Archival Posts 2003 August 24 -31

August 29, 2003

As we begin to slip into September and edge toward the end of 2003, I can't help but note the small advancement that DVD-Audio and SACD have made. I believe the formats have made significant strides and advancements in that players are becoming cheaper to acquire and the discs themselves are starting to proliferate.

Of course, there is a lot of ground to cover. We still don't know who may win the format wars if, in fact, one really exists. It appears to me that they are existing side by side quite well for now. We will be here to bring you the scoops as we get them and to keep you aware of what is coming your way.

We'll also start to look at hardware. As a matter of fact, we will be filling you in on Sirius Digital Radio before too long here. We hope to be able to make comparisons with XM eventually. But, another rock in stream a little further down the path.

We hope that you have a fine Labor Day if you reside in the USA. Otherwise, we're hoping that our friends elsewhere enjoy their days whereever they may be.

Today, we have Duane's Pit Stop and a bit of release news before we check out for this long weekend. That means that we will not be back until September 2. So...

On October 21, Abkco will release a Rolling Stones DVD, Sympathy For The Devil. This release comes in the wake of the September 16th release of Sympathy For The Devil Remixes for SACD.

Varese Sarabande Records have a few artists for you to enjoy. Their schedule will allow for the releases of:

Toni Tenille - More Than You Know - October 14

Leslie Uggams - On My Way To You: The Songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman - October 14

Ozark Mountain Daredevils - Lost Cabin Sessions - October 21

We'll be back Tuesday with some Tangerine Dream news, Undertone DVD news, and Brian Wilson DVD news. Also we'll begin reviews again. We also will have a spectacular review conducted by Duane Leyva with Art of The Shrooms. You have to make it back for that if you're a fan. Finally, before we close shop, there is an excellent article about DVD reviewing that is an incredible read from Adam Jahnke of The Digital Bits. Enjoy it. Chat with you again...

August 28, 2003

Although our post is going to be light today, we do still have a few items for you so it won't be a complete wash. Just a single celebratory note here: readership has climbed to a high of 7000+ per day. That's up quite a bit from last year where at the end of October, we had approximately 200 readers a day. Thanks to all of you.

There will be no reviews today. I know that I promised a few DVD-Audio reviews but they have taken me longer than I anticipated. But they are definitely coming so watch for those. Plus we have a few ambient CD titles from Alio Die and Vidna Obmana. In addtion we have the Lynyrd Skynyrd Anniversary Collection CD and a host of others.

We have some extra news although this info is fairly well known and that is the Erasure 'best of' that we spoke about yesterday will also have a companion DVD,The Hits. That DVD is expected to release on October 28. Also expected on October 28 is the anticipated DVD-A title for Jackson Browne and his popular Running on Empty.

The 28th of October will bring a few more goodies that will put smiles on your cherubic little faces. There are things expected for REM that should juice you but with the dates so far away and schedules at this time of the year so flaky, we'll hold a bit before getting you all excited. Schedules....

Capitol's issue of Bob Seger's Greatest Hits Volume 2 has slithered off to November 4 as have David Bowie's previously mentioned 4CD update from Virgin of his Sound + Vision Box.

The whispered Coldplay title that we hinted about sometime ago will be a DVD. Named Coldplay Live 2003, the title is expected to release on November 11.

We have a few final titles for you before we sign off for today, both from Capitol. Pencilled in for January 27, Paul McCartney's Love Songs is a great sounding release as well as Starsailor's next album, Silence is Easy, and Steriogram's Schmack!

There's more...there always is. We'll keep you posted. It's what we're here for.

Finally, I want to say hi to Bernardine Dohrn if she should stop by here. Also a quick hi to Andre.

Tomorrow...

August 27, 2003

Hello again, friends. It's always great to visit with you folks again. And let me say, and I mean this, you are amongst the best people I know. Now...the post will be short today and tomorrow. However, we do have a few items of genuine interest for you. But first, I have to admit a bit of disappointment. I get email all the time concerning just about every item that I report on but today no one said anything about The Residents' DVD of The Eskimo. Back in the 70s, The Residents were an exciting group for the obscurist. This site is frequented by obscurists and thus my disappointment. Hopefully, some of you who have geniune interest will put me at ease.

Enough of my whining. We'll get right to the news.

We have a few DVD-A release reminders. On September 23, Warner re-releases Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots as a combo CD/DVD-A. Don't want you to forget that one. On October 7, Led Zeppelin's How The West Was Won will be issued as a DVD-Audio.

