INDISPENSABLE REISSUES & COLLECTIONS
July 2024
Kristine England
July 31, 2024
Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys’ iconic fourth album found the band continuing to move away from sampling and using live instruments, as well as expanding their musical palette. The first single from the album, “Sabotage,” remains a classic and boasts what is arguably the best music video of all time. It landed on many top year-end lists in 1994, reaching number one on the US album charts and certified triple platinum. It’s truly a classic. The 30th anniversary edition is a deluxe 3 LP set with lenticular artwork, and includes bonus tracks, b-sides, and rarities, pressed on 180g vinyl.
FEATURED TRACK: "Sabotage"
Stop Making Sense (Deluxe Edition)
Talking Heads
Rhino has released a 40th anniversary edition of the Talking Heads’ acclaimed Stop Making Sense, from the concert film of the same name directed by Jonathan Demme. The 2LP (and 2CD/Blu-ray) set on either black or clear vinyl, accompanied by a 12-page booklet with band photos liner notes from all four members –Tina Weymouth, David Byrne, Chris Frantz, and Jerry Harrison. The concert showcased songs from all six of the band’s albums up to that point, with favorites like “Burning Down the House,” “Once in a Lifetime,” “Take Me to the River,” “Life During Wartime,” and “Psycho Killer.”
FEATURED TRACK: “Life During Wartime”
Bad Brains
Hardcore punk pioneers the Bad Brains formed in Washington, DC way back in 1976. I Against I, released on SST Records in 1986, remains the band’s best-selling album and was highly influential to a wide range of punk, ska, rock and reggae artists. Jeff Buckley even covered the title track, and several were covered by Sublime as well. The remastered vinyl release is part of a larger reissue campaign.
FEATURED TRACK: “House of Suffering”
Rio + 4
Duran Duran
For the opposite end of the 80s spectrum, we turn to MTV darlings Duran Duran. Innovative videos that were cinematic rather than mere performance-focused, the New Romantic group’s work was catchy, and its members highly photogenic. The group has reissued its first five albums: the eponymous debut, Rio, Seven and the Ragged Tiger, Notorious, and Big Thing. All titles have been remastered and are available on vinyl for the first time in years.
FEATURED TRACK: “Rio”
Cat Stevens
Tea for the Tillerman
When Yusuf Islam was Cat Stevens, he had multiple chart-topping songs and albums in the early 70s, including classics like Tea for the Tillerman ("Hard Headed Woman", "Wild World") and Teaser and the Firecat (“Morning Has Broken,” “Peace Train”). Both records have been reissued on LP, along with Mona Blue, Foreigner, all remastered and pressed on 180g vinyl.
FEATURED TRACK: “Wild World”
