04
Dec
2001
· My favorite new CD of the moment goes to Rick Altizer and his power -pop masterpiece All Tie Zer. Bearing the imprint of the Not Lame Recordings, a Colorado label serving up the best in indie pop, this new album is candy for the ears with its "Dear God"-era XTC meets Tom Petty cleverness and melancholy melodies.
Adrian Belew adds guitar wizardry and sizzling solos to the catchy mix of tape guns, ray guns, disco balls, and trash-can serenades. One particular track, "John Lennon's Glasses," is a moving ballad with lyrics that call to a voice much missed in these times: "Remember when we had a dream, and all we wanted was some peace, we've got to give it one more chance, imagine that, I know we can, looking through John Lennon's glasses ... ." Highly recommended. Look for the label to continue its magic next year, as it is working with the EMI label to issue a four-CD box set from the ultra-harmonic Jellyfish early next year.
· Some of the most captivating British alternative pop music these days is branded with the lovely Twisted Nerve imprint, and curious new ears should go directly to the label's new "allow me to introduce myself" CD sampler entitled Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Twisted Nerve, but Were Afraid to Ask. The delightful 19-track collection is a dreamy, cheerful affair featuring a new song from critics' darling Badly Drawn Boy and other material by Alfie, Andy Votel, Misty Dixon, and other stablemates.
· Anticipation is high for the new No Doubt album, Rock Steady, due December 18 on the Interscope label. The self-described "party record" features a wide array of producers that range from Jamaican reggae legends Sly & Robbie, Ric Ocasek of the Cars, and U.K. dance-music remix agent William Orbit. The artist formerly and currently known as Prince contributes his production skills to "Waiting Room," a song he also wrote for the project.
· In conjunction with Koch International, the Mobile Fidelity label will be resurrected early next year. The audiophile record label set the standard for excellence when it originally debuted in 1977 with virgin-vinyl re-issues to die for. While no longer producing LPs, the label's commitment to quality promises to continue with new Gold CDs and Super Audio CDs. Look for a series of re-issues from the Kinks and three albums from jazz vocalist Patricia Barber.
· The Galactic Butt Hair Records label has just reissued its DJ Q-Bert film Wavetwisters on DVD. The expanded version of this full-length animated film is the ultimate homage to scratchy turntable artistry with commentary by directors Syd Garon and Eric Henry, deleted scenes, and two live video clips with controllable camera tricks in which you pick from among five viewpoints.
· Mark Kozelek of the Red House Painters is releasing a special two-LP set this week that pulls together all of his solo output, spread heavy with a curious fixation on the Bon Scott era of AC/DC. Entitled If You Want Blood and bearing the Badman Records logo, the double-vinyl set collects both his solo albums, Rock 'n' Roll Singer and What's Next to the Moon, plus bonus live versions of "Rock 'n' Roll Singer" and "Up To My Neck in You." Of the 18 songs found within the nice gatefold jacket, 14 of them are acoustic covers of Scott-penned AC/DC tracks, including "Bad Boy Boogie," "Riff Raff," and "You Ain't Got a Hold On Me."
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Pink on Friday, Elton John on Monday, and Alicia Keys on Tuesday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Laurie Anderson on Friday and Stereophonics on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features Nick Lowe tonight, Quincy Jones on Thursday overnight, Sugar Ray on Friday overnight, and The Strokes on Monday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn presents Sparklehorse on Friday overnight, and Echo & The Bunnymen on Monday overnight; and Saturday Night Live's musical guest this weekend is Mick Jagger.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, December 11:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
Bryan Adams - Live at Slane Castle (A&M) live DVD concert from last year at the foot of a historic Irish castle, featuring interactive technology that lets the viewer rotate the camera 360 degrees
Chava Albertstein - Foreign Letters (Rounder) the first domestic release from this Israeli superstar
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Independence Day (Ruthless/Epic)
The Church - Numbers (Thirsty Ear) new EP from the original members
E-Dub - The Prezident (MCA) Detroit-born and -bred rapper who won the 1999 Blaze Battle of the MCs
The Fixx - Happy Landings & Lost Tracks (Beyond) collection of lost sessions from 1996
Warren G - The Return of the Regulator (Universal) with guests George Clinton, Butch Cassidy, Snoop Dogg, and El Debarge
Gong - Absolutely the Best of Gong (Fuel 2000) two-CD set from the innerspace of Daevid Allen with Robert Wyatt, Gary Wright, and Maggie Bell
How High - original motion picture soundtrack (Def Jam) starring Redman and Method Man, the soundtrack features Ludacris, Cypress Hill, and Limp Bizkit
Incubus - Volume Two (Epic) new DVD collecting the band's seven music videos, 20 live songs, backstage antics, and the Mad TV performance of "Pardon Me"
Joe - Better Days (Jive) featuring the single "Let's Stay Home Tonight"
The Majestic - original motion picture soundtrack (Hollywood) with classic music from the Mills Brothers, Nat King Cole, Chet Baker, and Hank Williams
The Mirrors - Hands in My Pockets (Overground/Surefire) 19 tracks from this Cleveland, Ohio, band that went on influence Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys
Mudvayne - Live Dosage: Live in Peoria (Epic) 90-minute DVD featuring a director's cut of the video "Death Blooms"
Diana Ross & the Supremes - Anthology (Motown) two-CD set of 50 songs including 12 number-one hits and a cover of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night"
Silent Force - Infatuator (Inside Out) German power metal featuring ex-Royal Hunt vocalist DC Cooper and ex-Primal Fear guitarist Alex Beyrodt
The String Cheese Incident - Evolution (Sci-Fidelity) DVD release that documents last New Year Eve's 2001: A String Cheese Odyssey performance
The Strokes - "Last Nite" (Rough Trade) import only seven-inch and two-part CD single with bonus live tracks
Supertramp - The Very Best of (A&M) 15-track collection of singles
Vanilla Sky - original motion picture soundtrack (Warner Bros) with a new title track by Paul McCartney alongside R.E.M., Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Red House Painters, and Peter Gabriel
· Some of the most captivating British alternative pop music these days is branded with the lovely Twisted Nerve imprint, and curious new ears should go directly to the label's new "allow me to introduce myself" CD sampler entitled Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Twisted Nerve, but Were Afraid to Ask. The delightful 19-track collection is a dreamy, cheerful affair featuring a new song from critics' darling Badly Drawn Boy and other material by Alfie, Andy Votel, Misty Dixon, and other stablemates.
