Pete Seeger was famously an old Stalinist, so it's fitting that this Bruce Springsteen tribute album We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions [DualDisc] comes chained down to some repressive DRM crap worthy of the regime they celebrate. It appears the CD will not play in most computers at all, much less let you rip MP3s for your iPod. In the name of The People's Revolutionary Council, I'd recommend that rather than pay money for this and then not get to use it, good comrades should reach across the Limewire and liberate a copy of this in the name of the proletariat.
Meanwhile, if you were wanting music rather than corporate political rants, Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris have just released an apparently long-gestating album All the Road Running. This would be the top likely item this week to take a flyer on. Do these two broody personalities compliment each other? Enquiring minds want to know.
The world has been waiting four anxious years for a new Goo Goo Dolls album. Thank G-d the long drought is over.
New compilation album of note: Reintarnation is the first ever compilation of kd lang. Looks pretty sharp, and geared to her "country" records. This would be a nice simple likely Mother's Day gift for cool moms.
PSST! Heads up - a new Paul Simon album Surprise comes out in two weeks, on May 9. Amazon is taking orders now.
Here's the complete list of this week's major new album releases, courtesy AMG:
Martin Hannett Zero: A Martin Hannett Story Big Beat
Post-Punk, Alternative Dance, British Punk, Madchester, Alternative Pop/Rock
Rihanna A Girl Like Me Def Jam
Urban, Dance-Pop, Contemporary Reggae
Bruce Springsteen We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions [DualDisc] Columbia
Heartland Rock, Americana, Contemporary Folk, Roots Rock, Singer/Songwriter, Folk-Rock
The Streets The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living Vice/Atlantic
British Rap, Garage Rap/Grime
Tom Verlaine Songs and Other Things Thrill Jockey
Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock
Natacha Atlas Mish Maoul Mantra
Worldbeat, Middle Eastern Pop, Traditional Middle Eastern Folk, Club/Dance
Avant Director Geffen
Contemporary R&B, Urban
Lewis Black The Carnegie Hall Performance Comedy Central Rec.
Political Comedy, Standup Comedy
The Coup Pick a Bigger Weapon Epitaph
Underground Rap, Political Rap, Hip-Hop, Hardcore Rap
Current 93 Sleep Has His House Durtro
Alternative Folk, Celtic Folk, British Folk, Poetry, Medieval, Traditional Folk
Dim Mak Knives of Ice Willowtip
Death Metal/Black Metal, Thrash
Eleventh Dream Day Zeroes and Ones Thrill Jockey
Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Punk
Elf Power Back to the Web Rykodisc
Indie Rock, Indie Pop, Progressive Folk
The Fever In the City of Sleep Kemado
Indie Rock
Godsmack IV Republic/Universal
Alternative Metal, Industrial Metal, Post-Grunge
The Goo Goo Dolls Let Love In Warner Bros.
Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Post-Grunge, Alternative Pop/Rock, Pop/Rock
Gunther Pleasureman Rhino
Euro-Dance, Club/Dance, Dance-Pop
Jeff Healey/Jazz Wizards & Chris Barber It's Tight Like That Stony Plain
Contemporary Jazz
Mike Johnson Gone Out of Your Mind Up
Indie Rock
Paavo Järvi Lutoslawski, Bartok: Concertos for Orchestra [Hybrid SACD] Telarc
Modern Orchestral Music
B.B. King Sings Spirituals [Bonus Tracks] Ace
Black Gospel, Southern Gospel, Spirituals, Traditional Gospel, Blues Gospel
Mark Knopfler/Emmylou Harris All the Road Running Warner Bros.
