Vinyl Releases Psychobabble Would Like to See in 2019

Psychobabble's 2019 resolution is to continue championing vinyl. With the current resurgence of whirling wax, there should be much to champion this year, and we can already bank on such enticing releases as reissues of every album by The Zombies and The Cardigans, as well as the likely continuation of annual vinyl reissues from such major leaguers as The Beatles (a 50th Anniversary Edition of Abbey Road) and Stones (ditto Let It Bleed). However, there are some vinyl releases we shouldn't necessarily expect in 2019 but Psychobabble would love to see nonetheless. Here are five varieties of them.

1. The Beatles' U.S. Albums

Box sets devoted to single albums has seemingly replaced the odder Beatles-related reissue projects of recent years, so while I once believed that vinyl reissues of the group's U.S. albums were a sure thing, I now have my doubts. Five years ago we received such a set on CD only, and purists took issue with the presentation since the stereo mixes on those CDs did not match the often reverb-drenched messes on Capitol's original records. With this year marking the 55th anniversary of The Beatles' invasion of the states, it would be a good time to finally put out these albums in their original vinyl states...complete with dodgy echo. 

2. Pink Floyd: The Early Singles

Pink Floyd is mainly revered for their albums intended to be heard while too stoned to lift needle off vinyl more frequently than once every 20 minutes. However, I believe that Pink Floyd was a completely underrated singles band, turning out such delectably catchy psychedelic nuggets as "See Emily Play", "Paint Box", "Point Me at the Sky", and "Arnold Layne" on 45. Some of these have made it to currently available vinyl compilations, such as Relics, but the only place to get them all is on the bonus Early Singles disc of the Shine On CD box set from 1992. That means we are currently deprived of such terrific oddities as "Point Me at the Sky", "Candy and a Currant Bun", and "It Would Be So Nice" on vinyl. Reissuing The Early Singles as a stand-alone LP would be a groovy way or righting this wrong.

3. The Monkees: Missing Links Box Set

Rhino Records has done a seemingly exhaustive job of exploiting The Monkees' back catalog, what with its Super Deluxe box sets and superfluous comps such as 2017's Summer of Love. However, the label has left the boys' beloved and abundant rarities strangely underrepresented on vinyl. While there are three volumes of Missing Links outtakes comps on CD-- and multitudinous other rarities are tacked onto various Super Deluxe sets, career-spanning box sets, and individual CD releases-- none of this stuff is on vinyl (unless, of course, you manage to hunt down the original, abridged vinyl release of the first Missing Links comp). Therefore, Psychobabble would love to see a new, four-LP Missing Links box set collecting everything from the original CDs...as well as a few choice bonuses from elsewhere in The Monkees' catalog. Since the original Missing Links discs were somewhat jarring listens because of their non-chronological presentations, I also propose a rethink of their running orders. Perhaps something like this (feel free to use this running order without compensating me at all, Rhino...well, maybe you can send me a free set. Also feel free to delete the awful "Teeny Tiny Gnome"):

Side One
(Theme from) The Monkees [TV Version]
Apples, Peaches, Bananas, and Pears
All the Kings Horses
I Don't Think You Know Me [Mike's vocal]
(I Prithee) Do Not Ask for Love [Davy's vocal]
So Goes Love
Of You
Teeny Tiny Gnome 

Side Two
I Wanna Be Free [TV Version]
Hold on Girl [First Recorded Version]
I'll Be Back up on My Feet [TV Version]
You Just May be the One [TV Version]
Valleri [TV Version]
Mr. Webster [First Recorded Version]
Words [TV Version]
Through the Looking Glass [First Recorded Version]
(I Prithee) Do Not Ask for Love [Micky's vocal] 

Side Three
Tema Dei Monkees
Love to Love
She Hangs Out [Single Version]
All of Your Toys
The Girl I Knew Somewhere [Mike's vocal]
Midnight Train [Demo]
She'll Be There [Demo]
Riu Chiu

Side Four
Seeger's Theme
Party
Tear the Top Right Off My Head [Peter's vocal]
P.O. Box 9847 [Alternate mix with Moog]
The Girl I Left Behind Me [Second Recorded Version]
Lady's Baby
My Share of the Sidewalk
Alvin
Carlisle Wheeling

Side Five
Circle Sky [Alternate mix]
Shake 'Em Up
Look Down
Come on In
Nine Times Blue
Rosemarie
If I Ever Get to Saginaw Again
Merry-Go-Round
Zor and Zam [TV version]

Side Six
St. Matthew
Some of Shelly's Blues
The Crippled Lion
Changes
Circle Sky [Live]
Daddy's Song [Mike's vocal]
Can You Dig It? [Peter's vocal]
War Games
We'll Be Back in a Minute #1

Side Seven
Michigan Blackhawk
If You Have the Time
Propinquity (I've Just Begun to Care)
I Didn't Know You Had It in You, Sally
Penny Music
You're So Good
Mommy and Daddy [First Recorded Version]
Storybook of You
We'll Be Back in a Minute #2

Side Eight
Calico Girlfriend Samba
Little Red Rider
Hollywood
Steam Engine
How Insensitive
Opening Night 
Angel Band
Time and Time Again

4. Lost Albums

Rock & Roll history is littered with "what ifs." These are often in the form of proposed albums that end up scrapped for various reasons. Wouldn't it be fun if such well-known abortions ended up getting released on vinyl complete with originally proposed covers? Such lost albums making their vinyl debuts in 2019 might include The Beatles' Get Back, The Rolling Stones' Could You Walk on Water?, The Kinks' Four More Respected Gentlemen, The Beach Boys' Landlocked, and The Who's Who's for Tennis? and/or Lifehouse. 

5. More from the Nineties 

One of my favorite recent vinyl trends is the release of albums originally mainly available on CD. 2018 saw excellent vinyl reissues of nineties albums by such artists as Matthew Sweet, Liz Phair, U2, and Urge Overkill. Psychobabble would love to see the trend continue with such currently in-vinyl-limbo artists as pre-Bee Thousand Guided by Voices, Throwing Muses, PJ Harvey, Shudder to Think, Suzanne Vega, Versus, and Grant Lee Buffalo... sorry, sonically inferior releases on the Plain Recordings label do not count, so I still want a great sounding reissue of Mighty Joe Moon. Let's see it happen in the new year, Record Industry. You will have Psychobabble's full support.