As an add-on to the Warner list, Loreena McKennitt's Element will be issued as a CD on September 23. The DVD, Depeche Mode 101, will be released on October 14. Along with that DVD, John Michael Montgomery has a DVD being released, The Very Best of John Michael Montgomery: The Videos. That one also on October 14.

More XMas music on the horizon with The Judds with the release of Christmastime With The Judds that will expected on October 14. What does that tell you? Yep..Christmas is around the corner.

Rush's 3CD Live in Rio is still expected on October 21 as well as 'best of' for Erasure. That date is shared by the expected releases of Dream Theater (title to be announced); The Eagles' Very Best of The Eagles, a 2CD set with a DVD; and Barenaked Ladies with Everything to Everything. Barenaked Ladies set will be issued in standard CD and Limited Edition that will include a DVD-Audio with the CD.

We have a review for you tonight from Dw Dunphy with his opinion of Enon's EP/CD, In This City and Antimatter's Lights Out. Check the links below.

Reviews

Enon - In This City - CD/EP - Touch & Go Records - 08/27 [Dunphy, Dw]
Antimatter - Lights Out - CD - The End Records - 08/27 [Dunphy, Dw]

See you tomorrow with more.

August 26, 2003

The SACD/DVD-A wishlist appears to be a hit. I've decided to install a link to it and keep it at the forefront for a while. We'll see how it evolves over time.

The upcoming Rolling Stone magazine will run the Top 100 Guitarists of All Time. I don't know about you but that's a list I'm anxious to see. I'm gonna be pissed if they end up throwing in a few oddballs and leave the deserving ones out in the cold. And I bet it happens. In any case, read for yourself, the teaser article.

We told you yesterday that we have some updates and we do. And so...

Universal has solidified dates for the following upcoming discs for SACD. They are as follows:

George Thorogood - George Thorogood and The Destroyers - SACD Hybrid - October 21 - Rounder Records

George Thorogood - Move It On Over - SACD Hybrid - October 21 - Rounder Records

Lang Lang - Piano Concerto 1 (+Mendelssohn Piano Concerto 1) - SACD Hybrid - October 14 - Deutsche Grammophon

The Who - Tommy - SACD Hybrid - October 28 - MCA Records

Limp Bizkit's newest finally receives a title. The disc, named Results May Vary, arrives on September 23.

Here's a look at the upcoming first batch of DVD-Audio discs from Universal and what will be on them.

Sheryl Crow's The Globe Sessions, will contain 3 videos. "Anything But Down", "My Favorite Mistake", and "There Goes the Neighborhood". There will also be a 4 1/2 minute interview with Sheryl, the standard picture gallery, lyrics and Artist Bio. And like the remaining DVD-As we'll discuss, it will release on September 23.

Sting's Brand New Day, will contain a bonus track, "End of the Game" and a music video of "After The Rain Has Fallen" as well as photo gallery, lyrics, and Artist Bio.

Vince Gill's High Lonesome Sound will contain 3 music videos of "Worlds Apart", "A Little More Love", and "You and You Alone" along with those photo galleries, lyrics, and bio.

Dave Grusin's Two for the Road is a bit bare bones with just the standard photo gallery, lyrics, and bio as is Diana Krall's Love Scenes which only the standards and a 5 minute documentary.

Marvin Gaye's Collection, which will be available for the first time, will contain the standard materials along with the song list as follows:

Ain't That Peculiar
It Takes Two - Duet w/Kim Weston
Ain't No Mountain High Enough - Duet w/ Tammi Terrell
Your Precious Love - Duet w/ Tammi Terrell
Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing - Duet w/ Tammi Terrell
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
What's Going On
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
Trouble Man
Let's Get It On
Distant Lover (Live)

For fans of Grease, you already know of the upcoming 2CD Deluxe Edition that's coming to stores on September 23. But I thought that I'd let you in on the stuff that's in it. Besides the original disc being remastered, there is an additional bonus CD that will contain rare single mixes of "Grease", a B-Side instrumental, and "Greased Lightnin'", a single version of the song. There will be remixes of "You're The One That I Want", "Summer Nights", and more. There are instrumentals not found on the original disc but were in the film such as "The Rydell Fight Song", and "Greased Up and Ready to Go". Also included will be sing-a-longs such as "You're The One That I Want", "Sandy", "Summer Nights", and "Hopelessly Devoted to You". You know... I'm looking forward to this one.

