A small confession first - I'm not actually that good at tracking reissues and compilations throughout the year, so this end of year ritual has become as important to me as curating all the new music I've managed to enjoy. There is just so much material being brought to a wider audience - and streaming now means that sets that could be very expensive are often available to sample. These are not intended as lists, but rather overviews that can remain on record (so it's particularly useful for me to include listening links wherever possible, for however long online music services stay in existence). I've made no attempt to rank these releases - but for what it's worth, I've particularly engaged with the Charles Stepney compilation on International Anthem, Neil Young's Toast and the Dennis Bovell and Branko Mataja compilations. Please feel free to suggest anything I've missed - @DanPatonMusic on Twitter (for now, at least, I'm wavering on whether to stay or go).
Akira Ishikawa and Count Buffaloes - Uganda (Dawn Of Rock) (Mr Bongo)
Physical only reissue of this extraordinary 1972 work from the Japanese jazz drummer - a celebratory, imaginative mix of musical approaches.
Alan Braufman - Live In New York City, February 8th 1975 (Valley Of Search)
The rediscovery of Braufman's fiery, thrilling jazz continues apace with a vital and urgent live set.
Albert Ayler - Revelations: The Complete ORTF 1970 Maeght Recordings (Elemental)
4CD or 5LP boxset, also fortunately available as a digital download collating Ayler's Fondation Maeght recordings in their entirety.
Alhaji Kwabena Frimpong - Abrabo (Hot Casa)
Brief but essential Hi Life set.
An absolute gem in the outstanding World Spirituality Classics series - more Highlife but from a distinctive perspective.
Amelia Cuni - Mumbai 04.02.1996 (Black Truffle)
I know very little about North Indian classical music, but Cuni is regarded as a great exponent, and this live recording is beautifully captured and wholly absorbing.
Anthony Moore - Flying Doesn't Help (Drag City)
Magnificent, wiry post punk with a strong melodic pop sensibility from 1979. A great discovery.
Asha Puthli - The Essential Asha Puthli (Mr Bongo)
Superb new compilation of the genre spanning Indian singer. Includes collaborations with Ornette Coleman, Charlie Mariano and The Surfers.
Atencao - Novos Sons de Brasil (Org Music)
Concise and informative compilation produced in collaboration with the great Aquarium Drunkard.
Aunt Sally - Aunt Sally (Mesh Key)
Long out of print post punk from Japan.
Beach Boys - Sail On Sailor 1972 (Capitol)
Arguably the most underrated phase of The Beach Boys' career (Holland/Carl and the Passions) getting the deluxe box set treatment.
The Beatles - Revolver Super Deluxe (Universal)
Enough already said, no doubt.
Bert Jansch - Bert at the BBC (Earth Recordings)
Gargantuan collection of BBC recordings from the great guitarist and songwriter. Not just a superb document of a master musician, but also a window into a very different broadcasting culture from that which exists now.
Bill Evans - Morning Glory: The 1973 Concert at the Teatro Gran Rex, Buenos Aires (Resonance)
Two later performances from two different Bill Evans trios, superbly remastered for these very welcome releases.
Billy Mackenzie - Satellite Life: Recordings 1994-1996 (Cherry Red)
3CD set of one of the greatest and most missed voices in British pop history, focusing on his collaborations with Steve Aungle.
Biluka Y Los Canibales - Leaf Playing In Quito 1960-1965 (Honest Jon's)
Yes, genuinely a compilation of what sounds like early dance band jazz (it actually sounds like it predates the 1960s) with melodies played on a leaf.
Blondie - Against All Odds 1974-1982 (Numero)
8 disc version now seemingly sold out, but perhaps the three disc edition that is available to stream is comprehensive enough for all but the most ardent completist.
Blue Notes - Blue Notes For Mongezi (Ogun)
1975 recorded musical memorial for Mongezi Feza. The gradual re-emergence of the Ogun catalogue is a joy to behold.
