BLACK SABBATH- REISSUES
First three gloomy & doomy, hard & heavy classics, "BLACK SABBATH," "PARANOID," AND "MASTERS OF REALITY" get their first individual remastered release in the US. (Put on "Fairies Wear Boots." I guarantee you'll dig it.)
MAURICE BROWN- THE CYCLE OF LOVE
Long-awaited follow-up to one of my favorite jazz debuts of all time ("Hip To Bop"--buy it HERE), Maurice Brown returns with "The Cycle Of Love," once again showcasing his brilliance on the trumpet and his depth as a composer. More about Maurice and his new release can be found in my interview at The Huffington Post. But before you go, give a listen to "Time Tick Tock" from "The Cycle Of Love."
TIME TICK TOCK
DRIVE BY TRUCKERS- BIG TO DO
The DBTs are one of those bands that I've tried desperately, record after record to like, but just can't seem to find that thing everyone else seems to find. The band is back with another sure-to-be critics fave. So many friends of mine swear by these guys, and Patterson Hood seems like a guy who deserves respect, especially after his fine work with Bettye Lavette, but I can't tell one DBT album from another.
LOCKSLEY- BE IN LOVE
Their 2007 debut knocked me out with their Beatles meets Small Faces brand of punchy rock and roll. "Be In Love" is more of the same.
GRAHAM PARKER- IMAGINARY TELEVISION
"Inspired by the grossly lame themes used for sitcoms and television dramas, ''Imaginary Television'' is Graham Parker thinking outside of ''the box,'' or maybe inside it. Parker created his own TV treatments, wrote the tunes to go along with them, and rocking ensued. " Okay. I am sure this will be considered one of the greatest records of all-time...by Graham Parker.
THE RUNAWAYS- MERCURY ALBUMS ANTHOLOGY
Just in time for the release of the film, "The Runaways," here is a limited edition set featuring, Cherie, Joan, Lita, Jackie and the late Sandy doing what they did best, at the tender of 16, for 3 records on Mercury. There are some real clinkers across these three records---"The Runaways," "Queens Of Noise," and "Waiting For The Night"---but some of it was pretty rocking, like this track from their debut.
YOU DRIVE ME WILD
THE WHITE STRIPES- UNDER THE GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS
Live document of Jack & Meg's 2007 tour of Canada. Also available as a DVD. And by the way, I am always up for a "Are the White Stripes really deserving of the hype?" debate, because as you may or may not know, I say...no.
WEA ORIGINAL ALBUM SERIES
I'm not one to get behind the relentless repackaging of older records, but this series seems pretty worthwhile. Each mini-box contains the first five albums of the artists being reissued, all for around $20-25. I can't say for sure what is or isn't remastered, but it's still a nice place to start for any of the artists involved.
Here's what's being released today:
PAUL BUTTERFIELD
THE CARS
RAY CHARLES
DOKKEN
DR. JOHN
ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN
FOREIGNER
J. GEILS BAND
JESUS & MARY CHAIN
RICKIE LEE JONES
LITTLE FEAT
LOS LOBOS
THE MONKEES
THE POGUES
THE PRETENDERS
CHRIS REA
LINDA RONSTADT
SISTERS OF MERCY
WARREN ZEVON
5 comments:
Some of the 5 CD repackages look interesting. But from a marketing standpoint I wonder: if you like an artist enough to buy 5 of their albums, isn't it likely you already have a lot of their material?
And some of the artists are the kind where I want (or have) one or two of their best albums and maybe a greatest hits and that's plenty...
Checking the Amazon link, I see nothing about remastering or extra tracks. it would seem like this is purely boxing up old albums. Odd these didn't come out right before Christmas. They would appear to have "the perfect gift for that boomer uncle" written all over them.
And where'd you see that $20-25 price? Amazon has marked some down to about $30 but some are the full $42 list. (I see where they're less at some European sellers but after shipping it's probably a wash.) Maybe someday they'll wind up at Costco for $17.99 (I can hope, right?)
Anyone who doesn't have Warren Zevon's first five albums should rectify that immediately.
Good points, Ken & Troy...
BUT..
I don't think there are any additional shipping charges if you are in the US and are ordering from the UK.
Also...I can't just assume everyone reading has all this stuff.
Actually, as much as I love those J. Geils CDs, I don't actually own any of'em. So...'tis a good deal, no?
sal, i am also in the tried-but-don't-get-it group on DBT. they just seem, well, boring and kind of obvious.
i heard parker's "mercury poisoning" the other day. back in the day when that song came out, i thought he had a point. now, much as i still love his first four ablums, i think, what was he talking about, he waas never going to be a star.
hey Big Bad,
I once read an interview with Graham Parker, right after "Struck By Lightning" came out...I think. The interviewer asked "What are your favorite Graham Parker songs?" And Parker replied something like "I haven't written a bad song yet." I don't think he was kidding, and he apparently hadn't listened to "Struck By Lightning."
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