THE CRANBERRIES – MTV UNPLUGGED
With a voice like velvet wrapped metal, Dolores O’Riordan was a rare talent. Listening to the 1995 acoustic set at MTV Unplugged (finally getting an official press) stripped of any distortion, O’Riordan’s voice voice is haunting. She’s fierce yet fragile with a string quartet adding to the intimacy of the moment.
Stream • Island/UMe • Connect: @thecranberries
HÜSKER DÜ – 1985: THE MIRACLE YEAR
This four-LP live box captures Hüsker Dü at their most combustible, relentless and raw. The centerpiece is a First Avenue set that brings you right into the crowd, and tour recordings that chart their evolution from Zen Arcade chaos to Flip Your Wig finesse. Restored with care, it’s a time capsule of the SST-era and feels like the ground floor of the formation of alt-rock.
Stream • Numero Group • Connect: @huskerduofficial
PAUL McCARTNEY – WINGS
In a recent interview, Paul McCartney says that he feels like a part of him did die when the Beatles were over, but he was really reinventing himself with Wings. Without the oversite of the rest of the fab four, McCartney was able to lean into his weirdest ideas and his anthemic pop reached new heights. The new anthology is perfect for anyone still riding high from seeing Macca in concert recently and wants to dive into his sounds of the ’70s.
MPL/Universal • Connect: @paulmccartney
THE WHO – WHO ARE YOU (SUPER DELUXE EDITION)
The Who’s last stand with Keith Moon is a museum worthy super deluxe edition. Who Are You was the band’s synth-laced, punky pivot in 1978 and this digs deep: Glyn Johns’ spikier rejected mix, demos with Pete Townshend on guide vocals, and rehearsal chaos from Shepperton. And if you are a visual learner there’s a 100-page book to dig into. There’s also a bunch of post-Moon material that shows how The Who tried to carry on. With the band ending touring life earlier this year, this feels like a fitting endcap.
