Features 03 Jan 2026

SDE Reissue Preview 2026

A look at the year ahead

By Paul Sinclair

Welcome to the SDE Reissue Preview for the year ahead, the 12th consecutive annual preview published on this site. As usual, we will start with the first few months of this year where we have confirmed releases and then move on to what we know/think/presume/hope will be reissued later in the year! Of course they’ll be plenty of things not covered, so please as well as offering your thoughts on reissues mentioned below, do chip in with forthcoming products you know about that SDE hasn’t mentioned! You can do this via the comments section.

January 2026

February 2026

March 2026

April 2026 and Beyond

Paul McCartney

There’s a sense of Deja Vu when talking about Paul McCartney for the year ahead. For the third year running we are ‘hoping’ that he might jump start his Archive Collection reissue series (dormant since 2020’s Flaming Pie) and announce re-releases of the only Wings albums that have not had the reissue treatment, namely London Town and Back to the Egg.

However we have Morgan Neville’s Man on the Run film coming in February and when asked ‘What are you most looking forward to in 2026?’ in his regular ‘You Gave Me The Answer’ feature on his website, Paul’s response was “My new album! We’re just starting to think about how to put that together“.

At The Speed Of Sound is the next Wings album to celebrate its 50th anniversary (on 26 March) so there will undoubtedly be a half-speed vinyl edition to mark the occasion and likely a Dolby Atmos version available on streaming. With the success of the Wings compilation on blu-ray last year I’m hoping the powers that be might be persuaded to repeat this exercise for At The Speed Of Sound, but we will have to wait and see if there is any enthusiasm for such an idea.

2026 is the 40th anniversary of Press to Play (the excellent SDE exclusive 35th anniversary bookazine is still available) but only a true optimist would expect anything to happen with that album before London Town or Back to the Egg.

John Lennon

We thought we might see John Lennon’s ‘Lost Weekend’-era Walls and Bridges album reissued last year, but the Estate choose to reboot (and rebadge) the mothballed Some Time In New York City reissue which was delivered as a 12-disc box set called Power to the People (read the SDE review).

This means that Wall and Bridges is surely next, being the only ‘proper’ studio album left from the 1970s era, although whether they are ready to do another big reissue campaign for the third year on the trot, remains to be seen.

The Beatles

It has been over three years now since we’ve had a Beatles studio album reissued as a super deluxe edition (Revolver in 2022). After the ‘Now and Then’ / ‘Red’ and ‘Blue’ album shenanigans of 2023 and the US Albums-celebrating vinyl box of 2024, we thought last year would be when the Fab Four re-releases would get back on track, but no… they choose to focus on The Beatles Anthology with the slightly botched Anthology Collection / Anthology 4 campaign.

There is a wide feeling amongst fans that Apple and Universal Music need to go ‘back to basics’ and revert to what they were doing so well between 2017 and 2021 – releasing album-based box sets with excellent outtakes, Dolby Atmos Mixes on blu-ray and great accompanying books. 2026 is 61 years since Rubber Soul was released, but specific anniversary dates are no longer important, after all Let It Be was celebrated a year late for its 50th in 2021 (to coordinate with Disney’s The Beatles Get Back documentary).

Other artists and albums

ABBA’s 40th anniversary album vinyl reissues came to an end in 2023, with a delayed The Visitors, but almost immediately they pivoted to 50th anniversary reissues the following year, with ABBA’s second album, 1974’s Waterloo. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting really bored of the 2LP half-speed vinyl, seven-inch picture discs and seven-inch box sets. It’s dull and predictable. Hopefully they might get their act together with decent Dolby Atmos Mixes, but the song ‘Waterloo’ was awful in Atmos which is probably down to the usual Benny and Björn control freakery. I do not expect anything great to happen in 2026.

a-ha’s brilliant ‘sophomore’ album Scoundrel Days is 40 in 2026, although whether we’ll see any marking of that anniversary is not clear. To many Scoundrel Days is the better, more compelling album that Hunting High and Low but often it appears as if Warner Music is obsessed with ‘Take On Me’ and a-ha in 1985 almost to the exclusion of everything else. Stay On These Roads (1988), East of the Sun West of the Moon (1990) and Memorial Beach (1993) are all over 30 years old and still haven’t been reissued on vinyl, even though 2000’s Minor Earth Major Sky has now been re-released twice on the format in the last six years. An ‘all albums’ vinyl box was rumoured to be in the works, but nothing has come to pass. Obviously, with Morten’s health issues, I think we can forget about anything new from a-ha, which is really very sad.