Branko Mataja - Over Fields and Mountains (Numero)
Some of the most beautiful and haunting music I've heard this year, played on homemade guitars and drawn from the then-Yugoslavia via a German work camp in WW2 and eventually to North Hollywood.
Bridget St John - from There/to Here: UK/US Recordings 1974-1982 (Cherry Red)
Folk singer Bridget St John made three albums for John Peel's Dandelion label before writing songs for her fourth album Jumblequeen (the focal point of this excellent three disc set) in the Derbyshire village of Sparrowpit. Song for the Waterden Widow is particularly glorious.
Broadcast - Mother Is The Milky Way (Warp)
Broadcast - Microtonics Volumes 1 and 2 (Warp)
Broadcast - Maida Vale Sessions (Warp)
This most welcome set of reissues essentially completes the catalogue of this most special and distinctive of bands, save for what might one day appear from the group's incomplete final sessions.
Broken Social Scene - Old Dead Young: B Sides and Rarities (Arts and Crafts)
It's impossible to be completely sure with what is now essentially an on-off supergroup, but at the moment it feels like this collection of deep cuts from Toronto's finest might be their last release as a group.
Butcher Boy - You Had a Kind Face (Needle Anthology)
Pete Paphides' new label struck gold with this outstanding compilation of an under-appreciated band.
Can - Live In Cuxhaven 1976 (Spoon/Mute Artists)
Third release in Can's vital live series - which gives an impression of the full power of this band's hypnotic groove.
Epic, wide ranging performance combining a solo side with ensemble improvisations.
Celestine Ukwu - No Condition Is Permanent (Mississippi)
A crucial example of Nigerian highlife.
Charles Mingus - The Lost Album From Ronnie Scott's (Resonance)
Previously unreleased 1972 live performance.
Charles Stepney - Step On Step (International Anthem)
One of the most important reissues of the year - a superb compilation charting the great musician, producer and arranger Charles Stepney's (Rotary Connection) home recordings and working methods, complete with spoken interpolations from his family. These skeletal, minimalist constructions are worlds away from the more ornate works Stepney is primarily known for, but they work brilliantly in and of themselves.
Cheri Knight - American Rituals (Freedom To Spend)
Great minimal recordings from 1980s Olympia, Washington based around lattice like rhythm tracks and multi-part vocal arrangements.
Chillin' Villain Empire - Chillin' Villains: We Represent Billions (1993-2003) (Nyege Nyege Tapes)
Essential compilation from pioneering minimalist Los Angeles rap collective.
Count Ossie and The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari - Grounation (Soul Jazz)
50th anniversary reissue of this essential triple album fusing reggae, jazz and Rastafarian culture.
The Cure - Wish: 30th Anniversary Edition (Fiction)
Welcome expansion of one of The Cure's most successful but somehow under-appreciated albums.
Dadawah - Peace and Love (Antarctica Starts Here)
One of my favourite albums of all time - this seems to have been reissued multiple times in the past few years, but any way you can acquire this sonically compelling classic of Nyabinghi music is good.
David Bowie - Divine Symmetry (Parlophone)
Comprehensive overview of the Hunky Dory period.
Dennis Bovell - The Dubmaster: The Essential Anthology (BMG)
An important and influential figure in UK reggae - now recognised with this excellent set compiled and annotated by Bovell himself.
Derek Bailey - Domestic Jungle (Scatter Archive)
Private recordings made to tape by Bailey at home, experimenting against the clutter and tumble of music radio during the 90s jungle boom. The sound quality is not always good, but this often seems to enhance the jagged, propulsive impact of the music.
Devon Russell - Darker Than Blue (Death Is Not The End)
Reggae interpretations of Curtis Mayfield.
