tracks, 29 of which are previously unheard sessions, demos and alternate mixes made by producer Jim Dickinson and engineer John Fry; Omnivore Recordings)
BLACK SABBATH
“Paranoid (Super Deluxe)” (four-CD box set includes the 2012 remaster of the original album, a rare 1974 quad mix and two 1970 concerts, recorded in Montreux and Brussels, along with a hardbound book; Rhino / Warner)
DAVID BOWIE
“David Bowie – Who Can I Be Now? [1974-1976]” (12-CD box set includes the previously unreleased album “The Gouster” and “Re:Call 2,” featuring single versions and non-album B-sides; Vinyl; Rhino / Parlophone)
DAVID BOWIE
“Legacy” (21-track singles compilation; Deluxe Edition; Columbia / Legacy)
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GARTH BROOKS
“Garth Brooks: The Ultimate Collection” (Target-exclusive 10-CD box set, featuring new and exclusive tracks; Pearl)
THE CARS
“The Elektra Years, 1978-1987” (six-disc box set; remastering overseen by Ric Ocasek; Colored vinyl box set; Rhino)
RAY CHARLES
“The Atlantic Years – In Mono [Vinyl]” (seven-LP box set; Rhino / Atlantic)
CHICAGO
“Chicago Quadio Box” (quadraphonic and stereo mixes in high resolution 192/24 DTS-HD Master Audio on nine Blu-ray Audio discs, featuring eight studio albums and “Chicago IX: Chicago’s Greatest Hits”; Rhino)
JOHN COLTRANE
“The Atlantic Years in Mono” (featuring 1960’s “Giant Steps” to 1966’s “The Avant Garde” with Don Cherry; Vinyl, with a 7-inch single replica of the original “My Favorite Things Part I & II”; Rhino / Atlantic)
CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL
“1969 Archive Box” (LP and CD versions of the “Bayou Country,” “Green River” and “Willie & The Poor Boys” albums, plus three 7-inch EPs, a 60-page composition notebook, poster, bumper sticker, etc.; Fantasy)
MILES DAVIS QUINTET
“Miles Davis Quintet: Freedom Jazz Dance: The Bootleg Series, Vol 5” (three-CD box set, covering 1966-1968, newly mixed and mastered in high resolution audio; Columbia / Legacy)
THE DELFONICS
“40 Classic Soul Sides” (two CDs; Real Gone Music)
DIO
“A Decade of Dio: 1983-1993” (six-CD box set; Rhino / Warner)
TERRY DOLAN
“Terry Dolan” (unreleased 1972 Warner Bros. album, produced by Nicky Hopkins and Pete Sears; guests included Neal Schon, Hopkins, The Pointer Sisters, Spencer Dryden, John Cipolina, Greg Douglass, Prairie Prince and Lonnie Turner; with six bonus tracks and 28-page, magazine-style LP booklet; remastered from the original analog tapes by Dan Hersch; High Moon)
BOB DYLAN
“Bob Dylan: No Direction Home — Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition [Blu-ray]” (Martin Scorsese documentary; DVD; Capitol)
BOB DYLAN
“Bob Dylan: The 1966 Live Recordings” (36-CD box set; Columbia / Legacy)
BOB DYLAN
“The Real Royal Albert Hall 1966 Concert!” (two CDs; Columbia / Legacy)
ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA
“The Studio Albums 1973-1977” (five-CD box set; Sony)
FANNY
“Mother’s Pride (Expanded Edition)” (1973 album, produced by Todd Rundgren; remastered, with bonus tracks; Real Gone Music)
FLEETWOOD MAC
“Mirage (Expanded Edition)” (1982 album; remastered, with a second CD featuring 19 early versions, outtakes, alternate takes, etc.; Deluxe Edition, featuring three CDs containing B-sides, rarities and live performances, plus one LP and a 5.1 mix on DVD; Rhino / Warner)
DAN FOGELBERG
“The Definitive Anthology” (two CDs, 28 songs; Real Gone Music)
Electronics Holiday Gift Guide »
FREE
“The Vinyl Collection” (seven-LP box set, from 1969’s “Tons of Sobs” to 1971’s “Free Live!”; A&M / UMe)
ERROLL GARNER
“Ready Take One” (14 unreleased studio performances, culled from recently discovered 1967, 1969 and 1971 sessions; Columbia / Legacy)
JIMI HENDRIX
