BeatCaffeine’s Favorite Reissues of 2018
It seems like each year, there are many great rare recordings that get reissued for the first time, providing an opportunity for collectors and music fans of all generations an opportunity to enjoy music that was previously extremely hard-to-find.
This year wasn’t any different thanks to numerous labels like Mr. Bongo, Soundway, Jazzman, Strut, Awesome Tapes of Africa, Hot Casa, BBE, African Analog, Athens of the North, and many others releasing high quality reissues of obscure albums and singles.
Even though reissues do provide a way to get expensive or extremely rare titles in to people’s hands at an affordable cost, I admit I do find myself having a love/hate relationship with some of the releases. This mostly has to do with 1) unnecessary or common records being pressed, and 2) reissues not being “official” and/or pressed poorly. I hate to see pressing plants backed up on orders because a major label wants to press another reissue of The Big Chill. But this is an argument for another day.
That being said, all of these reissues released (and plenty others) are much welcomed and helped contribute to a great year in music.
With that being said, here are BeatCaffeine’s “Favorite Reissues of 2018.”
10. Grupo Controle Digital — A Festa É Nossa
(Soundway)
The British-based Soundway label has built a strong reputation for putting out some of the highest quality reissues over the past two decades, and that certainly applies to this reissue of this rare album by the Brazilian band Grupo Controle Digital. The group’s highly obscure 80’s lo-fi synth album A Festa É Nossa, originally released in 1988, features heavy synths and cruising bass lines with an overall tropical Brazilian feel. The record’s title track was featured on the incredible Onda De Amor: Synthesized Brazilian Hits That Never Were (1984-94) compilation that came out earlier this year.
9. Don Rendell Quintet — Space Walk
(Aartrud)
Originally released in 1972, Don Rendell Quintet’s Space Walk was one of the final sessions released on Columbia UK’s legendary “Landsdowne Series.” This essential recording features an extension the signature sound that iconic British saxophonist developed as part of the highly accomplished Don Rendell – Ian Carr Quintet during the mid-to-late sixties. Featuring vibes, flute, soprano and tenor saxophone, and a tight rhythm section, the session mixes together modal jazz and post-bop with soulful melodies, spacey vibes, and funky grooves. The album’s overall sound is very reminiscent of some of the finest seventies-era recordings from the MPS label.
8. Ralph Thomas — Eastern Standard Time
(BBE)
Originally released in 1980 on the obscure Zebra Jazz imprint, Eastern Standard Time is Chicago-native multi-instrumentalist Ralph Thomas’ spiritual jazz-funk masterpiece. Thomas was a member of Chicago’s own AACM, and studied under iconic jazz legends Phil Cohran and Richard Muhal Abrams. The music blends spiritual tones and melodies with funky grooves, and hard-bop rhythms. Thomas’ plays baritone, alto and tenor saxophones as well as flute and percussion on the recording, which remains the only under Thomas’ name. Given that the original goes for around $200, this was a much-needed reissue release.
7. Koichi Matsukaze Trio + Toshiyuki Daitoku — Earth Mother
(BBE)
The third in BBE’s well-curated J Jazz Masterclass Series features one of the most sought-after jazz albums out of Japan in Earth Mother by the Koichi Matsukaze Trio. This extremely rare recording, which was originally released in 1978, features special guest Toshiyuki Daitoku on both acoustic piano and Fender Rhodes. The music ranges everywhere from spiritual jazz to post-bop burners, and also includes a great version of “Round Midnight.”
6. The Scorpions & Saif Abu Bakr — Jazz, Jazz, Jazz
(Habibi Funk)
Over the past few years, Habibi Funk label has released some of the best compilations focused on rare seventies and eighties era Arabic funk and jazz. The Berlin-based label might have released there best record to date, with the reissuing of the highly obscure 1979 soulful jazz recording from the Suddanese group The Scorpions. This incredible recording is very eclectic in it’s overall sound, blending Sudanese-rooted music with powerful horn arrangements, seventies-era crime soundtrack-like grooves, funky rhythms, and Soukouss influences.
