When we last left the ever-confounding saga that is Bob Dylan's now-superhuman recording career, he'd reunited with producer Daniel Lanois, with whom he cut 1997's Time Out of Mind, his most coherent and appealing collection in nearly a decade. Now the still-reigning prince of musical contrariety and potent wordplay is back with his most focused, well-played collection since 1989's Oh Mercy, another Lanois production. One listen to the fade-in of the opener "Tweedle Dee & Tweedle Dum" and it's clear that all Dylan's roadwork has shaped him and his band (including guitarist Charlie Sexton) into a mighty musical weapon. And while his craggy howl continues to resonate, it's the songs here that astonish. A sturdy midtempo melody makes "Mississippi" the equal of the best numbers on Time, which it was actually written for. He convincingly puts over the R&B swing (yes, swing) number "Summer Days." "Honest with Me" ("I'm not sorry for nuthin' I've done / I'm glad I fight, I only wished we'd won") is a driving rocker that packs a genuine punch. And the light, lounge-like "Bye and Bye" and the southland ramble "Floater (Too Much to Ask)" show extraordinary confidence. He's labeled these songs "blues-based," but in typical Dylan fashion what would promise to be the most overtly blues number here——"High Water (for Charlie Patton)"—sounds like a banjo-based gunfighter ballad. But then that's this artist's gift: confounding expectations. —Robert Baird

Fans of Angel have continually hoped to one day hear an album. Their wait is finally over. Live Fast, Die Never: Music from the TV Series features * A newly-recorded, full-length version of the main-title song * 3 songs performed by cast members as were featured in episodes of the show (a karaoke bar was a recurring location) * Score by the show's composer, Robert Kral *key songs to the show performed by Vast and Kim Ritchie *notes from Joss Whedon and extensive cast photos from all 5 seasons Angel is Academy® and Emmy® -nominated writer Joss Whedon’s humorous exploration of the twists and turns of adulthood set against a backdrop of supernatural adventure and is seen currently on TNT.

The debut of thundering supergroup Audioslave—featuring members of Rage Against the Machine post-Zack de la Rocha with ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell—is as much curio as fascinating blend of visions. Cornell might be outnumbered, but his unmistakable holler and nihilistic imagery ensure that Audioslave, the album, recalls early Soundgarden. That's especially true since de la Rocha took Rage's signature rap and politicking with him. Still, if this is Soundgarden, it's Soundgarden set to stun. Rage guitarist Tom Morello is more of a mauler than Kim Thayil ever was—witness "Shadow on the Sun," which moves from bruising thud to psychedelic freak-out and back again—while the Rage rhythm section of Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk anchor the bottom end with pure instrumental cement. Intentionally or not, "Gasoline" bears passing resemblance to "Rusty Cage," while the sweeping "I Am the Highway" and slow-burning "The Last Remaining Light" best showcase Cornell's surprisingly New Age-y lyrical bent. Cover art by Storm Thorgerson, who gave Pink Floyd records their distinctive stamp, underscores the set's inherent celebrity. Fans of Rage and Soundgarden can raise clenched fists in unison, for Audioslave is win-win. —Kim Hughes

Score by Award Winning Composers Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, The Lion King) and James Newton Howard (The Village, The Fugitive). Track Titles: 1. Vespertilio 2. Eptesicus 3. Myotis 4. Barbastella 5. Artibeus 6. Tadarida 7. Macrotus 8. Antrozous 9. Nycteris 10. Molossus 11. Corynorhinus 12. Lasiurus Total Run Time: 1:00:32

Japanese game soundtrack featuring Battle Music from Final Fantasies I-X. The tracks were all arranged hard-rock style by Nobuo Uematsu himself. 2003.

A 1996 Academy Award nominee for Best Dramatic Score, Braveheart is one of composer James (Titanic) Horner's most accomplished works. Utilizing the full range of the London Symphony Orchestra, the Choristers of Westminster Abbey, and a small ensemble of traditional folk instrumentalists, Horner largely eschews the bombast typical of the genre and cuts a more emotionally complex—and satisfying—musical course through this 14th-century tale of betrayal and rebellion. This album presents ample evidence of why Horner is currently at the peak of his profession. —Jerry McCulley

Consolers Of The Lonely follows The
Raconteurs 2006 debut album Broken
Boy Soldiers, which went Top 10, was
Grammy® nominated for Best Rock
Album, and spun off a #1 Modern Rock hit. Led by singer-songwriter-guitarists Jack White of The White Stripes and Brendan Benson, The Raconteurs
relocated to Nashville and moved to
Warner Bros. Fascinating, engaging, and rocking, Consolers Of The Lonely
fulfills the promise of the teaming of
two masters of power pop.

Soundtrack album for the 2008 Batman movie, The Dark Knight. Music composed by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. The Dark Knight is an American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Batman. The film is a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins, which rebooted the Batman film series after an eight-year hiatus. Actor Heath Ledger stars as The Joker.The CD contains 14 tracks of powerful punches of Batman's adventures of good vs evil.

The release of Distant Worlds: music from FINAL FANTASY CD coincides with the start of the world-tour on December 4, 2007 in Sweden. Recorded by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and the choir Allmänna Sången, produced and conducted by Arnie Roth. All music composed by Nobuo Uematsu. 1) Opening - Bombing Mission (FINAL FANTASY VII) 2) Liberi Fatali (FINAL FANTASY VIII) 3) Aerith's Theme (FINAL FANTASY VII) 4) Fisherman's Horizon (FINAL FANTASY VIII) 5) Don't be Afraid (FINAL FANTASY VIII) 6) Memoro de la Stono - Distant Worlds (FINAL FANTASY XI) 7) Medley 2002 (FINAL FANTASY I-III) 8) Theme of Love (FINAL FANTASY IV) 9) Vamo' alla Flamenco (FINAL FANTASY IX) 10) Love Grows (FINAL FANTASY VIII) 11) Opera "Maria and Draco" (FINAL FANTASY VI) 12) Swing de Chocobo (FINAL FANTASY series) 13) One-Winged Angel (FINAL FANTASY VII)

Most modern Hollywood films have musical "temp tracks" laid in as they're edited, usually classical standards or music from other soundtracks that helps shape the dramatic and emotional intentions of works in progress. Sometimes these temp tracks become the score (as in "2001"), but more often they serve as a template for the film's eventual scorer. That said, we'll boldly climb out on a limb and opine that director Ridley Scott was listening to a whole lot of Holst's The Planets as he was cobbling together his modern gladiator epic. Credit Hans Zimmer for taking "Mars, the Bringer of War" and hammering its familiar harmonic and rhythmic Sturm und Drang into something serviceably fresh; cohort Lisa Gerrard generally handles the more ethereal, atmospheric passages. As epic in scope as its thematic inspiration (and with enough occasional nods to "authenticity" to make it work), this is nonetheless a work of often surprising nuances, and one that recasts the traditional heroic orchestral score in deliciously dark and ominous tones. Warning: repeated listening may inspire the invasion of neighboring countries. —Jerry McCulley

From the most successful entertainment launch in history, comes the most anticipated video game soundtrack of the holiday season. Bungie created a new variation on the Game's musical themes this time around. Martin O'Donnell, Bungie's composer incorporated a full live orchestra and chorus which goes "above and beyond" what they've done in the past. Album produced by Nile Rodgers.

A Hard Day's Night was the first Beatles album of all-original material, and the first to feature George Harrison playing his Rickenbacker electric 12-string guitar (on the opening chord of "A Hard Day's Night," for instance). The distinctive sound of the 12-string inspired countless guitarists including Roger McGuinn and David Crosby of the Byrds. The film from which these songs hail remains a classic combination of happy 1960s naivete and nascent hipster wit. Many of the most important rock bands to emerge in the latter half of the '60s came into being because of A Hard Day's Night's irresistible vibrancy. The tunes flow like the finest red wine, as the title track leads to the glorious harmonica of "I Should Have Known Better" and the powerfully poignant "If I Fell." EMI. 2005.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the fourth film (and soundtrack album) in the massively successful Harry Potter franchise-nearly $1 billion in U.S. box office alone-features a score by Academy Award-nominated composer Patrick Doyle and three songs written by modern rocker Jarvis Cocker, and performed by Cocker, Jonny Greenwood, Phil Selway, Steve Claydon and Jason Buckle-with all these musicians also appearing in the movie.

Featuring a colorful and inspiring score by Nicholas Hooper, the soundtrack to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix takes the movie-goer to the next level of magical enchantment right along with Harry and his friends.

Oscar and Grammy Award winning composer John William returns with an enchanted score inspired by the magic of the forthcoming summer blockbuster Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban. Always a hit with fans of the enormously successful Harry Potter films, as well as fans of John Williams — one of the most popular and successful American orchestral composers of the modern age. Extras, enhanced with exclusive wallpaper and screensaver, flip book of stills from film, exclusive link to demo of new EA Harry Potter video game, Golden Ticket Contest: Winner receives trip to Hollywood to tour WB lot and museum, pull out poster.

The original soundtrack recording to the highly anticipated fourth chapter in the Indiana Jones film series. Featuring an epic orchestral score composed and conducted by Oscar-winner John Williams, this is a soundtrack album that holds true to the timeless appeal of Indiana Jones, and the iconic musical themes that have endeared the character to millions of fans the world over.

Score composer Howard Shore has informed this first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy with his distinctly modern sensibilities. Revolving loosely around a brief, heroic brass theme, this epic is infused with a powerful rhythmic thrust and a musical range that encompasses centuries (from the Renaissance pastoralism of "Concerning Hobbits" to the fiery, Prokofiev-influenced drama of "A Knife in the Dark"). Key to the score's sense of mystery and magical place are the rich choral passages that are interspersed throughout, some so ominously gothic they make The Phantom Menace's "Duel of the Fates" sound almost sunny by comparison. Enya's contributions ("The Council of Elrond" and the song "May It Be") add a sense of organic tranquility, but it's Shore's Wagnerian-scaled orchestral score that should long be cherished by admirers of film music and hobbits alike. —Jerry McCulley

Soundtrack to the popular video game! Track list: Metal Gear Solid Main Theme; Opening Infiltration; Russian Soldiers - (from "Kasatka"); Olga Gurlukovich; Metal Gear?; Revolver Ocelot; Ray Escapes; Can't Say Good Bye To Yesterday - (Piano Version); Big Shell; Fortune; Kill Me Now!; Vamp; World Needs Only One Big Boss!, The; It's The Harrier!; Arsenal Is Going To Take Off!; Who Am I Really?; Can't Say Good Bye To Yesterday - (Full Version)

Commissioned as the soundtrack for Barbet Schroeder's 1972 film The Valley, Obscured By Clouds actually holds up rather well on its own terms. The title track is a trippy, cinematic instrumental that features some searing guitar work from David Gilmour, but full-fledged songs like "Free Four" (which sounds like a morbid inversion of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky"), and the folksy "Wot's...Uh the Deal" are the real highlights of the set. Essentially a transitional work, Obscured By Clouds has long been dwarfed by Dark Side of the Moon, the album which came immediately after it. In fact, the funky "Childhood's End" and the ethereal "Burning Bridges" could well be dry runs for the Dark Side tracks "Time" and "Breathe," respectively. In all, it's a priceless snapshot of a band on the verge of immortality. —Dan Epstein

The music for this third chapter in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is a traditional, efficient action score that, due to the film's setting, occasionally incorporates light Asian touches. The popularity of Hans "Long John" Zimmer (all the credits in the CD's liner notes include pirate-themed nicknames, like the roll call in a Simpsons Halloween episode) isn't in doubt—he sure is one in-demand composer—but afficionados are divided about his artistic worth, and this score isn't about to reconcile them. Some think that Zimmer relies too much on his stable of composers and sticks to tried-and-true recipes; others admire his capacity to weave themes in and out of cues, creating a whole made of subtly interrelated parts. At World's End feeds both camps: Seven of his collaborators are credited with writing "additional music," and the album feels by-the-numbers at times; but those inclined to listen very closely will be rewarded by the way Zimmer sneaks in bits of two main melodies (especially variations on the first track, a pirate theme titled "Hoist the Colours" and cowritten by director Gore Verbinski) throughout. The use of electronics is so light as to be almost undetectable, which will please fans of a more organic orchestral sound. —Elisabeth Vincentelli

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN-DEAD MAN'S CHEST
Title: SCORE
Street Release Date: 07/04/2006
Domestic
Genre: SOUNDTRACK

Loosely based on the popular Disney theme park audio-animatronic ride, one might expect a modicum of good-natured "Yo-ho-ho-ing"—or maybe a little rousing Korngold/Errol Flynn/Captain Blood orchestral romanticism—here. Instead composer Klaus Badelt initially entices us with some sparing Celtic folk charm, then unleashes a furious broadside of symphonic and choral thunder to rival his ominous score for K-19. The composer's fellow German mentor is an obvious influence throughout (the album is credited with a wink as "Score overproduced by Hans 'Long John' Zimmer") but Badelt brings his own muscular instincts to bear throughout. Perhaps shrewdly realizing that genre cliches are nothing if not for reinventing, Badelt delivers his rhythmically nervous Eurocentric sensibilities—sort of Holst duels Shostakovich on the Spanish Main—with the subtlety of a scorching cannonball. It's seasoned with a little romantic respite in the final act, if a bit gingerly, and could no doubt profit by some of Korngold's sparkling melodic verve. But it's a loud, unabashed Summer Blockbuster score at heart; alert the neighbors. —Jerry McCulley

It sounds like the beginning of a story: "So, Slowhand and the King of the Blues were riding in a car ..." If this is a musical journey, it's the kind that rolls down long, empty stretches of country highway at 80 miles an hour, with the top down and the stereo blasting. Clapton and King may be more city than country, but this collection has the relaxed, laid-back feel that only comes from a pair of veterans doing what they do best. What they do here is cover 12 classic blues songs, many of them staples of King's repertoire, so the title of this album makes sense. Whether it's the rollicking rock & roll of the title track, or the acoustic shuffle of "Key to the Highway," or the sweet notes of "When My Heart Beats Like a Hammer," a real sense of pleasure comes through on this album, the kind of pleasure one gets from jamming late at night with a good friend. —Genevieve Williams

2007 debut full length from this band who liberally mix Beatles and Metallica musical milestones together into one stew. Yes, it sounds like Metallica doing Beatles songs (and not the other way around). It's a parody, but it's also a party! Oglio.

The Star Wars cycle, George Lucas's stellar pop parable cum merchandising blitzkrieg, has long since made history as an unparalleled cinematic-cultural-marketing phenomena; somewhere Billy Jack should be in one envious, ass-kickin' mood. Phantom Menace, easily the most eagerly anticipated film of the '90s, returns to the saga's roots and allows Lucas to flesh out the history of some of the fable's core characters and conjure up a dazzling new cast of cohorts, antagonists, and alien realms for them to interact with and in. Thus, all composer John Williams had to do was essentially reinvent the world's most popular wheel. The film-scoring legend has admirably risen to that daunting challenge, delivering an inventive score whose dynamics should surprise and delight even the most ardent SW fanatic. The Main Title and a few oh-so-sparing bars of a familiar Jedi theme are all that remains from the original trilogy's lexicon, Williams having evolved the saga's musical language, stylistic reach, and orchestral palette with masterful subtlety. The composer's most ambitious surprise is the welcome addition of strong choral elements, which he uses in ways both majestic ("Duel of the Fates") and menacing ("Passage Through the Planet's Core"). And though the film revolves around a young boy (Anakin Skywalker, who will grow to be both corrupted and redeemed as Darth Vader), the only flirtation with cloying sentimentality comes with the innocently loping "Jar Jar's Introduction." In the tradition of the Cantina and Max Rebo's Band of the previous trilogy, Williams and Lucas close out this musical installment with "Augie's Municipal Band," a Carnivale-esque romp that segues grandly into the composer's swelling title music. Williams may be the master of a grand scoring tradition, but Phantom Menace is gratifying evidence that he seldom plays it safe—even when the Force is with him. —Jerry McCulley

John Williams' lovely and moving score for the sixth Star Wars film brings thirty years of collaborating on George Lucas’ beyond-popular intergalactic franchise to a close. (Is this really the end of Star Wars? Can’t Lucas and Williams work together on a prequel to these prequels? Let us hope so, and that Jar Jar Binks is nowhere near it.) As this music accompanies the most exciting Star Wars film in many a moon, the soundtrack itself is more fun, more evil, more nasty and bumpy. Many of the heroic, anthemic themes woven throughout Episode Three: Revenge of the Sith will necessarily be familiar to any fan of the series, from the "Imperial March" to the main theme. It’s remarkable how stirring the latter can be, no matter how many times you’ve heard it, and even for those who do not have all their money invested in S.W. memorabilia. There is a lot of new music here, and the lush, extensive range of both Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra is on display, most notably in the menacing, percolating "General Grievous" and the rousing "New Hope" end theme. —Mike McGonigal

The Force Is Also with:

Star Wars Trilogy soundtrack box set
Star Wars Episode II sountrack
Star Wars Episode II, Attack of the Clones
Star Wars Episode I, The Phantom Menace
Star Wars Trilogy on DVD
Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Guitarist Jonny Greenwood has composed a hauntingly dramatic instrumental score for Oscar nominated writer-director
Paul Thomas Anderson s ambitious new film, There Will Be Blood. An adaptation of the Upton Sinclair novel Oil!, the movie features
Daniel Day-Lewis in what The Hollywood Reporter has described as a powerhouse performance... it s a certain awards contender.
Greenwood s remarkable compositions, written primarily for strings, have already garnered considerable praise in advance reviews.
The score resembles his rock compositions only in the level of daring and inventiveness to be found throughout these tracks and in the unsettling atmosphere he is able to conjure at key moments. Greenwood s score is more indicative of his current collaborations with the BBC Orchestra as Composer In Residence activities closely followed by Pitchfork Media and The Daily Swarm.
In fact, the score incorporates material from two orchestral pieces he created in that position, smear and Popcorn Superhet Receiver,
which will have its U.S. concert premiere this January when Greenwood appears at the Wordless Music Series in New York City.
There Will Be Blood takes Anderson in a radically different direction than his celebrated earlier films, Boogie Nights and Magnolia dazzling, attention-grabbing movies marked by multiple plot lines, ensemble casts and surreal visual elements. His last project,Punch Drunk Love, was a sophisticated comedy-drama with a smart pop score by composer-producer Jon Brion, released on
Nonesuch in 2002. Anderson s new work is a stark period piece filmed on arid Texas plains; critics have likened it to the brilliantly austere work of such revered directors as Stanley Kubrick and Terence Malick (Days Of Heaven). The Hollywood Reporter called Greenwood s score captivating...greatly contributing to the sense that tectonic forces lie beneath the drama.
The soundtrack to There Will Be Blood will appeal to serious movie-music fans, who will appreciate this rare find: an intelligent, beautiful
and deeply cinematic orchestrated score performed by the BBC Orchestra and London Sinfonietta that can hold its own next to the classic work of such composers as Bernard Herrman, Elmer Bernstein and Ennio Morricone.

Silverchair are Australia's most successful rock band with five #1 albums and global sales of over 6 million CDs. Since exploding onto the alternative rock scene as teens in the mid-90s, Silverchair have grown up into a much more eclectic and melodic band. They've built a large and passionate fan base and have garnered high regard among critics and peers that once seemed unlikely. "Young Modern" is the fastest selling album of the band's career in their homeland - propelled by the #1 hit single "Straight Lines". It also features orchestral arrangements by legendary Beach Boys collaborator Van Dyke Parks. Look for Silverchair on a North American summer tour that includes a Lollapalooza appearance alongside acclaimed artists Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes.

AC, DC AC/DC's 1995 album remastered and reissued in a special digipak. 2000 release.

AC/DC

AC/DC Black Ice is the first full-length studio album of all-new material from AC/DC since the release of "Stiff Upper Lip" in 2000. Produced by Brendan O'Brien at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, BC, Black Ice premieres 15 new AC/DC compositions and performances including the album's first single, "Rock 'N' Roll Train".

AC/DC AC/DC's 1981 album digitally remastered and reissued in a special digipak plus a 16 page full color booklet containing all original album art, many unpublished photos, classic memorabilia and new 2003 liner notes. Epic.

AC/DC

AC/DC AC/DC's 1976 album digitally remastered and reissued in a special digipak plus a 16 page full color booklet containing all original album art, many unpublished photos, classic memorabilia and new 2003 liner notes. Epic.

AC/DC AC/DC's 1979 album digitally remastered and reissued in a special digipak plus a 16 page full color booklet containing all original album art, many unpublished photos, classic memorabilia and new 2003 liner notes. Epic.

AC/DC 2003 remastered reissue of 1977 album packaged in a digipak with 16 page full color booklet containing all original album art, many unpublished photos, classic memorabilia, and liner notes. Epic.

AC/DC 2003 remastered reissue of 1978 album packaged in a digipak with 16 page full color booklet containing all original album art, many unpublished photos, classic memorabilia, and liner notes. Epic.

AC/DC 2003 remastered reissue of 1990 album packaged in a digipak with 16 page full color booklet containing all original album art, many unpublished photos, classic memorabilia, and liner notes. Epic.

AC/DC

AC/DC

Alice In Chains

Alice in Chains Millenium digipak edition, with original sleeve and 6 page booklet. 12 tracks including 'Rooster', 'Would' & 'Them Bones'.

Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains While not their most definitive album (that honor belongs to 1992's Dirt), Jar of Flies represents an important step in Alice in Chains' recording career. Witness "I Stay Away," which is made up of equal portions of hummable guitar riffs and the spookier, scarier, more grinding elements that most fans associate with Alice in Chains. This song most clearly delineates the dichotomy that was a highlight of the band's sound—Jerry Cantrell's listenable tunes and often gorgeous arrangements (just listen to what he does with "Whale & Wasp"!) and Layne Staley's growling vocals, which are just the teeniest bit flat. The collection as a whole, brief as it is, has an elegance that's unusual for metal. —Genevieve Williams

Alice In Chains Although Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley dropped off the radar following 1995's Alice in Chains, it's amazing how good he sounds on 1998's "Get Born Again," the one new track on this 15-song best-of outing. Sounding like a Dirt-era offering, the band's trademark dirgeful sound and melodic, layered, and haunting vocals shine on this strong Staley-Cantrell composition. And there's other interesting material that makes Nothing Safe a safe bet for fans. A demo of "We Die Young" is faster and more metal than the version on 1990's Facelift, while a live "Rooster," lilting "Got Me Wrong" (from Unplugged) and "What Hell Have I" from the Last Action Hero soundtrack are all eminently listenable. —Katherine Turman

Alice in Chains

Alice in Chains

The Animals While they're best remembered for "House of the Rising Sun," the Animals had more than one track. What about "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" and "We've Gotta Get Out of this Place," to name but two, as well as a later incarnation's "San Franciscan Nights," Eric Burdon's ode to the flower power of 1967? Always rough and ready, the Animals were a blues band from Newcastle who never looked completely comfortable in their suits, but who nonetheless produced some great pieces of music—although whether there was ever quite enough to fill an entire album you have to judge for yourself. —Chris Nickson

Apocalyptica

Apocalyptica Take four cellos, mix with a quartet of Finnish classical-music students who possess a note-for-note knowledge of metal giants Metallica, and beat gently. Viola! You have a truly stirring album that provides tangible evidence of the dramatic passages and intricate arrangements that classical music and heavy metal share. On "Enter Sandman" and "Creeping Death," the exquisite playing of the cellists intensifies the darkness and emotion of Metallica. In the process the strength and versatility of the group's songwriting is given more credence. Perhaps the most remarkable element of the album is the faithfulness that's shown to the original songs, right down to faultlessly following the vocal melodies. With Plays Metallica by Four Cellos, Apocalyptica have proved that the universal language of good music is unbound by genre. Here is a clever concept brilliantly realized. —Steffan Chirazi

The Arc Angels Concept: Charlie Sexton in dream date with a second killer guitarist/vocalist (Doyle Bramhall II), Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section and producer Little Steven. Result: A can't-fail combo that swings like vintage Stones/Bad Company. —Jeff Bateman

Audioslave In what was widely predicted to be a short-lived supergroup/side-project, Audioslave has instead gratifyingly yielded a bonafide band. The follow-up to their promising, if not quite artistically congealed '02 debut finds singer/songwriter Chris Cornell contributing a slate of songs that would have done his former Soundgarden proud, while guitarist Tom Morello and his former Rage Against the Machine bandmates cast them in a focused rhythmic groove that suggests that the old school can still yield a timely lesson or two. Cornell's best songs may still lurk in the shadows (the funeral hypno-blues of "Heaven's Dead," the martial metal of antiwar opener "Your Time Has Come," "The Worm" as anthem for self-loathing), yet they're now brightened with such surprisingly sunny fare as "Dandelion," "Doesn't Remind Me"'s charged, existentialist daydream and even a hook-rich, dangerously optimistic back-to-the-future power ballad in "Be Yourself." Morello's work on the title track and elsewhere is a study in taste and less-is-more efficiency, a telling hint of how forcefully these iconic '90s stars have sublimated their egos as their new music has blossomed; who said there are no second acts in American (rock) lives? —Jerry McCulley

Audioslave The novelty of Audioslave has had time to wear off. The grouping of ex-Rage Against the Machine members and ex-Soundgarden vocalist Chris Cornell is no longer new; and time has long since come for the band to live or die based solely on the merits of its music, not on the reputation of its members. The good news is that, at least for now, the group is in a position to do exactly that. On Revelations, the band channels and updates the unapologetic boogie of Ian Gillan-era Deep Purple on tunes such as "One and the Same," "Shape of Things to Come," and "Wide Awake" with ease, inspiring awe and genuine surprise. Guitarist Tom Morello has rarely sounded as fresh as he does on the stomp-and-stammer "Original Fire" and the otherwise disposable grunge retread "Somedays." Not every track here can be as good as the opening title cut and a few—the should-be moving ballad "Until We Fall," the closing "Moth"—fall painfully short. But there is enough strength here to suggest that Audioslave's ability to deliver jaw-dropping albums remains intact and its ability to live up to the hype is lagging just a step or two behind. —Jedd Beaudoin

B.B. King

B.B. King Live set from legendary bluesman who's career now spans half a century. 1983 recording features 10 stage favorites including 'The Thrill is Gone', 'Every Day I Have the Blues', 'B.B.'s Theme' and 'Why I Sing the Blues'. 1999 release. Standard jewel case.

Backyard Tire Fire Backyard Tire Fire return with their new studio album, The Places We Lived, on Hyena Records. Distinguished by a rare combination of workingman authenticity and indie-rock eccentricity, The Places We Lived is defiantly contemporary, while remaining true to its Midwestern roots. Spiked with the truth-telling salt of Hank Williams, the beautiful melancholy of vintage Tom Waits and the pop smarts of a Midwest Big Star, this latest effort by the Bloomington, Illinois-based band embodies all the simple things that make rock 'n' roll endure. The last 16 months have seen Backyard Tire Fire's national buzz grow by leaps and bounds. They've played national festivals like Summerfest, Langerado, Wakarusa and Mountain Jam and have toured the country with Cracker, Jason Isbell, Clutch, and Reverend Horton Heat. Simultaneously, tastemaker blogs like My Old Kentucky Blog, Daytrotter, and Large Hearted Boy have weighed in with unanimous raves.

Band of Horses Released in March of 2006, Band of Horses debut Everything All the Time made good on the
promise hinted at in their early shows and demos. The band went from early shows opening for
friends Iron & Wine, to playing on The Late Show with David Letterman by July, and being nominated
as one of ten finalists (along with Joanna Newsom, Beirut, Tom Waits, and, the eventual winner,
Cat Power) for the Shortlist Music Prize for that same year. And the record was well-received
critically, with celebratory press in Spin, Entertainment Weekly, NY Times, Harp, Billboard, Pitchfork,
Magnet, NME, Uncut, and a slew of others. Not a bad place to start.
For a lot of reasons, Cease to Begin is the perfect title for this new record. Not only do the
songs themselves weave this theme through the record, but stopping and starting anew is also
a reflection of the past year and a half for Band of Horses. Though they worked with producer
Phil Ek again, as they did on Everything All the Time, much has changed between the fairly
recent then and now. There have been band members who have come and gone, including Mat
Brooke, who left the band to pursue other interests and his own band. For core members Ben
Bridwell, Rob Hampton and Creighton Barrett, there has been a move from Seattle, WA to Mt.
Pleasant, SC, a relocation that had been planned for some time so that they could all be closer
to their families. And, close friends and family have come and gone some far too early. Necessarily
shot through with these experiences, the songs on Cease to Begin are strikingly beautiful, if less
elliptical and more straightforward, with more sophisticated arrangements than the last record.

Bap Kennedy Halfway through Domestic Blues, Bap Kennedy confides "I've Fallen in Love" in as sweet a declaration as you'll ever hear. More often, though, he obsesses over all the domestic partners who're going or already gone. With a Dylanish snarl, he begs their forgiveness, regrets his mistakes, even warns, "I've got to get out of this house before I hurt you." He calls his lovers vampires and devils, says he's well off rid of them. But mainly, whether he's country-rocking like co-producer Steve Earle, copping a Stonesy strut, or updating older acoustic twangs with alt-country drive, he just prays one of these women will come back. Can't say if they will or not, but I do know all this obsessing makes for one of the year's best. —David Cantwell

Bauhaus

The Beastie Boys Beastie Boys Photos      

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Awesome, I Shot That
DVD Video Anthology - Criterion Collection

Beatallica "...Blood" is the result of a worldwide Beatalli-Banger (code for a Beatallica Fan) initiative where they transcribed "All You Need Is Blood" into 13 different versions; English, Portuguese, Estonian, French, German, Hungarian, Hebrew, Italian, Mexican Spanish, Dutch, Polish, Russian, and South Korean.

The Beatles The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Let It Be, the group held on for this ambitious effort, an album that was to become their best-selling. Though all four contribute to the first side's writing, John Lennon's hard-rocking, "Come Together" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" make the strongest impression. A series of song fragments edited together in suite form dominates side two; its portentous, touching, official close ("Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End") is nicely undercut, in typical Beatles fashion, by Paul McCartney's cheeky "Her Majesty," which follows. —Rickey Wright

The Beatles

The Beatles 3 LP set. The most anticipated of the Anthology series, this disc covers what was arguably the Fab Four's most intensely creative period ('65-'67) when they single-handedly changed the course of popular music. Anthology 2 doesn't disappoint. Outtakes and demos show the building of songs like "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite," while the pure pop song writing of Rubber Soul and Help! is also documented, along with the sonic experimentation that characterized Revolver. Even if the legendary proto-metal jam of "What's the New Mary Jane" didn't see the light of day here, there is plenty for any Beatles fan. EMI. 2005.

The Beatles From the White Album to the end, the last days of the Beatles weren't smooth, which made the fact that they still produced some astonishing music all the more remarkable. In abbreviated form, "What's the New Mary Jane" is finally issued here, and proves underwhelming. For the rest of the set, it's largely down to outtakes and demos, but this time there isn't the same insight of the previous two volumes. Anthology 3 comes dangerously close to the sound of barrels being scraped. That said, it's the Beatles, and in whatever form, the music still shines brilliantly. —Chris Nickson

The Beatles No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: BEATLES
Title: BEATLES 1
Street Release Date: 11/14/2000
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

The Beatles No Description Available
Track: 10: Honey Don't,Track: 11: Every Little Thing,Track: 12: I Don't Want To Spoil The Party,Track: 13: What You're Doing,Track: 14: Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby,Track: 1: No Reply,Track: 2: I'm A Loser,Track: 3: Baby's In Black,Track: 4: Rock And Roll Music,Track: 5: I'll Follow The Sun,Track: 6: Mr. Moonlight,Track: 7: Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!,Track: 8: Eight Days A Week,Track: 9: Words Of Love
Media Type: CD
Artist: BEATLES
Title: BEATLES FOR SALE
Street Release Date: 07/03/1987
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

The Beatles Better known as the "White Album," this was meant to be the record that brought them back to earth after three years of studio experimentation. Instead, it took them all over the place, continuing to burst the envelope of pop music. Lennon and McCartney were still at the height of their powers, with Lennon in particular growing into one of rock's towering figures. But even McCartney could still rock, and the amazement on "Helter Skelter" was that he had vocal cords at the end. From Beach Boys knock-offs to reggae and to the unknown ("Revolution #9 "), this has it all. Some records have legend written all over them; this is one. —Chris Nickson

The Beatles Help was the last Beatles album to feature a cover version (Larry Williams's "Dizzy Miss Lizzie"), and is considered a turning point in the quality of their songwriting. Like the previous album's "Im a Loser," "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" was Lennon's nod to the influence of Bob Dylan. McCartney's gift for melody was obvious in "I've Just Seen A Face." And Harrison's songwriting contributions grew to two tracks. Instrumentally, "Ticket To Ride"'s off-beat rhythm was Ringo's masterpiece, while the string quartet in the huge hit "Yesterday" was unusual for a rock band at that time; it was the start of a stellar series of McCartney ballads with strings ("Eleanor Rigby," "She's Leaving Home"). EMI. 2005.

The Beatles Can't Buy Me Love I Should Have Known Better Paperback Writer Rain Lady Madonna Revolution Hey Jude Old Brown Shoe Don't Let Me Down The Ballad Of John And Yoko

The Beatles Sloppy in conception, and even sometimes in the playing, Let It Be often gets a bad rap. Unfairly, as it's often as charming, well written, and (oh yeah) rocking as the Beatles' "better" albums; it's also more outright fun than Abbey Road, the masterpiece it followed into the stores. With Lennon and McCartney working together on the perfect "I've Got a Feeling," "Two of Us," and "Dig a Pony," it's hard to believe these guys were about to implode. —Rickey Wright

The Beatles

The Beatles Japanese pressing of the standard version of the album. Apple. 2006.

The Beatles Japanese exclusive reissue of 1967 album. This Toshiba/EMI pressing features an OBI strip (different from the last Japanese pressings issued in 1990) & an insert with Japanese text & lyrics in Japanese & English. Manufactured & pressed in Japan. This album has been direct metal mastered from a digitally remastered original tape to give the best possible sound quality. Gatefold sleeve. 2003.

The Beatles Japanese exclusive reissue of 1963 album. This Toshiba/EMI pressing features an OBI strip (different from the last Japanese pressings issued in 1990) & an insert with Japanese text & lyrics in Japanese & English. Manufactured & pressed in Japan. This album has been direct metal mastered from a digitally remastered original tape to give the best possible sound quality. 2003.

The Beatles Japanese exclusive reissue of 1966 album. This Toshiba/EMI pressing features an OBI strip (different from the last Japanese pressings issued in 1990) & an insert with Japanese text & lyrics in Japanese & English. Manufactured & pressed in Japan. This album has been direct metal mastered from a digitally remastered original tape to give the best possible sound quality. 2004.

The Beatles No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: BEATLES
Title: RUBBER SOUL (BRITISH)
Street Release Date: 08/09/1988
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

The Beatles

The Beatles No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: BEATLES
Title: WITH THE BEATLES
Street Release Date: 08/09/1988
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

The Beatles

Beck

Beck Far more than a novelty jester, Beck is a musical anarchist and bummed-out street prophet whose audience will squirm and thrill to the slacker delta blues of "Whiskeyclone" and urban nightmares like "Truckdrivin Neighbors Downstairs." —Jeff Bateman

Beck Special Very Limited CD Digipak.

Beck Beck's new album Modern Guilt, produced with Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton, will be released July 8, 2008.

The new album contains 10 new songs, and with the exception of last year's Grammy-nominated, digital-only single "Timebomb", Modern Guilt is the first new material Beck has written since the prolific stretch that produced 2005's platinum Guero and 2006's universally acclaimed The Information.

Modern Guilt is a tightly assembled group of songs that range in lyrical tone from introspection and social commentary to off the cuff wordplay and lighthearted humor. Musically, the album's ten tracks vacillate between economy and experimentation, hybrid and pop classicism, while consistently manifesting Beck and Danger Mouse's shared interest in psych-rock, folk, electronic minimalism and orchestration.

Beck is about to embark on a tour of the UK and Europe, followed by a number of US headline and festival appearances, culminating in Beck's biggest hometown headline show to date, September 20, 2008 at the Hollywood Bowl.

Beck Photos

Beck It's unfortunate how much attention has been paid to how this album was recorded—quickly, without the same level of studio fuss that marked Beck's breakthrough album, Odelay. That's a shame because our favorite chameleon has pulled the neatest trick of all: he's dropped the lyrical schtick that sometimes marred his sonic wizardy, leaving listeners to wonder if he even believed in the music he was playing. That's not an issue here. At times, he sounds like Ray Davies updated for the '90s, stripping himself bare with lovely, simple songs that linger long after they've supposedly ended. Beck may have made his initial mark with "Loser," a clever but insincere admission of inferiority; he's more likely to be remembered for the similar but more heartfelt confession of "Nobody's Fault But My Own." —Keith Moerer

Beck Beck'S major label debut, MELLOW GOLD, introduced him in 1994 but it was ODELAY two years later that became a bellwether for the alternative rock movement. Now, a dozen years after its original release, ODELAY has been expanded into a two-CD DELUXE EDITION with the addition of two never-before-released tracks, a soundtrack contribution, an earlier indie-issued track, and 15 recordings heard on U.K., Japanese and Australian albums, singles, and EPs never released in the U.S. Voted Best Album of the Year in The Village Voice Jazz & Pop Critics Poll and Grammy winner for Best Alternative Music Performance, Odelay charted Top 20 and earned double platinum. "Where It's At," which won the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance, and "The New Pollution" charted Top 10 Modern Rock, "Jack-Ass" Top 20 and "Devil's Haircut" Top 30.

Beck Stripped of the intoxicating production that dominated 'Mellow Gold', songs here prove to be wonderful, vibrant tunes, teeming with emotion, haunting wordplay and simple, memorable melodies. K Records.

Beck Beck is bummed. Really bummed. And if song titles such as "Lost Cause," "Lonesome Tears," "Already Dead," and "Nothing I Haven't Seen" don't make the point, his achingly sad lyrics and Sea Change's unerringly downcast sound do. While 1998's Mutations—arguably the singer-songwriter's masterwork and Sea Change's spiritual cousin—was filled with unflinching self-examination, moments of levity were found in songs like "Tropicalia." Not so on Sea Change. Beck's woozy, almost narcoleptic delivery seems to amplify the set's sense of ennui. But sad isn't necessarily bad, and despite the somber tone, there's much to praise, not the least of which is the return of producer Nigel Goderich (Mutations, Radiohead), who wraps Beck's gloom in a dreamy, warm blanket of soft strings and floating bleeps and gurgles. Like Daniel Lanois, Goderich is all about vibe, and even Beck's most bare-bones songs benefit from billowy atmospherics. That's especially true of "Paper Tiger," a restless, slowly building epic improbably propelled by a languid orchestra and Beck's expressionless drone. The inky black feel of "Round the Bend"—a glacially slow dirge with muffled vocals—may be the darkest thing Beck's ever written, not counting the very grim "Already Dead." Whatever's going on in Beck's world, at least we know he's purging, which, all things considered, may be better for his soul than ours. —Kim Hughes

Beck When the consensus is that you're the new Dylan, it's your prerogative to rewrite the record industry's rules. So in 1994, the same year Beck had major-label hits with "Loser" and the album Mellow Gold, he saw fit (and was allowed by his label, Geffen) to release three other records on various indie labels. While none challenged Beck's "real" album in quality or sales, Stereopathetic Soul Manure is his most successful collection of unpolished toss-offs. Collecting various low-fi recordings made between 1988 and '93, the record alternates between folkie strumming, pedal-steel country, noise-guitar freakouts, and bizarre soundbites. Not essential, but it has its charms. —Roni Sarig

Belle & Sebastian All 3 Import versions of Books packed into 1 handy & very reasonably priced CD. Featuring "Wrapped up in Books" (from Dear Catastrophe Waitress) + 3 new tracks. Also includes lots of enhanced special features.

Belle & Sebastian The quirky Glaswegian outfit's highly acclaimed & highly anticipated 1998 album featuring 12 timeless pop songs that are neither pretentious nor too cute. A 1998 Jeepster/ Matador release.

Belle & Sebastian Sigmatropic, a renowned Greek artist has accomplished a truly amazing and unique project! With the help of a deliriously star-studded cast of guests he performs songs based on the haiku poetry of celebrated, Nobel Prize winning Greek author George Seferis

Belle & Sebastian 'Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant', their 4th album on Matador Records, opts for a subtle, intimate palette that reveals its charms only in its own sweet time.

Belle & Sebastian Whimsy and preciousness is an integral part of 'If You're Feeling Sinister', along with clever wit and gentle, intricate arrangements - a wonderful blend of the Smiths and Simon & Garfunkel, to be reductive. A Matador Records release.

Belle & Sebastian Highly ancticipated new album from Belle & Sebastian features more of their simple, melodic, moody, and poetic songs. Advanced Japanese release. EMI. 2006.

Belle & Sebastian At long last, all seven of Belle And Sebastian's "Jeepster" EPs have been collected into a convenient 2-CD set. Often considered their best work, and previously only available as hard-to-find imports or in a box set, the EPs, consisting of 25 songs recorded from 1996-2001, are now available for the price of a single frontline CD. The four tracks from the EP "This Is Just A Modern Rock Song" have never been released in the US before. Also available in a deluxe 3-LP gatefold vinyl set and a deluxe double CD hardbound book.

Belle & Sebastian Special Low List Price: 34 minutes of new music from Belle and Sebastian, comprised of both instrumental film score and six new vocal tracks. The soundtrack to Todd Solondz's "Storytelling", starring Selma Blair, John Goodman and Paul Giamatti.

Belle & Sebastian CD debut/ reissue of the acclaimed Scottish indie pop/ folk group's 1996 album, their first. The record was previously only available as a vinyl-only release limited to 1,000 copies. 10 tracks. 1999 release.

Ben Folds Ben Folds Live is a stellar exception to the rule that live albums are contractually obliged stocking fillers. Folds is at his best on stage with only a grand piano for company. He is a compelling showman who's blessed with an unforced charm that complements the anger and melancholy that informs most of his songs: the self-lacerating "Army" loses nothing by having a hall of people bellowing the saxophone and trumpet parts as Folds conducts them. The material here spans Folds' work with the three-piece Ben Folds Five as well as 2001's excellent solo debut. The readings of "Fred Jones," "The Luckiest," and "Brick" display an immediacy and intimacy that transcend the recorded versions. A couple of worthwhile curiosities—a minor chord rearrangement of "Song for the Dumped" and a faithful, affecting version of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" round out the offerings. This is an impeccable document of a superior performer at work. —Andrew Mueller

Ben Folds On the evidence of Rockin' the Suburbs, Ben Folds's decision to jettison the two-piece Five that had backed him on four largely excellent albums has not resulted in any significant shift in trajectory. The Ben Folds Five were only getting better, gradually discovering the confidence not to hide their musical uniqueness (there have been too few piano-led power trios) and lyrical intelligence behind undergrad Barenaked Ladies-style gags. Songs like "Mess" and "Brick" signaled an extraordinary new songwriting talent worthy of comparison to Folds's obvious idols, Elvis Costello and Paul Simon. Only this album's title track harkens back to Folds's fondness for comedy, and it is by far the weakest track here. The rest is mournful, reflective, and, at best, quite magnificent. Folds's hymns to his family, "Still Fighting It" and "The Luckiest" are shot through with an honesty that's rare in alternative rock. The acerbic essence of character sketches such as "Carrying Cathy," "Losing Lisa," and "Zak & Sara" are leavened with a generous compassion. Folds's second solo effort is his best album yet. The remainder of his career must be anticipated with equal parts expectation and impatience. —Andrew Mueller

Ben Folds The DVD side of the DualDisc features: *Entire album in 5.1 Surround Sound * Making of the album documentary including home movies, studio footage, live performances, interviews and more.

Ben Folds Limited edition Ben Folds EP. Since Ben has 24-hour studio access while preparing his new album, he's decided to reward his fans by releasing some EPs before the new record is released. Tracks: 1. In Between Days (Robert Smith) 2. Give Judy My Notice (Folds) 3. Protection (Folds/Goodman) 4. Dog (Folds/Olson) 5. Wandering (Folds/Jessee)

Ben Folds Five Like the best guitar heroes, Ben Folds, pianist and leader of a guitarless trio called the Ben Folds Five, commands and fuels his small, tightly wound ensemble with an authoritative, nearly virtuosic style. Folds, based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, borrows from everywhere but lends new inspiration and insight to the instrument's possibilities—he—he's the Jimi Hendrix of the baby grand. His frenetic keypounding eclipses old-time styles from honky-tonk to Jerry Lee Lewis rag, and he outplinks megastars such as Elton John and Billy Joel while sifting them both through the mondo hammerings of classic pop-loving alternative keyboard bashers like Todd Rundgren and Squeeze's Jools Holland. To complement Folds-the-pianist's clean and bright ivory tinkerings, Folds-the-singer's clear and dynamic tenor swirls through Folds-the-songwriter's very capably crafted, sugary pop gems. "Philosophy" starts with a rolling Joel-like intro, slips into a Rundgrenish verse and chorus—complete with the perfect Beatlesque harmonies of bassist Robert Sledge and drummer Darren Jessee—and then breaks out in an overdriven piano quote from Gershwin in the climactic solo. "Underground" Sgt. Peppers us with faux theatrics and then plunges into a soul-gospel groove about the joys of the alternative rock scene. "Uncle Walter" is a character sketch Ray Davies wishes he wrote but couldn't; "Boxing" is an imagined confab between Muhammad Ali and Howard Cosell that Tom Waits wishes he wrote but wouldn't. The rest of Ben Folds Five's debut achievement just does what any other timeless summer record should: it makes you feel sunny enough inside to last all through the year. —Roni Sarig

Ben Folds Five When major labels snatch indie acts, credit for having been there first holds little consolation for the original labels—unless, of course, there are easy bucks to be made from it. Suggesting Caroline's lack of faith in Ben Folds Fives' career longevity, the label trudged out its collection of early singles, live performances, album outtakes, and obscure covers at the first signs of the group's commercial breakthrough (rather than wait until these odds and ends were actually old enough to be of archival interest). Most of these "naked baby photos" are not worth your time, unless you're one of Ben's relatives. —Roni Sarig

Ben Folds Five Simultaneously challenging and accessible, The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner is a song cycle about death and dying, people, relationships, optimism, innocence—you name it. On his first two albums, Ben Folds was quick to toss off bombs of blame (most notably on the vitriolic "Song for the Dumped"), but here he aims most of his criticism at the mirror. On the wondrously snarky "Redneck Past" he sings, "My ex-wives all despise me / try to put it all behind me / but my redneck past is nipping at my heels." Apparently he doesn't have a chip on his piano any more. The production is lush and ornate, with strings and horns embellishing Folds's usual quota of to-die-for hooks (which he seems to dash off as effortlessly as postcards from the beach). An obvious point of reference is Pet Sounds, but Ben Folds Five widen their scope to also include hints of Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, and even Queen, whose influence is front and center on the bombastic opener "Narcolepsy," a virtual homage to "Bohemian Rhapsody." Other highlights include "Army," a hilariously detailed indie-rock answer to Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant." —David Menconi

Ben Folds Five

Ben Harper With the release of his seventh studio album, the double-disc Both Sides of the Gun, Ben Harper offers his signature mix of rock, soul, and folk music, while also venturing into new territory. "I was hoping I could come back to the root of my earlier records, the sparseness and intimacy," he says, "and also branch out further in a produced sound than ever before." From the blazing Curtis Mayfield/Stevie Wonder-style funk of "Black Rain" to the gentle sway of "Morning Yearning" to the full-on power ballad "Waiting for You," the eighteen songs on Both Sides reveal a master stylist at the peak of his game.

Special Edition includes Bonus CD featuring four alternate mixes and two live tracks.

Ben Harper Photos        

More from Ben Harper

Fight for Your Mind
Diamonds on the Inside
Welcome to the Cruel World

Ben Harper Ben Harper Photos        

More from Ben Harper

Fight for Your Mind
Both Sides of the Gun
Welcome to the Cruel World
Live From Mars
The Will to Live
Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Ben Harper Ben Harper Photos        

More from Ben Harper

Diamonds on the Inside
Both Sides of the Gun
Welcome to the Cruel World
Live From Mars
The Will to Live
Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Ben Harper Ben Harper Photos        

More from Ben Harper

Fight for Your Mind
Diamonds on the Inside
Both Sides of the Gun
Live From Mars
The Will to Live
Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Ben Harper Ben Harper Photos        

More from Ben Harper

Welcome to the Cruel World
Diamonds on the Inside
Both Sides of the Gun
Live From Mars
Fight for Your Mind
Live at the Hollywood Bowl

Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals At the end of a nine month European tour, Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals landed in a Paris recording studio and completed their new album, Lifeline, in just seven days. The result: a soulful masterpiece with beautifully direct lyrics, undeniable grooves and an effortless energy that recalls the best works of Otis Redding, Bill Withers and Beggars Banquet-era Rolling Stones. Yeah...it's that good.

It's no surprise that most bands today don't record albums live, straight to tape, in one room, no Pro Tools, no auto-tune. There are only a handful of modern artists that can pull it off. Since Ben & The Innocent Criminals were so musically connected after such a long tour, they entered the studio immediately. And on a sixteen track tape machine and one full week in the City of Lights, they successfully recorded and mixed an album that will sit alongside all of your old favorites...just like a classic record should.

The Beta Band Hot Shots II is the quartet's most accomplished work: folksy, futuristic, dubbed-out atmospherics and off-kilter pop. Think Beck meets Lee Perry meets Pink Floyd meets RZA meets Beatles. This U.S. version features an exclusive track. 11 tracks. 2001 release.

The Beta Band Citing influences ranging from the decidedly serious Martin Sheen to the asinine Chevy Chase to funkmaster Bootsy Collins, the Beta Band is a delight. This aptly titled compilation of three separately released EPs is sure to leave music fans scratching their collective head while trying to define this Scottish band's intricate aural hodgepodge. The Beta Band makes a very distinct and exciting impression. There's the unusual coupling of acoustic guitar, horn, sampled beats, and a catchy refrain on "Dry the Rain"; the hypnotic instrumental "B+A"; and "She's the One," which opens with a chaotic, hippyish drum circle that segues first to an anthemic chorus and then to a highly processed breakdown complete with a Jew's harp. The Three EPs will dominate the CD player, becoming somewhat of an obsession, with each listen revealing some brilliant little nuance, quirk, or lyric. —Kerry Murphy

Better Than Ezra As of May 2005, it's been 10 years since Better than Ezra bounded up the charts with the unsinkable hit "Good," which is just about long enough for modern rock fans—especially the ones who picked up 2001's crummy Closer—to mentally file the band in a "moment has passed" category. With the release of Before the Robots, though, comes the need to reshuffle the played-out deck. The first single, a re-done "Lifetime," effectively rescues a really good story-song from potential oblivion by sending in an un-soupy acoustic guitar and Kevin Griffin's more inspired vocal; "A Southern Thang" tips a straw hat to the Louisiana swamps the band emerged from with a rip-it-up riff; and the aptly titled "Juicy" chugs along a funkified track that veers daringly close to disco. For a threesome on the brink of been-there-done-that, Before the Robots represents a bold but pleasingly poppy rebound. —Tammy La Gorce

Better Than Ezra A sweet, catchy gem of an album, Closer corrals Better Than Ezra's multitude of influences and styles into a memorable whole. While the title track sounds as if it might be an outtake from Live (not a bad thing!), the lush tune, with string arrangements by David Campbell, showcases singer-guitarist Kevin Griffin's bittersweet vocals, making for a standout in an album full of strong songs. Personal, poignant lyrics are paired with spare, lovely musicality on "A Lifetime," while the funky "Recognize," with slide guitar and guest DJ Swamp, is a departure, but it works, as does the hip-pop, almost-novelty "Extra Ordinary." With Closer, BTE come across as a more sophisticated, adult contemporary version of Sugar Ray (the New Orleans-bred trio), moving seamlessly among light modern rock-pop styles, deftly capturing and illuminating emotions in an earnest, but never cloying, manner. —Katherine Turman

Better Than Ezra Like a Jayhawks without the Los Angeles glitz, Louisiana's Better Than Ezra plays soulful country rock that's artful but bare of artifice. Regrouping after an independent debut and the death of its rhythm guitarist, the trio originally released the engaging Deluxe on its own, but it has since been picked up by Elektra. The band gets extra points for "The Killer Inside," a tune that quotes crime noir novelist Jim Thompson. —Jim DeRogatis

Better Than Ezra The first two albums from Better Than Ezra were recorded as low-budget demos and released on tiny indie labels, even though the second one, Deluxe, was leased by Elektra and turned into a platinum smash. The third album, Friction, Baby, is the trio's first with a big budget and an experienced producer (Don Gehman of John Mellencamp, R.E.M., and Hootie & the Blowfish), and it crystallizes Better Than Ezra's identity as a mainstream pop band relying on catchy hooks, straightforward lyrics, and top-40 arrangements (which in 1996 meant grunge guitar). Kevin Griffin, the group's singer/songwriter/guitarist, has excellent pop instincts, and the 13 songs on Friction, Baby are as pleasurable as they are unadventurous. —Geoffrey Himes

Better Than Ezra

Better Than Ezra

Big Head Todd & the Monsters 1. Her Own Kinda Woman 2. Cruel Fate 3. All the Love You Need 4. Cashbox 5. Fortune Teller 6. Ever Since Ya Pulled me Under 7. How Easy 8. Spanish Highway 9. Blue Sky 10. Under a Silvery Moon 11. Beautiful Rain

Big Head Todd & the Monsters

Big Head Todd & the Monsters It's often been said that the studio recordings of the horribly named Colorado roots-rock trio Big Head Todd and the Monsters fail to accurately capture the fluent stylistic shifts the band makes effortlessly in concert. That may be true, but it's hard to nitpick when the trade-off is the woodsy, well-crafted and smooth Americana showcased on their self-produced Riviera. Frontman Todd Park Mohr's honeyed voice falls somewhere between yearning and world weary, and when he gets harmonic assists, notably on standout tracks like the driving, poppy, soon-to-be-chestnut "Wishing Well," the results are quietly thrilling. The slow-cooking "Gary Indiana Blues" delivers just what you'd expect from a song with that title, while the melody within the pleading, propulsive album opener, "Julianna," is every bit as pretty as its protagonist, even if she's about to walk out the door on our man. Riviera isn't likely to bust open all kinds of new doors for the combo, but for their dedicated following—and anyone seeking so-honest-you-can-taste-it adult contemporary rock with shades of jazz and blues—you can't go wrong. —Kim Hughes

Big Head Todd & the Monsters

Billy Bragg & Wilco A ghost, a band, a troubadour. Easily the strangest co-op project ever, and easily one of the finest and most evocative albums of the year. British socialist and folkie Billy Bragg was given unprecedented access to Woody Guthrie's unrecorded lyrics. Teaming up with alt-country band Wilco and quoting from more than 50 years of country, folk, and rock music, Billy and company bring Guthrie's politics, poetry, and morality to the end of the century and prove he's as necessary now as ever. —Tod Nelson

Billy Preston

The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes Limited edition pressing of the band's highly anticipated1999 album with a two track bonus disc featuring rarities,'It Must Be Over' and 'Twice As Hard' (from VH1 Hard RockLive). 13 tracks in all, with the album featuring thesingles 'Kickin' My Heart Arou

The Black Crowes "Now I've traded my black feathers for a crown," sings Chris Robinson, and the vibrant, roaring music on Lions supports his claim to rule the jungle. Working with producer Don Was, the Robinson boys and crew make bold sonic leaps forward, sounding both heavier and more nuanced simultaneously. In the mid-1990s the Crowes' attempts at experimentation were much less successful, often sounding forced or, worse, underdeveloped. With 1999's By Your Side, the band seemed to make a conscious attempt to strip it all down and get back to basics. Lions continues that resurgence, and thanks to Was's influence, builds mightily on that foundation. The good-time swampy swagger is still the defining factor, but for the first time the sonic coloring enhances the tunes as opposed to sapping them of their energy. All the songs flow together, giving the album a cohesion that previous efforts have lacked, and Was generates a bold, vivid sound. And yes, it does seem quite conducive to loud volumes. —Marc Greilsamer

The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes

Black Sabbath One can make the case that the Beatles, while the most important band of all time, wasn't the most influential. Decades after Black Sabbath laid down the commandments of heavy metal—lyrically, not for the squeamish; musically, dynamic and resolutely heavy—their impact remains improbably undiminished. One needed only to hear the first notes of the eponymous track on their eponymous 1970 debut to know that a new régime had arrived. And while one could (and should!) have mocked them, they would not be stopped. Black Box includes the eight albums recorded between 1970 and 1978 by the founding lineup—Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Ozzy Osbourne, and Geezer Butler—in one suitably weighty package. Forgoing bonus tracks (aside from an entertaining but brief four-track DVD extra), the box is rounded off with an impressive 80-page booklet. While the foursome was considerably less fearsome by the time they checked out with Never Say Die, more than half of this collection represents heavy metal with a lasting impact. —Steven Stolder

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan Inevitably, when critics praise a new Dylan album, they label it the "best since Blood on the Tracks," and with good reason. Inspired by a crumbled marriage, and recorded after a tour with the Band had apparently re-ignited his creativity, Blood is among Dylan's masterpieces. The album's epic songs are well known, but its real high points are the shorter numbers——"You—"You're a Big Girl Now," the flawless blues "Meet Me in the Morning," and the sweetly devastating "Buckets of Rain." These are songs of "images and distorted facts," each expressed through tangled points of view, and all of them blue. —David Cantwell

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan "You sound like you're having a good old time," a purist Dylan fan is spotted telling the artist in the documentary Don't Look Back just after the release of this, his first (half-)electric album. He certainly does. Updating Chicago blues forms with hilarious, tough lyrics—in fact, all but stealing the meter of Chuck Berry's "Too Much Monkey Business" for "Subterranean Homesick Blues"—on one side, dropping some of his most devastating solo acoustic science ("It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," "Mr. Tambourine Man") on the other, the first of Dylan's two 1965 long-players broke it right down with style, substance, and elegance. —Rickey Wright

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan Dylan's outstanding second album is a tremendous jump from its predecessor. Whereas the debut established him as a peerless interpreter of folk and country-blues classics, and a singer like none before, this followup features some of the most pungent original songs of the '60s. "Blowin' in the Wind," "Masters of War," "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall," "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right," "I Shall Be Free": if this sounds like the lineup for a greatest-hits collection, you've got the idea. Nat Hentoff's liner notes are charmingly dated, but Dylan's idiosyncratic singing, unexpected lyrics, and inimitable guitar and harmonica playing are as immediate and relevant as whatever you heard on the radio today. (As great as this is, there's much more: a handful of top-rank outtakes from Freewheelin' appear on the Bootleg Series box set.) —Jimmy Guterman

Bob Dylan Dylan was virtually gushing great songs when this masterpiece arrived in the summer of 1965. From the epochal opening of "Like a Rolling Stone" through the absurdly apocalyptic closer, "Desolation Row," his command of surrealistic language was daring and amazing. As a vocalist, he was rewriting the rules of the game. Jimi Hendrix made note of Mr. Z's technically suspect pitch and decided that he too was a singer. And the backing, though ragged, is precisely right. Is this the essential Dylan album? It's certainly one of them. —Steven Stolder

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan Unplugged albums are frequently corny, but this was an important artistic move for Dylan in 1995, when many fans had given up on his incomprehensible singing and lackluster concerts. With sympathetic backup musicians, including organist Brendan O'Brien and guitarist John Jackson, Dylan returns the coherence to his originals ("All Along the Watchtower," "The Times They Are A-Changin'," "Desolation Row," "Like a Rolling Stone") and rearranges them just enough to freshen their sound. The previously unreleased "Dignity" is one of Dylan's best songs this decade, and it fits nicely with the rickety versions of "John Brown" and the finale, "With God On Our Side." —Steve Knopper

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan The '80s was a particularly shifting, uncertain decade for Bob Dylan's creative voice. But he capped it off with his first album of all-original material in several years and his best since Infidels. A lot of the credit for Oh Mercy's distinctive appeal has been given to producer/musician Daniel Lanois (who backs Dylan on all but one cut), and there's no denying the effect of his magnetic, fog-thick sound sculpturing here. Overlays of lap steel, dobro, and mercy keys along with a slithering subterranean bass evoke a complete sonic climate, and the synergy between Lanois and Dylan would have a huge payoff with 1997's devastating Time out of Mind. But however tightly produced, Oh Mercy also displays Dylan at the peak of his songwriting craft, fracturing words and phrases for the things-fall-apart jeremiads of "Political World" and "Everything is Broken" and stringing images together for the noirish ballad "Man in the Long Black Coat." There's the usual dichotomy between Dylan's slashing accusatory mode ("What Was It You Wanted") and the self-effacement of "What Good Am I?" Aside from the miscalculated, sappy "Where Teardrops Fall" (the disc's sore thumb), this album has the classic staying power of Dylan's finest efforts. —Thomas May

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan At the beginning of Time Out of Mind, Bob Dylan finds himself in the same dead-day world as on 1964's "One Too Many Mornings." By now, though, he can't be bothered to romanticize the street and the distant dogs' barking; he can only moan about how sick he is of love, of himself. Saying it seems to give him the strength to go on, and go on he does, over 11 songs that are among his most plainspoken and musically eloquent. The reconstituted bottle-blues that sparked the early '90s acoustic masterpieces Good As I Been to You and World Gone Wrong carries over to Daniel Lanois's carefully dirty production and a groove that tops anything Dylan's done in a studio since, at least, Blood on the Tracks. No matter how lousy he feels, this is the work of a mighty, mighty man. —Rickey Wright

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan & the Band The Basement Tapes can be heard as a manifesto for the '90s' underlying Americana agenda or as the greatest album never intended for commercial release. Homegrown 1967 recordings taped in the Band's fabled Big Pink hermitage in Saugerties, New York, many of the 24 songs resonated across American and English rock and folk long before their belated 1975 release through studio interpretations by the Byrds, Fairport Convention, Manfred Mann, Peter, Paul & Mary, and numerous other acolytes, as well as through myriad unauthorized bootlegs. Good as the covers were, Dylan and the Band rolled their own with an extraordinary coherence that sounds only more authentic in these rough-hewn, intimate, always musical performances, which dovetail with Dylan's stark John Wesley Harding and the Band's stunning debut, Music from Big Pink as well as the presciently lo-fi The Band. At a time when most rock culture was entranced with its post-atomic origins, these songs sounded timeless, plunging into pre-industrial folk, turn of the (20th) century barrelhouse and blues, and crackling, vintage rock & roll excursions with offhand verve and a thrilling disregard for what was hip. Time has only reinforced their visionary power. —Sam Sutherland

Bon Iver Justin Vernon began recording as Bon Iver following the breakup of DeYarmond Edison, an indie folk group similar in tone and manner to Iron & Wine, Little Wings and, to a certain extent, Bonnie "Prince" Billy. Pronounced 'bohn eevair', it is French for "good winter" which is spelled wrong deliberately. This debut CD is centered around Justin Vernon, who is the primary force behind Bon Iver, as he moved to a remote cabin in the woods of Northwestern Wisconsin at the onset of winter, alone for three months. From this solitary time emerged a bold, uninhibited new musical focus of all his personal trouble, lack of perspective, heartache, longing, love, loss, and guilt that had been stockpiled over the past six years into songs. The NY Times called this record "irresistible", and it was given a "Recommended" rating by Pitchfork. 9 tracks. Jagjaguwar Records. 2008.

Boyd Tinsley

Buddy Holly The 20th Century Masters series is the best-selling single-artist line in music history and is being re-released by Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) in its ground-breaking, environmentally-friendly packaging format. A first for the music industry, the standard package (both sleeve and tray) will be completely paper-recyclable, continuing the company's long-standing commitment to being "green."

To further reduce the amount of paper in the Eco-Pack, the CD booklet will no longer be offered. Official liner notes are easily accessible on the Internet at http://www.ilovethatsong.com/green.

UMe is the first North American music company to replace the traditional jewel case with recycled paperboard sleeves and the plastic tray with trays made from PaperFoam®, a new packaging technology from Shorewood Packaging, a business of International Paper, that is paper-recyclable and biodegradable. Shorewood Packaging is the first North American packaging supplier to produce disc trays from PaperFoam®.

Bush Gavin Rossdale may try his best to sound like Kurt Cobain, and his British band may strum and bang Seattle-style, and Steve Albini may produce like he never left the alterna-grunge basement, but the songs here are pure pop for now people—now being Grunge-mania 1996. The lyrics always loop around in disjunctive fits and Albini ensures the band stops and starts in discomforting style but deep down Rossdale has his radio tuned to the FM-radio hits of yesteryear. "Swallowed" is the obvious single but "History," "Greedy Fly," and others have a sugary side that's pure ear candy underneath the harsh wailings. —Rob O'Connor

Bush Special limited edition release, in a double slimline jewel case, adds an acoustic version of 'Come Down' to their triple platinum debut album and also includes a four track bonus disc of live recordings from March 1996. 17tracks.

Cake When two-fifths of Cake defected to form Deathray after the release of their sophomore album, Fashion Nugget, some wondered if Sacramento's answer to Camper Van Beethoven would disappear into the land of one-hit wonders—especially since Cake's lone hit, "The Distance," had been penned by departing guitarist Greg Brown. But true to bandleader John McCrea's deadpan cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive," Cake turned around and repeated their success with 1998's Prolonging the Magic and its infectious hit, "Never There." Now comes Comfort Eagle, and, with it, news of drummer Todd Roper's departure (which probably explains the addition of drum programming to McCrea's ever-expanding credits). Like Beck, McCrea's self-sufficiency is only matched by an overriding ironic sensibility. It serves him well on the title track where, above mock Middle Eastern drones, he takes on all poseurs ("Now his hat is on backwards, he can show you his tattoos / He's in the music business, he is calling you 'dude'"). By comparison, "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," a song that dates back to McCrae's coffeehouse years, sounds formulaic (which probably explains its selection as the album's first single). No matter, tracks like "Long Line of Cars" and "Meanwhile, Rick James..." are sufficiently intriguing to make up for it. Factor in the distinctive trumpet embellishments of Vincent DiFiore, the band's other original member, and Comfort Eagle seems guaranteed to ensure that, no matter what happens, Cake will survive. —Bill Forman

Cake The twisted cover of Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" is a statement of intent, while the cool jazz riffs from the band's trumpet player are part of what makes tracks like "Daria," "It's Coming Down," and "Frank Sinatra" so original. "The Distance" is a funked-up jam with a Chili Peppers chorus. —Jeff Bateman

Cake These hipsters make music that's smart and spunky, surrounding the ironic vocals of John McCrea with a broad range of sounds: sometimes spare, sometimes funky, with occasional splashes of country and a Latin twist. Motorcade of Generorsity may lack the full-bodied punch of Fashion Nugget, the album that took Cake to the airwaves, but this 1994 CD offers the same wizened perspective on romance and modern life. And the trumpet accents of Vince de Fiore are bright and high-spirited enough for the Tijuana Brass. —Steve Appleford

Cake While artists like Beck and Radiohead see every new album as an opportunity for reinvention from the ground up, Cake has no such hang-ups. From the uniformly rustic cover art, the jerky rhythms and wobbly trumpet solos, each of Sacramento band's albums is reassuringly interchangeable. But on its fifth, the group's most distinguishing characteristic—John McCrea's deadpan, detached vocals—seems to have been given a makeover. On songs such as "No Phone" and "Tougher Than It Is" for the first time the singer seems, well, like he's actually trying to sing. It's nothing dramatic—the music will still sound immediately familiar to those who even in passing have heard hits such as "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" and "The Distance"—but with certain bands a little goes a long way. —Aidin Vaziri

Cake A kinder, gentler Cake? You'd never know it from listening to the opening track, a ditty with the rather unconventional title "Satan Is My Motor." But the truth is, most of Prolonging the Magic finds the Sacramento, California, quintet toning down the arch commentary of tracks such as "Rock and Roll Lifestyle" and "The Distance" from albums Motorcade of Generosity and Fashion Nugget. In its place is straight-ahead observational songwriting on "Alpha Beta Parking Lot" and "Guitar," and the naked, if still quirky, relationship commentaries "Where Would I Be?" and "Walk on By." Not to worry: The group's trademark humor is still in place on "You Turn the Screws" and "Sheep Go to Heaven," while touches of steel guitar and musical saw expand their already unusual sonic palette. As the title suggests, Cake seems capable of prolonging the magic a while longer. —Daniel Durchholz

Calexico The perfect soundtrack for a summer roadtrip in an old car across Death Valley. Calexico's musical textures are woven out of a dazzling array of instruments and styles, including mariachi trumpets, countrified pedal steel, Latin jazz percussion, and carnival organ, just to name a few. The songs move at siesta speed, casually looping and loping along, never getting overheated. Bandmates Joey Burns and John Convertino have their hands in so many musical pies—including projects with OP8, Giant Sand, Victoria Williams, Giant Sand, and Richard Buckner—one wonders how they find the time to create the sun-soaked music of Calexico. But thank God they have. —Tod Nelson

Calexico It's impossible to experience any undue tension or stress while listening to Calexico. Despite time spent in Los Angeles, where they met, founders Joey Burns (vocals, guitar) and John Convertino (drums) produce sounds more reflective of their sun-blasted Tucson environs. Since spinning off Howe Gelb's indomitable Giant Sand and forming their own collective, their songs have always been too hushed, too much like lullabies not to soothe the most savage breast, and Carried to Dust marks their most relaxed and confident effort to date. Burns and Convertino pursue such a mellow, yet expansive muse that they blur the lines between indie rock, imaginary soundtracks, and ethnographic explorations. As with the work of Douglas McCombs (Tortoise) and Sam Beam (Iron & Wine), who contribute to their sixth long-player, this isn't such a bad thing (the duo previously collaborated with Beam on 2005’s In the Reins). What they lack in edge or, God forbid, trendiness, the band makes up for in beauty and creativity. Note, for instance, the cascading keyboard figures of "Two Silver Trees" or the way toy piano and chimes entwine on lovely closer "Contention City." Calexico don't make music to get the party started, but to bring it to a warm and satisfying conclusion. —Kathleen C. Fennessy

It's probable that many still think of Tucson, Arizona's Calexico as an indie-rock band dabbling in the fields of country and mariachi music, but so skilfully played and richly textured is Carried to Dust, the sixth album from Joey Burns and John Convertino's long-running collective, that it feels churlish to think of them as anything less than the real deal. Uniting players including Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, Tortoise's Doug McCombs, Spanish singer-guitarist Amparo Sanchez and Iowa songwriter Pieta Brown, Carried to Dust forsakes the rockier, somewhat conventional tones of previous album Garden Ruin, harking back instead to 2003's career high watermark Feast of Wire. While diverse in genre, crucially it doesn't feel so, Calexico lassoing myriad styles and making them their own. So whether drifting the plains in true mariachi style (“Insparacion"), playing serene, lap-steel country (“Hole in Your Hand (Bend in the Road)"), or whipping up a political storm on “Victor Jara's Hand"—tribute to an activist unjustly killed by the Chilean state police in the '70s––Carried to Dust feels both adventurous and comfortable on whatever turf it chooses to walk. ––Louis Pattison

Calexico It's impossible to experience any undue tension or stress while listening to Calexico. Despite time spent in Los Angeles, where they met, founders Joey Burns (vocals, guitar) and John Convertino (drums) produce sounds more reflective of their sun-blasted Tucson environs. Since spinning off Howe Gelb's indomitable Giant Sand and forming their own collective, their songs have always been too hushed, too much like lullabies not to soothe the most savage breast, and Carried to Dust marks their most relaxed and confident effort to date. Burns and Convertino pursue such a mellow, yet expansive muse that they blur the lines between indie rock, imaginary soundtracks, and ethnographic explorations. As with the work of Douglas McCombs (Tortoise) and Sam Beam (Iron & Wine), who contribute to their sixth long-player, this isn't such a bad thing (the duo previously collaborated with Beam on 2005’s In the Reins). What they lack in edge or, God forbid, trendiness, the band makes up for in beauty and creativity. Note, for instance, the cascading keyboard figures of "Two Silver Trees" or the way toy piano and chimes entwine on lovely closer "Contention City." Calexico don't make music to get the party started, but to bring it to a warm and satisfying conclusion. —Kathleen C. Fennessy

It's probable that many still think of Tucson, Arizona's Calexico as an indie-rock band dabbling in the fields of country and mariachi music, but so skilfully played and richly textured is Carried to Dust, the sixth album from Joey Burns and John Convertino's long-running collective, that it feels churlish to think of them as anything less than the real deal. Uniting players including Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, Tortoise's Doug McCombs, Spanish singer-guitarist Amparo Sanchez and Iowa songwriter Pieta Brown, Carried to Dust forsakes the rockier, somewhat conventional tones of previous album Garden Ruin, harking back instead to 2003's career high watermark Feast of Wire. While diverse in genre, crucially it doesn't feel so, Calexico lassoing myriad styles and making them their own. So whether drifting the plains in true mariachi style (“Insparacion"), playing serene, lap-steel country (“Hole in Your Hand (Bend in the Road)"), or whipping up a political storm on “Victor Jara's Hand"—tribute to an activist unjustly killed by the Chilean state police in the '70s––Carried to Dust feels both adventurous and comfortable on whatever turf it chooses to walk. ––Louis Pattison

Candlebox

The Cars, Cars 20 of their best tracks available on 1 CD, including 'Just What I Needed', 'You're All I've Got Tonight', Touch and Go', 'Magic', 'You Might Think' & more. Rhino Records. 2002.

Cat Power Chan Marshall devised the Cat Power moniker in order to put a degree of separation between herself and the often-twisted individuals who inhabit her songs. Here, she takes another step back while also taking a step forward. As the album title indicates, these are covers of other people's songs. Yet she sings them with no less intensity than if they were her own. Mick Jagger may have snarled the definitive "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," but Marshall takes a different tack. She removes the chorus and returns it as elegant slow blues. The Velvet Underground's "I Found a Reason" becomes a near-wordless cry. She relies only on her sufficient guitar picking and likeably amateurish piano tinkling, creating an isolated web not unlike that of Neil Young at his most deserted. Most appropriately, she covers "Red Apples" by Smog, whom she resembles in approach. Obscure (traditional and early) Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, and Michael Hurley tunes complement the bruised but not buried surroundings. —Rob O'Connor

Cat Power This is not a greatest hits album, despite the title. It contains all-original songs written by Chan Marshal (professionally known as Cat Power), and features the great Memphis session musicians Teenie Hodges on guitar, Leroy Hodges on bass (Al Green, Hi Rhythm Section), drummer Steve Potts, and more. The combination of Marshall's superbly evocative and flexible voice plus some of the greatest Southern soul players, has produced a masterpiece. These songs explore themes of Southern loss, longing, and marginality. The limited first digipak pressing and regular single vinyl contain a bonus track. After the first pressing sells out, the regular jewelcase version will not contain a bonus track.

Cat Power Her second album of covers; this one a tribute to the great vocalists who've influenced her over the years. The album comes in two versions: deluxe silver-foil gatefold cover (LP and CD) with bonus disc of extra tracks and regular jewelcase version (CD only). Backed by Dirty Delta Blues (Judah Bauer, Gregg Foreman, Jim White, Erik Papparazzi). Guest appearances: Spooner Oldham (Neil Young, Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan), Larry McDonald (Toots & The Maytals, Taj Mahal), Teenie Hodges (Al Green, Memphis Rhythm Band), and Matt Sweeney (Chavez, Will Oldham).

Chris Cornell Carry On is the 13th album by two-time Grammy winner, singer-songwriter and voice of a generation, Chris Cornell. Steered by Grammy Award-winning British super- producer Steve Lillywhite (U2, Rolling Stones, Morrissey, Dave Matthews Band), Carry On is a mature and content departure from the acrimonious artist who brought us Soundgarden, Audioslave and Temple of the Dog.

The new album's fourteen tracks offer the bluesy and soulful "Safe and Sound," psychedelic "Scar On The Sky," country-flavored "Finally Forever"... paeans to persistence in "Disappearing Act" and a slow-grind cover of Michael Jackson's "Billy Jean" that gives the familiar song a completely new feeling. More personal selections include "Ghost," "Arms Around Your Love" and "She'll Never Be Your Man" and alt-rock experimentations ("Killing Birds" the anthemic "Silence the Voices"). Fans of Soundgarden and Audioslave will appreciate the harder edge of "No Such Thing" and "Poison Eye" and the redemptive "Your Soul Today."

Carry On also includes the Top 10 European smash hit "You Know My Name," the main title song for the current James Bond theatrical release, Casino Royale, appearing for the first time on a full-length release. Cornell wrote and recorded the track with long-time James Bond composer David Arnold for the film.

With this collection of songs, it is evident that Cornell was inspired by songwriters from Elvis Costello to Tom Waits. Cornell says that his own lyrical approach leans on stream-of-consciousness, "getting out of my own way" to allow themes to naturally arise, whether topical or biographical. "The most exciting thing is to let yourself expose your true, vulnerable feelings, which is what resonates with people most," he explains. As far as his vocal style, he points to such R&B singers as Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin for showing masterfully how emotion can best be conveyed, even in subtle phrasing, also praising Bob Marley's expressive range and Tom Waits' use of his voice as an instrument.

Chris Cornell UK pressing of the 1999 debut solo album from Soundgarden/Audioslave vocalist Chris Cornell features one bonus track. 'Can't Change Me' (French Version). Polydor.

Chris Robinson Former Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson quickly stakes out his own turf on his solo debut, frequently eschewing his familiar rock rasp for a simpler, neo-folkie delivery. Tracks like the soulful "Fables," the haunting "Katie Dear," and infectious "Silver Car" most effectively navigate a new path. But ironically, Robinson's deliberate distancing from the Crowes' excesses paints him into problematic corners. The laid-back country jones he exhibits on "Sunday Sound" and "Barefoot by the Cherry Tree" often gets the best of him, while the spare, promising folk-rock of "Could You Really Love Me?" degenerates into familiar Robinson tent-revival vocal territory. If "Ride"'s funky corners and Robinson's general willingness to experiment show promise, they also suggest the singer's talents need a little competitive goosing, a reinforcement the decades-old truism that the greatest rock music is often the byproduct of the fiercest rivalries and infighting. —Jerry McCulley

Chris Robinson

The Clash Digitally remastered from the original production master tapes, this a reissue of the 1979 & third album by 'the only band that matters'. Features the original artwork and all 19 of the original tracks, including the hidden hit 'Train In Vain (Stand By Me)', their first U.S. single to chart (it reached #23 at the time). Also contains reproductions of the original LP sleeves, including the lyrics. 1999 release.

The Clash Digitally remastered from the original production master tapes, this a reissue of the 1993 retrospective for 'the only band that matters', England's best punk/ new wave group, The Clash. Contains tracks from their 1980 mini-album 'Black Market Clash', plus some other non-album A-sides & B-sides, as well as some rare tracks every true fan needs. 21 tracks in all. 1999 release.

Coldplay Mega Rare copies of this long deleted Fierce Panda single found! Always a hot item on E-Bay where it is currently at $35 & rising. This 3 tracker is b/w two beautiful tracks 'EasyTo Please' & 'Only Superstition' that would have fit nicelyin with their ama

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Coldplay US CD pressing. A special EP/Mini Album only available for a limited time, featuring new artwork with a special EP Booklet. 8 tracks of new material including 5 brand new songs, a special guest appearance from Jay Z on the new version of Lost+, plus a vocal version of the now-classic Life in Technicolor ii and alternative mix of Lovers in Japan. Tracks, Life In Technicolor II, Postcards From Far Away, Glass Of Water, Rainy Day, Prospekt's March/Poppyfields, Lost+, Lovers In Japan (Osaka Sun Mix), Now My Feet and Won't Touch The Ground. EMI. 2008.

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Colin Hay Are You Lookin' at Me? is Colin Hay's first studio album of new material in over five years. A tuneful, insightful meditation on life, love, sobriety, maturity and perseverance, the album finds Hay at the absolute peak of his craft. As a writer and vocalist, he has never been more masterful: finding intriguing new angles on instantly relatable scenarios, skewering and savoring in equal measure. His less acclaimed but no less formidable skills as arranger, engineer and bandleader insure that each song is supported by evocative musical backdrops ranging from electronic textures to plaintive acoustic balladry to classic guitar-driven pop. Are You Lookin' at Me? is unified by Hay's immediately identifiable voice, relentless curiosity, wonder and a decidedly uncluttered sound which has its roots in Hay's consistently busy tour schedule.

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Colin Hay

Counting Crows It's amazing the difference a year makes. Upon its release, August and Everything After sounded remarkably fresh, a welcome change from the crunch and screech of grunge. Blending the vocal athleticism of Van Morrison with the moody rock of The Band, the Counting Crows turned on a whole legion of fans turned off by modern rock. But what sounded fresh soon became stale as dozens of bands flocked to the radio with euthanized versions of the Counting Crows' sound. But you shouldn't hold that against the Crow boys. August and Everything After is a fantastic rock album. Though "Mr. Jones" was the moneymaker, the disc features such standout cuts as the dark lilt of "Anna Begins," the morose "Rain King," and the outstanding U2-meets-Grant Lee Buffalo anthem "Murder of One." Maybe time, and another listen, will heal the damage wrought. —Tod Nelson

Counting Crows * The 7 million selling classic album expanded to two discs
* Includes previously unreleased demos, including a version of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land"
* Features a previously unreleased 79 minutes-plus Paris concert — last show of the massive "August & Everything After" world tour
* Booklet includes fold-out poster & extensive liner notes by Counting Crows' Adam Duritz

Counting Crows Hard Candy is, most certainly, just another Counting Crows album. But it's difficult to imagine that there's ever going to be too many. For a band that formed during the grunge-dominated early 1990s, Counting Crows did something remarkably brave—though they helped themselves to the same legacy of 1970s and '80s FM radio rock as the Seattle groups, they chose not to subvert it with any punk influences. Counting Crows were determined to play Steve Miller and Tom Petty and Bruce Hornsby at their own game, and Hard Candy is the fourth astonishing album that has resulted. Counting Crows have now settled into a template with which they clearly feel comfortable—simple but elaborately orchestrated songs, buffed and polished to a high sheen, which serve as a glittering backdrop to Adam Duritz's lyrics. These, now as ever, are chiefly concerned with excitingly unattainable women and the roads he travels to get to or away from them. He tantalizes, as he often does, with specific names and places, but is never so solipsistic that the songs are robbed of a universal appeal. —Andrew Mueller

Counting Crows Recovering the Satellites may not be quite the tower of song that the Crows' debut August and Everything After was, but it could hardly be called a sophomore slump. Vocalist Adam Duritz and crew mine similar territory on the more densely produced Satellites, couching tales of dreamers, lovers, and losers in music that's part classic rock redux and part heartfelt folk jangle. As able as the band is though, it remains Duritz's show, and his plaintive voice and serpentine lyrics are what drive this record home, particularly on "Daylight Fading," "Miller's Angels" and the aching hit "A Long December." —Michael Ruby

Counting Crows With over 20 million albums sold worldwide, eight Top 5 singles, and three records that have broken the Top 5 on the Billboard 200, COUNTING CROWS are set to release their long awaited new album SATURDAY NIGHTS & SUNDAY MORNINGS. The record is the Crows' first studio album in almost 5 years, since the release of Hard Candy in 2002.

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Counting Crows All Songs Were Written by the Band. Produced by David Lowery (Sparklehorse) and David Herring (Throwing Muses.) Includes Extra Track Not on the Us Version.

The Counting Crows Too much too soon is the m.o. of so many bands who, thanks to the fleeting fame that accompanies music-video breakthroughs, are famous before their time and has-beens five minutes later. You could be excused for thinking that's the case with Counting Crows, darlings of both MTV and VH1, who here release a double concert CD after only two studio albums. But you'd be wrong. The set, an acoustic disc recorded for VH1's Storytellers and an electric one from MTV's Live from the 10 Spot, proves how well the oft-bootlegged Crows have earned their reputation as a smoking live band. It also shows how elastic their rambling and evocative songs can be, some of which appear on both discs but in vastly different arrangements. People may tire of vocalist Adam Duritz's perpetually-wounded-soldier-of-love act, but this is one band whose success was hard-won and is richly deserved. —Daniel Durchholz

Cream Fresh Cream, the album that introduced this seminal super-blues trio to America, was perhaps a bit too blues-based to do the advance hype ("Clapton is God!") justice. Two of its three best-known tracks, after all, were blues covers. It was Disraeli Gears that turned Cream into a "supergroup." Here they pursue the psychedelic ideals of the era with total abandon (the LP cover art still stands as one of the 1960s' most striking designs), merging these ideals with their take on the blues and adorning the amalgamation with some superb pop craftsmanship. Of the eleven originals here, four——"Tales of Brave Ulysses," "SWLABR," "Strange Brew," and "Sunshine of Your Love"—earned major airplay. This, their excess-free greatest moment, does the Cream legend proud. —Bill Holdship

Creedence Clearwater Revival Japanese only SHM-CD (Super High Material CD - playable on all CD players) pressing. Universal. 2008.

Creedence Clearwater Revival Recorded 1968-1970 and includes 'Susie Q', 'I Put a Spell on You', 'Proud Mary', 'Bad Moon Rising', 'Lodi', 'Green River', 'Commotion', 'Down on the Corner', 'Fortunate Son', 'Travelin' Band', 'Who'll Stop the Rain', 'Up Around the Bend', 'Run Through the Jungle', 'Lookin' Out My Back Door', 'Long as I Can See the Light', 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine', 'Have You Ever Seen the Rain?', 'Hey Tonight', 'Sweet Hitch-Hiker' & 'Someday Never Comes'. Fantasy label. 1991.

The Cure 2008 release, the 13th studio longplayer from the legendary Goth rockers led by Robert Smith. Now down to a quartet (Smith, Simon Gallup, Porl Thompson and Jason Cooper), the band continue to musically evolve while dealing with subjects like relationships, the material world, politics and religion. The songs on 4:13 Dream are stripped down and 'in your face' while also sounding very much like The Cure. Includes the singles 'The Only One', 'Freakshow', 'Sleep When I'm Dead' and 'The Perfect Boy.'

The Cure Aussie reissue of 2000 album includes one bonus track 'Coming Up'. Polydor. 2004.

The Cure When Robert Smith's long-running group made this debut (actually the resequenced American version of the British Three Imaginary Boys), they weren't the Goth-and-reverb, new wave heroes they later became; they were just a trio of disaffected kids who didn't like what was on the radio, because it wasn't smart enough or dark enough. Smith's lyrics are bleakly sarcastic (as when he spells out the title of "Fire in Cairo") and literate (the single "Killing an Arab," a nihilistic sketch based on a scene from Albert Camus's The Stranger). The band matches them with swift, tingling arrangements that dodge skillfully around rock's machismo and self-indulgence, even when Smith launches into the occasional gnarled little solo. —Douglas Wolk

The Cure As Greatest Hits—and particularly the busking pavement jazz of "Lovecats"—reminds us, the best Cure singles were very often tangential exercises; they offered a goth-free playtime divergence from some of the weightier studiousness of those early albums. Or, as smudged frontman Robert Smith says of this 18-track collection, "Songs that are sung with a smile." This wasn't always true—witness the refrigerated fogginess of the classic "A Forest," the Blair Witch Project of its day. What this compilation does is focus attention on the Cure's perennial unpredictability—the breathless claustrophobia of "Close to Me," the New Order-lite of "The Walk," the brass- section embellished thrust of "Why Can't I Be You." Oddly, chart-wise, the Cure's lost weekend began immediately after "Friday I'm in Love," their most ebullient melodic moment and the ultimate "clocking-off to kick those heels" anthem. But at least the inclusion of two new songs, "Cut Here" and "Just Say Yes" (with Saffron from Republica), indicate that the Cure remain a healthy, ongoing concern. —Kevin Maidment

The Cure

The Cure Disintegration is a pop album realized on an epic scale. Most of its 12 songs are long mood pieces that develop slowly around the listener. Anchored by complex drum patterns, the layered guitars, soaring bass lines, and rich keyboards blend to create a lush, evocative soundscape that captures the ear immediately; and for all its length, the album is never boring. The lyrical focus is intensely personal throughout, and, with the exception of "Love Song," the mood is overwhelmingly dark and brooding. Here are songs of remembrance that, through their deep candor, transcend the individual level to explore universal longings and fears. Robert Smith, his vocals plaintive or angry or despairing, unfolds a tapestry of loss. Broken bonds, old lies, missed opportunities, belated realizations. Anyone who has experienced the joy and sorrow—especially the sorrow—of love will find his or her deepest sentiments, noble and petty alike, echoed poetically here. —Al Massa

The Cure Originally a Goth-flavored post-punk outfit, the Cure evolved into one of the truly seminal bands of the '80s, and ultimately one of modern rock's most celebrated and influential acts. Guided by creative visionary Robert Smith, the Cure's signature sound balances a dreamy pop savvy with a dark, brooding majesty and fuses superbly crafted, literate songs with a feverish emotional intensity. The band's early catalog-newly remastered and expanded wtih a wealth of rarities-is a series of masterpieces that laid the groundwork for their phenomenal and enduring popularity.

The Cure

The Cure 1983 singles collection featuring the 7 inch versions of three singles ('Let's Go To Bed', 'The Walk' & 'The Love Cats') and five of the B-sides from these singles ('The Dream', 'Just One Kiss' (7 inch version), 'The Upstairs Room', 'Speak My Language' and 'Lament'. Unavailable domestically. Fiction / Universal.

The Cure Released in 1987, at the height of the compact-disc revolution, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me is the prototypical CD album. Cure architect Robert Smith knew that the newly popular format could handle almost twice as much music as records, and he wasn't about to waste the space. Unfortunately, many of Kiss Me's 17 tracks sound more like B-sides. The cream is certainly worth culling, however; "Catch," "How Beautiful You Are," and the alternative-rock staple "Just Like Heaven" are among the Cure's finest moments. "Hot Hot Hot!!!" and "Why Can't I Be You?" reveal that underneath all the dyed-black hair and glum stares lay a fervent dance band. Who knew? —Bill Crandall

The Cure Originally a Goth-flavored post-punk outfit, the Cure evolved into one of the truly seminal bands of the '80s, and ultimately one of modern rock's most celebrated and influential acts. Guided by creative visionary Robert Smith, the Cure's signature sound balances a dreamy pop savvy with a dark, brooding majesty and fuses superbly crafted, literate songs with a feverish emotional intensity. The band's early catalog-newly remastered and expanded wtih a wealth of rarities-is a series of masterpieces that laid the groundwork for their phenomenal and enduring popularity.

The Cure Originally a Goth-flavored post-punk outfit, the Cure evolved into one of the truly seminal bands of the '80s, and ultimately one of modern rock's most celebrated and influential acts. Guided by creative visionary Robert Smith, the Cure's signature sound balances a dreamy pop savvy with a dark, brooding majesty and fuses superbly crafted, literate songs with a feverish emotional intensity. The band's early catalog-newly remastered and expanded wtih a wealth of rarities-is a series of masterpieces that laid the groundwork for their phenomenal and enduring popularity.

The Cure Originally a postpunk outfit with gothic leanings, The Cure evolved into one of the most visionary, creatively satisfying and influential groups to come of age in the 1980's. From dreamy pop to moody expressionism, their signature sound is adventurous, hypnotic, and rich with texture. Formed in 1976 by Robert Smith and schoolmates Michael Dempsey (bass) and Laurence Tolhurst (drums), The Cure's stunning debut album on U.K.-based Fiction Records launched an extraordinary career and enduring worldwide popularity.

The Cure First released in 1984, this album is a dramatic musical transition for The Cure, integrating the band's trademark dark textures with increased melodic and pop tendencies. The Top features 4 previously unreleased songs.

The Cure

The Cure Another brilliant set of obsessive musings pried from Robert Smith's fuzzy navel. Epic elegies ("From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea") and tuneful romps ("Friday I'm In Love") are classic Cure cuts—Jeff Bateman

Curtis Mayfield The term "classic" is tossed about a lot these days, and when it's being used to describe everything from Coke to a Janet Jackson CD, the term is shady. But take my word that the 1972 soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Superfly is a true classic. Why? Because 25 years after its release, the songs still ring true and sound fresh. A morality tale set to funky grooves and plaintive vocals, Superfly is the zenith of Mayfield's socially aware songwriting, recounting the highs and lows of the thug life and the no-win ghetto game of hustling. It's hard to believe, but a doom-filled ode to screwing up ("Freddie's Dead") was actually a big hit during the Nixon years. Truth be told, the record sounds as good, if not better, today and should be in everyone's collection. —Amy Linden

Curtis Mayfield

Daft Punk The French twosome behind Daft Punk, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo, get away with an awful lot. They go around impersonating aliens and robots in their interviews, they put records out only once every three years, and they make music that evokes a million other artists—while not really sounding like any of them. The keyboard noodlings of Jean-Michel Jarre are in there somewhere, along with the otherworldly imagery and giant hooks of '70s rock icons like Boston or even Electric Light Orchestra. There are dashes of 1999-era Prince and oodles of new wave and disco cheese, from Harold Faltermeyer and Gary Numan to the Bee Gees, all set off with efficient house beats. So how have they managed to position themselves as electronic music's next great crossover artists? On Discovery, the follow-up to the 1998 worldwide smash Homework, the answer is obvious: they have no shame, and they know how to make us dance.

Starting off with the irresistibly hummable "One More Time," the record blows through a head-spinning array of styles and samples, creating a pop-culture stew of funky loops and dance-floor anthems. "Aerodynamic" eschews breakbeats for an Yngwie Malmsteen-ish guitar interlude that somehow ends up meshing in a crazy blend of stomping bass lines and hyped-up harmonics. "Digital Love" starts off silly and gets sillier, but the monosyllabic lyrics lull the senses just right, allowing the song's summery groove to grab hold with authority. "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" is a resounding standout amidst the retro/Vocoder deluge that transpired after Cher's Believe turned the kitchy disco device into a worldwide pop music trend, spinning a clever groove around an ever-escalating string of computerized seduction. Everywhere on the record, gigantic beats are dropped with pinpoint precision, giving songs a momentum that transforms repetitive melodies into sudden revelations. The record's only misstep, the aptly named "Short Circuit" utilizes a keyboard riff that is nails-on-a-chalkboard awful, but it can't keep this from being one of the best records of 2001. —Matthew Cooke

Danny Elfman, Marilyn Manson, Panic!@ the Disco, Fiona Apple, Fall Out Boy, Paul Reubens, Catherine O' Hara, Citizens of Halloween, Patrick Stewert Not only is The Nightmare Before Christmas one of the best musicals of the past two decades; it may well be Danny Elfman's masterpiece, successfully integrating his main influences (from Cab Calloway to Nino Rota) into a fantastic whole. The first disc of this reissue features the original soundtrack, its songs still teetering between dark humor and poetic flights of fancy; this so-called kids' music is at least as sophisticated and skilled as anything you're likely to hear on Broadway. The second disc includes demo versions of four songs on which Elfman plays and sings everything, and five new covers of some of Nightmare's best-loved songs. Marilyn Manson successfully applies his spooky Weimar-circus style on "This Is Halloween" while Panic! At the Disco's lushly orchestrated take on the same tune is closer to the original. Fiona Apple's poignant "Sally's Song" is enhanced by very nice string charts, and She Wants Revenge does a disco take on "Kidnap the Sandy Claws." Best perhaps is Fall Out Boy's cover of "What's This?" which sounds like an unexpected cross between the Beach Boys and Queen. A highly recommended set. —Elisabeth Vincentelli

David Bowie Though one of rock's most influential figures, David Bowie's accomplishments are pocked by some distinct ironies. His willful efforts at being a musical and visual chameleon spurred triumphs in genres as diverse as folk, glam, new wave, and electronica. Given the dizzying range and success of his '70s incarnations—from Ziggy to the Thin White Duke to the gaunt, goth-cypher of Low and Heroes—he seemed the artist most well-equipped to weather the changing tides of taste and trend, yet saw his career essentially shrink to cult status after scoring his biggest triumphs when he reshaped the soulless, dance-oriented club music of the early '80s into his own image. This 20-track compilation does little to address the Chinese puzzle that has been Bowie's post-'85 career, but it does deliver an artistically dizzying slate of hits as it skips from one early peak to the next, from evocative cabaret ("Space Oddity," "Changes") through muscular glam-rock ("Suffragette City," "The Jean Genie") to R&B ("Young Americans," "Fame") and post-punk flirtations ("Ashes to Ashes," "Fashion") to the dance-club hits ("Let's Dance," "China Girl," "Modern Love") and '80s one-off duets ("Under Pressure" with Queen, "Dancing in the Streets" with Mick Jagger) that essentially marked the end of his superstar reign. Whole eras and at least one classic '70s album (Low) go completely unaddressed, but all of Bowie's signature hits are here, as well as Earthling's powerful, underappreciated "I'm Afraid of Americans." —Jerry McCulley

David Holmes Ocean's Thirteen is the third actioncomedy-thriller in the blockbuster series that began with 2001's Ocean's Eleven, which grossed nearly $200 million in the U.S. alone, and continued with 2004's Ocean's Twelve, which racked up more than $125 million at the U.S. box office. The critically acclaimed soundtrack albums for both movies won BMI Film Music Awards for inventive techno-funk composer David Holmes. Both on screen and on album, Ocean's Thirteen epitomizes the cinema of cool.

David Holmes, Various Artists The idea of remaking the Rat Pack's infamous shaggy-dog story cum Vegas heist thriller may have seemed ludicrous without a Rat Pack. But that didn't deter ever-inventive director Steven Soderbergh, who's again wisely teamed with not only Out of Sight star George Clooney, but that underrated project's Irish-born club mixer turned scorer David Holmes, as well. The resulting soundtrack is a spunky, cross-cultural joyride that careens from Perry Como's "Papa Loves Mambo" to the loopy hip-hop of Handsome Boy Modeling School's "The Projects," while paying some gratifying visits to Percy Faith, Arthur Lyman, Quincy Jones, the terminally cool Claude Debussy, and, of course, King Elvis along the way. Holmes's own concoctions are as smartly retro-hip and seamless, slyly intertwining cool jazz-funk and smoky cine-Muzak with some dance-floor grooves that keep the musical tension boiling. The sharp dialogue snippets that bubble throughout seem a quirky throwback to soundtracks gone by, a sometimes oversized olive in Holmes's inviting musical cocktail. —Jerry McCulley

David Newman (Composer) Joss Whedon, the writer/director responsible for the worldwide television phenomena of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel," now applies his trademark compassion and wit to a small band of galactic outcasts 500 years in the future in his feature film directorial debut, "Serenity."

The film centers around Captain Malcolm Reynolds, a hardened veteran (on the losing side) of a galactic civil war, who now ekes out a living pulling off small crimes and transport-for-hire aboard his ship, Serenity. He leads a small, eclectic crew who are the closest thing he has left to family—squabbling, insubordinate and undyingly loyal. When Mal takes on two new passengers—a young doctor and his unstable, telepathic sister —he gets much more than he bargained for. The pair are fugitives from the coalition dominating the universe, who will stop at nothing to reclaim the girl. Hunted by vastly different enemies, they begin to discover that the greatest danger to them may be on board Serenity herself. This action/adventure/Sci-Fi/western features an eclectic score by composer David Newman.

Death Cab for Cutie EP features 3 brand new songs plus two alternative versions from 'We Have The Facts And We're Voting Yes'. Barsuk Records.

Death Cab for Cutie After relentless touring, performances on Saturday Night Live, and appearing on the cover of Spin and Paste Magazines, Death Cab for Cutie brings us Narrow Stairs. Following up their DVD collection, Directions, which sold over 30,000 copies and their platinum selling album, Plans, was no easy task but Narrow Stairs has already been praised by MTV.com as the band’s most daring and adventurous effort to date.

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie turn difficult personal issues into literary rock songs while straddling the narrow line between blissful pop and driving indie rock. The Northwest act's songs soar high like Built to Spill's or Beulah's, and almost every track on The Photo Album is as musically bouncy and upbeat as the best of those bands. As catchy as the songs on The Photo Album may be, though, it's really front man Benjamin Gibbard's comfort with laying his emotional issues bare that makes this an excellent album. "Styrofoam Plates" is the most stunning track, with words that leave chills long after they've disappeared. As Gibbard sings about anger for a dead father ("It's not quite a stretch to say you were not quite a father / But a donor of seeds to a poor single mother / That would raise us alone / We never saw the money / It went down your throat down the hole in your belly"), his stark honesty makes this dysfunctional family story the most compelling piece of this album. The other issues of clumsy relationships pale a little in comparison, but The Photo Album still leaves little doubt that Death Cab deserve all the indie rock accolades they have received. —Jennifer Maerz

Death Cab for Cutie When an indie-rock band as intimately and fiercely loved as Death Cab for Cutie makes the inevitable major-label jump, it often telegraphs a painful death. Witness Husker Du, the Replacements, Nirvana—hell, even R.E.M. After a successful four-album run on tiny Seattle imprint Barsuk, however, Death Cab for Cutie just might buck the trend on its Atlantic premiere. Yes, you can grumble about the production (a little too slick), the proportion of ballads (a little too many) and the overall feeling of restraint (a little too much), but ultimately the album delivers everything the group does best in emotional, experimental songs such as "What Sarah Said" and "I Will Follow You into the Dark," which both blend stark lyrical details with acoustic guitars and soft-focus electronics. In "Soul Meets Body," meanwhile, songwriter Ben Gibbard has come up with the kind of blissful, beatific pop song that's capable of disarming even the harshest skeptic. "A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere," he sings. —Aidin Vaziri

Catching up with Death Cab for Cutie

Something About Airplanes

We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes

Forbidden Love [EP]

The Photo Album

You Can Play These Songs with Chords

Transatlanticism

Death Cab for Cutie Barsuk and Death Cab for Cutie celebrate the 10th anniversary of the band's classic debut studio album with this deluxe reissue. Still considered by many fans to be DCfC's best album, but criminally unheard by many newer converts other than in the form of the handful of songs that remain staples of the band's live set (''Amputations'', ''Pictures in an Exhibition'', ''Fake Frowns''), Something About Airplanes is not just a document of a particular time in the band's history or of a bygone era of indie-rock, it's an enduring work featuring some of the
band's finest songs (''Champagne from a Paper Cup'', ''Your Bruise'').

This limited Deluxe Edition features a beautifully redesigned die-cut
package, as well as a bonus CD containing Death Cab s first-ever Seattle show in its entirety, including a never-before-heard cover of The Smiths ''Sweet and Tender
Hooligan'' featuring Sean Nelson from Harvey Danger on lead vocals!

Death Cab for Cutie Originally released as bonus material on a limited number of CD's this EP features 3 tracks, including a Bjork cover - '20th Century Towers', 'All Is Full Of Love' (Bjork cover) & 'Stability'. Barsuk Records.

Death Cab for Cutie With songs equal to those on We Have the Facts and a lush, brilliant production that continues what The Photo Album started, Transatlanticism is easily Death Cab's best record to date. Much attention has duly been focused on doe-eyed singer/lyricist Ben Gibbard, co-star of the Postal Service phenomenon, and Ben's voice is as strange, beautiful, and as strong as ever on these songs, which deal with the difficulties of long-distance relationships. But guitarist/producer Chris Walla once again proves himself to be the band's secret weapon, layering subtle sonic touches throughout Transatlanticism, which is most definitely a "headphone record." This Seattle quartet is one of the only bands to really have picked up the intelligent, emotionally resonant, and guitar-driven indie-pop torch that Built to Spill briefly lit in the mid-1990s (before themselves heading off to the stoner-rock territory). DCFC themselves seem poised to finally break out to a wider audience, and they truly deserve it with this disc. —Mike McGonigal

Death Cab for Cutie On their debut album, 1999's Something About Airplanes, Death Cab for Cutie proved there's a reason why Northwest music critics continue to sing their praises. The foursome combined the emo sounds of Modest Mouse and 764-Hero with an inventive, and often sly, sentimentality. It worked wonders, but still sounded a little too lo-fi. Luckily, on We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes the group has figured out all the production nuances that flawed that auspicious debut. The opening "Title Track" begins by sounding both crappy and shallow, but the band is merely pulling your leg; two minutes later, the tune expands into a gorgeous, well-produced masterpiece. The album never looks back. Ben Gibbard's songwriting continues to evolve——"Company Calls" segues into, what else, the slower "Company Calls Epilogue"—while the simple lyrics of "For What Reason" and "405" tell infectious stories that demand repeated listenings. Proof positive the Northwest is still churning out great music. —Jason Verlinde

Death Cab for Cutie Full Title - You Can Play These Songs With Chords. Album includes Out-Of-Print rarities and never-before released songs. 18 tracks. Barsuk Records. 2002.

The Decemberists "The Decemberists stick to the same kind of heavy acoustic folk-rock and freakish lyrical balladry that fueled Neutral Milk Hotel's rise to power. Fortunately, their music also possesses enough unique twists to distinguish it from simple mimicry. The most obvious is the band's often baroque instrumentation, which generally makes for more elaborate arrangements than those of their stylistic forbearer. Hammond organ and subtle theremin flesh out the mix, each adding an anachronistic spin on the otherwise quaint jangle of strings and guitars hearkening to some dusty, distant past." — Pitchfork [8.1]

As its title would suggest, Castaways and Cutouts is a record populated with an eclectic array of unlikely characters in various states of abandonment and revelry. While the likes of Spanish gypsies, infant specters, and Turkish prostitutes are not common elements in modern pop music, these figures find ample footing within the songcraft of Colin Meloy, supported comfortably by the band's lush and orchestral instrumentation. Recorded over a two-month period in a warehouse in Portland's Industrial Southeast, the record swims gracefully between heart-rending, deftly arranged pop and scrappy off-the-cuff dirge

The Decemberists Capitol raised a few eyebrows when they signed indie stalwarts the Decemberists. There's nothing blatantly commercial about the Portland quintet, from Colin Meloy's quavery voice and hyper-literate lyrics to the band's wide-ranging music, which encompasses baroque pop, prog rock, and dozens of other styles. Then again, he did once sing, "I was made for the stage," and those who've seen the group live know this to be true. Sure, they're storytellers, but they're entertainers, too—just not in the Top 40 sense. Never ones to play it safe, their major label debut takes its inspiration from a Japanese folk tale. It travels from the Replacements-style balladry of "The Crane Wife 3"—which joins words like "Each feather it fell from skin/'Til threadbare while she grew thin" to the melody from "Here Comes a Regular"—to the ELP hoedown of three-part epic "The Island" to the haunting duet between Meloy and Laura Veirs on "Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)." It's an impressively eclectic effort that somehow manages to avoid sounding scattered. Co-produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) and Tucker Martine (the Long Winters), the Decemberists' fourth full-length is richer, less immediately catchy than its predecessor (there's nothing as bouncy here as Picaresque's "Sixteen Military Wives"). It's also a deeper work that resists snap judgments. Some records hit you over the head with their brilliance, others need time to percolate. Time will tell if The Crane Wife is the Decemberists' best album—it—it's certainly their most ambitious so far. —Kathleen C. Fennessy

The Decemberists Picaresque is yet more proof that the Decemberists' Colin Meloy is the songwriter who loves love—especially when it ends in death, ("We Both Go Down Together," "Of Angels and Angles"), disease ("The Mariner's Revenge Song") or in some other tragic way. This CD spends some time in the band's familiar old Europe setting, although Meloy also touches on politics, espionage, and even soccer. (Proving he knows his fan base, Meloy's "The Sporting Life," is the perfect shout-out to the kids who preferred the library to the gym.) Long-time fans will know what to expect from this album, which compares favorably to the other LPs on their catalog, and with Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla on board as producer, the band seems poised to reach the greater audience they deserve. If you're not already a listener, don't wait another second to become one. With their remarkable vocabulary and bawdy-yet-literary imagery, the Decemberists are guaranteed to make you smarter even as they make you weep. Pop this in your CD player, grab a dictionary, rock and learn.—Leah Weathersby

Deftones

Deftones The band's self-titled fourth album, as erotic as it is brutal, as relentless as it is gentle, rockets the Grammy-winning Deftones to the top of modern rock. Features 11 tracks, including the single 'Minerva' along with a 20-page color booklet, enhanced material with 20 minutes of exclusive video footage from inside the studio & a day in the life of each band member plus 150 candid photos. Maverick. 2003.

Deftones The aggro-rock movement spearheaded by the 'Tones, Korn, Sevendust, System of a Down, and Rage Against the Machine, among others, has been taking on new influences with each new release by the major players. White Pony may be the biggest leap yet for the genre, as Chino Moreno, Chi Cheng, Abe Cunningham, Stephen Carpenter, and DJ Frank Delgado maintain the fierceness that's earned them a rabid following. This time out, however, their patented brand of hip-hop metal is adorned with ambient and alt-rock touches. —Steven Stolder

Depeche Mode Import edition of Depeche Mode's outstanding 1986 album featuring two bonus tracks NOT on the U.S., 'Breathing In Fumes' & 'Black Day', plus the extended remix of 'But Not Tonight' instead of the album version that appears on the American release. 14 tracks total, also featuring the hit singles 'Stripped', 'A Question Of Lust' and 'A Question Of Time'. EMI.

Depeche Mode 2007 European pressing of the digitally remastered version of their 1983 album. 9 tracks including 'Everything Counts', 'Love In Itself' and more. This pressing is CD-only and does not include the bonus DVD included in the special edition. EMI.

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode European 14-track CD on EMI.

Depeche Mode The first new album from Depeche Mode in four years, its first since 2001's gold and Top 10 Exciter, Playing The Angel is quintessential Depeche Mode-hi-tech electronic pop with enormous hooks and yet faster paced, more urgent than recent albums. The band has sold upward of 50 million records worldwide during its 25 years, but Playing The Angel sounds as fresh and exciting as any in Depeche Mode's glorious history

Depeche Mode So Depeche Mode releases a singles compilation featuring only one previously unreleased song ("Only When I Lose Myself") in anticipation of a major tour. Sound suspiciously like a shameless cash-in? Sure. But The Singles, 86-98 needed to be made. This is a worthwhile purchase for casual admirers and completists alike. The two-disc set contains revamped versions of the major singles from 1986 to 1998 and a version of "Little 15" that was first released only in France. The set's "grand finale" is the live recording of "Everything Counts," from the 101 album. Although the original studio version of the "Everything Counts" single appeared on 1984's People Are People, DM fudged the chronology to justify including this astounding live recording on the album (a ploy to psych up concert-ticket buyers?). The live recording highlights the worshipful crowd applauding, cheering, and chant-singing "The grabbing hands / Grab all they can / Everything counts in large amounts" long after the song has ended. Ka-ching! —Beth Bessmer

Depeche Mode Depeche Mode's lyrical content, at times impossibly contrived, is a potential source of frustration. "I don't want to start any blasphemous rumours / But I think that God's got a sick sense of humour / And when I die / I expect to find him laughing," goes the chorus of "Blasphemous Rumours," an antireligion song using attempted teenage suicide and fatal car accidents as testimonial. Lyricist Martin Gore always scores points for creative rhyming, but one gets the feeling the choice of subject matter is nearly arbitrary, that the band could write equally depressing songs about a bad hair day—and mean it. But this is the fun, and maybe even the genius, of Depeche Mode. When it comes to patent controversy, they are as self-indulgent as they wanna be. Depeche's first U.S. single, "People Are People," also contained on Some Great Reward, is no less of an eye roller than "Blasphemous Rumours," but its tone is inversely inspiring to the nihilistic picture painted by "Rumours." Two other opposites that attract, the naughty little industrial-lite, S/M-colored "Master and Servant" perfectly juxtaposes the leaning-on-the-windowsill-staring-at-the-moon love song "Somebody." —Beth Bessmer

Depeche Mode

Depeche Mode In the bestselling DM canon, this is one of their very best—mature, Euro-elegant, smartly contemporary (thanks to producer Tim "Bomb the Bass" Simenon), honest ("Insight"), edgy ("Barrel of a Gun"), and armed with at least one killer single in "It's No Good." —Jeff Bateman

Depeche Mode Import remastered pressing of Violator which is Depeche Mode's most mainstream, chart-climbing album. Although it contains only nine tracks, half of them are tailor-made for the dance floor. This album was conceived when dance-club DJs were gaining recognition alongside original composers. Heavily influenced by techno-pop, the singles 'Policy of Truth', 'Enjoy the Silence', and 'World in My Eyes' prove that DM did their homework. A particular highlight on this fantastic album is the bluesy guitar line Martin Gore lays down on top of the synth-dominated grooves on 'Personal Jesus'. Mute. 2006.

Devendra Banhart

Devendra Banhart

Dirty Three 2007 reissue of the Australian instrumental trio's 1995 release. The Dirty Three are three gifted and creative musicians: Warren Ellis (violin), Mick Turner (guitar) and Jim White (drums). The music they create is unique, enchanting, melancholy and sometimes disturbing. Seven tracks. Bella Union.

Dirty Three 2007 reissue of the Australian instrumental trio's 1996 release. The Dirty Three are three gifted and creative musicians: Warren Ellis (violin), Mick Turner (guitar) and Jim White (drums). The music they create is unique, enchanting, melancholy and sometimes disturbing. Nine tracks. Bella Union.

Dirty Three The band's sixth studio album is marked by their signature sounds crashing together with remarkable power, fury, and beauty. Subtle touches of piano and the addition of bass guitar (a first) work beautifully behind the shimmering melodies of violin, ethereal guitar, and tidal drumming. It's that rare brand of music that's raw, pure, expressive, and untainted by artifice. Touch & Go Records. 2003.

