Shopping for records #3

Adventures in the reissued:

Borders bookstore, North Wales, PA:

Elvis Costello
My Aim Is True – 2007 Originals Series
Hip-O
Reissued 5.1.07 (Set of 11)



Purchasing power is a bitch.

Knowing that I’m unfortunately bound to my income when it comes to the music I’ll actually get to hear, it’s happened a million times where I’ve been late to the game with certain artists. I have a backburner a mile wide and it does get kind of embarrassing, me being the guy who writes this shit, to admit when I’ve done without certain essentials. In this instance, I missed out huge with Elvis Costello.

I did manage to procure a copy of Armed Forces on vinyl a few years ago, but otherwise I was relatively lax on my Costello knowledge. So, I figured I’d begin at the beginning with My Aim Is True, which has undergone its latest round of reissuing by Hip-O Records.

The “Originals” series aren’t credited as actual remasters. They are essentially digipack duplicates of the original vinyl releases: No extra tracks, bonus discs or liner notes. You get the lyrics and the CD, the mastering of which was handled by Rhino for their round of reissues earlier this decade. So there’s nothing new or unusual for the avid collector to cherish, but the music sounds good, the price ain’t bad and they’re easy to get.

Of course, after I picked up the Hip-O version, a 2-disc Deluxe Edition was fucking issued.

A.K.A. Music, Philadelphia, PA:

Sly & The Family Stone
The Collection
7 CD Boxed Set
Epic/Legacy
Released 3.20.07


I think it was just before summertime when I took a drive over to A.K.A. armed with a bag containing some of the lesser components of my CD collection. I was intent on selling them off with the hope that I could get a little cash toward something decent. I managed to get $21 and I put it toward the new Sly & The Family Stone boxed set, which boasts newly mastered versions of their musical septuplet.

The set itself is fantastic: Remastered albums, extensive liner notes for every release and beautiful packaging. Only flaw in this set are the notable absences of “Hot Love In The Summer Time” and “Star,” two tracks that never saw LP release. I guess you’ll have to go the “greatest hits” route to get those two, which seems to defeat the purpose of putting a set like this together.

Otherwise, if you’re a fan, Sly & The Family Stone have never sounded better.

Sincerely,
Letters From A Tapehead

P.S.- Just FYI: If you’re at all interested, I found a very comprehensive write-up regarding the history of Elvis Costello’s reissued catalog.

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