A Beacon in the Pale of the Night: Nik Kershaw’s “The Riddle” to Be Expanded in August

Following a recent expansion of his beloved (in the U.K.) debut album, Universal Music Group will offer the double-disc treatment to Nik Kershaw’s sophomore effort The Riddle this summer, SuperDeluxeEdition reports.

The monumental success of 1983’s Human Racing, with its singles “Wouldn’t It Be Good” and “I Won’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” reaching No. 4 and No. 2 on the U.K. charts, respectively, meant a need to produce a great follow-up. Kershaw delivered with The Riddle, thanks to its gorgeous title track (a No. 3 single) and the Top 10 follow-ups “Wide Boy” and “Don Quixote.” The album proper peaked at No. 8 in the U.K. (regrettably missing the Top 100 on Billboard‘s chart stateside) – the last major chart showing for Kershaw, who released a further two albums for MCA throughout the ’80s before shifting to writing and producing for others, before returning back to his own singing career in the late 1990s. (His most recent LP was last year’s Ei8ht.)

The expanded album will feature a bonus disc assembled by Kershaw, with five bonus B-sides and remixes and six tracks from a 1984 live gig at the Hammersmith Odeon. (We imagined all of those B-sides and mixes on one of our first Reissue Theory posts, almost exactly three years ago!) It’s out August 12; check out that track list below.

The Riddle: Remastered Expanded Edition (Universal Music (U.K.), 2013)

Disc 1: Original LP (released as MCA MCF 3245 (U.K.), 1984)

1. Don Quixote
2. Know How
3. You Might
4. Wild Horses
5. Easy
6. The Riddle
7. City of Angels
8. Roses
9. Wide Boy
10. Save the Whale

Disc 2: Bonus material (* denotes previously unreleased tracks)

1. Roses (Live @ The Hammersmith Odeon – 12/31/1984) *
2. The Riddle (Extended Riddle) (12” A-side – MCA NIKT 6, 1984)
3. Know How (Live @ The Hammersmith Odeon – 12/31/1984) *
4. Don Quixote (Extra Special Long Mix) (12” A-side – MCA NIKT 8, 1985)
5. City of Angels (Live @ The Hammersmith Odeon – 12/31/1984) *
6. So Quiet (single B-side – MCA NIK 7, 1984)
7. Wild Horses (Live @ The Hammersmith Odeon – 12/31/1984) *
8. Wide Boy (Extended Remix) – 5:07 (12” A-side – MCA NIKT 7, 1984)
9. You Might (Live @ The Hammersmith Odeon – 12/31/1984) *
10. Don’t Lie – 3:52 (single B-side – MCA NIK 8, 1985)
11. Save the Whale (Live @ The Hammersmith Odeon – 12/31/1984) *

Start Them Up: Rolling Stones’ Catalogue Newly Compiled for iTunes

Who says one of the oldest and biggest rock bands in the world can’t keep their digital presence somewhat fresh? The Rolling Stones this week unveiled a revamp of their 50-year catalogue on iTunes, including two new digital box sets that collect the majority of their standard discography.

While the Stones’ catalogue has long been part of the digital music service, they’re the latest act to reintroduce their albums in “Mastered For iTunes” format. While tireless physical music enthusiasts might roll their eyes at this distinction, a bit of reading on the practice might indicate it’s not as abhorrent as it sounds; Apple in fact suggests sources be delivered to them at 24-bit/96 khz resolution, equivalent to HDTracks and above the standard rate for a traditional compact disc (16-bit/44.1 khz). We’re not saying it’s better, per se, but it might not be as bad as one might think.

Look, if nothing else, think of this as an excuse to introduce your sullen, iTunes-buying nephew to some great rock music. So to that end, check out the MFiT-style offerings right here. Two new compilations, The Rolling Stones 1963-1971 and The Complete Collection 1971-2013, feature the majority of the best stuff, as outlined below. There are also plenty of long-form videos, including recent documentary Crossfire Hurricane, for downloading, too.

