Back in the day when the vinyl LP ruled the world, one of the greatest thrills a record collector could stumble upon was the odd, privately pressed "bootleg" album - a secret, magical experience in which rabid fans met outlaw commerce, demanding that live concerts and other unsanctioned recordings be set free. Often hit-or-miss in terms of sound quality, one surefire way to pick a winner was to look for those LPs stamped with the image of a portly American Yorkshire hog and the words "Trade Mark of Quality." Bootlegging the bootlegger, Cleopatra Records uses that iconic image and the "swinging pig" logo to grace the cover of its new "underground" three-CD set, This Is Remixed Hits: Mashups & Rare 12-Inch Remixes. Highlights include a Razed in Black remix of Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" that sounds like a Nine Inch Nails outtake, Funkstar De Luxe's thumping reconstruction of Tom Jones' "She's a Lady," and a Sigue Sigue Sputnik remix of Warrant's "Cherry Pie" that sounds like a lost Zodiac Mindwarp session. The set features two more must-hear mashes: the Swing Cats' "surf guitar" remix of Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly" that could make a great game-show theme, and KRS-ONE giving Stephen Pearcy of Ratt a real smackdown in his rock-versus-rap mashup of "Round & Round."
Magic historian and sleight-of-hand master Ricky Jay has compiled a terrific new CD of songs bet, called, and won at the card table in Ricky Jay Plays Poker. In stores this week on the Octone/Legacy imprint, the 21 tracks are all dealer's choice, from Bob Dylan's "Ramblin' Gamblin' Willie" and Robert Johnson's "Little Queen of Spades" to Tex Williams' honky-tonk swing of "Wild Card" and the soul power of O.V. Wright's "Ace of Spades." A pair of classics receive the two-of-a-kind treatment, with the 1914 recording of "Darktown Poker Club" from Bert Williams and Phil "Baloo the Bear" Harris' later upbeat, groovy rendition, and "Ace In the Hole" by both Anita O'Day and Dave Van Ronk. I'm all-in for two oddball selections: "Five Card Stud" by the golden-voiced actor Lorne Green, and the minute and a half of musical tension and sampled movie dialogue in "Etienne Gonna Die" by Saint Etienne. Proving he's undoubtedly the most dangerous man in the room, a DVD in the "deluxe edition" puts Jay at the green felt with a few Hollywood friends, telling stories, breaking down poker psychology, and blowing minds from two feet away. Who needs a handgun when you can throw playing cards like an Army sniper? And don't ever, ever let him deal.
It's too bad that the summer driving season is over, as Shout Factory Records has compiled a third collection of stories from Chicago Public Radio's This American Life, perfect for unwinding on a long night's journey. Due next week, the two-CD Stories of Hope & Fear presents 11 thought-provoking and often very funny interviews and monologues from "normal" everyday citizens and audience favorites David Sedaris and Daily Show correspondent John Hodgman. Peppered with background music by Blonde Redhead, Evan Lurie, Morcheeba, Portastatic, and Calexico, producer Ira Glass's taste is perfectly subtle and mentally seductive.
Unshackled by the restraints of traditional CD manufacture and distribution, Yep Roc Records is using the "digital-only" delivery model to release a Halloween-themed compilation for groovy ghouls and boys. Available only as a download through the label's Web site for a budget price, the 15-track Rockin' Bones boasts the exclusive "Ghoulman Confidential" by the Fleshtones, and other tricks and treats from Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Robyn Hitchcock, The Minus 5, Radio Birdman, Los Straitjackets, and more.
Love is all around this coming Tuesday, as tribute CDs are falling like autumn's leaves. The Beatles are recipients of two such albums in their honor, one sweet and acoustic, the other snarling and turned up. Compiled and recorded for Mike Harding's BBC radio program in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Rubber Soul, the track-for-track recreation in Rubber Folk is an import-only CD worth looking for. The Gottdisc Records' release is a who's who of British folk artists, with Martin Simpson, Paul Brady, Ralph McTell, and others putting their stamp on each classic song. Haunting in its melodic a cappella glory, June Tabor turns in a solo vocal turn on "In My Life." Other perfect love letters in song include John Tams' ukulele stroll through "Girl" and the piano pop tenderness of Cora Dillion and Sam Lakeman on "Wait."
The Sadies have scored 26 instrumental tracks for the soundtrack to the new indie documentary film Tales of the Rat Fink, the life story of custom-car icon Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. With song titles such as "The Matador" and "The Borderline," the surf's up and the smell of rubber on asphalt is in the air, but it's too bad none of the dialogue from the film was included, as the voices of John Goodman, Jay Leno, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Robin Williams, Ann-Margret, and author Tom Wolfe are featured in the film. Look for the soundtrack next week on the Yep Roc label.
XTC fanatics, get ready to call in for a little of that sick time, as next Tuesday co-founder Andy Partridge releases a stunning nine-CD box set, Fuzzy Warbles Collector's Album, on his own Ape Records imprint. More than 100 songs are spread over the discs, collecting demos, outtakes, and other odd versions of XTC sessions during the band's Virgin Records years. Crafted to replicate the popular postage-stamp-collecting albums of the 1960s, the box contains an oversized booklet featuring his recording philosophy and session memories and a sheet of collectible faux postage stamps that duplicate each CD's design.
In a world where the size of album cover art continues to slide smaller with each new format, I salute Beck in his efforts to have a little fun with what visual space is left. Next week's release of his new Interscope CD, The Information, comes as a do-it-yourself project with a set of stickers and a blank cover as your workspace. Four different artists designed unique sticker sets, making each self-personalized cover a special little snowflake of love. Other goodies include homemade videos for every song, and the video for the first single, "Cell Phone's Dead," directed in black and white by the amazing Michel Gondry.
