New vinyl reissues: January 23, 2026
Howdy, partners. We’ll jump right into this week’s reissue rundown in just a sec. First, we wanted to welcome all the readers who clicked on us from around the web. If you’re digging our coverage, please consider signing up for a subscription. Our subscribers are the coolest, and we’d be honored if you'd join their numbers. Just find one of the “Subscribe” buttons anywhere on this page and tap in your email.
Secondly, we’ve got a vinyl giveaway going this month for our paid-tier subscribers, who are extra, extra-cool. We’re giving away a set of test pressings of R.E.M.’s Chronic Town and Murmur, which were paired together in glorious one-step pressings as part of Universal's Definitive Sound Series. These are gob-smackingly good-sounding records, and these test pressings are pretty nifty collectibles, so click this box to learn more about them, sign up for our paid tier, and put yourself in the running.
Ned Lannamann
And now, with the ado out of the way, let’s get into the week.
David Bowie: Station to Station [Rhino/Parlophone]
It’s been 50 years since Bowie made a hard pivot from his previous hard pivot, releasing 1976’s Station to Station, a dense, savant-like fusion of American R&B with European art rock. At only six songs, it at first seemed like one of Bowie’s slighter efforts, but the scintillatingly brilliant title track and the inverted R&B of hit single “Golden Years” are just two examples of how this is one of Bowie’s denser, stickier releases—standing tall in a catalog that has no shortage of masterpieces. Recorded in LA while Bowie was subsisting on a diet of milk and cocaine, it finds him at a breaking point after the filming of The Man Who Fell to Earth, in a doomed romance with America that nearly killed him. Berlin, Eno, and attempted sobriety would follow, but Station to Station is a look down the precipice just before Bowie blinked. For its semicentennial, it’s been given the half-speed master treatment at AIR Studios (cut from 192Hz digital) as well as a picture disc. For sound quality’s sake, we recommend the former—or a decent original, of course. NL
Toni Braxton: Toni Braxton; Secrets; The Heat [Sony]
The musical career of Toni Braxton tends to take a back seat these days to her current life as a reality TV star, but Sony is offering up a nice reminder of her skills as a vocalist with vinyl reissues of her first three albums: her 1993 chart-topping self-titled debut, 1996’s Secrets, and 2000’s The Heat. All three are fantastic showcases for Braxton’s supple, biting voice and the songwriting skills of her collaborators like Babyface and Diane Warren. But the best of the lot is The Heat, which finds the singer finally letting hip-hop color the edges of her work via contributions from Dr. Dre and TLC’s Left Eye. RH
Fleetwood Mac: Fleetwood Mac [Mobile Fidelity]
I just did a quick scan on Discogs, and according to their database, Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 self-titled album has been reissued on vinyl 13 times since Covid. With all the colored vinyl pressings, Barnes & Noble exclusives, and of course the all-analog Rhino High Fidelity cut, this album has seen more action than the Grindr app during the Republican National Convention. This is not to mention the super deluxe edition from 2018 or the 2-LP 45 RPM version from 2012’s Record Store Day . Anyway, Mobile Fidelity have now gotten their mitts on this puppy, and they’ve given it their patented Ultradisc treatment, cutting at 45 RPM on two discs via a DSD digital transfer of the 1/4-inch master tape. For those that have been waiting for this incredibly familiar album to be released in this format, I congratulate you with huzzahs and hosannas. But—not to be too much of a spoilsport—if you haven’t already been satisfied with how this record sounds yet, maybe you’re not ever gonna be? NL
Alan Vega: Alan Vega; Alan Vega (deluxe edition); Collision Drive [Sacred Bones]
Even as his band Suicide was gaining steam and capturing the attention of fans around the globe, vocalist Alan Vega couldn’t sit still. The New York artist wanted to dig deeper into his early rock influences, like Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent, without the terrifying squall of his bandmate Martin Rev’s assortment of analog synths and primitive drum machines. Encouraged by his friend Ric Ocasek, Vega produced a pair of fascinating solo albums, a 1980 self-titled release and 1981’s Collision Drive, dipping into a vintage rockabilly sound that mixed surprisingly well with the dark, almost industrial clamor Vega was known for. Both albums are being reissued this week via Sacred Bones, with the option of a deluxe version of Alan Vega that includes a bonus disc of demos. We will have a review of these reissues in a future installment of The Vinyl Cut. RH
