When Alanis Morissette took direct aim at an ex who wronged her on the eviscerating “You Oughta Know” in 1995, everything about the Top 10 song communicated it wasn’t the usual narrative about love gone south. Or the typical wounded singer wallowing in self pity.
Morissette, and both the lead single from and her entire American major-label debut – the profoundly personal Jagged Little Pill – represented a sea change. They kickstarted a movement, one whose impact continues to echo throughout the mainstream three decades later.
Ranked the 69th Greatest Album of All Time by Rolling Stone, included on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s list of 200 Definitive Albums, and featured in several books about essential…
Category: remastered
…a remixed and remastered version, with new parts recorded, including by Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and strings recorded at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London.
Tackling a legendary progressive rock concept album is a dangerous proposition, especially when a recent remaster has refocused the spotlight on the original. But drummer/vocalist Nick D’Virgilio is better suited than most to reinterpret Genesis’ classis The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1975). A member of contemporary progsters Spock’s Beard, perhaps more importantly D’Virgilio played drums on four tracks of Genesis’ overlooked post-Phil Collins album, Calling All Stations (1997). With such a connection, and in collaboration with Nashville producer Mark Hornsby — who…
Remastered from the original source tapes for the first time, this edition includes the original album, bonus tracks, home and studio demos (from 1978-1980), and early live tracks.
The Durutti Column’s debut album does not have an auspicious origin story. The band whose name it bore had split acrimoniously just before they were supposed to record it. Their guitarist Vini Reilly was so poleaxed by depression that he was virtually unable to leave his house: 12 different attempts were made to section him over the course of 1979. Believing that Reilly was “going to die”, Factory Records boss Tony Wilson intervened, buying him a new guitar, then suggested he visit a studio with the label’s troubled but visionary producer Martin Hannett as “an experiment”.
Formed in 1987 by Fruitbat and Jim Bob, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine burst onto the scene with their signature style of punk-pop infused with samples, drum machines, and social commentary.
Released in 1995, Worry Bomb was Carter USM’s fifth album and their fourth in a row to break into the top ten of the UK album charts. It would also be the first to feature their new drummer, Wez, marking a shift away from the famous drum machine sound.
The album mixed things up musically, balancing mellow acoustic tracks like ‘My Defeatist Attitude’ with Carter’s signature high-energy indie rock, including ‘Let’s Get Tattoos’ and ‘The Young Offenders Mum’ which both hit the UK top 40.
To mark the 30th\u202Fanniversary…
…a newly remastered edition, expanded with two brand-new compositions reimagined from the original audio files: ‘Claustrophobia’, reworked by Carter, and ‘Uncaged’, reworked by Boddy.
In 2000, Ian Boddy founded the DiN label “to (purvey) fine contemporary electronica.” He is also the label’s chief artist.
Caged is a collaboration between Boddy and Throbbing Gristle’s Chris Carter. It is a dense mix of sequenced e-music, heavy rhythms, and vast atmospheres. One of Boddy’s strengths has always been his willingness to try something different and to learn new methods, techniques, and sounds. He allows Carter’s dense atmospheres to augment the overt Berlin school sound.
So, while this definitely has all the characteristics…
An expanded deluxe edition of A Tab in the Ocean by Nektar. First issued in November 1972, the album was the second release by Nektar and was a milestone for the band as it set the template that that would bring them success in both Germany and the USA.
Originally featuring just four pieces, the albums first side would be dominated by the extensive title track which was a progressive rock tour de force. The remaining tracks, ‘Desolation Valley / Waves’, ‘Crying in the Dark’ and ‘King of Twilight’ would also become Nektar classics.
The album was recorded and mixed at Dierks Studios, Stommeln, Germany in October 1972, produced by Peter Hauke and Nektar and engineered by Dieter Dierks.
…This remastered edition celebrating the 25th anniversary, includes a previously unreleased track.
Some musical genres change violently in sudden lurches. Others sway and shimmy forwards, evolving so gracefully so you hardly notice. When the impeccably laid back Brazilian bossa nova decides to embrace modern technology there’s no surprise it should do so ever so gently.