“Machine Gun: Jimi Hendrix The Fillmore East First Show 12/31/1969” (with bassist Billy Cox and drummer Buddy Miles, newly mixed by Eddie Kramer from the original 1″ eight-track masters; Experience Hendrix / Legacy)
THE HUMAN LEAGUE
“A Very British Synthesizer Group” (two CDs of hits, a third CD of 17 previously unreleased mixes, a DVD containing 21 music videos, BBC performances and a 58-page hardbound book; UMC)
MICHAEL JACKSON
“Off the Wall [CD/DVD]” (1979 album; remastered, paired with the documentary “Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall,” directed by Spike Lee; CD/Blu-ray; Epic / Legacy)
JETHRO TULL
“Stand Up (The Elevated Edition)” (three-disc set includes the original 1969 album and bonus tracks remixed to stereo and 5.1 surround by Steven Wilson, plus a DVD featuring a January 1969 concert in Sweden; Chrysalis / Parlophone)
THE KINKS
“Everybody’s in Show-Biz (Legacy Edition)” (1972 album; remastered; the original double album, along previously unissued studio sessions outtakes and live material, recorded March 2-3, 1972, at Carnegie Hall; Legacy)
KRIS KRISTOFFERSON
“The Complete Monument & Columbia Albums Collection” (16-CD box set; Columbia / Legacy)
LED ZEPPELIN
“The Complete BBC Sessions” (1997 album, expanded to three CDs, 33 songs; Vinyl; Rhino / Atlantic)
LEVEL 42
“Collected” (three-CD, 49-song set featuring single edits, radio remixes and 12-inch remixes; Universal)
GORDON LIGHTFOOT
“Songbook” (four-CD, 88-song compilation, originally released in 1999; Rhino / Warner)
LITTLE RICHARD
“Mono Box: Complete Specialty/Vee-Jay Albums [Vinyl]” (five-LP box set; Specialty)
THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS
“The Complete Singles: 50th Anniversary Collection” (two CDs, 52 songs, featuring group and solo hits; Real Gone Music)
PAUL McCARTNEY
“Pure McCartney” (career-spanning four-CD box set; two-CD set; four-LP box set; Hear Music)
EDDIE MONEY
“The Complete Hits and More!” (two CDs, 24 songs; Real Gone Music)
THE MONKEES
“The Monkees 50” (three CDs, 50 songs), “Forever” (14-song compilation; Rhino)
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
“The Black Parade / Living With Ghosts (The 10th Anniversary Edition)” (2006 album; with 11 previously unreleased demos and outtakes from the original recording session with producer Rob Cavallo; Warner)
STEVIE NICKS
“Bella Donna (Deluxe Edition)” (1981 album; remastered, with a second CD containing 11 extra tracks and a third CD featuring the 14-song “Live 1981”), “The Wild Heart (Deluxe Edition)” (1983 album; remastered, with nine-song second CD; Rhino / Atlantic)
NRBQ
“High Noon – A 50-Year Retrospective” (five-CD box set; Omnivore Recordings)
ROY ORBISON
“The Ultimate Collection” (26-song career-spanning collection, including hits with The Traveling Wilburys; Legacy)
BUCK OWENS
“Buck ‘Em: The Music of Buck Owens, Volumes One & Two” (four-CD box set; Omnivore Recordings)
DOLLY PARTON, LINDA RONSTADT & EMMYLOU HARRIS
“The Complete Trio Collection” (three-CD set includes the first two “Trio” albums, plus a third CD of bonus material, most of which has been previously unreleased), “My Dear Companion: Selections From The Trio Collection,” “Farther Along [Vinyl]” (double-LP set of all the bonus material on “The Complete Trio Collection”), “Trio II [Vinyl]” (1999 album; 180-gram vinyl; Rhino)
PINK FLOYD
“The Early Years 1965-1972” (27-disc box set), “The Early Years 1967-1972, Cre/ation” (two CDs of highlights from the box set; Columbia / Legacy)
ELVIS PRESLEY
“Elvis Presley: The Album Collection” (60-CD box set celebrating the 60th anniversary of Presley signing with RCA Victor; RCA / Legacy)
ELVIS PRESLEY
“Way Down in the Jungle Room” (two-CD, 33-song collection of The King’s final studio recordings from February and October 1976; RCA / Legacy)
PRINCE
