Pick your format. Remastered, Enhanced, Extended, Limited, Legacy, Deluxe, Dual Disc, Box Set, Special, Live, Essential, Best of, Anthologies, Greatest Hits, Retrospectives.
There's even "Sordid Sentinels."
I hope they're Assorted and Sundry Sordid Sentinels - somehow that would seem to make my list of 2006's best-revisited recordings something complete, and alliterative, to boot. Whatever the case, and whether in compilation or repackaged compact disc-incarnation, squeezed of all traces of once-ubiquitous vinyl, this special year-end edition of Vinyl Tap has by necessity RPM'd for present purposes into The Polycarbonate Plastic Tap Top 10:
1. The Pretenders [Original Recording Remastered]
Yes, they‘re the great Pretenders. “I was feeling kind of ethereal ’cause I’m precious…” Chrissie Hynde may have tongue in cheek and in check, but you don’t know the half of it. She declares on this 1980 release that “I Love Pretending,” but there’s not a lot of reading between the lines needed on one of the most absorbing and vigorous debut albums from anyone at any time, lyrically and musically. From the pointed “anger and lust my senses running amok” to the poignancy of seeking forgiveness from a child who doesn’t understand as “You’ve turned your head / You’ve dropped my hand,” Hynde runs an emotional gamut on the self-titled album’s widely-varying touchstones.
2. Al Green - The Belle Album
When Elvis Costello was once asked if he had ever had a religious experience, he responded, "No, but I have heard Al Green." Whether Costello was referring to Green’s early R&B hits or his later gospel-oriented songs, or both, the transitional Belle from 1977 could be a contender for either view. Coming along at a time of Green’s personal problems and religious re-conversion, this 1977 album bridges the gap from the sinewy sublimity of the soulful Willie Mitchell-produced recordings to albums more in line with his emerging role as an ordained pastor of the Full Gospel Tabernacle. As it turned out, the tracks on Belle comprise the best of both musical worlds.
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Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Nice list Gordon. It seemed there was an unusually high number of quality reissues this year. I know I wrote about way more of them than usual. Your list probably reads a little differently than mine would, but I'd definitely agree with you on the Pretenders, the Byrds, and Pet Sounds.
I also thought they did a great job with the ELO reissues, making me realize that I liked those songs a lot more than I remembered. What I'm really forward to this year are the remastered Sly and The Family Stone albums. Hopefully they finally get Sly right.
-Glen
2 - El Bicho
I would add as honorbale mentions The Miles Davis Quintet - The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions and John Coltrane - Fearless Leader.
3 - Stephen V Funk
Not to be too picky, but I don't think we can really call Sinatra: Vegas a "reissue" since none of those recordings were ever previously released (officially, at least.)
Whatever you wanna call it, though, it's a great box set!
4 - Vern Halen
Great list - nice to see Matthew Sweet & the dB's make it on a list that isn't "Ten Great Unheard Of Rock Recording Artists." Now if they'll just reissue Guadalcanal Diary......
5 - Gordon Hauptfleisch
Thanks Glen and El Bicho for the comments.
Stephen: you're absolutely right, and for the reason you mentioned I limited Sinatra to an honorable mention, though I shouldn't have even done that--I did know better, though I did want to acknowledge it. At least I didn't include, as some did on their reissue lists, Waits' "Orphans" and Martin/Beatles "Love."
6 - Nik
Nice list! I really dug The Essential Roy Orbison and the Matthew Sweet reissue too. What about the Johnny Cash at San Quentin set? I've heard that's really good altho I haven't been able to pick it up yet.