In keeping with the spirit of Steve Talia‘s post yesterday of his 2014 Wish List, I’ve decided to post my own. As we move into the realm of 2014, it’s easy to want to have things you like. And music is definitely one of those things (although there was recently an article published…somewhere, that noted that people are just not interested in physical product any longer). That may be true with the younger music lovers, but for us who grew up in the time of LPs and other physical media, that is simply not true. We may resist buying a title multiple times, but we do like our music in a physical sphere.
So, my wish list for 2014 goes something like this:
1) Mott The Hoople – This band may not have had an immense following, but they sure had a loyal one. Most of the albums they’ve released have been gems (for me, all of them). But if you were to ask me to position one as the best Mott the Hoople album, I’d point to Mott, their 1973 classic that featured “All the Way From Memphis”. Give me this in a newly remastered Legacy Edition and include whatever you want in it (live tracks, rehearsal pieces, demos, outtakes). Make it a strong, definitive edition and I’ll be happy for a long, long time.
2) Aerosmith – Rocks SACD. We all knew this was on the release calendar. And to make it more real, one was actually found in the wild (at Amoeba in LA). It has since gone to the highest bidder on Ebay. It’s an easy release. It’s in legendary status right now and therefore could be released as an add-in to a Legacy Edition of the album. What do you say, Legacy?
3) Lou Reed – Honestly, I’ve been pining for updates on much of Lou Reed’s early works, from his elusive first album to at least New York. Few have transitioned from one style to another as well as Lou did. For me, though, if RCA just simply updated Berlin, and Transformer in a new remaster and a shiny Legacy Edition, I’d be happy! And given his recent passing, I’d say that now would be simply the right time.
4) Lou Reed – Yep, Lou again. While I’m reasonably sure that Legacy is prepping a definitive Lou Reed box, it would be a great addition to my Lou library. Just sayin’!
5) Carly Simon – No Secrets…Carly made me fall in love with her on Anticipation, but it was No Secrets, with its album full of unforgettable songs that made me a fan for life. Over a year ago, I REALLY thought that there would be a 40th Anniversary Edition of this one. I was wrong. And that surprises me as I always felt the album was a favored one. Try getting the DVD-Audio of No Secrets. Attainable if you want to pay a lot of money.
6) Tomita – Any of his albums. All of his albums. While I would find it hard to ask for just one, I’d be very pleased with a Legacy Edition of Snowflakes Are Dancing. Or The Planets. Or Grand Canyon Suite. Oh, hell, let’s have them all. And by the way, I’d love to hear any and all of these on SACD. Tomita releases single-handedly pointed me toward classical music. And I love him for that. And for Christmas music lovers, Snowflakes Are Dancing is an excellent choice.
7) Johnny Thunders – His tenure with New York Dolls was short but awe-inspiring. After the band’s demise, Johnny released a great solo effort, his first, called So Alone (1978). To this day, I still hear those songs, all of them, in my head at any given time. Thunders’ cover of Otis Blackwell’s “Daddy Rollin’ Stone” was an extraordinary one. He reworked the Dolls’ “Subway Train”, did great covers of Chantays’ “Pipeline”, and Shangri-Las’ “Great Big Kiss”. And the help he had with Steve Marriott, Phil Lynott, Chrissie Hynde, Steve Cook to name a few. Yeah, I want this one. As a side note, I saw this guy in concert at the Coach House in California. Sadly, while he started out with a bang, he excused himself to go and shoot-up, coming back so high the venue eventually pulled the plug on him. I did get to talk with him after the “show”, which was a bonus for me! “Can’t close my eyes when she’s around, my heart starts pumpin’..”
8) David Bowie – Pretty much all of Bowie’s important early albums have been given special treatment including some on SACD. But it’s Low, and it’s Heroes that I want. And I love to see these done up Legacy Edition style. Yes, these would be pretty cool to have!
9) Neil Diamond – Many people have mixed feelings about this guy. I pretty much cannot listen to anything after I’m Glad You’re Here With Me Tonight, and even for that one, I need to be in a mood to hear it. But pick anything below that album including Serenade (1974), and Moods (1972) can be made into Deluxe Editions (unless Columbia now owns the Universal material, which I think it might). Certainly remasters can satisfy me. Personally, I’m quite surprised that Deluxe Editions of early Diamond titles haven’t happened yet.
10)Foghat – This is a great band! And while I wasn’t all thrilled with the BIG albums like Fool For The City, I loved them. Nothing Foghat released was better than Rock and Roll (for me anyway – 1973). Fool for The City has been released on a great SACD from Mobile Fidelity, but the rest have been ignored. So, if Rhino wants to provide Deluxe Editions of Energized, and Rock & Roll, I’m going to buy them. Fast!