Dexys Midnight Runners - Too Ry Aye As It Should Have Sounded (Mercury)
Cleaner, resplendent mix of the Dexys 'Celtic Soul' classic. There is of course much more to this album than Come On Eileen and the Jackie Wilson Said cover, and here it is is boxed with extra material not included on the original album and an excellent 1982 live recording.
Dickie Landry - Solos (Unseen Worlds)
Dickie Landry - Four Cuts Placed In "A First Quarter" (Unseen Worlds)
Dickie Landry - Having Been Built On Sand (Unseen Worlds)
The Unseen Worlds label unearths three superb recordings from the saxophonist and keyboard player. Solos is an entirely improvised live performance from 1972. Four Cuts emerged as a result of a collaboration with artist Lawrence Weiner and Having Been Built On Sand, complete with accompanying text readings, was recorded in Robert Rauschenberg's studio. Kinetic, freewheeling and thrilling music.
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond - 15th Anniversary (Baked Goods)
That Dinosaur Jr.'s reunion album is now itself 15 years old is somewhat terrifying - it remains a sturdy, compelling restatement of their inimitable sound - somehow at once both scuzzy and incandescent.
Edan - Beauty and the Beat (Lewis Recordings)
Wildly entertaining hip hop cut and paste extravaganza.
Elmer Gentry's Velvet Opera - Long Nights Of Summer - The Anthology (Cherry Red)
The first ever retrospective for this UK 60s psych band.
Elton John - Madman Across The Water Deluxe Edition (Mercury)
Always good to remember that, before he started cruising on easy commercial wins, Elton was once an oustanding, naturally expressive songwriter.
Elvin Jones - Revival: Live At Pookie's Pub (Blue Note)
Characteristically driving 1967 live set from the master drummer.
Enno Velthuys - Different Places (Dead Mind)
1987 work from synthesiser pioneer.
Ernest Hood - Back To The Woodlands (Freedom To Spend)
A second fascinating, richly rewarding rediscovered work from the Oregon musician, artist and documentarian, recorded between 1972 and 1982.
Finn Brothers - Finn (Needle Anthology)
Somewhat overlooked album from Neil and Tim Finn, very much overshadowed by the albums credited to Crowded House, but nonetheless one of the most intriguing and unusual examples of their songwriting imagination. Another release from Pete Paphides' new label.
Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots 20th Anniversary (Warner)
Again, very hard to believe it is around 20 years since I interviewed Wayne Coyne backstage at the Cambridge Junction, with him gifting me with easily an hour of more or less unbroken verbiage, and me failing to hit record on the Mini Disc Recorder. Gems among the absurdly bountiful extras include covers of Can't Get You Out Of My Head and Suspicious Minds, and the masterful B Side If I Go Mad/Funeral In My Head, easily one of their best songs.
Frank Sinatra - Watertown (Capitol/Universal)
Deluxe edition of one of the more idiosyncratic and murky Sinatra albums. 'Everyone knows the perfect crime....killin' time'.
Galcher Lustwerk - 100% Galcher (Ghostly International)
2013 pillar of deep house.
Gavin Bryars - The Sinking Of The Titanic (Superior Viaduct)
First vinyl reissue for this essential work and Bryars' first substantial composition.
Godspeed You Black Emperor! - All Lights Fucked On The Hairy Amp Drooling (Bandcamp)
From back when the exclamation mark came at the end and Godspeed was Efrim's solo project. It hints tantalisingly at the more fully realised end times vision that was to come.
Harold Budd - Pavilion of Dreams (Superior Viaduct)
Another pivotal piece of contemporary composition getting the vinyl reissue treatment from Superior Viaduct.
Hermeto Pascoal - Planetario Da Gavea (Far Out)
1981 performance at Rio's Planitarium from the innovative and brilliantly eccentric musician.
Horace Tapscott - The Quintet (Mr Bongo)
It's so great that more and more of Tapscott's superb forward thinking jazz is becoming available again - this is a 1969 recording but previously unreleased (originally planned as a follow up to The Giant Is Awakened).
