Genesis Revisits Archival Performances On ‘BBC Broadcasts’

After a somewhat quiet start to the year, new archival rock and pop releases have popped up in the last months with some notable offerings from the likes of Genesis, Elton John, the Velvet Underground and more. Here’s the rundown:

Genesis

BBC Broadcasts

(Rhino)

Between 1970 and 1998, the BBC aired the music of Genesis exclusively as performance sessions and live concerts. Now those performances have been compiled for this new five-disc, 53-track box set curated by band co-founder Tony Banks, with most of this material unofficially unreleased until now. BBC Broadcasts is essentially a Genesis career summary beginning with the Peter Gabriel/progressive rock incarnation of the group that is the focus of Disc 1 (including “Watcher of the Skies,” “The Musical Box” “Stagnation”); the rest the material concentrates on the hugely classic and successful Tony Banks-Mike Rutherford-Phil Collins lineup that elevated the group into the commercial stratosphere (among the recognizable hits in the set are “Invisible Touch,” “Mama,” “Turn It On Again,” “No Son of Mine,” “Follow You Follow Me”); of particular interest for fans are the performances from Genesis’ 1980 Lyceum show as well as the 1987 Wembley and 1992 Knebworth concerts, capturing the band at the apex of their popularity. Also unique is the collection features the first official release of live Genesis recordings from the late 1990s with Ray Wilson as singer (“Not About Us” and “The Dividing Line”). In the wake of the group’s final concert ever from last year, BBC Broadcasts is a perfect companion to the Genesis Live box set and reaffirms what a great live band Genesis was.

Sting

Ten Summoner’s Tales—Expanded Edition

(A&M/UME)

Following his somewhat somber 1991 album The Soul Cages, Sting returned two years later with Ten Summoner’s Tales, one of the singer’s best solo records in his career discography. Sounding relatively upbeat in comparison to its predecessor, Ten Summoner’s Tales was a smash hit thanks to the singles “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You” and the romantic ballad “Fields of Gold.” The rest of the album is filler-free with such noteworthy tracks as the soulful “Heavy Cloud No Rain,” the country-tinged “Love Is Stronger Than Justice,” the poignant “Shape of My Heart,” and the jazzy “Seven Days.” On the record’s 30th anniversary, an expanded edition of Ten Summoner’s Tales was released with remixes, live performances and radio edits—among them an alternate version of “It’s Probably Me” with Eric Clapton.

The Kinks

The Journey—Part 1

(BMG)

This year commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Kinks, one of the beloved and influential British rock bands. In marking the milestone, the band has released a new compilation, The Journey—Part 1, focusing on 1963 to 1975 and containing such iconic hits as “You Really Got Me,” “Where Have All the Good Times Gone,” “Waterloo Sunset,” “All Day and All Night” and “Celluloid Heroes.” Unlike previous collections, the songs are arranged in thematic order reflecting the “journey” that the band had taken throughout their career (Part 2 is expected to be released later this year). Also included in the package is track-by-track commentary by the band’s surviving founders Ray Davies, Dave Davies and Mick Avory.

Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello

The Songs of Bacharach & Costello

(UME)

One of the greatest pop music collaborations occurred in 1998 when Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach released their studio album Painted From Memory, a beautifully romantic and melancholic collection of ballads that showcased their great songwriting—featuring such standout tracks as “I Still Have That Other Girl,” “Toledo,” “Tears at the Birthday Party,” and especially “God Give Me Strength” (from the movie Grace of My Heart). Twenty-five years, the partnership is revisited with this 45-track box set featuring a newly remastered Painted From Memory augmented by live performances and unreleased songs from a proposed musical. The arrival of The Songs of Bacharach & Costello is all the more poignant given the recent passing of the legendary Bacharach.

Donna Summer

She Works Hard for the Money—Deluxe Edition

(Mercury/UME)

Reissued ahead of the upcoming HBO documentary about Donna Summer, the singer’s 1983 album was seen as a comeback following the demise of disco at the beginning of the Eighties. While Summer wasn’t able to scale the same soaring heights in the new decade as she did the preceding one, the star did return to the pop charts with the sleek-sounding She Works Hard for the Money, produced by Michael Omartian (Christopher Cross, Peter Cetera). The record generated two hits in the memorable gritty title song and the infectious Caribbean-inflected “Unconditional Love,” a duet with the band Musical Youth (of “Pass the Dutchie” fame). For that album’s 40th anniversary comes an expanded version of She Works Hard for the Money containing four bonus tracks.

The Velvet Underground

Loaded (Fully Re-Loaded Edition)

(Rhino)

The final Velvet Underground studio album with Lou Reed from 1970 is somewhat of an anomaly in the band’s discography. In contrast to VU’s first two albums, which were experimental and edgy in nature, Loaded was relatively upbeat and accessible to the point where several of its songs could’ve landed on commercial radio. Aside from its legacy as Reed’s swansong with the band, Loaded also contained two of VU’s most recognizable songs: “Rock and Roll” and “Sweet Jane.” In 2015, the record was expanded on CD as the Fully Re-Loaded edition containing the album along with Live at Max’s Kansas City, full-length versions of “Rock and Roll,” “Sweet Jane” and “New Age,” and alternate mixes, outtakes and demos. This year, Fully Re-Loaded will be released as a limited-edition vinyl set of nine LPs and four 7-inch singles; only 1,970 copies of the set will be made available.

Elton John

Honky Chateau–50th Anniversary Edition

(UME)

As Elton John wraps up his Farewell Yellow Brick tour, the icon continues to look back at his storied career with the reissue of his 1972 album Honky Chateau. Considered one of his finest records, Honky Chateau (named after the Château d’Hérouville where the record was made) featured a trio of the singer’s memorable songs in the title track, “Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters” and of course the legendary “Rocket Man.” Honky Chateau‘s success would begin a streak of number one albums in the U.S. that solidified John’s stardom. In addition to the original album, the new 50th-anniversary collection features session outtakes and live performances by John and his band at London’s Royal Festival Hall in 1972.

Marshall Crenshaw

Marshall Crenshaw

(Yep Roc)

Marshall Crenshaw hit it out of the park on the first swing with his outstanding 1982 self-titled debut album—unquestionably the singer-songwriter’s most popular and definitive work. An amalgam of ’60s pop and late ’70s/early ’80s New Wave, Marshall Crenshaw is a bonafide classic (Rolling Stone once ranked it as one of the Top 100 Albums of the ’80s) with one catchy hit after another—including “Cynical Girl,” “Mary Anne,” “There She Goes Again,” “The Usual Thing” and his signature song “Someday, Someway.” This new 40^th anniversary edition of the album tacks on seven additional tracks—among them “(You’re My Favorite) Waste of Time” and an alternate version of “Brand New Lover.”