Archival Posts 2003 February 09

February 14, 2003

Jeff Buckley Update

You'd think I'd be finished now. However, I just wanted to pop in here (again) and say that the eagerly anticipated (judging by your flood of emails) DVD of Jeff Buckley's "Complete Live at Sin-E" is still a go for April 1. In addition, a companion CD is planned for the same date bearing the same title. To clarify, the April 1 date is a Tuesday which means it's a viable release date and not an early April Fool's joke. I heard there was a secret chord...Carry on.

Cocteau Twins Flash

Cocteau Twins fan will have something to be happy about. The first 4 CT albums will be reissued with remastering by Robin Guthrie, repackaged artwork, and midline pricing. Release dates are Feb 10 in Europe (you lucky people own these now, don't you?) and June 3 for the US. Just thought that I'd step in with news that isn't news to European readers but definitely something for us USA fans. Back to your regularly scheduled programming...<clik>!

Daredevil was a fun movie to watch. I do admit to having a bias towards Daredevil and was able to be critical to a degree. But to watch Daredevil come to life, like Spiderman, just worked too well for me.

For those Hall of Fame fans that are itching to get a gander at The Police performing some of their vintage stuff, the show airs on VH1 on March 19th even though the actual event takes place March 10. It's rumoured that Gwen Stefani will initiate The Police into the the Hall while Steve Tyler (Aerosmith) does the honours for AC/DC and, finally, Bono inducts The Clash. For me, the HOF ceremonies will have a cloud over it with the recent loss of Joe Strummer.

There are a string of Classic Masters discs coming out on March 11 as well as some interesting releases. I'm going to spill some art here and a bit of info before I go deep into the weekend. Remember that the weekend extends through Monday (Prez Day) so you won't see a post until Tuesday. I'm sorry for that but I gotta catch up on some music for reviews and see a few more movies.

These discs all feature digital remastering using 24 bit technology. There is a Frank Sinatra disc in there as well but the cover art is not finished. The scoop on these discs are as follows:

Etta James has 12 tracks including "The Wallflower", and "Good Rockin' Daddy"

The Everly Brothers have a beautiful set with 12 songs on this disc including "Wake Up, Little Suzie", "Bye Bye Love", "All I Have To Do Is Dream". But this disc is sorely missing "Cathy's Clown". Bummer.

Jethro Tull features 13 tracks with "Living in the Past", "Locomotive Breath" and others but is lacking complete song selection. This disc, unfortunately, replaces Tull's 'Best Of', and "M.U".

Maze w/ Frankie Beverly contains 12 charted songs including "Back in Stride".

Queensryche not only gets this CM treatment but is also getting other discs re-issued. For this set, there are 12 songs including "Silent Lucidity" and "Sign of the Times".

Frankie gets the treament with 12 songs. Not a complete list by any means but serviceable. "Chicago" but no "New York, New York".,And that 24 bit remastering doesn't hurt. One of these days, we're going to have to research the quality of the original tapes used to create these remasters.

Well, you knew eventually that The Red Hot Chili Peppers was gonna get an "uplift". These first 4 discs are remastered with bonus tracks to fill them up with. They all have new liner notes by Flea, new photos, and new art packaging that mimics the original LP art. It bears to be noted that these four discs replace the previous incarnations as those are now deleted from the catalog. The bonus tracks:

RHCP - First Album: 5 demo songs : "Get Up and Jump", "Police Helicopter", "Out in LA", "Green Heaven", and "What It Is"

Freaky Styley - 4 bonus tracks: "Nevermind" (demo), "Sex Rap" (demo), "Freaky Styley" (original long version), and "Millionaires Against Hunger"

The Uplift Mofo Party Plan - 2 bonus tracks: "Behind The Sun" (instrumental demo), "Me and My Friends" (instrumental demo)

Mother's Milk - 6 bonus tracks: "Songs That Made Us What We Are Today" (demo), ""Knock Me Down" (original long version), "Sexy Mexican Maid" (original long version), "Salute to Kareem" (demo) "Castles Made of Sand" (live track 11/21/89), "Crosstown Traffic" (live track 11/21/89)

Some new material from EMI are the following:

Turin Brakes - Ether Song: Band from the UK that resembles Coldplay. This disc is a limited edition 2CD set that includes rare demos and radio sessions. From Astrelwerks. Releases on March 11.

The Be Good Tanyas - Female rock band from Vancouver BC. From Nettwerk America. Release date is March 11.

Everclear - Slow Motion Daydream - Capitol Records - March 11.This disc contains a hidden track, "White Noise". Disc is enhanced with in-studio footage, video, and live B-Sides.

Ben Harper -Diamonds on the Inside - Virgin Records - March 11.
The art on this cover shot is bad but it is a cool cover. This is an anticipated disc as its been 4 years since his last.

