The best reissues, archival recordings, expanded box sets and deluxe editions from the past three months showcase a summer bounty.
On the surface, the collections discussed belowappear to be a typical seasonal offering of anniversary sets, thematic compilations and vinyl-only releasesfirst issued during Record Store Day, now available in other formats. But dig a bit, and there’s more going on here. Way more.
Live recordings— one from the start of an artist’s career and another from when they were among themost popular performers in the world— reveal superstars working without nets and, in their respective ways, with nothing to lose.
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Other reissues and archival collections from the summer months include a massively huge live album expanded to six discs; a different concert recording that was shelved for the past six decades; a prog landmark expanded for its 50th anniversary; a live EP from one of rock’s biggest acts; and a ’70s-era compilation, initially released to capitalize on a band’s newfound success, expanded to a five-CD box with bonus tracks, outtakes and new mixes.
Releases also pull from specific eras (Elvis Presley‘s post-comeback early ’70s included a stop to record in Los Angeles, nowcollected in a new box, the last volume in David Bowie‘s career box sets) and genres (Joni Mitchell‘s various jazz recordings, first a detour and then the destination, are collected in a set that features demos and other previously unreleased tracks from over the decades). Plus various-artist compilations that turn the microscope to the American blues explosion of the ’60s,Bob Dylan cover songs by his contemporaries and more.
Reissue Roundup: Summer Sets From David Bowie, Genesis, Led Zeppelin and More
The best box sets, expanded albums, anniversary collections and other archival releases from the past three months.
Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci