Gahhhh. I like the idea of "talking" about the best reissues but I don't know that it can be fairly and effectively tabulated like the other "Best of" threads for albums and songs.

Ground rules haven't really been set:
Should we consider the USEFULNESS of the reissue, like Pitchfork does (e.g., initial Elvis Costello reissue of "My Aim is True" receives 9.8; later reissue receives 7.0 because nothing new is offfered)?

Do we get to count multiple albums reissued by the same artist. Could I rank TWO Joy Division albums in first place like ImmovableMotorist did?

And it seems that there are only 3-4 actual lists. Ignore my recommendation if you want, but I just think this thread should be unstickied and changed to a discussion rather than formal tabulation.

Allmusic’s Favorite Reissues of 2007:

The Afghan Whigs - Unbreakable: A Retrospective 1990-2006
Bobby Bare - Drunk & Crazy (Bonus Tracks)
Black Sabbath - Dio Years
The Blackbyrds - Happy Music: The Best of the Blackbyrds
Blossom Toes - We Are Ever So Clean (Bonus Tracks)
Willie Colon - OG: Original Gangster
Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True (Deluxe Edition)
Betty Davis - Betty Davis (Bonus Tracks)
Miles Davis - Complete On the Corner Sessions
Original Soundtrack - Death Proof
Dexys Midnight Runners - Projected Passion Revue
Bo Diddley - I’m a Man: The Chess Masters: 1955-58
Fairport Convention - Live at the BBC
Fire Engines - Hungry Beat
Jim Ford - Sounds of Our Time
Merle Haggard - Hag: The Studio Recordings 1968-1976
Andrew Hill - Compulsion (RVG Edition)
Bobby Hutcherson - Mosaic Select: Bobby Hutcherson
George Jones - She Thinks I Still Care: The Complete United Artists Recordings 1962-1964
Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures (Collector’s Edition)
Hubert Laws - Afro-Classic
Manfred Mann - Down the Road Apiece: Their EMI Recordings 1963-1966
Bennie Maupin - Jewel in the Lotus
Charles Mingus Sextet With Eric Dolphy - Cornell 1964
Moby Grape - Moby Grape (Bonus Tracks)
The Move - Move (UK Bonus Tracks)
Gram Parsons - Gram Parsons Archive, Vol. 1
Johnny Paycheck - Take This Job and Shove It/Armed and Crazy
Pentangle - Time Has Come
Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Ape-ology
Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn (3-CD Deluxe Edition)
The Pretenders - Learning to Crawl (Bonus Tracks)
Pylon - Gyrate Plus
RAMP - Come into Knowledge
Jimmy Reed - Live At Carnegie Hall
Boz Scaggs - Silk Degrees (Bonus Tracks)
Slade - In for a Penny: Raves & Faves
Sly & the Family Stone - Collection (Box Set)
Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (Deluxe Edition)
The Stanley Brothers - Definitive Collection 1947-1966
Ringo Starr - Photograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr
Johnnie Taylor - Live at the Summit Club
The Triffids - In the Pines (Bonus Tracks)
Ike & Tina Turner - Ike & Tina Turner Story 1960-1975
Dwight Twilley - Sincerely/Twilley Don’t Mind
Various Artists - Bad Boogaloo: The Nu Yorican Sounds 1966-1970
Various Artists - Bombay Connection, Vol. 1: Funk From Bollywood Action Thrillers
Various Artists - Colombia!: The Golden Years of Discos Fuentes
Various Artists - Cosimo Matassa Story
Various Artists - Fania DJ Series
Various Artists - Florida Funk: 1968-1975
Various Artists - Goodbye Nashville, Hello Camden Town: A Pub Rock Anthology
Various Artists - Greasy Truckers Party (2007 Expanded Edition)
Various Artists - Home Schooled: The ABC’s of Kid Soul
Various Artists - Love Is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970
Various Artists - People Take Warning! Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs 1913-1938
Various Artists - Summer Records Anthology 1974-1988
Various Artists - Tea & Symphony: The English Baroque Sound 1967-1974
Luther Vandross - Love, Luther
Wreckless Eric - Big Smash (2 CD)
Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth & Collected Works
Neil Young - Live at Massey Hall 1971 (CD/DVD)
Warren Zevon - Stand in the Fire (Bonus Tracks)