That's it for this week. I'll be back with some more things. Check back during the weekend in case I get ambitious. But if you don't, I'll leave the post on through Tuesday. Now, time to start weekending. I'm gonna play some Metroid.

February 13, 2003

I received a note today that Celldweller, reviewed here, have charted on Billboard's Internet Sales entering in at #17. That's a helluva entry for anybody.

The big news today is The Grateful Dead returning as a touring entity, referring to themselves as The Dead. The remaining members have opted to keep the original retired out of respect to Jerry Garcia. My feelings? Unlike The Doors, who might have traveled a pulse too far in adding a replacement for Jim Morrison, The Dead have not elected to replace Jerry. Good going, guys. Enjoy the ride.

On March 18, Concrete Blonde's double live set, "Live in Brazil", available from Ark21 Records, hits the stores. The CDs are packaged in Brilliant Box Casing (casing that is featured as a standard CD case with a flip out tray that holds two CDs) and includes a booklet. The set was recorded from a show in Rio de Janeiro.

There are 18 songs on the collection which include "Joey", "Caroline", "Violent", and "Mexican Moon".

Anybody remember the Easybeats? Joe? An Aussie band that enjoyed tremendous success back in the early 60s especially with "Friday on My Mind". This set is pretty comprehensive in that they visit pre- "Friday on My Mind" songs. This underrated band finally gets a great set that explores the band's output well, including single versions. This album streets on March 18 and is made available by Varese Sarabande's Vintage label.

Southern rock boys from Atlanta, GA get a Millennium Collection disc for all their work. That's Jackyl. Formed in the early 90s, the boys have gone on to produce some rockin' stuff with an affinity for chainsaws. With 11 songs, including "I Stand Alone", The Lumberjack", and "Rock-a-Ho". From Geffen Records, on March 18.

Also on March 18 and given the Millennium treatment is Kingdom Come. The band produced three Polydor discs. Each song on this disc is digitally remastered and feature such songs as "Get It On", "Living Out of Touch", "Pushin' Hard", and others.

A personal favourite of mine, The New York Dolls, will get their Millennium Collection release on March 18 as well. The songs on this set are digitally remastered. Great!

Rainbow fans get a 2 CD Anthology on March 18 from Polydor Records. The set features 28 digitally remastered songs from the expanse of Rainbow' s productive years. There are liner notes, essay, photos and an 11 minute live version of "DifficultTo Cure". If you loved Rainbow, you need this one.

The sweet release on March 18 is the SACD version of Alison Krauss and Union Station - Live. This disc, whose CD counterpart was released in November '02, is a 2 disc hybrid set released by Rounder Records. The set features Stereo as well as six channel Surround.

Two final looks at disc releasing on the 18th of March are The Waitresses' "Millennium Collection" of remastered tunes and Warren Zevon's early career retrospective with many of the songs on this set unreleased until now. This Zevon collection has been in the works for a long time and includes some very rare cuts

And finally, The Police DVD Video, "Every Breath You Take".

And there you have it. The 18th of March output for Universal.

See you tomorrow.

February 12, 2003

There are a few items for reporting today but not a whole heck of a lot. In addition, we have Bill Hunt's review of R.E.M.'s "Automatic for the People" DVD-Audio. So sit back and absorb what we've got.

Newly added to the SACD list from Universal is Johnny Cash's "The Man Comes Around". This is great news, especially since it coincides with the release of the CD version, albeit by a few weeks difference. You'll remember that the CD comes with a bonus DVD. The SACD will not. But it now becomes a choice of format. This release is popularly referred to as American IV and was produced by Rick Rubin. This is a great album, folks. To have this available to us in SACD is a welcome treat.

The SACD releases on April 1 while the CD arrives March 4.

We informed you some time back concerning a truckload of Motley Crue reissues. While you now know about those, we also noted the release of The Crue's "VH1-Behind The Music" and "Lewd, Crued, and Tattooed". Well, the dates are here. Both DVD-Videos will street on April 8 from Hip-O Records.

We been informed of Roadrunner Records' release schedule. It's full of good stuff for fans of Alternative Hardcore. For Coal Chamber fans, a 'tba-untitled' disc is scheduled for release on May 6. A new scheduled album from Deathride is slated for July 1. Dirty Americans have a tentative release for June 10; Doubledrive's "Blue in the Face" will be released on April 29. Ether Seeds untitled album is scheduled for July 29, and Fear Factory's untitled album is scheduled for April 8. On June 10, Goneblind will issue a new release, as yet untitled. Rumblefish shows up on June 17 with "Exit Highland" and Type O Negative wraps it with May 13th "The Dream is Dead". Now that's a loaded schedule.

Peter Gabriel SACD catalogue gets bumped to April 15. It keeps both ends of your pencil in active use anyway, right? Hang tight!

