It’ll take some adjusting to deal with Charles’ slick, ultra-commercial versions of these old-school country/western and countrypolitan gems. But understanding how drastic a career move this was for the era, it makes more sense. Even with faults, these two volumes of Modern Sounds in Country and Western remain required listening for Americana fans and their reappearance is worth celebrating.

It's geek rock's holy grail courtesy of the sub-genre's flagship band, and an album that, though rife with sincerity, songwriter Rivers Cuomo has seemed to run farther and farther away from ever since.

While not every song is covered, but enough of the creative process is revealed to make this a revelatory encounter.

These songs—either live or in the studio– maintain the power and magnetic, manic dynamism that turned heads nearly four decades ago and they have never sounded better.

This mammoth box with 65 tracks (50 never heard before), features a stunning remix of the initial 11 songs from veteran producer Ed Stasium (who was on the shortlist to first helm the project). .... The “leftovers” are not just for hardcore fans either. Some alternate takes are as powerful, perhaps more so than what ended up on the finished release. .... Tim remains revelatory.

Five stars aren’t enough, of course, to sum up this music. Maybe there are some tapes hidden out there for the bootleggers to scrounge up, but it seems likely that The Basement Tapes Complete has given us everything we truly need to hear from that extended magical moment in musical history.

At nearly 10 hours of music, the “super deluxe” bundle is too much for any but the most committed. But the edited editions include some of the best stuff, leaving the rest for the Prince faithful. And if anyone was unsure of just how talented, creative and prolific Prince was at his inspired peak, this fully loaded box solidifies his legacy as a true American icon.

Their finest album, 1977’s Rumours, addresses with heart and sharp insight the romantic disengagements and re-entanglements of the members in the free-spirited, free-love 1970s.

The album was intricately produced by John Simon, and meticulously arranged with three singers/players--Levon Helm, Rick Danko and Richard Manuel--sharing the spotlight (Robbie Robertson also took a rare lead vocal). Subtleties like oblique background horn charts, keyboard whiz Garth Hudson’s inspired and playful sounds (particularly on “This Wheels On Fire”) and Helm’s unique drum patterns are given a fresh glow, making this enduring classic even more enticing.

The 65-66 era of his career occupies rarefied space in the annals of rock; The Cutting Edge somehow demystifies it and makes it seem more impressive all at once. For a guy who once warned us not to look back, Bob Dylan keeps giving us irresistible reasons to do exactly that.

Little more needs to be emphasized about the lasting importance of these prototypes other than this third reissue tweaks the sound with Page’s new remastering revealing nuances in the playing and arrangements that further enhance their already substantial historical cachet.

As with the previous three reissues, the pristine remastering removes a slight audio film that was still present after the 1992 versions. That’s especially obvious on the guitar parts of the more delicate songs but also shines a brighter light on John Bonham’s remarkable drumming that both grounded the band and pushed the other members into expanding their own boundaries.

There’s just too much to handle. But taken in smaller pieces, and put into perspective with the iconic jazzman’s enormous output, this beautifully crafted, linen covered box is essential to appreciating the early, somewhat formative years of his larger-than-life musical personality, one that would go on to create bigger and arguably better things.

A well-known perfectionist, it took her eight years to craft and release these tunes that fly by in just under 40 minutes. Every one is a gem.... This is the first title on Williams’ own label--a new album is due in mid-2014--and is essential listening for every Lucinda fan and anyone even tangentially touched by her timeless music.

Little more needs to be emphasized about the lasting importance of these prototypes other than this third reissue tweaks the sound with Page’s new remastering revealing nuances in the playing and arrangements that further enhance their already substantial historical cachet.

A 50th anniversary package for vital music that no one would dispute deserves the deluxe treatment. [Music: 5 out of 5 stars Reissue packaging: 4 out of 5 stars]

All were matched with arguably the most potent material they would ever sing. For its golden anniversary, veteran Bob Clearmountain’s new mix maintains the disc’s homespun quality while revealing previously hidden subtleties in the original recording.

