Archive for the ‘Black Sabbath’ Category
Vinyl Watch: Black Sabbath, Death Cab Box Up Remastered LPs on Wax
There are only two weeks left until Christmas, but that doesn’t mean there’s a shortage of interesting catalogue projects around the way. Two recently-released vinyl boxes pack up a good chunk of two very diverse discographies for your perusal, with boxes for rock legends Black Sabbath and indie darlings Death Cab for Cutie available now.
The import-only Album Box Set by Black Sabbath, released today by Sanctuary Records, features all of the band’s albums for Vertigo/Warner Bros. with Ozzy Osbourne as frontman. (That’s Black Sabbath and Paranoid (1970), Master of Reality (1971), Volume 4 (1972), Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973), Sabotage (1975), Technical Ecstasy (1976)and Never Say Die! (1978), as well as 1980′s Live at Last…) Not merely content to present the original albums remastered on vinyl and replicated down to the last insert and sleeve, Sanctuary has also thrown in a copy of the band’s first single, “Evil Woman,” backed by non-LP B-side “Wicked World,” as well as a hardbound book replicating all of the band’s tour programs from that era. Order this box through Amazon U.S. or Amazon U.K. now.
Also available to order online only is a box set devoted to the early works of Washington alt-rock band Death Cab for Cutie. The Barsuk Years chronicles everything the band put out for the independent Seattle label before signing with major label Atlantic, as well as the band’s first release, the cassette-only demo You Can Play These Songs with Chords (1997). That album, in its vinyl debut, is exclusive to the box, along with exclusive vinyl editions of the Forbidden Love and Stability EPs from 2000 and 2002. Proper albums Something About Airplanes (1998), We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes (2000), The Photo Album (2001) and breakthrough disc Transatlanticism (2003). All but that final disc have been newly remastered by Roger Seibel at SAE to maintain a sonic quality consistent with that final disc. Limited to 1,500 signed, numbered boxes, The Barsuk Years is available here through the Artist in Residence imprint.
Release Round-Up: Week of December 11
War, The World is a Ghetto: 40th Anniversary Edition (Hip-O Select/Avenue)
The Cisco Kid can be a friend of yours with this remastered edition of the 1972 funk classic, boasting four unreleased bonus tracks. (Amazon U.S. / U.K.)
Interpol, Turn On the Bright Lights: 10th Anniversary Edition (Matador)
The New York band’s breakthrough album, which saw them rise to the top of the critically-acclaimed indie rock pile, is expanded for its 10th anniversary with a bonus disc of rare and unreleased tracks and a DVD of music videos and two live concerts. (2 CD/1 DVD: Amazon U.S. / U.K. ; 2 LP/1 DVD: Amazon U.S. / U.K.)
The Jam, The Gift: Deluxe Edition (Polydor/UMe)
A U.S. cut-down version of last month’s hefty deluxe box set, featuring the first two discs of said box (the original album and non-LP B-sides on one disc, a clutch of rare and unreleased demos on the other). (Amazon U.S. / U.K.)
Peter, Paul & Mary, Live in Japan 1967 (Rhino)
This release, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the beloved folk trio, includes Deluxe: Live in Japan, a regional-only album making its domestic CD debut, and a bonus disc of 12 unreleased tracks from the same performance. (Amazon U.S. / U.K.)
Black Sabbath, Vinyl Album Box Set (Sanctuary)
This U.K. box features newly remastered, replicated versions of all the Ozzy Osbourne-era Black Sabbath albums, recreated down to the inserts, plus a hardbound book of replica tour programs and a copy of the band’s first 7″ single, “Evil Woman.” Plus, a download code is included to take all those songs on the go! (Amazon U.K. / U.S.)
Finally, we cap off this short release week with the latest reissues on hi-res formats and vinyl:
Big Brother and The Holding Company, Cheap Thrills (Amazon U.S. / U.K.) / Joe Walsh, But Seriously, Folks (Amazon U.S. / U.K.) (24KT Gold CDs) (Audio Fidelity)
Television, Marquee Moon (180-Gram LP) (Rhino) (Amazon U.S. / U.K.)
Release Round-Up: Week of June 5
The Beatles, Yellow Submarine (Blu-Ray) (Apple/EMI)
Take a trip back to Pepperland with the Fab Four’s animated film, now available as a feature-laden Blu-Ray Disc. The 1999 Yellow Submarine Songtrack remix album is also added to the Beatles remaster canon. (Keep a close eye on our giveaway; we’re announcing a winner very soon!)
