As far as I am concerned, Reissues and Retrospectives get their own list since a lot of classic albums would just end up at the top of people’s lists every year. My list is a strange one this year, but I certainly enjoyed the new looks and listens that these reissues and retrospectives provided over their original records and releases.
1. Iggy & The Stooges- Raw Power (Columbia)
Bar none, one of my favorite records of all time and an inarguable classic not just for its impact on music following its release (look at all the punk bands that it inspired) but also because Raw Power could not be a more fitting name for the songs on this album. This reissue offered a ton of extra material to listen to and watch (if you procured the uber deluxe version of the release) that completely makes the money worth grabbing. I could go on and on about this record (and did in my review for this site), but I will be short here; this is an essential piece of rock and roll history.
2. Floor- Beyond and Below (Robotic Empire)
This release was simply massive. Ten LPs, one seven inch record, eight CDs, and a thirty-two page booklet housed in a cloth box gives people probably all the Floor that anyone could ever hope to consume. No review or description could do this justice (I know, I have tried). If you like Torche, this is where the band came from in all its down tuned pop metal glory; just Floor over the years was much more varied in its sound.
3. Iggy Pop & James Williamson- Kill City (Alive)
Finally, a decent sounding version of this album, which is almost the fourth Stooges album (following Raw Power of course) is available. This record is great, but there are no extra tracks for this reissue so it is only the original record (sounding way better) here. Still, like I said, a great rock and roll record to shake it to when no one is around to embarrass yourself.
4. Earth- A Bureaucratic Desire For Extra Capular Extraction (Southern Lord)
I am going to speak sacrilege here (amongst Earth fans and aficionados) and say that I never owned Extra Capular Extraction (I know I know); but this fact allowed me to purchase A Bureaucratic Desire For Extra Capular Extraction guilt free (for once I was not buying just another version of a record that I already own). All I can say is this combines all the recorded material from Earth’s infamous “Smegma Sessions” into one place and given the best sound that I have ever heard from these tracks. The whole package looks awesome too, which is just a big bonus.
5. Have A Nice Life- Voids (Music Ruins Lives)
OK, this release is a bit difficult to classify as it is the first physical release of the songs here. Originally available as a fan compiled download (with the blessing of the band), Voids contains various demos and other unreleased recordings on the way to Deathconsciousness. Music Ruins Lives released this then on cassette (limited and sold out but you can still download this excellent document of music) with a track previously not available on the original fan created download. Well, this is worth tracking down if you enjoy Have A Nice Life because it contains some of my favorite songs from the band that did not get released elsewhere.
Honorable Mentions
- Jesu- Heart Ache & Dethroned (Hydra Head)
- Cave In- Anomalies Vol. 1 (Hydra Head)
(Bob)
