In what’s becoming an annual tradition around these parts, here’s a look at some of the best reissues, box sets and archival releases from this year. You know, music that’s old, but new to us! Click here for the 2014 list.
The Best Reissues of 2015
Bob Dylan – The Bootleg Series Vol. 12: The Cutting Edge 1965-66 (Columbia / Legacy)
I’m planning on writing about this in detail later, so I’ll keep it brief: this collection of outtakes, alternates and studio sketches reads like a greatest hits from an alternate universe. Chances are you’re familiar with most of these tunes already (has anyone not heard “Like A Rolling Stone” at this point?), but every alternate take has some new element, be it a different line or a different guitar part or a new instrument in the mix, that makes it sound like you’re hearing it for the first time. The 6-CD set might be a little much for most people, but the 2-CD set is essential for anyone interested in mid-60s Dylan or the music he inspired.
Kestrel – Kestrel (Cherry Red)
See my review here!
Jerry Garcia – On Broadway (Round Records)
In October 1987, Garcia hit Broadway for a two-week run. Depending on which biography you believe, this was either dreamed up as a cash grab or was a dream come true for Garcia. Either way, it produced some memorable music from the Jerry Garcia Band, his musical home away from the Grateful Dead. This set – billed as Act One, implying there’s more on the way, is three sets from that run: two acoustic sets, plus an electric one. It run the gamut of his influences, everything from reggae to Motown to bluegrass; like Garcia himself, it’s a feast of music.
Grateful Dead – Dave’s Picks Vol. 14: Academy of Music, March 26, 1972 (Rhino)
As for the rest of the Dead, 2015 was an eventful year: they reformed for a series of shows in the summer and celebrated their 50th anniversary with a huge, 30-concert box set, weighing in at something like 60 CDs. It’s way too much for even me. Thankfully, their Dave’s Picks series continued to dig into the archives and plucked a choice show from their run at NYC’s Academy of Music in early 1972. This was a warm-up series of shows for their first European tour, but the band was hitting their stride, with a choice mix of old and new songs showcasing their wide range of talents. I personally love the extended “Truckin’ > Drums > The Other One > Me and My Uncle > The Other One” sequence on disc 2, but there are highlights aplenty throughout the whole show.
John Coltrane – A Love Supreme: The Complete Masters (Impluse/Verve)
Okay, so you probably have this record in some form already. Like Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue (which also features Coltrane), it’s become shorthand for jazz. And although it’s not even my favourite Coltrane record (That’d be Giant Steps or maybe Ascension), it’s still very, very good. This box ups the ante for anyone interested, with not just both mono and stereo mixes, but a complete live performance of the record and every alternate take, false start, and vocal overdub. It’s a lot of material and not all of it isessential, but the alternate takes with a young Archie Shepp are fun listening and the live material make a familiar record sound brand new.
The Velvet Underground – The Matrix Tapes (Universal)
On last year’s list, I mentioned how the live Velvets material was the best reason to invest in the Velvet Underground super-deluxe reissue. It wasn’t quite the case with the Loaded reissue (if you have the old Rhino 2CD, you’ve got everything you need already), but the Matrix boxset is worth the price of admission. Four CDs of prime live Velvets, right as the band was starting to fray but hadn’t come apart yet. They’re road-tested, trying out new things each night, and I think I’m in love with their slow, swirling take of “Sister Ray.”
Universal Togetherness Band – Universal Togetherness Band (Numero Records)
Late 70s funk, with all that implies: heavy rhythms, fretless bass, chirpy keyboards, and enough grooves to satisfy just about anyone. These guys were apparently only recorded because students at a local university needed a band to record for a project? I’m not quite sure, but I’m glad the Universal Togetherness Band wound up on tape anyway: it’s a little raw, sometimes a little sloppy, but generally just a nice helping of disco/funk. For a second course, try Numero Group’s Ultra-High Frequencies, a collection of other late-70s Chicago funk bands, all of whom appeared on the same late-night TV show.
Miles Davis – The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: At Newport 1955-75 (Columbia/Legacy)
The Bootleg Series Vol. 4: At Newport 1955-75 was kind of a mess, jumping around through wildly different bands and featuring a lot of previously-released material. There are his laid-back, cool 50s jazz groups, his exploratory late-60s period, and his funky, abrasive 70s bands. Thing is, even if they don’t all fit together into one cohesive whole, they all sound good, just different. Personally, I like the fourth CD, a complete show from October 1971 in Switzerland, and the stuff from a November 1973 show in Berlin. It’d have been nice if it didn’t have so many loose excerpts – the complete 1975 show has been floating around as a bootleg for years – but hey, any electric Miles is good Miles.