Folk-Rock, Adult Contemporary, Country-Rock
Mr. Nogatco Nogatco Rd. Insomniac
Underground Rap
k.d. lang Reintarnation Sire/Rhino
Neo-Traditionalist Country, Alternative Country, Adult Alternative Pop/Rock, Roots Rock
Helene Lindqvist Alban Berg: Jugendlieder Col Legno
Modern Vocal Music
Cheikh Lo Lamp Fall Nonesuch
Mbalax, Afro-Pop
Rose Melberg Cast Away the Clouds Double Agent
Indie Pop
Edgar Meyer Edgar Meyer Sony
Contemporary Chamber Music
Roisin Murphy Ruby Blue Echo/World's Fair
Indie Electronic
Joey Negro The Trip Family
Club/Dance, Obscuro, Urban, House, Pop
Mitsuko Uchida Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Opp. 109, 110 & 11 Philips
Romantic Piano Music
Plasticland Make Yourself a Happening Machine: A Collection Rykodisc
Neo-Psychedelia, Garage Rock Revival
James Raynard Strange Histories Unearthed/One Little Indian
Neo-Traditional Folk, British Folk
Secret Machines Ten Silver Drops Reprise
Alternative Pop/Rock, Dream Pop, Neo-Psychedelia
Taking Back Sunday Louder Now Warner Bros.
Post-Hardcore, Emo
10 City Run Somethin' Else Universal South
Honky Tonk, Truck Driving Country, New Traditionalist
Irma Thomas After the Rain Rounder
New Orleans R&B, Soul, Louisiana Blues
Time Again The Stories Are True Hellcat
Punk Revival, Punk-Pop, Hardcore Punk
Various Artists Auto Glamour Sound Shake It
Post-Punk, Experimental
Various Artists Classic African American Ballads from Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways
Folk-Blues, Traditional Folk, Songster, Field Recordings, Folksongs, Work Songs, Acoustic Blues
Various Artists Invaders Kemado
Stoner Metal, Punk Metal, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock
Various Artists Pioneers of Electronic Music New World
Contemporary Electronic Music
Various Artists Unexpected Dreams: Songs from the Stars Rhino
Lullabies, Adult Contemporary
Tom Verlaine Around Thrill Jockey
Alternative Pop/Rock, Instrumental Rock
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
yea, we don't need no stinkin' corporate rants.
better to listen to Jack White, who has instead pimped himself out directly to corporate interests (coca cola).
gawd bless america.
2 - DJRadiohead
At least Jack's corporate pimping is separate from his records.
Truth is, though, I did have a harder time getting my Communist Manifesto ripped to my iPod than I normally do.
3 - Joe
I own this CD, and I've ripped it several times, to several of my computers, using windows and linux, in MP3 format as well as ogg.
There is no restrictive DRM whatsoever.
4 - Mike
I've been listening to this one on 2 different Windows machines as well as an iPod. Why do you think there's some special DRM on it?
5 - John
I also own and ripped this CD to my computers (a PowerBook and a Dell) with no problems using iTunes.
6 - MikeK
There is no DRM on the Springsteen disc. The problems some folks are having is due to the fact that the disc is a CD/DVD combo -- one side is a CD and the other is a DVD.
Some DVD-ROM drives have trouble reading the CD side but most CD-ROM drives can read it just fine.
7 - Vern Halen
So, is a product that doesn't work on all machines considered to be defective? And how badly did we need to hear Bruce sing Buffalo Gals or Froggie Went A Courtin'? I mean, I like it, but is it worth the product hassle?
8 - JoeC
There is a disclaimer right on the CD jacket stating that dual-discs (CD on one side/DVD on the other) may not play in all CD/DVD drives.
9 - Vern Halen
Yes, you're right, of course, but what incentive is there for me to buy it? That's just poor business. Would you buy a car that had a disclaimer - "May not run?"
10 - godoggo
Lutoslawski was awesome. Ligeti fans, new or old, might want to check him out too.
11 - Mr. Adrenaline
Actially the note on the Springsteen disc says:
The audio side of this disc does not conform to CD specifications and therefore will not play on some CD and DVD players.
It has nothing to do with being a "dual disc." It won't play, even in a CD-drive because it's not actually a CD. It just happens to look like one.