Best Reissue Albums of 2015

With great releases from such iconic acts as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and Van Morrison, this was a very good year for album reissues. Here are my picks for the best reissues of 2015.

Led Zeppelin: “Physical Graffiti”; “Presence”; “In Through the OutDoor”; “Coda” (Atlantic/Swan Song) – These four reissues wrap up the excellent reissue campaign of the Led Zeppelin catalog. The landmark double album “Physical Graffiti” has alternative versions of seven “Physical Graffiti” tracks, headlined by “Everybody Makes It Through“ (an eye-opening early version of “In The Light”) and a rough mix of “In My Time of Dying.” After “Physical Graffiti,” Zeppelin faltered a bit, releasing a pair of uneven albums, “Presence” and “In Through the Out Door,” followed by the odds and ends collection, “Coda.”

Ironically, the bonus tracks make these three albums the best reissues from the Zeppelin series, with “Coda’s” two discs of outtakes being the real revelation. – Ratings: “Physical Graffiti;” 4 ½ stars; “Presence:” 3 ½ stars; “In Through the Out Door:” 3 ½ stars; “Coda”: 4 stars

The Rolling Stones: “Sticky Fingers” (Universal) – One of the Stones’ definitive albums, “Sticky Fingers” gets expanded first of all, with a disc of outtakes and live cuts (including a version of “Brown Sugar” with Eric Clapton guesting). Disc three is the 1971 widely bootlegged “Get Your Leeds Lungs Out!” concert, one of the best circulating live recordings of the group. It puts a huge exclamation point on this great reissue. – Rating: 5 stars

Fleetwood Mac: “Tusk” (Warner Bros./Rhino) – The bold and sprawling two-album follow-up to the blockbuster 1977 album, “Rumours,” “Tusk” gets the box set deluxe issue treatment. It features an alternate version of the full album (with notably different versions of a few songs), and a second disc of additional outtakes. Those who splurge for the pricey 6-CD edition also get two discs of live performances from the “Tusk” tour (with guitarist Lindsey Buckingham shines cutting loose on many songs) and the original album in DVD 5.1 surround sound and on vinyl. – Rating: 4 ½ stars

The Flaming Lips: “Heady Nugs 20 Years After Clouds Taste Metallic 1994-1997” (Warner Bros.) – The 1995 album, “Clouds Taste Metallic,” remains a favorite of many Lips fans, and this deluxe 3-CD edition adds the rare 1994 EP, “Due To High Expectations The Flaming Lips Are Providing Needles For Your Balloons,” eight hard-to-find compilation or promo tracks and a 1996 concert recording from Seattle that’s loud, trippy and plenty entertaining. – Rating: 4 stars

Alanis Morissette: “Jagged Little Pill” – Collector’s Edition (Maverick/Rhino) – This 4-CD limited edition adds a demos of 10 songs that didn’t make this blockbuster album – a couple of which are keepers (“Closer Than You Might Believe” and “Cinderella”) and a 1995 live recording with Morissette achieving a bit more visceral sound on stage. – Rating: 4 stars

Tina Turner: “Private Dancer” (Parolophone) – This two-CD reissue of Turner’s blockbuster comeback album comes with a second disc of bonus material, including a few better-than-average unreleased tunes – the hard rocking “I Wrote A Letter” and “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby” and the poppier “When I Was Young.” – Rating: 4 stars

Van Morrison: “Astral Weeks/“His Band and the Street Choir” (Warner Bros.) – These two pivotal early Morrison albums each get supplemented with several bonus tracks. The extended version of “Slim Slow Slider” highlights “Astral Weeks,” while a bit rowdier take of “I’ve Been Working” headlines the bonus cuts on “His Band and the Street Choir.” – Rating: 4 stars

Bad Company: “Bad Company”/”Straight Shooter” (Swan Song) – This supergroup’s first two albums were its best efforts, and these reissues each add a disc of worthy outtakes that easily justify their $20 price tag. – Rating: 4 stars

Jethro Tull: “Minstrel in the Gallery: 40th Anniversary Deluxe Edition” (Chrysalis) – Another entry in the terrific Jethro Tull reissue program, this 2 CD/2 DVD edition of “Minstrel in the Gallery” adds a 1975 concert from Paris and several studio outtakes and BBC performances, making what was already one of Jethro Tull’s strongest efforts even better. –Rating: 4 stars

Spoon: “Gimme Fiction” (Merge) – One of the Austin, Texas band’s best albums, “Gimme Fiction” is supplemented by stripped-back demos for all 11 songs from the album. They aren’t that different from the album versions, but illustrate how the songs were embellished in the studio. – Rating: 3 ½ stars

The Textones: “Midnight Mission;” “Cedar Creek” (Omnivore) – Part of the 1980s roots rock/cowpunk movement, the Textones two fine albums get back into circulation with some decent bonus tracks added for good measure. –Ratings: “Midnight Mission” – 3 ½ stars; “Cedar Creek” – 4

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Jellyfish: “Bellybutton;” “Spilt Milk” (Omnivore) – Jellyfish may be to the’90s what Big Star was to the ‘70s – a criminally overlooked band whose brief career produced a stack of pop gems. The many demos and unreleased tracks added in these reissues make Jellyfish’s two albums more essential than ever. – Ratings: “Bellybutton” – 4 stars; “Spilt Milk” – 4 stars

The Muffs: “The Muffs” (Omnivore) – Two decades before Kim Shattuck did her brief stint as bassist in the reunited Pixies, she fronted the Muffs on this 1993 debut filled with catchy and concise Go-Go’s-meet-Nirvana buzzbombs like “Better Than Me,” “Lucky Guy” and “Another Day.” Demos of eight unreleased tunes are raw, but show Shattuck’s potential. – Rating: 4 stars

This story was originally published December 16, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Best Reissue Albums of 2015."