Carnival of Soul

When it comes to holiday gifts, greatest hits collections and boxed set retrospectives are as much an annual tradition as the Rockefeller Center tree lighting, A Christmas Carol and Hallmark movies. And 2019 was no exception, as the year brought out a number of notable reissues, particularly in the rock genre: from heritage acts such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and David Bowie—to under-the-radar, cult artists such as Harry Nilsson and the Byrds’ Gene Clark. Following the standard set by Dylan’s 1985 pioneering box set Biograph, these archival collections contain not only the familiar rock hits, but also previously unreleased bonus material and lavish packaging as extra incentives. With Black Friday marking the start of the holiday shopping season, here’s a partial list of archival rock music releases that will appeal to the most sophisticated music fans and obsessive record completists.

David Bowie, Conversation Piece (Parlophone)

David Bowie’s early musical career, particularly during the years 1968 and 1969 when he was an emerging folk artist, is explored here in this new 5-CD set, Conversation Piece, highlighted by 12 previously unreleased tracks. Included here are demos he recorded with guitarist John ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson—among them early versions of the “Space Oddity” single; BBC radio performances; and most notably, both the original version and a new remix of 1969’s David Bowie album (a.k.a. Space Oddity) as part of its 50th anniversary. Under the supervision of Bowie’s longtime producer Tony Visconti, the newly-remixed David Bowie album restores the track “Conversation Piece,” which was left off of the original release due to time constraints. This new box is a revealing chronicle of Bowie’s folkie-psychedelic phase, a few years before his reinvention as glam rock messiah Ziggy Stardust. As evident by this music, the seeds of his genius were planted quite early.

The Doors, The Soft Parade: 50th Anniversary (Elektra/Rhino)

Of the first six Doors albums with the late Jim Morrison, The Soft Parade has been generally viewed as the weakest in the Los Angeles band’s catalog—mostly because of its use of brass and strings on several tracks such, as “Touch Me” (the album’s biggest hit) and “Tell All the People.” This 50th anniversary 3-CD/1-LP reissue not only contains the original record but also features bonus tracks in which some of the brass and string parts removed. Additionally, several of those additional tracks have new overdubs by guitarist Robby Krieger; other highlights include an early version of “Roadhouse Blues” sung by keyboardist Ray Manzarek (under the pseudonym of Screamin’ Ray Daniels), and the freewheeling one-hour jam “Rock Is Dead.” This expanded edition of The Soft Parade should warrant a second listen to this misunderstood and underappreciated album.

Pink Floyd, The Later Years (Pink Floyd Records/Sony Music)

The followup to 2016’s The Early Years, this new 16-disc collection spotlights the music from the David Gilmour-led version of the group whose lineup did not feature founding bassist/songwriter Roger Waters. Among the highlights from the massive multi-CD/DVD/Blu-ray set are an expanded and remixed version of the 1988 live album Delicate Sound of Thunder; previously unreleased live and studio tracks recorded between 1987 and 1994; the full concerts from Venice in 1988 and Knebworth in 1990; and a restored version of the 1995 concert film Pulse. Of main interest to fans is an updated and remixed version of the group’s 1987 album, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, which features new drumming by Nick Mason and restored keyboard parts from the late Richard Wright. 

Prince, 1999: Super Deluxe Edition (Warner Records/Rhino)

Prior to 1982, Prince was mostly known on the R&B charts with such hits as “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” “Controversy” and “Uptown.” But in that particular year, he and the Revolution released the crucial album, 1999, which introduced him to a wider mainstream audience. The double-record masterpiece—a merger of funk, soul, rock, synthpop and New Wave — yielded classic a trifecta of memorable Prince hits in the anthemic title song, “Little Red Corvette” and “Delirious.” Following the deluxe reissue treatment of Purple Rain from two years ago, 1999—considered one of Prince’s greatest records in his catalog — has been re-released as six-disc set featuring the remastered original album and a treasure trove of bonus tracks and previously unreleased material from the archives, which are astounding (especially “Bold Generation” and “Possessed”). The super deluxe edition also comes with live concert performances from Detroit and Houston in 1982. This set is an absolute-must for fans of the Purple One who will probably spend a considerable amount of time sifting through the rare bonus archival material. 

The Beatles, Abbey Road: Super Deluxe Box (Apple Corps/Capitol/UME)

A lot of media attention this past fall deservedly went to the Beatles for the 50th anniversary of their masterpiece Abbey Road, which marked the final time the Fab Four recorded together. The special milestone was marked by the release of a super deluxe box that features the original album (newly remixed by Giles Martin and Sam Okell), and two additional discs of unreleased outtakes from those sessions—ranging from a studio demo of George Harrison’s classic “Something” to an instrumental version of “Because.” The set is also accompanied by a gorgeous book featuring extensive liner notes and photos from the period. While some fans may feel satisfied with their worn-out vinyl or CD copy of one of the Beatles’ most popular records ever, this new deluxe is perhaps the definitive document.

Bob Dylan, The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings

Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969 (Featuring Johnny Cash) The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15 (Columbia/Legacy)

Even with the absence of a new studio album, Bob Dylan had a very 2019 on the reissue front. Earlier this year he opened the archives with the The Rolling Thunder Revue: The 1975 Live Recordings, spotlighting his ambitious tour in which he performed with an unwieldy cast of players that included Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Mick Ronson, Scarlet Rivera, Joni Mitchell, Allen Ginsberg. With a setlist that drew from the Blood on the Tracks and Desire albums, this 14-disc set (148 tracks altogether)—which coincided with the Martin Scorsese documentary on Netflix—is a must for Dylan fanatics and completists and surpasses the Vol. 5 edition of the Bootleg Series from 2002 that covers the same era. 