Bebel Gilberto has a pretty daunting musical heritage to live up to. Her father is João Gilberto, the man who invented bossa nova, and her mother is the singer Miúcha. Bebel’s first public appearance was a concert at Carnegie Hall with her mother and Stan Getz when she was nine years old. So it’s not surprising that shes taken a while to record this debut album.
…2025 edition features fully restored audio by Neil Combstock (Bōucan Road Studios).
Julien Philéas, better known as Granmoun Lélé (1930–2004), was a griot and one of the most outstanding artists from the island of Réunion. Lélé was a percussionist, singer, storyteller and, above all, a healer.
As a teenager, he worked as a fitter in a sugar factory. After a week of work, Lélé would sing at kabars — places where, according to Malagasy custom, men and women gather to dance to the sounds of traditional instruments. He was raised amid Tamil rituals and Malagasy ceremonies, and he also drew inspiration from his dreams, experiences and the surrounding nature.
The album Soléyé was originally released in…
Universe’s lone 1977 LP cloaks Hawkwind-meets-Syd-Barrett psychedelia in Yes-scale grandeur, with dexterous keys, swirling synths and ten-minute epic “Touchdown” propelling an ethereal, subtly spiritual voyage through cosmic Americana.
The result is a heady acidprog reverie, equal parts celestial hymn and spacerock odyssey, that ranks among the great hidden treasures of 70’s U.S. prog. Mixing the sounds of Hawkwind and Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd, Universe successfully created their own acid rock sound. Formed in the mid ’70s in California by Gary Paul Van and Dennis Lee Askew, Universe released one eponymous album in 1977, and what an album it was.
Touchdown features fine acoustic and electric guitar work. It is the longest song…
Everclear, one of the leading alternative rock bands to emerge from the ’90s led by vocalist, guitarist and founder Art Alexakis, has officially released the Sparkle and Fade 30th Anniversary Remastered Deluxe Edition.
The new, expanded edition of Everclear’s platinum-selling, major-label debut album, Sparkle and Fade, features all 14 original tracks, remastered by Brad Blackwood, plus bonus content pulled from the vault, featuring unreleased tracks, alternate versions of fan favorites, and original demos, as well as cover songs that were recorded around the same time as the original Sparkle and Fade sessions.
Sparkle and Fade, which had a massive impact in 1995 with its chart-topping hit Santa Monica…
Many important West African musicians built productive careers in 1970s Britain, and the local stars were eager to incorporate their scintillating sounds into their own music. Originally from Ijebu Ode, Nigeria, percussionist Gasper Lawal spent much of the early part of the decade moving through the happening London scene as a session and gig musician for the likes of Joan Armatrading, Graham Bell, Stephen Stills — and even Barbara Streisand. There were stints in various groups too, including the Ginger Baker-led Air Force. But Lawal soon resolved to work on his own music, and his debut album, Ajomasé, first released in 1980 and now newly reissued by Strut, is a fascinating and surprising record with unusual eclectic flourishes throughout. “I wanted to do…
…Iconoclassic reissued the first two albums by Happy the Man: their 1977 self-titled debut and 1978’s Crafty Hands, originally released on the Arista label. (HTM have become prog’s Taylor Swift of sorts, securing the master rights to these albums themselves to license to the label.) Formed in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the group was influenced by European prog groups like Yes, Gentle Giant and Genesis – but created a sound all their own that expanded the constraints of the genre further through the west.
Founding members Stanley Whitaker (guitar/ vocals), Frank Wyatt (keyboards/saxophone/flute), Rick Kennell (bass) and Mike Beck (drums), plus early recruit Kit Watkins on keyboards, had a mostly instrumental, often humorously titled…
…features the complete original record remastered by David Grisman, plus outtakes and alternate versions (including two previously unreleased tracks) from Dawg’s vault.
The second full-length collaborative effort between Jerry Garcia (guitar/vocals) and David Grisman (mandolin, mando-cello, tenor banjo, vocals) is arguably their most endearing as well. Just as its title suggests, Not for Kids Only (1993) is an album of folkie standards and traditional tunes that is — as Grisman so eloquently depicts in his liner notes — “our answer to ‘Barney.'”
The material chosen is comprised of songs they had undoubtedly encountered at one time or another during their respective careers, both of which were deeply rooted in…
‘Aqualung Live’ is a recording of Jethro Tull performing their classic album ‘Aqualung’ in full, originally released in 2005 and now newly remastered.