James Blood Ulmer - Odyssey (Org Music)
Vinyl reissue of intensely grooving 1983 album.
Jigen - Blood's Finality (Double Circumflex)
Radical 1998 album fusing jungle breakbeats with guitar interjections - coincidentally not wildly unlike Derek Bailey's newly unearthed home recordings.
John M Bennett - A Flattened Face Fogs Through (Editions Basilic)
Neat conversations (and sometimes confrontations) between poetry and improvisation.
Joni Mitchell - The Asylum Albums 1972-1975 (Rhino)
Joni Mitchell's ongoing archive series continues with this boxing together of her major transitional period, moving from folk-ish singer to purveyor of elaborate song constructions informed by jazz and soul too. The Hissing Of Summer Lawns of course remains one of her great masterpieces - Court and Spark is also a relatively undersung major work.
Karate - The Bed Is In The Ocean (Numero)
Karate - Time Expired (Numero)
1998 third album from the undersung guitar band, entirely new to me this year. Plus a superb box set collecting the Unsolved, Some Boots and Pockets albums, alongside the Cancel/Sing EP. Karate make full use of the rock guitar trio format, with some intricate and compelling arrangements and a wide range of dynamics and colours.
Karen Dalton - Shuckin' Sugar (Delmore Recording Society)
Live recordings from 1963 and 1964 initially unearthed for Record Store Day.
Kristen Oppenheim - Voices Fill My Head: Collected Sound Works 1993-1995 (INFO)
Eight stark and beautiful vocal only pieces designed for gallery sound installations.
Lennie Tristano - Personal Recordings 1946-1970 (Dot Time/Mosaic)
Impressive six CD box set from the Tristano archives featuring solo, trio and sextet recordings. Sadly not streaming anywhere but there are a few useful clips at the Mosaic website.
Les Rallizes Denudes - MIZUTANI/Les Rallizes Denudes (Temporal Drift)
Les Rallizes Denudes - 67-69 Studio et Live (Temporal Drift)
Les Rallizes Denudes - 77 Live (Temporal Drift)
Les Rallizes Denudes - The OZ Tapes (Temporal Drift)
Temporal Drift has helpfully documented almost the entire life span of this sometimes noisy, but occasionally melodic psychedelic rock band from Japan.
Lining Time - Strike (Shadow World)
Recorded at Darlington College of Arts in 1982 by a group of dance theatre students, this celebrates the incantatory potential of the human voice. The title track feels potent and relevant for this very moment at the end of 2022 too, at least here in the UK.
Little Feat - Waiting For Columbus Super Deluxe (Rhino)
Legendary live album exhaustively expanded and boxed with previously unreleased tracks. An outrageously great band at their prime.
Los Kenya - Siempre Afro Latino (Musica Infinita)
Venezuelan Salsa from the late 60s.
Lou Reed - Words and Music 1965 (Light In The Attic)
The auspicious start of what will be an ongoing Lou Reed archive series worked on in collaboration with Laurie Anderson.
Mal Waldron - Searching In Grenoble: The 1978 Solo Piano Concert (Tompkins Square)
An inspired release from Tompkins Square - and the first time this performance has been officially available.
Marc Emory - Listening Music/Anfang (Scissor Tail)
Rare private press folk record now widely available.
Marvin Tate's D-Settlement - Marvin Tate's D-Settlement (American Dreams)
Incredible complete retrospective from 'Chicago's best kept secret' - a band covering wide terrain of funk and hip hop groove. This brings their three albums together, with lyrics both of their time (1990s-early 2000s) and often also prophetic.
Masayaki Takayanagi and New Direction Unit - Eclipse (Blank Editions)
Rare 1975 album from the Japanese guitar master and explorer of the avant garde.
Masura Imada Trio + 1 - Planets (BBE Music)
More rare modern jazz from Japan.