The Rolling Stones 1963-1971 (ABKCO, 2013)

• The Rolling Stones (EP) (1964)
• The Rolling Stones (U.K. Version) (1964)
• Five by Five (EP) (1964)
• The Rolling Stones No. 2 (1965)
• Out of Our Heads (U.K. Version) (1965)
• Aftermath (U.K. Version) (1966)
• Between The Buttons (1967)
• Their Satanic Majesties Request (1968)
• Beggars Banquet (1968)
• Let It Bleed (1969)
• Metamorphosis (1975)
• No Stone Unturned, Vols. 1-2 (new non-LP compilation)

The Complete Collection 1971-2013

• Sticky Fingers (1971)
• Exile on Main St. (1972 – includes 2010 Deluxe Edition disc)
• Goats Head Soup (1973)
• It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (1974)
• Black & Blue (1976)
• Love You Live (1977)
• Some Girls (1978 – includes 2011 Deluxe Edition disc)
• Emotional Rescue (1980)
• Tattoo You (1981)
• “Still Life” (American Concert, 1981) (1982)
• Undercover (1983)
• Dirty Work (1986)
• Steel Wheels (1989)
• Flashpoint (1991)
• Voodoo Lounge (1994)
• Stripped (1995)
• Bridges to Babylon (1997)
• Live Licks (2004)
• A Bigger Bang (2005)
• Shine a Light (2008)
• Doom and Gloom (2012 – Album Version + Jeff Bhasker Mix)
• One More Shot (2012 – Album Version + Jeff Bhasker Mix)

Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun: Red Temple Spirits’ Post-Punk Albums Return To CD

Words like “unique” and “singular” are thrown around far too often, but they truly apply to the Red Temple Spirits.  The Los Angeles quartet, described in 1989 by one pundit as “enigmatic,” recorded two albums in the waning days of the 1980s, Dancing to Restore an Eclipsed Moon and If Tomorrow I Were Leaving for Lhasa, I Wouldn’t Stay a Minute More…  The post-punk group toured in 1990, and even gained airplay on MTV, but before 1992 was out, Red Temple Spirits had gone quietly into the night.  Now, thanks to Bruce Licher’s reactivated Independent Project Records label, the band is back, with a new 3-CD deluxe set including both of RTS’ long out-of-print (and now costly) original albums plus bonus tracks and original demos.

The name of Red Temple Spirits – William Faircloth on vocals, Dino Paredes on bass, Thomas Pierik on drums and Dallas Taylor on guitar – was inspired by Texas psych-rock legend Roky Erickson of the 13th Floor Elevators and his song “Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer).”  The band members were also influenced by early Pink Floyd, even covering a Roger Waters song on each album, and took the psychedelia of both earlier groups a step further.  David Fricke, in Rolling Stone, described their gothic 1988 debut as “tribal art metal and hypno-jangle,” and its 1989 follow-up as “a trippy earful of stark, foreboding psychedelia and heavy, jagged mantra rock laced with echoes of sixties shamans all drowning in reverb.”  Due to this approach that eschewed the prevailing musical styles of the day, both of these dark and mystical albums still sound fresh, relevant and distinctive today.

Hit the jump for more details, plus the full track listing and order link!

Jerry Lee Lewis, The Ronettes, Del Shannon, Louis Armstrong Feature On “The London American Label 1964”

1964 will forever be remembered on American shores as the year of Beatlemania, when those four moptops from Liverpool led the British Invasion to the top of the pop charts.  That tale has been chronicled many times, but one of the most recent releases from U.K.-based label Ace tells the story of the year’s American Invasion – via the American records imported to London on the London American label.  This latest volume in the long-running series (which now features an entry for each year between 1956 and 1964) may be the most exciting and most eclectic yet.  The London American Label: 1964 takes in an array of artists both familiar (Jerry Lee Lewis, Ben E. King, The Ronettes) and less-heralded (David Box, Ned Miller, Jimmy Holiday) and everybody in between in chronicling this exciting and musically diverse time.

In his liner notes, Tony Rounce sets the scene for the music, detailing the United Kingdom’s seismic shifts that year in politics, sports, architecture and culture.  The London American label issued 111 singles in 1964, and 28 sides appear on the new compilation.  These were drawn from U.S. labels including Philles, Atlantic, Hi, Dot, Stax and Kapp.  By 1964, Pye and EMI both had their own dedicated labels for releasing American repertoire in the U.K., and by mid-year, Atlantic and Dot would cease supplying singles for release on London, too.  Cadence also departed the London roster by the end of the year.  In many respects, this crucial volume in the London American Label series points the way towards the end of an era.  1965 would be the final year that London’s release tally would total a three-digit number.

What will you find on this transatlantic showcase?  Hit the jump for more details plus a full track listing with discography and order link!