Joni Mitchell's Geffen Recordings will be available in a Boxset from Geffen on September 23. The set will feature remastering in 96k/24bit and will contain an 88 page booklet. this set represents 4 CDs from her Geffen years and will include demos of "Good Friend" from Dog Eat Dog sessions and "Two Grey Rooms" from 1982's Wild Things Run Fast sessions. There will also be an unreleased recording of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue" recorded during the Night Ride Home sessions.

Also showing up on September 23 is the Deluxe Edition of "The Allman Brothers Band at Fillmore East". Some cool things on this disc will be a remastered set of songs and a special booklet with photos not before seen. This set is going to rock.

Melissa Etheridge and her long charting debut receives a Deluxe Edition treatment with remastering and an extra CD with 60 minutes of live material from a 1988 Roxy show and five radio solo acoustic performances. This set is rounded out with rare photos and lyrics and streets on September 23.

Elvis Costello's upcoming North scheduled for September 23 from Deutsche Grammophon is an album of originals in the vein of Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain and The Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle 50s output. There will be a Standard CD issue and a Limited Edition CD. The Limited Edition will have a bonus DVD of three videos, "Still", "Fallen" and "North". Additionally, both issues will allow for a download of an exclusive bonus track.

Do any of you remember The Residents? They've discovered two rolls of extra film footage that had been undeveloped but once developed screamed to be a part of their 1979 Eskimo film. A long desired remixing to 5.1 for the original film had been discussed but these undiscovered films pushed The Residents to move forward. On September 23, from Music Video Distibutors and Euroralph come the long awaited DVD release of Eskimo by The Residents in 5.1 Surround Audio. The bonus material is an additional 25 minutes of hidden footage, slide shows, and on screen text. If interested, scoot on over to MusicVideoDistributors and reserve your copy.

Finally, we have merchandise from our Dw Dunphy that is found at CafePress.com. We'd like you to stop in and browse his stuff and then buy lots of it.

Here's a look at the Rush - Live in Rio cover:

Check back tomorrow for some new reviews from Dw Dunphy and more. Date changes, new releases, and other interesting news for tomorrow as well...just like today!

August 25, 2003

I have to admit, time never ceases to amaze me. You look at the clock, note the time, and seemingly look again in what feels like an hour later and 4 bloody hours have passed. The same goes for calendar pages. In updating the archival pages, I "noted" we only have 4 months left to the year. No way!! Better start to scratch that Christmas list out...I am!

We've got a full update today for you with the promised hi-rez list from the readers. Let me tell you folks, it was busy work. Regardless, here's what you've requested for SACD/DVD-Audio:

WHO
Quadrophenia
Who's Next
Tommy (In Production)
Who Sell Out

PINK FLOYD
Meddle
The Wall
Wish You Were Here
Animals
Atom Heart Mother
Ummagumma

STEELY DAN
All Titles

JOHN HIATT
Slugline
Bring The Family (In Production)

EMMYLOU HARRIS
Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town

JOURNEY

DEF LEPPARD
Hysteria

KISS
Destroyer
Music From The Elder (This surprised me. I figured there would have been a call for more KISS)

AC/DC
All

IRON MAIDEN
ANTHRAX

AEROSMITH
Toys in the Attic (In Production)
Rocks
Pump

JUDAS PRIEST
Sin After Sin
All
Hell Bent for Leather

BLACK SABBATH
All

PETER GABRIEL
5.1 (There is a demand for 5.1 Gabriel)

OZZY OSBOURNE
Bark At The Moon

DREAM THEATRE

THE EAGLES
Greatest Hits Volume 1
One of These Nights
The Long Run
Hotel California (Already DVD-Audio)

THE BEATLES
Rubber Soul
Revolver
White Album
Abbey Road
Let It Be
Sargeant Pepper

SIGUR ROS (In Production)

CLASH
Combat Rock
London Calling
All

BOWIE
Ziggy (In Production)
More..Way More

DIANA KRALL
Live in Paris

METALLICA
And Justice For All
Masters of Puppets

MARILLION
Misplaced Childhood
Script for a Jester's Tear

ROXY MUSIC
All (Avalon in Production for US/Already available in Europe)

ELP
Trilogy
Welcome Back My Friends

JACKSON BROWNE
All Titles
Some of his are in production

THE DOORS
Hits

HENDRIX
Electric Ladyland
Hits
Are You Experienced

VAN MORRISON
Moondance
Tupelo Honey

BONNIE RAITT
Any Title
Nick of Time

RUSH
All
2112 (Possible production)
Caress of Steel
Farewell to Kings

GENESIS
The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
A Trick of The Trail
Selling England By The Pound
And Then There Were 3
Wind & Wuthering
All

