The Allmans' Road makes fresh tracks

It seems like the string of Allman Brothers Band reissues goes on forever. And it all began with The Road Goes on Forever, the first compilation from the first Allman Brothers lineup, originally rushed out as a double vinyl set for the 1975 Christmas season. For years, it remained a staple in their catalog and in the hearts of fans.

The CD age brought more collections culled from their early Capricorn years, most notably the Dreams four-disc box set and the drably titled A Decade of Hits 1969-1979. But the expansiveness (and expensiveness) of the former and the hit-single mentality of the latter left space for something in-between.

That's where Universal's newly expanded edition of Road comes in. Thirteen additional cuts make the new Road twice as long as its predecessor, and it also includes fresh liner notes from Atlanta writer/ publicist Mark Pucci added to the reprinted originals, comprehensive track annotation, remastered sound and buffed-up graphics. The more-bang-for-your buck double CD covers the group's entire Capricorn career, undoubtedly their most creative period. Along with the required "hits," listeners now get a smattering of overlooked but crucial tracks from the Allmans' spotty post-Duane Win, Lose or Draw, Wipe the Windows and Enlightened Rogues albums, along with additional chestnuts from their early '70s discs.

While fans already own these well-worn songs, the anthology does an excellent job of presenting the group's uncanny live jams alongside the more concise studio work of their most inspired years. That makes Road the most economical and logical way to introduce a new generation to the band, even if its later work was often rote and forgettable. The collection shows why the Allmans' reputation as Southern rock's first superstars is well deserved.

-- HAL HOROWITZ

Gregg Allman plays Fri., Dec. 28, the Tabernacle.

Originally conceived to coincide with Wotapalava — the ill-fated, gay-artist-driven, roving late-summer circuit party that never materialized — the reissue of the Pet Shop Boys' first five albums remastered in deluxe format remains reason enough for shirtless, sweaty boys and casual listeners alike to rejoice.

Lodged in the midst of a growing trend of re-releasing classic material in expanded two-CD format, the Pet Shop Boys campaign has seen the release so far of Please, Actually, Introspective, Behavior and Very. Each remastered album comes with a "further listening" disc full of B-sides, remixes and unreleased material appropriate to the album's period, as well as extensive liner notes.

A pair of irreverent ironists who smartly decorated their cautionary social observations in synth-pop shimmer, British duo Chris Lowe and Neil Tennant can be counted among the finest "wind-up" artists — taken from a cheeky British term for getting away with saying the unsayable. And it's not only that they got away with their heavy message, but that they managed to produce lush and emotional music to match in an arena — bouncy pop music — not always known for meticulousness or social commentary (unless as a sad comment on society's poor taste).

But the Pet Shop Boys' mannered, mutating music, even at its worst, traced a respectable history of dance music's eras without leaving a sour taste. OK, maybe a slightly dour taste, but Tennant's melancholy monotone layered over joyful bass and beats became an endearing trademark over time. And as well known as the Pet Shop Boys were for their hits — chronicled to still unparalleled effect on Discography — they were equally recognized among fans for their fully realized B-sides, which were nowhere near throwaway filler caliber.

So it's the "further listening" discs that are truly the draw on these re-releases. As for how they stack up, the answer is: very tall indeed. Between the five of them, they make Alternative — the Pet Shop Boys' prior B-sides collection — all but obsolete. Though many of the rare or extended tracks have been available on singles and compilations, each disc also offers up at least five previously unreleased songs, demos, non-album singles or alternate mixes, all packaged with insightful lyrics and track-by-track commentary.

-- TONY WARE

Always eager to repackage its repackagings, Rhino condenses the early '90s 240-song, 20-volume anthology Didn't it Blow Your Mind: Soul Hits of the '70s into Can You Dig It? The '70s Soul Experience, a handy 136-track, six-CD box. While the package is imaginatively constructed like an 8-track carrying case (complete with fake tapes) and comes with a gaudy 80-page book, those who already own the previous collection won't find many reasons to splurge again for the same songs. Defiantly disco-free (that genre is already covered by another Rhino box and series), the compilers apparently found precious little pure soul recorded after 1975, since only 13 tunes cover the decade's final five years.

Regardless, this is a marvelous anthology of concisely constructed music intended for optimum radio effect. Many of the elaborate productions are three-minute mini-masterpieces, sporting hooks made to connect on initial listen. Almost everything was Top 10 R&B, yet Rhino's choices are less topical and gravitate toward ballads. Thus, Marvin Gaye checks in with "Let's Get It On" instead of the far more influential "What's Going On," and Tower of Power slowburners "You're Still a Young Man" and "So Very Hard to Go" replace the more representative brass of "What Is Hip?"

While most of these chronologically arranged hits select themselves, unearthed obscurities from 100 Proof (Aged in Soul), the Lost Generation, The Fuzz or Paul Humphrey & His Cool Aid Chemists goose the ears and are as potent as the more obvious fare. Conspicuous in their absence are the Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Barry White, Ike and Tina Turner and especially Stevie Wonder, arguably the most prominent and popular R&B artist of the decade.

Still, with only a few weak cuts, an average single-disc playing time of almost 80 minutes and a package to die for, this is the best collection of '70s soul under one roof. Pull out those bell-bottoms, dust off your platform shoes, fire up the lava lamp and let fly. Can you dig it?

-- HAL HOROWITZ??