For the first time since I took this vaunted position of writing our weekly new release column and buyer's guide, there's only one title on this list that qualifies as a must have. There are a few items here of casual interest that may one day be added. There are a few items here of interest because regardless of how bribeable I am, I can't think of what it would take me to listen to them for free to say nothing of actually paying money to own them!
Wilco
Wilco (The Album)
Credit where credit is due. I kept reading about how great Yankee Hotel Foxtrot was and about the bizarre circumstances surrounding its release, so I asked a then co-worker about them and the album. He told me he liked them and had seen them in Europe. I rolled the dice. It took a few listens, but it finally sunk in for me. Since then I've avidly collected Wilco's back catalog as well as their new ones and become quite the Wilco fan.
So I bought the album this morning and saw the band has opened Wilco (The Album) with "Wilco (The Song)." Jeff Tweedy may be getting a little too cute by half with this. I've now listened to it a handful of times, beginning to end and I'm not sure what I think. I like Wilco and this is a good Wilco record. It's hard to imagine these guys getting in a room and coming out with nothing, but this one has yet to wrap its arms around me even if "Wilco will love you, baby."
The Woodstock Experience
Well, credit the labels for noticing the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. There's been a new box set and now Sony Legacy is releasing a slew of live performances by its artists at the famed festival. Jimi Hendrix's performance is still arguably the most famous of the weekend and has long been available. Sony is now offering up sets from Santana, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Johnny Winter, and Sly & The Family Stone.
Hair Metal Re-Issues
Last week we had two re-issues from Def Leppard, a band somewhat unfairly lumped in with hair metal. This week, we get re-issues from Twisted Sister and Whitesnake.
Let's start with Twisted Sister and the 25th anniversary of Stay Hungry. These guys always seemed like more of a novelty act than a real band to me, owing much of their success to videos and the blossoming of MTV as a commercial force. They are hardly alone in that category, but where some acts harnessed the platform and developed musically, Twisted Sister got left behind. For those of you who did listen to them for the music, this edition features a second disc with 16 songs, many of which have never been released.
Article comments
1 - MarkSaleski
i'm pretty psyched for the Levon Helm disc, myself.
Stay Hungry? hmmm...nah, i still have the vinyl. heck, it might even be a casssette now that i think of it.
2 - MarkSaleski
oh, and i want the Moby too.
3 - SamKan
Sorry, bud, but the Rob Thomas CD is excellent. Great tunes from an excellent vocalist. I think we must be listening to different records.
4 - Josh Hathaway
Sam, I'm glad you're liking the disc but 'excellent vocalist' is the point at which we're just going to have to disagree.
Mark, I'm not surprised that Stay Hungry is still in your pile of vinyl. The Moby record intrigues me a little but the last thing I heard from him really didn't do much for me. I'll wait for your review to see if there's anything there for me.
5 - MarkSaleski
i'll dig up the link somewhere, but i listened to an interview with Moby and he didn't like his last record. he liked the songs but then after the recording process they didn't come out to his liking.
so this time around he made an effort to make them (paraphrasing here) more 'personal'.
also saw a video of him singing and playing the guitar. quite good. didn't even know he could do that.
6 - Josh Hathaway
I knew Moby dabbled but not that he really played. That's interesting. His last album 18 felt too long, unfocused, and static. There just weren't many compositions that evoked anything for me. Hearing that he had something of a similar reaction makes me a little more interested in this new record. I might have to sample a few tracks.
7 - MarkSaleski
yeah, darn it, i wish i knew where i saw that interview. in it he also talked about his friendship with David Lynch (where the animation for the new video came from).
the song he played on guitar reminded me of something Beck would have done on Sea Change
8 - Josh Hathaway
I remember reading something about Lynch in reference to this album. Thanks for clearing up the connection. Interesting. I'm going to listen to some sound clips of this one tonight.
Sea Change is such a great album. I might dust that off after the Sox game.
9 - Mat Brewster
I'm with ya on the Wilco. It is a very solid record and by any other band I'd be calling it great. But a few listens in it just doesn't have that extra something special I've come to love about a new Wilco album.
10 - Josh Hathaway
I'm reluctant to write a review on it, Mat, not because I can't bring myself to write anything but glowing reviews of my favorite bands but because I just haven't had a strong enough reaction to compel a review. I still love Wilco and I might listen to this record from time to time, but it's not where I'm going to start.
11 - Melanie
Does anybody know of a Whitesnake Tribute Band in Georgia?