JUST when we all thought live music was back, along comes omicron to put the kibosh on things. Thankfully 2021 was a great year for new releases and especially for reissues on both CD and vinyl.

It is nigh on impossible to boil them down to just five releases — but here goes, and in no particular order.

Best global music/jazz reissue has to be Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela’s two-CD reissue of their magnificent Rejoice set on World Circuit. The original release kept me going thoughout the 2020 lockdown.

The newly remastered special edition set includes the original album — now is your chance to get it if you missed it! — plus the album’s tracks remixed (Cool Cats remix) along with a spiffy new booklet with extensive sleevenotes, biographies and photos.
 

Ginger Baker described Tony Allen one of the greatest drummers in the world. Good enough for me.

The Trojan Story, the three-CD box released by BMG, was compiled by former Trojan label boss Bob Bell. Featuring 50 vintage tracks from Trojan and its myriad of associated record labels starting in 1957 and calypsonian Lord Tanamo through early ’60s Jamaican R&B and bluebeat from Derrick Morgan, Jimmy Cliff and The Ethiopians, reggae from the Maytals and Lee Perry and early ’70s rastafarian music and a track-by-track commentary and magnificent booklet, this takes the honours for the best ska/reggae release of the year.

Repertoire’s six-CD set of BBC radio broadcasts from 1964 through to 2018 by The Pretty Things is an exemplar of how reissues should be done. Never a chart-busting band, the “Pretties” started as an R&B covers band and worked their way through the ’60s and ’70s to become a much loved underground and albums band.
 

Great BBC In Concert and John Peel broadcasts recycled by the Beeb for their World Service pop show, no less, plus band interviews, top-notch production and booklet, make it my pick for best rock reissue.

Volume 16 in Bob Dylan’s The Bootleg Series, Springtime in New York, focused on his 1980s albums, Infidels, Shot Of Love and Empire Burlesque, which were not universally acclaimed by the music press at the time.

As with other releases in the 20-year-long bootleg series, the sheer number of out-takes, alternate versions, demos, plus superb and unseen photos makes this essential and the best release from “His Bobness” of 2021.

Finally, comes The Band’s two-CD reissue of their classic Stage Fright album, first issued 50 years ago  — 1971 was the year for countless great albums — with the original album remixed and remastered, unissued takes, demos, and a full June 1971 show at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

The Band were one of the greatest groups of musicians ever assembled and in 1971 were at the peak of their powers. Call it country-rock or folk-rock, songs such as Daniel & the Sacred Harp, King Harvest and The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down make it americana reissue of the year.