The Best Album Re-Releases of 2013

Well, here we are in December already. Where has this bloody year gone I wonder?

It is therefore time to turn my attention to what I consider the best album releases of the year, but the White Room rules clearly state that I can only include new albums, not reissues regardless of how well they have been remixed, remastered or repackaged. So the following represent those albums that cannot feature in my final 'best of 2013' list.

It has been a great year for new albums but likewise it has been pretty wonderful for reissues also.

Early in the year, Family marked their 40th anniversary live reunion with a boxed set of all of their seven studio albums plus a live album from 1970, three singles and two CD's of alternate versions and studio outtakes. All nicely packaged with a 70 odd page book.
You can read my thoughts here:-
http://eddie-graham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/box-sets-4-family-once-upon-time.html
and here:-
http://eddie-graham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/family-once-upon-time-hands-on-verdict.html

Bob Dylan reissued what many consider one of his worst ever albums, yet 'Another Self Portrait' demonstrated that stripped of all the adornments that helped to ruin the original album, there were some very fine songs there. Additionally this package was boosted by the inclusion of some alternate versions of songs which later featured on 'New Morning'.

And speaking of Dylan, The Band brought out 'Live at The Academy of Music 1971' a four CD set which documented all of their performances at that venue in '71. If you can bear the repeated performances of various songs, there are some absolute gems in there.

In an earlier post which can be read here - http://eddie-graham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/box-sets-7-john-martyn-island-years.html
I reported on the release of an 18 disc box set of all of John Martyn's recordings on the Island label. Plus an additional live DVD. Expensive but wonderful. (And I did grab myself a bit of a bargain with that one).

It has been a wonderful year for Beatles fans what with the voluminous 1st part of 'All These Years' by Mark Lewisohn (I am still working my way through the deluxe edition). Nineteen years after the release of 'Live at The BBC', the second volume, 'On Air' has been issued. While it may not be quite as essential as the first volume, it is still a fascinating piece of history and makes for some great listening. After all it is The Beatles!

However..... the absolute prize for the best reissue set of 2013 just HAS (in my opinion) to go to 'Hidden Masters' a six CD box set covering the career of Jess Roden. You can read my thoughts on that here:-
http://eddie-graham.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/jess-roden-hidden-masters.html
and here:-
http://eddie-graham.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/box-sets-6-hidden-masters-jess-roden.html

Look out soon for the White Room best albums of 2013.
See ya.

The White Room Playlist #2

For much of this week I have been laid low with what I am told is a heavy head cold. Personally I think it is a virulent form of 'man-flu'.

Anyway every cloud..... as they say. The time has given me the opportunity to catch up on some of the outstanding books I referred to recently. Also, I have as always been listening to music.

This week the playlist has been mainly:

VII by Blitzen Trapper of which more later.

Live at The Academy of Music 1971 by The Band and what a fine band they were.

Nothing Can Hurt Me (Movie Soundtrack) by Big Star

Wise Up Ghost & Other Stories by Elvis Costello & The Roots

Another Self Portrait by Bob Dylan (The Bootleg Series Vol 10). Self Portrait is still a pretty duff album but the takes on the first two CDs of this collection demonstrate that Dylan may just have started Americana way ahead of its time.


All very enjoyable. Consequently my pain and suffering have been eased considerably.

RIP Levon Helm