As mentioned above, Tori Amos’ 2001 album Strange Little Girls is reissued (and expanded) in February, a few months before her new album In Times Of Dragons, which is expected in April. With a UK and European tour in the diary to support the new record it’s perhaps unlikely that we’ll see any other activity this year, although if you are looking for anniversary potential, Boys for Pele is 30 years old in a few weeks, although that album was remastered and expanded back in 2016, for the 20th anniversary, so it seems unlikely.

Black Box Recorder reunite for a gig at London’s Palladium in May. The outfit fronted by Sarah Nixey also features Luke Haines and John Moore, and is only mentioned because there’s an outside chance of some new material, but nothing is confirmed. A 25th anniversary vinyl reissue of England Made Me, the band’s debut album (they released three long-players between 1998 and 2003) was issued in 2023 (read Alexis Petridis’ SDE review) and subsequently disowned by Haines after public grumbling about the streaming royalty rates the band were earning at Chrysalis.

Last year saw the last of the David Bowie era box sets, which after a decade, marks the end of… an era. As to what happens, next, we don’t know. I think most fans would be pleased to see the continuation of Divine Symmetry style super deluxe editions based around (or leading up to) an album. The last release was the Rock ‘n’ Roll Star! deluxe which came out in June 2024 and charted Bowie’s journey from February 1971 through to the creation of Ziggy Stardust and the recording of 1972’s The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars album. That deluxe missed the anniversary by two years and David was so prolific in the 1970s, that fifty years ago today he had already recorded Station to Station which was then issued in January 1976 (hence the anniversary vinyl).

So what of Aladdin Sane, Pinups, Diamonds Dogs and Young Americans? Clearly not everything justifies being a 5CD set and I guess Warner Music and the Bowie Estate have given up trying to keep to anniversaries, with the exception of putting out bog-standard albums on vinyl. To throw in a random fact, Bob Clearmountain has confirmed that he’s remixed Let’s Dance in Dolby Atmos (in this interview on Vintage King website). Now, whether that’s just to put up on streaming or to form part of some wider, physical reissue is not clear. Talking of Bowie and Atmos, in case you haven’t noticed, the title track of David’s 1977 album “Heroes” has appeared in streaming platforms in recent days.

Kate Bush last year announced that she was “very keen” to start work on her new album. Given that her last new material appeared in 14 years earlier in 2011 (50 Words For Snow), this was rather disappointing news. Kate has only released two studio albums featuring new material in the last 32 years so given that she hasn’t really got going with the new one (assuming she’s not telling porkies) then saying we shouldn’t expect anything anytime soon, would be an understatement. Reissues? We might possibly get some newly artworked version of The Sensual World or The Red Shoes on vinyl, but anything else is unlikely. The now preposterously named The Whole Story compilation is actually 40 years old later this year, so it would be an opportune time to expand and reissue it, but there have been loads of opportune times to do that in the last 20 years and no one has bothered.

Lloyd Cole said back in 2022 that his 2003 album Music in a Foreign Language had been remastered and prepped for a reissue which would include a 10-track bonus album of Lloyd’s rough mixes before other musicians were brought in. According to LC it’s “quite different” to the final version. Curiously, this reissue hasn’t come to pass, despite no real activity from Cole in 2024 or 2025, apart from his semi-regular touring commitments. SDE has an ambition to ‘do’ Lloyd Cole and the Commotions’ 1984 debut album Rattlesnakes in Atmos for blu-ray, but even if that did come to pass it probably wouldn’t be any time soon.

In my opinion, Sheryl Crow’s best album is her self-titled second record from 1996. Not only has that album never been issued on vinyl, there has also not been any kind of deluxe edition, as there was for Tuesday Night Music Club, way back in 2009. With five singles and a plethora of bonus cuts on the various UK CD singles (two each for most of them) it would be easy to put something together that was compelling, perhaps with some live content and even an Atmos Mix (why not?). Crow did speak out a few years ago about missing/burnt-in-the-fire master tapes, but I’m sure there was a suggestion since then that it wasn’t as bad as originally thought.

Crowded House seem to be on a hiatus at the moment after 2024’s excellent Gravity Stairs, although interestingly they will be performing at the opening ceremony of the Australian Open tennis at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne on 22 January. But the main focus for Neil Finn and his brother Tim, for a while at least, will be touring with Split Enz. They have dates in Australia lined up in April and May and fans in the UK and Europe will be hoping they continue on the road over here. Talking of Split Enz, expect Chrysalis’ excellent reissue campaign to continue with 1977’s Dizrythmia.