Paul Simon, Graceland: 25th Anniversary Edition (Legacy)
A man walks down the street, sees many configurations of the Graceland reissue (namely a CD/DVD featuring newly released outtakes and the new documentary Under African Skies – also separately available on DVD and Blu-Ray – and a four-disc box set which adds an entire 1987 concert from the Graceland tour on DVD) and gets pretty darn excited.
David Bowie, The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders from Mars: 40th Anniversary Edition (EMI)
Ziggy falls to earth once again, albeit just as a newly-remastered CD with no bonus content; the bonuses are on the LP/DVD combo, which features out-of-print and unreleased surround mixes.
Jerry Goldsmith, Star Trek: The Motion Picture – Limited Edition (La-La Land Records)
Available to order later today (around 4 p.m. EST), this three-disc edition is the definitive word on Jerry Goldsmith’s iconic score for the first Trek film, with the complete score, alternate and rejected cues, the original LP program and many other audio treasures. (If you haven’t yet, do check out the first part of our interview with the set’s co-producer Mike Matessino, and check back for part two later this week!)
Michael Jackson, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (CD Single) (Epic/Legacy)
Available only at Walmart stores in the U.S., this CD single, backed with the unreleased demo “Don’t Be Messin’ ‘Round,” kicks off the Bad 25 campaign.
Maroon 5, Songs About Jane: 10th Anniversary Edition (A&M/Octone)
Weeks away from the release of their fourth studio album, a double-disc version of Maroon 5′s first breakthrough album, featuring demos and unlockable video content, is now available.
Sugar, Beaster: Deluxe Edition (Edsel)
The latest in the Sugar reissue campaign (seminal debut Copper Blue was reissued last week) is an expansion of the band’s second release, an EP, with a bonus DVD of performance clips.
Heart, Strange Euphoria (Epic/Legacy)
A 3 CD/1 DVD box chronicling the highs of Ann and Nancy Wilson’s lengthy careers, with hits and rarities in equal measure.
Lenny Kravitz, Mama Said: 21st Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Virgin/EMI)
Kravitz’s sophomore album, featuring hit single “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over,” expanded with non-LP B-sides, live material and archival demos.
Some hidden gems from some of the best ’70s and ’80s rockers, all of which are either rare or new to CD.
Kylie Minogue, The Best of Kylie Minogue (EMI Catalogue)
A simple, compact collection of Kylie hits. A special edition features a DVD of music videos.
Black Sabbath, Iron Man: The Best of Black Sabbath (Sanctuary U.K.)
A bare-bones Sabbath compilation.
The Association, The Complete Warner Bros. and Valiant Singles Collection (Now Sounds)
Every last one of The Association’s singles for the Valiant and Warner Bros. labels are collected on two CDs! Watch for full coverage of this collection soon!
Never Say Die: New Black Sabbath Compilation Coming to U.K. in June
It’s been a winding road for Black Sabbath fans, likely anxious over the band’s somewhat perilous reunion late last year. Original members Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward announced their plans late last year to tour and release a new album in 2012 – a plan that’s been semi-sidelined by Iommi undergoing treatment for lymphoma and contractual disagreements with Ward. Only three dates have been announced for the band this year, including a pair of overseas gigs and a stint at Lollapalooza in August.
That said, Sanctuary, the controller of the band’s catalogue in Europe, is planning a modest push for new fans with the release of a new compilation this summer. Iron Man: The Best of Black Sabbath is a 14-track disc featuring material from six of the band’s first eight albums, all of which featured Osbourne as lead vocalist.
If you’ve purchased the many, many releases of the band’s back catalogue, there’s certainly nothing here you don’t already own. But new fans might want to spin “Paranoid,” “Iron Man,” “Snowblind” and other killer cuts, and they’ll have a shiny new disc with which to do so when this appears in shops on June 4.
Check out the track list after the jump.
Release Round-Up: Week of August 2
Arcade Fire, Scenes from the Suburbs (Merge)
Last year’s Grammy winner for Album of the Year is newly expanded with two unreleased tracks and a bonus DVD documentary. (Official site)
Various Artists, Mightier Than the Sword: The Ronnie James Dio Story (Sanctuary U.K.)
