WIWS Banner

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

Monoliths

February 23, 2010 By Mike Duquette 8 Comments

I've been listening to Pet Sounds a lot lately. Maybe it's the dreary weather; whenever I put on some Beach Boys things feel a bit sunnier. But it's a heck of a record (as I'm sure most of you know) - one of those rarified few that's hard to chop down entirely.

It's also fascinating that it's one on a rather short list of pop albums that have supported its own box set. The sprawling The Pet Sounds Sessions, released in 1997, chronicles the process of the album through alternate mixes, outtakes, other session excerpts and - perhaps most notably - the first-time stereo mix of the record. It was and is a fascinating listen.

So much so, in fact, that I've scoured many a discography lately trying to think of some albums that are worthy of such a treatment. There are already several album/box sets out there I can immediately think of. The Stooges had a few album boxes: Rhino Handmade released the massive 1970: The Complete Fun House Sessions box in 1999, and Raw Power was tackled twice (one six-disc set by Easy Action Records in 2005 and the triple-disc box coming from Legacy this April).

Legacy has done a few album boxes based on some of their best-known singer-songwriters. Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run got the deluxe treatment in 2005, adding two DVDs to the mix. A similar approach was taken for Billy Joel's The Stranger in 2008, which added an unreleased live set and a DVD. (Lightning will strike again soon, as Springsteen has discussed plans to do a similar box set for Darkness on the Edge of Town.)

I'm sure there are more. But as with most remastered-music discussions on The Second Disc, I'm interested as much in what can be as I am in what already is. To that end, I offer just a few ideas to the album/box set idea pile. As always, though, I would love to hear your ideas, too. Read on after the jump.

  • Michael Jackson, Thriller: yes, it's the best-selling record ever. Yes, it's been reissued twice. No, none of those reissues have gotten anywhere near to definitive status. In addition to the many demos they could include (heck, the many demos they could re-include - why did the 2001 reissue only include 90 seconds of the "Carousel" demo?), there are plenty of alternate takes and mixes in the vault. (Fascinating facts: the original lineup for Thriller lacked many of the classics we know and love today - no "Beat It," no "Billie Jean," etc. What could the other songs possibly have been?!)
  • Prince, Dream Factory/Crystal Ball/Sign "O" the Times: when the double-LP Sign "O" the Times came out in 1987 it was hailed as a masterpiece by critics. If only they knew what it took to come out. The album - Prince's first after dissolving The Revolution in 1986 - was rooted in project from two years prior called Dream Factory, a double-album credited to Prince and The Revolution. After Prince sidetracked himself with the Parade album and disbanded his band, he sought to issue an expanded, triple-disc version of Dream Factory, now known as Crystal Ball, but Warner Bros. forced him to cut the set to a double album, which became Sign. Parallel to that, there was the infamous Black Album as well as a planned side project, "Camille," which called for songs sung by Prince and sped up to sound as if a woman had performed them. Were all of this to be released on one box set, you'd have quite a compilation on your hands.
  • The Beatles, Get Back/Let It Be: it may not be their absolute best album, but perhaps more than any of The Beatles' albums, this one would be interesting to give a full box treatment. If one could track through all the sessions and mixes that ended up on this record - not to mention the Let It Be film, one of the biggest rockumentaries unavailable on DVD - well, it wouldn't make up for splitting the stereo and mono boxes, but it would be something indeed.

Categories: News Formats: Box Sets Tags: Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Michael Jackson, Open Forum, Prince, The Beach Boys, The Beatles

Avatar photo

Mike Duquette

Michael Duquette (Founder) was fascinated with catalog music ever since he discovered there was more than one version of John Williams' soundtrack to E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. A 2009 graduate of Seton Hall University with a B.A. in journalism, Mike paired his profession with his passion through The Second Disc, one of the first sites to focus on all reissue labels great and small. His passion for reissues turned into a career, with bylines on catalog at Discogs, City Pages and Ultimate Prince and credits on titles including the Grammy-winning 'Squeeze Box: The Complete Works of "Weird Al" Yankovic.' Born and raised in New Jersey, Mike lives in Astoria, Queens with an ever-expanding collection of music.

Connect With Mike:

You Might Also Like

  • Dolly Parton Monument SinglesEverybody Loves You Now: Legacy's RSD Slate Includes Billy Joel, Dolly Parton, Miles Davis, Carole King, More
  • Carole Bayer Sager Sometimes Late at NightOUT TOMORROW! Iconoclassic Reissues Carole Bayer Sager's Star-Studded "Sometimes Late at Night," Featuring Burt Bacharach, Michael Jackson, Neil Diamond, More
  • gold cd2The Year In Review: The 2022 Gold Bonus Disc Awards, From A to Z - Part Two
  • Beach Boys Sail On Sailor 1972Holiday Gift Guide Review: The Beach Boys, "Sail on Sailor: 1972"

Comments

  1. Hank says

    February 23, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    The story of Dylan's "Blood On The Tracks" has been told many times--essentially, he re-recorded a bunch of songs on the album after a promo containing the original versions was released. Rumors of Columbia releasing a deluxe version of the album have floated around for years. Will it ever happen?