Not many albums still stop you in your tracks after 25 years of listening. This one does. It’s a pure masterpiece, from beginning to end.

The thrilling Black Sabbath Vol 4 is essential listening for Brit rock enthusiasts since it captures the band gently prodding its established metal genre. Whether anyone but the most fervent fan needs to spring for this pricey and skimpy reissue though is debatable. [Music: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars/ Reissue package: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars]

Taken in total, The Who Sell Out Super Deluxe Edition is in fact the ultimate box set bonanza. It’s one that any diehard devotee will not want to do without.

It remains thrilling to hear the whiskey throated Stewart charging through these songs, urged on by Kenney Jones’ often frantic drumming and McLagan’s ever present keyboards. It’s also clear that a solo career was inevitable, a fact that ultimately broke up the band. None of the Faces’ four albums were without flaws, but even at their weakest, they get by on energy and a loopy yet palpable enthusiasm any act would envy.

While it doesn’t include some of his best post-jail efforts, the set documents the beginning of one of the greatest second acts in rock history.

Surveys of his life and work still manage to produce fresh revelations, and American Radical Patriot, Rounder Records’ just-released collection of government-related Guthrie recordings, provides extraordinary new insight into the complex mind of this simple-sounding folk icon.

Little more needs to be emphasized about the lasting importance of these prototypes other than this third reissue tweaks the sound with Page’s new remastering revealing nuances in the playing and arrangements that further enhance their already substantial historical cachet.

It’s a sumptuous array to be sure, and one that further expands upon Petty’s lingering legacy.

The concerts capture The Who at peak power, the often raw blueprints of the songs are a fascinating look behind the curtain of Townshend’s creativity and the exhaustive notes provide the final word on this musically enthralling if somewhat abstract and problematic milestone in rock history.

After the celebri-beef and ALL CAPS blog posts fade away, Fantasy will stand as an album that dare to push the entire medium of recorded music forward, for better or worse.

It’s a lovingly assembled package and the last word on a once misunderstood but now acknowledged masterpiece.

Like any live recording, this can never replicate the electricity in the intimate venue with Otis and his band firing on all cylinders but, all things considered, it’s as close as we’re likely to ever get.

Sonically, these remasters are full of life and a youthful, vibrant crispness that make you wonder why it took 50 years for the bulk of them to make an appearance.

Thankfully, the abundance of material doesn’t lead to any lapse in quantity, although some songs are admittedly more essential than others. Taken in tandem, they serve as yet another reminder that for all the unpredictable paths Young’s pursued throughout his career, his reputation as an astute songwriter puts him in the upper tiers of rock’s most reliable artists of the past 50 plus years. Save up your coin, folks. This one’s essential.

Calling Renewal a remarkable work doesn’t even begin to describe its full extent of prowess and sheer ability. In a word, Strings simply soars.

Clearly, this is not geared to the casual fan. But for those with an intense interest in either Lennon and/or arguably his finest work, it’s an understatement to say this ultimate edition lives up to its boastful name.

Though this remastered 40th Anniversary Edition tightens and polishes every tone, L.A. Woman isn't exactly a studio marvel.

It’s a 10-song collection woven together with surprise, gratitude, pain and musical beauty the world has never quite seen before.

Dylan goes through an eight-song set of staggering quality (“Desolation Row,” “Just Like A Woman,” Visions Of Johanna,” and so on) with his interpretive skills at their peak and his hold over his audiences nothing short of mesmeric. Maybe only Dylan completists will shell out for a series of discs with repetitive set lists. Those completists will be getting a bargain.

Start Walkin’ excavates the finest moments of some inconsistent albums to prove her iconic status is well earned.

For them [super fans], the voluminous and informative liner notes alone, which track Blondie’s history from those who lived it, seldom seen photos, and track specific comments will be worth lightening their bank accounts for. Others less dedicated may want to tread more carefully.

