If It's Tuesday, It Must Be Street Date: 11/02/10

7 WALKERS- 7 WALKERS

Dead drummer extraordinot Bill Kreutzmann, legendary Meters bassist George Porter Jr., Austin voodoo man Papi Mali, and multi-instrumentalist Matt Hubbard have put together a collection of New Orleans-centric tunes around Robert Hunter lyrics for a laid back and groovy record that, at its heart, really just sounds like a Papa Mali record. But that's good! There's nothing earth-shattering here, but it's got some soul and all the right clanks, honks, and twangs to appeal to fans of all involved.

BUY IT HERE--->http://www.amazon.com/7-Walkers/dp/B0043A0Q4I/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1288635400&sr=1-1









AFROCUBISM- AFROCUBISM

"In 1996, a group of Mali's finest musicians were due to fly into Havana for a speculative collaboration with some of Cuba's most brilliant singers and instrumentalists. For reasons that have never been made clear, the Malians never arrived. A very different album was recorded: 'The Buena Vista Social Club'. The rest, as they say, is multi-million selling history."

This is a beautiful record, sharing the same vibe as the Buena Vista Social Club, but with a Malian slant. Unique and joyous, I say! (And I mean it!)

BUY IT HERE--->http://www.amazon.com/AfroCubism/dp/B0041ON2ZG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288635446&sr=1-1








ELVIS COSTELLO- NATIONAL RANSOM

I've been listening to this record and reading the raves for weeks now. My initial thoughts on both the record and the overzealous reviewers were unkind. I've mellowed.

The comparisons to "King Of America" are not completely unfounded. "National Ransom" has plenty of the acoustic roots music found on KOA, but KOA is in my Elvis top 3, and nothing here comes close to the brilliance of the songs on that record.

But it is EC, so I don't give up easily and "Ransom" has grown on me, but just a bit. One problem is the muddy production. The whole time you're feeling like you wanna blow dust off the needle, or tell your oblivious friend to stop standing in front of your speakers.

The other problem, sadly, is the songs. Nothing here sticks to your ribs the way an Elvis Costello song should. He's older and his writing has changed. But even his last two, unfairly dismissed releases, "Momofuku" and "Secret, Profane & Sugarcane" had songs I remembered and wanted to hear again. So far, with "National Ransom," that's not the case.

The ballads are lugubrious. Vaudeville pieces like "Jimmie Standing In The Rain" and "A Slow Drag With Josephine" are just plain annoying. And the supposed rockers like "The Spell That You Cast," "Five Small Words" and the title track are tuneless, and they just don't rock.

It's not all bad. Costello still knows how to tell a story and grab hold of your soul. "Stations Of The Cross," and "Church Underground," both sounding like something from the "Spike" sessions, as well as "Dr. Watson, I Presume," and "All These Strangers" all possess the qualities every EC fan waits for, album after album.

My feeling is that "National Ransom" will get even better. But right now it feels like a homework assignment, where you'd rather be doing something else, though you know if you stick with it, you'll feel gratified.

BUY IT HERE--->http://www.amazon.com/National-Ransom-Elvis-Costello/dp/B003ZDZ1XK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288635479&sr=1-1








NEIL DIAMOND- DREAMS

I'm a fan. I like the cool early stuff on Bang. I like the big, sing-a-long hits of the 70s. I don't mind the post "Jazz Singer" stuff. (It served a purpose.) And the recent Rick Rubin records were solid, though admittedly, rarely played in my household after the initial listen. But this type of record makes me wanna yack.

