THE BEATLES
1962-1966 (The Red Album) & 1967-1970 (The Blue Album)
APPLE CORPS/CAPITOL/UME
What we said: “For the generation born a smidgen too late to experience The Beatles in real time, who hit their teens in the 70s, it was these two brilliantly curated double albums of the Fabs’ finest recordings that hit their collections first. So screw with them at your peril.
“The sound is truly sensational, most evidently on the Red album. Ringo Starr’s newly enhanced drumming is a revelation, while Paul McCartney’s bass finally hits its sweet spot. Guitar subtleties astound and vocal harmonies soar in spacious mixes, leaving 2009’s stereo remasters sounding weedy, gutless and, quite literally, shocking.
“You’ll have all heard the miraculously contrived, heartstring-strumming Now And Then by now, which appears on Blue, but its addition is a mere detail in such exalted company. To be frank, this lot are more than worth your hard-earned cash for the pin-sharp splash of Ringo’s We Can Work It Out crash cymbals alone. Essential.”
HAWKWIND
Space Ritual 50th Anniversary
ATOMHENGE
What we said: “An unfeasible 50 years down the line, Space Ritual still sounds magnificent. ‘Ritual’ is key. This isn’t an opera or a recital. It’s a ceremony, a liturgy… a pagan love feast, if you like. Cosmic jive at its haziest and hippiest. This box set comprises 11 discs.
There are many twists and turns. The songs might be repeated, but they’re never the same. The original album has been newly remastered, there’s a surround-sound fandango, there are fresh mixes of gigs at Liverpool, Sunderland and London… This is a peerless celebration of Hawkwind’s defining masterpiece – and there ain’t even a sniff of Silver Machine.”
THE WHO
Who’s Next / Life House
UMR
What we said: “This box setIn the 100-page booklet that comes with this painstakingly comprehensive 10-CD/one-Blu-ray 50th-anniversary package, Townshend endeavours to explain the concept (which is a dystopian vision of the future, part part that incorporates the Meher Baba based concept of karma and the unifying power of music, but also isn’t). Dissenting online punters are finding much to gripe about, not least a £225 price tag. That said, there’s a lot to love here: two live shows, demos, non-album singles and B-sides.”