The entire set is as classy, often self-indulgent and challenging as the man himself.

With more than 120 of said unreleased offerings, it could be considered a must for any Mitchell fan. The concert settings themselves are worthy of note, given that they shift from small club settings to more spacious venues, including Carnegie Hall, the Paris Theatre, and the realms of the mass media, including appearances on the BBC and The Dick Cavett Show.

The famed slide guitarist and world music enthusiast releases his most incisive and sardonic political album.

All Things Must Pass is a landmark set; one that sounded timeless 50 years ago and will have the same effect 50 years from now. Even, perhaps especially, those who have lived with it for decades will enjoy this appropriately classy, beautifully crafted, refreshed/remixed, and likely definitive version.

Since the selections were cherry picked from various shows, the playing and performances are likely the finest from the tour. The audio is tough and punchy with clean separation that leaps out of the speakers. Only Ozzy Osbourne’s insistence on introducing every song slows the momentum. A short, seven minute CD single of just two songs pushes the platter total to four.

Beneath this veneer of mirth and melodrama, there’s an artist who gives full reign to intrigue and intellect in equal measure.

This is a mammoth and comprehensive overview of one of the major musicians of our time and as such, is essential listening for all enthusiasts of funk, soul and rock.

Taken as a whole, the Let It Be box is an essential addition to any collector’s library, a collection that documents a critical time in the final stages of the Beatles’ existence. Few albums were accompanied by such sad circumstances, but now, visited anew, the joy and jubilation are evident after all.

Such is the bounty contained on The Ties That Bind that it might make you question Bruce Springsteen’s judgment even as you marvel at his ridiculous talent.

Carrie & Lowell demonstrates, brilliantly and harrowingly, over and over again, how life’s most valuable lessons can only be gleaned by enduring its worst circumstances.

The Asylum Years is not only a set suited for the aficionado but also one ideal for the novice. With five CDs and an expansive booklet, it’s not necessarily an inexpensive proposition. However, it could be considered the essence of essential.

Reteaming with co-producers Ethan Gruska and Tony Berg, Bridgers pulls the listener into a weary world only she could master. It’s exhaustive but redemptive, and she casts her songwriting into fire and brimstone, only to later yank it free in the knick of time.

Save some production switch-ups, 1989 (Taylor’s Version) doesn’t provide too many revelations, but that is the point. Moreover, we will have the Vault Songs on repeat until we are gifted even more new music from Swift.

No need digging out those Setzer albums this Christmas for your hep-cat and kitty party needs. There’s a new rockabilly rebel mixing it up, and if McPherson’s first wildly successful foray into swinging holiday cheer is any indication, this might be the start of something big.

Few albums in recent memory are as thematically bold and cohesive as The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We. Mitski has a firm world built around her. Her identity as a musician has been long set in motion. Nevertheless, she flies past her own mark in this record, creating something more multifaceted than ever before.

Three discs worth of rehearsals are hit and miss; many songs are fragmentary and others don’t match the eventual live versions. Plus, the live shows don’t vary all that much in their set lists. Casual fans will probably stick with the ten or so Dylan songs they play on satellite radio. But true fans will greedily gobble this up and be more than pleased.

Anyone who has somehow been immune to the late icon’s talents need only push play and let his showmanship, musicality and sheer star power wash over you to understand why he was such a legend. This captures it all and it has never looked or sounded better.

Part of what made Nirvana’s final studio album so monumental was everything that made Nevermind a classic--an abrasive retooling of the pop songwriting handbook.

The band’s best, worst and WTF moments are on display — along with a lot in the middle — but there is little doubt that The Replacements deserve their place in American rock music history.