    (Interestingly, the "alternate versions" of these "Blood On The Tracks" cuts included on the 1991 "Bootleg Series Vol. 1-3" boxed set were not the same alternate versions found on this promo, but alternate versions of those alternate versions.)

    Reply
    • Shaun says

      April 22, 2010 at 11:00 pm

      I was going suggest this, but you beat me to it Hank... I thought we might get a 30th anniversary Deluxe Edition of Blood On the Tracks, then I thought we might get a 35th anniversary, but still nothing.

      Reply
  2. Will says

    February 24, 2010 at 3:16 am

    U2's Achtung Baby was unofficially accompanied by the 3-CD set out of outtakes and demos and riffs called Salome. This bootleg arose because U2 were trading DATs back and forth with Eno. (There's also a version with a few more discs of drumming, but that would be a bit much.) I'd buy an official release, based on Salome. Or indeed, based on unknown tapes of other material from those exceptionally fruitful sessions.

    Reply
  3. Sean Anglum says

    February 26, 2010 at 12:21 pm

    Well, Mike, if you are familiar with the original UK release of "Let It Be," you know that the book (The Beatles "Get Back") for your box is already in existence. And a marvelous book it is....quite handsome, with many wonderful excerpts of dialogue from the film and a fantastic collection of color photography from the project. A reprint/update of this book (with better binding...those who own one know what I'm talking about) would be a welcome component of the L.I.B. box. But I'm not holding me breath that it will ever materialize (in my lifetime, at least).

    Reply
  4. Bill Kopp says

    February 27, 2010 at 9:31 pm

    Mike, you might know this already...among collectors there is an 83-cd set (that is not a typo) of Get Back/Let it Be material. And it's great. It's called "A/B Road: The Complete Get Back Sessions."

    And there's a box's worth of material from the original SMiLE sessions. Anybody who loves Pet Sounds enough to pop for that box needs to seek out the SMiLE sessions as well.

    Reply
  5. Shaun says

    April 22, 2010 at 11:06 pm

    The Deluxe Edition of The Stranger was an odd duck, given that it was supposed to be the 30th anniversary edition but actually missed that anniversary (the original is from 1977).

    My biggest objection, however, is that the CD from Carnegie Hall is woefully incomplete. For a few bucks more, I'd have happily ponied up to have the complete show (spread across two CDs). What they released is great, but it's just not good enough knowing that it's an incomplete show.

    Actually, given that Billy is Columbia's top-selling aritst ever, I'm surprised there haven't been more Sony Legacy releases of complete concerts on CD or DVD . London 1984 (aired on the BBC but never in the States) would be a great choice. A complete Yankee Stadium show from 1990 would be another.

    Reply
    • Shaun says

      April 23, 2010 at 11:24 pm

      Come to think of it... There was supposed to be a DVD of Billy's two shows from Shea Stadium in 2008, but that never happened either. What gives?

      Reply
  6. Shaun says

    April 22, 2010 at 11:07 pm

    Let It Be still not on DVD... That's just a travesty. Then again, so is the Yellow Submarine movie having been on available on DVD, and now it's out of print. What happened with that? I'd love to have it.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Crazy Horse All Roads Lead Home
    All Roads Lead Home
    Crazy Horse
    March 31, 2023
  • The Who With Orchestra Live at Wembley
    The Who with Orchestra Live at Wembley
    The Who
    March 31, 2023
  • The Birth of Bop
    The Birth of Bop: The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection
    Various Artists
    March 31, 2023
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,573 other subscribers

Popular

  • Rush Signals 40th
    Chemistry: Rush Revisits "Signals" For 40th Anniversary posted on March 22, 2023 | under News
  • Elton John Honky Chateau Cover
    Release Round-Up: Week of March 24 posted on March 24, 2023 | under Release Round-Up
  • Stream Solar
    The Weekend Stream: March 25, 2023 posted on March 25, 2023 | under The Weekend Stream

Comments

  • small faces here come the nice2
    Return To Itchycoo Park: Small Faces' "Here Come The Nice" Deluxe Box Set Arrives In January [UPDATED 12/3] 84 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 3, 2013 | under News
  • the beatles u s albums box2
    British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil "The U.S. Albums" Box Set in January 69 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 12, 2013 | under News
  • Rolling Stones in Mono
    Out of Their Heads: Stones Plan Mono Box Set 47 comments | by Mike Duquette | posted on August 10, 2016 | under News

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popblerd
  • Popdose
  • Record Racks
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Viva La Mainstream
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Resonance Records
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2023 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy