Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Each week we draw closer to the mystical Black Friday and the official kickoff of the Christmas shopping season, and each week we see our new album release schedule just a little fuller than the last. Last week's offerings had two major offerings that I happily scooped up, and the same is true for this week.
Nirvana
Bleach (20th Anniversary Edition)
Live at Reading
It must be time to help the widow Cobain pay for some of those lawyers because we have two big releases from the Nirvana vaults this week. First up is a re-release of the band's SubPop debut, Bleach. This is the album that featured the song they'd later make famous on Unplugged, "About a Girl." To mark the occasion, SubPop has had the album remastered and has expanded it, adding a complete 1990 performance by the band in Portland, Oregon from the Bleach tour, prior to the arrival of drummer Dave Grohl.
The Stones in '72. Dylan in '74. Springsteen on the Darkness tour. The Beatles and Elvis on Ed Sullivan. These are some of the landmark live performances that stand out in rock history. Nirvana had two such moments. The first was their performance at the Reading Festival in the UK in 1992. British fans and rock journalist hipsters all claim to have been there that day because this is one of those events we all wish we could have witnessed. The audio and video have smoldered in the vaults until now. Live at Reading is being released as a CD/DVD package as well as a standalone CD. Note: The DVD contains one song not found on the CD.
I've preordered both of these.
Weezer
Ratitude
I love the Weezer. Rivers Cuomo is brilliant and the first several Weezer records are essential. I don't know if it's me or Rivers, but Make Believe and "The Red Album" just haven't delivered the goods for me. I like "Red" better than MB but neither stand with the debut, Pinkerton or "Green" for me. I'm sure I'm going to try this one out, but the Lil' Wayne cameo already has me heading for the door.
The Rolling Stones
Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out (40th Anniversary Edition)
The only essential Rolling Stones live album from that aforementioned '72 tour is getting the deluxe treatment to mark its 40th birthday. The album has been remastered — not sure if this is the same remaster from the SACD transfer undertaken by ABKCO a few years back or yet another remaster — and a second disc has been added that contains five previously unreleased tracks from the band's two-night run at Madison Square Garden, the source for the original release. A third CD has been added that includes performances by the opening acts for those shows: B.B. King and Ike & Tina Turner. There's also a DVD, bringing this set out to 3 CD/1DVD.
As a Stones' enthusiast, I'm tempted by this but you're spending a lot of money to get five new Rolling Stones songs. I love B.B. King, so that has some appeal to me and Ike & Tina are classic, but I'm not sure why I need to re-buy Ya-Ya's to get those sets. Either artist should seemingly be able to release those on their own. The DVD isn't of the full show. With so much coming out this week, this one might have to wait. It's on my Christmas wishlist, but I'm not throwing down upfront.
Julian Casablancas
Phrazes for The Young
The Strokes' frontman is making his solo debut. Is This It? is one of the great rock debuts and an album I make an appointment to dust off. The records that followed haven't had quite the same impact on me or the charts but each has had its charm. Can Casablancas capture the charm of Is This It? on his own? He doesn't have to reach those heights to have a record worth hearing.
Outside my own shopping list, if you're curious about the new release from Amerie you can read Clayton Perry's interview with her. Clayton also interviewed Ryan Leslie about his release this week.
Amerie
In Love & War
Julian Casablancas
Phrazes for the Young
Glee Cast
Glee: The Music, Vol. 1
Nirvana
Bleach [Deluxe Edition]
Nirvana
Live at Reading [CD/DVD]
Original Soundtrack
Fantastic Mr. Fox [Soundtrack]
The Rolling Stones
Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out [40th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set]
Say Anything
Say Anything
Slayer
World Painted Blood
Carrie Underwood
Play On
Weezer
Raditude
The Almost
Monster Monster
Bee Gees
Ultimate Bee Gees: The 50th Anniversary Collection
Carla Bley
Carla's Christmas Carols
Andrea Bocelli
My Christmas
Brilliant Colors
Introducing
CFCF
Continent
Capgun Coup
Maudlin
Steven Curtis Chapman
Beauty Will Rise
Cold Cave
Love Comes Close
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Singles Collection
Natalie Dessay
Mad Scenes
Devo
Freedom of Choice [Bonus Tracks]
Devo
Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! [Bonus Tracks]
Kate Earl
Kate Earl [11 Tracks]
Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
El Arte de La Elegancia de LFC
Foo Fighters
Greatest Hits
Grampall Jookabox
Dead Zone Boys
Kathy Griffin
Suckin' It for the Holidays
Emmanuelle Haim
George Frideric Handel: La Resurrezione
Halford
Halford III: Winter Songs
Isaac Hayes
Shaft [Deluxe Edition] [Bonus Track]
Hell Rell
Live from Hell
Taylor Hollingsworth
Life with a Slow Ear
Jussi Jaatinen
The Minimalists
Paavo Järvi
Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 6 & 2
Rickie Lee Jones
Balm in Gilead
Simon Keenlyside
Schumann: Dichterliebe; Brahms: Lieder
Ryan Leslie
Transition
Little Dragon
Machine Dreams
Vera Lynn
We'll Meet Again: Very Best of Vera Lynn [Decca UK]
The Mary Onettes
Islands
Molina & Johnson
Molina & Johnson
Morrissey
Swords
Nile
Those Whom the Gods Detest
On Fillmore
Extended Vacation
Original Soundtrack
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Have Yourself a Meaty Little Christmas
Original TV Soundtrack
NCIS: The Official TV Soundtrack, Vol. 2
Plumb
Beautiful History: A Hits Collection [2 Disc]
The Residents
Ten Little Piggies
The Residents
The Ughs!
Max Richter
Memoryhouse
Shwayze
Let It Beat
Frank Sinatra
Sinatra: New York [Box Set] [4CD/1DVD]
Straight No Chaser
Christmas Cheers
Syntaks
Ylajali
Various Artists
Now That's What I Call Dance Classics
Various Artists
Now, Vol. 32
Vitalic
Flashmob
Hank Williams
Hank Williams Revealed
Ying Yang Twins
Legendary Status: Ying Yang Twins Greatest Hits