BEACH BOYS
Surfs Up

KING CRIMSON
All (Agreed) (some titles soon available)

BRUCE COCKBURN
All (Anything, Anytime, Anywhere Singles released SACD)

DON ROSS

MAURICE JARRE
Lawrence of Arabia
Doctor Zhivago

BLONDIE
All

BOSTON
Boston
Don't Look Back
Third Stage

AIR SUPPLY
SARAH MACLACHLAN
ENYA

BEEGEES
SNF Soundtrack

KANSAS
All

YES
The Rest
90125
Big Generator
Yes Album
Close To The Edge (Rumoured)

MEN AT WORK
Business As Usual
Cargo
Two Hearts
Brazil

ALAN PARSONS
Tales of Mystery and Imagination
I Robot
All

THE CULT
Love
Electric
Rare Cult

LEONARD COHEN
Ten New Songs
All

WISHBONE ASH
First 5
All
Wishbone Four
Argus
(Bare Bones already available DVD-Audio)

LINDA RONSTADT
Heart Like a Wheel
Cry Like a Rainstorm
Canciones De Mi Padre

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Born in the USA
Born to Run
The Rising

RINGO STARR
All

REO
Hi-Infidelity

U2
Boy
War
Joshua Tree
Achtung Baby
Unforgettable Fire
Zooropa

SINEAD O'CONNOR
The Lion and The Cobra

JEN TRYNIN
Gun Shy Trigger

TRAPEZE
Medusa
We're Just The Band

SOUNDGARDEN
Superunknown

JONI MITCHELL
Blue
Court and Spark
For The Roses
Ladies of the Canyon

CSNY
All
Deja Vu

CREAM
Best Of

SHERYL CROW
The Globe Sessions (In Production)

GUNS N ROSES
Appetite for Destruction

HEART
Dreamboat Annie

SUPERTRAMP
Crime of the Century
Even in the Quietest of Moments
Crisis? What Crisis?
Breakfast in America

DIRE STRAITS
Brother in Arms
Debut

LIVE
Throwing Copper

TEMPLE OF THE DOG

STP
Purple

JEFF BECK
Rough and Ready

ALICE COOPER
Love It To Death
Schools Out
Killer

FLEETWOOD MAC
Fleetwood Mac
Then Play On
All (titles in production)

SOUNDTRACK
Braveheart
Thin Red Line
Star Wars Trilogy

REM
Murmur
Life's Rich Pageant
Reckoning
Green
All
Some of these titles are in production

QUEEN
Queen
Queen II
Sheer Heart Attack

RADIOHEAD
The Bends
OK Computer
Amnesiac
Kid A

TEARS FOR FEARS
Songs From The Big Chair
Seeds of Love

TALKING HEADS
All

WEEZER

DEREK and THE DOMINOES
Layla

ERIC CLAPTON
461 Ocean Boulevard
Slowhand
No Reason to Cry

JETHRO TULL
Aqualung
Living in the Past
Songs From The Wood
All

LED ZEPPELIN
I
II
III
IV
Houses of The Holy
Physical Graffiti
The Song Remains The Same

NEIL YOUNG
After The Goldrush

ELO
Eldorado
Face The Music
Out of The Blue
A New World Record
Discovery

MEATLOAF
Bat Out of Hell II

PEARL JAM
10

MOODY BLUES
Days of Future Past
Seventh Sojourn

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
BloodSugarSexMagic

BECK
Odelay
Midnite Vultures

SONIC YOUTH
Dirty
Goo

NIGHTWISH
SYMPHONY X
KAMELOT
APOCALYPTICA
TOOL
THE TEA PARTY
TRAGICALLY HIP
DAVE MATTHEWS BAND
AMBROSIA
PORCUPINE TREE
AL DiMEOLA
MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA
RENAISSANCE
HOOVERPHONIC
ENIGMA
PSYCHEDELIC FURS
BAUHAUS
PETER MURPHY
LOVE & ROCKETS
PRETTY THINGS
KEVIN AYRES
SMASHING PUMPKINS
CURVED AIR
FLAMING LIPS
CRACK THE SKY
JEFF BUCKLEY
FOO FIGHTERS
GARBAGE
BEN FOLDS FIVE
COUNTING CROWS
BLACK CROWES
BILLIE HOLLIDAY
DEEP PURPLE
RAINBOW
BLACKMORE'S NIGHT
GAMMA RAY
HELLOWEEN
SLAYER
APOCOLYPTICA
PORTISHEAD
FAITH NO MORE
CARDIGANS
MORCHEEBA
THE TEA PARTY
RICK WAKEMAN
SPOCK'S BEARD
ELP