Erykah Badu and Peter Frampton [Vinylphyle]
With an auspicious launch last November, Universal’s foray into high-end vinyl—a series they’ve dubbed Vinylphyle, for better or worse—looked to have firm control over the diverse delights within the multinational conglomerate’s vast catalog, releasing premium pressings of classics by the Velvet Underground, Bob Marley, the Band, and Nat King Cole. (Read our reviews here and here.) For round two, the Vinylphyle team have selected a pair of albums that set the goalposts apart even wider, with a turn-of-the-millennium neo-soul opus—Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun—and perhaps the best-selling double live album of the 1970s with Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive. Both albums have their partisans, although in my opinion, neither has the must-own urgency of the excellent Vinylphyle pressing of The Velvet Underground and Nico, for example. The digitally recorded Badu album signposts that the series is not sticking to analog sources only, while Frampton is sourced from a Doug Sax–prepared production master. These are cut by Joe Nino-Hernes at Sterling Sound and pressed at RTI, with high-quality gatefold jackets and inserts with liner notes. A less expensive, non-Vinylphyle pressing of Mama’s Gun is also being released this week to celebrate the album’s 25th anniversary, give or take a few months. NL
Squeeze: Play 35th anniversary edition [Rhino SYEOR]
By the time Squeeze entered the studio to record their ninth studio album, Play, the British pop group was reeling after the poor sales numbers for their previous effort Frank caused them to be dropped by longtime label A&M. In the midst of this fraught period, the quartet managed to produce one of their strongest LPs. The album continued co-songwriters Glenn Tillbrook and Chris Difford’s unbroken streak of producing sharp-eyed, earworm guitar pop but now with a more seasoned, occasionally jaundiced outlook on life and love. Out this week as part of Rhino’s Start Your Ear Off Right campaign, this expanded 2-LP re-release is the first time Play has been made available on vinyl for American consumers. Look for our review of this reissue next week. RH
Eden’s Children: Sure Looks Real [Sundazed]
Fuzzed-out trio Eden’s Children mostly escaped the backlash that surrounded the Bosstown Sound, when MGM Records and producer Alan Lorber tried to turn late-’60s Boston into the new San Francisco by marketing a bevy of psychedelic bands as the hep new thing. It didn’t take, but luckily Eden’s Children were rawer and heavier than most of their Beantown ilk, and they had the mixed fortune of signing to ABC Records—good because it prevented them from being lumped in with the MGM crop, bad because ABC didn’t have a clue what to do with them. Their second album, 1968’s Sure Looks Real, is now out on Sundazed, who did a stellar job with their reissue of Eden’s Children’s self-titled debut as part of last year’s Record Store Day. Sure Looks Real is a lesser effort but still contains plenty of offbeat lysergic pop as well as the hard-rocking boogie that set the band apart when crushing audiences at venues like the Boston Tea Party. This new cut was mastered by Kevin Gray from an undisclosed source. NL
The Power Station: The Power Station 40th anniversary edition [Rhino]
By mid-1984, Duran Duran needed a break. The five young men had been touring and recording and promoting their music pretty much nonstop for the better part of four years and were fairly exhausted and definitely sick of the sight of one another. Rather than risk the complete collapse of what they had built together, they took an extended pause. But even on this hiatus, they couldn’t turn the creative taps off completely. Singer Simon Le Bon and keyboardist Nick Rhodes explored their dark wave roots in a project called Arcadia, and guitarist Andy Taylor and bassist John Taylor chose to highlight their love of glitter rock and funk with their new endeavor the Power Station. Named after the New York studio where this new project recorded its 1985 self-titled album, the supergroup was rounded out by vocalist Robert Palmer and Chic drummer Tony Thompson. The former gave the band some bluesy grit while the latter’s booming drums gave these songs stomp and muscle. The resulting LP was a huge hit, yielding two top 10 singles in the US: their sleazy cover of T. Rex’s already sleazy “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” and the brawny original “Some Like It Hot.” Rhino’s reissue of The Power Station goes big, at least with the CD version. There, you'll get four discs packed with bonus material including copious remixes, instrumentals, and the band's full performance at Live Aid with singer/bon vivant Michael des Barres subbed in for Palmer. The double vinyl version reduces it to the remastered album tracks and the choicest cuts from the extras. RH