Dirty Three It is remarkably easy to get washed into the turbulent sea by Dirty Three's gorgeously shambolic instrumental gusts. Compressing gently strummed guitars, sweeping violin, and hints of percussion into forms that suggest everything from mournful Celtic airs to stirring Baltic melodies to the buzzing cacophony of Sonic Youth, Dirty Three are able to sound remarkably fresh and innovative, yet still raw and improvisationally energetic. At times, Dirty Three burn white hot, blazing a path of passion that leads directly to a stirring climax; other times, hardly anything happens except for a plaintive swipe at a guitar and a pensive rap on a drum. Either approach leads to a thoughtful, satisfying musical journey. While not substantially different than either Ocean Songs or Horse Stories—violinist Warren Ellis leads the tune and establishes the pace and melody, guitarist Mick Turner strums with halting subtly, and drummer Jim White adds faint percussive punctuation—there is still plenty of emotional and musical territory to discover on Whatever You Love, You Are. On "Some Summers They Drop Like Flies," a gently plucked violin gives way to a swirling, multitracked melody and a beguiling string tangle from the guitar. On "Stellar," the guitar establishes a hypnotic web of picked notes and whispering chords while the drums and fiddle improvise. At first, it hardly sounds as if a tune will emerge, but one does, slowly, mysteriously, and with all the rough, poetic eloquence that has become Dirty Three's trademark. Whatever You Love, You Are, while not a revelation in the band's career, is yet another wonderful, beguiling, and beautiful piece of music. —S. Duda

The Dissociatives The Dissociatives are Daniel Johns (of Silverchair fame) and Paul Mac. Together they have crafted their critically acclaimed debut album, a unique collision of classic songwriting smarts and adventurous electronic production.

Donny Hathaway

The Doobie Brothers The Doobie Brothers' career is best be divided into two camps. The band originally started out as a good-time party band, as their name implies, churning out a string of rock hits like "Jesus Is Just Alright," "Take Me in Your Arms," and "Black Water." The guitar intro to "China Grove" is a rock classic, lending itself to every bar band in the world. There was something infectious about the early hits—strong melodies, great harmonies, and a genre-bending beat lifted the songs above the ordinary. That rollicking, rocking edge was all but abandoned when Michael McDonald joined. McDonald brought an urban, white-funk feel to the band, as best exemplified by "It Keeps You Runnin'" and "Takin' It to the Streets." Best of The Doobies draws more heavily upon the hits before his arrival, which, to many, should make the collection almost perfect. —Steve Gdula

The Doors The Best of The Doors delivers exactly what it promises. Rather than relying solely on the hits, this collection also mines the darker, and often richer, recesses of The Doors material resulting in a fairly representative statement. The hits are here: "Light My Fire" with Ray Manzarek's keyboards on a dizzy, psychedelic spree; "People Are Strange," with Morrison's tortured psyche barely being held in check; "L.A. Woman," with its bluesy sexuality. More important, favorites of fans are here, like the controversially (at the time) explicit "The End," which was one of the first of Morrison's forays into narrative poetry. In hits like "Break on Through," "Hello I Love You," "Roadhouse Blues," and others, The Doors melded psychedelia, blues, hard-edged rock, and poetry from the edge like no other band before. The Best of The Doors is a trip in every sense of the word. —Steve Gdula

The Doors This collection, originally available only as a bonus disc in The Doors: The Complete Studio Recordings box set (fleshed out here with another outtake track, "Woman Is a Devil," from that set) is split just about evenly between a sometimes motley collection of outtakes and demos and a better slate of live material. It also argues that while most rock bands cut their teeth on blues and other roots music, then develop a distinct sound (or sell out to pop fashion trends), the Doors seemed to evolve ass-backwards, the band's, and particularly Jim Morrison's, college poet-nihilist pretensions slowly giving way to more blues-based influences. Indeed, after a few legendary years of late-1960s success and excess, Morrison had more than enough reasons to sing the blues. The studio leftovers here underscore why they're called "outtakes" (1965 demos of "Hello, I Love You" and "Moonlight Drive" are historically interesting, if a bit bubblegummy) though there are some highlights. "Whiskey, Mystics and Men" showcases another side of the band's tastefully odd Kurt Weill fetish; a '69 alternate of "Queen of the Highway" is almost lounge hipster chic; and "Orange County Suite" is a dirge from '70. Live cuts (all from '69 and '70) range from a baroque, affected PBS telecast of "The Soft Parade" to an apocalyptic, overwrought "The End." —Jerry McCulley

The Doors Rhino’s celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the Doors spectacular 1967 debut continues to break on through with an unprecedented two-disc, career-spanning collection that spotlights the legendary band’s powerful mix of music and mysticism. The most comprehensive 2-CD Doors set ever compiled, the anthology presents dramatic new 40 Anniversary mixes by the remaining Doors and Bruce Botnick, the band’s original engineer and producer. Drawing essential hits and favorites from all six studio album recorded by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger, and John Densmore, the title also features several songs previously unavailable on any U.S. compilation as well as choice rarities from various sources.

Doyle Bramhall Doyle Bramhall has long been a legend on the Texas blues circuit and not much more than a rumor outside it. Bramhall is a solid drummer, but his reputation rests on his singing, a throaty combination of Doug Sahm and Bobby "Blue" Bland and the next best thing to Delbert McClinton himself. The songs here come from many different sessions with many different musicians, but Bramhall's gravely vocals hold it together whether he's singing in front of the Memphis Horns on Muddy Waters' "Bird Nest on the Ground" or in front of Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble on Bramhall's own "Too Sorry." Bramhall's songwriting is best showcased on "Other Side of Love," the kind of R&B ballad Bland himself could have sunk his teeth into, while his instrumental chops are spotlighted on "Take Your Time, Son" (where Jimmie Vaughan and Bramhall's son trade guitar licks over dad's steady groove). —Geoffrey Himes

Doyle Bramhall It's impossible to hear Doyle Bramhall's swaggering rendition of "Life by the Drop" without thinking of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Not only is the Bramhall original strongly associated with Vaughan (whose posthumously released recording provided a poignant memorial), but Bramhall's gritty, smoky vocals were plainly the major influence on Vaughan's singing. The second CD by this veteran singer-songwriter-drummer celebrates the blues legacy that he and Vaughan share, with the guitar virtuosity of son Doyle II and the raucous harmonica of Gary Primich powering such highlights as John Lee Hooker's "Dimples" and Howlin' Wolf's "Sugar (Where You'd Get Your Sugar From)." There's no new material from Bramhall ("Life by the Drop" is the only original), and the jamming on familiar fare such as Buddy Miles's "Changes" and Jimmy Reed's "Baby What You Want Me to Do" borders on bar-band excess, but the soulful renewal of "That's How Strong My Love Is" and "It Ain't No Use" reaffirms Bramhall as a Texas treasure. Somewhere, Stevie's smiling. —Don McLeese

Doyle Bramhall II & Smokestack Doyle Bramhall certainly has impressive rock & roll connections. His father played drums for Lightnin' Hopkins; Texas-born Bramhall himself has served as guitarist behind Jimmie Vaughan in The Fabulous Thunderbirds and alongside Charlie Sexton and Stevie Ray Vaughan's rhythm section, Double Trouble, in Arc Angels. However, anyone who buys Welcome looking for a companion piece to Texas Flood is likely to be sorely disappointed. This is defiantly unreconstructed rock & roll, all growling vocals, pounding four-square drums, and interminable guitar solos—matchstick models of sailing ships have been made in less time than it takes Bramhall to get from one end of "Thin Dream" to the other. It is done quite well, as these things go, and may find favor with fans of fellow blues-rock revisionists The Black Crowes. Ultimately, though, there's not much here that you wouldn't find in any truck-stop bar north of the Rio Grande and south of Chicago. —Andrew Mueller

Doyle II Bramhall

Dr. Dre 1989's Straight Outta Compton, by Dre's previous outfit N.W.A., may have shined the public spotlight on the genre, but The Chronic legitimized it. That is not to say that Snoop Doggy Dogg (The Chronic marks his debut) and Dre's raps are for everyone; the subject matter is the sex, drugs, violence, and politics of South Central Los Angeles, and the phrasing is explicit, to say the least. But The Chronic's real genius is the music. By breeding hip-hop, jazz (studio instrumentation includes saxophones and flutes), funk, and soul (sampled artists include Parliament, Donny Hathaway, and Isaac Hayes), Dre creates downright intoxicating grooves. If you can't feel The Chronic pulsating through your veins, maybe your heart's not pumping. —Bill Crandall

Drain S.T.H.

Drain S.T.H.

The Dust Brothers Aussie edition of the soundtrack to director David Fincher's controversial 1999 drama co-starring Brad Pitt & Edward Norton. Contains all 15 cuts from the U.S. release, plus a bonus track, the highly regarded L.A.-based alternative/ dance / production duo Dust Brothers' tune 'This Is Your Life' featuring soundbytes from Tyler Durden (Pitt's character in the movie). 16 tracks total. Standard jewel case.

Eagles This packed double-disc is the slim option for fans who find the Eagles' vaunted greatest hits sets too little and the boxed set too hefty. Hit singles large and medium are here, often ("One of These Nights," "Hotel California") still sounding definitive and even tough. Large helpings of favorite album cuts are also included, along with a taster from a promised 2004 Eagles studio reunion. Unfortunately, "Hole in the World," Don Henley's response to September 11, feels just as empty and entitled as "Get Over It," the band's previous state-of-the-union message (from which the newer song represents a philosophical 180-degree turn). But for those seeking an overview of this Southern California juggernaut's successes, as well as telling comments from band members—mostly Henley and Frey—in a well-designed booklet, Very Best will more than do. —Rickey Wright

Eddie Izzard Eddie Izzard, an \""executive transvestite\"" performs his stand-up comedy in New York, 2000; includes documentary footage.
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Artist: IZZARD,EDDIE
Title: CIRCLE
Street Release Date: 09/23/2003
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Artist: IZZARD,EDDIE
Title: DEFINITE ARTICLE
Street Release Date: 11/09/2004
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Media Type: CD
Artist: IZZARD,EDDIE
Title: DRESS TO KILL
Street Release Date: 11/09/2004
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Eddie Izzard No Description Available
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Media Type: CD
Artist: IZZARD,EDDIE
Title: GLORIOUS
Street Release Date: 11/09/2004
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Eddie Izzard No Description Available
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Artist: IZZARD,EDDIE
Title: UNREPEATABLE
Street Release Date: 11/09/2004
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Genre: COMEDY

Eddie Vedder track listing and sequence subject to change

Elliott Smith Blessed with the voice of a wispy angel, Elliott Smith creates sad little pop songs, which, like the work of Nick Drake (to whom he's been compared) threaten to disappear into the night air. Several of the tracks here were featured in Gus Van Zant's movie Good Will Hunting, and they're among the album's best (though "Miss Misery," nominated for an Academy Award is only available on the soundtrack album). "Angeles" and "Say Yes" are bittersweet laments that feature Smith's idiosyncratic guitar picking, which is well served by the album's decidedly low-fi production. —Rob O'Connor

Elliott Smith Recorded mildly better than his debut (Roman Candle on Cavity Search), the self-titled second solo album is one of the most understated and incredible albums to emerge from the indie-rock scene in the 1990s. With his nimble picking fingers behind him, Smith writes sad, little songs about drugs and romantic codependence that border on the obsessed. "Needle in the Hay" and "The White Lady Loves You More" are exemplary tunes that fuse the Beatles' pop sense with Neil Young's sense of doom. Lying in his own burned out basement, Smith can rough up the gentlest love song with a few salty words of choice. —Rob O'Connor

Elliott Smith Japanese edition of the indie rock singer/songwriter's 2000 release with two exclusive bonus tracks 'Because' & 'Figure 8'. 18 tracks in all including the single 'Son Of Sam'. Digipak.

Elliott Smith Elliott Smith has been a patron saint of the indie scene since his days helming Portland heroes Heatmiser. As a solo artist, his fondness for Beatlesque melody led to some of the most beautifully orchestrated pop of the last decade. This is his final recording, which found him returning to an edgier, guitar-driven sound, alongside his trademark heart-rending balladry.

MUZE Notes: Elliott Smith's death in 2003 left a cavernous hole in the world of popular music. Tender, intimate, and painfully honest, the songs in Smith's catalogue capture the fragility of human existence with rare, breathtaking beauty. On his first posthumous release, Smith reaffirms his status as an extraordinarily gifted artist, giving fans yet another reason to mourn his tragic loss. Conceived as an ambitious double album, FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL was ultimately narrowed down to 15 tracks by Smith's close friends, producer Rob Schnapf (Beck's MELLOW GOLD, Smith's X/O) and musician Joanna Bolme (the Minders, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks). The result is a heartbreaking collection of songs that plays like a retrospective of Smith's entire career. "Strung Out Again" reflects the early edge of ROMAN CANDLE; "Last Hour" recalls the bittersweet melodies of ELLIOTT SMITH; "A Fond Farewell" is a sad anthem in the tradition of EITHER/OR; "Shooting Star" employs the more polished sound of ! X/O; and "Don't Go Down" is an extension of the more electrified FIGURE 8. Of course, the most haunting aspect of FROM A BASEMENT ON THE HILL is the lyrical content, which is impossible to hear without placing it in the context of Smith's untimely passing.

Elliott Smith Disc One: 01. Angel In The Snow From the Jan/Feb 1995 sessions at Leslie Uppinghouse's home studio that yielded much of the S/T record. Elliott's mix appeared on a CD that came with Mike McGonigal's magazine, Yeti: Volume I.

02. Talking to Mary From the 1995 sessions at Leslie's. This is Elliott's rough mix as the master tape is sadly missing.

03. High Times From the 1995 sessions at Leslie's. An early working title was "Coma Kid". The "drums" are really just doubled snare (with the throw off loose) and ride cymbal.

04. New Monkey From sessions for Either/Or. The "bar" was certainly La Luna in Portland, with "the millions of fans ignoring the bands."

05. Looking Over My Shoulder From sessions for Either/Or. The title of this song is not certain.

06. Going Nowhere From sessions for Either/Or. Due to the limits of eight tracks you rarely get bass guitar on these sessions unless it is integral to the arrangement. One of the most haunting songs in this collection.

07. Riot Coming From the 1995 sessions at Leslie's. Notice the excellent melodic electric guitar part.

08. "All Cleaned Out" This song was tracked at Jackpot! Recording Studio in early 1997. The title is an assumption as there were no notes on or in the tape box.

09. First Timer Tracked at Jackpot! in early 1997. With different lyrics this song has seen life as "Ghost Writer" or "From a Poisoned Well". Elliott recorded the guitars too loud to tape in this collection, hence the occasional "chunk" noise.

10. Go By From sessions for Either/Or. Recorded to 8-track by Elliott in 1996, but then bounced to 2" tape by Rob and Tom where they added overdubs. It was obviously a contender for Either/Or at some point. Early versions of the song were known as "Bye Bye" and "Two Timed".

11. Miss Misery (early version) This song was tracked at Jackpot! in early 1997. It was later recut with lyric changes at Jackpot! and used in the film, Good Will Hunting.

12. Thirteen This Big Star/Alex Chilton song featured often in Elliott's live sets and in the Lucky Three short film by Jem Cohen. This version was recorded by Rob Jones and Elliott Smith in Elliott's Basement in April 1996 and was broadcast June 1, 1996, on Rob's Locals Show on KWVA 88.1 Eugene, OR. This was a simple live take with acoustic guitar and vocals.

Disc Two: 01. Georgia, Georgia From the 1995 sessions at Leslie's. Even though it was older, it was an early contender for the Either/Or running order.

02. Whatever (Folk Song in C) Apparently from the September 1994 sessions at Tony's. Features JJ Gonson's vintage Domino guitar that Elliott favored. Also known under the working title "Hanging Out With Me".

03. Big Decision From the 1995 sessions at Leslie's. Elliott's mix appeared on the CD compilation, A Slice of Lemon.

04. Placeholder From sessions for Either/Or. Sung so softly, but really beautiful.

05. New Disaster From sessions for Either/Or. Vocals and music are from different takes. Vocals are from the reel that provided From a Basement on the Hill with "Last Hour", but the tape reel flange scraping sound (which you can hear on "Last Hour") was even more distracting on this song. Music was from a later instrumental take, with organ and drums but no vocals. This is the only instance on this record where we combined takes in this manner.

06. Seen How Things Are Hard This song was actually recorded on a 4-track cassette. Mixed by Tom and Rob for possible inclusion of Either/Or. Also known under the working title, "Sleigh Bells".

07. Fear City From sessions for Either/Or. Also known as "See My City Dead". Check out the cool melodic organ part and Elliott's grooving drum style.

08. Either/Or From sessions for the album Either/Or. Apparently the song title was appropriated for the album title but not the song. There's also a version of this song with alternate lyrics called "No More".

09. Pretty Mary K (other version) From sessions for Either/Or. This is a completely different song than the Figure 8 track, but seems to feature different words with a parallel theme. An early version was worked up as "Everything's Okay" - note the similar phonetics.

10. Almost Over From sessions for Either/Or. Some of his fastest guitar picking in this collection.

11. See You Later

12. Half Right These are two Heatmiser songs from their third album, Mic City Sons, performed solo in this collection. From the Rob Jones' Locals Show sessions, "See You Later" was released on the Air Check cassette on Rob's label, Jealous Butcher.

Technical Note: Except for the special case of "New Disaster", where independent instrumental and vocal takes were combined, all songs are presented as tracked by Elliott, and every effort was made to check stereo placement, track levels, editing ideas, arrangement ideas and the overall feel that were present in his rough (or released) mixes. In many cases remixing was simply an attempt to make the elements of the song slightly more legible, and in other cases to reduce the background tape hiss. In no way is this album simply a product of the studio in 2006 - it is a collection of songs, any of which could have easily been included on his albums of 1995 or 1997.

Songs previously unreleased except for: "See You Later", Air Check cassette (1999,JB020/Jealous Butcher/limited to 300 copies) "Angel in the Snow" Yeti: Volume I (2000, 2500 issues printed/pressed) "Big Decision" - A Slice of Lemon (1995,KRS100/Kill Rock Stars, still in print)

Elliott Smith A member of the band Heatmiser, Elliot Smith recorded home demos on any equipment he could get his hands on. His first "solo" album is a cheap four-track home recording that hints at the melodic possibilities Smith would explore in greater detail on subsequent releases. The title track is remarkable but with four songs referred to in sequential order as "No Name #1,
," "No Name #2,," etc. ... the inspiration isn't always fully firing. Blessed with a quiet angelic voice and a lyrical mind that easily transforms the squalid details of everyday life into something worth hearing about twice, Smith stood on the verge of getting it on. With his next, self-titled release, he did.—Rob O'Connor

Elliott Smith Japanese version featuring a bonus track: "Miss Misery".

Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley The latest compilation of 30 tracks (all mixed and mastered from the original master tapes for optimum sound quality) will include five additional Presley #1 singles, fan favorites, career milestones and a newly discovered recording 'I Am Roustabout'! Oakenfold's remix of 'Rubberneckin' is sure to be well received among today's generation of music fans and further demonstrates the legacy of Presley's music. BMG.

Embrace (UK) Out Of Nothing is produced by Youth (best known for his work with The Verve, Killing Joke and The Orb) features the band's signature souring rock balladry, complete with emotionally charged lyrics and dramatic production. During the recording of Out Of Nothing, Youth pushed the band to unbeknownst levels of musicianship, which resulted in enormous sales and mass acclaim.

Eric Clapton The full-tilt blues album that Clapton had been promising for years, From the Cradle proves the guitarist's enduring devotion to a form he had long relegated to merely a flavor in his music rather than the main ingredient. Clapton's singing on the album is somewhat mannered; he tries to compete with original versions of these songs by Muddy Waters, Charles Brown, and others, and there's no way he's going to win that battle. Still, you can feel the emotional connection Clapton has with these songs, and guitar aficionados will swoon over his fretwork on songs such as "Third Degree," "Someday After a While," and the incendiary "Groanin' the Blues." —Daniel Durchholz

Eric Clapton On Me And Mr.Johnson, Eric Clapton covers 14 of the 29 songs Robert Johnson, the most mythic figure of the blues, wrote and recorded in his lifetime. For fans of deep blues,it doesn ’t get any better than this. After the success of Clapton ’s first two traditional blues albums —1994 ’s Gram- my-winning triple-platinum, #1 pop From The Cradle, and 2000 ’s Grammy-winning, double-platinum,#3-charting Riding With The King collaboration with B.B.King —Me And Mr.Johnson finds Clapton once more at the crossroads of blues and rock.

The cover illustration by Peter Blake includes both published photographs of Robert Johnson: a rendering of the Robert Johnson Studio Portrait / Hooks Bros., Memphis c. 1935 / © 1989 Delta Haze Corporation / the Robert Johnson photo booth self-portrait, early 1930s / © 1986 Delta Haze Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.

Eric Clapton Live, intimate, and raw, Sessions For Robert J is the essential audio/video companion to Eric Clapton's 2004 gold, Top 10 Me And Mr. Johnson, tribute to blues legend Robert Johnson. Filmed during tour rehearsals in London and Dallas plus a Los Angeles hotel room and the Dallas warehouse where Johnson made some of his final recordings, Sessions for Robert J finds Clapton performing all Robert Johnson songs with his touring band, acoustically with Doyle Bramhall II and solo-as well as discussing Johnson and his influence. A performance/documentary DVD with 14 tracks (from which the 11 CD selections are taken), Sessions for Robert J is blues heaven.

Evanescence Evanescence’s "Anywhere But Home", captures one night of the magic as cameras entered The Zenith in Paris to capture the phenomenon. The two-disc DVD/CD features Evanescence’s sold-out European tour and is offered in both 5.1 and two-track audio mixes. In addition to the live concert DVD, which was directed by Hamish Hamilton (U2, Peter Gabriel), "Anywhere But Home" also includes a CD of the concert presented in a two-track mix, and the previously unreleased studio recording of the composition "Missing." The DVD features the band's four music videos, an hour-long behind-the-scenes program, and some special surprises in addition to the concert film. The special surprises will be discovered by the viewer as they navigate the menus designed exclusively for this special release.

Evanescence CD EVANESCENCE " Origin ". ORIGINAL BIGWIG CD WITH 11 TRACKS, NOT THE RE-RELEASED VERSION WITH 19 TRACKS!!!*****Do not buy bootlegs with 19 trucks !!! It's a Fake !!!! Alot of times this type of Origin is refered to as the Russian Re-release version. Do not refer to it that way. It is just a bootleg/fake. ***** THE CD IS VERY RARE . Contain 6-pages fold out sleeve. Tracks are: 1. Origin . 2. Whispe. 3. Imaginary . 4. My Immortal . 5. Where Will You Go . 6. Field Of Innocence . 7. Even In Death . 8. Anywhere . 9. Lies [Featuring Bruce Fitzhugh] 10. Away From Me . 11. Eternal.*****don't waste your money on a cheap fakes. Only CD's with 11 trucks are original !!!

