Pinkerton, often considered Weezer's "indie" album, was initially lumped into the category of "sophomore slump," considered by some as a disappointment on the heels of the Weezer's seminal debut album. While Pinkerton had its admirers, it wasn't until years later that it received critical acclaim (Rolling Stone even re-reviewed the album upgrading it from three to five stars). It is now widely considered one of the greatest albums of all-time and a modern rock masterpiece.
Now, 14 years after its initial release, Weezer is releasing a deluxe edition of the album that features 25 bonus tracks, including every official B-side. But what fans can really get excited about is that 16 of these 25 bonus tracks have never been released before, songs such as the newly-discovered gem "Tragic Girl" and the unreleased B-side "I Swear It's True." The deluxe edition also boasts a collection of rare live recordings, like a lunchtime performance won in a contest by Shorecrest High School near Seattle. And if that wasn't enough, there's also a booklet with numerous photos and an essay by the band's close friend/webmaster/historian/roadie/jack-of-all-trades Karl Koch. DGC/UMe will release Pinkerton - Deluxe Edition on November 2nd.
Ah, nostalgia.
See the deluxe edition tracklisting after the jump.
Yesterday, the latest batch of Fela Kuti reissues was released by Knitting Factory Records. This latest group of reissues, entitled "Zombie" after Kuti's most well known song, contains 11 albums and spans from 1976 - 1980. This was a period during which Kuti was very politically activated as his Kalakuta Republic, a communal compound in Nigera that housed his family, band members, and recording studio, was incresingly under siege by the Nigerian government. Kuti declared the commune to be independent from the Nigerian government in 1970. But 7 years later, it burned to the ground following an attack by the Nigerian army.
The albums released as part of the "Zombie" reissue series are... Zombie (1976) Upside Down (1976) / Music of Many Colours (1980) Stalemate (1977) / Fear Not For Man (1977) Opposite People (1977) / Sorrow, Tears and Blood (1977) Shuffering & Shmiling (1978) / No Agreement (1977) V.I.P. (1979) / Authority Stealing (1980)
This was Kuti's political statement against members of the Nigerian army, recorded before the attack on Kalakuta Republic. He called the soldiers zombies because of how they followed their orders blindly. In the song he sings that a zombie will not walk unless it is instructed to, expressing Kuti's anger over how these men strictly followed their superiors and orders without question despite the negative effect the army's practices were having on the people. In a world in which intimidation and fear ruled over the people, Fela Kuti and his music persevered in the face of oppression.
Polyvinyl will be reissuing Braid's first two albums (1995's Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five and 1996's The Age of Octeen) along with Movie Music Vol. 1 and Movie Music Vol. 2 on April 13th.
The making of Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five was an exercise in the DIY ethos of the early '90s punk/indie scene. Andrew Bedinni, a friend of the band, was just learning how to engineer records and offered up his services. For months, Bedinni and Braid were holed up in a Urbana, Illinois house chipping away at the band's immense 26-song debut.
Following the completion of the album, the band managed to pay for 500 pressed copies of the album but were not able to afford album jackets. Instead, they went to Goodwill and bought mounds of old records, painting over the jackets and hand-screening their own artwork over top of the original covers (as seen below).
original (left), reissue (right)
this original copy was printed over Zeppelin's IV cover (!)
reissue
For the reissue, John Golden (Nirvana, Melvins, Sonic Youth) remastered all 26 songs. The album has been pressed on 180-gram white vinyl (limited to 700 copies) and 180-gram black vinyl.
To coincide with the reissue of Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five, Polyvinyl is also reissuing Braid's 1996 follow-up, The Age of Octeen. This reissue was also remastered by Golden and is finally available after being out of print for over a decade. The Age of Octeen will be available on 180-gram blue vinyl (limited to 700 copies) and 180-gram black vinyl.
Movie Music Vol. 1 is also being released along with the reissues. The album compiles all of Braid's 7" and split 7" material from the band's six-year existence. Aside from three full-length albums, the band released nine (count 'em, 9) 7"s along with numerous songs for compilations.
And for those looking for Braid's compilation work, you'll be happy to learn that there is Movie Music Vol. 2. The album compiles all of the band's compilation work and cover songs. The release will also feature an additional five songs that have never been released.
Both volumes are available for the first time as 2xLP releases. Not only have they been pressed on 180-gram black vinyl, they have also been pressed on colored vinyl. The color for each album's limited edition colored vinyl was chosen to match its cover: red for Vol. 1 and orange for Vol. 2.
Oh, and that's not all (I said it was epic, didn't I?). Braid's most popular 7", I'm Afraid of Everything, is being repressed on mixed color vinyl.
Phew. So, to recap the reissues available April 13th:
Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five
The Age of Octeen
Movie Music Vol. 1
Movie Music Vol. 2
I'm Afraid of Everything 7"
BUY: You can now pre-order all the above here on vinyl or CD.
Braid - "Hugs From Boys"
from Frankie Welfare Boy Age Five
Knitting Factory Records has reissued Fela Kuti's "Chop 'N Quench" albums, all remastered and re-released in digi-packs with the original artwork. The collection marks the earliest period of Kuti's Afrobeat work and features nine albums that span from 1969-1974. It was a pivotal era in Kuti's career as it was during this time that he created a sound that would come to be known as Afrobeat. Kuti's innovative style mixed funk, jazz, salsa, and calypso, with juju, highlife, and African percussive patterns. These early years also saw Kuti beginning to developed his political voice, as well, which later became an important theme in his music.
BUY: You can purchase all of the reissues right here.
Check out/download a cut from Fela Kuti's 1975 LP, Expensive Shit, below (technically the entire Side-A of the album).
You can also stream some songs from the reissues below:
Iconic post-punk band Jawbox are set to reissue their 1994 classic For Your Own Special Sweetheart November 24th on CD and vinyl. Although the album was released on Atlantic Records and marked the band's first release after leaving Dischord Records, the reissue is being handled by Dischord and the band's own DeSoto Records. Thanks to Dischord and engineer Bob Weston (Pixies, Jawbox, and a member of Shellac), For Your Own Special Sweetheart album has been meticulously remastered. Bassist Kim Coletta says, "It just sounds a whole lot better."
The re-release will also contain the three songs that appeared on the Savory +3 EP that Atlantic put out in 1994. Purchase of the vinyl version comes with a coupon redeemable for a free download of the remastered album and three bonus songs. Track Listing: 1. FF=66 2. Savory 3. Breathe 4. Motorist 5. LS/MFT 6. Cooling Card 7. Green Glass 8. Cruel Swing 9. Jackpot Plus! 10. Chicago Piano 11. Reel 12. U-Trau 13. Whitney Walks 14. L'il Shaver* 15. 68* 16. Sound On Sound*
