Reissue Theory: Various Artists, “Miami Vice”

Two days of nice weather in a row – especially after the kind of winter the northeast U.S. has had – will make you think of warmer climates really quickly. Music always seems to go well with higher temperatures (i.e.: barbecues, school dances, anything The Beach Boys sang about) – and one of the best pop cultural examples of this idea would be Miami Vice.

The genesis behind the 1980s police show is the stuff of legend; NBC exec Brandon Tartikoff allegedly penned a memo that simply said “MTV cops.” Whether it’s true or not, those two words defined the show to the letter. The color pallette, the flashy editing and the overall visual aesthetic of Miami Vice are now synonymous with the time period.

And the music. Not only was Vice an early offering in full stereo, but it cherrypicked the hippest tunes of the moment for inclusion into the show. These tracks, including a healthy amount of originals (including that unforgettable opening theme by synth master Jan Hammer), became as much of the fabric of the ’80s as anything else the show had to offer.

There were three Miami Vice LPs released on MCA Records during the show’s five-year run, as well as a few collections of Hammer’s instrumental score. But the best release has to be that original album. With songs by Glenn Frey, Tina Turner, Phil Collins and Grandmaster Melle Mel, it’s easily one of the best ’80s party mixes money can buy. And there’s actually a fair amount of hard-to-find material that could justify one of those sweet Universal Deluxe Editions. Perhaps with the show’s 25th anniversary coming up, there might be a shot at such a set in the near future. You know where to find the track list.

News Round-Up: Today’s the Day to Kiss the Sky

• Unless you’ve been living under a rock this year, you know that today’s the day Experience Hendrix LLC partners with Legacy to release a new batch of Jimi Hendrix products (CD/DVD versions of Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, Electric Ladyland and First Rays of the New Rising Sun as well as the new Valleys of Neptune rarities set). For those of you who are into such a thing, Valleys comes with two extra tracks at Target stores. (Disclosure: the author works for Target but would not in good conscience promote them for any other reason.)
• Legacy also announced a recent batch of catalogue goodies getting the digital treatment on all major music downloading services. Check out the full list of albums, including offerings by Blood, Sweat & Tears and Johnny Cash, over at Vintage Vinyl News.
• Beggars Archive, the catalogue arm of the Beggars label group (Beggars Banquet, Rough Trade and others), has unveiled a track list for an upcoming four-disc version of The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall. The set will include the original album, and one disc each devoted to non-LP tracks and rough mixes, BBC sessions and a live show recorded by Dutch radio station VPRO.

Judas Priest Re-Forging “British Steel”

Legacy Recordings announced details for a new Legacy Edition of Judas Priest’s 1980 classic British Steel. This LP – their second with producer Tom Allom – was destined to become a heavy metal classic from the get-go, earning Priest their first U.S. Top 40 record and paving the way for a loud, in-your-face but streamlined metal sound that would be deployed to full effect by bands like Metallica and Anthrax in the coming years.

As for the vault material, the audio offerings are nothing new – everything included on the 2001 remaster of the album is here (that would be the album in its original U.K. running order, the 1985 outtake “Red, White & Blue” and a live version of “Grinder” recorded in 1984). But the second disc has got some goodies from the Metal Gods: there’s a live performance from last year’s British Steel tour, which saw the band run through the entire British Steel LP plus another set full of hits and fan favorites, as well as a new 30-minute making-of documentary on the album.

British Steel: Legacy Edition will be in stores May 11.