· Anticipation is high for the new No Doubt album, Rock Steady, due December 18 on the Interscope label. The self-described "party record" features a wide array of producers that range from Jamaican reggae legends Sly & Robbie, Ric Ocasek of the Cars, and U.K. dance-music remix agent William Orbit. The artist formerly and currently known as Prince contributes his production skills to "Waiting Room," a song he also wrote for the project.
· In conjunction with Koch International, the Mobile Fidelity label will be resurrected early next year. The audiophile record label set the standard for excellence when it originally debuted in 1977 with virgin-vinyl re-issues to die for. While no longer producing LPs, the label's commitment to quality promises to continue with new Gold CDs and Super Audio CDs. Look for a series of re-issues from the Kinks and three albums from jazz vocalist Patricia Barber.
· The Galactic Butt Hair Records label has just reissued its DJ Q-Bert film Wavetwisters on DVD. The expanded version of this full-length animated film is the ultimate homage to scratchy turntable artistry with commentary by directors Syd Garon and Eric Henry, deleted scenes, and two live video clips with controllable camera tricks in which you pick from among five viewpoints.
· Mark Kozelek of the Red House Painters is releasing a special two-LP set this week that pulls together all of his solo output, spread heavy with a curious fixation on the Bon Scott era of AC/DC. Entitled If You Want Blood and bearing the Badman Records logo, the double-vinyl set collects both his solo albums, Rock 'n' Roll Singer and What's Next to the Moon, plus bonus live versions of "Rock 'n' Roll Singer" and "Up To My Neck in You." Of the 18 songs found within the nice gatefold jacket, 14 of them are acoustic covers of Scott-penned AC/DC tracks, including "Bad Boy Boogie," "Riff Raff," and "You Ain't Got a Hold On Me."
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Pink on Friday, Elton John on Monday, and Alicia Keys on Tuesday; The Late Show with David Letterman hosts Laurie Anderson on Friday and Stereophonics on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien features Nick Lowe tonight, Quincy Jones on Thursday overnight, Sugar Ray on Friday overnight, and The Strokes on Monday overnight; The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn presents Sparklehorse on Friday overnight, and Echo & The Bunnymen on Monday overnight; and Saturday Night Live's musical guest this weekend is Mick Jagger.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, December 11:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change
Bryan Adams - Live at Slane Castle (A&M) live DVD concert from last year at the foot of a historic Irish castle, featuring interactive technology that lets the viewer rotate the camera 360 degrees
Chava Albertstein - Foreign Letters (Rounder) the first domestic release from this Israeli superstar
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - Independence Day (Ruthless/Epic)
The Church - Numbers (Thirsty Ear) new EP from the original members
E-Dub - The Prezident (MCA) Detroit-born and -bred rapper who won the 1999 Blaze Battle of the MCs
The Fixx - Happy Landings & Lost Tracks (Beyond) collection of lost sessions from 1996
Warren G - The Return of the Regulator (Universal) with guests George Clinton, Butch Cassidy, Snoop Dogg, and El Debarge
Gong - Absolutely the Best of Gong (Fuel 2000) two-CD set from the innerspace of Daevid Allen with Robert Wyatt, Gary Wright, and Maggie Bell
How High - original motion picture soundtrack (Def Jam) starring Redman and Method Man, the soundtrack features Ludacris, Cypress Hill, and Limp Bizkit
Incubus - Volume Two (Epic) new DVD collecting the band's seven music videos, 20 live songs, backstage antics, and the Mad TV performance of "Pardon Me"
Joe - Better Days (Jive) featuring the single "Let's Stay Home Tonight"
The Majestic - original motion picture soundtrack (Hollywood) with classic music from the Mills Brothers, Nat King Cole, Chet Baker, and Hank Williams
The Mirrors - Hands in My Pockets (Overground/Surefire) 19 tracks from this Cleveland, Ohio, band that went on influence Pere Ubu and the Dead Boys
Mudvayne - Live Dosage: Live in Peoria (Epic) 90-minute DVD featuring a director's cut of the video "Death Blooms"
Diana Ross & the Supremes - Anthology (Motown) two-CD set of 50 songs including 12 number-one hits and a cover of the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night"
Silent Force - Infatuator (Inside Out) German power metal featuring ex-Royal Hunt vocalist DC Cooper and ex-Primal Fear guitarist Alex Beyrodt
The String Cheese Incident - Evolution (Sci-Fidelity) DVD release that documents last New Year Eve's 2001: A String Cheese Odyssey performance
The Strokes - "Last Nite" (Rough Trade) import only seven-inch and two-part CD single with bonus live tracks
Supertramp - The Very Best of (A&M) 15-track collection of singles
Vanilla Sky - original motion picture soundtrack (Warner Bros) with a new title track by Paul McCartney alongside R.E.M., Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Red House Painters, and Peter Gabriel