Neil takes a dozen classics from 60s and 70s, and lathers them up with his special brand of melodrama. The unnecessary over-singing serves no purpose other than to make the already camp "Alone Again (Naturally)" even more hilarious. And speaking of hilarious, try listening to his take on The Eagles' "Desperado" without thinking of Walter Brennan. I dare you.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE--->http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-Neil-Diamond/dp/B0041U7RE2/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1288635503&sr=1-1







BRIAN ENO- SMALL CRAFT ON A MILK SEA

''The work in this collection is a result of an occasional collaboration between myself, Leo Abrahams and Jon Hopkins. The two of them are gifted young player/composers whose work, like mine, is intimately connected to the possibilities and freedoms of electronic music. Over the last few years we've worked together several times, enjoying exploring the huge new sonic territories now available to musicians. Mostly the pieces on this album resulted not from 'composition' in the classical sense, but from improvisation. The improvisations are not attempts to end up with a song, but rather with a landscape, a feeling of a place and perhaps the suggestion of an event. In a sense they deliberately lack 'personality': there is no singer, no narrator, no guide as to what you ought to be feeling. If these pieces had been used in films, the film would complete the picture. As they stand, they are the mirror-image of silent movies - sound-only movies.'' --Brian Eno

There's more than enough on this release that reminds me of Eno's masterpiece "Another Green World," though, as Eno himself said, there are no vocal tracks. I can't say this record is for everyone, but if you're a fan, this is quite good.

BUY IT HERE--->http://www.amazon.com/Small-Craft-Milk-Sea-Brian/dp/B0040V7J36/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288635582&sr=1-1








PAUL MCCARTNEY & WINGS- BAND ON THE RUN (DELUXE EDITION)

The usual bells and whistles have been applied to this new deluxe edition of Paul's classic. Unfortunately, these particular bells and whistles are not that appealing. At least, not to me, as it seems it's not that much different than what's been out before. The addition of the first time officially released "One Hand Clapping" stuff is ho-hum.

Band on the Run will be available in a variety of formats originating with the single disc digitally remastered, essential 9-track STANDARD EDITION. The 3 disc (2CD, 1 DVD) SPECIAL EDITION features nine bonus audio tracks (including the top 10 smash "Helen Wheels"), rare footage of the McCartneys in Lagos and behind-the-scenes at the famous album cover shoot, original Band on the Run promotional video clips, the One Hand Clapping television special (highlighted by studio performances filmed at Abbey Road in 1974) all with beautifully enhanced packaging. Collectors will be especially thrilled by the 4 disc (3CD, 1 DVD) DELUXE EDITION which adds an extraordinary 120-page hard bound book containing many unseen and unpublished photos by Linda McCartney and Clive Arrowsmith, album and single artwork, downloadable hi-res audio versions of the remastered album and bonus audio tracks, a full history of the album complete with a new interview with Paul and expanded track by track information for all four discs. The deluxe edition also includes a special Band on the Run audio documentary (originally produced for the 25th Anniversary edition.) The original remastered album and bonus audio content will also be issued in a 2 disc 180gm audiophile VINYL EDITION that comes with an MP3 download of all 18 tracks


BUY IT HERE--->http://www.amazon.com/Band-Run-Deluxe-1DVD-Combo/dp/B003XX2O8W/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1288635624&sr=1-2

CHEAP VERSION HERE--->http://www.amazon.com/Band-Run-Special-1DVD-Combo/dp/B003W2HKSS/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1288635624&sr=1-1



ALSO OUT THIS WEEK

THE AUTUMN DEFENSE- ONCE AROUND
http://www.amazon.com/Once-Around-Autumn-Defense/dp/B00435KL0C/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1288635683&sr=1-1

HUEY LEWIS & THE NEWS- SOULSVILLE
http://www.amazon.com/Soulsville-Huey-Lewis-News/dp/B0042NJ0LQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1288635702&sr=1-1

N.E.R.D.- NOTHING
http://www.amazon.com/Nothing-n-r-d/dp/B003U82O8K/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1288635719&sr=1-1

NEVILLE BROTHERS- AUTHORIZED BOOTLEG: WARFIELD THEATRE, 1989
http://www.amazon.com/Authorized-Bootleg-Warfield-Theatre-Francisco/dp/B003XQRZ2O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1288635738&sr=1-1-spell

V/A- 25TH ANNIVERSARY ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME CONCERTS
http://www.amazon.com/25th-Anniversary-Rock-Roll-Concerts/dp/B0042ZH87C/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1288635766&sr=1-3