This new double-disc set, in honor of the late, beloved metal singer, is the first to compile just about every band Dio ever sang for – Elf, Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven and Hell. (Official site)
Archers of Loaf, Icky Mettle: Deluxe Edition (Merge)
The North Carolina ’90s college-rock stalwart’s debut album is newly remastered and expanded with a bonus disc of rare single and EP material. (Official site)
The Gap Band, The Gap Band 8: Expanded Edition / The Isley Brothers, Between the Sheets: Expanded Edition / Johnny Nash, I Can See Clearly Now: Expanded Edition / The Joneses, The Joneses: Expanded Edition / Keith Barrow, Keith Barrow: Expanded Edition / The Nite-Liters, A-Nal-Y-Sis: Expanded Edition (Big Break)
More expanded reissues from Cherry Red’s main soul provider! (Big Break)
Kippington Lodge, Shy Boy: The Complete Recordings 1967-1969 (RPM)
An early ’60s pop turn from a band that included Nick Lowe and Brinsley Schwarz among its ranks. This set includes ten single A- and B-sides with some rare and unreleased material. (RPM)
Reissue Theory: Live Aid on CD
Twenty-six years ago today, on two different continents, the music world came together for a worthy cause: to raise awareness of famine in Ethiopia. Live Aid, a pair of concerts organized by Bob Geldof in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985 and broadcasted live on the BBC, ABC and MTV, was seen in person by some 172,000 people and on television by nearly 2 billion across the globe.
And, if you can believe it, none of it has ever been released on LP or CD.
Granted, it’s not entirely unsurprising. Geldof promised artists that the performances were very much a one-off, never to be seen past the initial broadcast. (That of course turned out to be untrue, with the release of a four-disc DVD set in 2004.) But you have to wonder, given not only the fiercely charitable nature of the organization as well as the capitalistic nature of the music industry, why a commemorative album was never put out to raise even more money for charities.
But if they did, this is how it might go down.
Release Round-Up: Week of June 7
Marvin Gaye, What’s Going On: 40th Anniversary Edition (Motown/UMe)
Two CDs feature the original album and a host of rarities, single mixes, and all the best outtakes leading up to the making of this R&B classic (almost a dozen of which are unreleased). The deluxe package is rounded out by the great Detroit mix of the album on vinyl. (Check out our two-part interview with Harry Weinger on the set!) (Amazon)
Paul Simon, Paul Simon / There Goes Rhymin’ Simon / In Concert: Live Rhymin’ / Still Crazy After All These Years (Columbia/Legacy)
The Rhino reissues (plus Simon’s first live album with two unreleased tracks, which was never released when Warner reissued his catalogue) are back in print, only on Legacy instead. Plenty of worthwhile stuff if you missed it the first time around, and not a total loss thanks to Live Rhymin’. (Official site)
Frank Sinatra, Ring-a-Ding-Ding! Expanded Edition (Concord)
The Chairman’s first release for his own label, Reprise, comes out on Concord with two bonus tracks (including the unreleased “Have You Met Miss Jones?”). (Joe has a review coming up later today.) (Official site)
INXS, INXS Remastered (Universal U.K.)
A 10-disc boxset featuring straight remasters of all the band’s albums, from INXS (1980) toElegantly Wasted (1997). Don’t forget, though, that expanded reissues of some of these albums exist – and another reissue of Kick is allegedly in the works. (Official site)
Suede, Suede: Expanded Edition (Demon Music Group)
The Britpop band’s first album was reissued in the U.K. last week as a 2 CD/1 DVD package, and it’s now available on U.S. shores. The remainder of the band’s catalogue shall be expanded over the next month. (Official site)
Dean Martin, Classic Dino: The Best of Dean Martin / Dino: The Essential Dean Martin (Capitol/EMI) / Cool Then, Cool Now (Hip-O/UMe)
On the very day of Dino’s birth, three(!) compilations are released: a single-disc set, a double-disc reissue of Martin’s 2004 compilation (with an unreleased track), and another two-disc CD with book from Hip-O featuring some rarer tracks. (Official site)
Depeche Mode, Remixes 2: 81-11 (Mute)
A hefty collection of remixes old and new, including some mixes by Vince Clarke and Alan Wilder – essentially reuniting the band’s original lineup. (Official site)
Joy Division/New Order, Total: The Best of Joy Division and New Order (Rhino U.K.)
The first commercially-available compilation of both bands on one package. Outside of the one New Order track on the set, though, there isn’t much for anyone but brand new fans. (Rhino U.K.)
David Bowie, Golden Years (Digital EP) (Virgin/EMI)
Some new digital-only remixes of the Station to Station classic. (iTunes)
AC/DC, Let There Be Rock (Warner Bros.)
The DVD/Blu-Ray debut of the Aussie rockers’ 1980 concert film, shot in Paris at the end of 1979, mere months before original lead singer Bon Scott died. (Official site)
Iron Maiden, From Fear to Eternity: The Best of 1990-2010 (EMI)
Two discs of Iron Maiden from 1990 to now, including one rare live B-side. (Official site)
Black Sabbath, Born Again: Deluxe Edition (Sanctuary/UMC U.K.)
