10 Out-of-Print Records That Deserve Reissue (in alpha order) – possibly the first in a series
There has been a flood of great reissues in the past few years – the Feelies, the Dukes of Stratosphere, the Del-Lords, the Dream Syndicate’s Medicine Show – stuff I thought we’d never see get a proper reissue. But there is still a wealth of cool stuff moldering in the vaults. Here are 10 records I think deserve to get the remastered reissue treatment (and not just as mp3s). Feel free to add your own lists in the comments section.
The Bongos – Numbers With Wings/Beat Hotel (1983/1985)
What with the nice reissue of the Hoboken popsters’ debut Drums Along the Hudson and leader Richard Barone readying a great new solo album, it’s the perfect time to give the Bongos’ major label disks fresh releases. Razor & Tie put the Numbers EP and the Hotel LP on a single disk a decade or so ago, but that, too, is out of print and fetching high prices on the collector’s market.
Candy – Whatever Happened to Fun? (1985)
A great, glam-inflected power pop band from the mid 80s. Various members went on to join Guns ‘N Roses, the Electric Angels and the Loveless, and singer Kyle Vincent has an under-the-radar, if disappointingly *Manilow*esqe, solo career. But this infections record, featuring the spectacular bubblegum anthem that is the title track, has never been on CD.
The Dynamic Superiors – Pure Pleasure (1975)
A barely known R&B/soul vocal group from 70s Motown. Aside from its sociological importance (lead signer Tony Washington was openly gay at a time and in a genre where it was definitely not cool), the band’s music was as good as that of the Spinners, the Stylistics and other groups of the era. This LP, their second, features the amazing anthem “Nobody’s Gonna Change Me,” a massive hit single in every universe but ours. Never on CD, to my knowledge.
Elliott Murphy – Aquashow (1973)
Murphy has always had a small but extremely devoted cult following, but it’s hasn’t been enough to keep the LPs from his first two decades in print. His debut Aquashow is perhaps his strongest album, a unique mix of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed with glam rock production that’s one of the best folk rock LPs ever made. He’s created many fine records in recent years in more of an acoustic folk vein, all for European labels but still fairly accessible. But his 70s work, arguably his most distinctive, gathers dust somewhere. All of it deserves to be unearthed, but none more so than Aquashow.
Willie Nile – s/t (1980)
Another still active singer/songwriter/rocker who’s really been on a roll in recent years, Willie Nile began his career with one of the strongest debut albums by anyone in any genre. He’s only recently hit the same heights – his most recent albums are just as good, maybe even better, than his first. But the self-titled record is a landmark in the art of rocking singer/songwriters – one listen and you have to wonder why he’s never been as popular as, say, Tom Petty. Razor & Tie reissued this and his second album Golden Down in the 90s, but they’re already gone.
Opal – Happy Nightmare Baby (1987)
A Paisley Underground supergroup of sorts, Opal was the incendiary psychedelic collaboration between David Roback, late of the Rain Parade, and Kendra Smith, formerly of the Dream Syndicate. While many point to this as the blueprint for Roback’s later band Mazzy Star, in truth it’s too noisy, too frenetic and not nearly austere enough to be Mazzy Star Mk. I. That this awesome psych rock record, which would appeal to fans of the Bevis Frond, lies in a potter’s field is a tragedy.
Rasputin’s Stash – The Devil Made Me Do It (1974)
Rasputin’s Stash was a defiantly quirky soul/funk/disco band from the 70s that has lived on in samples (cf. Beck and Jim Jones, to name two) but whose albums remain in the boneyard. Which is a real drag – the Chicago band’s music is catchy, funny, imaginative and ridiculously danceable. Both of their albums deserve reissue, and given the number of obscure 70s funk acts who’ve gotten the treatment of late, there’s no reason they haven’t been.
These Immortal Souls – Get Lost (Don’t Lie)
With the recent, tragic passing of Australian guitarist/songwriter Rowland S. Howard, you’d think a concerted effort would be made to keep his recorded legacy alive. But this, the brilliant debut album by his post-*Crime & the City Solution* band, is long gone, and fetches high prices on eBay etc. Let’s put this (and their second and final album as well) back on folks’ radar, shall we?
Irma Thomas – In Between Tears (1973)
There’s nothing significant about this album in the sense of it being a milestone in the veteran soul singer’s career. It’s just a damned great record, a perfect midpoint between the New Orleans R&B that made her famous and the lusher 70s soul sound of the period. To my knowledge this has never been on CD.
The Walkers – At the End of the Day… (1989)
Easily the most obscure item on this list, this EP was the lone release by the Walkers. I read about them in an issue of Musician in the late 80s; the article was touting four recent signings of Boston-based bands to Atlantic Records. Of those signings, only the Raindogs and the Joneses put their Atlantic LPs out; Young Neal & the Vipers, never released anything. The Walkers, led by charismatic singer/songwriter Manny Verzosa, finally got their EP released on indie Giant (right before its conversion to Rockville Records). This is a fanastic set of lush, passionate folk rock tunes, with Verzosa’s emotive voice front and center. But the band split not long after it came out. Verzosa eventually joined the Silos, but was killed in a road accident while on tour. It’d be great if in tribute to his unfulfilled potential that this EP could see the light of day once again, especially if any prior or subsequent recordings could be included.
