Reissue Theory: Live Aid on CD

Twenty-six years ago today, on two different continents, the music world came together for a worthy cause: to raise awareness of famine in Ethiopia. Live Aid, a pair of concerts organized by Bob Geldof in London and Philadelphia on July 13, 1985 and broadcasted live on the BBC, ABC and MTV, was seen in person by some 172,000 people and on television by nearly 2 billion across the globe.

And, if you can believe it, none of it has ever been released on LP or CD.

Granted, it’s not entirely unsurprising. Geldof promised artists that the performances were very much a one-off, never to be seen past the initial broadcast. (That of course turned out to be untrue, with the release of a four-disc DVD set in 2004.) But you have to wonder, given not only the fiercely charitable nature of the organization as well as the capitalistic nature of the music industry, why a commemorative album was never put out to raise even more money for charities.

But if they did, this is how it might go down.

Deep Purple Reissues, Live Material Coming from Eagle Rock

Eagle Rock’s recent release of Deep Purple’s Phoenix Rising documentary, which collected some previously unseen footage of 1975/1976’s Mk. IV tour in Japan, is being followed up by no less than seven reissues of the band’s early studio and live material.

Next Tuesday, the label will release remastered and expanded editions of the band’s first three albums, Shades of Deep Purple, The Book of Taliesyn and Deep Purple. Each will feature the same bonus tracks – mostly outtakes and live material – that were appended to the EMI remasters of 2000.

Then on August 16, Eagle Rock will reissue four Deep Purple shows on CD. Those shows include material from the Mk. II era (In Concert 1970/1972, a pair of BBC-recorded concerts, and Scandinavian Nights, recorded by Swedish radio in 1970) and two sets from the Mk. III era with new vocalist David Coverdale. All have been previously released by either Harvest Records or various third-party labels over the past 30 years, but are now getting a somewhat more standardized release now.

Full track details and ordering info are, as always, after the jump. (Thanks to our friends at Ultimate Classic Rock for passing along the info!)

Big Break’s Full Summer Slate Includes Isleys, Pointers, Prince Partners

The fine folks at Big Break Records have got another large batch of new titles for release in the U.K. on July 25, and we figured now was a good time to share not only the track lists and details with you, but look ahead at some of the huge titles they’re prepping for next month.

There are a few really great, underrated titles from some big-name acts in next week’s batch, including expansions of The Isley Brothers’ Between the Sheets (1983) and I Can See Clearly Now (1972) by Johnny Nash. But there are some deeper titles for cratediggers, all augmented with bonus tracks. Particularly, two discs from the Total Experience Records catalogue (Prime Time’s Flying High (1984) and The Gap Band’s Gap Band 8 (1986)) and some other dance/soul classics from around the Sony Music catalogue (The Nite-Liters, Keith Barrow, The Joneses).

But August is just as exciting a month for the label, featuring some Prince-ly project and the what may be Big Break’s most ambitious release yet. Read all about it after the jump!

UPDATE: Hello, Louis! Massive 10-CD Armstrong Box Coming From Universal [NOW WITH FULL TRACK LISTING!]

Call him Pops. Call him Satchmo. Call him Loo-ie. But under any name, Louis (Loo-is) Armstrong was an American original. Miles Davis said, “You can’t play anything on a horn that Louis hasn’t played.” Bing Crosby described him as “the beginning and end of music in America” and Leonard Bernstein stated that “every time this man puts his trumpet to his lips…he does it with his whole soul.” Recent, acclaimed biographies by Terry Teachout and Ricky Riccardi have shed light on this often-misunderstood musician.  Yet the best way to understand the soul of Louis Armstrong is simply to listen to his music, whether the revolutionary Hot Fives and Hot Sevens of the 1920s or even “Hello, Dolly!” and “What a Wonderful World” from the 1960s. In honor of what would have been Armstrong’s 110th birthday on August 4, Universal Music U.K. has scheduled a massive boxed celebration of Armstrong’s legacy for August 1.

Satchmo: Louis Armstrong, The Ambassador of Jazz contains 10 CDs, a 200-page hardcover book by Richard Havers and an assortment of sheet music reproductions, all housed in a replica of Armstrong’s travel trunk. UPDATED: Seven of the CDs will cover previously released Armstrong classics derived from his work at a cross-section of labels including OKeh, Columbia, Vocalion, Victor, Verve, Decca, Mercury and ABC-Paramount . An eighth disc will consist of previously unreleased and rare session material, a ninth will present his 1956 concert at California’s Hollywood Bowl, and a tenth will feature a 1965 interview with Armstrong conducted by Dan Morgenstern. Veteran musician and producer Russ Titelman, who has worked with everyone from Eric Clapton to Brian Wilson, is remastering all of the selections on the set. Titelman promised that the box will be an overview of the trumpeter’s long and distinguished career, describing it as “the definitive version of the Amstrong legacy.” As it is cross-licensing tracks from Armstrong’s many label affiliations over his nearly 50 years of recording, it will indeed be the most comprehensive collection of its kind, although still just the tip of the iceberg of the great man’s deep catalogue.  With any luck, the 7 discs of previously issued material will convince listeners to seek out the complete collections dedicated to particular periods and label associations.  Hit the jump for more, including a video preview of the set and the complete track listing with discographical annotation!