David Forman: Who You Been Talking To [High Moon]
In 1976, Arista Records released the one and only album by songwriter David Forman; it was a thoughtful, easygoing collection of ballads and gentle rockers that are not unlike if Randy Newman had been born in New York City instead of Los Angeles—with influences like Dion, the Young Rascals, Frankie Valli, Bruce Springsteen, and Billy Joel. The LP sank without a trace, but Forman recorded an ambitious follow-up with producer Jack Nitzsche and contributions from Jim Keltner, Ry Cooder, David Lindley, Fred Tackett, and Tim Drummond, among others. Arista label head Clive Davis opted not to release it, and Forman was destined to languish in the cutout bins... until now. High Moon Records came across a copy of the first album, tracked the man down, and asked if the rumors about an unreleased follow-up were true. Indeed they were, and here it is—titled Who You Been Talking To—nearly five decades late but perhaps perfectly timed for a David Forman reappraisal. The record is, like his first, filled with intelligently written tunes and sophisticated arrangements imparted gently to the listener, with a not insignificant helping of sentimentality. High Moon’s well-appointed reissue also includes a 24-page booklet with Forman’s story and plenty of info about these long-lost recordings. We’ll have a full review here at The Vinyl Cut in due time. NL
The Necessaries: Completely Necessary (Anthology 1978–1982) [Omnivore]
The Necessaries are a rarely explored chapter in the history of both New York post-punk and celebrated artist Arthur Russell. Formed by ex-Modern Lovers bassist Ernie Brooks and his pal singer/guitarist Chris Spedding, the band brought a pop sheen to their jagged, artful rock. And when Russell came onboard to replace Spedding, the music took a slightly glitzier turn that scraped against the edges of the growing new-wave scene. The triple-LP set out this week offers up a complete picture of this band’s history, including their earliest recordings, their two Sire LPs (1981’s Big Sky and 1982’s Event Horizon), and their never-before-released final studio session. Look for our full report on this collection next week. RH
Jackson C. Frank: 1975 Mekeel Sessions 12-inch [Antarctica Starts Here]
The heartbreaking life and career of folksinger Jackson C. Frank is matched only by the collective tragedy of Badfinger—Frank’s story is one of the saddest in the rock ’n’ roll canon, plagued by bad circumstances and even worse luck. In 1975, he was living in Woodstock, New York, and had the opportunity to record some songs in nearby Lake Hill, intended for release on what would have been his second solo album (following up his brilliant but neglected self-titled debut from a decade earlier). Nothing came of the album, but these solo acoustic recordings have a stark, harrowing, and haunted quality, not unlike Nick Drake’s Pink Moon or the work of Vic Chestnutt. Six of the tracks, which have trickled out on various reissues through the years, are now pressed to vinyl by the folks at Superior Viaduct, who have issued them on their Antarctica Starts Here sublabel. Completists take note: There are a handful of other tracks from this period not appearing on this 12-inch EP that were collected on Ba Da Bing’s The Complete Recordings from 2015. NL
Marva Whitney: It’s My Thing [Elemental]
A couple of months back, I recommended Vampisoul’s reissue of Marva Whitney’s It’s My Thing, a 1969 scorcher of white-hot funk with the backing of James Brown and his armada of in-the-pocket funksters. Now Elemental Music is having a crack at this overlooked gem, which features Whitney’s reworking of the Isley Brothers’ “It’s Your Thing” and a duet with Brown on “You Got to Have a Job.” Having another edition of this album at the ready is no bad thing, although I’m somewhat befuddled by the tracklist on Elemental’s site, which mixes up tracks from the original album with several bonus tracks that appeared on the 2000 double-LP remaster on Soul Brother Records. Whatever songs actually appear on the darn thing, the music all comes from a period when Brown’s hothouse of funk was unparalleled, and Whitney had the finest resources just a “good god-damn” away. I should also mention that Elemental has quite a roster of new releases this week, as they’re also unleashing new pressings of a trio of ’60s psychedelic classics: Clear Light’s 1967 self-titled debut, the Electric Prunes’ 1968 album Release of an Oath (featuring production by David Axelrod), and the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band’s Part One from 1967. NL