“Prince 4Ever” (two-CD, 40-song best-of, with a previously unreleased song called “Moonbeam Levels,” recorded during the “1999” sessions; includes a 12-page booklet of never-before-seen photos by acclaimed photographer Herb Ritts; NPG / Warner)
QUEEN
“Queen On Air” (two-CD set of BBC sessions; six-CD box set; Hollywood)
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RAMONES
“Ramones (40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition)” (three-CD, one 180-gram vinyl LP box set; 1976 album; remastered; Rhino / Warner)
OTIS REDDING
“Complete & Unbelievable … The Otis Redding Dictionary of Soul” (1966 album; remastered; two-disc deluxe edition that includes stereo and mono mixes, with eight bonus rarities; Vinyl, with bonus 7-inch; Rhino / Atlantic)
OTIS REDDING
“Otis Redding Live At The Whisky A Go Go: The Complete Recordings” (six-CD box set; recorded in April 8-10, 1966; Stax)
LOU REED
“The RCA & Arista Album Collection” (16 complete albums on 17 CDs, with an 80-page hardbound book; RCA / Legacy)
R.E.M.
“Out of Time (25th Anniversary Edition)” (1991 album; remastered, with unreleased demos, rare live performance, Blu-ray versions of music videos, “Time Piece” promo film and more; Concord Bicycle)
THE ROLLING STONES
“The Rolling Stones in mono” (15-CD box set of early recordings, with a new compilation titled “Stray Cats” featuring non-album B-sides and rarities; 16-LP box set; UMe)
TODD RUNDGREN
“The Complete Bearsville Albums Collection” (13-CD box set; Bearsville)
FRANK SINATRA
“World On a String” (four-CD, one-DVD box set of live recordings from 1953-1982, featuring more than four hours of previously unissued audio and video footage; Capitol / UMe)
SOUNDGARDEN
“Badmotorfinger (Deluxe Edition)” (1991 album; remastered; two CDs, 28 tracks; Super Deluxe Edition, four CDs, two DVDs and one Blu-ray Audio disc, with 109 tracks total: 79 tracks, videos and mixes are previously unreleased; A&M / UMe)
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
“Chapter and Verse” (an 18-song compilation/companion piece to his “Born to Run” autobiography; Vinyl; Columbia / Legacy)
STING
“Sting – The Studio Collection” (11-LP box set; A&M / UMe)
GEORGE STRAIT
“Strait Out of the Box: Part 2” (Walmart-exclusive three-CD box set features 56 songs spanning 1996-2016, including 36 hits and 26 No. 1s, along with two new tracks; MCA Nashville)
THE TRAVELING WILBURYS
“The Traveling Wilburys Collection” (two-CD, one-DVD combo; Concord)
THE TURTLES
“All the Singles” (two CDs, 48 songs), “The Complete Original Album Collection” (six-CD box set, featuring albums recorded from 1965-1970; FloEdCo / Manifesto)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
“The Cadence Records Story 1953-1962” (four-CD box set; Real Gone Music)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
“The Complete Stax/Volt Singles (1959-1968)” (nine-CD “Mini Box Set” reissue containing 244 tracks, using 1991 remasters, along with an 84-page booklet; Atlantic)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
“The Decca Sound” (50-CD box set, with a 200-page booklet; Decca)
VARIOUS ARTISTS
“T.A.M.I. Show / The Big T.N.T. Show (Collector’s Edition) [Blu-ray]” (featuring performances by The Rolling Stones, James Brown, Chuck Berry, The Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Bo Diddley, The Supremes, Ike & Tina Turner, The Ronettes, The Byrds, Ray Charles, etc.; Shout! Factory)
THE WHO
“My Generation” (1965 album; five-CD box set featuring demos, mono mixes, new stereo mixes, etc.; Geffen / UMe)
About the Author
Gerry Galipault Gerry Galipault debuted Pause & Play online in October 1997. Since then, it has become the definitive place for CD-release dates — with a worldwide audience.
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