Max Tundra - Some Best Friend You Turned Out To Be (Domino)
Max Tundra - Mastered By Guy At The Exchange (Domino)
Max Tundra - Parallax Error Beheads You (Domino)
The restless (and peerless) first three albums from Ben Jacobs' maverick creation and sonic manipulator. A real burst of joy (and perhaps some madness too).
Meredith Monk - The Recordings (ECM)
One of the most important and most comprehensive box set releases of the year - a 13CD box compiling all the Monk ECM New Series recordings from the uncompromising composer and performer to date. Not streaming in its entirety - but many of the individual albums are.
Miles Davis - That's What Happened 1982-1985: The Bootleg Series Vol. 7 (Columbia)
The Miles Bootleg Series hits one of the more polarising phases of his career - but keep an open mind and you'll find characteristic magic here.
The Movers - The Movers Vol. 1 1970-1976 (Analog Africa)
Analog Africa compiles some of the key works from the successful South African group and exponents of 'Township Jive'.
µ-Ziq - Lunatic Harness 25th Anniversary Edition (Planet Mu)
Richly rewarding later Peggy Lee work.
Picture Music - Picture Music (Left Ear)
Australian hazy ambience intended for film soundtracks etc. Technically a 2021 reissue, but emerging on Bandcamp in the summer.
Prince and the Revolution - Live (NPG/Legacy)
Maybe not the Prince archive release dedicated fans were particularly looking for - but it's good to have this 1985 live show from Syracuse available in one package.
The Pyramids - Aomawa: The 1970s Recordings (Strut)
Superb and surprisingly affordable four disc box set compiling the 1970s work of Idris Ackamoor's visionary group.
Richard Thompson - Music From Grizzly Man (No Quarter)
Evocative, atmospheric and affecting instrumental music from legendary songwriter and guitarist. A satisfying outlier in Thompson's catalogue.
Neat single disc collating the Oxford band's four stand alone EPs from the early 90s.
Sammi Smith - Looks Like Stormy Weather 1969-1975 (Ace)
Brilliant introductory compilation to Smith's storytelling country music compiled by Bob Stanley. Not available to stream in full but there are samples on the Ace website.
Sandy Denny - Early Home Recordings (Earth Recordings)
Lovely bare bones set of Denny's pre-Fairport work. One of the greatest voices in all of British music.
Scritti Politti - Cupid and Psyche 85 (Rough Trade)
The Scritti reissue campaign does seem oddly haphazard, this new issue appearing some time after the band toured to celebrate it. And there appear to be later plans to produce box sets too. This music is still a wondrous construction though.
Shira Small - The Line Of Time and The Plane of Now (Numero)
1974 recordings made at a Quaker boarding school. Small clearly had considerable potential as a singer songwriter, but did not pursue performance.
Sonic Youth - In/Out/In (Three Lobed)
Excellent unheard recordings from Sonic Youth's last decade.
The Sonora Pine - II (Quarterstick)
Remastered work from another undervalued avant rock band, featuring the great Tara Jane O'Neil.
Staples Jr. Singers - When Do We Get Paid? (Luaka Bop)
A family group, but not actually related to the legendary Staples, but rather named in honour of them. This is a fine compilation demonstrating that this group more than stand on their own merits.
Stereolab - Pulse Of The Early Brain: Switched On Vol. 5 (Duophonic)
Another essential compilation, including collaborations with Nurse with Wound and some remixes. Again note that the physical editions contain five more tracks than the digital edition.
Excellent primer compilation spanning the band's career.
Sun Ra Arkestra - Nothing Is... - Completed and Revisited (Ezz Thetics)
1966 concert recording, in newly improved audio quality.
Sunburned Hand Of The Man - Headdress (20th Anniversary Remaster) (Three Lobed)
Anniversary reissue of the heady, prolific group's first proper release.
Tall Dwarfs - Unravelled: 1981-2002 (Merge)
Epic retrospective of the New Zealand lo-fi duo's work.
