So, what keeps the CD from being completely dead? The reissue! There's nothing I enjoy more than hearing that one of my favorite classic albums is being reissued in a glossy two-disc set, with fancy liner notes, and long forgotten live tracks. It just makes my day. When the Beatles were given the remastered treatment in 2009, I was there on the day of release, upgrading my copy of Abbey Road. I was similarly thrilled for the Pink Floyd reissues last year. It's a fun thing for music nerds, and people who still enjoy CDs.
Unfortunately, many legendary albums still go un-remastered, which is a shame. Seeing an immortal album rotting away in a dusty CD case from the late 80s just bums me out. That's why I present you with this list of classic albums that are in dire need of a modern-day upgrade.
Every song here is great, from the big hits like "Welcome To the Jungle," and "Paradise City," to deep cuts like "Rocket Queen," and "Nightrain." Once more, the album turned 25 this year. Shouldn't it be celebrating its anniversary in style? Surely there's some old chestnuts of Axl and the boys jamming while stoned off there asses that would make for nice bonus tracks. Come on, people! Let's give this album the deluxe treatment it deserves.
As popular as the Beasties' first album is, the group hates it. In a way, that's understandable. It's juvenile, occassionally sexist, and not at all representative of the music or the attitudes they would express in the future. It's also a really, really fun album. Who's never fought for their right to party, or gotten funky with a certain monkey? Sure, this might not be the quintessential Beastie Boys album, and it lacks the diversity of their later works, but it's a much-beloved album, and an important part of hip-hop history.
While their later works have been inconsistent, pretty much anything Metallica put out between 1983 to 1991 is gold. From the sped-up head rush of Kill 'Em All to the intricate math-metal of ...And Just For All, these guys were pretty much infallible in their early years. That's why it sucks to see the same copies of these albums that were on shelevs in 1992 still there today. Come on, let's get some outtakes! Surely you have some late-night jam sessions with Dave Mustaine that he'll eventually sue over. Let the fans get in on some of that!
Petty's works have been horribly ignored by the remaster gods, with only Damn the Torpedoes getting the deluxe treatment in 2010. The rest of his albums rot on the shelves, with some of the his most popular albums dying a slow death in the discount bin. Surely the album that gave us "Free Fallin'," "I Won't Back Down," and "Runnin' Down A Dream" deserves better than that. I'm guessing Petty has plenty of stuff in the vaults; jams with the Wilbury's, live recordings with Dylan, maybe even a few Apple jams with George Harrison. Whatever he's got lying around, I'm sure it would make for an excellent bonus disc of this classic album.
Loathed by critics at first, people have finally discovered that STP are actually pretty damn good. the first three album rank among the best (and most overlooked) albums of their era. Tracks like "Interstate Love Song," "Sex Type Thing," and "Trippin On A Hole In A Paper Heart" have become well-deserved classics. Unfortunately, the most likely place to find the albums those tracks come from is in the used bin at record stores, gasping for air next to Deep Blue Something and Sister Hazel. Let's treat STP better than that! their debut, Core, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. Let's give it the gift of a shiny new remaster.
Now this one is a real tragedy. The DC5 were a great British Invasion band, but they've been all but forgotten. More importantly, their albums don't exist on CD. I did see one old greatest hits in the used bin at FYE, but it was $60, because of how hard it is to find. Surely the band that gave us "Glad All Over," "Bits And Pieces," and "Catch Us If You Can" deserves to be discovered by new listeners. In an ideal world, we'd get a fresh new greatest hits on CD, and high quality vinyl reissues for the hardcore fans. The DC5 released tons of killer songs, but there's a whole generation who hasn't heard any of them. Let's try to fix that.
I agree that Appetite should be re-issued if only for the fact that it was the biggest selling debut album of all-time when it came out (and may still be?). Unfortunately working out the kinks between Axl and the original members may prevent this from ever happening....and aside from some low quality demo's ("Crash Diet") there's only one song from that era that never made it to an album...although it was the b-side of a single ("Shadow of Your Love")
The DC5 stuff is all owned by Dave Clark himself and he refuses to reissue the stuff for whatever reason. It's a shame, they're one of my favorite British Invasion bands.
shoutout to a fellow die-hard cd buyer. also a few other artists whose albums could use proper reissues (decidedly less "rock" than those in your post): Harry Nilsson, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell.
I find I'm in the minority as well when it comes to CD support. The artwork is essential and a hard copy says "I own this" so mp3's are out. Unfortunately vinyl, as great as the sound quality is, degrades over time and is inconvenient for a guy who spends 3/4 of the day in his car. Plus it's so damn expensive. CD's just make the most sense to me (although I do download and I do collect vinyl as well).
A lot of Petty material needs to be rereleased. Especially 'Wildflower.' Being released in an era where vinyl was non-existant that is one of my holy grails I will always be on the lookout for.