Now this is more like it.
If last week's new album releases seemed just a bit thin, what we've got in store for you this week is a lot closer to what the record store is supposed to look like this time of year. With just over two weeks to go before the kickoff of the holiday buying season, "Black Friday" may not be so black this year after all.
The reissues, hits packages, and boxed sets are looking especially good this week. Tom Johnson will be along in just a bit to talk about the new Genesis box, which focuses on the Peter Gabriel years. Meanwhile, Rhino has deluxe double-disc reissues of all of New Order's early albums.
Cheap Trick's four disc Budokan! features the great power pop band's complete legendary Japanese concert at Budokan, as well as another show from the same venue recorded a few nights later. Best of all, it includes the original Budokan concert on DVD for the first time (the concert was originally shown on Japanese television). This set is a must-have for Cheap Trick fans.
Christina Aguilera's Keeps Gettin' Better: A Decade of Hits is a little more than just a greatest hits compilation, as it includes several new tracks and remakes of "Genie" and "Beautiful." It's also one of those ever-more frequent retail exclusives, with Target being the sole place you can purchase the CD this time around.
The Flaming Lips new Christmas on Mars is a multimedia event that has been seven years in the making and, as usual, is just the sort of whacked-out psychedelic freakout you'd expect from the Lips. The package includes both the CD and the DVD featuring the Christmas on Mars film. You certainly can't fault the Flaming Lips for any lack of ambition.
Tom Petty's Mudcrutch gets its second release this year with the four-song Mudcrutch Extended Play Live E.P. Country cutie Taylor Swift gets Fearless on her sophomore CD. T-Pain is joined by Akon, Ciara, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Kanye West and others on his third album, Thr33 Ringz. Tracy Chapman's new one finds the folk-rock singer/songwriter optimistic about Our Bright Future. This week's holiday greetings come from Enya.
Mark Saleski manages to name-drop everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Terry "Seasons In The Sun" Jacks in his pick for this week. But first, NAR is pleased to welcome Tom Johnson back into the fold to talk about that huge new boxed set from the early, prog-rock era of Genesis.
Article comments
1 - Pico
Hey Mark, you're a little too harsh on Paper Lace; "The Night Chicago Died" is where rap was born ;-)
2 - Mark Saleski
ugh!
3 - El Bicho
Mudcrutch, thanks for nothin'. Four songs?!
4 - JC Mosquito
Fours songs - but the 15 minute long version of Crystal River is supposed to be worth a big spliffy or two.
5 - Mark Saleski
the Mudcrutch IS perplexing. it's really good...so why not a whole show?
6 - El Bicho
I read where Petty didn't want to basically do a live version of the album, but then why release half an album? who does he think is going to buy this other than people who bought the first one anyway? either mix in more covers in your set, or put out another Mudcrutch album and follow that with a live one.
7 - Glen Boyd
Springsteen kinda went the Mudcrutch route with that four song live Magic tour EP earlier this year...but at least that had a loose concept to it (the whole duets thing) and it went towards a good cause in the Danny Federici melanoma fund.
But I definitely understand the frustration. Here I was looking forward to a Magic tour DVD and instead it looks like were getting a new Springsteen album in January...
...oh wait, that's GOOD news isn't it?
-Glen
8 - El Bicho
"...oh wait, that's GOOD news isn't it?"
maybe for a site like this that shills for the Boss.
9 - Pico
What are you talking about? I count only two Springsteen articles out today ;-)
10 - Mat Brewster
ElB, I've got a full Mudcrutch bootleg that you can have if it will keep you from whining.
11 - Glen Boyd
Keep El Bicho from whining? Better throw in some cheese with that, Mat.
-Glen
12 - El Bicho
I already have one. try and keep up.
13 - Mat Brewster
You have wine? Cheese? Mudcrutch? I'm so behind. I'm so confused. I'm so now hungry for some good cheese, some good wine and a little Mudcrutch.
14 - Tom Johnson
Good luck finding that damned vinyl/audiophile-CD version of the Mudcrutch EP. Damned thing is sold out on Amazon, where I PRE-ORDERED it a month ago. It's now listed as "discontinued by the manufacturer" and there's no telling if Amazon will actually get more in. See, it appears that Amazon doesn't understand "first come, first served" and so just ships stuff however they feel, so people ordering a few days ago might actually score this while people like me, who pre-ordered a month ago, lose out.
In other news, don't forget Best Buy has their exclusive live DVD or Blu-Ray+2-CD set for the Police out this week. It is flat-out awesome, performance-wise. Packaging-wise, this might just be the most appaling CD/DVD package I've ever seen. It defines the words "cheap" and "stingy," almost as if it was designed to be recycled from the get-go. Truly awful crap. If you buy it, be VERY careful opening it. Most reports mention that discs fall out as soon as the book is removed from the slip case. Three of the four discs in mine fell out when I took it out. Pile-o-crap packaging, seriously. Reminds me of the old AOL disc holders. Awful.
15 - El Bicho
Gadzooks, you sensitive fellas don't know what whining is. No doubt something fell on Brewster's head before it damaged his toe. I have the 4/14 show. Now go play with your rabbit, Lenny. Should I post one of your meltdowns when you have trouble with MT, Glen? Now that's some grade-A whining.
16 - Mark Saleski
Now that's some grade-A whining.
Neil Young ticket prices?
anyone?
bueller?