Terry Allen and The Panhandle Mystery Band - Smoking' The Dummy (Paradise of Bachelors)
Terry Allen and The Panhandle Mystery Band - Bloodlines (Paradise of Bachelors)
The outstanding Terry Allen reissue campaign continues apace, bringing more work from this idiosyncratic, gritty voiced songwriter and bandleader into wider appreciation. Recommended for fans of Little Feat or Hiss Golden Messenger.
Terry Jennings - Piece for Cello and Saxophone (Saltern)
First ever release for Jennings' 1960 composition arranged in just intonation by La Monte Young for cellist Charles Curtis. Just to confuse you, there is actually no saxophone on the recording.
Outstanding DJ mix celebrating the forward thinking music of Detroit.
Tia Blake and Her Folk Group - Folksongs and Ballads (Ici Bientot)
Lovely lost album recorded by 19 year old singer in 1971, and originally released only in France.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Live At The Fillmore 1997 (Warner)
Fantastic box set assembling material from Petty's 1997 stand at The Fillmore. A prime example of the greatness of The Heartbreakers as a live act.
Tony Allen - Secret Agent (World Circuit)
New remaster of legendary Afrobeat drummer Allen's excellent 2009 World Circuit debut.
Incredible improvisational composition recorded in 1988.
Two continuous mix sets drawn from cassette recordings of DJs playing at Manchester dance parties.
Various Artists - Artificial Intelligence 30th Anniversary (Warp)
Welcome vinyl reissue of the pivotal 1992 compilation.
Various Artists - Burkina Faso Vol. 2 (Sublime Frequencies)
Concise set of music from Burkina Faso, spotlighting Mossa, Bissa, Bwabi, Fulani and Samo music.
Various Artists - Come, Let Us Sing (Death Is Not The End)
Third in Death Is Not The End's Bare Family Trilogy of folk tunes.
Various Artists - Crossroads Kenya: East African Benga and Rhumba 1980-1985 (No Wahala Sounds)
Compilation gathering 7" singles made at Audio Productions Ltd. in Nairobi.
Various Artists - Down and Out (NTS)
Excellent compilation of melancholy folk music.
Various Artists - End Of The Road Presents: Between The Music Volume One (End Of The Road)
A superb idea that cannot have been easy to assemble - a compilation by End Of The Road festival founder Simon Taffe of material played between the bands. Helpfully, someone has made a Spotify playlist.
Incredible field recording project collecting percussion music that is entirely new to me, often providing the setting for rituals and ceremonies.
Various Artists - For Dancers Forty (Kent)
Great compilation to mark the 40th anniversary of Kent's original For Dancers Only compilation. Some tracks are available in a Spotify playlist.
Little known and immersive recordings from the British post punk scene.
Various Artists - Ghost Riders (Efficient Space)
Obscure coming of age songs
Various Artists - Happy In Hollywood: The Productions of Gary Usher (Ace)
Ornate pop constructions from the relatively well known (The Byrds' Lady Friend) to obscurities.
Various Artists - Heroes and Villains: The Sound of Los Angeles 1965-1968 (Cherry Red)
Outstanding 3 disc overview of the music of Los Angeles in the mid-late 60s.
Includes some of the finest purveyors of this wonderful instrument - BJ Cole, Susan Alcorn, Spencer Cullum among them.
Various Artists - John Sinclair Presents Detroit Artists Workshop (Strut)
This is gold - recordings gathered from John Sinclair's archive of performances from the Detroit Artists Workshop live events between the 60s and 80s.
Various Artists - John Savage's 1977-1979: Symbols Clashing Everywhere (Ace)
Typically wide ranging and well informed compilation capturing a particular moment. Punk, post-punk, porto-electronica, dub, reggae all interacting with each other.