5. Atmosfear — En Trance
(Mr. Bongo)
The golden age of early eighties Brit-funk received some love in 2018 in large part because of the release of Joey Negro’s excellent Backstreet Brit-Funk: Vol 2 compilation, and Mr. Bongo’s reissue of Atmosfear’s En Trance. This 1981 classic recording was a pinnacle release during the height of the early eighties underground Brit-funk scene that predominately took place in North West London. The album, which is the band’s only full-length release, includes many great tracks including “Free Tonight,” “Creator’s Dream,” “Funk The Rock,” “Invasion,” and “Return To Lb.” I also highly recommended checking out the Dancing in Outer Space twelve, also released by Mr. Bongo.
4. N’Draman Blintch — Cosmic Sounds
(Hot Mule)
38 years after it’s original release, N’Draman-Blintch’s extremely rare Afro-disco gem Cosmic Sounds finally sees a much-needed reissue. The record features four great tracks that blend funky African-influenced disco grooves with lots of spacey synth lines, some psychedelic melodies, and soulful vocals. The whole album sounds like the soundtrack to the funkiest space-aged African disco party. William Onyeabor fans will love this record!
3. John Coltrane Quartet — Both Directions at Once:
The Lost Album
(Impulse!)
After 55 years, John Coltrane Quartet’s previously lost March 6, 1963 session finally saw an official release in 2018. Recorded after a two week stint at New York’s Birdland, the classic quartet featuring pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Jimmy Garrison, and drummer Elvin Jones laid down a session at Rudy Van Gelder’s studio featuring seven tracks including an alternative version of “Impressions.” Even though there were written documents that the session took place, the actual tapes appeared to be lost prior to being found due to a “jazz-themed” auction at the Guernsey’s Auction House in 2004. Even though it took another 10 years for the Coltrane estate to relinquish rights to the music and release it on Impulse Records, the effort to get this recording released was definitely worth it. Recorded prior to the group’s John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman sessions, the album has a looser feel to it than some of their other recordings around that time, possibly representing what the group was sounding like live at the moment. That being said, it does have that classic Coltrane Quartet “sheets of sound” vibe featuring Trane’s fiery saxophone solos, McCoy’s modal piano melodies, Garrison’s locked-in bass grooves, and hard-hitting dynamic drumming from Elvin Jones. Even though it took half a century to be rediscovered, we now can enjoy another brilliant recording from one of the greatest group’s that ever played.
2. Ronald Langestraat — Searching
(South of North)
Recorded over 30 years ago, Ronald Langestraat’s 1984 soulful leftfield masterpiece Searching has finally been released on vinyl for the first time. The Amsterdam-based multi-instrumentalist recorded the entire recording by himself on a 4-track tape recorder in his living room. Frustrated with the “high brow jazz” scene at the time, he became inspired to make an album that explored a wide array of musical influences from across the globe blended with lo-fi pop vocals, jazz instrumentation, heavily layered textures and melodies. Langestraat often described his music as “space jazz.” Originally only made available on CD without any label support or distribution, this new reissue is by far one of the best of 2018.
1. Dur-Dur Band — Vol. 1, Vol. 2
(Analog Africa)
The first of a three-part release from Analog Africa dedicated to 80s Somalian funk group, the Dur-Dur Band. This triple LP features the band’s first two albums, which were originally released on cassette tapes back in the mid-eighties. Now fully remastered and pressed onto vinyl for the first time, this record highlight’s one of Somalia’s greatest funk bands. Led by keyboardist Isse Dahir, the group blends traditional Somali music with funk grooves, soulful vocals, Banaadiri beats, and heavy tropical rhythms.
ALSO CHECK OUT:
Our Favorite New Albums of 2018
Our Favorite New EPs of 2018
BeatCaffeine’s 2018 Tracks of the Year Playlist