Each era of rock music has had its own craftily marketed phenomenon — it was the “live album” in the ’70s, “unplugged” recordings in the ’90s, and since the late ’80s through the present day, the “tribute album.” But the early 21st century saw another addition — veteran bands revisiting classic albums and performing them in their entirety. Jethro Tull’s most enduring release is largely agreed to be 1971’s classic Aqualung, and in late 2004 Ian Anderson, Martin Barre, and their latest Tull mates dusted off the album once more in front of a small audience for XM Radio’s…
One of the most dynamic performers in the history of popular music, Tina Turner was a powerhouse vocalist who won and lost fame in the 1960s and ’70s before a spectacular comeback in the ’80s made her an enduring superstar.
Tina Turner’s iconic solo career began with the recording of Good Hearted Woman in 1974 even before she’d recorded ‘Tina Turns The Country On’. This remastered re-release uses a transfer of the master tapes and the six-panel digipack features illuminating liner notes finally revealing the background of these recordings.
This album now features the originally intended photograph Tina Turner personally selected for the front cover plus other rare and previously unpublished imagery.
At just 51 years old, Evans left behind an inimitable musical legacy-one that included more than 50 albums as a leader. During his three-decade-long career, Evans earned seven GRAMMY® Awards and 31 nominations, among other honors, while in 1994, his contributions were recognized with a GRAMMY® Lifetime Achievement Award. Today, Evans’ work continues to inspire new generations of musicians around the globe.
Haunted Heart: The Legendary Riverside Studio Recordings brings together the complete studio recordings by the Bill Evans Trio featuring Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian. Included are the albums Portrait in Jazz and Explorations, plus 26 alternate takes – 17 previously unreleased – with audio is newly remastered by Paul Blakemore.
…remastered from original tapes, and comprises three previously-unreleased tracks, two rare cuts, and live version.
A milestone in post-punk experimentation, Desire captures Tuxedomoon at their most cinematic and atmospheric. Its mood of haunted romanticism and its category-defying blend of music have kept it influential among generations of musicians exploring the intersections of rock, electronic music, cabaret, minimal, jazz and classical music.
Desire was written just before the band’s relocation from San Francisco to Europe. It was recorded in the UK and released in 1981 on Ralph Records, The Residents’ own label, before being reissued in 1987 on CramBoy, the imprint created by Crammed Discs to host the band’s output.
…remastered edition with three previously unreleased tracks uncovered from the original recording sessions plus an additional bonus track.
It’s worth remembering that in the mid-late ’80s, Eric Clapton wasn’t firing on all cylinders. He had all but abandoned the powerful blues and blues-rocking that helped make him a superstar, instead focusing on slick, commercially viable pop that frustrated his core roots audience and left critics cold. The albums were adequate and professionally constructed, but far from inspired.
Then came 1988s Crossroads. That four-CD anthology tracked Slowhand’s extensive and influential resume starting with the Yardbirds, John Mayall and Cream, then continuing through his solo years. It was a hit; an early example…
…Anthology Collection include remastered editions of the original three collections of rarities and outtakes compiled by George Martin and released through 1995 and 1996, available across six CDs.
Martin’s son Giles, who remastered those albums, also curates a new collection, Anthology 4, across a further two CDs or three LPs. Anthology 4 is drawn mostly from archival sets released in the wake of the band’s 2009 remastering of the catalogue, with 13 unreleased tracks taken from eras that have not been covered by such releases. The album is rounded out by new mixes from producer Jeff Lynne of Anthology‘s then-new tracks “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” along with “Now and Then,” a song from the same sessions that was released in 2023.
…newly remastered by Josh Bonati and includes the entire five-hour suite that Basinski originally captured while looping analog tape as it actively deteriorated in the process.
A work of minimal, process-based tape music, experimental composer William Basinski‘s Disintegration Loops series achieves astonishingly moving and evocative states through relatively simplistic means. In the process of transferring aging reel-to-reel tape loops to a digital medium, Basinski found the reels (originally recorded in 1982) were so old and decrepit that the tape would shed slightly with each pass of the loop. This gradually affected the sound coming through, blurring the short, pastoral phrases of sound into an increasingly ghostly and…