U2 Reportedly Reissuing a Remastered and Gussied-Up Achtung Baby

Long been one of my favorite records, Achtung Baby by U2 is apparently getting the remastered and expanded reissue treatment. No word on the "when" will be though. Wonder if we get a free Trabant with each proof of purchase? Lord knows they must have quite a few lying around after that tour...

And that Charles, he's such a card ...

The U2 camp is apparently plotting its next round of remastered and expanded reissues. But word that the band's 1991 classic Achtung Baby is being sonically tweaked came from an unlikely source: singer-songwriter and indie producer John Vanderslice.

"They're remastering Achtung Baby in next room!!" Vanderlice tweeted from a Los Angeles recording studio, where he was putting the finishing touches on his forthcoming album with the Magik*Magik Orchestra. According to Slicing Up Eyeballs, Vanderslice subsequently added, "Any suggestions for witty opening salvos to drop on U2 crew when I barge in on Achtung Baby remastering session?"

Wrens frontman Charles Bissell, of all folks, jumped in on the fun to write, "At some point say, 'that sounds even better than the real thing.'"

While there's no word when Achtung Baby will be reborn, the 20th anniversary of its release is just 14 months away. There's currently no expectation of a similar treatment for Rattle & Hum, but it wouldn't be the first time the group reissued its back catalog out of sequence. Fans will recall that expanded version of 1987's The Joshua Tree was released in 2007, preceding 1984's deluxe treatment of The Unforgettable Fire, which dropped in October 2009.

A treasure trove of rare material exists from this era, including original B-sides like 'Lady With the Spinning Head,' 'Where Did It All Go Wrong' and covers of Cole Porter's 'Night and Day,' Elvis Presley's 'Can't Help Falling in Love,' Lou Reed's 'Satellite of Love,' the Rolling Stones' 'Paint It Black,' plus material that leaked in advance of the album as 'The Trashcan Bootlegs' in April 1991. The previously unreleased guitar track 'In Cold Blood,' which was kept off of Zooropa because it didn't fit the dance-rock formula of that set, might also be a strong candidate for inclusion.(Source)

DC's Dismemberment Plan Reuniting for Shows in 2011

I'll take "No One Is Left to Reunite Who is Still Alive" for $200 Alex....

The Washington Post reported today that DC-wunderkins The Dismemberment Plan are planning a brief reunion for five shows in January "to support the vinyl reissue of its beloved 1999 album, Emergency & I," says the Post. After that, they'll play it by ear.

"We're not planning a new record," bassist Eric Axelson tells Click Track. "But we're doing these shows and taking it day to day after that."

Axelson says the reissue has been in the works for over a year, but January's reunion shows weren't initially a part of the discussion -- until the band members all found themselves at drummer Joe Easley's house in Northwest D.C. "We thought, 'Let's go into the basement and play a little bit,'" Axelson says. "That felt kind of good."

Since then, the group has been hustling to re-learn the songs it toured so doggedly behind during its ten year run from 1993 to 2003. "For a long time you play those songs six, seven nights a week and you know them like your own breath," Axelson says. "So it's funny to have to dig them up."

Seattle indie label Barsuk Records will release Emergency and I on Jan. 11. The double LP's gatefold sleeve will include an oral history of the album, conducted by Josh Modell of The Onion.

The Post will be providing ticket sale info later this week.

Updated 3:06 pm: Per bassist Eric Axelson, tickets for all shows go onsale this Friday (9/17) at noon. The Webster Hall show has an AmEx presale on Wednesday, 9/15. Links to each of the venues for purchase can be found here.

The Dismemberment Plan 2011 Reunion Tour
Jan. 21: Black Cat, Washington, D.C
Jan. 22: 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C.
Jan. 27: Starlight Ballroom, Philadelphia, PA
Jan. 28: Paradise, Boston, MA
Jan. 29: Webster Hall, New York, NY

Nation's Capital Representing! Jawbox to Reunite and Play on Jimmy Fallon

Word came today that DC's own Jawbox will perform on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tomorrow, December 8th (NBC). It will be the band's one and only performance in celebration of the reissue of their 1994 release, For Your Own Special Sweetheart. Dischord Records says that the "the CD and Digital Album (MP3) feature 3 extra tracks from the Savory EP and the LP features a free MP3 Album Download (which also includes the 3 Savory EP tracks)."

Our local City Paper spoke to lead singer-guitarist J. Robbins about the reissue and reunion last month.

Spinner Streaming New Lifter Puller Re-Releases, New Oral History Book to Be Released

As we reported a few weeks back, Lifter Puller's whole catalog is being digitally rereleased, as well as Slips Backwards, a new release of various LP odds and ends. Out of print since 2006, the rereleases also include live tracks from shows at the 7th Street Entry and Triple Rock in Minneapolis, and the Black Cat, here in Washington, DC.

