Wednesday, December 13, 2023

2023 Rock Music-Minded Gift Guide

With Hanukkah here and Christmas just a couple of weeks away, here is a music-related gift guide featuring a diverse crop of special reissues, box sets, new albums and more.


Artist: 
Bryan Adams 
Titles: Live At The Royal Albert Hall (BMG)
Tell me more: Bryan Adams' new live box set Live At The Royal Albert Hall is available on audio CD + LP with a bonus Blu-ray DVD; the title includes a three album box set of live concerts captured in 2022 when the acclaimed rocker headlined three memorable nights at the legendary venue. At each night, Adams performed one of his classic albums in its entirety: Cuts Like A Knife (Night 1), Into The Fire (Night 2) and Waking Up The Neighbours (Night 3). Live At The Royal Albert Hall includes a total of 35 live songs, a Blu-ray DVD of all the performances, as well as a 32-page photo book featuring exclusive images from the performances. Information: BryanAdams.com.




Artist: 
The Beach Boys 
Titles: Pet Sounds; The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (Capitol)
Tell me more: The Beach Boys' classic albums Pet Sounds and The Beach Boys' Christmas Album have been released via limited edition color vinyl for the holidays. The beloved group's 1964 Christmas Album (which features enduring classics like "Little Saint Nick," "The Man With All The Toys," "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" and "The Man With All The Toys") is available in the colors of Christmas - fans can purchase the the album on limited edition translucent ruby red vinyl or limited edition green vinyl. Pet Sounds is now available on limited edition yellow/green splatter vinyl which matches the iconic album cover's unmistakable color scheme. The pressing, which is numbered and features a deluxe tip-on jacket is exclusive to TheBeachBoys.comuDiscover Music  and Sound Of Vinyl. Information: TheBeachBoys.com.




Artist: 
The Beatles 
Titles: 1962-1966 "The Red Album"' 1967-1970 "The Blue Album" (Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/Universal Music Enterprises)
Tell me more: Artist: The Beatles 
Titles: 1962-1966 "The Red Album"' 1967-1970 "The Blue Album" (Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/Universal Music Enterprises)
Tell me more: In the wake of the release of The Beatles' final song ("Now and Then"), 50th Anniversary Editions of the band's 1962-1966 "The Red Album" and 1967-1970 "The Blue Album" collections were issued. The 2023 editions have expanded tracklists, with all the songs mixed in true stereo and Dolby Atmos. The new 4CD and 180-gram 6LP vinyl collections pair "Red" and "Blue" in slipcased sets.The UK single version of "Love Me Do" now kicks off 1962-1966, while the hit single "Now and Then" is featured on 1967-1970In recent years, several 1967-1970 tracks and a few from 1962-1966 have received new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes for The Beatles’ Special Edition album releases, including Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017), The Beatles (‘White Album’) (2018), Abbey Road (2019), Let It Be (2021), and Revolver (2022), as well as new stereo mixes for The Beatles’ 1 (2015). All tracks not also featured on those releases have been newly mixed in stereo and/or Dolby Atmos by Giles Martin and Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios, aided by WingNut Films’ audio de-mixing technology. Both collections include new essays written by journalist and author John HarrisTogether, the expanded 2023 Edition collections include 75 Beatles tracks. Information: TheBeatles.com.




Artist: 
Devo 
Titles: 50 Years of De-Evolution: 1973-2023 (Rhino)
Tell me more: Devo's pioneering legacy is celebrated across the expansive 4LP deluxe limited-edition 50 Years of De-Evolution box set. Loaded with 50 remastered hits and rarities, an album artwork lithograph, air freshener, a foldable paper hat that resembles the band's iconic red energy dome and a 28-page book, "this box set represents a great cost section of early experiments and later creations" says band member Mark Mothersbaugh. Information: Rhino.com.



