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We music geeks are, by and large, completists. Record companies know this, which is why, even in an era when physical media is becoming a thing of the past, they keep releasing “deluxe,” “expanded” or “complete” editions of classic rock albums.
The formula is generally this. Remix the album in question, add a disc or two of alternate versions of songs and maybe a few tunes that didn’t make the cut when the album was initially released, and find some live recordings (sometimes an entire concert) from the era. Throw in reproductions of ephemera (backstage passes, decals, maybe a poster) and perhaps a modest coffee table book, and you’ve got something that can be sold for a premium price. And that’s how you generate some cash flow from material that has already been bought and paid for.
Do I sound skeptical or, at the very least, cynical? Of course I do. I’m a music writer. Or maybe my attitude has to do with having bought bootlegs that promise “revelatory” alternate takes and mixes which, in point of fact, offer little more than slight variations on what was actually released. But, having said that, there are some box set behemoths that are slated for release within the next few months that are, in fact, worthy of consideration.
Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here 50th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set (2 CD / 4 LP / 1 Blu-Ray)
Jethro Tull – Still Living in the Past (5 CD / 1 Blu-Ray)
Bruce Springsteen – Nebraska ’82 (4 CD / 1 Blu-Ray)
Little Feat – The Last Record Album (4 CD)
The Who – Who Are You? Super Deluxe Edition (7 CD / 1 Blu-Ray)
Jimi Hendrix – Axis Bold as Love (4 CD)
The Beatles – Anthology 2025 (8 CD)
Ticket Alert
Christmas music comes in all forms, so if your jam is of the singer-songwriter variety, you can load up the sleigh and head to the Heights Theater for Jack Ingram’s “Acoustic Holiday Tour.” Tickets for the Houston (Fine, Woodlands) native son’s show on Saturday, December 13, are on sale now.
Cardi B has a new album (Am I the Drama?) coming out, and she is taking the unusual step of appearing at Walmarts across the country to pimp it during the record’s rollout. The Houston Walmart stop took place yesterday, but don’t despair if you missed it, since Ms. B will be perform at Toyota Center on Wednesday, March 3. Presales are in progress, with the general sale set for Thursday. Hmm. Makes you wonder. Is a ZZ Top promotional tour at Buc-ee’s across Texas in the offing?
In the tradition of Prince, who for a time went by the moniker “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince,” Kanye West, who legally changed his name to “Ye,” and Sean Combs, who has been known as “Puffy,” “Puff Daddy,” “P. Diddy” and just “Diddy,” Machine Gun Kelly has decided that he will henceforth be known as MGK. OK. The musical chameleon will play the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, May 23, with Wiz Khalifa and Beauty School Dropout opening. Tickets are on sale now.
Concerts This Week
Granted, there aren’t many original Temps or Tops remaining, but you can’t argue with the catalogs that both acts assembled during the ‘60s and ‘70s. The Temptations: “My Girl,” “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me),” “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg,” “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone.” The Four Tops: “Baby I Need Your Loving,” “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch),” “It’s The Same Old Song,” “Reach Out I’ll Be There.” If that list doesn’t get your head to bobbing, well, I don’t know what to tell you. Get your groove on tonight at the Smart Financial Centre.
Chance the Rapper is not your typical rap artist. Gospel and jazz influences pop up in his work, and his lyrics have dealt with subjects not usually addressed in rap, such as Christian theology. Chance will perform on Friday at the Bayou Music Center, and you can find out more by taking a look at this Houston Press interview.
There are two shows of note this week at the Mucky Duck. On Friday, blues / Americana artist Seth Walker will be in town to showcase tunes from his most recent album Why the Worry. Then on Saturday, the West Texas Exiles will celebrate the release of their new record 8000 Days with early and late shows. For more on the Exiles, check out this week’s Houston Press interview with the band.. Tickets for all performances are in short supply, so getting while the getting is good would be the recommendation.
Charlie Wilson earned his bona fides as the lead singer of the Gap Band for the entirety of the group’s existence, 1967-2010. Wilson has also distinguished himself as a solo artist and a producer. On Friday, Wilson will bring “Uncle Charlie’s R&B Cookout” to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, presenting a bill that also includes venerable old-school artists Babyface and K-Ci (of Jodeci fame). Now, since this event is billed as a “cookout” and is designed to engender a “cookout” atmosphere, there will, I image, be a code of behavior that should be followed. This video might help those who have not yet been schooled. And this one, re: potato salad.
Whiskey Myers and its “What We Were Born to Do” tour rolls into the Pavilion on Saturday. This band, the pride of Palestine, TX, has a country twang but still rocks hard when the need arises. Dexter and the Moonrocks, purveyors of what they call “western space grunge,” and Landon Smith will open.
Jimmie Vaughan was, at one time, a wild-ass teenaged guitarist lighting it up with the Chessmen in the mid-‘60s and making a name for himself as one of the best players in Texas. After a few years, though, Vaughan looked to the past, refining his style and wholly embracing the blues. He formed the Fabulous Thunderbirds with Kim Wilson and recorded classic albums like What’s the Word? (1980) before departing the band to explore less commercial but more authentic musical pastures. Vaughan and his Tilt-a-Whirl band will play the Heights Theater on Sunday, conducting a master class in the blues, with Houston’s own rising star Mathias Lattin opening.
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Tom Richards
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