Bob Marley and the Wailers: Kaya; Uprising [Analogue Productions]
The already insanely complicated quest for definitive Bob Marley pressings just acquired a new twist. Analogue Productions have just dropped a pair of Wailers records that are not part of their UHQR series (good news for your wallet) but are cut at 45 RPM and spread across two LPs each (not-so-good news for your wallet). The albums in question are 1978’s Kaya—one of Marley’s more pop-friendly efforts, recorded simultaneously with the previous year’s slightly more fiery Exodus and featuring some reworked songs from earlier in Marley’s career—and 1980’s Uprising, which became Marley’s epitaph when he died the following year. Both were cut from analog tape, although we couldn’t say whether they were cut from the UK or Jamaican masters or from a US copy. Either way, Ryan K. Smith did the lacquer cutting at Sterling Sound, and the discs were pressed at Acoustic Sounds’ pressing plant, Quality Record Pressings. Do they come in Stoughton tip-on gatefolds? You’d better believe it. NL
Jane Weaver: The Fallen By Watch Bird expanded edition [Fire]
After a handful of decent but unremarkable folk-pop albums and EPs, singer/songwriter Jane Weaver took a thrilling left turn with her 2010 album, The Fallen By Watch Bird. Self-released on her own Bird label, the album was a psychedelic wonderland that decorated her folk roots with whorls of electronic pulses, drones, and magickal lyrics. The expanded edition of the LP, out this week on Weaver’s current home Fire Records, features remastered audio and a second disc of remixes and re-recordings of album tracks by Weaver with collaborators like the Focus Group and Demdike Stare. RH
Various Artists: Junglist! Old Skool Ragga, D&B, Jungle 1993–95 [Soul Jazz]
A new compilation album from London imprint Soul Jazz Records is always worth perking up for, and this time they’ve set their sights on the UK jungle scene of the mid-’90s. With Junglist!, the compilers have sought out the fertile touchpoints where the radically new breakneck beats would cross paths with drowsy, heavy-lidded samples from dub and reggae, making for a rave-ready evolution of the bass- and toast-laden music that was often the most direct channel of cultural communication between Britain and the West Indies during the latter part of the 20th century. Contributors include M-Beat, Cutty Ranks, DJ Vern and DJ Ash, Poison Chang, and more. NL
Sigh: Ghastly Funeral Theatre [Peaceville]
Peaceville Records continues their campaign reissuing the studio efforts of Japanese black-metal band Sigh this week with the first widely available pressing of the group’s 1997 EP Ghastly Funeral Theatre. The emphasis should remain on the final word in the record’s title, as there is a decidedly melodramatic bent to the music here, with the group layering their slashing riffs and screeching vocals with gaudy keyboards and folk instruments borrowed from the Noh tradition. It’s a wild mix that is perfectly over the top without landing them in the goofy territory where Ghost and Amon Amrath reside. This new edition was pressed using the group's original DAT master and comes on standard black vinyl or silver translucent wax. RH
Morly Grey: The Only Truth [Peppermint]
Formed in Alliance, Ohio—roughly halfway between Cleveland and Youngstown—Morly Grey released a slab of molten-hot proto-metal riffage, power boogie, and introspective acoustic-flecked psych in 1972 called The Only Truth. Their sound was driven by Mark Roller’s bass and songwriting chops; several of their tunes feature Roller playing what can only be deemed lead bass, although the guitar portion of the power-trio pyramid was capably filled by Mark’s brother Tim (the drums were played by either Paul Cassidy or Bob LaNave, both of whom appear on The Only Truth). Originals of the album, released on the local Starshine label, are now pricy rarities, but Italian pirate label Akarma and the more legit Sundazed have both issued versions over the years. Now it’s Peppermint Records’ turn to take the mantle, and with the Roller brothers’ involvement, they’ve recreated the album with the help of one of its original engineers, Gary Rhamy, who used the actual tape machine the album was recorded on to transfer the masters. NL
Jejune: This Afternoons Malady; Junk [Numero Group]
Numero Group’s mining of the emo underground continues this week with reissues of the first two late-’90s albums by Boston trio Jejune. Debut full-length Junk from 1997 found the band wrestling with their dual interests in pop-punk and UK shoegaze to delirious effect, while 1998’s This Afternoons Malady revealed the latter influence to have won that tug-of-war, with constantly gushing guitar work and the delicate interplay of bassist Arabella Harrison and guitarist Joe Guevara’s vocal harmonies. RH
