While voting remains ongoing in our mammoth, year-ending Best of the 1980s poll, we do need to quickly interject a key annual tradition, and open up balloting for the best of this current year. This go-around, we’re going to divvy things up into two main polls: Best albums of the year, and a second ballot that includes reissues, box sets, compilations and live albums.
VOTING: Below you’ll find the ballot for the best reissues, box sets, compilations and live albums of 2013, a list of about 130 releases this year by ’80s alternative artists. You may vote for up to 10 releases.
As always, you’re free to write in anything else you want, and if you need any more help jogging your memory this year, feel free to consult our weekly new release round-ups.
DEADLINE: Voting ends 5 p.m. EDT Friday, Dec. 27, and results will be posted before New Year’s.
Sound good? Then vote away.
Feel free to discuss/list/explain/lobby for your picks in the comments section below.
And be sure to vote in our separate poll for best new albums of 2013.
NOTE: If this app isn’t letting you vote, you also may vote directly via Polldaddy: poll.fm/4jy0r.
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- Readers Poll 2012: Best reissues of the year
- Readers Poll 2012: Best compilations, box sets and live albums of the year
- Readers Poll 2011: Best reissues of the year
- Readers Poll 2011: Best compilations, box sets and live albums of the year
- Readers Poll 2010: Best reissues of the year
“At the BBC” by Big Country and “Dreams in Celluloid” by The Chameleons get my vote! Both have been great additions to my collection.
Top bloke, excellent live artist whose solo albums are still as relevant now as ever.
This was referring to Ian McNabb by the way.
IAN MC NABBS 5 ALBUMS ARE EASIEST THE BEST GREAT SONGWRITER MUSICIAN AN AXE~WEILDING MOFO ON THE PLANET. AN THE BEST SCOUSER SINCE THE BEATS FOR ME LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Top band.
I am missing the brilliant new album of Section 25. Dark Light.
Where’s the Harry Nilsson box?
Icicle Works for a New audience.
Eclectic and garage rock
Do it
well done ian macnabb
Prett lame year. Struggled to find 5 worthy of a vote.
David bowie reissues yeah!
1. Tears For Fears
2. Electronic
3. FYC
Glad there was option of adding a missing album – Trouble In Mind’s reissue of The Dentists’ “Some People Are On The Pitch…” was one of 2013’s best…
I’m with you Stu. The Dentists might be my favorite band all time behind The Smiths!
I feel the Clashs’ Sound System really takes the cake though.
The ‘Scared To Get Happy’ box set was awesome! Glad to see more of the 80’s UK indie pop scene finally on CD after 20+ years. Can’t wait for the ‘C86’ box set to drop next year! I liked the Clash’s ‘Sound Sytem’ but most of that had been already released numerous times over in past years.
Should add We’ve Got a Fuzzbox and We’re Gonna Use It!!’s two cd reissues…”Bostin Steve Austin” (aka the self-titled debut here in the US) was finally released on CD in February, and ‘Big Bang’ released in April…two of my favorites from that era! :)
Wonderful stuff – McNabb has been Britain’s premier songwriter for many years now.
Bonus tracks and live CD make this indispensable!!
Loving the Beggars Banquet 5 album box sets.
Also The Ultravox box set is great, min vinyl card sleeves is the way of the future for back catalogue CDs.
Burn your jewel cases! LOL
Waterboys, VU, REM, The Fall & Lemonheads Lovey were all faves for me!
DEVO
new order is the best
Kirsty MacColl had such a lovely voice…”Fairytale of New York” with The Pogues is THE Christmas song. Such a shame her life was cut short by a complete TOOL.
1) red temple spirits/red temple spirits (3CD complete works, on Independent Project Records)
2) 17 Pygmies, Hativka/Jedda By the Sea/Captured In Ice (LTM reissue)
Was really impressed with the Cult Electric Peace and the The Hurting box. The biggest cash grab had to be First Issue by PIL, no new music, just slap a silly pin in it, tack on an interview of Lydon spewing his faux rage and add $15 to the price, done!
Such a tough call….
The Clash has been the best this year
Quite right, Stu, The Dentists debut album was/is one of my most important discoveries I ever made at Skip Groff”s old Y&T record shop. The fellows in the band remain friends to this day and I’m happy to say, on a recent trip to England, I got to perform a couple of their songs with Bob Collins at a pub indie night. The Scared To Get Happy compilation also features the Dentists (plus SCADS of awesome UK indie bands from the 80’s…..HIGHLY recommended!)
Primitives Lovely remaster is the best sounding remaster I’ve purchased to date. It improved on the over-all sound more so than any other remaster I’ve heard, and the original sorely needed remastering. Now I can hear all the guitars instead of just the wash of sound from the original.
I forgot this came out. Need to get this!
Lots of good stuff. Agent Orange and Anti-Nowhere League fuck yeah!
If it ain’t Drastic Plastic Records, it ain’t worth a fuck! ;D
Scared to Get Happy — best set and best liner notes!
just a great, great song writer
Scared To Get Happy +1 … surprised the Pale Fountains Something On My Mind collection wasn’t on here.
I’d been waiting for the R.E.M. Green reissue for a long time, since that’s my favorite R.E.M. record and I never liked the original cd master much, but I was less enthralled with the end product.
I really thought Nirvana did well with the In Utero reissue. A lot of care went into that.
Bowie’s Next Day Extra was like an added revelation capping a marvelous Bowie year.
Here here.
I agree 100%.
Green came out when I got my first apartment, I was about 20 when it came out. I saw them in Tampa during that tour and its one of my favorite memories. I actually think the album is under-rated and overlooked. In Utero box was stellar !
Lots of hits and some misses.
Flux of Pink Indians ????
Postal Service?