On a simpler scale is the 3-CD Travelin’ Thru, 1967-1969: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 15, concentrating on Dylan’s stripped-down, country-rock phase and featuring 47 previously unreleased track. Along with outtakes from the albums John Wesley Harding and Nashville Skyline, the jewel of this set is his duets with the legendary Johnny Cash, who not only embraced the then-young folk singer but even had him on Cash’s own TV variety show. Those duet performances from that program (among them “Girl From the North Country” and “I Threw It All Away”) are included here, along with studio sessions in which Dylan and Cash collaborated on some of the Man in Black songs such as “Ring of Fire,” “I Still Miss Someone” and “I Walk the Line.” In addition to Cash, this historic set concludes with a number of tracks feature Dylan performing with bluegrass/country legend Earl Scruggs.

Foreigner, Live at the Rainbow ‘78 (Rhino)

Formed in 1976, the British-American group Foreigner helped create the template of arena rock, and scored numerous hit albums and singles during their spectacular run in the ‘70s and ‘80s. Live at the Rainbow from 1978 captures the original classic lineup of Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Ian McDonald, Ed Gagliardi, Al Greenwood and Dennis Elliott delivering a barn-storming set songs from the group’s first album Foreigner—songs that have since become AOR staples: “Feels Like the First Time,” “Cold as Ice” and “Long Long Way,”  as well as deep cuts “Head Knocker,” “Starrider” and “At War With the World.” Most notable from this show recorded at London’s Rainbow Theater is that the band previewed two new songs, ”Double Vision” and “Hot Blooded,” from their upcoming multi-platinum record Double Vision. Not many of Foreigner’s previous live albums feature the original band lineup, which makes this release an anomaly in their discography. 

Jethro Tull, Stormwatch: 40th Anniversary (Chrysalis/Rhino)

Amid the collision of punk and disco in 1979, Jethro Tull, led by singer Ian Anderson, still commanded popularity, proving that progressive rock wasn’t extinct. The band’s release that year, Stormwatch, has been viewed as the final installment in the band’s trilogy of folk rock records— the other two being 1977’s Songs From the Wood and 1978’s Heavy Horses—highlighted by the notable cuts “North Sea Oil,” “Orion,” “Dun Ringill” and “Flying Dutchman.” Lyrically, the album’s environmental and maritime themes seem quite prophetic in the context of today’s climate change concerns. This exhaustive 4-CD/2-DVD package features the original album newly remixed by Steven Wilson; a more-than-generous amount of extra tracks recorded from that era, including several that had never been released until now; and a 1980 double-disc concert recorded in the Netherlands with a setlist of songs from Stormwatch nestled alongside familiar favorites “Aqualung,” “Locomotive Breath” and “Too Old to Rock and Roll.” The album also marked the end of an era as it was the final record from the classic Tull lineup of Anderson, guitarist Martin Barre, bassist John Glascock, keyboardists John Evan and David Palmer, and drummer Barriemore Barlow. These days Stormwatch is rarely mentioned in the same breath as Aqualung and Thick As a Brick in terms of the band’s best works; while not perfect, Stormwatch, especially in this deluxe anniversary edition, merits a new listen.

Rolling Stones, Bridges to Buenos Aires (Eagle Vision/Universal Music)

The latest edition to the band’s continuing archival series, Bridges to Buenos Aires captures the Rolling Stones’ 1998 performance in Argentina’s capital city as part of their Bridges to Babylon tour. The 2-CD/1-DVD or 1-Blu-ray set documents the ‘World’s Greatest Rock and Roll Band’ still in peak form, playing then-new songs like “Flip the Switch,” “Out of Control,” “Thief in the Night” and “Saint of Me” alongside the usual chestnuts as “Start Me Up,””(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “Brown Sugar” and “Sympathy for the Devil.” What makes Bridges to Buenos Aires stand out among the Stones’ numerous live releases is a special guest appearance by Bob Dylan performing his iconic song “Like a Rolling Stone” with the band (who had previously covered the song on 1995’s Stripped); that alone makes owning Bridges to Buenos Aires worth it. 

Steve Miller Band, Welcome to the Vault (Capitol/UME)

As the title of this 3-CD/1-DVD set indicates, the ‘Space Cowboy’/‘Gangster of Love’ opened up his archives to produce this recently anthology of 52 tracks—38 of them previously unreleased (the oldest song here is an early recording of “Going to Mexico” from 1966, to a live performance of “Lollie Lou” in 2016). In between are the classic Miller songs that built classic rock radio, including alternate versions of “Rock N Me,” “Jet Airliner,” “The Joker” and “Fly Like an Eagle,” accompanied by “Abracadabra,” “Take the Money and Run,” and “Living in the USA.” The DVD features video performances of Miller and his band over their 50-year-plus career, including footage from Monterey Pop, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert and most recently Austin City Limits. 

Simple Minds, 40: The Best of, 1979-2019 (UME)

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Souvenir: The Singles Collection 1979-2019 (UME/Virgin)

Two British modern rock groups who made their mark in the Eighties celebrated their 40th anniversaries this with new definitive hits compilations. While stylistically different from each other, both groups scored their biggest successes in America thanks to their songs being featured on John Hughes-related soundtracks. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark’s Souvenir contains 40 songs of both experimental and catchy synthpop, highlighted by their big hit “If You Leave” from the movie Pretty in Pink; Simple Minds, whose music has crossed through post-punk, New Wave and anthem rock, catapulted to fame with the iconic “Don’t You (Forget About Me) from The Breakfast Club. Along with the hits, both new compilations features new songs—”Don’t Go” for OMD, and “For One Night Only” for Simple Minds—proving that these beloved Eighties bands are still making music in addition to embracing their past.