Various Artists - Ladies Sing The Boss (Ace)
Judicious selection of female interpretations of Springsteen songs. Highlights include the tender Cowboy Junkies version of Thunder Road and Bettye Lavette's remarkable transformation of Streets Of Philadelphia. I would personally have liked this to have included the magnificent Camera Obscura version of Tougher Than The Rest, but you can't have everything.
The cumbersome title essentially summarises this perfectly. Another magnificent Soul Jazz compilation.
Various Artists - Life Moves Pretty Fast: The John Hughes Mixtape (Edsel)
A one stop shop for all the John Hughes soundtracks
London sound system parties captured on DIY cassette recordings.
Various Artists - Sahel Sounds - Music From Saharan WhatsApp (Sahel Sounds)
A selection of standouts from the series of now deleted EPs featuring performances captured on mobile phones. An inspired idea, and one which demonstrates that smartphone technology can be a force for good.
Various Artists - Saturno 2000: La Rebejada De Los Sonideros (Analog Africa)
Compilation of sound system slowed down Latin dance music.
Various Artists - Sintesis Moderna: An Alternative Vision of Argentinian Music 1980-1990 (Soundway)
An impressive range of synth fuelled pop from Argentina.
Various Artists - Disco Reggae Rockers (Soul Jazz)
Another brilliant compilation from Soul Jazz, finding where the different tributaries of black music history connect with each other.
Various Artists - Spirit of Clive: A Tribute To The Music of Clive Palmer and COB (Bandcamp)
Superbly curated tribute to the founding member of the Incredible String Band and a hugely influential figure in British folk music. Some wonderful artists featured here - Alex Rex, Sally Ann Morgan, Joan Shelley, Bill Mackay etc.
Various Artists - Summer Of Soul (Or When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Soundtrack (Sony)
Audio accompaniment to the excellent live music film, long delayed due to licensing issues.
Various Artists - The Skippy White Story: Boston Soul 1961-1967 (Yep Roc)
Not usually a city readily associated with soul music, Boston has its own impressive lineage celebrated here.
Various Artists - Touching Bass Presents: Soon Come (Touching Bass)
Compilation celebrating the sound, vision and sense of community from the Touching Bass label.
Various Artists - V4 Visions: Of Love and Androids (Numero)
Collating some of the best of the V4 Visions imprint in the early 90s - deep house, electro, soul etc.
Various Artists - With Love: Vol. 1 - Compiled by Miche (Mr Bongo)
Start of a new compilation series from Mr Bongo, with this volume celebrating Brazilian rarities.
The Watersons - Frost and Fire: A Calendar of Ritual and Magic Songs (Topic)
Vinyl reissue of 1965 folk classic.
Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Super Deluxe (Nonesuch)
Inevitable expansion of Wilco’s most acclaimed album, this presents alternative histories of the record that maybe explain its gestation as much as the supposed label wrangling. Another set that comes in different versions - sadly most of the unearthed non-album tracks seem to be tied up with the most expensive edition.
William Bell - Never Like This Before: The Complete ‘Blue’ Stax Singles 1961-1968 (Kent)
First of two compilations collecting all the A and B sides from William Bell’s Stax singles. I’m always baffled that Bell, as a singer-songwriter, is not seen as more influential in the world of soul music.
William Doyle - Slowly Arranged 2016-2019 (Tough Love)
Box set of the four ambient albums Doyle self released between his albums as East India Youth and his official return under his own name.
William Parker - Universal Tonality (Centering)
Typically extraordinary large ensemble recording from 2002, with many of the musicians not having played together before.
Willie Hutch - Season For Love (Be With)
Vinyl reissue of a soul gem.
Yara Asmar - Home Recordings 2018-2021 (Hive Mind)
Beautiful home recordings from Beirut-based artist.
Yasuake Shimizu - Kiren (Plato Flats)
Previously unreleased Japanese electronic work from 1984.
Yo La Tengo - I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Matador)
One of the top tier Yo La Tengo albums gets its anniversary round. What a band.