Artist: 
Social Distortion
Title: Mommy's Little Monster (Craft Recordings)
Tell me more: Craft Recordings' 40th Anniversary reissue of Social Distortion's fiery debut Mommy's Little Monster is a must-have for fans of the groundbreaking Southern California punk rock outfit. Released on Nov. 10 on 180-gram vinyl and digital formats, the album has been newly remastered from the original analog tapes that were recorded on Christmas Eve in 1982 at The Casbah recording studios in Fullerton, CA. The album features several of Social Distortion's early standout tracks including the blistering title track, hard-edged "The Creeps (I Just Wanna Give You)," and hardcore-styled single "Another State of Mind." In addition to classic black vinyl, Mommy's Little Monster is available in a variety of exclusive limited edition color ways, including ruby red, black & white marble, an exclusive white pressing at Barnes & Noble, and a gray variant at RevolverMag.com. Information: CraftRecordings.com.



Artist: 
Toad the Wet Sprocket 
Titles: All You Want - Bonus Edition (Abe's Records)
Tell me more: Acclaimed modern rock outfit Toad the Wet Sprocket' 2011 greatest hits collection All You Want has been reissued on both audio CD and vinyl as an expanded limited edition bonus edition available via the band's official website. All the California band's essential hits are here (including "Something's Always Wrong," "Fall Down," "Good Intentions" and "Walk on the Ocean"), as well as some of the troupe's other top-tier tracks including "New Constellation," "Crazy Life," "Brother" and the enticing new 2023 original "Best of Me." Information: ToadTheWetSprocket.com.




Artist: 
Violent Femmes 
Titles: Violent Femmes  40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Craft Recordings)
Tell me more: Violent Femmes' 1983 eponymous album is one of the great full-length debuts of all time. Now the masterwork has been reissued as a deluxe and expanded reissue that includes the remastered original album as well as a slew of rare demos, B-sides, live performances and more. Released on Dec. 1, the deluxe 2CD and digital formats feature newly remastered audio and more than a dozen demos, B-sides and live performances  including alternate versions of favorites like "Blister in the Sun," "Please Do Not Go," "Gone Daddy Gone" and "Add It Up." A special 4-disc vinyl box set is set to arrive on Feb. 9, 202, and that is limited to only 5,000 copies worldwide! Housed in a lift-top box with die-cut window detail, this collectible edition offers three 180-gram LPs  the original album alongside demos and live material (plus, a replica 7-inch single featuring "Ugly"/"Gimme the Car." The original album and single discs are cut from the original analog tapes, while lacquers for the complete set were cut by Kevin Gray at Coherent Audio. Both the CD and LP editions feature an expansive book with new liner notes by journalist/Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke, complete with interviews with Violent Femmes members Gordon GanoBrian Ritchie and Victor DeLorenzo. Information: CraftRecordings.com.




Artist: 
The Who 
Title: Who's Next/Life House (Universal Music Recordings)
Tell me more: One of this writer's all-time favorite albums, The Who's fifth studio album Who's Next is available as a super deluxe 10-CD/Blu-ray audio edition for the ultimate immersive dive into the 1971 masterwork. Who's Next/Life House includes 155 tracks (89 previously unreleased) and 57 new remixes; long time Who engineer Jon Astley remastered the original tapes while Steven Wilson completed Atmos and 5.1 surround mixes for the Blu-ray audio disc. Included are demos, singles, studio sessions, two complete concerts, a 100-page hardback book with new liner notes and more. Please note: as the date of this writing, the expansive reissue is currently selling for $285.75 on amazon.com.



Artist: 
Neil Young 
Title: Before and After (Reprise)
Tell me more: Neil Young's 45th studio album Before and After continues to find the groundbreaking artist revisiting 13 of his beloved classics via solo acoustic versions delivered via a decidedly new approach. According to a news release, Young performs the songs via "one continuous flow."

"Picking from a vast array of his originals, Young chooses favorites from his playbook like a trip into his music history and performs them mostly alone taking a solo acoustic journey to a new place. Each of the songs blend and create one continuous flow, clocking in at a 48-minute pure and intimate listening experience." Songs featured on Before and After include "Comes A Time," "Mr. Soul," "Birds," "I'm The Ocean" and "Mother Earth." Information: neilyoungarchives.com.


Robert Kinsler


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