Short takes

Daryl Hall and John Oates
Do What You Want Be What You Are (RCA/Legacy)

Now that the indie set has embraced Michael McDonald via Grizzly Bear, the time seems ripe for a reappraisal of his fellow soft-rock titans. This chronological, four-disc box handily illustrates how the duo’s Philly-soul roots informed its bevy of flawless, still-resonant AM radio staples. Liner-note testimonials from members of De La Soul and Chromeo prove that the outfit’s influence stretches further than you might think.—Hank Shteamer

King Crimson
Red (DGM)

Heralding the latest wave of King Crimson catalog updates, this reissue of the band’s 1974 studio farewell (prior to an early-’80s reconfiguration) reveals the mix of crunching power, finesse and gravitas that won over latter-day followers like Kurt Cobain and Tool. The sonics are on par with those of the last reissue, from 2004 (though audiophiles will appreciate new surround-sound options). But fresh outtakes and rare performance footage on a bonus DVD make this a revelatory upgrade.—Steve Smith

Dolly Parton
Dolly (RCA/Legacy)

There are so many reasons to love Dolly Parton: her ridiculous wigs, knockout business savvy, charitable works, theme park, bosom and so on. But truly, the most enduring one is the music. This four-CD extravaganza covers Parton’s 50-year career chronologically (which is preferable to her thematically arranged comps). The hits are there (“9 to 5,” “Islands in the Stream”), but the real treasures are Parton’s earliest cuts, all rockabilly sass and scruffy sweetness.—Sophie Harris

Elvis Presley
Elvis 75: Good Rockin’ Tonight (RCA/Legacy)

Leave it to Legacy to extract four lucidly programmed discs from an archive thoroughly stripped by previous miners. Heralding what would have been Elvis Presley’s 75th birthday in January 2010, this 100-track set includes all of the King’s hits, along with other sublime highs (and a few corny misfires) from throughout his career. Presley may never have surpassed the intensity he achieved on 1955’s gripping “Mystery Train,” but what’s here proves that he never stopped deserving royal status.—SS

Red Red Meat
Bunny Gets Paid (Sub Pop)

Originally miscast as alt-rock hopefuls, by 1995 these Chicagoans had blossomed into willful outsiders detached from any trend. Bunny Gets Paid, Red Red Meat’s profoundly gloomy third record, captures a band deconstructing its sound. Largely unnoticed in its time, the group’s masterstroke now receives double-disc reissue treatment. The bonus material is largely superfluous, but the album remains as chilling, eccentric and personal as when it was first ignored.—Jay Ruttenberg

Rolling Stones
Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (ABKCO)

Recorded at Madison Square Garden in November 1969, this set marks the point at which the baddest band in the world became the biggest. Mick Jagger plays to the rafters, while Keith Richards and Mick Taylor blaze through a titanic “Midnight Rambler” and a lurid “Little Queenie.” Fiery opening sets by B.B. King and Ike and Tina Turner are a substantial bonus, but a 20-minute disc of outtakes and an equally brief, unfocused DVD make this $40-plus box an overpriced curio. Get yer bankrolls out!—SS

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