New Release Tuesday: U2, David Bowie, Buddy Guy
I’ve been waiting all summer for a week like this. There are five essential titles being released this week, making up for what has been an otherwise dry summer release schedule.
Even with an active week like this, it says something that four of my five targeted purchases are re-issues and the lone album of new music comes from septuagenarian blues legend Buddy Guy. Guy’s Skin Deep will be joined by David Bowie’s Santa Monica ‘72 along with re-issues of U2’s first three albums.
I’m looking forward to all five albums, but some of them do come with their problems. The most straightforward purchase this week is the Bowie. It’s a proper release of a famously bootlegged show from Ziggy Stardust tour. It’s been available (legally, even) in the past but has gone in and out of print. It’s an historical document of one of rock’s best at his best. I’m a Bowie guy, so I’m pretty excited about this.
The other albums have their “issues.” Skin Deep once again finds Guy paired with a slew of guest artists. I don’t know if it’s his idea or that of his label, but I really wish he’d stop. Half the album tracks are Guy, half feature guests. Eric Clapton will soon surpass harp legend Junior Wells as Guy’s most regular collaborator (if he hasn’t already). Also along for the ride is the great Robert Randolph. I love Randolph and I’m pretty pro-Clapton, but I don’t understand why anyone thinks we need guitar cameos on a Buddy Guy record. I’d rather listen to an hour of the man himself.
The U2 situation is a matter of practicality. Boy, War, and October have been remastered and are being released as standalone editions and in 2-CD deluxe editions. I happen to have the money to get all three deluxe packages, but the quality of the material on the respective second disc of these sets is not equal. I’m having trouble reconciling the purchases in my mind.
On the one hand I’m inclined to go ahead and get all three deluxes because I’m a collector and I know the collector in me will be satisfied with nothing less. On the other, I can’t imagine listening to the War Disc 2 more than once. Why spend the money knowing full well it’s of limited interest?
Issues aside, I’m excited about the remastering of these three albums. Remasters can be hit and miss, but last year’s The Joshua Tree remaster was a spectacular success so I’m optimistic the same will be true for these albums as well. I’m excited about all of this music, even if I have a minor quibble or question here or there. It’s nice to have a few dollars available and a pile of great music to exchange for them.
Filed under: Tags: Buddy Guy, David Bowie, Seasons of Churn, U2
They really dropped the ball with War. I supposed some part of the fanbase would be upset not to see the rare mixes not on there, but I can’t believe they couldn’t find some more live stuff to fill up the disc and make it more worthwhile. This time I’m simply letting the nice packaging win me over.
By the way, (Satan) Best Buy will have all three for $19.99 each, which beats Amazon by quite a bit unless you pre-ordered early and got Boy when they accidently dropped the price to $11.99 (like I did!) Wish I could cancel the other two on Amazon but they’re in their pre-shipping lockdown. I could have saved another $8. Oh well.
While I can appreciate the collector vs. quality conundrum, I can’t envision wanting to hear 4 versions of “New Years Day” unless one of them is live, which none of these are.
Also released this week is the new one by Paul Weller and, of course, Miley Cyrus.
Oh, shit! How did I let that new Miley CD get past me. It’s a good thing my nieces are soooooo over her right now or I’d be buying eight copies of that for each of them.
I saw where SBB is advertising at $19.99 so I’ve held off preordering from Amazon. I have a feeling Amazon will come down. They have until tomorrow afternoon or I’m just buying locally. I’ll probably get the Guy and Bowie from Amazon, though.
I got the Weller from Amazon UK when it was released the first week of June (in the special packaging, before I knew the US would be getting a two-disc version as well, but strangely not this book-style package.) It’s okay. I’m having a hard time getting into it, I don’t know why exactly. It’s just not inviting me back for more, and I really like him. I’ve set it aside for now and hopefully it’ll jell later.
That Miley Cyrus is sure to kick ass immediately, however.
“I can’t believe they couldn’t find some more live stuff to fill up the disc and make it more worthwhile.”
I have heard rumor there’s going to be a remastered “Under A Blood Red Sky,” so they might be saving up for that.
According to Amazon, a 2-disc Under A Blood Red Sky will be released on 9/30. No word yet on the tracklisting.
Yeah I’ve been seeing rumors of that coming and placeholdings at Amazon but no official confirmation of what is actually on the fucking thing. My speculation though is that live material was held for Blood at the expense of War.
What sucks is that there is SO MUCH live material out there that they could have chosen something to include. I’ve seen so many bootlegs of professionally recorded material from that era, you’d think they could have included some other material.
Footnote about 22 Dreams: I was wrong - the US is not getting a two-disc version of this. Sorry, Donald, I didn’t mean to make it sound like I was rubbing that in your face or something. I thought there was a US version with the bonus disc. I gave the album a listen again today after a few weeks away from it and I have to admit it’s better than my earlier impressions - it’s stronger than his previous couple albums, for sure.
Oh they could have done a lot better with the material on that War second disc. In fact, they could hardly have done worse…
making it all the more disgusting that I’ll probably buy the fuckin’ thing.
No worries, Tom. I consistently get a bit confused when Weller released something new because the UK usually gets it first (and sometimes exclusively), so when he releases something in the US, I often don’t realize it’s been out in other regions and in different versions.
I don’t know how long this will last, but Paul Westerberg is offering his latest album for 49 cents (seriously). If you go to his official site, it’ll direct you to the Amazon link that contains the album (one mp3 file, a bunch of songs strung together).
Wow, cool - my wife is a big fan so I’m grabbing that as I type this. Thanks!
I just happened upon a discussion of Weller and the new album and saw the special edition, so I pre-ordered it from Amazon UK after seeing the US Amazon was going to charge something like $48 for it (when it would be $28 shipped from the UK.) Turns out it was a smart thing - it sold out immediately, from what I read.
Well “New Release Day” just got a lot more interesting: iTunes is offering an exclusive live album, U2 Live in Paris on the Joshua Tree tour. 18 songs (I’m guessing the entire show) for 11.99 and they’re not making you buy one of the reissued albums to get it.
Josh, buy the deluxe editions. You know as soon as you buy the regular editions you’ll keep wondering about the deluxe stuff and then wind up buying it anyways. It’s cheaper for fanboys to buy the expensive stuff straight away because they’ll just wind up with it anyways down the road.
Thou speakest the right. I’m going to break down and do it and resent it.
That Itunes live thing sounds like it’s the audio from the DVD included with The Joshua Tree super-mega-ultra deluxe set, so if you have that and your favorite dvd audio-ripping software, you’re ahead by $11.99.