Toronto bands today are a dime a dozen yet ironically, they all sound like the same band. Canadian pioneers Rush, however have a very distinct sound. One that’s helped them sell a jaw-dropping 40 million records. This new 3-box “Sectors” set chronicles their Mercury Records years. Each set contains 5 albums in their entirety.
Shatner knows no shame but you have to admit the bloated old Captain Kirk can be pretty funny. This new concept album that features his terrible singing on top of classic rock remakes by some well-known musicians like Peter Frampton, Sheryl Crow, and Johnny Winter is a total joke. And weirdly, it’s a somewhat humorous one.
When Hank Williams died, at the age of 29, he left behind bound notebooks filled with lyrics and song ideas. In 2004 the estate of Hank Williams approved music legend Bob Dylan to work on the found unfinished lyrics. The Lost Notebooks of Hank Williams premieres the first-ever performances of 12 previously unheard Hank Williams compositions by 13 artists including Jack White, Norah Jones, Bob Dylan, Jakob Dylan and Alan Jackson.
Today, on the 20th anniversary of its debut, Geffen Records is re-releasing Nirvana’s Nevermind in a 2-disc set. It was the biggest record of the 90s—maybe the most important record of the last 20 years. This edition features 39 tracks. It’s got the remastered album, b-sides, BBC sessions, studio sessions, and boombox rehearsal recordings.
Even if you know nothing about jazz, you know you should know about Miles Davis. This new 22-disc collection from Sony links the many stages of this jazz giant’s inexhaustible output into a full-spectrum catalog of his finest works. In a consistently progressive career spanning six decades, Miles redefined and redirected the jazz movement no less than four times. This collection will entertain and educate you with the best of our wholly American art form called jazz.
Sorry. If you were hoping for another folksy dose of ghost-written autobiographical fantasy from our ex-president Dubya, you’re bumming. This is actually a CD from the 90s British pop band Bush. 15 years ago, they were very adept at writing perfect radio songs. Will their winning formula still compute in 2011? Listen and decide for yourself.
It’s amazing isn’t it, that U2’s music, going all the way back, still sounds just as vibrant, unique, and powerful as it did when it came out. And that’s a good thing because if it didn’t, nobody would step up to buy any of the four different versions of their Achtung Baby 20th Anniversary box sets they’re offering. From the Bono-stalker level 6-disc Uber Deluxe set down to the I-had-the-tshirt-in-high-school, 2-disc set, it’s a good dose of the old young U2.
Mosh? Maybe in his Pearl Jam days, but has Eddie Vedder ever made you want to hula? Probably not. And he won’t on this new solo record of, as the name suggests, ukulele songs. This material puts Vedder’s familiar heartfelt lyricism to the rustic twang of a ukulele. Yeah, Eddie surfs, but this ain’t beach music.
Even if you never ’shroomed and listened to The Dark Side Of The Moon on repeat for 9 hours straight, there’s gotta be a few tunes on this album you know & love. Pink Floyd’s new box set features a re-mastered version of their chart-crushing album plus 5 more discs of live, rare, video and unreleased material. The set also includes two books: one of rare period photos, plus a bunch of collectible chotchkies.
Whether you really like jazz or just know you should like it, this forthcoming collection from the Smithsonian will get you up to speed. The Smithsonian Anthology is an 111-track, 6-CD set with a 200-page book that puts the history, culture and key players all in perspective. They’re calling it a “jazz appreciation course in a box.” We call that cool.