11)Fleetwood Mac – I know everyone adores the Buckingham/Nicks years of this band. But not enough gets said about the Green era, and the Kirwan/Welch configuration. If Rhino decided to package up the forgotten Heroes Are Hard To Find, Mystery to Me, Kiln House, and the remarkable but unheralded Bare Trees into Deluxe Editions, well, that’d be alright with me!
12) Grand Funk Railroad – Yeah, we had remasters some years back. And those were awesome…THANKS! But I know the boys had to have a warehouse of unreleased tracks and outtakes, including demos, and alternates. There isn’t a song on any of these albums (except the singles years AFTER We’re An American Band) that I wouldn’t like to see as a Deluxe Edition from Capitol. There’s even the album that Zappa produced on MCA Records, Good Singin’, Good Playin’ that I’d love to hear with outtakes. Hey, Zappa produced them so you KNOW they’re there. Imagine, an alternate version of “I’m your Captain”.
Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Trilogy, with all the trimmings. Everything. But this is coming to past…I think.
Hey! Since it’s slow, why not send me your wish-lists. I’ll post them. Could be fun!
I remember a time in the late 80s when the major labels said that every LP would come out on CD eventually. But for some of us, that has never happened, yet! My wish list would be a combination of never-released and better mastered editions.
Jimi Hendrix – I want the original albums REMIXED!
Midnight Oil – Though there was some complaints about the volume of the recent Essential Oils comp, the detail and sound stage on the selected tracks, especially from the early discs, indicate that the remastered albums would be sweet!
Glencoe and Spirit of Glencoe – Their only two albums, which featured CSN-like vocals with great Home-like rock songs must be released and heard!
Tranqulity – Silver – Their second album, also never released on CD, is an amazing blend of Folk and Prog.
Please release Buckingham Nicks on CD!
Argent- Counterpoint – why release every other album but this one?
Vanilla Fudge – one of the most influential bands of the 60s need deluxe treatments.
Spooky Tooth – The Mirror – only available in a cheap budget issue years ago, and never with original art work, why not this one when all the others have come out remastered?
Kate Bush – please remaster your entire catalogue!
Crack the Sky – Animal Notes and Safety in Numbers – only available as a two-on-one, but edited with one track missing to fit on the disc – please separate issues and original artwork!
SAHB (without Alex) – the present issues sound horrible – remaster it please!
I second Matt’s requests for Fleetwood Mac and ELP Trilogy; Trilogy is coming in 2014?
And my hope is that the Led Zeppelins are superb!
All I want is the first four Monkees to be reissued as boxed sets like albums 5 – 8.
My wish for 2014 is that when these mega boxsets are released that we are given the option to buy the 5.1 disc seprately from the box when that’s all I want
Equally puzzled by lack of any remasters/deluxe editions of Neil Diamond early studio material. I believe MCA still holds rein over the UNI material (Velvet Gloves amp; Spit to Moods). I would be content with remastered and expanded versions of that material. Especially inclusion of the single mixes of those from those albums.
But MCA is a brilliant corporation and will wait until all of Neil’s fan base is dead before they act.
How about WILL POWERS ,”Dancing For Mental Health”; Decent remasters of the first two AUTOMATIC MAN albums; MICHEL COLOMBIER’s Wings” and KATHY DALTON’s “Amazing” and “Boogie Bands and One Night Stands feat.most of LITTLE FEAT.
Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack, A Day At The Races, News Of The World, Jazz, Hot Space in 5.1 – pretty please!
Billy Joel’s catalogue… The deluxe edition of The Stranger was OK, but it was just a (partial) live show that actually preceded the album on CD, and a (great) DVD from The Old Grey Whistle Test. Either the complete Carnegie Hall show, or more outtakes, etc., would’ve been great.
Likewise, the Piano Man deluxe gave us an official release of a great 1972 radio concert, but the news that they tinkered a bit with the original recording for the release really pissed me off. And there were no outtakes, unreleased songs from the sessions, etc.
Given Billy’s massive sales, and the lack of new material over the past 20 (!) years, I’m shocked his catalogue hasn’t gotten a deluxe treatment. The My Lives box set had its moments, but it was compiled badly and left lots of known, but rare, tracks out (the long version of “Sometimes a Fantasy,” the instrumental “Handball,” the hilarious “Country Song” are some examples).
The original version of the Cold Spring Harbor album (mastered at the correct speed, though), the early Turnstiles sessions (with Elton John’s band backing Billy), the “Shelter Island” sessions for the River of Dreams album that were a more raw sounding album than the final, Kortchmar-produced album, are all examples of things that could be released with deluxe versions of the Joel catalogue.
And how about more live performances from the “vault”? The 1984 Wembley show that was televised by the BBC (and simulcast on BBC radio) has never been officially released in any form — video or audio. The Havana Jam from 1979? The “Live From Long Island” show from 1982 (a DVD reissue, at least)?
Billy’s the biggest selling artist in Columbia Records history. Why not give the full catalogue the deluxe treatment?
Oh… And will we ever get the alternate version of Dylan’s Blood On the Tracks??