Quite a few riffs on reissue this week, with two jazz essentials and some real nice dub too!
This new week starts off with a 15th Anniversary Edition of Dinosaur Jr.’s much-loved Farm LP. It was the trio's second album back after a hiatus and their 9th full-length overall, full of crunching riffs and fugged-out production. Not to forget it has some deliciously sweet moments too. This new edition includes four bonus tracks as well.
+ Limited double Lime colour vinyl.
You Get What You Deserve is a 1985 banger from Perth post-punks The Scientists. They’ve always been a proper band’s-band and this lightning bolt of sludgy proto grunge and noise punk is really gripping stuff. Perfectly unhinged.
+ Available on limited Green Opaque colour vinyl.
Sub Pop have gone back to their esteemed vaults for an indie-pop treat on Velocity Girl’s 1993 LP, Ultracopacetic. This isn’t actually a straight-up reissue as the band now present a ‘Copacetic Remixed And Expanded’ edition, abating the dissatisfaction they felt with the original mix. Indie rock with some dream pop echoes, it has a great vibe.
+ Limited Loser Edition on double Red colour vinyl.
JuJu is a soaring mid-sixties LP from saxophonist Wayne Shorter. A really superb quartet with pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Elvin Jones, all of whom had worked extensively with fellow sax man John Coltrane.
Absolutely white-hot off the back of his The Sidewinder, The Gigolo is a real swinger from trumpeter Lee Morgan. Another great band that groove and sprint all the way through the set.
+ Both albums are stereo, all-analogue, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes and pressed on 180g vinyl at Optimal.
Music Maker From Jamaica is the first ever collection of Jah Thomas’ vocal work. Twelve essential classic Dub and Dance Hall cuts. For anyone that does like cricket, ‘Cricket Lovely Cricket’ is a proper anthem and got me right in the mood for clipping a few dingers.
Newly remastered and the package includes sleeve notes by reggae historian Tony Rounce.
Lastly today is Rotten Apples, a greatest hits collection from Smashing Pumpkins. Although not strictly speaking massive fans first time around, this has been a really good one to look back in on as there are loads of great songs and some really good production too. Got pretty nostalgic about the Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness singles.
