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Best Albums of 2010: 10 Best Reissues and Compilations

by Justin Farrar

New music need not apply, people. This year-end list spotlights all the killer reissues, compilations and archival releases that came out in 2010. There were a lot, for sure. American heroes Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan grabbed the biggest headlines. The Boss dropped The Promise, an album's worth of "lost" material from 1976. His idol Dylan, meanwhile, re-released the first eight albums of his career, including the canonic Blonde on Blonde, in glorious mono. Every one of them sounds a-m-a-z-i-n-g. Then there's Jimi Hendrix, whose estate finally opened the Reprise vaults, resulting in two collections, Valleys of Neptune and the box set West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology.

Some of the most satisfying archival releases of the year came from the mainstream's margins. The recent explosion of rare "world music" releases continues with Pomegranates, a sublime survey of psychedelic folk-pop from hippie-era Iran. Closer to home, the always-amazing Smithsonian Folkways label produced Classic Appalachian Blues, which delves into the mountain-blues music that thrived in eastern Virginia and Carolina in the early 20th century.

In terms of the avant-rock, definitely don't sleep on the sprawling boxed set from Krautrock icons Neu!, a group that is far more influential on modern music than its cult status would imply. Another great set comes in the form of Coals to Newcastle, which sheds some much-needed light on Orange Juice, a jangly outfit from 1980s Scotland that just about every modern indie-pop band rips off often without even realizing it.

Happy new year, and happy exploring!

The Promise

Bruce Springsteen

The Promise sits halfway between a lost album and an outtakes collection. The Boss recorded these tracks in the two years following the 1975 release of Born to Run that overlapped with the making of Darkness on the Edge of Town. And yet they feel somewhat removed from the dark, desperate tones of the latter. Apparently, those qualities had yet to fully infect his writing. In interviews, Springsteen has said that these songs -- which include versions of "Because the Night" and "Fire" -- could've been released as a separate album. This is why he took the time to polish them over 30 years later.

Pomegranates

Various Artists

Psychedelic sitar, '60s sex kittens, funk freakouts ... not exactly what you think of when you think of Iran. But this is the country many knew before the 1979 revolution: secular, proud of its ancient heritage yet eager to embrace the youth culture rising in the west. There are so many gems here, but Zia's bizarro funk is a big score, as is Googoosh's great hit "Talagh."

Classic Appalachian Blues from Smithsonian Folkways

Various Artists

Concentrated in Virginia and Carolina coal country, and spreading its recordings over five decades -- from the '50s to '90s -- this sampler documents a multifaceted but rarely acknowledged mountain blues style: speedy, intricate, guitar-dominated, yet somehow mostly relaxed. Selections echo old-timey country, dabble in bluegrass and boogie-woogie, and peak with slavering sexagenarian medicine show veteran Peg Leg Sam Jackson reviving a nearly century-old minstrel shtick in 1976. The set opens and closes with near-rock 'n' roll tunes from Sticks McGhee about driving cars and drinking wine.

Criminal Minded

Boogie Down Productions

This album opens with a sly little JB guitar sig, a quick turntable scratch and KRS-One declaring, "Class is in session." And though KRS would become hip-hop's self-anointed teacher, the lesson here is murky and violent. KRS threatens Marley Marl's Juice Crew on "South Bronx," "bucks down a crack dealer named Peter" on "9 MM Goes Bang" and concludes that "the girlies are free 'cuz the crack cost money" on "P is Free Remix." Shortly after the release of this album, Scott La Rock was shot down in the Bronx, a tragedy that would forever transform both KRS and hip-hop. This reissue features a bonus disk of remixes, B-sides and outtakes.

Coals To Newcastle

Orange Juice

Scotland's Orange Juice were ahead of their time, with Edwyn Collins mixing a "Byrds, Velvets and Chic" blueprint into sophisticated indie pop. OJ's chiming guitars, crooned vocals and self-aware lyrics filtered down to everything from The Smiths to Franz Ferdinand to Belle & Sebastian. This set collects pretty much everything OJ recorded, including their relatively primitive Postcard sessions, their summery debut, their sole chart success Rip It Up, the brilliant Texas Fever EP and their self-titled 1984 swan song. You also get B-sides, demos, radio sessions, concert cuts and interviews.

Joe Cuba - El Alcalde Del Barrio

Joe Cuba

The Bootleg Series Vol. 9 - The Witmark Demos: 1962-1964

Bob Dylan

The thing about Bob Dylan that fans tend to ignore is that the square, cigar-smoking industry suits immediately recognized his creativity and songwriting talents. The pre-fame Dylan cut these bare-bone demos in order to get his songs covered by other, more popular acts. And, boy, did people flock to cover many of them, while others became Dylan classics and some remain intriguing rarities. A number of tunes, such as "Bound to Lose, Bound to Win," are just fragments, but the entire set becomes more than just a fascinating listen as it emits a casual but energetic buzz.

Love of Life Orchestra

Peter Gordon (disco)

The New York musician Peter Gordon was as comfortable with disco as he was classical minimalism, and on this DFA-issued retrospective he combines both into ecstatic songwriting, powerfully funky grooves and complex, colorful arrangements. Arthur Russell features on "That Hat," but the real standout here is "Beautiful Dreamer," a 1979 single featuring a French-Tunisian performance artist's eerily naive vocals over melancholic synths and horns and an indefatigable disco beat.