Evanescence

Evanescence The follow-up to their Multi-Platinum Debut Featuring the hit single "Call Me When You're Sober"

Fiona Apple Tidal is the debut album by Fiona Apple, a New York singer-songwriter-pianist who was 18 years old at the time of its 1996 release. Apple is obviously talented—she has a dark, smoky alto and a knack for an arresting turn of phrase—but she's still several years away from realizing her potential. For every fresh lyric she writes ("Daddy longlegs, I feel that I'm finally growing weary of waiting to be consumed by you"), she provides two examples of embarrassingly precious schoolgirl poetry ("Adagio breezes fill my skin with sudden red," from the same song, "The First Taste"). She also has yet to refine her moody piano chords into actual melodies, though "Shadowboxer" comes close. —Geoffrey Himes

The Fireman and Youth Paul McCartney Paul McCartney's 2008 album with producer Youth. Each track written,recorded and sung in the space of one day with Paul McCartney, playing all instruments. 'The album's opener is classic rock and an instant attention grabber. A heavy guitar riff with loud drums and souring vocals, it's like nothing The Fireman have ever done before.' The Fireman are back after a ten-year break. Electric Arguments is their third and brand new studio album and it's not the album people might expect from the mysterious duo.'

Fleet Foxes Seattle's Fleet Foxes traffic in baroque harmonic pop. They draw influences from the traditions of folk, pop, choral, gospel, sacred harp singing, West Coast music, traditional music from Ireland to Japan, film scores, and their NW peers. The subject matter ranges from the natural world and familial bonds to bygone loves and stone cold graves.

Fleet Foxes Seattle's Fleet Foxes make such complex, harmonic, 70s inspired folk-rock, it's hard to believe that the band's principle songwriter, Robin Pecknold, is only 21 years old. There's a moment on David Crosby's "Laughing" where Cros, Joni, and the whole gang hit a harmony that might be the most gorgeous moment in the history of recorded music. The Fleet Foxes know that moment and they go for it. This EP is a precursor to the band's debut, "Ragged Wood", out in June.

Flight of the Conchords This acclaimed Kiwi novelty band follow the release of their six-track Grammy Award-winning CD EP "The Distant Future" with their full-length debut. Features fully fleshed-out and professionally recorded versions of the duo's concerts and TV favorites. Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement's trademark acoustic guitars lead the blitz, backed by a diverse array of instrumentation and production technique. If amazing, delightful, and hilarious is your idea of funny, then prepare for undisappointment. These fifteen songs pay homage to Pet Shop Boys, censorship, Marvin Gaye, sexism, Shabba Ranks, and backhanded compliments.

Foo Fighters Outstanding release on Capitol featuring the band's hit 1997album with four cool & rare bonus tracks, four of thediverse covers that have appeared on assorted singles &compilations: 'Drive Me Wild' (Nona Hendrix or Vanity 6?),Killing Joke's 'Requiem', Gary Numan's 'Down In The Park' &Gerry Rafferty's 'Baker Street'! Limited to just 5,000copies, it features a total of 17 tracks, also including thehit singles 'Everlong', 'Monkeywrench' & 'Hey! Johnny Park'.Double slimline jewel case. 1997 release.

Foo Fighters Having commemorated their tenth anniversary with a year-plus run commencing with In Your Honor (a double album the New York Times called an "unexpected magnum opus"), sold out rock arena shows and a toned down intimate theater trek, and a headlining gig at London's Hyde Park for a crowd of 85,000, the question looms larger than any in the Foo Fighters' career to date: What do they do for an encore?!? The answer comes in the form of "The Pretender," the first single from the band's sixth studio album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, out on Roswell/RCA. Produced by Gil Norton, who last worked with the band on 1997's double-platinum The Colour and The Shape (recently reissued in deluxe 10th anniversary form), Dave Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, drummer Taylor Hawkins and guitarist Chris Shiflett have crafted a 12-track milestone that showcases and reconciles the band's every strength and sensibility in the most complex and confident Foo Fighters album to date.

Foo Fighters Photo  

More from Foo Fighters

Skin and Bones

The Colour and the Shape

In Your Honor

There Is Nothing Left to Lose

One by One

Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters Limited Edition Japanese pressing of this album comes housed in a miniature LP sleeve. 2007..

Foo Fighters It’s likely that a decade after its debut record this band now has fans who might ask, "You mean Dave Grohl was in a band before the Foo Fighters?" But they, or any Foo followers who pine for the increasingly refined vocals and polished pop-punk uniformity of the first four albums, will swallow this one whole—or at least half. For as much as vocalist/bandleader Grohl and Co. mix a similar concoction on the 20-song double CD, they manage to agitate the formula ever so slightly. Disc one follows the Foo’s classic sonic blueprint: lip-smacking melodies and enigmatic lyrics, double-barrel guitars and drums that attack. But songs take a gentle turn on the second CD, showcasing Grohl’s underrated vocals amidst a high-energy ensemble of acoustic guitars, piano and mandolin (by studio guest John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin). Singing, not shouting, Grohl flips potential teen-rock anthems like "Miracle" and "Cold Day in the Sun" (with drummer Taylor Hawkins handling lead vocals) into impending adult-oriented radio staples and, 11 years after Nirvana, the Foo Fighters may finally have their triumph. —Scott Holter

Foo Fighters There's a certain sameness to the spiky, percussive bursts of punk-pop tabled by the Foo Fighters. Yet it's pretty hard to fault players as palpably enthusiastic as Dave Grohl and his gang. Every Foos record, up to and including their fourth studio disc, One by One, fluently merges rock menace with unabashedly cheery melody and thoughtful if cryptic lyrics. (And those videos!) So while insistent, guiterrorized tracks like "All My Life" and "Times Like These (One-Way Motorway)" don't expand the Foos' oeuvre, they're catchy as hell and well worth the price of admission. Those searching for veiled Nirvana/Courtney references will no doubt unearth them (or unearth what seem like veiled references), while longtime fans can relax in the knowledge that a seasoned pro like Grohl knows better than to muck with a winning formula. —Kim Hughes

Foo Fighters Japanese Limited Edition Issue of the Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Foo Fighters Riding the momentum of the hit single "Learn to Fly," which hit No. 1 on the modern-rock charts long before this album's release, the Foo Fighters' third record is unarguably its most refined and poppy. The ominous riff that the opens "Stacked Actors" (which sounds like something Kurt Cobain could have hacked out on Nirvana's gnarly In Utero) is pretty much a red herring. The 10 tunes that follow are a succession of hook-laden pop songs tarted up with guitarist-vocalist (and former Nirvana drummer) Dave Grohl's thick guitars and increasingly sugar-sweet vocals. Nearly every cut on There Is Nothing Left to Lose has the potential of following "Learn to Fly" up the charts. The production is big and friendly and songs like "Generator," "Aurora," and "Headwires" just melt in your mouth. And even though the Foo Fighters' latest is seductively sweet in sound, there are just enough rough edges and lyrical angst to keep things interesting. —Adem Tepedelen

The Foxboro Hot Tubs Imagine a big-time punk-pop trio from the Oakland area deciding, for fun, to record a cool song that reminded them of ’60s garage rock—adventurous, reckless, and edgy but with a "doo-doo-doo" party sound. Imagine the lovechild of an unholy marriage between The Stooges and Tommy James And The Shondells. Imagine the track, "Mother Mary," leaking out and amazingly going Top 20 Modern Rock. Imagine the mysterious "new" band then deciding to release an EP for free on the Internet. Now imagine a full-length album—an actual album you can hold in your hands, just like way back before the dawn of the new millennium! Imagine Foxboro Hottubs and the album Stop Drop And Roll.

Frank Black It's a truly strange trick to be a subtle song-stylist and a raging guitar hero at the same time, but no one would deny Frank Black his eccentricities. While Kim Deal graduated from the Pixies to help define the new breed of radio pop called alternative with the Breeders, Black moved his former band's more radical notions from Boston to L.A., wined and refined them, and fashioned a sort of sunny left coast take on the Sonic Youth/Yo La Tengo brand of artsy New York guitar rock. Black's first two solo albums showed a wildly original writer and eclectic performer with a wide grasp of song forms and the distinctive voice to make them all his own.

The Cult of Ray, Black's third album (a tribute to fellow extraterrestrial Ray Bradbury), presents a slimmer, more stylistically consistent set of crunch-chord slams with a punk theme, including "Dance War," and "Mosh, Don't Pass the Guy," "Jesus Was Right," and "Punk Rock City." The album's missing eclecticism is more than compensated by Lyle Workman, whose muscle-bound lead guitar work is the stuff of Lou Reed's legendary sideman, Robert Quine. It even turns a so-so track like "The Creature Crawling" into a thrillingly exotic slink. Reaching a climax on the title track—with its furious punk riffing, soaring prog rock solos, and vivid but opaque lyrics—Black—Black's Cult founds a curiously fruitful settlement in the vast sonic tundra between Green Day and Captain Beefheart. —Roni Sarig

Frank Black Those having witnessed Frank Black exorcising his demons through screams and wails onstage with the Pixies will stop for a double-take when they hear this, an album the frontman recorded live in Nashville just days before the band launched its 2004 reunion tour. He sounds like George Jones with a hangover. Stripping away the ear-splitting feedback and lyrics about spaceships, Black teams up with a group of dust-caked local musicians, whose collective resumes include stints at Stax Records, Muscle Shoals and American Studios, for a set of songs that are beautiful and warm—even when on "Another Velvet Nightmare," he mournfully sings, "Today I felt my heart slide in my belly/ So I puked it up with liquor." —Aidin Vaziri

Frank Black

Frank Black & The Catholics "I could make albums all day," boasts the rotund Frank Black in the cover letter accompanying Black Letter Days. He's not kidding. Like fellow '80s post-punk icons Paul Westerberg and Bob Mould, Black has relaxed his production values and become ridiculously prolific. Between this album and the simultaneously released Devil's Workshop, he's pushed out 29 fresh songs, with each session recorded live to a two-track tape amid minimal fuss. Much of the spark that once made the Pixies one of Kurt Cobain's most beloved bands has evaporated. But it has been replaced by an efficient, workmanlike approach that yields the kind of raw, rowdy rockers the Pixies were turning out in their early days. The pedal-steel-swathed "Valentine and Garuda" and brusque country rock of "Jet Black River" provide some of the most satisfying moments of Black's solo years. With a hard-nosed producer and some serious editing, there's no doubt that Black would have another classic album on his hands. In the meantime, Black Letter Days and Devil's Workshop will do. —Aidin Vaziri

Frank Black & The Catholics

Frank Black and the Catholics In theory, there was no reason why Frank Black, a.k.a. Black Francis, shouldn't have carried on making great records after he left the Pixies; after all, he wrote and sang almost all the songs. However, all truly great bands are more than the sum of their parts, and Black's solo career has served largely as a resounding confirmation of this truth. He has had his moments, but has never come close to the towering heights he scaled with his old band. Perhaps by way of grudgingly acknowledging this, Dog in the Sand finds Black re-enlisting Pixies' guitarist Joey Santiago. Santiago, a dazzlingly inventive and versatile player, has been bewilderingly quiet since leaving the Pixies, and seems keen to make up for it here, deploying his formidable range. His contribution to what is certainly Black's best solo album is crucial, from the frenetic power chords of "If It Takes All Night" to the subtle picking of "Robert Onion" to the exuberant solo of "Bullet." Now, if Black can only persuade Kim Deal and David Lowering to come out of retirement as well, he might really be onto something. —Andrew Mueller

Frank Black and the Catholics

Frank Black and the Catholics, Frank Black & The Catholics

Funkadelic This classic Funkadelic album (from 1973) has been remastered from its original master tapes for the first time in 15 years. This is the first album with Gary Shider and marks the beginning of the tighter, more commercial, Funkadelic albums of the later Westbound years. It includes a number of dance floor favorites such as the title track "Cosmic Slop" and the much-sampled "Nappy Dugout". This 2005 CD includes the full nine tracks of the original album plus the substantially different single edit of the title track. The in-depth sleeve notes by funk expert and series consultant Dean Rudland include details of the history of the band and this recording, including information taken from an exclusive interview with original Parliamentarian Fuzzy Haskins. The CD booklet includes a full color reproduction of Pedro Bell's classic album art and contemporary adverts, pictures and memorabilia. Westbound U.S.

Garbage Japanese edition of their platinum debut with two bonus tracks for collectors, the hit version of '#1 Crush' (Nellee Hooper Remix) that was featured on the double plati-num Romeo & Juliet soundtrack and their deleted first single'Subhuman', released before the album came out in 1995. 14 tracks total.

Garbage Limited edition pressing of the hit alternative act's second album, 1998's top 20 & platinum 'Version 2.0', with a b onus CD single featuring four tracks recorded live in concert at the Roskide festival in Denmark, 1998. Bonus tracks are 'Temptation Waits', 'Dumb', 'Stupid Girl' and 'Vow'. A combined total of 16 tracks, with the main album featuring the hit singles 'I Think I'm Paranoid', 'When I Grow Up', 'Special', 'Push It' and 'You Look So Fine'. Double slimline jewel case. 1999 release. Limited quantities available!

Gavin DeGraw

Gavin DeGraw

George Harrison George Harrison Photos

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Girl Talk "A fusion of Tigerbeat6's pop destruction and 2ManyDJs' mainstream mash-ups." -URB

"Girl Talk...accelerates beats, distorts textures, pitches up flow, and sets up strange juxtapositions to render absurd the sexed-up aura of hip-hop and dance pop." - CLEVELAND SCENE

"In a time when kids can barely sit through an entire album by just one artist, this A.D.D. mix will keep them sedated and/or spastic." - XLR8R

Girl Talk (a.k.a. Gregg Gillis) is back with his third album on Illegal Art! With each release getting closer to his notorious semi-naked live show, Night Ripper is focused less on beat-fuckery and more on bringing heat to the party. It bangs as a continuous mix packed with wildly disparate Top 40 genres and eras. Current hip-hop hits, soft rock radio standards, party classics, grunge masterpieces, R&B singles, glossy club-shakers and rock anthems are all layered and pieced together into one nonstop celebration of pop and excess declared "a plunderphonics party record" by Mark Hosler of Negativland.

Girl Talk tours regularly and actively participates and collaborates with other "on the verge" Midwest and East Coast artists such as Grand Buffet (Fighting), Drop the Lime (Tigerbeat6), Chris Glover (Interscope) and Hearts of Darknesses (Schematic/Asphodel).

Girl Talk Girl Talk's second album."Unstoppable, for all its sweaty beats and sexy grooves, paints a picture of Gillis that's just as much mad scientist as oversexed party animal. Gillis' manic experiments bring life to inanimate rhythms and swap the personalities of unwitting samples in harebrained schemes to make bottoms shake and fists pump." -DUSTED

Godsmack Godsmack play their ghoulish hard rock with such a straight face, they make Metallica look like the Insane Clown Posse. For proof, look no further than heavily pierced frontman Sully Erna, who is not only a practicing Wiccan but the author of melodramatic declarations such as "Can't you see what this pain has fucking done to me." It's too bad the follow-up to the Boston band's triple-platinum self-titled debut rarely delivers with the desired intensity. Instead, the disc offers anodyne takes on the same old themes of aggression ("Sick of Life"), alienation ("Bad Magick"), and hocus-pocus ("Vampires"), with the all-too-familiar buzzsaw of nu-metal guitars and elastic bass grooves tearing throughout. —Aidin Vaziri

Godsmack Fans of Godsmack’s dark, swirling, commanding music will be delighted by the Boston band’s powerful third effort, which mixes arena rock in the vein of an Alice in Chains (in fact, Godsmack takes its name from an AIC song) with the aggression of Pantera. With new drummer Shannon Larkin (formerly of Amen), Godsmack stick with the riff-heavy, layered tunes and sharp, confident bridge-burning lyrics (witness the convincing vitriol of "I F@?king Hate You"). Highlights include Sully Erna’s gut-spewing scream on "Changes," the memorable chorus and commanding assured "I Stand Alone," and the radio-ready "Straight out of Line." The tribal drums and chanting of the instrumental "The Awakening" sets the stage for "Serenity," the final track, which brings Faceless full circle, the acoustic guitars, congas and strings providing a sinuous conclusion to a potent album. —Katherine Turman

Godsmack In a post-Seattle Sound rock world, there's still a hunger for music that's dark, dirgelike, and heavy. And the void left by Soundgarden and company is being filled by a spate of bands, including Boston's Godsmack, who even nicked their name from an Alice in Chains song. Like Creed and Days of the New, Godsmack are raging and disenfranchised, as singer Sully Erna's lyrics illustrate: "I am in a living hell / Makes me wonder if I'm alive" or "You're pathetic in your own way / I don't like you anyway." Though the territory being mined isn't new, Godsmack's grungy grooves, potent energy, and strong hooks are irresistible. With a dash of Tool and a smattering of Filter seeping through, Godsmack are on the money, especially on "Whatever," the tantalizing "Get Up, Get Out!," and the strident and syncopated "Bad Religion," on which Erna puts one in mind of James Hetfield. While Godsmack's approach may not be fresh, the foursome's strong songs and powerful energy are still intensely tasty—especially for those with a taste for songs on the sober—but never staid—side. —Katherine Turman

Godsmack Six albums into its career, Godsmack finds itself faced with the challenge of moving forward without betraying its roots. Although the veteran act manages to offer up a handful of convincing tunes on this hour-long affair, IV fails to hang together as a cohesive and convincing album. The opening "Living In Sin" and its follow-up "Speak" rock with conviction although neither breaks new ground; "The Enemy"––a reasonably good approximation of a latter-day Metallica tune––proves persuasive while "Shine Down" and "No Rest For The Wicked" are radio-ready distractions. As good as those and a number of the other songs are IV never locks into any particular groove and ultimately amounts to little more than a batch of songs placed end-to-end on a disc that's roughly 20 minutes too long. By the record's final moments––the passionate but decidedly dated angst-filled dirge "Mama," the meandering "One Rainy Day"––the listener grows weary of treading down an all-too-familiar path with a band that still has a promising future if only it could let go of its unyielding grip on its own past.—Jedd Beaudoin

Godsmack

Gorillaz

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Grady 2007 Release of the Second Album from the Austin Based Trio of Billy Maddox, Gordie Johnson and Big Ben Richardson. "a Cup of Cold Poison" was Recorded at Willie Nelson's Perdenales Studio and features Cameo Appearances by Nelson and Former Rank and File Guitarist Alejandro Escovedo! Grady Includes Two Cover Songs on this Album from Two Local Brother Bands: "Chili Cold Blood" by the Austin Band of the Same Name and "You're Whats Happening" from the Barfield Blues Band. Five of the Songs were Co-written with P. Ballantyne.

Grady Canadian guitar hero Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar) packed up, moved south to Austin, TX and teamed up with a hotter then hell rhythm section to create his newest and baddest band with a sound equal parts Gospel Revival and Satanic Ritual. Grady have turned heads down south, winning "Best New Band" at the 2007's annual Austin Music Awards.

Grant Lee Buffalo Grant Lee Buffalo shares a common spirit with postmodern wackos the Flaming Lips, but the L.A. trio has a less noisy, more folk-oriented bent. On its Slash Records debut, Fuzzy, the band mixes influences as diverse as the Byrds and the Cowsills, and the Fugs and Leonard Cohen. Guitarist/vocalist Grant Lee Phillips delivers his skewed visions of Americana in a deep, strong voice, while Paul Kimble and drummer Joey Peters provide a shifting melodic and rhythmic background that is always intriguing. —Jim DeRogatis

Green Day

Green Day The first original album since 2000 from modern rock superheroes Green Day, American Idiot is one of the most anticipated and controversial albums of the year. Scathing yet self-effacing as it tells the tale of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, American Idiot is the punk rock epic. "A bold, polished punk opera." (Entertainment Weekly) "They're the biggest, most successful, punk band the world has ever seen. What's more, Green Day's next album may well be their masterpiece." (Kerrang!)

Green Day No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: GREEN DAY
Title: DOOKIE
Street Release Date: 02/01/1994
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Green Day

Green Day Reissue of Green Day's second album that defined the band's sound with memorable riffs, metal-strength momentum and a decade's worth of attitude.

Green Day Nimrod came along two years after 1995's Insomniac and was the first indication of Green Day's willingness to stretch the boundaries of punk rock. The fullness of the record is first hinted at on "Hitchin' a Ride," which starts out chug-a-lugging and then breaks into a raging rocker."Redundant" is accented with some psyched-out guitar work and has Billie Joe Armstrong singing a good deal more than usual. The wonderful "Platypus (I Hate You)" speed-rocks with abandon and recalls the early days of L.A. punk (a little Dickies here, a little Descendents there). The biting "Take it Back" is a snarling throwback to hard punk, and "Prosthetic Head" is an infectious ditty that counts among the very best on the album. Most surprising is "Last Ride In," an instrumental nod to the sensual surf-and-sun life. Of course, the crown jewel of the collection is the sentimental, acoustic "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)," which seemed nearly inescapable when it was released. Beyond these standouts, even the "usual" Green Day fare here has punch. —Lorry Fleming

Green Day After two years off following the release of the genre-expanding Nimrod, the usually insouciant trio Green Day are open to some weighty self-analysis. Gone are the raging rants, cartoonish antics, and anthropological musings about the punk scene, replaced by an introspection that brings to mind Michael Stipe and Bono. Like the U2 frontman, Billie Joe Armstrong still hasn't found what he's looking for, but he knows where he's been and is eager to move past the days when Green Day were considered the clown princes of rock. Witness "Jackass," which cautions, "Everybody loves a joke, but no one likes a fool." Proving that they aren't fools, Green Day take a substantial step forward, exploring new rhythms, sonics, and subjects. While many of the tracks are still cheeky and infectious, the deceptively simple melodies belie a quest for meaning, faith, and fulfillment. There's a tentative optimism here that's tempered by irony and flashes of self-loathing. Still, Warning transcends the darkness that clouded 1995's Insomniac. No longer so under the sway of the Buzzcocks and the Ramones, this time Armstrong and company dip into the early rock canon—the Beatles and Bob Dylan, among them. As a result, their first self-produced album is more "Nowhere Man" than "Blitzkrieg Bop." —Jaan Uhelszki

Greg Edmonson (Composer) Composer Greg Edmonson created a flavorful, guitar-based score for the adventures of the crew of Serenity. CD features exclusive bonus tracks.

Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses The wait is over. The new album from Guns N' Roses, Chinese Democracy, has arrived. The album, which features 14 brand new songs from Axl and company, has garnered rave reviews and is easily the most anticipated release of the year.