Other than basic songwriting credits, there are no liner notes, no band history, no lyrics, no indication of which album each selection originated on, a few unimpressive pictures in the skimpy four page pamphlet and an overall lackadaisical artistic presentation. ... Musically this is an impeccable set of classic, edgy rock that captures the essence of an eclectic couple that stayed honest and true to their uncompromised sonic vision. [Music: 5 Stars/Packaging: 2 stars]

St. Vincent is an overwhelming listen the first, second, maybe even third time around.

This isn’t as immediately powerful or riveting as Love & Hate. But the multifaceted material, along with the pioneering, organic and often offbeat production, grows on you. Listening closely with headphones heightens and intensifies the experience.

That sense of hostile irony may be one of the most underrated qualities on Nevermind, whose sly dismissals and cagey lyrics sound like an extension of Cobain's scabrous guitars and Dave Grohl's thundering drums.

Where Del Rey’s music feels icier to the touch and more pop-oriented, Olsen sings from the heart, reflected in the melancholic, often soaring, even experimental backing that hits home more than it misses. It may take some time and uninterrupted concentration, but the expansive All Mirrors grows on you with repeated plays.

In its original, and here remastered, 10 track format (a somewhat superfluous if clean 5.1 remix, audio only DVD is also included), it’s every bit as memorable, timeless and nearly as entertaining if not quite as challenging as Astral Weeks.... But hearing so many working versions of these songs can be a trying, time consuming yet occasionally enjoyable experience.

The sound on these remasters crackles, revealing musical and lyrical nuances along with spotlighting how critical Mark Ortmann’s in-the-pocket drumming is to the vibe.

Somewhere between the clear narrative of Boy's Night Out's Trainwreck and the Dear Hunter's ongoing musical saga, it's one of the most compelling realized moments Trophy Scars' madness has produced. [May 2014, p.94]

For Zappa obsessives, and you know who you are, it’s impossible to imagine a more thorough and exhaustive (maybe exhausting is a better word) examination of the artist and how his music was created—before the advent of digital technology– than this. Sit back, dig in and enjoy.

Each piece is exquisitely crafted to bring out the best in them and you get the sense that Casal would have approved.

Another rollicking, rolling set of the 69-year-old Finley’s Louisiana-based soul, blues, and gospel-laced intensity.

Like her chosen alias, The Weather Station’s music is fluid and variable. This latest twist is an unexpected, yet welcome change of climate in her ongoing career.

More ornate and richly produced than any of her previous recordings, The Order Of Time fully establishes June as a proper auteur who has long transcended any limitations as a quaint revivalist.

Like an open wound, The Idler Wheel isn't always pretty, but it pulses with life, brutal and true.

12 Stories, a record full of humor and pain, remorse and reckoning, is one of the very best country debuts of 2013.

With newly remastered sound and a second disc of worthwhile rarities including live tracks, remixes, B-sides and the like, even fans would do well to take the plunge on this refurbished, expanded reissue of an album that Frame, despite multiple later attempts both under the Aztec Camera moniker and later his own name, never could build a career on.

It remains a great, perhaps the greatest, example of The Replacements’ studio output. Whether you need all the extras, most of which are solid and worth hearing, depends on how attached you are to the contents and band.

Her major label debut, which moves from country waltz to roadhouse blues, from rootsy singer-songwriter narratives to irresistible country pop, follows its own relentless arrow throughout, and the result is one of the most fully-formed, arresting debuts Nashville’s seen in years.

Perhaps a better balance of rockers and reflective selections might have made this stronger and more diverse. But those who shied away from Wynonna’s slicker commercial heyday will find this direct, collective style a refreshing transformation for the better. For the rest of us, it’s yet additional proof of her tough/tender, sassy/sensitive vocal prowess and arguably the finest release of her extensive career.

It not only boasts a familiarity factor but the advantage of an official release that ought to make it truly mandatory as far as more rabid Young fans are concerned. Indeed, there are several early stabs at certain songs that only true Neil nerds will be able to differentiate from those versions released later on.

The melodies take flight, soaring as guitars strum, and drums pound, and Nash unleashes ten widescreen tales resounding with melancholy intensity and an idiosyncratic style best described as uncompromising.

