Reissues Galore

Spencer Davis Group, Gimme Some Lovin & I’m A Man, Sundazed Records

These long-overdue reissues, the first two albums by the Spencer Davis Group, have been out of print for decades and were originally released on United Artists in the mid-sixties. Of course, the SDG was the springboard for the phenomenally talented Steve Winwood, who joined the band at 16 and immediately began fronting the group, playing Hammond B-3 organ, guitar, and taking most of the lead vocals away from Spencer himself, a reality to which Davis willingly agreed. Included are all the hits: “Gimme Some Lovin” (still one of the greatest rock performances of all time); “Keep On Running,” “Somebody Help Me,” “I’m A Man” (later covered by Chicago); “Georgia On My Mind” (a stunning Ray Charles interpretation) and “Searchin.” Each disc contains eight bonus cuts of unreleased material. The Spencer Davis Group was the best of the hard-edged northern English R&B bands, so it’s good to have this music available again.

Creedence Clearwater Revival, Box Set, Fantasy Records

For the Creedence fan, this is the ultimate prize: six CD’s containing all the band’s recordings, their earliest sides as the Blue Velvets and Golliwogs, plus rare live material. Everything has been remastered in 20-bit K2 Super Coding, so the sound is stellar, the packaging and booklet are superior, and the music? It goes without saying that Creedence is still one of the best-loved American bands, not to mention the first late sixties group that reclaimed our rock ‘n roll heritage at a time when music started to become too pretentious. The music holds up beautifully and still crackles with excitement, making this box set an absolute must.

The Velvet Underground, Bootleg Series, Volume 1: The Quine Tapes, Universal Records

Guitarist Robert Quine, who later went on to play with his idol Lou Reed, was an early fan of The Velvet Underground and taped many of the band’s performances in the late sixties. The Velvets were past their prime by this point, having lost bassist John Cale, but they still managed to shake some action. The sound quality, as could be expected, is distinctly low-fi and some of the performances fall a bit flat. Yet, the raw magic of the Velvet’s music ultimately comes through on many tracks like “I’m Waiting For The Man,” “Heroin,” “Sister Ray,” “Black Angel’s Death Song” and “Venus In Furs.” For the Velvet Underground completist.

Bob Marley & The Wailers, Natty Dread & Burnin’, Island Records

Island Records recently reissued all Bob Marley & The Wailers’ recordings, and these two remain the best of the lot. Included are a couple of unmissed tracks, and everything has been reasserted. The expected tracks are all here; “Get Up, Stand Up,” “Lively Up Yourself,” “No Woman, No Cry” and “I Shot The Sheriff.” Reggae is an acquired taste for me, but this is as good as it gets.