BContrat made a good point. There really hasn't been that much action here. Feel free to unsticky this, you won't hurt my feelings. As for the ground rules, I thought it was pretty clear: If it was reissued in 2007 (domestically or as an import) it's fair game. Yes, count all three Joy Division albums if you want-- they were all released this year.

I think I finally made up my mind on my own list. I tend to rank stuff I've never heard above reissues of something I love (like the Modern Lovers or the Remains). So here are my top 5:

1. The Complete Stiff Years: Dirty Looks/Turn it Up by Dirty Looks.

Before I bought this fabulous reissue, all I had heard by Dirty Looks is their brilliant "Let Go" single. Their self-titled debut, which is the first disc of this compilation, is Power Pop . . . no, Rock & Roll tour de force. I honestly don't know how this band wasn't more appreciated in their day-- they should have been all over MTV.

2. In the Pines by the Triffids.

Here's a band that had I heard them back in the day, would have been right up there with REM, Echo and the Bunnymen and their compatriots the Church in my pantheon of Velvet Underground-inspired college rock.

3. Live at Massey Hall 1971 by Neil Young.

Dear God. This is stunning. I've often wondered what it would have been like to have been sitting in the audience in 1971 and hearing "Ohio". Now thanks to this archival release (with a DVD!), I have some understanding.

4. The Greatest Cowboy Movie Never Made by the Saints.

I bought this just before New Year's, and I am so glad I did. I've already discussed this one here.

5. Sarolta Zaltnay by Sarolta Zaltnay.

Our resident obscurist, Crazed, recommended this in this thread and I'm glad I bought it.

I decided to skip on various artists comps because there's too many excellnt choices and I'm too weak to pick a top five. I'd probably have to divide them into genres and then select. So I went with artist compilations and album reissues which I didn't already have on disc (thus no Traveling Wilburys).

1. Robert Forster/Grant McLennan -Intermission: The Best of the Solo Recordings 1990-1997

A collection of solo tracks from the singer/songwriters of the Go-Betweens, released a year or so after McLennan's untimely death.


2. Sarolta Zaltnay -Sarolta Zaltnay

See Max's description above.

3. Betty Davis -They Say I'm Different

The second of two Davis reissues. One time wife of Miles released two classic funk/soul/glam
albums in early '70s (and a couple late '70s disco/funk lps) before slipping off into obscurity. Her s/t debut album is also highly recommended.

4. Anne Briggs -The Time Has Come

The 1971 & 3rd of four albums from the goddess of traditional UK folk. One of the most gorgeous voices I've ever heard. Like Davis above, Briggs has also slipped off into obscurity.

5. He 6 - Go Go Sound '71 Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Collects both extremely rare 1971 albums from this Korean psychedelic/funk band. Not only sounds terrific (lotsa Hammond organ workouts) but the packaging is beautiful (heavy duty LP style gatefold edition).

Also enjoyed:

The Sly & the Family Stone reissues
True West Hollywood Holiday Revisited
Moby Grape Wow

Instead of keeping score, which seems pretty pointless given the few submissions and the extraordinary number of reissues, I'll just recap everyone's picks. So far this is what we got:

BContrat:

01. Sly & the Family Stone: There's a Riot Goin' On
02. Joy Divison: Unknown Pleasures
03. Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation
04. Fennesz: Endless Summer
05. The Modern Lovers: The Modern Lovers

sk:

