If you don’t own a turntable, you might want to sit this one out. Thanks to another Record Store Day Black Friday, big-name new releases are few and far between next week — because they’ve been crowded out by another tsunami of vinyl treats, expanded reissues and resurrected rarities. Here are the new, old and new-old goodies that made my list:
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band | Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) 45th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This is the 45th anniversary deluxe edition of the classic 1978 album from Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. This limited edition two-LP vinyl set features the original album, recut from the original master tapes at Bernie Grundman Mastering, plus an additional LP with 12 previously unreleased demos, rough mixes and alternate versions from the Shiny Beast era. Featuring Tropical Hot Dog Night, The Floppy Boot Stomp, Bat Chain Puller and more.”
The Doors
Live In Bakersfield
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The Doors Live in Bakersfield captures one of the more unique shows from The Doors, during a tumultuous 1970 when Jim Morrison was on trial on trumped-up charges in Miami. The band had been playing together live for five years, and were tight enough to be able to veer into the unknown and that’s what they opted for in this California agriculture town on a hot summer night. Featuring improvisations and medleys of The Doors many beloved hits from across their albums, Live in Bakersfield is a shamanic adventure for all who listen. This is the first official release of the June 5, 1970 show, and includes the song Someday Soon, which was only performed live.”
Faces
Had Me A Real Good Time… With Faces! In Session & Live at the BBC 1971-1973
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “A new double LP, Had Me A Real Good Time…With Faces!, features a previously-unreleased performance from John Peel’s Sunday Concert. The show, recorded on May 13, 1971 and broadcast May 23, featured the classic Faces lineup of Rod Stewart on vocals, Ron Wood on guitar/vocals, Ronnie Lane and bass/vocals, Ian McLagan on keyboards/vocals and Kenney Jones on drums.”
Guided By Voices
Nowhere To Go But Up
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This record is massive and amazing. Nowhere To Go But Up is Guided By Voices’ third album of 2023 (and 39th overall) and is a sprawling, wild adventure. With virtually no choruses and just two repeated lyrics in 40 minutes, GBV’s latest offering is audacious and unafraid. One of the most fully realized works that Robert Pollard and co. have created, Nowhere To Go But Up showcases an expert rock band at the top of their game. The band are on a roll and unstoppable. Following their monumental 40th anniversary celebration in Dayton, Ohio, GBV begin their fifth decade with a bang!”
Joe Jackson
Mr. Joe Jackson Presents: Max Champion in ‘What A Racket!’
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “One of the most fascinating British music hall performers was Max Champion. Little is known about him, except that he was born in 1882 in London’s East End, and is thought to have been related to the great Victorian entertainer Harry Champion. His career (much like the music hall era itself) was cut short by the First World War, and his songs faded into obscurity. That is, until 2014, when Champion sheet music started to surface: First in Malta, then in England, and even in Belgium, where Max probably met his end in the trenches. By 2019, enough songs had been recovered for Joe Jackson to resurrect them with a 12-piece orchestra. ‘What A Racket!’ presents eleven of Champion’s songs for the first time in more than a century. According to Jackson, ‘These were wonderful songs in their time, but they’re surprisingly modern, too. Sometimes it’s almost as if Max is speaking, from his London of the early 20th century, directly to us in the early 21st’.”
Willie Nelson
Shotgun Willie 50th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Originally released in 1973, the groundbreaking album Shotgun Willie marked the beginning of an outlaw country resurgence in the following decade. It was a change in sound for Willie Nelson and led the way for other country artists to break out of the strict Nashville Sound. This edition includes a second LP of outtakes and alternate tracks.”
War
The World Is A Ghetto 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In 1973, the best-selling album in America was The World Is a Ghetto by War. This fall, the multi-ethnic SoCal band is giving fans a new way to experience its mega-million-selling classic with a new 50th-anniversary edition. The deluxe collection was curated by War’s producer Jerry Goldstein, founding member Lonnie Jordan, and Jeremy Levine. It includes the original album, newly remastered, as well as six unreleased bonus tracks and unreleased “the making of” recordings that trace the evolution of each of the six original album tracks from the first note to the master take. The original album and bonus tracks are pressed on two gold-vinyl LPs, while “the making of” tracks are pressed on three black-vinyl LPs.”
Yes
The Yes Album Super Deluxe Edition
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Rhino takes a deep dive into Yes’s third studio album with a boxed set that presents a newly remastered version of The Yes Album expanded with rarities, two previously unreleased concerts, and fresh mixes by Steven Wilson, including an immersive Dolby Atmos Mix. “The Yes Album represents to me the invention of ’70s Yes,” says guitarist Steve Howe. “This was aided by leaving outside material off the record and heavily investing in the influences we brought together, particularly the arrangement skills and utilizing the available best technology. Our adventurism shows in the originality of the music and lyrics, as none of us had done anything quite like this before.”
