With Spider-Man 3 swinging into theaters on May 4, next week the soundtrack comes calling in a variety of packages. Featuring exclusive songs from Snow Patrol, Wolfmother, The Walkmen, and The Killers, the soundtrack includes a track from the Flaming Lips that has my mind salivating with possibility at the title "The Supreme Being Teaches Spider-Man How to Be in Love." A limited-edition eight-inch box set is made to resemble Spidey's rubberized suit, with a 32-page hardcover book, collectible cards, and one more Flaming Lips song, as the band rips through the "Theme from Spider-Man." Turntable spinners aren't left out, either, as a two-LP gatefold set and a series of four different picture discs are due from Record Collection Records. Spider-Man fever is also burning up Broadway, as Tony Award winner Julie Taymor (of Lion King fame) is working with Bono and The Edge of U2 on an upcoming live-theatre production.
Three new import-only CDs are heading for American shores this coming Tuesday, all worth looking for. Hot off the announcement of a re-formed Squeeze tour that kicks off at the end of July, Glenn Tilbrook is releasing The Past Has Been Bottled, a collection of 18 demos from the East Side Story album. Later this year, Tilbrook is joining a group of musicians, cancer survivors, and mountaineers to scale Mt. Everest and to lead an international concert series to benefit the Nepal Cancer Society, featuring members of The Alarm, The Stray Cats, English Beat, and The Cult. Concerts will take place in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Wales, and at the base of the mountain in Kathmandu. Look for VH1 and the BBC to document and promote the event.
Midnight Oil is back with an Australia-only CD and DVD set, Best of Both Worlds on the Triple J Records imprint. The CD, Oils On the Water, captures the band on Goat Island in Sydney Harbour in 1985, while the DVD, Saturday Night at the Capitol, is from 1982.
Famed record producer Martin Hannett's work with Joy Division comes under a new light in Personal Mixes. Packed with outtakes and alternative mixes, these fly-on-the-wall selections reveal in-studio chatter between the producer and the band.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno hosts Macy Gray on Thursday, Kings of Leon on Friday, Kaiser Chiefs on Monday, and Patti Smith on Tuesday; The Late Show with David Letterman welcomes Bela Fleck with Steve Martin (yes, the comedian possesses mad banjo skills), the return of Dinosaur Jr. on Monday, and Modest Mouse on Tuesday; The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson presents Simply Red this evening and Good Charlotte on Friday overnight; Jimmy Kimmel Live hands over the keys to The Nightwatchmen tonight, Arctic Monkeys on Thursday, The Cinematics on Friday, and Pink on Monday overnight; The Ellen DeGeneres Show gets chatty with Lily Allen on Thursday; and The Henry Rollins Show on IFC features musical guest The Mars Volta this weekend.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, May 1:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.
Afghan Whigs - Unbreakable: A Retrospective (Rhino) anthology featuring two new songs
Tori Amos - American Doll Posse (Epic) also available with a bonus DVD
ALO (Animal Liberation Orchestra) - Roses & Clover (Brushfire) rocking the ukulele on the funky "Plastic Bubble"
Joan Armatrading - Into the Blues (429/Savoy)
Frank Black - Christmass (Cooking Vinyl) acoustic hotel-room demos highlight this CD/DVD set
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81 (RCA) also available in a limited edition with bonus tracks
Michael Bublé - Call Me Irresponsible (Reprise) with covers of Leonard Cohen's "I'm Your Man," Gamble & Huff's "Me & Mrs. Jones," Mel Tormé's "Comin' Home Baby" with guests Boys II Men, and Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" with Brazilian singer Ivan Lens
The Clutters - Don't Believe a Word (Chicken Ranch Records) Nashville garage rock featuring the song "9999 (Ways to Hate Us)"
Elvis Costello - The Best of Elvis Costello: The First 10 Years (Hip-O/Universal) 22-track collection coinciding with next week's brief American tour
Elvis Costello - Rock & Roll Music (Hip-O/Universal) B-sides and rarities anthology featuring a demo of "Welcome to the Working Week" and an alternative version of "Honey, Are You Straight Or Are You Blind?"
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond (Fat Possum) reunited and recorded in J. Mascis' home studio
Dinosaur Jr. - Beyond (Play It Again Sam) vinyl edition with a bonus seven-inch single tucked inside
Paul Duncan - Above the Trees (Hometapes) with guests Christopher Bear of Grizzly Bear and Doug McCombs of Tortoise
The Fall of Troy - Manipulator (Equal Vision) also available in a deluxe edition with a bonus live CD
Feist - The Reminder (Cherry Tree/Interscope) featuring the song "Brandy Alexander," co-written with Ron Sexsmith
Robbie Fulks - Revenge! (Yep Roc) funny, live two-CD set split between his romping four-piece band and acoustic performance, boasting a must-hear solo cover of Cher's "Believe"
Girl in a Coma - Both Before I'm Gone (Blackheart) all-girl trio taking their name and a lot of inspiration from The Smiths
The Good, the Bad, & the Queen - "Green Fields" (EMI/Honest Jon's) import-only third single from their new album, with a variety of exclusive tracks spread over the CD EP and two seven-inch singles
Gov't Mule - Live at Roseland Ballroom (Evil Teen) featuring a bonus cover of Jimi Hendrix' "Voodoo Chile"
Ari Hest - The Break-in (Columbia) featuring "Bird Never Flies," co-written with Gary Louris of The Jayhawks
The Fred Hersch Trio - Night & the Music (Palmetto) with covers of Thelonious Monk's "Boo Boo's Birthday" and "Misterioso"
Kalli - While the City Sleeps (One Little Indian) from Iceland, the former voice of Without Gravity goes solo
Angelique Kidjo - Djin Djin (Razor & Tie) with guests Carlos Santana, Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, and Peter Gabriel
Chantal Kreviazuk - Ghost Stories (Nettwerk) on tour now with Five for Fighting
Miranda Lambert - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Epic) featuring a cover of Gillian Welch's "Dry Town"
The Mission - God's a Bullet (Oblivion) all new from Wayne Hussey, with guests from All About Eve and cellist Caroline Dale
Protest Hill - The City Echoes Our Hearts (Latest Flame) solo album from RFK Heise of System & Station
Rush - Snakes & Arrows (Anthem/Atlantic) the band's first new music in five years
The Scientists - Sedition: Scientists Live (All Tomorrow's Parties) recorded last year in London, the Australian band is back to its killer, early-1980s lineup in this special moleskin-covered CD package featuring liner notes by Henry Rollins, Jon Spencer, and Thurston Moore
Skull Time - Skull Time (Latest Flame) head-banging snarl from Milwaukee
Todd Snider - The Devil You Know (New Door) DVD with music videos and live footage from Grimey's Records in Nashville
Telefon Tel Aviv - Remixes Compiled (Hefty) featuring a remix of Nine Inch Nails' "Even Deeper"
Tangerine Dream - Madcap's Flaming Duty (East Gate) import-only, dedicated to former Pink Floyd guitarist Syd Barrett
Tilomo - Soft Lunch (1K Recordings) electronic score created for the modern Scottish Dance Theater
Patrick Wolf - The Magic Position (Fontana/Universal) featuring guest vocalist Marianne Faithfull on "Magpie"
Warren Zevon - Preludes: Rare & Unreleased Recordings (Ammal) two-CD set of early material discovered by his son, featuring an interview from Austin's KGSR-FM
various artists - New Arrivals: Volume 2 (MPress) 18 songs selected from more than 1,000 entries, with all proceeds benefiting World Hunger Year
various artists - A Tribute to Elvis Costello (JVC Victor) Japan-only compilation of Japanese artists