Given my love of The Hold Steady, it's great to hear its pre-cursor. The sound is still pure testosterone but with more of a punk rock sneer clad in Doc Martens. Not sure which record to start with? It just so happens that Spinner is running free steams of each one (see links below) for your listening pleasure.

Also released (or maybe about to be released? For the life of me I cannot find a drop date for this thing!) is Lifter Puller Vs. The End Of, a 96-page book containing photos, lyrics, and an oral history of the band (as well as a code to download the catalog! Woot!). The book was put together by the band with help from Jessica Hopper (Girls Guide To Rocking) and Minneapolis graphic designer Jason Miller. In it, you'll learn such fun facts like LP was on "The Jenny Jones Show" and the topic was "Good Strippers vs. Bad Strippers." Veery interesting. With stuff like that, I think Craig Finn was right with his comment that The Hold Steady is a great band, but Lifter Puller would probably be a better movie.

Give a Listen:
Prescription Sunglasses-Lifter Puller (from Slips Backward)
Math is Money (live at the Black Cat, 2000)-Lifter Puller (from Slips Backward)

Releases
--Slips Backwards - [New], STREAM
--Lifter Puller - [Original Release Date: 04.97], STREAM
--Half Dead And Dynamite (Deluxe Edition) - [Original Release Date: 10.97], STREAM
--The Entertainment And Arts EP (Deluxe Edition) - [Original Release Date: 09.98], STREAM
--Fiestas & Fiascos (Deluxe Edition) - [Original Release Date: 02.00], STREAM

Downloads of the each LP record are available at iTunes and Amazon. Want them a bit cheaper? Emusic is providing all tracks to be downloaded for the cost of just a few. Has everything but Lifter Puller but still quite a bargin!

Lifter Puller Catalog to Be Re-Released, Includes Live Tracks and New Compliation, Slips Backwards

Prior to coming to Brooklyn and starting up The Hold Steady, frontman Craig Finn and lead guitarist Tad Kubler were in a band together called Lifter Puller. What's interesting about LP is that you can definitely hear, in both sound and lyric, the beginnings of what become THS lurking in that noisy punk sound. (And have Craig Finn and Tad Kubler aged at all in the last 20 years? They look exactly the same. Kudos to good genetics I guess.)

LP broke up in 2000 and as of 2006, all their records were out of print, but that all changes next month...It was announced yesterday that their catalog will be available digitally for the first time on 12/1, along with a new collection of odds and ends titled Slips Backwards. Sans their self-titled debut, the rest of the re-releases will contain extras in the form of various live tracks culled from a 1998 7th St. Entry show in Minneapolis, a 2000 gig at the Black Cat in DC, and 2003 reunion shows at Triple Rock in Seattle.

A book titled "Lifter Puller vs The End Of" will follow, containing photos, lyrics, and an oral history of the band.

Lifter Puller Releases (all out 12/1)
New:
-Slips Backwards (New-contains two live recordings from D.C.’s Black Cat in 2000 – one of the band’s final shows)

Tracklist:
1. Secret Santa Cruz
2. Back In Blackbeard
3. Math Is Money
4. 4 Dix
5. La Quereria
6. 11th Ave Freezout
7. The Langelos
8. Mick's Tape
9. The Pirate And The Penpal
10. The Mezzanine Gyp
11. Star Wars Hips
12. Slips Backwards
13. Nassau Coliseum
14. Prescription Sunglasses
15. Emperor
16. Secret Santa Cruz (Live From The Black Cat 2000)
17. Math Is Money (Live From The Black Cat 2000)

Re-Releases:

-Lifter Puller

-Half Dead And Dynamite: Deluxe reissue, includes live bonus tracks from 1998 7th St. Entry performance in Minneapolis

-Entertainment And Arts: Deluxe reissue, includes live bonus tracks from 1998 7th St. Entry performance in Minneapolis

-Fiestas and Fiascos: Deluxe reissue of Frenchkiss 2000 debut and last studio album. Contains six live cuts from the band’s reunion shows at Seattle’s Triple Rock, June 2003)

Give a Listen: To Live and Die in LBI-Lifter Puller (from Half Dead And Dynamite deluxe reissue)

News: Matador Reissues Delayed by Lost Album Masters

...or to put it another way, "How much does that totally suck?"

One of the largest US indie labels has postponed reissuing albums by Mogwai, Yo La Tengo and Cat Power after losing the master tapes when a pressing plant went bust.

Vinyl masters of albums by Mogwai and Yo La Tengo were among those lost when an American pressing plant went bankrupt in 2006, Matador Records has admitted. Records, vinyl lacquers, sleeve films and the masters themselves were binned when 33 1/3 went out of business, making it much harder to reissue albums like Mogwai's Happy Songs for Happy People, Yo La Tengo's Painful and Cat Power's The Covers Record on vinyl.

"Nothing was recovered from 33 1/3," Matador's director of production, Jesper Eklow, told Comcast News this week. "We lost everything. The doors were locked due to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy."