Duran Duran have had some success in ‘owning’ Halloween, with versions of their Danse Macabre album released in 2023 and 2024 (including an SDE Records blu-ray exclusive), a digital only reworking of ‘Shadows on Your Side’ last year and superb spooky gigs each October 31, including a memorable turn at Madison Square Gardens in 2024 (SDE was there).

That is all well and good, but it does prompt the wider question, ‘what’s going on with their back catalogue?’. Last I heard, they were working on ‘finishing’ Reportage, the album that got canned when Andy Taylor left in 2006. I think there’s a genuine chance of seeing this in 2026, which marks the 20th anniversary of it, er, not being released, and it’s basically as close to getting a brand new album as we’re going to get. Of course The Power Station box set is being reissued this month but sadly we’ve heard nothing about Arcadia. The eponymous album’s 40th anniversary has now come and gone. Duran Duran and Nick Rhodes in particular have spoken of an anthologies in the last few years but nothing ever happens. They are unreliable soothsayers. I’m sure BMG promised a Medazzaland box in 2023 (which didn’t happen) and there’s rumours of a Pop Trash extravaganza being prepped. The common thread here is that the band are interested primarily in things they own and control so for Duran Duran fans that means managing expectations: Think Danse Macabre, Medazzaland, Pop Trash, Reportage not Duran Duran, Rio, Notorious and ‘The Wedding Album’.

Depeche Mode are stubbornly refusing to engage with Dolby Atmos for both new albums and old ones and have only just launched the documentary and concert film combo M / Memento Mori:Mexico City, the former of which is coming to Netflix on Friday. Black Celebration is 40 this year, so if they wanted to surprise us then that would be the one, although I can’t see it happening. I suspect ‘downtime’ might be the buzzword for Martin Gore and Dave Gahan, after a busy few years.

The future is so not bright for Eurythmics fans that they don’t need to think about shades. 2026 will mark eight years since Sony’s decent vinyl reissue campaign (SDE spoke to Annie and Dave at the time) and nothing, barring the odd RSD vinyl, has happened since. It has also been over 20 years since any of the albums have been reissued on CD and those 2005 reissues were modest if you’re being polite or not very good at all, if you’re feeling less charitable. It’s borderline criminal that the band’s superb back catalogue has been neglected for so long and whatever the reasons, let’s hope something changes soon. For the record, the hit-packed rock-a-thon that is Revenge is 40 in June this year and next year the experimental masterpiece that is Savage has the same birthday (blu-ray with Atmos Mix and the full restored video album, anyone?).

With the successful and well received reissue of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s 1984 album Welcome to the Pleasuredome last year, fans will be hoping that a similar treatment for Liverpool will follow in 2026. Certainly various band members have spoken positively about such an idea but we will have to wait and see if it happens. It’s worth remembering that the Inside The Pleasuredome box set of 2014 wasn’t followed by a Liverpool equivalent, which suggests a caution amongst record company executives about stepping out of the ‘safe zone’ that is 1984 and the Pleasuredome singles. Watch this space…

Phil Collins’ No Jacket Required got the Steven Wilson treatment with a Dolby Atmos Mix and a physical blu-ray release, last year. SDE expects more Collins’ albums to be mixed in Atmos with Face Value a likely candidate as the next release.

We should hopefully see more from both Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler in the next 12 months as the reissue campaign continues and likewise the positive activity around Bryan Ferry’s back catalogue is a great thing and we are most likely to see a Boys and Girls reissue on CD and vinyl (Ferry mentioned that they were doing archive work on this album when I spoke to him early last year).

George Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh was remastered and made available on streaming in 2024 and we know from Dhani Harrison that work is ongoing both from a film restoration point of view and on audio mixes. Whether anything will be ready for release this year, is not clear, but this feels like the next major George project at this moment in time.

The Later Years 2001-2020 is a 7CD box set featuring Level 42’s most recent output which is already on the schedules for March and after a massive year for Oasis, we will definitely see more reissues and a glut tour related releases, including a live album on CD, vinyl and video formats.

Madonna is expected to release a new album in 2026. Recorded with Stuart Price in the producer’s seat, Madge has described it as Confessions On A Dance Floor Part 2, although to SDE that sounds more like a working title than the actual name. One thing is for sure, when it comes to reissues (the “multi-year catalog series” was announced over four years ago) don’t get your hopes up. This non-starter of a campaign is like when you were a kid, hoping for a BMX for Christmas and you actually get socks. That’s where we’re at with Madonna. If the new album comes out early enough in the year, then there could be time to do something with the catalogue in ‘Q4’ but even if that does happen, we know what to expect.