VAN HALEN
Any and all

For AIX:
THE CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO

And reader, Galley put out a list bigger than all of these. Here is his list:

3 Doors Down - The Better Life
Alan Parsons Project - all
Alanis Morissette - all
Aldo Nova - Aldo Nova, Subject
Alicia Keys - Songs In A Minor
Asia - all (including John Pane-era)
Axe - all through Nemesis
Billy Joel - Glass Houses
Blackfoot - Strikes
Blondie - Greatest Hits
Boston - all
Bruce Springsteen - all
Cheap Trick - all
Chris DeBurgh - Best Moves, The Getaway, Man On The Line, Into The Light
Counting Crows - All
Cream - The Very Best Of Cream
Deborah (Debbie) Gibson - all
Dennis DeYoung - Desert Moon
Dire Straits - all
Duran Duran - Greatest
Electric Light Orchestra - all
Evanescence - Fallen
Fleetwood Mac - all Buckingham/Nicks era (What's wrong with Pre-B/N?)
Foreigner - all (Foreigner I and Foreigner IV available as DVD-A)
Gin Blossoms - The Best Of The Gin Blossoms
Goo Goo Dolls - Superstar Carwash
GTR - GTR
Heather Nova - all
Hootie & The Blowfish - all
Icehouse - Man Of Colours
Icon - Icon, Night Of The Crime
Independence Day - Soundtrack
Iron Maiden - all
Jefferson Starship - Freedom At Point Zero, Modern Times, Winds Of Change
Jennifer Lopez - all
Jim Steinman - Bad For Good
Journey - all
Lenny Kravitz - Greatest Hits
M2M - all
Manfred Mann's Earth Band - The Very Best Of (2 discs)
Mariah Carey - Greatest Hits
Meat Loaf - all
Mecca - Mecca
Moving Pictures - Days Of Innocence
Nirvana - all
Note: All discs must be CD/SACD hybrids!!!
Orion - The Hunter
Paradise Lost - Icon, Draconian Times, One Second
Pink Floyd - all
Purple Rain - Soundtrack
Queen - all
Queensryche - all
R.E.O. Speedwagon - Hi InFidelity, Good Trouble, The Hits
Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings
Roger Hodgson - In The Eye Of The Storm
Rush - 2112
Shania Twain - all
Simon & Garfunkel - The Best Of
Styx - Paradise Theater, Mr. Roboto
Supertramp - The Very Best Of
Survivor - all through Vital Signs
Tal Bachman - Tal Bachman
Tesla - all
The Cars - All
The Corrs - Forgiven, Not Forgotten
The Cult - Love (import version)
The Doors - The Very Best Of The Doors
The Kings - Are Here And More
The Knack - all
The Monkees - all
The Rolling Stones - all
The Storm - The Storm, Eye Of The Storm
The Wallflowers - The Wallflowers
The Who - The Ultimate Collection
Tonic - all
Toto - all
Trio - Da Da Da
Whitesnake - Here I Go Again
Xanadu - Soundtrack

And no, Damo...I ain't laughing at your selection of Thompson Twins for hi rez. I loved them.

Here is a final addition to the list -

MANNHEIM STEAMROLLER - Fresh Aire (entire set)

and a bit of specificity never hurt:
TCHAIKOVSKY: 1812 Overture; Capriccio Italien by Dorati and Minneapolis SO includes Beethoven: Wellington's Victory--[Mercury CD title 434 360-2]

Whew!! Exhausted me. I considered numbering the requests but the work got so very very lengthy, and after an hour, I quit. I might have missed a few letters as they got 'lost' but I have most, if not all. I'll think twice before asking for something like this. I sure did love getting the letters though and replying to many of you.

We have a few reviews for you today. The first comes from Dw Dunphy with his listen to The Suntanama and their new, Another, from Drag City Records. The second is from contributor Joe Poropatich with Noelle and their take on Michelle Branch's Hotel Paper.

We'll see you back here tomorrow with some look at release schedules. We have some more. Oh yes..we do.

Reviews

The Suntanama - Another - Drag City Records - CD - 08/25 [Dunphy, Dw]
Branch, Michelle - Hotel Paper - CD - Maverick Records - 08/25 [Poropatich X2]