In terms of the musical variety and caliber of artists, 2025 might be the best year in archival releases and reissues. Particularly in the second half of this year, nearly every major heritage rock act — including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Genesis, Elton John, Pink Floyd and the Who — have put out retrospectives celebrating special anniversaries and featuring the usual trappings of never-before-heard music; remastered or remixed sound; fancy packaging; and detailed liner notes. And it’s not only just classic rock: artists from the genres of post-punk, New Wave and pop also revisited their career-defining moments. In no particular order, here is a partial list of some of this year’s noteworthy music reissues that will have something for everybody.
The Beatles
Anthology Collection
On the 30th anniversary of the ABC broadcast of The Beatles Anthology, the Fab Four are revisiting their documentary series, which has now expanded to nine parts and is airing on Disney+. Also getting an expansion is the audio version of Anthology, with a new fourth volume of tracks that spans their entire career, including 13 previously unreleased tracks. Rounding out the collection is the inclusion of the three final Beatles songs, “Now and Then” and new mixes of “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” which significantly improve the quality of John Lennon’s vocals from the original 1995-1996 versions.
Genesis
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Marking the 50th anniversary of Genesis’ landmark double album (the last to feature singer Peter Gabriel) comes this deluxe version featuring the original record newly remastered, plus the complete 1975 live performance of the Lamb at Los Angeles’ Shrine Auditorium.
Queen
A Night at the Opera
Regarded as Queen’s definitive studio album, A Night at the Opera and its signature track, the iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” turned 50 this year; it also contained other Queen staples as “You’re My Best Friend,” “Love of My Life” and “I’m in Love With My Car.” To celebrate the golden anniversary, A Night at the Opera has been reissued on crystal clear vinyl with gold labels.
Wings
Wings
This new double-disc anthology celebrates the career of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles band, which had a spectacular run of hits throughout the 1970s. It features all the big Wings hits such as “Band on the Run,” “My Love,” “Live and Let Die” “Mull of Kintyre” and “Silly Love Songs” — plus some deep cuts, including “Arrow Through Me,” “Bluebird” and “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five.”
Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here
At the time, it seemed like tremendous pressure for Pink Floyd to follow up their massively successful 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon. But the British progressive rockers rose to the challenge two years later with the powerful yet sublime Wish You Were Here, which ranks as one of Floyd’s beloved and best albums. On its 50th anniversary, Wish You Were Here — featuring the poignant title cut and the epic “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” — has been expanded with previously unreleased alternate versions, demos and live recordings.
Simple Minds
Once Upon a Time
Having already established themselves in their native U.K., the Scottish alternative rock band led by singer Jim Kerr and guitarist Charlie Burchill finally broke America in 1985 with the number one single “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” Also released that year was their seventh studio album Once Upon a Time, which positioned Simple Minds as arena rockers (the record’s standouts included “All The Things She Said,” “Sanctify Yourself” “Ghostdancing” and “Alive and Kicking”). For its 40th anniversary, Once Upon a Time has been presented as a 5-CD set featuring the original album plus B-sides, rarities, extended mixes and the Live in the City of Lights concert. And unlike the original album, this set contains “Don’t You (Forget About Me).”
Thompson Twins
Industry and Seduction: A Thompson Twins Collection
The first Thompson Twins anthology curated by the band members themselves, the deluxe version of Industry and Seduction covers the British New Wave group’s entire career from the early ‘80s through the experimental Babble period in the ‘90s. Included are the band’s biggest hits such as “Lies,” “Hold Me Now,” “If You Were Here,” “King for a Day” and “In the Name of Love.”
The Rolling Stones
Black and Blue
By 1975, the Rolling Stones found themselves in a transitional period after guitarist Mick Taylor left the band the year before. Enter guitarist Ron Wood, who appeared on the band’s 1976 album Black and Blue and became a permanent member. Featuring a variety of guitarists, including Wood, Harvey Mandel and Wayne Perkins, the album contained such notable tracks as the funky “Hot Stuff,” the soulful ballad “Fool to Cry,” and the nostalgic “Memory Motel.” In addition to the original album, this new Super Deluxe Edition features outtakes and jam sessions (including a cover of Shirley & Company’s “Shame, Shame, Shame”) and a 1976 live concert recording from Earls Court.
Tears for Fears
Songs From the Big Chair
1985 was a banner year for the British rock band Tears for Fears, led by Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith, with the massive success of Songs From the Big Chair. A more extroverted-sounding effort compared to their 1983 haunting debut The Hurting, Big Chair went number one in the U.S., yielding the hits “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Shout” and “Head Over Heels.” On its 40th anniversary, Big Chair has been released as a limited edition 2-LP red vinyl and a deluxe 3-CD set featuring the original album plus edited tracks and remixes.