"Everything" makes a substantial loss. Matador is one of the largest American indie labels, representing everyone from Belle and Sebastian to Interpol. The label lost "pretty much everything up to May 2006," Eklow confirmed, delaying planned reissues by Pavement, the New Pornographers and many more.

While worldwide CD sales tumble, vinyl has seen a resurgence, particularly among fans who buy reissues. Records may make up less than 1% of album sales worldwide, but US vinyl sales were up 89% in 2008, making them that rare and valuable thing: a slice of the music industry that is still seeing growth.

Labels like Matador have therefore rushed to reissue popular albums on high-quality vinyl, so the 33 1/3 bankruptcy is a major setback. "Some titles prove difficult to reissue unless we go back and basically remaster the albums from scratch," Eklow said. "It's a slow, expensive and quite an annoying process."

While Pavement, Belle and Sebastian and Interpol reissues are promised "soon", others – particularly early records by Yo La Tengo and Mogwai – are much further off.

"There shouldn't really be any titles that we couldn't ever bring back," Eglo said, "but the question of course would be if it's worth spending a lot of money on remastering and reprinting components we already should have on hand on certain titles. The money lost on the 33 1/3 adventure is quite substantial." (Source)

(Thanks to Mouse for the lead)

Nada Surf Re-issue Three Studio Records on Vinyl, Announce Brooklyn Date

It's 70 degrees outside in February and Nada Surf is releasing vinyl. Life is good!

"Following the successful release of their career spanning limited edition five-album vinyl box set this past November, Nada Surf are extending their love affair with wax. On April 14th, their albums The Proximity Effect, Let Go, and The Weight Is A Gift will be put out individually on vinyl for fans of the warm crackle. The albums have been out of print on vinyl individually for many years, and Nada Surf wanted to re-issue these records and make them available to fans who couldn't get their hands on the box-set this fall."

It was also announced the band is playing a one-off show on April 15th at the relatively new venue The Bell House in Brooklyn. Tickets go on sale this Friday (February 13) via Ticket Web.

New Order recall poor quality reissues

Did you buy the latest New Order reissues? Find the sound to be rather shite? Well buck up camper, it seems you can trade yours in for reissues of the reissues shortly...

New Order have announced that they will reissue their latest reissues, after complaints over their sound quality. People who have already purchased collector edition copies of the band's first five albums will be able to exchange these for the new versions – that is, if they even noticed the problems.

"Warner Bros UK, Rhino and New Order regret that the initial pressings of the collector editions of Movement, Power, Corruption & Lies, Low Life, Brotherhood and Technique contain some minor audio problems on the bonus discs," yesterday's statement announced. "We are now in the process of correcting the problems, but it should be noted that due to the age and condition of some of the original source tapes, the sound quality may vary."

Though the albums were released in the UK last month, fan furore over sound quality only won a response after the US release this week. And despite fans' loud online complaints, major publications like Q, Mojo and Pitchfork didn't seem to notice the sound issues in their reviews.

Then again, New Order bassist Peter Hook did. "This is a very difficult one," he wrote on his MySpace blog. "We are aware of the problems and because we did not have finished product to listen to [before-hand] it has, shall we say ... slipped through the net?"

Hook went on to promise that his "great friend" and New Order biographer Claude Flowers would "sort this mess out personally".

New Order's collector edition reissues each include a bonus disc of B-sides, instrumentals, remixes and rarities. It's mostly these tracks that aroused listeners' ire, with fans documenting as many as 300 errors. Pops and crackles on the recordings suggested that the songs were transferred from commercially available vinyl recordings – the same ones many fans already own - rather than coming from original master tapes.(Source)

Paul Westerberg to Release New Music for .49 on Saturday, July 19; New 'Mats Reissues Out September 23

If you couldn't already tell from the main and sub-titles, we here at Between Love and Like are big fans of Paul Westerberg. That's why we're more than just a little giddy to share with you the following:

On June 49, (that's July 19 to you and me), Paul Westerberg will be releasing 49 minutes of music for just 49¢. Check back (here) on Saturday, July 19 and you'll find a link to download the new tunes.

Definitely good news! Westerberg's last release of new music was 2004's Folker.

Update, July 19: This is from Kathy, the woman who runs the Men Without Ties site, the intended location for the new tracks:

don't want to dampen anyone's anticipation prematurely but I also don't want anyone checking back here at 12:01 AM thinking the link will be live. Things are still being worked out as I type this, but there's a possibility that it may be June 49 + 2 days (Monday) as opposed to tomorrow due to, well, I believe the technical term for it is a "kerflooey". I'll keep you posted.

In other Westerberg-related good news, Rhino records announced yesterday that the final four Replacments reissues from their Sire days will be released on September 23.

Each album features a host of previously unreleased bonus tracks; the entire reissue catalog will also see digital release the same day.

I've heard many of the tracks that are being included, these are definitely worth the cash!