An epic effort in its entirety, The Complete Dirty South now offers an excellent opportunity to revisit this decidedly descriptive album. It continues to loom large in the band’s legacy, encapsulating the Southern culture in ways only true sons of the South were capable of conceiving.

Taken as a whole, American Band is the group’s most thematically coherent work since their pinnacle of Jason Isbell-assisted records in the early 2000s.

Ultimately, Long Lost could be considered an opus of sorts, a fully realized work that’s epic, intriguing, expansive, and yet introspective. It’s an emotional encounter that delivers on all it promises far more often than not.

By any standards, this is an expansive, terrific and lovingly curated set that displays the impressive life’s work of a classy, talented, journeyman rocker yet to find the commercial or critical acclaim he deserves.

Even as he enters his 60s, Waits still sounds as lively and as cagey as ever, indulging both his most brazen and his most sentimental urges to upend all of our expectations.

For a long time now, Radiohead has been achieving mesmerizing results by blazing the trail for synthetic sounds in rock and roll. But it’s the humanity, oh, the humanity, that makes A Moon Shaped Pool so moving.

The album is far more interesting when Clark is more introspective, pleading “please don’t hang up yet” on the gorgeous “Hang On Me,” or simply showcasing her noisiest guitar riffs on “Young Lover.”

This more elusive, rootsy style suits Crutchfield well. It allows space to capture a clearer eyed vision of a life she’s still trying to balance, sort out and work through …just like the rest of us.

What Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit reflects is that Courtney Barnett is a burgeoning talent whose future likely holds great improvement from this already-impressive starting point.

For the most part, Run the Jewels 3 is not intent on breaking new ground but rather on cementing the fruitful dynamic between El-P and Killer Mike. It’s another victory lap from a pair of rappers who are mastering the form, one glorious album at a time.

While fewer slow songs might better balance the often somber pacing, this hour-long program shows why Griffin is one of today’s finest singer-songwriters; one who never rests on her impressive laurels by consistently challenging herself and her audience and coloring outside folk music’s established boundaries.

All but one are previously unreleased and show not only how prolific he was but how much work he put into these demo recordings, which sound as good as the finished product. Better yet, it’s an example of the quality of material still lurking in the Prince archives. This hour-long collection will more than satiate fans of the artist until the next batch inevitably appears.

On Valley of Heart’s Delight Cilker proves herself to be one of our finest and most literate songwriters, one whose physical and psychological distance from the pressures of Nashville seems to be at least partially tied to her artistic triumphs.

They decided not to overthink it — a great move, as it turns out. In just five days, tracking totally live — which, unbelievably, they’d done only twice previously (on “Darkness on the Edge of Town” and “Born in the U.S.A.”) — the band recorded nine new tunes and three unearthed from before Springsteen had recorded Greetings from Asbury Park, his debut. And yes, some of these songs will take their place alongside his greatest hits.

It’s required listening for even moderate rock fans. This upgraded version, while not necessary for casual listeners, especially those who already own the first pressing, improves on it with supplementary music and, almost as importantly, expanded liner info, rare photos and enhanced track details in a 44 page book that dedicated Zepp followers will revel in.

Jamie is nothing if not daring, filled with fascinating, sometimes jarring musical complexities which the most skeptical listener will appreciate. Despite its relatively brief 36 minute playing time, the disc’s concepts and sheer obliqueness makes it linger far longer as a bold declaration from a restlessly creative artist with plenty on her mind.

There are standouts everywhere.

Overall, the hardest part about listening to Noah Cyrus’ The Hardest Part is turning the album off.

The 11th release from the Toronto-based, foursome certainly contains some of The Sadies’ finest work. Colder Streams is one of the group’s most diverse sets.

In retrospect, Young’s decision may have been for the best, but like everything he’s done, Homegrown still has much to offer. In retrospect, and with all things considered, it’s not a bad blend.