Track listing:

1. Chinese Democracy

2. Shackler's Revenge

3. Better

4. Street Of Dreams

5. If The World

6. There Was A Time

7. Catcher In The Rye

8. Scrapped

9. Riad N' The Bedouins

10. Sorry

11. I.R.S.

12. Madagascar

13. This I Love

14. Prostitute

Guns N' Roses

Guns N' Roses Part one of Guns N' Roses' ambitious second album is arguably the better of the two. It certainly rocks harder, though this seems to be more coincidence than anything else; which songs went on which CD looks to have been a random selection. Use Your Illusion I stays closer to the band's bluesy hard-rock roots, with guitarist Izzy Stradlin contributing some of the best songs, including "Dust N' Bones" and "You Ain't the First." "November Rain" (clocking in at over nine minutes) became an instant classic, and there are a fair number of straight-ahead rockers, such as "Perfect Crime," "Don't Damn Me," and "Garden of Eden." Taking the best from this album and Use Your Illusion II would have made a killer single CD, but there's enough good stuff here to make it worthwhile. —Genevieve Williams

Guns N' Roses Had Use Your Illusion II been combined with Use Your Illusion I, keeping only the best material while dropping the filler, it would have been one of the best rock albums ever recorded. Instead, great songs like "Civil War," "14 Years," "Estranged," and "So Fine" compete with the inexcusable "Get in the Ring" and the well-intentioned but off-target cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door." There's no point to the second version of "Don't Cry," either. On the other hand, when Guns N' Roses were good, they were very, very good, and some of the material on this album is unsurpassable. —Genevieve Williams

Hank Williams With a legend like Hank, than man who largely dragged country music into the modern age, the question is how do you pick just 40 of his songs? There were the immediately obvious biggies like "Hey Good Lookin'," "Jambalaya," and "Move It On Over," but almost everything was a gem in one way or another. Whether this collection is the greatest hits or not will depend on the listener, but for anyone with even the slightest curiosity about country music, it's essential listening. Hank was a landmark of the genre, and to hear him is to understand how country could change from rural to urban. Essential listening for everyone. —Chris Nickson

Harry Gregson-Williams Filmmaker Ridley Scott has long been intrigued by historical events and their contemporary echoes, a fascination that evinces itself again here in the violent tale of Balian of Ibelin (Orlando Bloom), a Jerusalem blacksmith who rallies his people against foreign invaders during the Crusades of the 12th century. Breaking with a successful modern collaboration with Hans Zimmer that yielded such eclectic riches as Gladiator, Hannibal, Black Hawk Down, and Matchstick Men, Scott turned here to fellow Englishman/former Zimmer associate Harry Gregson-Williams for his new film's music. The composer, perhaps weary of the electronica-suffused action film cliches he's so often been associated with, rises admirably to the occasion with a sweeping orchestral score that masterfully trades on a wealth of disparate historical and stylistic influences. Gregson-Williams echoes the film's religious and cultural conflicts via the tense musical axis at the soundtrack's core, one that sets the invading Church's medieval choral ecclesiastics on a collision course with the ancient Arabic modalities of the film's hero. The resulting score may occasionally trade on hoary Hollywood romantic traditions, but the composer infuses them with such bracing doses of historical/ethnic antecedents—and his own decidedly contemporary instincts—as to create a compelling new whole. Even the obligatory, pop-oriented version of Ibellin's Theme ("Light of Life") by Natacha Atlas shimmers with Middle Eastern-inflected enticement. —Jerry McCulley

The Hold Steady The Hold Steady's First Album 'almost Killed Me' Now Comes Jam Packed with Bonus Action Including an Additional Five Tracks and Video.

The Hold Steady ON TOUR 10/21 - 11/19

Oct 21 - Providence, RI - Lupos Heartbreak hotel Oct 22 - Boston, MA - The Roxy Oct 23 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric factory Oct 24 - Raleigh - Disco Rodeo Oct 25 - Athens - 40 Watt Oct 26 - Knoxville - Bijiou Theatre Oct 27 - Columbus - Newport Music Hall Oct 29 - Pontiac - Crofoot Ballroom Oct 30 - Chicago - Metro Oct 31 - Chicago - Metro Nov 01 - Minneapolis - State Theatre Nov 04 - Seattle - HUB Ballroom Nov 05 - Portland - Crystal Ballroom Nov 06 - San Francisco - Warfield Theatre Nov 07 - Los Angeles - The Wiltern Nov 08 - San Diego - Cane's Nov 09 - Tempe - Marquee Theatre Nov 11 - Boulder - Fox Theatre Nov 12 - Denver - Ogden Theatre Nov 13 - Lawrence - Granada Nov 14 - Austin - La Zona Rosa Nov 15 - Dallas - Palladium Nov 17 - Birmingham - Bottle Tree Annex Nov 18 - Atlanta - Variety Playhouse Nov 19 - Richmond - Toad's Place Nov 20 - Washington D.C. - 9:30 Club Nov 21 - New York - Terminal Five

The Hold Steady It's only natural that the Hold Steady singer Craig Finn receives all the attention. After all, he's the one with the big mouth. And while his odd and humorous rants are essentially compelling, they wouldn't be half as engrossing if his backing group, especially fellow ex-Minnesotan and Lifter Puller guitarist Tad Kubler, didn't smack up such a glorious din, scabrous punk rock swagger dolled up with classic hard rock power chords. "Separation Sunday" is the NYC-based group's second album and it's every bit as sassy and city wise as their 2004 debut "Almost Killed Me." Finn doesn't know the meaning of the phrase 'hold your tongue' and rudely shouts down the opposition on a number of romantic and religious matters, underscoring his contempt with touching moments of true pathos. Finn's surrounded by self-mutilators, abused lovers and deluded characters desperately chasing faith. It's a good thing he has such a crack band to keep them all in check. — Jaan Uhelszki

The Hold Steady Limited edition packaging (50,000) includes 3 bonus tracks:

Bonus Tracks
1.Ask Her for Adderall
2.Cheyenne Sunrise
3. Two Handed Handshake

Holy Fuck

Hootie & the Blowfish Cracked Rear View marks the commercial debut of these college buddies from South Carolina, and it sold an astonishing 13 million copies in its first year of release. With Darius Rucker's ringing baritone and Mark Bryan's muscular guitar framing Jim Sonefeld's bluesy, energetic southern folk rock tunes, it's easy to understand its success: It's the kind of thoroughly likable album people sing along with on the car radio. When Rucker demands, "Stand up and let me see you smile," there's something that feels real and convincing behind it; sure, it's a formula, but a sincere one, and it works over and over again. Songs like "Let Her Cry," "Hold My Hand," and "Running from an Angel" lay down the rhythm for a cohesive, feel-good collection. There may not be a lot of virtuosity behind it, but there's plenty of fun. —Barrie Trinkle

Howard Shore, Annie Lennox The regular jewel-case version will contain one of seven collectors’ cards.

Howard Shore, Isabel Bayrakdarian (soprano) Howard Shore's music for the massively successful first film chapter of Tolkien's Ring saga won him the Oscar® for Best Original Score, something of a surprise given the music's ambitious scale and determinedly dark overtones, factors that handily blurred the line between typical film fantasy music and accomplished concert work. Its sequel takes the same, often Wagnerian-scaled dramatic tack, following the film's story line into even more brooding and ominous dark corners. The previous film's Hobbit-inspired pastoralism is supplanted here by rich ethnic textures that expand the musical scope of Middle-earth and the World of Men; the Hardanger, a Norwegian fiddle, represents the Rohan and the North African rhaita colors the Mordor theme, while log drums, dilruba, wood xylophone, and cimbalon add intriguing textures elsewhere. The score's looming orchestral clouds are brightened by Shore's masterful choral writing, which infuses ancient liturgical influences with various solo turns by Isabel Bayrakdarian, indie-pop star Sheila Chandra, Ben Del Maestro, and Elizabeth Fraser. "Gollum's Song," the composer's concluding collaboration with lyricist Fran Walsh, is delivered with Björkish, postmodern angst by Emiliana Torrini, and helps punctuate the story's modern sense of allegory. —Jerry McCulley

Ian Moore

Ice Cube

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Interpol Australian version of the absolutely stunning full-length debut from New York's Interpol. Think Joy Division meets Psychedelic Furs, Echo & the Bunnymen and the Smiths. Includes the bonus track, 'Specialist'. Matador. 2002.

Iron & Wine Following a one-record hiatus to collaborate with Tucson collective Calexico on 2005's In The Reins, Iron & Wine (Sam Beam, that is) recoils to the earnestness and intimacy that embodied his first two records, his cerebral words and phrases tunneled beneath an orchestra of guitar, banjo, keyboards, and strings. More definitive than ever, the rhythm and percussion complement Beam's voice, a lulling, almost eerie tone that occasionally recalls John Lennon's early solo work, especially on delicate tracks like the bluesy "Wolves (Songs of the Shepherd's Dog" and "Carousel," with its veiled references to Iraq. Those raised on the lo-fi routine of Beam's earlier work will find rawness and sanctity in the more upbeat selections: The CSN folk-rock of "House by the Sea" and "Boy with a Coin" and the atmospheric beauty of "Pagan Angel and a Borrowed Car" and Shepherd's best song, "Lovesong of the Buzzard." With an organ swirling about and a slide guitar adding gentle flourishes, Beam concedes that "no one is the savior they would like to be," without realizing that, when it comes to fluent music and pristine storytelling, perhaps he is. —Scott Holter

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Jakob Dylan Digipak.This is Jakob's first solo album which was produced by Rick Rubin at his home studio throughout 2007. With its direct, open production and moving themes, Seeing Things is the continuation of Rick's groundbreaking work and sheds new light on Jakob as a singer and songwriter. Jakob is best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the rock band The Wallflowers as well as being the youngest of four children born to singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and ex-wife Sara Dylan.

James Brown The CD Slide Pack is a New Form of No-frills CD Packaging featuring an Outer Slipcase with the Original Cover Artwork, and an Inner 'slider' Including a CD. Note: There is No CD Booklet in this Package.

Jamie Cullum

Jamie Cullum English singer-pianist Jamie Cullum comes into view as an already heralded jazz-pop artist, signed to a million-pound contract and riding a CD that's already registered double platinum in the UK. The "jazz" label doesn't hang that comfortably on the 24-year-old Cullum—he—he's more in the mold of polished lounge swingers like Bobby Darin and Buddy Greco and has more in common with, say, Billy Joel (definitely a "New York State of Mind") than any traditional jazz artist you might mention. An ironist who covers both Cole Porter and Radiohead, he's aware of the contradictions that he embodies. Those contradictions drive the title track as Cullum's lyrics plumb "twentysomething" uncertainties ("Maybe move back home and pay off my loans/Working nine to five answering phones") while moving to a mock-primitive chanted riff that's pure '50s hip. What surprises most is Cullum's emotional and musical range, and the way he combines methods to create depth and complexity. "Blame it on My Youth" is delivered with the heartfelt delicacy of Chet Baker, while his reading of "The Wind Cries Mary" suggests that Jimi Hendrix might have just about invented smooth jazz. "I Could Have Danced All Night" explodes with playful energy and creativity, launched with scat singing over a rhythm pounded out on drums and piano wood. Cullum has energy and talent to burn, plus a postmodern knack for layering idioms that signals a welcome direction for jazz-pop. As "Lover, You Should've Come Over" attests, he can also project an emotional intensity that breaks through the clever arrangements. —Stuart Broomer

Jason Hayes, Tracy W. Bush, Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford The official World of Warcraft soundtrack from the popular online game. It contains 30 tracks of music from the game (including several exclusives) and a running time of 76:06. This CD album was released in the collector's edition of the game.

Jay-Z & Linkin Park MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups is one of the biggest musical events in years, premiering on MTV with a show featuring the multi-platinum Linkin Park, the biggest contemporary rock band in the world, joining forces with the multi-platinum Jay-Z, one of the biggest stars in hip-hop. Mash-Ups brings together artists from different genres to seamlessly blend their songs, creating an exciting and unique musical experience. Offered in both CD-sized Digipak and Amaray package, it features a CD with versions of existing Linkin Park and Jay-Z tracks mixed together in the studio; and a DVD featuring two versions of them performing these Mash-Up tracks for MTV.

Jet Debut album from Melbourne Australian quartet, produced by Dave Sardy (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Marilyn Manson). Elektra. 2003.

Jet Shine On not only fills a void for hungry rock fans but sets the bar for what today's rock bands can aspire to be. Jet flawlessly brings together classic rock influences with a modern rock edge.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix The guy was damn ingenious with a guitar, but not half as industrious as the folks who've packaged and repackaged his posthumous material. First Rays of the New Rising Sun, however, is an attractive assortment of "spiritual, very earthy" late recordings that surfaced in the '70s via The Cry of Love, Crash Landing, Rainbow Bridge, and War Heroes. Hendrix appeared to be in transition between flamboyant showman and serious musician personas at the time (meaning his work, had he lived, might have been twice as meritorious and half as fun), and that makes many of these tracks all the more interesting. —Steven Stolder

Jimi Hendrix

The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jimi Hendrix No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: HENDRIX,JIMI
Title: JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Street Release Date: 09/12/2000
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

The Jimi Hendrix Experience As emblematic of its time as of its sorcerer-like creator, 1967's Are You Experienced unleashed Jimi Hendrix onto a world in the midst of such cultural and musical shakeups that it really didn't seem as "far out" as it actually was. It wasn't just Hendrix's virtuosic skill as a pure player that was so impressive; it was, even more, the range and scope of sheer sound that he coaxed, cajoled, and ripped out of his instrument. "Purple Haze," "Manic Depression," and "I Don't Live Today" filled ears with indelible sonic images, and songs like "Foxey Lady" and "Fire" pointed the way toward a new brand of rock-charged soul music. And how about a hand for drummer Mitch Mitchell? —Billy Altman

The Jimi Hendrix Experience Jimi Hendrix's second album doesn't resonate through rock history the way its gatecrashing predecessor, Are You Experienced?, does. In places, it almost seems as if Hendrix is cruising, albeit sublimely. Yet it's a vital album, containing some of rock's molten milestones. There's the fluid psychedelia of "Castles Made of Sand," the viciously funky "Little Miss Lover," and the so-beautiful-it-hurts "Little Wing." Hendrix really hits altitude with "If 6 Was 9," where he waves his "freak flag high" over a tidal wave of guitar and a cacophonous army of Moroccan flutes, and he ends with "Bold As Love," based around Hendrix's typically far-fetched hankering for the axis of the planet to be tilted, thereby transforming life on earth. It works up into a head-melting frenzy of distorted guitar, a precursor to the staggeringly expansive leap forward he would take with 1968's Electric Ladyland. Hendrix dreamed the impossible and achieved it on his guitar. —David Stubbs

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Japanese edition of the 1998 & second collaborative outingby the former Led Zeppelin bandmates with 'Whiskey From TheGlass' added as an unmarked bonus track. 13 tracks total,also featuring the single 'Most High'. Steve Albini (Pixies,Nirvana, Cheap Trick,

Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes Previously released over the internet, this critically acclaimed double live CD is finally available to the masses.20 tracks Recorded Live at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles in the fall of 1999. Jimmy Page, one of rock music's greatest guitarists combined with The Black Crowes, one of today's best live bands, delivers ripping Zep classics like 'What Is And What Should Never Be', 'The Lemon Song', 'Your Time Is Gonna Come', 'Nobody's Fault But Mine', and more, as well as the bonus blues classic 'Mellow Down Easy',and enhanced live video footage. 2000 release. Double slimline jewel case.

John Lee Hooker A million or so collections, all from different record labels, document this Detroit blues guitarist's influential boogie-woogie career. This 16-song Rhino CD is an excellent starting point, with definitive versions of Hooker's classics "Boom Boom," "Boogie Chillen'," "I'm in the Mood," and "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." It's interesting to hear the singer's voice progress from a deep, growling slur to the more polished later material, such as his collaboration with slide guitarist Roy Rogers on Robert Johnson's "Terraplane Blues," but he never lost his bottom-line rawness. —Steve Knopper

John Lennon John Lennon Photos        

More from John Lennon

Imagine
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Mind Games
Working Class Hero
Walls and Bridges

John Lennon John Lennon Photos        

More from John Lennon

Imagine (Original Soundtrack)
Live in New York City
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Mind Games
Working Class Hero
Walls and Bridges

John Lennon John Lennon Photos            

More from John Lennon

Imagine
Lennon Legend
The U.S. vs. John Lennon
Mind Games
Working Class Hero
Walls and Bridges

John Lennon Released in 1973 after the dismal musical detour that was Sometime in New York City, Mind Games showed John Lennon returning to the emotional pop sounds of Plastic Ono Band and Imagine. But while the glorious title track (the album's only hit) was every inch a worthy successor to "Imagine," the rest of the songs were written off by most critics as half-baked experiments. In retrospect, most of them, while not classic stuff, are still better than the bulk of what passed for rock music in the early 1970s. "You Are Here" and "Out of the Blue" are definitely on par with Lennon's best solo work, while "Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)" couches its political barbs in silly good humor. Even better is "Meat City," a rocker as wild and surreal as the "White Album"'s "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey." The 2002 remastered reissue is fleshed out with three "home version" takes of album tracks. —Dan Epstein

John Lennon *Japanese import mini-vinyl CDs

John Lennon John Lennon's solo hits have been repackaged numerous times since his tragic death in 1980, but Shaved Fish—the only compilation actually released during his lifetime—remains the strongest solo Lennon collection. As with his former partner Paul McCartney, Lennon's post-Beatles albums were (with the notable exceptions of Plastic Ono Band and Imagine) generally patchy affairs, but his singles were almost uniformly excellent. Shaved Fish includes all of his hits from 1969 to 1975, including such non-LP singles as "Instant Karma," "Cold Turkey," and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)." These tracks and others mirror the political and social turbulence of the Nixon era, as well as the inner turmoil that gripped Lennon during this period, but there's still room for the occasional slice of pure pop, like "#9 Dream" and "Whatever Gets You Through the Night." In short, it's a compelling capsule of Lennon's post-Fabs, pre-domestic-bliss period. —Dan Epstein

John Lennon, Yoko Ono Strange as it seems now, the last album John Lennon released in his lifetime was intended as a comeback, or rather as a parting wave at retirement: "Watching the Wheels" and "Beautiful Boy" celebrate the joys he found outside the star system, and "(Just Like) Starting Over" is a slightly awkward rocker about rejoining the domestic world that's also sort of about rejoining the pop world. The studio-pro arrangements are a little too slick, but Lennon rarely sounded happier. Ono, whose songs alternate with his in a series of thematic diptychs, was taking a stab at channeling her artier impulses into pop and is generally less successful—her voice works in a context of art-weirdness, but not as well in conventional tunes. This 2000 remastered reissue is fleshed out with a demo of "Help Me to Help Myself" and Ono's solo version of "Walking on Thin Ice," which was recorded on the same day her husband was shot to death. —Douglas Wolk

John Williams Original soundtrack to the popular motion picture, Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone featuring the original film score composed by John Williams. This format comes with a bonus enhanced CD containing the following special features - Electronic Arts H

John Williams

John Williams

John Williams

John Williams 1995 reissue. 30 additional minutes have been interwoven which were deleted from the original 1981 release, totaling 74 minutes of pure listening pleasure. Re-mastered including a special 24 page booklet containing an interview with John Williams, as well as liner notes, rare photos and sketchesnot included with the original release. Standard jewel case housed in a slipcase.

John Williams There's never been anything quite like the symphonic film music series that John Williams has forged for George Lucas's sprawling Star Wars saga. By the time the sixth chapter rolls around, Williams will have created a body of work that spans fully 30 years of his career, a virtual Ring Cycle of sci-fi/fantasy soundtrack music. While Attack of the Clones again achieves the high standards of its predecessors, it also succeeds by both forging some rewarding new musical themes at the same time it begins to bring the galactic fable full circle. The budding relationship between now-teenaged Anakin Skywalker and Amidala/Padme is informed by "Across the Stars—Love Theme from Attack of the Clones," a grand romantic motif that's infused with a subtle melancholy that hints at the tragedy that must ultimately befall the young lovers. The composer's mastery of idiom and color serve him especially well in the action cues, infusing "Zam the Assassin and the Chase Through Coruscant" and "Jango's Escape" with bracing doses of 20th-century modernism and its inherent rhythmic fury performed, as always, by the London Symphony Orchestra. Williams also incorporates the "Force" and "Jedi" themes of the first SW trilogy sparingly, before "Confrontation with Count Dooku and Finale" completes the musical/thematic tapestry by interweaving The Empire Strikes Back's menacing "Imperial March" with both the new "Love Theme" and the Phantom Menace's dramatic choral showcase "Duel of the Fates." This sweeping denouement should rightfully take its place among the saga's most compelling musical sequences. Purists may grouse at the obviously abridged music here, but given history a complete/ultimate edition of the score can't be far behind. This soundtrack is issued with one of four different, collectible covers. —Jerry McCulley

John Williams, William Ross No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: HARRY POTTER & THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS
Title: SCORE
Street Release Date: 11/12/2002
Domestic
Genre: SOUNDTRACK

Johnny "Guitar" Watson Jet magazine called him "one of rhythm & blues’ most influential musicians." With a career spanning 40 years, Johnny "Guitar" Watson had success with blues, R&B and jazz. But his commercial and artistic apex came with his late ’70s and early ’80s funk recordings. Shout! Factory is proud to present three deluxe new editions of his classic funk albums – Ain’t That A Bitch, A Real Mother For Ya and Funk Beyond The Call Of Duty – as part of an ongoing series in 2005 and early 2006.

Previously Unreleased Bonus Tracks 8. Kathaline 9. De John’s Delight

Watson refined his formula with A Real Mother For Ya (released a year after Ain’t That A Bitch), sending the album to #20 on the Pop charts and #3 on the Black charts. "Lover Jones" and the title track were also charting hits, with the latter just missing the Pop Top 40. As with most of his recordings of this time period, Watson handled everything but horns and drums himself.

Johnny "Guitar" Watson

Johnny "Guitar" Watson THE GANGSTER OF LOVE IS BACK! NEWLY REMASTERED

With a career spanning over 40 years, Johnny "Guitar" Watson was a key figure in blues, R&B, soul and funk. From his first records in 1952 to his last in 1994, Watson won the admiration of everyone from Lightnin’ Hopkins to Jimi Hendrix to Prince, his influence pervading five decades of American music. At a time when giants roamed the earth, Johnny stood as tall as any of them.

Shout! Factory is proud to present this deluxe new edition of Johnny "Guitar" Watson's 1979 album. What The Hell Is This features 2 never-before-released songs including a rare track by side project Watsonian Institute.

Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash UK special edition reissue of The Man In Black's brilliant 2002 album includes two bonus tracks, 'Big Iron' (previously vinyl only) & 'Hurt' (video). American Recordings. 2003.

Johnny Cash Out of print in the U.S.! Johnny Cash had already recorded some of the most important Country albums in the history of the genre, yet, although he was still making quality music throughout the '80s, record sales and label support were the lowest he'd ever experienced in his entire career. By the early '90s, he was without a label for the first time in four decades. Longtime fan, label owner and producer Rick Rubin stepped in, asked Johnny to return to his roots and together, they re-created the legend of the Man In Black. Features Cash performing his own compositions as well as songs from Loudon Wainwright, Leonard Cohen, Nick Lowe, Tom Waits and Glenn Danzig. American Recordings earned Johnny a 1995 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album. A stunning return to form. Warner.

Johnny Cash The ethical questions surrounding this final album in the American Recordings series are as unavoidable as they are, ultimately, peripheral. While the vocal tracks were recorded in the months just prior to Johnny Cash's passing in September 2003, the arrangements weren't undertaken until two years later. And though producer Rick Rubin had become a trusted friend, the Man in Black wasn't around to approve or disapprove, let alone guide, the final sessions. However, if the pure power of these recordings doesn't quiet the skeptics, nothing will. With Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench and slide guitar session pro Smoke