Record Rack: A round-up of the week’s new albums, expanded reissues and/or box sets, appearing each Monday on Slicing Up Eyeballs.
ARTIST: Yazoo
RELEASE: Reconnected Live
BACKSTORY: The briefly reunited duo — Yaz, as the Vince Clarke/Alison Moyet group was known here in the U.S. — this week releases a 20-song document of its 2008 reunion tour. The album is available in a standard 2CD set or a 2CD deluxe edition with a 32-page book, or as an iTunes download with rare bonus track “Get Set.” (Full tracklist here.)
BUY IT: Reconnected Live via Amazon.com
ARTIST: Killing Joke
RELEASE: Absolute Dissent
BACKSTORY: After a six-month delay, the landmark postpunk act’s reunited original lineup this week releases, in the U.K., its first new album since 1982’s Revelations.
BUY IT: Absolute Dissent via Amazon.co.uk
ARTIST: Duran Duran
RELEASES: Notorious, Big Thing
BACKSTORY: This week sees the release, in most of the world, of the latest in DD’s series of expanded reissues: 2CD/1DVD editions of the band’s 1986 and 1988 albums, featuring a bevy of bonus tracks and remixes, plus videos and live performances. Patience, American fans: These reissues don’t arrive in the U.S. until Oct. 12. (See full tracklists here.)
BUY IT: Notorious, Big Thing via Amazon.co.uk
ARTIST: Morrissey
RELEASE: “Everyday is Like Sunday”
BACKSTORY: The ex-Smiths singer precedes next week’s 20th anniversary U.K. edition of Bona Drag with a reissue of “Everyday is Like Sunday” on CD and two different 7-inches. Among the new B-sides is “November the Second,” the much-coveted and long-squelched remix of “November Spawned a Monster.” (See full tracklist here.)
BUY IT: “Everyday is Like Sunday” via Amazon.co.uk
See additional new releases from the likes of David Bowie, The Fall, KMFDM, Bad Religion, Tom Tom Club, Soundgarden, David Sylvian and more after the jump…
ARTIST: David Bowie
RELEASE: Station to Station: Deluxe Edition
BACKSTORY: The Thin White Duke’s six-song 1976 album this week receives a massive reissue, in 3CD and 5CD/1DVD/3LP editions, which include a new transfer of the album from the original analog master and a two-disc live set recorded in 1976.
BUY IT: Station to Station: Deluxe Edition via Amazon.com
ARTIST: The Fall
RELEASE: Live at the Witch Trials
BACKSTORY: The 1979 debut album from Mark E. Smith and Co. receives a new 2CD reissue in the U.K. this week, supplementing the original 11-track album with 29 bonus cuts, including the Bingo Master’s Break-Out! EP, live recordings, rehearsal tracks and the two John Peel sessions the band recorded during this era.
BUY IT: Live at the Witch Trials via Amazon.com
ARTIST: KMFDM
RELEASES: Greatest Shit, Wurst
BACKSTORY: The German industrial powerhouse this week releases a pair of greatest-hits collections to celebrate its 25th anniversary; Greatest Shit features 38 tracks across two discs, spanning the band’s 1986 album What Do You Know, Deutschland? through last year’s Blitz. Wurst features just the first disc of Greatest Shit.
BUY IT: Greatest Shit, Wurst via Amazon.com
ARTIST: Bad Religion
RELEASE: The Dissent of Man
BACKSTORY: The veteran Southern California punk combo, which has been celebrating its 30th anniversary on tour and with a free live download this year, this week releases its 15th studio album, a 15-track collection that also, in a deluxe digital edition, comes with five more bonus tracks, four of which are live recordings.
BUY IT: The Dissent of Man via Amazon.com
ARTIST: Tom Tom Club
RELEASE: Genius of Live
BACKSTORY: This new 2CD set, out this week, features “select tracks” from 2002’s double-disc Live @ The Clubhouse release (including favorites such as “Wordy Rappinghood,” “The Man with the 4-Way Hips” and “Suboceana”), plus a second disc of “Genius of Love” remixes by the likes of Money Mark, Ozomatli and more.
BUY IT: Genius of Live via Amazon.com
ARTIST: Soundgarden
RELEASE: Telephantasm
BACKSTORY: The newly reunited grunge titans this week release a new best-of spanning the band’s debut on the 1986 comp Deep Six to Down on the Upside a decade later — with a previously unreleased Badmotorfinger outtake thrown in. The set comes in single-disc, 2CD/1DVD and 2CD/1DVD/3LP editions. (See tracklist here.)
BUY IT: Telephantasm via Amazon.com
ARTIST: David Sylvian
RELEASE: Sleepwalkers
BACKSTORY: The former Japan frontman this week issues a 16-track compilation of his favorite collaborations recorded during the 2000s, some of which “have been given a subtle remix by David to bring them in line with his personal requirements.” The set also includes one new song, “Five Lines,” a collaboration with Dai Fujikura.
BUY IT: Sleepwalkers via Amazon.com
ARTIST: Various
RELEASE: Retro:Active 7 — Rare & Remixed
BACKSTORY: Hi-Bias Records this week releases the latest in its series of New Wave/synthpop remix collections, this time featuring the tracks from the likes of Tears For Fears, Echo & The Bunnymen, OMD and a-ha — many of which have not been commercially available on CD before. (See full tracklist, and enter to win a copy, here.)
BUY IT: Retro:Active 7 — Rare & Remixed via HiBias.com
SO psyched for Yazoo! One of the best shows I have seen in years – just wish that iTunes bonus track was on the deluxe CD, which would truly make it…well…”deluxe.”
“Station To Station” is easily in my top three Bowie albums – not sure that this reissue is worth it though. His live shows back then were often times pretty lifeless. Maybe Santa will bring it to me.
After the bad reception of Duran’s last two remastered collections, does anyone know if these have the same issues? Thanks.