Best compilations, reissues etc of the year

Music
#1

Any favourites?

I loved:

Kankyo Ongaku
Pacific Breeze
Two fabulous compilations of very different aspects of 70s/80s Japanese music- the first wonderfully beautiful ambient, the second the fun and brilliant Japanese version of yacht rock. It’s amazing how there is always more great music that you knew nothing about.

The Time for Peace is Now
A great compilation of funk inflected small label gospel from the 70s and early 80s. Astonishingly catchy and infectious.

Eric Dolphy- Musical Prophet
Brilliant comprehensive compilation of recordings made in two days in 1961 by short lived but massively important jazz innovator Dolphy. Just joyous, wonderfully satisfying stuff that deserves to sit right on the top shelf next to the very best of Coltrane’s 60s records.

Space Jazz
Typically high quality Soul Jazz Records compilation of Afro-futurist funk from the late 70s, full of funky computers ‘programmed to make you dance’ , alien invasions, space ships and laser guns.

Probably forgotten loads.

#2

Really liked both Japanese music compilations from Light in the Attic, the Kankyo Ongaku one and the Pacific Breeze one

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#3

Brown Rice by Don Cherry getting an LP reissue was a huge and very welcome surprise.

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#4

It’s brilliant. The title track is one that pops up on compilations all the time, but the whole album is really good.

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#5

Still picking up the Unwound re-issues as they become available, got The Future of What yesterday.

#6

Does Burial - Tunes count? If so, that

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#7

I’ve stayed fairly up to date with his releases and it still feels like a revelation. Can’t stop listening to it.

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#8

If we’re talking reissues I’d suggest Dead Man’s Pop - the reissue of The Replacements’ divisive Don’t Tell A Soul album.

It was essentially their make or break moment and, although it might be their strongest collection of songs, was buried in a ridiculously polished mix. The original tapes were thought lost but recently rediscovered and now released as originally intended (and with a remaster too) loads of extras plus a blistering live show - but the album itself is the main event. I love it.

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#9

2 good comps ive been listening to:
Kamaal Williams - DJ Kicks
Floating Points - Late Night Tales

#10

Not very good at keeping track of re-issues but these are the ones that come to mind.

Comps:
Kankyo Ongaku
Seito: In the Beginning, Woman Was The Sun
Mogadisco: Dancing Mogadishu, Somalia 1972-1991
Strain, Crack & Break: Music From The Nurse With Wound List Volume 1

Reissues
Catherine Christer Hennix - Selections from 100 Models of Hegikan Roku
Laurie Spiegel - Unseen Worlds
Gokcen Kaynatan - Cehennem
Reiko Kudo - Rice Field Silently Rising in the Night
oh and
Arthur by The Kinks (my fav Kinks album got a big 50 year reissue)

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#11

Is that this or something else?

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#12

It’s that - sorry messed up the title (it’s still good though)

#13

Cheers - looks ace.

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#14

My fave reissues of 2019:

Explosions In The Sky - How Strange, Innocence
Explosions In The Sky - The Rescue
We Were Promised Jetpacks - These Four Walls (2nd lp of stuff is great inc frightened rabbit cover)
The Gerbils - Are You Sleepy

#15

Yabby You Meets King Tubby- Walls of Jerusalem
Arthur Russell- Iowa Dream
Aretha Franklin- Amazing Grace Complete Recordings
Yutaka Hirose- Nova 4

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#16

Just got that Floating Points one on at the moment - lovely.
The Prince 1999 one was great as well, still working my way through it.

#17

Massive agreement re Yabby You and Aretha

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#18

The Conducta mix that RA named mix of the year is probably one of my ten most played things this year and two compilations I’ve hardly put down are the Lovefingers one, and the Beautiful Swimmers Love International comp. Both highly recommended for anyone with even a fleeting interest in electronic music.

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#19

Really loved the Light in the Attic Japanese compilations this year - super impressive

Binged heavily on the Stereolab reissues too - such great albums. Gutted I didn’t match any Cliffs but :man_shrugging:

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#20

For any other reggae fans out there (a small but select crew on DIS - hello @Dan_S and @NeilYoung and a few others) another great Soul Jazz Records compilation that came out this year was Bunny Lee - Dreads Enter the Gates with Praise. It’s amazing to me that after all my years of listening to music made in Jamaica in the 1970s, there is still always more amazing stuff that I’ve never heard before.

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