Well, as Christmas winds down and Valentine's Day is just around the corner, it looks like the new release shelves will start to fill up again. This week in particular looks good with a few highlights:
Van Morrison has reissued 7 albums including Avalon Sunset, Back On Top, Tupelo Honey and more - all remastered with bonus tracks. The price in stores for these titles is super cheap, so it's a great time for long-time Vanfans to add expanded versions of classic albums to their collection, and it's also great for those who aren't fans, and want to give a couple of his albums a try. All of this in anticipation of a new album from Van in March! For more information on the reissues, click here.
Beck has reissued his 1996 album Odelay in a 'deluxe edition', a series of albums that are being redone with entire bonus disc. Arguably, while it is one of Beck's best and most realized albums, it seems a little early to be giving it 'classic album' status - but fans can rejoice as the extra disc inside boasts a plethora of b-sides that would take a fortune to collect. Click here for more info.
Joe Jackson has released his first album of new material in five years: Rain brings back the old Jackson trio of drummer "Dangerous" Dave Houghton and bass master Graham Maby, sadly without the punchy guitar of Gary Sanford this time around. Despite that, the album is a mixture of solo-styled songwriting, with the execution of a tight pop/jazz trio. Joe combines his love of classically-inspired piano melodies with his sardonic lyrics and throws in a little bit of soul now and then.If you're new to Joe, Rain might not be the best introduction to his career, as it's a subtle and mature album that's made for loyal Joe fans who have followed him through many phases of musical indulgences. It also comes with a DVD featuring a few live performances and some interview clips that are definitely a nice bonus. Here's a video clip of the band playing "Good Bad Boy" (flash video) recorded live in Ireland, and here's an mp3 of "Invisible Man" (courtesy toolshedmedia).
