I eclipsed the 400-article mark last week and next month will mark five years as a part of Blogcritics. That's a lot of work, some of which I'm still reasonably proud of. There have been many changes at Blogcritics over that time, as well. Friendships have been formed, the site has gotten more facelifts than Joan Rivers, and we've formed our partnership with Technorati. Anyway, here's to another 400 articles and another five years. To that end, let's take a look at a few of the new albums being released this week.
David Bowie
VH1 Storytellers
Oh, the world would swing if I were king! Yes, I know that's Tom Petty and that's not why we're here but Tom is right. If I were king, we wouldn't have waited this long for this performance to be released on CD/DVD. In fact, an awful lot of these Storytellers performances would have been released long, long before now and this would have been one of the first.
Unabashed Bowie-philes like myself might be the only ones interested in this set, but you'd think there are enough of us that we wouldn't have to beg and hope and wait. This performance was recorded as Bowie was promoting his album Hours... It's a good album and it's good he was promoting that one as it was, in many ways, the most 'retro' thing he'd done in years. The new songs from Hours... make sense alongside classics like "Life on Mars?" and "Rebel Rebel." I remember watching this when it first aired and I loved it. I hope it's as good as I remember.
Dead Weather
Horehound
This has two things going for it: Jack White and a great album title. What separates this from other Jack White-led bands is that this isn't actually a Jack White-led band. The White Stripes frontman and Raconteurs co-frontman takes a bit of a backseat on this record... or should I say a seat back behind the drum kit. Jack plays several instruments on the record, but primarily drums. He sings... some. He co-wrote several songs. His presence is felt, but he's not the center of the musical universe on this record. "3 Birds," a spooky cool instrumental, will be a great theme song for The Groovy Ghoulies update that will one day surface.
The Rolling Stones
Voodoo Lounge, Steel Wheels, Dirty Work, Bridges to Babylon, A Bigger Bang
![A Watched Pot [Explicit]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wVExGgUCL._SL120_.jpg)
Article comments
1 - MarkSaleski
a lot of the Storytellers things aren't out. must be the vh1/mtv bastards want too much money.
people would kill for the Waits show (and it's been bootlegged to death)
2 - Josh Hathaway
I'd like R.E.M.'s 'Storytellers' released, as well. Counting Crows released theirs, sort of. I'd like a CD/DVD package of that performance, as well. There were an awful lot of good ones that should be out there.
3 - Donald Gibson
The funny thing with Bowie's Storytellers is that he actually remembers some of his own stories.
He's gone on the record saying there are a couple years in the mid '70s of which he has absolutely no recollection.
4 - Josh Hathaway
He says the same thing about the post-Let's Dance era of the '80s. He had a great line about being lost in the wilderness with only his drugs to keep him company. He's a crackup. I remember loving this performance. My copy has shipped. I can't wait to sit and watch it again and again...