David Bowie
I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002-2016)
This latest installment in the David Bowie archival box series focuses on the final four studio albums of the legend’s discography (Heathen, Reality, The Next Day and Blackstar) marked by his renewed collaboration with longtime producer Tony Visconti. In addition to those records, I Can’t Give Everything Away contains a previously unreleased 2022 concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival and a collection of 41 non-album songs, alternative versions, B-sides and soundtrack material.
Buckingham Nicks
Buckingham Nicks
Consisting of the early recordings of Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks before they joined Fleetwood Mac in 1974, this much-talked-about, previously out-of-print album has finally been rereleased. It offers a fascinating glimpse of the Southern California pop-rock sound that the duo would later perfect in the Mac and bolster the group’s popularity like never before.
Spandau Ballet
Everything Is Now: The Early Years 1978-1982
Before Spandau Ballet hit it big in the U.S. with the soul ballad “True” in 1983, the group’s early music was a hybrid of synthpop and funk that made them stars of the New Romantic scene. This new boxed set spotlights the group’s formative years, including music from their first two albums, Journeys to Glory (1981) and Diamond (1982) along with plus BBC sessions, remixes, live recordings, and early songs when they were initially named Gentry.
The Who
Who Are You
Upon Who Are You’s release in 1978, the Who found themselves in a transitional time when the rock world was unsettled by punk and disco. Yet the album’s commercial standing, aided by the popular title cut, still proved that the band remained a viable entity. Tragically, Who Are You was the last album by The Who featuring the great Keith Moon, who died shortly after its release. This Super Deluxe Edition (7-CD/1-Blu-ray) contains 71 previously unreleased tracks, including a new Atmos mix by Steven Wilson.
Ultravox
The Collection
At the peak of their success with Midge Ure on lead vocals and guitar, the British New Wave band Ultravox put out The Collection in 1984, compiling their hit singles, such as “Vienna,” “Reap the Wild Wind,” “Dancing With Tears in My Eyes” and “The Voice” — and a new song “Love’s Great Adventure.” Forty years after its initial release, The Collection has been expanded to a deluxe edition with the addition of post-1984 material, remixes and B-sides.
Grateful Dead
Blues for Allah
1975’s Blues for Allah was the final Dead studio album released under their own independent label before the band signed with Arista Records. It was a continuation of their musical eclecticism – with elements of progressive rock, jazz and funk – started with Wake of the Flood and contained popular Dead live staples like “Help Is on the Way/Slipknot,” “The Music Never Stopped” and “Crazy Fingers.” This 50th anniversary reissue of the album features previously unreleased soundcheck and concert recordings from circa 1975-1976 in San Francisco and Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.
Chicago
Chicago IX: Greatest Hits
Chicago’s first-ever hits compilation that highlighted the first five years of their recording career, Chicago IX: Greatest Hits has since sold 5 million copies. To mark Chicago IX’s golden anniversary, a new re-release of the album adds 10 songs to round out the rest of their 1970s output, including “Old Days,” “If You Leave Me Now,” “Baby What a Big Surprise,” “Alive Again” and “Street Player.”
Neil Young
Tonight’s the Night
Tonight’s The Night is without question one of Neil Young’s masterpieces from the 1970s. Its stark atmospherics and lyrics amid a turbulent time in the country — and the deaths of Crazy Horse guitarist/vocalist Danny Whitten and roadie Bruce Berry — still resonate 50 years later. This new reissue of Tonight’s the Night tacks on six tracks recorded during the 1973 sessions at SIR Studios, plus reimagined cover art.
Bob Dylan
Through the Open Window, 1956-1963: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 18
Last year’s acclaimed biopic, A Complete Unknown, documented an aspiring singer from Hibbing, Minn., named Bob Dylan navigating through New York City’s Greenwich Village folk music scene and launching what would become a storied career. Through the Open Window, the latest installment in the Bootleg Series, documents this meteoric ascent in 139 tracks — from his cover of “Let the Good Times Roll” recorded in 1956 at a Minnesota music store when he was 15, through his triumphant October 26, 1963, Carnegie Hall concert, presented here in its entirety.
Bruce Springsteen
Nebraska ‘82
Coinciding with the recent release of the biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, Bruce Springsteen’s acclaimed 1982 album Nebraska is presented here in a special 5-CD edition set. The highlight of the collection for diehard fans is the cuts from the Electric Nebraska sessions (including an early version of “Born in the U.S.A.”) as well as outtakes, live performances of Nebraska songs, and a 2025 remastered version of the original album.
