Box Sets

Robin Trower - For Earth Below 50th Anniversary Edition - (CD)

Trower broke through in a big way in 1974 with his now classic album Bridge of Sighs. For Earth Below, Trower's third solo album overall after leaving Procol Harum, came as the follow-up a year later and found him in a similar mood and again working in the power trio format. The band lineup here is Trower on guitar, James Dewar on bass and vocals and Bill Lordon on drums, having replaced Bridge of Sighs drummer Reg Isidore. Freshly anointed as a guitar god, Trower furthers that notion here with the Hendrix-like "Shame the Devil," the sinuous dream of "It's Only Money," the bluesy thump of "Confessin' Midnight," fan favorite "Alethea" and the lengthy groove that is the title cut. The eight songs of the original album are presented here in two forms on two CDs: The original 1975 mix remixed in 2025 and a 2025 stereo mix that has not been released before. Two additional CDs are packed with other goodies; the Outtakes & Rarities disc begins with five previously-unreleased cuts including a vocal take on "It's Only Money," a vocal take jam of "Fine Day," an alternate version of "Alethea" and non-album tracks "Happy" and "The Moody One" in instrumental form. Additionally the disc has material from BBC sessions; a 1975 Top of the Pops presentation that includes an interview and takes on "Fine Day," "Confessin' Midnight," "It's Only Money" and non-album track "Gonna Be More Suspicious." Also on the side from the BBC is a 1975 live set with three cuts from the LP and a previously-unreleased 17-minute instrumental jam, simply called "Rehearsal Instrumental Jam," where the trio go absolutely nuts. The fourth disc is a live recording from Los Angeles in 1975 with the cream of Bridge of Sighs including "Day of the Eagle," "Lady Love," "Too Rolling Stoned," "Little Bit of Sympathy" and of course "Bridge of Sighs." A 24-page booklet is bound into the book-style box set. Order here (ad)

The Fabulous Thunderbirds - The Jimmie Vaughan Years: Complete Studio Recordings 1978-1989 - (CD)

This 4-CD set is a comprehensive look at the years that guitarist Jimmie Vaughan, the older brother of the late Stevie Ray Vaughan, was with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, the blues rock outfit that he co-founded. And longtime fans will be absolutely delighted that the program here includes The Doc Pomus Recordings 1978, a previously-unreleased full album produced by the legendary Pomus (and Joel Dorn) that sat in the can for nearly 50-years. The band lineup for this early music was Vaughan on guitar, Kim Wilson on vocals and harmonica, Keith Ferguson on bass, Mike Buck on drums, Al Copley on piano and a three-man sax section. The album begins with "Dirty Work is Going On," a slow cut that's about one of the favorite subjects of the blues, infidelity. Highlights include the swinging "I Searched All Over" where the sax and piano are up front as Wilson croons about trying to find his baby, even though she's been mean to him, the 50's-ish sounding "This Should Go On Forever?" and the raucous "Baby Please Don't Lie to Me" where Vaughan's guitar playing shines. The album also includes the amusingly-titled instrumental fast shuffle "Pecker Wrecker" where Wilson goes nuts on harmonica. The rest of the material is presented in chronological order and Disc One also includes the 1979 album The Fabulous Thunderbirds (Girls Go Wild), a 10-song effort where standout tracks include the harmonica heavy "Scratch My Back," the smoky barroom blues of "Full-Time Lover" which is a showcase for Vaughan, "Pocket Rocket," another instrumental featuring Wilson's harp work and the Dave Edmunds-recalling "She's Tuff." Disc Two holds two more pre-stardom albums, What's the Word? and Butt Rockin', both from 1980. Fan favorites here are a cover of the chestnut "You Ain't Nothin' But Fine" and the guitar work-out of the instrumental Vaughan co-write "Extra Jimmies" from What's the Word? and, from Butt Rockin' the Chuck Berry-informed "I Believe I'm in Love" with great piano pounding. Also included is the Creedence Clearwater Revival-like swamp rocker "Tip on In." The T-Bird Rhythm and Hot Number albums are also included as of course is Tuff Enuff where the band became full-blown stars as radio came alive with hits "Wrap it Up" and "Tuff Enuff." The last album to feature Vaughan was 1989's Powerful Stuff which yielded the title cut as another big hit. Packaged in a 12" X 12" book style package with a bound-in booklet with photos, credits and new essays. Order here (ad)

Split Enz -ENZyclopedia Volumes One & Two - (CD)

Here's a 5-CD set from the beloved New Zealand band that included Tim and Neil Finn (though Neil is not on this album) who would go on to find fame in Crowded House after the demise of Split Enz. The band is best-known in America for the hit "I Got You" and to a lesser extent, "Message to My Girl" from the 80s but this set commemorates the 50th anniversary of their 1975 debut album Mental Notes. And it really delves into music from that album and era making it a real treasure for longtime fans and a chance for casual fans to hear an unfamiliar side of the band." CD 1 is a 2025 remaster of the original album that holds pop gems like "Walking Down a Road" with its quirky arrangement and the similarly quirky "Under the Wheel" which finds the pop band veering into a bit of a prog sound. "Amy (Darling)" has mandolin and occasional country leanings, "So Long for Now" is just a tad weird with marching band sounds and an odd vocal; "Stranger Than Fiction" begins as normal pop music but, never fear, moves into a psych-ish groove with vocals that could have been inspired by a nuthouse patient. "Maybe" sounds a little like Supertramp and title cut "Mental Notes" is a very brief piece that is the perfect ending for this listen that some will find challenging at first but ultimately rewarding. Mental Notes was released as Second Thoughts in the U.S., and with a slightly revised group of songs, two versions are presented here. The first is the Phil Manzanera produced version remastered in 2025 from the original stereo mix, which has new songs including the 10cc-recalling cuts "Late Last Night" and "Lovey Dovey" along with the piano-fronted and tender "Matinee Idyll (129)." Clearly an effort was made here to make the record more palatable for an American audience. Also included is a 2025 Eddie Rayner remix of Second Thoughts, a 1973 collection of early material, also remixed by Rayner (with some cuts being remastered) called The Beginning of the Enz and an odds-and-ends collection with live cuts and outtakes called Wide Angle Enz. Housed in a 12" X 12" (LP size) box and also containing a 40-page booklet with essays and lots of photos. The title of the box is spot on as this truly is an encyclopedic look at early Split Enz. Order here (ad)

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