01. Radiohead - Boxset
(theres no competition here i suposse with 7 radiohead albums!)
02. Pulp - Different Class
(caue it still remains my favourite "pop" album of all time!)
03. Joy Division - Closer
(with no comments)
04. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
(double album=4 sides....thanks God i dont have to stand up n change every 3-4 tracks the side of the album... i m gonna miss the "scratch scratch" vinyl sounds of my very old record).
05. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
(known pleasure)

philosopherEric:

01-03. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasure, Closer & Still
04. Various Artists - The Brit Box: UK Indie, Shoegaze, and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millenium
05. Robyn Hitchcock - I Wanna Go Backwards (Box)

ImmovableMotorist:

01. Joy Division - Closer/Unknown Pleasures/Still
02. Pulp - Different Class
03. Pink Floyd - Piper at the Gates of Dawn
04. Pylon - Gyrate +
05. Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers

Maximum Jack:

01. The Complete Stiff Years: Dirty Looks/Turn it Up by Dirty Looks.

Before I bought this fabulous reissue, all I had heard by Dirty Looks is their brilliant "Let Go" single. Their self-titled debut, which is the first disc of this compilation, is Power Pop . . . no, Rock & Roll tour de force. I honestly don't know how this band wasn't more appreciated in their day-- they should have been all over MTV.

02. In the Pines by the Triffids.

Here's a band that had I heard them back in the day, would have been right up there with REM, Echo and the Bunnymen and their compatriots the Church in my pantheon of Velvet Underground-inspired college rock.

03. Live at Massey Hall 1971 by Neil Young.

Dear God. This is stunning. I've often wondered what it would have been like to have been sitting in the audience in 1971 and hearing "Ohio". Now thanks to this archival release (with a DVD!), I have some understanding.

04. The Greatest Cowboy Movie Never Made by the Saints.

I bought this just before New Year's, and I am so glad I did. I've already discussed this one here.

05. Sarolta Zaltnay by Sarolta Zaltnay.

Our resident obscurist, Crazed, recommended this in this thread and I'm glad I bought it.

Crazed:

01. Robert Forster/Grant McLennan -Intermission: The Best of the Solo Recordings 1990-1997

A collection of solo tracks from the singer/songwriters of the Go-Betweens, released a year or so after McLennan's untimely death.


02. Sarolta Zaltnay -Sarolta Zaltnay

See Max's description above.

03. Betty Davis -They Say I'm Different

The second of two Davis reissues. One time wife of Miles released two classic funk/soul/glam
albums in early '70s (and a couple late '70s disco/funk lps) before slipping off into obscurity. Her s/t debut album is also highly recommended.

04. Anne Briggs -The Time Has Come

The 1971 & 3rd of four albums from the goddess of traditional UK folk. One of the most gorgeous voices I've ever heard. Like Davis above, Briggs has also slipped off into obscurity.

05. He 6 - Go Go Sound '71 Vol. 1 & Vol. 2

Collects both extremely rare 1971 albums from this Korean psychedelic/funk band. Not only sounds terrific (lotsa Hammond organ workouts) but the packaging is beautiful (heavy duty LP style gatefold edition).


I will also edit the original post in this thread with this information. Also, I'd love to see some more lists!

I'm not sure where I would have place these in my list: the four disc V/A set The Essence of Swedish Progressive Music 1967-1979: Pregnant Rainbows for Colourblind Dreamers and Bobb Trimble's two seperate disc reissues on Secretly Canadian, Iron Curtain Innocence and Harvest of Dreams. I only got around to spinning the discs this year, and still these are fabulous reissues worth hunting down. The Swedish set is more than just prog- it's jazz, folk, hard rock, psych and mix of various genres and styles. Quite a few tracks are sung in English. The Trimble cds are recommended for fans of Daniel Johnston, Syd Barrett and damaged lo-fi psych with vocals below the mix.

1. Daydream Nation
2. There's a Riot Goin On
3. Unknown Pleasures
4. Closer
5. The Modern Lovers