Naked Eyes
Naked Eyes
The 1983 debut album by the British synthpop duo of keyboardist Rob Fisher and singer Pete Byrne, the self-titled Naked Eyes contained two U.S. Top 40 hits in their cover of Burt Bacharach-Hal David’s “Always Something There to Remind Me” and their original composition “Promises, Promises,” plus other standouts in “When the Lights Go Out” and “Voices in My Head.” This special expanded edition of the album features demo tracks and remixes of “Always Something” and “Promises” overseen by Jellybean Benitez.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Power to the People
This new Lennon/Ono 12-disc set spotlights the duo’s early years in New York City in the early 1970s, a period marked by the duo’s political activism and Lennon’s immigration battle with the U.S. government. Overseen by the couple’s son, Sean Ono Lennon, Power to the People contains 1972’s One to One benefit concerts at Madison Square Garden with Elephant’s Memory; New York City, a revised and remixed version of the Sometime in New York City album; and demos, outtakes and jam sessions.
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Crush
The British synthpop outfit returned in 1985 with the accessible-sounding Crush, produced by Stephen Hague (Pet Shop Boys, New Order). The polished sound of the record paid off for OMD as it featured two of their popular tracks in “Secret” and “So in Love” — foreshadowing the mainstream success of their biggest hit, “If You Leave,” from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack. Rounding out this 40th anniversary edition of the album are several previously unreleased songs, B-sides and extended mixes.
The Dream Syndicate
Medicine Show
First released in 1984, Medicine Show was the anticipated follow-up to the Paisley Underground band’s acclaimed debut, 1982’s The Days of Wine and Roses. This time around, the Dream Syndicate’s music sounded more in the vein of Neil Young and Creedence Clearwater Revival than the Velvet Underground-like influences from the first record – a change most likely due to the band signing with a major label (A&M) and working with a well-known producer (Sandy Pearlman). It remains an underrated masterpiece 40 years later with tracks like “Still Holding On to You,” “Merrittville” and the epic “John Coltrane Stereo Blues”; this 4-CD deluxe edition of Medicine Show contains 29 previously unreleased tracks.
Oasis
(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
On the heels of their recent and hugely successful reunion tour comes the reissue of Oasis’ blockbuster second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? to mark its 30th anniversary. It was the record that broke the Gallagher brothers in the U.S., thanks to such beloved hits as “Wonderwall,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Champagne Supernova.” This rerelease includes five bonus ‘unplugged’ tracks, including “Acquiece,” which did not appear on the original album.
Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Welcome to the Pleasure Dome
The Liverpool-based quintet Frankie Goes to Hollywood was the most popular and hyped band in Britain in 1984, thanks to the smash success of the controversial “Relax,” followed by “Two Tribes” and “The Power of Love,” all three of which hit number one on the U.K. chart. Those singles appeared on the band’s debut record, Welcome to the Pleasure Dome, which also included an eye-opening cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run.” On its 40th anniversary, Welcome to the Pleasuredome has been expanded as a 7-CD/1-Blu-ray set containing 33 unheard tracks and a Dolby Atmos mix prepared by Steve Wilson.
Everything But the Girl
The Best of Everything But the Girl
This is the most up-to-date career-spanning collection by the acclaimed British musical duo of Tracy Thorn and Ben Watt, whose output covers their forays into sophistipop, indie jazz folk and electronica. Included are such hits as “Driving,” “I Don’t Want to Talk About It,” the smash U.S. breakthrough hit “Missing,” and “Nothing Left to Lose” off of EBTG’s 2023 comeback album Fuse.
Split Enz
ENZyclopedia Volumes One & Two
New Zealand rock legends Split Enz were ahead of the pack with their adventurous mix of progressive rock, art rock and New Wave from the mid-’70s through early ‘80s (member Neil Finn would later form Crowded House). On the 50th anniversary of Split Enz’s first album Mental Notes is the 5-CD ENZyclopedia Volumes One & Two, which features a new remaster of their debut record; a new remix of Split Enz’s 1976 sophomore record Second Thoughts (orginally produced by Roxy Music’s Phil Manzanera) by band keyboardist Eddie Rayner as well as a remastered version; plus early singles, unreleased tracks, rarities and archival live recordings.
Hüsker Dü
1985: The Miracle Year
This new retrospective set captures the Minneapolis post-punk legends at their prime in 1985, following the release of their acclaimed album, Zen Arcade, a year earlier. The Miracle Year contains Hüsker Dü’s complete set from the legendary club First Avenue, as well as additional live cuts performed during the band’s tour that year.
