Just when I begin to think that every important album or rare out-of-print single is available somewhere in the digital mist in a glossy remastered edition or included in a fancy box set, along comes the Fresh Maggots' 1971 debut, an album that - until this week's CD reissue - consistently brought more than $400 on eBay in its original LP format. Known and coveted by connoisseurs of the psychedelic British folk sound that reaches from The Incredible String Band, Pentangle, and Bill Fay to Robyn Hitchcock, Beta Band, Devendra Banhart, and other new cosmic travelers, this five-star masterpiece of hypnotic vocals, electric fuzz guitar, trippy tin whistle, and shimmering six- and 12-string guitars is a must-seek-out aural experience. It's too bad the neighborhood planetarium isn't still running the eternal Pink Floyd laser show, as this would make the perfect seating music. Released by England's Sunbeam Records, and available on audiophile vinyl LP reissue on Germany's Soundroom imprint, these sessions capture the young duo of Mick Burgoyne and Leigh Dolphin, both 19 at the time of this recording, together in a golden, magic moment. Bonus tracks, interview introductions, and enlightening new liner notes round out the CD nicely.
If it's dark and raining this coming Tuesday, I welcome you to dig deep into the blues and huddle up to some misery-sharing company in three excellent new CDs that continue the lonesome soul tradition. My pick of the week is one of these new blues gems - Greg Brown's The Evening Call, a sinewy, wandering philosopher's masterpiece, a slow-motion, story-telling Americana diary that waltzes to the witty, pensive, poetic beat of Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and Todd Snider.
Back before Blockbuster, Netflix, and other instant-gratification services, seeking out that elusive hipster film took a lot of praying and the luck of an art-house theater in your city to satisfy one's craving. One of those great rock-and-roll films that brought the excitement of a live concert was Rude Boy from 1980, a gritty street drama mixed with live footage from The Clash in 1978 performing every song from their white-hot self-titled debut. For years, fans passed around poorly copied dubs of its 1991 VHS release or searched for a copy on eBay, but the film returns this coming Tuesday in full DVD glory. The Epic Records' Legacy imprint release is packed with bonus goodies, including BBC sessions, interviews with sex-shop-worker-turned-roadie Ray Gange and band manager Johnny Green, a gallery of photography and sketches, and the original theatrical trailer. Also extended with four deleted scenes and two songs cut from the original presentation, the DVD technology allows the viewer to play only the concert footage, uninterrupted. A mesmerizing peek into the politically volatile times of the United Kingdom in the late 1970s, this is the early history of "the only band that ever really mattered."
I'm loving every raindrop of sound in Raul Malo's new covers collection, You're Only Lonely. Due this coming Tuesday on the eclectic Sanctuary Records imprint, the Mavericks vocalist evokes a forgotten, crushed-velvet Roy Orbison world, spellbinding in his rich, golden tone and slow-dance restraint. And what could be more perfect than the lush brush of producer Peter Asher, a boy wonder in the '60s as half of Peter & Gordon and a master producer in the '80s with Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, and 10,000 Maniacs? I found myself deeply moved with melancholy nostalgia with each listen, remembering the heyday of AM radio, when everyone - from the farmer chewing on a thin green stalk to the housewife in the big city setting the table - was humming along to the same, infectious melody. The song choices are impeccable, from J.D. Souther's title track to Randy Newman's "Feels Like Home" to a bonus duet with Martina McBride. Other highlights include The Bee Gees' "Run to Me," Harry Nilsson's "Remember," and the most haunting rendition of Willie Nelson's "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" I've ever heard. This is turn-down-the-lights music, serious baby-making stuff.
Two terrific new "rockumentary" DVDs were released earlier this week, aimed at the heart of Baby Boomer punks who formed their political ideology under the passion of The Clash and mixed it up to the hyper, free-thinking, free-jazz scramble of punk's 90-second jam band, The Minutemen. Image Entertainment offers up Let's Rock Again!, a loving portrait of Clash frontman Joe Strummer in his final year and a half, touring with his band The Mescaleros before his death in 2002. Far too mentally spry and sly to be called grandfatherly, Strummer was newly humble and motivated, stepping out from a self-described "11-year layoff" and climbing up again from the bottom, even cheerfully resorting to handing out advertisements on Atlantic City's boardwalk. Filmed on stage and off by personal friend Dick Rude, Strummer muses on how going from "a hero to zero is good for your soul," and shares an earnest goal of breaking even on his new record.
The
psychedelic conspirators at Melted Mailbox Records have the lysergic
solution, looking to use your tone arm's needle instead of a
syringe to trip your light fantastic. Later this month the
wax-friendly label will issue the first limited-edition 12-inch
single in its new Melted Mailbox Vinyl Club, a bi-monthly program
that for $70 could be the best pen pal an experimental- music
aficionado could ever have.
Following up on a collection of kids' music that won't drive adults bonkers, the manufacturer of exceptional children's bedroom furniture, The Land of Nod, has released a second CD to entertain the little one in all of us. For the XTC fan, the 14-track disc features two lost songs by Andy Partridge, "Don't Let Us Bug Ya" and "Everything'll Be Alright," originally written in 1996 when he thought he had sealed the gig to score the film adaptation of James & the Giant Peach. Other tickles for your ears come from Cake, which turns in a zippy take on the classic ditty "Mahna Mahna" (sound it out; you'll recognize it!) and the Mr. T Experience, getting its learn on with "Unpack Your Adjectives."
Cheap Trick is back at the top of its game with an all-new CD
this coming Tuesday, Rockford, named for the group’s Illinois hometown.
The Big3 Records release features a handful of songs recorded by
post-punk champion Steve Albini, and the first single, “Perfect Stranger,” was co-written and produced by star-making songwriter Linda Perry of 4 Non Blondes.Subscribe & Listen to Reader Podcasts
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