The only Sabbath album with Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan on lead vocals, this import reissue – already available in the U.K. – comes with an unreleased live show and a few outtakes. (Amazon U.K.)
Roger Waters, Roger Waters Collection (Sony Music U.K.)
Remasters of all of Roger Waters’ solo studio LPs plus the live CD/DVD set In the Flesh from 2000. Worth picking up if you’d like to catch up with all of the ex-Pink Floyd member’s solo work at once. (Official site)
Justin Bieber, My Worlds Acoustic (Island)
Nope, not making this one up! This cash-grab EP is making its debut to general retail, having been a Wal-Mart exclusive since last Christmas. (Official site)
Long Live Rock and Roll! Dio Compilation Due in U.K. This May
Ronnie James Dio passed away in 2010, but his spirit has lived on rather nicely in the world of reissues. In recent years, Universal in the U.K. has released expansive deluxe editions of the vocalist’s work with Black Sabbath and Rainbow, not to mention a few archival releases through his own estate’s Niji Entertainment Group. Now, Universal Music Catalogue will add another compilation to the mix for U.K. fans – one which covers, in two discs, all of the artist’s major-label acts.
Mightier Than the Sword: The Ronnie James Dio Story, collects tracks from virtually every band Dio ever fronted, from Elf and Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow to Black Sabbath, Dio and Heaven and Hell (the reformed Dio-led lineup of Black Sabbath that performed in the late 2000s). There’s even a track from the lesser-known solo project by ex-Deep Purple bassist Roger Glover, released in 1974.
Expect the set in U.K. shops on May 30 and a week later in the States. A full track list and order link follows after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »
Black Sabbath is “Born Again” on New U.K. Reissue
England has gotten more than its share of great expansions of the Black Sabbath catalogue – even the lesser known material – and now we can add another title to the list. The metal ensemble’s Born Again (1983) is coming back into print in May in a new double-disc deluxe edition.
Black Sabbath were in a period of transition in the months leading up to Born Again. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio had left the band to form his own successful band, and took Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice with him. Remaining members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler were fortunate to reconvene with original drummer Bill Ward, whose health had forced his intermittent leave from the group. Now all they needed was a vocalist, which they found in a most unusual place: Ian Gillan, the bluesy singer for Deep Purple. Perhaps wanting to strike while the iron was hot enough, the band quickly wrote, recorded and mixed a record, which almost nobody found satisfying. Critics felt Gillan clashed far too much with the Sabbath sound, fans were left cold by the hastily-prepared set and the band particularly disliked the mix and the ensuing tour. (On that tour, the band took an oversized Stonehenge set piece on the road that occasionally had trouble fitting on stage. This incident was parodied in reverse in one legendary sequence in Rob Reiner’s This is Spinal Tap a year later.) That said, the album was somewhat of a commercial success, peaking at No. 4 in the U.K. (the band’s highest chart placement in a decade) and denting the U.S. Top 40.
The Born Again reissue comes with its share of nice extras, though. One disc features the remastered album (there is no indication yet if the album has been remixed, despite the desire of the band to do so), and another features two heavily bootlegged outtakes and a BBC broadcast of part of the band’s performance at the Reading Festival in 1983. (Fans may recall that there is a widely-known bootleg of the entire Reading set, but Universal informed this Black Sabbath fan site that their sources from the full show were in too inferior quality to release; thus, the label opted for the better-sounding (if shorter) BBC recording.
All in all, though, it’s a pretty neat tribute to an album that fans have likely wanted to reappraise for some time. The set comes out on May 30 in the U.K. and one week later as a U.S. import. Order it from Amazon here and hit the jump for the full scoop on the track list!
Release Round-Up: Week of February 8
The Beatles, Love (iTunes Version) (Apple/EMI)
Another Beatles album drops on iTunes: the 2006 soundtrack to the Cirque du Soleil attraction – and this version has two previously unreleased bonus tracks. (iTunes)
Miles Davis, Bitches Brew Live (Columbia/Legacy)
The jazz great lights up the Newport Jazz and Isle of Wight Festivals in this vintage compilation (Sony)
The Stan Getz Quintets, The Clef & Norgran Studio Albums (Verve/Hip-o Select)
A three-disc box collating Getz’s early quintet years, much of it unavailable on CD until now. (Hip-o Select) Read the rest of this entry »
