BEST NEW REISSUES

After fifty years of shoddy compilations, Berry's entire 1950s Chess catalog — a whopping 103 songs — is finally available. Five minutely different takes of "Sweet Little Sixteen" may be too much for some, but hearing the rock pioneer labor over classics like "Johnny B. Goode" is like reading early drafts of the Declaration of Independence.

Beginning in 1954, this 100-song set is the first one that spans Nelson's entire fifty-year career — from his "Crazy" days through more recent work with Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash. LISTEN

A solo home demo of "Answering Machine" and a cover of T. Rex's "20th Century Boy" are two highlights of the bonus material on the Replacements' definitive album.

The "Father of Reggae" — and a major influence on Bob Marley — Higgs' seminal 1975 album is back on shelves with two additional tracks and vastly improved sound quality. LISTEN

A killer 1987 Paris concert DVD makes this set worth the price alone, but fourteen bonus tracks — especially "Wave of Sorrow" — show U2's masterpiece could have been a double album.

Check out everything ruling the rock universe in 2008