Powerman 5000 from Dreamworks schedules for May 20. Geffen readies a Primus "Greatest Hits" package that will street on June 3.

Reader Peter Verniere checks in with a BIG thumbs up on the newest DVD-A masterpiece of REM's "Document". I want to hear what readers think of The Band's "Music From Big Pink" DVD-A.

Ok, not a lot going on today. I do have some album details that I'll filter out over the next few days along with album covers so check back. We also have a "Who's Next- Deluxe Edition" review nearing completion and being done up by someone who knows Who music pretty well. No, not anyone associated with the band although the reviewer wishes that were so. But he is very much in tune with Who knowledge. In the meantime, enjoy the DVD-Audio review of REM's "Automatic for the People". Shut the lights out when you leave.

February 11, 2003

It seems like a lot of you are interested in The Who reissue, "Who's Next - Deluxe Edition". I can't say that I blame you. The quality of the remaster is extraordinary to say the least. But I also got a few grumbling emails bemoaning the entire re-issue process. You feel as if you're being asked to re-purchase stuff that you already have. In a sense that's true. However, allow me to take the side of the labels. We have this picture of the big bad, cigar chompin' CEO who doesn't understand music. But nothing could be farther from the truth. I agree that there may be those types somewhere but there are true faithfuls in there too.

After having heard the final version of the upcoming March 25 release of "Who's Next - Deluxe Edition", I'm convinced that it is a labour of love. There are people that want to get these pristine remasters into your hands with incredible bonuses. The recording is mind-blowing. If you had purchased the 1995 remaster of "Who's Next", you were treated with the best that technology could create. Now, 6 years later, technology is able to provide you with an even more perfect remastering process than before. And let me tell you, if this 2 CD set was only on 1 disc and provided The Record Plant alternates as bonuses along with the incredible remaster process, it would be glorious. But MCA put another bonus disc in the deal. This isn't a matter of getting maximum dollar from the material but, rather, putting exemplary music into your hands. And that's important.

Myself? I'm anxiously awaiting the release of more of Who material via SACD. I showcased the format to a few people over the weekend. Needless to say, they were speechless. Which is what SACD/DVD-A does to people when hearing A/B comparisons. In many cases, particularly where older music is concerned, the comparison renders the standard CD unlistenable. I recently acquired the CD and SACD of Mark O'Connor's Hot Swing Trio's "In Full Swing". Comparisons on those two discs were very favourable in both formats because the CD was mastered using DSD (Direct Stream Digital) technology. However, the SACD was still a notch above.

We're very excited about SACD/DVD-Audio here at MusicTAP. We know that The Digital Bits share our enthusiasm regarding those formats. We're here to not only bring you upcoming news about releases but also to bring you reviews of those releases. Additionally, we are delving into the world of the recording arts to bring you a better awareness of just what is happening with all this music and how we get to this state. We have an upcoming interview with Bob Ludwig of Gateway Mastering, who is responsible for the upcoming Police catalogue remasters and has, in the past, mastered such discs as "The Essential Leonard Cohen" and tonight's reviewed title, Jeffrey Gaines' "Toward The Sun". Also, Dr Mark Waldrep of AIX Recordings, will be sharing insights with us as well.

You have to trust me on this. If you were to hear the amazing differences emanating from your speakers because of SACD/DVD-A, you'd be in awe. Bob Ludwig recounted a story to me of how he showcased an SACD of Bryan Ferry' s "Frantic" to a group of high school students. He said that their reaction was one of being "stunned". And this was a group of heavy metal fans. Needless to say, this speaks volumes of the formats, hi resolution in general.

On March 4, the long awaited new disc from The Ataris comes home to fans. The album is being released on LP as well CD but the CD will feature two additional songs. The album, "so long, astoria" is the band's debut on a major label (Columbia) and is their first full length in almost two years.

The CD features an acoustic version of one of the album cuts (The Saddest Song) as well as a bonus song (I Won't Spend Another Night Alone) not found on the LP.

The UK's very interesting The Coral release their debut effort on March 4. "The Coral" is a group of young performers with the youngest being 18. However, their music is very grown up and really have to be heard. Critics seemingly love them. I've heard only snippets of their songs but have avidly liked what I've heard.

This disc features 2 videos tracks, "Dreaming of You" and "Goodbye". The track, "Dreaming of You" will be the band's first radio cut and is likely to start spinning in April.

Also, on the 4th of March is a disc that I'm anxiously awaiting. The SACD version of Leonard Bernstein's "Holst:The Planets; Britten: Four Sea Interludes" that will be available in Stereo/Multi-Channel. The Planets Suite has always interested me because of it's obvious subject matter. But it is also a beautiful creation of stunningly expressive work that embodies the very planets they represent. For over 27 years, it's been a favoured title of mine so it's no wonder that I look forward to this new presentation from Bernstein and The New York Philharmonic.

