What are the best reissues?

[Copenhagen Fan]

Hey Dudes..

I noticed that there are a lot of new CD's with extra bonus tracks....it is all so confusing, and I don't want to buy a CD I already own (they're expensive as hell in DK) unless it really adds a lot of value! What are the must haves??????

[And No Coffee Table]

The absolute best of the best are Get Happy!!, Imperial Bedroom, Punch the Clock, and All This Useless Beauty.

[Sour Milk Cow]

Hey Dudes..
I noticed that there are a lot of new CD's with extra bonus tracks....it is all so confusing, and I don't want to buy a CD I already own (they're expensive as hell in DK) unless it really adds a lot of value! What are the must haves??????

Bad news, I'm afraid. Most of these new reissues have so much added value that it makes most of them pretty essential. With the exception of My Aim Is True and This Year's Model, most of them have enough previously unreleased material that you could eliminate the album and familiar bonus tracks and it would still count as a full-length release.

Let me go through them:

MAIT-- only a small handful of new "alternate takes" plus some live stuff that wasn't on the Ryko reissue. for completists or people who don't own the Ryko version.

TYM-- likewise, not much extra here.

AF-- i was surprised at how much I liked this one, mainly for the great unreleased live tracks from the Hollywood High show. It's almost like a mini-live album, which I enjoyed.

GH-- the first ESSENTIAL reissue! the original album had 20 tracks, the ryko had 30, and this one has FIFTY!!! That's 20 new bonus tracks. Lots of new demos and alternate takes, plus some truly illuminating liner notes (as with all the reissues, the liner notes are excellent)

Trust-- this one adds about 10 new tracks to the Ryko, including such gems as a band version of Hoover Factory, which is really great

IB-- this one is good, but the new bonus tracks are more of the "behind-the-scenes" variety, in that they provide a glimpse at strange early takes of "Beyond Belief" and "Man Out of Time." Costello describes it as an "autopsy" and I'd say that's kind of apt. They are fascinating, but not neccessarily tracks you'd want to listen to for pleasure.

PTC-- ESSENTIAL! Loads of great demos, practically an alternate, stripped-down version of the entire album, plus some excellent live cuts. One of the best in the series, especially if you like the original album.

B&C-- a mix of good stuff and "autopsy" stuff. Leaves out "A Town Called Big Nothing" and has an inferior new take of "Forgive Her Anything" which replaces the superior Ryko version.

Spike-- ESSENTIAL if you like Spike. Loads of demos and uncollected b-sides since this is a first-time reissue.

MLAR-- ESSENTIAL, first-time reissue. Lots of great demos and live takes and odd tracks, plus an excellent outtake from the album sessions, "Just Another Mystery."

BY-- a few b-sides, and lots of demos and alternate takes. For some reason, this one is good but I don't seem to return to the bonus disc often. Don't know why, just personal preference. The album is one of my favorites, but somehow the outtakes leave me kind of cold.

ATUB-- ESSENTIAL. Probably the most satisfying bonus disc in the series, mainly because it has some of the best b-sides and rarities, plus demos of unheard songs like "The Days Take Care Of Everything."

As a general rule, if you love a particular album, that bonus disc will probably be worth getting. And the Warner albums, which have never been reissued, are all worth it for the various rare b-sides and such. Of the re-re-reissued CDs, I would say that the 3 new ones (GH, Trust, and PTC) are the best so far, followed in rank by AF, B&C, IB, AF, MAIT and TYM.

I hope this helps.

[laughingcrow]

I agree with SourMilkCow...if you like the album, you'll like the bonus...and they're all excellent. My best 3....

I think that the demo (and some in different time) versions of the songs of Spike make an interesting change from the more produced sounds of the album....plus a great cover of Brindley Schwarz's Ugly Things.

ATUB's disc plays like an album itself...cracking, all of it.

Get Happy bonus disc has some excellent alternate version, including a slow version of ' I can't stand up' like the original, and a great alt. New Amsterdam.

[so lacklustre]

SMC has given a pretty good summary above. My favourote for pure listening pleasure is still Armed Forces.

1. Armed Forces
2. Get Happy
3. Mighty Like A Rose
4. Punch The Clock
5. Brutal Youth

[Sour Milk Cow]

[quote="so lacklustre"]SMC has given a pretty good summary above. My favourote for pure listening pleasure is still Armed Forces.

Yeah, that is a great one. Surprising, really, because when I look at the track listing it doesn't seem like there's much to get excited about, and AF isn't even a fave of mine. Yet, the bonus disc is great when you put it on. The live "Mystery Dance" is probably my favorite ever version of that song, and the few new alternate takes are really good, too. After how little there was to write home about on the first 2 albums, I wasn't expecting much, but it really delivered.

[Jackson Doofster]

Get Happy for me. what really surprised me was how much i loved the alternate takes on King Horse and Man Called Uncle. These are two of my favourite EC songs EVER and i expected the demos to be of novelty interest only. Not so. Get Happy is of course awesome anyway and the improved quality makes it a must have.

[spooky girlfriend]

Well, as usual, the true Elvis fans find most all of them essential.

Must go with Armed Forces though as a top "must have" choice.