Following news in the last quarter of 2013 that new editions of albums from the Led Zeppelin catalogue were to be unleashed, it has been confirmed that the first of these will be released in June.
Beginning a huge reissue campaign of the Zep catalogue, the bands first three albums will be reissued on June 2nd.
Following the success of ‘Pyromania’, ‘Hysteria’ and ‘Adrenalize’ 2CD deluxe editions, Def Leppard are giving ‘Slang’ similar treatment in February 2014.
Moving away from the band’s signature sound, ‘Slang’ is a “Marmite” album for fans (ie: they either love it or hate it), but despite the mixed response, it still scored the Leps three hit singles in the title track, ‘Promises’ and ‘Work It Out’.
On March 24th 2014, Universal Music will release a deluxe two-disc edition of Status Quo’s 1972 album ‘Piledriver’. Boasting the hit single ‘Paper Plane’, the album cemented Quo’s fascination with the three-chord boogie and became a long-standing fan favourite.
The deluxe edition adds a bonus disc featuring 15 BBC live recordings; seven from two different John Peel sessions between 1972-73, plus an eight song recording for ‘BBC In Concert’ from 1973.
In September 2013, the Universal Music group announced an addition to their ever growing collection of lavish, multi-disc box sets. ‘Give Me Strength’, a near comprehensive collection of Eric Clapton’s 1974/75 studio sessions with the addition of a few unreleased nuggets became a reality. In addition to its two discs of studio recordings, the set also pulls together two discs of live material from the three concerts that spawned 1975’s ‘EC Was Here’ live album (nice, but all previously released on the ‘Crossroads 2: Live In The 70s’ four disc set).
In the 1990s, a deluxe edition (or special edition) album invariably meant a double disc set, ie: the original release plus bonus disc of rarities, b-sides and/or live tracks. In the 21st century, the big record companies have really expanded on this concept, with the “deluxe edition” now meaning multi-disc packages, in some cases retailing at a three-figure price point.