TOP REISSUES OF 2021

THE BEATLES

Let It Be APPLE/UME

What we said: “Five discs (one of which is an EP) of live songs, rehearsals, significant between-songs chatter, and – at last – the Johns LP make it an essential purchase for fans… At no point does the listener throw up their arms and shout: “My God! Let It Be is the greatest Beatles album ever made!” but this larger, panoramic overview does wonders for it, giving us a bird’s-eye view of the sessions. Buy it and you’ll play it a lot.”

THE WHO

The Who Sell Out (Super-Deluxe Edition) UMC/POLYDOR

What we said: “A five-disc set of The Who’s 1967 album, with previously unreleased tracks, Townshend demos and other goodies. The additional CDs comprise stereo and mono recordings of the original album, alternative takes, very rough run-throughs that eerily take you back over 50 years… This collection is generously weighed down with memorabilia, including posters, flyers, and a crack-back bumper sticker for Wonderful Radio London, beneficiaries of one of the album’s jingles. There’s also an 80-page booklet including liner notes by Townshend.

“A veritable capsule in pop/rock time.”

GRATEFUL DEAD

Grateful Dead (Skull & Roses) RHINO

What we said: “The, a live double that found them in their natural habit, squaring melodic rock with long-form experimentation. Included in this edition is a previously unheard show from July 1971. An epic and a 17-minute extrapolation of the Young Rascals’ account for the jams, but it’s the brittle, folksy that lingers longest.”