There are so many new concepts going on in country music reissues. Two disc deluxe editions of classic albums. Box sets of an entire artist’s catalog, with the CD’s in miniature LP replica sleeves. Digital issues of concert recordings. (Wolfgang’s Vault is a thing. Check it out.) Two albums on one CD, or carefully curated collections of singles. Bear Family box sets that give you everything. Even 180 gram vinyl records are coming out at a rapid clip.
So I’m wondering what your wish list is. What reissues would you rush out to buy or download on day one?
Here’s my top five list:
- Dolly Parton, The Complete RCA Albums Collection: 1968-1986
- Willie Nelson, Deluxe Editions of Nineties Classics: Across the Borderline, Spirit, Teatro
- Shania Twain, The Complete International Remix Collection: 1995-2006
- Kay T. Oslin, Clean Your Own Tables: The Early Years
- Trisha Yearwood, Rarities and Unreleased Tracks: 1992-2012
These are all concepts, but would be fun to have around here:
Leon Everette – his first four
Remastered CMA Award recordings from 1968-1980
The Whites – Box Set
Ricky Skaggs – The Early Years
The Glaser Brothers Anthology (featuring the solo efforts by Tompall and Jim)
Shania Twain, The Complete International Remix Collection: 1995-2006
Huh? Seriously?
One more:
The best 100 songs of Muscle Shoals
I definitely agree about the Dolly albums. I’ve been waiting for a remastering of ‘Here You Come Again’ for decades.
1. Dolly Parton – The Complete RCA Album Collection: 1968-1986
2. Kenny Rogers – The Complete United Artists Album Collection: 1977-1980
3. Donna Fargo – The Complete Dot Album Collection:1972-1975
4. Earl Thomas Conley – The Complete RCA Album Collection: 1981-1991
5. Statler Brothers – The Complete Mercury Album Collection: 1970-1993
I’d love to see Bear Family release a boxed set on Tanya Tucker. I would pay the outrageous price to own that.
Kevin’s Trisha Yearwood and K.T. Oslin ideas would also be must owns if they were to exist. I can’t own enough projects featuring Trisha Yearwood.
We definitely need more Roger Miller, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty albums on CD. Roger Miller in particular is severely underrepresented; to my knowledge there aren’t even any original albums on CD, just singles compilations.
I’ve been working on another more exhaustive article on my wish lists for another blog, although my focus is on 1950-1975 recordings.
All of the suggestions above are worthy. I would like to see to see a Martin Delray reissue
My only wish list is to have the heretofore unreleased studio and live tracks that Linda Ronstadt did throughout her illustrious career see the light of day. Not many people realized how dynamic and heartfelt a live performer she was (because of her shyness) until she could no longer do this.
Linda Ronstadt: The Live Concert Performances (1967-2009)
Linda Ronstadt: From The Vaults
Two words:
Roger Miller.
The fact that Roger Miller’s original Smash Records LPs are not available on CD is absolutely criminal. Those first two Roger Miller albums in particular were absolutely brilliant- two of the best, most energetic, most original (and briefest) country albums of all time. Like most people, I have always enjoyed Roger’s songs and was previously familiar with his greatest hits, but hearing some of the material from his albums (via bootleg) has given me a whole new level of respect for the man.
My list is current cassettes that I own that have yet to be released on CD. There are probably many more albums that I would want, if I heard them, but since they have yet to be released on CD I don’t know that I want them, so I will stick to ones that I do wish I could own on CD.
Mickey Gilley – Too Good to Stop Now
Atlanta – Pictures
Atlanta – Self Titled
Charley Pride – Power of Love
Charley Pride – Back To the Country
I would also like for Eddie Rabbits earliest albums to be re-released on CD because they currently are priced ridiculously on Amazon.com. Some of them are available on itunes, but I like to have the actual CD, since I am kind of a collector of CD’s.
I too am waiting for the 7 remaining Dolly Parton albums that are not yet available digitally to be released:
1. Hello, I’m Dolly
2. In the Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)
3. Joshua
4. Bubbling Over
5. The Seeker/We Used To
6. Here You Come Again
7. The Great Pretender
Also, only two (Always, Always & Two of a Kind) of the thirteen albums she released with Porter Wagoner are available outside of the Bear Family box set Just Between You and Me.
In no real order, apart from others of the above I’d like, concepts for CD reissues…
1)Homer & Jethro-complete RCA and Camden box set
2)Grandpa Jones-The Monument years
3) Barbi Benton-complete Playboy collection (including her concert album recorded in Japan, all packaged in an LP-size box)
4)A 4- or 5-CD set of the biggest and best released on Motown’s Melodyland and Hitsville imprints, executed with the same care Hip-O Select gave to the multi-CD sets dedicated to the 1959-72 chronology of the company’s non-country singles
5)Jud Strunk- complete 1968-77 collection
The later albums of John Conley. When Wayne Carson passed away last week I could not find a digital version of Miss Emily’s Picture.