The Cars
Heartbeat City
Released in 1984, the Cars’ fifth studio album saw the Boston New Wavers aiming for commercial blockbuster status during the era of Madonna, Prince and MTV. Helmed by producer Robert John “Mutt” Lange (AC/DC, Def Leppard), Heartbeat City presented the Cars as a slick and polished stadium rock band; the hit singles, including “You Might Think,” “Magic” and the sublime ballad “Drive” propelled the album to multiplatinum success. This new 4-CD reissue of the blockbuster album features extras, including rarities, mixes, demos, and a live 1984 show from the Summit in Houston.
Elton John
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Elton John’s 1975 concept album drew inspiration from the early years of his and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin’s careers. The record was a critical and commercial success, and contained the hit single “Someone Saved My Life Tonight.’ For its 50th anniversary, Captain Fantastic has been revisited with not only the original album but also demos and live performances by John of some of the album’s songs from 2005.
The Replacements
Let It Be
Ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the Top 100 Best Albums of the 1980s, the Mats’ Let It Be remains a beloved classic, with the standouts “I Will Dare,” “Unsatisfied” and “Answering Machine.” This new expanded and remastered 3-CD version of the record includes rarities (among them previously unreleased demos) and a live concert from Chicago in 1984 that not only features performances of some of the Let It Be songs and material from their earlier albums, but also covers of the Beach Boys’ “Help Me Rhonda” and Bad Company’s “Can’t Get Enough.”
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
On the Road to Find Out
Coinciding with the legendary British troubadour’s most recent memoir Cat on the Road to Find Out, the companion double-CD On the Road to Find Out is the most up-to-date overview of Yusuf/Cat Stevens’ career — from his legendary ‘70s hits like “Wild World,” “Father and Son,” “The Wind” and “The First Cut Is the Deepest”, through his recent music, including 2023’s “Take the World Apart” and “All Night, All Days.”
Gary Numan
Telekon
The British synthpop star followed up the success of 1979’s The Pleasure Principle album and the hit single “Cars” with another futuristic and moody effort in the form of Telekon. Featuring such tracks as “This Wreckage,” the disco-styled “Remind Me to Smile” and the haunting “I Dream of Wires” (covered by Robert Palmer on his Clues album), this 1980 record represented Numan at his peak popularity. To celebrate the album’s 45th anniversary, Beggars Banquet is re-releasing Telekon with four unreleased songs, including “Like a B-Film.”
The Smashing Pumpkins
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
The Pumpkins’ third studio album from 1995 was the band’s conceptual magnum opus. This 28-track collection became a smash success upon its original release and remains a cornerstone of that decade’s alternative rock, thanks to the singles “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “Zero,” “1979” and “Tonight, Tonight.” For its 30th anniversary, the double album is bolstered by the inclusion of never-before-issued music from the 1996 Infinite Sadness tour.
Patti Smith
Horses
The stature and influence of Patti Smith’s 1975 debut album Horses cannot be overstated—it positioned the singer as a visionary artist who combined symbolist-influenced poetry and punk rock into arresting and timeless music (“Gloria,” “Break It Up,” “Kimberly,” “Redondo Beach”). A mainstay of best albums lists, this iconic record has been re-released on its 50th anniversary (a milestone that Smith and her band have been celebrating on their recent tour) with a bonus disc of demos, alternate takes and previously unreleased tracks such as “Snowball” and “Distant Fingers.”
David Gilmour
The Luck and Strange Concerts
This double-live album documents the former Pink Floyd guitarist/singer’s 2024 shows promoting his excellent studio album Luck and Strange released that same year. A large portion from that studio record appears here (“The Piper’s Call,” the title song, “A Single Spark,” “Between Two Points,” among others) nestled with the familiar Floyd classics (including “Comfortably Numb,” “Sorrow,” “Wish You Were Here” and “Time”).
Pulp
Different Class
Pulp’s beloved fifth studio (and Mercury Prize-winning) album remains one of the definitive statements of the ‘90s Britpop movement. Containing such memorable tracks as “Mis-Shapes,” “Disco 2000” and, of course, “Common People,” Different Class is Jared Cocker and co.’s masterpiece. Marking its 30th anniversary amid the band’s recent touring, the Mercury Prize-winning record was reissued with a bonus disc consisting of their 1995 Glastonbury performance, released here for the first time.
Carly Rae Jepsen
Emotion
Coming off the smash success of her 2012 album Kiss and the hit “Call Me Maybe,” Carly Rae Jepsen followed that up three years later with the exuberant, 80s-styled dance-pop LP Emotion. Like its predecessor, Emotion became another commercial winner in the Canadian pop singer’s discography, featuring the singles “I Really Like You,” “Your Type” and “Run Away.” For its 10th anniversary, Emotion adds six more tracks, including “More” and “Guardian Angel.”