As we head into the Best Reissue or Archival Release portion of our 2012 Ultimate Classic Rock Awards, it's important to remember not only what made these releases great in the first place, but what makes them still relevant and in many cases even more enlightening now.

For instance, David Bowie's 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars' was a groundbreaking record for the rocker initially, and who wouldn't want to dig farther into the history and music lying around from an album about a space alien-turned-rock star? The 40th anniversary reissue arrived earlier this year and kicks off our poll.

Freddie Mercury was mostly known for his Queen material, but the 'Barcelona' album that he recorded with Montserrat Caballe got a special update this year, with the songs on the disc now backed with an orchestra.

The Doors double-dipped this year in this category. First up was the stellar 40th anniversary edition of their 'L.A. Woman,' and later in the year a restored performance from the band's Hollywood Bowl performance, titled 'Live at the Bowl '68,' showed off one of their finest concert moments.

Pink Floyd continued to delve deeper into their history, with both the 'Experience' and 'Immersion' versions of their 'The Wall' album, following in the footsteps of last year's 'Dark Side of the Moon' 'Experience' and 'Immersion' versions.

Legendary producer Bob Ezrin was called back into action to remix the band's classic 'Destroyer' album, with the band's initially rejected artwork reinstated for the reissued 'Destroyer / Resurrected' edition.

Meanwhile, standout albums like Paul McCartney's 'Ram,' Velvet Underground & Nico's self-titled release, Jethro Tull's 'Thick as a Brick,' Judas Priest's 'Screaming for Vengeance' and T. Rex's 'The Slider' also resurfaced in 2012 to remind fans of how great the original recordings were and to generate new interest with the addition of additional live, demo or studio material.

Those are the nominees for the Best Reissue or Archival Release. Did you pick up any of the new versions this year? Do you have a favorite among the choices? Vote now to make sure you voice is heard in this category. Voting ends Jan. 15, 2013, with the winners announced the following day (Jan. 16, 2013).

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