In DVD Video news, Sony is planning the release of a Jeff Buckley title, "Complete Live at Sin-E". There is no real news of just what this entails as of yet but I'm willing to bet that there are fans out there who know. I do know that this is from his solo appearances at Sin-E. In any case, we'll get the details to you just as soon as we find them out. It releases April 1. And on March 25, Epic Records releases a Tori Amos DVD Video, "a sorta fairytale: Special Edition EP DVD Single". It's not a full blown DVD Video disc but rather a single video. No word on pricing as of yet. Epic continues with a DVD-Video release of Genuwine's videos called "Genuwine - The Videos" for April 8. Epic Records is also releasing "Howie Day: Live" on DVD Video on April 1.

Legacy has added Eddie Money to their upcoming blast of Essential Series due on April 1. I've been a fan of Eddie Money but only of his first two discs. If you wanted my suggestion, I'd spring for the first two albums that he released as they are both great rock n roll. Agree or disagree? Put me in my place if you disagree.

That's it for today. I've done a bit of spouting so if you need to sound off, write me. But before I go, I'm posting the promised Jeffrey Gaines review of "Toward the Sun" that releases today.

Check back tomorrow for more news and a review of REM's "Automatic For The People" in DVD-Audio by Bill Hunt.

February 10, 2003

Hello again. We had a fine weekend. My son turned 19 and...well, we just had us a blast. His friends came over and we threw him a good time. So, happy 19th, Justin.

Hopefully everyone had a great weekend. We got some news for you. We've received from Universal, the Police remasters and The Who's "Who's Next", 2CD Deluxe Edition. Let me just say this. Exceptional, exceptional, and EXCEPTIONAL. I ran these discs against their previously released sisters and listened as these remastered versions systematically shredded the older releases. In the case of The Police, the quality is so matchless that, in comparison, the previous remasters sounded dull. Not only am I supremely impressed with the quality, I'm salivating to hear just what the hell SACD brings additionally to these already fine remasters. Folks, whether you buy the SACDs for what it provides or you buy the remasters to replace the discs that you have, you will be rewarded with a rich, sound environment that will be hard to beat. I've read some forum issues where people were displeased with having to purchase these discs again when they were just recently remastered but I gotta tell you, there is a reason these things are coming out. Trust me when I say that you'll note the differences immediately. The Police SACDs and Remasters release March 4.

In the case of The Who and their upcoming 2CD remaster, again, the quality is matchless. I played this set against the 1995 MCA remasters and was highly impressed. And there are massive amounts of bonuses to this release. There are alternate takes of recorded material such as "Behind Blue Eyes", and "Won't Get Fooled Again" recorded at The Record Plant. And let me tell you, while I can see why they opted for what eventually appeared on the original recording, the alternates are very good. And they're important. The inclusion on this set represents a celebration of one of the most enduring rock albums in rock n roll history. My hat's off to MCA for lovingly bringing this definitive version to the fans. This disc will release on March 25. It is an essential.

We'll be reviewing these titles at a later date so keep an eye out for those. And we do promise to kick reviews back into high gear. We know that we have been slack as of late. We apologize. But we're comin' back with fire.

In the Pink Floyd watch, March 25 is still the date for the upcoming and highly anticipated "Dark Side of the Moon" SACD. With an unprecented huge run for an SACD, Universal expects the SACD version of this disc to help push the format. And it should. And while I'm keeping an eye out, The Beatles "Anthology" DVD set is still holding tight to an April 1 release date.

In other SACD news, Universal/Blue Note will issue the SACD title of "The Ultimate Blue Train" by John Coltrane on April 22 as well as Norah Jones' Grammy Nominated, "Come Away With Me". Also, and reported before, are Bob Belton's "Black Dahlia", Bill Charlap's "Stardust", and Dianne Reeves' "The Calling". These discs are in small run numbers so be sure to acquire your title before its gone.

There isn't much in the way of blockbuster releases this week. As a result, the week's posts may be short. Although we're aware of upcoming releases, we sit on them because we are otherwise changing the dates all the times. Know how exhausting that is? Big issues...you'll know about it.

We see where Liz Phair is working on an as yet untitled disc which is scheduled for release on May 20. Also, on that date, a Cannonball Adderley reissue, "Fiddler on the Roof" will be making its appearance.

The upcoming Greatest Hits for the Beach Boys have just been christened "Good Vibrations - The Very Best of the Beach Boys". It's due out on June 24.

For Kronos Quartet fans, we note that they will be tentatively releasing a disc with Tiger Lilies, title to be determined. As always, Kronos releases are excellent so this should be an exciting disc. The tentative date is October 7. In other works in progress, Thalia is scheduled to release an album of new music on November 18. But take these dates with a grain of salt, they may and likely will be changed.

That's it for Monday. Be back tomorrow when I'll finally get that Jeffrey Gaines review up.