Talk about the gifting season! This week's reissue bounty is one of the year’s finest.
Hello, Friends.
Are you ready for the heat?! Donald Byrd’s driving 1973 live recording Live: Cookin’ with Blue Note at Montreux gets its first-ever official release this week, just days after what would have been the legendary trumpeter’s 90th birthday. It really is essential stuff, a driving funk and fusion rich set. Whilst never straying out of the pocket, the players are just so loose, it sounds like they are all operating from a shared frontal cortex. We know that Blue Note keeps finding gold in the vaults, but this is honestly up there with any and all of it, pure higher energy.
Guys. Strap in…. The Oz Tapes is the first-ever official release by Les Rallizes Dénudés, the mysterious and quite remarkable Japanese group who are just screaming out for a biopic. Misplaced for nearly 50 years, the analog reels have been restored by former bassist Makoto Kubota and one of the most cult of all cult bands get a chance to bake in the light. Fuzz, distortion, wooze, thuds, wails; this couldn’t be more us. A trip through folk, roots, psych and baked rock and roll.
The (double) LP is really limited, so don’t over think it and miss out as we don’t have many.
We’ll no doubt find some time to talk about this one a bit more over Christmas, but the always-amazing Aquarium Drunkard have a great feature live here, which does briefly cover the band’s original bassist hijacking a plane with the Red Army!
Back in these days and ages, IDLES release Five Years of Brutalism to celebrate their (not) quietly iconic debut LP. Brutalism was originally self-released in March 2017, surpassing expectations to become one of the decade’s most important debut albums. The band have reimagined the artwork (designed by Joe Talbot) and this limited edition repress is on Cherry Red colour vinyl.
Pressed for the first time in some thirty years, Warp have revisited their iconic Artificial Intelligence compilation for a 2022 edition. Includes rare early tracks by Aphex Twin (as The Dice Man), Autechre, Richie Hawtin (as UP!), B12 (as Musicology) and Alex Paterson (The Orb), the latter featuring co-production from Jimmy Cauty (The KLF). The original gatefold sleeve has been reconstructed by The Designers Republic and the album re-cut by Beau Thomas at Ten Eight Seven Mastering on classic black wax. It’s a fine thing.
This is way more limited than we thought, so again, don’t miss out.
A later-career double this week from Queens Of The Stone Age, with 2022 editions of both Villains and ...Like Clockwork. Both albums have been lavishly expanded over two discs, with ...Like Clockwork pressed on Opaque Red colour vinyl and Villains pressed on Opaque White colour vinyl. Both packages look fantastic and Matador have also made some really fun sticker packs - we’re bundling up all orders with some serious QOTSA bumf.
Musician and record producer, Bella Union-founder and Cocteau Twin Simon Raymonde re-releases an updated version of his excellent solo debut LP Blame Someone Else this week under the name Solo Works 96-98. It is the first ever vinyl pressing of the album and includes three bonus tracks from 1998’s Japan-only edition.
London Records celebrate the 25th anniversary of Echo & The Bunnymen’s second coming, with the triumphant album Evergreen. Originally released in 1997, Evergreen marked a critical and commercial renaissance for the band after more than half a decade’s hiatus.
+ Available on limited White colour vinyl.
Captured Tracks celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Wild Nothing’s wonderful Nocturne album with a special reissued edition. The presentation is really stunning, a lot of love going on. We really enjoyed playing this LP after a long time out of mind.
+ Available on limited Blue Marble colour vinyl.
A few restocks and recent arrivals in the racks for you too, with the seminal self-titled Burial back in press via Hyperdub for the first time in ages. We have some Godspeed You! Black Emperor back editions (just cause) which always have extra bite this time of year. Tinariwen’s Imidiwan: Companions is now instock and pressed on Indie exclusive Metallic colour vinyl no less!
Following on from last week’s Chet Baker & Art Pepper Picture of Heath reissue, we managed to cop the ever-green Chet Baker Sings (also Vol.2) and we even have a CD/book edition called The Making Of Chet Baker Sings which is, naturally, excellent!
We told you so, right? What a week.
- Drift