If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Street Date - 11/25/08

Not quite the holiday onslaught of box sets and gift ideas, but still some great stuff.


THE BABYS- THE BABYS/BROKEN HEART


Arguably one of the best voices in rock and roll, John Waite's first band The Babys, were a bit hard to categorize. Zep heavy riffs, with the occasional soul arrangement and power pop harmonies to boot. The UK two-fer features their not bad debut coupled with their even better sophomore release that featured the hit "Isn't It Time."



JEFF BECK- PERFORMING THIS WEEK...LIVE AT RONNIE SCOTT'S.

In 2007, Jeff Beck played a series of shows at the famed UK nightclub Ronnie Scott's. Probably needed a new Hemi for his Austin Healy. (wow, did that come out of my mouth?) Beck's playing has gotten better over the years. Just take a look at this, which I believe was taken from the same shows that this CD was recorded. NO ONE plays like this.








COLDPLAY- PROSPEKT'S MARCH E.P.


These are the songs that the band hadn't completed in time for the release of Viva La Vida. That sounds a bit shaky to me. Could be a bunch of throwaways. Or was that Viva La Vida?




DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES- LIVE AT THE TROUBADOUR- CD/DVD

35 years after their first performance at L.A.'s Troubadour, H&O make a return trip for a very special evening. The band is stripped down, not in size but in wattage, as they revisit the earlier, acoustic soul tracks of their classic "Abandoned Luncheonette" and more. The guys haven't sounded this good in years. This set is available as a 2 CD set, or with a DVD of the performance, as well.



GRACE JONES- HURRICANE

Miss Jones' first release in 20 years has all the makings of ...something, just not sure what. Brian Eno, Sly & Robbie, and Wally Badarou are all here. So is Mikey Chung. And Tricky. And Wendy & Lisa. The first single, "William's Blood" is AWESOME! It's what you were waiting for. Slick and smart. Great chorus. Perfect. But the record is a bit uneven. Dancehall reggae tracks like "This Is Life" sneak up on you in a good way, while the sci-fi techno goofiness of "Corporate Cannibal" just gets under your skin. Bottom line- something from Grace Jones is better than nothing from Grace Jones and "Hurricane" is better than not bad.


THE KILLERS- DAY & AGE


3rd release from the band that doesn't know what it wants to be. U2? Bruce Springsteen? Haven't heard a note yet, so you are on your own.








PICK OF THE WEEK

THE FIREMAN- ELECTRIC ARGUMENTS

The first two releases from The Fireman, Paul McCartney's ambient side project, sounded like little more than new agey sound bytes and electronic beats and rhythms. In other words, a whole lotta nuffum. "ELECTRIC ARGUMENTS," on the other hand, resembles Sir Paul circa "RAM," with a twist. Once again teamed with ex-Killing Joke member Youth, the duo created this record in the space of one day, and while admittedly, the songs don't always sound complete, there is a quality that Beatles fanatics should recognize and embrace. It is Sir Paul experimenting with vocals and melody that to my ears, squashes the amelodic pap of his last two overrated releases, the Grammy nominated dreck "Chaos & Creation In The Backyard" and the insipid-even-for-Paul "Memory Almost Full." I like this record.


R.E.M.- MURMUR 2 CD DELUXE EDITION

1983 debut from Stipe, Buck and the boys gets remastered, and now includes a bonus disc featuring a live concert from July of '83. Pretty cool for R.E.M. fans.

SCOTT WEILAND- HAPPY IN GALOSHES

The troubled lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver releases his follow-up to "12 Songs" and it's a killer. Every song is packed with melody and enough hooks to...WHAT? EVERYONE...snag a flounder. The songs resemble the Beatle-esque, radio-friendly hits of the Pilots, and Weiland's voice shows no sign of abuse. Even has a not bad remake of Bowie's "Fame."





KANYE WEST---808S & HEARTBREAK

Buy this or he won't be your friend anymore


That's some of the story this week.