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 : The Bryan Ferry Orchestra
RELEASE: The Jazz Age
BACKSTORY: The Roxy Music frontman this week release, in the U.S. (it came out in the U.K. last fall), a collection of his hits re-recorded with big-band jazz arrangements, including tracks such as “Slave to Love,” “Virginia Plain,” “Avalon,” “Do the Strand,” “Love is the Drug,” “Reason or Rhyme,” “Don’t Stop the Dance” and more.
BUY: Amazon.com (CD, digital, vinyl)
ARTIST : The Names
RELEASE: Swimming
BACKSTORY: The recently revived Factory Benelux imprint this week reissues the Martin Hannett-produced debut from the Brussels-based post-punk act, featuring a remastered version of the original 1982 record plus non-album singles and a Peel session to round out the set. A 2LP set is being released in the U.K., too (see full tracklist).
BUY: Amazon.com (CD, digital), Amazon.co.uk (CD, digital, 2LP)
ARTIST : R.E.M.
RELEASE: Original Album Series
BACKSTORY: Rhino Records this week releases in the U.K. a box set containing R.E.M.’s five post-Bill Berry albums, collecting Up (1998), Reveal (2001), Around the Sun (2004), Accelerate (2008) and swan song Collapse Into Now (2011). The set features no bonus material, just the albums as originally released.
BUY: Amazon.com (Box set)
ARTIST : INXS
RELEASE: Shabooh Shoobah & The Swing
BACKSTORY: The Aussie rockers this week release a 20-track single CD that combines their 1982 album Shabooh Shoobah — the band’s first to be released internationally — and 1984’s The Swing, featuring such favorites as “The One Thing,” “To Look At You,” “Don’t Change,” “Original Sin,” “Burn For You” and “I Send a Message.”
BUY: Amazon.com (CD)
Amazon US has it as an import for $26.99 but who would pay that price for these CD’s? The 1st 4 you can pick up at a used CD store for a couple bucks each. But why would you want to? The 1st 3 suck, Accelerate is worthwhile, Collapse into Now is about half good. My opinion of course. Don’t see them selling a bunch of this collection.