Out with the new and in with the old. For some reason I’ve never totally understood, March always brings a slew of box sets, anthologies, compilations and reissues. Here’s an alphabetical list of my favourites — click on the cover pictures to read the original review:
Dead Tired
Full Vol.
You can’t spell punk without pun. The title of the Hamilton hardcore hooligans’ disc nods to their balls-out ferocity and everything-on-11 power madness — and to the fact that the half-hour juggernaut compiles tracks from three recent EPs.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
The Best of Everything: The Definitive Career Spanning Hits Collection 1976-2016
They couldn’t have been plainer with that title. Or more accurate. Basically, if you can think of a Tom Petty song you heard on the radio, it’s probably here.
Keith Richards
Talk is Cheap 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
For me, Keith Richards has always been the heart and soul of The Rolling Stones. Talk is Cheap goes a long way toward validating my belief — a solid set of bare-knuckle, rough ’n’ ready guitar-rock laced with blues, funk and reggae, it was everything the Stones should have been doing.
Townes Van Zandt
Sky Blue
Recorded in 1973 at a friend’s home studio, Sky Blue consists of 11 previously unreleased solo recordings and demos that capture tragically troubled Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt in his purest and most intimate form. Light a candle.
Frank Zappa
Zappa in New York 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Four decades after its arrival, sardonic rock iconoclast Frank Zappa’s legendary double-live album Zappa in New York is back — bigger, badder, bolder and browner than ever, thanks to four full CDs of new material and great packaging. Even the most casual fan will squirm with ecstasy.