Jazz Alley
Hey there, alley cat. We see you sniffing around the garbage bins, sifting through the tin cans and picking your teeth with fish skeletons. We know what you’re really digging for—some top-quality analog jazz pressings. Well, right on schedule, this week has yet another batch of impressive new jazz reissues for cool cats like yourself. First off, Blue Note’s Classic Vinyl Series continues to grow to shelf-bursting proportions, with two new affordable reissues cut from analog tape by Kevin Gray and pressed at Optimal. They are Joe Henderson’s 1963 LP Our Thing, featuring Kenny Dorham, Andrew Hill, Eddie Khan, and Pete La Roca; and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers’ Free for All from 1964, with Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, and Reggie Workman. Over at Verve, they’re continuing their Acoustic Sounds series with primo pressings of two Jimmy Smith albums: 1962’s Bashin’: The Unpredictable Jimmy Smith and 1965’s Organ Grinder Swing, both cut by Matthew Lutthans from analog tape at the Mastering Lab, pressed at Quality Record Pressings, and housed in Stoughton tip-on gatefolds. Additionally, Craft continues their Original Jazz Classics series with the Red Garland Trio’s Soul Junction, featuring John Coltrane and Donald Byrd, originally recorded in 1957 during the session for All Mornin’ Long and released in 1960 on Prestige. That one was also cut from tape by Kevin Gray and pressed at RTI with a tip-on jacket and obi. Lastly, we wanted to mention the very cool new reissue of the Charles Tyler Ensemble’s Voyage from Jericho, a freaky-deaky 1975 album of soaring free jazz and out-of-body spiritualism. The 50th anniversary re-release, the album’s first time on vinyl since its original issue, comes via Frederiksberg Records and includes a 28-page booklet. NL
OTHER REISSUES OF NOTE:
Craig Armstrong: The Great Gatsby score [UMe]
As I Lay Dying: Frail Words Collapse; Shadows Are Security; An Ocean Between Us [Metal Blade]
Atomic Kitten: Right Now [Music on Vinyl]
Au Pairs: Playing with a Different Sex [Music on Vinyl]
Big Brovas: Nu Flow [Music on Vinyl]
John Cale: Vintage Violence [Music on Vinyl]
The Carolina Chocolate Drops: Genuine Negro Jig [Nonesuch]
The Chambers Brothers: The Time Has Come [Music on Vinyl]
The Dave Clark Five: All the Hits [BMG]
Dave Brubeck Quartet: Time Out [Jazz Images]
Deep Purple: Who Do We Think We Are; Last Concert in Japan [Friday]
Stephan Eicher: Spielt Noise Boys [Born Bad]
Art Farmer: Modern Art [WaxTime]
Golden Earring: Essential Earring [Music on Vinyl]
Herbie Hancock: Takin’ Off [Jazz Images]
Happy End: Happy End [Great Tracks]
Bernard Herrmann: Psycho [Vinyl Passion]
Billie Holiday: Lady Sings the Blues [Wax Time]
James Horner: Braveheart soundtrack [Decca]
Howlin’ Wolf: Moanin’ in the Moonlight [Number One Essential]
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Bright Moments [Pure Pleasure]
Kris Kristofferson: Kristofferson [Music on Vinyl]
Less Than Jake: Borders & Boundaries [Fat Wreck Chords]
Barrington Levy: Run Come Ya! [Jah Life]
Henry Manfredini: Friday the 13th Part 3 [Light in the Attic]
Reba McEntire: Starting Over 30th anniversary edition [MCA Nashville]
John McNeil & Tom Harrell: Look to the Sky [Steeplechase]
No-Man: Loveblows & Lovecries 30th anniversary edition; Scatter - Lost Not Lost Volume II (1991–1997) [Burning Shed]
Nomeansno: Sex Mad [Alternative Tentacles]
Les Nubians: Princesses Nubians; One Step Forward [Rhino SYEOR]
The Only Ones: Even Serpents Shine [Music on Vinyl]
Augustus Pablo: Rockers United! [Nature Sounds]
Panic! At the Disco: A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out [Atlantic]
Theo Parrish: First Floor Pt. 1; First Floor Pt. 2 [Peacefrog]
Lee Perry: Roast Fish Collie Weed & Cornbread [Music on Vinyl]
Pink Fairies: Resident Reptiles [Cleopatra]
Raison d’Etre: The Empty Hollow Unfolds [Cyclic Law]
Marty Robbins: Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs [Number One Essential]
Lalo Schifrin: Insensatez [Jazz Samba]
Ivan “Lloydie Slim” Smith: The Lion Dub Wise [Digikiller]
The Stills: Logic Will Break Your Heart [Music on Vinyl]
Sun Ra: Jazz By Sun Ra [Jazz Wax]
Thunder: Live [Ear Music]
Cal Tjader: Demasiado Caliente [Descarga]
Sielun Veljet: L’Amourha [Svart]
Rocky Votolato: Makers 20th anniversary edition [Barsuk]
The Walker Brothers: Lines [Music on Vinyl]
Muddy Waters: At Newport 1960 [Vinyl Passion]
Yes: Symphonic Live [Mercury Studios]
Various Artists: Amores Perros soundtrack [Universal Music Latino]
Various Artists: Golpes 14x7-inch [Munster]
Various Artists: Wizzz: French Psychorama Volume 5: 1967–1979 [Born Bad]