Pet Shop Boys seem to be in a more nostalgic mood than usual and in April they play five consecutive nights a London’s tiny Electric Ballroom in Camden under the banner ‘Obscure’ where they will play “only non-single album tracks and B‑sides from across their acclaimed career”. Whether this translates into any kind of reissue activity is So Hard to say. There’s plenty they could do, including some kind of remix collection or even another B-sides compilation. Please is 40 in 2026 and while they’ve done two rounds of reissues to date, their debut album would make sure a good super deluxe edition you do just wish that they’d do it and stop being so stubborn. Chris and Neil resigned to Parlophone for 2024’s excellent, Nonetheless which must surely help. And I know I speak for many when I say PSB albums in Dolby Atmos – especially the first 4 or 5 – would be most welcome!

Pink Floyd are on a roll with two number one albums in 2025. With The Dark Side of The Moon, Wish You Were Here and Animals all reissued in recent times and all now available in Dolby Atmos, the focus must surely now turn to 1979’s The Wall which has not been reissued since 2012 and has never even been issued in 5.1 surround sound, never mind Atmos. In the old days, reissuing this Waters-heavy project might have been problematic, but since the $400m sale to Sony in 2024 (which covers recordings and image rights) the individual members are free from what David Gilmour described as the “mud bath” of past disagreements. This is good news for fans and Sony seem motivated and hungry for more success with Pink Floyd. If it happens another number one album would not be out of the question.

Prince’s Around The World in a Day was reissued late last year, but the Dolby Atmos Mix was only available on streaming. SDE expects this to end up on blu-ray in 2026, just like Purple Rain, but there’s no official news as yet.

Queen’s second album, 1974’s Queen II is confirmed (by Brian May) as coming in 2026 and like Queen / Queen I this has been rebuilt and remixed for release and there will also be a Dolby Atmos Mix available. The new version will contain a previously unreleased Queen version of ‘Not for Sale (Polar Bear)’ a song originally recorded by Brian May and Roger Taylor’s band Smile.

Last year Sting allowed expanded CD editions of many of his classic albums to be released in Japan and there was also a new super deluxe of his musical The Last Ship. However, it doesn’t seem very likely that anything will be reissued from his classic era since Sting has committed to a very busy schedule of touring, with The Last Ship residencies in Amsterdam, Paris and Brisbane taking him up to May and followed by more stripped down Sting 3.0 tour dates in Europe and America until late summer.

Talking Heads reissues in recent years have been excellent, if somewhat pricey. Fans will be looking forward to 1979’s brilliant Fear of Music which will almost certainly appear this year, since the first two albums were reissued in 2024 and 2025, respectively. Expect a 3CD+blu-ray set with outtakes, live material and a Dolby Atmos Mix, in the same large format book packaging

Tears For Fears will head back to the studio in 2026 and there are rumours of a possible UK tour later on this year. Steven Wilson’s as yet unreleased Dolby Atmos Mix of The Seeds Of Love may well see the light of day before the year is out although personally I’d love to see some activity around 2004/5’s Everybody Loves A Happy Ending which is very much a hidden gem in their back catalogue (and hasn’t been commercially issued on vinyl). 1993’s Elemental deserves some attention too, but since Curt was not involved in that project it seems unlikely to be given any priority.

U2 are widely expected to release a new album this year, nine years after 2017’s Songs of Experience. In terms of reissues, Pop is probably the most requested although maybe they will wait for next year’s 30th anniversary before tackling that one.

The Who seem to be in a happy place with reissues at this moment in time, having approved some fantastic box sets and reissue campaigns in the last couple of years (Who’s Next, Who Are You, etc.). But they are running out of albums that haven’t been done. The Who By Numbers, Face Dances and It’s Hard are all theoretical candidates for expanded reissues/box sets.

Despite touring extensively to support last year’s very well received The Overview and keeping busy remixing numerous classic albums in Dolby Atmos, Steven Wilson has found the time to record a brand new solo record which will be released in 2026. A concept album, Steven has told SDE that it is “quite angular and experimental” by his standards and has a “folk horror” vibe. The lyrics are courtesy of XTC legend Andy Partridge and we can expect “lots of unusual sounds and tracks that unfold in unexpected ways”.

Neil Young has been planning the fourth volume of his long-running Archives series for some time now. It’s expected to cover the period 1987 to some time in the mid-2000s, possibly as late as 2007. We may get this in 2026, or we may not. One thing about NY is that you cannot complain about levels of activity – there’s always some new album or reissue of something old coming out. We should celebrate this attitude and look forward to whatever 2026 may bring.

Do you know of any reissues confirmed for 2026? Leave a comment and let us know!?

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