reissues
Spin Cycle: U2's "Achtung Baby (Super Deluxe Edition)"

Spin Cycle: U2’s “Achtung Baby (Super Deluxe Edition)”

U2’s “Achtung Baby” is celebrating it’s 20th anniversary with a super-deluxe fan package in which you get a lock of Bono’s hair. Kidding. But we do have a review of the actual deluxe package. Seriously.

Spin Cycle: Stephanie Mills’ “Feel The Fire: The 20th Century Collection”

Generally, I leave the reissue-oriented stuff to my brother Mike Duquette and his site The Second Disc , but occasionally, there is a compilation or reissue that catches my eye enough to want to write something about it. I’ve got to say, Hip-O Select has been killing it with the reissues of late. Pulling from the archives of Universal Music, the company that distributes (or has distributed) MCA, Geffen, Def Jam, A&M and Motown (among other influential labels), they certainly have plenty of source material […]

New Release Report: R.E.D.-Like Buttah

This week at your local record store (if you even have a local record store), there will be an epic battle. A rumble for the ages. On one side, multi-tattooed rapper Game with his long-delayed R.E.D. Album (a title that certainly has nothing to do with his Blood affiliation). On the other side, legendary pop diva Barbra Streisand with an album called What Matters Most: The Songs of Marilyn & Alan Bergman. OK, so maybe this isn’t really an epic […]

Achtung! U2 Super Box Set to Drain Wallets Worldwide

If you’re a music geek (and let’s face it – you probably are, if you’re reading this), you know that music labels love springing expensive collector’s packages and box sets on gift-givers as the holiday season approaches (and like it or not, Christmas is less than five months away). Nirvana’s Nevermind is being reissued with a bunch of extra content for its 20th anniversary (because duh), Sting’s getting his first multi-disc career retrospective and even underrated or forgotten acts are getting the deluxe treatment. This year marks 20 years since U2 […]

bLISTerd: Mike D.’s Best Reissues of 2011 – In with the Old

With 2011 slightly more than half over, I’m realizing that I’ve probably bought more music in those seven months than I did in all of 2010. And I bought a lot. (Seriously, does anyone have more shelves? I need them badly.) But while I’ve enjoyed a lot of new music this year (Lady Gaga and The Cars immediately spring to mind), I’ve got to give it up for the fine folks working to provide great reissues and box […]

Blerd Briefs Extra: Classic (and Not So Classic) Albums Get the Reissue Treatment!

If you’ve been following the “Flashback ’91” posts over at Popdose , then you are well aware that a lot of classic albums reach their 20th anniversary this year. 1991 was a watershed moment for pop music-the year alternative fucked up the mainstream and killed the hair-band era, the year hardcore hip-hop stopped being urban America’s secret, and the year U2 and R.E.M. went from being great bands to being legendary bands. Bono and the boys are jumping onto the reissue […]

“Songs in A Minor” Turns 10 with Special Deluxe Package

Back in 2001, it was almost impossible to miss the buzz that surrounded singer/songwriter Alicia Keys. Sure, much of it was hyperbole: but it was impossible to deny the fact that she was a unique bird in the pop music scene. While the image of a self-sufficient female singer/songwriter/instrumentalist may have been common back in the days, that ideal became less prevalent as we transitioned into the 21st century. Alicia was a throwback, but with a modern edge. The album […]

New Release Report 6/7/11: Potpourri

While the music industry is still dealing with post-Gaga fumes, let’s see what the first full week of June has as far as releases are concerned. British outfit The Arctic Monkeys have managed to cultivate a solid cult, many of whom are salivating (no pun intended…you’ll see what I mean in about three seconds) for their new album, Suck it & See (album title of the year, I tell ya). They’re some cheeky bastards. They’re joined on the release docket […]

The year was 1998…(QOTSA reissue)

There’s some saying out there that men like the first album, women like the  first album they heard. (Maybe that’s not a real saying, but a friend told me and I believe him)  In my household, that definitely seems to be the case as there is often discussion as to the merits of Queens of the Stone Age versus Rated R. I definitely fall into the former category in most cases and especially this one. Queens of the Stone Age […]

New Release Report 3/1/11: Waking Up Slowly

The weather’s supposed to be getting warm soon, right? As spring approaches, the level of music releases arriving in stores and online seems to be picking up as well. No home-runs this week, but a healthy smattering of releases are arriving that should appeal to music fans of all shapes and sizes. Let’s take a look at some of them. Marsha Ambrosius: Late Nights & Early Mornings: The singing half of R&B/rap duo Floetry got caught up in the Dr.Dre/Aftermath […]

Award Show Sundays: Have a Little “Faith”

In between cursing myself for not having an NBA TV cable package and watching Season 7 of “Scrubs” for the 240th time, I turned to YouTube to pass the time. I somehow stumbled upon “A Different Story”, the documentary about the life and career of British superstar George Michael. As much as George has made some incredibly stupid decisions in his life, most of which have to do with getting behind the wheel of a car stoned off his gourd, […]

New Release Report 11/22/10: Well, Hello Kanye

The week before Thanksgiving is typically the week that record companies bring out their big guns. There will be quite a few major records battling for chart supremacy this week, and most of them will have a 24-hour jump on the average music release, since many of the albums are being made available for sale on Monday instead of Tuesday. Here’s what you should be looking for: Kanye West “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”– Kanye’s fifth album has been met […]